making news on this christmas eve, friday, december 24th. >> travel troubles. millions are hitting the road and heading to the airport today. but get ready for plenty of delays and even a new security threat. procrastinating shoppers could make today just like black friday all over again. that's what retailers are certainly wishing for. and in california, it's christmastime cleanup, after those mudslides and almost a week a rain. good morning, everyone. i'm mike marusarz, sitting in for rob nelson. >> and i'm vinita nair. >> the millions hitting the road this christmas eve, can expect to pay more at the pump. >> gas prices are more than $3 a

gallon for the first time in months. and air travelers may face security-related delays. travelers hoping to make it home for the holidays are being besieged by all kinds of problems. snow. mudslides. terror threats. passengers traveling by air face a new security alert this morning, as airport screenee exa will be extra on thermos-type beverage containers. they say there isn't a specific terror plot. but they are concerned. that means things could be even slower than usual at security checkpoints. >> at this point, you have to do what will keep people safe, if that's a little extra screening time, it could be more beneficial in the long run. >> reporter: meanwhile, those traveling by automobiles will be bedeviled will pay more for hitting the nation's highways. for the first time in two years, the national average for a regular gallon of gas jumped over the $3 mark.

that's up 13% from last year. and 76% higher than two years ago. >> on a national average basis, we've never paid $3 a gallon on christmas eve or on christmas. >> reporter: despite the obstacles, folks are not staying home. aaa estimates that more than 92 million americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this holiday. nine out of ten will travel by car. and almost 3 million will fly. >> during challenging economic times, there's a battle between the heart strings and the purse strings. usually, the heart strings win out. >> the airport transport association expects flights over the holiday period. that's still below prerecession travel volume. some retailers are calling this black friday, the sequel. many people have today off and are heading to the stores. sales this year have already been the best in three years and could be the best ever. by the way, most last-minute christmas shoppers are men.

we'll have more about today's sales, later in this half hour. >> no surprise there. now, for the christmas eve weather from around the nation. several inches of snow in minneapolis, chicago, st. louis and kansas city. spreading later into indianapolis, cincinnati and nashville. heavy rain and flooding in dallas, houston, little rock and shreveport. and showers from seattle to portland. >> mostly 40s from billings to albuquerque. just 16 in fargo. 26 in minneapolis. and 32 in chicago. 30s in the northeast. 50 in atlanta. and 60 in new orleans. three, more california counties are now under states of emergency because of flood and mudslide damage. total damages could top $100 million. this week's storms were particularly damaging to the small town of highland, east of l.a. mike von fremd reports. >> reporter: after a week of torrential rain, biblical flooding and noxious mudslides, california's beaches are now contaminated with debris,

pesticides and bacteria that gushed into the pacific. inland, no place was hit harder than here in highland, where the storm creek burst and people could not even open their doors. >> we stepped on to the window into the water. and the water went up to here. >> reporter: just sounds i >> it was. i thought we were going to die. >> just get your stuff and get out. >> reporter: tell me the thing you lost that hurts the most. >> my home. i've been here 30-some years. and i paid for my house. >> reporter: many do not yet know if they'll be able to rebuild. in fact, when this family came home today to try to salvage their christmas presents, officials had some tough news. >> this is a mandatory evacuation. please stay out of your homes. the sheriffs are coming. >> reporter: people cannot even check on their animals. prison work crews are trying to dig out all the trapped vehicles. but it will take time to see if they are salvageable. the bottom line is that people here escaped with just the clothes on their back and say they're grateful. this is going to be a pretty tough christmas. >> yeah.

but it can all be replaced, so -- >> reporter: you've got a strong attitude. >> it will be okay. as long as we're all safe. >> reporter: state officials say it's too soon to determine just how much monetary damage this storm has done. and unfortunately, there's another pacific storm on the way. mike von fremd, abc news, highland, california. earlier this week, we showed you san diego's qualcomm stadium. it was a watery, muddy mess because of all the rain in that region. the race was on to get ready for last night's college bowl game. >> they pumped 1.5 million gallons of rainwater out. it was a little slippery for players from san diego state and navy. by the way, san diego state won, 35-14. we're following a developing story in india this morning, where a terror alert is underway in the city of mumbai. police say they have credible evidence, four men are trying to carry out an attack like the one that struck the city in 2008.

nearly 200 people died in that incident. now, an intense manhunt is under way for the men, who all belong to a pakistani-based terror group. italian investigators believe anarchists were behind two mail bomb attacks in rome. workers at the swiss and chilean embassies were hurt when they opened the packages. miguel marquez is in the italian capital. >> reporter: the first bomb exploded around noon. an embassy employee opening a small package, about the size of a video cassette. the bomb detonated in his hands, badly injuring him. the second bomb, a couple hours later. a similar package. this time, the chilean embassy. the only person injured, the mail room worker opening it. u.s. authorities say no suspicious packages were found at its embassy in rome. bombings are similar to others across europe. last month, in athens, greece, crude package bombs were sent to the swiss, russian, bulgarian, and chilean embassies. none of those bombs caused

injury or major damage. but the package bombs come at a sensitive time for authorities here. like the u.s., countries across europe have remained on high alert, concerned about suicide or mumbai-style attacks on busy holiday streets. this week, british police arrested 12 men suspected of planning a major attack. and earlier this month, two simultaneous explosions rocked downtown stockholm, sweden. a car bomb and suicide bomber. only the bomber was killed, but two people were injured. a lucky break. with countries across europe on high alert, officials are counting on more than luck to thwart any large-scale terror attacks. miguel marquez, abc news, rome. in argentina, rail passengers were upset over a disruption of service. and they let police know it. with a labor dispute blocking a rail line for seven hours, passengers rioted. they threw rocks and bottles and set fire to the main station in buenos aires. police used water conans and

tear gas to stop it. back at home, "spider-man" is back on the great white way. the musical went off without a hitch last night. the first performance since monday, when a stunt actor was seriously injured. >> that was the fourth accident since the $65 million production began. producers were forced to implement new safety measures before the show could go on. and when we come back, a big money settlement, stemming from an accident that brought about historic recalls. that and the other business news is next. and the happy couple after all those years. or should we say decades? a long love story, coming up. amm

it is time, now, for a check of market activity, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average dropped today. hong kong's hang seng is down in late trading. in london, the ftse opened lower. wall street is closed today, ahead of christmas. yesterday, the dow jones industrial average rose 14 points to close at 11,573. the nasdaq index dropped 5 points to close at 2665. we've now learned that toyota has paid a southern california family $10 million after a deadly accident in a runaway lexus. a passenger called 911, just before last year's deadly crash. he told police the accelerator was stuck and that the car was going 120 miles per hour. the accident led to a series of recalls. the automaker has tried to keep the financial settlement secret. there is a new sign the economy could be picking.

"the wall street journal" reports 4.7 million jobs were posted online, in the u.s. on december 1st. that is 2 million more than a year earlier. many of the jobs are in health care, retailing and accounting. tiger woods is losing his endorsement deal with gillette. procter & gamble decided to cut woods from the champions marketing campaign. many other sponsors also dropped woods after the news hit of his marital infidelities last year. and when we come back on this friday, what could turn out to be black friday, part two. the calendar is doing retailers a favor this year. and why it's a really good morning to be a pittsburgh sports fan. highlights from espn are coming up. stay with us. [ female announcer ] millions of lips have found true love!

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especially on i-35, 70, 80 and 90 minnesota to the ohio wet on i-20, 35 and 40 in the southern plains. and icy on parts of i-15, 70 in the rockies. >> if you're flying today, you can expect airport delays in seattle, minneapolis, chicago, kansas city, memphis, dallas and houston. as we mentioned earlier, today is expected to be a very busy day at the mall. more so than on most christmas eves. and that is because many shoppers have today off. >> but also because there's signs of economic recovery. and many retailers are offering deals to make sure it continues. >> there you go. >> reporter: christmas bells are ringing in the form of cash registers. bargain-hunters hoping to snag last-minute deals are gifts for retailers, trying to get back in the black. according to a new retail survey, shoppers are shelling out $1 billion more this year than last. >> it's clearly a different mood than what we saw last year. there's more energy. it's more exciting.

the consumers are certainly more interested in participating in the event. >> reporter: a new commerce department report shows overall consumer spending rose 0.4% in november. consumer confidence is at its highest level in six months. and check out these malls in florida. hundreds of people lined up to buy the latest michael jordan basketball shoes. >> some guy punched me in the face. >> reporter: despite minimal increases in salaries and wages, holiday shoppers seem undeterred. >> think i'm spending a little more this year. >> i'm buying funky hats. >> ice skates. >> boots and jeans. and i found them both. >> reporter: and judging from the packed stores, christmas spirit seems to be higher this year, too. well, today may be as busy as the day -- the stores, the day after thanksgiving. experts say there's a key difference. they say black friday shoppers are usually more organized and methodical. president obama is opting r for privacy, during the first few days of his vacation in

hawaii. security was briefly heightened thursday, when a man being chased by police went through a checkpoint. the incident apparently had nothing to do with mr. obama, who was on a links nearby. as he gets ready to face the more republican congress, the president intends to read a biography of ronald reagan during his time away. that's in addition to the golfing and spending time with his family. and the beloved dog owned by the late senator kennedy has died. splash, the portuguese water dog, was 13 years old. kennedy's widow, vicki, called splash a meter and greeter of senators, congressman and foreign dignitaries. he was the star of kennedy's children's book about capitol hill. one of the players who helped put the university of connecticut women's basketball team on the map has tested positive for a banned substance. diana taurasi is playing for a team in turkey. she's been suspended by the league there. >> her agent confirms that taurasi tested positive for the substance. but he says there are serious doubts about the test. taurasi also plays for the phoenix mercury in the wnba. meanwhile, ohio state quarterback, terrelle pryor, and

four other buckeyes will be sitting out the team's first five games of next season. they've been suspended by the ncaa for selling big ten conference title rings, jerseys and other items. the players also received improper ben.too parlor. the school will appeal their suspensions. and all five can still play in the upcoming sugar bowl against arkansas. with that, it's time for last night's sports highlights. we get those from espn news. >> good morning. i' update. espn news update. and we start with the nfl. to pittsburgh we go. the steelers taking on the panthers. thursday night football. early in the second quarter, steelers up 3-0. ben roethlisberger, to mike wallace. and he is gone. that's a touchdown. roethlisberger, 307 yards in the air and that touchdown. third quarter we go, steelers up 20-0. roethlisberger with a quarterback sneak. the steelers win, 27-3. moving on to the ice. sidney crosby and the pittsburgh

penguins taking on alex ovechkin and the washington capitals. first period, no score. crosby, with the redirect pass to michal neuvirth for the goal. take another look. crosby's points streak at 23 games. had his 29th goal of the year. penguins up 1-0. in the shoot-out, alexander ovechkin scoring. and so, we move on. pascal dupuis now. oh, sweet move right there. the penguins win it, 3-2. and to the association. dwight howard and the orlando magic, taking on the spurs. san antonio, looking for their 11th-consecutive win. in the third quarter, that's gilbert arenas with the jumper. magic up, 67-54. still in the third, hedo turkoglu, to richardson. magic up, 71-56. under six minutes to play, still in the third. turkoglu to dwight howard. he throws it down. the magic win, 123-101. that is your espn news update.

i'm don bell. now, back to you in the studio. a royal controversy is raging in britain over the latest wedding memento. the faces on the new coin are supposed to be of those of prince william and his fiancee, kate middleton. >> critics say it doesn't look a thing like them. the mint says the likenesses were approved by both the queen and prince william before the coin was made. and perhaps this michigan couple could be the role models for the newly-engaged. jack and ella esenberg are celebrating 77 years of wedded bliss. that's right. they got married in 1933. and they say it was a love at first sight. >> they say it's still love after all of these years. jack says the secret to staying together is simple. he always says, yes, dear. >> if only all you husbands would learn that. so much more helpful. coming up next, the stories including all that holiday travel and the last-minute christmas shopping. also, the investigation into yesterday's explosion at two foreign embassies in rome. we'll be right back.

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it's stelara®. cwcscccccccc after 2 starter doses, ["stir it up" playing] stir up a smile with hershey's syrup. sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day,

have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta. now, here's a look at the stories we'll be watching on this friday. millions of drivers hitting the roads today will find gas prices higher than they've been in months. a gallon of gas topped $3 for the first time in two years. today could be the day that puts retailers over the top for their best christmas season in three years and maybe ever. a combination of improving

economy and the fact that many shoppers have today off. security is tight in rome, as italian investigators look into the mail bombings which hurt two embassy workers. they think the bombings are the work of anarchists. pope benedict is poised to kick off the christmas season with midnight mass at st. peter's basilica. tomorrow, the pope is offering his traditional christmas blessing at the vatican. and thousands of christian pilgrims are planning to celebrate christmas at the site of jesus' birth in bethlehem. and the north america air defense command is getting in the christmas spirit by tracking santa claus, as they do every year. norad displays santa's journey online, and tells children about his progress. cool to watch that, on christmas eve. you can start tracking him now. >> all the local meteorologists get into it. and tracking exactly which community is going to be h when the k when the kids should go to bed. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, a little something to listen to on the road today. that's when "america this morning" continues, right after this. if your racing thoughts keep you awake...

sleep is here, on the wings of lunesta. and if you wake up often in the middle of the night... rest is here, on the wings of lunesta. lunesta helps you fall asleep and stay asleep, so you can wake up feeling rested. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a $0 co-pay at lunesta.com. sleep well, on the wings of lunesta.

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finally this morning, a must-have for your long and windy road trip. >> as many of us head out for the holidays, there is one thing

we just can't do without. the right music to sing along to. >> john berman tells us what songs are getting america all revved up. >> reporter: the holiday getaway. yes, it can sound like this -- [ horns honking ] >> reporter: but it can also sound like this, if you're "almost famous." ♪ hold me closer tiny dancer ♪ >> reporter: this in "wayne's world." ♪ >> reporter: and this is "a sure thing." ♪ take good care of yourself ♪ ♪ you belong to me >> come on, everybody. >> reporter: but what is our absolutely favorite road trip song? ♪ on the road again >> reporter: according to a poll by pioneerllie nelson's "on th willie nelson's "on the road again." also on the list, "free falling." ♪ and i'm free >> reporter: hopefully sung better than "jerry maguire." the poll does have some interesting tidbits. for instance, here in the northeast, our favorite song is -- ♪ born to be wild

>> reporter: because what's more wild than this? ♪ born to be wild >> reporter: my friends from kiss make the list. ♪ i want to rock and roll all night ♪ >> reporter: yes, a good road song can make all the difference. ♪ maybe too much of a difference. just ask gayle king. ♪ because you love me >> when you get somewhere, and you're about to get out of the car and they play a song you really like, i can't leave. >> reporter: remember, it may take a while to get to your christmas vacation. so, on behalf of abc news and clark griswold, happy holidays, and safe travels. ♪ fa la la la la la la la la >> take it, russ! >> reporter: john berman, abc news, new york. >> there you go. that's my favorite christmas movie. i love that movie. a lot of people listening for the tunes. >> for me, it will be mariah carey. at all i want for christmas." >> there you go. that's good. >> that's what's making news in america this morni