making news this morning, a wild weather. >> mother nature making a mess on this getaway day. a pair of powerful storms impacting travel across the country. and how did this happen? caught on tape, a helicopter comes down in a busy downtown area earlier today. and there were three. but only one celeb can win "dancing with the stars." happy thanksgiving eve, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin. americans are coast-to-coast are braving the roads, rails and skies to get to thanksgiving dinner. >> it's the season. and they're venturing out in the largest numbers since the start of the recession. now, stormsmming bot slamming bs

have triggered dozens of delays. and they could have a effect across the country. we start with tahman bradley. >> reporter: if you're traveling this thanksgiving, be ready for travel delays. more than 32,000 americans will hit the roads, airways to reach their destinations. and many of them will run into monster storms. >> we're already seeing delays. we're seeing consolatio ining c coming into the new york airport. every airport around the country is going to be affected. >> reporter: heavy mountain snow and possible mudslides is expected on the west coast. in the east, snow, rain and flood warnings, stretching across several states could make for some dicey weather. >> we try to get ahead. get a jump ahead. so we can do our little shopping. get the turkey ready early. >> reporter: for those who didn't start early, today could be a nightmare. airports across the country are already crowded. >> i'm going to have to be

prepared for delays. i'm looking forward to get back home. but if a delay comes, i'm just going to have to deal with it. >> reporter: the situation on the road isn't much better. gas is up 50 cents a gallon more than last year. and 90% of americans will travel by car. many of them, right into the bad weather. >> everyone is trying to get to their destination. they want to spend time with their family and friends who they may not have seen all year long. practice patience and look out for your fellow traveler. >> reporter: 90,000 are expected to take a bus or train to their destination this year. a 50% increase since 2010. tahman bradley, abc news. >> good luck to all those folks today. really. let's take a look, now, at how the storm can impact your holiday weekend getaway. >> our coverage continues with accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. gm, jim. >> the low pressure continues to bring heavy rainfall to new york city, philadelphia, boston, causing major travel issues this morning. and heavy snow in the northern

end of this, in northern and central maine. vermont, new hampshire. some spots seeing six to ten inches of snow. travel nightmares for you. in the northwest, the storm system continues to bring heavy rain. with the heaviest rain coming to an end in seattle and portland. traveling through the mountain passes will be difficult. rob and sunny, back to you. >> thanks, jim. stay with us for "good morning america." we'll check in with our crews across the country. we turn, now, to presidential politics. and the final words for last night's republican debate. newt gingrich has surged in the top of the poles in recent weeks has created a controversy. he suggested that some illegal immigrants be allowed to stay here in the u.s. abc's karen travers has more on this from washington. >> reporter: there are just six weeks to go before the iowa caucuses. there seems to be a greater sense of urgency among the republican contenders. there were significant foreign sagreements over key foreign policy issues. on afghanistan. >> our effort there is to keep afghanistan from becoming a launching point for terror

against the united states. we don't want to literally pull up stakes and run out of town, after the extraordinary investment we made. >> we don't need 100,000 troops. many of them across the wire. we need a presence on the ground that's akin to 10,000 or 15,000. >> reporter: and pakistan. >> the bottom line, they showed us time after time, they can't be trusted. and until pakistan clearly shows that they have america's best interest in mind, i would not send them one penny. >> with all due respect to the governor, i think that's highly naive. again, we have to recognize what's happening on the ground. these are nuclear weapons all across this nation. potentially al qaeda could get ahold of these weapons. >> reporter: newt gingrich came into the debate as the new front-runner. and he slid under the radar for most of the night. until the issue of illegal immigration came up. >> i don't see how the -- the party that says it's the party of the family is going to adopt an immigration policy that destroys families that have been

here a quarter-century. an i'm prepared to take the heat in saying let's be humane in enforcing the law. >> reporter: gingrich's position put him h most republicans. he says he doesn't support amnesty. he could send many illegal immigrants home. but he didn't back down from his comments. karen travers, abc news, washington. a few hours after that debate, political junkies turned their channels to jimmy fallon. the night before, with michele bachmann coming out with the guest, the house band purposely played a song with an insulting and sexist title. later tweeting that the selection was meant to be something chic. fallon said nothing on his show. but he said he's sorry for the intro mess. in egypt, three american students rnd arrest have been questioned by prosecutors. they were taken into custody monday while allegedly throwing firebombs at security forces from a rooftop. all are students at the american university in cairo. meanwhile, street battles near

the city's tahrir square rage on. egypt's military rulers are offering to move up a presidential election to early next year. demonstrators are demanding that the military step aside immediately. at penn state, more allegations of abuse are surfacing involving former coach jerry sandusky. they come from two boys that are still minors. that raises the possibility that the alleged abuse took place while sandusky was still being investigated by a grand jury. also, all of the judges in the county where penn state is located have now removed themselves from the case to avoid any conflicts of interest. no charges will be filed in theed is of a bullied gay teenager from upstate new york. jamey rodemeyer's computer and cell phone had been sent to afob forensic lab to determine if the bullying was harassment or a hate crime. investigators found it insensitive and inappropriate, but not criminal. more arrests in the s.a.t.

cheating scandal here in new york. at least 20 students have been charged in connection with the case. prosecutors said 15 high school students hired 5 other people to take the s.a.t. or a.c.t. for them. in just a few hours, two turkeys will get a very lucky break. pardoned by president obama to live their lives in peace instead of ending up as dinner. there's one more reason to envy these guys. they're waking up this morning at washington's very posh w. they're hotel. they're better than i am. coming up after the break, a health alert this morning, as many of us prepare our holiday meals. a new warning about chemicals found in metal cans. what you can do about it. after ten weeks of tough competition, there's a new winner of "dancing with the stars." hey, your high speed internet here, at home...

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welcome back, everybody. overseas markets are down this morning after disappointing news from the u.s., europe and china. tokyo's nikkei average is closed today. hong kong's hang seng dropped 387 points. in london, the ftse opened lower. and on wall street, the dow lost 54 points ye index was the nasdaq index was off 2. a pharmaceutical giant is feeling pain this morning over its marketing of a painkiller. merck will pay $950 million to settle criminal and civil charges that it illegally promoted vioxx and deceived the government about its safety.

vioxx was pulled from the market seven years ago because it doubled the risk of heart attack and stroke. facebook wants to be more than just an app on your phone. it has reportedly tapped htc to make a smartphone to integrate the social network into the operating system and hardware. the facebook phone supposedly is code named buffly, as in the vampire slayer. facebook won't say. but it should go on sale the next year or two. and there's a new possibly illegal tactic to save money on travel. dozens of british hotel owners say they've been blackmailed into giving guests discounts and free upgrades. the inn keepers say the guests threaten to post bad reviews online anonymously if they don't get the perks. that could cost hotels thousands of dollars in lost bookings. many people won't be at work on thanksgiving. but for some, the work goes with them. a survey finds that more than two-thirds of us will check our business e-mail accounts tomorrow. that's an increase over last year. and while movie theaters this weekend will be stuffed

with family films, the latest "twilight" saga could feast at the box office. none of the three new kid-friendly releases is likely to stake out as much in sales. "the muppets" is expected to be the strongest of the three films released today. >> you'll be seeing what movie this weekend? >> "twilight." >> yes, you are a twihard, as they're called. coming up next on this wednesday morning, a rare trip and break from therapy for congresswoman gabby giffords for the big holiday weekend. plus, the alarming video that got our attention overnight. a chopper crashed in new zealand this morning. we'll hear from eyewitnesses. it's good to know there are some things you can count on. so] up here in maine, those things are cold weather and bean boots. ♪ and that's what makes them such a good gift. that and the fact that everybody wants warm feet for christmas.

my name is jason valero, and i cut leather for bean boots. and the holidays are made here, right here. ♪

right here. - i wanted to get cindy something special this year. - you went to kay. she'll love it. [chuckles] trust me. i know. - the charmed memories collection from kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. - i love it. well, we all know why the chicken crossed the road. but what about the fish? check out this very bizarre sight. that's salmon making their way across the street in washington state. the salmon managed to get to the other side by swimming in

shallow floodwaters triggered by a powerful rainstorm. making a run for it. >> yes. that rain sticks around the pacific northwest. it will be slick on i-5, from seattle to san francisco. snow blankets parts of i-84 and 90 in the pacific northwest and northern rockies. rain soaks i-95 from the carolinas to boston. icy roads in maine. wet in florida. >> and if you're flying today, like so many of you are, airport delays are possible in boston, new york, philly, d.c. and san francisco. those, of course, are some of the country's biggest airports. delays or cancellations there create a really pretty significant ripple effect nationwide. >> it's going to be a mess out there. it will be a day of closely watching maps, just like this one, that show all the planes in the air. so far, there's only a few dozen cancellations. experts say that's not very many considering all of the stormy weather on both coasts. >> and nearly 2 million of the air travelers are going through los angeles.

and they're facing l.a.x. traffic police especially trained to be nice to them. you may still have to move your car, but officers will ask nicely. they're even handing out coupons for free. >> protect and serve with a smile. we like that. and a final thanksgiving travel note this morning. congresswoman gabby giffords has already returned home to tucson, where she will spend the holiday with her husband and family. she has been getting outpatient treatment for her brain injury, that's been taking place at a facility in houston. as you're pulling together your feast together, a new warning about canned foods. researchers at harvard found eating just one serving of canned foods over the course of five days significantly raises the levels of bpa, a chemical linked to negative health effects. how dangerous is it? we asked our doctor, richard besser. just don't know. it's a big step from where we are now, finding it in the body. showing it causes harm, in terms of health. n.i.h. is putting $30 million to answer that question. just last year, the fda raised concerns about pba in baby bottles.

manufactures took it out. it will be interesting to see if manufactures remove this. >> dr. besser says, until the safety is answered, stick with fresh or frozen foods. now, for sports. before a couple days of feasting on college football, we have the college hoops highlights. we get them from espn news. >> good morning. i'm ducis rodgers with this espn news update. what do you say we head to hawaii for the maui invitational? number 6 duke, taking on number 15, michigan. first half, mason plumlee on the business end of the alley-oop. duke up by seven. second half, michigan trying to make it a close game. jordan morgan, that's a high-percentage shot. michigan down by nine. later, austin rivers. that's nba range. duke up, 51-42. at the other end, zack novak showing off his range. michigan within five.

on duke's following possession, novak was called for the intentional foul. duke wins it 82-75. duke faces kansas wednesday, 10:00 p.m. eastern on espn. how about the consolation game between memphis and tennessee? under ten seconds to go in regulation. tennessee down two. jeronne maymon. 32 points, 20 rebounds. that ties the game. we eventually go to overtime. under ten seconds to play. tied at 91-91. maymon unable to get the shot off. adonis thomas at the buzzer. guess what? we're going to a second overtime. memphis by two. three seconds to go. tennessee ball off the inbounds. wesley witherspoon steals it. but he's called for traveling. take another look. witherspoon takes two steps without dribbling. that gives tennessee another chance, with less than a second on the clock. off the inbounds, maymon misses. memphis takes it 99-97, in double-overtime.

i'm ducis rodgers. that was your espn news update. >> a lucky guy to come back and win that game. now, for that incredible video. preparations for a christmas display in new zealand hit a major snag this morning. >> well, major to say the least. take a look as a helicopter got tangled in cables at the city's waterfront. it went down while helping install a christmas tree. >> luckily, believe it or not, no one was close enough to actually be injured. but plenty of people saw it come down. >> it was a mess of propeller sound. >> there was an enormous pop, which was the blades exploding. and then, a mighty thump, as the helicopter hit the ground. >> the chopper pilot has 20 years flying experience. amazingly, he escaped virtually unharmed. he's quoted as saying he's doing just fine. lucky guy. >> unbelievable. >> he has a lot to be thankful for on this thanksgiving.

>> that's right. up next, we're headed to the dance floor. >> in case you missed it, "dancing with the stars" came down to rob and j.r. we'll hear from the big winner when we come back. my whole body hurt. it was an ongoing, deep pain. i didn't understand it. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia -- thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means, i can feel better

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sir, can you hear me? two, three. just hold the bag. we need a portable x-ray, please! [ nurse ] i'm a nurse. i believe in the power of science and medicine. but i'm also human. and i believe in stacking the deck. [ female announcer ] to nurses everywhere, thank you, from johnson & johnson. and the winners and new champions of "dancing with the stars" are -- j.r. and karina. >> that's right. the words j.r. martinez and all his fans have been waiting ten weeks to hear.

>> the soap star and iraq veteran is the latest recipient of the mirrorball trophy. >> kabc's george pennacchio talked to him. >> now, that dancing is done, i'm going to go to professional lifting. these things are so heavy, veins are popping out of my head. >> reporter: after ten weeks of grueling competition, j.r. martinez and his partner, karina smirnoff, walk away as champions of "dancing with the stars'" 13th season. >> i think first and foremost, before everything, we should thank america, every week for voting for us. and believing in us as a team. and second, thanks should go to you. >> reporter: his partner is just beside herself with joy. >> i feel like we accepted oscars. i want to thank my parents. i do want to thank my parents. >> reporter: rob kardashian and cheryl burke danced their way to second place. with ricki lake and derek hough finishing third. >> i never thought i would ever get a 30, a perfect score, on "dancing with the stars." and in the finals. it's just awesome. the show's such a transformation. >> this competition is about the journey. and i've had such an amazing journey with rob. >> j.r. is so deserving.

he's such an inspiration. and rob was so incredible every week, improving. so, to be among these people and to come out third, i'm really, really grateful. >> the last performance, she was perfect. and just sealed the season with a kiss. >> reporter: the war hero who became a ballroom dance champ had another partner in this journey, his mother. >> to think 8 1/2 years ago, she was helping teaching me how to walk. and i've been learning how to dance for the past ten weeks. it's amazing, the journey. it shows that life is crazy. >> i believe he got it from god. god had faith in him. so, my son is a hero. and also, a good son. >> reporter: and j.r.'s girlfriend told me, when it comes to j.r., what you see is what you get. and what you're going to get is more "dancing with the stars." the show will be back for a season 14 in march. in los angeles, george pennacchio, for abc news. >> such a good guy. everybody's rooting for him. good moment. the three finalists and their

partners are actually on a plane to new york right now. you'll see them later on "good morning america."

a holiday tradition minus the tradition. the biggest piece of the thank day parade that could be missing. >> and holiday gridlock. details to help you navigate the thanksgiving rush. meteorologist mike nicco has your holiday forecast. rain is coming in slower. bad news if you are traveling around the country. time for a thanksgiving-themed "pulse" this morning. i love a deep-fried turkey as much as the next guy. but you probably have seen the

youtube videos of so many things that can go wrong. more than 1,000 deep-fryer fires happen every year. >> here's the official warning. make sure the turkey is completely thawed before placing it in a fryer. and make sure the fryer is placed outside before you use it. >> way outside. away from everything, including your pets and kids. >> not on a wooden deck or anything like that. >> don't want your turkey to be that fried. and we hope your thanksgiving dinner does not look like this. oh, yeah. they have the annual turkey eating contest in new york yesterday. each competitor had ten minutes to eat as much of a ten-pound bird as possible. >> and when all the chowing was over, it was sonya thomas, the so-called black widow, who came out on top. she ate five and a quarter-pounds of turkey. >> 42 years old. i've seen her in action in person. she is a beast. i saw her at a crawfish eating contest in new orleans.

they treat their stomach like a muscle. >> exactly. work it out. she's little. >> she is tiny. but she will outeat everybody in this building right now. she's amazing. and finally, new offerings from our friends. at awkwardfamilyphotos.com. the website with a new thanksgiving edition, that shows the awkward photos that make us ask, what in the world were they thinking? look at some of these things. the colonial shot there. the kids, not too pleased, obviously, with those photos. and in this one -- oh. what's wrong with her? not having a good thanksgiving, whatsoever. and this last one -- >> i hate this. >> gosh. not exactly the thanksgiving spirit, either. you can't fault them for being honest. hope you have a wonderful thanksgiving. despite the messy weather and have a good time. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for