making news in america this morning, winter warning. >> millions of americans are getting ready to travel for the holidays. but will a powerful, new storm cause widespread delays? also today. cyber war. china has been caught hacking into some of america's biggest companies, and even the pentagon, costing our economy billions. and home for the holidays. the emotional reunions of soldiers returning from war and into the arms of some very happy children. good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm sunny hostin. from a white christmas to a wet one. the first day bringing heavy snow to the west and a soggy mess to much of the east. >> yes, indeed.

that means plenty of slick roads and runways as millions of americans embark on their christmas getaway. abc's paul beban is here in new york with the latest. good morning, paul. >> reporter: good morning, rob and sunny. that's right. for the last few days -- up until the last few days, it's been pretty mild. late-fall, early-winter-type weather. but just in time for that holiday getaway, it looks like mother nature may be about to kick things into high gear. in denver, colorado, the snow is already coming down. and the race is on to wrap up the shopping. >> we're heading home right away because it's probably going to kick in worse. >> reporter: this morning, a powerful cold front could dump 6 to 12 inches of snow on the denver area. storm warning and watches all the way from montana through colorado. gusty winds and blowing snow, making for dangerous driving. all of this hard on the heels of the deadly blizzard that swept across the southern plains earlier this week. some incredible survival stories coming to light. in new mexico, a family of three rescued, after being buried

under four feet of ice and snow for two days. the travel picture elsewhere, so far, so good. >> we have some extra baggage. got our family with us today. so, we're hoping no delays and everything goes smoothly. >> reporter: but it might not be smooth for long. heavy rain is sweeping across the south, causing flooding from new orleans to atlanta. that same system moves up into the mid-atlantic, slowing things down in travel hubs from atlanta to boston. farther north, falling temperatures mean icy roads and traffic grinding to a halt. >> i've been a bus driver 25 years. and this morning was probably one of the worst i've seen. >> reporter: so, the bottom line, if you're traveling today or tomorrow, brace yourself. airport delays are expected up and down the east coast. and that could have a ripple effect for the rest of the country. rob and sunny? >> paul, for some, it's the million-dollar question this weekend. what's the travel situation going to look like? >> reporter: well, if you can push back your delay until saturday, if you're traveling until saturday, that may be the way to go. by then, that snow in the

rockies should be cleared out. and the rain on the east coast should finish by midday tomorrow. >> all right. some good advice. we'll see how it works out. fingers crossed everybody, hitting the roads and skies. abc's paul beban in new york. thanks, paul. time to look at weather from across the country today. is severe thunderstorms that paul mentioned could spawn tornadoes along the gulf coast. and the santa ana winds kick up again around san diego and l.a. >> 60 degrees in sacramento. and 41 in seattle. mostly 30s from billings to albuquerque. but just 14 degrees in colorado springs. minneapolis only gets up to 25. omaha, 31. and chicago, 40. 50s from boston to baltimore. 70 in atlanta. and a sunny 82 in miami. >> ah, miami. southwest airlines is now apologizing for what a mother in tennessee is calling the scariest moment of her life. that's because her daughter, 9-year-old chloe, d arrive in new york on the flight she was supposed to. >> reporter: chloe was set to fly from nashville, to columbus,

baltimore and then to new york. but there was a pit stop in cleveland. chloe was removed from that plane and no one called her family. she eventually arrived safely. but five hours late. we're following a developing story in iraq this morning. at least 63 people have been killed in a wave of bombings across baghdad. the deadliest attack appeared to target rescuers and officials who came to the scene previous previous explosion. it's the worst violence to hit baghdad in months. officials at the chinese embassy in washington are denying that hackers from china are attacking computer systems here in the u.s. the justice department says the latest victim was the u.s. chamber of commerce. congressional leaders says china is engaged in espionage like we've never seen before. >> we've never seen a country dedicate its espionage resources to steal economic information and then use it against us, against our economy. >> intelligence sources say the u.s. is losing $250 billion to

economic espionage every year. >> staggering number. the army is now charging eight soldiers in connection with the likely suicide of a comrade. 19-year-old daniel chen was found dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot in october, while serving in afghanistan. the eight service members face charges including involuntary manslaughter and negligent homicide. they could spend up to ten years in prison. president obama is keeping the heat on republicans over the payroll tax cut extension. he'll meet later with workers who now stand to lose $40 every paycheck. >> the president is also phoning top leaders, urging they end this showdown. abc's karen travers is joining us from washington with more on this. hi, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, sunny. the finger-pointing continues on capitol hill. and democrats and republicans are both saying it's the other party that's acting like the real grinch this holiday season.

with his family already in hawaii for the holidays, president obama got in some last-minute shopping today. >> merry christmas to you. >> reporter: the president, still in washington, as the heated standoff on capitol hill over tax cuts rages on. yesterday, the house rejected the senate bill in a extends the payroll tax cuts for two months. house republicans are still pushing for a one-year extension. and insists the democrats come back to the table. >> it would be helpful if members of the senate, both parties, were here. sit down and resolve these differences as quickly as possible. >> reporter: but democrats and even some senate republicans say the time for negotiating is over. president obama spoke to speaker boehner by phone today. he urged him to get this short-term extension passed. and then, they'll talk about a . full-year solution. >> this matters. this is real, real stuff. >> reporter: but to millions of americans, it looks like congress is, once again, playing a game of ith poker with

taxpayer money. so, what happens if the standoff is januasolved by january 1st? 160 million americans will pay an average $20 more every week in taxes. about 2.5 million long-term unemployed will lose their benefits, about $300 per week. and doctors who treat medicare patients will see their payments slashed by 27%. >> the republicans have taken hostage those 160 million people. >> reporter: all signs point to house republicans backing down and agreeing to the short-term extension. but they're not going to go down without a fight. rob and sunny? >> you would think this thing will wrap up by the end of the year. but another 11th-hour drama on capitol hill. >> let's hope they wrap it up. coming up after the break, the new rules released by the faa to prevent pilot fatigue. but is it enough to keep the sky safe? also, why one big bank was force forced to pay a $335 million fine. it's not what you think. also this morning, the woman who fell on to the tracks as the train went flying by.

she miraculously survived.

overseas markets are down on new doubts about efforts to resolve europe's debt crisis. tokyo's nikkei average lost 65 points today. hong kong's hang seng dropped 38. in london, the ftse opened lower. on wall street, the dow was up 4 points yesterday. the nasdaq index fell 26. and there are signs this morning of a slight improvement in housing markets.loseues are e almost $700 billion this year. but believe it or not, that is actually an improvement because the loss was even greater last year. research firm zillow says the housing market is at or near bottom. it's the big it's the biggest housing buying settlement ever. bank of america has agreed to pay $335 million because its countrywide mortgage unit allegedly discriminated against about 200,000 black and hispanic borrowers during the housing boom. charging them higher fees and interest even though their credit was as good as other applicants.

it's another after-effect of the recession. u.s. population growth is down to its lowest level since world war ii. and analysts are blaming the economy. the birthrate fell more than 7% during the recession. and immigration is at its lowest level in 20 years. and another burger chain is giving alcohol a shot. white castle is testing beer and wine sales at this indiana store. it's just one of several new concepts the nation's first fast food burger chain is looking at. and if it works, it may expand to all white castles. >> music to your ears. you're a fan. >> i adore white castle. delicious. >> debatable point. burger king, sonic and starbucks are also testing beer and wine at a few sites. so, this thing could be spreading. >> it's a trend. going viral. when we come back this morning, why one of the most popular megastores is now pulling instant formula off the shelves. also, the kansas college student who mysteriously went missing has now mysteriously been found.

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sears. a sober reminder this morning of the dangers of drinking too much this holiday season. british police released this video, showing an apparently intoxicated woman falling between a train and the platform. luckily, though, she only suffered some minor injuries. police say it's a warning to the public to celebrate responsibly. so, remember that when you go to that white castle in indiana. >> that's an important warning. those storms are making for a slippery morning ride again on i-20, east of dallas, all the way to atlanta. and i-10, from san antonio to mobile. also wet on i-40, from memphis to raleigh. and i-95, in the southeast. ice and snow on i-70 around denver. and i-25, from cheyenne to albuquerque. >> and if you're flying today, some airport delays are possible in houston, new orleans, memphis, atlanta, charlotte, d.c., denver and l.a. talk about the rough weather. that's a long list today. >> yes. >> so, safe travels, everybody.

well, and speaking of flying, the government is ordering airlines to make sure pilots are getting enough sleep. >> still, though, critics say the new rules don't go nearly far enough. abc's duarte geraldino is joining us this morning from new york with more. >> reporter: it was some time after 10:00 p.m., when colgan air flight 3407 crashed into a buffalo neighborhood, killing 50 people, 1 on the ground. susan bourque's sister, beverly eckert, was one of the passengers. >> we could not sit back and say, oh, well. we needed to do something. and we felt motivated by the memory of those people who died in that crash. >> reporter: now, nearly three years later, the federal aviation administration is issuing new rules to keep fatigued pilots out of the cockpit. >> this took too long. it took too long beyond the colgan air crash. but these things take a long time. we wanted to make sure we got it right. >> reporter: the ntsb cited

pilot error for the february 2009 crash. neither pilot appeared 20 have slept in a bed the night before they arrived to fly. under the new rules, a pilot can work a 9-hour to 14-hour shift. the flight time is limited to eight or nine hours. they must get a ten-hour rest period between shifts. which must include a chance for eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. not everyone is convinced the new rules will help. in a written statement, the chairman of the transportation infrastructure committee said, pilots must take personal responsibility for coming to duty rested and ready for duty. the new rules are expected to cost the airline industry nearly $300 million in the next decade. the rules don't go into effect for two years and they do not apply to cargo carriers. duarte geraldino, for abc news. walmart has pulled a batch of powder infant formula from its stores after a baby

from missouri became ill and then died. no government recall has been for the enfamil newborn powder. but walmart says it is acting out of an abundance of caution. the 10-day-old baby died from a rare bacterial infection after being fed the formula. earlier this week, we heard this chilling call from a kansas college student. >> my heart is like pounding. i never got this scared in my life. pick up your phones.i am freakeg i am freaked out right now. >> despite that, overnight, we have learned that 19-year-old aisha khan is actually safe and sound. and that she was never taken against her will. police say they had no information where the newlywed has spent the last six days while police, family and friends have been on a massive search. some charitable work is being done by british royals, william and kate. they took part in a cooking class yesterday at a charity that supports homeless children. it wasn't the first time for william. he visited the same charity with his mother, princess diana, when he was a youngster. for the very first time, two women sailors have shared the

navy's traditional first kiss. the two petty officers exchanged a smooch, when 1 of them returned after 80 days at sea. navy officials said it was the first time on record that a same-sex couple was can chosen to kiss first upon the ship's return. sailors bought $1 raffle tickets for the opportunity. back here at home, boxer floyd mayweather jr. will serve a 90-day sentence. he pleaded guilty to a domestic violence charge and pled not contest two harassment charges. those all stem from a violent argument with his ex-girlfriend last year. mayweather is 42-0 in the ring. his sentence could be reduced several weeks with good behavior. now, some sports highlights. we get those from espn news. >> good morning. i'm ducis rodgers. it is bowl season. we start off with tcu and louisiana tech in the san diego credit union poinsettia bowl. pick it up tied at 17-17, in the

third quarter. colby cameron with a perfect pass to myles white. the bulldogs take the lead, 21-17. in the fourth quarter, it's all about tcu. casey pachall, rolls out and finds skye dawson. perfect name. perfect pass. tcu wins 31-24. horn frogs, 6-1, in their last 7 bowl games. how about to the nba? lakers and clippers. kobe bryant out with an injured wrist. chris paul, newcomer. just seven points. but he ten assists. clippers down by three. under 40 seconds remaining in the second quarter. blake griffin, doing what he did a lot last year. that's dunk. clippers trail by three. fourth quarter, griffin again. a monster move. 20 points for him. the clippers win, 108-103. how about dwight howard and the magic, taking on the miami heat, led by lebron james.

second quarter, dwight howard on cleanup duty. clear out the runway. magic down by 18. the magic would mount a comeback. fourth quarter, daniel orton, knocks down the jumper. the magic win it, 104-100. a reminder, the nba season starts christmas day on abc and espn. espn. i'm ducis rodgers. well, santa's just a couple of days away from his big annual trip. so, what better way to get ready for it than to deliver some treats to some chimps in florida? >> santa has been bringing the goodies to that safari park for the last 27 years. his annual visit is called christmas with the chimps. and if that's what santa does as his final tuneup for christmas, i guess we're all for it. he hit that one chimp in the head, though. >> i know. that's dangerous. >> they could have gone a little wild. >> that's dangerous. >> careful, santa. well, coming up next, why according to twitter, 2011 was a bummer of a year.

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that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen. now, time to check "the pulse," the stories you'll be talking about today. as you know, millions and millions of people are tweeting

at any given moment. now, a new study claims our overall happiness is on the decline. at least according to what's being tweeted. >> university of vermont researchers studied tweets over a three-year period. they say, not only has overall happiness declined since 2009, but it's gone into a more rapid decline this year. >> when we're happy, our tweets indicate we're happiest on saturdays. followed by fridays and sundays. this time of year, around the holidays, is the happiest overall. and that really doesn't come as a surprise, too. it should be good. twitter says it all. it has been the subject of religious controversy for years. and now, italian scientists say the shroud of turin is not fake. many believers say the shroud is the cloth that jesus was buried in. some see the image of christ in the fabric. but nonbelievers have questioned its authenticity and said it was fake during the middle ages. the scientists did not say whether the burial claims are true. but they say the marks are authentic. >> hopefully that's put to rest.

>> let's hope that is a done deal. people can see -- what you want to see, you want to see. we'll leave it at that. first, it was rush limbaugh. now, anotherly fit republican physically fit republican is criticizing the first lady's figure. >> yes. congressman jim sensenbrenner was reportedly overheard on his cell phone saying that first lady michelle obama lectures on eating right while she has a, quote, large posterier herself. the conversation was reportedly heard at reagan airport. >> you'll remember, that rush limbaugh commented that it didn't look like the first lady was following her own dietary advice. different folks have different kinds of body types. >> i think it's disrespectful to say that about the first lady. i don't know. that's just me. >> it never ends, does it? for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with the touching images of soldiers returning home from war and into the arms of their loved ones.

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updating today's top stories now. the holiday travel rush is getting into full swing today. about 90 million people are expected to drive or fly over. and many of them may have to cope with some pretty bad weather. eight u.s. army members are charged in the death of 19-year-old soldier daniel chen. he died in october of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. chen's family says he was the victim of brutal hazing. in london, william and kate got into the holiday spirit with a little charity work.

they participated in a cooking class at a center for homeless children. and looking at today's weather. a big winter storm dumps heavy snow from denver to albuquerque. >> and it's a supersoaker in the east. drenching rain from new orleans to atlanta. and nashville to cincinnati. and finally, thousands of u.s. servicemen and women are streaming back home, now that the long war in iraq is over. >> over, indeed. it could not come at a more joyous time of year. abc's alex stone has a look at some of our most favorite reunions. >> reporter: from california. to florida. >> i can't believe you. >> reporter: and texas. this is a holiday season military families around the country will not forget. >> it's hard to describe that feeling of being reunited with your child after so long. >> oh, baby. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: the surprise homecomings can begin to look very similar. [ screaming ]

>> reporter: each one has its own story and emotion. in reno, nevada, first grader cody was speechless, as he watched his mom walk through his school's doors after being away for nearly a year. >> very difficult to be separated from cody. at the same time, i have a lot of pride in what i do. >> i love her. >> oh. >> daddy. >> reporter: in fair field, california, staff sergeant, brett randall, is home on leave from afghanistan, long enough to surprise his wife, 4-year-old daughter at his dance recital. >> i love you. >> reporter: he won't spend time shopping for christmas. he just wants to be with his family. but after his third tour in iraq, this homecoming in pennsylvania was extra special, thanks to the end of the war in iraq, army pilot chris sager, had a second surprise for his family. >> are you staying? >> i'm done, honey. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: and in kentucky, there were no surprises. these families were expecting their loved