making news in america this morning -- a big victory. chris christie wins in new jersey. but delivers a message to the nation. >> the folks in washington, d.c. should tune in their tvs right now and see how it's done. >> so, where do his national aspirations now stand? plus, voting from across the country, from virginia to maine, colorado and texas. we have all the results from overnight. then, a shocking admission from a big-city mayor. saying he did smoke crack-cocaine. so, why does he still have a job? from tragedy to triumph. the families of those killed in a commuter plane accident get some action. it changes the way pilots are trained. and burger wars, heating up again, thanks to the new addition to the menu at burger king. it sure looks a lot like its rival.

and good morning. we begin this wednesday with election results, pointing the way towards presidential politics in 2016. >> winners in the two biggest races, virginia and new jersey, carry major political prestige for their parties. >> abc's tahman bradley has been tracking the results this morning. and he's joining us, now, from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, diana and john. this was an off-year election. we're not even at the midterms yet. it was an election that was closely watched for the clues it could provide about the next presidential race. >> how about this, new jersey? >> reporter: new jersey governor, chris christie, won re-election in a landslide, setting the stage for a possible run for president in 2016. christie's victory speech went beyond the garden state and had all the hallmarks of a candidate with national aspirations. he sold his win as a path forward for the republican party. >> maybe the folks in washington, d.c. should tune in

their tvs right now. see how it's done. >> reporter: christie won big. a decisive 20-point victory by a republican in a democratic state. he won a majority of women, latinos, even one-third of all democrats. in virginia, a closer contest. terry mcauliffe, the former democratic fund-raiser, party chair and friend of bill and hillary clinton, was elected governor. >> there are a lot of proud democrats here. and aren't we proud tonight, folks? >> reporter: virginia was something of a testing ground for hillary clinton's machine, which is standing by for a possible white house run. mcauliffe defeated ken cuccinelli, a tea party-backed conservative. >> the republican party has two different versions of its future right in front of it. and two, different paths towards success or possible failure. >> reporter: hundreds of cities across the country elected mayors. in new york, the end of an era. democrat bill de blasio running on a more liberal agenda than three-term mayor michael bloomberg, cruised to victory. >> the people of this city have chosen a progressive path.

>> reporter: president obama worked the phones, congratulating some of last night's big winners, including de blasio and mcauliffe. one person he did not call, governor christie. john and diana? >> tahman bradley, live in washington for us. thank you. other notable election results. props featured prominently in two states. voters in portland, maine's largest city, legalized possession of recreational amounts of marijuana. >> the measure got about 67% of support. even with the vote, pot possession remains illegal under state and federal law. >> in colorado, voters had agreed to a 25% tax on marijuana sales. the estimated $67 million generated by the tax will go towards building schools and regulating pot shops. and detroit has elected a new mayor. but he won't have much to say in running the cash-strapped city. he is the motor city's first white mayor in 40 years. but a state-appointed emergency

manager will maintain control of the city's finances until it emerges from bankruptcy. an effort to save the astrodome has been defeated. once called the eighth wonder of the world, the dome became the city's defining landmark. but bigger and better stadiums and arenas took its place. the dome now sits empty. it will likely be demolished. and illinois is about to become the 15th state to legalize same-sex marriage. the state's house of representatives approved the measure yesterday. the senate passed it back on valentine's day. governor pat quinn, who was in the chamber when the house voted, says he is set to sign it into law. the first gay marriages could take place in illinois coming up in june. new gallup poll makes for some rough reading for president obama. it finds the president's approval rating at 39%, one point above his all-time low. meanwhile, 53% disapprove of the job president obama is doing. that's just one point under his record. those numbers, clearly a reflection of how voters are feeling about the launch of the health care program. problems with healthcare.gov getting another airing on capitol hill today when secretary kathleen sebelius testifies before a senate

committee. president obama may field more questions when he attends a health care event in dallas. enrollment numbers for the site will be released next week. and north of the border now. a bombshell has been dropped by the mayor of toronto. after being dogged by allegations for months, mayor rob ford has publicly admitted that he has smoked crack-cocaine. but despite intense pressure to step down, ford says he has no plans to resign. >> yes, i have smoked crack-cocaine. do i? am i an addict? no. have i tried it? probably in one of my drunken stupors, approximately about a year ago. i have nothing left to hide. i would do anything, absolutely anything, to change the past. but the past is the past. and we must move forward.

>> toronto law makes no provision for the mayor's forced removal from office unless he is convicted and jailed for a criminal offense. the new jersey mall shattered by gun violence opens for business again this morning. workers at the garden state plaza repaired the damage after a man in black shot off rounds from an assault-type weapon. the body of 20-year-old richard shoop was found inside the mall. an apparent suicide. friends say he had become paranoid and wish they had picked up on the cues. >> i'm either going to go away for a long time, die or make a run for it. cops have been watching my house for the past four days now. i only have maybe one more day before they come for me. and then, the last message i got from him was yesterday at 6:00. and it said, sorry. >> investigators say richard shoop dabbled in drugs, including heroin and the club drug molly. he apparently stole the gun he used from his brother, who did have a permit to own it. an 83-year-old jewelry thief has pleaded not guilty for

swiping a $22,000 diamond ring from an upscale shop near palm springs. doris payne was escorted into a california courtroom in handcuffs and chains yesterday. and she remains in jail after a judge set bail at $62,000. payne's history of theft, by the way, dates back to 1953. and her 60-year crime spree has inspired a documentary. time, now, for the weather across the nation. sunny and clear in the western half of the country. mild santa ana winds will quiet down in southern california. clear along the atlantic coast. clouds will move in later on. rain drenching the center of the country, from texas up to the great lakes. >> chicago, 55. minneapolis, 39. a balmy 58 in boston. 62 in new york. atlanta, 68. 84 in miami. dallas, 62. l.a. will be 76. salt lake, 54. 79 in phoenix. and 50 in seattle. coming up, the new ipad seems to be a hit. plus, good news for home buyers who might lack a bit of cash. banks are coming to the rescue. and caught in the shooting

chaos in l.a.x. now, we're hearing from the victim who crawled for his life. we hear from him for the first time. stick around.

getting easier to get into the housing market. major banking now offering mortgages with just 5% down. that compares to 20% required after the housing bubble burst. some banks are also allowing up to 2% of the sale price to be from a relative or third party. that means the buyers would have to come up with only 3%. and shares of electric carmaker tesla could come under pressure after the newest earnings announcement. tesla says it lost $38 million from june to september.

that's more than analysts had expected. following that announcement, tesla shares lost more than 11% in after-hours trading. and apple's new lighter ipad air looks to be a heavyweight. three weeks after they went on sale. there was five-times as many of them in use than there were after the latest version of ipad launched a year ago. plus, the air is 13% cheaper to make. that should help apple's bottom line. in the battle of smartphone battery life, samsung's galaxy s4 is earning high marks. it outlasted the competition in calling and web browsing. the iphone 5s came in fourth place for call time. and seventh place for internet time. and it seems that the burger wars are heating up once again. here's burger king's new entry, the big king, which was sold in limited markets in 1997. >> looks a lot like something else. two beef patties, lettuce, onions, pickles, sauce on a sesame seed bun. and we had to mention that

it looks a lot like the big mac, which you see on the right. so, the battle begins. >> but does it taste anything like it? >> i want to do a taste test. >> i agree. come on now, burger king. you want to promote it? here's the place to do it. when we come back, the airliner crash that shocked the nation. and the change that it's finally brought about in the cockpit. and the miami dolphins lineman who was suspended for bullying a teammate. was he really just following orders? stick around. you hear that? that's the sound of car insurance companies these days. here a cheap, there a cheap. everywhere a cheap... you get it. so what if instead of just a cheap choice, you could make a smart choice? like esurance for example. they were born online and built to save people money from the beginning. that's what they've always done. not just something they...cheep about. that's insurance for the modern world. esurance. now backed by allstate. click or call.

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[ bottle ] ensure®. ♪ it's beginning to look a lot like winter in south dakota. four inches of heavy, wet snow fell in sioux falls over the past 24 hours. the earliest snowfall there in ten years. but it is starting to taper off today. all right, now, for a look at morning road conditions. a rainy commute from east texas across the ohio valley and into the great lakes. >> if you're flying, that rain could cause airport delays in

dallas, houston, chicago, detroit and memphis. back in the news, a big change for pilots. the faa has ordered pilots to undergo new training to address safety issues. >> the order comes five years after this crash outside of the buffalo airport that killed 50 people. the victims' families have been waging a relentless campaign to upgrade pilot training. jennifer west lost her husband in that crash. >> the pilots that they had did not know what to do. they did the exact opposite. if they would have had the training that is going to be implemented right now, they would -- you know, everybody would be alive today. >> these rules mean that when a passenger boards an aircraft for a vacation, a business trip or to visit family and friends, they can feel safer than ever before. >> this is the third, major victory for the families group, including putting a limit on flight time for pilots, mandating pilot qualifications and now, specialized training. a teacher wounded in the attack at the los angeles airport describing the terrifying experience. brian ludmer recovering from a

bullet that shattered in his leg. he was headed to chicago for a wedding when he was shot from behind. he dragged himself along the floor and hid in the closet, fearing he would bleed to death. >> the feeling of relief after hearing the voices and peeking out and seeing i was, in fact, police, was -- i can't even describe. and then, they pulled me out. they found a wheelchair. one of the wheelchairs that people use in the airports for passengers. they found that. brought it over. pulled me into it. and ran me out of there. the two of them escorted me out. yeah. at a run. >> students held a walkout and a rally against gun violence. and ludmer says he doesn't see why anyone would need a gun like the one that was used to hurt him. the last of four inmates who escaped an oklahoma jail by climbing through a trap door above a shower has been captured. the two men considered armed and dangerous were taken into custody not far from the jail. the facility was built just last

year. it only took moments for the four convicts to escape last month. the search for a mississippi family has ended with the discovery of their bodies. police aall say all three of the victims, including a 7-year-old boy, had been shot and dumped in an abandoned house. the man who led authorities to those bodies is being charged in the case. it's not clear whether the victims were targeted. not so suddenly a hot target for thieves in california's san joaquin valley. $400,000 worth of wallets disappeared from a grove north of modesto. last month, 12,000 pounds of walnuts worth $50,000 were stolen from a trailer parked north of sacramento. the thieves could make good money selling off the nuts, which goes for about $7 a pound. an 86-year-old california woman who died after running the marathon. sunday, it was. joy johnson's 25th time in the new york city race. but she stumbled at mile 20 and hit her head. medics wanted to take her to the hospital. but she insisted on finishing the race.

on monday afternoon, she went to lie down in her bed at a hotel and never woke up. her family says it's the way she would have wanted to go. new details about the maimi dolphins bullying case. a report in the "sun senital," says that the dolphins coaches asked suspended lineman richie incognito, to quote, toughen up jonathan martin. he's no longer with the team because of threats made by incognito. no coaches were named. and the report says he may have taken things too far. sports highlights now. that means nba hoops and history while we're at it. now, details from our friends at espn. >> good morning, america. this is the "sportscenter" set in los angeles. >> indeed. >> he's stan. i'm neil. the miami heat have lebron james. so, they'll go first. and stan will go first with them. >> james, with a chance for a career milestone. trying to become the fifth player in nba history, to score double-digits in 500-straight games. heat taking on the raptors. there it is.

james is there. and that woman celebrated with lipstick. >> yeah. >> third quarter. heat up seven. dwyane wade had 20. heat up nine. fourth quarter. check out james. gets the screen. he had 35 points. first 30-point game of the season. first road win for miami. they scored 100 in all 5 games this season. yeah, that's great. but the pacers are the only unbeaten team in the nba. >> why do you have to one-up me? >> they're in detroit. paul george. josh smith fakes. and you know who i'm a fan of? >> who? >> curious george. >> the monkey? >> yeah. george, 31 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals. the pacers, 99-91. still unbeaten. indiana/chicago, wednesday. >> oh, that will be fun. >> yeah. we'll do the highlight on "sportscenter." and then, we'll probably do the highlight here. >> yeah. >> you got that to look forward to. >> not just for us. but frankly, for you, as well.

>> this is called fill time right now. that's it. we're out of material and out of time. back to you. >> thanks. >> yeah. a baby-faced card shark, more than $8 million richer after trouncing some of the world's top poker players. makes it our "play of the day." >> 23-year-old ryan outplayed the competition last night to win the world series of poker. he sailed to victory in the no-limit texas hold 'em event, thanks to his style and lucky streak of cards. >> he takes home a cool 8.4 million bucks plus the diamond-encrusted championship bracelet. pretty cool. up next, "the pulse." she is back. we saw her in the light-up costume before halloween. how big will she make out with this trick or treating? and what's better than riding the roomba? not much. >> come back. >> we'll have more. there's a story

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all right. time for "the pulse." we start with a rather creepy looking wedding cake. this was created by the bride, who makes special cakes for a living. >> they live in texas. and he loves horror movies. >> and here's their wedding cake. >> whoa. >> designed to look like their severed heads. now, natalie says her creations are a hit in the halloween season. as the saying goes, till death do us part. >> rather creepy. and a california dad who wowed the world with his stick figure costume he created for his daughter, is at it again. >> he posted a new video, showing his toddler trick or treating in the now-famous costume. you see little glowy zoe, 15 minutes of game are not over

yet. she had a blast. and she took a haul of candy as everyone recognized her. >> dad is hoping to get the costumes in stores by next halloween so everyone can get in on this fun. >> tremendous. >> that's just great. now, make it go into different colors and you really have a seller. what's the newest mommy helper? maybe a roomba. it seems to be catching on. there's lots of internet videos showing babies on the robotic vacuum cleaners. >> not much different than the automatic swings. you know about those. you put the baby on for hours at a time. the roomba might clean your floors and give them some fun at the same time. nice. >> i wish i had a roomba so i could do this. it looks like a lot of fun. >> i'm telling you what, i think little devin might like a roomba for christmas. >> i prefer the one where the child is in a safety harness, like this little guy. and then, you put him on top of the roomba. but just to random put a kid on top of a moving object, probably not the best idea.

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( cheering ) ( grunts ) ( buzzer sounds ) now they're beating us on the boards out there, guys. this is your territory, grimson. do your job. grimson. hello? hi, honey. what? now? all right. ♪ the itsy-bitsy spider - ♪ climbed up the water spout... ♪ - ( giggling ) ♪ down came the rain ♪ and washed the spider out ♪ ♪ out came the sun... - shh. - ♪ and dried up all the rain ♪ ♪ and the itsy-bitsy spider - ♪ climbed up the spout again. ♪ - ( rock music playing ) i love you, daddy. i love you too, sweetheart. - ( laughing ) - ♪ do you believe in magic ♪ ♪ in a young girl's heart? - ♪ how the music can free her... ♪ - hey, it's my girl. ♪ whenever it starts? - ♪ and it's magic... - you know, my daughter? ( announcer speaks ) a message from the foundation for a better life.

abc7 news starts with breaking news. >> 4:28. >> the breaking news, freeway message signs are flashing right now with an amber alert, a man took his own baby in the south bay. abc7 news reporter, matt keller, has that report. >> police are called to the apartment complex last night. the man took his two week old son and he told his, the mother of the child he was leaving the state. police describe the baby as henry ramerio, the father was

seen driving a tan 2004gmc envoy with license plate 68il92 with a large american eagle sticker on the require window. the mother did not want to comment. police say the suspect was previously threatening himself and the baby the he was last seen yesterday at 4:00. it is a state-wide amber alert so you will see all the suspect vehicle information. if you have any information on the suspect or have seen the vehicle of the suspect, call the police. >> matt, thank you. in walnut creek, the c.h.p. is investigating the death of a woman whose body was found on interstate 680 near the highway 24 interchange. the woman jumped to her death from the bart tracks above 680. it is not known how she got on the tracks. officers discovered her body at 12:15. southbound lanes were blocked.

a sig-alert was issued. lanes re-opened before 3:00 this morning. >> 4:29. clear enough to see the stars and not cold enough to make you go "brrrr." >> some areas are cooler. you can see the high clouds on live doppler 7 hd. they are streaming in. that will be a difference between today and yesterday. temperatures are warmer-than-average again as we look from our exploritorium. you can see how clear the air is. the high clouds will make for a beautiful sunrise and sunset to get pictures of that. mid-70's inland today. low-to-mid 70's around the bay. mid-60's to 70 from the coast to downtown san francisco. >> as eric said, sig-alert in walnut creek has canceled as we take you out there we see clear conditions making the drive southbound along 680 to highway 24. all lanes have re-opened. there is slowing in the northbound direction.