making news in america this morning -- deadly storm. the relentless lake effect snow still falling at this hour. six feet expected in some areas. new pictures overnight. plus the basketball team stranded for more than 24 hours. and new this morning, more fallout from the sexual abuse allegations surrounding comedian bill cosby. the breaking details overnight on his upcoming comedy special. harmful effect. turns out transfat can do more than clog arteries. what doctors now say it's doing to your mind. and surprise pick. jimmy kimmel unveil's "people's" sexiest man alive. good wednesday morning, i'm reena ninan. >> i'm t.j. holmes.

we begin with a deadly storm now dumping feet of snow in and around buffalo, new york. >> take a look at the pictures from the area this morning. the snow's weight proving too much for this door, crashing right into the home. >> and another image, new meaning to snowed in. yep. imagine opening your door and that is what's right outside. a foot -- just a feet, i guess you could say, of snow out there. and there's a wall of snow behind your door. not going anywhere. >> and this image from a plane. popping up on social media overnight. you can see the huge wall of lake effect snow in upstate new york. tahman bradley has more. >> reporter: this morning, a snow emergency in buffalo, new york, residents digging out after a colossal lake effect storm dumped 6 feet of snow. at least four people were killed. the whiteout conditions buried cars, stranded drivers and shut down a 130-mile stretch of the new york state throughway.

as you can see, it's white everywhere. cars are stuck. we aren't going anywhere. >> we are having difficulty obtaining enough tow trucks to clean the roads of cars that are abandoned. >> reporter: construction vehicles were brought in to clear snow while people waited for help from the national guard. across the great lakes, millions are buried in snow. >> it's horrible. just back breaking. the snow blower doesn't do anything. >> reporter: in kalamazoo, michigan, these semis crashed, one flipped over. both drivers survived. and many are worried about the large piles of snow. when temperatures start to warm up and the snow melts, there could be heavy flooding. this winter wallop is bringing bone-chilling cold. yesterday was the country's coldest november morning since 1976. how cold was it this morning when you tried to start it? >> i guess it was about 14 or 15. >> reporter: in atlanta, the windchills dropped to the teens. in kansas city, a new record low yesterday.

and today forecasters say more records will be shattered. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >> well, that monster snowstorm stranded the niagara university women's basketball team in their bus. >> after playing in pittsburgh, the team got stuck on their way home. they finally made it off the bus after being stranded for more than 24 hours. they ran out of food, drinking melted snow. they were able too keep warm. the bus driver says they have about 200 hours worth of idling time. time is not yet winding down for this snowstorm. >> accuweather's jim dickey tracking this deadly storm. good morning, jim. good morning, reena and t.j. heavy lake effect snow continues across the great lakes. already over 4 feet in some spots in and around buffalo. it does wind down today, but a weak system presses through the late part of the day today. and the lake effect ramps up tonight and blast on through thursday. not done here. we are going to see amazing snow totals by the time it's said and done.

and quite cold across the southeast. challenging record lows once again in the early morning hours. reena and t.j., back to you. >> thanks, jim. the three american rabbis killed in a terrorist attack in jerusalem have been buried. today worshippers returned for morning prayers at the synagogue where the lone wolf attack took place. two assailants killing five people, including a police officer. the israeli prime minister promised a harsh response. president obama called it horrific and without justification, urging cooperation from both sides to ease tensions. >> tragically this is not the first loss of life that we have seen in recent months. too many israelis have died. too many palestinians have died. >> the homes of the alleged attackers were demolished, and this morning israel demolished the home of a palestinian involved in a separate deadly attack on a crowd of pedestrians. the rabbis killed leave behind

24 children among them. and the immigration system action could be as early as tomorrow. that action could include a controversial prevention of deportations and granting of work permits to as many as 5 million undocumented immigrants. administration officials say the president will move to strengthen security on the nation east southwest border. congressional republicans huddled yesterday to consider legislative responses that could undermine president obama's move. on capitol hill, another potentially explosive issue has fizzled, for now. the controversial keystone pipeline bill in the works for six years failed to pass in the senate last night by just one vote. the nearly 1200 mile pipeline would run from canada to the gulf of mexico. supporters say it would boost u.s. energy independence. critics say it would be devastating in the states it runs through. it's likely to pass in january when republicans take control of the senate. the senate blocked a bill to end bulk collection of phone records by the nsa. it dealt a blow to president obama's proposal to reign in domestic surveillance.

the legislation would have required the nsa to obtain a court order each time to analyze the records in terrorism cases. an investigation is under way and a chicago neighborhood is stunned after a plane crashed into a house in the middle of the night killing the pilot. the twin engine cargo plane took a nosedive through the roof, narrowly missing an elderly couple who had to be rescued by neighbors. the pilot reported engine trouble moments after takeoff and was trying to turn back when the plane went down just blocks away from midway airport. as ferguson, missouri, and the rest of the country awaits the grand jury decision in the fatal shooting of michael brown. the governor has named a new commission. 16 people were sworn in yesterday. the racially diverse group is charged with looking into issues in the aftermath of the shooting and helping the community heal. and non-political news out of capitol hill. this time lapse video we're about to show you shows the 52 miles of scaffolding going up around the capitol dome.

with it in place, repair crews can start the next phase of a $60 million restoration. including repairing cracked cast iron and three new coats of paint. it's scheduled to be done by the next presidential inauguration. crews in new jersey are working overtime as well, but they're putting something a lot different together. >> we're getting a sneak peek at some of the new floats to grace this year's macy's thanksgiving day parade. there are five newcomers. dora and friends, girl power, goldieblox will have a colorful display. pirate's booty is brand new along with beauty of beijing and at the ballpark which features a jumbotron. still ahead, a significant shift in the massive air bag recall. why millions more vehicles will be added to the list of the recall. and pulling the plug on bill cosby. the big decision overnight regarding the comic's next project. plus clawing at the door, and checking out those teeth. the unusual attack for a man and his family.

that major air bag recall is about to get even bigger. federal regulators are pressing auto makers to expand the recall of japanese-made takata air bags nationwide. more than 14 million vehicles from 11 auto makers have been recalled. defective air bags have exploded without warning, spraying deadly metal shrapnel. at least five deaths are linked to the defect. the u.s. government has a announced a major bust over phoney debt collectors. seven employees of georgia-based

william, scott and associates are accused of scamming 6,000 victims out of $4 million of bogus debts. and no one is off limits here. it appears that at least one of the fbi's top officials got a call from these scam artists as well. and record highs, all three posted gains yesterday on encouraging economic news here and overseas. analysts say the next market driver is what consumers do this season. most of asia's major markets slipped slightly. something of a pushback against the apparent myth of a turkey shortage as we get closer to thanksgiving. the national turkey federation notes that americans ate 46 million turkeys for the holiday two years ago. farmers are producing 235 million this year. more than enough to satisfy demand. several supermarket chains are offering big discounts to entice shoppers. and starbucks is starting to offer customers wireless charging for smartphones. it's starting in about 200 locations in the san francisco

bay area and expanding from there. users will put their phones on a surface where an electrical current creates a magnetic field which then creates voltage to power your phone. pot smokers will soon be able to buy bob marley brand marijuana. a seattle-based company has reached a deal with the marley family to market the marley natural line of pot products. the legendary singer who died of cancer in 1981 was a well-known advocate of using ganja. his daughter says her dad would be so happy to see people understanding its healing power. when we come back, the road to recovery for tracy morgan. much worse than anyone thought. and another reason to cut back on the cookies from the doughnuts, the connection between fatty foods and your mind.

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out of buffalo, new york. snowplows trying to dig through drifts five feet deep with drifts up to even feet. the new york governor has declared a state of emergency, calling in the national guard to help with the plowing efforts. and urged everybody to stay off the roads until the conditions improve. now for a look at this morning's road conditions. roads will be slippery if passable in the great lakes region. and rain will keep roads wet across south florida. and wet conditions will prevail across most of the west coast up into the pacific northwest. >> flying today, airport delays possible in san francisco. turn now to a major development overnight in the growing sex scandal surrounding bill cosby. >> netflix announced is postponing a stand-up comedy special starring bill cosby. it was taped on his 77th birthday in july and slated to hit netflix november 28th. cosby has refused to address the sex abuse allegations by several women. but his lawyers say they are not true. and we have learned new details about the severity of tracy morgan's injuries

following that highway crash. his lawyer says the entertainer suffered a severe brain injury and is still struggling to recover. a walmart truck slammed into a limo van that was carrying morgan and his friends coming back from a show in delaware. morgan has since sued walmart. and a wild chase at a walmart after a person was sexually assaulted, groped in the middle of the store. another person saw them chasing the suspect. she caught up with the man just outside the front doors and tackled him to the ground. moments later he was arrested in the parking lot. and a bizarre attack in new hampshire by a hairy, scary thing. this was a groundhog, folks. a crazed groundhog. you can see it here. charged a man in his backyard. he repeatedly kicked the thing away and it kept on coming. these are normally docile animals. it was relentless, chasing him into the garage and then into the house. >> looked out the window, around the edge of the garage and right into the front.

so he liked me and i had to get out of there quick. i beat him into the house and he clawed at the window and gnawed at the siding. >> animal control arrived, and >> animal control arrived, and you know what happened? the groundhog chased the officer you know what happened? back into his truck. was eventually captured and hopefully now under evaluation. well, a health headline this morning. a new study suggests that the more transfats you eat, the less you will be able to remember. researchers pounds as levels of transfat in men under 45 increased, they performed worse on word memory tests. the results are the latest reason to avoid transfats still found in many packaged or processed foods. turn to sports now. a couple of very big basketball games, college basketball games last night. >> for those results and nba highlights, give it to the guys at espn. welcome to the "sportscenter" set in los angeles. he's neil everett, i'm stan verrett. we got sports to tell you about. >> this is real.

so is this double header we had on espn. duke beat michigan state in the first game, and kentucky absolutely demolished kansas in the second game. i mean, kentucky, too big. johnson right there. listen, it was a ten-point kentucky lead at half. and kansas couldn't throw it in the ocean standing on the beach to start the second half. karl towns there. devin booker here. john calipari. man, that dude can recruit. 72-40. lakers and hawks, l.a. still winless on the road. 1-9 on the season overall coming in. kobe bryant, trying to change that in atlanta against the hawks. puts the lakers up two. that fadeaway jumper is still there. fourth quarter, lakers are up three. bryant, trying to help them put it away. gets in the lane for the runner. he had 28 points in this game and some history too. 32,000 career points for bryant.

lakers get their first win on the road. 2-9 on the season, 114-109 over the hawks. so the list is kareem abdul-jabbar, carl malone, michael jordan, and then kobe bryant on the all-time scoring list in the nba. >> that's an impressive list, have an impressive day. >> okay. up next in the pulse, people's pick. who was named sexiest man alive late last night? also, good grief. a look at the first official "peanuts" movie trailer. r.

we have a serious hairball issue. we clean it up, turn around, and there it is again.

it's scary. little bit in my eye. [ michelle ] underneath the kitchen table, underneath my work desk, we've got enough to knit a sweater. [ doorbell rings ] zach, what is that? the swiffer sweeper. the swiffer dusters. it's some sort of magic cloth that sucks in all the dog hair. it's quick and easy. pretty amazing that it picked it all up. i would totally take on another dog. [ kevin ] really? ♪ she ge she gets choked up over "the pulse." >> i love "the pulse."

>> especially this first story. we're talking about the sexiest man alive. you have to forgive her. please, just take it easy on her right now. this is serious. 2014, do the reveal. >> drum roll. this year's "people" magazine has bestowed the sexiest man alive honor to hunky australian actor chris hemsworth. best known for playing thor, the 31-year-old is a father of three and big brother of actor liam hemsworth. he was unveiled on kimmel last night via skype. >> anyone you'd like to thank for this honor? >> my parents, i guess, for putting this together. >> yes. i think we're all very grateful. thank you, chris. >> that was a good one. >> perfect answer. now the initial reaction to being crowned sexiest man alive, he and his wife both thought it was pretty funny at first. he joked that he hit his peak a few years ago. not sure he deserves it now. congrats. he's a good sport. >> totally deserves it. >> good guy. and something for the kid in all of us. >> we're getting a first glimpse of the first official trailer

for the "peanuts" movie. there's christmas, snoopy as the flying ace, and paris. unfortunately there's also an entire year before we get to see more than this teaser. >> yeah. the movie set to premier next year. november 6th, 2015, 50 years after the release of charles schultz's 1965 classic, "a charlie brown christmas." >> one of my favorites. >> next, just in time for this year's holiday, another update to a classic. >> "frozen" sensation idina menzel and michael buble have lent their voices to the favorite, "baby it's cold outside." we don't see them in most of the video. ♪ i want to get home for dinner ♪ ♪ mind if i move in closer ♪ so allow me to cast queue aside ♪ ♪ what's the sense of hurting my pride ♪ ♪ i really can't stay ♪ baby it's cold outside >> yes. their voices coming out of the mouths of babes. >> very cute. luckily they changed some of the more sexually-suggestive verses to make them a little bit more kid-friendly.

and finally the suit an australian anchorman wore for a year on the air could be yours soon. >> yeah, i'll put my bid in for this. we told you about karl stefanovic. he wore the same blue suit on the air for 12 months without complaint from coworkers or viewers. and to show how women are judged more harshly than men for their clothes. >> it was $1,000 australian dollars, that's about $867 u.s. dollars, but it's higher now. the proceeds will go to a charity that works to end violence againstwomen. how often do you think he dry cleaned that suit? >> hopefully often. men don't take their suit -- i think they say about every three to five times you wear it you're supposed to take it in and get it cleaned. >> that explains quite a lot around here. >> i'm at five right now. i'm right at the limit. >> i knew it. i knew it. >> for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, back with technology. helping a student stay in class while he's miles away from

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good wednesday morning. it is wet. you, too, will be very busy. you, too, will be very busy. >> meaning, >> it is scattered rain and light to moderate around 19 valley to the peninsula from half moon bay toward san francisco. it is moving from southwest to northeast so the cold front is behind us and expect waves of light to moderate rain until 4:00 this afternoon. >> the rains will make the roads slick. so for it is okay. at the bay bridge traffic is

moving. it is not wet. yet. a couple of sprinkles. all in all, though, we moving along. we will let you know where the hot spots are. >> check back with you in a few minutes. >> we have breaking news from san francisco, police are looking for the arsonist who set several vehicles on fire in the castro neighborhood. amy hollyfield is on the scene with details. amy. >> the rain just started coming down. let me quickly tell you what is happening, look at this car it has a melted bumper and the plastic on light cover has melted from the fire borrowing right next to it. this is the third damaged car. police say a van and jeep were set on fire at 2:00 this morning. we between 18th and 19th. they empty paint cans were found under the vehicles.

police have not said if they think it has anything to do with it they have no suspects. there are no arrests. there is no known motive. there is evidence that is fire happened but the cars have been towed. >> students are planning to protest at the university of california board of regents meeting in san francisco. hundreds rallied to profit the fee hike. a similar protest was held on cal campus with the board voting today to raise tuition by 5 percent each year for five years. governor brown and lt. governor are planning to attend. >> oakland unified school district will unveil the plan for pr