. . morning -- breaking overnight, demonstrations from coast to coast after a grand jury declined to indict an officer who's chokehold led to a man's death. new video overnight and strong reactions from the man's family. and breaking right now, an american hostage threatened with death by al qaeda. what we have learned about him and what he's heard saying in a new video. caught on camera, the out of control truck in the path of new cars. the crash costing one dealership hundreds of thousands of dollars. and risky rescue. the happy ending after a curious canine stepped on to some thin ice. and good thursday morning to

you all. a wave of protests overnight following another grand jury's decision not to indict a police officer in a deadly confrontation. the new york city's police officer's choke hold led to eric garner's death back in july. >> the grand jury cease announcement sparking late night demonstrations in times square and other areas of new york city. and at grand central station, protesters having a die in during rush hour. >> and one protester holding a sign saying, quote, afraid of those who swore to protect per. carolyn costello is live. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this is where that deadly encounter took place. you can see a makeshift memorial set up out here. the deadly takedown maneuver was caught on tape. now people here and across the country outraged at a grand jury's decision that that officer did nothing wrong. in new york city, protesters blocked part of a major highway, facing off with police in protective gear. some marched through the streets of midtown.

others lay on the floor at grand central station. the arrest that led to garner's death last july caught on tape. a white new york city police officer putting garner, an african-american, in an apparent choke hold as he tried to take him into custody. police confronting the unarmed father of six who suffered from asthma for allegedly selling loose cigarettes. >> put your hands behind your head. >> i can't breathe. >> reporter: the medical examiner ruled garner's death a homicide caused by compression of his throat and chest. but a grand jury decided officer daniel pantaleo did nothing illegal. >> don't you see? the video didn't mean anything. it didn't mean anything. >> reporter: less than two weeks after the decision in ferguson, protests once again erupting across the country. president obama addressing widespread anger for a second time. and attorney general eric holder announcing this case is not over yet. >> i'm here to announce that the

justice department will proceed with a federal civil rights investigation into mr. garner's death. >> reporter: the nypd officer at the center of mr. garner's death issued a statement saying he feels very bad about mr. garner. his condolences rejected by his widow. >> no, i don't accept his apology. he's feeding his kids and my husband is six feet under. >> reporter: the sign says no raucous, just justice. and that is exactly what garner's family is urging. calm, peaceful protests. meanwhile, the nypd officer has been suspended and remains suspended. he could face disciplinary action. live in staten island, carolyn costello, abc news. reena, t.j., back to you. >> thank you so very much. well, like many others, the garner family members are just in shock. say they're hurt by the grand jury decision. they're vowing to keep fighting. >> more on the emotional reaction from garner's widow. >> hell, no.

the time for remorse was when my husband was yelling to breathe. that would have been the time for him to show some type of remorse or some type of care for another human being's life. when he was screaming 11 times that he can't breathe. somebody that gets paid to do right did wrong. and he's not held accountable for it. >> well, you see the emotion there from garner's widow. but there was emotion all over the country. as carolyn mentioned, spontaneous marches in cities all over the country. >> demonstrators hit the streets of the nation's capital, stopping traffic along d.c.'s busy dupont circle. stood in the road holding their hands up. rallying not just against last night's decision in new york, but the one in the michael brown case in ferguson last week. and protesters gathered peacefully in atlanta, georgia. chanting no justice, no peace. it got contentious when they laid across the road to block traffic. no violence, though, and no

arrests. >> and protesters on the other side of the country are voicing their opposition to the grand jury decision. marchers stopped traffic in san francisco and oakland last night. at times police blocked their path, but things remained peaceful. stay with abc for the latest on the eric garner decision. much more on the overnight demonstrations later on "america this morning." and breaking news overnight. the video threatening to kill an american hostage. luke somers is the name, 33 years old. he was taken off the street in yemen last year. in the video released he pleas for his life. u.s. special forces narrowly missed rescuing him during a mission last week. the al qaeda-linked group threatens to kill somera within three days unless demands are met. we will follow the story this morning. investigators in abu dhabi are looking into the brutal killing of an american teacher brutally stabbed at a luxury mall in abu dhabi. the killer was seen on

surveillance camera dressed in black from head to toe. seen entering and leaving the bathroom where the attack took place. the victim is from colorado, a mother of two and a special ed teacher. it's not clear if she was targeted because she was american. new sex assault numbers from the pentagon just released. the defense department says there were more than 5900 reports of sexual assaults filed for fiscal year 2014. that's an 8% increase over the last year. but the reason for the higher numbers could be due to awareness campaigns and growing trust that the military can prosecute the cases appropriately. a u.s. sailor is under investigation for secretly video taping three female officers while they were showering. the alleged incidents took place board -- aboard the uss wyoming in georgia. female officers began serving on subs in 2011. and the wyoming was among the first to be integrated. enlisted female sailors are not allowed submarine duty. the record rainfall in southern california is bringing relief to the drought-stricken state. but it's also causing plenty of problems. more than 9 inches fell in parts of southern california. prompting mudslide fears on

hillsides scorched by wildfires. and san francisco has seen more rain this week than it did for all of last year. heavy flooding swamped cars and backed up traffic for miles. and the northern part of the state gets more rain today. the wet weather expanding into the pacific northwest. also, heavy rain over parts of arizona and new mexico. scattered showers from east texas to tennessee. >> and chilly temperatures from the 20s and 30s in the great lakes and the northeast, and mostly 50s and 60s in the midsection. mild readings of 60s and 70s along the gulf coast. it's an early day for nasa mission control. spending the overnight hours checking and double-checking the precious cargo. on board, othrion, expected to complete a five hour flight today, two earth orbits. going 14 times higher than the international space station. it's a stress test on the

spacecraft ahead of the potential mars mission. but, of course, a potential mars mission is well into the future. but you have to start somewhere. coming up, after 17 games more than a month into the season, an nba team has their win. plus a school bus packed with students burst into flames. driver's quick actions that saved everybody on board. and breaking news in the eric garner case, dmemonstratios overnight as the grant jury does not indict the police officer in garner's death.

sony pictures pushing back against reports it will blame north korea for the cyber attack

that crippled the computer systems. the company says, excuse me, the investigation into that attack that now involves the fbi continues. speculation about north korean involvement centers on the christmas release of "the interview," in which seth rogan and james franco plot to kill kim jong-un. >> let me apologize to reena. she's got my cough now. this is a mess. i'm sorry. that's my fault, folks. well, honda now expanding a recall of driver side air bags to all 50 states. they can explode, sending metal shrapnel in the compartment. but takata, the air bag maker, is challenging the government's authority to order other auto makers to expand their recalls. it's being threatened with millions of dollars in civil fines if it doesn't declare the air bags defective. and two states in oklahoma, the first to see that. selling gas at under $2 a

gallon. prices in other states are on their way as well. the entire nation should see 15 to 20 cent decreases in prices by the new year. and asian stock markets were strong overnight. following another record day for stocks. the dow hit a record high for the 33rd time this year, and the s&p 500 finished in record territory. the rally was fueled by positive news about job hiring in the u.s. tomorrow, the jobs report, the most important gauge of the economy's health. and one of the trendiest hot sauces will soon be an ingredient in beer. oregon-based rogue ale is taking orders for sriracha hot stout beer. you heard that right, stout beer. it's available for shipping on monday. it's pricey, $13 a bottle. and reviews are mixed. one saying i can't tell if this is an awesome or terrible idea. >> only way to know is to try it. and we will. >> we will. next week. when we come back, a warning

from the cdc, not about sriracha, but about the flu vaccine this year. it might not be doing what it's supposed to be doing. and caught on camera, a truck goes airborne smashing into vehicles at a dealership. transferred money from hisy bank of america savings account to his merrill edge retirement account. before he opened his first hot chocolate stand calling winter an "underserved season". and before he quit his friend's leaf-raking business for "not offering a 401k."

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that soaking storm pounding drought-ravaged california is taking a heavy toll on trees. a huge tree snapped in half and crashed, see that? through the roof of one home. damage is extensive there. but the homeowners say they're relieved nobody was hurt. northern californians, it's a diss mall commute, and heavy rain and flooding in the southwest, four corners. and wet roads from east texas to tennessee. and flying, weather-related airport delays likely in phoenix and san francisco. recapping the top story, outrage in new york and across

the country after a grand jury decided not to indict the white officer in the choke hold death of an unarmed black man. >> protesters were chanting and demanding justice. many shocked that a video tape showing the confrontation wasn't enough evidence to warrant a trial. it's not over yet, though. the justice department now investigating to see if garner's civil rights were violated. >> gathering from coast to coast, shouting the names of eric garner, michael brown and other unarmed african-americans killed by police. officers kept a close eye, everything remained peaceful. >> a whole lot more as it develops, more on "good morning america." a school bus driver is being praised for leading 38 students to safety after the bus caught on fire. moments after they got on, the bus went up in flames. it could have been very different if the driver didn't

act quickly. she gives credit to the kids. >> the kids did great. debate off the bus in a single file line. moved quickly. and then they had to climb over the guardrail in order to get into the grass. >> the fire so hot it blew out the winwindows, peeling away pa and flattening the bus's tires. a driver lost control of his pickup truck and crashed into a texas car dealership. the driver was in shock. but amazingly, he was not injured. he did cause over $300,000 in damage. that includes one totalled car who would be new owner had just come in to sign the papers and drive it away. and a rare sighting of tracy morgan, just the third time in public since the horrifying crash in june. he was seen heading to a new jersey post office with his fiancee. using a walker. he suffered a traumatic brain

injury and multiple broken bones. he's fighting every day. and health headlines now. this is not goods news. got the flu vaccine? can't rest easy. the cdc saying it may not be a good match to combat this season's flu strain. however, the flu shots may still offer some protection against other flu strains. florida state university starting quarterback jameis winston now awaits a decision in the school's sexual assault investigation. he refused to answer questions yesterday, instead reading a statement in which he denied assaulting a student two years ago. if he's found to have violated the code of conduct, it could be from a reprimand to expulsion. time nor another week in the nfl. the cowboys and bears start tonight in chicago. >> and last night's nba highlights. get those from the guys at espn. >> welcome to the "sportscenter"

set. strong nba action wednesday night. >> yeah. and strong action from the 76ers. no, really, i mean it. listen. the nets held the record of starting the season by losing the most games in a row, 18. 76ers were at 17. and they said you know what? we don't to want share that record with the nets. so they went into minnesota, another team that's -- that's challenged in the win column, and the 76ers went to the hole with soul. no noel, finish it up, big man. the losing streak's over. 76ers. how about the mavericks and bucks? dallas, off the two overtime win over the bulls on tuesday. no dirk, he's got a back injury. but they have monta ellis. he had 38 points in the game winner in the win over the bulls. brandon knight, big game for

milwaukee. 25 points. but no stopping ellis. after the 38-point night, comes back with 23. and a game winner at the buzzer. mavs win it 107-105 over milwaukee. >> looks fun. >> yeah. >> what do you want to do now? >> send it back to them. >> thank you. thanks, fellas. the owner of a dog in maine hoping it won't be as dramatic as the other day. >> dakota, the gold retriever, wandered off and fell through thin ice. >> a fire department rescuer got him out after a half hour. his owner is helping to raise money so the department can buy a sled to help in other rescues. >> after being rescued, he laid by the fire, licked himself and had some ice cream. >> sounds like a good night. up next in the pulse, why one couple is canceling christmas for their kids. and the perfect pillow for

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. it is thursday, december 4. without like to share something? >> friday eve and rains dissipateing. okay. and the driving? whoa, whoa. live doppler hd shows light showers from fremont through the dublin grade into san ramon and antioch and pittsburg and marin county to the napa valley. we will show you...the headed to the north again.

you can see the winds on the plagues on the ferry building? they are pointing to the north so we have a moist atmosphere. again. scattered light showers are possible. there will be drizzle this or. temperatures in the low-to-mid 60's. >> you were busy. >> i was. we sometime have some addition conditions around the bay area freeways because of falling paragraphs and trees. we have a few reports of that. right now i will show you the bay bridge toll plaza where traffic is moving. we have cars in the far right lane. in emeryville camera to the eastern span of the bay bridge the pothole was in the far right lane before the tunnel has been repaired. you should be ableo drive over the bridge. >> developing news for the highway 101 through palo alto. it is clear.

there were protesters that brought traffic to a standstill one of two bay area protests in the death of a new york city man put in a police chokehold. we are on 101 near university avenue. good morning. traffic was brought to a standstill right here on 101 near the university avenue exit when the protest spills on to the highway they block the both lanes of traffic at 9:30. 200 people matched on to highway 101 in palo alto. drivers were stuck. stanford university students organized this protest. we can for for longer not be heard or not be seen. everyone needs to know so everyone can have an impact. california highway patrol and palo alto police were finally able to steer protest