making news in america this morning, hillary clinton makes her first speech since her concession. see the moment that got her choked up and the message for her supporters. plus, president-elect donald trump has some high-level meetings today as he fights back against allegations of disarray on his transition team. breaking overnight, a massive explosion rocking a city's downtown. surveillance video showing store windows getting blown out and the debris covering an american street. millions of people are bracing for the first major snowstorm. see where blizzard-like conditions are expected, plus the drought in the southeast still fueling dozens of wildfires. and caught on camera a hot air balloon's hard landings and witnesses jumping into action keeping the situation from getting much worse.

a good thursday morning. we begin with a message from hillary clinton breaking her silence to deliver her first remarks since conceding to donald trump. >> yeah, clinton was honored in washington, d.c. last night for her contributions to child advocacy. she acknowledged the pain of her stinging election defeat but urged supporters to keep fighting for what they believe in. we get more from abc's liz kreutz. >> reporter: overnight hillary clinton opening up about her election loss. >> i will admit coming here tonight wasn't the easiest thing for me. there have been a few times this past week when all i wanted to do was just to curl up with a good book or our dogs and never leave the house again. >> reporter: speaking at a gala for the children's defense fund in washington, d.c., the former democratic presidential nominee urging her supporters in her first public appearance since her concession speech to not

lose heart and to never give up. >> i ask you to stay engaged. stay engaged on every level. we need you. america needs you. that's how we get through this. >> reporter: the crowd cheering. clinton choked up as she reflected on her accomplishments and what she wished she could tell her late mother now. >> i dream of going up to her and sitting next to her and taking her in my arms and saying, look, look at me and listen, and as hard as it might be to imagine, your daughter will grow up to be a united states senator, represent our country as secretary of state and win more than 62 million votes for president of the united states. >> reporter: over the past week clinton has stayed largely out of the spotlight. she was seen on a hike in her hometown of chappaqua, new york, and she attended a thank you party for her campaign staff where she distributed to them 1,200 stems of roses.

liz kreutz, abc news, new york. we're going to turn now to donald trump and a big day ahead as he shoots down reports that his transition is in trouble. >> trump is holding another series of meetings today with advisers and political leaders. among them former secretary of state henry kissinger and south carolina governor nikki haley whose name is being floated as a possible pick for secretary of state. and trump is also expected to sit down with japanese prime minister shinzo abe. it will be his first feeting with a world leader as president-elect. abe says he's looking to build trust with trump. the new york police department and secret service are meeting today as well to figure out the best way to protect trump when he takes office. the challenge is to keep trump safe in what will soon be his second home on the busiest street in the biggest city in this country without bringing midtown manhattan to a complete and utter standstill. >> meanwhile, trump's name has vanished from several luxury apartment buildings here in new york. workers were out yesterday

removing giant gold letters. building owners who licensed the trump name decided to get rid of it after residents signed a petition because they didn't want to be associated with the president-elect. let's get to that breaking news from overnight and it is from illinois where a gas explosion has killed a utility worker. surveillance shows the moment it rocked the downtown square in the small town of canton. 11 people were taken to the hospital and are expected to survive. the downtown area has been evacuated as police check for any structural damage. nearby residents shaken by the blast. >> we were seeing outside and heard a huge explosion, shook the house. it blew some of the screens out and we took off running up here and that's where we seen everything was just everywhere. it was loud and it shook everything. it almost felt like an earthquake. >> utility crews were called to the area after reports that a contractor had damaged a gas line. they had shut off the gas when the explosion took place. several states are now preparing for the first significant snowfall of the season.

you can see the storm taking shape on radar. snow is falling in utah and wyoming, and that system will intensify as well as head east. winter storm and blizzard watches are posted for parts of the northern midwest and upper plains. and you can see the bull's-eye around fargo and duluth. people there could see over a foot of snow and wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour. in the southeast a choking haze hangs over many cities as dozens of wildfires burn out of control. in kentucky that smoke has even turned deadly. a man was killed in a crash on a mountain parkway where the smoke decreased visibility, and in charlotte, north carolina, many are staying indoors after officials issued a code red warning about the air quality. we're going to turn our focus overseas where there are some grim new images coming out of the syrian city of aleppo as bombing there resumes. dramatic video shows a young girl being rescued from the rubble of a building hit by an air strike. the pediatric hospital and blood bank were among the targets. we see the images there of that

young girl being pulled out. at least 54 people were killed in the attacks by syrian government forces and by russia. in neighboring iraq the military says it's making significant progress in the battle to reclaim the city of mosul from isis. troops have made their way into at least two more districts where they escorted relieved residents away from active fighting. and for the first time isis acknowledging defeat in mosul is a possibility according to a report from its official news agency. president obama, in the meantime, is traveling overseas, in berlin this morning. he has a full day of events with german leader angela merkel. the two leaders have forged close ties during mr. obama's presidency. many say merkel has been president obama's closest foreign partner. in a jointly written editorial published this morning they argue in support of globalization saying, quoting here, simply put, we are stronger when we work

together. still ahead, scientists reveal a new study on child booster seats for vehicles. so are they getting any better. caught on camera, a 9-year-old catches his baby brother after he rolls off the changing table. >> i just like ran so fast and caught him in the air. >> yes, he did. what the hero brother is now saying and why his mom decided to share this video. plus, a bumpy landing for a pilot and passengers on board a hot air balloon.

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crest whitestrips are the way to whiten. the faa is investigating after a hot air balloon made this hard landing in philadelphia. the basket hit the ground before being dragged across the grass yesterday, then you see it lift briefly into the air again before finally crashing to a halt landing on its side. people nearby sprinted to help. the crew holding on to the

basket to keep that 80-foot-tall balloon from dragging off the ground yet again. luckily no one was hurt. and the minnesota police officer involved in the deadly shooting seen live on facebook is now facing manslaughter charges. officer jeronimo yanez shot and killed phlando castille during a traffic stop last july touching off protests. castile had told yanez he had a gun and was licensed to carry it but the prosecutor says castille never removed it from his pocket and yanez acted unreasonably when he used deadly force. yanez said he feared for his life. officials say the deadly shooting that triggered a lockdown at this airport was premeditated. they believe the gunman waited inside a parking garage for nearly four hours before opening fire and killing a southwest airlines employee then turning the gun on himself. the shooter had worked for southwest, resigning last year instead of submitting a test for alcohol consumption. and new york police are piecing together the

mysterious murder of a 26-year-old man. authorities say joseph comunale was last seen alive on sunday morning while partying at a luxury apartment in manhattan. his body was found yesterday near the jersey shore. forensic tests are being done on evidence including one of the building's luggage carts. two men are reportedly in custody. a new study finds kids' boosters seats are getting safer. the insurance industry tested 53 of these seats giving 48 of them the highest rating. to give you some perspective, when the seats started being tested eight years ago, only a quarter of them earned that rating. researchers say kids in booster seats are 45% less likely to be injured in a car crash than those using just seat belts. when we come back, a tractor trailer stuck on the train tracks. how the driver and passenger got out with seconds to spare. and a collision on the race course. a cross country runner, not so lucky. remember 2007? smartphones?

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the snow started falling. that was overnight in salt lake city. 3 to 5 inches expected there. part of a system that will bring blizzard conditions to parts of the dakotas and minnesota. just two days ago, though, it was 73 degrees in salt lake city. >> maybe ski season is starting. >> yep. and the snow will make a mess of roads in a number of states. it will also be wet today around the great lakes and if you're flying, expect some delays in denver and salt lake city. so kids often talk about their parent being their hero but what about when a sibling comes to the rescue and that sibling is just 9 years old? >> for any dad who is out there, the whole thing was caught on video. mara schiavocampo has the incredible story. >> reporter: an amazing act of brotherly love caught on camera. watch as 35-year-old mom of five tila levi turns her back for just a moment leaving 11-month-old etan on the changing table. first the baby dangles his leg

over the edge. then tumbles over but the 30-pound infant is miraculously caught by his older brother joseph. >> i just ran and i caught him, but i can't even carry him, so i don't know how that happened and i can't even run that fast either. so i just like ran so fast and caught him in the air. he was crying because he was nervous. nothing really happened to him, and i was crying because i was also nervous, so we have -- now i feel like i'm so much closer to my brother. >> reporter: falling is one of the leading causes of infant injury, and it can happen anywhere. >> it was something that just happened in less than a second. joseph keeps saying when he grows up he's going to tell him, you know, i saved your life. i'm sure he'll remind him for the rest of his life, but he saved his life, it's true. >> my mom said she wanted to give me a present and so did my grandparents, but i told them i didn't need a present. >> reporter: mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> who needs a present when you have that kind of leverage over your younger sibling. >> yeah.

>> and the mother says he wasn't even in the room at the time. she says he just happened to be walking by the doorway when he saw his little brother fall. >> and sprung into action there. >> now, this actually happened in september but the mother says she waited to post it on facebook. >> she was embarrassed about it at first but decided to post it after the election because, quoting here, people were so angry and mean to each other on facebook this was a nice moment. sleep apnea is being eyed as the cause of a fatal commuter crash in september. one person died when the train plowed into the train terminal in hoboken, new jersey, just across from manhattan. officials now say the engineer was diagnosed with sleep apnea after the crash. people with sleep apnea are awakened at night as their breathing stops which leads them to be drowsy during the day. the engineer told investigators he has no memory of that crash. a georgia couple is feeling pretty lucky this morning after their tractor trailer got hit by a high-speed freight train just moments after they managed to jump out of it.

the driver and his wife were moving to a new home with all their belongings when they got stuck on the track. seconds later the train plowed right through their truck scattering everything everywhere. the couple say they were using gps which did not include information about the rail crossing that could not accommodate their big rig. so, who knew that cross country racing was a contact sport. well, one college runner in pennsylvania learned that the hard way. the runners on the course when several deer ran through. one guy took a direct hit. watch again. it sent him to the ground. he suffered a bruised hip, but he got up and finished the race. >> wow. >> this was his final college race. >> the deer should have at least given him a ride i think after that. and another week in the nfl begins tonight with the new orleans saints visiting the carolina panthers. >> we get highlights from last night's nba action from our friends at espn. >> good morning. >> america. >> she's nicole. i'm neil. we're going across the street where men were jumping up and down delirious for no reason.

mike conley who played pop a shot with us the night before tied a career high with seven 3s. that's what pop a shot will do for your jump shot, kids. chris paul in a little closer, clippers by two and then up one, 21 seconds, marc gasol who fancies himself a three-point shooting artist and mma fighter. does his -- does his -- that's what is called your conor mcgregor walk. who knew. grizzlies win. rockets and thunder. also known as thupdzers. russell westbrook throwing to andre robertson. thunder up two. 21 seconds to go. rockets down three, they'll miss. have a lot of things happening here. basically it's sloppy. then nothing happens. seven seconds to go. westbrook going to put it away with some stealth. 30 point, 7 rebound, 9 assists. the thunder, 105-103. >> like gasol said, if i feel

uninspired i wanted to apologize to absolutely nobody! >> all right. >> mcgregor. >> exactly. up next in "the pulse" why vin scully got a call from the white house. the phone call you have to hear. and supermodel kate upton's twitter tirade overnight. so, what's her beef with major league baseball? all? i have asthma... ...one of many pieces in my life. so when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my long-term control medicine. i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment with breo. once-daily breo prevents asthma symptoms. breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. breo won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. breo contains a type of medicine that increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in

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time to check "the pulse" starting with the surprise of a lifetime for legendary broadcaster vin scully. >> yeah, scully was the voice of the dodgers for 67 years before retiring last month. now at 88 he'll have a new title, recipient of the presidential medal of freedom.

when he got the call from the white house, his reaction really priceless. >> it's the highest civilian honor that any president can give, and president obama has given it out every year that he's been in office, and he gives it to just a handful of people and this year he's going to give it to you. >> oh, my gosh. no. >> yes. so you -- >> are you sure? >> i'm just an old baseball announcer. >> vin scully is in good company. among 21 recipients being honored this year bruce springsteen, robert de niro, ellen degeneres and michael jordan are also on the list to name a few. the ceremony takes place tuesday at the white house. >> how cute is vin scully? >> oh, a little hug, a group hug. >> next up supermodel kate upton and detroit tigers pitcher justin verlander are getting all the buzz despite verlander not being named the american league's best pitcher yesterday. >> so, upton and verlander, of course, you know are engaged and when he lost out

cy young award to boston's rick porcello, she wasn't too thrilled. >> upton launched into a twitter rant including at least one we can't share with you because of the language. she also told porcello pretty bluntly you didn't win and called the baseball writers who voted for the award out of touch. >> i love how we can't share the tweet but we can share this video at 4:00 in the morning. >> yes. jon bon jovi giving love to ben franklin. he donated $5,000 to help restore franklin's grave site in philadelphia. >> the founding father's gravestone was cracked and the marble tablet had become pitted from people causing pennies on to it for good luck so the goal was to have the stone fixed by april which is the anniversary of franklin's death. and an alabama grandmother described as vertically challenged has become an unlikely and probably unwilling facebook star. >> yeah, so we're talking about a grandmother who is only five feet tall. she needed a stepstool in order to put her grandbaby into this enormous crib. >> oh.

>> but unfortunately for her, the baby monitor recorded the whole thing. >> yeah, i don't think she realized that when she actually fell in. >> no. >> no one was hurt in the incident. more than 32 million people, though, have had a pretty good laugh at her expense. >> and i'm sure she was a good sport about it and probably laughed at it, as well. >> also. >> after seeing the video. >> definitely one of her kids that had to have posted that video, huh. guess who is not getting a christmas present this year. >> exactly. >> more news after this. happy holidays from crayola. so when do i start? um, shouldn't it be "spokes-crayon?" can somebody turn on the a/c? i'm melting here. ♪air marker spraayer!!! chemistry, baby! so i just hold this part and spraaaaaay... i'm okay. the holidays just got more surprising. you can find these great gifts and more in the crayola aisle. aaaaaah!

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professional. they don't help single moms. hi. hi. what happened to our house last year? it flooded. and the water flooded out. yeah. the red cross arranged the hotel for us. they gave me that break, that leverage, to be able to get it together and... take care of them, you know? i feel like we've come full circle. like that! this is how i'll do it. sarah: there you go.

good morning, bay area, let's get going. this is abc7 morning. >> it is 4:28 on thursday, november 17. >> i am reggie aqui. >> i am natasha zouves. >> we have jessica castro and meteorologist mike nicco and alexis smith. all the big story is the weather. brrr. it's cold. the frost advisory is in the north bay we need to keep the tender verge taking covered and the pets inside through 8:00 this morning. from the east bay hills camera we start off in the mid-30s to mid-40s. upper 50s to nearly 60 at 4:00 with total sunshine. how is the morning commute? >> we have had a few overnight issues. this will clear fairly soon.

westbound 580 is tough in the morning through the altamont pass. we have a crash reported before vasco road. a couple of vehicles were tangled up blocking the two center lanes. they off on either shoulder at this point. not seeing a big delay. i will keep an eye on that. we will look at drive times next. >> we have breaking news. the search is on for the driver in a fatal hit-and-run accident in san jose. a man was hit and killed while walking on the on-ramp at 1:00 this morning. other drivers stopped to help the victim but he did not survive. this is little information on the driver or the car. if you saw anything, give police a call. >> another bay area city democrats with a sign of hate graffiti at a danville school. >> a it joins a list of racist messages we have reported in the past woke. amy hollyfield is at the high school with the story.

amy? >> yes, we have a picture of what happened here. this was e-mailed to abc7 showing an attempt at segregation at the bathroom for whites to go one way and the blacks to go another. the superintendent knows who did this. part of the statement said the words exchanged on the campaign trail and the racist words cry out for how much we need to support, teach, and listen to our children. the san ramon unified school district we are committed to fostering an environment where we can safely speak about the similarities and differences that make up and make each of us unique. they have worked three years to make the staff and students aware of other cultures and believe that started at the top. we have