making news in america this morning, the winter blast. an arctic blast of frigid air invading the country, 100 million from coast to coast feeling the bitter chill, low temperatures and the forecast coming up. we have breaking news of a water emergency. officials are telling residents don't touch the tap water until further notice. yahoo! hacked. the company revealing the largest cyberattack in history. a staggering number of users affected. what do you need to do to stay safe. and conjoined twins separated during a marathon surgery meet each other now for the first time. we have some good news on how they're doing coming up.

cute video alert on this thursday morning. good morning, everyone. we're going to start with that arctic air and snow gripping much of the country. >> that's right. take a look at these whiteout conditions in buffalo, new york. the snow was coming down at roughly two inches per hour. >> extreme weather in the west, as well, major city on standstill. with more on this rare storm and more gripping this country, abc's lana zak. >> reporter: thunder snow lightning up the skies thick with flurries in western new york. >> whoo. got that, baby. >> reporter: an intense snow band is moving south of buffalo bringing whiteout conditions. watch as the lake-effect snow builds and moves inland. from the northeast to the great lakes, a bone-chilling blanket of arctic air is engulfing the northern half of the country, and with the windchill factored in, parts of the midwest through new england could feel like 15 to 30 degrees below zero. experts say in those extreme subzero temperatures, frostbite

can take place in a matter of minutes. >> we're thinking mostly in this scenario about frostbite and hypothermia, both of which can be very dangerous to life and limb. >> reporter: in the west drivers in portland, oregon, stuck for hours. it was a harrowing ordeal for north clackamas schoolchildren. >> my feet were frozen by the second hour, and we were all terrified we were either -- our brakes were going to fail and we would go down the hill or a car would run into us. >> reporter: and for those waiting for their children. >> i was pretty freaked out. i just wanted to make sure my kid was safe. >> reporter: lana zak, abc news, washington. >> so that wet weather in the west will continue through the day with flooding and mudslides possible. >> accuweather's justin povick is here with the latest on that. justin, good morning. >> diane, kendis, thanks and good morning to you, as well. we're tracking a big system along the west coast. heavy, soaking rains,

potentially flooding some here along the i-5 and feet of snow out over i-80 at least at 8,000 feet so the passes are going to be nearly impassable. snow will spread out over the plains states heading in toward the weekend, substantial amounts approaching a foot into the upper midwest and eventually slick travel takes aim at the northeast. diane and kendis, back to you. >> all right, our thanks to justin. and to breaking news now this morning. president obama in a stunning reversal declining to sign legislation to renew sanctions against iran. but the bill does become law even without the president's signature. the obama administration was concerned the renewal would undermine the iran nuclear deal and they pointed out that iran would not be affected by the sanctions as long as it continues to honor the agreement. donald trump has been critical of the nuclear deal, but it's not clear if he'll actually back out of it. and the president-elect heads to hershey, pennsylvania, tonight to personally thank thousands of supporters who helped him win the presidency. >> and yesterday trump sat down with executives from the tech giants like facebook, amazon and apple all to talk about everything from innovation to immigration.

many of them had supported hillary clinton, but trump offered to do anything he could to help. and trump's transition team says he is now receiving presidential briefings three times a week. that is up from roughly once a week. this after the president-elect said he didn't need to hear the same information every day. a spokesman says trump is also getting briefed on intelligence matters daily by incoming national security adviser michael flynn. as trump continues to fend off criticism that he's too friendly toward russia, vladimir putin is apparently eager to meet trump face-to-face. putin said, quote, we're ready at any moment here. from our side there are no problems. and trump has tapped michigan republican chair ronna romney mcdaniel to lead the republican national committee. mcdaniel is mitt romney's niece and a loyal trump supporter, and she would be the first woman to chair the rnc in 40 years. as the clock ticks on president obama's time in the white house, the white house is now looking to protect planned parenthood's federal funding and

the administration has finalized a rule blocking states from resouth africaing funds to family planning providers like planned parenthood that also provide abortions. opponents say they will seek to reverse that rule under president-elect trump. the regulation takes effect january 18th, just two days before trump's inauguration. >> developing overnight overseas evacuations are under way in aleppo, syria as a fragile cease-fire appears to be holding at least for now. scores of injured people are among the first to be removed from the city. there are reports of pro-government forces shooting at ambulances that are trying to leave the city. tens of thousands of civilians are trapped without food or water. there have been frantic messages calling for help on social media. a plan is also under way to remove rebel fighters from that city. the evacuation process is expected to take at least three days. now to a possible military buildup by the chinese on a string of islands in the south china sea. new satellite images appear to show anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapons on all

seven of those islands presumably installed by the chinese. an analyst says the weapons would be a last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the u.s. the united states and china have been at odds over the south china sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes for commerce. and we have breaking news from corpus christi, texas, where residents are facing a possible water crisis. city officials are warning that the tap water could be con tamed by a chemical. residents are being warned to use only bottled water until further notice. the chemical apparently entered the system during a backflow from an industrial area. to south carolina now where closing arguments are expected today in the charleston church shooting trial. dylann roof is accused of killing nine black churchgoers in what prosecutors say was a hate crime. his attorneys rested their case yesterday without calling any witnesses. the prosecution's final witness was polly sheppard, one of three survivors. jurors hearing her emotional 911 call. >> did you see him at all? >> yes, he's a young 21-year-old

white dude. he's got it in his hand. he's reloading. >> how many shots has he fired? >> i don't know. there's so many. oh, god, please help me. >> do you remember telling that lady, i'm going to let you live so you can tell my story? >> yeah, i remember saying that. >> that, of course, was roof during his confession to the fbi. jurors were shown home videos of roof shooting targets in his backyard with the same gun he allegedly used in the rampage. if convicted, jurors must decide whether he should die or spend the rest of his life in prison. yahoo is warning users to change their user names and passwords after revealing details of the largest cyberattack in history. the company says 1 billion accounts may have been compromised back in 2013. it's much larger, also a different style of attack than the 1 in 2014 where 500 million accounts were compromised. the security breach may hurt verizon's huge deal to buy yahoo!

earlier this year the communications giant agreed to purchase the company for $4.8 billion. verizon now says it's re-evaluating that deal, which has not been finalized. well, coming up, one community's decision to allow guns in the classroom. plus, the murder for hire case in south florida and why the jury can't reach a verdict. prosecutors, though, are now gearing up for another trial. and those conjoined sisters seeing each other for the very first time since being separated. stay with us. ♪

babies aren't fully developed until at least 39 weeks.

a healthy baby is worth the wait. and i take my job seriously. while i'm busy watching the game, i need your help keeping an eye on the stands. if you see something that doesn't look quite right, tell a law enforcement official. we all play an important role in protecting our communities, and you can help. if you see something suspicious, say something to local authorities. [ crowd cheering ] this is a 13-minute drone flight in the uk making one giant step for amazon. it marks the retailer's first ever drone delivery. the unidentified amazon shopper

received a streaming device and some popcorn. the whole thing was a test run but the company says it plans at least two more test deliveries as well. >> all right. as expected the federal reserve has raised a key interest rate. the increase could mean slightly higher costs for mortgages and credit cards. the fed also projected three more increases in the next year. stocks had their worst day in two months following that announcement. some teachers and other staff members in a small colorado school district will now be armed. the hanover school board approved a plan last night to allow trained faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns at school. supporters say the plan could save lives. opponents worry that it will put students in danger. a florida woman accused in a high-profile murder for hire plot will face a third trial. >> a jury in palm beach county could not reach a verdict in the case of dalia dippolito. and her attorneys are now calling it a moral victory. >> to the judge, we, the jury, after further deliberation still cannot reach a unanimous

verdict. >> reporter: a bombshell announcement in the murder for hire case against dalia dippolito, the jury hopelessly deadlocked. >> i must declare a mistrial. >> reporter: now the man at the center of the alleged plot is speaking out. >> i have to be honest, i'm real surprised. i feel they left so much on the table. >> reporter: that's michael dippolito, the now ex-husband of the woman caught on video allegedly trying to hire a hit man to kill him in 2009, only that alleged hit man was actually an undercover police officer. >> you definitely want to do this? >> i'm positive like 5,000% sure. >> reporter: dippolito has always maintained her innocence, but one juror who voted to find her guilty tells abc news, quote, it was real, and she thought he was dead and this is what she wanted. dippolito remains under house arrest pending the next trial. later on "good morning america" our chief legal analyst dan abrams weighs in. california has stopped uber's self-driving car program the same day it all got started. they ended testing yesterday saying the company needs a special permit to have cars one public roads. in the meantime, uber says video

showing what appears to be a self-driving suv running a red light in san francisco was actually caused by human error. the company says there was a driver at that wheel. >> ah. all right, when we come back, caught on camera, the dramatic moment a police officer was shot during a traffic stop. and secretly coming to save the day. a first responder on the scene in the nick of time. the video coming up. ♪ 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! each sold separately. ...one of many pieces in my i havlife.hma...

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 children and adolescents. breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a long-term asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. do not take breo more than prescribed. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for 12 months free at mybreo.com. you guys ever try one of these bars

made over at right twix? why? our special cookie is cascaded with caramel and cloaked in chocolate. you never wondered? [ whoosh! zap! ] [ glass breaks ] aah! [ male announcer ] try both. pick a side. twix. [ male announcer ] try both. hey julie, i know today's critic...need a sick day. dads don't take sick days. dads take dayquil severe: the... ...non-drowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, stuffy... ...head, no sick days medicine. we have some new video out of portland, oregon, where a rare snowstorm is bringing the city to a halt. watch the school bus go sliding down a snowy street bouncing off parked cars. luckily no injuries but lots of traffic jams. >> yeah, portland and the rest of the northwest won't be spared the wet roads, slippery there. same for northern california. lake-effect snow in upstate new york and around the great lakes. if you're flying, expect airport delays in san francisco. the justice department is set to announce a formal review

of minnesota's st. anthony's police department. that's where a black motorist was fatally shot by a police officer in july during a traffic stop. the brutal aftermath was streamed live on facebook by the victim's girlfriend. >> attorneys for the officer who killed that man, philando castile, want the charges dropped. they claim castile was negligent in his own death ignoring the officer's order. in georgia, authorities have released dash cam video showing the moment a police officer was shot. >> it's the latest police shooting in georgia where six officers were shot in just as many days. abc's pierre thomas has the details. >> reporter: it started as a police stop about a stolen car. the officer asking the suspect to show his hands then shots fired. >> oh, i'm shot. >> reporter: in a split second an apparently calm suspect firing away. >> oh. >> reporter: captain michael shulman, body camera rolling, is shot under the arm. within seconds shulman's partner

jeffrey martin is shot in the hand but still trying to help his colleague out of harm's way. >> even after jeffrey got shot, he's getting michael and pulling him to the car to get him to the hospital. >> reporter: shulman worried he might die. >> i can't. i can't, i can't move, man. >> reporter: monday's shooting capping a violent week in which half a dozen georgia police officers have been shot. two killed. that suspect in georgia has been caught and charged with attempted murder. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. and check out this dramatic video out of china where firefighters saved a man who was about to jump from the rooftop of a 30-story building. the man had threatened to commit suicide due to relationship problems while hitting himself with an iron bar. a firefighter then crept up behind him while several others started to distract the man and assist them. the man's friends also tried to distract him. meanwhile, the firefighters jump in. they grabbed him and pulled him to safety. >> just in the nick of time. and a touching moment back in this country in a california

hospital room, two little girls who were born conjoined saw each other for the first time since separation surgery last week. eva and erika sandoval shared a bladder, liver, parts of their digestive system even and a third leg. now, doctors say they're recovering well, breathing without ventilators and even sharing their toys. and the nba and its players have reached a tentative labor deal. the deal comes five years after a lockout. reports say the agreement is for seven years with an opt-out after six. main highlights include a shorter preseason and a week earlier to start the regular season. average player salaries will rise to $10 million. that deal still has to be ratified. and speaking of the nba, time for some highlights. >> let's go over to our guys at espn. good morning, america. i'm neil everett in the "sportscenter" studio. we have two highlights for you. this one is first. it's the celtics and spurs. the celtics have not beaten the spurs since the millard fillmore administration. kawhi leonard, not spelled like

kauai, the island, but still what a great first name. liked to go to the circus as a child. and that was a circus shot. he had 26 points, 6 assists. the spurs win, 108-101. take another look. let it breathe. when in oahu say hi to don murphy at murphy's on merchant street. let's go thunder/jazz now. russell westbrook, after this game russell westbrook said, you know what, y'all are making too much of the triple-double. if i get it, i get it. if i don't, i don't. i'm all about winning. he did not have the winning formula in this one. no triple-double and no win for the thunder. westbrook goes 7 of 25. rudy gobert, it fell in his lap, put it down. jazz beat the thunder. those were the two highlights i promised you. have a great day. >> way to live up to your promises there. up next in "the pulse," the new sexiest city in america.

just let the drama build. >> ooh. speaking of drama, a showdown for the ages all summed up in three words, rock, paper, or scissors. stay with us. out. i want you to stay this bright blue forever... that's why you will stay in this drawer... forever. i can't live without you. and that's why i will never, ever wash you. protect your clothes from the damage of the wash with downy fabric conditioner. it not only softens and freshens... it helps protect clothes... from stretching, fading and fuzz... so your favorite clothes stay your favorite clothes. downy fabric conditioner wash in the wow.

try theraflu expressmax,nd flu hold you back now in new caplets. it's the only cold & flu caplet that has a maximum strength formula with a unique warming sensation you instantly feel. theraflu. for a powerful comeback. new expressmax caplets. and let roomba from irobot help with your everyday messes. roomba navigates your entire home. cleaning up pet hair and debris for up to 2 hours. which means your floors are always clean. you and roomba, from irobot. better. together. jay knows how to keep nice shorts, dad...g. this is what the pros wear. uhhh... that's why he starts his day with those two scoops in heart healthy kellogg's raisin bran. ready to eat my dust? too bad i already filled up on raisins. kellogg's raisin bran. deliciously heart healthy.

♪ ♪ time now for "the pulse," and we know the end of the year is great for lists. >> yeah. >> well, this morning we have a list of the sexiest cities in america. >> which is what every city wants to be a part of. drum roll. coming in at number five on this list, new york city. >> hey. >> yeah, number four, you see minneapolis, st. paul, washington, d.c., number three. second place detroit and philadelphia topping the list at number one. >> apparently plenty of love going on in the city of brotherly love. >> and sisterly affection.

philly was second last year. the list was compiled by a company called pure romance which is a seller of relationship enhancement products, and apparently the folks in philadelphia buy a lot of those products. >> is that really the best way to survey the sexiest city? >> if you're trying to get your name out there. >> all right. so, rock, paper, scissors tournament in japan, yes, it's a thing. take a look at this video. do you believe this? >> this is big time. this is all part of a "japanese idol" show and what they do is they make contestants compete in this massive tournament, and the winner gets to star in the group's next single. >> oh. >> so it's sort of like "japanese idol," but first you have to do rock, paper, scissors. >> i guess instead of auditioning by song, you just have to win the rock, paper, scissors. >> but look at the excitement and just some people are just crushed by it. you can't go with the rock. >> what's wrong with rock?

>> it's just -- it's the potential to lose all the time with the rock there. >> all right. well, apparently green by the way no longer the in color for christmas trees. >> online retailer wayfair says trees in nontraditional colors are hot items. this year popular shades are baby blue, hot pink, orange. wayfair says sales of other colors than green are up. the company also doing brisk business with half christmas trees. they're cut in half from the top to the bottom to make it easier to put just up against a wall. >> very efficient. >> yeah. >> more news after this.

honey bunches of oats. it's all of this, this, this, and this. it's the mother of all cereals. it's that, and that, and all of that. it's the most cerealriffic cereal. in all of history. yeah, it's that good. honey bunches of oats. this. is. everything. ltry align probiotic.n your digestive system? for a non-stop, sweet treat goodness, hold on to your tiara kind of day. get 24/7 digestive support, with align. the #1 doctor recommended probiotic brand.

now in kids chewables.

>> good morning, south bay, let's get going. this is abc7 mornings. >> it's here. live doppler hd is showing us the leading edge of the major storm moving into the bay area. right now. brace very self for flash flooding, mudslides and dangerous traffic conditions. we are glad you are here. it is thursday, december 15th. >> i am reggie aqui with jess yes and traffic with alexis smith and meteorologist mike nicco is the man of the hour. >> many hours. >> the next 12 hours. >> it is going to be a long day. good morning, everyone, deep breath. get ready. we have talked about it all week. here is a look without the cloud layer, spotty drizzle. a light rain moving into santa rosa and moderate-to-heavy rain to the north working down to us and cause a lot of flight delays at sfo.

breezy to windy rain in the north bay through 7:00 and the rest of us get heavy winds and rain through 4:00 and then the south by at 7:00. a lot of watches and advisories. all next. >> okay right if you. the bay bridge toll plaza shows us our friendly spider and it is shaking around in the wind. we have a high wind advisory for the bay bridge but the pavement is not too stoked. a few sprinkles but unless you are around santa rosa or north of there, it is not bad. for the moment. that will containing. >> alexis, thank you. mike has been telling us our level "3" storm starts in the north bay. that is where we will start. amy hollyfield isening the beginning of what is expected to be the biggest storm in nine months. amy? >> good morning. we are getting rain in novato. it is hitting me and blowing

sidewaause of the wind. that will be a new factor in the storm we have not season in previous storms. in san rafael, this is highway 101. we had the rain hitting here, first, and the c.h.p. is putting out a wanting telling everyone to eleven for work early and plan for a slow commute. there are words on twitter, tweets on how there were traffic collisions in marin county yesterday morning when the light rain fell. they are picketing that to happen today. we are expecting heavier rain today. the marin county is ready realizing this is where it is going to hit the hard of the and first. preparations have been taking place all weak. some people have learned good tips including traffic