stay with us. making news in america this thursday morning, breaking overnight, the holiday rush getting off to a frustrating start for thousands of travelers with major delays at one of the country's busiest airports. planes stuck on the tarmac for hours. plus, a rain and blizzard threat not making things easier. the manhunt for the christmas market attacker in berlin. why he's been on authorities' radar since last year and the precautions and new warning in the u.s. during the holidays. caught on camera, a semi truck swerving across several lanes of a highway. the driver falling out of the cab and now facing serious charges. plus, sparks fly. and fire shoots from a man's pants after an e-cigarette explodes.

well, good thursday morning. i'm mara schiavocampo in for diane macedo. >> and i'm kendis gibson. it is starting out to be a rough thursday morning for many. we're going to start with that breaking news. the holiday rush is getting off to a rocky start with delays overnight at a major airport. >> gridlock overnight at los angeles international airport with people stuck in traffic jams and on airplanes. a ground stop forcing some flights to land at other airports. passengers saying they waited two hours on the tarmac to deplane. a frustrating start for many people getting to their holiday destinations. >> our pilot was telling us that it would be like another 20 minutes, he hasn't seen so much airplanes on one track in a few years so it took us a while to get to our gate but we're here now. >> well, the airport is blaming the delays on runway construction and the high number of holiday travelers. >> and as you look at those images, you'll notice the tarmac was fairly wet causing some of

the declines as well for the area. l.a. getting quite a bit of rain. in the san fernando valley, in the meantime, wet roads were packed with holiday shoppers and travelers and fans and players at the poinsettia bowl in san diego dealing with downpours throughout that game. on the radar you can see widespread rain in southern california and arizona. the east coast will have some trouble spots, as well as the holiday rush gets under way. accuweather's justin povick following all the details for us. good morning. >> kendis, mara, thanks, and good morning to you, as well. slippery travel a big concern over far north new england today as we track a couple of inches of snow. now, this is over the interior. toward the 95 we're in good shape and fantastic news here for holiday travel. how about friday, good shape, eastern seaboard. out west, though, big concern as another storm rolls in. this one packing a punch with heavy flooding rains and also the potential for some very heavy snow and this expands out

over the plains states this upcoming weekend with near blizzard conditions and major travel impacts could actually have some severe weather out ahead of the system. kendis, mara, back over to you. >> all right, justin, thanks so much for that. turning now to the all out manhunt across europe for the prime suspect in that devastating terror attack in berlin. >> a desperate search is on for this man. he's 24-year-old anis amri from the north african country of tunisia and we now know he's no stranger to german authorities. >> here's a look at the popular christmas market where the truck barreled through. it's been scrubbed clean and is set to re-open today. >> and u.s. law enforcement officials have issued a bulletin worried about a similar attack here at home at one of the most crowded events of the year. abc's maggie rulli with the details. >> reporter: overnight a rare search across europe for this man, 24-year-old anis amri of tunisia. germany warns he could be armed and dangerous. according to a germany lawmaker, am remember's wallet and i.d.

were found in the battered semi truck after it bulldozed through this crowded berlin christmas market crushing stalls, killing 11 and injuring dozens more. now police searching what they believe to be his home as german terror officials have had their eye on amri since he came to the country seeking asylum in 2015. it was denied over concerns about his ties to radical islamists and allegations of petty crimes. germany then tried to deport him, but he didn't have the paperwork to prove he was tunisian, and so he stayed. now, berlin's responding to the tragedy by opening up the city's famed christmas markets once again. abc's matt gutman is there. >> people have been going out to them. they have been urged to get back to normal by the government here, but they've opened under heavy security. we've seen barriers, concrete barriers go up in a lot of those markets and a lot more police presence. >> reporter: the attacks also reminding americans to be on alert. federal and local law enforcement authorities have issued an urgent bulletin amid growing concerns that a similar

attack could happen here on u.s. soil. warning specifically that times square's annual new year's eve celebration could be a target saying that while there's no specific threat, we remain concerned about unaffiliated lone offenders and homegrown violent extremists targeting the event. maggie rulli, abc news, washington. >> and also there in germany the chancellor, angela merkel, is facing growing criticism for allowing nearly a million migrants to enter that country. here at home, president-elect donald trump condemned the attack, and he appeared to suggest he may go forward with the muslim ban he proposed during the campaign. >> what's going on is terrible, terrible, terrible. >> has it caused you to rethink or or re-evaluate your plans? >> hey, you've known my plans all along and it's -- i've proven to be right 100% correct. what's happening is disgraceful. that's an attack on humanity,

that's what it is. it's an attack on humanity and it's got to be stopped. thank you. >> trump had ajusted his pledge on a muslim ban during the general election to say he would focus on stopping immigration from certain countries with ties to terrorism. the death toll is still rising following that chain reaction explosion at a fireworks market in mexico. three of the children who were severely burned are now being treated at a specialized hospital in texas. mexican officials are hoping at least ten more children will be able to make the trip to the shriners hospital in galveston. in the meantime, investigators are still trying to figure out what touched off that explosion. they are looking at lax safety standards which may have allowed vendors to display their fireworks outside the stalls. fusion network reporter rafa fernandez who covers mexico has more on the search. for answers. >> reporter: they're being pretty careful not to rush to conclusions but there's some reports that

indicate there might have been a nexus of fireworks in the area or illegal ones that don't comply with the safety norms by mexican law. >> just days ago they said the fireworks market there had been called the safest in latin america. north carolina's controversial bathroom law still stands. lawmakers met in special session but failed to repeal the law. democrats and republicans are blaming each other for playing politics. the law requires that people use the bathroom which corresponds to their gender at birth. it has already cost the state millions in lost business. overseas new concerns this morning about the health of britain's queen elizabeth. the 90-year-old and her 95-year-old husband prince philip have delayed holiday travel because both have severe colds. palace officials say there are no grave concerns about the queen's health. just recently it was announced that the queen would step down from her role as patron of 20 charities. well, still ahead, new details overnight in the cause of the death of alan thicke.

plus, a highway drama shoving a semi swerving off the road hitting a sign. wait until you see what happened once that truck stopped. and caught on camera, a man sitting on a bus when an e-cigarette suddenly explodes.

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well, this natural gas leak caused a massive explosion in columbus, ohio. the blast leveling a pizza restaurant, but everyone made it out safely. several homes and businesses though were damaged. witnesses say the explosion sounded like a sonic boom. officials say crews digging near the site struck a gas line. only one injury, however, was reported as a result of that. this morning a prominent atlanta attorney is expected in

court, but this time he's the defendant. tex mciver is accused of killing his wife. he turned himself in last night. he claims to have fallen asleep with a gun in his lap while riding in a car and accidentally shooting his wife. he's charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct. police in georgia have released dramatic body cam video leading up to the shooting that left two officers dead. you can see officers nicholas smarr and jody smith, who were childhood friends, answering a domestic dispute call. as they chased the suspect, he opens fire hitting them both. smarr died while giving smith cpr, and smith died the following day. accused killer robert durst has made a brief court appearance before standing trial for the alleged murder of his best friend some nearly 16 years ago. the real estate heir looking frail with a large scar on his head as you can see there. after hearing from both sides the judge appointed a special master as it's called to

review evidence in that case. uber's self-driving cars are off california's roads after the state revoked the registrations of the 16 cars being used for the tests. the state said they weren't properly marked as test vehicles. uber hadn't applied for the test permits because it felt that the presence of a human in each car made the vehicles exempt from the law. there's no word on uber's next move. when we come back, an 11-year-old comes face-to-face with an intruder. while she's on the phone with 911, the terrifying call coming up. more trouble for the biebs. the new report that says justin bieber's been indicted. she's the reason the good times are great. ...and the reason the tough times are easier. because she's your best friend... and your true love. presenting the ever us two-stone diamond collection...

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implosion. it will take at least six weeks to remove all that debris. now for a look at morning road conditions, heavy rain could be a threat as we mentioned in the southwest. stormy in the northwest as well. light snow could be a hazard for the commute in the northeast. a minnesota man is facing some serious legal trouble. he was captured on dash cam video driving a semi truck while allegedly drunk. >> so state troopers were alerted about a vehicle driving in and out of lanes. as abc's gio benitez reports, police say the driver admitted to having a few beers. >> i don't know exactly what's going on yet. >> reporter: a commercial semi truck weaving in and out of control because the driver, police say, was very, very drunk. off minnesota's highway 10 you can see the semi swerving off to the right shoulder hitting a sign struggling to get back on the road then crossing several lanes of traffic before finally stopping. but that wasn't the end of it. the driver barely able to walk,

much less drive, shutting down the entire highway because he was crawling on it. >> get up on your feet here. >> reporter: the driver, 48-year-old jonathan check, was transporting a walmart trailer but working for a third party company at the time, creek carrier. >> you feel the effects of the alcohol you drank? >> yup. >> reporter: gio benitez, abc news, new york. >> and gio's going to have a little bit more on that on "gma" later today. an 11-year-old orlando girl being praised for keeping her cool during a break-in at her home. ashley bermudez was home alone when she saw the bad guys pull up in front. when the men started breaking in, she went to a closet in the bedroom and called 911. >> oh, no, please, please, i won't say anything, i promise you. >> are they in the house with you? >> no, they left. >> well, they left with all of ashley's christmas presents, but a charity group has now replaced them. pop star justin bieber is in trouble again. tmz reporting if he sets foot in

argentina, he'll be arrested. he was just indicted for allegedly ordering the beating of a photographer three years ago and then stealing the man's money and equipment. bieber denies it, but the problem is he's about to start a tour in south america. skipping argentina would be costly both for him and for the country. well, we now know the cause of actor alan thicke's death. thicke had complained of chest pains while playing hockey with his son last week. his aorta, the main artery from the heart, tore and then ruptured a few hours later. this is all according to his death certificate, which was made public yesterday. now, besides starring, of course, in "growing pains," the 69-year-old also wrote a lot of music. a new health alert about melanoma this morning. researchers saying this deadly skin cancer is killing more americans than ever before. more than 10,000 americans are expected to die from it this year. that's up from the more than 8,000 deaths in 2009. melanoma accounts for about 1% of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths.

an e-cigarette is being blamed for another explosion, this time it happened on a city bus in fresno, california. a man had the battery-powered cigarette in the pocket of his pants when it became hot leading to sparks and smoke. he suffered minor burns to his leg, but he's expected to be okay. well, it's time for sports now and some college basketball highlights. >> here's stan and neil. they're happy to be with us at espn. >> good morning, america, and i mean really morning. i mean, we're not doing this live, but it's 3:00 a.m. right now, and we're giving you this. college basketball, bluegrass state, it's kentucky and louisville, number ten louisville, six, kentucky. quentin snider didn't score against kentucky the last two years. made up for it in this game, had 22. later louisville up. mitchell drives, he can't get it but jaylen johnson, right place

right time and put the cards up 4. eight seconds to go. malik monk, he had 47 against north carolina and they get it to him. he had just 16 in this game. good job by the louisville defense on him and louisville beats kentucky, 73-70. duke beat elon but all anybody wanted to talk about and rightfully so is this grayson allen kid who got a technical foul for tripping right there. the coach pulled him out of the rest of the first half. didn't start him in the second half. got him back in and then after the game told all of us to mind our own business when it comes to disciplining the kid. gonzaga beat south dakota. >> all right. critical information. >> thank you. that's all we have for you. >> we have more. that's all you get. >> back to you. >> i guess we'll have to wait for "sportscenter" to get some more. up next in "the pulse," the fate of one pet, a costume wearing, atv riding alligator is now decided so can he stay?

i know you were wondering, mara. and a girl overcome with emotion many of us would relate to. what caused this response? you'll find out when we come back. grandma is so happy to be here for your very first christmas. i hear you're quite the expert at waking people up in the morning. let me show you how grandma does it. your daddy made this when he was a little boy. this is your dad at my house, where he had his first christmas. thanks for making the coffee. well look who's up. i'm really glad you're here mom. me too. look who's here! i wto me the aciditymy dentiof foods andining what they can do to your teeth. thinning of the teeth and leading to being extremely yellow would probably gross me out!

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tylenol® ♪ ♪ all right. it's time for "the pulse" starting with a christmas gift for one florida woman. >> and her pet, an alligator named rambo who wears costumes, of course. >> of course. >> rides atvs and measures just six feet long. so that gift, rambo gets to stay. >> well, thank goodness for that. the state of florida had tried to take rambo away, but it's now dropped the case after a year-long battle, and mary thorn

could not be happier. >> as you see, he's like a little baby. this is his favorite spot. i'm his favorite mommy. >> perfectly normal. thorn just happy to be spending the holidays with her gator. you go spend it with your aunt and uncle. she'll spend it with -- >> i have never been left speechless by a story before. there's a first time for everything. all right. turning to a teen who had the best reaction ever after getting some earth-shattering news. raychel pesci erupting with joy even before she opened the large white envelope. she knew instantly it was her acceptance letter from providence college, that's the college of her choice. >> and it is the home of the friars and she starts laughing and crying and at one point falls to her knees, as you can see. these were truly tears of joy. raychel's sister was on hand to capture the epic moment that went on and on and on. >> happy for her. >> yep. a small fire department in

oklahoma is burning up the internet with one of the most adorable christmas cards ever. >> burning up the internet. i get it. >> yes. >> funny, all right. the firefighters decided to showcase their six tiny reasons to celebrate the holidays. the models, six babies born to them this year all between february and june. so cute. >> yeah, the department only has 33 firefighters, so they say six newborns in one year, that's a pretty big deal. >> something in the water there. >> yes. so raychel is still crying over the acceptance about providence college. >> all right. we'll have more news coming up. . hey! hey! ♪ this is for you. did you really? didn't have too! ♪ getting the gift you almost kept for yourself? now that's a holiday mini miracle. and it's easy to create your own at walgreens... with most stores open till midnight, and till 10 p.m. on christmas day. walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy.

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good morning, south bay, let's get going. it is thursday, december 22nd. is anyone watching in i went to the grocery store and no one was there. the town is empty. >> that time of year. i am reggie aqui. with meteorologist mike nicco, and traffic reporter, alexis smith. and jessica is one of those out of town. >> we still have to work. hopefully someone is watching. the news continues. so does the weather. especially the fog. we talked about it, half a mile at petaluma to three-quarters in santa rosa so the 101 corridor is inundated with fog. from the exploritorium you can see the stars and the cooler weather is out there. from 31 in petaluma to 48 at the coast. a continue of sunshine today.

mid-to-upper 50s. a few clouds by 7:00. that is our next storm coming in faster and dry. alexis? >> the commute will be empty as the grocery store was yesterday. zooming in on the traffic maps we have a solo vehicle spinout southbound 680 beyond stone valley blocking the right lane. it is now cleared. the tow truck is on the scene. as mike mentioned we have fog and i will look at that next. >> bart is pretty inventories of people illegally parking in their lots so they are going to make them pay. amy hollyfield has information on the new fines coming soon. >> it will be more painful. right now if you park and are not paid and you call the the fine is $35 but that will be

raced to $55. if you pay in a parking pictured spot you go from $4 to $75. the idea is bart was hearing from people they would rather pay the $35 fine than the toll and parking in san francisco so they needed to raise the fine. people this morning who do not think this is going do work. >> i don't think it will make a difference to be honest because the price of parking in the city, they will park and pay the fine. in my case, it would be $3 a day so i am fine. >> the cost to park is not going up. it is just $3 a day. in that is what you pay. if you follow the law you should be no one. you going to be fined more if you do not follow the rule. there is no plan to add anymore parking spots at