>> that's it for "america this morning." making news in america this this morning, breaking news, the main suspect in the berlin truck attack has been killed. but he was not found in germany. authorities speaking just just moments ago saying the man was anis amri without a shadow of a doubt. the breaking details straight ahead. plus, donald trump tweeting about american nuclear weapons and triggering concerns about a nuclear arms race with vladimir putin's russia. trump aides scrambling to explain what the president-elect meant. are decades of u.s. policy about to be scrapped? we're live in washington. and will weather woes be a part of your holiday travel? it's one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season. the potential for problems and your getaway forecast coming up. and if you're hitting the slopes, let's hope you're not just left hanging around like this guy, how he got there and

how he got down. we do say good morning on what is a busy friday morning. i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm mara schiavocampo in for diane macedo. the manhunt for the main suspect in the berlin truck attack is over. >> officials in italy say he was gunned down overnight during a shoot-out in milan. anis amri was a 24-year-old tunisian who was on the run since monday when he is believed to have driven that tractor trailer into the busy christmas market. these new images coming in overnight as well. that shoot-out, though, taking place after what's being described as a routine police check. officials say amri pulled out a gun after being asked to show his identification papers. >> he was killed in the ensuing shoot-out. officials say that the officer who was fired upon was injured.

he is recovering. they are nonlife-threatening injuries. there was a raid at a mosque earlier where the suspect was seen on video after the attack. a german newspaper reporting he suffered cuts to his face in the truck attack. of course, it's not clear exactly how he may have gotten to milan. it is a good 10 1/2-hour drive from berlin to milan, italy and officials are wondering this morning as well how did he get away from germany? this was a man whose image was all around europe, the most wanted man in europe. >> of course, taking a long drive presumably and crossing through borders, able to do that without being apprehended. >> and checkpoints. we'll have more on that throughout the morning. next to president-elect donald trump triggering fears of a nuclear arms race with a tweet about expanding america's nuclear capability. maggie rulli has the latest. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and mara. he might be staying out of

in his south estate mar-a-lago but he has twitter to keep him busy and in the headlines. the president-elect might not be in the white house just yet, but he's already taking a jab at foreign policy tweeting out, "the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such a time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." that hasn't been u.s. policy for nearly 40 years. it came just hours after a strikingly similar comment from vladimir putin. russia's president saying "we need to strengthen the potential strategic nuclear forces," but while trump is actively tweeting, he hasn't held a real news conference since the election. he's beefed up his white house communications team including veteran republican operative sean spicer as press secretary. former campaign manager kellyanne conway now serving as counselor to the president. she found herself in the hot seat on "gma" trying to reassure the press. >> this will be a traditional white house in the sense that you will have a great deal of press availability on a daily

basis, and you'll have a president who continues to be engaged with the press. >> reporter: donald trump's daughter ivanka also making news. >> some guy went up to her and started giving her a hard time and told her that her father is ruining the country. >> reporter: a passenger allegedly screaming at ivanka and her family on a jetblue flight while they were on their way to hawaii for vacation. the secret service did not intervene, but jetblue flight attendants removed the man from the flight. donald trump plans to stay in florida through the weekend but while there he continues to hold meetings and has had a presidential daily briefing for the past two days. kendis and mara. >> all right. our thanks to maggie rulli there in washington, thank you. well, trump is also turning to twitter to pit two military contractors against one another. in a tweet last night, trump said he's asked boeing to price out its f-18 fighter jet to compete with the f-35, which is made by lockheed martin. trump met earlier this week with the ceos of both companies to discuss lowering the cost of their planes. now to president obama who

is reportedly planning to deliver a farewell speech in chicago. sources say the speech is set for january 10th. that, of course, ten days before he leaves office. the president is expected to thank chicago, as well as the state of illinois for launching his political career electing him first as a state senator. breaking overnight, australian officials are urging people in melbourne to celebrate christmas as usual after the arrest of five men for plotting an attack on the holiday. the authorities believe the suspects were self-radicalized but inspired by isis. they also believe that this threat is now over. >> as a result of this investigation, we believe we have neutralized that threat. in relation to that threat, we believe that there was an intention to conduct what we call a multimode attack possibly on christmas day. >> the intended targets would have included a cathedral, a commuter rail station and other public places. all five suspects are in their 20s.

four of them were born in australia. the other one in egypt. some major problems could be ahead for the millions traveling today especially at the nation's airports. chicago's o'hare airport could be one of the bottlenecks rain forecast early in the day followed by snow. flood watches and blizzard warnings are prompting weather alerts in 18 states. we're going to have more on that in a moment. l.a.x. is another trouble spot. hundreds of flights have already been canceled or delayed and hundreds more are expected to be impacted today. officials say it's a combination of rainy weather and thousands more people flying this year than last. >> and here's why that's bad. those delays are expected to ripple across the country on one of the busiest travel days of this entire year. accuweather's justin povick here with a look ahead. good morning, justin. >> kendis and mara, thanks. good morning to you, as well. two storms, busy times here in the weather world, and here is the leading storm working its way over the plains states for today. wet roadways from des moines southbound towards st. louis and

kansas city but a little bit of slippery travel here over the northern states. speaking of slippery travel, we're going to be talking about snow in feet toward i-80. similar amounts here over the wasatch just east of salt lake city, big-time travel impacts. kendis and mara, back to you. >> absolutely. no doubt. thank you, justin. and coming up, some advice about keeping yourself healthy for the holidays. and some real-life grinches. serial package thieves caught on camera. the hunt is on to bring them to justice. and going the wrong way, why was this driver doing this creating a real danger for everyone on the road? stay with us.

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drivers in albuquerque, new mexico, a pickup truck captured driving in reverse on the highway no less in heavy traffic. it created a big headache for other commuters, and it's unclear why the driver was going backwards, but police say whatever the reason was, it's not a good idea. >> it's safe to say that's a bad idea. >> yes, exactly. he did stay in the lane, though. well, new this morning an arrest in the road rage shooting in that really stunned little rock, arkansas. >> 3-year-old acen king was killed while riding in the backseat of his grandmother's car last saturday night. an intense manhunt has been under way ever since. now police say 33-year-old gary holmes has been charged with capital murder. he is expected to appear in court later today. a lyft driver in florida says he was held hostage during a wild crime spree. the driver says he was forced to chauffeur his captors to store robberies and drug deals. they also used his cell phone to take pictures of themselves. after 11 hours police say the suspects got tired and decided to stop and let the driver out. they threatened to kill him if

he told the police. now, two suspects have been arrested, and police are still searching for two others. there is a new development after this week's fireworks explosion in mexico. the president of mexico is vowing to rebuild the famous fireworks market where the chain reaction blast left more than 30 people dead. he says he'll re-open the market next year. meanwhile, families are packing the local churches as funeral masses continue for the victims. well, this has the potential to be a major medical breakthrough. a vaccine which is 100% effective against the ebola virus. that virus is responsible for thousands of deaths mostly in africa. the vaccine has not gotten regulatory approval, but 300,000 doses have been stockpiled in case there is another outbreak. and there is a new study out about your health and the holidays. it finds an increased risk of heart-linked deaths between christmas and january 7th. >> some advice, doctors say take time to decompress, moderate how much food and drink you consume

and, of course, seek help if any symptoms come up. >> it's a very interesting study. i'm curious what the reasoning is. >> it happens during that time, yeah. when we come back, that race to rescue a boy stuck on a ski lift. what it took to get him down. but first controversy in texas after arrests go viral. what the officer said and the reaction to it straight ahead. hey there, hi. why do people have eyebrows? why do people put milk on cereal? oh, are you reading why people put milk on cereal? why does your tummy go "grumbily, grumbily, grumbily"? why is it all (mimics a stomach grumble) no more questions for you! ooph, that milk in your cereal was messing with you, wasn't it? yeah, happens to more people than you think... try lactaid, it's real milk, without that annoying lactose. good, right? mmm, yeah. i got your back. lactaid. it's the milk that doesn't mess with you.

and there are some people should give undeyouashouldn't .oliday. people you should. shouldn't. janice! should. shouldn't. yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom. 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. kohlso shop anytime forours the best gifts ever and earn kohl's cash. pick up a bb-8 and get $20 kohl's cash the fitbit blaze and get $30 kohl's cash or a ps4 and get $50 kohl's cash. give a little more and get a little more this holiday. kohl's.

fight heartburn fast. with tums chewy delights. the mouthwatering soft chew that goes to work in seconds to conquer heartburn fast. tum tum tum tum. chewy delights. only from tums. some very cool time-lapsed photography from minnesota. a wall of sea smoke creating -- created after temperatures well below zero collided with the much warmer waters of lake superior. our producer calling it an icy haboob. very cool that they have in phoenix. >> okay, i got it. i missed that reference, but, yeah, it is very cool. looks like a special effect. well, now for a look at morning road conditions.

heavy rain, flash flooding and heavy mountain snow are threats in the pacific northwest. snow in the midwest and around the great lakes. heavy rain from memphis to dallas. >> if you're flying, weather-related airport delays are possible in san francisco, los angeles, minneapolis, chicago and kansas city. in texas, a white police officer involved in the controversial arrest of three black women is on restricted duty. >> the incident, which is being investigated, was captured on cell phone video. it does show the officer pointing a taser and wrestling jacqueline craig and one of her daughters to the ground. craig had called police to report the alleged assault of her 7-year-old son. >> i was very distraught because what i felt i was doing was actually protecting my child and it didn't happen. it made me feel less of a parent that i couldn't protect him when he needed it. >> the inference of racism is all over it. if this was -- from the beginning if this was a white child who had been choked by a

black man, there is no way on god's green earth that they would be walking free and that the mother of that child would have been arrested along with this child's siblings. it just simply doesn't happen. >> well, the officer has not been identified. ft. worth police said in a statement that the initial appearance of the video may raise serious questions. that video has now been viewed more than a million times. >> really troubling video. >> yeah. it doesn't matter how you wrap it, it's still illegal. a security checkpoint at l.a.x. caught more than two pounds of heroin in christmas wrapping paper. nice try. a hazmat team was called first to the airport at which point the man who allegedly had been trying to smuggle the six packages aboard a flight to cincinnati decided to just go home. that's where investigators found the airport services employee. well, for many 'tis the season for holiday joy and celebrations. but for some others, what makes the season bright is stealing packages. yeah, abc's gio benitez has more on this troubling trend. >> reporter: some real-life

grinches are on the loose swiping last-minute packages from people's front doors. in chicago, the hunt is on for a serial package thief. could it be this man caught on surveillance camera casually walking up to someone else's front porch? appearing to talk on the phone, he bends down to grab a package while he quickly opens it and takes off with what's inside. >> he didn't care about anything. just walking around pretending like he's talking on the cell phone. i hope they catch you. >> reporter: this case just 1 of 13 other instances reported to chicago police so far this month. >> we think it's severely under reported, though. >> reporter: and it's happening everywhere. in florida a creative more by this thief disguised as a pizza delivery man. gio benitez, abc news, new york. >> and gio will have more on that on "gma." in new video this morning, a reminder to anyone hitting the slopes this weekend, you might want to be careful. take a look. a young skier at utah's sundance resort got caught on the ski lift as he was trying to exit. he ended up dangling for several

minutes terrified by the ordeal. somehow his backpack got hung up on the lift. rescuers on snowmobiles rushed to the scene and were able to bring the boy down. other than having some sore arms, he's doing okay. >> well, a duke basketball star grayson allen won't be playing for awhile. the guard likely headed for the nba was suspended indefinitely by duke coach mike krzyzewski after tripping an opposing player for the third time. at first coach k stopped short of suspending allen who was named in one recent poll as the top player in college basketball. duke has tough match-ups ahead against top 25 teams florida state and louisville. >> that was an ugly foul there. a reminder, in the meantime, most of the nfl's week 16 games will take place tomorrow. some rare saturday games. >> but there was one last night and we have some highlights now from espn. good morning, america, and happy holidays. hey there, i'm nicole briscoe. my gift to you, a little sports highlights to go with your morning coffee. we start with the thursday night football game.

odell beckham jr. hit 4,000 yards receiving. eli manning did not have a solid game. that is one of two interceptions by malcolm jenkins, that one returned for the pick six. some decent offense in this game from the eagles. carson wentz to agholor. meanwhile, this is how it would end, eli to the end zone, not to the right guy. 24-19, eagles, they get the win over the giants. to the nba, spurs and clippers. the first time these two teams played this season. it was a 24-point blow-out for the spurs. the bad news in this one, clippers playing solid, but they'd eventually lose chris paul in the third, hamstring injury. tight game, back and forth. kawhi there with some play for the spurs. speights, marreese speights, three ball.

this one closer. 106-101 the final again in favor of the clippers. happy holidays. we'll see you next time. >> nicole there with the bedtime story. >> festive. >> yeah, and so cozy. up next in "the pulse," tiger woods, we know what he looks like on the course. his holiday look, well, that's a whole different thing. >> whole different. and an adorable child who just received the greatest gift he could have imagined. we'll tell you what it is. "the pulse" is coming up next. is. "the pulse" is coming up next. you're just subbing for mrs. tindall's fifth-grade class. good morning, everybody. start with world history... (laughter) talk about some science stuff... (laughter) the day basically runs itself. yeah, that's not gonna work. bring out your best you. and awaken your senses with the refreshing taste of tropicana.

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foster care and plans to reunite him with his biological mother fell through. >> but something clicked with tara montgomery and her two daughters. she wasn't planning to adopt but did, and something clicked as well with the internet. the story has been moving people to tears, lots of happy tears. >> happy tears. >> as you can understand. we'd like to join the other celebrities this morning in wishing a happy birthday to a columbus, ohio, resident, colo the gorilla -- >> the gorilla. >> -- is 60 years old. >> that is an old gorilla. well, that makes her the oldest gorilla in captivity by far. the average life span for these apes is about 35 years old. colo was also the first gorilla born in captivity anywhere in the world. >> the columbus zoo celebrated with presents and a cake made from tomatoes and apples. colo hanging over your shoulder there. and finally, tiger woods getting in the holiday spirit and giving us all a gift. as we've reported, he's trying to make a comeback, as you know, and woods says he's looking

forward to a full competitive schedule next year. >> well, it seems he has some confidence these days. how else could you explain this? >> the gun show. >> woods posting a shirtless photo with a white goatee wearing a white wig, sunglasses and a black hat. >> well, he says, quote, mac daddy santa is back. apparently it's a christmas tradition that his kids love, but some reaction starting with "it's not christmas until tiger woods' nipples show up in your time line. >> yeah, nothing says christmas like that. well, we hope that this picture replaces crying jordan. i want to see some memes. >> and as if that's on cue, tiger woods for the pg-rated crowd. he looks good. yeah. more news. bout. what about the people i care about? ...including this little girl. and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital, but wondered, was this the best treatment for me? so i asked my doctor. and he recommended eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. yes, eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding

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>> good morning, north bayth ba, let's get going. >> now at 4:30, live doppler hd is lit newspaper grown, yellow and orange, as a storm rolls into the bear from the north bay to the south we track wind. it will make getting around a challenge. >> we are tracking breaking news in the berlin christmas market attack. the subject of a worldwide manhunt this morning is shot and killed. it is friday, december 23rd. i am natasha zouves. >> i am reggie aqui, eve before christmas eve. by first we have meteorologist mike nicco. all the leading edge is heading to the dumbarton bridge. here is how it is moving from southwest to northeast, the batch of moderate-to-heavy rain

is sliding north to south. can you see the rain from the camera on the embarcadero. the steady, moderate to possibly heavy rain is moving through by 7:00. we will transition to showers by noon and some thunderstorms with downpours and hail and gusty winds through the evening hour. sue? >> we have puddling. the bay bridge toll plaza shows the rain is on the camera. no delays. it is coming down. we have pooling on the ground. you can see on the map the green means that is rain and the blue on the maps means it has potential for puddling where you are driving. solo spinouts and we will get to that next report. now breaking news overseas, a suspect in the berlin christmas market attack is dead. >> officials confirm police killed anis amri this morning in

milan when he was asked for an i.d. at a check point. he pulled a gun from the backpack and fired. an officer is hurt. milan is ten hours away from the scene. the police chief said he passed through france and arrived in italy this morning by train. 12 people died and dozens are injured in berlin. he ran a truck through the market. >> we follow breaking news in the mediterranean. a libyan passenger plane with 118 people has been hijacked. it is now on the ground. you can barely see the tail of the african jet sitting on the runway in malta. it was flying over libya when the hijackers took over. they are armed with hand grenades and threatening to blowup the plane. all flights in and out of the malta are canceled. >> we will track that. >> at home we are on storm watch. rain is coming to the bay