making news in america this morning -- donald trump is taking more jabs at the intelligence community. the president-elect is still casing doubt about russia's alleged involvement in the election-related hacking. and he's now being joined with skepticism by wikileaks founder julian assange. arctic air slowly moving across the country. negative 30 in some locations. and storms moving in off the pacific coast. as the south cleans up from deadly weather. an officer on leave this morning, after this video surfaced showing him slamming a student to the ground. we have details on her injury and what the police chief is now saying. and look up. dangling above the slopes, a young skier stuck on the chair lift. he's explaining how all of that happened.

those ski lift videos give me chills every time. every time i'm on the chair, i'm worried about that. a good wednesday morning to you all. we start off with president-elect donald trump clashing with the intelligence community before getting briefed on the russian hacking allegations. >> trump fired off a skeptical tweet saying the briefing had been delayed. but intelligence sources say, that's not the case. and wikileaks founder julian assange is weighing in. insisting the hacked e-mails that embarrassed democrats before the election did not actually come from russia. janai norman is following the overnight developments from d.c. good morning. >> reporter: kendis and diane, good morning. so that briefing centers on allegations that russians hacked the dnc with the intention of influencing the election. allegations president-elect trump, president putin, and wikileaks founder julian assange continued to deny. the president-elect throwing shade on the u.s. intelligence

community. tweeting, the intelligence briefing on so-called russian hacking was delayed until friday. perhaps more time needed to build a case. very strange. intelligence officials say the briefing was always scheduled for friday. it's the latest in the election hacking scandal that's found the president-elect aligned with the fugitive computer activist. wikileaks founder julian assange telling fox news' sean hannity, russia was not the source of stolen dnc e-mails. >> we can say and we have said, repeatedly, over the last two months, that our source is not the russian government. and it is not state party. >> reporter: but officials say those e-mails were, in fact, delivered to wikileaks by a middleman for the russians. >> whether assange is a knowing participant or what is called a useful idiot, it's hard to tell. >> reporter: house republicans doing an about face.

first, behind closed doors, voting to protect themselves by gutting the office of congressional ethics. created to make sure they play by the rules. then trump tweeting, with all that congress has to work on, do they really have to make the weakening of the independent ethics watchdog, as unfair as it may be, their number one act and priority? and finally, a last-minute meeting and unanimous decision to delay, heavily influenced by those tweets. >> yes, it animated the press. >> reporter: and trump announced he'll hold his first news conference in months next week on january 11th. at the same time, we're learning bill and hillary clinton will join george w. bush at the inauguration to watch trump get sworn in as 45th president in just 16 days. kendis and diane. >> all right. not very long to wait now. janai norman, live in washington, thank you. and trump also turned up the pressure on the auto industry. threatening general motors with a big border tax on its imported cars. >> trump says gm is making the chevy cruze in mexico and bringing it back into the country tax free. gm pushed back.

saying the sedans are built in ohio. and only a small number of hatchbacks sold in the u.s. are from mexico. and ford scraps plans for a mexico factory. ford decided to shift some of that money into a u.s. plant instead. it follows an earlier warning from trump that ford would face a 35% tariff on imports made in mexico. >> we didn't have direct negotiations. >> did you feel pressure from president-elect trump to make this decision? >> we look at a lot of different factors. one of the factors we're looking at is our view is there will be a more positive business environment for u.s. manufacturing under president-elect trump. >> well, fields also attributed their decision to a drop in demand for small cars. the company still plans to move production of the ford focus to mexico, but it will be made by an existing plant.

the naacp wants senator jeff sessions out of the running to be attorney general. and it brought the fight right to his doorstep. the group led a day-long sit-in at his office. in mobile, alabama. it was broadcast live on social media. senator sessions was in washington, d.c., during that sit-in. another major story this morning is the weather. it is pouring in northern california right now. with the first of three powerful storms this week. as much as a foot of rain is expected by week's end. causing some flash flooding and further erosion along the coast. take a look right here. this is the radar. man, look at that. that storm sweeping off the pacific ocean and dumping rain on the bay area. they're cleaning up in the meantime in the deep south after severe storms there spawned as many as a dozen tornadoes. the storms are blamed for six deaths, building damage, and countless downed trees and powerlines. and in the northern plains, the big freeze is on. overnight temperatures are falling below zeros. single digits from iowa to illinois. wind chills will make it feel

even colder. breaking overnight in turkey, the country saying it has identified the gunman that attacked the nightclub on new year's morning in istanbul. he's accused of killing 39 people and wounding many more. authorities are searching for him. this morning, they did detain five suspected isis militants. believed linked to that attack. the country is extending the state of emergency there until april. back here at home, we learn some new details about the final farewell to debbie reynolds and carrie fisher. a joint memorial is set tomorrow at the beverly hills compound the pair shared. it's being described as ultra private. their burial will be held on friday. fisher's brother, todd, says they'll be laid to rest among friends, including liberace and bette davis. still ahead, a warping about a spike in flu cases. and an officer on leave after this video showing this student being slammed to the ground in a school. new details on the student after leaving the hospital. and what the police chief is now

saying. plus, we showed you the video yesterday. you see a dresser fall on a toddler. luckily, though, his twin brother is there to save the day. this morning, hear what their parents want everyone to know. while i was on a combat patrol my c in baqubah, iraq,nned out. a rocket-propelled grenade took my arm off at the shoulder. when i came home, i felt alone. my family was around me, but i couldn't talk to them about what i'd seen and what i'd done.

i remember just thinking, man, the way i am right now, i don't want to live. i was discharged from the army, and i've been working with the wounded warrior project since 2007. warriors don't have to be severely wounded to be with the wounded warrior project. we do have a lot of guys that have post-traumatic stress disorder. being able to share your story, i guess it kind of helps you wrap your mind around what did happen over there. just because you've left the military doesn't mean your life is over, because when these guys are coming home, i'm kind of leading and training them, instead of for combat, i'm leading and training them to heal. and if i come away with anything from the wounded warrior project, it's them giving my life back. my name is norbie, and yes, i do suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, but i'm okay. connection to nature is a right that the trust for public land is fighting to preserve. from boulevards to ball fields and ponds to playgrounds,

together we have saved over 3 million acres of land. a park is a gift that is worth protecting. help support the trust for public land and the gift of parks today. firefighters near kansas city, missouri, are waiting until daybreak to go into a lawn care business destroyed by a fire. when they arrived on the scene last night, they were met by a massive explosion, possibly from ammunition. there are no known injuries or fatalities. a stunning new video is under review showing a male safety officer slamming a female student to the floor in north carolina. witnesses say the girl in pink was actually breaking up a fight involving her sister.

the video shows the officer grab her and then throw her to the ground. police are asking the public to remain calm. >> we ask the community and all members involved to be patient while we investigate this matter. >> the girl's mother says the teen suffered a concussion. she also says she's pulling her daughter out of that school. the officer has been placed on paid administrative leave. to another piece of video now. authorities in oklahoma say a dangerous gang member is in custody after he allegedly shot an officer. police dash cam video shows the officer approach a pickup truck when shots are heard. officer brian sutherland, seen here, was hit in the leg. and a major artery was pierced. a good samaritan stopped to help before other officers arrived at the scene. the suspect was arrested a day after the shooting. sutherland is said to be okay. the credit report you paid for may not be the same one lenders were using to make a decision. a federal agency says that amounts to false advertising. two of three major credit

reporting agencies in the u.s. have agreed to pay $23 million in fines. both equifax and transunion deny any wrongdoing. but both say they'll improve their services. and north america's legal marijuana sales are becoming high finance. growing 30% last year to $6.7 billion. in five years, analysts expect sales to top $20 billion. that's larger and faster growth than the dot com era. and it's comparable to cable television and broadband internet in the early years. >> wow. when we come back. an inmate on the run. described as dangerous. how he escaped a maximum security ward. and a mishap leaves a young skier dangling from a ski lift. see how he was finally saved. [oprah] like everybody, i want to live a life that's full. full of a happiness found in living the life i want. full of the energy that comes with good health. full of the great foods i love.

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like here in jackson, alabama. the road is just about washed away. very dangerous situation. other roads in the area are still underwater. except for the leftover problems like that one, roads in the south should be fine. watch out for slippery roads from the northwest interior to kansas and nebraska. drivers may run into snow in the upper not east. if you're flying, airport delays likely in san francisco, salt lake city, denver, and new york city. authorities across new england are on the lookout for an escaped prison inmate. he's been on the loose since saturday. >> he made his way out of a privately run prison in rhode island. details from linsey >> reporter: federal authorities are on a round-the-clock hunt for this man. james morales. he broke out of this maximum

security ward at a federal detention center on new year's've. >> our immediate priority has been to get james morales after the street. >> reporter: he faces charges for sexual assault on a child and for stealing 16 guns from a u.s. army reserve center. police released this wanted poster showing morales has multiple distinct tattoos. he climbed a basketball hoop to get to a roof top and cut through a fence. now to an american airlines jet which is undergoing what is described as a thorough maintenance inspection after the third fume-related incident in months. eight flight attendants were treated in orlando for headaches. there were odor issues in the

cabin. don't wait any longer to get your flu shot. there's already a spike in cases in several southern states, in iowa, and a few other places. there's also been a flu-related death reported in southern california. it takes about two weeks for the flu to take effect. experts say the dazele vaccine doesn't work very well. for the second time in less than two weeks, a child was saved while dangling from a ski lift. this happened on monday with the snow coming down at utah's sundance mountain resort. a similar incident took place there before christmas. if this case, the young boy's backpack got stuck in the chair. they were able to drag him back on to the chair. >> those patrol members are becoming familiar at that. a followup from yesterday about the twin brothers in utah. nanny-cam cam churing them in the bedroom. the dresser crashes down trapping one of the boys underneath. his brother couldn't move for a

little bit but he's able to push it, allowing little brock to get out. now we're hearing from the boys' mother for the first time. she's asking parents to anchor furniture to the wall. >> it will take your five to ten minutes. bolt them down. do it today. >> she calls her family, quote, completely lucky that neither of the boys was seriously hurt by the dresser. >> very lucky indeed. good advice to anchor furniture to the wall always. let's change gears and get to sports highlights. good morning, america. max and the coach here with you. college hoops taking center stage on tuesday night. how about the sunflower state showdown. k-state, don't sleep on them this year. tied at 88. they would have a chance to take the lead. straight away. dean wade. out of bounds to kansas. watch this. your eyes are not deceiving you.

they count it. they would review it. but only for to make sure he got it off. big 12 office says, hey, it's a judgment call. four steps. k.u. wins. bob huggins. west virginia. taking on texas tech in lubbock. the red raiders looking for the response. look at naim stevenson. sweet, left-handed stroke. no time-outs for west virginia. they're going. carter. no good. tuck this away for texas tech. when they start to look at their resume come march. big win. >> a lot of teams playing pretty well there in the big 12. that's going to do it for us. he's max. i'm the coach. enjoy your wednesday. >> all right, thanks, fellas. up next in "the pulse ts house speaker paul ryan getting a lesson on what exactly is the

dab. and we hear from mariah carey for if first time speaking out about the new year's performance. as after a dvt blood clot,ital i sure had a lot to think about. 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 than the standard treatment. both made me turn around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness.

while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily ...and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made eliquis the right treatment for me. ask your doctor if switching to eliquis is right for you. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how.

time to check "the pulse" starting with a moment of confusion. >> so this is a dab. it's popular with the kids. house speaker paul ryan was leading the swearing-in sarps when the son of wronger marshall threw him for a loop by dabbing for the photo. ryan had no idea what was going on. he thought the kid was sneezing. then made him put down his arm. >> you all right? you going to sneeze? is that it? >> yeah.

>> you all right? >> clearly confused. >> so ryan later wrote on twitter, just finished swearing in photos. nearly 300 members. countless cute kids. still don't get what dabbing is, though. >> marshall then tweeted, just so you know, speaker ryan, he's grounded. >> oh. >> you gotta appreciate the kid trying to own that moment. >> trying to get his moment. >> nobody else is looking. >> you all right? you really should get that checked out. >> were you sneezing? >> is your deodorant all right? >> sit the whole sneeze thing, right? over on the senate side. things got awkward for vice president joe biden as he swore in his last crop of lawmakers. >> he tried to land a bipartisan smooch on the baby. the baby gave him the slip. he left him with a mouthful of air. >> she was actually doing the dab as well.

>> she looked up at him like, oh, sorry about that. and mariah carey speaking out for the first time after the new year's eve mishap. >> she tells "center tanment weekly" she worked with clark himself early in her career and he would be as mortified as she was about we have to feel some sympathy this morning for the white bear of white bear mitsubishi in minnesota. here's why. >> the white bear had really hard time stage on his feet recently while filming a television commercial on the ice with the dealership rep and the mascot of the university of minnesota hockey team. check him out. >> and white bear mitsubishi

a proud sponsor of hockey. >> that was the last one. he couldn't quite get up. talk about a rough dayton set. >> it's great marketing ploy even if it is a prank. eventually, the guy helped the white bear to his feet. the gopher mascot just kind of skated air way. they're up in minnesota. you would think they would know neven that big costume how the skate on ice. >> poor guy. i don't think he's wearing skates. maybe that was his first mistake. >> that summarizes mnd to many people there. more news after this.

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. if you have to drive this morning, this is a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. this is what you can look forward to. still quiet there but definitely slick, so hang on to the steering wheel and take it slow. >> and i feel like these pictures aren't even accurately showing you what it's like but a it's actually heavy rain when you go outside this morning on this wednesday, january 4. thanks for being here, i'm reggie aqui. >> i'm natasha zouves. we have team coverage starting with abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco. >> flash flood warning in the central santa cruz mountains.

it's the slan lorenzo river that's going to create some minor flooding through about 6:45 so another two hours and about 15 minutes, we've also got a flash flood warning for central sonoma county. the creek is likely to push out to lana road and that is until 7:45 so you can see all the way down into south santa rosa and all of us under a small stream and urban advisory, flood advisory, excessive runoff, potential flooding. turn around, don't drown. i tell you what, alexis, that was one of the hardest commutes i've had in a long time. >> mike and i both drive across the bay bridge and reggie's, right, it doesn't look that threatening. it was really a scary drive. high wind advisory for the bay bridge, and richmond san rafael bridge. then you have the road spray and a ton of water mixed in there as well and live doppler 7 give

usgs betterre of how heavy it is. that orange and yellow, 280 and cesar chavez, and we do have some video of that. >> alexis, thank you. we continue our storm coverage in the south bay. big problems in the santa cruz mountains. >> the soaking rain is leading to rock slides there.. matt keller is there for us live this morning. matt? >> good morning, reggie and natasha. so much water here in the santa cruz mountains. i want to show you the runoff that is heading into the san lorenzo river. all this water is going into the san lorenzo river. i received that alert that mike was talking about on my phone, on my drive here on 17, and yes, there is a lot of water. everybody's keeping a close eye on that san lorenzo river this morning. and it's not just the rivers, though, we're worried about up here. that heavy rain caused mud and rocks to come down on local roads. cal fire cal