making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, an avalanche triggered by an earthquake buries a hotel in italy. dozens are now missing. the search is on to find survivors, and we have new video coming in. taking the oath in a little more than 24 hours, final preparations under way for donald trump's inauguration. the tight security, his surprise visit for dinner overnight and the growing number of lawmakers boycotting the events. we're live in washington. and moving day for first daughter ivanka. what people noticed on some boxes that is getting a lot of attention. plus, what about a picture of donald trump? the internet just can't get enough of it. and more storms on the west coast and severe flooding in the south. we are tracking the severe weather on the move.

and we do say good morning to you, everyone, on what's turning out to be a very busy thursday morning. we are following several breaking news stories just coming in. we're going to start with that new tragedy in italy's quake zone. >> that's where a three-story mountain hotel has been completely covered by an avalanche. officials are saying 30 people are now missing, and there are already reports of multiple fatalities. heavy snow already on the ground is making it difficult to get rescue vehicles to the scene as well. >> i want to show you a picture of the hotel right now. that was hit by the avalanche. you can barely see where it is. it's in an area that was shaken by four strong earthquakes. they also received a lot of snow in the last week. that same region, by the way, has been struggling to recover since last year's earthquake which killed about 300 people. of course, we're going to continue to stay on top of that breaking news story. and also breaking now, we have some stunning video just in from iran of a high-rise building collapsing on live television this morning. the 17-story building in tehran

was on fire before completely coming down in a massive cloud of dust. let's listen. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> iran's state-run media says at least 30 firefighters have been killed. this was one of the first high-rise buildings in that city. it was built in the 1960s. >> of course, we're going to keep our eyes on both of those breaking stories. but we want to turn our focus now to the inauguration of donald trump, now just one day away. >> so, the ceremony will take place right there on the steps of the u.s. capitol where trump says he is expecting a record turnout. >> the president-elect was greeted with loud cheers last night as he made an impromptu visit to his new d.c. hotel located right there on pennsylvania avenue where the inaugural parade will drive past. abc's lana zak is on capitol hill with more on the final preparations, the boycott and the latest round of confirmation hearings. >> reporter: the final

barricades are going up as the nation's capital prepares to welcome a new resident to the white house. >> i'm excited to go see history in the making. >> reporter: terrorism countermeasures like dump trucks and buses will be used to prevent a nice-like attack as the 45th president, donald trump, is sworn in. inside the capitol, sharp questions for mr. trump's nominees like his hhs pick, congressman tom price, grilled by senator warren on health care coverage. >> you might want to print out president-elect trump's statement, i am not going to cut medicare or medicaid and post that above your desk in your new office. >> reporter: by the latest count, 30% of house democrats say they are boycotting this inauguration. >> all i know is i'm going to be there, so is michelle. >> reporter: in his last white house press conference, president obama says he wishes the best for his successor and made reference to presidents still to come. >> and if, in fact, we continue to keep opportunity open to everybody, then, yeah, we're going to have a woman president, we're going to have a latino president, and we'll have a

jewish president, a hindu president. >> reporter: meanwhile, president-elect trump traveled between new york and d.c. to honor his vice president-elect mike pence, and he made a surprise visit to his pennsylvania avenue hotel for dinner. aides say he's practicing his inauguration address, and it will be a very personal speech. and we're told that two of the themes of that speech will be america first and uniting the country, though, kendis and diane, based on what we're seeing in congress, that theme may be hard to achieve in reality. >> it does seem that way. lana zak live in washington. lana, thanks. so, the transition team is hoping to have several cabinet nominees confirmed on day one, but so far no votes have been scheduled. >> a confirmation hearing gets under way today for former texas governor rick perry. he is nominated to lead the energy department, which you might remember he once said he wanted to eliminate. perry may be questioned about a "new york times" report that said he actually misunderstood the job thinking he would be an ambassador for the oil and gas industry. >> and trump is expected to tap

former georgia governor sonny perdue for agriculture secretary. the last open cabinet position. if all of trump's nominees are confirmed, it would be the first cabinet since ronald reagan that doesn't include a single latino. vice president-elect mike pence says repealing and replacing obamacare is a top priority for that new administration. while speaking with abc's martha raddatz, he didn't give details on a replacement plan, but he did point to an open marketplace approach. >> the president-elect really believes in the power of the marketplace. he's a businessman. he understands the strength of the american economy. on the campaign trail, he talked consistently about his enthusiasm for allowing americans to purchase health insurance across state lines the way we buy life insurance, the way we buy car insurance. >> pence says he expects the plan to replace obamacare will be brought forward in the early weeks of the new administration. and do stay with us for all of the inauguration events. we will have special coverage starting friday morning with our political team live in washington.

>> but now to the other big story we're following this morning, former president george h.w. bush and his wife barbara right now undergoing treatment this morning at houston methodist hospital. the 92-year-old former president is in the icu, the intensive care unit, following a procedure to relieve pneumonia-related breathing problems. doctors say he is stable and resting comfortably, and as a precaution, doctors also admitted mrs. bush after she complained of feeling sick for the last few weeks with coughing and fatigue. a sheriff's deputy has been killed in a shoot-out in north dakota. authorities say a suspect in a stolen truck led four officers on a 15-minute chase. the deputies then caught up with him at an intersection, and that's when the shooting started. the suspect was also killed in that shoot-out. no other deputies were injured. severe thunderstorms are expected across several parts of the nation. more heavy rain is taking aim at parts of california and the northwest. you can see rain from seattle straight south to los angeles. meanwhile, the houston area

is bracing for more rain today. on wednesday, emergency crews made dozens of high water rescues as torrential rains flooded roads there. accuweather's justin povick is tracking it all for us. justin, good morning. >> diane and kendis, thanks and good morning to you. heavy rainfall a concern over the deep south for flash flooding and for the potential of some severe weather, and, again, this is going on today into tonight, eventually drifting its way off to the north and to the east. meanwhile, out west we're tracking another blockbuster storm, this one too going to be bringing some very heavy rainfall and the potential for some very heavy snow over the higher terrain along i-80. diane, kendis, back to you. >> justin, thanks. and still ahead, a major airline will soon be offering some much cheaper tickets but with a major catch. >> a major one, indeed. and new court documents show an 18-year-old girl who was kidnapped as an infant may have known her true identity long before investigators found out. plus, another reunion story. a family's search to find their

missing mother ends after more than two decades. hear where she was finally found alive.

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stunning images of this accident in new hampshire. a compact car pinned under a tanker truck. police say the driver lost control and slid into the tanker. both drivers escaped without serious injuries. investigators say speed and weather may have been factors in that crash. a not guilty plea entered for the widow of the orlando nightclub gunman in response to the federal charges that she now faces. prosecutors say noor salman helped her husband before the attack last june and misled investigators after it. 49 people were killed in that assault. salman is expected to be extradited to florida from california. and the fbi is now investigating threats to jewish centers across the country.

investigators have now released some details about the threats, but they do say that they're looking into possible civil rights violations. bomb threats have been reported at jewish centers in at least 17 states. and the victim of a letter bomb attack is speaking out about his ordeal in an exclusive interview with our philadelphia station. on november 22nd jim alden was opening a manila envelope addressed to him when it exploded blowing his hand apart. doctors were able to remove some of the shrapnel buried in his face and torso but apparently not all. >> last night we were just sitting watching tv, and i'm like, oh, here's a pebble out of my face. >> investigators say alden was specifically targeted, but the motive is still unclear. they do have a person of interest seen on surveillance video dropping off that package. american airlines now joining united and delta offering what is called a low basic economy fare. there is a catch. the airline says only one carry-on item will be allowed, and it must fit under the seat

in front of you. the basic economy fare also means you can't change your ticket. the new lower fare tickets will be available next month. and when we come back, suing sony. why paul mccartney is going after the music giant. and the man who will soon take his bride's last name. wait till you hear the reason and what it has to do with his favorite football team. his favorite football team. ♪ look at you, saving money on your medicare part d prescriptions. at walgreens we make it easy for you to seize the day by helping you get more out of life and medicare part d. now with zero-dollar copays on select plans... ...and rewards points on all prescriptions, walgreens has you covered. so drop by and seize the savings! walgreens. at the corner of happy and healthy. with not food, become food?

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expect some airport delays in san francisco, los angeles, las vegas and new orleans. well, we're learning some new details now about that 18-year-old woman who just recently discovered that she was kidnapped at birth and raised by the woman now accused of her abduction. >> the victim is speaking out for the very first time saying she still loves the only mother she's ever known, and now it turns out that victim may have known the truth for more than a year. she talked with abc's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: new details shedding light on how this woman's 18-year-old secret finally unraveled. >> no bond be set on count number one, the kidnapping charge. >> reporter: 51-year-old gloria williams now charged with kidnapping a newborn baby from a florida hospital in 1998 raising her as her own. did anything ever kind of tip you off to it? >> i can't think of anything offhand, no. >> reporter: 18-year-old alexis manigo didn't want to talk about how she found out she was taken, concerned that anything she says could eventually be used against the woman she still calls mom,

but newly released court documents now showing that alexis may have found out the truth approximately a year and a half ago. eva pilgrim, abc news, jacksonville, florida. >> and eva will have much more on that story on "gma." we also have another reunion story for you this morning. three sisters who have been searching for their missing mother for 23 years finally got the news that they wanted to hear, that she has been found alive. shelly jennings had a history of mental illness when she vanished in 1993 after failing to pick up her daughters at a modesto, california, school, but this week jennings was recognized after a recent story about her disappearance. she is set to reunite with at least one of her daughters today. paul mccartney is trying to take back ownership of some songs that he wrote and co-wrote with the beatles. the copyrights to dozens of songs like "let it be" and "yesterday" were sold to singer michael jackson back in 1985. his estate later sold them to sony. well, the entertainment giant is

now saying it is disappointed calling the lawsuit unnecessary and premature. the line at the hall of fame is now getting three players longer now. one of them is jeff who hit 401 home runs while spending his entire 15-year career with the astros. >> and then there's tim raines who is also heading to cooperstown, new york, fifth on the all-time stolen base lit. >> and this was ivan "pudge" rodriguez, his reaction when he took the call letting him know that he is now in the hall of fame. family and friends were there to celebrate with him. this year was his first year of eligibility, and all three will be inducted into the hall of fame in july. >> quite a moment there. quite a moment down under, as well. a stunner, tennis result, defending australian open champ novak djokovic ousted from the tournament today. >> ooh. he lost to a guy ranked 117th in the world. >> so, he's good. >> a little bit of an underdog. >> yeah. as for last night in the nba, let's get some highlights

now from espn. good morning, america. i'm scott van pelt. welcome to "sportscenter." russell westbrook and kevin durant spent eight years together, and it's like a breakup where you have to see each other at parties and pretend you like each other only these guys don't bother with that. it's clear that the friendship is gone, and here this isn't about friendship. this is a hard foul as zaza pachulia knocks down russell westbrook then stands over him. that's a big-time no-no in the nba, just the code among players. it's a rules violation that's a flagrant one. in the half it was a 56-56 game. midway through the third quarter, durant, who had 39 in his first match-up with his former team went for a season high 40 including this three here, and the warriors begin to exercise their dominance. here westbrook, there's never been an angrier man at the rim, than this one. he had a quadruple-double. 27 points, 15 rebounds as the close game is now turning into a blow-out. that happens so often with golden state. they lead by 15, and then in the fourth quarter, one more time,

it's durant who for the 47th time in his nba career has cracked open a 40, and golden state wins, 121-100. you can see golden state on friday incidentally on espn taking on the red hot houston rockets at 8:00 eastern time. enjoy your thursday. >> you too. all right. up next in "the pulse," donald trump is sharing how he's getting ready for tomorrow's big speech. and inside the most expensive house in the country complete with a candy room and a helicopter, of course. >> duh. it's a tangle of multiple symptoms. ♪ ♪ trintellix (vortioxetine) is a prescription medicine for depression. trintellix may start to untangle or help improve the multiple symptoms of depression. for me, trintellix made a difference. tell your healthcare professional right away if your depression worsens, or you have unusual changes in mood,

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well, the internet is loving it with plenty of memes. >> including this one that maybe that's what trump is really drawing on that notepad. >> oh, is that what he's doing? well, in the meantime, trump is getting some praise for somewhat of a kind gesture. last night a woman took to facebook saying trump paid her group's $1,000 dinner bill at the trump international hotel in d.c. >> all right. >> isn't he basically paying himself since he owns that hotel? >> it's on the house. >> it's on the house. so, it looks like it's maybe soon-to-be first daughter ivanka's sharing her father's taste for gold encrusted decor or maybe not. >> or maybe not. crews were spotted moving ivanka's belongings into her new $5 million home in washington, and a "daily mail" photographer captured this image, a box from ikea apparently containing a very inexpensive twin size bed. >> it's not clear if hubby jared kushner plans to assemble that before starting his new job at

the white house. >> okay, and so while we're talking about real estate, here's what's being called the most expensive home for sale in this entire country. really lavish. it's in bel air. that's a section of los angeles, of course. and in all it's 38,000 feet of luxury. >> it's got an infinity pool with a swim-up bar, and that's not all. >> ah, a swim-up bar. well, that's nice. there's also a 40-seat movie theater, not to mention a bowling alley. >> of course, because you can't have a home without a bowling alley. >> but this is a sweet spot. there is also a room dedicated to goodies, candy. we should say there's also 12 bedrooms and 21 bathrooms if you're into that stuff. >> and you might think the price tag is a bit expensive, but we do want to explain that it also comes with a helicopter. >> ah. >> just one problem. there's no permit for takeoffs and landings. still, price tag, big bargain price, $250 million. >> do they take cashier's checks? >> i don't think they're

accepting credit on that one. and a die-hard green bay football fan is taking a bold step so that he can become a real packer. he's actually marrying into the name. >> okay, so ryan holton murphy says after his upcoming wedding in june, he'll take his fiancee marie's last name, which you guessed it is packer. >> so, ryan says he knew marie was the one when he met her but finding out her last name put him over the top. >> she should be a little suspicious. >> hmm. >> maybe that's the reason. >> i wonder if that had anything to do with the engagement. >> good luck on sunday, packers. >> more news after this. >> more news after this. nday, packers. >> more news after this. not caused by a heart valve problem. but no matter what path i take, i go for my best. so if there's something better than warfarin, i'll go for that too. eliquis. eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus had less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis had both. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke.

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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.

oh look it's that time, 4:28 on thursday, january 1, i'm reggie aqui. >> i'm natasha zouves. we have alexis smith and mike nicco. hi, guys. >> little bit after wet weather out there this morning but nothing like yesterday. >> it was crazy last night. >> it was. had some flood warnings, all of those have since expired. here's our lone shower. this is moving off to the east. so some scattered showers in your forecast for today. the best chance will be through the morning hours, and then again this evening when the next storm rolls in. temperatures in the 40s this morning, low to mid 50s this afternoon. more on this next storm coming up. here's alexis. we do have wet pavement out there this morning, certainly isn't a washout but enough to

cause hews. live at westbound 58 connecter to eastbound 80. if you look closely, you can see flares up. vehicle landed on its roof about an hour ago. they got this cleared really quickly so all lanes opened a few moments ago. new crash on highway 17, we'll take a closer look at that. breaking news out of central italy. at least 30 people are feared dead after a hotel was buried in an avalanche. >> rescuers have had a very hard time reaching the scene. many had to be dropped in by helicopter and ski to the hotel. new video in the newsroom shows rescuers after they made it inside the hotel. you can see how much snow is on the ground. piled up throughout the stairs and hallway in the hotel as well. the entire resort area is covered in snow. so far, two people have been rescued. they were able to text their location after the avalanche hit. it's believed it was triggered

by powerful quakes there yesterday. the antioch bridge is back open this morning after storms here forced the chp to close it for hours. >> fallen trees blocked the road and police initially thought the bridge would be closed through this morning's commute. amy hollyfield is live for us at the bridge. >> reporter: for people who went to bed last night thinking they weren't going to be able to count on this bridge this morning, we've got good news. the chp made good progress or caltrans crews made good progress overnight. look at what they were dealing with. look at the video of the trees that came down during that wild storm that we had. this happened at highway 160 last night. they announced about 9:00 last night that these trees were done and weren't going to be able to get cleared until this morning because they were nervous about the safety of their crews. they were worried that more trees would fall on the people who were trying to do the work. so they shut it down and said we've got to deal with this later. well, overnight, the