post," franken sa it's making news in america this morning, lewd photo scandal. a high ranking member of congress apologizes for an explicit photo spreading online. but new overnight, stunning accusations about a secret sex life and the woman who threatened to go to the police. sessions' review. the attorney general orders an investigation into gun background checks weeks after we learned about the system breakdown that allowed the texas church shooter to buy his weapons. paying it forward. the holiday story of a homeless man who came to the rescue of a woman on the highway and how she's paying him back this thanksgiving. >> that changes my life right there. >> $1764. >> that changes my life. weight loss secret. the spice that could help you from packing on extra pounds this thanksgiving. the research out this morning. we're just hours away from

those balloons hitting the sky for the 91st annual macy's thanksgiving day parade and security is pretty tight for one of the biggest events on this holiday. some nice gloves you got there. >> so, who are you wearing? mickey mouse's finest. good morning. a happy thanksgiving, everyone. let's start with washington, though. the growing scandals rocking d.c., both sides of the aisle from sexual harassment to lewd images. >> texas congressman joe barton is apologizing after someone posted a nude selfie of him online. had are now "the washington post" is reporting new details of a, quote, secret sex life and why the congressman says he could be the victim of a crime. in the meantime, michigan congressman john conyers says he will not be stepping down amid harassment claims. his lawyer's citing allegations against president trump. abc's stephanie ramos is in d.c. for us on this holiday. steph, literally every day this week another scandal out of there. >> reporter: yeah, you're

absolutely right, kendis. and new apologies now tied to these sexual harassment claims as more accusers continue to come forward. new sexual harassment claims are consuming capitol hill. the latest lawmaker to be accused of inappropriate behavior is republican congressman joe barton of texas. an unidentified woman tells "the washington post" barton threatened to report her to capitol police if she exposed their relationship including private photos and intimate messages. barton has apologized for the graphic photo of himself that's been circulating on social media and confirms he took it and sent it, but in a statement, barton says he sent the image to other adult women he was pursuing a relationship with while separated from his wife. he acknowledges he had a consensual relationship adding that this woman threatened to make his private photos public in retaliation. also in the house there are accusations against democrat john conyers, the longest serving member of the house and a civil rights leader. buzzfeed reports two different

women accused him of sexual misconduct. conyers denies the charges but did reach a settlement of more than $27,000 with a former employee who said he repeatedly asked for sexual favors. conyers' lawyer says in a statement, if people were required to resign over allegations, a lot of people would be out of work in this country including the president. in an attempt to discredit the claims, conyers' lawyer says too much time has passed. and the accusations don't stop there. two more women tell "the huffington post" they were violated by senator al franken at political events a decade ago. that brings the number of allegations against franken to four. in a statement to "the huffington post," franken says, it's difficult to respond to anonymous accusers, and i don't remember those campaign events. kendis, diane. >> yeah, so far he says he has no plans to step down.

stephanie ramos from d.c., thanks, stephanie. in the meantime, president trump's near endorsement of alabama senate candidate roy moore is now being used in fund-raising e-mails. the president refused to side with the women who accused moore of sexually harassing or assaulting them while they were teenagers. moore tells supporters he appreciates the president defending his honor and character. the fund-raising e-mails cite the president's criticism of moore's democratic opponent doug jones who released a new campaign ad naming each of moore's accusers. >> gena richardson, wendy miller, kelly harrison thorp and the list is growing. they were girls when roy moore immorally pursued them. >> and then there's this, moore's communications director has now resigned, but the campaign insists it had nothing to do with the allegations. and authorities in france say they have foiled a holiday terror plot. local media reports six people have been arrested for planning an attack on the christmas market in the city of reims. it's unclear how imminent that threat was. police are on alert following the truck attack at the christmas market in berlin last

year that left 12 people dead. the u.s. navy is expanding the search for three sailors who are missing after that plane crash in the pacific. the transport plane was carrying 11 people when it crashed wednesday. eight were rescued. they're all in good condition on board the "uss ronald reagan" this morning that you see there. the navy says so far ships and planes have searched more than 320 nautical miles for those missing sailors. in southeast asia the u.s. government has declared the military violence in myanmar ethnic cleansing. but secretary of state rex tillerson stopped short of calling it genocide. more than 600,000 muslims known as rohingya have fled to neighboring bangladesh to escape persecution. the u.s. is threatening to impose sanctions on officials taking part in that brutal crackdown. the attorney general jeff sessions has ordered the fbi and the atf to review the system that is used to conduct background checks on gun buyers. his order to review the national database comes after the air force failed to report the criminal history of the gunman who killed 26 people at that church in texas this month.

sessions calls that failure alarming and unacceptable. an estimated 3 million people are expected to line the route of the macy's thanksgiving day parade here in new york and security will be on high alert. dozens of trash trucks filled with sand will be used as barriers to protect that route. those trucks weigh 32 tons when they're full. also today's officers with assault weapons and radiation detectors will be walking among the crowds, and sharpshooters will be positioned on rooftops to scan windows and balconies along the route for anything unusual. the police commissioner says security is tightened every year. >> there's going to be thousands of cops there. you'll see canine police officers. you'll see people from the critical response command, from the srg. you'll see thousands of uniformed personnel keeping us safe. >> also don't be surprised to see officers standing by on every block along that 2 1/2-mile parade route. all right, well, time now for a look at your weather on this thanksgiving morning.

good morning. and happy thanksgiving. it's pretty quiet across much of the nation. notice in the northwest, though, more rain pushing along into interstate 5 for seattle and portland and also some heavy rain creeping from west to east across the state of florida. but it is the chill in the northeast that keeps these temperatures below average. 39 for the high in albany. new york city coming in at just 44. you'll need a sweater for that backyard football game and heading to the southwest, it's the opposite story. 92 in los angeles. i'm accuweather meteorologist melissa constanzer. and the holiday shopping rush is already under way. coming up, how long one man has been waiting outside of best buy just for a big screen tv. >> but first, facebook comes up with a new way for you to figure out if the article you're reading is fake news. and why a major hotel has

decided to dump trump from its name.

for me, it was heart-wrenching. bea: it takes a toll on everyone. i mean, it's a depressing disease to watch unfold before your eyes. you just don't see -- the person's soul is, like, gone. lisa: this disease just ravages a family. it changes your life. the magnitude of it is indescribable. art: now is the moment. if we work together, we can stop this epidemic. grace: contact brightfocus and learn more.

we're back now with new details about that police detective shot and killed in baltimore last week. we're now learning that he was scheduled to testify the next day against his fellow officers. detective sean suiter was set to appear before a grand jury looking into police corruption. suiter was killed at close range with his own gun. the shooter is still at large. a $215,000 reward is offered for information leading to an arrest. this is the longest it's taken to solve a baltimore police shooting death since the 1960s. meanwhile, ten states are now opposing the trump administration's plan to more than double the entrance fees at national parks.

the attorneys general from those states wrote a letter arguing the increase would put access to the parks including the grand canyon, yosemite and yellowstone out of reach for many americans. the letter has no legal standings but the states may take legal action in the future. well, after the fallout from the fake news scandal during the election facebook is adding a new tool to its site that will let users know when they've come in contact with russian propaganda. the tool is expected to be available on facebook and instagram by the end of the year. a major hotel in new york is dropping the name trump from its title. the trump soho luxury hotel and condo building has struggled to attract businesses since it first opened more than ten years ago and was introduced on the set of "the apprentice." the hotel ownership agreed to drop the trump name by the end of the year. and it may be thanksgiving but the first lady is already gearing up for christmas. melania trump shared photos of herself decking the halls of the white house. she's doing the tradition ago

decorating but some ask why she is wearing a coat inside the white house. in almost every photo. it's a little chilly in the white house, i suppose. >> i guess. so black friday hours away but the holiday shopping frenzy is already happening. a man in texas has been waiting in line outside best buy since saturday. he brought his tent to camp out, also he could get a deal. also he can get a deal on a big screen tv. >> oh. >> don't you have to work, though or are you off? >> i have to work but we are four of us, so we switch in between six of us. >> all right, makes sense. his neighbors have now joined him. they're staying in his smaller tent outside the store. just imagine he goes in there at midnight, grabs a tv, accidentally trips on the way out. >> no, no, no, no, no. i have faith he's going to get the deal. he's earned it. all right, coming up, the spice you can add to your thanksgiving meal that will keep you from gaining weight. but first the former doctor

for the u.s. gymnastics team pleads guilty to assaulting girls. what he said in court. and later, forget the turkey. see the three bears who wanted tacos. cos. (vo) more "doing chores for mom" per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty the quicker picker upper.

i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke as far as i used to. due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. but no matter where i ride, 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. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... ...and it may take longer than usual for any 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.

i'm still going for my best. and for eliquis. ask your doctor about eliquis. ♪ we're back now with new moment in court when dr. larry nassar pleaded guilty to assaulting several young girls. nassar's plea deal calls for him to spend 25 years in prison. when sentenced his accusers will get the chance to address him. the judge said he abused children in the most vile way. the former doctor for gymnastics' brightest stars has pleaded guilty to seven counts of criminal sexual conduct. three of larry nassar's victims were under 13 years old. >> i'm so horribly sorry that this was like a fire out of control. >> reporter: beyond the criminal case, at least 125 women have

accusedd nasa of sexually assaulting them under the guise of medical treatments. olympic all around champion gabby douglas is now the latest athlete to say she was abused by nassar posting for years we were conditioned to stay silent. her gold medal teammates mckayla maroney and aly raisman have also recently come forward. >> what did usa gymnastics do and larry nassar do to manipulate these girls so much that they're afraid to speak up. >> reporter: usa gymnastics says they're sorry any athlete was harmed by larry nassar and adding the organization reported him to the fbi in 2015. after his guilty plea raisman tweeted, larry is a monster, not a doctor. nassar is now expected to plead guilt to adecisional abuse charges next week and will be sentenced next month if a child pornography case. if you love cinnamon, consider adding an extra shake to your favorite holiday pie or hot drink. that's because researchers now say that the essential oil that gives cinnamon its flavor can

boost your metabolism and help you burn fat. they tested that oil on human cells and found that it increased activity in the gene's enzymes and the proteins known to boost metabolism rates. >> a little mac and cheese, a little cinnamon, good to go. >> i'm going to have cinnamon with a side of mac and cheese today. police in california chased away some hairy characters on a late night food run. there they are, three bears, no goldilocks seen outside a taco bell in tahoe city. the sheriff ended their search for a burrito, he saw them, yelled out, what are you doing, and they bolted. >> that's all it took? >> listen, they know. >> it would take more than that to get me away from a burrito. >> oh, really? turning to sports and vikings and lions kick off the feast at 12:30 eastern. >> as for last night's action, here's espn. good morning, america. it's a little bit like the thanksgiving meal. you can't have too much of a good thing. i give you the celtics. >> yep, 16 in a row,

but all good things come to an end. kyrie irving and the celtics in miami to take on brown. they pull their team within five. and dion waiters gets a three. ensuing celtics possession, he would go back up seven, kyrie irving trying to will them to a victory. had 23 points in this one. how did he get that shot off, two defenders in the area. celtics down five. too much waiters, and it took goran dragic to get the job done. arizona taking on north carolina state in the bahamas. alonzo trying to pull his team back into this. 27 points, 24 in the second half but n.c. state, late run in the second half, braxton beverly, go-ahead three. n.c. state went on a 13-1 run with 3:20, and they take down number two arizona, 90-84

the final. my public service announcement to all, do not deep fry a frozen turkey. you are welcome. >> never a good idea. happy thanksgiving. back to you. >> all right. happy thanksgiving as well. and coming up, the new balloons making their debut at the big parade today. also ahead, giving thanks. how a kind gesture from a homeless man turned into a life-changing moment. plus, a 102-year-old man who survived the holocaust meets the family he never thought he had. ♪ that moment when who you're going with is more important than where you're going. wherever life takes us, we go together. interwoven... ...exclusively at kay, jared and zales.

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saw kate in distress so he walked to the gas station and used his last $20 to buy her a can of gas. kate then set up a go fund me page for johnny and people from all over started donating money. >> as of right now we have that much. >> i can't see. >> right there. 1764 -- >> that changes my life right there. >> $1764. >> that changes my life. so, get this, that $1700 is now over 112,000. that's a life changer right there. >> and johnny is a former -- he is a veteran. he also used to be a firefighter so you heard him say if the 1700 could change his life wait till he sees the total sum. a 102-year-old man who survived the holocaust thought his entire family had died in world war ii until this week when he met the nephew he never knew he had. >> and it was an emotional reunion. watch as it plays out right here for eliahu pietruszka and his 66-year-old nephew alexandre.

one that almost never actually happened, this reunion. it turns out eliahu's brother survived but died six years ago. >> now, before he died, he had filled out a questionnaire on a holocaust survivor database and eliahu's whose grandson did a searchline found that document and noticed it had a phone number. >> there is a chance he still alive and telephone number and he's on the line and he realized who we are and we realize that he is the son, alexandre. >> well, alexandre traveled from russia to israel to meet his uncle. he says their reunion is nothing short of miraculous. >> as for eliahu, he says the reunion fulfilled a lifelong dream. you might want to count your blessings this thanksgiving instead of calories. >> okay, so the average thanksgiving meal comes with a whopping 3,000 calories.

that's the average and that does not include alcohol or appetizers. adding a few drinks and apps can put it closer to 4500 calories. >> so, when it comes to dinner conversations, a new poll finds 63% of us are hoping to avoid politics at the table. >> no talking about -- >> if we just had cinnamon, we're fine. >> we're fine. and finally the macy's thanksgiving day parade will feature new balloons this year. >> they include dr. seuss' grinch, olaf from the smash movie "frozen" from disney and a puppy called chase from nickelodeon's "paw patrol." they look great as far as i can tell. instead of focusing on insurance or investments alone, we bring them together into one whole picture. at northwestern mutual, we guide you along your path by combining personalized investments and world-class insurance. that's one of the reasons 96 percent of our clients stay with us year after year. take the first step. connect with an advisor at northwesternmutual.com.

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>> welcome to the national constitution center in philadelphia and the presentation of the 2017 liberty medal, honoring senator john mccain. and now here's action news anchor jim gardner. >> hello. and welcome to the 2017 liberty medal ceremony, being bestowed this year on u.s. senator john mccain for the courage and heroism he has shown both as a pilot and pow in the vietnam war and in washington,

where he has shown a willingness to cross the aisle to work on bipartisan solutions for the nation's most pressing problems. the national constitution center considers the liberty medal central to its commitment to bring together people of all perspectives as a reminder that the ideals that unite us are stronger than the issues that divide us. senator mccain joins a long list of previous medal winners, from civil rights icon and congressman john lewis, to the dalai lama, pakistani student activist malala yousafzai, and hillary clinton. in the next half-hour, we will learn a lot about senator mccain's upbringing, what makes people call him a true american hero and a statesman of the senate. the medal itself will be presented by former vice president and national constitution center chairman joe biden. the 2017 liberty medal ceremony begins when we come right back.