america this morning. >> that's what's making news in america this morning. making news in america this morning, an overnight vote in making news in america this morning, an overnight vote in the senate makes history. >> the tax cuts and jobs act is passed. >> clearing the way for the first major rewrite of the tax code in 31 years. how much extra money will be in your paycheck next year? also new overnight, amtrak's ceo responds to questions about why speed technology wasn't used on the tracks in washington as new evidence shows someone else was at the controls with the engineer before the deadly derailment. breaking her silence, harvey weinstein's former assistant calls him a repulsive monster. >> he was the most manipulative and his moods changed very quickly. >> what she claims happened at the venice film festival and why she waited so long to speak out. plus, the college house party that was so crazy, even the air tested positive for alcohol.

and lottery fever. the $223 million mega millions jackpot grows even larger overnight, and that's not the only mega jackpot up for grabs today. oh, we can dream on this wednesday, can't we, about that jackpot? but we're going to start with the breaking news from capitol hill. senate republicans have passed their historic tax bill. >> they voted after midnight 51-48 along party lines. it's a major victory for president trump who immediately tweeted, the united states senate just passed the biggest in history tax cut and reform bill. the president also announced a white house news conference for this afternoon once the house votes. >> the average american household is expected to see a tax cut of $1,600 next year. abc's arlette saenz has more on what the bill means for you. good morning, arlette. >> reporter: hey, good morning, kendis and diane. it was another late night in the

senate, but republicans were beaming as they passed their tax plan. president trump is now on the verge of taking a tax victory lap. shortly after midnight, a celebration erupted in the senate. >> the tax cuts and jobs act is passed. >> reporter: republicans cheered as they passed the most sweeping tax overhaul in three decades. their vote was met with protests. [ chanting ] >> reporter: democrats were outraged. >> what a disgrace. that's what this bill is. it's an absolute disgrace. >> reporter: hours earlier a similar scene played out in the house. speaker paul ryan overjoyed as he gaveled in their vote. but shortly after the gop tax plan hit an unexpected procedural snag. the house will be forced to vote again today, but the outcome is not expected to change. republicans are on the verge of handing president trump his first major legislative win, but gop leaders say they still need to make a sales pitch.

>> if we can't sell this to the american people, we ought to go into another line of work. >> reporter: the bill gives the biggest tax cut to corporations. it permanently slashes their rate from 35% to 21%. tax cuts for individuals will expire after eight years, but americans will see their standard deduction and child tax credit doubled. a new study shows americans making $75,000 or less will face a tax hike in a decade while wealthy americans will continue to see a tax cut. the white house insists president trump won't benefit personally. >> the president will likely take a big hit. but on the business side he could benefit. priority number one being that it helps the american middle class. >> reporter: the president says this will be the biggest tax cut and reform in history, but experts say that's not actually true. the president had hoped to sign this bill into law before christmas, but the white house is now saying that may not happen until the new year. so, kendis and diane, keep your calendars open.

>> yeah, and they also have a government that might possibly shut down come friday. lots to worry about. thank you, arlette. meanwhile, the trump administration is reportedly laying the groundwork for a deal to protect young immigrants known as d.r.e.a.m.ers who came to the u.s. as children. politico reports white house chief of staff john kelly met tuesday with a bipartisan group of senators, and a compromise could come as early as next month. kelly is reportedly demanding a list of border security changes including a required length for the border wall. now to the other breaking news story from overnight. we've learned 5 of the 12 people killed in a bus crash in mexico were americans. they were passengers from cruise ships on a trip to see mayan ruins south of cancun. their bus flipped over on a narrow highway. passengers on other buses in the convoy describe seeing the crash. >> i guess seeing the windshield was pretty -- you could tell somebody probably had gone -- you know, quite a few people had

gone through the windshield probably. you could see that. so that was kind of hard to see. >> no doubt, and we still don't know what caused the crash. the weather was clear, and witnesses report no other vehicles in the area. the investigation into the deadly train derailment in washington state is now focusing on whether the engineer was distracted. officials confirm at the time of the crash, a conductor who was training on the job was in the cab with the engineer. the seattle to portland train was traveling 80 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. an automated system called positive train control or ptc would have slowed the train down, but it's not operational on that track yet. amtrak's ceo says starting ptc requires the cooperation of several companies and agencies. >> we are huge supporters of positive train control. we have all of our capital allocated to get it done, and we've allocated that capital and put all the resources on it. there's no one that wants positive train control more than amtrak. >> the automated system is

expected to be operational on that stretch of track this spring. budget concerns have delayed system upgrades on other routes across the country as well. meanwhile, two of the three passengers killed in the derailment have been identified. both were train enthusiasts who bought tickets because it was the first ride on a new route. the thomas fire burning in southern california has now grown into the second largest wildfire in the state's recorded history. the fire has burned 272,000 acres north of los angeles and is only 55% contained. crews say it could take another three weeks to bring it under control, and the winds are expected to pick up yet again today. and there are some new concerns in the meantime about the 200,000 puerto rican evacuees who fled to florida after hurricane maria. their housing vouchers run out on january 15th. lawmakers are calling on puerto rico's governor to request fema extend programs that pay for hotels and other housing. time now for a look at your weather on this wednesday morning.

we're tracking two storms that could delay your travel plans this week. first a storm is bringing heavy rain from texas into the carolinas today. another storm is bringing snow from the northwest to the plains. it will turn into rain by the time it hits the east coast this weekend. today's temperatures will be more seasonable from washington to boston. it will feel like the day before winter around the great lakes but still mild across the south. 81 in miami. 61 in l.a. 68 in phoenix. not bad. well, coming up, the big election that came down to a single vote. also ahead, a popular tv host announces she's quitting after finding out what her male co-host was getting paid. and the jumbo lottery jackpots now up for grabs.

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whoa. >> we're back with this wild scene near ft. lauderdale. an officer being dragged. that's what's happening right there that you're looking at. he went to check on a man and woman in a car and police had received a call saying the couple appeared to have overdosed. well, that driver woke up and then started the engine and sped away. the officer finally let go after half a mile. he's now recovering from his injuries to his arms and feet. the driver is now charged with attempted murder. >> amazing video. and prosecutors say the driver of a school bus that crashed in chattanooga, tennessee, last year was talking on his phone when the bus veered off the road. six children were killed in that crash. the driver faces vehicular homicide charges. his trial begins in february. the epa is defending its administrator scott pruitt following a report that he spent $9,000 of taxpayer money to

sweep his office for listening devices and install sophisticated locks. the agency says pruitt is facing a large number of threats and says president obama's epa chief took similar precautions. the balance of power in virginia's state legislature has turned on literally one vote. that was the margin after a recount for a seat in the house of delegates. democrat shelly simonds' win is expected to be certified later today. she beat republican incumbent david yancey. her win creates a rare 50/50 split in the house of delegates ending 17 years of republican control. we have a new record this morning. complaints about robocalls or phone spam have nearly doubled in the last two years. the do not call registry is growing rapidly, but it only blocks legal calls. the latest trick by phone spammers is the neighbor scam which spoofs the first six digits of your number, so the call appears to be from someone local that you may know. >> tricky.

>> yeah. well, lottery fever is spreading this morning after nobody won the mega millions drawing last night. that means friday night's drawing will be worth at least $247 million. and in case you're feeling a little impatient, tonight's powerball jackpot is up to $269 million. >> wow. could be a good christmas for a lot of folks. all right, when we come back, the wild college party where even the air contained alcohol. also ahead, harvey weinstein's former assistant breaks her silence coming forward with a new allegation. and the baby who was just born after being conceived 24 years ago. we're going to hear from the mom next. (avo) when you have type 2 diabetes, you manage your a1c, but you also have a higher risk of heart attack or stroke. non-insulin victoza® lowers a1c, and now reduces cardiovascular risk. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill. (avo) and for people with type 2 diabetes treating cardiovascular disease, victoza® is now approved

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on the right, marta. harvey weinstein's former assistant is breaking her silence about the rape allegations against the hollywood producer calling weinstein a repulsive monster. zelda perkins claims weinstein tried to rape her colleague in 1998 at the venice film festival. perkins said she and her colleague left miramax after lawyers made it clear that taking on weinstein would be a challenge. >> the lawyers made it very clear that we didn't have very many options. we hadn't because we hadn't gone to the police when we were in venice. we had no physical evidence, and ultimately it would be two under 25-year-old women's words against harvey weinstein and miramax film corporation. >> perkins says miramax paid her more than $150,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement, and in return weinstein would agree to go to therapy. but perkins says she doesn't know if he ever actually went.

an attorney says weinstein denies any nonconsensual conduct or threatening behavior. >> a longtime cable tv host is walking away from her job to protest what she calls a massive disparity in pay with her male co-host jason kennedy. catt sadler of e! news says the two had the same level of experience at the network, but he was paid twice as much. in a blog post she wrote, how can i operate with integrity and stay on at e! if they're not willing to pay me the same as him or at least come close. in response, e! released a statement insisting it pays employees fairly based on their roles regardless of gender. in tennessee a baby girl and her mother have something in common like no other mother and child. they were conceived around the same time. tina gibson gave birth to emma wren after being implanted with the oldest known frozen embryo to become a baby. tina is 26. the embryo was frozen back in 1992. >> if this embryo was born when

it was supposed to have been, we could have been best friends. i was like, you know, we could have been friends, and he just thought that was so funny. so, that's been the going joke. >> tina and her husband picked the embryo after looking through hundreds of donor profiles. they say they had no idea it would be a world record birth. they're just happy to have a healthy baby. we have new details about the former doctor for the u.s. gymnastics team who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting girls. a published report shows michigan state university where dr. larry nassar worked allowed him to see patients while he was under criminal investigation. more than 140 women accuse him of assault. he's already been sentenced to 60 years for child pornography. police in maryland have busted a college house party that they say was so boozed up even the air tested positive for alcohol. police in bethesda were called to shut down the party at an off-campus home. they say the air inside registered at 0.01 on their breathalyzer. six fraternity brothers at

american university are now charged with serving alcohol to minors, and just think, they wouldn't even have to pour them a drink. just allowing them -- >> just walking in, it's like, nope. >> open a window. >> exactly. >> serving alcohol. >> that's amazing. okay, time now for sports starting with college basketball. >> highlights now from espn. >> good morning. it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. stan verrett along with neil everett. neil is up first. >> all right, this kid trey young plays for oklahoma. >> yeah. >> grew up in norman. to think he could walk -- he went to high school right down the block from where he's playing now, and he's doing some things. it's against northwestern state. northwestern state gave us jim croce's last concert. they were no match for oklahoma. nobody has been no match for young. 26 points, 22 assists, that ties the ncaa d1 record with three other fellas, and avery johnson is one of those fellas. 105-68. he also had 26 points. this kid is good. r.j. williams says he could be the next steph curry. that's heady, man. >> wow. cavaliers and bucks.

james working on that, hit him with the fadeaway. james, 15 points, 5 assists in the first half. third quarter, bucks up 11. john henson, antetokounmpo. the bucks led by as many as 20 in this game with antetokounmpo doing a big part of it. i mean, he's just so talented. he does so many things. the bucks get the win, 119-116, so the first win for milwaukee in their three meetings with cleveland so far this season. >> what he said. >> that's it. back to you. >> all right, we'll take it. up next in "the pulse," the new list of the worst passwords. and also ahead, dennis rodman revealing surprising details about his time with his bff, kim jong-un. what the dictator did at a party. plus, why researchers are putting sea turtles on treadmills. putting sea turtles on treadmills.

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♪ time to check "the pulse" starting with former nba star dennis rodman shedding new light on his relationship with north korean dictator kim jong-un. >> so, rodman has made several trips to north korea in the past few years. he sat down with abc's bob woodruff to talk about what it's like to hang out with the world's most reclusive leader. >> we had dinner at one of his homes over there, and we was singing karaoke. >> how is he as a singer? >> oh, he's pretty good. >> is he? what did he sing? >> he was singing in english, he was singing frank sinatra "my way." >> he sang "my way." >> he had a girl band. it was like 70 people at this big round table. man, i'm like, wow, and i mean everybody had their turn at a shot of vodka, take a vodka shot and try to sing karaoke around a table with 70 people. >> so, rodman says kim jong-un speaks no english. in addition to karaoke and basketball, he also enjoys horseback riding, and even if he's bad at karaoke, i'm sure you just say, yes, you're the greatest.

>> you are the greatest. >> you are the greatest. >> all right, so the latest list of the worst computer passwords has some surprises. >> splash data says that 123456 and password topped the list as always, but letmein is cracking the top ten for the first time. football is still popular but has fallen four places. >> new to the list is iloveyou. maybe the users are hoping if they talk nice to their computers, they won't crash. >> nice, computer, nice. all right, next a big surprise for dallas cowboys quarterback dak prescott. so he was in the dallas suburb delivering groceries to the winner of a supermarket contest. >> so then the surprise came when the winner showed up at the door wearing a green bay packers shirt. >> awkward. >> despite the initial shock, he stuck around to sign a jersey and a football and take some photos there. >> on the way out prescott whispered, go, cowboys. boo, green bay. all right, so marine biologists are trying to help prevent baby turtles from getting stranded. >> they're using miniature

enclosed treadmills to measure the stamina and endurance of the hatchlings. the tortoise might soon be faster than a hare. >> i see. i see what you're doing there. so six years ago the federal government was accused of squandering taxpayer money for putting shrimp on a tiny treadmill. >> it's new year's soon, and they're making new year's resolutions. so this is the time for it. >> they need to work it off. >> yes. >> everybody is hitting the gym. >> look how cute they look. >> oh, no. cutest video of the day. . >> oh, no. cutest video of the day. thinki, where to go, and how to work around your uc. that's how i thought it had to be. but then i talked to my doctor about humira, and learned humira can help get and keep uc under control... when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers,

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and good morning on this wednesday, december 20th. as promisd the roads are a little wet this morning. you said that would happen, mike. >> it's come to fruition, though, following form. in the south bay we had some rain just a few minutes ago and santa clara. you can see the spray coming up from the cars and there are some puddles to navigate as we head through the morning. our storm impact scale as we'll have light rain turn to showers, about a tenth of an inch or less. breezy to gusty the rest of the day. the rain shield across the south bay, put it into motion and it will continue moving the next three hours or so. and by 9:00 we'll be staring at the showers up to the north. i'll give you a look at our

12-hour day planner. up next, here is sue. the chp has issued a high wind advisory for the san mateo, dumbarton and bay bridges. you can see there are some droplets on the lens. so use extra caution. the roads are slick. so far so good. we do have reports of a highway sign, a caltrans sign down at the toll plaza. not seeing a lot of slow traffic here. we'll check on that and an earlier sig alert on the san mateo side of things in a few minutes. thank you, sue. a string of violent carjackings lead police to a house in san jose. >> that raid led to one person in handcuffs. matt? >> reporter: good morning, reggie and natasha. this was a big operation, san jose police brought out their entire robbery unit and also their merge unit, their s.w.a.t. team, and their metro officers. check out the video from overnight. you can see a person is in

custody. they have zip ties around their wrists and are being led away by an officer. police say the person has a warrant from escaping from a ranch. it's not known if the person was involved with recent crimes. officers say a gun was fired during one of the recent carjackings. >> our purpose in coming was to recover any sort of stolen property or weapons that might have been used in these crimes or clothing worn by the suspects or any other evidence that could help us with our investigation and also to try to work on developing suspects in these crimes. >> reporter: police say this is still early in their investigation and are hoping tonight's operation leads to some cases being solved. no word on if more people were arrested. reporting live, matt keller, abc 7 news. right now the marin county sheriff's office is investigating a shooting. investigators say a central marin police officer was responding to a report about a

suicidal person with a weapon about 7:30 last night at san clemente and paradise drive. police say the man made motions towards his waistband and then at least one officer opened fire. that man is being treated at marin general for nonlife threatening injuries. meanwhile, the officer who opened fire is on paid administrative leave. >> jessica, thank you. it is now 4:30. if you're just joining us, welcome to wednesday. a quick update on your weather and traffic. we start with mike. it's a wet wednesday from the dumbarton bridge southward. you can see a solid shield there of light rain on live doppler 7. let me show you your temperatures if you're stepping outside. it is much milder, up to 15 degrees warmer. a lot of us in the mid to upper 40s, even a few 50s in places like concord, san ramone, look at ukiah and clear lake in the 30s. clearing is taking place. in fact, that will be the bigge