making news in america this morning, breaking news, a car plows into a crowd in australia. more than a dozen people injured. two people under arrest. the latest from the scene. looming shutdown. new urgency on capitol hill to prevent a government shutdown tomorrow night. at stake, stabilizing obamacare, paying for children's health insurance and billions of dollars in disaster relief. we have new details on the high-stakes talks. pope francis under fire. the pontiff sparks controversy with his decision about a vatican funeral for the disgraced cardinal bernard law. a key figure in the u.s. clergy sex abuse scandal. a new warning about the flu. a sharp spike in the number of cases coast to coast. the recommendations from doctors. shocking tie.

a recount for a crucial state race in virginia ends in a tie, so who gets the seat at the statehouse? could they really end up drawing straws? and the new breakfast trend. the ingredient popping up in the cereal aisle sending sales soaring. a good thursday morning to you all. we begin with breaking news from melbourne, australia, where an suv has plowed into a crowd outside a busy train station. >> more than a dozen people were injured, some critically, and police are calling this a deliberate act. abc's james longman is following the investigation right now and joins us from london. james, what do we know? >> reporter: kendis, diane, good morning. police have declared a major incident and are calling this a deliberate act, although they say it's too early to know the motivations behind it. we know that the car drove into pedestrians at 4:30 local time on a pedestrian crossing right

in the center of melbourne. this is a busy street right outside a major railway station. police say the driver and a second man have been arrested. what appears to be a white 4x4 can be seen with its hood smashed in on the side of the road, and we've seen police and emergency services at the scene. people are being taken away on stretchers or being attended to where they lie on the road. a similar incident took place in january in the city where six people were killed. authorities installed concrete blocks in various places to prevent similar attacks but they don't seem onto have made much of a difference. >> we learned the driver has a history of mental illness and is of afghan descent. has australia been on alert for something like this. >> reporter: i think many countries prepare themselves for things like this because this has been the kind of modus operandi of various attacks around the world over the last few weeks, if not months. i mean, there have been several plots foiled in australia. i mentioned that one in january

that actually happened just around the corner from where this attack took place. another plot for new year's eve as you say we understand had already been discovered and, yes, australia has had a problem with young men traveling to join isis. during the height of the fighting in syria and iraq, we saw videos put out by austins specifically to try to get australians to join. we should continue to stress we still don't know the motivations for what was behind this attack but it's obviously very concerning especially just before christmas. >> that, indeed. very early on into the investigation into what happened in melbourne, australia. this morning, james longman joining us with the update. thank you. back here at home we should move on because republicans are scrambling to avoid a government shutdown just hours after their big victory on taxes. >> so after making good on a approve a sweeping tax package, the clock is now ticking to fund the government before tomorrow night's deadline. adding to that pressure, millions of children could lose their health insurance. abc's arlette saenz has the details from washington. arlette, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning,

diane and kendis. well, republicans had their "kumbaya" moment at the white house yesterday as they celebrated taxes, but now they're facing another deadline. with less than 48 hours to go before government funding runs out, congress is in an all-out scramble. congress is barreling towards a government shutdown with no consensus on how to avoid it. house gop leaders have presented a tentative plan to keep the government funded through january 19th. their approach provides a four-week extension for programs like flood insurance, fisa surveillance and the children's health insurance program which pays for health care for 9 million children. >> we'll do something once again before the end of the year to make sure those states don't get hit with any c.h.i.p. cuts. >> reporter: it also calls for a stand-alone vote on an $81 billion disaster relief package, but it's not a done deal. gop leaders still have to sell the plan to their rank and file, and it's unclear how republican leaders in the senate will react. congress also appears ready to punt until the new year on thorny issues like health care and protections for the

so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers. democrats are anxious for republicans to show their cards. >> we're trying to get as good a deal as possible, but the bottom line is we haven't seen anything. >> reporter: the shutdown scramble comes after republicans took a tax victory lap complete with a presidential fist pump. >> it's always a lot of fun when you win. >> reporter: glowing republican lawmakers praised the president for their first major legislative win. >> you listen to voices no one else was listening to. >> you're one heck of a leader, and we're all benefiting from it. >> reporter: now house gop leadership hasn't said when they might be voting on that spending deal. as for taxes, at&t and comcast and other major companies announced they would be giving employee bonuses after the tax bill passed, and wells fargo will be raising their minimum wage to $15. diane and kendis. >> all right, arlette saenz for news d.c. arlette, thanks. president trump has put the world on notice ahead of today's u.n. vote on jerusalem. the president threatened to cut off u.s. aid payments to any

country that votes for the resolution condemning his decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. the threat comes after u.s. ambassador nikki haley warned she will, quote, be taking names during the vote. another north korean soldier has defected to south korea. it's the fourth defection this year alone. in november a soldier from the north was captured on video making a dramatic escape as guards chased him while opening fire. thursday's defection was less dramatic with the soldier dashing across the border under the cover of fog. south korean guards fired about 20 warning shots at north korean troops. and prosecutors say the driver of a bus carrying cruise ship passengers on a day trip in mexico may have been speeding before that deadly crash. an 11-year-old boy is among the 8 americans who were killed. a preliminary investigation determined the driver lost control on a road just south of cancun flipping over and hitting a tree. that driver did survive. an explosion caused quite a scare and quite a bit of damage at a popular tourist area in

hollywood. it happened at a restaurant on the first level of an' building near the hollywood and highland center. the explosion sent glass and debris flying into the street but luckily the restaurant was vacant at the time and some residents were evacuated as a precaution. one person suffered minor injuries. there's controversy swirling around today's vatican funeral for former boston archbishop bernard law. pope francis is presiding over law's funeral mass at the vatican. law resigned in disgrace after it was revealed that he shielded pedophile priests for years. he died wednesday at the age of 86. victims of abusive priests say they're outraged at the vatican's funeral plans. >> he was rewarded with a prestigious position in the vatican, and he moved on with his life. how do you go forward with your life and look in the mirror and say what you did was the best thing for victims when you did nothing. >> that woman saying she hopes

the gates of hell are open wide to welcome law. now, law was never charged with any crimes. he remained in rome until his death from an undisclosed illness. turning now to the weather, two storms are threatening to delay christmas travel for many americans. let's take a closer look at that forecast. >> good morning. wet and wintry conditions expected this weekend if you are taking to the roads or perhaps catching a flight. notice in the northeast perhaps some wintry weather over far north new england. it turns to a plain rain as we work our way into the ohio valley and also into the southeast, and slippery roads also going to be a possibility over the center portion of the country extending into the rockies. as we venture into sunday, notice that potential for some snow into the midwest with dry conditions continuing over the southwest. i'm justin povick with your accuweather forecast. well, coming up, a new twist in that election shocker in

virginia. the big question now, how do you decide a tie? also ahead, apple admits it really does slow down your old iphone. now the company is explaining why. and lottery fever is spreading overnight. this morning the results from last night's powerball drawing. and the new jackpot up for grabs.

we're back with new video from memphis where crews took down two confederate statues last night after a months-long battle. the memphis city council sold the public parks where the monuments stood. the new owner had them removed. authorities in texas are searching for a 6-week-old baby and the woman who may have snatched her. shamali flores has been missing since tuesday.

that's the same day her mother, carolina flores, was found stabbed to death in their houston apartment. police say the kidnapper may be trying to pass the baby off as her own, and they have a message for the suspect. >> if you want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulders, you go right ahead but we're not going to stop. we're not going to stop searching. we're not going to stop looking for you because the flores family deserves to have shamali in their hands. >> police have issued an amber alert for the baby. they're also offering a $5,000 reward and asking the public to be especially aware of anyone who suddenly has a child. >> what was already a razor thin victory in a virginia state election is now a tie. a three-judge panel has overturned democrat shelly simonds' one-vote recount win for a seat in the house of delegates. now, the judges ruled an uncounted ballot should go to the republican incumbent. now, state law says the tie will be broken by lot, which technically means they could draw straws. we're told the winner's name will likely be picked out of a bowl. >> rock, paper, scissors. >> yeah. and apple is now admitting

that it slows down older iphones, but it says it's not a ploy to get you to buy a new one. >> sure. >> apple says it slows down the processors in older iphones to prevent battery issues to cause them to suddenly shut down or restart even when fully charged. for the second morning in a row, we have no winner in a major lottery drawing. last night's powerball drawing was worth $272 million, but nobody matched all six winning numbers. that means saturday's powerball will be worth at least $300 million. meanwhile, tomorrow's mega millions jackpot is up to $247 million. >> we still have a chance. when we come back, a dramatic armored truck robbery caught on camera. also ahead, tonya harding's new interview. she describes becoming public enemy number onespike in flu ca. where the flu is now considered widespread. widespread. . ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions,

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maryland armed with an assault rifle. they held up two couriers loading up an atm. they got away with a bag stuffed with $200,000. olympic gold medalist mckayla maroney has filed a lawsuit months after accusing dr. larry nassar with abuse. she said the usa gymnastics organization silenced her with a financial settlement that prevented her from speaking out, she is also suing the u.s. olympic committee and michigan state university where he worked for decades. her attorney detailed the accusations. >> by insisting that as a condition of paying her money for therapy and the suffering she's incurred, that she has to keep larry nassar's secret, and she has to keep usa gymnastics' secret and can never speak of this again and can never criticize them, or she could be sued for $100,000 or more is repugnant. >> now maroney says nassar abused her for years starting when she was only 13 years oldment

he is now in prison after admitting to molesting girls and possessing child porn. former figure skater tonya harding is speaking out about the infamous attack years ago on her skating rival nancy kerrigan. she's the subject of a new movie and the scandal that tarnished her career. she sat down with abc's amy robach for an upcoming special describing being tried in the court of public opinion. >> you've said this, that 23 years later there are still people who believe that you actually carried out that whack. >> yes. >> why do you think that is? >> because they don't listen. the media had me convicted of doing something wrong before i had even done anything at all. i'm always the bad person. >> harding says it was her faith in herself and her father that got her through the hard times. you can see that full interview next month on "truth and lies: the tonya harding story" here on abc.

meryl streep is facing growing backlash after she denied knowing about allegations against harvey weinstein. posters showing streep and weinstein are now plastered around los angeles with the caption, she knew. streep and others actresses have been criticized for planning to wear black at the golden globes as a symbol of protest. well, streep says that she had no prior knowledge of weinstein's alleged harassment or sexual abuse. weinstein has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. an executive at the nfl network has now resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal. vice president president david eaton's departure comes after complaints of a hostile work environment for women at that network. last week three analysts including hall of famer marshall faulk were suspended after allegations of harassment. tennis great venus williams has been cleared in a deadly car crash. police in florida say no charges will be filed. investigators found an unknown vehicle started that crash, and then a family's car ultimately

slammed into williams. a passenger in that car died. we have new evidence of the toll that the opioid epidemic is taking on familys across the country. new figures show deaths from drug overdoses rose 21% last year bringing down the average life expectancy in the u.s. 63,600 lives were lost and for the first time fentanyl and other opioids took more lives than prescription drugs and heroin. the cdc is reporting a spike in flu cases. 12 states coast to coast are now seeing widespread flu activity. that's up from last week. some areas reporting three times as many cases as compared to this time last year. they say the flu vaccine may be only 10% effective. they're urging everyone over 6 months old to get one. if you're sick, they encourage you to stay home from work. >> when it comes to breakfast, there is a new trend in the cereal aisle, peanut butter.

general mills says boxes of its peanut butter cheerios are flying off the shelves. it has helped boost overall cereal sales by 7% compared to last year. the company's reeses puffs are also doing well and say boosting other cereal sales. the odd thing an nba player had stolen from his house. decking the halls and streets, the odd placement of this christmas tree. because my body can still make its own insulin. and i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release it, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it comes in a once-weekly, truly easy-to-use pen. the pen where you don't have to see or handle a needle. and it works 24/7. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

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the #findmytoilet then quickly started trending. villanueva called it mind-blowing. it has its own twitter handle now too. you looking for me? >> there is an apb out for that toilet. an ingenious inventor came out with a simple way to keep your drinks cold when you're on the go. >> the blitzen rooftop beverage chiller claims to hold any bottle in place so you can cool your booze as you drive. you're not supposed to drink while you drive made with 100 pounds of magnets and alumination rails. it depends on the temperature outside. faster driving, of course, we do not recommend speeding or again drinking the wine while driving. >> exactly. >> for after you're done. and a tree now stands in the middle of a road in mississippi because someone got fed up. >> so, an unknown jackson, mississippi, resident was upset after waiting for months for a pothole to be repaired, so they actually put it to good use by going there and planting that christmas tree right there

inside of the pothole. >> normally you have to dig a hole in order to plant a tree. in this case they had a head start but this is one way of raising awareness. >> it is and officials there in jackson say they are aware of the problem of the potholes but do not encourage people to do this. a 9-year-old girl is putting her sibling rivalry on display for santa. >> she wrote a message in the snow in front of her house saying, santa, stop here. leave presents. take brother. santa, leave presents. take brother. >> hey. >> you can have him. i feel chronic, widespread pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions.

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that breaking news in oakland. a major crash while you were sleeping involving a fedex truck and a car. at least one person is dead and southbound 880 is shut down. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is on the scene now. amy? >> reporter: hi, jessica. we're near the oakland coliseum. traffic is being forced off the highway at the exit of 66. we are southbound. joining me live is officer taylor case with the chp. officer, can you tell us what happened? >> earlier this morning we were dispatched to a traffic collision north of 66. we found two vehicles involved in a collision resulting in a fedex big rig, one of the trailers overturned and another vehicle overturned. >> reporter: and who was killed in this accident?

>> at this time i don't know. >> reporter: which driver? >> i can't say. >> reporter: got it. how long do you anticipate this will be shut down? >> at least two hours. >> reporter: if this is your commute, what's your advice? >> if you could possibly find another route i would highly recommend it. >> reporter: officer, thank you so much for your time. if you use southbound, we have a fatal accident they'll be investigating. reporting live in oakland, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. amy, thank you. we appreciate those initial details. >> over to sue hall. sue, obviously this will be a headache for everyone. they said two hours. so what do we do? >> at this point we would take 580. if you need to travel southbound and if you're going to oakland airport you can cut over from 580 to the airport.

they are expecting delays there, too. the long stretch of bumper to bumper traffic, if you're stuck in that there's no real way around it. avoid the area. take 580. chp is not saying whether big rigs are allowed yet. we will check back in a couple of minutes. we have other problems, too. mike? >> let's talk about what's going on weatherwise. it's quieter this morning so that's good news for us. as we're taking a look at live doppler 7 you'll see clouds along the coast. the rest of us clear. up to about 11 degrees, possibly even 15 degrees cooler than this time yesterday. tomorrow morning even colder than this. let me show you the temperatures if you have to leave right now dress mid to upper 30s. cover dale, santa rosa, novato, mountain view, los gatos, hayward, concord, san ramone, livermore and morgan hill. the rest of us in the 40s. your 12-hour day planner next. quickly want to get back to

some more breaking news from our live desk. more than a dozen people have been hurt after a car plowed into pedestrians in melbourne, australia. police right now calling this all a, quote, deliberate act. 19 people were injured. four of those critically. a 32-year-old australian man of afghan descent known to police has been arrested. officers say he has a history of drug use as well as mental health issues. the incident is not believed to be related to terrorism. >> we're going to have hundreds more police who will be out and about. it's a festive season. we have the carols, the boxing day test. we have no increased threat for any of those events. let's be clear, there is no increased threat. >> a second person was arrested after he was seen filming the attack. police found three knifes in that person's backpack, but they don't think at this poi