game, too. >> merry christmas. >> i like that. >> we will be back in 25 minutes with an abc 7 news good morning, america. winter whiteout. as millions of americans head back home after the holiday, snow, rain and ice wreaking thank you for joining us this tuesday after christmas. hope you had a great christmas. >> i did. i was chasing around my son and his three cousins and i'm sure i caught something. >> now you'll give it to me. but teach your son how to curtsy. it might come in handy. it was a royal christmas across the pond. meghan markle greeting the queen with this christmas curtsy and she got a little help from her future brother and sister-in-law as well. >> she is really having an electrifying effect on that family. >> seamless transition. >> it's incredible. we'll start with the latest on the severe weather causing dangerous travel conditions and that frightening flight slipping across the runway and the bitter cold is really now just beginning, subzero temperatures

sending the country into the deep freeze and abc's alex perez has more from chicago. alex, good morning to you. >> reporter: hey, good morning, dan. that's right. the big rush to get back home is already under way, and across the country, mother nature is creating some major problems for a lot of people. from pennsylvania to washington state, wind and snow creating whiteout conditions all over the u.s. overnight, ice on the tarmac sends a plane spiraling. >> once i realized we were going off the runway, i was like uh-oh. >> we started spinning and spinning. and skpin spinning. >> reporter: a boston logan bound jetblue flight sliding and landing in the opposite direction. >> we were straight and all of a sudden it started fishtailing and, yeah, it started getting rough. >> reporter: the passengers inside shaken but not hurt. >> they did a fantastic job. everyone was applauding him at the end. >> reporter: all on board evacuating down the stairs and into the cold night air before boarding shuttle buses to the

terminal. >> everything is fine. we just skidded on the ice. >> we did let them know you need a tug. >> okay. thanks very much. >> you're welcome, sir. merry christmas by the way. >> reporter: it comes after travel woes. on monday the same airport seeing more than 300 delays and 64 cancellations because of snow and near zero visibility. in erie, pennsylvania, 34 inches of snow fell in just one day. a new record. traffic brought to a standstill on interstate 90. trucks and cars spinning off the roads. and if you're traveling through the midwest or the northeast the next couple of days, be prepared. the bitter cold and snow, sticking around, dan? >> alex, thank you. stay warm. senior meteorologist, rob marciano, has more on the holiday deep freeze. good morning. happy post-christmas to you, sir. >> same to you, dan, very wise of alex to be indoors. below freezing in chicago. this is what they were doing last night, 15-degree daytime high in chicago.

that's the coldest christmas day in over 20 years. in duluth, minnesota, minus 8, the coldest for them since 1933. look at these warnings and advisories, over 19 states and some areas, windchills could be 50 degrees below zero. that will cause frostbite in less than ten minutes and slides off to the east, minus 9 for a windchill tomorrow in detroit in the morning. teens and single digits across the i-95 corridor, and we'll talk more about that in just a few minutes. bundle up if you are outside. >> all a great excuse to stay inside in adult onesies and watch "gma." >> how many onesies do you have, dan? >> what's the next story? >> too many. you know, president trump is down in florida trying to get away from that. we'll move to politics and president trump who celebrated his first christmas as president with his family at his mar-a-lago estate, going to church, enjoying christmas dinner, and the president tweeting, quote, i hope everyone is having a great christmas and tomorrow it's back to work in order to make america

great again. which is happening faster than anyone anticipated. abc's kenneth moton has the latest from warm, west palm beach. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, paula. president trump is preparing to ring in the new year with an ambitious agenda. but first he spent the past few days tweeting, golfing and attacking the number two man in the fbi. this morning, president trump ready to get back to work after a christmas celebration on his luxurious mar-a-lago resort. the president attending mass, surrounded by family. the first lady even posting this festive selfie. >> melania and i are delighted to wish america and the entire world a very merry christmas. >> reporter: the president in the christmas spirit tweeting his holiday message, but over the weekend twitter attacks. the president blasting his low approval ratings, tweeting, insider polls are strong. trump teeing off on the golf course and on andrew mccabe. the president accusing mccabe, who is reportedly retiring in

march, of bias during the hillary clinton e-mail investigation. >> that's your bill. >> reporter: that $1.5 trillion gop tax plan now signed into law. trump turning his attention in 2018 to infrastructure, his wall on the southern border and immigration. this after "the new york times" reported that the president allegedly made derogatory remarks in the oval office about immigrants. "the times" reports in a june meeting that trump was upset about the number of foreigners who entered the u.s. on visas since he entered office and complained that 15,000 from haiti all have aids. the white house says top officials who were in that meeting, including secretary of state rex tillerson and then-homeland security chief john kelly, now the chief of staff, all deny that the president made those comments. the white house calls that report outrageous. now, this morning the president may have a lot planned but apparently last night he had a lot on his plate.

the first family dined on char crusted filet mignon and a lot of desserts, including the president's favorite, a big, beautiful piece of chocolate cake. paula. >> all right, kenneth, sounds good. thank you very much for reporting. dan. >> thank you, kenneth and paula. let's bring in our chief analyst, matthew dowd. matt, good morning to you. so, the president says it's back to work now. so, what are the big ticket items on the agenda as he heads back to work, and how much can he really get done now that the republicans are down to one vote after doug jones beat roy moore in alabama? >> you mean we're not going to talk about onesies and pink bunny pajamas that you have? >> thank you for that, matt. i appreciate it. revenge will be swift and unexpected. >> no, the president has -- i mean, 2018 is going to be extremely consequential. as we look forward to this. i mean, not only is it because there are serious issues to deal with. immigration, trade, the budget. all big, huge issues that have to be dealt with but it's going to be in the midst of a midterm

election and that always has serious impacts on the ability to get anything done, and the big thing that the president has to face is that there is a democratic -- elected officials that have no incentives to cooperate with him, understanding that it's a midterm election. >> infrastructure, that's something a lot say there is the potential for bipartisan support there. >> i think it was always a question of timing. i think if the president had done that right after the inauguration, it would have been a package that would have passed fairly easily with a bipartisan support and would have probably helped to raise the president's approval numbers because the only time the president's approval numbers have gone up in 2017 is when he cut the deal on the debt ceiling with nancy pelosi and schumer in that and so i think the timing is now off. he has now offended so many parts of the democratic party that their entire constituency is basically sending a signal to their party leaders, don't cooperate with the president. >> they announced they negotiated a budget cut for the

united nations. do you see this as being part of the america first strategy and is it actually good for america? >> well, i say it is more, it's my way or the highway strategy that they have in this -- it's an amazing situation with trade, with technology, with telecommunications, with travel that the world has become a smaller place, more interconnected and more in need of our engagement in it and this president is stepping away from that, becoming more disconnected, becoming more disengaged at a time when our success as an economy, and in the globe requires us to be more involved. then you have issues like the middle east and north korea, the korean peninsula that require a multi-country solutions, and when we step away from that at the united nations, it actually restricts our options, not others. >> we enjoy your analysis and gentle ribbing. >> that wasn't gentle. >> thank you. over to you.

thanks, dan. from the world of politics to the world of sports, the nfl is attempting to make the game safer implementing new concussion rules after dangerous and frightening hits like these. there's even a major change as to who decides whether a player can return to a game, and abc's gio benitez joins us with more on these changes. good morning, gio. >> good morning to you. listen, they follow the injury to tom savage earlier this month. we'll show it to you. savage took a brutal hit in the end zone that left him on the ground, hands visibly shaking, but he was allowed to return to the game before ultimately being sidelined with a concussion. now, that hit, coupled with a misstep in concussion protocol for russell wilson, that resulted in $100,000 fine for the organization were cited as motivations for the late season changes. >> yeah, the players say they have been fighting for this for a very long time. some say it's too little too late, but in terms of the changes that we'll see in protocol, what are we talking about? >> let's get through them. take a look at these changes right now. there's going to be a central

unc that will oversee each game from the nfl's command center. that unc is a member of the medical team that's going to be going through that and watching the broadcast of the game from a spot used for reviewing plays. also, any sign of impact seizure will be considered the same as loss of consciousness and the player will be taken out of the game and may not return. and a player who is evaluated for a concussion must be re-evaluated within 24 hours, even if the player has an off day. >> yeah, the ref can also report some of the injuries to the medical staff so the onus isn't just on the players, it's on the unc, the refs, as well. when will we see them implemented? >> some of them started getting implemented just a day after savage was sidelined, but we will see these in place for the playoffs and the super bowl. >> all right, gio. thank you. dan? we'll turn to the big retail rush this morning. $90 billion worth of presents are going back, that's a quarter of all returns for the year and

those people exchanging presents may be gifted with great deals. abc's erielle reshef is at toys "r" us in new jersey. erielle, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, dan. for retailers like toys "r" us, this shopping season has been one of the biggest in more than five years with shoppers feeling good about the economy and spending more than expected and it's not over yet. this morning, the holiday shopping frenzy turning into the rush to return. and snag some serious sales. retailers ringing in an estimated $682 billion this year. and now consumers can unwrap even deeper discounts. from winter gear to high-end electr electronics, deals expected to draw big post-christmas crowds. >> we're expecting almost half the population will be shopping. >> reporter: but experts estimate roughly 10 million americans will swap out gifts gone wrong from sizing issues to duplicates to just plain duds.

>> some of the type items people tend to return after the holiday include apparel, shoes and electronics. >> reporter: before you hit the stores, beware, return policies can vary. >> you look at the time period and condition of the returns that you send back and lastly i think you want to check to see if there's free shipping if it's something you bought online. is it an item that you can return no questions asked? full refunds, and free shipping. >> reporter: experts tell me one out of every three people who got a gift last year returned at least one of them. so if you are heading to the stores this year to return some gifts, you are going to have some company. paula, dan? >> erielle, thank you. lots of us found gift cards under the tree with shoppers spending an estimated $27 billion on cards this holiday season. abc's becky worley is with us from san francisco with what you need to know before you use those gift cards so, becky, is there fraud risk associated with these cards and if so, how can we protect ourselves? >> you're right, dan. you need to register any cards

you received with the store or retail chain it's from if you can. why? that fraud. we know thieves scratch the silver bar off. the one that's right here on the back. then they write down the code underneath and then this is what is so crazy, they can just buy another scratch-off sticker and put it on there. so it looks totally he legit. they wait a week or so until the card is activated and then they go online to redeem the code. so you need to beat them to the punch in case your card has already been compromised. go to the website of the card where you received the gift, search for redeem gift card or register gift card, even if you don't shop right away you've at least staked a digital claim on it. >> let's say we buy a gift card or get one from a retailer we don't formally shop at? can we return it? what are our options? >> you sound like you're asking from experience, paula.

>> i'm not sure dan will use that cabela's gift card i got him though. >> you can swap it out for bass pro shop but gift cards can rarely be returned. often for the fraud issues i just mentioned but you can exchange them at gift card exchanges like one called raise.com or giftcardgranny.com. love that name. they won't give you full value for the card, but a solid percentage back like 70% or 80% of its value. they do verify the cards and sell them at a slight discount. i have used both before and from my experience they're pretty legit. >> they sell onesies at cabela's as far as i know. so part of the reason why gift cards are so popular is especially when you are talking about gift card deals is you're essentially prepaying now and getting a big discould wannt, a say there are a lot of cards and deals that are out there and

still hot? >> exactly. buy one get one. give one, get one. many of those deals are live through to new year's and a lot for restaurant chains. bj's brewhouse, buy one and get $10 off and 20% off a vip card, chili's, buy $50, and get 10 bucks. and olive garden, buy a $50 gift card, get $10 off. they're a great way to get a discount, just keep them in your wallet, right? >> thanks so much. so much to talk about today when it comes to shopping so we'll check with you throughout the show. >> thanks again, becky. we are still waiting to cash in on the ultimate gift card, the powerball and mega millions jackpots. we're at almost a billion dollars combined over the holiday weekend but bah humbug there was not a winner. that could be good news, however, for those looking to throw an ultimate new year's party, the mega millions 277 million and wednesday the powerball $337 million.

just think about all the onesies that you can buy. >> i feel like this joke is going to stay with me throughout the morning at least. >> i think we're done with it actually. after this half hour. >> let's put this to rest. let's bring in rob marciano. a lot going on in the weather department. as we have been discussing. >> now that you've asked for that it's obviously not going to be put to rest. i sense a drinking onesie game, coffee, of course. ever wonder what santa does after he delivers all those gifts? santa has fresh powder. this might be an impostor but nonetheless, cutting tracks, and there in nearly a foot of fresh snow. what a december it's been on mt. snow but upstate new york and new hampshire crushing it and now the lake-effect snow machine with this colder air coming in is going to crush it as well. unfortunately, lake erie seeing over 70 inches so far, over 30 in a day or two and more coming off the relatively warm lakes could see 50 inches here in the negative several days and lake-effect warnings posted in the usual spots. all right. time for your tuesday trivia now

brought to you by walmart. good morning. i'm meteorologist mike nicco from "abc7 mornings." it's going to be a brighter day today, but still going to be a spare-the-air with these mild highs. no wood burning aldy. areas of dense fog a little more widespread tonight, chilly lows one again. and there's a chance in the new year for rain. at least there's a new hope. upper 50s along the coast, mid to upper 50s around the bay, and low 60s inland. tonight, 30s inland and look how much more

it's not easy to travel through, but a lot enjoying a white christmas. i want to show you this picture from puget sound, first white christmas they've seen in nine years. an army of snowmen to celebrate that. >> my boys would want to throw a snowball at them. >> they would have a field day. >> exciting christmas news. don't give it away. we'll talk about it. coming up, the scandal hitting the miss america organization. the derogatory e-mails targeting passagen't contestants, and this morning, former miss america, mallory hagan is speaking out. when it comes to post-christmas can you hacking your way to better deals? , can you haggle your way to better deals? g your way to better deals? g your way to better deals? l your way to better deals? e your way to better deals? this holiday, the best gift you can give, is your time. volunteer at neighbhorhoodofgood.com.

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hi, there. i'm natasha zouves from "abc7 mornings." flags will be at half-staff in honor of a highway police officer who was killed in the line of duty in hayward. officer andrew cammalleri died in a crash late christmas eve. he leaves beind his wife and three children. he was looking for drunk and impaired drivers. officers believe the driver suspect offend hitting him was under the influence himself of alcohol and drugs. we're following your tuesday morning commute with light traffic all the way around. we to have the conditions on the bay bridge looking great and the eastbound direction, there is a big rig stuck at the treasure island off ramp. they are trying to get a big rig tow truck in there. it's not affecting traffic in the eastbound are direction. minor slowing towards treasure island. be aware it's out there. an earlier accident west 580 approaching castro valley has been cleared and traffic is flowing nicely from the dublin

grade westbound.

good morning. we have some concerns especially around santa rosa, visibility down to a third of a mile because of the fog or moisture in the air, but also temperatures are at or below freezing so we could have some black ice and freezing fog in this area through about 9:00. your commute planner outside of that, chilly and cool today and light winds out on the bay. it will be dry through at least saturday, natasha. >> good to know. we'll have another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes and always on our news app and abc7news.com.

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well, happy new year. we can't hear, but i'll just get through the motions, okay. >> okay, new year's just a week away. we want to welcome you back to "gma." it's going to be a big welcome back to the times square stage for mariah carey after that show-stopping lip-sync moment. that happened last year. remember she complained she couldn't hear the music but the countdown to 2018 will be a must watch announcing her return to "new year's rockin' eve" in a big way. >> i felt bad for her. >> i think we've all had those moments. >> oh, yeah, oh, yeah, i plan on having a few this morning. >> good thing everyone is so understanding. >> exactly, right. also happening right now millionsba home after the holid. that severe winter weather causing chaos and the big chill under way. temperatures now plunging below zero in much of the country. and president trump getting back to work after celebrating christmas with his family. the first lady posting a festive

holiday selfie as the president gets ready for his 2018 agenda. >> it's crazy, 2018 is just around the corner. >> gets confusing writing it on checks. >> that's -- he still uses checks, ladies and gentlemen. >> and an abacus. now we want to move now to that scandal rocking the miss america organization. e-mails were leaked. now we'll talk to former miss america mallory hagan who is standing by in her home in alabama in just a few minutes, but first, abc's linzie janis joins us with more. linzie, good morning to you. >> reporter: those leaked e-mails, some of which are too vulgar to share used demeaning and misogynistic language to refer to past miss america winners, and a group of them demanded resignations. the ceo and two others have stepped down but that may not be enough. ♪ there she is miss america >> reporter: there she is, or there she was. this morning, the future of miss

america up in the air. as the organization reels from an e-mail scandal in its upper ranks. that scandal beginning when the "huffington post" published leaked e-mails from sam haskell exposing crude and demeaning comments about contestants like 1998 miss america kate shindle. >> right now there is an opportunity for a graceful transition. >> reporter: and 2013 miss america, mallory hagan. >> miss new york. >> reporter: who was belittled about her love life and weight. >> having someone bully you, belittle you, demean you, degrade you in any way is not okay. no matter what. >> miss virginia. >> reporter: at least one former miss america didn't find the scandal shocking. caressa cameron says she found the miss america organization to be a toxic working environment. >> after giving up my crown i didn't go back to the miss america pageant for five years just because i was so hurt by the way i was treated. >> reporter: the fallout for the

96-year-old pageant has been fast and furious. television producing partner dick clark productions cut ties with miss america calling the e-mails appalling and dozens of former winners signed a petition calling on the group's leadership to step down. that demand now granted. forced out are ceo sam haskell. >> hi, i'm sam haskell. >> reporter: board chairman lynn widener and coo josh randle who tells abc the e-mails predate his employment with the organization, but adds, quote, it does not reflect my values or the values i work to promote at the miss america organization. ceo sam haskell tells abc the e-mails are conveniently edited and the events are not as described. those 49 former miss america winners are calling the resignations reassuring but say the organization's entire board should step down and in a statement saying, the women of miss america are determined to take back our program.

this is not over yet. >> linzie, thank you for your reporting and we want to move on and we're joined by former miss america mallory hagan, who as mentioned was a target of many of those e-mails. mallory, we want to thank you for joining us this tuesday morning. first and foremost, in these e-mails there were a lot of derogatory comments made specifically about your size, your sex life. did you ever witness or experience this kind of toxicity when you were miss america or affiliated with the organization? >> you know, now that i think about it, i didn't experience it personally, but i did hear about other miss americas in this way, and i didn't put two and two together in that moment. but hindsight is always 20/20. yes that was used about other miss americas while i was miss america, so it really shouldn't have surprised me but hindsight is 20/20. >> you heard some of the apologies from the executives. and some of the leaders. do you accept those apologies? >> you know, i'm not really sure i did hear an apology. i did see that josh randle said

he apologizes for his behavior and for that i guess i'm grateful, but in the other statements that i saw i'm not seeing really an apology there, but that's not really the point here. at this point, those people are not longer afiliatfiliated withs america and we want to focus on the future. >> for years there's been a lot of criticism that the miss america organization has been antiquated or out of date. does this signal the demise or the reinvention of miss america? >> i hope it signals the reinvention. and i hope that we're starting a larger conversation here, you know, i have been an upstander for other people, and my platform was called stop it now, child sexual abuse and advocated for others in situations of abuse and here i am finding myself in a situation over the last four years where i didn't know how to advocate for myself. brent adams is the unsung hero for me, and he is the hero for all these women. i hope this is a turning point for that reason alone, we're learning we can stand up for

others. he stood up for us and we band together to save our program so i really think this is an opportunity to see how women can come together, support each other, rise up, take over the things that they want to see happen and move forward. so i'm really hoping that what people see in this is that these women are empowered, that we work together and lift each other up. >> you talk about the women being empowered and lifting one another up and moving forward. what does the future specifically look like? how will the organization change? >> i think there's a lot of conversation that's been happening behind the scenes. for many years from all of us formers about things we would like to see change, and unfortunately, the leadership that was in place was simply not open to it. so now we have an open door for former miss americas, for long-term volunteers, for former state titleholders to come together and put together some ideas in order to help not just the pageant you see on the telecast but day-to-day lives of these state titleholders serving their states and communities on a daily basis, all ambassadors and they all have all have

platforms. they are ambassadors for children's network hospitals and a 365-day job, not just one day in the pageant so we have a lot of ideas. the future of the pageant to me is there are a multitude of people who run the organization via the board, it's diverse and includes former miss americas and -- >> it's diverse -- >> there is an opportunity for us to really -- >> you said it's diverse but does that include gender diversity as well? >> absolutely. i think that everyone has something to bring to the table, not just women should run a women's organization but i certainly think they should have a lot of the say so and that's not what we've seen. especially in the last decade. >> mallory hagan, thanks for joining us. she thinks the future looks bright for miss america. thanks, mallory. dan? >> demise or reinvention, interesting to watch. thank you, paula. coming up, we're going to maximize your post-christmas cash, and how just asking for a deal could get you major savings. we're right back with more "gma" after a quick break. "gma" after a quick break.

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back now as millions of americans prepare for post-christmas returns. becky worley is back with how to maximize all those gift cards. what she learned when she did some secret shopping and how she's bringing back the fine art of haggling. becky, what is secret shopping? >> secret shopping is when you go out with a producer and a camera and then you try haggling. it sounds so aggressive. right? but in this season of peace, i wanted to find out if i ask for a discount, would store clerks give me the eye and make me feel

weird? well, there is only one way to find out. let's do some of that secret shopping. ♪ >> reporter: the day after christmas, a big day for sales. it's easy to find the lowest price online. it's not as easy when you're in a department store. but upside of the mall, you get your stuff right away. so here's the question, can i get my local stores to give me a discount or match an online price by asking? will it be awkward? i'm heading into a bunch of different stores to pick random items and see if they'll match or even beat the prices i find online. $160 on the box. yikes. first, i just ask for a discount. is there any discount that i'm not thinking of? >> i can bring it down to the $144. >> $144? >> yeah. >> all right. okay. i'll take that.

>> reporter: the problem is i found the same shoes online for another $25 off. next time i'll show them the online price first. i do have a question for you. this facial creams costs $110. that's in the beauty score. i price checked it, and i found it for $68 on amazon. is there any way you can match that. >> nope, we don't do it. you don't know if that product was fresh and you don't know if it's a knockoff. >> reporter: they do give a 15% discount on my purchase. couldn't have been nicer. not awkward at all to check on price matching. next these boots, priced in store at $179.99. can you price match these to something i find online? >> let me double-check. let's do it. >> you can do it? >> yep. >> not only did he match the online price of $146.59. he beat that price by 5 cents. cha-ching. next online discounts. can you get them in store too? this sportswear store has 25% off the whole site. >> yes, we have a 25% off right now. >> i can use that in store? okay. this place has an online coupon for 20% off any one item. sure enough -- what did i get, 55 bucks off?

>> yes, ma'am. >> ooh. that's good. >> reporter: yet again, asked for the online discount and got the online discount. now, i just used the amazon app where you can search google and click the shopping results to find the lowest online prices, but, paula, there is one place where i wouldn't do this type of haggling and that's in mom and pop stores. they're getting squeezed so much by online shopping that give them a break this holiday season. >> that's good advice but as you said, ask and you shall receive about 95% of the time. right? what will you do with that five cents? we'll talk to you about that at 8:00. >> sounds good. >> thank you, becky. coming up, meghan markle makes her move. prince harry's bride-to-be, her first christmas with the royal family, and how she is making history. there's that curtsy again. family and how she is making history. there's that courtesy again.

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give thanks for the healthy kids in your life. visit stjude.org or shop where you see the st. jude logo. at kohl's after christmas sale! your kohl's cash! featuring up to 70% off clearance take up to 70% off family sleepwear outerwear, sweaters and fleece! plus - shop our white sale for big savings on bed and bath! and - take an extra 15% off! kohl's. that's why feeling safe is priceless. with adt, you can feel safe with an adt starter kit professionally installed for only $49.00. call today, and install an adt starter kit that includes security panel, keypad, key fob, entry and motion sensors and for a limited time, get a camera included and installed at no additional cost. that's a $449.00 value, installed, for just $49.00. a trip back to the dthe doctor's office, mean just for a shot. but why go back there, when you can stay home,

with neulasta onpro? strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection, which could lead to hospitalizations. in a key study, neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. applied the day of chemo, neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the next day, so you can stay home. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to neulasta or neupogen (filgrastim). ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries, and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. the most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. so why go back there? if you'd rather be home, ask your doctor about neulasta onpro.

meghan markle is making history becoming the first fiancee invited to join the british royal family for their traditional christmas day church service. lama hasan joins us live with more. good morning to you, lama. >> reporter: good morning to you. there were hundreds lining up, some overnight waiting to get a glimpse of prince harry and meghan markle. they were even treated to her first curtsy to the queen which the papers are calling the perfect curtsy. clutching onto her prince, meghan markle was all smiles

making her debut on christmas day with the royals at the queen's sandringham estate. >> she did everything right. it would be so easy for her to outshine the queen on that day and to be the star of the show. i thought she slotted in very well. she didn't in any way upstage her majesty. >> reporter: for the first time photographed with her future brother- and sister-in-law, the duke and duchess of cambridge, a whole other milestone for meghan. >> the whole of this christmas with meghan has been a foretaste of what we're getting going forward into 2018 when she will be the new star of the royal family. >> reporter: braving the cold and lining up for hours, hundreds of people turning up to see harry and his bride-to-be. and they did not disappoint. after the carol service leaving, the church, meghan chatting with the in-laws. harry giving her a few pointers teaching her the roilt royal ro and as queen passed by, meghan curtsying for the first time pulling it off without a

hitch. a big day of festivities for the royal family after a lavish christmas lunch they gathered around to watch the queen's speech. >> as we enjoy spending time this christmas with our family and look forward to welcoming new members into it next year. >> reporter: welcoming meghan to the family with open arms, there's even a framed photograph of the two on the queen's table. and the festivities aren't over yet. there's a big breakfast and a big lunch organized. think lots of foods, lots of drinks on tap. followed by a pheasant shoot and prince harry reported to be missing because of his fiancee being an animal activist. >> another reason to like her. save the pheasants. >> so many reasons to like her. >> yeah. coming up, the heart doctor whose teenage daughter saved his life. what you need to know about heart health and how to recognize the risks. we're right back. life. what you need to know about heart health and how to recognize the risks.

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i'm do you hanatasha zouves fro mornings." mike nicco has the forecast. a hazy look from mt. tam. air quality is moderate but could become poor on this 12th spare-the-air day of the winter season. temperatures in the mid to upper 50s around the coast and bay, low 60s inland. my accuweather seven-day forecast, it's going to get trier and a little warmer thursday and friday. starting to see a chance of rain develop sunday and monday. sue? we'll look forward to that. bay bridge, westbound into the city is looking great. eastbound we have the treasure island left lane blocked. on the lower deck you can see traffic moving nicely, but you'll see break lights towards treasure island in the eastbound direction. no metering lights westbound so, coming into town not bad at all. we'll have another abc7 news update in about 30 minutes and always on our news app and abc7news.com.

good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m.

holiday travel alert. winter whiteout wreaking havoc on the roads. flights grounded. one hydroplaning on the runway. snow sweeping across the country. the areas expecting more than 4 feet, and the bitter cold blast, plunging temperatures below zero. heart health alert. the incredible story of a heart doctor whose teenage daughter saved his life. how he says he is alive today. the key to prevention, and how to recognize the risks. dr. ashton here with the critical information you need to know. it's time for the big post-christmas return rush. the best ways to exchange what you don't need and easy ways to return those online purchases. plus, how to maximize your gift cards. the big deals just starting now and why you shouldn't wait to spend that free money. and mariah's new year's rockin' eve return after that show-stopping moment. >> we don't have a sound check but it's new year's, baby, that's okay.

>> mariah carey is coming back to ring in 2018 as we say, good morning, america. hey, good morning. happy tuesday. we hope you had a happy holiday and a merry christmas and i was told you had one of the best christmases ever. >> i did. i have three little kids, and for the first time in forever, my husband's family and my family, we didn't host and didn't travel. it was just our little group in that was the secret. keep the relatives out. >> i didn't say keep them out. we facetimed but it was nice to dial it back and enjoy it with our little family. first time we've ever done that. you had a great christmas as well? >> i did. >> merry christmas to all of you, by the way. we have a lot to get to at this hour. can you believe it? carrie underwood's trainer, erin oprea is here this morning to help us look as good as the country superstar does and, you know, just five minutes a day. >> looks like a good way to pull a hammy.

erin is already working out and she has the tricks to looking and feeling great for new year's eve. but first, let's turn to that arctic blast. it is cold outside. millions of americans are traveling home after the holiday. snow is sweeping across the country, and temperatures are plunging, dropping below zero. abc's alex perez is back with us from chicago this morning. good morning to you, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, paula. today is one of the busiest travel days of the holiday season, but mother nature is really complicating things for a lot of people. now take a look. this was the scene at boston's logan airport after a jetblue flight slid on the runway as it landed, spinning around ending up in the opposite direction. luckily, no injuries there. now, from the northeast to the west coast, wind and snow leaving many places with whiteout conditions. erie, pennsylvania, got 34 inches of snow in one day. traffic on i-90 brought to a complete standstill. and here from the midwest and

northeast the bitter cold and snow is not going anywhere any time soon. paula. >> bundle up. we know you're experiencing some of the coldest temperatures in decades. that's there in chicago. thanks to your reporting. >> thank you, paula. now to president trump spending his first christmas in offices at mar-a-lago. he had some leisure time on the golf course, but on christmas night he said he was getting back to work. kenneth moton with us. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, dan. president trump is ready to get back to work, and we know because he is tweeting about it. democrats and republicans will eventually come together for -- and develop a great new health care plan. the president spent his first christmas as president with family at his mar-a-lago resort, attending mass. twitter attacks for the president who blasted his low approval ratings tweeting insider polls are strong and teed off on his golf course and fbi deputy director andrew

mccabe, the president accusing mccabe, who is reportedly retiring in march, of bias during the hillary clinton e-mail investigation. with that $1.5 trillion tax plan signed into law he's turning his attention to infrastructure, immigration and the wall. the president has invited the senate majority leader, mitch mcconnell, and house speaker, paul ryan to camp david to discuss the 2018 legislative agenda. >> thank you very much. paula, over to you. you will love this story. so are you. now to one family performing two separate christmas miracles at almost the exact same time. on christmas eve crystal travis and her daughter drove by this scene. flames erupting through the roof of this house. a propane tank soon exploding. well, crystal and her daughter, they jumped in, rushed in to help, pulled young children to safety and then about 20 miles away, crystal's husband roger, well, he saw a group of people trying to do cpr on a baby.

roger, who is an emt. he rushed to the scene, and took over, resuscitating the baby. the baby is okay. the north carolina family of good samaritans said it was just a case of being in the right place at the right time but they did not hesitate to do the right thing and you only hope good things to that family in 2018. >> absolutely, the training and will to help as well. more than just luck. >> the will to help. more importantly. and coming up, the incredible story of a heart doctor whose teenage daughter saved his life. dr. ashton here with what you need to know. the big post-christmas return rush. how to maximize your gift cards with brand-new deals. >> does that mean becky is back again? >> yes. >> awesome. and the larger than life l.a. mansion you've got to see to believe. we're right back. we're right back. ♪ must have been hot out there today, huh? yeah yeah- why don't you go put that stuff in the laundry room right now? okay. do your athletes bring home big odors? tide sport is super

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♪ welcome back to "gma." what a great audience we have this morning. they could have been returning gifts. they could have been sleeping in but they chose to be with us and before we turn things over to adrienne in "pop news" we want to say congratulations to rob marciano. >> yes! >> we got a baby coming in 2018. >> we do. yesterday we told madeline our 6-year-old that she's going to be a big sister to a -- [ applause ] -- baby boy and my wife dealing with all things pregnant and it was a great christmas for us. i hope you had a merry christmas too. >> congratulations. >> i was going to say, why is everybody clapping for rob? erin is doing all the work. >> we are not pregnant. she is. >> she had a small part to play. >> i think it takes two to have a baby. >> biology lessons on "gma." let's talk about the "pop news." in the kitchen of one of

hollywood's power couples, blake lively getting into the holiday spirit over her hubby, ryan reynolds' cookie attempt. posting this photo and writing, ryan reynolds made some many christmas cookies. he's very handsome, though and the "deadpool" star returned i wanted to be the first person to bake christmas cookies using only a hammer. ryan posting this to instagram last night as well saying, his daughters asked him in santa did come down the chimney because he left the fireplace on. yeah. >> impervious to heat. haven't you seen "santa clause 1 and 2"? with tim allen. he comes down the chimney whether it's hot or not. >> his red suit is fire-in front of, yes. but their house must be quite a lot of fun. now -- ♪ i'll be home for christmas [ cheers and applause ] ♪ if you buy me this mansion >> the most expensive home ever is being built in los angeles priced at $500 million. the one as it's being called is

a 100,000 square-foot estate. i think you can fit, like, 7,500 of my apartments in it. it is crowning the hills of bel air designed by the architect of jay-z and beyonce. seven pool. >> seven pools? >> yeah, the nightclub's lounge with walls and ceilings made with jellyfish aquariums, almost three times the price of the most expensive house in america. $500 million. >> it's like a resort. >> yeah. >> just -- i don't know what you'll do with all of that. i have no idea. how many people will live there is my question? how many are going to live there? and finally, it's said to be emotional. i don't even want to try to hit that note, mariah, but her return to times square, for this iconic event new year's eve. you may remember her less stand stellar performance last year on dick clark's rockin' new year's eve when she struggled with "emotions" complaining she couldn't hear the music. >> we can't hear, but i'll just

get through the motions. >> mariah carey is back to headline and posting this image with the headline take two. catch dick clark's rockin' new year's eve right here. i'm excited for her. i got to tell you, i've been singing mariah carey all christmas. >> you know what, we all should be able to hit the reset button and move on. >> take two. >> she has a good sense of humor about it. >> oh, my goodness and all excited about making this a flawless event. >> it will be awfully cold. hope she dresses warmly. >> says meteorologist rob. >> just a little tip. i hope you guys don't have gifts you have to return, but if you do, now that the presents are unwrapped you know the gives gifts you fell in love with and those you can live without so becky worley is back with the easy ways to exchange what you don't need plus how to maximize your gift cards so, becky, welcome back for the third time. can't get enough of you this morning.

[ applause ] i mean, you're a big deal. would you say this is a watershed year for items bought online but can be returned in the brick and mortar store? >> so many items and news flash, paula, we hate returning things purchased online. it's like a horrible arts and crafts project that even worse culminates in a trip to the post office. retailers sense an opportunity and would love for you to come into their physical store and return things, so they're making returns a lot easier. let's start with walmart. their app now lets you do all the heavy lifting of a return on your phone before you even leave home. when you get to the store you pop into an expedited returns line and scan a code on your phone, you're done. magic. some amazon purchases canning be returned to whole foods and kohl's physical stores. you have to go to the amazon website or use the app to initiate a return and they'll tell you if it can returned in

store. a lot of other retailers want you to bring the invoice from your online purchases like macy's, h&m and target. you'll wait in line but you'll be able to return and then shop, bing, bing, bing. >> yeah, that is what they want you to do, bring you in and hopefully go shopping. so we know that gift cards were hugely popular but historically they go unused. so how can we maximize them. >> two big tips here, if you received a gift card from a credit card company, not one tied to a specific store, but one of those ones that has a credit card logo on it, use it immediately. groceries, gas, your next purchases, that's because after a certain amount of time the bank or credit card company who issued it, starts charging you a little monthly fee that eats away the entire balance of the card eventually. yeah. that's a real problem. one other gift card trick that works for any card, take a picture of it including the i.d. number and p.i.n. underneath

that silver strip so if you're out and about shopping without it, you can use that picture and try and use it for your purchase. a little trick. >> i love that. going back to the stores wanting to bring you in trying to incentivize you to get into the brick and mortar stores so how are sales stacking up today? >> they're okay. let's go through it quickly. macy's has an extra 20% off all sale items or 10 bucks off $25 or more. kohl's 15%. gap, 40%. shutterfly, 50% off everything. they're not revolutionary but okay. i mean, we bought a record amount of goods this holiday season, so they are not putting on fire sales to try to dump clearance. if you have mad money, go shopping. >> that is a bit of good news that retail sales were up, that's good for the economy. becky, come back a fourth time. see if we can fit you back in. we love you. dan, back to you. hey, paula, turning to an exclusive story from the american heart association, the

president of the aha suffering a massive cardiac arrest hours after giving a speech to a room full of heart specialists, but thanks to his teenage daughter's quick thinking, he's sharing an important message that could save lives. >> reporter: at the top of his game, dr. john warner, president of the american heart association, giving the keynote speech at a major medical conference in california. >> after my son was born and we were introducing him to his extended family i realized something very disturbing, there were no old men on either side of my family. none. >> reporter: less than 24 hours after giving this speech, dr. warner would suffer a heart attack. >> but i never would have thought i would have one at 52. >> reporter: warner seemingly, the picture of health. a track athlete in college, he exercises regularly, watches his diet and does not have the traditional risk factors associated with heart disease like smoking, high cholesterol or high blood pressure. >> i felt fine that morning and

many heart attack victims that have a sudden cardiac arrest get no warning symptoms. >> reporter: according to the american heart association about 350,000 americans suffer a cardiac arrest outside a hospital every year. only about 10% survive. immediate cpr can double or triple survival rates. >> we knew that we needed help immediately. >> reporter: warner's heart attack happened in his hotel room witnessed by his wife lisa and their two children. >> he wasn't breathing at this point. he was turning purple. >> reporter: lisa and her son jacob went to get help. daughter lauren stayed. >> i used my knowledge of cpr and i began to do some chest compressions on him. >> reporter: thankfully professional help wasn't too far behind warner's hotel was filled with heart doctors, attending the conference. dr. tia raymond and nurse jamie garza responded to the call for help. they performed cpr and used the

hotel's portal defo fib later to restart his heart, all contributed to saving his life but he says one thing was critical. >> cpr was absolutely what saved my life. if i had not received cpr, i wouldn't be here today. >> reporter: his son now all too aware genetics may play a role in heart disease, and he is taking preventive steps. >> in many ways i might be next. i think about heating healthier, exercising and also being ready for if this were to happen again. that's what i think about now. >> as well he should. our chief medical contributor dr. jen ashton is with us now. this is such a dramatic story. what leaps out to you? >> a couple of things. one, if it can happen to a cardiologist, 52 years of age, it can truly happen to anyone. second, this is the american heart association's message. systems worked. early cpr, early 911. excellent cardiac care. that saves lives. >> we know cpr saves lives. let's get an example. >> let me talk you through it. this is adult cpr.

it's called hands only. no rescue breaths necessary. want to activate 911. trace the rib cage up to the breastbone and put one hand firmly on the sternum. lock your hands. there should be a straight line from your shoulder to your hand and then you want to start rapid compressions to the tune of "stayin' alive" and depress the tern number about two inches. you may feel ribs break. continue cpr anyway. >> you're not kidding about "stayin' alive." >> fast and deep. >> defibrillators. >> they're everywhere. people should not be afraid to use them if they are present in someone with cardiac arrest you want to use them, expose bare skin. pull this off and tells you -- >> removing all -- >> exactly where to put these electrodes. one here, one there, it will analyze the -- >> the pictures on the white -- >> i'll shut that off and it will analyze the rhythm. one electrode goes here, and one goes there. if it tells to you deliver a shock you clear from the patient, hit the shock button and it tells you what to do

after that. >> so we can stand back up for just a second and ask you this, this information is truly life saving and we have a really dramatic example of that. this morning, you got an e-mail from somebody named kathy patherson wpathe patterson, who said, thank you for saving my life. >> right. >> who said, thank you for saving my life. >> last year christmas day, dan, you and i were on the air, we were talking about the symptoms of a cardiac event. this woman, 58 years old was watching our segment, recognized those were the exact symptoms she was having, called 911. is alive today because of it so i believe in this method. [ applause ] and there she is. and i was just e-mailing her today. she's doing great. many, many lives have been saved. this message, this education is life-saving. people need to know about it. >> thank you for doing what you do and being here this morning. merry post-christmas to you. a look at the forecast with rob. i talk about embracing the

weather, but your "gma" bhoemom takes that to a new extreme. these folks getting out of the hot tub into that chest deep snow to do a snow angel. oh, extra points for going face first and right back into the snow tub. hi, serenity. good morning. i'm meteorologist mike nicco from "abc7 mornings." it's going to be a brighter day today, but still going to be a spare-the-air with these mild highs. no wood burning aldy. areas of dense fog a little more widespread tonight, chilly lows one again. and there's a chance in the new year for rain. at least there's a new hope. upper 50s along the coast, mid to upper 50s around the bay, and low 60s inland. tonight, 30s inland and look how much more thank you, rob. you know that decadent christmas dinner is over and some of us are still paying for it.

time to gear up our minds and bodies for the new year so here with me is erin oprea who has trained celebrities like carrie underwood, kelsea ballerini and kellie pickler and she is helping us get fit in just five days, you say just five days we can get fit. >> this is all we got. new year's eve is right around the corner. let's get ready for our little black dress. >> first tip, we want to reset our clocks. what's your first tip? >> we'll cut back on sodium. it leaves you puffy, bloated so if we don't have it, cut it back. so things have so much hidden salt in it like soup, lunch meat, condiments. salad dressing. >> this looks like my lump for today. i guess i shouldn't have that. >> you want a nice flat belly, cut it back. >> looks like we have shots here. >> not the kind of shots that you're probably hoping for. you know what, we have one week so we are cutting back on alcohol so no alcohol and we'll take my special shot which is beet juice, beets, lemon, ginger, it helps you have energy

to work out, it oxidizes your blood so let's do it, three, two, one. [ applause ] >> okay, so what's the importance of drinking these to slim down? >> this will oxidize your blood so you have more energy to do your workout to help you slim down. i have the whole recipe posted on my website. >> i'm sure i'll be downloading that. we want to talk about this. you were carrie underwood's trainer. you look amazing. >> so sweet. >> and carrie underwood looks fantastic. >> we do this all the time. >> this is a four-minute workout, 20-second bursts of exercise followed by ten seconds of rest for eight rounds. it's just a fun game. you're playing against clock. you download the game, start the clock and you play. >> you'll kill me in the next four minutes. >> round one, we'll do jumping lunges so this is number one. >> i hate jumping lunges. >> yes. >> all right. so that's going to be -- >> that will be round one. >> that will be round one. 20 seconds. >> now we do glutes. >> no, round two, you got squat and jumps. squat and jumps oh, yeah.

>> how about that? >> there we go. >> all right. >> so you repeat that to eight rounds. >> eight rounds. >> let's go down for glutes. going on our hands and knees and use ankle weights. you don't have to. >> how did dan harris get out of this, by the way? >> he's missing the fun. >> take the leg out and come down and make a "v" then down to the other side so put an ask kel weight on to make it harder. >> okay. >> squeeze the booty tight. >> what's the other one? >> the last one is for our arms so we'll do round one, you guys ready, push-ups. >> i'm going to plank. can i just plank? >> yes. [ applause ] >> oh, yeah. all right. >> how many push-ups? >> 20 seconds. >> just 20 seconds. >> everyone can do that. >> we'll all look like carrie

underwood. >> that's all you got to do. >> all right, now last one, round two on the arm ones you'll go up here, bend your elbows and push them straight and work the backs of your arms. >> get ready for our strapless dresses. >> and done after four minutes. >> erin, you're a rock star. >> you joined in on my party. i will post tons of these workouts on my instagra instagram @erinoprea. >> make sure to see more on her website and coming up -- >> your "gma" moment brought to you by the frame from samsung, the most beautiful tv you've never seen. welcome back to "gma." talk about the guy -- >> your "gma moment" brought to you by the frame from samsung, the most beautiful tv you've never seen.

good morning. i'm jessica castro from "abc7 mornings." two big lottery jackpots are up for grabs today and tomorrow. over the holiday weekend there were no winners in the mega millions or powerball drawings. their jackpots are now worth more than $600 million combined. megamillions is at $277 million tonight, $337 million is on the line for tomorrow night's powerball. the odds of winning megamillions are 1 in 303 million for powerball, about 1 in 292 million. but i think we can still win. >> it go this one. i got it, all right? look at this. wow. hit the traffic jackpot this morning if you're out and about. highway 4 to san francisco, still 30 minutes for our east shore commute and a breeze across the span. eastbound we have a big rig blocking the off ramp. they are working on a tow truck there. leaving san francisco is also blocked.

can we get a lottery pool started? i think meteorologist mike nicco will be in on it.

hey. good morning. check out the fog. temperatures from about santa rosa towards ukiah near freezing so black ice still an issue for

welcome back to "gma." we've got a great audience with us here on this tuesday. >> we love y'all. you guys are awesome. >> you could have been sleeping in. you could still be in your onesies but you chose to -- >> i knew that joke wasn't going away. >> i knew we'd bring it right back. back to the 1kri79, the holidays are winding down and while they're filled with family and fun and onesies this time of year can be stressful so i want to ask you guys in a moment of honesty if you've ever meditated to deal with stress. please applause. [ applause ] all right. >> i'm impressed. >> now if you are skeptical about what it can do for you, i also want you to applause. [ applause ] we got some skeptics. what if we can meditate in 60 seconds? >> it's possible, yes. we are going to do that. we are going to do that. >> dan is the expert. you have a new book out. >> yes, there it is.

>> "meditation for fidgety skeptics." so, dan, can you turn all of these skeptics on to the meditation bandwagon. >> i'm going to do my best. if you're skeptical you're my people. i am not what you call a theriot typical meditator. i'm not into crystals or music by enya but this helped me and i wanted to write a book that would appeal to my fellow skeptic. >> drugs called statins. >> it started with a panic attack live right here on "gma." >> it's too early to prescribe statins. >> that on-air meltdown led me to something that i thought was ridiculous and impossible for somebody like me with the attention span of a 6-month-old golden retriever. meditation. science suggests meditation can rewire parts of your brain. it helped make me calmer and less yanked around by my

emotions and wrote a book called "10% happier worth question turned into the 10% happier podcast where i interview celebrity meditators and the 10% happier app where i've gathered some of the best teachers in the world to deliver short entertaining meditation lessons. >> meditation is actually a simple secular and largely scientifically validated exercise for your brain. working on the app it's become blazingly clear to me that many people who want to meditate struggle mightily to establish a regular habit. hence my new book, "meditation for fidgety skeptics." this is ridiculous. it's based on a road trip i took in this ridiculous orange bus along with one of my favorite meditation teachers jeff warren. >> you up for it? >> yes, absolutely. >> reporter: we traveled across america and met all sorts of wanna-be meditators. >> what are we doing? >> reporter: we hung out with cops and military cadets in

virginia and went on the air with elvis durran and chanted with the muse significance moby. some of the top misconceptions we tackle, i don't have time for this. a concern we heard from my wife, a busy mom and doctor. >> i'm just so busy doing things for everything else. i have a child or two. >> reporter: i can't clear my mind. a fear articulated by a social worker in las cruces, new mexico. >> as soon as i start to relax i think, oh, my goodness, i shouldn't be relaxing, i should be doing -- this is so bad. why am i so selfish. >> reporter: if i get too happy i'll lose my edge a worry voiced by josh groban. >> i felt like that -- the anxiety has been an edge for me that allowed me to chess game my life a little better, you know, and so the idea of laying back at all is actually -- it's a fear of mine that if i sit back too far, i'll miss out. >> you're a brother from another mother.

this is exactly my psychology for sure. [ applause ] >> yeah, and i can tell you as somebody who is still plenty ambitious, meditation actually improves your edge in my experience, it helps your focus, teaches you to control your emotions, that's why athletes, executives and all sorts of -- >> members of the military used it. you travelled around the country on your tour bus but spoke to countless people and it was a recurring theme. i don't have time. i don't have time to meditate. >> i think it's the number one obstacle. >> i have good news and then i have even better news, the good news is i think five to ten minutes a day is a great way to start and i've talked to a lot of scientists about this. i think five to ten minutes a day is probably enough to derive many of the advertised benefits. the even better news i also think one minute counts. one minute if you do that most days. [ applause ] >> well, that's encouraging because five to ten minutes i can do. i have tried it but it's so difficult. yesterday i tried it.

i just can't clear my mind, still have investigates of sugar plums dancing in my head. >> it's not clearing the mind. >> what do you say to people like that? >> right, so i think the number one misconception about meditation is that it involves clearing your mind. i think that's probably because meditation has been the victim of the worst marketing campaign for anything ever. take a look at the monitor. this is the imagery we mostly see, you're sitting by a waterfall. didgeridoo music playing, flute and floating off into the cost most. i think if you look at this next image this is a better way to think about the practice of meditation. it's hard. it is a skill and when you learn it at first it's going to take a little bit of time. the goal is not to clear your mind, that is impossible unless you're enlightened or dead. the goal is to focus your mind for a few nano seconds at a time usually on the feeling of your breath coming in and going out then when you get lost you tart again and again and again and that is a bicep curl for your brain, the starting over teaches

you how to focus and you see it. it she's up on the brain scans. >> i had an aha moment with you when we were trying to meditate because you are my spiritual guru and you said it's not really about changing your circumstances, it's changing how you respond to your sirs. >> absolutely. absolutely. >> so just help slow things down. you'll lead us. >> you guys ready for this? >> 60-second meditation. all right. let's -- there's the clock up on the screen. all right. three steps basically. we'll start the clock now, sit comfortably, back reapably straight, eyes closed. doesn't have to be super straight, straight enough not to have a nap and second step, bring your full attention to your breath. you're just feeling the raw data of the first sensations, you pick a spot where it's most prominent, your nose, chest or belly. the third step is the key, as soon as you do this most likely your mind will go on full on mutiny. thinking about lunch, why did i

say that dumb thing to my boss, why was "goodfellas" best picture, blah, blah, blar and the whole game is notice when you've become distracted and tart again and again and again. a lot of people think when they become distracted this is a failure but it is a victory and it is a hugely consequential shall victory. when you see how crazy you are, that crazy no longer owns you. so, five seconds left, just feeling the breath coming in and going out and, ladies and gentlemen, you have all joined the meditator club. [ applause ] >> wow! everyone feels 10% happier. >> yes. >> i think it's about being still. so many are moving at the speed of light and so many things on our plate. if you take a minute to slow down then clarity can come. in that is absolutely correct. absolutely -- as with everything you say that is absolutely correct. >> oh, dan. i already love you. you're such a great guy. [ applause ] i'm glad you let us in on that

moment of tillness, peace on earth and good will to all men, women and kid. >> best one minute of television? so happy for you, part two and make sure you buy this book. >> if you're in the audience, you get one for free. >> oh! >> everybody gets a copy of dan's book. you get a book and you get a book and you get a book. >> thank you. >> merry christmas. >> coming up the story behind mary j. blige's new moved getting real oscar buzz. we'll be right back. ♪ [ splash ] [ horn sounds ] dang! ok, i gotta run. hey, wait, there's something i need to tell you- dang. dang! dang! dang. dang. see zero in a whole new way. get zero down, zero deposit, zero first month's payment, and zero due at signing on select volkswagen models. now with the people first warranty.

hey, back knew with a powerful new movie starring mary j. blige getting oscar buzz. "mudbound" tells the story of two families struggling in the south after world war ii and dee rees sat down with us talking about how the message still resonates today. >> you use the back door. >> reporter: "mudbound" is a powerhouse drama that strikes a nerve. two young soldiers return home after fighting in world war ii to work on the farm in rural mississippi. >> you just come back. >> i will. >> you come all the way back. >> reporter: singer/songwriter mary j. blige delivers a powerful performance as florence, a mother whose quiet grit guides her family in the treacherous world of the

segregated south in this moving film directed by dee rees. i read somewhere that you said you don't normally love when you read something for the first time. >> yeah. >> i think this one was different, why? >> the original version was by a writer named virgil williams and just from page one there's the character, there's the action like the pacing of it. i think i called my agent on page 5, yeah, i'm going to do this one. >> you got to tell us about this beautiful journal. your grandmother's journal and how it is a part of the film. >> absolutely. yes. so approaching "mudbound" i really wanted to put my own personal history into it and my grandmother detailed her life and so she drew like floor plans of like the cabins and like inventories of what was in the cabins and so just felt like it really placed me and placed department heads in that time. let me get to some of the pictures. nye great great grandparents that were slaves. >> you can see the strength in their eyes. other characters, other actors,

were they able to bring some of their personal experiences to the film? >> absolutely. so jason mitchell plays ronzell and his graf served in the korean war. mary j. blige, i didn't realize until doing the film she had southern connections so all my cast were able to bring their personal experience to the story and kind of inject that kind of ancestry into it which i loved. >> they're all great actors but you're thinking, no, this is personal. >> yeah. >> and it comes through in the film in when you're able to bring authenticity and that kind of kernel of truth like i think actors can use that tofind that crack into a character and once they've found the crack it's like the director with a wedge and a hammer to sink deeper and deeper and mary j. blige disappears as florence. >> how was it for you, mary j. blige. >> i'm nervous and mary walks in. i realize, okay, she's nervous too. >> this is why we need to see

different people in the role that you're in because of your experiences, because of your talent that you bring to it that we might not see from someone who doesn't look like you. >> i think directors should take on material because they have a specific take or because they're uniquely suited to tell a story. >> it wasn't just you but a lot of women were involved. >> yeah. >> in this. >> exactly, yeah, i mean for this we have six women department heads because they just really, you know, are the best at what they do so it's not tokenism but if you see a woman on set you know she knows her stuff because she beat other 50 others to be will. >> what do you hope someone watching this will come away with. >> i hope they come away with this idea of inheritance and not our physical inheritance but interrogating the beliefs and ideas ha have come down to us and i want to keep telling stories that are meaningful to me and interesting, tangled up

relationships like life. [ applause ] >> mu"mudbound," check it out n. rob. >> dan, we have some brave souls the day after christmas. windchill 16 degrees. look at this from south carolina to new york city with the l.e.d. christmas lights. how was your first trip to new york. >> it's wonderful. >> you're shivering a little bit. >> it is very cold here. >> out here since 6:00 in the morning. thank you for stay withing us. warm spirit. tamarack skiing down there in idaho. ten inches of fresh snow and more snow coming in for the rockies and unfortunately, i'm sorry to say more cold air coming in. windchill advisories and warnings. bitter stuff in chicago and minneapolis and green bay, detroit and pittsburgh and columbus and then tomorrow it all slides off toward the east with minus 1 or the windchill in boston, mass, 12 degrees so only 4 degrees colder tomorrow. is that okay? oh, my gosh. i good morning. i'm meteorologist mike nicco.

any fog out there will fade around the 9:00 hour. then you can see my accuweather 12-hour day planner full of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 50s to near 60. my accuweather seven-day forecast, a chanc big southern contingent including sofia. what do you want to say. >> paula, back to you. >> there you go. >> sofia has a future at "good morning america." coming up, the true story behind the ultimate party crasher. what happened when he flew a little too close to the stars

>> announcer: the next boy band has everyone talking. and wednesday in real life takes over the morning live only on "gma." presented by carmax. back now with the "uninvited." you guys are invited about a man

who's known for crashing some of the world's biggest events including the grammys in it sounds like what some would call air dream. it gave him kudos with his friends but he was living a lie. a star-studded awards show. arriving in the presidential motorcade. behind the walls of russia's kremlin. some of the most exclusive and secure places in the world, but for craig schmell, they were a challenge in it was that escape. i didn't have to be me when i was backstage at live aid i was a rock star. when i was inside russia walking around selling my jeans i was a world traveler. when i was driving for president reagan in his motorcade i was a diplomat. and i didn't have to feel me. >> reporter: in his new book "the uninvited: how i crashed my

way into finding myself" he shares stories from his teen answer 20s when he frequently talked his way into places he didn't belong. >> the most exciting place i ever snuck into would be the grammy awards 1988. >> reporter: his party crashing abilities taking had him to countless events including that grammys stage. >> and there i was, standing at center stage before a packed house and a worldwide television audience. ♪ >> reporter: but schmell says his antics were a cry for help. >> i was spiraling out of control. all the drugs and alcohol in the world wouldn't have satisfied my thirst for self-approval. >> reporter: he got sober with the support of his family and a doctor in new york. >> i changed my life. i started to do esteemable acts, i started to be a man of honor and integrity. >> reporter: now 27 years later he's hoping his story inspires and helps others. >> what i wrote this book for is

people who are just lost who want to find some type of hope that you can change your life. >> and he said what snapped him back to reality was that he did not want to live his life as a liar anymore. he wanted to live a life of honor and integrity as you heard him talk about, he is a father with children and says what you do for others is what truly defines your character. "the uninvited: how i crashed myself into finding myself" is available and we will be right back.

come on, michael, get on in here. >> i got the cookies. >> let's do this. from our "gma" family here to your family. >> wishing you the happiest of holidays. >> now, who wants a cookie? [ applause ] >> all: happy holidays. >> and -- >> all: good morning, america. "good morning america" is brought to you by the new weight watchers freestyle program. join today and feel the freestyle effect. we do want to say thank you very much for watching on this tuesday after christmas. but before we go, we have some big news about a little addition to the abc family. "the view" co-host sara haines one of our closest friends and her husband max have a new baby girl. her name is sandra grace shifrin. sandra grace is named after sara's mom and joins big brother

alex. our hearts, love, thoughts go out. >> look at that perfect picture. >> we're told she just came out of hair and makeup. everyone is doing well. we send our love to all of them. >> what a sweet little girl. >> not taking any shine away from that but rob marciano welcoming a new baby soon. >> not yet. >> soon. >> we have to say earth again. >> june baby. june baby. >> it's in the water. who's next? >> have a great day, everybody. >> thanks to the audience.

good morning. i'm jessica castro from "abc7

mornings." let's get straight to our weather with mike nicco. hi, mike. >> hi, jessica. hi, every. a little bit of haze but nothing like the fog around santa rosa. it is starting to lift but still about a half a mile. in another hour or so it will be better. we're under a spare-the-air alert today. it could get unhealthy. temperatures range from 57 in half moon bay to about 62 in antioch. my accuweather seven-day forecast, warmer than average and dry through at least saturday. hi, sue. -- blocking the treasure island off ramp still out there, they said till about 9:00. minimal b.a.r.t. delay as well, ten minutes in balboa station. >> sue, thank you. time for "live with kelly & ryan." we'll be back at 11:00 for the abc7 midday news. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly & ryan." today, award-winning actress annette bening and film,

television, and broadway star josh lucas, plus a performance from recording artist seal-- all next on "live." [upbeat music] ♪ and now here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest. >> ryan: good morning. hi, guys. how are you? >> kelly: hi, hi. [cheers and applause] >> ryan: good morning. >> kelly: hi. >> ryan: hello, everybody. hi, kel. >> kelly: hi.