drum up business now that recreational pot is being legalized in california. and we do say good morning on a busy friday. we begin with breaking news in new york city. several children are among 12 people who have died in what the mayor is calling an unspeakable tragedy. >> firefighters battled frigid conditions trying to save lives as flames spread so fast some victims were reported by found in the bathtub. survivors were screaming to wake each other up. >> many ran with no shoes or jackets on, just the clothes on their backs. we have more from the scene. >> reporter: the five-alarm fire broke out before 7:00 p.m. thursday evening inside an apartment building in the bronx. >> fire in a multiple it will dwelling. >> reporter: they erupted on the first floor but quickly spread to the upper floors fueled by

gusting winds. the fire department arrived in minutes. eventually more than 160 firefighters were on the scene performing cpr on victims as they were pulled from the inferno. >> burned. even little kids. >> reporter: the fire was brought under control just under 9:00 p.m. but not before claiming at least a dozen lives. the youngest victim just 1 year old. the oldest over 50. three of the victims members of the same family. >> this is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century based on the information we have now. this will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years. >> reporter: bill de blasio praised the fire department. >> at least 12 were rescued and will survive. >> reporter: it struck even veterans. >> in a department that's certainly no stranger to

tragedy, we're shocked by this loss. >> reporter: investigators are on the scene but fire officials say it's too early to determine the cause of the fire. abc news, new york. it was quieted for defective smoke detectors. no word whether they were repaired. >> the frigid conditions that the firefighters had to battle impacting more than half of the country this morning. take a look at lake erie which is iced over as windchills drop below zero thanks to the arctic blast. many cities have seen record lows this week. an estimated 200 million are feeling the deep freeze. some areas of minnesota have seen temperatures drop to 40 degrees below zero. insane there. the dangerous condition raising concerns about new year's eve including in new york where this fountain is an ice sculpture. this will be the coldest in times square since 1962. bundle up, everybody. we'll take a closer look at

the forecast in just a few minutes. in the meantime, president trump weighed in on twitter putting a political twist on the weather saying in the east it could be the coldest new year's eve on record. perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming that our country, but not other countries are going to pay trillions of dollars to protect against. >> a new take on the russia investigation and the president thinks he'll be treated fairly. he sat down at his florida gulf club for a 30-minute interview with "the new york times" paper. he has repeatedly mocked them. arlette saenz joins us with highlights from the wide-ranging interview. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, eva and kendis. president trump had just finished lunch with his golf partners when he sat for an impromptu interview with "the new york times." no aides were in the room as he spokane diddley about roy moore, north korea and the russia investigation. after repeatedly saying this --

>> it's been a witch-hunt -- >> reporter: he predicts robert mueller will treat him fairly. he says he's not bothered by the investigation into collusion between russia and the trump campaign and insists there's been no collusion and says mueller is going to be fair but the president warns the russia probe makes the country look very bad. mr. trump is also weighing in on his endorsement of alabama republican roy moore. >> so get out and vote for roy moore. >> reporter: the president claims he always felt moore would lose the election but says he backed him out of obligation as the head of the republican party. as he takes a victory lap over the republican tax plan -- >> the country is really a big, big beautiful ship we're turning around. >> reporter: he is taking a swipe at democrats saying we started taxes. we hear bs from the democrats. the president is accusing china of secretly shipping oil to

north korea tweeting china was caught red-handed. he tells "the times" he's been soft on china hoping they'd help with north korea but he could take a tougher stance on trade saying about they don't help us with north korea then i do what i've always said i want to do. the president is expected to ring in the new year at mar-a-lago. no word on the guest list yet. kendis and eva. >> thanks, arlette. despite a last-minute legal chance doug jones has been certified as the winner of the senate race. roy moore filed a lawsuit climbiclim claiming voter fraud but it was denied. jones will be sworn in next week os the first democratic senator from alabama in a quarter century. senator al franken athanking supporters as he prepares to step down next week following allegations of sexual harassment.

an emotional franken told a crowd in minneapolis even though he's leaving office he is not giving up his voice. he said serving in the senate has been the honor of his life. >> when i think about the last decade or so of my life through the lens of the people i've met, the people i've had the privilege to work alongside of, the people whose lives i've had the honor fighting to improve, i feel hopeful for the future of our country. >> franken choked up as he thanked his wife for her loyalty. >> dozens of homes near los angeles have been safe from a new brush fire. it broke out near a riverbed and burned about 13 acres before being brought under control. more than a million acres have burned in california this year. fighting those fires has cost the state nearly $700 million. >> all right, time for a look at your weather forecast on this last friday of 2017.

>> good morning, we're tracking snow as we go throughout the day. could have an inch or two of accumulation around the windy city of chicago. there could be slippery travel and the major cold that continues active in the northwest as well, soaking rains from seattle to portland. icy mixtures and over a foot of snow over the mountainous terrain as we get towards new year's eve. big-time cold covering much of the u.s. i'm justin povick with your accuweather forecast. coming up right here, a cyberattack that targeted police in washington, d.c. before president trump's inauguration. what the hackers were able to reach. the fleeing suspect who took a long drive off a short pier. what he did next while trying to escape. and refusing to miss their ride, the

we're back now with an example of how not to get away from police. a suspect drove his truck down this pier in oregon ending up in the columbia river. he was wanted for trespassing and his getaway attempt didn't end there. he tried to swim away but then he thought better of it and swam back to the police officers. crews later pulled his pickup truck out of the water. he was treated as you'd expect for hypothermia and arrested. a terrifying scene in seattle as a shuttle van jumped the curb in a busy downtown area crashing too a store. one critically injured. the van driver suffered a medical emergency before losing control. near cincinnati a construction worker has died after being buried alive when a

trench collapsed. he was working on a water line and became trapped under 25 feet of dirt. it took crews 11 hours just to recover his body. two romanian nationals charged with hacking the washington, d.c. police department's computers and surveillance cameras just days before president trump's inauguration. the hackers allegedly took control of about two-thirds of the department's outdoor security cameras. investigators say they were able to resecure the cameras and police operations were not interrupted during the inauguration. the men are charged with wire and computer fraud. they were arrested in romania last week. transit officials in new york city say what you're about to see was not just dangerous and illegal but it was also pretty stupid. two people held onto the back of a bus as it drove along a main street. they were apparently determined not to miss their ride. they held on for a few minutes hopping off at the last stop.

>> a little scary. we remember an actress who played a groundbreaking role on tv. also apple's big apology for slowing down older iphones and the new discount they're offering. and some shocking allegations about what goes on behind the scenes of the "dr. phil show." ♪ i tried hard to quit smoking. ♪ but when we brought our daughter home that was it. ♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. therbottle of tropicana pure oranges squepremium.o each and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives.

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batteries. >> after facing customer backlash and multiple lawsuits, the tech giant is offering a big discount and some other changes to make amends. here's marci gonzalez. >> reporter: apple responding to complaints and backlash after acknowledging it intentionally slows down older model iphones the world's most valuable company now says we know that some of you feel apple has let you down. we apologize. the tech giant calling it all a miscommunication saying about a year ago it quietly installed software to intentionally slow functionality during peak workloads to avoid unexpected shutdowns insisting the intention was never to force consumers to upgrade their phones. >> the batteries used to last about a day and a half and now less than half a day. >> made it slower. made the battery wear out faster. >> reporter: now multiple class action lawsuits have been filed here in the u.s. while agencies in south korea, france and israel are also examining claims

against apple. one suit alleges customers were never given the option to bargain or choose whether they preferred to have their iphone slower than normal offering replacement batteries for free to customers under warranty or with apple care and at a reduced price for everyone else. there will be a software update allowing users to check the health of their iphone's battery. marci gonzalez, abc news, los angeles. >> well, "the dr. phil show" is denying allegations it puts guests on the show at risk and even supplies some of them with drugs and alcohol to get better ratings. a former winner of "survivor" says when he appeared on dr. phil to talk about his alcoholism, a bottle of vodka was in his dressing room. in a report by "the boston globe" and stat, todd herzog also claims someone from the show gave him xanax. in the 2013 appearance he was so drunk he had to be helped onto

the set. producers told guests where they could buy heroin, they say. so far no comment from dr. phil himself. target has apologized for silling a game that makes fun of torturing jewish people. an expansion pack to cards against humanity is filled with jokes about the holocaust including lewd comments about anne frank. players have to fill in the blanks with prewritten responses designed to be shocking and offensive. target has now pulled the game saying it never actually intended to offend its customers. unusual crash on a highway in texas, 40,000 pounds of avocados spilled across interstate 35 after the big rig hauling them crashed and caught fire. it took three hours to clean up the mess. time now for sports. yep, here now espn. good morning, america. i'm scott van pelt. in the nba on thursday night biggest comeback of the season. boston played more games than

anybody else and trailed at one point by 26 but after that jason tatum came within one and james harden called for an offensive foul. that gives the celtics the possession, al horford powers through the contact there and makes the bucket and then again called for an offensive foul. smart, sells it. maybe a bit of a flop. whatever it is, he got the call and it's the biggest comeback of the year and celtics erase a 26-point deficit. tcu down to stanford at one point but here kenny hill up top, jalen regehr speed for days and he takes it to the paint. tcu down two, went for two, didn't get it. now trailing by one. cole bunts right down the middle and tcu wins the valero alamo

bowl by two. enjoy your friday. see you at midnight. >> our thanks to scott. you never know what's going to happen on live tv especially when dinosaurs show up. we'll show you next. also ahead the marijuana munchies. one fast food's idea to cash in on california's new pot law. before you and your rheumatologist move to another treatment, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. it can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start

and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. xeljanz xr can reduce the symptoms of ra, even without methotrexate. ask your rheumatologist about xeljanz xr. looking to lose weight this year? try fda-approved alli®. for every 5 lbs you lose, alli® can help you lose two to three more by preventing about 25% of the fat you eat from being absorbed. for the only fda-approved otc weight loss aid, try alli®. you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days.

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course. speaking of space we're seeing rare images of a monitor asteroid in space caught on camera thanks to an observatory in puerto rico. it whizzed by earth december 16th. >> the second largest asteroid to pass near earth and was larger than scientists thought with a diameter of 3.6 miles. it will pass by earth again in 2093. >> all right. next, jack in the box. looking to drum up some business now that recreational marijuana is being legalized in california. pot's new legal status takes effect monday. >> jack in the box announced it's adding a weed-themed merry munchie meal to its menu that includes several yummy items for some that may have indulged including taco, chicken strip, fries and onion ring. >> it will be tested in mid-january at three locations in long beach, california. the price, $4.20, of course.

the next time you hear someone say dinosaurs are extinct tell them to watch this. >> in the background of this report, those are three t-rexs frolicking and then fighting behind the anchor. >> need no idea. the inflatable dinosaur behind her, her only response was at least it wasn't gators. touche. ♪ this is how i freestyle! i've lost 82 lbs., and i can eat wherever i want. i'm freestyling with dessert, and i'm down 46 lbs. the new weight watchers freestyle program has over 200 foods that are zero points®. now you can count less and enjoy more. i freestyle any way i like. join for free and lose 10 lbs. on us! hurry, offer ends january 8th! when a achoo!alls... ...answer it. with zicam cold remedy. it shortens colds, so you get better, faster. colds are gonna call. answer them with zicam!

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it's fridayiday, december 29th. reggie, mike, and alexis are off today. it's the last friday of the year. >> good morning, guys. it's really going to be a nice day today. friday looking fine. we have fog. one to two-mile visibility. reduced visibility. your 12-hour day planner with pockets of fog. that sun gets up and the fog will dissipate and by the afternoon you see 4:00 it's a mainly sunny sky. temperatures respond nicely. in the 60s from the coast and inland. a few degrees above average this time of year. sun going down 4:59 tonight. a really nice evening. temperatures falling into the 50s. that's weather. a check of the roads with sue. pretty light out there as we would expect. reports of an accident, a car facing the wrong way in the left-hand lane. it doesn't seem to be affecting

your drive at all as traffic is considerably light heading into san francisco. our traffic maps, our commuters out of the central valley, green is great. we do have a couple incidents, minor. we'll update them in a couple of minutes. thank you, sue. breaking news, a heavy police presence in the south bay. >> reporter matt keller is live near sunset avenue and east san antonio streets in san jose. matt, what do we know? >> reporter: good morning, jessica and natasha. this is a major scene. this emergency call came in just before midnight. they're taped off. this is close to our lady of guadeloupe church. they're not allowing anyone in or out. the crime scene unit is here to the san jose police homicide unit, here to help documenting the crime scene. we're waiting for a lieutenant to talk with us about what exactly happened. a very major scene here.

something major has happened, possibly a major crime. matt keller, abc 7 news. matt, thank you. we'll check in with you shortly. meanwhile here at the live desk this morning, investigators in new york searching for a cause to an apartment fire that killed at least 12 people including a baby. look at this. flames pushed by gusting winds engulf a five-story 100-year-old building in the bronx shortly before 7:00 last night. residents ran screaming from the fire into 13-degree temperatures. three young girls escaped after climbing down a fire escape with no shoes or coats. >> based on the information we have now this will rank as one of the worst losses of life in a fire in many years. >> four people were critically injured in this fire. city records appear to indicate that as of thursday it had six open violations including one for a defective smoke detector

on the first floor. which happens to be the floor where the fire began according to authorities. an ongoing investigation this morning. jessica, thank you. a quick update on weather and traffic starting with drew tuma. good morning. we have some patchy fog on this friday morning and temperatures are chilly in spots. we're at 36 in livermore. half moon bay down to 39. you can see we're anywhere from the low to upper 40s this hour. your 12-hour day planner, after that patchy fog, tons of sunshine. it will be mild. temperatures topping out in the 60s across the board from the coast today and inland. a