hd-4. making news in america this morning, extreme flooding. the worst in 40 years in some areas. >> unquestionably the worst i've seen it down here. >> the east coast blizzard gives way to the historic deep freeze. this morning, the woman rescued from her roof in this front loader. the big city subway station flooded. the deadly danger of carbon monoxide taking a young girl's life and now the life-threatening record cold stretching all the way to florida. how long will it last? sloppy steve. president trump fires back overnight as his feud with steve bannon escalates. the bombshell book out this morning, earlier than expected, and for the first time, sean spicer chimes in. what he thinks of bannon's explosive claims about the trump family. war on marijuana? the confusion this morning after

attorney general jeff sessions' policy reversal and what lawmakers in california and colorado are now promising. plus, "jeopardy" host alex trebek on hiatus. the latest on his brain surgery. and facial yoga. the exercise technique promising to fight wrinkles to make you look years younger. and good morning. i'm lynda lopez in for diane macedo. >> and i'm kendis gibson. as if the heavy snow and hurricane-force winds weren't bad enough, the monster storm that slammed the east coast has also caused record flooding. >> a historic high tide swamped the massachusetts coast overwhelming towns with rushing water, stranding residents and prompting dozens of rescues. and as soon as the floodwaters hit the streets, they froze turning parked cars into popsicles frozen in place. overnight high water blasting

through a seawall south of boston. many calling it the most ferocious storm surge in decades. >> i was shocked at how quickly the water rose. >> reporter: rescuers pulling more than a dozen people to safety after waters surrounded their homes. >> i am fine. the house completely flooded out. the propane tank flipped over. there was a small fire inside the house. >> reporter: one woman saved from the second story of her house by a front end loader. in boston, the high tide flooding streets. a fire truck driving through deep water. a local subway station flooding. water pouring down the stairs. and a dumpster floating down boston's historic fort point neighborhood. >> this is the biggest one since i was a kid in 1978. >> reporter: in new york city, a coast guard cutter was needed to break up the ice in the hudson river. further north, the storm was

blamed for at least six deaths, most from slick roads. investigators are also looking at weather as the potential factor in the apparent carbon monoxide poisoning death of a 13-year-old girl at a new jersey apartment building. dozens of others also being treated. the storm and bitter cold causing major disruptions at airports. >> we had a flight back to new york, and now it's canceled, so we're stuck here another day. >> reporter: new york's jfk re-opened this morning after suspending more than 3,000 flights. and this rare sight in orlando, a plane getting de-iced. in south florida the cold crippling native green iguanas literally. their limbs stiffening up from the chill causing them to fall from trees. and in maryland these surfers making the best of it all hanging ten in the middle of a blizzard. and now the big concern is the extreme cold. windchills are expected to be 20 below zero from chicago to boston, and it will feel like the teens in florida. we'll have the full forecast in just a few minutes. we move on now to a scandalous new headline in the russia investigation concerning president trump and attorney general jeff sessions. "the new york times" reports

that president trump ordered the top lawyer at the white house to keep sessions from recusing himself from the investigation. sources say white house counsel donald mcgann tried but failed to convince sessions to remain in charge of the probe. and as special counsel robert mueller looks into possible obstruction of justice, "the times" reports that one of sessions' aides asked a congressional staffer for dirt on fbi director at the time james comey four days before he was fired. a claim the justice department is disputing. in the meantime, the feud between trump and former adviser steve bannon took a new turn overnight with the president mocking bannon calling him sloppy steve. the bombshell book behind their public rift goes on sale today. abc's stephanie ramos has the new details. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: kendis and lynda, good morning. president trump's relationship with former white house chief strategist steve bannon has blown up, mainly over a book bannon is quoted in and, as you said, is said to be released today. president trump is threatening

legal action against his old friend, former white house chief strategist steve bannon. >> it's not like there were regularly scheduled calls or -- and certainly no meetings between the two of them. >> reporter: the white house furious after excerpts of that new white house book, "fire and fury," were released. the book by author michael wolff quotes bannon criticizing the president and his family. in it he calls donald trump jr. and jared kushner treasonous and unpatriotic for meeting in trump tower with a russian lawyer they thought had dirt on hillary clinton. the president and his lawyers tried to stop the book release by threatening legal action against bannon, but instead the publisher is speeding up the release to today. president trump tweeting overnight, i never spoke to him for book. full of lies, misrepresentations and sources that don't exist. look at this guy's past and watch what happens to him and sloppy steve. bannon hasn't denied making those comments about the president and his family. former white house press

secretary sean spicer on headline news last night says that's a problem. >> the first thing that you do when you're attacked with a falsehood is not only deny it but go out and really make the case for it. i haven't heard any of that. >> reporter: but on sirius xm's breitbart news radio yesterday bannon did have this to say about the president. >> nothing will ever come between us and president trump and his agenda. don't worry about that. >> reporter: but that may be too little too late. >> he called me a great man last night, so, you know, he obviously changed his tune pretty quick. >> reporter: steve bannon's future at breitbart news, the right wing media outlet, is in question. the board is considering whether to force out bannon as chairman. but no decision has been made just yet. back over to you guys. >> i know the folks over at drudge were celebrating that possibility. all right, stephanie ramos, thank you. a major development in the nuclear standoff with north korea. north and south korean diplomats have announced they will meet next tuesday for their first formal talks in more than two years. the discussions will be held at the border village that separates the two archenemies.

their strained relations and the north's participation in the olympics are expected to be on the agenda. the trump administration says it is withholding aid to pakistan. the amount could actually top $900 million in security funds. the move comes as the white house criticizes pakistan for being too soft on terrorism. but it could force pakistan to turn to china for support. turning now to the economy, more bad news from sears. it's closing another 100 sears and kmart stores. most will close by april. also this morning, macy's says it will be cutting 5,000 jobs. this comes despite encouraging news about the broader economy. overall the private sector added 250,000 jobs last month. the government releases its monthly jobs report today. and that jobs report could help determine whether the winning streak continues on wall street. the dow opens this morning above 25,000 for the very first time. global economic growth and strong corporate earnings have analysts predicting more gains.

we turn now for a look at your weather forecast for this friday. good morning. our storm, our blizzard now working its way throughout portions of new brunswick and still talking about some fierce winds, some wraparound snow and we're not talking about anything overly heavy from this point forward. in fact, blizzard warnings expiring here throughout eastern maine as we talk about that 7:00 hour. but we are talking about again some fierce winds out there, and these strong winds will blow and drift the snow around with icy spots on the area roadways. i'm justin povick with your accuweather forecast. >> and coming up, the big change coming to your doughnut at dunkin' donuts. also ahead, the health scare for alex trebek putting "jeopardy" on hiatus. and the stolen bottle of vodka worth more than a million dollars. video of the heist and why that

if you're a "game of thrones" fan, get ready to wait even longer. hbo says the show won't be returning for its eighth and final season until 2019 even though shooting began in october. and the season will include only six episodes. a new plan by the trump administration to vastly expand offshore drilling is setting up a legal battle with environmental groups and states. the plan includes the largest sale of leases for offshore oil and gas drilling ever proposed which could open nearly all coastal waters to drilling. the administration says the proposal would be a job creator and would provide billions for conservation efforts. the lottery-like ending to a wild political race in virginia may not really be the end.

republican david yancey won the house seat when his name was pulled from a ceramic bowl. that's how the state broke his tie with democrat shelly simonds but simonds won't concede. she hasn't said yet whether she'll demand another recount. and the woman who accused alabama senate candidate roy moore of sexually abusing her when she was 14 is now suing him for defamation. leigh corfman claims the defamation was the result of negative attacks by moore and his supporters. she's demanding an apology and reimbursement of legal costs. one of the most famous museums in america is changing its pay position. for decades it's been technically free to visit new york's metropolitan museum of art with the admission price only a suggested donation but starting in march adults who live outside of new york state will have to pay $25. the museum blames rising costs. and dunkin' donuts says it has stopped using artificial dyes on its colorful sweet treats. it claims doughnut fans won't

even notice the difference, and by the end of the year it plans to eliminate artificial dyes from all of its products. police in europe are on the hunt for a bottle of vodka worth about $1.3 million. that's because the bottle is made of real gold and silver and topped with a diamond encrusted cap. the thieves were caught on camera grabbing the bottle from a bar in copenhagen and taking off with it. the really bad news, a russian businessman loaned the bottle to the bar. it wasn't even insured. >> well, just look for some folks in copenhagen with a mad hangover and you've found them. >> and some new bling. >> exactly. all right, when we come back, the big sports headline overnight about turmoil within the new england patriots. but first the marijuana policy reversal from the attorney general. what it means for states where pot is legal. and dangling high above the ground, the dramatic rescue of a skier left hanging. dramatic rescue of a skier left hanging. i grew up wh i use this every day i feel clean, there is no film like there's nothing left on my skin but are their soaps

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real haters gonna say it's fake so real ♪ justin timberlake's latest release dropped at midnight. it's titled "filthy." it features j.t. appearing to channel steve jobs wearing glasses and the turtleneck throwing up his arms as he sings to an applauding crowd. >> we'll see if it grows on us. speaking of growing, we turn to the growing questions after attorney general jeff sessions' decision to reverse a policy that protected the marijuana industry in states where the drug is legal. now, the move clears the way for federal authorities to crack down on the pot trade, but even some republicans say the change is confusing and disruptive. the euphoria in those lines just days ago as california became the latest state to allow the sale of recreational marijuana tempered with confusion and defiance. attorney general jeff sessions rescinding an obama era memo that laid out priorities for a federal marijuana enforcement writing in a memo, the move

reflects congress' determination that marijuana is a dangerous drug and that marijuana activity is a serious crime. the action was swift and severe in the eight states where recreational marijuana has been legalized. republican senator cory gardner on the senate floor. >> i will be putting today a hold on every single nomination from the department of justice. >> reporter: in washington state. >> we will not be bullied by the trump administration or by the department of justice. >> reporter: top prosecutors in washington tell abc news they can't promise more prosecutions following this memo and the u.s. attorney in colorado effectively saying nothing is going to change. and that said marijuana-related companies are taking a hit since the announcement. stock in some companies dropped more than 30%. major new progress in the fight against cancer. new figures show cancer deaths have dropped by 26% since the early 1990s. the biggest decline was in prostate and colon cancer. a huge drop in the number of men who smoke helped reduce lung

cancer deaths by 45%. and early detection helped lower breast cancer deaths in women by 39%, but it's not all good news. overall death rates remain significantly higher among blacks than among whites. new lawsuits are placing blame for california's largest ever wildfire. the thomas fire burned more than 440 square miles in southern california, destroyed hundreds of homes. the lawsuits claim the local power company started the fire through construction activities or faulty equipment. one suit also blames a water company for a lack of pressure that hurt firefighting efforts. and also in california this frightening scene here. a teenage girl got stuck on a ski lift before dropping 20 feet into that net held by rescuers. she had been left hanging for several minutes. she was not injured. serena williams will not be defending her title at the australian open. the 36-year-old gave birth to her daughter in september. she says she's super close to being ready to play championship

tennis again but needs a little more time. williams won last year's australian open before telling anyone that she was pregnant. okay, to a big game in the nba. both the warriors and rockets lead their respective divisions. it was close most of the game but steph curry and the defending champions, the warriors, pulled away down the stretch. golden state winning it by ten points. not bad there. well, there was no snow day for the new england patriots, coach belichick told them. the storm was no excuse for showing up late. they were practicing for the playoffs amid reports of a growing power struggle between the coach tom brady and team owner robert kraft. espn reports tensions are so high, this could be the last year that the three are together. >> yeah, it could be the end of an era for them up in new england. well, up next in "the pulse," why this will be an extra busy weekend on dating apps. also ahead, on hiatus, the serious health scare that has sidelined alex trebek. plus, the simple way to make yourself look three years younger. e yourself look three years

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♪ "the pulse" has new theme music there. we're going to start, of course, though with alex trebec. >> the 77-year-old "jeopardy" host offering a shocking health update. trebek revealing he had brain surgery three weeks ago to remove blood clots on his brain. he says the clots were a complication after he fell in october and hit his head. he explained in a video. >> surgery was performed. after two days in the hospital, i came home to start recovery. the prognosis is excellent, and i expect to be back in the studio taping more "jeopardy" programs very, very soon. and i want to thank all of you for your concern. >> "jeopardy's" broadcast schedule won't be seriously affected. shows are taped months in advance. okay, so the new year

usually means making resolutions and for more than 100 million single americans, that means finding love. >> and it turns out that your best shot to score a date comes the first sunday after new year's. did you know that, kendis? >> i didn't know this. >> according to the experts, usage of online dating sites is expected to hit record highs this sunday. >> okay, so if you hope to be successful, they say you need a solid profile with photos that show you smiling with no kids and no pets. >> sounds harsh. well, alexa will soon offer you some extra help around the kitchen, and that's because she's acquired new cooking skills. >> yeah, if you own an amazon echo, you'll be able to control your microwave with your voice, your microwave. for example, you might say, alexa, microwave for 50 seconds on high. >> you must have a smart microwave, of course, that's integrated with the new alexa support. amazon plans to add conventional ovens and other appliances later. okay, so new research has revealed a way to make your face look younger.

>> you can try facial yoga. it's a thing. doctors taught women exercises with names like the cheek lifter and the happy cheek sculpting. >> they found the ladies looked three years younger after just 20 weeks of facial exercises. researchers say the exercises build up muscles that droop as we get older. >> three years? >> and 20 exercises. can't i just see one doctor and 20 minutes later be good? >> this is the all natural way apparently. takes a little longer. >> you can talk. takes a little longer. >> you can talk. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away

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4:27 in the morning. waking up to another round of rain. you can see the wet pavement on the return bridge right now. if it's not falling where you are yet, just wait. driving anywhere like here is going to be slow going today. >> you have been warned. good morning on this friday, january 5th, the first friday of the year. couldn't come soon enough. right? >> who's with us? for sure. >> thanks for joining us. 4:27 a.m. how does it look, mike? >> it's wet and getting wetter. a look at the north bay where our showers are more numerous from mill valley up to santa rosa. 101, 37 getting the bulk of the showers. more developing offshore and they're sliding from southwest to northeast, even through the santa cruz mountains right now. the fog has been an issue but it's going to be dissipating as

we head through the morning as the rain picks up, the fog will dissipate. a look at our temperatures and they are running in the 50s, even low 60s. this is where our highs should be this time of year. how is the commute, sue? so far so good. it is wet. rain in the north bay and roads are slick. no major incidents now. you can see traffic is light on the east shore freeway. light on the causeway here with just a few taillights, brake lights, heading up to the high rise. you're looking at about a 15-minute ride from 880 to 101. pretty good. sue, thank you. we're tracking developing news. >> san jose police expected to give more details about the arrest of the sexual assault of a school employee. here is the suspect walking around harker school. this was the day of the attack.

police say the suspect snuck onto the campus and assaulted a school employee about an hour before kids were scheduled to show up for class. "the mercury news" reports the victim was a teacher who arrived early to prepare her classroom for the first day of school after the winter break. officers tracked down the suspect last night. the head of harker middle school issued this statement about the arrest. this was a senseless, heartbreaking crime, and our entire community is grieving. we are relieved this criminal has been arrested and hopeful justice will be served. happening today in san francisco a judge will rule whether to grant the suspect in the kate steinle case a new trial on his conviction of possessing a firearm. last month jurors found him guilty of being in possession of a firearm. if the judge upholds the gun conviction today garcia zarate will be sentenced. let's get you a quick update on weather and traffic starting with meteorologist mike nicco. hi, mike. have the umbrellas handy

today and some patience as waves of showers will roll through our neighborhoods. here's a look at my accuweather 12-hour planner and showers are increasing through the morning commute. they'll continue to do that through noon. the showers will taper as we head to 7:00 to 9:00. as we head into the afternoon hours. another mild day outside. umbrella needed. it was slick this morning, sue, though it wasn't raining. >> they were slick. a live look at san rafael. everybody's moving at the limit but it is wet and especially up and over the waldo. yesterday three or four incidents in the morning mostly due to high speeds before and after the robin williams tunnel. heads up there. roads are slick.