america this morning. making news in america this morning -- president trump defending himself against accusations that he's racist. >> i am the least racist person you have ever interviewed. >> the president's new response overnight after lawmakers say he used vulgar comments to describe haiti and african countries. false alarm fallout. new details about the missile scare in hawaii. how did the emergency alert get sent out? and why it took more than 40 minutes for a correction. man overboard. a boat crew scrambling after a sailor gets launched into the sea during a race. the dramatic rescue caught on camera. and creative escape. the butcher who credits a frozen sausage with saving his life. miracle in minnesota. >> caught!

diggs! sideline! touchdown! unbelievable! >> the stunning final play sending the vikings closer to the super bowl. what the saints player is saying this morning about the missed tackle. so close to that tackle. >> so close. the who dat nation is hurting this morning. >> but congratulations to the vikings. >> absolutely. a good monday morning. we start off with president trump on the defensive. declaring overnight i am not a racist. >> the president is under fire over those vulgar, racially charged comments attributed to him during a white house meeting on immigration. as two republican senators back up the president, a deal on the d.r.e.a.m.ers and government funding remains up in the air. abc's elizabeth hur joining us here in studio. good morning, elizabeth. >> reporter: kendis and diane, good morning to you. you have heard there are two sides to every story.

and now, the this story certainly fits that bill, as far as what was really said behind the closed door meeting now depends on who you ask. facing growing backlash, president trump finally addressing the growing firestorm. >> no, no, i'm not a racist. i'm the least racist person you have ever interviewed. >> reporter: speaking from his florida beach club, the president denying he made vulgar and offensive comments about haiti and africa in the oval office. >> did you see what various senators in the room said about my comments? they weren't made. >> reporter: president trump referring to republican senators in the room for the meeting on immigration. both backtracking on their initial statements. now saying president trump is telling the truth. >> i'm telling you, he did not use that word, george. i'm telling you it's a gross misrepresentation. >> i didn't hear it. and i was sitting no farther away from donald trump than dick durbin was. >> reporter: senator dick durbin was the only democrat in the room at the time and telling a different story. >> he said these hate-filled things. and he said them repeatedly.

he said put me down for wanting more europeans to come to this country. why don't we get more people from norway? that was exactly what the president said. >> reporter: and now the lawmaker who marched with martin luther king is also weighing in. the georgia democrat making it clear who he believes. >> do you think president trump is a racist? >> i think he is a racist. >> reporter: president trump is scheduled to return to washington later today. with another busy week ahead. first, avoid a possible government shutdown on friday. and tackle the ongoing fight over daca and immigration reform. kendis and diane? >> a busy four days ahead. for them there in washington. elizabeth hur with us this morning. thank you. next, this morning, changes are in place for how hawaii sends emergency alerts. >> that follows this weekend's mistaken missile alert, which sent people scrambling. there are plenty of questions this morning about why it took so long for the mistake to be corrected. and now, president trump weighing in. president trump responding to

the false incoming missile alert that sent hawaii into a panic. >> we're going to get involved. they took responsibility. they made the mistake. >> reporter: hawaii's governor saying it all happened because a wrong button was pressed. the employee who triggered that alarm in that state is now off the job. officials temporarily suspending future drills and changing the rules. two people are now required to send out a system-wide alert. >> the u.s. pacific command has detected a missile threat to hawaii. >> reporter: the horrifying alarm sweeping over the state over the weekend. >> a missile may impact on land or sea within minutes. >> reporter: residents heading for bunkers. tourists marching into basements fearing the worst. >> because of what's been going on in thort korea and things, i tended to take it seriously at first. >> reporter: the real fear stoked by north korean leader kim jong-un's ballistic missile program. and nuclear test explosions. >> kim jong-un was the happiest guy in the world yesterday because his nuclear program has done what he wanted it to do.

that is be able to strike fear in the hearts of the american people. >> reporter: the threat of an attack lasting some 38 minutes on saturday. >> the fact that it took so long for them to put out that second message to calm people, to allay their fears that this was a mistake, a false alarm, is something that has to be fixed. >> reporter: the fcc which helps manage the emergency alert system, is launching its own investigation, saying the government of hawaii did not have reasonable safeguards to prevent the transmission of a false alert. it's not the first time hawaii's warning system has had a problem. during a recent test, some warning sirens were barely audible. since then, more sirens have been added. others have been repositioned. officials from north and south korea sat down for talks overnight for the second time in a week. they discussed if north korean art troop that will will be part of a delegation heading across the border to the winter olympics next month. the meeting went on, despite a veiled threat by the north to pull out of the game because the south korean president gave president trump credit for getting the two countries to hold talks. another meeting is set for

wednesday. and breaking overnight, more than two dozen people are hurt after the floor of the jakarta stock exchange suddenly collapsed. debris was scattered throughout the building's lobby. indonesian police say hundreds of visiting students were among those who had to be evacuated. investigators say the collapse does not appear to have been caused by an act of terror. there is bitter cold in the eastern half of the country. and more snow falling. there is a new danger. the freeze, thaw, freeze cycle of the past few days has caused rivers to jam and flood. the housatonic river flooded a school here in kent, connecticut, in the west of the state. it even cut off access to the school's hockey rink. a local highway will be closed for several days. the frozen river pushed huge chunks of ice up on to the banks. let's take a look at your weather for today. ♪ >> temperatures overnight are below freezing from the central

gulf coast all the way north. that's five to ten degrees below normal for this time of year. it is 6 below in burlington, vermont, right now. meanwhile, a clipper system coming from alberta, canada, is bringing bitter wind chills. it will feel like 25 below in sioux falls. 17 below in des moines. ♪ well, vice president mike pence spent part of the martin luther king jr. holiday weekend honoring the reverend. >> the vice president and his wife laid a wreath at the memorial to dr. king. in washington, d.c. vice president pence tweeted reverend king was a leader who transformed a fashion. and that he took the words of our founders to heart to forge a more perfect union. still ahead, a new revelation from queen elizabeth. and the surprising place the crown jewels were hidden during world war ii. even she didn't know that.

>> she was surprised by it. 50 people forced to abandon ship as flames shoot from a boat off florida's coast. this morning, we're hearing from the passengers on board. and a car stuck in the second story of a building. the new surveillance video showing how it got there.

adobe homes along peru's pacific coast crumbled after a massive earthquake hit offshore. one person was killed by a falling rock. dozens of people were injured. the tremor was measured at a magnitude of 7.1. the peruvian government is sending in aid as fast as it can. back in the u.s., the death

toll from southern california's midslides is now up to 20 people. four others are still missing. officials say nearly 300 buildings were damaged or destroyed by the mud and debris. it could be weeks before the 101 freeway is reopened. a two-mile stretch of that major roadway was expected to be ready for traffic today. but clearing it has been slow going. cameras captured frightened passengers leaping from the burning boat off the coast of florida. 50 people were on board a casino shuttle boat in port richie when it was engulfed in flames. everyone made it off safely. some by jumping into the water. one witness described the panic. >> it happened so fast. i can only imagine the fear that they all had. there was people, like i said, jumping. because it engulfed it within a matter of four minutes. the whole boat was gone. like, in flames. >> more than a dozen people were taken to the hospital. they are expected to be okay. the cause of the fire is under investigation. the water was cold enough to cause hypothermia.

queen elizabeth has given a rare interview. which was broadcast overnight. the 91-year-old monarch was more animated than we usually see her. especially as she handled the coronation crown for the first time in decades. >> it still is heavy. yes, it is. it weighs a ton. it's very solid, isn't it? it's impossible to tell which is front and back, i suppose. and you can't look down to read the speech. you have to take the speech up. because if you did, your neck would break. it would fall off. so there are some disadvantages to crowns. but -- >> did you get that? there are some disadvantages to crowns. >> it's hard. i mean, look at that. think of what a hard time she's having. >> we also learned that during world war ii, the crown jewels were buried in a cookie tin near windsor castle so the nazis wouldn't actually find them. >> i'll be happy to wear them for you, your majesty. when we come back, a sailor saved after falling overboard during a race.

see the dramatic rescue caught on camera. and the hero firefighters who not only caught a baby, but several other kids from that fire. to most people, i look like most people. but on the inside, i feel chronic, widespread pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica.

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ialmost everything. you know, ke 1 i n 10 houses could get hit by an expensive septic disaster. but for only $7 a month, rid-x helps break down waste. avoid a septic disaster with rid-x. check out this stunning scene from orange county, california. that's a car lodged in a second floor dentist's office. two people were inside. luckily, they only suffered minor injuries. new surveillance video shows the car hitting a median, just missing another car, hitting the building, just missing a bus. >> incredible. >> the driver is suspected of driving under the influence of drugs. new details emerging about possible reasons for a near disaster on a flight in turkey. >> the plane stopped just feet above the black sea after skidding off the runway. one of the pilots has now told investigators that the plane's right engine started speeding up all of a sudden during the landing process.

that pushed the plane down a cliff and toward the water. there were 168 people on board. everyone got out safely. and there were no injuries. now to an incredible rescue from a raging fire in georgia. all captured on a helmet cam. this happened outside atlanta. a father desperate to save his children is on top of the ladder. watch as he drops one of the children from a third floor balcony into the arms of a firefighter. moments later, one of the family's newborn twins dropped into the arms of another firefighter. she was a captain and mother of triplets. >> my plan was to get up on the balcony with them so that i could help them get on the ladder and have somebody else assist them down. but, i got about halfway up there. and here comes the baby down to my arms. >> one firefighter at the scene said rescuers where catching babies like footballs. more than 80 people live in the building. amazingly, no one was seriously hurt. a big congratulations to the firefighters. right place, right time.

>> yep. frightening moments in the meantime for an australian sailor in the middle of a yacht race. the 24-year-old lost his footing and was thrown overboard into the pacific ocean. his crew took seven minutes to find him. they were able to pluck him from the water safely. he admitted he should have been tethered to the boat. >> yeah, just pretty stupid. and luckily, the boys were on to it. got me back on pretty quick. credit to the lads. scary. but, stupid, but, any way. it is what it is. >> he's got a smile on his face after all that. credit to the lads, indeed. the team was on the melbourne to hong kong leg of an around the world ocean race. the rescued sailor says he's lucky it didn't happen at night. >> uh yeah. >> indeed. time for sports. the nfl is down to the final four. >> oh, but sunday night's game ended in the most exciting way possible. highlights from espn. >> good morning, america. >> good morning, utica. >> i'm john. he's john. exciting football. >> yeah.

>> on sunday. >> really good. conference championship is next weekend. we had to set it up for you on sunday. and we now are all set. we have four teams left in the nfl playoffs. >> and superexciting in minnesota. >> really good. >> saints come from 17 down. kick a field goal late, up 24-23. ten seconds to go. vikings are down one. and then that just happened. case keenum to stefon diggs. marcus williams, the safety, misses the tackle. and diggs on the final play of the game, runs in. no time left. vikings go to philadelphia. >> they will. who will go to new england? either jacksonville or pittsburgh. that's calais campbell. the jags. they crushed the steelers earlier in the year in pittsburgh. they had to feel good. they did. bortles, bohannon. jags up, 42-28. this was a very high-scoring game. steelers do come back. this is a lateral. roethlisberger to le'veon bell. steelers are down 42-35. and they try to go for the

onside kick. didn't have to. they could have kicked it deep. they had time-outs. and the two-minute warning. they go on to lose. jacksonville goes to new england. >> zero to 20 in nine and a half hours. utica. zero degrees. sunset, 20 degrees. it will keep getting warmer in utica. >> a little temperature range in there. kevin sumlin is the new coach at arizona. it's nice in the old pueblo. good morning, america. >> good morning, fellas. going back to the saints-vikings game, because we should. the saints player who missed the tackle allowing the winning touchdown, he's had a great season so far. his name is marcus williams. >> he spoke emotionally with reporters after the game. check it out. >> you can't let it beat you down. i'm going to take it upon myself to do all that i can to never let that happen again. i mean, if it happens again, then i shouldn't be playing. i'm going to take it upon myself to do all that i can to make sure nothing like this happens again. >> poor guy. >> it's worth mentioning, several members of the saints, the coach, as well, all said no

individual player was to blame for that loss. >> they're all still trying to soak in the loss. i saw some of the reaction videos on youtube. one guy threw out his tv off of the balcony of his apartment. >> that's not going to make it better, by the way. >> i think so. it will help. the who dat nation is hurting. up next in "the pulse," how a butcher used a frozen sausage to save his life. plus, the simple task that experts say can help you fall asleep faster. tack. but we are not victims. we are survivors. we are survivors. we are survivors. and now we take brilinta. for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. we take brilinta with a baby aspirin. no more than one hundred milligrams... ...as it affects how well brilinta works. brilinta helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. in a clinical study brilinta worked better than plavix®. brilinta reduced the chance of another heart attack. or dying from one. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor,... ...since stopping it too soon increases your risk

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>> wow. >> and the emergency door release button? well, it was frozen shut. but he says he found the perfect tool to get out. did you see his demo there? it was a frozen sausage. it did the job. >> it was so cold, if i had been in there for half an hour more, i'm not certain what would have happened. i feel like saying that, i sell nice frozen burgers, but you don't want to buy a frozen butcher. >> no, i don't think so. he said he tried a few different things. the beef was too slippery. the lamb was too big. luckily, he found the black pudding. that worked perfectly. >> the black pudding being the sausage. >> yeah. and, want to fall a sleep a little bit faster? i think most of us do. apparently, the key is to write down what you have to do the next day. >> researchers in texas found that people who wrote out to-do lists before bed fell asleep faster. they dozed off nine minutes sooner than folks who jotted down things they had already finished. >> researchers say writing down what's ahead may eliminate

stress, what allows you to fall asleep faster. you have to remember. >> just write down pop an ambien. then boom. >> i didn't read that part. a texas driver did a bit of a double-take when he saw this next to him. >> yes, he's driving down the highway. and can you see what's in the right lane? that is a remote-controlled car chasing a pickup truck on a highway in houston. the toy is keeping up with the other vehicles, making pretty good time. >> suddenly, the little car exited the highway. >> didn't use a blinker sign, though. >> no, no, no. got pulled over. no, no. got pulled over. eeteners type, she'll love us. right? we are the new light & fit greek yogurt with zero artificial sweeteners. zerooooo! ooh eye contact. be cool. ♪ ♪ yeah girl, 13 grams of protein. 90 calories. yaaasssss! (loudspeaker) clean-up in the dairy aisle. we're the new light & fit greek nonfat yogurt with zero artificial sweeteners.

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good morning. on this monday, january 15th. it's 4:27 a.m. thanks for being here. >> we hope you have the day off today. even if you don't, we're here for you. maybe they're still up late or they're super early risers. we love you either way. we're seven minutes away from the accuweather forecast. that means you, mike. >> we'll jump in and talk about the fog this morning and the chance of rain later. here's a look at live doppler 7. we're gray everywhere this morning. here's a look at where the rain is. it's moving away from us. a storm is pushing the rain up to the north. but as the storm digs to the south, it will bring more rain towards us. let's talk temperatures. it's about 50 san francisco, fremont and half moon bay. 40 in ukiah to 49 in hayward.

we'll look at 12-hour forecast in a bit. we have a sigalert already? >> let's dig in. we've got a full freeway closure southbound 280 at al main i. police activity. they don't have an estimated time of opening. there is a detour in place. take 101, that would probably be the best bet around this. more in just a few. thank you. today we celebrate the achievements and message of dr. martin luther king, jr. >> abc 7 news reporter matt keller is there for us live. matt? >> reporter: good morning, reggie and natasha. this is a very popular and free event. you will need a ticket for the martin luther king, jr. day celebration train that leaves from san jose, but the tickets are sold out. leaves here this morning and stops in palo alto and san mateo

as it heads into san francisco. once there, people can take part in the march and there's a full day of festivities. 2018 is the 50th year since the assassination of dr. king. this year's theme is the urgency of now. the northern california martin luther king, jr. foundation says there's been a return to a past year of intolerance and despair that's given voice to some of the nation's worst instincts. north cal mlk says they will spend the year in programs and projects designed to reflect on society where it has come and where they want it to go. if you'd like more information on the event, go to abc 7 news.com. reporting live in san jose, matt keller. abc 7 news. thank you, meat. a man who tried to jump over 101 is now in custody. >> an officer saved his life with the help of good samaritans. abc 7 news was on highway 101

when a helicopter landed in the northbound lanes to help the officer on the ground. it started just before 5:00 p.m. last night when drivers called about a barefoot man running across the freeway. the man tried to jump over the side about 30 feet above the ground. >> the traffic stopped. i just got out of car to go over there and help bring the dude back over. he came back over and they detained him once that happened. it's like, you know, it was crazy, man. crazy. >> the man is undergoing a mental health evaluation. it is 4:30. if you're just getting up with us, good morning. here's a quick update on weather and traffic. we start with mike nicco. >> all right everybody. talk more about that fog and the reporting stations, driving from the east bay it gets thicker. down to a quarter of a mile. it's thicker into the central valley. watch out for that fog. it will be around all throughout the morning commute. in fact, let's talk about your 12-hour planner