making news in america this morning, holiday travel trouble for millions of americans as a powerful storm spreads across half the nation. turbulence forcing a flight in texas to divert. injured passengers taken to the hospital. the forecast for where it's heading next. president trump surprising the troops, heading to a war zone for the first time as commander in chief. sending a message to america's allies. >> we're no longer the suckers, folks. >> how he is defending his decision to pull out of syria. possible new evidence in the sexual assault case against kevin spacey. could a video that was shared on social media be admissible in court? plus, a parent's worst nightmare. a baby falling into a pool on christmas day. the child not breathing. >> he's not responding. >> the 911 dispatcher's

life-saving instructions. the end of a remarkable journey. one man's record-breaking solo trek across the bottom of the world. and caught on camera. how not to steal a tv from walmart. good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with that powerful winter storm barrelling through the middle of the country, delaying travel plans for millions of people on this busy holiday week. >> yeah. the storm system stretches all the way from texas where a tornado watch was issued last night, across the plains and into the great lakes. >> from flood watches to blizzard conditions, the storm is already packing quite a punch. >> reporter: this morning, the massive storm hitting at the height of holiday travel already causing a midair emergency. an american airlines flight from mexico, operated by mesa

airlines was forced to divert from dallas to austin. three people were injured. two rushed to the hospital. >> safety is a top priority in these types of situations when there is severe weather. it's not an uncommon thing. >> reporter: airports from dallas to chicago seeing delays. on the ground, the storm forced the rare cancellation of a college bowl game in dallas. lightning forcing boston college and boise state off the field. fans evacuated. the game ruled a no contest. >> i respect the tough call that had to be made here because i don't know that i could live with myself if god forbid something happened. >> reporter: the same storm dumping up to a foot of snow in the northern plains, leaving wreckage in its wake. first responders in south dakota had to use a ladder to rescue a driver whose suv slid off interstate 90, flipping on its side. abc meteorologist rob marciano on where the storm is heading next. >> very dynamic storm. we have already had winds measured to 71 miles per hour. let's take a look at the radar. the winds are ripping north of this thing with blizzards up to

the dakotas, but the severe weather in the south of houston and little rock to memphis, tapping moisture from the gulf of mexico, so heavy rain as well. we have flood watches as north as virginia, and the rain gets to the northeast here on friday. some of the rain in the south, 2 to 4 inches. up to a foot of snow in the northern plains. >> hundreds of flight delays and cancellations are already being reported from the major airports in texas all the way to chicago. be sure to check your carrier before you head out. we turn now to the president getting a warm welcome from u.s. troops in germany after his first trip to a war zone nearly two years into his presidency. the president followed up his surprise visit to iraq with a stop at ramstein air force base where he took selfies and signed autographs. as the president returns, there is no end in sight to the government shutdown now entering day six. the senate will be back in session today as the president doubles down on his demand to pay for a border wall. abc's maggie rulli is here with us with the very latest. maggie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. many in d.c. have been waiting

for the president's first visit to a war zone. former president bush visited iraq four times. president obama visited once, and now president trump has one trip under his belt and it occurred at quite a chaotic time in washington. the president and first lady making their covert trip under the cover of darkness, surprising troops in iraq and his first visit to service members in a war zone since taking office nearly two years ago. >> we came to al assad to share our eternal gratitude for everything. >> reporter: posing for selfies and autographs, president trump's trip was shrouded in secrecy. military jets escorted air force one on the 11-hour flight which left washington christmas night in the middle of a partial government shutdown. once landing at al assad air force base in iraq, the president spoke for roughly 30 minutes. >> we're not the suckers of the world. we're no longer the suckers, folks. we're respected again as a nation. >> reporter: praising the more

than 5,000 troops deployed in iraq for their work in the fight against isis and revealing he wants troops to remain in iraq despite defending his abrupt decision last week to withdraw all 2,000 american troops in neighboring syria. >> our presence in syria was not open-ended and was never intended to be permanent. >> reporter: and saying that for too long, the u.s. has shouldered the cost for leading the war on terror and defending our allies. the president also met with the u.s. ambassador to iraq and with u.s. troops in germany on his way back home. now his team says iraq's prime minister has accepted an invitation to visit the white house. zachary, janai? >> at the same time, the president saying he is in no rush to replace defense secretary james mattis. maggie, thank you. the homeland security department says its immigration system has been pushed to a breaking point after a tenfold increase in migrants crossing the border near el paso. this statement comes after the death of an 8-year-old guatemalan boy.

the second death of a migrant child this month. the boy's father says his son displayed no signs of illness before getting sick on christmas eve. homeland security has ordered medical checks on all children under age 10 in federal custody, and u.s. coast guard medical personnel have now been called to the border to help review screening practices. with federal agencies at the border overwhelmed, more migrant families are expected to be released in the coming days. now to wall street and a record rebound after posting one of the worst decembers on record. investors celebrating a historic wednesday. every stock in the dow and every stock in the s&p found gains. david packer explains why and what's next. >> reporter: the dow jones saw its biggest one-day point gain ever, rising 1,086 points. wednesday's big comeback coming after the dow posted its worst ever christmas eve decline. >> it has been a brutal month for stocks. december, the worst month on record since the great depression in 1931.

>> reporter: a partial government shutdown, treasury secretary steve mnuchin's questions about bank's health and signs the president could be about to fire federal chair jerome powell upset markets, sending the dow down 653 points on monday, but assurances from the white house that the fed chair's job is safe, sent stocks up higher wednesday. the dow's 1,000-point plus rebound, not the only bright spot. the s&p 500 and the nasdaq also seeing gains for the day rising 113 and 352 points respectively. the energy sector helped join those gains. chairs of exxon and chevron both increased. investors received good news from the retail sector. sales improved 5% this year, marking the best holiday shopping season in six years. amazon stock jumped 7% after the company announced it had more items ordered worldwide than ever before. many expect the volatility on wall street could continue. >> interest rates are rising. you have the uncertainty over

trade with china, and then there is a global slowdown in the economy. >> reporter: despite wednesday's rally, the s&p 500 could bring an end to the longest bow market in history. dave packer, abc news, new york. russian president vladimir putin is celebrating this successful test of a new hypersonic missile. the russians claim it's impossible to intercept. u.s. military experts say it travels at mach 5 and the u.s. currently has no way to defend it. putin called the launch a new year's gift to russia. time for a look at your weather for this thursday morning. a severe storm system covers the middle of the country from mexico to canada. that snow in the north, heavy rain in the south and heavy winds everywhere. several water rescues are being reported in austin, texas this morning and more than 200 flights have already been canceled in dallas. southwest will be cool today, phoenix not even reaching 60

degrees. salt lake city's high will be 29. highs in chicago and washington will be 50. 52 in atlanta. boston will inch passed freezing while miami hits 79 today. coming up, the new warning about another scam targeting netflix customers. also ahead, the dramatic 911 call after a baby is pulled from a swimming pool not breathing. hear the dispatcher's life-saving instructions. and up next, fire engulfs a luxury yacht with a family on board.

fire ripped through this yacht off the coast of australia forcing an entire family to jump overboard. all six people including a 5-year-old child were rescued by a passing boat. check out those flames.

they spread so quickly there was no time to grab life jackets or send out a call for help, but no one was injured. authorities in northern california are working around the clock to get a cop killer off the streets. they say the suspect ditched his truck at a mobile home parked near the shooting scene in the small town of newman where the officer was shot during a traffic stop. they released surveillance images of the suspect before the shooting. police corporal singhnghnghnghnh leaves behind a wife and 5-year-old son. no word on what led up to the shooting and they say this is the 52nd officer to be shot this year. a 13% increase from last year. a consumer alert about another e-mail scam targeting netflix users. the ftc says an e-mail requesting updated user payment information is fake. it says your account is on hold because the company is unable to process payments. netflix and the ftc say to report suspicious e-mails. this morning a young boy in

florida is in good condition and the 911 operator is being hailed as a hero after the boy fell in his family's pool. 1-year-old connor fell into the water on christmas day. when he was pulled out, he had no pulse and wasn't breathing. a neighbor was trying to perform cpr while others called 911. the dispatcher began giving life-saving instructions. >> do they know how to give cpr? >> he is just pumping. he doesn't know. >> tell him i need him to lay him flat on his back. i need him to place his hand on his forehand, the other hand under the neck and tilt the head back. >> okay. put your hand on his forehand and the other hand underneath the neck and tilt the head back. okay. >> pinch his nose closed and completely cover his mouth with your mouth and then blow two regular breaths into the lungs. >> imagine how scary for the family. after this, they also performed chest compressions and brought little connor back to life. amazing. >> incredible story. > mizeeal and it did not go as planned.

first, the possible new video evidence in the kevin spacey sexual assault case. and the new fallout after a high school wrestler was forced by a referee to cut his locks before a match. kevin spacey court case. ♪ the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet? now when you go out, you cash in. only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol® wow, that's an pretty great, huh?low. if you're a banana. i find it very...appealing.

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so every touch is as comforting as the first pampers the #1 choice of hospitals, nurses & parents so this is not the way to so this is not the way to steal a tv, okay? pay attention, all thieves. a man stole a 43-inch tv from a walmart in ft. lauderdale. then he runs to his getaway vehicle, a scooter. when his friend starts driving, he couldn't keep his balance and dropped it. picks it up, all right. police are now looking for that crook and what is likely now a damaged television. we turn now to the growing legal trouble for kevin spacey facing a sexual assault charge. >> the oscar-winning actor may have been filmed during an alleged groping incident and now that video which was shared on social media could be used as evidence against him. abc's gio benitez reports. >> reporter: just days ago as actor kevin spacey faced a sexual assault charge, he released this cryptic personal video pretending to be his former character on "house of

cards." >> i'm certainly not going to pay the price for the things i didn't do, but you wouldn't believe the worst without evidence, would you? you wouldn't rush to judgments without facts, would you? >> reporter: but now we're learning video evidence may exist in the criminal case against him. the accuser, then an 18-year-old buss boy at club car on nantucket in 2016 telling police his girlfriend did not believe what was happening, so he sent his girlfriend a video through snapchat as spacey was allegedly assaulting him. police writing in the report that the accuser was shown the video he said, was of spacey touching him. the accuser tells police he didn't know what to do because saying anything would get him and his employer in trouble. he was drinking while underage. meanwhile spacey is charged with indecent assault and battery. he has denied the allegations. it's a felony. he could face up to five years in prison. he will be arraigned in january. gio benitez, abc news, new yorki

the case of a high school wrestler in new jersey forced by a referee to cut off his locks before a match. after an emergency meeting, andrew johnson's school district decided the referee will never officiate another match in that district. johnson's family says the boy's hair was covered as the rules required, but the ref threatened to make him forfeit the match unless the hair was cut. they say it was traumatic for the youngster. >> our school district and its athletic teams will not compete in any contest officiated by this referee from this point forward. >> i couldn't believe that this pig would humiliate that kid on the mat, but i know that there were rules and regulations that he had to follow. whether he followed them correctly or not, i don't really care. >> he was emotionally drained. he had tears coming down his eyes as his locks were being cut off. >> new jersey's civil rights division is also investigating the incident. well, continuing with sports, tom brady says he will

be back next season. the 41-year-old patriots quarterback has struggled at times this season. still brady the passer, headed back to the playoffs. in a new interview, he said his goal is to play next season and beyond that. his contract with the patriots is up next season. 2019 would be 19 years after he was drafted in 2000. check out 109-year-old virginia mclaurin showing off her impressive ball handling skills on the court with the harlem globetrotters. everyone cheers. she celebrated her birthday with the globetrotters earlier this year which is her favorite team, and you may remember this. she was dancing with the obamas at the white house at the tender age of 106. up next in "the pulse," the new film being called the worst movie ever. also ahead, the end of an incredible journey. the man who won a race across antarctica with a final 80-mile sprint. plus, mystery solved. the couple photographed while getting engaged. see how their life turned out. solved.

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♪ time to check "the pulse," this thursday starting with a historic feat for an american becoming the first person to cross antarctica with no help. >> 33-year-old colin o'brady skied 932 miles across the frozen continent while pulling a 300-pound sled. it took him 54 days to make the epic trek powered by his own muscles. he beat out his british counterpart trying to compete the same journey. >> he made an 80-mile push in oh my goodness. the first thing he says he did was call his wife and burst into tears. i bet he was emotional and cold. >> i made it. back here at home, miley cyrus has made it instagram

official. she is married. >> if you don't take a picture, it didn't happen. the 26-year-old has revealed that she has tied the knot with "hunger games" actor, liam hemsworth, at a private ceremony at their home in tennessee. >> it has been a rocky road for the couple. they have been on again and off again for the past ten years. >> they were off again when she went through that hip-hop phase. miley hit a rough patch. a florida photographer's eight-year quest has been completed and she has a story to tell. joy groover took these pictures on a spur of the moment in palm beach when she saw a man propose, but the newly engaged couple got away before she could talk to them. >> every december 12th since then, she has posted the photos on facebook hoping someone would identify them. this year finally someone did, and told the couple who are now happily married. >> when i saw it, i thought, is this real? wait. that's us. it's got to be real, but how is this a thing? how is it in houston eight years

later? and i was incredibly thankful to have pictures of our moment that we have never seen. we didn't have that moment captured. >> social media working its magic. ashley and david barnosky don't live in florida. they are in texas with their two daughters now. back in 2010 they were visiting florida on vacation when all the magic happened. he proposed. somebody caught it. how amazing. finally what seems like an impending disaster at the box office. we're talking about "holmes & watson." it stars will ferrell and john c. reilly as the legendary victorian era duo. >> right now it's getting just 4% on rotten tomatoes. critics are absolutely destroying it. one calling it a christmas turkey of a movie and another going much further saying, it's a desperate, sweaty mess. disgusting. "holmes & watson" hits theaters tomorrow. who is going to go see that? a desperate, sweaty mess? i don't know. poor will ferrell. sherlock holmes, i mean.

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breaking news. a man escaped from san quentin prison and carjacked someone. amy hollyfield has a description of the car he may be traveling in. >> we'll check in with amy in just a minute. first, good morning to you. we want to get a check of our weather with meteorologist mike nicco. hey, mike. hey, jessica. hi, auto lexis. 50 in half moon bay. breezy car. we will hang out around 56 to 59 degrees. pretty close to average. how is the morning commute start something let's kick it over to sue and see. very quiet out there,

thankfully. san mateo bridge, we have cars there but everybody is moving at the limit. 15-minute drive from 881. check your golden gate bridge dry. is very clear. no problems. it was two lanes in the southbound direction when i came across. it looks like they have gone to three and three at this point. it will be four and two, four in the southbound. sue, thank you. right now back to that breaking news we're tracking. a manhunt is under way right now after an inmate escaped from san quentin state prison overnight. police think he carjacked someone near the prison to make his getaway. we have a look at who authorities are looking for. amy. >> reporter: hi. good morning. authorities did not say how they think he managed to escape from this maximum security prison. they do think he found a quick way to get far away from here. here is a picture of the man they're asking everyone to be on

the lookout for. 21-year-old shalom men dough zoe. he weighs 177 pounds. they discovered he was missing during a head counsel at 9:35 last night. mendoza was serving a five-year sentence f sentence for using a deadly weapon in a carjack. they believe he got away in a toyota rav4. california were license plate 6stz502. if you are see him or this car, you are encouraged to call 911 right away. amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you, amy. a manhunt is under way also for a suspeedop killer in the central valley. corporal ronil singh was

gunned down in the small town of newman, stanislas county. a woman heard the sound of a gunshot, and then the suspect took off. police found his truck not far from the crime scene. last night they held a memorial for singh. >> kind soul. we're a small-knit community. he was very loving and offering his kindness to everybody. >> this is the alleged suspect. that is surveillance from that store i just mentioned. investigators say if you see him, call police immediately. this has been a deadly year for police officers. in california, 11 officers have been killed while on duty. nationwide, 86. the at least 45 by