and the gift of parks today. making news in america this morning, hotel terror. a devastating attack in kenya. an american among more than a dozen people killed. four men seen on surveillance storming the popular tourist hotel. did the state department predict the attack? a new warning overnight about the impact of the government shutdown on the u.s. economy. could growth be stalled at zero? plus, thousands of federal workers at the irs and faa called back to work even though they won't get paid. all while democrats refuse an invitation to the white house. terrifying tumble. the heart-stopping moment a toddler falls out of a car sliding across the street still strapped in the car seat. the mother driving off without

noticing. the charges that mom could face this morning. plus, an explanation for the biggest ever price increase by netflix. will it backfire? lego legend. the unique tribute to tom brady but there's more to this mural than meets the eye. >> and surprising sight. a massive ice disc forming in the middle of a river. what's behind the rare formation? good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with that terrorist attack at a luxury hotel. more gunfire and another explosion was heard early this morning. >> authorities have now confirmed at least one american was killed after extremists opened fire on the hotel complex in kenya's capital nairobi. >> and overnight we learned the u.s. state department recently issued a warning about terrorist activity targeting westerners. this morning, more than a dozen

people are dead including at least one american after a devastating terror attack in kenya. the chaos captured on video. four gunmen seen on surveillance storming an upscale hotel popular with westerners. terrified victims desperately trying to escape as explosions and gunfire rain down on them. >> they just started shooting. >> people are screaming. guys are trying to run out. >> reporter: survivors climbing out of windows running through the streets, even hiding in bathrooms to escape the attack. >> i saw a woman get shot, and then that's when i took off for the stairs back to the first floor. >> reporter: according to authorities one explosion was set off outside a bank while a suicide bomber attacked the hotel. minutes later anti-terror squads rushed inside. police spent hours trying to clear the building while plainclothes officers guided bystanders out to safety. >> not today, my sister. today you are not dying. you are not dying today. >> reporter: still the gunfire

and explosions lasted late into the night. this morning officials say the area is finally safe and that al qaeda-linked terror group al shabaab has claimed responsibility. that's the same group the u.s. state department issued a warning about ten months ago saying the group was seeking the publicity it received after a similar attack targeting westerners at a shopping mall in nairobi in 2013. that attack left 67 people dead. the state department has not released any additional information about the american killed. kenya's president just confirmed an overall death toll of 14. back here at home the ripple effects of the historic partial government shutdown are spreading as passengers face long wait times and thousands of federal employees are called back to work without pay. we're learning that the economy may be taking a bigger hit than expected. the head of the investment bank jpmorgan chase is warning the shutdown could drive economic

growth down to zero in the current quarter. abc's stephanie ramos has the latest from washington. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: kenneth, good morning. as the shutdown continues president trump is set to take part in the signing ceremony of a bill that guarantees federal workers back pay. now, this as economic damage continues from the shutdown continues to mount. it is day 26 of the partial government shutdown with no resolve in sight. tuesday president trump invited both republican and democratic members of congress to meet with him at the white house to talk the shutdown, but democrats turned down the offer. >> the solution to the problem is the president of the united states reaches an agreement with the democratic majority in the house and enough democrats in the senate to prevent an agreement. there's no way around that. >> reporter: the president requesting more than $5 billion for the border wall. democrats not agreeing on that amount.

this as "the new york times" is out with a new report writing that the council of economic advisers has doubled projections of how economic growth is being lost each week due to the shutdown. but now thousands of federal workers are now being called back to work, even though they won't get paid. that includes 1700 safety inspectors at the faa amid concerns the shutdown is affecting airline safety and 46,000 irs workers are now being called back. they'll be working without pay to process tax returns and pay out refunds through the upcoming tax season. members of the u.s. coast guard taking advantage of donations becoming the first branch of the military to ever miss paychecks because of the government shutdown. >> so we have a little bit to live off of but not enough to live more than maybe a week and a half, two weeks. >> reporter: the country's major veterans groups calling for an end to this. >> we have lives being affected by the shutdown. >> reporter: so many people

coming together to try and help those federal workers who are now out of a job because of that shutdown. even celebrities. chef jose andres has opened up a kitchen to provide free food to furlough workers. he'll start serving them this afternoon. kenneth, janai. >> so many acts of good will to help so many federal workers. stephanie ramos, thank you. the confirmation hearing for attorney general nominee william barr continues today after he vowed to protect robert mueller's russia investigation. barr asserted his independence and declared he will not be bullied by anyone including president trump. and he split with the president saying special counsel mueller's investigation is not a witch-hunt. barr also addressed concerns that the president could use executive privilege to block parts of mueller's final report from being made public. >> i don't know what's going to be in the report. in theory if there was executive privilege material to which an executive privilege claim could

be made, it might -- you know, someone might raise a claim of executive privilege. >> that would be pretty difficult following u.s. president nixon when the supreme court unanimously rejected president nixon's claims of executive privilege over the watergate tapes. >> if confirmed barr said he would release a summary of mueller's final report. that means the public may never get to see the original findings. now to britain facing more brexit chaos this morning. parliament has overwhelmingly rejected prime minister theresa may's plan to leave the european union. despite the setback she is expected to survive a no confidence vote but her path forward is unclear with a march deadline looming. some politicians say a second referendum on whether to leave the eu is becoming more likely. fire-ravaged communities in california are bracing for dangerous mudslides today. some schools are closed and mandatory evacuations have been ordered. one neighborhood near l.a. was deemed unsafe after a debris flow swept a house off its

foundation. 14 other homes are now threatened. the heaviest rain is expected later today and into tomorrow. meanwhile, in the mountains in the northern part of the state, they could see up to seven feet of snow. right now let's take a closer look at the forecast for this wednesday. good morning. staying very stormy on the west coast. widespread rain causing big-time problems. how many problems? how about this for a list. widespread flooding, mudslides, winds up to 60 miles per hour, heavy snow, power outages and travel disruptions and that's just the beginning of it. and also a snowstorm going to hit the northeast, but this is just the introduction. this is the hors d'oeuvre of the storms. between one to three inches because of this relatively weak front. a bigger one is on the way for this weekend. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. coming up, another woman jumping into the 2020 presidential race.

also ahead, dangerous stunts inspired by the sandra bullock movie "bird box" now prompts changes at youtube. and a david and goliath legal battle. see who took on mcdonald's for naming rights to the big mac and

remission can start with stelara®. i'm filing an exploratory committee for president of the united states tonight. >> tonight. >> well, there you go. that's senator kirsten gillibrand throwing her hat into the 2020 presidential ring last night on stephen colbert's show. the new york democrat says she wants to focus on health care, education and job training. gillibrand was re-elected last fall. during her campaign she promised to serve her full six-year term in the senate. a bombshell from the witness stand in the trial of the

mexican drug lord known as el chapo. according to witness testimony, el chapo boasted about paying a $100 million bribe to mexico's former president, president enrique pena nieto. the witness, a colombian drug trafficker, said the money would be in exchange for calling off a manhunt for el chapo. the former president's spokesman called the bribery claim false and defamatory. the frantic search for a 2-year-old boy trapped down a well in southern spain continues. he fell into the 300-foot deep well sunday through a narrow opening. rescuers have not heard from him since sunday. cameras lowered into the well have failed to pick up any trace of him. they did find a bag of candy and his cup. they're now trying to dig a horizontal shaft underground because the vertical hole is too small for an adult to enter. a big change at youtube in the wake of a series of

dangerous viral videos imitating the movie "bird box." the videos show people doing things while blindfolded. some show people driving. youtube is now banning any videos that show people risking serious danger or death, and youtube says it doesn't matter if the stunts are fake. they're still going to be banned. and if you're a netflix subscriber, get ready to dig deeper. netflix is raising its monthly prices. the basic $8 plan will go up to $9 while its most popular hd subscription plan will jump to $13 a month. netflix's stock jumped on the news, but there was widespread outrage on social media. but some critics question whether the company's push for original content is costing too much. mcdonald's has lost a big trademark battle over the big mac. the company has been fighting another fast food chain named supermac's, which is based in ireland. mcdonald's claims supermac's was violating its trademark for the big mac sandwich, but european regulars sided with the irish company.

that means mcdonald's no longer has the rights to its big mac's trademark in the european union. sounds like a joke. a coyote walks into a man's bathroom, but it really happened. the story coming up. but first when we come back, shocking video of a toddler in a car seat falling out of a car. the child is okay. next what could happen to the mother now? and after a crash that killed 20 people, should stretch limousines be banned from the road? the decision just ahead. the decision just ahead. road? the decision just ahead. james r. and associates. anna speaking... ♪ james r. and associates. anna. ♪ [phone ringing] baker architects. this is anna baker. at northwestern mutual, this is what our version of financial planning looks like. tomorrow is important, but you're ready to bet on yourself today. find an advisor at northwesternmutual.com.

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we're back with this moment of impact. a train crushing a car right there. that was stuck on the tracks outside chicago. it came just seconds after the 96-year-old driver was rescued by two good samaritans and a police officer. she'd apparently become disoriented, but she is okay this morning. and we turn now to dramatic video showing a child falling out of a moving car in minnesota.

>> the toddler was still strapped into the car seat and now the mother could face charges. it's the heart-stopping video capturing this terrifying moment. watch as this gray car comes around a curb in mankato, minnesota. >> apparently a child fell out of a child seat out of the back of the vehicle. >> look again. the rear driver's side door swings open. a toddler still strapped in a car seat tumbling into the middle of the road. >> the whole seat fell out. >> reporter: the car continuing to drive away as the door slams shut on its own. the moment captured by chad mock's dash camera. the driver couldn't believe what he had seen. >> i stopped, got out and honked my horn several times and tried to flag down the person that lost the child out the back and they just kept going. >> authorities say the driver didn't notice the child had fallen out of the vehicle. >> she went through an intersection, and at some point she pulls her car over to the side of the road. it appeared that, you know, she left her car running and all of that. she just basically runs back to

the incident location to try to locate her child. >> the baby miraculously uninjured. the mother whose name hasn't been released later returned to the scene when she realized the child was missing. police say she could face endangerment charges. so thankful that baby is okay. police say the car seat was not properly fastened and that's a common problem. recent figures show 43% of children who die from car crashes were improperly restrained. in wisconsin we're hearing now from the family of the man accused of kidnapping 13-year-old jayme closs and killing her parents. jake patterson's grandfather says his grandson is quiet and shy and describes the 21-year-old as a, quote, perfectly nice kid. but he said computer games were more of a priority for him than social interaction. a childhood friend was also stunned by the charges against patterson. >> everyone liked him. he was a good student, he was

pretty happy for the most part. >> family members say patterson had no mental health issues growing up but court documents depict a heartless killer who chose a 12-gauge shotgun to inflict the most damage. new york state is cracking down on stretch limos after a crash last fall that killed 20 people. the governor is proposing a ban on so-called remanufactured limos, which include stretch limos and stretch suv type vehicles. those limos are expanded from their original forms, which critics say creates a safety hazard. so you don't see this often in a bathroom. a coyote made its way into a men's restroom at a convention center in nashville. just hanging out looking at himself in the mirror. animal control eventually captured it and took it out to a police car before releasing it back into the wild. nobody got hurt, thank goodness. in sports the golden state warriors have set a new scoring record. the defending nba champs poured in a record 51 points in the

first quarter last night against the nuggets. they hit ten three-pointers in that quarter. final score of the game was 142-111. a tribute to two of boston's favorite sports figures is made out of lego blocks. and look at this. it shows either tom brady or coach bill belichick depending on how you look at it. students and staff from a local high school created it using 20,000 two-sided lego blocks. they were helped by a local artist. pretty cool. >> pretty cool, indeed. well, up next in "the pulse," why it's easier to be happy than you may think. first an unusual sight. the story behind this giant floating disc of ice spinning in a river. and how president trump's nominee for attorney got upstaged by his own grandson. the note he wrote to his grandpa coming up.

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♪ you spin me right round baby right round ♪ you going to dance to this? >> i was. >> time to check "the pulse" beginning with a mesmerizing ice disc near maine. >> people near portland are comparing it to an alien spacecraft. the spinning disc is almost a perfect circle. it's about 100 yards across. a phenomenon happens when a slow moving current creates a whirlpool effect in freezing temperatures. >> the ice disc is drawing crowds of people eager for a closer look. >> i think the ducks and the seagulls are enjoying the natural amusement ride going on in the middle of the river. it's been great. >> people working in nearby office buildings say they've seen ice discs in that river before but never this big. it almost looks like the earth. >> this song. ♪ you spin me round i don't know all the words. >> go ahead. president trump's nominee for attorney general got upstaged by his own grandson at

yesterday's confirmation hearing. >> william barr's grandson liam was in the room and sent his grandfather a note of encouragement during the hearing. the note said, dear grandpa, i love you so much. you are doing great so far. i know you still will. i am having so much fun. >> look at the ps at the bottom referring to all the talk about russia. liam wrote, i think russia's people are fine. it's the government that's the problem. >> from the mouths of babes. here's another reason not to worry and to be happy. >> scientists have proven that we're wired to be happy. a new study finds humans have more universal ways of expressing happiness than any other emotion. researchers in ohio found there are 17 ways that our faces can convey happiness compared to only three ways that can convey fear and five ways that convey anger. finally one dad's ingenuity that will blow you away. >> yeah, a man in russia created this snowmobile out off a sled and two leaf blowers. his daughter loves it. >> but there's apparently no way to steer. oops. >> oops. >> so they went right into a

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gooo team... order online pickup in an hour. and, now save $250 on a lenovo 2-in-1 flex. good morning north bay. let's get up and get going. good morning. welcome to wednesday, january 16th. you can see doppler 7 is behind us now tracking the r rain and is going to be a doozy today. >> yeah. >> most of it the second half of the day. but we have rain out there right now. let's check in with meteorologist mike nicco. >> all right, guys. here's a look at live doppler 7. and i'm showing you one of our areas that is showing rain right now. that's in the higher country on either side of the santa clara valley. we've got steadier rain across the north bay. let me zoom out and show you which way it's moving. it's moving southwest to northeast. we have a chance of wet weather during the morning commute and plus, everything is soggy and wet and sopping from yesterday's rain. as you head out, we're in the

low to upper 50s. it's very mild. look what happens this afternoon. we'll be in the upper 50s to low 60s. notice the yellows, the oranges, the reds on the map this afternoon. the 3 is almost here. we'll talk about that strong storm next. say hello to frances dinglasan. >> you know it's going to be a busy morning and we have an overturned crash in vallejo. a lane is blocked. see all the green out there. mike was talking about the rain. no major slowing at this point but we'll be tracking that for you. southbound 101 on the peninsula, right now all lanes blocked from marsh to willow. this should be cleared in the next couple minutes. we'll keep you posted on that as well. here's a live look outside. roads are slick. it's going to be a tough ride this morning. give yourself extra time. there's high-wind advisory right now for the bay bridge but the drive time across that is nine minutes. guys? >> alexis -- i'm used to saying

alexis thank you. frances, thank you. 20 people are out of their homes after two house fires this morning. firefighters say it started at the basement level of a home in the ocean view neighborhood. flames quickly spread to the attic and then to the house next door. the deputy chief praised the first responders for saving several people trapped in inside. >> the engine operator guy, an occupant out of the second floor window. the conditions were heavy black smoke out of both floors. they also pulled two more occupants out while trying to decide where to leave the first hose line. >> the deputy chief says five people were taken to the hospital. two in critical condition. the cause of the fire is still under investigation. abc 7 news reporter, matt keller is going to have a live report at 5:00 a.m. from the scene. back to our other top story. the biggest storm of the season is headed our way. >> yesterday you got wet. today you're going to get stoked. amy hollyfield -- soaked.

amy hollyfield at the golden gate bridge. >> reporter: good morning. we're getting rain and wind this morning. the storm watch continues. the big storm is yet to come. we're still getting issues and some weather this morning. the rain was disruptive yesterday. take a look at this accident we captured. this was at sir francis drake boulevard in front of a building. that truck had a big load. slick roads, that combination was too much for the brakes to handle. that caused quite a backup on highway 101. the chp hoping for minimal issues today on the highway asking people to do what they can to prevent slipping and sliding today, asking everyone to slow down. another department hoping not to have problems today. department of public works. they've done whatever they can to try and get ready for this weather. >> the department of public works clearing roads and creating