>> stay with us for "gma." have a great day. making news in america this morning, the historic impeachment hearings about to get under way on capitol hill. new information on the argument democrats will make. the witnesses being called. the strategy of the republicans and how the white house is preparing to fire back. the urgent new warning about the dangers of vaping. we hear from the surgeon who performed a double lung transplant on a teenager with lung damage so bad, doctors say the teen was facing certain death. the new bombshell from the campaign trail. a sudden surge for mayor pete and what hillary clinton is now saying about the pressure she's facing to run again. breaking right now, venice underwater.

one of the most famous cities in the world facing what could be a record threat. plus, the celebration overnight after one of the biggest upsets in the history of college sports. we hear from the coach. for him this was personal. and the big spill at this posh country club. a $30,000 handbag ruined. what's happening now to the waiter who spilled the wine. good wednesday morning, everyone. we'll head to the u.s. capitol for the latest on today's historic impeachment hearing in just a moment. but first the other historic news this morning, the weather. much of the country is in the grips of a deep freeze. record low temperatures are expected this morning from d.c. up to new york and boston. >> it follows a deadly storm system blamed for a 50-car pileup in ohio. many schools and areas hit by that storm are closed or delayed. a freeze warning has also been

issued in the deep south as far as houston. so let's get right to accuweather's adam del rosso. adam, good morning. >> janai, kenneth, good morning. this arctic high pressure system still in control. we're talking near record low temperatures this morning, down into the teens across the northeast. we don't want up much as we head toward the afternoon wean with a little bit of sunshine. we stay about 20 degrees below average. that puts us in the 30s areawide. even into the southeast places like jacksonville, we're only going to climb into the mid-50s for our highs. across the upper midwest, a quick-moving clipper system bringing some light snow. that pushes into the great lakes as we head into tonight. generally speaking, one to three inches of snow expected with this. as we get into our thursday morning across the northeast another chilly start to the day with near record low temperatures. janai, kenneth. >> all right. adam, thank you. now to washington where today for only the fourth time in history congress will begin public hearings to consider

whether to impeach the president. >> we learn what to expect today. the top democrat in today's hearing is now using the word bribery to explain president trump's actions. meanwhile, the white house has prepared what's being called a rapid response team to fight back during the hearing. >> abc's elizabeth hur joins us from capitol hill with more on the witnesses we'll be seeing today. elizabeth, good morning. >> reporter: kenneth, janai, good morning to you. democrats say they are ready to make their case to the american people today, and while the president may be downplaying the hearings, the white house, as you mentioned, is not taking any chances. the battle lines are drawn and the stage set. millions of americans finally getting to see and hear what has been going on behind closed doors until now. the first two witnesses, bill taylor, the top u.s. diplomat in ukraine, and george kent, a senior state department official. taylor already testified in private about a concerted effort to use military aid to ukraine as leverage for political gain. kent, who also testified behind

closed doors, accused president trump's personal attorney, rudy giuliani, of running a campaign of slander and lies. this as house intelligence committee chair adam schiff reveals among the impeachable offenses under consideration include bribery. >> the standard we'll have to evaluate is whether these facts show bribery, treason, high crimes and misdemeanors. >> democrats in washington would rather pursue outrageous hoaxes and delusional witch-hunts, which are going absolutely nowhere. don't worry about it. >> reporter: president trump has always maintained he did nothing wrong. but republicans are ready to fight back holding mock hearings attacking the two witnesses' credibility casting them as unelected and anonymous bureaucrats, and overnight abc news learning the white house is also preparing to launch a rapid response team to react in realtime to the public testimonies. well, we're told today's hearing

alone could last more than six hours. then there's another hearing set for friday and democrats just announced the names of eight more witnesses who will testify next week. janai and kenneth. >> all right, elizabeth, we can see and hear behind you seems like things are already starting up there. and, of course, our live coverage of today's hearing begins at 10:00 a.m., 9:00 central on tv and streaming tv abc news live. we turn to a series of college fraternity deaths across the country. the latest is a 19-year-old student at washington state university's alpha tau omega house. police say the death may be alcohol related. it's the third death in three days. a teenager at san diego state university died after attending a fraternity event. officials say he fell from a bunk bed. and a death at arizona state university is also being investigated. well, now to the teenager in michigan who needed new lungs because of damage caused by vaping. he is now recovering in the hospital after suffering what doctors described as lung

damage so bad, he was facing certain death. this morning, a teenager in detroit is recovering from a double lung transplant, and doctors say vaping is to blame. >> this young patient would have died. there is no doubt about it. >> reporter: his family says he was an otherwise healthy school athlete who was suddenly admitted to the hospital with pneumonia-like symptoms then put on life support. >> the lungs themselves became extremely heavy and thick with scar, and they were like hard rubber, if you will. they were not compressible anymore. >> reporter: doctors say he was days from death before the procedure. the first known double lung transplant on a vaping patient. the teenager requested doctors show pictures of his damaged lungs to the public as a warning to others. the white spots indicate scarred and inflamed tissue. >> there's a rising number of school students who are using e-cigarettes and vaping. the statistics are certainly scary. >> reporter: just last week the

cdc announced vitamin e acetate is a potential culprit in their investigation into more than 2,000 cases of severe vaping-related illnesses and at least 40 deaths. but no single device or ingredient is responsible for all the cases. many patients say they use black market vape products that contain marijuana's psychoactive ingredient thc. the hospital where the lung transplant was completed would not disclose what type of products the patient used, but his doctors say the severity of his condition should send a clear message. >> this is an evil that i haven't faced before. i expect him hopefully to be an advocate to stop this madness. >> the doctors say the teen is now recovering well from the transplant. the fbi has now joined the search for a marine on the run wanted for murder. authorities say new surveillance images show michael brown last saturday, the same day he is accused of killing his mother's boyfriend in southern virginia. brown left his post at camp lejeune, north carolina, last

month. the marines say he was under investigation, but they're not saying why. time now for a look at your weather for this wednesday morning. we have a freezing forecast for 200 million americans here in new york city as we look out over times square. we could break a record low temperature that dates back to 1873. hundreds of records are expected to fall with temperatures in the 20s as far south as pensacola, florida. the animals at this zoo in alabama are gathering under heat lamps and tarps. today's high temperatures barely above freezing in the northeast. 20s in chicago and detroit. the warm spots, southern california in the 70s and miami at 82. coming up, some shocking news about one of the most popular soap operas on tv. but first the growing cheating scandal in baseball. new accusations against the former world series champions. how the team is now responding.

and if you're planning on a winter getaway, the new survey on the top three cruise lines and which cruise ranks number one.

we're back with breaking news from venice, italy. much of the city is flooded this morning after the highest tide in 50 years. the flooding is at near record levels. the mayor blames climate change. a big sports headline this morning, the houston astros are facing claims they cheated their way to their only world series title. former astro player mike fiers tells the athletic that the team used cameras to steal signs during home games in 2017. players or staffers would then reportedly bang on a trash can to signal certain pitches.

both the astros and major league baseball are now investigating. two surprising headlines in the race for president. a new poll finds pete buttigieg is now the front-runner in iowa with 22% among likely voters. he's gained 14 points since august. analysts credit his youth and his relentless travel schedule. others worry he may be peaking too early. meanwhile, hillary clinton says she's, quote, under enormous pressure from many people to enter the race. she says she has no plans to run again. but she won't rule it out. a sign of the times in the dairy industry. america's top producer of milk has filed for bankruptcy. dean foods blames a big drop in milk consumption due in part to americans switching to other drinks such as tea and juice. the long-running soap "days of our lives" is facing an uncertain future. the entire cast of the show has reportedly been released from their contracts. after 55 seasons, the show will now be on indefinite hiatus. enough episodes have been taped

to run until next summer. well, if these cold temperatures we've been telling you about have you planning your next vacation, the new rankings are out when it comes to the best cruise lines. "u.s. news & world report" says royal caribbean is number one followed by celebrity cruises and norwegian cruise line. passenger amenities and dining options were among the factors considered. >> time to book your cruise. >> i guess so. coming up, the brazen ice cream theft on national tv. but first, 700,000 immigrants in america await a decision about their future. what the supreme court appears ready to do. and the celebration overnight after one of the biggest upsets ever, ever in college sports. biggest upsets ever, ever in college sports. help. i didn't have to get you a lift. and i didn't have to call your wife to meet you at the doctor. because you didn't have another dvt. not today. we discussed how having one blood clot puts you at risk of having another,... ...so we chose xarelto®, to help keep you protected. xarelto®, is proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt or pe blood clots

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before circling the airport to burn fuel. no one was injured. we turn now to the immigration debate and a crucial day at the supreme court. the justices have heard arguments on the daca program which allows some undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children to stay in the country. >> president trump wants to end the program, and now it appears the justices may let him. abc's ines de la cuetara reports. >> reporter: heated protests outside the supreme court and around the country as news emerged that the high court's conservative majority appeared to side with president trump and his right to end the deferred action for childhood arrivals program known as daca. >> i'm tired of having an uncertain future. i'm tired of being in limbo. >> reporter: the future of more than 700,000 young immigrants hanging in the balance. daca was enacted by president obama to protect so-called dreamers, immigrants brought to the u.s. as children but lack permanent legal status. >> the only place i've ever known as home is nebraska. >> reporter: trump's promise to crack down on illegal immigration was a key part

of his 2016 campaign after he saying he would treat dreamers with heart, trump moved to end daca in 2017. several lower courts blocked his decision arguing his approach to ending it was arbitrary and capricious. while justice sotomayor delivered a lengthy defense of daca and called out president trump for sending mixed messages, the two trump appointees, justices kavanaugh and gorsuch, seemed to break with that logic indicating the trump administration has provided sufficient reason for wanting to end the program. in response, top congressional democrats nancy pelosi and chuck schumer delivering their daca bill to senate majority leader to mitch mcconnell's office pushing for a legislative way to protect dreamers. president trump says if the supreme court overturns daca, he is prepared to work with democrats to ensure dreamers can of the but so far the president's efforts to strike a

broader deal haven't worked out. a decision in this case is expected by june 2020 at which point the election campaign will be in full swing. at the supreme court, ines de la cuetara, abc news. well, turning to sports now, controversial quarterback colin kaepernick will be returning to football this weekend. the nfl has scheduled private workouts for him. all teams are invited to attend. kaepernick hasn't played since 2016 when he protested racial and social injustice by kneeling during the national anthem. the 32-year-old says he's been in shape and ready for this for three years. it's being called one of the biggest upsets ever in college sports. the kentucky wildcats, the number one team in the country, lost to a small school from indiana last night. the upset is especially sweet for the winning coach. this morning, march madness in november. the number one ranked team in college basketball, the kentucky wildcats, losing to the evansville purple aces. >> what a win by evansville, and for that man right there, what a moment for walter mccarty. >> reporter: the purple aces' head coach walter mccarty is a

former wildcat. he helped kentucky win a national championship back in 1996. >> to come back home and play the number one team in the country and be able to perform the way that we did, i don't know if anything matches this other than winning the national championship. >> reporter: the undefeated wildcats were 25-point favorites. espn says the loss is tied for the third largest upset in college basketball in the last 15 seasons. to top it off, evansville pulled off the win on kentucky's home court. this picture of kentucky coach john calipari quickly becoming a meme overnight. >> they were the tougher team. they executed. they made shots and threes and free throws, and my hat's off to them. it's hard to do that in this building. >> reporter: after the big win the purple aces waited for mccarty for an epic celebration. >> i got a good group of guys. i really do. they love each other. >> you know, i should have wore my purple tie instead of my blue. >> you should have. purple aces with the champagne showers there. >> yes.

evansville, number one trending topic on twitter overnight. >> that's huge. >> it is. >> kentucky is a basketball powerhouse. >> oh, i know that. >> to do that on their home court. >> yes. i come from an s.e.c. school. i know them kentucky wildcats. and this was -- >> so do i. >> i mean, yeah, i'm just saying. >> i'm just saying i know sports. >> i'm just saying. up next in "the pulse," the new sexiest man alive and how his wife is responding. also ahead, a new explanation for why some kids hate vegetables so much. >> i'll tell you. and a worker at this country club in big trouble for spilling wine on a very expensive handbag. wine on a very expensive handbag. it's tough to quit smoking cold turkey. so chantix can help you quit slow turkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting. chantix reduces the urge so when the day arrives, you'll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye.

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pulse." he already has an emmy, a grammy, an oscar and a tony and now he has a hot new title and i'm not talking about him. >> john legend has been named "people" magazine's sexiest man alive. the 40-year-old singer tweeted that he's perplexed by the honor but he said i'll take it. >> his wife chrissy teigen reacted on twitter writing -- >> she said, i'll take him. >> -- sexiest man alive just made me a ham sandwich. she updated her twitter with, currently sleeping with people's sexiest man alive. egotsma. that's the status. >> chrissy likes ham. >> he gegotsma. >> there it is. she does like ham. a messy lawsuit is now targeting a waiter at a new jersey country club who spilled red wine on an expensive purse. >> first the woman sued the country now and now the country club is suing its own waiter for damaging the $30,000 hermes handbag. the woman says she went to her insurance company first, but the

insurance company didn't believe a purse could be so expensive and actually hermes bags can cost way more than that. >> yeah, like tens and tens of thousands of dollars for these handbags. >> as if $30,000 isn't enough. >> but the waiter getting blamed for that. >> gots to be more careful. well, next you may be to blame for why your kids hate broccoli and brussels sprouts. >> researchers now believe genetics may be the reason we avoid certain vegetables. scientists say there is a certain gene that turns some of us into super tasters meaning some bitter foods taste really bitter to us. so we won't eat them. >> oh, so the same gene also affects how we taste cabbage, coffee and chocolate. one of these things is not like the other. cabbage, coffee and chocolate. >> i don't drink coffee. i don't drink coffee. you know that. >> about you do cabbage and chocolate. >> i love those things. >> i don't do cabbage. >> oh. hey, finally, a smooth criminal. >> da, da, da, da. >> from a hockey game in north carolina who has a taste for ice cream. >> the crime was caught on live tv. watch the guy holding the ice cream cone.

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>> i'll wait for that story. >> good morning. glad you're waking up with us. mike, you've been tracking the forecast. >> we have more widespread fog. it could spread through the bay. we have more cloudiness today, which will jump start the cooling trend. when you step outside, we're the same as yesterday, mid 40s to low 50s. 45 in santa rosa, napa, fairfield, 50 in san francisco, oakland, san mateo, 49 in danville and fremont. san jose, 52. here's where we end up this afternoon, low to mid 60s from half moon bay to san francisco, richmond, san mateo, upper 60s for the rest of the bay, low to mid 70s inland. a chance of drizzle tonight. we'll try to find rain in next week's forecast coming up. >> good morning, everyone. a live look at the golden gate bridge. we have a fog advisory here. everywhere else is looking pretty good. this is a live look at 87, nice and smooth.

a quick peak at our drive times before we go. i believe we have tracy to dublin, that's 33 minutes. slight slowdown there. dublin to mission boulevard, 14 minutes. highway 101 to cupertino, 15 minutes. happening today, a formal investigation could be launched into how pg&e handled its public safety power shutoffs. >> the california public utilities commission is set to meet in a few hours and decide whether to move forward. amy hollyfield is live in orinda. amy? >> the power went off here, this city along with many others will be watching the cpuc closely to see if it does look into pg&e. the cpuc got an earful on thursday. people expressed their disappointment in pg&e's power shutoffs. more than 1 million californians

were impacted by last month's power outages. pg&e turned off the power in an effort to keep the lines from sparking fires. a watchdog group says the power outages hurt people and businesses. >> we heard a lot of government representatives talking about the costs, the costs to the governments themselves to provide emergency services, the costs to small businesses. >> today the cpuc will vote on whether to launch an investigation into the power outages, and whether the shutoffs prioritized public safety and followed regulations. that meeting is set for 10:00 this morning in san francisco. live in orinda, amy hollyfield, abc7 news. it is now 4:30. if you're just waking up, let's get a check on your weather. mike? >> let's look at what's going on with my activity planner for my accuweather 12-hour planner for today, temperatures at 7:00, 4