right now on "america this morning," breaking news, weather like we've never seen before. historic storms slamming the midwes overnight, minnesota reporting its first ever december tornado. the new video coming in just hours after hurricane force winds slammed the plains blowing over trucks, whipping up this dust storm. where these storms are headed next. omicron takes aim. more college campuses closing, more pro athletes testing positive and this morning, the eye opening new figure on just how fast the virus is spreading. plus, the one symptom you should look out for to know whether you're infected. >> one of the top producers in the music industry among nine people killed in a plane crash. your money, the new battle

in washington over the child tax credit and the big change when it comes to interest rates. you're fired. a major coaching controversy ends in the nfl after the coach allegedly kicked a player. from the mask dispute on this plane involving a thong to the company paying you not to make a cheesecake this holiday season to the boss cashing in on selling his entire music catalog, it's thursday, december 16th. ♪ glory days ♪ good thursday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii. mona is off. nearly 100 million americans are facing this extreme weather. >> in just the last few hours we've tracked reported tornadoes across the upper midwest all the way into minnesota which for this time of year is unheard of. the damage reports are just coming in. >> the unprecedented storms are

being fueled by unseasonable warmth in the middle of the country and now the same areas hit by those deadly tornadoes just days ago are bracing for more misery in the form of drenching rain. >> abc's ike ejiochi begins our coverage from mayfield, kentucky. ike, what can you tell us this morning? >> reporter: good morning. those storms are on their way here to mayfield. the last thing they need after those tornadoes this past weekend and now more historic weather in the midwest. breaking overnight in minnesota the state reporting its first ever december tornado. >> got really loud for about 30 seconds and then it was silent. >> reporter:fhe hartland, 95 miles south of minneapolis taking a direct hit. several commercial buildings destroyed including this bank. >> across the street from me the big bank, the old bang in town, there were tree branches through the window and glass was shattered and the bricks are falling off the building. both across the street the other

direction and half of another brick building was down and the gazebo in town was town along with the big christmas tree lit up. >> reporter: earlier the same line of storms carved a path of destruction across the midwest and plains. a dramatic fire sparked by downed power lines. at this nearby airport a plane hangar peeled back like a tin can. in colorado winds topping 100 miles per hour. this camper rolling across someone's property. the winds so powerful they snapped this basketball hoop like a twig. the wild weather like this dust storm in western kansas is being fueled by record temperatures, 30 to 40 degrees above normal in some areas and now these storms are taking aim at the region slammed by last weekend's tornadoes. >> the front itself lays down across the ohio, tennessee and mississippi river valleys for several days. heavy rain is not what they

need. >> reporter: the national weather service says the tornado that destroyed mayfield, kentucky, packed winds up to 190 miles per hour leaving at least 75 people dead across the state including huda's son who was just 3 years old. >> looking at this makes me sick. but we just got to figure out how we're going to go on without him. >> reporter: here in mayfield the state's emergency management director says it could take months to rebuild the power grid. >> stay safe out there, ike. >> we'll take a closer look at the forecast in just a few minutes. hospitals are bracing for a wave of new covid infections because of the omicron variant. we're learning more about the symptoms of this new variant. mean while prosecutor colleges closing classrooms to pro athletes getting sidelined, it seems when it comes to the pandemic our future is looking a lot like our past. this morning, america

is bracing for a dramatic surge in coronavirus infections as the new omicron variant shows it can be slowed but not stopped by the current vaccines. >> the message remains clear, if you are unvaccinated, get vaccinated. >> reporter: apple is now indefinitely delaying its return to the office. george washington university is now joining princeton, cornell and nyu canceling all events and moving exams online. more than 100 professional athletes have now tested positive or were exposed to the virus this week. the nfl players association is now pushing for daily testing. and in canada ontario will limit venues to 50% capacity. >> every health care system is planning and bracing for the coming winter months that are likely going to be pretty bad. >> reporter: omicron cases are doubling every two days in the u.s. new data shows the variant significantly reduces antibody protection after two doses of the pfizer and moderna vaccines, but doctors say the

booster shot mostly restores peak protection. >> if i didn't have these tools i would tell you to really be worried, but we have tools so get vaccinated. get boosted. >> reporter: research has shown omicron causes less severe dsease and now a preliminary study from south africa reveals it may cause different symptoms compared to previous variants including a scratchy throat as opposed to a sore throat. >> it's hard to tell the difference between the different variants and the symptoms. the most common symptoms currently are cough, fatigue, congestion, runny nose, and with that runny nose comes the scratchy throat, but if you have a sore throat or if you feel unwell for any reason, you should get tested for covid. >> reporter: meanwhile, the demand for covid tests and vaccines is surging ahead of the holiday. >> when we have dinner on the 25th the rules for my home is we have to be tested within 24 hours. >> reporter: in boston, fenway

park will be converted into a booster shot clinic. overseas the uk reported more than 78,000 new covid cases wednesday. that's the highest daily number since the start of the pandemic. breaking overnight, a big loss in the music industry. puerto rican producer flow la movie died in a plane crash he was among nine people killed when their private jet crashed in the dominican republic last night en route to miami. his girlfriend and their 4-year-old son are reportedly among the dead. know la movie was behind a string of hits including with bad bunny and drake. the social spending package remains in limbo as talks intensify over the tax credit. biden and senator joe manchin are divided on the size and scope. many other democrats say the provision is key to fighting

child poverty. get ready to pay higher mortgage rates or credit card interest or both. the federal reserve is now expected to raise interest rates at least three times next year likely beginning in the spring. the ferdinand chairman on wednesday explained why. >> with elevated inflation pressures and a rapidly strengthening labor market, the economy no longer needs increasing amounts of policy support. overall inflation is running well above our 2% longer run goal and we'll likely continue to do so well into next year. >> wall street apparently liked what powell had to say. the dow rose more than 380 points yesterday. six men are facing hate crime charges for a string of robberies including asian women in the san francisco area. prosecutors say the suspects targeted more than 100 asian women because of their ethnicity believing they would have large sums of cash. if convicted at least one of the suspects faces 95 years -- up to 95 years in prison.

elizabeth holmes is accused of defrauding investors out of millions of dollars when they are blood testing company failed. holmes took the stand in her own defense and admitted placing the letterheads of major drug companies on documents sent to investors without the companies' consent and faces 11 counts each carrying up to 20 years in prison. time now for a look at your thursday weather. good morning. wednesday was a windy day. you're looking at a list of several different states with gusts over 75 miles an hour including greater than 100 miles an hour in parts of colorado. not nearly as warm on thursday and thankfully not as windy. temperatures will plummet though back down to wintertime levels. precipitation should be light. looking ahead to the tornado stricken areas of western kentucky on thursday through saturday, we could see some flooding there. i'm accuweather meteorologist

kevin coskren. coming up, the fight over climate change in the kitchen, the city now banning gas stoves. but first why airlines are warning about more flight delays and why they have nothing to do with the weather. and later the surprise decision made by the top high school player, football player in the country.

tense moments at this board of education meeting in connecticut. a board member facing with another man, and knocking him down. tempers flared after the town decided to change the high school mascot. police are investigating. major airlines are warning about more delays in the future, not because of weather but because of wireless carriers

rolling out 5g service. airline ceos were on capitol hill, with a dire warning, and travelers fed up with delays and disruptions. the plan to offer 5g wireless service beginning next month, could disrupt thousands of daily flights. >> the safety concerns with aircraft and aviation are very real. >> reporter: they say 5g could interfere with sensitive electronics that help pilots land in bad weather at airports. to get around the problem, more flights will have to be diverted to other airports, which they say could cost passengers more than $1 billion in annual delays. the wireless industry accuses the airlines of fearmongering, saying 5g is already operating in other countries without issue. >> they have no answers for you. they tell you that nothing that we can do. >> reporter: meanwhile, senators demanded ceos answer for the hundreds of cancellations and

delays that plague airports this fall. >> we end up with airports in the wrong place. people in the wrong place. that was the driver of the cabslations. >> reporter: taxpayers spent $54 billion bailing out the airline industry in the pandemic. the ceos say, with all that money, they were forced to shrink their staffs. >> we need to make sure we don't overschedule the airline according to the resources we have. >> reporter: one senator demanded the airlines for flights canceled due to the pandemic, or offer credits that don't expire. >> at a minimum, they want a voucher they can use when they want to. they shouldn't have to worry that in order to get the cash, being used, they have to jump on a flight in the next three months, when the pandemic is now rising. >> reporter: despite customer dissatisfaction with the airline and the concerns of the omicron v variant, air travel in the next two weeks is going to be the

busiest in two years. beginning in two years, new builds will be required to go electric, heating and stove psps. it's an effort to reduce fossil fuels and fight climate change. the mayor calls it a historic step forward. coming up, why busier than ever. ever. and the files of the jfk ♪ ♪why do you build me up (build me up)♪ butter... cup... baby... up would be the operative word there pal. oh, yeah, yeah. sorry, have a good day! if you ride, you get it. - come on in! oh wow, we're really backed up. geico motorcycle. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. ♪ (upbeat music) ♪ lots of vitamins a and c geico motorcycle.

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the public has access to a new batch of files into the the investigation into president kennedy's assassination, the national archives released 1,500 documents including records on the movements of lee harvey oswald. they include cia memos discussing his visit to the soviet and cuban embassies in meico city months before kennedy was killed and how he communicated with a kgb officer. among the files not yet released are taped interviews with jackie kennedy and robert kennedy among the people who believe oswald had help carrying out the plot. jfk's daughter caroline kennedy nominated to be the next ambassador to australia. she served as ambassador to japan during the obama administration. and president biden has chosen the decorated figure skater michelle kwan to be ambassador of belize. she is a democratic fund-raiser and served as the state department's public diplomacy envoy. we turn to the retail rush.

more americans making their list and checking it twice turning to secondhand stores. abc's christine sloan explains why. >> reporter: this morning as millions race to finish their holiday shopping, more people are turning to thrift stores and consignment shops to find that special something. >> the price point is excellent and it has a markdown. >> reporter: shoppers facing a perfect storm of inflation and pandemic-related supply chain issues this year are finding a secondhand solution, no shipping delays here. and the prices, up to 50% lower. >> handbags, scarves, jewelry, we offer gloves, belts. i think handbags is probably the number one hit. you're getting it at an amazing price. >> reporter: the resale business has grown into a multibillion dollar a year industry now expanding by about 7% each year but analysts say it's not just the good prices and easy access that's fueling the thrifty trend. for many shoppers the pandemic

has changed the way they think about gift giving. >> maybe if people are just in the mood to be a little bit more thoughtful this year with the gift giving, and that's where these consignment shops, you can find real treasures there. >> reporter: sustainability is also a big factor with thrifters who are turning to online apps like poshmark and thredup in their search for deals. andrew, andrea. >> christine, thank you. and in sports urban meyer has been fired as coach of the jacksonville jag aio record, meyers has now been accused of kicking a former player during a preseason practice. then there was a wild ending in the nba last night. the oklahoma city thunder tying the game with a 30-foot prayer. the pelicans didn't want overtime, so this shot from over 60 feet settled it and pelicans win, 113-110. >> amazing. good for them. coming up, bruce springsteen's big announcement. also ahead, the dispute over what qualifies as a mask on a plane.

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neutrogena®. for people with skin. ♪ time to check "the pulse." beginning with "santa claus is coming to town" by bruce springsteen. the boss is cashing in. >> he sold the master recordings of his publishing right to $500 million. it would be the biggest deal in music history for an individual body of work. >> the boss' catalog includes 20 studio albums, including the 15-time platinum "born in the usa." next, a florida man's opposition to wearing a mask. >> adam jenning was flying united airlines from ft. lauderdale when he decided to wear a thong on his face instead of a mask.

the flight crew removed him. >> he calls the mandate nonsense and tried to compare himself to a civil rights icon. >> everything else that has sparked change in this country has started from everyday people. rosa parks was nobody famous. she changed the course of history. >> okay. he is flying spirit airlines today. and the teenager known as the best high school player in the country. >> travis hunter will play for jackson stated, a historically black university. their team is led by former nfl star dieion sanders. >> he gave a verbal commitment to florida state two years ago. a few way to address the shortage of cream cheese right now. >> an idea from kraft, the maker of philadelphia cream cheese. the company is offering customers $20 not to use philadelphia cream cheese to

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this is abc 7 news. >> now at 5:00, uncertainty having a big impact on the bay area. the local company that announced it is delaying plans to return to the office. plus, a major conference that will meet virtually. >> airline ceo's talking about covering your face on planes as we head into the busy holiday travel season. at least one is saying masks don't add much when it comes to protecting passengers. >> wild weather and the great plains in the midwest. the extensive damage after one state reported its first ever tornado in december. >> let's take a live look outside right now. you can expect to see showers. mike is tracking a drier wave of weather as we head into our we can. reggie: good morning. you are watching abc seven mornings, live on abc seven, hulu live in wherever you stream. kumasi: start with a check of the forecast. mike: we roads as the showers me show you live7 and what you will see.