right now on "america this morning," how could this happen? the 27 hour nightmare, finally over this morning after an epic traffic jam on a virginia highway, and now, more bad weather is on the way. 80 million americans on alert, what to expect this morning. >> breaking overnight, classes cancelled, one of the biggest school districts in the country. shutting its doors amid growing concern about covid. the decision that come from the cdc today, plus, why the hard to find at home covid tests are about to get more expensive. >> change of plans, what former president trump won't be doing in the anniversary of the january 6th riot of the capitol as the lawmakerers investigating the attack, reveal text messages

between sean hannity and the white house. and how robbers are getting for brazen, taking parts right off the car. >> tear it down. >> and later the big change coming at one of american's favorite fried chicken chains. ♪ ♪ >> from abc news in new york. this is "america this morning." >> good monday morning everyone, we begin with a messy morning commute for millions americans with more snow and freezing rain. >> 30 states are affected, freezing rain is possible from virginia to maine while parts of the upper midwest brace for blizzard conditions and the pacific northwest sees more heavy rain and mountain snow. internate 95 in virginia finally reopened after a 50 mile traffic jam that spanned two days and now we are learning more about what the drivers went through. this morning new questions about

how a snowstorm could pair lies a major interstate on the east coast, stranding hundreds of people in freezing temperatures. some of them for more than 24 hours. >> our cell phones don't work. internet goes in and out, so, it's, we have just been sitting here. >> a crash involving several tractor trailers triggered this epic traffic jam along a stretch of i-95 in virginia. the state's transportation commissioner said that some vehicles had four inches of ice beneath them. he said that authorities did not treat the road because of the rain that fell before the snow. >> we were not able to pretreat our roadways before. and this is due to the rain. the rain would have washed all of our chemicals and salt off of the road. >> some drivers takes to social media worrying about a lack of gas, food and water as temperatures dipped in the teens. >> i'm worried that i'm going to run out of gas. >> senator tim cain said he spent 27 hours in his car with

only an orange and a dr. pepper. >> and i also had a full tank of gas. the problem is a lot of people, when you are stuck that long between, you know, five miles from an interchange and the traffic is not moving, folks are running out of gas. >> overnight the washington post printing an opinion piece with the title, imagine virginia's icy traffic disaster with only electric vehicles. it was on not just cars. more than 30 hours they were stranded in virginia, toilets backed up as the snack bar ran out of food and now, forecasters are warning about more freezing ra rain for the same area. >> we are barely going to have time to catch breath between storms this week. let's go to the map. richmond virginia to maine all in winter weather advisories this will be deceiving too. it does not come at snow. it comes at rain. hit as a super cool below freezing surface and creates the ice rink affect.

>> and blizzard conditions coming to the dakotas. that will of to maine later this week. >> we will take a closer look at the forecast in a few moments. >> the at home covid tests that are so hard to find are about to get more expensive. the cdc could approve booster shots for kids ages 12-15 and concern about covid cases among children is forcing one of the nation's largest school districts to close today. we are hiere with the latest. >> lots of usual s at, one, new methods are coming out to fight the virus, and testing still remains a key hurdle. this morning the cdc under scrutiny for shortening the isolation period after testing positive for covid-19. recommending that asymptomatic people end isolation after five days instead of ten and without a test. the agency adding that americans who can and want to test should opt for a rapid test and stopped

short of mandating it. they say, if you test positive after five days, isolate for another five days. if negative, leave isolation, but wear a mask and avoid high risk activity. >> it's all about the fact this that there's not enough tests. the reality is if every american had access to say, five tests at home. we would not be having this conversation. >> the white house was pressed about when the 500ly million free at home rapid tests will be made available. >> the first delivery from manufacturers will start later in month and obviously then we will work to get it out the door as quickly as possible. >> it comes as walmart and kroger raise their prices for at-home covid tests after an agreement with the white house expired. right now, covid deaths are up 10% in the u.s. in the last week. earlier this week, a single day record of 1 million covid cases driven by a holiday backhog and massive demand for testing. >> some will die needlessly die. unvaccinated are taking up hospital beds and crowding emergency rooms and intensive

care units. >> the president taking more steps to fight the spread. announcing he was doubling the purchase of pfizer's covid-19 anti-viral pill from 10 million to 20 million treatments the surge is affecting schools across the country. at least 3500 schools have switched to remote learning or delayed a return. overnight, the chicago teachers union, voting to work remotely. the district will cancel classes today in response. now, the cdc is expected to sign off today on pfizer's boosters for teens, ages 12-15 with shots in arms as early as thursday. >> ike, thank you. the fda has issued a new warning about covid testing at home. it's warning you not to swab your throat. people on social media have claimed that doing so allow force more accurate test results but that is not the case. and one other covid related story, this one from the sports world. tennis star novak djokovic has received an exemption from the

vaccine mandate at the australian open, allowing him to play in the tournament. critics claim he is getting special treatment. >> we have several developments concern canning the u.s. capitol attack. lawmakers are seeking answers from fox news host saean hannit and now, ity trump announced a change of plans. former president trump has cancelled the news conference that he was scheduled to hold tomorrow marking the january 6th attack. trump say engine light of the total bias and dismondhmonday dishonesty are, i'm cancelling the press conference at mmma mara-lago, shelley more said she doesn't think it's a good idea. a year has passed since the attack and the fbi said it's still on the hunt for as many as 350 violent suspects.

abc news is learning new details about the scale of the attack, and police say a crowd of 10,000 surrounded the capitol with 2,000 illegally entering the building. that is twice the number first suspected and now, the house committee investigating the riot is seeking cooperation from a key trump ally, it's asking fox news host sean hannity to respond to questions about his communications with trump. newly released text messages reveal hannity a week before the right appeared to warn mark meadows that white house lawyers are on the verge of resigning to protest trump's plan to overturn the election. texting quote, we can't lose the entire white house council'ses office, i do not see january 6 happening the way he is being told. and on the eve of the riot, the committee said hannity seemed to sound the alarm, texting i'm very worried about the next 48 hours. he texted mark meadows, can he

make a statement and ask people to leave the capitol, in the days after the riot, hannity texted meadows and jim jordan and talked about a conversation with trump. he said, he cannot mention the election again, ever, i did have not have a good call with him today, and worse, i'm not what is left to say. and i'm not sure it's truly understood. >> new details of one of the more destructive wildfires and it's determined that a power line owned by pg and e came in contact with the tree sparking the dixie fire last july. it burned a million square miles of northern california. let's look at the wednesday weather. well, good morning to you, we are talking about arctic air that is plunging south on wednesday. we are talking sub zero temperatures in bismark and it will set the stage for what

happens to the east as we go forward, the next lineup of storms. it's a storm that will roll in if the southeast and move up the i-95 corridor, bringing in heavy snow north of d.c. in to new york city, could be 3-6 inches here. quick look at the northwest, where another round of heavy weather comes your way. for accu weather, auto i'm meteorologist chris -- coming up the pop star in handcuffs after a brawl caught >> and ahead k the show really go on? the hell wood award show struggling to survive. >> first, george floyd's niece is shot in her texas home and

back now with singer jason

drulu, he appeared to punch and shove one of the men at the casino, after the men called him -- >> a developing story in houston involving the family of george floyd, his niece is in the hospital after being shot and now, police are facing questions about their response time. >> this morning a little girl shot in her houston home has been identified as the niece of george floyd. the man who's murder at the hands of minneapolis police officer derek chauvin set off a national movement, she is now recovering from her wounds. >> my daughter don't know, i can't explain it to her. >> somebody sprad the apartment with bullets early new year's day, the family believes the home was targeted. it's the same apartment seen here where george floyd's family

gathered last year to watch the derek chauvin verdict. >> we have a hit right here. and we have a hit here. >> the gunfire punctured her lung and liver, breaking three of her ribs and she was sleeping at the time. >> my daughter jumped up and said, daddy, i've been hit and i was shocked until i seen the blood and i realized my 4-year-old daughter was really hit. and she don't know what's going on, she was asleep. >> her father called 9-1-1 around 3:00 a.m., but police did not show up for four hours later. houston police now launching an internal investigation in to the response time. >> if he had a child, that's the only way he going to understand how he really feel? >> ariana had surgery and in stable condition, police do not yet have any suspects. andrew, mona. >> meghan, thank you. after facing criticism for the

lack of diversity the golden globe awards will go on without any star power. with no celebrity hosts, red carpet or audienc, the hollywood foreign press association behind the awards has been under fire for racially insensitive e-mails. but has promised reforms. >> coming up the 81-year-old woman who fought back against a bear. >> and also ahead, thieves going to new lengths to steal a valuable part off of

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if you're looking for a new job, now is the time. more americans are quitting their jobs. new data from november shows a record 4.5 million americans said, i quit. hotels, restaurants and the transportation industry saw the biggest losses, the number of job openings nationwide far exceeds the number of people unemployed. a big headline from the auto industry. toyota just beat general motors in u.s. sales. it's the first time in 90 years that gm has lost the best-selling crown. a shortage of semiconductor chips has hurt production. no matter what kind of car you drive you need to be on aert. thieves are getting more brazen as they try to steal a certain auto part that can be worth big money. police and drivers across the country are growing more concerned about escalating violence associated with the theft of a pricey car part. >> it's pretty scary to have people like that out there that feel free to do that. >> reporter: near seattle this woman says she spotted thieves under her van trying to steal

her catalytic converter. beth speaking with our seattle station komo said the thieves shot a gun as her husband approached them. >> one pulled a gun and shot it in the air. they finished up. they kept going, finished up and then left a couple minutes later. >> reporter: catalytic converter thefts are on the rise because the metal inside them can be traded for cash at scrap yards. in sacramento, california, a man tried to film a group stealing the catalytic converter off his neighbor's car before one of the thieves chased him away with a blowtorch. >> get out of here, go. >> reporter: catalytic converters can cost up to $2,000 to replace. state farm tells abc news it paid out $43 million in claims for catalytic converter thefts in just the last year. back in washington state senator jeff wilson is proposing a bill that would only allow scrap yards to accept catalytic converters from commercial businesses or the owner of the

vehicle. >> we've also had people murdered over this. >> it gives us one more way of engages, deterring the theft. >> reporter: wilson's bill will be considered after lawmakers return to the capitol next week. an 81-year-old woman was attacked trying to save her dogs from a bear in her yard. she had just put out the trash and punched the bear to scare it off. her injuries were minor. bears typically hibernate this time of year but warm weather has apparently kept them awake. coming up, the man-made island that now has to be destroyed. also ahead, a big change for kfc.

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hungry and spotted a baking company's truck which was also stuck. so casey called the company to ask if the truck driver could spare bread. >> the company said no problem and the driver helped to pass out the bread to hungry people in dozens of cars more than 50 in all. >> the 400 loafs of bread, so, two mile stretch of highway, it was incredible. >> we started passing out cars around us and a lot of them with children were thankful, even some of them, when they saw what we were doing, jumped in and helped us reach more cars. so, it was awesome. >> the couple went 37 hours without eating before having that bread. it was the yeast they could do. next, big news from kfc, the question is will it be finger licking good? >> that is right, they will be serving plant based chicken options. the new offerings were timed for the new year when many customers are trying to eat healthier.

and the bizarre new claim from north korea. the leader claims that the father of kim jong-un created the burritto. >> and what could be a major deconstruction project. a man made island may soon be a man made waste land, the developer has been told to tear it down because of illegal permits. finally news from the music industry, a judge dismissed a lawsuit over a famous ni. a -- famous nirvana album. >> the child said he wants compensation for life long damage that he suffered. >> the judge did not buy it, but he is giving him a chance to

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>> building a better bay area. moving forward and finding solutions. >> a sheriff office recruit shot and killed while driving home from work. new information released as soon as today. >> the results of post holiday testing have an impact on school attendance. the covid cases discovered in one district. >> a traffic jam that spanned two days. the latest on the extreme weather event that paralyzed an interstate. >> it is wednesday, january five and you are watching abc seven mornings. >> how is it looking outside? >> any steady showers have moved out. we have cloud cover this morning and overcast skies. visibility is not terribly low but it is reduced in some areas. five miles in hayward. a great start to the day.

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