right now in america this morning, major storm on the move a system bringing heavy rain and snow now making its way across the country, affecting millions taking to the roads and skies for new years and as western new york digs out from that historic storm, milder temperatures could bring about new problems. we're tracking it all. back to normal after canceling more than 15,000 flights over the past week, southwest says it's now on the brink of getting back on schedule. when the airline says the wave of cancelations will finally end george santos facing new scrutiny with the embattled congressman elect is now telling republican leaders as new questions are raised about how he portrayed his mother's death. morning pillay tributes pouring

in for the man who helped popularize the beautiful game. how he rose from humble beginnings to charming the world plus mega millions mania. the jackpot rising rapidly as americans look to strike it rich as they ring in the new year, and why a sports drink is causing chaos at supermarkets. on this friday, december 30th. from abc news in new york. this is america this morning. good morning, everyone. we begin with the severe storms on the move. justice 2022 comes to a close stores from coast to coast could disrupt holiday travel plans for millions in denver. a backup on interstate i 70 left motorist rated for more than eight hours. that storm system is now trekking across the country, bringing not only rain but a big warmup. meanwhile the death toll continues to rise from last week's blizzard of the century. flooding is now the major concern of the buffalo area, but we begin with those new storms taking shape just before new year's. steve this morning.

americans from coast to coast are preparing to ring in the new year as severe storms bring heavy snow and drenching rain. this is crazy. oh, boy roads in colorado reopened after a storm caused a stretch of i 72 close for nine hours, bringing drivers to a standstill. there has been so many accidents and so many stuck vehicles that i 70 has now been shut down for almost 10 hours. there's been a few people that i think we're in the tunnel that we're a little worried about carbon monoxide and they had their kind of doors propped up with like a talent front of the west coast and atmospheric river is set to disrupt new year's travel as new winter storm watches and warnings are posted in colorado, utah, nevada and california. heavy rain coming in. when does well, it'll be from seattle down i five to san francisco during the day of fresh pulse coming in on saturday that will nudge it south into southern california will see some flash flooding with this, especially in the foothills in the higher elevations. 2 to 5 ft. of additional snowfall with those high winds. it will be very

difficult travel, there will be an avalanche threat into the intermountain west as well. meanwhilen aved weer n, with 39 deaths now confirmed in the area , and we're learning more about those who lost their lives, including luxuries. curry who died after having an asthma attack the storm slowing rescuers who could not reach her in time. i just want her to know that like i loved her, her son loved her. the whole family loved her. meanwhile flooding is now the major concern in the buffalo area. with temperatures rising, the snow is starting to melt. officials are clearing storm drains in anticipation of any flooding, and the state is on standby with 800,000 sandbags . police in the town of cheektowaga found the man they dubbed merry christmas. j officers were looking for j withy to thank him after he helped shelter people in a nearby school, writing a note that said, he's sorry for breaking the school window. merry christmas j, but his actions likely saving people's lives stranger to helping people, but to impact people like, uh, and, you know, impact

their lives and save their lives . i'm just grateful that i could have had the opportunity and that i had the world to do that. this incredible act there. you can hear more of jay's story exclusively on good morning america. in the meantime, the chance for rain on new year's eve is increasing for parts of the east coast, including times square. a closer look at the forecast coming up in a few minutes after a massive meltdown . southwest airlines is planning to get back on track today for the first time in over a week. the promise to return to normal operations comes as passengers are still scrambling to try and find their way home. abc is justin finch has the latest now from washington. good morning, justin. rihanna and good morning southwest airlines apologizing this morning as it scrambles to reboot operations after canceling thousands of flights, and al faces an even tougher task of winning back customers trust starting today. southwest airlines aims to end the travel nightmare impacting customers nationwide. my personal apology

is the first step of making things right, the air carrier releasing a statement saying, we are encouraged by the progress we've made to realign crew, their schedules and our fleet. southwest has canceled more than 15,000 flights since last week, likely impacting more than a million travelers. what'seing called one of the worst airline meltdowns in u. s history. never seen anything like this. this is absolutely crazy. many stranded southwest customers have spent days without their luggage pe of pocket southwestseen is urging impacted travelers to submit receipts on its website, saying get well honor reasonable request for reimbursement for meals, hotel and alternate transportation from those whose flights were canceled or significantly delayed between december 24th and january 2nd. the airline also pledging to reimburse custom mers unused tickets during that same window . the u. s department of transportation already

investigating southwest also value to hold the carrier accountable for those reimbursements, assigning us dottie resources to follow through on every complaint that comes in to make sure that you get compensated. but travelers should be prepared to wait. southwest says that compensation process could take weeks, as could the timeline for them to ship back all that lost luggage to passengers. brandon alright, justin. thank you. for that emeritus, benedict is sustaining the church in silence. those words come from his successor. pope francis, who described the former pontiff is very sick. the 95 year old is said to be lucid and alert but in serious but stable condition after his health took a downward turn this week. abc s marcus moore tells us about today's plans in rome. the diocese of rome has scheduled a special public mass and benedict's honor on friday as pope francis renewed his calls for all to join and continued prayers for his predecessor in these difficult hours. the pope emeritus, gave up the papacy in 2013, citing

his advanced age. he was the first leader of the catholic church to stand down in 600 years. the u. s has lodging a complaint with china after the pentagon says that chinese fighter jet flew within 10 ft of an american surveillance plane. the incident happened last week in international airspace over the south china sea. the u. s says such incidents both in the air and at sea. are increasing. president biden has signed a $1.7 trillion spending bill into law. it averts a government shutdown and funds federal agencies through september. the bill was flown to st croix, where biden is vacationing with his family. it includes a 10% boost in military spending and $45 billion for ukraine. new york city's police department says it is ready for tomorrow's big party in times square. the celebration to ring in 2023 is expected to be the largest since 2019 which of course was just a few months before the start of the pandemic. the nypd says there are no credible threats against the event, so they had a

test run for the party. yesterday organizers as you see , dropping some colorful confetti and the ball drop test will be later today with that, let's take a look at your morning weather. and atmospheric river brings heavy moisture to california. in fact, some spots in the central valley will pick up 2 to 4 inches of rainfall. well, the highest elevations will receive snow and notice your saturday here, then we continue that moisture into southern california. well the central here the nation remains dry. and yes, there's more rain here for the east. this is bringing the mild times in. but for the ball drop in new york city. we're talking about the chance for rain persisting. as temperatures stay in the lower fifties. now we get into new year's day and we still have the moisture throughout the intermountain west, also that rain, leaving some of the northeast. much of the rest of the nation stays dry. i'm accuweather meteorologists, most of constand's there.

breaking news at deputy shot and killed during a traffic stop in southern california. but we're now learning ahead. congressman elect jorge santos is facing new questions about his past, including his mother's death and 9 11 and how the fashion world is remembering trailblazer is remembering trailblazer vivienne westwood. you ready for an adventure? let's go! 2023 on disney+. it's going to be quite a year. new stories. this is just the beginning. definitely. new faces. peter pan? were you expecting someone else? and some familiar ones too. hang on. like this handsome fellow! little over the top, don't you think? there's only one place that's home to all of this and so much more. disney+ after my car accident, and so much more. i wondered what my case was worth. so i called the barnes firm. when that car hit my motorcycle, insurance wasn't fair.

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this interview 2020 tonight on abc. breaking overnight in california sheriff's department is mourning, one of its own deputy, isaiah cordero, was shot to death thursday during a traffic stop near riverside. detectives say the suspect, described as a career criminal, was killed in a shootout with officers. deputy cordero was an eight year veteran colleagues say his death leaves a hole in their hearts. he was a jokester

around the station. and all of our deputies considered him their little brother. he was 32 years old. we are grieving deputy cordero's family and our own law enforcement family within the riverside county sheriff's office. the sheriff there went on to say the suspect should have never been on the street, claiming a judge lowered his bail after a violent incident last year. now to embattled new york congressman elect jorge santos apparently does not plan to spend long on capitol hill as scrutiny over lies about his past increases. he already has an exit strategy from congress. here's a b c's andrea fuji. this morning, abc news has learned. new york congressman elect jorge santos is telling local republican leaders that he will not seek re election in 2024 as his background comes under even more fire watching this slow jorge santos train wreck. take place. we need to stand together.

because. we do not want to be represented by a clown county republican chairman says the republican party would not support santos in 2020 for writing in a statement. i don't know what party would endorse him as a candidate. santos is set to take office next week and refuses to step aside despite calls for him to resign as more possible lies about his schooling and family come to light. santos claimed he attended the new york private school, horace mann, but the school claims there is no record of him good prep school so and which was horace manhattan prep in the bronx, and santos suggested his grandparents survived the holocaust, playing up his ukrainian jewish roots, but santos himself is catholic to lie about being descendants of holocaust survivors for the purpose of political gain is beyond unacceptable. now there are new questions surrounding his mother's death. santos

claims she was in the south tower on 9 11 and died a few years later suggesting his mother died from an illness related to the attack. however her obituary says she died in 2016 and mentions nothing of 9 11. federal and local prosecutors are investigating whether santos committed any crimes involving his finances and lies about his background. santos has apologized for quote embellishing his resume. meanwhile top republican leaders in washington are staying silent , including congressman kevin mccarthy and senator mitch mcconnell. if santos were to resign, republicans would lose a house seat and would require a special election for a swing seat that republicans just flipped in the midterms. andrew rhiannon. alright andrea. thank you coming up new concerns about the growing number of measles in one state ahead. new reaction on the passing of pale, a closer look at his lasting

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measles outbreak spreading among children in central ohio. there are more than 80 confirmed cases and 32 kids have been hospitalized. most of the patients are under five, and officials say none of them are fully vaccinated. the fashion world is mourning the death of british designer vivienne westwood, who played a key role in the punk fashion movement. westwood began designing in the seventies, taking the world by storm with her provocative urban street style, and she transitioned from punk to high fashion. westwood was also an advocate in fighting climate change. i'm a fashion designer and an activist, and this is my career e help the other and it's very, very important to look great. if you want to make a point, because then people i think will listen to you more. westwood was 81 fellow designer marc jacobs paid tribute writing heartbroken you did it first, always incredible style with brilliant and meaningful substance. two days of mourning

are now plan next week for a man who gave brazilian soccer fans so many years of memories. pele died on thursday. he once said he didn't like his now famous nickname. when he was younger fans around the world grew to love it. and to love him. here's a b cs matt rivers. the world mourning the loss of a giant pele, the brazilian legend many consider the greatest soccer player of all time dead at age 82, his daughter sharing the news on instagram saying, quote all that we are is thanks to you . we will love you forever rest in peace. police had been battling colon cancer and was hospitalized in early december. born arantes do nascimento in 1940, he grew up in poverty, in part, honing his skills by kicking a rolled up sock stuffed with rags, making his world cup debut as a 17 year old in 1958. brazil's victory, they're rocketing him to global stardom , number 10, always the master and the scorer of goal number

three. he would go on to win three world cups and all the only player in history to do so after dominating in brazil for nearly 15 years, pillay brought his unique brand of soccer artistry to the us coming out of retirement to play for the new york cosmos in 1975, becoming an ambassador for the game, helping many americans fall in love with the sport. after his career, pele was a passionate advocate for children's education while promoting soccer across the world. war number 10, often by top playmakers. tributes from other number tens, including brazilian forward neymar, saying quote before pele was just a number argentinian lionel messi saying rest in peace, messy just won the world cup, and pele was watching in his last instagram post. before he died. he congratulated messy and argentina for the victory writing. what a gift. it was to watch. for years. it was pele himself, who was a gift for so

many of us last match here in the us in 1977, he managed to get the sold out stadium crowd to all chant the word love three times in unison on instagram account, a tribute post hearken back to that moment, saying in part, quote, his message today becomes a legacy for future generations. love, love and love. forever. matt rivers abc news in new york are thanks to matt in the nfl last night, cowboys quarterback dak prescott had a rough first half against the undermanned titans. prescott turned the ball over three times, including back to back interceptions. but that's not how you start. it's how you finish. dallas scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter of the cowboys wanted 27 to 13 keeping alive their division title hopes and maybe even the number one overall seed when it comes time for the playoffs playoff time coming up next, the jumbo meghan millions . jackpot growing even bigger, plus why shoppers are waiting in line for hours for a sports drink.

roundtable takes on the year ahead on abc s this week. to check the pulse and we begin with the clock ticking toward tonight's big mega millions, drawing a big because there's at least $640 million up for grabs and making millions. jackpot is not been one since mid october, lottery officials say beating the odds and winning tonight would guarantee you a very happy new year. worse hearing from players and seen that they are excited about the mega million jackpot tonight. and of course, trying to start that new year with perhaps a new life and, you know, new vacation spot. or just buy your own island. the cash option in tonight's drawing by the way more than $328 million change. yes you could buy a lot of the new viral sports drink

that has buyer's going crazy. you got to see this. the drink is called prime hydration, and it's launched at the all the stores in the u. k had shoppers grabbing it like it was black friday in the video game department. the drink was created by former boxing rivals and internet influencers, logan, paul and ks. i there are legions of fans are driving the popularity now to a beautiful bird that's out of its element. snowy owl is soaking up the sun in southern california. it's been hanging out in an orange county neighborhood and drawing quite a crowd. look at this, as the name implies, so we owls are usually found in colder climates. one theory is that it hitched a ride on a ship seems to be doing well. so officials yeah, they plan to just leave it alone. let it be finally, some very chilly holiday leftover. these may take a while to heat up. check out this video from pittsburgh. a man left some pasta outside on christmas eve when the temperature was negative 27 degrees. you might need a microwave or can you still boil it in a pot? i don't know. i'm not gonna try

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moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news.

flightmare over? kumasi: those troubles caused a man to missing -- a man to miss an important medical procedure. jobina: the early morning rain causing a mass. the damage left behind. kumasi: taking a look from walnut creek but we cannot see much with the rain but we are prepared for more rain over the next two weeks. drew is tracking the timeline and what you need to know. jobina: good morning and happy friday. december 30. kumasi: two weeks? drew: the only totally dry day is sunday. sunday is looking beautiful and we will get the rain out of here for the fireworks. live doppler 7, it is a wet morning with in -- but not with

intense rainfall but the rn