making news in america this morning, winter weather. light snow overnight crippling washington, d.c. a traffic mess across the nation's capital. even impacting president obama, plus, the megastorm on the way. feet of snow expected. we're going to have the latest track. pulling away. donald trump with a bigger lead in the newest poll as sarah palin stumps for the front-runner firing up trump's supporters. even addressing her son's recent arrest. historic hire. the first female hired as a full time coach in the nfl. and postponed.

pushed back far, far away. good thursday morning. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for reena ninan. the winter weather bringing the nation's capital to a standstill days before a big storm is expected to hit. >> yeah, some people just making last night. overnight drivers crashing on icy roads in and around washington, d.c. and gridlock hours past the evening rush. even the president's motorcade getting caught in t the inch of snow coming from a system not associated with a storm that could dump feet of snow on d.c. >> looking at the radar now that storm already moving out to sea. it was brief but it certainly caused a lot of problems. abc's ray-ray ramundi has the details. >> reporter: motorists crashing

untreated roadways and light snowy literally wreaked havoc across mid-atlantic states. >> so i drove home from work and i'm not used to driving in snow, so it was pretty rough driving home and took a while. >> reporter: less than two inches of snowfall kriping enough in the nation's capital to even delay the leader of the free world. president obama's return to the white house delayed after his staff was forced to change plans due to the weather. >> en route to the hospital. we have multiple injuries. >> reporter: in montgomery county, maryland, outside of washington, cars were stuck on roadways for hours. >> just trying to stay off the roads. >> reporter: in west virginia utility companies bracing themselves for immending power outages. >> the thing that has us worried with this storm is the depth of the snow and potential for wet snow. >> reporter: some 15 states this morning under winter storm watches from as far south as north carolina to as far north

this as the i-95 corridor braces for a potentially historic blizzard aimed at nation's capital, new york and philadelphia. >> we don't want to overreact but encourage people to get prepared. >> reporter: they're tripling the amount of snowplows and trucks. this as we brace for the major storm which is less than 48 hours away. marci, kendis, back to you. >> a lot are saying it's too late for them right now as we try to get home. ray, thank you. that extreme weather, however, is coming much sooner to the south. before it dumps all that snow on 50 million people, it will be bringing rain to the gulf coast. >> and picking up strength. justin povick of accuweather has the latest. good morning. >> kendis, marci, we are following developing severe weather on this thursday, more so over the western gulf coast states from louisiana back into alabama and mississippi. threats here going to be damaging winds and tornadoes and then later on friday into friday

night and saturday we will be following a heavy snow threat evolving throughout the middle atlantic states and into northeast. there is the potential for over a foot of snow for some. kendis and marci, back to you. justin. also breaking overnight, stocks in asia and europe taking a beating today after another wild ride on wall street. the dow starts today down 249 points after free-falling more than 500 points. at one point during the day, the s&p 500 at its lowest level in nearly two years. all this turmoil blamed partly on dropping oil prices. that's good at the gas pump but it's hitting 401(k)s hard. here's abc's rebecca jarvis with what to do. >> reporter: stocks this year are now down almost 10%. for those who are worried about that retirement savings account, you should know this, the hardest thing to do is the very best thing you can do for your money and that is to wait it out.

>> that's going to be tough bus a typical 401(k) has lost nearly $8300 in value this year. in just hours, u.s. markets are expected to open lower. and with the presidential race ticking down toward its first real votes, a new poll shows donald trump stretching his lead over the rest of the republican pack. the numbers put trump at 34% in new hampshire. granite state. ted cruz is a distant second followed by jeb bush and marco rubio, tied at 10%. and trump took his road show to tulsa, oklahoma, and was nearly upstaged by his opening act, sarah palin. the former alaska governor accused the obama administration of neglecting war veterans having trouble adjusting to civilian life. then she alluded to her son track's arrest for domestic violence calling it, quote, the elephant in the room. >> but my son like so many others, they come back a bit different, they come back hardened. i can certainly relate with

other families who kind of feel these ramifications of some ptsd and some of the woundedness that our soldiers do return with. >> democrat hillary clinton seized on the trump/palin partnership telling voters it is up to them to make sure this image doesn't become a real-life live" skit. clinton is struggling in new hampshire. eclipsed by bernie sanders' surprising double-digit lead and in iowa where sanders is within striking distance of a win. and a lot of dads out there can relate to president obama. getting emotional about a major milestone for first daughter malia during a lunch in detroit he was asked about her uncoming high school graduation. >> malia's school asked if i wanted to speak at commencement and i said no. i'm going to be wearing dark glasses and i'm going to cry. >> very adorable there.

malia is a senior so private sidwell friends school and is expected to start college in the fall. still ahead, "star wars" fans will have to wait a little longer for the next film. plus, sinking fast and surrounded by ice. a driver perched on top of her car waiting for a rescue. and serious allegations comics accusing amy schumer of stealing hair jokes. what the "trainwreck" star is

a tennessee teenager is safe and warm this morning thanks to rescuers who pulled her from a frigid pond. she was driving on an icy road when an approaching car lost control and swerved in her direction. that's when she slammed on the

brakes and ended up in the water. well, could be another day off from school for thousands of students in detroit. yesterday 88 schools were closed and teachers are threatening another mass sick-out today despite the school district going to court to stop it. the teachers say they're trying to draw attention to the poor condition of the schools including safety hazards and supersized classes. well, there could soon be drastic new action over the safety of hoverboards. some of those boards now under investigation by the government after catching fire. well, a government watchdog is calling for a suspension of all online sales of all hoverboards until there's better testing and proof of safety in the devices. and amazon is now offering a refund on all hoverboards bought on that site. the big winter storm moving into the east is likely to disrupt some travel plans. five major domestic airlines are offering waivers for refunds for flights to, from or through cities affected by the storm. won't cost anything to change

check their websites for flight statuses. okay, some bad news for "star wars" fans. the next movie in the series, episode viii is being pushed back. instead of memorial day weekend, 2017, it'll debut now just before christmas next year. episode viii from our parent company is scheduled to begin filming next month. when we come back, caught on camera, a snowboarder surviving an avalanche. why police are now taking a close look at this video. and the shiny sweater that's causing a frenzy at stores selling out and we'll tell you who wore it and for how much. [ scanner beeping ] sir, could you step aside? "sir"? come on. you know who i am. progressive insurance? uh, i save people an average of over $500 when they switch? did you pack your own bags? oh! right --

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in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side effect is nausea. being a non-smoker feels great. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. hey, remember the game when i set the rookie passing record? i mean, you only mentioned what, 50 times... how about when i had three events in one night? well, i' ve been working on my new superhero move all day! we' re non stop, we' ve gotta have our extra protein. oikos triple zero greek non fat

zero added sugar, zero artificial sweetener and zero fat. and zero holding me back! oikos triple zero. be unstoppable. mmm dannon updating our top story ahead of the blizzard expected this weekend there was a similar storm in washington, d.c. last night during evening rush hour. the 1.6 inches brought traffic to a standstill. even the president was affected. his helicopter grounded so the presidential entourage had to drive back to the white house. most of the snow and ice on the roads this morning will be in the ohio valley, flooding is likely on roads in the deep south and the west, wet roads, in the northwest and northern california late tonight and snow in the mountains. if you're flying airport delays likeliest in memphis and new orleans.

that all of the backlash after her all white oscars rant isn't really about the oscars. it's about black people gaining power in an industry where they are undervalued. >> smith tweeted her thanks to academy president cheryl boone isaacs for her pledge to work for dramatic changes and now her husband, will smith, is speaking out in an abc news exclusive. >> the industry reflects america. it reflects a series of challenges that we are having in our country at the moment. that's not the hollywood that i want to leave behind. >> you'll hear much more from will smith later on "gma." ." newly released e-mails show top officials in michigan tried at first to avoid responsibility for the water crisis in flint. a day after doctors reported high levels of lead in flint children, a top aide to the governor told him the real responsibility for the city's water issues rested with local

e-mails acknowledge that it was the state treasurer who okayed the water supply switch to save money. more americans are living 100 years and beyond. new research by the cdc this morning shows between 2000 and 2014, the number living more than that was up 80%. a snowboarder who triggered an avalanche could face criminal viral. he taped himself and narrowly escaping death or injure and officials at the california resort say he was in an area that was closed to the public but he's denying that telling a local newspaper there were no posted off limit signs. we have another celebrity rescuing someone from a car crash, new england patriots reserve linebacker darius fleming saw a woman struggling inside her smoking car after a three-car accident.

he couldn't open the door so he kicked out the window. fleming needed 22 stitches, but he played last sunday's game anyway. teammates say they're not surprised. he's a stand-up guy. >> all right, to some sports headlines. one nba team coasted again and another bounced back. >> let's get the detail, shall we, from our friends at espn. we have two great nba highlights. stan will read his better than i will read mine. >> warriors/bulls, you saw what golden state did to cleveland on monday. this pretty mump the same deal. steph hurry to draymond green. warriors up ten and then later green returns the favor. curry, 25 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds in the game and you don't see him do this much. throwing it down. warriors now 20-4 on the road. >> you mentioned the cavaliers getting their warrior handed to

they were taking on the nets and this was all lebron james, kevin love, hey, let's be friends and teammates and share the basketball and share the love. i hold nothing against you but never talk about me again in the locker room. love, 17 points, 18 rebounds. lebron james had 17 points. stop looking at my lemonade. 91-78. cleveland cavaliers. >> he likes to bring energy and you saw it on that last play. >> ball don't lie. we're done. >> back to you. >> i don't get it. >> all right, thanks, fellas. french tennis star tsonga is showing off a great move off the court. >> noticed a ball girl on the sidelines who seemed to be ailing and stopped play and escorted her off the court. how nice. he appreciates all of the accolades that have been coming

that offering a helping hand is just the normal thing to do. >> very stand-up move. >> very observant of him too. in the heat and everything to actually take notice that someone was in need. >> he won, by the way. he'll be hitting the third round of the australian open tonight, i believe, tomorrow night, it is confusing with the time difference in australia. >> all right. okay, so up next in "the pulse," amy schumer breaking her silence about other comics saying she stole their jokes. and history in the nfl. the first full-time female coach. i accept i'm not 22. i accept i do a shorter set these days. p i even accept i have a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat, tnot caused by a heart valve problem. but i won't play anything less than my best. so if there's something

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all right, time now to check "the pulse" starting with controversy brewing for comedian amy schumer. >> yeah, she is accused -- i didn't even know this was a thing -- of joke theft by someone who compared her jokes to the gags of other comedians like kathleen madigan and wendy liebman. schumer vigorously denying the allegations. >> and if she thinks that i in 2006 again that i saw that or i saw wendy's joke in the '90s and thought, okay, if i just wait this out or that i reference old sets -- like that's so crazy. >> and schumer says, quote, i will literally take a polygraph to prove her innocence. >> i didn't know things were

that deep or that serious in the joke world. >> yeah, seriously. okay, so sarah palin in the spotlight again over her wardrobe. and this time getting lots of attention over that sparkly little number we saw yesterday that we were trying to figure this week. saks fifth avenue. the price tag on this thing, $695. >> is there gold on that? >> oh, my goodness. it sure moves. twitter. you can't buy the jacket now because it sold out. >> it sold out. >> as a result of this? people saw that and said, i want to shimmer like -- >> there are a lot of rick james impersonators out there. >> oh, man. harsh. >> nothing wrong with rick james. something glittery. this is cool, the nfl has its first female assistant coach talking about kathryn smith right there. she will work with special teams for the buffalo bills. this past season she was an

administrative assistant to coach rex ryan. >> the arizona cardinals last summer hired a woman to work with its inside linebackers but only during training camp. smith's official title is special teams quality control coach. >> and the buffalo bills, by the way are trail bladers in this field. they had a recruiter, scout as you'd call her back 30 years ago, the first team to do that. okay, and high school coach coaches are always telling players to use their heads. but in a tight game in alabama, max nolan did one better. >> he collided with a pass that was meant for a teammate and made the layup anyway with his face. even the harlem globetrotters can't pull off this shot and this was taken by max's girlfriend. >> it would have gone completely unnoticed but apparently his girlfriend posted it on twitter and then max became famous for this.

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constipation. it's been a real struggle to find relief. paint a different picture. talk to your doctor about oic and prescription treatment options. good morning tri-state i'm kathrine nero neroand i'm chris riva...weather is trending this weekend as we prepare for more snow tomorrow the tri-state isn't alone.tens of millions of people on the east coast are bracing for what could be the season's first massive dig out. as much as 24 inches have been predicted.if the forecast stays on track.. philadelphia, new york.. boston and d-c will be hit the hardest.the major airlines are watching things closely ...but have yet to start canceling flights. one storm down another moving in this weekend. weekend.it's going to make things a little complicated

for your evening commute tomorrow, but this morning things aren't looking too bad out there right jennifer... while it's a quiet morning for the tri-state, we are tracking another chance for snow coming for friday. in a nutshell, it looks on the light side for greater cincinnati, but a significant snow for northern kentucky and brown and adams counties in ohio. for thursday, skies will be mostly cloudy with a high of 270f. traffic

no where near as many as yesterday, but there are still a few school closings and delayed openings.of course we have those runningat the bottom of your screen.you can also check them all out right now on wcpo.com that and a whole lot more when good morning tri-state at 4:30 starts right now. most of the roads are back to looking normal for the most part.but many a side streets are still pretty covered.how long before crews will have your street cleared. facing charges after watching her daughter beaten to death. why a mothers desides to stand up and testify against herself. a new poll has a different take on who is the most electable candidate.and when it comes to head to head match ups, the numbers say it's not