making news in america this morning -- first vote. an official kickoff to the primary election season. the pivotal iowa caucuses. . candidates' late-night push sweeping across the hawkeye state. extreme weather. blizzard warnings now in effect. the snow falling overnight. a foot of snow expected in some areas. plus, severe weather toppling trees, strong winds and intense rain pummelling the west coast. frightening fall. a drummer's big finish taking a tumble out a window. plus, extremely tight and zebra printed. the nfl player wearing these

good monday morning. the wait is over. decision day in way what. the 2016 presidential nomination process kicking off today. >> and the candidates are spending the night crisscrossing the state hoping to win the first in the nation caucus. >> reporter: the new poll on the republican side showing donald senator ted cruz. senator marco rubio if third. for the democrats the newest poll from the des moines register has hillary clinton and bernie sanders neck and neck in a statistical tie. lana zak the is live in iowa. >> reporter: good morning. we're so excited to be here. you know, at 7:00 central time, iowans are gather together with their neighbors in church basements, school auditorium as they try to pick the next president of the united states.

make a political revolution. >> i'm a better candidate and thanks to you, i'll be a better president and i want you to know that. >> reporter: this is it. time is up for the three democrats and the 11 republicans running for president. administering a caucus in we shall des moines. >> i think a lot of people are going to be making that decision when they're listening to their neighbors. >> reporter: the last iowa poll find 5 points or less separating first and second place. with about a third of voters still waivering in their support, campaigns can influence second. >> reporter: ted cruz attended church on the final day. he said he prayed for donald trump and marco rubio who made this ae peel. >> if i'm the president of the united states, when i'm the president of the united states, we will confront the challenges

>> reporter: rubio fighting hard for an upset second-place finish or better. >> get out of bed and caucus. >> reporter: and donald trump long the man in the lead giving melaina the mike to close the deal. >> he will be unbelievable. >> reporter: and we'll expect to see results from the republicans pretty soon after 7:00 local time here tonight. but for the democrats, it tends to take a little bit longer because those caucuses unfold like a game of red rover. sway from the less viable candidates over to their side. >> red rover, i like that one. after the final push last night, what do the candidates all have planned for today. >> usually on election days candidates tend to lay pretty low. iowa, they tend to come out a little bit more than other places. but still we see little events. most of the events are from those candidates further behind

hillary clinton has one event this evening. jeb bush is already heading to new hampshire later this afternoon. >> oh, a big day for everyone. lana zak live in des moines. ted cruz is coming under fire for sending mailers to iowa voters designed to look like official documents that accused them of a voting violation. >> the envelopes are labeled election alert. the document inside includes the voter's voting score, even information about their neighbors. >> iowa secretary of the state is calling the mailer deceptive. cruz is refusing to apologize for what some are calling voter intimidation. stay with abc news later this morning, george and robin will be live from iowa on "good morning america." and david muir will report from des moines on "world news tonight." count on abcnews.com with

the next republican debate right here on abc, folks, this saturday after iowa and just days before the new hampshire primaries, moderated by david muir and co-anchor martha raddatz of "this week." iowa is bracing for a major snowmakers expected to ramp up just after tonight's polls. flagstaff, arizona, could see as much as 15 inches of snow. yes, that is lightning you see there. strong winds could trigger whiteout conditions. in southern, high winds gusting up 40 miles per hour, uprooting trees. one of the falling trees killed a driver in san diego. the latest radar shows those powerful storms now headed northeast. impacting the central rookies and central plains, eventually taking aim at the great plains and the mid west.

inmates are back behind bars in southern california. now, authorities are trying to determine how the trio pulled off such a brazen escape. two others were captured saturday three miles north in san francisco. thanks to an alert citizen who tipped off police. police say a jailhouse english teacher supplied the inmates with google images that helped their escape. isis has claimed responsibility for triple bombings that have killed at least 15 near a shrine in syria. more than a hundred others were wounded. peace talks have yet to get under way. some movement. a u.n. mediator has met for the the first time with rebels. the group could declare the zika virus outbreak a global health emergency. it has been linked to thousands

in south america. two nfl conference champions have arrived in california ahead of the big game. first to land in san jose the denver broncos led by quarterback peyton manning. >> and an hour later the carolina panthers arriveded head up by of course cam newton. none of the players spoke to reporters. they're saving it all for the much-anticipated media day tonight. still ahead, what wall street could be telling us about the president to shl election. and under arrest, two virginia tech students accused girl. this morning, investigators laying out the details in this bizarre case. plus, caught on camera, drummer getting into a song when he suddenly falls through a

these are frightening moments on a british airways flight from london to chicago. two hours into the flight the boeing 747 head to dump fuel and returned to heathrow airport after two of the five set of landing gear wheels broke in flight. but the pilot managed to land the jet safely. well a new month of trading begins today following the worst january in seven years. month. wall street's slow start in 2016 republicans. since 1960, every election year with a negative january and no incumbent running the white house has changed parties. gas prices continue their downward trend toward their lowest level in six years.

nationwide is now $1.80, down four cents from last year and down a quarter since this time last year. the national average has been below $2. americans were in the mood for lighter fare at the movies this weekend. kungfu panda 3 brought in a lot of cash. the third installment pulled in more than $41 million. star wars the force awakeens came in third. >> we love our fast-food news this hour. new burger out today, burger king extra long buttery cheeseburger. extra long. drenched in buttery garlic sauce. it will be featured on the 2 for $5 menu. >> that's a big burger. we come back -- trapped

a man saved by a nun. a going to the super bowl, player's pants getting more attention than his team this morning. soup and sandwich and somewhere to go, and clean and real and nowhere to be, and warmth and looking good, and sandwich and soup and inside jokes, and dan is back! good, clean food pairs well with anything. the clean pairings menu. 500 calories or less. at panera. food as it should be. my tempur-pedic cuddles better than my husband does... ...but that's just between you and me. it's really cool to the touch. r at mattress firm, get zero percent apr financing. visit mattress firm, america's number one tempur-pedic retailer today. i take pictures of sunrises, but with my back pain i couldn't sleep

then i found aleve pm. aleve pm is the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. i'm back. aleve pm for a better am. only kraft natural cheese has a touch of philadelphia cream cheese, so whatever you make, is creamier than ever. come on duck! (puppy barks) you can do it duck. hurry up duck! you can do it duck. iams. helps keep your dog healthy at every stage. so you can always look forward to what's next. [ julie ] the wrinkle cream graveyard. if it doesn't work fast... you're on to the next thing. clinically proven neutrogena rapid wrinkle repair. it targets fine lines and wrinkles with the fastest retinol formula available. you'll see younger looking skin

one week? this one's a keeper. rapid wrinkle repair. and for dark spots rapid tone repair. from neutrogena . i thought activia wasn' t for me. until i realized how much our digestive systems handle during winter. 90 stressful days juggling hectic schedules. over 40 meals of heavy comfort foods like baked mac & cheese. no wonder after all that our digestive systems can act up. so try the activia two week challenge! enjoying activia twice a day for two weeks may help reduce the frequency of bloating, gas, discomfort or rumbling. try it! it works in two weeks or it' s free. dannon this fireball was caught on dark kam video in iowa soaring across the sky this weekend. there's no official word on

observers described it as having colorful fragments and looked like it fall apart or exploded. wet roads stretched from the mid-atlantic coast down to the tennessee valley and alabama. rain and snow will make for slippery roads across the midwest and plains states as well as the southwest and roads will be wet in the pacific northwest. and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in salt lake city, denver and miami. there's shock this morning on the campus of virginia tech, now that two engineering students are charged in the kidnapping and murder of a 13-year-old girl. >> police in blacksburg announced yesterday that natalie keepers had been arrested for helping to dispose of the body. earlier david eisen youhae ashgs eisenhauer. >> based on evidence collected

were acquainted prior to her disappearance. >> the victim's heartbroken mother said her daughter had survived mersaa life transplant and lymphoma at age 5. only to lose her life to a murderer. a deadly shooting this weekend involving rival motorcycle gangs in denver. an attorney said one of the club members fired a gun during the melee on saturday saying it was in self-defense. a drummer in a nashville band made quite an exit and it was caught on camera. the don kelly band was winding its set saturday night. a big finish. when the drummer topples backward the window. he broke a rib in the process.

he back in and played another four hours in another club. the man rescued south of baltimore, doug goldman was cutting down a tree in the woods when it fell on top of him, severely injuring his legs his cries were finally answered by a nun who just happened to be praying in the woods. >> he was there for about two hours. luckily that someone had heard him screaming for help. >> fire officials said if not for that nun running back to their nearby convent for help, goldman would not have lasted through the night. time now for sports. the best athletes in the nba, the nfl and the nhl in action now. >> highlights from the johns from espn.

sunday, knot of san francisco. meantime other sports news. >> we vote for cam newton or peyton manning. that's how it work and they're not eligible. we'll do the nba. steph curry. knicks/warriors at msg. warriors started slowly only 18 in the first quarter. green had a triple-double. the warriors won big. the old pro bowl was played in hawaii. michael irvin trying to earn his team a win. that's charles woodson, retiring of course his ninth pro bowl appearance. tyrod taylor, jarvis landry. yes. nice grab. but team rice would fall to team irvin, 49-27. nhl all-star game in nashville.

coming in, voted in by the fans, he got traded. nhl said you can't play in the nhl because he's in minors. the uproar was big. this is like a fantasy camp for him. not an all-star caliber player but his attitude, his likability, he scored a couple of goals, his team won the three-on-three, won the team mvp and car. that's it for us. new live "sportscenter" coming your way at 9:00 a.m. eastern. 9:00 a.m. >> i loved that. underdog. >> absolutely. up next in the pulse, wipeout, a surfer's major free fall caught on camera. >> and bernie sanders' shirt and a tricked-out tractor, some of the more colorful moments

today's biggest stars... he designs it to look fabulous from every angle. and for his collection at kay jewelers... he does the exact. same. thing. yes! neil lane bridal. uniquely beautiful hand-crafted rings at kay, the number one jewelry store in america. my collection is vintage inspired... with flowing lines that evoke a sense of timelessness. because i want every woman to feel like a star. every kiss begins with kay. soup and sandwich and clean and real, and feeling good, sort of. and 500 calories or less. the clean pairings menu. at panera. food as it should be.

bed all day. when your cold is this bad... ...you need new theraflu expressmax. theraflu expressmax combines... maximum strength medicines available without a prescription... ...to fight your worst cold and flu symptoms... ...so you can feel better fast and get back to the job at hand. new theraflu expressmax. the power to feel better.tm (vo) my name's nick and i make dog chow in denver, colorado. one of my fondest memories of khloe is the day we got her. i knew right there she was gonna be a great dog. khloe's a big influence on the family. she loved lincoln from the start. she's his little protector. i trust dog chow to keep khloe healthy because i see the high quality ingredients that go into it. the standards that we follow are top notch. i trust dog chow enough to feed

all right, it's time to check the pulse. starting with carolina panthers' quarterback cam newton's wardrobe choice. it's going viral overnight. check out these pants. zebra-stripped inspiration from versace. they're all sold out everywhere. although, that kind of blows my mind. because it's versace and a lot

the loafers aren't bad, either. >> >> cam newton has the swag to pull it off. that's for sure. off. >> reaction has been pretty swift on social media. fans weighing in. cam newton dressed like sean michaels at wrestlemania. here's another one, busy above, party below. >> perfect way to describe that. >> sure is. >> ten years from now, we'll probably look back and say, what was i wearing? >> ten years from now, those will still be classic. >> we'll see. now to a viral video sensation that has social media going crazy. they're calling it the craziest wipeout ever captured on film. check this out.

airborne 40 feet on that monster wave. >> it's known jaws a surf break off the coast of maui. he compared the intensity to being in a car crash. >> that hurts. he has one heck of a profile pic now. look at that. he can freeze that. he lived to tell about it. all right, since he was blinded for a few seconds because of that salty sea spray that hit him, remarkably walked away with just a stiff neck. next to a bit of comic relief. >> 28-year-old adam peters has become a bit of an internet celebrity all thanks to this t-shirts, covered with bernie sanders sanders hands. from the ap to the "the new york times."

pa tree triotic truck. more news, folks right after this. you move like you mean it now comes with an incredible promise. the always discreet double your money back guarantee. always discreet is for bladder leaks and it's drier than poise. try it. v we're so confidentv v you'll love it, we'll give you double your money back if you don't. incredible bladder protection. double your money back guarantee. that's always

your body was made for better things than rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist move to a biologic, ask if xeljanz is right for you. for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz can reduce joint pain and swelling in as little as two weeks, and help stop further joint damage. ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma, and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts, and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common, and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. r xeljanz can reduce r the symptoms of ra, p

rask your rheumatologist t about xeljanz. checking our top stories -- today is the decision day for voters in iowa. who will soon be heading to the iowa caucuses. . the race is on both sides on tight with trump in the lead and a statistical tie between sanders and clinton. now the three california inmates are back behind bars, authorities are investigating how they made the brazen escape flee. a powerful winter storm is set to dump as much as 15 inches of snow on parts of northern arizona before taking aim on the great plains and the midwest. looking at today's weather elsewhere, rain across the tennessee valley and pacific northwest. a mix of rain and snow stretching from the southeast all of the way out into the midwest, as well as the great plains.

gather in libraries, schools in this first test for the presidential candidates. >> some in the hawkeye state don't have to leave their homes in order to caucuses. >> reporter: you out where it's quiet and more silos than traffic signals, some will come here. >> yes, we're very excited. >> reporter: to where mary weaver is backing up a donkey bars a snack for the democrats. making a big decision smack dab in the middle of her home. one of five places left in iowa where the caucus happens in a living room. >> we have three delegates that will be coming out of this caucus. >> reporter: that means friends and neighbors will gather here and choose one of four groups to join. clinton, sanders, o'malley or uncommitted.

have offered up their home for caucus. why the living room location? for small-town comfort. >> we would be driving like from our home if we want to ogden, it would be 20 miles. so, we're really doing it almost as a convenience for oust rselves and our neighbors. >> reporter: to form groups to support a candidate means nothing is left unsaid. political differences are actually the center of attention and there are a lot of opinions. >> but that part makes it interesting. >> reporter: but when a caucus is in a living room at the end of the day, they still all got to live next to each other. >> they may be neighbors, we may see each other in the grocery