making news in america this morning, the winter blast. an arctic blast of frigid air invading the country, 100 million from coast to coast feeling the bitter chill, low temperatures and the forecast coming up. we have breaking news of a water emergency. officials are telling residents don't touch the tap water until further notice. yahoo! hacked. the company revealing the largest cyberattack in history. a staggering number of users affected. what do you need to do to stay safe. and conjoined twins separated during a marathon surgery meet each other now for the first time. we have some good news on how

cute video alert on this thursday morning. good morning, everyone. we're going to start with that arctic air and snow gripping much of the country. >> that's right. take a look at these whiteout conditions in buffalo, new york. the snow was coming down at roughly two inches per hour. >> extreme weather in the west, as well, major city on standstill. with more on this rare storm and more gripping this country, abc's lana zak. ep lightning up the skies thick with flurries in western new york. >> whoo. got that, baby. >> reporter: an intense snow band is moving south of buffalo bringing whiteout conditions. watch as the lake-effect snow builds and moves inland. from the northeast to the great lakes, a bone-chilling blanket of arctic air is engulfing the northern half of the country, and with the windchill factored in, parts of the midwest through new england could feel like 15 to 30 degrees below zero. experts say in those extreme

can take place in a matter of minutes. >> we're thinking mostly in this scenario about frostbite and hypothermia, both of which can be very dangerous to life and limb. >> reporter: in the west drivers in portland, oregon, stuck for hours. it was a harrowing ordeal for north clackamas schoolchildren. >> my feet were frozen by the second hour, and we were all terrified we were either -- our brakes were going to fail and we would go down the hill or a car d >> reporter: and for those waiting for their children. >> i was pretty freaked out. i just wanted to make sure my kid was safe. >> reporter: lana zak, abc news, washington. >> so that wet weather in the west will continue through the day with flooding and mudslides possible. >> accuweather's justin povick is here with the latest on that. justin, good morning. >> diane, kendis, thanks and good morning to you, as well. we're tracking a big system along the west coast.

potentially flooding some here along the i-5 and feet of snow out over i-80 at least at 8,000 feet so the passes are going to be nearly impassable. snow will spread out over the plains states heading in toward the weekend, substantial amounts approaching a foot into the upper midwest and eventually slick travel takes aim at the northeast. diane and kendis, back to you. >> all right, our thanks to justin. and to breaking news now this morning. president obama in a stunning reversal declining to sign legislation to renew sanctions against iran. but the bill does become law even without the president's signature. concerned the renewal would undermine the iran nuclear deal and they pointed out that iran would not be affected by the sanctions as long as it continues to honor the agreement. donald trump has been critical of the nuclear deal, but it's not clear if he'll actually back out of it. and the president-elect heads to hershey, pennsylvania, tonight to personally thank thousands of supporters who helped him win the presidency. >> and yesterday trump sat down with executives from the tech giants like facebook, amazon and apple all to talk about everything from innovation to

many of them had supported hillary clinton, but trump offered to do anything he could to help. and trump's transition team says he is now receiving presidential briefings three times a week. that is up from roughly once a week. this after the president-elect said he didn't need to hear the same information every day. a spokesman says trump is also getting briefed on intelligence matters daily by incoming national security adviser michael flynn. as trump continues to fend off criticism that he's too friendlyar meet trump face-to-face. putin said, quote, we're ready at any moment here. from our side there are no problems. and trump has tapped michigan republican chair ronna romney mcdaniel to lead the republican national committee. mcdaniel is mitt romney's niece and a loyal trump supporter, and she would be the first woman to chair the rnc in 40 years. as the clock ticks on president obama's time in the white house, the white house is now looking to protect planned

the administration has finalized a rule blocking states from resouth africaing funds to family planning providers like planned parenthood that also provide abortions. opponents say they will seek to reverse that rule under president-elect trump. the regulation takes effect january 18th, just two days before trump's inauguration. >> developing overnight overseas evacuations are under way in aleppo, syria as a fragile cease-fire appears to be holding at least for now. scores of injured people are among the first to be removed from the city. the at ambulances that are trying to leave the city. tens of thousands of civilians are trapped without food or water. there have been frantic messages calling for help on social media. a plan is also under way to remove rebel fighters from that city. the evacuation process is expected to take at least three days. now to a possible military buildup by the chinese on a string of islands in the south china sea. new satellite images appear to show anti-aircraft and

seven of those islands presumably installed by the chinese. an analyst says the weapons would be a last line of defense against cruise missiles launched by the u.s. the united states and china have been at odds over the south china sea, one of the world's busiest sea lanes for commerce. and we have breaking news from corpus christi, texas, where residents are facing a possible water crisis. city officials are warning that the tap water could be con tamed by a chemical. residents are being ed further notice. the chemical apparently entered the system during a backflow from an industrial area. to south carolina now where closing arguments are expected today in the charleston church shooting trial. dylann roof is accused of killing nine black churchgoers in what prosecutors say was a hate crime. his attorneys rested their case yesterday without calling any witnesses. the prosecution's final witness was polly sheppard, one of three survivors. jurors hearing her emotional 911 call.

white dude. he's got it in his hand. he's reloading. >> how many shots has he fired? >> i don't know. there's so many. oh, god, please help me. >> do you remember telling that lady, i'm going to let you live so you can tell my story? >> yeah, i remember saying that. >> that, of course, was roof during his confession to the fbi. jurors were shown home videos of roof shooting targets in his backyard with the same gun he allegedly used in the rampage. whether he should die or spend the rest of his life in prison. yahoo is warning users to change their user names and passwords after revealing details of the largest cyberattack in history. the company says 1 billion accounts may have been compromised back in 2013. it's much larger, also a different style of attack than the 1 in 2014 where 500 million accounts were compromised. the security breach may hurt verizon's huge deal to buy

earlier this year the communications giant agreed to purchase the company for $4.8 billion. verizon now says it's re-evaluating that deal, which has not been finalized. well, coming up, one community's decision to allow guns in the classroom. plus, the murder for hire case in south florida and why the jury can't reach a verdict. prosecutors, though, are now gearing up for another trial. and those conjoined sisters seeing each other for the very first time since being separated. stay with us. ? with advil, you'll ask what sinus headache? what stiff joints? what time of the month cramps? what nighttime pain? make all your pains a distant memory with advil the world's #1 choice what

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received a streaming device and some popcorn. the whole thing was a test run but the company says it plans at least two more test deliveries as well. >> all right. as expected the federal reserve has raised a key interest rate. the increase could mean slightly higher costs for mortgages and credit cards. the fed also projected three more increases in the next year. stocks had their worst day in two months following that announcement. some teachers and other staff members in a small colorado school district will now be armed. the hanover school board approved a plan last night to allow trained faculty and staff to carry concealed handguns at school. supporters say the plan could save lives. opponents worry that it will put students in danger. a florida woman accused in a high-profile murder for hire plot will face a third trial. >> a jury in palm beach county could not reach a verdict in the case of dalia dippolito. and her attorneys are now calling it a moral victory. >> to the judge, we, the jury, after further deliberation still

verdict. >> reporter: a bombshell announcement in the murder for hire case against dalia dippolito, the jury hopelessly deadlocked. >> i must declare a mistrial. >> reporter: now the man at the center of the alleged plot is speaking out. >> i have to be honest, i'm real surprised. i feel they left so much on the table. >> reporter: that's michael dippolito, the now ex-husband of the woman caught on video allegedly trying to hire a hit man to kill him in 2009, only that alleged hit man was actually an undercover police officer. >> you definitely want to do this? >> i'm positive like 5,000% sure. >> reporter: dippolito has alys but one juror who voted to find her guilty tells abc news, quote, it was real, and she thought he was dead and this is what she wanted. dippolito remains under house arrest pending the next trial. later on "good morning america" our chief legal analyst dan abrams weighs in. california has stopped uber's self-driving car program the same day it all got started. they ended testing yesterday saying the company needs a special permit to have cars one public roads.

showing what appears to be a self-driving suv running a red light in san francisco was actually caused by human error. the company says there was a driver at that wheel. >> ah. all right, when we come back, caught on camera, the dramatic moment a police officer was shot during a traffic stop. and secretly coming to save the day. a first responder on the scene in the nick of time. the video coming up. ? ppy holidays from crayola. so when do i start? um, shouldn't it be "spokes-crayon?" can somebody turn on the a/c? i'm melting here. ?air marker spraayer!!!? chemistry, baby! so i just hold this part and spraaaaaay... i'm okay. the holidays just got more surprising. you can find these great gifts and more in the crayola aisle. aaaaaah! each sold separately. i have asthma...

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of minnesota's st. anthony's police department. that's where a black motorist was fatally shot by a police officer in july during a traffic stop. the brutal aftermath was streamed live on facebook by the victim's girlfriend. >> attorneys for the officer who killed that man, philando castile, want the charges dropped. they claim castile was negligent in his own death ignoring the officer's order. in georgia, authorities have released dash cam video showing shot. >> it's the latest police shooting in georgia where six officers were shot in just as many days. abc's pierre thomas has the details. >> reporter: it started as a police stop about a stolen car. the officer asking the suspect to show his hands then shots fired. >> oh, i'm shot. >> reporter: in a split second an apparently calm suspect firing away. >> oh. >> reporter: captain michael shulman, body camera rolling, is

jeffrey martin is shot in the hand but still trying to help his colleague out of harm's way. >> even after jeffrey got shot, he's getting michael and pulling him to the car to get him to the hospital. >> reporter: shulman worried he might die. >> i can't. i can't, i can't move, man. >> reporter: monday's shooting capping a violent week in which half a dozen georgia police officers have been shot. two killed. that suspect in georgia has been caught and charged with attempted murder. pierre thomas, abc news, washington. and check out this dramatic video out of china where firefighters saved a man who was about to jump from the rooftop of a 30-story building. the man had threatened to commit suicide due to relationship problems while hitting himself with an iron bar. a firefighter then crept up behind him while several others started to distract the man and assist them. the man's friends also tried to distract him. meanwhile, the firefighters jump in. they grabbed him and pulled him to safety. >> just in the nick of time. and a touching moment back

hospital room, two little girls who were born conjoined saw each other for the first time since separation surgery last week. eva and erika sandoval shared a bladder, liver, parts of their digestive system even and a third leg. now, doctors say they're recovering well, breathing without ventilators and even sharing their toys. and the nba and its players have reached a tentative labor deal. the deal comes five years after a lockout. reports say the agreement is for seven years with an opt-out after si shorter preseason and a week earlier to start the regular season. average player salaries will rise to $10 million. that deal still has to be ratified. and speaking of the nba, time for some highlights. >> let's go over to our guys at espn. good morning, america. i'm neil everett in the "sportscenter" studio. we have two highlights for you. this one is first. it's the celtics and spurs. the celtics have not beaten the spurs since the millard fillmore

kauai, the island, but still what a great first name. liked to go to the circus as a child. and that was a circus shot. he had 26 points, 6 assists. the spurs win, 108-101. take another look. let it breathe. when in oahu say hi to don murphy at murphy's on merchant street. let's go thunder/jazz now. russell westbrook, after this game you know what, y'all are making too much of the triple-double. if i get it, i get it. if i don't, i don't. i'm all about winning. he did not have the winning formula in this one. no triple-double and no win for the thunder. westbrook goes 7 of 25. rudy gobert, it fell in his lap, put it down. jazz beat the thunder. those were the two highlights i promised you. have a great day. >> way to live up to your promises there. up next in "the pulse," the

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? ? time now for "the pulse," and we know the end of the year is great for lists. >> yeah. >> well, this morning we have a list of the sexiest cities in america. >> which is what every city wants to be a part of. drum roll. coming in at number five on this list, new york city. >> hey. >> yeah, number four, you see minneapolis, st. paul, washington, d.c., number three. second place detroit and philadelphia topping the list at number one. >> apparently plenty of love

>> and sisterly affection. philly was second last year. the list was compiled by a company called pure romance which is a seller of relationship enhancement products, and apparently the folks in philadelphia buy a lot of those products. >> is that really the best way to survey the sexiest city? >> if you're trying to get your name out there. >> all right. so, rock, paper, scissors tournament in japan, yes, it's a thing. take a look at this video. do you believe this? >> this is big time. this is all part of a "japanese idol" show and what they do is they make contestants compete in this massive tournament, and the winner gets to star in the group's next single. >> oh. >> so it's sort of like "japanese idol," but first you have to do rock, paper, scissors. >> i guess instead of auditioning by song, you just have to win the rock, paper, scissors. >> but look at the excitement and just some people are just crushed by it. you can't go with the rock.

>> it's just -- it's the potential to lose all the time with the rock there. >> all right. well, apparently green by the way no longer the in color for christmas trees. >> online retailer wayfair says trees in nontraditional colors are hot items. this year popular shades are baby blue, hot pink, orange. wayfair says sales of other colors than green are up. the company also doing brisk business with half christmas trees. they're cut in half from the top he to put just up against a wall. >> very efficient. >> yeah.

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checking our top stories, checking our top stories, donald trump has chosen ronna romney mcdaniel to be the next chair of the republican national committee. the michigan republican leader is mitt romney's niece. hillary clinton is now leading donald trump in the popular vote by more than 2.8 million votes, a margin of 2%. she has about 125,000 fewer votes than president obama received in 2012. the dangerously cold temperatures gripping the upper midwest have turned deadly. a 34-year-old woman died from hypothermia in minnesota where temperatures were minus three degrees. in parts of wisconsin morning windchills will reach 30 degrees below zero. looking at the rest of today's weather, most of the south will escape the brutal cold, but it'll still be unseasonably cold. flooding is possible from sacramento to san francisco. well, we've been trying to

big screen this weekend. >> "rogue one" looks at the time just before the original film in the series came out nearly 40 years ago. here's abc's lauren lyster. >> a major weapons test is imminent. >> reporter: "rogue one" is landing in movie theaters from a galaxy far, far away with a fresh take on a world fans know and love. >> may the force be with us. >> reporter: for the first time heroes are not skywalkers, jedi knights or royalty, but a scrappy team of rebel recruits led by oscar nominated actress >> there are a lot of surprises in the film. >> reporter: for filmmakers of this one, a special effects challenge. making digital versions of models built 40 years ago. "rogue one" takes place just before the original 1977 film. ? remember this classic opening explaining rebel spies steal secret plans to the death star. >> i want to know what happened to the plans they sent you. >> reporter: those plans helping

turns out luke and his friends owe it to "rogue one's" ragtag crew of rebels. >> we just want more people to get to know the world of "star wars," the universe of "star wars." >> reporter: those rebels expected to draw the second biggest december movie premiere haul of all time after last year's "the force awakens," which went on to bring in $2.1 billion worldwide. box office expectations are a little lower for this, partly because a different cast of characters, no han solo, no skywalker, but there is an appearance from arguably the galaxy's most notorious villain, darth vader. lauren lyster, abc news, los angeles. >> it's been getting good reviews. so can't wait. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> do stay with us for "good morning america" and have a

adrienne: right now on: wisn 12 news this morning," bundle up. it is cold out there. we're tracking dangerously low temperatures and wind chills as you get ready for work and school. good morning and welcome to "wisn 12 news this morning." i'm adrienne pedersen. ben: and i'm ben wagner. melinda has the day off. it's 4:30 on this thursday, december 15th. we're here in the weather center with meteorologist jeremy nelson who's in for sally. dangerously cold temperatures today? >> yes, we have windchill advisories>>ed limit your exposure and dress in layers and limit time outside. it is dangerous if you are