this morning on "world news now," challenging trump. the republicans ready to take the debate stage tonight as donald trump sees his biggest lead yet. the latest showdown just hours away. >> amazing poll. how did the woman responsible for killing 14 people in san bernardino get into the country after her disturbing social media posts? the terror investigation takes a new turn. and new this morning, the "star wars" world premiere. >> first reaction to the film is in after last night's big event. and why "the force awakens" is so important to moviemakers. we are live in l.a. >> and later, saluting serena williams and her accomplishments as a tennis champ. the big athletic honor in "the skinny" on this tuesday, december 15th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."

hello there, good morning. it is tuesday. i'm richard bacon. >> i'm reena ninan. "star wars" "star wars" on the brain, huh. >> we are checking social media throughout the night to see if anybody has broken the embargo. you've not seen anything yet. >> a lot of people saying if you tweet out a spoiler we're going to smash your hoverboard to pieces. l.a. >> that's if it hasn't already caught fire. >> let's begin with the republicans who want to be president. tonight, they will be facing off one final time before the holidays. >> the podiums with the nine candidates will be in use at the venetian hotel. that's in las vegas. front-runner donald trump will be center stage and, of course, flanked by his closest rivals ted cruz and ben carson. it's your voice, your vote. abc looks at the predebate polls. >> reporter: donald trump aiming at a new target, two national polls released show trump's front-runner status in the race

for president is now threatened by texas senator ted cruz. and as usual, trump isn't holding back. >> you look at the way he's dealt with the senate where he goes in there like a frankly like a little bit of a maniac. you're never going to get things done that way. >> reporter: cruz taking to social media not to respond with an attack but by posting a link to the movie "flash dance" and tweeting "in honor of my friend donald trump and good hearted maniacs everywhere." ♪ she's a maniac, maniac the source of the new feud, new poll numbers including this quinnipiac poll showing trump leading in iowa with 28%, cruz in a close second at 27%. in third place, marco rubio at 14%. with cruz on the rise, others are also taking aim. >> the only budget he's ever voted for in his time in the senate is a budget that cut defense spending. >> anybody in any religion. >> reporter: also surging on a much smaller scale new jersey governor chris christie.

the governor has been bumped up to the main stage. and will now appear with the other leading candidates during tuesday night's republican presidential debate. and yet, another poll the nbc/"wall street journal" poll suggests if the general election were held today, hillary clinton would beat donald trump by ten points. that same poll shows hillary clinton would be in a neck and necktie with cruz, rubio, and ben carson. reena, richard? >> carla, thank you so much. donald trump has released -- >> is that a fire alarm? >> i think it's a fire alarm. >> it's going off. >> oh, boy. >> i've worked in a few studios in my time. normally they're kind of soundproofed and protected from the fire alarm and all you get is a light. >> you know what i thought that was? i think that somebody may have broken the embargo on "star wars" and someone has alerted the whole company. >> i had that alarm installed. i should have remembered. right. >> we want to tell you about donald trump. he's released a one-page statement from his doctors which

says that trump is in excellent health. his physician reports that trump has lost 15 pounds over the last few months and he takes a daily aspirin, a low dose of statten. his doctor goes on to say if he wins next november, trump would be the healthiest individual ever elected president. wow. >> he might not be that healthy that much longer. an alarm is definitely going off. something is happening in the building. >> disney has alerted all of its entities that "star wars" premiere has premiered in l.a. i think that's what that is. >> find out what's going on. let's stay with this story. we turn to abc news early morning for post debate coverage. look for analysis from our -- this is tomorrow. from our deputy political director on "world news now." tomorrow. that's analysis. we'll have that. the terror attack in san bernardino, the terror attack in san bernardino could be a topic during the debate tonight. marco rubio in particular is being critical of the administration's response.

that search of a lake for evidence in the attack has apparently turned up nothing. divers were believed to be looking for a hard drive discarded by the couple who carried out the attack. >> spurred bid that terror attack, homeland security says it will step up scrutiny of social media sites when considering visa applications. elizabeth hur has that part of the story. >> reporter: anyone wondering what is being done to defeat isis, president obama had this answer. >> we're also taking out isil leaders, commanders and killers one by one. our next message to them is simple, you are next. >> reporter: that message after his visit to the pentagon with top security officials talking strategy in tackling terrorism. >> we are hitting isil harder than ever. last month in november, we dropped more bombs on isil targets than any other month since this campaign starred. >> the reassurance comes as new questions are raised about missed cues and warnings in the san bernardino attacks.

abc news has learned that tashfeen malik had extensive social media postings supporting jihad but still got a fiance visa to come to the u.s. turns out a secret u.s. policy prevented immigration officials from searching social media as part of the screening process. >> the primary concern was that it would be viewed negatively if it was disclosed publicly and there were concerns that it would be embarrassing. >> reporter: just last year, immigration officials did ask for new policies allowing them to look at applicants' social media public posts but were opposed by the homeland security department's office of civil rights and civil liberties. the homeland security department says the current screening process is being revised. acrding to insiders even the new pilot programs are not a widespread policy. >> elizabeth, thank you for that important report. by the way, it's a false alarm. in case you the dear viewers who we love very much were worried about us, it's a false alarm in this building. it's a false alarm. no one has broken the "star wars" embargo.

>> here's another interesting story. there are now doubts about what brought down that russian jetliner in egypt in october. the u.s., britain and russia all said they found evidence of a bomb aboard the plane. an affiliate of isis you might remember claimed responsibility but egyptian investigators now say they have found no evidence of terrorism. egypt's tourism industry has suffered since the incident. members of kosovo's parliament were tear gassed during a session by opposition members. it's the sixth time in the past two months. the protesters oppose any deals with neighboring serbia and montenegro. kosovo was once part of serbia and the european union is trying to get them to resolve their differences. >> bowe bergdahl will be court-martialed for walking away from his army unit in afghanistan. he will be charged with desertion. he could get life in prison if convicted. a preliminary hearing officer had recommended he not be charged. bergdahl spent five years as a

taliban captive after leaving his unit. >> pete rose has been banned from baseball for gambling since 1989 and major league baseball says that is not going to change. rose had applied for reinstatement to major league baseball's commissioner but that application has been rejected because of rose's continued legal gambling and new evidence about rose's betting on games when he played for the cincinnati reds. hollywood boulevard was locked down tighter than the death star last night for tinseltown's biggest premiere in recent memory. it was amazing sight. check them out, those storm troopers on the red carpet stretched for half a mile and the most elite of "a" list celebrities last night at the premiere of "star wars" was shown to vip crowds in three separate athletes including the chinese theater where the original "star wars" played 38 years ago. >> i'm really excited to get this movie out there for the audience and see how they feel about it. >> of course, "the force awakens" will open later this week.

on more than 4,000 screens from coast to coast. we want to give au update here at abc news, our alarms have been going off here. we thought it was a fire alarm. we thought actually it was in fact somebody -- >> breaking the embargo. we've been monitoring because they've all seen the film. >> we should say it's a false alarm, for the fire alarm and for the embargo for "star wars". >> thank you. we're safe. >> the post premiere excitement is very much alive this morning in hollywood. >> lauren lyster is there. good morning to you. why is this movie so anticipated and have you gotten any details about the film? >> reporter: i know you guys are dying for spoiler alerts. no fan will give them to me. a few reasons why it is highly anticipated. one the time, it has been years since the last "star wars" film about a decade since the release of the last one. in addition the return of characters from the original trilogy. fans were excited about this, hans solo, luke skywalker, princess leia who is a general in this film. then the money.

some analysts predictions believe this will be the highest grossing film ever. now, to break the record of a film held now, this film would have to do $2.79 billion. we'll top that. that was the record set by "avatar." highest grossing "star wars" film so far has been 199's "phantom menace" which brought in just over a billion dollars. this has a way to go. >> i saw footage the other day of fans leaving the phantom menace. we know the fans didn't like the film. asking fans on the night, we need to wait. >> look at lauren. she asked them to give spoilers. everybody left her. there's nobody behind her. >> yeah. >> hard-core. >> yeah. >> lauren, thank you so much. >> that's true. >> we'll speak to you again later. but they're just joyous and thrilling occasions, aren't they? things like this. >> exciting. > we're both going to see the film later this week. we will break the embargo.

>> coming up in "the skinny," the hollywood "a" lister who dressed as yoda for the "star wars" premiere. >> also ahead, bill cosby fighting back taking legal action against his accusers. what attorneys on both sides of the scandal are saying. and later the best gifts for music lovers on your list from ear buds to headphones. we're getting expert advice for shoppers. you're watching "world news now." now." seriously? where do you think you're going? to work, with you. it's taco tuesday. you're not coming. i took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. oh, right then i'll swing by in like 4 hours. forget the tacos! one pill lasts 12 hours. i'm good all day. wait! your loss. i was going to wear a sombrero. only mucinex has a bi-layer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. (politely) wait, wait, wait! you cayou have to rinse it first. that's baked-on alfredo. baked-on? it's never gonna work.

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christmas, you have to register right away. >> bill cosby striking back against some of the women who have accused him of sexual misconduct. >> the comedian has filed a defamation against seven of the more than 50 women who have come forward. abc's linsey davis has this update. >> reporter: bill cosby turning the tables, saying he's the victim and filing a lawsuit against some of his accusers. >> we are taking steps in order to right a wrong. and the burden of proof is supposed to be on the people who are making the accusation, that the media hasn't required these accusers to have to do. >> reporter: the lawsuit, filed in federal court in massachusetts, is countersuing the seven of the more than 50 women who have come forward accusing cosby of sexual assault, drugging or rape. these seven have all sued him for defamation, after he accused them of lying about the allegations. cosby's attorney accuses these particular victims of malicious, opportunistic, false and defamatory accusations of sexual misconduct against him for their own financial gain. joe cammarata represents all

seven women. >> my seven clients intend to vigorously proceed with their case. each one of them are confident that their good name and reputation will be restored at the end of the day. >> reporter: cosby's legal action to salvage what he can of his legacy comes the same day boston university announced it's taking away his honorary degree. one of more than a dozen institutions to do so in the past year. the 78-year-old has long denied all the allegations. according to his attorney, cosby is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, to the maximum extent of the law. linsey davis, abc news, new york. coming up, the actor who stole the show at the "star wars" red carpet. >> he's not even in the new movie. "the skinny" is next. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our continues after this from our abc statio

♪ skinny, so skinny >> well, folks, in case you missed it, the hollywood premiere of "star wars: the force awakens" was last night. the stars certainly out. but one star who wasn't in the film had everyone doing a double take on the red carpet. >> this is joseph gordon-levitt dressed as yoda. there he is. people like it. it's been around on social media a lot because people like it. it looks kind of cute. there he is with storm troopers in l.a. i think joseph gordon-levitt has

forgotten the narrative of "star wars" because in the last one, return of the jedi not the last one to be made, but in the last one sequentially in the narrative, yoda dies. >> why did you tell me that? i haven't seen that one yet. >> that film came out 30 years ago. you've had time. >> maybe i'll netflix it this weekend. >> you've had time all your life. i'm just saying yoda died. it's disrespectful to his family. this came out today. this is really interesting. you're going to like this. this is about the celebrities who when you put them on the front of the magazines sell the most magazines. >> ad week released the sales figures for popular magazines that feature famous faces. we're learning which covers sold the best stories of the year. we're going to start with "people" magazine here. >> so the august 3rd issue featuring blake shelton and miranda lambert "shocking split" was big for them. it sold 800,000 copies off the

newstands. this even topped ben affleck and jennifer garner's divorce. >> there's the worst. >> apparently pope francis only sold 450,000 off newstands. come on, the pope? we capitn't say he -- >> people took to the streets to see him. i don't think he's too concerned with people buying him on "people" magazine. this cover did the best for "vanity fair" this year. caitlyn jenner sold 400,000. no nomp -- normally they average about 160,000 "vanity fair," it jumped to 400,000 it won a huge award for best magazine cover of the year. it was sensational. >> and this kind of hurts me to say because i love this gal. sarah jessica parker apparently rper's bazaar.also for this i think she's a fantastic person. >> jennifer aniston doing well. a interesting detail. kim kardashian doesn't do that well. caitlyn does well. kim kardashian not is heing well

this year. >> the pope not doing well? >> i guess if you are a devout catholic. >> he's still a rock star if you're not catholic. next up, we want to talk about tennis superstar serena williams earning another honor. "sports illustrated" sports person of the year. >> another magazine cover claiming the rightful throne in that photo because of the astonishing year that she's had. i interviewed her father, richard, at length once. >> really. >> and you know for serena and venus, before they were born, he wrote down on a piece of paper that he would make both of them the tennis champions of the world. >> wow. >> if you think about that, that's -- he didn't know they were going to be good at tennis. his family doesn't play tennis. isn't that the most intriguing thing? >> that is kind of fascinating. we do have sad news for the current longest-running production in las vegas "jubilee" ending their 34-year run. that's with the women with the

tatas hanging out. >> >> find another show to go and see. >> coming up, music to the ears. >> be right back. ears. >> be right back.

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go long™. ♪ ♪ whoa, listen to the music ♪ whoa, listen to the music >> like that? >> it's that tune. >> you like that? >> i love it. now for many of us who do listen to music all of the time, headphones are an essential part of the listening experience. >> and how you're listening just as important as what you're listening to. for the best deals on this hot holiday tech gift, here's abc's becky worley. >> reporter: headphones, predicted to be the most popular tech gift given this season. so to find the best we turned to brian tom, tech editor at c-net. teens and 20 somethings, what do they want? >> the priority is design and then bass. a lot of younger kids love that booming deep sound and the style of it. this is the beats solo two. this is a wireless headset. you've got the flashy colors and this clean design we have here.

that's going to be really popular. you can go big and large and just you don't care what anyone else thinks. these are the monster 24 ks. gold, bling-bling. all gold everything. is there a budget model you can get? >> these are the audio technica. m 50 xs. my favorite best budget overall. great headphones. >> i see on ear and over ear. what's difference? which is better? >> a lot of times it comes down to how it feels. some people don't like cupping your ear off. you typically get better sound that way. on ear rests on your ear little pillows. >> if you're buying headphones for someone who commutes or a road warrior, it's all about noise canceling. >> the bose comfort 25s are noise canceling headsets. it hears the outside noise around you, it sends reverse frequency in here and deadens that sound and kind of creates a chamber inside like your own isolated room. >> reporter: finally let's talk cheaper ear buds. can you get a good pair on a

budget? >> there are some around the 150, $200 price point. that's a lot. that $40 to $50 sweet spot, you'll get everything that you need. becky, thank you for that. reena, tonight is the "star wars" premiere. >> we're going to go to it, right? >> yeah, but the l.a. one is tonight. the last time a star wars film cape out nearly ten years ago in london, i hosted that premiere. there were two cinemas next to each other, one full of celebrities and one for fans. as a surprise to the fabs just before the film started i walked george lucas. >> wow. >> and the reaction, it reminded me i was in grant park when obama was voted for president. i know this is crazy, but that emotional reaction. >> you're comparing obama to the "star wars." >> that's what it means to the fans. >> okay. got some jedi action. mind tricks or was that "star trek"? >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now." informing insomniacs for two decades. informing insomniacs for two

decades.

making news in america this morning, debate day. the stage is set on the vegas strip. the republican candidates preparing to face off for the last time this year as donald trump hits a new high in the polls. we're live in washington. and donald trump's doctor making news of his own issuing a letter about the billionaire's health. why it's getting a lot of scrutiny. disgruntled guest. a man accused of purposely slamming his truck into a hotel. the dramatic crash caught on camera. "star wars: the force awakens," the lucky few with a chance to see the movie. >> it's amazing. it's wonderful. >> smiling faces leaving the world premiere overnight. the first reactions are in.