this morning on "world news now" -- extreme weather impacting 40 million americans. >> nasty conditions causing fatal crashes just before one of the busiest holidays of the year. accuweather's tracking storms from coast to coast. facing a judge. the woman accused of intentionally smashing her car into las vegas crowds. the serious charges she faces in court this morning. and fearing the worst at one of the busiest shopping centers in the northeast. the gunshots, the evacuations, and how police responded. and later, he said/she said. the tense exchange of words between the presidential campaign front-runners where donald trump's remarks about hillary clinton vulgar? what he's saying now on this wednesday, december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news,

this is "world news now." good morning, everyone, on this wednesday. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm reena ninan. we're going to start with the holiday travel. big story here. and there's actually a warning for millions of americans set to hit the roads today. >> 40 million americans are in the storm zone across a wide swath of the country as severe weather triggers hundreds of flight cancellations and thousands of delays. abc's brandi hitt leading us off. >> reporter: a wet and soggy start to a busy holiday travel week. >> you just have to face it. >> reporter: more than 100 million travelers are expected to hit the road. the most ever. and severe weather isn't helping. fog may have led to chain reaction crashes on interstate 49 in arkansas, killing at least three people. and across parts of the west it's slow going in the snow. so much has fallen in washington state, rescue teams have been searching for missing skier monty busby since saturday. >> oh, my -- >> reporter: dangerous winds are

overturning semi trucks in california. and taking down one tree after the next, keeping utility crews working around the clock. >> we have another tree down. we're going to have to go respond to. >> reporter: more than 38 million travelers are also expected to fly through january 3rd. the busiest airports, atlanta, los angeles, and chicago. where weather could cause flight delays wednesday. meantime, historic heat in the northeast. 77 degrees forecasted in washington, d.c. christmas eve. 71 thursday in new york city. >> now, today is expected to be the busiest travel day on the road. families are taking advantage of lower gas prices. below $2 a gallon in most states. reena and kendis. >> our thanks to brandi there on the west coast. and as the west coast gets hit again, the east is in for a soaking. >> as a huge spring-like storm makes its way east from the mississippi river valley, our coverage continues with accuweather's paul williams. hi, paul. good morning. >> thanks, kendis, reena. the northwest still;yh being sod

and soggy along the coastal region with rain and then very windy conditions pulling in very quickly and sticking around. mother nature giving the gift that won't stop giving. more snow and rain in the northwest and snow dipping into a good portion of idaho going into the extreme western slice of montana. gusty winds for the deep south and throughout the entire mississippi valley region, gusts over 30 miles per hour for us on wednesday. so staying very windy for the east. exceptional warmth will surge from the south but still very mild and general and that will actually set the stage for more rain to stick around because we'll have so much warmth in place. and for christmas not a white christmas for the east coast, but to the west a bit snowy. kendis, reena? >> paul, thanks so much. the woman now charged for sunday's hit-and-run crash along the las vegas strip begins facing justice today. lakeisha holloway will be in court this morning. she's facing charges of murder, child abuse, and leaving the scene of an accident. prosecutors say they expect "a great number of additional

charges to be filed against her as well." >> why did she turn into people and run over a lady and drag that lady for many, many feet while her husband was running after her, banging on the window of the car, begging for her to stop? >> holloway is expected to plead not guilty. surveillance video of the incident has not been released. prosecutors do not plan to present it in court today. a lawsuit stemming from the mass shooting in newtown, connecticut has been finalized. 16 of the 26 families will split $1.5 million from the estate of the gunman's mother. the money comes from her homeowner's insurance policy. three years ago this month adam lanza killed his mother, then walked into the sandy hook elementary school and killed 26 people. other lawsuits are still pending. frientdi ifrightening momen shoppers inside one of new york's biggest malls. gunfire at a high-end jewelry store sent people running and screaming. it turned out to be a botched robbery. but shoppers didn't know that at

first. abc's richard cantu has the details. >> i came to the mall to do some last-minute shopping. there's shooting in there. >> reporter: last-minute shopping turned chaos. >> i heard like three sounds that sound like gunshots. >> reporter: the sound of gunfire. the scream of police sirens. and crowds of people running and hiding. >> it was like pure pandemonium. everybody was running. >> to tell you the truth, once i seen everybody running, i started running. >> reporter: police responded in force, quickly arriving at the roosevelt field mall on long island. officials say an armed robber walked into a towerneau star targeting the high-end watch section. a bullet from his gun hitting one person. >> the shot left the store and struck a mall employee in the mall. 67-year-old male. >> reporter: police took the suspect into custody, escorting him away in handcuffs. officials say it was an off-duty nypd officer just out doing his own shopping responsible for the takedown. >> i'm pretty sure something drastic had to happen. >> reporter: while all that was happening, many shoppers were hiding, often in back rooms, inside other stores.

some waited up to an hour and a half for the all clear. >> the first thing that we thought was terrorism. >> reporter: local officials changed protocols for calls like these after the recent terror  attacks in paris and san bernardino, treating each call as an active shooter situation. everyone breathing a sigh of relief that it wasn't a mass shooting. >> people are still in the mall. they are still going to shop no matter what. new york don't hold back for nobody. >> reporter: richard cantu, abc news, new york. now to a high-profile murder trial that's on the docket for this summer in los angeles. real estate heir robert durst will return to the west coast after a federal weapons case in louisiana is settled. durst is accused of killing a friend to prevent her from aiding an investigation into the disappearance of his wife. the 72-year-old's trial is likely to attract worldwide headlines. army sergeant bowe bergdahl has made a brief courtroom appearance before a military judge. he was clean-shaven and in his dress blues. this is the first good look that

we've had of bergdahl since he was handed over in a controversial prisoner swap with the taliban. he'd been held captive for five years after walking away from his unit. he did not enter a plea and makes another court appearance next month. one other embarrassing incident for the secret service. a member of the presidential protective division had h his g, badge, radio, and handcuffs stolen from his personal car. the car was parked not far from secret service headquarters in washington. the agency has struggled lately to overcome issues with agent behavior and security breaches at the white house. a hacker to the stars has been busted in new york for trying to sell movie scripts, personal information, and sexually explicit videos of celebrities. the 23-year-old bahamas-based hacker was arrested after trying to sell to undercover agents. things like scripts. hackers are a common sight on the streets of new york, but in this case u.s. immigration agents stepped in after getting a tip from an unnamed radio

host. security's being stepped up in pasadena, california ahead of the rose bowl as well as the rose parade. visitors can expect more security from surveillance in the sky to even officers on the ground. pasadena police are even gearing up with these new utility terrain vehicles. cops are also warning spectators to stay vigilant and don't even think of bringing a drone. >> this year drones are a very popular item. i understand that they're one of the most popular items for christmas. but given the faa fly regulations, the parade and the rose bowl game will be a no-drone zone. >> so keep your new christmas presents at home. spectators are also being asked to leave their umbrellas and selfie sticks at home as well. no selfie sticks at the rose bowl parade. >> it's okay, folks. you'll survive. you'll survive without that stick. >> it will be like the rose bowl parade 2000. >> pretend like it's 2000. >> exactly. well, ernie smith of iowa is just two years high of 100 on monday he celebrated his birthday with a flight piloting

a plane. >> smith is believed to be the oldest active pilot in the u.s. he's been flying for nearly 75 years. he takes to the skies a few times a week in order to keep flying. every two years he must pass an aviation medical exam. smith says that he plans to celebrate his 100th birthday the same way he did monday, with a flight. and next year united airlines going to sign him up. >> he says people ask him all the time what attracts him about flying, and he said that one just needs to look at the sunrise over the horizon to have your answer. that's a good deal, right? >> would you let him pilot your plane? >> no. coming up -- >> no doubts about it. >> how to avoid hurt feelings if you open a gift you that just don't like. >> also ahead, danger falling from the sky. on the ski slope the frightening scene as a drone narrowly misses a championship athlete. >> ernie, i've got to say you can pilot the plane anytime.

and also the political battle over vulgarities, campaign claims and sexism. trump and clinton going head to head. >> tell us what you think on facebook. wnnfans.com. and twitter @abcwnn. you're watching "world news now." >> fly me to work, ernie, tomorrow.

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it's not often we show a lot

of alpine skiing on "world news now." but this run is special because of that. wow. austria's marcel hersher on a slalom run yesterday was nearly struck by that drone that fell out of the sky. it was actually carrying a tv camera and was being used for the race broadcast when it crashed on the snow. hersher wasn't affected by it, but afterward called the incident horrible. >> wow. can you imagine? just a couple seconds' difference there. hmm. well, the nfl is denying a report that it's backed out of funding a study about brain injuries. espn had quoted sources reporting the league is withholding millions of dollars of funding for research being done at boston university. according to the report the nfl had raised concerns about the objectivity of a professor who would be leading the research. but a new statement says the nfl is willing to pay $16 million for the study. the league has been criticized for its handling of concussions. well, now to the race for president. donald trump says the word that he used to describe hillary clinton's primary defeat in 2008

is not offensive. trump says what he meant by using the word was that clinton was beaten badly. >> at the campaign yesterday in iowa clinton said, "we shouldn't let anybody bully his way to the presidency." it's your voice, your vote. abc's bati kinani has more. >> reporter: on the trail in iowa hillary clinton says donald trump's language is helping terrorists recruit. >> it is playing into the hands of the violent jihadists. >> reporter: the democratic front-runner refusing to respond directly to trump's latest attack involving a sexually derogatory term to describe how she was beaten by barack obama in 2008. >> she bought [ bleep ]. she lost. >> reporter: trump's fury sparked by an unsupported claim clinton made in her last debate. trump now mocking that claim. >> donald trump is on video and isis is using him on the video to recruit! >> reporter: a new quinnipiac

university poll shows trump may need to take aim at someone else. ted cruz is catching up. now just four points behind trump nationally. the texas senator still careful not to criticize his gop rival when asked about trump's disparaging slam on clinton. >> i don't need to be another political pundit. i'm going to let donald trump speak for himself. i'm going to speak for myself. >> reporter: but carly fiorina has a warning for trump. in a radio interview saying she also has been called derogatory names. >> we cannot have candidates who insultomen beat hillary clinton. >> reporter: that new poll also found 50% of americans said they'd be embarrassed if trump were president and that figure is even higher among women. reena, kendis? >> well, you know, the campaigns are kind of on pause mode because the holidays are coming up. so this is kind of one of the last things that are lingering out there. >> yeah. and it's interesting, though, she points out that poll saying that 50% of americans would be embarrassed if he became president. but a majority of republicans

still would not be embarrassed if he became president. so those numbers are a little skewed i guess there. >> there are a lot of republicans who also feel like he doesn't necessarily represent the conservative movement. there was an interesting poll looking at the breakdown of economics and how it impacts people who support trump. it found that those who were highly educated, maybe had a college degree, tended to support other republicans like ted cruz or jeb bush or marco rubio but people without a degree were more likely to support trump. >> that said, on another note, about 30% of americans in that same poll said they'd be embarrassed if hillary clinton became president. >> there you go. well, coming up, in our next half hour, body image and health. while some models may have the ideal figures for fashion, their measurements may prove to be extremely unhealthy. the new law bang ultra thin models and the growing calls for similar regulations. but first a new kind of space race taking tourism to new heights. the connection between reusable

rockets and stellar airfares. you're watching "world news now."

♪ ah, for all of you rocket men and women we have some hopeful news today. the private company spacex is celebrating the launch and successful landing of an unmanned falcon 9 rocket. >> it really was cool. so what does this milestone mean for the future of space travel?

abc's david kerley explains. >> reporter: this is spacex's return to flight after its last rocket blew up. [ cheers and applause ] >> main engine cutoff. >> reporter: but this mission was to prove more than delivering 11 small satellites to space. this was about returning the main rocket, the first stage, to earth and land it to be reused. >> the first stage is returning to land. >> reporter: finally, spacex workers at the california headquarters and at cape canaveral could see it returning. [ cheers and applause ] >> the falcon has landed. >> reporter: spacex ceo and tesla electric car magnate elon musk called the reusable rocket one of the keys to going to mars. he got an up-close look shortly after the falcon 9 first stage landed. but musk is not alone. there is a new space race, a private company space race under way. call it the battle of the billionaires. a month ago this blue origin rocket stage landed after a test

launch, a victory for that company's founder, amazon ceo jeff bezos. at the time musk needles bezos, tweeting congratulations but adding there is a "difference between space and orbit." the back and forth continued with bezos offering congrats to musk but then adding "welcome to the club." so the battle continues. but for the first time rockets are reusable, making reaching space even more affordable. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> just absolutely amazing what they were able to accomplish. >> it's a big deal. >> yeah. >> but not as big of a deal as you and i. >> oh. that would be -- >> what we achieved. >> that would not be a good thing. >> on an overnight spacex mission. >> would you be the captain and i would be tenille? >> oh. there you go. i like how you think, kendis gibson. >> i would be scared to see you in the driver's seat there. >> i would too. especially with sleep deprivation. the study we did yesterday about people who work the overnights and drive. coming up, what women are paying

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♪ and now it's time for "the mix." we spent practically a month purchasing items for the holiday season, right? only to figure out that women have been paying more than men. >> this again. >> yeah. this again? this is news to me. the new york city department of consumer affairs. look at this. the pink scooter you see on the right, $49.99. the red scooter for boys, $24.99. >> well, pink paint is more expensive, as was pointed out. >> oh. come on. take a look at photo number two. disposable razors. the male razors on the left are $4.99. the pink female $6.99. >> why? >> and then it goes also to clothing, kendis. take a look at this one. you see the shirts? very comparable. same shirts. pink one-pocket button-up levi's

shirts. the men's version 48. the women's version 78. >> that's insane. we're talking about the same sort of material right now. >> yeah. >> just the fact it's marketed differently. one's for a woman, one's for a man. and it's thatch more expensive. >> that's so wrong, isn't it? >> hopefully they're doing something about it. that is absolutely wrong they do that. >> you need a blue light special. >> yes. for women. okay. so you know you get that gift from that one person or your aunt that you really, really don't like? >> yeah. >> so how exactly do you react to it? well, a bunch of guys came up with different suggestions on how to react to a bad christmas gift. take a look. >> loving it. loving it. >> [ laughing ]. >> refuse to say thank you. >> thanks. >> you guys. oh, my god.

this is exactly what i needed. >> uh-oh. >> you try to get emotional. you just really, really cry and just pretend as if you like it. you try to cover your face with it. and different reactions to bad presents. >> okay. we have a guide on how to react. >> this is not what i wanted at all. >> or be honest. >> i think honesty always works. a "star wars" fan changes his name to darth vader. would you ever do this? >> if i cared enough. >> he's really passionate about the movie. cared about it a lot. but he's really a tough guy. he said that darth vader has an aura of leadership and toughness. this guy is also raising funds for a bone marrow transplant. so you've got to head over to his page and donate. it's eric welch. >> i'm sure eric's son's name is luke. speaking of "star wars," on that theme, five-second project clip here. replicate scenes from the movie using candy canes for the cane wars here. kind of cool. even chewy's in on it.

five-second project. >>

this morning on "world news now" -- campaign clash. no holiday truce in the trump versus clinton showdown over vulgarities and accusations of lying. the political heat and who's ahead in the polls. army sergeant bowe bergdahl seen for the first time since he was released by the taliban. he's telling his story as his legal battle begins. and new this half hour, lighting up the skies in the american southwest. >> it looked like a shooting star or meteor. the pictures coming in. and new details about what was really falling from the sky. and later, what we've just learned about steve harvey after his epic mistake on stage at the miss universe pageant. the big decision in "the skinny" on this wednesday december 23rd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."