this morning on "world news now," holiday heartache. tornadoes blast their way across several southern states. the twisters caught on camera. the human toll and today's threat from accuweather. >> fighting back. the controversial political cartoon taking aim at ted cruz and his children. how this candidate is turning an insult into an opportunity. new this half hour, banned from the u.s. one family's outrage. >> the british man and family members planning to visit disneyland. was their flight canceled because of their religion? and later in "the skinny," madonna's legal battle has nothing to do with her music. this is an international family dispute on this christmas eve. it is thursday, december 24th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."

good morning on this christmas eve. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm kendis gibson. of course, we're going to get started on a serious note because of those deadly storms that are crossing the south. >> we're talking at least seven people who have been killed in the violent weather that stretched from arkansas to mississippi. there have been at least 21 reports of tornadoes confirmed and twisters, as well, including this monster wedge tornado in holly springs, mississippi, that killed at least two people including a 7-year-old boy. >> we're just getting a look at some of the devastation in tennessee where at least two people were killed there. look at that. that car just tossed around. our coverage begins with phillip mena in memphis. >> oh, man. >> reporter: this massive tornado touching down in mississippi. but the storm dumping half a foot of rain on mobile, alabama. this neighborhood underwater, the street looking more like a river. pied spread damage across the south as storms moved through.

in arkansas 60-mile-an-hour winds uprooting winds. an 18-year-old woman died after a tree crashed into this home. an 18-month-old baby pulled from the wreckage. >> the toddler was transported to a local hospital. the 18-year-old female was pronounced dead at the scene. >> on the other side of that storm system, heavy snow causing spinouts in wisconsin. meanwhile in the west, snow-covered roads snarling traffic in utah. while gusts over 80 miles an hour in mojave, california, toppled 15 to 20 tractor-trailers. watch as the roof of this building is ripped clean off. those big rigs banned from the highway till the winds die down. >> scary. i don't like this truck rocking. >> reporter: and these storms are still not over. the mayor of clarkesville, mississippi, calls the damage there horrific. and officials here in memphis are worried that christmas decorations could become projectiles as these storms continue to fire up. phillip mena, abc news, memphis, tennessee. >> thank you. it's been a busy christmas

eve for law enforcement and emergency management in the south after those deadly storms. >> as video comes in showing how powerful these december tornadoes can be, the strong winds knocked over a truck on a busy interstate in mississippi. meteorologist justin povick continues our coverage right now from accuweather. good morning. >> reena, kendis. thanks and good morning to you, as well. thankfully good news. the severe threat that hammered the tennessee valley with all the tornadoes and the damaging winds, that is a thing of the past. there will be some showers along the eastern seaboard. out west, we're concerned about some wet and wintry weather creating some big-time travel delays from san francisco on southbound. then as we kick out east, showers on the move, but temperatures will be record-breaking warm. reena and kendis, back to you. >> our thanks to justin there at accuweather. as you mentioned, the big story is the snow in the west. avalanche warnings are posted in 11 states, in telluride, colorado it was a sea of white

at the airport where a private plane collided with a snow plow. that was trying to land the plane at the time. the snow plow operator wasn't injured. nor were the seven people on board that plane. there's no word, however, on why that plane tried to land on a closed runway. it was an emergency landing for a southwest airlines flight in oakland, california. the pilots reported landing gear problems shortly after takeoff and had to remain in a holding pattern for four hours burning fuel over california's central valley. many passengers were deeply shaken by this. the ride was turbulent as the pilots tried unsuccessfully to get the plane back up. the plane eventually landed safely. a walmart truck driver facing charges in connection with last year's crash that seriously injured tracy morgan. a grand jury indicted kevin roper. the charges include first degree aggravated manslaughter. investigators found roper hadn't slept for 28 hours before the crash along the new jersey turnpike. morgan's friend was killed in the crash.

the man accused of a deadly shooting at a colorado planned parenthood clinic wants to act as his own attorney. robert dear also told a judge that he won't cooperate in a competency hearing as is in previous court appearances, dear talked over his own attorney andflectly interrupted the judge. he faces nearly 200 charges for the shooting which left three people dead. britain's prime minister is getting involved after a family's trip to the u.s. that included disneyland was spoiled allegedly by homeland security. the british family, two brothers and their nine children, were stopped at the airport's departure gate. they say they were the only muslim-looking people online for the flight from the uk to los angeles. >> we actually felt humiliated, alienated because the way they were dealt with was just out of the ordinary. >> the family will not get a refund of their more than $13,000 in airfare and other bookings. u.s. officials say they were not

denied entry into this country because they are muslim. the british government is demanding an explanation. the race for presidency, a controversial political cartoon drew a sharp reaction from republican ted cruz. take a look at the cartoon. cruz is depicted as an organ grinder dressed as santa, and his daughters as dancing monkeys. cruz saying yesterday "don't mess with my kids, don't mess with anybody's kids." abc's jonathan karl reports. >> please read this one, daddy. >> reporter: in an "snl" style parody produced by his campaign, senator ted cruz reads conservative christmas stories with his family. his young daughters, catherine and caroline, join in. >> the whole family will enjoying reading stories like "the grinch who lost her e-mails." >> i know just what i'll do, she said with a snicker, i will use my own server and no one will be the wiser. >> reporter: the ad prompted "the washington post" to run a political cartoon depicting cruz's daughters as trained monkeys. >> not much ticks me off.

but making fun of my girls, that will do it. it's not complicated, don't make fun of a 5-year-old girl and a 7-year-old girl. >> reporter: cruz and his gop challengers agree on this one. >> this is off-limits, and ted cruz was absolutely right to be outraged. >> reporter: donald trump called the cartoon "bad," marco rubio called it "disgusting." the cartoonist was unapologetic, tweeting, "ted cruz has put his children in a political ad. don't start screaming when the editorial cartoonists draw them, as well." >> dear jesus, thank you for the food -- >> reporter: long before the christmas ad, the cruz campaign posted extensive video of the kids for future campaign ads. >> i'm ted cruz -- >> and we approve this message. >> reporter: and kids are often featured in campaigns. for example, this obama campaign video from 2012, which prompted no such political cartoon. "the post" eventually took the cruz cartoon down. the editorial page editor explaining, "post policy is usually to leave the children out of it," acknowledging they should have done that this time.

cruz is now using the cartoon to raise money. "i'm sickened," he writes to supporters. "this shows you exactly how desperate the liberal media is to attack and destroy me and my family." cruz has also offered up his own political cartoon, featuring what he calls hillary clinton and her lap dogs, "the washington post" and "new york times." jonathan karl, abc news, washington. >> got to love presidential politics. don't you? well, the twin birth rate hit an all-time high last year in the u.s. one in about 29 babies was a twin last year. in 1980, only one in 53 babies was a twin. the increase may be due to women waiting longer to start families. in the meantime, the birth rates for teenagers dropped 9% from 2013 to 2014. that's interesting, the grandparents took the kids to the museum today. my mother-in-law was saying how they noticed so many sets of twins, brothers and sisters or sisters and sisters. >> we all love twins. >> we do. speaking of twins, voters in

one east texas county may do a double take in the race for sheriff. >> people say all politicians look alike. that's literally the case here. identical twins harry and barry washington are running for the office. barry started as a teacher and a coach, then became a texas ranger. he was joined in law enforcement a few years later by his brother. >> and despite their differences, barry says we're going to be biological brothers to the end of the world and we're going to be spiritual brothers forever. >> yeah, that's interesting they are running against each other but they do have others that are in the race, two others that are running. a total of four candidates. >> i just vote for them because they have nice cowboy hats. >> wonder who mom would vote for. >> i bet mom stays home. i bet mom stays home. coming up in "the skinny," a big moment for beatles fans. they've been waiting for this for years. >> also ahead, waiting till the very last minute for holiday bargains. we're taking you into an iconic new york department store to

show you the early morning procrastinnaters. >> but first, a consumer alert about gift cards. how thieves could make the next gift card you buy absolutely worthless. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather, brought to you by mucinex sinus max. brought to you by mucinex sinus max. enough pressure in here for ya? ugh. my sinuses are killing me. yeah...just wait 'til we hit ten thousand feet. i'm gonna take mucinex sinus-max. too late, we're about to take off. these dissolve fast. they're new liquid gels. and you're coming with me... wait, what?! you realize i have gold status? do i still get the miles? new mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. renews from within, plumping surface cells for a dramatic transformation without the need for fillers with olay, you age less so you can be ageless

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restaurant chain is trying to move beyond the recent outbreak of illness. it's changing some of its cooking methods to better kill germs. more than 50 customers came down with e. coli in the chipotle near boston college will reopen today after passing an inspection. two dozen patrons became ill with norovirus. >> with limited options for last minute christmas presents, gift cards are an easy option. >> although you can't give your son that. >> no, no, struggling with my son. we need to find a salvage rescue bot. >> throw it out to the university. >> let me know where i can find one, folks. >> you can now buy many gift cards mostly anywhere. that can be a problem since thieves are targeting the cards, robbing their value. abc's mara schiavocampo with more. >> reporter: gift cards at the top of many a wish list. shoppers expected to spend almost $26 billion on these cash cards. >> i think they're a great clutch gift to give anybody. >> the easier choice. so you don't disappoint anybody. >> reporter: but experts warn these holiday favorites could come with a risk.

>> gift cards are absolutely vulnerable to scammers. there are lots of different ways that nefarious people can get their hands on the cards and on your money. >> reporter: part of the problem? cards can be as easy to use as cash. requiring no i.d., pin number, or signature making them very alluring targets for scammers. here's how it works. before you buy the card, thieves can copy its information, sometimes using handheld skimmers, later stealing the card's value. so, experts say, look for tampered packaging, especially at the scratchoff area in the back. use the card right away. register your card. and be sure to use a reputable site if you're thinking of trading in unwanted gift cards on an online exchange. >> the safest way to buy cards is online or from a locked drawer in the store. >> reporter: ensuring a holiday scam doesn't leave you saying bah humbug. mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> all right. coming up, the singing superstar trying to get her son to come

home for christmas. >> and s paul's message to fans as the beatle mic goes live for streaming. "the skinny" up next. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this fro

♪ skinny, so skinny the big mystery on january 4th will be answered on "gma." can't wait. leading "the skinny," the material girl like many parents having some trouble withler teenage child. >> madonna was in a manhattan court yesterday and won a court order forcing her 15-year-old son to return home to the u.s. from london. according to numerous reports, madonna is in a custody bat with her ex-husband, british filmmaker guy richie and their son rocco apparently wants to live with daddy. >> the judge told richie's lawyer if the child wants to stay with his father, he must return to his mother first. >> look at him. he's all grown up. >> he's now 15 years old. >> where did the time go? >> i know, we're old. >> i wouldn't mess with madonna. not because she's madonna but because she's mama. she's working that gown there. all righty.

there has been an answer. let it stream. a huge musical milestone, the beatles music now available for streaming worldwide. >> for many, the biggest musical stars on the planet like taylor swift and adele, the issue has been contentious. now arguably the biggest band ever is on board. >> no argument there. >> through services like spotify, apple music, rhapsody, title and others fans can listen to 17 beatles albums on demand. to celebrate last night sir paul here tweeting out this message wishing everyone a very happy crimbo and a peaceful new year. >> the new song is going to released we're streaming, yeah, yeah, yeah. ♪ we're streaming move on, next story. in music news, hip-hop star kendrick lamar is spreading holiday cheer this season, as well. the rapper who just received more grammy nominations than any other artist for his album "to pimp a butterfly," what does that mean?

to pimp a butterfly? break that down for me. what did you say, it's to kill a mockingbird? >> but not by releasing another music video or pushing a new single but by showing kids the key to success. hard work. in a new video on youtube, you see kendrick with a young boy who witnesses all the love the rapper has shown but where other stars might let it go to their head, he keeps it in perspective for his young friend. >> anything you want is on me. >> please, i insist. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> you're most certainly welcome. >> man, anytime. >> you know who that is? kendrick lamar. >> i should have got two. >> i know. hard work. >> you need to work for that. >> come on, man, take the ice cream? >> i got to. >> my favorite flavor. >> i don't care. >> unique musical arrangements on "to pimp a butterfly," have set him apart from his peers making him a huge hit with

critics and fans and anearning him those 11 grammy nominations. >> i think "to pimp a butterfly," sting like a bee, swing like a butterfly. >> the famous quote by mike tyson you're referring to. >> you don't even know the quote either. and finally, a holiday gift the cast of the beloved netflix series "orange is the new black" in character for the classic retelling of a christmas tale. >> the story of santa coming to their prison. >> we sprang to our bunks as the guards gave a shout, our christmas was over, our secret was out. >> santa fled from the scene as the lockdown began. >> not the first time i've taken the rap for a man. >> i heard him exclaim as we ran to our could thes. >> happy holidays, ladies, you're all getting shots. >> oh, that's hilarious. season 4 coming sometime next year. >> merry christmas. >> i remember now. float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. >> brian getting in her ear.

>> no, he didn't get in my ear. it came to me naturally. >> to kill a mockingbird, that's what it meant. we've been changing things up with k-y love.

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all night... or all day. ♪ here comes santa claus, here comes santa claus ♪ ♪ right down santa claus lane >> this is time less. >> it is time less. listen to it in march of next year. if you haven't finished your christmas shopping, you've got plenty of time. but at least you're in good company. >> there are plenty of people out there who have yet to wrap their presents and place them under the tree. abc's trina trinh is at macy's here in new york with last minute shoppers. >> hey, guys, that's right. >> i'm here at macy's herald square the iconic store here in new york city where i'm learning when it comes to christmas shopping, there are a lot of procrastinators among us. take a look here. people still out shopping on christmas eve.

we've just got a couple of hours to go before the official day. and it's crunch time. and people are out trying to score those last-minute deals. maybe they were undecided about what to get for people this year. every shopper here. hi, can i talk to you? >> hi. >> what are you in the market for? >> for shirts. >> okay. and who are you shopping for tonight? >> i'm shopping for my wife, my son, my mother, my father, my grandfather, my grandmother, my other grandfather and grandmother and aunts and uncles. >> you waited till the 11th hour to come here tonight. >> i just came back from jersey, yes. >> why did it take you till now? you could have been a little bit more prepared. >> yes, you're right. >> what's on the list for everyone? >> i have no idea. i'm so confused. i have no idea. >> good luck. good luck. >> thank you. >> how about you? what are you here shopping for tonight? >> some cologne.

>> some cloninging? >> -- some cologne? now is this really for yourself or somebody else? >> it's really for me, no, for my dad. >> i thought so. all right. so a lot of shopping still going on here at macy's. wishing these guys a lot of luck. we'll see what happens on christmas day. back to you. >> thank you, tina. good to know. there's nothing wrong with buying a little merry merry christmas gift for yourself. >> i do it all the time. i did shopping yesterday and ended up buying a lot of stuff for myself along the way. the good thing is a lot of these stores are open overnight, toys "r" us being one of them and open till late on christmas eve. >> still got to find the rescue bot salvage. got the wrong size. let me know, folks. >> your poor kid is not going to have a happy christmas. >> he wrote a letter to santa. the one thing he wanted this christmas. >> updates wnnfans.com. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now" informing insomniacs for two decades.

making news in america this morning, deadly storm, tornadoes tearing through the heartland flipping a tractor trailer and ripping homes and buildings apart. the new video just in and where the severe weather is heading. new controversy shaking up the race for 2016. ted cruz taking aim at a newspaper after his kids are used in a cartoon. the republican breaking his silence and donald trump weighing in. a helicopter trying to land suddenly hurtling towards tourists, the dramatic crash caught on camera. christmas surprise, a happy holiday for a woman in tears, so what's the gift that got this reaction?