this morning on "world news now" -- flood disaster. more than a dozen deaths in the rising waters of missouri as extreme weather throughout the country strands holiday travelers another day. facing justice. the texas affluenza teen could be flown from mexico to the u.s. as soon as today. did a pizza order tip off police? and new this half hour, the scare on a tour bus. >> the driver makes a sudden stop, and a passenger goes right through the windshield. what investigators are now saying. and the health scare for america's best-known reality tv family. why a member of the kardashian clan rushed to the hospital. that's in "the skinny" on this wednesday, december 30th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."

good morning on this wednesday. i'm marci gonzalez in for reena ninan. >> and i'm kendis gibson. t minus two days until we're at 2016. unbelievable. >> it has flown. >> yes, it has. we're going to get started this half hour with the historic flooding that has taken place right now in missouri. at least 13 people have died and thousands of lives disrupted by evacuations and closings. the mississippi river expected to crest tomorrow morning. but the water is already rising. >> at least one entire city, union, is completely underwater. more than 500 roads including interstates are closed. raw sewage is spilling into a tributary of the mississippi because of the treatment plant there was flooded. the governor has called in the national guard. >> we've got at least nine feet of vertical matter or more coming. so be safe out there. >> portions of interstates 44 and 70 are either closed or about to close. the mississippi river itself is closed to boat traffic near st. louis. many barge operators, though, had already stopped operations

on the river. >> mother nature really wreaking havoc all around. the same storm system brought winter weather to the northeast, and with it a travel nightmare as millions tried to get home yesterday from the holiday. there were dangerous roads, fender-benders, and plenty of short tempers. one man even pulled a gun on a snowplow driver. we get more now from abc's linzie janis. >> reporter: freezing rain, sleet, and snow, pounding the northeast, making roads treacherous. >> a lot of folks going nowhere fast. >> reporter: outside boston this truck rolling over. another jackknifing. some drivers caught off guard. >> what's happening is they're forgetting the limitations of the vehicle and the roadways with these conditions. >> reporter: in new york slick roads behind this fatal crash between a fedex truck and a black sedan, killing the car's 22-year-old driver. on long island this suv flipping onto its side. and the wintry mess crippling airports. >> we're currently stuck in boston.

trying to get home. >> reporter: as millions try to get to their families for new year's, more than 1,000 flights canceled and more than 4,000 delayed nationwide. 17 flights diverted away from chicago o'hare to indianapolis. >> we got within earshot of chicago and the pilot said we need to divert. >> reporter: at o'hare the robertsons now planning to drive 20 hours to miami. >> everything's booked solid. and my dad's been on the phone for i guess it's over four hours in total now. >> reporter: back here on the massachusetts turnpike the roads are wet. the temperatures are dropping. and there is a freezing rain advisory in effect. so officials are dropping the speed limit from 65 to 40 miles per hour, urging everyone to slow down. linzie janis, abc news, framingham, massachusetts. and more cold weather hits the northeast this weekend while the midwest gets more snow today. >> coverage continues right now with accuweather's justin povick. hey, justin.

>> kendis and marci, thanks again. and good morning to you as well. we're tracking some snow on this wednesday. throughout the nation's midsection. i think enough it could cause some slippery travel north and eastbound to chicago as we get toward the evening rush. well, later on this week new year's eve forecast coming up now. looking quiet for the most part throughout the northeast, but it is going to be on the chilly side. those midnight temperatures mostly into the 30s and the 40s. kendis and marci, back to you. >> all right. our thanks to justin. it turns out a domino's pizza order apparently was the downfall for texas affluenza teen ethan couch and his mother. authorities in mexico were able to track down the pair after they used a cell phone to place an order. abc's matt gutman has more from puerto vallarta. >> reporter: the three-week manhunt for that privileged texas teen ending on this gritty street in mexico. ethan couch transforming himself. that black hair and beard so different from the childish-looking teen who pled guilty to killing four people in

a 2013 drunk driving crash, at sentencing his legal team claimed he suffered from affluenza, too rich and spoiled to know right from wrong. he got ten years probation. the break for investigators coming on christmas eve. a week after u.s. marshals released this wanted poster, saying that he was on the run in this black ford truck belonging to his mother, tonya, who was also missing. >> they'd probably driven that to the border and then crossed over the border. >> adding that before the fugitives set out on their 2,200-mile trek -- >> they even had something that was almost akin to a going away party before they left town. >> reporter: mexican authorities were alerted on december 26th and they got him. >> it's like a needle in a haystack basically. there are so many americans down there this time of the year. >> so they ate right there in the back. >> reporter: he ate at this restaurant. >> it's been really hard finding them. >> reporter: two months ago we tried to find couch, who wasn't looking to talk. >> you don't want to answer a couple questions? >> reporter: but couch soon surfaced again in this twitter video that went viral. investigators telling abc news

it appears to be couch at this boozy party, possibly violating his probation. sources telling abc news it prompted couch and his mother to flee, ditching his check-in with his probation officer. police escorted tonya and ethan couch out of the shabby $80 a month rental with their hands cuffed behind their backs. now tonya faces up to five years in prison for hindering apprehension. ethan couch, just 120 days because under texas law he is still considered a minor. matt gutman, abc news, puerto vallarta, mexico. the chicago police officer charged with the murder of a black teenager has pleaded not guilty. jason van dyke faces six counts of first-degree murder for the fatal shooting of laquan mcdonald in 2014. his defense attorney says van dyke wants to tell his side of what happened, so he's not seen as "this cold-blooded killer." chicago mayor rahm emanuel is under enormous pressure because of the case. protesters calling for his resignation demonstrated outside of his house last night.

an actor best known for his role on "glee" has been arrested on child pornography charges. mark salling, who appeared on the series for four seasons, was taken into custody on tuesday. authorities say they found hundreds of images on salling's computer. the los angeles police department obtained a search warrant for his home after getting a tip. to politics and the end of the presidential campaign for republican george pataki. the former three-term governor of new york announced the suspension of his campaign last night. pataki never really gained traction in the crowded gop field, and he had trouble raising money. he never appeared on the main stage either during any of the republican debates. a dozen republicans remain in the field. and of course the republican front-runner is donald trump, who is showing no signs of toning down his political battle against hillary clinton. in an interview on his plane late last night trump referenced former president bill clinton, saying hillary clinton has a major problem that happens to be right in her house.

and trump is now using what some are calling the m word. >> there was certainly a lot of abuse of women, and you look at whether it's monica lewinsky or paula jones or many of them. >> and that is a contradiction to what trump has said in the past when he called the former president's infidelity no big deal. hillary clinton's campaign has said she won't be bullied by trump. on the campaign trail yesterday clinton did not mention trump by name. okay. so tomorrow night is of course the big night when we will welcome the new year and kiss someone we probably won't kiss for another 364 days of the year. >> what do you do on new year's eve? >> well, i don't remember. this is the scene in new york city right now from times square where about a million of your closest friends will no doubt get together, wear weird-looking hats while greeting 2016 amid a storm of confetti of course. and if you were with us yesterday then you know you're all set in hershey, pennsylvania for their celebrations there.

>> but not to be outdone, the folks in raleigh, north carolina are preparing the big acorn. of course. the big acorn. >> yes. >> jack's very excited. the annual acorn drop -- >> the world-renowned acorn drop. >> yes! >> got to love the enthusiasm. and jack is also excited that they do it twice. once for the kids and families who don't stay up late. people like jack who have a bedtime of 6:00 p.m. and then for the adults at the traditional time of midnight. >> i'm going to the early one. >> we should tell you, by the way, that no joke here, ryan seacrest will be there in raleigh for the dropping of the acorn. >> there's no way. >> that's a joke. he'll be here in times square. >> you never know. he's everywhere. so it actually wouldn't surprise me. i feel like he turns up at -- >> amazing. and we'll of course tell you about some other celebrations. maybe great falls has some big plans. >> maybe. and if you happen to be around, kendis, on new year's eve now we know to stay away because you're kissing strangers. >> who isn't kissing strangers? that's the least of it for some

folks. coming up in "the skinny," the most fashionable celebrity guy hitting the pages of "gq." he's no fashion model. >> is it you? also ahead, how you can relive the experiences from the movie "the hangover" in las vegas. how you can party like a rock star. >> but first, a scare at a major airport involving a pilot who thought he was landing on an airline -- an airline jet on a proper runway but he wasn't. the safety questions next. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather. brought to you by lysol. more t. it's the "pungent gym bag stink" neutralizer. and the "prevent mold and mildew on the shower curtain for up to 7 days" spray. it's also the "odor causing bacteria" fighter. and even the "athlete's foot fungus" killer.

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thrown through the windshield and onto the street. the private tour bus was heading to new york from baltimore. the bus driver says the passenger was standing when he stopped at a traffic light. the passenger is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries. about 55 people were on the bus. >> absolutely terrifying indeed. in the meantime the fbi is investigating the fatal crash of a single-engine plane into an anchorage office building. the pilot, doug demarest, was the only occupant of the cessna. he was a member of the civil air patrol. but this flight was not sanctioned by the organization. investigators in alaska say demarest's wife worked on the sixth floor of that building. she was not in the office when the plane crashed into the building. and the faa is investigating a potentially disastrous mishap with an alaska airlines passenger jet. >> yeah, the pilot trying to land at seattle's airport on what he thought was the runway but it was actually a taxiway. abc's kayna whitworth has the story. >> reporter: an investigation into how an alaska airlines

flight could have landed on an active taxiway instead of a runway. the 737 aircraft was flying from chicago to seattle earlier this month when it was cleared for landing and directed to a runway. >> alaska 27, maintain 5,000 to establish localizer. cleared now to approach. >> reporter: but that's not what happened. the plane cleared to land on a runway on sea-tac instead landing there. that's not a runway. it's a taxiway. luckily nobody was injured during the landing. >> the danger here is not landing on a long strip of concrete. the danger is actually that somebody else might be on that taxiway. >> reporter: aviation analyst for abc news john nance was an alaska airlines pilot for 20 years and has landed at sea-tac international airport hundreds of times. >> pilots for major airlines like alaska are certainly trained to recognize runway markings and taxiway markings. >> reporter: you can see those different markings here. the runway in white. the taxiway in yellow. both the faa and alaska airlines say they are investigating the incident and at this point it's

preliminary. kayna whitworth, abc news, los angeles. >> still thinking there may have been some confusion because workers had just finished paving the central runway. so some confusion there. >> but these are pilots. and that's alaska airlines' hub. so they should know the airport very well. >> this is the fourth time this has ever happened at this airport. so -- >> it's a rare thing. >> all right. well, coming up, a health scare for a member of the kardashian clan. and the man out of all men who's been chosen as "gq's" most stylish man of 2015. you'll be just as surprised as we were. "the skinny" is next. you'll be just as surprised as we were. "the skinny" is next.

♪ skinny ♪ so skinny it is time now for "the skinny." and topping our headlines this morning, a little bit of a health scare for one member of the kardashian family. >> 28-year-old rob kardashian was rushed to the hospital over the holidays after he reported he wasn't feeling well. well, doctors there confirmed he is diabetic. a family insider tells "e! news" that they ordered rob to lose weight, exercise, and dramatically change his diet. >> he was on "dancing with the stars" and has avoided the limelight for more than a year now. he actually even missed his sister kim's wedding to kanye west. and avoiding the camera on "keeping up with the kardashians" as he continues to

battle depression and nearly a 100-pound weight gain. this morning rob is home recovering. >> and speak of the kardashian clan, guess who has earned the title of gq's most stylish man of 2015. >> it doesn't surprise me. to our producers it's shocking. but it's kanye west. he has a fashion line and all that. we should point out that this title is not bestowed by esteemed fashion editors. it was decided by popular vote via social media. it came down to a showdown between west and a model by the name of lucky blue smith. >> and you were in third place. >> yeah, right. >> so close. >> "gq" says in the end what really made the difference for west was the almighty power of the kardashian social media empire. because in the final moments of voting tweets from kim, kourtney, khloe, even kris jenner spiked the votes for kanye. >> you digging the fur? you like the way kanye dresses? >> so stylish. i don't know. >> trendsetter. by the way, the final tally was

kanye 520,000, lucky blue 445,000. >> what would he have done had he not won? i mean, think about what he does when his friends don't win awards. he would have -- >> if kanye had not won. i don't know. he would have taken the award from lucky blue. >> exactly. he's going to win either way. next, ben affleck and jennifer aniston -- garner. >> starting celebrity rumors here. you heard it here first, folks. >> exactly. they're not going their separate ways despite their failed marriage. >> the couple announced their split-up last summer but they've decided to remain under the same roof apparently for the sake of their three kids. of course it helps to be filthy rich. ben has been staying on the same property but in the spacious guesthouse. >> which i'm sure is probably on the far side of the mansion. >> and it's probably another mansion. >> yes. the former couple spent the holidays together, where all of us would like to be this morning, in montana with both extended families.

they of course, however, slept in separate bedrooms. >> there are also rumors that garner is now secretly seeing patrick dempsey, who is also still married but in the process of divorcing gillian fink. and finally, the tv star who is reaching out to beyond the grave. >> "big bang theory" star jim parsons broke down in tears during the taping of an upcoming episode of tlc's "long island medium," appearing overwhelmed after star theresa caputo appeared to connect him and his sister julie pruski to their late father. >> i felt like i heard a nickname. or it was a different name that someone called you or something. >> we referenced these yesterday. >> gym be ? jimbo and julie-poo. >> your mom is still here in the physical world? >> yeah. >> he took red roses and handed them to mom. >> that was their flower. he always gave her red roses. >> how do you connect to -- >> that's their anniversary. >> wow.

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this has been medifacts for delsym®. ♪ ♪ viva las vegas ♪ viva las vegas you know the saying what happens in vegas stays in vegas. but no matter what you get up to, what often does happen in vegas usually followed by an epic hangover. not that i'm speaking from experience. >> not that you would know, of course. and just in time for new year's eve it's the perfect time for an on-location vacation. if you're looking to party like bradley cooper and his co-stars in "the hangover," here's abc's sara haines. >> reporter: what happened in vegas turned out to be a blockbuster hit for the stars of 2009's "the hangover." >> i just added two more guys to my wolfpack. >> reporter: the wolfpack led by bradley cooper heads to vegas for the bachelor party to end

all parties. proving what happens in vegas stays in vegas. after a night of hard partying they run into one small problem. >> we lost doug. >> reporter: and if you're headed to las vegas this winter and want to party like these rock stars, we picked out the top spots for you to visit. first up, caesars palace. >> this isn't the real caesars palace, is it? >> when todd phillips and the screenwriters and the producers thought about the concept of this movie, they of course wanted to set it at an iconic location like caesars palace. so right now i'm descending the onyx stairwell of the hangover suite. this room is set up for a mass party. >> reporter: if you're feeling lucky, head down to the hangover slot machines. >> to this day as you walk around virtually every casino in the world now you'll see the hangover on slot machines. >> reporter: with your big winnings you can head to the gift shop where "hangover" memorabilia abounds. after your night of mass partying head down to the pool, where the guys tried to piece their night together.

>> what's the last thing you remember doing last night? >> reporter: and while it's unlikely you'll see the cast members in the flesh, you can settle for the next best thing at madame tussaud's "hangover" exhibit. >> we wanted to create the most memorable scenes from the film. so we worked with warner brothers really closely. >> reporter: you'll be able to recreate a classic scene from the movie in real life. >> the wedding chapel is really memorable. this year people will be able to actually get married in the "hangover" chapel. >> reporter: so whether you want to hit the jackpot or say i do, the "hangover" experience is sure to be a vacation to remember. or not. sara haines, abc news, new york. >> i'm all about going to vegas, but i would not want the hangover experience like the movie. vegas fan? really? >> i am living the hangover experience. i'm well dressed for vegas. >> and playing the penny slots. >> yeah. i guess it beats my second option, which was the "shining" experience. that would have been -- >> yeah. good choice. yeah, not quite -- you don't get the tiger, the mike tyson -- >> well, there's rum.

not red rum.

making news in america this morning, historic flooding. rising waters forcing people to higher ground. evacuated from their homes and it's not over yet. on the attack, overnight, donald trump talking to reporters from inside his plane, blasting the clintons once again as hillary clinton makes her final campaign stop of the year. major mistake, a passenger plane landing at a major american airport but not on the runway. how did this happen? going viral, a baby's historic reaction to his first piece of bacon. and good wednesday morning to you, we begin with a historic and dangerous flooding in the