abedini tweeting he just landed in geneva. he's getting ready to leave to germany. i should talk with him in just a few hours. thank you for your prayers. the father of two was imprisoned for three years. another of the released, jason rezaian detained for 18 months charged with sponge in a closed door trial. once he with his wife and mother by his side was safely out of iran, "the washington post" released a statement saying we are relieveded that this 545-day nightmare for jason and his family is finally over. also on board, amir hekmati, detained the longest, four years. the former u.s. marine arrested in iran while visiting his grandmother. rezaian, abedini and hekmati spent time at iran's notorious evin prison where they were allegedly subjected to beatings and psychological abuse. president obama remaining stead

fast in his message that it was diplomatic negotiations that led to their release, that deal quietly played out outside of the international nuclear deal negotiated had past july. >> we've achieved this historic progress through diplomacy. without resorting to another war in the middle east. >> reporter: as for the two remaining ex-prisoners one is believed to be still in iran and an american student who was released independently has already headed home. kendis and reena? >> one american who went missing in iran eight years ago was not among those released. robert levinson is a former fbi agent who was working as a private investigator when he disappeared after meeting with an islamic militant. he hasn't been heard from since 20072011. his family was devastated that he was left behind. the iranians say they don't know where he is. >> communities near sarasota, florida resumed rebuilding this morning. two tornadoes struck within minutes of each other just before 4:00 in the morning. the first picked up by a mobile

home and smashed it into the ground. the couple that lived there died. their son and grandchildren who were visiting were injured. the second twister for the roof off of an apartment building and damaged others. anxious hours for some passengers rushing for flights as the newark airport. air train services were suspended suns evening after a power failure. the trains were evacuated and buses arrived to pick up stranded passengers. the power company says that the outage was due to a tripped power line. service was restored just at 7:00 p.m. a manhunt is on in philadelphia for a suspect in the murder of a homeless shelter employee. police say the man had been kicked out of the shelter and then returned with a gun. he killed one worker and wounded another. residents say they were stunned to learn that one of the beloved shelter workers had been murdered. it's a tragedy that has left part of our abc family reeling. a popular producer at our station in chicago strangled while on vacation in belize.

this morning, the hunt is on for her killer. more now from abc's marci gonzalez. >> reporter: k-9s searching the area in belize where an american tourist was found dead friday. as police try to figure out who killed 39-year-old journalist anne swaney, and why. >> chicago has lost an amazing person. >> the executive web producer from our abc stationing in check wls, was on a return trip to this retreat. police say on thursday, she volunteered to stay behind from a group horseback riding trip. instead, practicing yoga alone at this waterfront deck. by the time the group returned hours later, they say, she was gone. >> we did a quick search and she wasn't around, and we notified the police. >> reporter: police searched for hours. finally finding her body the next day in this river. >> there were bruises around her neck and on either side of her head there was lacerations. >> reporter: investigators are questioning a guatemalan fisherman who was in the area at

the time and interviewing staff where swaney was staying. also looking into whether the killer took swaney's cell phone. her family saying it was missing from the scene. a possible clue -- friends mourning in chicago, hope could lead to the killer. marci gonzalez, abc news, new york. >> an honor for the late david bowie. for the first time one of his albums has reaped the top of the charts. "black star" was released two days before his death. it sold the equivalent of 181,000 albums knocking adele off the top spot. bowie died earlier this month after battling cancer for 18 months. >> congratulations to david bowie there. >> we said this would probably be a big hit, right? >> yeah, absolutely. apparently it's critically a very, very good album, as well. here's a guy who really and i mean like really knows how to get some attention for himself. we're talking about will forte. one of the stars on the fox show

"the last man on earth." >> one of his most recognizable features is his long hair and bushy beard. guess what, not anymore. >> now his most recognizable feature is the fact that half his head has been shaved completely, hair, mustache, beard even his right eyebrow gone. he debuted the new look at a network friday night and getting strange looks ever since. >> what's the deal? why did he do it. >> i have no idea. it answers a debate about my own little personal hair growth. shave half the head. and do the other half. >> that would make for an interesting -- >> exactly. >> you have not decided what you're going to do with your hair. are you going to shave it all off by tomorrow? >> i don't know. might shave half of it. look at all those grays. >> you look young and youthful to me, kendis gibson. >> good lighting and good doctors. >> oh, stop. >> coming up a close call from down under. >> then angry words about the water in one michigan city. some critics even calling for

the state's governor to be arrested over the whole thing. >> and later in the half hour, the big debut at the zoo in washington over the weekend. everyone excited about beibei. how did the new panda react to fans. the answer coming up on "world news now." >> "world news now" weather. brought to you by resolve. ♪ (ugh.) ♪ does your carpet ever feel rough and dirty? don't avoid it, resolve it. our formula with a special conditioning ingredient, softens your carpet with every use. it's resolve, so you know it cleans and freshens. but it also softens. resolve. a carpet that welcomes you. and to clean pet messes, try resolve pet expert.

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police pla blame the second pile-up on the first. vehicles were travel too fast and too close. they weren't able to stop due to limited visibility. there were more than a dozen injuries some serious. >> a new twist in the water crisis in the city of flint. >> amid high profile calls for the arrest of governor rick snyder over the city's contaminated water there are also new questions whether there was a cover-up. here's abc's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: angry residents demanding answers during a town hall in flint, michigan. reverend jesse jackson there to lend his support. >> people of flint have been betrayed. >> reporter: filmmaker and flint native michael moore even calling for the arrest of the governor. >> he committed a crime, he knew what was he was doing. >> reporter: president obama declaring a state of emergency over the contaminated water. the state now under investigation after it changed its public water source exposing its 100,000 residents to toxic levels of lead. families like the horns forced

now to drink and cooke with bottled water being trucked in daily. but lisa and her four kids and niece are still bathing in that water. >> it's hard to make sure everybody's been bathed properly, because we're really not supposed to use this water. >> reporter: water researchers point to this memo from the epa to city water officials back in june, saying it shows that officials knew that testing showed "high lead results" but didn't publicly admit it for another three months. >> it's a manmade tragedy that was completely preventable. >> reporter: professor marc edwards says for about $100 a day the city could have made the water safe. instead, he claims they manipulated data and testing methods to make it look safe. so many families like the horns expoetsed to lead for more than a year, which can cause neurologic damage. local doctors are working to screen and help those children affected. the governor maintaining that he took action as soon as he knew of the elevated lead levels. eva pilgrim, abc news, new york.

so president obama declared a federal emergency but didn't declare a -- make a disaster declaration which would have allowed more funds. people say you only do that during a natural disaster. >> this was clearly a manmade disaster. and one that will continue. many politicians in the sunday night debate were calling for more action by the governor there including senator sanders calling for the governor to resign entirely. >> a lot of angry people. rightfully so. >> understandably. coming up, the lunch lunch emergency that put 911 on hold. >> the 911 dispatcher who got into trouble over forcing callers to wait while she place add order for pizza. oh, boy, that's next. >> how big of an

okay. so when you pick up your phone to dial 911, it's usually during an extreme crisis. and the last thing you would expect is no one picking up on

the other end of the line. >> but that's exactly what happened in florida because the dispatcher on duty was apparently too busy trying to order pizza. here's abc's aditi roy. >> let me have one slice of cheese pizza. >> okay. >> let me have a lunch special. >> reporter: a broward county, florida, 911 dispatcher taking heat after calling a pizzeria while on the clock. while she's ordering lunch for the office. >> doctor couldn't hold him up, he dropped to the floor. >> reporter: an emergency at this optometry office. multiple employees try calling the dispatch center after a patient faints, but no one answers. >> first they called, from their office, no answer. i called from my cell phone, again, no answer. other people in the store tried calling and nobody picked up. >> reporter: the dispatcher, still on her eight-minute call, putting in her long order. >> everything on those. all the fixings. >> reporter: five and a half minutes in, she's asking for final orders from her coworkers. >> no one else? okay, can you hold on for me one

second, please. >> i'm so sorry. >> reporter: and seven minutes in, she seems distracted. >> poppy's? poppy's? i'm so sorry, i'm so busy. >> that's okay. >> reporter: the sheriff's department telling abc news the dispatcher violated policy and was disciplined. experts say don't let the phone keep ringing. call the nearest police station. you can also try texting. >> thank you for being patient with me. >> no problem. >> reporter: so those urgent calls don't get overlooked. aditi roy, abc news, san francisco. >> so her punishment, what was it? >> it was a letter of reprimand after all of that. an officl letter of reprimand. i have put in an order for all of us here. and it's never taken that long to put in an order. and get seamless. get an app. >> you could do that. >> exactly. >> multitasking. >> she was very particular about her order. need to have some pepperonis, a side of sausage.

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fix stomach trouble fast with pepto. oh, we love our pandas around here, don't we? >> of course. >> kind a bit of pandemonium in washington, d.c. over the weekend. there's a reason. >> we're talking about bei bei at panda named after beyonce. >> no, it's not. >> in my mind. >> in your mind it is. >> yes. the national zoo's new pride and joy made his big public debut, of course, on saturday to thousands of eager fans. and abc's gloria riviera was there. >> reporter: this was the moment. a panda cub making his public debut to squeals of delight. the first thing a sleepy baby

bear does, shy away from the spotlight. meet bei bei, the national zoo's five--month-old panda. >> my heart is like -- >> since his birth, bei bei has enjoyed babyhood in private. >> okay. >> but thousands from all over the world waited for hours in line to see him for the very first time. >> it's a pandemonium. >> reporter: bei bei's name means precious treasure in chinese. the endangered bear is only the third cub to be thrive at the zoo. less than 2,000 surviving in the wild. like any superstar worth his bamboo, bei bei is a social yamidia darling. 5 million hits and counting on the zoo's giant panda cam since he was important. >> he is immensely popular. >> said to be a charmer and a bit of rascal, he spent most of his big d day snoodsing flat on his back making his fans wait. >> we're waiting for him to wake up. >> we really want him to wake

up. >> reporter: after all, beinging that adorable has got to be exhausting. gloria riviera, abc news, washington. >> you know, bei bei had a brother, twin brother who passed away unfortunately. it's so hard for them to get pregnant and then for the child to survive. this is a really big deal. >> we've both been to that little enclosure at the national zoo. while it's really cute, it's really smelly folks. it's a little secret. they're smelly animals. >> they are. they are. >> what always drove me nuts was you can't tell with female pandas if they're pregnant or not. >> there's no mood swing or anything like that. apparently they withdraw a little bit. maybe they have swollen feet. i don't know. >> no morning sickness. >> no craves of pickles and ice cream either. >> okay. >> that's the news for this half hour folks. >> do remember to follow us on facebook at wnnfans.com.

this morning on "world news now," hillary clinton and bernie sanders face-off on the debate stage in south carolina. arguing over gun control, health care, and the economy. the clock ticking down now, just two weeks before the first official votes are cast. and a group of americans now enjoying their freedom after captivity in iran. some are receiving care in germany, another is already back on u.s. soil. and new concerns about another american missing for nearly a decade. then who can forget this encounter. a passenger drunk in the back seat attacking his uber driver. well, they're at it again. their new fight that's bound to wind up in court. then going viral for the right reasons. patients in the target checkout line. we'll explain ahead of the mix on this monday, january 18th.

>> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." and we do say good morning and it is mlk day. you have to remember that is a national holiday for his birthday. >> absolutely right. things shut down today. >> a lot of people going to be celebrating i guess his legacy. and that was part of like the pivotal moment in last might's debate. they wanted to get across, you know, minority rights and black folks were part of the topic constantly during the debate. >> it was a fascinating debate. you always enjoy these debates. it began really with the final showdown before the iowa caucuses is what we're looking at just two weeks away. >> hillary clinton and bernie sanders battling over health care, gun control and clinton's past. martin o'malley pleading for more time. elizabeth hur joins us with the highlights. good morning.

>> reena and kendis. good morning to you. going into this debate, hillary clinton and bernie sanders were locked in a virtual tie florida iowa. and so it was clear they both came prepared to try to stay on top. just two weeks before the voting starts in iowa. the three democratic presidential candidates sparred on stage in south carolina. hillary clinton and bernie sanders are now in a tight battle to win the first democratic contest. on this night, the first issue tackled, gun control. >> he has voted with the nra with the gun lobby numerous times. he voted against the brady bill five times. >> secretary clinton knows that what she says is very disingenuous. i have a d minus voting record from the nra. >> reporter: the exchanges heated at times discussing the economy and health care. >> i want us to defend and build on the affordable care act and improve it. >> my proposal provide health

care to all people get private insurance out of health insurance. >> reporter: but the two the also remaining sivl finding common ground on other issues. >> there needs to be a concerted effort to address the systemic racism in our criminal justice system. >> whenever anybody in this country is killed while in police custody, this should had had automatically trigger a u.s. attorney general's investigation. >> reporter: and so now it's onto the iowa caucus where the race is still tight between hillary and bernie. but nationally, a new poll shows hillary still ahead by 25 points. reena and kendis? >> all right, elizabeth. thank you. we're going to have more debate coverage later in the half hour, of course, when we sit down with our deputy political director shushannah walshe. >> over on the republican side, the battle heats up between donald trump and ted cruz. trump telling george

stephanopoulos cruz is a nasty guy and a hypocrite for railing against big banks even those he tookes loans from him to fund a senate campaign and for failing to report those loans. >> for his part, cruz is sticking with his claim that trump represents new york values. his campaign tweeting out an old interview in which trump says he's pro-choice in part because of his new york background. >> but we move onto the diplomatic high wire act that ended in the release of five measures from captivity in iran. this small plane right here you see arrived in switzerland on sunday with three of those americans on board. perhaps the most high profile, "washington post" bureau chief jason rezaian. this morning, he and two others an ex-marine and a pastor are at a medical facility in germany one step closer to home. a fourth american ho had been studying in iran is back in boston at this hour while one man chose to stay behind in iran. but one american mo went missing eight years ago in iran was not among those released. robert levinson is a former fbi

agent working as a private investigator he disappeared after meeting an aislamic militant. he hasn't beeneard from since 2011. his family says they are devastated he was "left behind." the iranians say they do not note where he is. >> in the meantime in iraq, u.s. officials confirm media reports that three american contractors have gone missing south of baghdad. they are civilians, not military. and they were last seen two days ago. the case is being treated as a possible kidnapping although no one has claimed responsibility. in hawaii, conditions are expected to improve today in the waters where teams are looking for 12 missing marines and two helicopters. crews have been fighting waves as high as 32 feet. the two helicopters appeared to have crashed during night exercises on thursday. the marine corps has now identified the missing who range in age from 21 to 41 ran who come from nine different states. >> an american missionary is among those killed in a terror