this morning on "world news now," the republican showdown in iowa. like no other. front runner donald trump boycotting the fox news debate, pushing ted cruz front and center. we're live in iowa. >> the alarming new warning about the zika virus. the head of the world health organization describing it as spreading explosively. how it spreads and how you can protect yourself and your family. >> and new this half hour, the new development in that case of the affluenza teen. >> ethan couch is back in the u.s. and set to face a judge this morning in fort worth, texas, the new punishment he's looking at now. >> arguably could be many people's worst nightmare right here. a stage full of donald trumps with two of them making out. the story behind this video ahead on the "skinny." it's friday, january 29th.

ahead on the "skinny." >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." we want to get right to it. our top story this morning, last night's unusual republican debate. seven candidates showing up to make their case before monday's i ca wa caucus. >> unusual because the front-runner donald trump did not take center stage because, well, he just wasn't there at all. >> no, trump was a few miles away holding his own event after a standoff with the debate host fox news, he insisted megyn kelly be removed as moderator after she called him out at the first debate. >> so fox said no to that. so trump held his own show right around the corner. abc's david wright has that story. >> before we get to the issues, let's address the elephant not in the room tonight. >> reporter: at this last iowa debate -- >> it's not about donald trump. donald trump for once was not center the stage. >> i kind of miss donald trump. he was a little teddy bear to

me. we always had such a loving relationship. >> reporter: but he was still very much the center of attention. >> let me say i'm a maniac. and everyone on this stage is stupid, fat and ugly. and ben, you're a terrible surgeon. now that we've gotten the donald trump portion out of the way -- >> reporter: trump went rogue, holding his own event for veterans ten minutes away in des moines. >> fox has been extremely nice and the last number of hours actually. >> reporter: and over on fox, the last gop debate minus the gop front-runner. but center stage this time was ted cruz who is now running second in iowa. >> chris, i would note that the last four questions have been rand, please attack ted. marco please attack ted, chris please attack ted. jeb, please attack ted. >> reporter: trump's decision not to join his fellow candidates, ostensibly because he doesn't like the moderator. the latest iowa polls show him

slightly ahead but everyone's waiting for saturday when the des moines register re-lees its poll. >> it's one of the more fascinating campaigns i've watched. i don't think i've ever seen something like this on both sides of the aisle. >> reporter: so it's a little early to call it just yet. i'm david wright in new york. >> a fascinating debate. we want to get a little bit more on this right now. abc's brandi hitt was at the actual debate and joins us now from des moines in the early morning hours. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, reena and kendis. >> what's the reaction there? was there a clear winner from last night, do you think? >> reporter: you know what, a lot of people are talking and a lot of analysts agree that marco rubio had a great night. you had rand paul who got loud cheers from the crowd because he had the most supporters probably there in the room. there's donald trump who wasn't even there but still possibly a big winner because not only was he the first issue discussed, his name came up so many times, he had his own rally and during the stretch of the debate, he was also one of the top candidates trending on google all night long.

>> and brandi, you're going to be there straight through the clean-up effort, as well, that's going on behind you. but through the long haul. but do you get a sense that tonight's move hurt or helped trump? >> reporter: that's the big question. yes, we all come in like a big swathe of people and get the heck out of here very quickly, right? when it comes to hurting or helping, trump supporters say he did the right thing by holding this rally. his opponents say this was a huge mistake. we don't know the till early poll numbers come out or possibly obviously when the caucuses happen on monday. he needs to convince all of those people who are supporting him to show up. this isn't like a normal election. you have to show up at a very specific time. where i'm from in california, you can go to the poll in the morning or in the evening or during your lunch break. here in iowa, you show up in the evening rain or shine. if he doesn't get those people to go out and turn out for him, he's not going to win iowa, reena and kendis.

>> fascinating. we hear there could be snow. we look forward to her reports. >> hopefully she helps those folks cleaning up behind there, as well. turning now to the other top headline this morning, the four remaining militia members at the oregon wildlife refuge say they'll leave if no one is arrested. the group's leader ammon bundy has urged everyone to go home. the fbi meanwhile released this video which shows group member lavoy finicum being shot by state police. they say he was killed after twice reaching for a loaded weapon. >> the world health organization meets monday to decide whether to declare a global health emergency over the zika virus outbreak which the head of the w.h.o. says is spreading explosively. brazilian officials have linked the moss quit tote born illness to babies born with small or deformed heads. our dr. david besser is in brazil and filed this report. >> reporter: fabiola takes me to her home in rio. she's a physical therapist, five months pregnant with her third child.

uh-huh. to keep away the mosquitos? and now spending her hard-earned income on insect repellants. reapplying every two hours. she's most afraid for her unborn baby. zika may be linked to microcephaly. thousands of babies here in brazil have been born with the tiny heads that indicate severe brain damage. up to 1.5 million cases of zika so far here in brazil. it's spreading in 23 areas across the americas. the world health organization expects 3 to 4 million cases overall, saying, the level of alarm is extremely high. in the u.s., at least 31 lab confirmed cases in 11 states. all people who traveled to affected areas and returned. and state health departments will be required to report all new cases to the cdc. there's no vaccine yet. no treatment. the brazilian government spraying for mosquitos. the only action people can take is to avoid getting bitten. our team here keeps applying repellant. as does fabiola.

>> and for people who have traveled to zika affected areas, when you return home, if you have any symptoms whatsoever, see your doctor and get tested because if a mosquito bites you, it could then spread the infection to other people. you'll needed to use repellents as will those around you. dr. richard besser, abc news, rio de janiero. >> that's the news officials in rio want with the blocks coming -- with the summer olympics coming up. connecticut and missouri have joined the list of states affected by a deadly listeria outbreak. one person died and at least 15 have been sickened after eating salad produced by a dole foods facility in ohio. according to the springfield sun, inspection records show that facility did have proper procedures in place to prevent illness. well, it seems barbie isn't the only one getting a makeover these days. trix cereal is boasting a new brand mascot. >> yeah, to go along with its new marketing plan touting more

natural flavors the company is using a more natural rabbit, a real long eared bunny named cinnabun. >> that's the best they could do, cinnabun. >> copyright infringement. the houston-based bunny zoomed to the top of the nationwide contest beating out 7500 other rabbits to become the new trix rabbit. >> brian, our producer is saying cinnabun. this is cinnabun. the other one is cinnabon. bun and bon. i guess they thought that one through. >> i guess they still have a case. >> i like the old trix guy. >> he was fun. >> i don't know. >> cinnabon is for adults. the other one. >> the trix are for kids? yeah. >> yeah. coming up, what's next for the affluenza teen? ethan couch is set to face a judge later today. how much more time he may have to spend behind bars. >> and to the football hall of famer who is behind bars. what a prominent neuropathologist is now saying about o.j. simpson, the disease

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for all day or all night relief, try delsym®-the #1 doctor recommended 12 hour cough liquid. this has been medifacts for delsym®. >> older people worry. they see the way you're dressed. they hear your music. they don't understand it. do parents have anything to worry about? >> i think so. their children are doing things that they didn't do and they don't understand. ♪ don't you want somebody to love ♪ >> do you believe that clip from 1967? a blast from the past. dick clark interviewing paul kantner. he was one of the original members of the rock group jefferson airplane. kantner died in san francisco last night from organ failure and septic shock.

the guitarist and songwriter endured with almost every incarnation of that band and was behind stuff classics as "white rabbit" and "somebody to love." great hits that we all remember. kantner was 74 years old. >> so sad about the passing. you get to relive their music again, reexperience it. >> we've gotten to relive a whe lot of classic music this year. too many. >> the doctor who inspired the movie "concussion" says o.j. simpson may be suffering from the degenerative brain disease cte. dr. bennett omalu tells "people" magazine that he wouldn't bet his medical license on it but says it wouldn't be out of the question. in 2012, simpson actually considered arguing that he had a brain disorder when asking for a new trial on kidnapping charges nrns nevada. police searched a property near bloomington, indiana, looking for a sund missing for more than four years, talking about lauren speier. she was a student at the

university of indiana and vanished after a night of partying. the new raid took place at the residence of a man arrested in august and who had numerous sex-related convictions. authorities say the search yielded nothing. there's a new development in the case of that so-called affluenza teen ethan couch. >> that's because after weeks on the run and then in custody in mexico, couch back in the u.s. in texas where he faces a judge this morning. so what kind of punishment does he face at this point? here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: ethan couch escorted into the very place he allegedly tried to flee. a tarrant county jail. the millionaire's son, with the shaggy beard, bundled back to the u.s. by mexican officials. couch in coach. and later escorted between two u.s. marshals after arriving in dallas. >> i'm relieved for the victims, who continue to need somebody to represent them. those victims that need a voice. >> reporter: in 2013, the 16-year-old pled guilty to killing four bystanders in a drunk driving wreck. during sentencing, his legal team claimed he suffered from affluenza, too spoiled by his

parents to know right from wrong. the judge gave him only probation, ten years. authorities say he and his mother skipped probation, crossing the border into mexico. in a hearing, the judge could decide to keep ethan couch locked up until his 19th birthday. he has already spent more time in detention since his flight to mexico than he ever did after killing those four people. matt gutman, abc news, fort worth, texas. >> when we come back, donald trump makes out with himself. a lip sync battle. >> and a lesbian screen writer firing back at the academy for getting the boot because she's the wrong kind of minority. interesting "skinny," next. >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our

♪ skinny, so skinny time now for "the skinny." topping our headlines this morning, an entire stage full of donald trump. >> this is last night's episode of "lip sync battle many on

spike tv, and it featured what could be best described as a democrats' worst nightmare. josh gad dressed as donald trump performing you see there, it's the ode to self-love. that happened there. >> i touch myself. it's "i touch myself." ♪ ♪ i don't know anybody else when i think about you, i touch myself ♪ ♪ i touch myself, i touch myself ♪ ♪ i touch myself >> oh, my god. >> that's right. >> that's "the big bang theory's" johnny galecki making out with josh gad and they soundly trumped the competition. big bang theory's kaley cuoco. >> just for the record, i was naming the title of the song. i wasn't asserting anything else. >> okay. >> this is entertaining.

next, oscar outrage. >> you liked that one? >> the academy of motion picture arts and sciences taking steps to redress the lack of diversity in this year's class of oscar nominees. now, of course, it's sparking a blowback from at least one lesbian oscar voter. screen writer patricia resnick who made a name for herself writing one of the decade's defining comedies "9 to 5" at the age of 27 starring dolly parton, lily tomlin, and jane fonda. she worked as a consulting producer for "mad men" and has written an open letter to the academy upset about the being replaced by younger members. she writes replacing sexism and racism with ageism is not the answer. the problem is with the motion picture business decisionmakers, not the academy members." >> and she also closes by saying, " i'm angry and ashamed of the academy." a lot of angry people you don't

think about that have come out talking about the situation and is this right way to approach redress the -- >> i don't know if it is the right way to fix it. i mean, tyler perry's movie is going to be oscar nominated next year the way we're going because of this back flash. >> it will be an interesting night with chris rock. >> absolutely. next, kim basinger is set to play another steamy role. >> the l.a. confidential actress has been cast as the newest main character in the 50 shades franchise. hard to believe she's 62 years old. she will be playing the role of elena lincoln in the upcoming sequel "50 shades of darker." she's the protagonist of christian gray's business partner and his former lover. she also happens to be considerably older than his 27 years. >> so that said, there's been some rockiness between the cast and the crew from the first installment. but things appear to be on track with both jami dornen and co-star dakota johnson set to appear in the sequel.

"50 shards darkerer" is set for release in february of next year. >> part of the issue with hollywood they say there are not enough roles for older women. you get to a certain point, and that's great. >> they say are not enough minority movies. you have "50 shades darker." isn't that a black movie? >> you never read the book. clearly, huh. >> no, clearly not. >> it's set to make the return to the small screen, "house of cards." i love this one. >> the frank underwood campaign doesn't kick off till march 4th but netflix is announcing its flagship original series will return in 2017 for season five. but there will be a major change. > don't tell us, don't tell us. don't tell us. >> he dies. >> come on. season 5 apparently we are hearing it will return without the creator writer and show runner. beau willamon said it's time for him to move on with new endeavors. the show's producers have not yet announced his replacement. so you've got to stay tuned. when you remove that piece of the puzzle, i hope it's still

just as good to watch. >> i should point out, do i have this spoiler alert for you. >> no, come on. i haven't seen it. i pinky promised my little girl a fabulous garden party for her birthday. so i mowed the lawn, put up all the decorations. i thought i got everything. almost everything! you know, 1 in 10 houses could get hit by a septic disaster, and a bill of up to $13,000. but for only $7 a month, rid-x is scientifically proven to break down waste, helping you avoid a septic disaster.

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start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. oh, it's friday. we can feel it, right? we've got that loopy friday thing going on. time to hit the rewind button on this week's top stories. >> we've seen everything from a monster blizzard to a tiny virus and a surprise on the campaign trail. here now is our weekly "friday rewind." >> didn't expect to be caught in the middle of snowzilla, but it's really exciting. > i do not remember it ever looking this empty. florida fact, i just took a picture of it myself because i want to remember how empty it is. >> so you've already shoveled this sidewalk what, four, five, six times? >> around ten times. >> ten times? >> the explosive spread of zika virus to new geographical areas with little population immunity is another cause for concern.

>> take a look at there map. that mosquito is found in every country in the western hemisphere except for canada and chile. >> it's time for everybody in this illegal occupation to move on. we don't arm up and rebel. this can't happen anymore. this can't happen in america and it can't happen in harney county. >> they told us that we could safely leave. well, the group that was leaving has a dead man in it. so it depends on what you believe. >> i'm an african-american quarterback that may scare a lot of people because they haven't seen nothing that they can compare me to. >> probably i won't be doing the debate. i'm going to have something else in iowa let's see how much money fox is going to make on the debate without me, okay? >> if someone did that, didn't show up at the interview, you know what you'd say? you're fired. >> to my mind, we will win here in iowa if the voter turnout is high. >> you campaign in poetry, you

govern in prose. and we need a lot more poetry in this campaign and in our country. >> they say trump and his trumpeters are right winging bitter clinging, produced clingers of our guns, but he can kick isis ass because he commands fire. >> i hope nobody's allergic to nuts because we got a big one here. >> they did do a great job. >> absolutely. a busy week ahead coming up. of course, we have the caucuses on monday, pro bowl on sunday. we continue to monitor this really big story. four people sitting in a truck in great falls, montana. >> you love your great falls. >> yes, hoping to outlast three others to win that right now, they're sitting there. >> come on, folks, just come home. just come home. >> announcer: this is abc's "world news now." informing insomniacs for two decades.

making news in america this morning, gop debate without the front-runner. donald trump wasn't there, but his presence was felt. >> let's address the elephant not in the room tonight. >> the big moments of the night, winners and losers, we're live in iowa. new this morning, under arrest in the investigation of three men escaping from a southern california jail, a woman accused of helping the inmates, her connection to that jail. monster sinkhole swallowing part of the highway. the hole widening and the collapse caught on camera. going viral, wearing a speedo and his medals, why did michael phelps show up to a basketball game like that?