making news in america this morning, donald trump's high-profile meetings with titans of the tech industry and kanye west. this as the president-elect fills out his cabinet and gets set for some bruising confirmation fights. arctic blast that has millions of americans saying, it's too cold too soon. all of this with the official start of winter still a week away. the forecast coming up. alan thicke gone too soon. the entertain enand famous sitcom star has passed away after suffering a heart attack. we have emotional reaction coming in. a former pro wrestler with a take-down coming to the rescue when a would-be robber tries to steal at a gas station. he says he's no hero.

a good wednesday morning. we begin with the president-elect adding a few names to his cabinet and engaging in a big show of gop unity. >> well, today trump is meeting with some of the biggest names in the tech industry including apple's ceo tim cook, facebook's sheryl sandberg and larry page. at a rally overnight wisconsin received a green bay packers jersey as he appeared for the first time in public with house speaker paul ryan. abc's lana zak following the overnight developments and joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and diane. we're seeing the president-elect make some of those over turs to former foes particularly those on capitol hill perhaps in anticipation of some difficult senate confirmation hearings ahead. trump supporters in wisconsin booed native son paul ryan. >> speaker paul ryan. i really come to -- oh, no, i've come to appreciate

honestly, he's like a fine wine. >> reporter: during his thank you tour visit president-elect donald trump promoted his unconventional pick for secretary of state. >> rex will be a fierce advocate for america's interests around the world. >> reporter: oil executive rex tillerson will be the first secretary of state to have never served in government or the military. his career 40 years spent at exxonmobil. eighth largest company in the world but it isn't tillerson's lack of government experience that's worrying lawmakers. it's his strong ties to russia. >> i've invested a lot of money, our company has invested a lot of money from russia. very successfully. >> reporter: exxonmobil stands to make billions if the trump administration lifts russian sanctions and representative ryan zinke of montana for interior secretary. he has said climate change is not, quote, proven science. and governor rick perry picked to head up energy, an anc

together with scott pruitt to run the epa many climate scientists are alarmed. he meets with tech giants today. following meetings yesterday with nfl greats jim brown and ray lewis and musician kanye west. >> no comment about your meeting with the president-elect. this is the president-elect of the united states. nothing to say? >> i just want to take a picture. >> reporter: he was there to discuss multicultural issues. >> reporter: no more information about that but on the senate confirmation hearings we are hearing from republicans hesitation about some of these potential picks though we are also hearing from them at this point that they intend to be fair and thorough. diane, kendis. >> florida senator marco rubio will be key in one of those confirmation hearings. lana, thank you. military aircraft circling the skies of new york city raised some concerns on tuesday but it was all just part of a training exercise to help bolster security for

aircraft including a search and rescue as well as two helicopters. a 19-year-old college student is facing some legal troubles after walking into trump tower with a bag full of weapons and fireworks. authorities say alexander wang was stopped by secret service at a security checkpoint. charges against wang include criminal possession and unlawful possession of fireworks. president obama signed a sweeping health care bill that invests in cancer research and drug abuse. it provides nearly $2 billion for vice presidential joe biden's cancer moonshot initiative as it's called. overall the measure plans $6.3 billion in new spending over the next decade. and it also speeds up the approval process for drugs and medical devices at the fda. a 12-year-old boy died after being pulled from a snow bank in upstate new york. >> his friend also 12 years old managed to survive the ordeal. police are looking into whether a plow

as they played or whether a snow fort collapsed on them. near minneapolis this driver was rescued by passers-by after her suv went off a highway ramp and onto an icy pond. those bystanders rushed in to break the windows then they helped get the driver out to safety. very lucky they were there. check out this ice covered ship on the chilly waters of lake superior. a second round of extreme cold will hit the midwest by friday. accuweather's paul williams has more on that, good morning, paul. >> kendis, diane, it looks like this arctic air just simply won't back down, in fact, for wednesday we're expecting the real feel or to feel like 40 below near business mark, 30 below near minneapolis and that's bad enough. the problem here is that this icy air is going to give us a second shot at lake-effect snow from wednesday going into thursday. we could actually see snow locally up to two feet in some areas where you see the dark blue throughout portions of michan

pennsylvania, even going into portions of new york. this cold front is approaching us right now. we already have more than our fair share of cold air right now. here comes that second punch of arctic air and so the coldest air of the season will slide through wednesday night and overtake the east coast by thursday. diane, kendis. >> our thanks to paul. we will turn our focus to breaking news from aleppo where another cease-fire agreement appears to be faltering at least within the last few moments. the evacuation of rebel fighters and civilians has apparently daaled government buses are on the scene but none have departed the war ravaged city. hundreds in need of medical attention. thousands of others are leaving on their own in search of safety. and amnesty international says reports of execution-style killings are taking place as war crimes. in japan in the meantime, a close call for five marines on board this osprey. they were rescued after the aircraft went down in the waters

off okinawa monday night. the cause of the accident is under investigation. the mishap is the second in less than a week in the waters off japan. and family and friends mourning the sudden death of intertanker and '80s tv dad alan thicke. >> he spent seven seasons portraying dr. jason seaver on "growing pains." he died after suffering a heart attack tuesday while playing hockey with one of his sons. he was born in canada. he had three sons including of course, singer robin thicke. he was 69 years old. we'll bring you reaction to his death later on in this broadcast. still ahead, surging stocks and what the markets will be focusing on today. plus, a california community mourning the shooting death of a man with dementia. hear why police say an officer pulled the trigger. also check out this fiery scene threatening so many packages so close to the holidays. see how a good samaritan helped save the day.

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forest, north carolina, had to bat ol of a blaze among all things with the help of a passerby, he managed to save most of the packages. some of the packages got wet but none destroyed by the flames. the driver not injured. no rain, no snow, no fire, the that to the list. major asian stock markets moved higher. when the market opens for trading this morning all three major averages will start the day at record highs. the dow begins today at less than 100 points from the 20,000 mark. >> the dow has finished at a record high for seven straight sessions. and it has set 16 new records since donald trump's election. the federal reserve is expected to announce an interest rate hike today at the conclusion of its

in the past ten years. prosecutors in the dylann roof trial are expected to wram up their case today by putting the medical examiner and shooting survivor on the stand. testimony showed roof visited the church in charleston where the shooting was carried out at least seven times. defense attorneys had said they would put on no witnesses but they've since changed their minds. now to the mysterious death of a core power yoga founder. trevor advertise, his body found inside his home under suspicious circumstances. abc's nick watt with the details. >> reporter: san diego police investigating the suspicious death of yoga mogul trevor tice at his san diego home here teaching yoga on youtube. >> downward facing dog. >> reporter: he founded nationwide change corepower yoga. 12:15 p.m. monday, the 911 call. >> person known to the occupant of the house went over there to check on them.

inside. >> reporter: police telling us due to suspicious circumstances homicide detectives were called to the scene and are currently investigating. he was the father of a nearly 2-year-old daughter. his father told us the family is deeply saddened by the loss of our capable, gregarious, generous and warm-hearted spirit. nick watt, abc news, los angeles. to support her people dolly parton is holding a telethon to help the victims of the smoky mountains fire. >> parton brought in other big names including reba mcentire and kenny rogers giving $1,000 to every family that lost its primary residence. it's estimated the flames caused $500 million in damages there. when we come back, cars communicating with each other are getting closer to a road near you. and a close call down under. the boats that got a little too close for comfort coming up.

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i was energetic.gia, i was active. then the chronic, widespread pain drained my energy. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. he also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function so i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can be more active. ask your doctor about lyrica.

check out these dramatic images out of india. that you're fury on full display in this cyclone. winds gusted up to 90 miles per hour, powerful enough to topple a few cars. back here in the u.s. definitely not as windy but it'll be wet on the roads in the northwest. slippery across the northern rockies and around the great lakes as well as in new england. some rain, however, in the southeast. now to the growing outrage over the police shooting death of a man with dementia in california. >> mourners gathered overnight in bakersfield to remember 73-year-old francisco serna. he was a grandfather and he was shot seven times after a neighbor called police to say that there was a man in the driveway with what looked like a gun. serna was not armed but police say he refused their commands. >> approximately 20 to 30

saying that's him to the first shot fired so officers are taking cover, giving commands. trying to put together a plan and as serna advanced on officer sellman, he made that decision. >> his family says serna suffered from insomnia and would often walk the neighborhood late at night asking for the justice department to investigate the shooting. now to another twist in the bizarre murder for hire case in florida. jurors in the dalia dippolito trial tell the judge they can't reach a verdict. prosecutors say dippolito tried to hire a hit man to kill her husband in 2009 only the hit man was actually an undercover officer. jurors saw this video of dippolito in a car with that phony killer for hire. dippolito says she thought it was all part of a reality tv setup. well, it does look like we're closer to having cars that talk to each other. federal highway officials are moving on plans to install short range communication radios into all new vehicles. the

help avoid crashes by sending information like positioning and speed to other vehicles. check out this close call. small marry final boats in the water to keep traffic away from the race but instead watch as the big vessel called "scallywag" has to squeeze through two of those traffic patrol boats. this was captured by drone footage off the coast of sydney, australia. none of the vessels involved were damaged. "scallywag's" skipper wasn't thrilled. he finished in third place. the maritime officials say they're always evaluating how they can do things better and this one will be a learning experience. >> they messed up. a great story in the meantime, all starts with a small child in afghanistan who went viral in january. that's when pictures of the 5-year-old in a lionel messi jump made from a plastic bag were first seen. >> so cute. well, the youngster just met his hero for the first time during a visit by messi's club team

the kid now 6 changed jerseys for a prematch ceremony but then he didn't want to come off the field. >> he saw them there and ran over to messi and briefly held his hand. very cute. eventually the ref had to pick him up and run him over to the surveillance. he would not leave his side. something for that kid to remember forever, i'm sure. look at the smile on that kid's face. >> he's so excited. looking at the ref like you can't plame me for trying. >> the whole team excited about it. very cool moment. time for other sports highlights. >> let's go to our guys at espn. >> good morning, america. let's roll. the knicks and suns in phoenix. christian pore siporzingis tangd up in blue. porzins had it going on and finished with 34 point, one off his career of 35. he fouled out. bledsoe was the hero, though.

the knick has a chance. consider mellow anthony went 3 for 15. shot an air ball there. shot clock violation. phoenix beats the knicks. this is the warriors and the pelicans. javale mcgee getting his first start at center in i understand our warriors girl correctly. and slamming it home there. he had nine point, five rebounds and 16 minutes, large man, klay thompson tries the alley-oop. steph curry goes behind the pick to draymond green. great ball move many. let it breathe. anthony davis thinks he's got something. locked up in a tight one and save our sonics. warriors by four. over new orleans. where stan? not in new orleans. >> all right, well, thank you. we do have congratulations this morning to our dear friend

she's been inducted into the sports broadcasting hall of fame. >> robin spent 15 years at espn before becoming a full time anchor at "good morning america." a huge, huge congrats to robin. so well deserved. >> yes, absolutely. up next in "the pulse," reaction to the sudden and shocking death of actor alan thicke. and a former wrestler who took action against a would-be robber with a gun. we'll hear from him straight ahead. choices, jane! farewell, cookie dough ice cream. what's that you're drinking? it's trop50. it's fine. it tastes delicious and has 50% fewer calories with this taste? no way. give me fifty squats. but... it can't taste this good ... read the label. ...and have 50% fewer calories? exactly, now you drop... ...and give me the 50. trop50. tastes so good you won't believe it has 50% fewer calories.

and there are some people you shouldn't . people you should. shouldn't. janice! should. shouldn't. yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom. imy moderate to severeng crohn's disease. i didn't think there was anything else to talk about. but then i realized there was. so, i finally broke the silence with my doctor about what i was experiencing. he said humira is for people like me who have tried other medications but still experience the symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease. in clinical studies, the majority of patients on humira saw significant symptom relief. and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,

rgic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. if you're still just managing your symptoms, talk with your gastroenterologist about humira. with humira, remission is possible. ♪ wednesday "pulse" starting with the news about the passing, of course, of the tv comedy giant alan thicke at the age of 69. >> his publicist tells "hollywood reporter" that thicke suffered a heart attack while playing hockey with one of his sons yesterday. >> thicke's son "blurred lines" singer robin

he was the greatest man he ever met. >> paula patton tweeted out a quote from mother teresa about the preciousness of life. "fuller house" star candace cameron bure shared this photo saying her heart heirs. >> and the edmonton oilers shared this photo with him and wayne gretzky. hero time for the former pro wrestler. >> schad gaspard was known as the beast when he was with the wwwe. now he stopped a would-be armed robber at a south florida gas station. after refusing the suspect's demand to buy him beer the man flashed a gun and said he would rob the place and that's when he flipped the script. >> i grabbed him by the back of the head and run him into the store door and when i run into the store gore i get oil outside and throw imoff and get him on the ground. i did wha

wasn't trying to be a hero. >> he's auditioning to be a superhero. rumored match made in sports heaven is now red carpet official. >> aly raisman and oakland raiders former tight end colton underwood stepped out for the "sports illustrated" sports person of the year ceremony in brooklyn four months after he asked her out on a date via video that went viral in social media. apparently she said yes, let's december 14th. we've reached hump day... but instead of looking towards the weekend, we are bracing for a brutal blast of winter weather. and we are not alone. stormwatch 7 is tracking the coldest weather of the season for millions of americans. there are winter weather alerts in more than a dozen states. a mix of ice and snow caused hundreds of crashes across the midwest. in minnesota, temperatures dropped to the single-digits. we'll get a full break down for meteorologist

a moment. this morning-- we are also following tough news out of hollywood. actor alan thicke.. has died. thicke is best known for his role as jason seaver on the hit show growing pains. he leaves behind a wife, and three sons, including singer robin thicke. alan thicke was 69 years old. good morning washington. toss to eileen - arctic blast arrives for tomorrow & friday - single digit wind chills - wintry mix saturday morning, maybe again late sunday - wild up & down temperature swings over the next 10 days today: sunny becoming mostly cloudy late. highs: 42-47 winds: nw 5 mph tonight: stray shower/flurry. becoming mainly clear and breezy. lows: 21-28 winds: w 5-15 mph thursday: blustery and very cold. highs: 21-29 winds: nw 10-20 g 35+ feels: single digits and teens

breaking news in the war on terror- less than an hour

aleppo, syria was broken and fighting resumed. the ceasefire was agreed to yesterday. the move was essentially considered a surrender by rebel fighters-- allowing them and thousands of citizens to peacefully evacuate the area. again-- less than an hour the russian-backed syrian government reported that rebel fighters had resumed hostilities. we are following this story- and will bring you more details as they come in. an update in one of our big stories last week: the maryland governor's office confirms to abc7 that prince george's county liquor board chairman charles caldwell is stepping down. caldwell was involved in a traffic accident last thursday after the m-g-m casino opening... he was taken into custody and accused of d-u-i. the current vice chairman of the board will take over as chair temporarily. happening today- workers at two of our major airports- set to go on strike. hundreds of contracted

and reagan will walk off the job. they're protesting wages. the group is mostly made up of wheelchair attendants and baggage handlers. they say they make just 6-15 an hour- and many are forced to have second jobs. the airports say passengers won't be disrupted. also happening today. the greene turtle :-) is doing it's part to make this a very special holiday for hundreds of needy children. this morning-- the company present a check for more than 93-thousand dollars to toys for tots. it represents the total they raised during the 11th annual "tips for tots" initiative. all that money was already used to purchase lots of new toys-- less than 2 weeks before christmas. it's xx and we're just getting started. good morning washington.

- arctic blast arrives for tomorrow & friday - single digit wind chills - wintry mix saturday morning, maybe again late sunday - wild up & down temperature swings over the next 10 days today: sunny becoming mostly cloudy late. highs: 42-47 winds: nw 5 mph tonight: stray shower/flurry. becoming mainly clear and breezy. lows: 21-28 winds: w 5-15 mph thursday: blustery and very cold. highs: 21-29 winds: nw 10-20 g 35+ feels: single digits and teens

100 million americans bracing