parenthood's federal funding. the administration finalized a rule blocking states from restricting funds to family planning providesers like planned parenthood. abortion opponents said they'll seek to reverse the rule under donald trump. it takes effect january 18th, two days before trump takes office. apparently green christmas trees, they are so last year. wayfair says trees in nontraditional colors are the hot items. baby blue, hot pink, and orange are popular. they say sales of colors other than green are up 300%. the company is also doing a half christmas tree this year. >> okay. >> they are cut in half from top to bottom to make it easier to put against a wall. >> that's brilliant. that part. the colored ones? >> looks like the tree is coming out of the wall or escaping. >>

back part. okay. so forget being the city of brotherly love and sisterly affection and a new survey revealstive is the city of love period. yeah. >> really? >> yeah. >> okay. pure romance, a company that makes what it calls relationship enhancement products used sales numbers to determine filly as the nation's sexiest city. it took over the top spot from washington, d.c. capital held the title forever two years. >> then i moved to new york and no longer became the sexiest city in the country. >> oh, i see. that was the game changer. >> no. 2 on the list, can you guess what it was? >> seattle? >> no. >> oh, that's not a city. >> detroit. >> detroit was no. 2. >> detroit, no. 2? >> yeah. a lot of the top five cities were in cold temperatures.

together. >> yeah. coming up, is your uber driver spying on you? >> a lawsuit alleges uber drivers have been accessing customers' personal information through their apps, tracking their travels, and what you need to know before hailing your next uber. >> stepping into santa's winter wonderland, a jolly elf at macy's here in manhattan. one thing he tells every child that sits on his lap. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" weather brought to you by pajamagram.com.

she pretty much lives in her favorite princess dress.

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waffles are my favorite! ah! some cough medicines only last 4 hours. but just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. on the same day it made its debut, ubers first self-driving vehicle is under fire. it appears to show a vehicle running a red light, almost hitting a pedestrian in the crosswalk in san francisco, but uber said the vehicle was driven by a human at the time. >> oh, yes, yes. could normally happen anyway, but more bad news for uber. they are facing a lawsuit that claims their employees are using a tracking feature to spy on the customers. abc looked into it. >> reporter: startling claims that employees at the ride hailing giant

celebrities. that according to a court filing by a former forensic investigator. as part of a wrongful termination lawsuit, he alleges that uber's lack of security regarding its customer data was resulting in uber employees being able to track high profile politicians, celebrities, and even personal acquaintances. >> the data that was included in that included the trip origin, trip destination, route taken, what type of uber. >> reporter: the sent of of investigative reporting spoke about the claims detailed in the court filing. >> he said it was an ongoing problem, that since so many people had this wide access, that anybody can look up anything, and, you know, the company would try to catch people afterwards. >> reporter: uber saying in a statement, it's absolutely untrue that all or nearly all employees have

customer data with or without approval, and sharing a warning that it says employees see every time they access internal data tools that says you may not access the account of anyone you know personally, another employee, a celebrity, or other public figure, or anyone at all out of curiosity. >> a lot of the apps we follow on the phone, a lot of things we have have pretty intrusive privacy items. uber, it's your location, your fifte phone number, social media, your picture. >> reporter: abc news, new york. the all-important visit to santa before he heads back to the north pole, of course. >> the inside scoop on what it's like to be one of santa's helpers next. "world news now"

♪ oh, well in addition to mailing that christmas list to santa, there's app all-important thing you need to do. face time, not on the iphone, but, like, in person. >> you have to make sure you connect with santa, look him in the eye. >> when he says no, be, like, i know somebody. >> and right by his side, of course, are the loyal

what does it really take to be santa's helper? abc found out firsthand. >> reporter: it's the season for letters to st. nick and christmas wish lists. >> oh, no. shoot your eye out. >> reporter: whether they are asking for toys or something more sentimental -- >> please tell him instead of presents this year, i just want my family back. >> reporter: this time ofyear, everyonements a piece of santa. >> santa! oh, my god! >> reporter: during the busy season, i figured i could channel buddy the elf, and i went to the only place busier than the north pole this time of year. the countdown to christmas is on, and all of the folks line up in may sicy's t. it's time to sf i can cut it to be an elf. i had the chance to get

now i was a little bit big to sit on santa's lap, but i sat next to him for the chat. >> i interviewed cool people, but this is the greatest interview of my life. >> it's my job toe make children happy. >> reporter: it's not all gum drops and sugar plums. santa and the team really have to embrace the togetherness as soon as the doors open at santa land. you'll see over 200,000 people every year right here. >> at santa land, that's right, that's right. >> reporter: more helping hands welcomed, but elf training is more difficult than seen in the movies. >> let's recite the code of the elves. every day is christmas. >> reporter: even the ho ho ho is hard hard hard. i have to work on my laugh too. one

santa? >> you have to keep faith like an elf. >> reporter: help from the wardrobe department, i was ready to bring cheer to all the boys and girls in santa land. how excited are you to meet that guy over there? are you excited? >> yes! >> have you been nice this year? >> yeah. >> me and my sister cleaned up the basement. >> reporter: one thing learned for sure, kids are serious about what's on the wish lists. what are you asking santa claus for? >> toys. >> reporter: even when kids don't know exactly what they want, they come to santa with some very important information. >> a little boy came to see him. he jumped up, sat on my lap, and said, 39, 39. the lady comes over and said that's the security code for our apartment. he didn't know what he wanted for christmas, but he wanted to make sure he could get in. >> reporter: no mte

each child is the same. >> this is what i say to all the good children like you. you don't find the meaning of christmas under the tree. you find the real meaning of christmas where? in your heart. that's right. >> reporter: so, sure, i learn about toyland to-do's, north pole no-nos and santaland secrets, but magic, santaland makes miracles happen every day on 34th street. >> would you please tell her you're not really santa claus. >> tell her to disagree with you, but not only here i am to prove it. >> reporter: from up on the rooftop, abc news. >> i can think of no one more perfect than will to cover that story, and i think what he told santa, he's the most important person he interviewed, it was not exaggerated. >> oh, look, look at that! >> oh, santa! >> i look like the guy from mall of

>> ho ho ho!

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♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ ♪ can we just listen to that song? it's awesome. >> not officially winter yet, and you'll need those boots. a lot of the country's getting slammed with feet of snow and sub freezing temperatures. >> this morning, our winter boot challenge, we're checking out this year's top picks for keeping the feet warm and dry. here's abc's t.j. holmes. >> reporter: walking in winter is not all that wonderful without the right boot. the wirecutter is out with the best picks for men's and women's boots. it took 100 hours of testing in frigid alaska

to get anned why of testing, behead to minus 5 experience, a bar where everything from the chandelier to the benches are made of ice. >> cold in here, isn't it? >> a little bit. >> it's 24 degrees fahrenheit. >> to test for warmth, nick submerged boots in ice and measured how quickly the temperature inside the boot dropped. they wore them on streets and outdoor trails to test for traction. now the challenge. the water boot test that goes way beyond reasonable expectations. >> step into the buckets of ice water for five minutes or until the boots leak. >> let's do it. >> mimic walking. >> you can't feel a thing. >> crazy. >> you know, i got the one. >> this is a crazy test. >> yes, yes. >> you made it almost four minutes before that happened. >> on me, the

the wirecutter pick for overall best men's boot costs $200. >> great for the city, decent traction. >> on nick, the keen, best boot runner-up, suited to outdoor fun, around $200, and women, the wirecutter with these top picks. columbia women's heaven omni heat or laceup boot for $100 and keen for $200. t.j. holmes, abc news, new york. >> a good pair of boots can be handy. >> we have to point out wirecutter gets percentage of money from retailers for products sold in the links in the articles, but we learned a lot there. rock out to nancy. >> that's the news for this half hour.

this morning on "world news now" giants of the tech world meet with the president-elect. >> the industry's most powerful leaders getting the open for business signal from president-elect trump despite some being object of his scorn in the campaign. what he told them as well as latest on the transition. developments in war-torn syria, the serious fire that broke down yesterday is reportedly back on, but as rebels pull out, tens of thousands of innocent lives hang in the balance. >> heart stopping moments on the top of a building. an emergency worker sneaks up behind a distraught man threatening to jump. how he took action from there. get ready for the most intense game of rock, paper, scissors you'll ever see. >> oh, my