this morning on "world news now" travel trouble for americans hitting the road. slipping and sliding are most possible as we enter the peak holiday travel period. trouble spots you need to know about in the forecast just ahead. also, new security concerns here at home in the aftermath of the holiday truck attack in germany. law enforcement taking no chances as the president-elect weighs in on terrorism. what he has to say coming up. the grandma unit, a group of grannies who joined the force in one community. their two word job description, spreading love, and the common thread binding them together. justin bieber, a wanted man, what the pop star says about it ahead on the skinny on this thursday, december 22nd.

from abc news, this is "world news now." we begin with severe weather bearing down just as millions of us are hitting the road ahead of the holiday weekend. >> so much for never raining in southern california. it's raining right now in the southwest. looking at the radar, serious rain falling across california as well as arizona and check out the scene in san diego. just hours ago, this is a bowl between byu, they won 24-21. >> the rockies brace for a christmas blizzard. light snow in green bay where the packers play saturday. >> headed to key west? beware of this guy. a sheriff deputy dressed at the grinch gives out onions rather than tickets. as for the weather, accuweather joining us now for any onions in the forecast.

justin, good morning. >> thanks. good morning. it's a slippery day over far north new i think land, but south and the east, generally dry, a little cool. you need the coats, but if you're catching a flight today or hitting i-95, should be in good shape. look at this. into friday, a busy travel day, we are quiet. out west, anything but quiet. notice the poor traveling conditions, heavy rain targeting golden state of california, slippery travel over the higher terrain, and eventually, into the weekend, this is going to become an all-out snowstorm with major travel impacts over the interior, northwest, severe weather possible out head. kendis, mara, back to you. >> all right, justin, thanks so much. we turn to the urgent search in europe. police desperately trying to track down a suspect linked to the horrific truck attack in berlin. >> looking for this man, a

24-year-old of tunisia believed to be armed and violent, arriving in germany last year seeking asylum, but denied. officials were concerned about possible ties to islamic extremist. >> amri was under surveillance for months suspected of obtaining weapons for an attack. he had six aliases in three countries. angela merkel is facing criticism for allowing a million migrants to enter the country. >> here in this country, donald trump con temperature the attacks, and suggested he might be going forward with the muslim ban proposed during the campaign. >> caused you to reevaluate plans to create a muslim ban in the united states? >> you know my plans all along. proven to be right, 100% correct. what h

is. attack on humanity. it's got to be stopped. thank you. >> the president-elect taking a couple questions there in florida. he had adjusted his pledge on a muslim ban in the general election to say he would focus on stopping immigration from certain countries with ties to terrorism. well, in the wake of the berlin terrorist attack, u.s. law enforcement is warning that it could also happen here. >> we're talking about the fbi, homeland security, and even the nypd as well as other agencies issuing a joint bulletin warning about a possible attack in the big new year's eve celebrations in times square. >> reporter: after the horror of that christmas markets attack in berlin, the truck plowing into the market, here in the u.s., the urgent bulletin issue target? times square,s massive new year's eve celebration. each year, a strong police presence in the event. this year, authorities warn there's no specific threats, but they, quote, remain concerned about unaffilied

targeting the event, writing they are concerned due to, quote, their ability to remain undetected until operational and willingness to attack civilians and soft targets and exploit increased crowd density to perpetrate a major event. they target san bernardino, orlando, and nice. it's estimated a million people crowd in in area, times square, a week from now to watch the ball drop. abc news, new york. authorities in mexico say the death toll from that fireworks explosion has risen to at least 33 and it could go higher. distraught relatives gather at the site hoping for news about loved ones. investigators say lax safety standards may have allowed vendors to display explosives outside the stalls leading to a deadly chain reaction. new controversy surrounding north carolina's so-called

bathroom law. lawmakers were widely expected to repeal the law in the special session. that did not happen. now there's plenty of finger pointing. here's abc's richard cantu. >> the legislature had the chance too the right thing for north carolina, and they failed. >> reporter: the special session is over, but north carolina's bathroom bill still stands. >> i don't know if you think the public is stupid or who is stupid, but it just does not make sense. >> reporter: the state's democratic lawmakers, angry, refusing republicans of a bait and switch, first proposing a bill that would repeal hb2, but including a provision that would prevent local governments from passing antidiscrimination laws for six months. the so-called bathroom bill says people can only use the bathroom in public and government buildings that matches the sex listed on the birth certificate. opponents call it discrimination against lgbt people, and supporters say it's about safety.

>> we don't have a discrimination problem in the state. >> people just want to use the bathroom they are comfortable with. >> reporter: costing business, paypal pulled jobs from charlotte. the nba moved the all-star game to louisiana, and numerous musicians cancelled concerts there. >> the public consciousness outside the state holds us accountable. >> reporter: it was seen as a way for the state to reclaim its reputation, but ultimately, no compromise, no repeal. abc news, new york. turning now to a new health alert about melanoma. researchers say the deadly skin cancer is killing more americans than ever before. more than 10,000 americans are expected to die from it this year. that's up from the more than 8,000 deaths in 2009. melanoma accounts for 1% of skin cancers but causes a large majority of skin cancer deaths. china may get relief from

the so-called airpocalypse. winds push out the air smothering a half billion people. schools closed, highways shut down, and flights cancelled to improve air quality. officials are investigating whether local government took the right steps to address the crisis. the 11 newest members of the charleston, west virginia police department are a little older than most recruits, and you won't see the grandma units being outside or arresting suspects. >> their mission is to spread love and hugs. all of them have been victims of domestic violence so they know everyone needs a lift now and then. >> sometimes i'm not feeling good or i'm feeling low, and somebody gives me a hug, and i'll feel better, and i share my hug with someone else. >> oh, my goodness, it's a win for

they want to do it. 's an awesome partnership. >> all 11 of the women live at the ywca, and after being sworn in, the officers celebrated by a mean game of bingo. as they would. >> coming off the mean streets to get a hug. unwind. >> it's going to be b7. >> right. >> aggressive game. i love it. everybody needs a hug. >> yeah. coming up in the skinny, some new trouble for justin bieber. maybe he needs a hug. what it means as he is set to start a tour in south america. a brave young girl in florida, she made a call to 911 from her house and what she said to intruders. you're watching world news now. "world news now" weather brought to you by musinex dm . o you by musinex dm fine! i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! ah! david, please, listen.

not fair you guys! 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. take delsym, the #1 12-hour uncontrolcough medicine.

which means, you're controlling your cough on your morning commute. and later when you're joking with beth... even when most cough medicines stop, delsym is still working. ♪ and when your days' over, your cough is still under control. thanks to the #1 12-hour cough medicine. delsym. the cough controller. ...better than a manual, and my hygienist says it does. but... ...they're not all the same. turns out, they're really... ...different. who knew? i had no idea. so, she said look for... ...one that's shaped like a dental tool with a round... ...brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head surrounds each tooth to... ...gently remove more plaque and... ...oral-b crossaction is clinically proven to... ...remove more plaque than sonicare diamondclean. my mouth feels so clean. i'll only use an oral-b! the #1 brand used by dentists worldwide. oral-b. brush like a pro. and my cold medicines' ugh, iwearing off.chtime

yeah, that stuff only lasts a few hours. or, take mucinex. one pill fights congestion for 12 hours. no thank you very much, she's gonna stick with the short-term stuff. 12 hours? guess i won't be seeing you for a while. is that a bisque? i just lost my appetite. why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours? start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. th...oh, baked-on alfredo?e. ...gotta rinse that. nope. no way. nada. really? dish issues? throw it all in. cascade platinum powers through... your toughest stuck-on food. nice. cascade.

an oregon man accused of a shooting an 8-year-old girl during a road rage incident was in court wednesday. he pled not guilty to assault charges. police say a bullet grazed the girl's foot. in orlando, an 11-year-old girl praised for keeping cool during a break-in in her home. ashley was home all alone when she saw the bad guys pull up in front when the men began breaking in, she went into a closet and called 911. >> 911, what's the emergency? >> help me. i need help. i need help. >> what's going on? >> they are breaking into my house, please come quick. oh, no, please. please. i won't say anything i promise you. >> are they in the house with you? >> no, they left. >> oh, what a brave girl. she was not hurt, but the thieves stole her christmas presents. yesterday, a charity group replaced all of her gifts. that sounds scary. even for a grownup. she conducted herself so well.

>> she earned them. i can't get my kids to brush their teeth. >> true enough. the murder case against a real estate heir and former fugitive. >> the accused killer made a court appearance before standing trial for the alleged murder of his best friend nearly 16 years ago. lauren lyster has more. >> reporter: alleged killer, robert, wheeled into a los angeles courtroom during a hearing about what evidence will be allowed in his upcoming trial. >> we're concerned about putting selective pieces of evidence out in the public. this is a public proceeding, your honor. it's going to be a public try. >> reporter: durst charged with the 2000 l.a. cold case mird of his close friend accused of shooting her shortly before she was set to talk to authorities about the 1982 disappearance of durst's first wife. >> who was never found.

orleans, a day before the bomb shell final episode of the hbo documentary, "the jinx," caught on a hot microphone in the bathroom saying this. >> what i hell did i do? kill them all, of course. >> reporter: more admissions coming out in the last week in a recently released reporting of durst interrogated in 2015. >> the whole long week, when i did the interviews for "the jinx," i was on meth. >> basically, the prosecutors are arguing that this tape should be admitted into evidence. the defense is saying that it was improper, that it was not a voluntary statement. >> reporter: durst pled not guilty to the first degree murder, and his trial is expected to begin next year. lauren lyster, abc news, los angeles. >> thanks to lauren there. when we come back, when justin may change travel plans.

>> the celebrity baby with a sister named james timely gets her own name, the skinny's coming up next. "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. now"

we start with justin bieber at the center of a new incident, but this one's more serious, and leaving his monkey in germany. >> i have no idea what that's

about. leaving that there. latest problem is in argentina. in fact, if he steps foot in the country, he'll be arrested according to tmz, which reports bieber was indicted for allegedly ordering the beating of a photographer three years ago, and then stealing the guy's money and equipment. >> it takes awhile for the law to get around to it. >> three years. >> so bieber denies it, and tmz reports that he maps to appeal this indictment, but he's about to start a south american tour, and many argentina fans hoped he'd stop there. if he skips the country, he'd lose bucks as well. >> he doesn't needs the money. some celebrities became parent the this year, and we have details about the little ones. blake lively welcomed a daughter two months ago, and the family turned out last week when his star was unveiled in hollywood. >> it was very cute moment there. you see the little one there.

name, us weekly reports it's anez. her big sister is james, so we're not sure what to expect. >> the girl -- the girl is named james. >> yeah. >> sister is names james. >> yes. >> confusing for her entire life. entire life, you're james reynolds? >> it's a celebrity baby, so you come to expect it. you know. like apple. >> yeah. >> cocoa. >> north. >> north. yeah. exactly. >> all right. >> we could go on. >> the other baby news is kobe bryant sharing the first photo of his third daughter, bianca bella. she was born -- >> future hall of famer. >> born december 5th, but the 6'6" basketball player measured 20 inches at birth. she's a doll. >> she is beautiful! he and his wife, vanessa, their daughter --

>> gianna and nadia. congratulations to them. >> that baby is so cute. >> so cute. >> keep it up the entire show. >> kobe bryant had a tough year, retiring, you know, became a dad again. >> there you go. we have to mention the future hall of famer quite a bit. now for an epic story. take a close look at yellow ruffle dress from the hold up video. that, of course; from the lemonade album. >> in full force video, seen 6 is 1 million times on youtube. my family accounts for half a million of those. someone stole her look. check out who else is rocking the ruffles. that's james franco in l.a. earlier this week. apparently for a movie or something like that. >> who wore it best? >> clearly, we know. i mean, who holds a candle to beyonce. >> the weave is not on point. >> it's not.

>> beyonce would never be caught dead with a weave like that. >> it has to be from indonesia. >> malaysia. believe it or not, members of the kardashian clan are having a low key christmas, but no, not kris jenner. the theme is candy land with a k, splashes of red and white like candy capes. it took 24 hours just to light the main christmas tree, notice the main tree. >> 24 hours? >> must be more than one. >> enlisting the of a professional designer and crew not just for her house, but those of the other kardashians. he decorated the foyer, the living room, the dining room, and more decorations that put a new york department store's window display to shame. when you're a celebrity, royalty, you have to keep up. >> i love her. everyone wants to be like her. >> really? >> i do. >> i want to be like kanye

>> yeah, right. to be like kanye. >> more coming up. >> yeah, right. yeah, that stuff only lasts a few hours. or, take mucinex. one pill fights congestion for 12 hours. no thank you very much, she's gonna stick with the short-term stuff. 12 hours? guess i won't be seeing you for a while. is that a bisque? i just lost my appetite. why take medicines that only last 4 hours, when just one mucinex lasts 12 hours? start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this.

take delsym, the #1 12-hour uncontrolcough medicine. it helps control the impulse to cough for 12 hours. which means, you're controlling your cough on your morning commute. and later when you're joking with beth... even when most cough medicines stop, delsym is still working. ♪ and when your days' over, your cough is still under control.

delsym. the cough controller. that cough doesn't sound so good. well i think you sound great. move over. easy booger man. take mucinex dm. it'll take care of your cough. fine! i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! ah! david, please, listen. still not coughing. not fair you guys! 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. yopantene expert gives you thee? most beautiful hair ever, with

strong is beautiful. well, finally this half hour, the jeopardy champ inspiring millions over the past week, we've told you about her, losing her battle with cancer before her episodes aired. >> well, now we know how the streak closed. she was paid tribute last night, and it was beautiful actually. she kept the winning streak on the show secret from friends and family giving them one more reason to think about her and smile. >> this is "jeopardy." >> reporter: cindy stowell had always dreamed about being a n contestant on

she taped the first episode three weeks later. >> what is adams? >> yes. >> what is the peach state? >> correct. >> what is the joy of cooking. >> cooking, yes. >> reporter: you may have seen her racking up her score, battling the pain of stage 4 colin cancer while competing, only the host and a few show staff members actually knew. >> what is orchestra, what is france? >> you're right. >> the streak, bittersweet. her boyfriend announcing the news with the game show taped months before cindy died on december 5th, tweeting, in the early morning hours, cancer took the best friend and teammate a guy could ask for. love you always. last night, the final jeopardy clue -- >> here's the clue. it's the closest nation to the mainland u.s. where cars custom marly drive on the left. >> reporter: in second place, answering correctly -- >> your answer was correct. >> reporter: but unable to catch up. s seven show run coming to an end, her winnings near $106,000

>> fighting back emotions paying tribute last night. >> for the past six jeopardy programs, you folks have been getting to know the talented champion, cindy stowell. appearing on the show was the fulfillment of a lifelong ambition for that young lady. what you did not know is when we taped these programs with her a few weeks ago, she was suffering from stage 4 cancer, and sadly, on december 5th, cindy stowell passed away, so from all of us here at jeopardy, our condolences to her family and her friends. >> always a dream for her, and it was a dream come true, she didn't get to see. >> so amazing that she was able to compete at that level when she was, you know, going through that -- >> terminal. >> don't miss updates on facebook at wnnfans.com. this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades.

cindy stowell is . making news in america this thursday morning breaking overnight the holiday rush getting off to a frustrating start for thousands of travelers with major delays at one of the country's busiest airports. planes stuck on the tarmac for hours. plus, a rain and blizzard threat not making things easier. the manhunt for the christmas market attacker in berlin. why he's been on authorities' radar since last year and the precautions and new warning in the u.s. during the holidays. >> caught on camera, a semi truck swerving across several lanes of a highway. the driver falling out of the cab and now facing serious charges. plus, sparks fly. a man shoots fire or fire shoots from a man's pants after an e-cigarette explodes.