making news in america this morning, explosive but unconfirmed claims of secret ties to russia. an unsubstantiated report alleging russia has damaging information about president-elect trump is out and he is lashing out saying it's fake news. we're live in washington. a final farewell. president obama addressing the country his final time as president laying out the last eight years, the threats to democracy and wiping away tears when talking about the first lady. >> you took on a role you didn't ask for and you made it your own. with grace and with grit and with style and with humor. >> his emotional message to america and overnight, the final flight on board air force one. >> another storm hits california. it's causing more flooding and up

areas, plus, a mudslide traps a family. there's also an avalanche that is stomached inside someone's house. we are tracking it all for you. hey there, everyone. thank you for joining us on a busy wednesday morning. those explosive yet unconfirmed allegations dogging president-elect donald trump. this, of course, as he gets set to take office. >> so, the allegations that the fbi is now investigating are still unsubstantiated but they allege that trump himself was compromised by the russians and that his aides were involved in the cyberattacks against democrats. >> just hours before his first news conference in months, trump fired back on twitter slamming the story as fake news. abc's karen travers has details, karen, good morning. >> good morning, kendis and diane. these allegations have been brewing for several months but they're coming out now publicly because yesterday on capit

hill, lawmakers pressed the fbi director about whether his agency had investigated trump campaign contacts with russia. unsubstantiated allegations that president-elect donald trump was personally compromised by the russians during a 2013 trip to moscow and trump aides were involved in organizing the russian hack of the democratic party. democratic political operatives delivering this information in a dossier to the fbi and later to numerous news organizations including abc news before and after the election. officials told abc news the dossier provides no backup evidence, but the allegations were too explosive and salacious not to be investigated. trump expressing his outrage on twitter tuesday night writing, fake news, a total political witch-hunt. the dossier was reportedly presented as part of the intelligence briefings to both president obama and trump last week. asked about that on late night with seth meyers, top trump

>> he has said that he is not aware of that. >> reporter: some specific allegations prompting sharp denials. >> we thought nothing in here could be verified. when it came up in the senate confirmation hearings, it became a legitimate story. >> reporter: james comey pressed if he's investigating ties between russian officials and trump supporters. >> especially in a public forum we never confirm or deny a pending investigation. >> reporter: we have to know that abc news has not verified the allegations in the dossier but they gain currency among law enforcement and intelligence officials as donald trump continued to defend russia and praise vladimir putin. kendis, diane. >> all right, a lot of questions still on that one, karen travers live from washington. thanks. >> president obama received that information in a briefing last week. now, last night he was striking an optimistic tone as he

of the country to donald trump. >> the president delivered his farewell address last night from his adopted hometown of chicago reflecting on his legacy and urging americans to preserve democracy. he was even visibly emotional at times wiping away tears as he trafficked the first lady, his daughters and the vice president. >> well, the president arrived back in washington early this morning ending what was likely his final flight on board air force one. abc's kenneth moton was among the 18,000 people in person to watch his final address. kenneth, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, diane and kendis. here in chicago president obama hit on the highs, the lows and his hope for democracy as he cemented himself into american history. president barack obama's farewell. >> hello, chicago. it's good to be home. >> reporter: the 44th president the first family, vice president joe biden and his wife surrounded by tus

began, chicago. >> now, this is where i learned that change only happens when ordinary people get involved and they get engaged and they come together to demand it. >> reporter: the nation's first black president spoke at the historic nature of his presidency and the work of his administration. bringing the country back from recession, foreign policy, health care. >> america is a better, stronger place than it was when we started. >> reporter: addressing income and equality, terrorism and other threats to democracy. >> we all have to start with the premise that each of our fellow citizens loves this country just as much as we do. >> reporter: the president's emotional moment speaking about the first daughters and first lady michelle obama. >> made the white house that belongs to everybody. >> reporter: his message to supporters, a thank you but also a call to action. >> i am asking you to

not in my ability to bring about change but in yours. >> reporter: trying to leave office the way he entered it, on a wave of hope. >> yes, we can. yes, we did. yes, we can. thank you. >> reporter: for these supporters a big after-party. for president obama, his final trip on air force one as president. he's not expected to leave washington before the inauguration next week. diane and kendis. >> all right, our thanks to kenneth moton there. we'll have more on his speech and who was missing from that room a little later in this newscast. attorney general hopeful jeff sessions returns to the committee for day two of his confirmation hearings. >> demonstrators dressed as members of the kkk and those are just some of the attendees. several demonstrators got kicked out, as well. sessions faced questions on a wide range of topics including immigration and accusations dating back decades that he made racist comments. >> and the w

effort to caricature me as something that wasn't true. it was very painful. it wasn't accurate then and it's not accurate now. >> and if all goes well during today's hearing sessions is likely to be confirmed. >> first one of his colleaguing testifies against him today. cory booker is making the unprecedented move, the new jersey senate democrat will become the first sitting senator to testify against another senator seeking a cabinet position. he has questioned sessions' civil rights record. today marks day one of the hearing for secretary of state nominee rex tillerson. the former exxonmobil ceo is expected to face tough questions from both sides of the aisle over ties to russia and iran. excerpts of his opening statement indicate tillerson will say russia poses a danger but we need open dialogue with moscow. and we should also mention later this morning donald trump will hold his first news conference since becoming president. you can watch it right here on abc news starting at 11:00

still ahead, there was someone noticeably absent from the president's farewell address. this morning we are learning where was sasha obama? >> plus, the severe weather on the west coast, rain is still pounding the area and we'll tell you where seven feet of snow is now expected. and a bank robbery streamed live on facebook, but it's the ending that has everyone really surprised.

we do say welcome back. the west coast is beginning to be battered by a third storm just this week. >> that's right. radar shows no relief to the drenching rain and heavy snowfall across more than

it extends across to the northern plains and down into southern california. hardest hit, at least in the bay area is this town, that's called gurn ville in sonoma county where residents are swapping their cars for canoes. the russian river is heading for a height of more than 38 feet this evening, more than six feet above flood stage. longtime residences say this flooding is the worst in years. and in marin county, a mudslide trapped a couple and their two young granddaughters in the house. the girls had just stopped by for an after-school visit. but with the stairs and carport gone there was no way out of the house. firefighters reunited the girls with their anxious dad. everyone is said to be okay. >> ooh, anxious, indeed. can you imagine. in the sierra nevada blizzard conditions with as much as seven feet of snow and winds up to 150 miles per hour. a big stretch of interstate 80 is closed. even a california highway patrol cruiser couldn't make it through donner summit. the snow d

the front door of this home. it happened after a controlled avalanche triggered to prevent a catastrophe but did hit a few houses. no one injured. >> looks like when i open my closet. >> everything just falls out. volkswagen says it is close to a multibillion dollar settlement in connection with its emissions scandal. the company tells abc news its management could approve the $4.3 billion deal as soon as today. that settlement is expected to involve volkswagen pleading guilty to some criminal charges. last weekend a volkswagen executive was arrested for allegedly working to cheat those emission tests. walmart is cutting hundreds of jobs before the end of january. the company announced most of those jobs will come from its human resources department. walmart now says it wants to focus on increasing online sales and boosting wages for employees. keep in mind the retailer announced 7,000 job cuts in september. okay, so this is pretty cool. a new museum to house the personal collection of hollywood

legend and "star wars" director george lucas. it'll be built in los angeles and we're seeing now a sneak peek at the drawings showing a futuristic looking complex that will be about 275,000 square feet. lucas chose l.a. over san francisco for that facility. for his personal connection. >> personal collections. probably worth a lot. >> that i'm excited to see. when we come back a former senator removed from a plane after ranting in the aisle. we have the moment caught on video. hear why he says he was frustrated. a big asset for the fbi. how members of best buy's geek squad are cashing in with the feds. [oprah] like everybody, i want to live a life that's full. full of a happiness found in living the life i want. full of the energy that comes with good health. full of the great foods i love. and at weight watchers, i don't have to choose between weight loss and living well. i live well, while losing weight.

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he says that he will surrender once he gives the mean away to the poor and he claims he wants to stop a war between the u.s. and russia. the fbi and other authorities are now questioning both men. the white supremacist who gunned down nine black churchgoers in charleston, south carolina has been sentenced to death. >> that jury that convicted dylann roof of the murders last month reached the unanimous verdict after about three hours of deliberations. an unrepentant roof told jurors during closing arguments life in prison wasn't worth the effort. meanwhile, dozens gathered at a vigil in orlando to remember a police officer gunned down in the line of duty. a massive manhunt is under way for the suspect accused of murdering master sergeant debra clayton. authorities say the suspect, markeith loyd, shot clayton after she approached him in a walmart parking lot. loyd was already wanted in another murder at the time. a reward for information leading to his arrest is now up to $100,000. also in florida, a broward county

suspended with pay for leaking video to tmz of that deadly ft. lauderdale airport shooting. the gunman is seen firing shots at random in the baggage claim area. the deputy was identified which his reflection on the screen. investigators are trying to figure out if anyone was paid for the tape. five people died in that airport ambush a week ago. well, former new york senator al d'amato used an airplane as a platform to talk about a revolution. however, his efforts were grounded, you might say. it seems his fellow passengers and the airline, they weren't buying into any of it. abc's gio benitez with the story and the video. >> reporter: new video of a former senator trying to lead a rebellion on a plane. >> stand up for what's right and walk out with me. >> reporter: frustrated after a seven-hour delay. >> we can still speak in this country. >> reporter: here's what happened. passengers sitting in the front refused captain's orders to move to the back of the plane to balance out the weight. former senator al d'amat

matters into his own own hands and went up to the speak to the passengers himself then demanded the captain force them to shift seats. that's when he got in trouble and got kicked off the flight. >> boo. >> reporter: the ins dejts is reminiscent of that line in the movie "network." >> i'm as mad as hell, and i'm not going to take this anymore. >> reporter: gio benitez, abc news. best buy geek workers have earned cash on the side as fbi informants. menls of the geek squad earned as much as $500 for finding and reporting illegal material like child pornography they found on customers' computers. best buy denies any normal relationship with the fbi but said there is a moral and legal obligation to inform law enforcement about such material. the whole thing raises some privacy concerns, however, because the fbi technically needs a warrant to search through a person's computer so the question now is if they're working for the fbi do they need a warrant? >> that's true. good point.

president obama will welcome to the white house will be the world champion series chicago cubs. the president an avid chicago white sox fan invited the cubs to celebrate their title back in early november. the visit will happen next monday, just four days before the president leaves the white house. mrs. obama is a cubs fan so she'll no doubt be there, i think. all right. >> i think the whole family will try to be there for that. the big question about last night and the first family. where was sasha? the first lady's late night tweet to the president, as well. and a surfing dog's very close call. can you tell what's in the wave? we'll let you know how this one ends. ♪ hi, i'm frank. i take movantik for oic, opioid-induced constipation.

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♪ well, potus is topping the "pulse" and the noticeably missing member of the first family at the president's farewell speech. >> first daughter malia was spotted in the crowd getting choked up at types but little sister sasha was nowhere to be found triggering a buzz on social media. where is sasha even trended overnight. but we're happy to report sasha obama was just back at the white house studying for a test. however, who was the teacher that assigns a test knowing -- >> in january knowing this was happening. >> yes. so, beyond the cheers you hear there do you hear the music? another fun fact the president walked out to u2's "city of blinding lights," the same song that welcomed him when he announced his candidacy nearly ten years ago in springfield, illinois. but what we didn't hear steve

delivered, i'm yours" the one he used most during his presidency and one of the favorites of mrs. o. >> the first lady posted an old family photo as well tweeting so proud of the president and all that we've accomplished together. an incredible journey filled with remarkable people. i love you, barack. >> and she personally signed it mo. >> and everyone says, ah. >> they've come a long way since then. the parents of teenagers will sympathize with this one. a meteorologist in atlanta had just finished telling viewers to expect snow when his daughter sent him a text. she says, the weather app on her phone said it wasn't going to snow. >> well, now he's been a weatherman for a long time so he wasn't taking any lip from his daughter. he shot back to his daughter maybe your weather app will pay for your college, boom. the exchange has gone viral understandably and for the record it did snow. >> ah, dad was right. >> exactly. >> dropping the mike. and a rather close call, we might say, for one of the world's best known s

right here behind us, sugar. >> hey, sugar. >> yeah, so, sugar rides the waves quite a bit. this one was in huntington beach, california, last weekend. but you might notice sugar had some company in the water. >> yeah, sugar is a rescue dog who lives in oakland. there are plenty of videos of her online. >> that's a shark in that wave. >> we're happy to say that sugar survived this close encounter. >> she is now likely to be back out on her board real soon. >> exactly.morning washington on january 11th. for the first time this week-- temperatures will not be below freezing when you step outside. but pack an umbrella. stormwatch meteorologist eileen whelan will tell you when you'll need it.. in just a moment. but first... your top stories. if every economic issue is framed as a struggle between a hardworking white middle class and undeserving minority, then workers of all

be left fighting for scraps while the wealthy withdraw further into their private enclaves. and emotional farewell speech from president obama. speaking to supporters last night in chicago-- the president called on the country to come together, after a divisive presidential election. on capitol hill-- confirmation hearings continue for president elect donald trump's cabinet nominations. on the hot seat today-- former exxon-mobil c.e.o. rex tillerson. the secretary of state nominee is expected to face tough questions about his previous business ties to russia. good morning washington. toss to eileen - 50s today, 60s tomorrow - rain for this evening's pm rush - back to cold this weekend - wintry weather likely saturday (mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, & rain) - first look at inauguration weather (mid 50s & dry) today: partly sunny. rain possible after 4pm. highs: 49-54 winds: s 5 mph tonight: showers taper

patchy, dense fog possible. lows: 41-45 winds: sw 5-10 mph thursday: am fog, clouds. partly cloudy. mild & breezy. highs: 62-66 winds: sw 10-15 g 25+ happening today-- it is back to work for virginia state

general assembly convenes at noon. the 45-day session has plenty on the agenda, and voters will be able to see most of it from their computer. starting this year-- most of the committee hearings will be live-streamed and archived. this will be the final session for governor terry mcauliffe-- and he has big plans for it. the democrat says he will vigorously support several measures-- including a bill to strengthen the state's ethics rules, and a measure to ban lawmakers from using campaign accounts for personal use. governor mcauliffe also wants to repeal the

something republican lawmakers say has no chance of passing. also happening today-- maryland's 20-17 general assembly convenes in annapolis. the state is facing a major budget shortfall-- and analysts say governor larry hogan must work with democratic lawmakers to cut more than 500-million dollars in spending. the legislative session lasts 90 days. new this morning-- volkswagen is reportedly working on a deal to plead guilty to criminal charges stemming from it's worldwide emissions scandal. according to the new york times-- the carmaker will plead guilty to conspiracy charges, and work with federal investigators to identify individual employees responsible for the plot. volkswagen will also pay more than 4-billion dollars in fines. it also faces hundreds of lawsuits-- after admitting to installing software in its vehicles to cheat emissions tests. new developments now: a deepening corruption scandal in prince george's county. now former state delegate and council member will campos has pleaded guilty to taking bribes. campos was on the council for 10 years- and resigned

documents, he was essentially selling county money for bribes- and admitted to taking 340-thousand dollars. he is not the only person involved in this web of scandals. multiple elected leaders are now under investigation. stay with abc-7 and wjla.com for updates. seven is on your side . each day that goes by, the chances of your old christmas tree catching fire grows. but many people like to keep their tree up until the 12th day of christmas -- which was last week. firefighters say even if your tree has been well watered, it's time to take it down. and don't rely on fire retardant to keep you and your family safe. we tested live trees with and without fire retardent. both went up in flames in less than a minute. fake trees that were pre-treated, tested better.

it's xx and we're just getting started. it has been the honor of my life to serve you. i won't stop; in fact, i will be right there with you, as a citizen, for all my remaining days saying goodbye. president obama delivers his last major speech as commander in chief. and he got emotional while addressing the crowd. we have highlights coming up. plus, another round of confirmation hearings set to begin on capitol hill. and lawmakers are expecting it to be a long day. the details coming up.. good morning washington. - 50s today, 60s tomorrow - rain for this evening's pm rush - back to cold this weekend - wintry weather likely saturday (mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, & rain) - first look at inauguration weather (mid 50s & dry) today: partly sunny.