this morning on "world news now," millions of americans are feeling the weather whiplash. >> cities across the northeast experience springtime temperatures overnight. thermometers plunging. a major storm is causing air travel delays shutting down schools and looking to make a dangerous mess along roadways. with the west facing rain, we'll talk live with accuweather to see if this is something we should get used to. president trump's pick for the supreme court may have made the nomination process for interesting. when asked about the president's criticism of federal judges he reported said those wordsed are "demoralizing and disheartening." and fight night at msg. anger boiling over at nba game. fans bewildered as a former knicks player gets into a shoving match. security rushing him to the exit. how the team is responding this

morning. and it's the backlash triggering a fruit freakout. purists are losing it over this single strawberry priced well above market value. it looks cute and very nicely packaged but why the high price tag? could there be something for sinister at play. >> we'll look flow it on this thursday, february 9th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> 65 degrees in new york today. was just awesome. summer is here. >> so excited that the weather's about to warm up. >> it's been too hot in here. it's amazing. i guess this is it for the long haul. we are set to go. >> i've got bad news. >> wait, what? >> it's going to be 62 today. >> i just read the top of our lead story. >> this is what i get for cold reading. > big story this half hour is the winter storm. >> wait, what. >> ahead, set to impact 50 million americans today. sorry, buddy. >> no, that must be from last year. >> that is a

now moving into western maryland, pennsylvania, and new york. blizzard-like conditions are expected to reach the coast as the morning commute begins. quite a contrast. >> this is what you call fake news, people. >> except sadly, it's real. >> it's not? all right. all righty. classes have been canceled for schools in philadelphia, new york, boston and many other districts. thousands of airline flights have been cancelled is including of 0% of jetblue's schedule. today's weather will be quite a change from the -- look at those temperatures that we had. the thermometer mt. vernon, new york, hit 60 degrees. the storm has already walloped parts of the midwest, disrupting the evening commute. we get more from alex perez. >> reporter: from nebraska to ohio, snow and ice wreaking havoc. bringing traffic to a standstill in some spots. in massachusetts, icy roads triggering that massive 55-car pileup, shutting down the highway. >> my car got hit by another vehicle as i was spinning.

>> reporter: in needham, massachusetts, tragedy for one family. >> a father helping his son whose car had skidded into a utility pole was killed when he was struck by another car who lost control. >> all black ice. couldn't control the car at all. >> reporter: now the east coast bracing for a severe case of weather whiplash. d.c., philadelphia, new york all basking in record-high spring like temperatures. but by morning, temps plunging, below freezing in many areas. those 50 million americans in the path of a powerful storm that could dump as much as a foot of snow. >> don't be fooled by the warm weather. a winter storm warning is in effect. >> reporter: new york city bracing. plows and piles of salt on standby. new york city and boston already announcing schools will be closed thursday. >> we want people to stay indoors as much as possible. >> it's going to be a long 24 to 48 hours in

it's a quick-moving storm. >> hope everybody got to enjoy the weather yesterday while it was here. some northern california schools will also be closed today because more heavy rain is expected. that region as well as parts of oregon already experiencing flooding as well as mud and rock slides. the extra runoff was too much for a spillway in northern california. a huge crater developed as you see there, and it shut down as well as it, had to be shut down. officials say there is no danger to the auraville dam but they're trying to figure out how to release the water safely. with extreme weather on both northern coasts, the weather forecast is especially important. >> let's check in with accuweather meteorologist justin povick joining us live. in the east, we're seeing such extremes from wednesday to thursday. we were loving the smeshtime temperatures just a few minutes ago. >> sad to read the forecast today. >> great having you live. but a bit of a buzz

us on our toes. it's unfortunate. i was out hiking in shorts yesterday and now you know, we're kind of trading in the shorts for the shovel. this is a quick-hitting storm that is going to deposit a lot of the snow in a very short amount of time. a big shock to the system here for many. >> and justin, looking at the national picture, it's been a brutal winter in the west. prettymide in the east. what's behind that? >> everything boil downstairs to the jet stream. of course, that's that the channel of air that kind of produces the big storms and carries them across the country. and that's just been targeted and aimed at the west coast. again, a lot of tropical moist koching in from here hawaii. so they've seen relentless storm after storm after storm. we're still looking at a stormy pattern. we do think there will be some breaks here as we get in toward the next couple of weeks. >> this thing is going to be gone in less than 24 hours, right? >> oh, yeah. you know, basically you could blink and therein system is working

property in and to the east rushing out to sea. again, it's the morning rush hour that the snow could be coming down two, three inches er hour. this afternoon, it's really starting to improve. >> too early for us to get out the fedora and the sunglasses again? >> never too early for that. >> ah. >> yes. justin povicking. > accuweather's justin it ppovi >> it was a buzz kill for people in new york city ho experienced that. the weather has been busy all across the countries. in louisiana, they're dealing with the aftermath of these tornadoes. the destruction visible for miles. homes and businesses shredded into pieces. that's a tractor-trailer moving through a parking lot. winds flipping semi trailers knocking down trees and toppling power lines. >> new orleans is one of the hardest hit areas. some parts of the city are still recovering from hurricane

more than 11 years ago. and those barts were some of the worst damage. dozens of people were injured. so far no deaths though reported. out of washington where the country's new attorney general will be sworn in this morning. >> jeff sessions confirmed by the senate overnight on a nearly party line vote. his confirmation ends a bitter partisan fight in which democrats expressed concerns about sessions' record on civil rights. after the senate's vote, sessions resigned as senator from al bethlehem. his replacement could be named by the governor of that state as early as today. and president trump's pick for supreme court expressing some concern about the president's extended criticism of federal judges. judge neil gorsuch made the critical comments in a private discussions with democratic senator. last night the senator richard blumenthal talked about his meeting with gorsuch. >> i said to judge gorsuch that i find these attacks on the judiciary absolutely

and unacceptable. and i asked him to express his criticism. and to condemn these kinds of public attacks on an independent judiciary. and at that point, after some back and forth, he did say that he found them to be disheartening and demoralizing. >> a spokesman for gorsuch confirmed his comments. president trump's criticism of federal judges skam casa appeals court in san francisco copies to consider whether the travel ban should be reinstated. that decision could come today. the president slamming nordstrom for dropping ivanka's fashion line. nordstrom says it dropped the line because of poor sales, not politics. the retailer's stock dipped but rebounded later in the day. ivanka trump resigned from the brand after her father was elected president. t.j. pax and marshals say the line will no

lit featured in their stores. >> madison square garden is known for hosting big fights. this wasn't one that was intended. charles oakley was ranting against the owner of the knicks, and then he got into a shoving match with security guars before being ejected from the game and arrested. he actually shoved his finger at one of the guards, grabbed the neck of another. oakley was charged with three counts of assault and was released. a statement from the knicks accused of oakley of acting in a highly inappropriate and completely abusive manner. it was an ugly scene there at msg. >> yeah. so baseball spring training now getting under way next week. there are some change thises that could be in store for extra innings. >> yes, now for all you baseball purists out there, don't panic, this is only taking place at the lowest level of minor leagues for now, but there season, you see that guy in the middle? the start of -- a runner will automatically start at second

>> potential benefits of the rule include avoiding super long games. sources say major league baseball has already saw the feedback from several sources about that potential rule change. >> i'm only a fan of starting on second base after the first date. you saw it coming, didn't you? >> i thought. i was hoping maybe you weren't going to go there and then i should have known better. >> starting there should only be for dates. coming up, some shock video caught on camera. >> and we mean literally. a backpacker trying to make his way through a storm gets quite a jolt when a lightning bolt lands nearby. >> and counting down to the oscars. one of the films for best picture "the moonlight" is getting a lot of buzz. we'll hear from the director and the one person that he wishes could see it now. >> check out our behind the scenes pics on instagram. we posted stuff to our instastory where i beat diane at -- >> you did not.

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let's end this. so this happened in australia. a guy recording his walk home in a storm when he narrowly avoids getting struck by lightning. the lightning appears to strike no more than a few yards away but keen observers noted a delay in the sound which would then put the strike nearly a mile away. >> what's pitbull doing in australia. >> doe l

mr. 305 and down under. >> first lady melania trump is doing something no other first lady has ever done before suing a media organization for libel. >> tom llamas explains. >> the first lady fighting hard to protect not only her reputation but her brand. lawyers for melania trump refiling a lawsuit against the daily mail online, seeking damages worth more than $150 million. she's sue sath news website for publishing a now retracted report containing unsubstanti e unsubstantiated allegations that the modeling agency she worked for doubled as an escort service. >> i didn't expect media will be so dishonest and so mean. i didn't expect that. also for me from the beginning. i never had one correct story. one honest story. >> according to the suit, that false report damaged

mrs. trump's licensing, marketing, and endorsement opportunities. the suit also states the daily mail story couldn't have come at a worse time because mrs. trump had the unique once in a lifetime opportunity to launch a broad-based commercial brand in multiple product categories. each of which could have garnered multimillion dollar business relationships for a multiyear term during which plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world. >> i'm honored to be our first lady. >> so are melania trump's lawyers arguing that false report limited how much she could profit off the presidency? mrs. trump's spokeswoman insists she's not trying to cash in on her new life. telling abc news, she was not trying to make money from her role as first lady. >> it's just kind of fueling the flames of all there discussion about possible conflicts of interest in the new trump white house. >> reporter: tom ll

news, new york. coming up in our next half hour, a devastating blow to one of the most famous high wire acts in the world. five circus performers were injured while practicing a record-breaking stunt in florida. among them some members of the famed wallenda family. what we're hearing about what may have gone wrong. first the amazing team behind "moonlight." what we're learning about the true connection behind this best picture nominee. you're watching "world news now." two thirds of americans he digestive issues. i'm joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. but many probiotics do not survive your stomach's harsh environment. digestive advantage is different. its natural protein shell is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it surivies a hundred times better than the leading probiotic, to get where you need it most. get the digestive advantage, and enjoy living well.

♪ okay. so admittedly it is a bit i've sleeper. earning under $18 million at the box office, but "moonlight" is in the to the light as a top oscar contender. >> the coming of age tale is spotlight agamerican experience rarely seen on the big screen. we're up "up all nightline" with abc's chris connelly. >> reporter: in mid-1980s miami, chiron, a bull lued boy confides to his unlikely meanter to the explicit slur lurled at him. >> what's a faggof? >> a faggot is a word used to make gay people feel bad. >> am i a faggot? >> no,

you could be gay but you don't let anybody call you no faggot. >> reporter: an ugly word turned into a profound teaching moment. >> how do i know? >> you just do. i think. >> reporter: in its words and in its silences and in its hauntingly beautiful images, "moonlight" has been captivating audiences and nominated for eight oscars with three actors playing chiron as he gross to manhood, this coming of age story has been an claimed for illuminating its characters. it's a portrayal of an african-american experience a narrative historically absent in hollywood. the mid level drug dealer takes chiron into his home and it is transformative for them both. >> juan has seen this young man is at that point where is he going to be potentially persecuted. >> good choice. put it

>> so i have to be here for him. >> doesn't judge chiron, you know? he doesn't judge the way he talks, the way he acts or anything he does. >> and chiron's used to be being judged a lot, isn't he? >> yeah, very much. >> reporter: his vulnerability and yearning for connection is central to "moonlight." >> get up, bro. >> stay down. >> if you get up. >> reporter: directed by barry jenkins from his and terrell mccraneny's script. although they didn't meet till they were adults, these two drew from real life experiences they each had growing up. troubled miami housing complex during the height of the crack epidemic. the movie has veebed critical acclaim. i'm chris connelly in los angeles for "nightline." >> you love that one. >> we were both. >> kendis is not a huge fan of it. >> it was not the feel good movie of the year. >> i do appreciate. >> i appreciate the story. >> the story

conversation it's opening up. >> exactly. >> beautifully shot and very well acted, as well. >> uh-huh, it happened. i tried hard to quit smoking. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how. mthat stuff only lasts a few hours. or, take mucinex. one pill fights congestion for 12 hours. guess i won't be seeing you for a while. why ta medicines

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okay. so this is amazing. you are about to bestow your eyes on truly a wonderful piece of produce. take a look at this produce that is on sale there in hong kong. it is beautiful. it's a bougie berry as many people would call it. it comes in that fancy box. it hails all the way from japan. how much would you pay for this? >> i'm thinking $22. >> five cents. >> thanks. >> $22. >> jack sheehan with the spoiler. >> there are people who saw it, it was in a supermarket in hong kong. and they saw the price tag for it. they got like sticker shock. and now there's been a back an lash. people are saying you're wasting all that packaging on one

>> it is a good strawberry. >> is that the only reason we're doing the story. >> just so i could say straw bury. >> on to another food story that gets a lot more intense. some guy in nova scotia had too much time on his hands. this is what he captured, the epic battle between a squirrel and a crow all over a slice of pizza. >> well -- >> the two go at it. the squirrel tries to hide behind the wheel of the parked car. no, no, that's not going to work. the crow finds him. the squirrel decides to print toward another parked car dodge the crow along the way but that doesn't quite get there. the squirrel then manages to get away a little bit. watch him try to sneak. slowly, slowly. and then he -- >> he's up. >> so it becomes a race. >> go, go, go. >> like is the national

quirl squirrel. the squirrel is trying to find good shelter for his pizza, but the crow can detect any motion. so he has to move very carefully. the video taking too long. i'll let you know what happens. they run behind a building. just lined the end of sopranos," we never know what happens. who gets the pizza? >> are you kidding me? what happened. >> if anybody has any information on the squirrel, the crow or the pizza, please let us know. >> apparently new york's pizza rat stole it in the end. went in and got it. we'll go from that to something just as appetizing i guess. bacon flavored breakfast beer. i think those are the only words i need to say. >> those are my three favorite things. >> there is a brewery that has put this out. one way to get to justify getting drunk before noon as if you needed an excuse. >> you know what goes with that? pizza, and dominos now has a registry. if you want to give your friends something special f

this morning on "world news now," the president's fight with the federal judges over his travel ban, taking a new twist as his nominee to the supreme court responds to the attacks. as we ask the white house for evidence that the homeland is less safe. the full story ahead. >> and the winter weather is having a ripple effect for travelers today. thousands of flights have already been delayed or canceled after less than a day after unseasonable warpth. the terrifying accident involving one of the world's most famous high wire acts. >> five circus performers plunged 25 feet to the ground while practicing. what we're hearing now about how they're doing and what may have gone wrong. ♪ might sound crazy but it ain't no lie, bye, bye, bye ♪ .