newsncer, now, abc 7 news at noon, on your side. adrianna: president trump sparking international outrage. anan hour we are expect to announcement recognizing jerusalem as the capital of israel. there has been demonstrations abroad and u.s. troops are on high alert as the region braces for violence. >>

now an increased security risk following a controversial decision made in washington. >> the intention to move the embassy. president trump decided to declare jerusalem the capital of israel and move the embassy there from tel aviv. foras been on the books decades but waived by every american administration until now. >> stability and security of the region. no other country in the world has its embassy in jerusalem. east jerusalem with an arab majority is seen as the possible capital of a palestinian state, leading others to criticize the president's decision. jourdan's king says it will promote muslims and christians alike. >>t

our nation for thousands of years. israel thinks that this move the2 years overdue and feedback he has been getting from world leaders is overwhelmingly negative. >> heartland ticket of of everyone across the globe. >> palestinian factions have called for "three days of rage." the white house says they don't want to preclude the possibility of a future palestinian capital in jerusalem and this move will likely take years. adrianna: right now, donald trump junior on the hot seat. he is on the hill being questioned by lawmakers about his knowledge of russian contacts during the presidential election. that after trump jr.'s

meeting in june at trump tower with a russian lawyer who was said to have dirt on then-democratic candidate hillary clinton. has denied collusion with russia to interfere in the election. roy moore has more honor and integrity in his pinky finger than your entire family has in their dna. >> roy moore getting support from steve bannon. againstefended moore allegations of sexual assault and against mitt romney. this after mitt romney tweeted that moore would be a stain on the gop and the nation. another woman accusing senator franken of sexual misconduct. senator gillibrand is calling for him to resign. this after a former aide claimed

after a taping of his radio show in 2006. franken, who has been accused by at least six other women of sexual misconduct, just night the accusation. southern california on fire. at least 4 wildfires are burning out of control. the biggest in ventura county. marcy gonzales is there where thousands continue to flee as firefighters battle several infernos. >> a new fire raging in los angeles along the 405, closing down part of the freeway. one of several fires in southern california today. sparking morefire than 55,000 acres so far. damaged or destroyed. 12,000 others at risk. >> it is devastating.

forcing 27,000 people to evacuate. were so big. we packed up and everyone is gone. evacuated others is in l.a. county. dozens of homes, gone. ferocious santa ana winds fueling and spreading the flames, sparking a state of emergency. >> something caught the palm trees on fire. >> firefighters trying to save houses engulfed in flames. one, overcome by heat, collapsing in the street. some residents staying behind to help with the firefight. >> it is something i never wanted to see. >> to give you an idea of how unpredictable the flames are, this one destroyed. a few feet away, this one is untouched. across the

burned almost to the ground. the strong winds are expected to continue for at least the next few days. weather. the we are counting down to this weekend's cold spell. it is going to get cold pretty fast. steve: the cold front moved through late last night and early this morning. our skies are beginning to clear. belle haven country club, yesterday we saw a lot of golfers enjoying the mild temperatures. not so much this afternoon. 45 degrees at reagan national airport with the wind out of the west-northwest at 8 miles per hour. not a lot at this time as we are looking at relatively quiet conditions around the dmv. quiet conditions this afternoon into the overnight hours. big change

the upcoming weekend. more on that in just a few minutes. melanie: thanks. teachers appeared in court after they smoked pot in the middle of school hours. we have reports detailing the links they went to to not get caught. would smoke in their offices before classes at taylor elementary and use an air freshener to mask the smell. they had a system to keep their , including using hand lotion, eyedrops, a smoke buddy, and smoking in a locked windowless office. developing now, police identifying the victim in a nasty crash that stalled traffic on georgia avenue for hours. 28-year-old mario flores died after crashing his vehicle as another car was turning. >>

one driver died at the hospital. the other is in serious but stable condition. georgia avenue closed for several hours through the morning rush-hour. this was such a powerful collision that some of the down the traffic signal at the intersection of georgia avenue and hewitt avenue. there is debris everywhere. one of the vehicles involved, the toyota tacoma pickup truck, the driver's side door ended up inside the bus shelter. the vehicle spun out of control. the collision occurred in the northbound lanes just before 2:00 this morning. one driver was headed northbound , the other coming out of hewitt avenue. the collision reconstruction unit has been out here all morning to try to piece this together. taking measurements, pictures, collecting evidence

are, the other pickup truck. significant damage to the front end. the driver of that truck has died. georgia avenue has been closed several hours. this is just down the street from the dates of heaven cemetery, just for a lay of the land. they're trying to figure out exactly what caused this accident. neighbors believe that speed may have played a factor. in aspen hill, john gonzalez, abc 7 news. melanie: now to the eye-66 tolls becoming a thorn in the sides of drivers and law enforcement. our cameras captured the moment way.the tolls hit $40 one suzanne: the highest tolls of the week ranged from

all in the 8:00 hour. one consequence has been more traffic on the ulterior roadways such as route 50. and a percent increase of cars this week. motorists we talked to have noticed the difference during their morning commute over the last 3 days. >> it has been pretty heavy. a lot of people are using it have not paid the tolls. it is pretty heavy. taking me about 10 more extra minutes. there has been a lot more cars and a lot more accidents. a lot, lot more accidents. suzanne: some local lawmakers are calling for the tolls to be halted as the pricing is worked out. the governor defended the tolls. he said before monday,

now they can, they just have to be willing to pay for it. suzanne kennedy, abc 7 news. melanie: find all of our reporting about the new toll lanes and what you need to know before hitting the road i downloading the abc 7 news app. chevy chase supermarket will close at the end of april after losing its lease. the stores current location at connecticut avenue and manor road will be redeveloped. a staple in the community, the family-owned grocery store is working to find a new location. coming up, -- another hollywood.ut of the latest actor asked because of sexual assault allegations. of awarding its people of the year award t

good afternoon. it is going to be heavy on the beltway outer loop. you can see the outer loop is jammed past route 50 in maryland past route for 50 where the vehicle fire activity is blocking 2 lands. inner loop traffic is improving. bad.will not be as in virginia for the outer loop, on the left side you can see the local lanes slowing down quite a bit for the outer loop heading to a work zone between route one alexandria and the wilson bridge. otherwise, on the beltway we are looking good. river road in maryland, a wide-open stretch either way. topside, the same story. road work on colesville road. this is looking northbound.

a bit of a hassle. it gets worse at spring street. blocked in both directions spring street inbound colesville road into downtown silver spring. still a big hassle for traffic going by of ways.

melanie: we are back at 12:15 with another shocker from hollywood. netflix dropping danny masterson from "the rich" following -- "the ranch" following sexual assault allegations. >>

masterson, who shot to fame in "that 70's show" was first publicly accused of sexual assault this past march when three women claimed he raped them in the early 2000's. he was never charged with a crime and denied the allegations. he continued starring in the netflix show "the ranch." netflix, who has already cut ties with kevin spacey and louis ck, announced they have fired masterson. announcing monday was his last it willhe show and resume without him. writing, from day one i have denied the allegations against me. law enforcement investigated 15 years

merit. in the current climate it seems you are presumed guilty of moment you are accused. >> fans are not patient. they will not wait for someone accused of multiple women to be convicted. they expect action on the part of studios. alleging he forced party. on her at a house the lapd investigating and closed the case in 2004 after the church of scientology allegedly submitted 50 affidavits in support of the actor. at least one case against masterson is being investigated according to the lapd. overnight, a hollywood legend questioning a possible rush to judgment. dustin hoffman, accused of a former intern of lewd comments and inappropriate touching on "

death of a salesman" when she was 17. firing back when questioned by john oliver on monday night. >> i believe for she wrote, yes. >> why? >> because there is no point in her lying. >> well, there's a point in her not bringing this up for 40 years. >> harvey weinstein and his armer companies are facing class action lawsuit filed by six women who claim to have been subjected to unwanted sexual conduct and feared being blacklisted by weinstein and his cohorts. for battery, assault, and that weinstein's wasal enterprise organized crime. colin kaepernick honored with the muhammad ali legacy award. a surprise guest was there to introduce him. >>

gentlemen, i am proud and humbled to present the muhammad ali legacy award the colin kaepernick. [applause] melanie: that was beyonce. he sparked controversy and conversation after he decided to neil during the national -- two kneel during the national anthem. i except this award knowing the legacy of muhammad ali is that of a champion of the people . one who was affectionately known as the people's champ. i accept this award not for myself, but on behalf of the people. if it were not for my love of the people i would not have protested. if it were not for the support of the people, i would not be on this stage today. melanie: colin kaepernick said that muhammad ali mentor at him without meetg

year for his activism, which included pledging $1 million to organizations working in oppressed immunities. "time" magazine person of the year gala is a group. the silence breakers came forward with allegations of sexual harassment that sparked the me too movement. president trump was the runner-up. china's president finished in third place. apparently you can be notorious and not in a good way and still get the cover of "time" magazine. steve: it is cold. we had a cold front that moved through late last night. the wind picked up, changed direction, and now the cold air is funneling in. melanie: the sun came out today. i was happy to see it. steve: this is one of my favorite

beach. no matter the season it is andty to watch the clouds the waves. it is still pretty. i see a couple of people on the beach. you have to look very closely. are a lot cooler than 20 four hours ago. 45 degrees at reagan national airport. 39 in winchester. at the freezing mark in western maryland. temperature change between 12 and 16 degrees. this is ahead of the cold front yesterday at this time. temperatures, the core of cold air to the north and west of us. 30's in chicago. we are in the 40's. at hatteras, lower 60's. clouds are beginning to break apart a little bit. we are going to see sunshine moving through the afternoon. grab the sunglasses as you head outdoors

at home. out for lunch, temperatures in the upper 40's. breezy and cooler than yesterday. 35 degrees. overnight lows will be on the cool side. tomorrow, more sunshine, but still cold temperatures, at least for this time of year. sun will keep us a little warmer in the upper 40's just around 50 degrees. the weekend, a coastal storm might bring a few wet snowflakes to maryland. it is worth watching. we will keep you updated on abc abc7.com.nnel 8 and 41 degrees on saturday. it will be colder into next week with daytime highs only in

melanie: you have no doubt heard about the fire danger of a dry christmas tree, but there is a hidden danger. a baltimore family realized something was wrong when as they were decorating they saw hundreds of treat mit -- tree mites. christmas trees can be home to insects. >> when introduced to a warm environment they tend to reactivate and wreak havoc around the christmas tree. >> because the trees are cultivated, they are constantly being sprayed for disease and insects. a lot of the forms where you cut your own tree, they cannot afford tdo

double-sided tape around the tree to see if you have a problem. if you need to spray your tree, check the labels to make sure they are s copd makes it hard to breathe. so to breathe better, i go with anoro. ♪go your own way copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way" with anoro. ♪go your own way once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators, that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. anoro is not for asthma . it contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in people with asthma. the risk is unknown in copd. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma, prostate, bladder, or urinary problems. these may worsen with anoro. call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain,

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steve: 12:28 looking at our 10-day outlook from stormwatch 7 . bundle up and keep the hats and gloves. sunday will be

in the middle 30's. you cannot rule out snowflakes across southern maryland. colder temperatures next week.

announcer: you are watching abc 7 news at noon, on your side. melanie: firefighters in california fighting multiple wildfires in southern california . the images are mind blowing as thousands evacuate. is inian holmes ventura county where the biggest buyer ra -- fire rages on. >> you can see the fire is continuing to rage on. the flames over my shoulder, really high. we just spoke to a member of the fire department

even though they are still at 0% containment, they are feeling positive about the conditions. the wind has died down a little bit. this fire has already ripped , a quarter000 acres of the population in ventura has been mandatorily evacuated. massive wildfires in southern california already destroying more than 150 buildings. dozens of schools and businesses shuttered while tens of thousands evacuate their homes. santa ana winds and dry conditions fueling the flames. towards usoaring faster than anything we could imagine. >> the fire may have met its match, the pacific ocean. the thomas fire has spread so far the ocean could be the only thing keeping it in check.

three times the size of manhattan. the fire could last for days. the governor of california declaring a state of emergency in the county to free state resources. a the wind could go in different direction. you could say isn't it going west, why are you evacuating the east? we don't know what the fire will do. >> chilling words from the los angeles mayor. they don't know if the winds the flames will get higher and more dangerous. they are more positive than they have been. in addition to the 100 50 structures they know have been destroyed, they expect the number to go up because there are huge areas they have not been able to access because the fire has been so bad. because of the predictability factor. been going inave there they haven't been able to fully assess the destruction.

no santa anna winds here, but it is breezy. steve: a lot colder than yesterday. temperatures at 45 degrees at reagan national airport. maryland,t, oakland, they could be looking at snow showers for the upcoming weekend. satellite and radar, clouds are sticking around for now. it will stay dry for the afternoon. if you have to be out, have a , and gloves.t highs the upper 40's close to 50. we will see clowns this evening with temperatures falling into the middle 40's -- will see clouds this evening with temperatures falling into the middle 40's. the coldest air of the season is on the way. melanie: we will get ready for it.

uproar as president trump gears up to announce jerusalem as israel's capital. ryan hughes with more on what the decision means. a major shift in u.s. foreign policy. no other country in the world has its embassy in jerusalem. expected toump is recognize jerusalem as israel's capital and instruct the state department to begin the process of moving the embassy from tel aviv to jerusalem. it is receiving resounding thepproval from allies in middle east, including jordan and turkey. moving therning that embassy would threaten security in the middle east. significance in islam, judaism, and christianity and both muslims and jews

claim the city as their capital. it could put the u.s. military at risk. the state department issued a travel warning for u.s. citizens traveling to jerusalem and the west bank. the stability and security of the region as a whole, he has undermined his closest allies and disqualified the u.s. from playing any role in peacemaking. troops are standing by after palestinian leaders call for repercussions, violent protests, and demonstrations. the house intelligence committee will interview donald today about contacts between his father's campaign and russia. the president's eldest son previously denied collusion. today's session is voluntary. it does not appear that trump jr will

overnight, republican candidate roy moore got some high profile support. , president trump's former chief strategist, railed against establishment republicans. seen december 12, you will an election that the world won't forget. overnight, roy moore telling supporters in alabama to send him to the u.s. senate so he can push the trump agenda. >> we don't have a wall, we still have illegal aliens crossing the border, we still have obamacare, we still haven't passed the tax program. working on it. president'snon, the former chief political strategist, defending roy moore against allegations he sexually assaulted 2 teenage girls. >>

more, they can destroy you. romney tweeted that roy moore in the u.s. senate would be a stain on the gop and the nation. >> you hid behind your religion. you went to france to be a visionary when guys were dying in rice paddies in vietnam. do not talk to me about honor and integrity. judge roy moore has more honor and integrity in his pinky finger than your family has in its entire dna. senator flake of arizona sent this $100 check to roy moore's democratic candidate writing "country over party." >> if you are going to write a check. don't give the man $100. are you kidding me? >> doug jones keeping accusations against roy moore front and center. >>

to make sure that men who hurt little girls should go to jail, not the united states senate. melanie: a terror plot aimed at killing prime minister theresa may stopped in its tracks. according to british intelligence officials the plan was to blow up downing street where may lives using an explosive device. the two men were arrested before they could carry it out. they are scheduled to appear in court today. this is one of 9 terror attacks targeting london foiled in the past year. 2 days is all it took for lawmakers to call for the shutdown of the new toll system after drivers got a brute, expensive surprise. our cameras captured the moment the tolls jumped to

29 and rosslyn. prince william county supervisors met with state delegates last night, and they were not happy. >> except for the very wealthy. >> it is obvious something has gone wrong. i was told throughout the planning process we were looking .t $15 to $20 round trip $40 one way is well in excess of that. melanie: sending a letter to governor mcauliffe asking to suspend the polls until they can figure out a way to avoid paying the exorbitant prices. not already are distracting, gm has an app they are installing and cars.

announcer: you are watching abc 7 news at noon, on your side. melanie: a consumer alert for drivers. app being installed by general motors raising concerns for distracted driving. app allowslace drivers to shop for food and gas and more behind the wheel. from changing the radio kid'sn to monitoring your textng habits. >> it will you when they arrive at work, at home, or their friends house. tosleek technology meant make driving safer and more convenient. soon you will be able to

from the comfort of your driver's seat. general motors releasing the marketplace app using 4g lte connectivity allows drivers to order food on the go, find the closest gas to save on fuel, and make last-minute dinner reservations on your car's dashboard. it is rolling out over the next year and a half. critics say it will contribute to distracted driving, which claimed 3500 lives in 2016. we will see an increase in fatalities. numbers are going up as we speak. until we have fully self driving cars we are responsible for what we do behind the wheel. >> according to aaa taking your eyes off the road for two seconds double to your chance of a crash. gm says the app is limited to a few simple steps, similar to

telling abc news that marketplace is designed to minimize manual interaction, helping drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel. like all of our connected in-vehicle technology marketplace was developed in accordance with the voluntary driver distraction guidelines and gm's own strict principles. the safety council says drivers who think they are safer with hands-free technology should take again. no research shows and hands-free is risk free. a good idea or not? steve: i have a hard time finding radio stations. especially with satellite radio. melanie: too many distractions just on the road. steve: cold weather. some people are fumbling to figure out how to turn the heat on in their cars. keeping their cars out overnight, to defrost them, and

if you think it is cold now, wait until you feel what is on the way next week. national harbor is quiet. it is shaping up to be a nice afternoon. this hour, 40 five at reagan national. 41 in winchester. already three in cumberland. in cumberland. 12 degrees colder inside of the beltway. we will not look at a tremendous warm-up, though the skies will brighten the little bit. some breaks in the clouds, so get the sunglasses out this afternoon. if you are to be out this evening, doing outdoor shopping, make sure that you bundle up. it will be chilly when the sun goes down at 4:40 five. temperatures in the upper 40's to around 50 degrees. thru

commute, no problems. temperatures dropping to 45 by 7:00. nighttime lows, 30-35. that means a cold start to thursday morning. thursday looking good with sunshine all day long. 7:00, no travel delays for the rush-hour commute. moving through the midday hour, outdoor recess for the kids. maybe a few snow showers in garrett county and allegheny county. higher elevations in the mountains. a nice mix of sun and clouds. do not forget to download your stormwatch 7 weather app. i do want to show you what it looks like at 11:00 p.m. on friday. low pressure off the coast might bring wet snowflakes to extreme southern maryland. it is worth watching. notice how it gets closer, according to this model, 7:30 saturday morning. another thing

pay attention to, an area of low pressure to the north and west of us that could ring a little bit of wintry weather, maybe snowflakes late saturday night into sunday. not looking at anything major around the immediate metro. it will be colder, lower 40's on saturday, 40's on sunday. the average high is 49 degrees. when we get through the weekend, a reinforcing shot of colder air for the middle and end of next week when we will see daytime highs in the 30's and nighttime lows in the 20's.

melanie:

who should you go to for your gifts. brick and mortar stores are struggling as online shopping soars. how the old-fashioned way of shopping is fighting back. store versus online shopping war has a new battlefront. retailers desperately want you off of your computer and in their stores. stores are creating experiences for shoppers in store that you cannot get at your computer. it is called experiential retail. >> experiential retail is about using all of your senses to engage the customer. >> shopping entertainment, what does it look like? it is a really cool. this is not your typical fitting room. i am at an eddie bauer store. they dropped the temperature to

competitors. if i were buying this jacket online i would not know how warm it would keep me. 16y created an icebox at degrees so customers can try the cold weather gear in cold weather. something they cannot do online. you are trying to turn shopping into entertainment? >> we want it to be fun and engaging. we want customers to come in, engage with the guides in the store, and let us outfit you. digitally trying on eyelashes and lipstick. tga store has the with virtual golf course simulator's. >> what retailers are looking for is to delight the customer. megamerger

disney is looking to buy 20th century fox were a whole lot of money. the deal is in negotiations, but the value would top $60 billion and could be announced as early as next week. it would include all of fox's movies and television assets , andding x-men, dead pool avatar. disney already owns pixar and the star wars universe. the holidays can be stressful, but there are things you can do to make it more enjoyable. experts recommend exercising. you turn off the desserts and feel better by releasing pent-up aggression. yoga can help you relax after a stressful encounter. and they walked in the fresh air can give you a break from the holiday chaos. it could be cool if you plan to

melanie: we have had them in our newsroom. many of us got it right. the mystery oriole flavor was just revealed as fruity pebbles o flavor was just revealed as fruity pebbles cereal. the winner will give it a

steve: i thought it was something -- the winner will get $50,000 and be announced next week. steve: i thought it was something fruity, but i did not guess fruity pebbles. melanie: i like to turn them and get the other side. steve: is weird that they call them stuff. .- stuffed it is cold outside and everything is starting to get decorated for the holidays. 40's ones today, upper thursday. on friday, a good chance for a few wet snowflakes in southern maryland and delmarva. keep in mind that temperatures are still warm. middle 30's on thursday. i shot of colder air for the middle and end of next week with highs in the 30's. nighttime lows in the 20's. melanie: the capitol christmas tree will it tonight. steve:

>> announcer: let's get festive! ♪ because we're saving you a ton of time with our get ahead guide to the holidays! clinton's throwing a breakfast bonanza with "gma's," ginger zee. >> that's what you're going to have today. >> announcer: michael's making one of his favorite holiday desserts inspired by his mom. plus, carla's hanging with an amazing friend who's changing lives one plate at a time. we're about to get ahead in a delicious way, right now on "the chew!" [ cheers and applause ] ♪ >> hey guys! good afternoon!