this morning on "world news now," president trump is one step closer to victory. >> in a late night vote, senate republicans have passed a sweeping tax overhaul bill as it now heads back to the house for a revote. so who really wins? and who loses? we'll break it down. and a nay juror investigation under way. at least 12 people are dead in a horrific bus crash in mexico. all of them were cruise ship passengers headed back to florida. one state lawmaker has just won an election recount by a single vote, out of thousands cast. what showe's saying this mornin. and how's this

multi-tasking. meet the mom who finished her final exam are frfrom the deliv room. so what have you accomplished today? on this wednesday, december 20th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> how are we supposed to compete with that? we're all slackers. >> in defense, as the curmudgeon i am, maybe she waited until the last minute to complete her -- >> she shouldn't have procrastinated? >> if she wasn't such a procrastinator, labor would not have happened. >> the baby is not procrastinating. we're going to start this half hour in washington, d.c. where they're not procrastinating. >> no. >> the most sweeping rewrite of the nation's tax laws just a step away from the president's desk. >> senate republicans passed the $1.5 trillion tax bill in a late night vote strictly upon party line. the democrats

will benefit the most but republicans insist it will trickle down to the middle class. >> it is expected to pass. the house speaker's going to use his gavel and be all excited again. the house approved the legislation earlier but hit a proce procedural snag and they were reforcr forced to remove three provisions. >> but it's not enough to jeopardize their victory. >> today we are giving the people of this country their money back. this is their money after all! >> ryan adds that the results are going to make the tax overhaul popular. >> with the legislation expected to give rich people the biggest breaks, we take a look at how president trump and his family will fare. more from cecelia vega. >> reporter: the white house celebrating what it calls a promise made and a promise kept. a promise like this. >>

the forgotten men and women of our country. but guess what. they are forgotten no more. >> reporter: most working and middle class americans will get a tax wcut. but independent analysts say eventually their taxes will go up. and the president recently promised a tax code so simple you could file on a postcard. >> great job, thank you. i didn't know i was going to be given a prop. >> it's serious. it's serious. >> reporter: that postcard, not happening either. the 503-page tax bill still means a lot of paperwork for taxpayers. the president insisting time and time again he's going to pay big league under the plan. >> it's not good for me, believe me. this is going to cost me a fortune this thing, believe me. >> reporter: also not true. here's how president trump stands to benefit. income taxes for the

business owners, including those in commercial real estate like the trumps get a big break from what's known as a pass-through deduction. and his family stands to save millions on inheritance taxes. the president said this tax bill is going to cost him a fortune. that's actually not the case. how does he figure this is going to cost him a lot of money? >> we expect that it will likely certainly on the personal side cost the president a lot of money. >> reporter: but he stands to benefit from pass-through deductions. he's going to make money on that. >> look, again, this is a tax plan that we hope benefits all americans. >> reporter: sarah sanders was pressed repeatedly, and she did eventually make a concession. she says the president does stand to benefit from that's tax cuts when it comes to his business interests, but she maintains he will personally on his income take a hit. the president stands to win on

both fronts. thanks to cecelia. we turn to the investigation into the fatal amtrak derailment in washington state, now focussing on why the train was going so fast. it was moving at 80 in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. it did not have positive train control, it would have slowed it down automatically in a lower speed zone. not all the equipment for that has been installed but is expected to go into effect this spring. they had taken practice runs before monday's accident. >> there were two people in the cab. the engineer and a conductor who was getting experience at familiarizing himself with the territory. the actual conductor as there is one on every train was in the actual passenger section at the time ever the accident. >> in a news conference a few hours a amtrak's president said no one wants positive train control more than amtrak. but he

coordination with the operators of the rail line, the company running the train and even the manufacturers of those trains. 11 tourists and a guide are dead after a bus crashed in mexico. they were on their way from a cruise ship to see mayan ruins. >> reporter: investigators in mexico still trying to determine what caused this tour bus care eyeing crui care -- carrying cruise passengers to careen. police tape is up and stretchers are there for the wounded. bistanders appearing to rush in to help the wounded, some of whom were splayed out on the two-lane highway. others walking around dazed. the bus apparently went off the road on the way to the chau coe ben ruins. it's believed at least seven americans are among the 18 people

mexican officials say some have already been released. >> some of our officials from our u.s. embassy or our perhaps it's our mission, are on their way there. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: the royal caribbean cruise line says the bus was carrying 27 passengers from its ships celebrity equinox and serenade of the seas. in a statement, the company said we are doing all we can to help our guests. those cruise ships originated in miami and ft. lauderdale. and ma what is so gutting about this crash is nearly half the people on board that bus were killed, including a minor. matt gutman, los angeles. the search for two escaped inmates is a multi-state manhunt. they broke out of a jail near panama city late sunday. they allegedly chipped a hole under their sink and eventually crawled under a locked gate. the car believed to have been stolen by the

retrieved in north carolina. and this is a frightening scene. an officer was dragged half a mile by a car in ft. lauderdale. a man and woman inside may have overdosed. the car driver woke up. hit the engine and sped off. somehow, the officer managed to hold on. he suffered injuries to his arms and feet but is expected to recover. the driver was caught after a high-speed chase. he is now charged with attempted murder. >> so that's the view from his body cam? >> body cam. >> as he was driving along right there? >> footage. >> that is absolutely amazing point of view right there. >> tried to help someone in that car. and this is the result. >> this is what happened. that is an officer's body being dragged along. this is incredible. >> luckily, he is expected to be okay. we're going to turn now to an election in virginia that is truly illustrating the importance of voting. >> democrat shelly simons has wonhe

district which covers newport news. she took that election by one. one vote! >> look at the time tal lafinal 11,608 votes, the republican incumbent had 11,607. she knew the race would be a rollercoaster ride, now she's focussed on getting to work. >> i'm thrilled. i'm thrilled. i'm just thinking about all the possibilities. all the things that we can get done in richmond. >> so here's also why this is really important. her win changed the balance of power in virginia's lower chamber. it is now split 50/50. >> wow. >> after 17 years of republican rule. that one vote. >> a three-judge panel is expected to certify those results today, but if you are a close friend, a spouse, a relative of david yancy, you better hope that you voted, otherwise, coal in your stocking

>> and then some. >> one vote. that's why it's important to get out there. coming up, the last thing one mom did before giving birth. >> delivering her final exam. yeah. the picture making us all feel like slackers this morning. later in the mix. but first, the new interview out overnight of harvey weinstein's former assistant breaking her non-disclosure agreement and speaking out for the first time on television. can you find us on wnnfans.com and @abc wnn. you're watching "world news now." ead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan,

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welcome back. a former assistant of harvey weinstein is speaking out for the very first time publicly. >> she's breaking what's designed to be a legally-binding agreement to never discuss the sexual assault allegation against her boss. last night, zelda perkins says she was silenced after weinstein raped her co-worker, something weinstein denied. >> there were a couple of occasions where i made attempts to

however, almost impossible for me, because one of the clauses of the agreement disallows me to have a copy of it. >> why? >> because it's a smoking gun. >> perkins says that the 1998 agreement included mandatory counseling for weinstein and hr policy on sexual harassment for the company and a condition that weinstein would be removed from the company if there were any similar claims. perkins now risks having to pay back that money she received, because she says quote, unless somebody does, there won't be a debate about how egregious these agreements are. meryl streep now fighting back against criticism on the scandal. >> she was called a hypocrite. check it out. >> reporter: actress meryl streep is defending herself after being slammed by rose mcgowan on

mcgowan, the actress and activist who accused harvey weinstein of raping her wrote in a now-deleted tweet that streep had happily worked for the pig monster. she also ridiculed streep's plan to join an army of actresses wearing black this award season as silent protest. mcgowan tweeted, your silence is the problem. i despise your hypocrisy. streep responded saying i wasn't deliberately silent. i didn't know. i don't tacitly approve of rape. i didn't know. i don't like young women being assaulted. i didn't know this was happening. she also said of mcgowan, i want to let her know that i did not know about weinstein's crimes, not in the '90s when he attacked her or in subsequent decades when he attacked others. she worked on several films by weinstein and won an award for "iron lady." >> i just want to thank god, harvey

[cheers and applause] the punisher. old testament i guess. >> reporter: but streep later spoke out against weinstein in october, calling his behavior inexcusable. and the women who spoke up heroes. saying she didn't know about his financial settlements with actresses and colleagues or his inappropriate coercive acts. in her new statement she adds, i don't know where harvey lives, nor has he ever been to my house. i have only been to his office once. hw was not a film maker, he was often a producer, primarily a marketer of films made by other people. but not every actor and actress and director who made films that hw produced knew that he was a predator. we are both together with all the women in our business standing in defiance of the same implacable foe. as for streep, she says in addition to the statement, she has gotten her number to rose

for a phone call. so far nothing there. >> interesting scene in the meantime, all throughout los angeles. these posters started popping up. photo of meryl streep, obviously, and harvey weinstein with that phrase over her face. saying she knew. >> yeah, it is worth pointing out, though, that rose mcgowan did post on twitter that she never accused meryl streep of knowing about the abuse ahead of time. >> it's not known who put up those posters as well. >> this is not the first time she's gone after streep. coming up in the next half hour. merical baby. emma was conceived in 1992 but wasn't born until after thanksgiving. and a young girl rushed to the hospital from an overdose and who helped save her life in shock. that's next on "world news now." ok, yeah...

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>> we're back with an incredible story now highlighting the opioid epidemic which is

the country. >> yeah, here's michael koenig. ♪ happy birthday to you >> i wasn't sure i would make it to my 21st birthday. out of my friends, i'm the only one left to celebrate, at least 14 passed away in two years. everybody i went to school with is dying slowly. >> reporter: did you start on opioid pills? >> yes. >> reporter: what does it feel like? >> all i can remember is i'm sitting on the bid and i said i need to take a nap. i woke up freezing cold and my head hurt so bad, and the paramedics said yeah, you were just dead. the oxygen was cut off to your brain. >> reporter: west virginia, the state with the highest rate of opioid deaths, did you think your own daughter would come through the er doors where you work? >> no. i was hoping it was a car wreck. i can deal with a car wreck. that's when i was thinking, please be a car wreck, please be a car

>> this is room 26. this is the room hope was brought into. initially she wasn't alive. i talked to the paramedics and she was dead. they got her back with narcan. if it had been a minute later they wouldn't have gotten her back. >> i woke up and heard my mom screaming. i never heard her scream like that. >> reporter: you knew she worked in the er. >> i feel like it was for a reason that she was working that night. >> i was outside her room waiting until they said i could come in. being a nurse just went out the door. i was just her mother then. it took me a while to come back in this room. >> here i am a year and two months later, clean and sober. i have so many emotions about being here again. i hope that somebody can look at me and think, if she can overcome it, i can overcome it, and, you know, that's what i want out o

i want to be able to help. she does love me. she is there for me. she's right behind my ae all th time. and i feel like she's never going to let go. >> our thanks to michael, the mix is next.

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i can breathe again! i can breathe again! vicks sinex... breathe on. ♪ all right, it's time for your wednesday mix, and what were you doing -- frank is all -- >> we're having a full-fledged tug-of-war. >> you have a legitimate excuse in school. frank ate my exam. this mom had a legitimate excuse, but she is not having it. here she is, her name is nazia. she was an expectant mom in kansas when she went into labor. but she posted this photo that says this kind of sums up my life. my mom took this pic and it's a perfect explanation of my

yes, i'm about to have a baby, but final exam ain't over yet. so she was there, as frank eats my paper. she was there in labor and finished her final exam. >> shy shoue should get extra c for that. >> she posted a photo afterwards. >> yay! >> baby dad and baby appointing out she has a 3.5 gpa for the semester. >> congratulations. there's a new survey out by splash data, the annual worst passwords. number three? >> mm-hm. >> 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. >> yeah. yeah. >> number two. password. want to guess what number one was? >> i'm assuming it's a combination of the password and the 1234. >> just 123456. >> so those passwords where you only need the six letter passwords. >> you have to

>> you do. >> basically, we have the least-original people ever. >> they did capitalize the p. >> now we're safe. they'll never guess. >> frank is going to town. so if you think it's cold where you are, you may not be interested at all in checking out this particular hotel in sweden. the ice hotel is back. oh, man, but you get some great views there of the aurora borealis there. so it's in iceland. it just opened up for the winter season. all the hotel rooms are ice, made out of snow and crystal clear natural ice. even the glasses at the bar are ice. the temperature is kept there between 17 and 25 degrees. don't worry, though. the beds are covered in rain di -- reindeer hide. >> very pretty. no thank

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this morning on "world news now," the most sweeping rewrite of the nation's tax laws. a step closer to the president's desk. in a late-night vote, senate republicans passed the trillion dollar tax bill as it goes back to the house for another vote. also breaking overnight, cardinal bernard law has died. he was the powerful one-time leader of the boston archdiocese who became the symbol of the church sex abuse scandal. and new this half hour, a curveball by mother nature. >> a massive rock is forming under new england. how soon will there be magma with your maple syrup?