tonight, several dropping stories as we come on. what president trump tonight calls an incredible christmas gift. his first major legislative victory. his tax cuts pass. corporate america getting the biggest cuts. and they're permanent. tonight, what does the middle class get? holiday travel concerns at this hour. two storm systems, just as millions set out to travel for christmas. several major travel hubs set to get hit in the midwest and then the east. ginger zee with the new timing. just in tonight, the u.s. embassy confirming eight americans are dead after boarding that tour bus, all part of a holiday vacation. the desperate search at this hour. the mother killed, the baby, just six weeks old, stolen. the o

did they try to silence her with money? why she says they wanted to keep her quiet. and the countdown is on tonight. the new christmas shopping deals, just out. from saving $500 on a popular watch to slashing prices on those headphones. good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a wednesday night. the christmas travel worries in just a moment. but first, what president trump tonight calls a major christmas gift. his first major legislative victory since taking office. congress today passing the republican tax bill. the white house calling it a middle class miracle. the president there surrounded by republicans at the white house today. the biggest tax cuts will go to the wealthy, corporate america and republicans then argue that that money saved will then be reinvested in jobs, and pay raises for the middle class. but will that happen? not everyone is convinced, but the president is beaming. the christmas promise he made is coming true. abc's senior whiteou

leading us off. >> reporter: today at the white house, a beaming president trump greeting a sea of republicans with a double fist pump. >> it's always a lot of fun when you win. >> reporter: and lawmakers heaped on the praise, one after the next after the next. >> something this profound could not have been done without exquisite presidential leadership. >> you listened to voices no one else was listening to. >> you're one heck of a leader. and we're all benefiting from it. >> reporter: the president calls the tax plan a middle class miracle, designed to deliver tax cuts for all american families. but corporate america gets a much bigger tax cut. >> we are making america great again. you haven't heard that, have you? >> reporter: and earlier in a cabinet meeting, the president flaunted those tax benefits for big business. >> our plan also lowers the tax on american business from 35% all the way down to 21%. that's probably the biggest factor in this plan.

corporate america is permanent, but income tax cuts for individuals expire in eight years. and lower income americans making $75,000 or less will actually see their taxes go up over the next decade. during that same time, the ultra rich will see their taxes go down. the bill also repeals the obamacare mandate that every american buy health insurance, which means 13 million more americans could be uninsured over the next decade. and if some americans don't buy health insurance, premiums skyrocket for others. still, the president touted that end of obamacare, even though much of it remains in place. he also revealed he urged republicans to downplay it before the vote. >> obamacare has been repealed in this bill. we didn't want to bring it up. i told people specifically, "be quiet with the fake news media because i don't want them talking too much about it." >> cecilia vega live at the white house.

tonight, cecilia, how much will this cost? adding more than a trillion to the deficit. the president did not address this today. speaker paul ryan, as you know, cecilia, who has talked about the deficit for years, was asked whether this plan will create enough growth to then pay for itself to make up for what it adds to the deficit. >> reporter: yeah, speaker ryan said nobody knows how much this will add to the deficit, david, because, quote, that is in the future. nonpartisan congressional budget analysts have a prediction. they say this tax plan inkreebss the deficit by nearly 1.5 there, with a t, david, trillion dollars over the next decade. >> all right, cecilia, thank you. and one more headline about the tax plan passing congress. corporate america already responding. at&t and its ceo rf leasing a statement, saying as soon as president trump signs the bill, more than 200,000 employees at at&t will receive a $1,000 bonus. we move on tonight, and to the holiday travel worries at this hour. just as millions of americans travel now for christmas. two storms we're watching this evening. heavy snow and ice

moving from the dakotas into minnesota and then right into the midwest. travel hubs will be effected. and then, to the east coast. and in the south tonight, heavy rain and flooding in birmingham, alabama, possible thunderstorms now from georgia to the carolinas. so, let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee tracking it all. she has the new timing tonight. hi, ginger. >> reporter: hi there, david. some of those entertainments already plagued by thunderstorms in the south. interstate 26 and 95, you can see the thunderstorms moving across there. also, 40 east of nashville could be a problem. that's all for the next 12 hours. then, the next three to five days is this storm. the wind advisories up for to 0 60-mile-per-hour gusts in parts of nevada, arizona. the winter storm advisories and warnings. four to eight inches, if you are traveling 94, north and west of minneapolis. that's tonight through tomorrow. then, by friday night, so many people hitting the roads, getting onto an airplane. memphis could be an issue you a long that warm front. you could see wintry weather in boston.

but saturday night, it's new york and bolston where the winds and rain come together and i can promise you, david, that after all this happens, severe cold gets as deep as north texas on christmas day. >> all right, so, everyone, travel safely out there as you head to your families. ging ginger, thank you. we move on now. we do have new developments in the deadly tour bus crash in mexico. several americans are among the dead. authorities confirming 12 people were killed during that trip to the mayan ruins. the number of americans tourists dead stands at eight tonight. the victims traveling on a royal caribbean cruise ship out of florida. a prosecutor now revealing the possible cause of that bus crash that followed. pointing blame at the driver tonight. abc's victor oquendo in miami. >> reporter: tonight, the investigation into this deadly tour bus crash in mexico that zeroing in on the driver. a state prosecutor revealing driver negligence and speed may be to blame for the accident that left at least 11 injured and killed 12. but say the driver could not be detained at

among the dead, eight americans, including 11-year-old daniel, his mother anna and grandmother. sw haim shaboro saw his relatives last before they left florida for their cruise, his brother in law and one nephew survived -- >> i'm in shock, i'm still crying i can't believe it, i love them all.usin and -- and >> reporter: according to mexican officials, the bus, loaded with passengers from two ships left dock around 9:00 a.m. tuesday on excursion to the mayan ruins. 30 minutes later, the bus crashing on this narrow two-lane road with no shoulder or guardrail. >> there were a lot of dead people on the floor. >> reporter: officials saying their preliminary investigation incads the bus driver's negligence may have led him to lose control before flipping, striking a tree and landing in vegetation along the side of the road. >> we just want to kw

we just want an honest answer. >> reporter: mexican officials now launching a potential homicide investigation. >> so, let's get to victor oquendo from miami. and victor, what is the cruise line now saying tonight? >> reporter: david, royal caribbean refusing to comment on the investigation. both of their ships have continued with their itineraries as planned. tonight, the u.s. embassy in mexico says it has staff at local hospitals to help with the victims and their families. david? >> victor, thank you. now, to the developing story in houston. the murder mystery, and the amber alert at this hour. the urgent search for a six week old baby girl. her mother was found stabbed to death in their apartment. the fbi joining the search tonight. authorities are asking the public to be on the lookout for a woman who might be trying to pass the baby off as her own. next tonight here, the olympic star this evening, now suing usa gymnastics, accusing the organization of trying to silence her allegations of sex abuse with money. mckayla

repeatedly assaulted by larry nassar. she says she will be silent no more. here's abc's linzie janis tonight. >> reporter: tonight, olympc gold medalist mckayla maroney says usa gymnastics silenced her with a confidential settlement to keep her quiet about the sexual abuse she suffered by former team doctor, larry nassar. maroney, who agreed to the settlement in late 2016, today filing a lawsuit against usa gymnastics and michigan state university, where nassar worked for decades. >> by insisting that as a condition of paying her money for therapy, and the suffering she has incurred that she has to keep larry nassar's secret, and she has to keep usa gymnastics secret and can never speak of this again and can never criticize them or she could be sued for $100,000 or more, is repugnant. >> reporter: 21-year-old maroney broke her silence on twitter in october, saying nassar abused her for years,

nassar now in prison, after pleading guilty to child pornography and criminal sexual misconduct. he's being sued by more than 140 women. maroney's suit argues the usoc and usa gymnastics concealed its knowledge of nassar's sexual misconduct with niminor childre. >> in 2015, when usa gymnastics admits they became aware that he had molested girls, they didn't call child protective services he was allowed to stay in the treatment room and treated dozens and dozens of little girls over the next year. >> and linzie janis with us in new york tonight. and usa gymnastics out late today with a response to the lawsuit? >> reporter: that's right. they say it was maroney's lawyer at the time that approached them about confidential mediation about the alleged abuse. as for the usoc, it denies any involvement in that agreement, and michigan state university says it was not aware of any of nassar's abuse until 2016. >> linzie, thank you. when m

and there are developments tonight about the high school soccer coach accused of running away with a high school girl. he is accused of having sexual activity with a minor. authorities launching a massive search when the two disappeared last month. police arresting him in syracuse, new york. the girl was returned to her parents. to the developing headline late today on capitol hill, the warning from the senate floral involving the president and any talk of firing robert mueller. the top democrat on the senate intelligence committee issuing a strong defense of special counsel robert mueller against critics trying to shut down the russia investigation. after recently being questioned for nine hours, donald trump jr. now suggesting there is a conspiracy against his father. here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas on that tonight. >> reporter: tonight, that warning from the top democratic senator investigating allegations of russian collusion. >> firing mr. mueller or any other of the top brass involved in this investigation ul

only call into question this administration's commitment to the truth, but also to our most basic concept, rule of law. >> reporter: warner responding to mounting criticism of special counsel rob mueller from some congressional republicans. >> i call on my republican colleagues to join me in calling for the firing of bob mueller. and look, it's time for mueller to put up or shut up. >> reporter: president trump asked this week if he's considering firing mueller. >> no, i'm not. no. what else? >> what, are you surprised? >> reporter: but on tuesday, just days after donald trump jr. spent more than nine hours behind closed doors with congressional investigators, the president's son openly talking about a conspiracy against his father. >> there is, and there are, people at the highest levels of government that don't want to let america be america. >> pierre thomas with us live tonight from washington. and pierre, we heard president trump say he's not firing mueller. so, how does senator warner explain his concern there late

>> reporter: david, senator warner says the president's track record is his concern. he points out his colleagues did not expect the president to fire former fbi director james comey, either. david? >> pierre thomas with us tonight. pierre, thank you. we move on from the russia investigation, and instead to vladimir putin, who is running for re-election in russia. the longest serving russian leader now since josef stalin. putin enlisting a controversial group of supporters. abc's dan harris found them. >> reporter: this is the face that vladimir putin projects to the world. a statesman at his annual news conference, openly praising the american president. "we see some serious achievements," he says. but to the russian people, putin, this country's longest serving leader since stalin, is embracing a very different image as he prepares to run for a new term in march. we're at a rally mounted by one of putin's highest profile and most contr

ultra-nationalist, anti-western, anti-gay and allegedly violent biker gang called the night wolves. >> americans? >> reporter: the leader of this gang, with several members, a man known as the surgeon, a former dental surgeon named aleksander zaldostanov. how did this motorcycle club develop such a strong relationship with the leader of this country? "putin in special," he tell us. "he's much smarter than other government bureaucrats." the night wolves can become a wildly popular cultural phenomenon in russia. putin noticed that and now, they're funded by his regime. they even have a paramilitary wing, which putin allegedly used when he invaded ukraine. we went to their training camp. they claim they're just training for self-defense. the u.s. state department isn't buying it. they say the night wolves are putin's shadow army. the

you in the sanctions, saying that you help the night wolves carry out criminal activities in ukraine. his response? "i have to laugh." dan harris, abc news, russia. >> dan harris from russia tonight. and we should mention a special edition of "nightline" with much more of dan's reporting tonight after jimmy kimmel. in the meantime, there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday. the police officer dragged, body cameras, and you'll see it, showing the moment a suspect takes off. hitting speeds of 60 miles per hour before letting that police officer go. also tonight, it's happened again. the teens now facing felony charges tonight after allegedly dropping a sandbag, now, from an overpass. a passenger struck and is critically injured tonight. and the countdown is on. last minute deals uncovered tonight. how can you save $500 on a popular watch. headphone prices slashed tonight. we'll tell you where. the list, right after the break. david.

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next tonight here, your money, and likely your stress. it is now christmas crunch time. but that means prices slashed in many places, and we've got the list tonight. abc's erielle reshef, out to help you save your money. >> it's almost christmas, dad! >> reporter: tonight, retailers rolling out last minute deals to nab your holiday dollar. >> i'm still finding good deals. >> reporter: more than a third of shoppers doing the bulk of their gift buying this week before christmas. and some major perks for procrastinators. >> we've had 50% off really good stores. >> i mean, everything at this point of the year is always 50, 40. >> reporter: these popular beats headphones, originally $380 at best buy now $160. experts say it's also great time to buy bling. these designer movado watches, more than $500 off. for clothing? deep discounts, up to 70% off men's outerwear at macy's. flash sales popping up. at banana republic, 50% off everything. and savings on

stuffers. >> like the gift section, you can really pick the family members. >> reporter: prices on gift cards slashed on sites like card pool and gift card granny. >> because christmas falls on a monday this year, some of the biggest shopping days will be this weekend. >> reporter: that's right, david. the saturday before christmas is expected to be the second-busiest shopping day of the entire year, with deals up until the holiday. the key, experts say, is knowing what you're looking for before you last minute shop. david? >> all right, erielle, thank you. when we come back, the new medical study about individual tables and what they do to your brain. more on that police officer dragged. the driver hitting speeds up to 60 miles per hour. and those teenagers in trouble with the law tonight, accused of dropping a sandbag over an overpass, leaving someone critically injured. we'll be right back. the unpredie may weigh on your mind. thinking about what to avoid,

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dropping a sand back over an overpass. police in ohio say the fourteens, all 13 and 14 years old, tossing that sandbag from an overpass on i-75, shattering the windshield and critically wounding front seat passenger marquis bird. authorities warning that this prank can kill, and we have seen it. and reported on it here before. a frightening moment for a florida police officer. john cusack approaching a vehicle when the driver then hits the gas. look at this. the officer dragged at speeds of 60 miles per hour at times. dragged for a half mile before letting go. the suspect later arrested. the officer is going to be okay. the new health headline tonight involving vegetables, and what your mother said. eating your vegetables just might make your mind 11 years younger. that's according to a new study showing that people who eat one to two serve ving of leafy green vegetables a day have a slower rate of cognitive decline. that new study published in the journal

and meghan markle having lunch with the queen. in a first, the queen has included markle in the royal family christmas celebration, an invitation that wasn't extended to kate during her engagement to will. when we come back here tonight, the major surprise in the produce aisle, really, no one was expecting this. you've got to see it. america strong. [ gasps, laughs ] you ever feel like... cliché foil characters scheming against a top insurer for no reason? nah. so, why don't we like flo? she has the name your price tool, and we want it. but why? why don't we actually do any work? why do you only own one suit? it's just the way it is, underdeveloped office character. you're right. thanks, bill. no, you're bill. i'm tom. you know what? no one cares.

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finally tonight, attention, shoppers. this is not what you'd expect in the produce aisle. shoppers are stopping in their tracks. ♪ hear the angel voices ♪ oh night devine >> reporter: the voice of an angel at russo's grocery store in massachusetts. 23-year-old gilly, who works there as a clerk. christmas caroling is a tradition at russo's, the owner, tony russo, hiring professionals every year. but this year, during a sound check, they discovered a singer already in their midst. and the store owner tonight, on the reaction from customers? >> well, a couple people have cried. >> reporter: gilly,

student visa, working part time, studying computers. his dream now, to study music at berkeley college in boston. the video of gilly performing now going viral. >> hi, david. >> reporter: and tonight, gilly tells us, he's the one who is moved. >> i'm really overwhelmed and grateful for all the attention that i've been getting from people these past few daves. i was not expecting this at all. thank you so much for all and merry christmas to everybody. >> reporter: christmas cheer in the produce aisle, where you'd least expect it. ♪ hallelujah >> we loved it, too. i'm david muir. i hope to see you right back here tomorrow. good night.

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