this morning on "world news now," the trump administration's final push in 2017. >> yeah, while spending christmas with the family in florida, president trump hopes to keep up the momentum after passing the gop tax cuts. the latest from mar-a-lago. vladimir putin's fiercest critic is now banned from running. and dozens of people are injured during a christmas fireworks display. children are among those hit. and maybe it's time to turn off those christmas lights. once the electric bill hits the

billions? we'll check that one out. see what happened here on this tuesday, december 26th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> yeah, that electric bill. >> that one, yeah, i've had some bad ones but never quite that bad. happy boxing day, everyone. welco welcome gio benitez in for kendis. that was a holiday slow clap for you. good holiday? >> yeah, it was nice. >> we hope you all had a good hoyle holiday as well. hope everybody on set had a good holiday. >> i'm glad we still have the christmas tree. >> we're keeping it festive as long as possible. we're going to start this half hour with president trump delivering a video message. >> the president tweeted that he's getting back to work today and claimed that making america great again is happening faster than anyone

kenneth moten is traveling with the president in florida. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. president trump spent his first christmas as president with the first lady and other family members at his mar-a-lago resort. >> my fellow americans, melania and i are delighted to wish america and the entire world a very, merry christmas. >> this christmas season we celebrate as americans and pray for peace all over the world. >> reporter: they recorded a message to the american people. the president tweeted that video out with merry christmas in all caps. the president is now preparing to ring in the new year with an ambitious agenda after signing that $1.5 trillion tax bill into law before leaving washington. now he focuses on infrastructure, immigration and the

just a reminder. the government is only funded until january 19 when congress passed a temporary measure. so we could be facing a major showdown. president trump anxious to get on the same page as senate majority leaders. he's invited mitch mcconnell and paul ryan to skidiscuss it. the presidents what the guest of honor at state visits to china, south korea and vietnam. and queen elizabeth has invited him to the uk. the white house says the president is hoping to host a state visit early next year, but there's no word on which government might be getting the invitation. the united nations is bracing four the possibility of another financial blow. the u.s. is slashing nearly $300 million from the u.n.'s annual budget and hinted that m

may follow. president trump recently threatened to pull aid from member nations for failing to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. overseas, russian opposition leaders are calling for a boycott of next year's presidential election after it was determined alexei navalny is d disqualified. the election is march 18th. and in cuba, dozens are injured after a fireworks explosion during christmas eve festival. at least six children are among those hurt. the annual event draws thousands of tourists and cubans each town. it features a fireworks conte

the cause of the explosion is under investigation. back in this country, the roads are slippery in new england and are the runways. >> passengers felt the plane fishtailing before they spun out and ended up in a snowbank. >> no one was hurt and the passengers were eventually bussed to the terminal. earlier in the day, the airport stopped all flights because of the bad weather. millions of people in the northern half of the country may find it hard to travel back to work this morning. >> it was a white christmas and then some in new england and around the great lakes. four feet of snow could fall in parts of new york. winds could cause whiteout conditions, making travel impossible at times. >> and then the west, snow blanketed roads east of portland, oregon. let's get the latest from paul williams. >> good morning,

cold continues for the northeast. we're expecting three to five feet of snow along lake erie. and another push of cold air, a mixture of light snow inland and a few rain showers along the northwest coast. for wednesday, travel not so great in the northwest again. lingering snowshowers throughout the northeast and cold across the deep south. as we were tracking santa's sleigh on christmas eve. >> very important. >> very important. there was one resident that we never got a fix on. >> it's the temporary home of retired colonel mark van high. he hung stockings, only his go on the ceiling rather than the mantle, because he is on the international space station. >> oh, gosh, gifts were september

>> only area where santa had to travel upward. >> i know. >> from the north pole. >> i love that. >> so cool. i love watching anytime they do anything on the iss. we got a treat showing christmases past on the space station. some of them went all out on the de decorations. you got to love the floeating christmas tree. and their santa hats have the perfect perky shape. you excited? >> you got to have that. >> maybe the thanksgiving turkey isn't quite as abundant on the international space station. but it looks like a fun way to celebrate christmas. maybe next year, "world news now." >> the space edition. i'll volunteer for that one. coming up. frank is in the house, joining us for a very special book club

segment. and funny reads of the year. after the break, african-american officers and the pressure they face trying to bridge the divide in their communities and the inner conflict of what it's like to be black in blue. and follow us on instagram dw @wnn. you're watching "world news now." my bargain detergent couldn't keep up. it was mostly water. so, i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated, so i get a better clean. i mean, i give away water for free. i'm not about to pay for it in my detergent. #1 trusted. #1 awarded it's got to be tide. and for a plant-based clean, try tide purclean that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so...

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♪ welcome back to "world news now." we are going to kick things off now with the story of how two african-american police officers are making a difference working to bridge the divide between their communities. >> we're up all "nightline" with abc's juju chang. >> this is my old neighborhood. >> reporter: when lieutenant yolanda williams walks these familiar streets, it's like she never left. you literally know everybody. >> yeah. i used to walk the beat. >> reporter: as she strolls through this san francisco neighborhood where many view police as a foe, most everybody sees her as a friend. ask hello. how are you? don't get scared.

officer wright. they used to call him a football player. now he's a cop. but he insists not much has changed. >> we're at home wood. that's where i'm from. this is my people. it is what it is. >> reporter: at a time when tensions between police and black communities are explosively high, the divide between americans can feel irrepairably deep, they are caught in a precarious gallon. too black for the badge and too blue for the hood. there's a black lives matter and a blue lives matter in this country. >> yes. >> reporter: where do you fall in that? >> well, you know, i have told people that i am always going to be black. but i'm only blue as long as i continue to wear the

force nearly 30 years ago as part of the justice department's push for diversity in sfpd's ranks. she was a young likely candidate then. >> i complained about blatant drug deals, i complained about police cars that drove by the area like they didn't even exist. >> reporter: these police officers said stop complaining, get in the game. >> right 6789. >> reporter: back in the early days, walking the beat, she was idealistic. >> i feel like this is my ultimate calling, and i love it. i thought we one big happy family until 2015. i found out there were some who didn't feel the same connection. >> reporter: two years ago one of her colleagues had been convicted of fraud. but during his appeal, investigators stumbled upon racist and sexist texts between hem and other cops. shockingly, think

one sergeant, yolanda williams. >> i did not want to believe it. >> reporter: what messages stick in your mind? >> i was someone's black n-b. it horrified me. >> reporter: she testified on a blue ribbon panel that there was bias in the ranks. rather than defend yolanda, the union president rebuked her, writing that her testimony was largely self-centered and groce grossly unfair. they said we are certain that the vast majority of our members do not agree with her either. the department of justice had been investigating sfpd. and in october of 2016 it strongly recommended nearly 300 institutional changes,

minority groups. that fall, yolanda was promoted. she identifies with the mistrust and fear that many have toward the police. when you're not in uniform, and you see blue lights behind you and you get pulled over. >> my heart stops. and i all of a sudden find myself in a situation where, what did i do? okay. keep my hands at the steering wheel. don't move. >> reporter: i don't have that reaction when i get pulled over by a police officer. >> you don't? >> reporter: hm-mm. >> wow. >> reporter: but doesn't that tell you something about where we are? >> something wrong. >> just a fascinating piece there. >> yeah, our thanks to juju chang. coming up you in the next half hour, retailers hoping for another shopping boom, but will consumers head back to the brick and mortar stores or hit the bricks? after the break, barry's book club. the greatest showman

break to tell us his favorite memoirs of 2017. ♪ that's the pumpkin polka i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this.

♪ ♪ politics and foreign wars ♪ all the weather, all the scores ♪ ♪ that's the world new the polka ♪ >> that is our polka maestro, barry mitchell singing our polka theme for more than 20 year. >> and he's a funny man who likes to read books, especially if they are books written by funny people. >> if you have a bunch of amazon gift cards burning a hole in your pocket or you want to return some of your christmas gifts, frank got this lovely christmas sweater from donna. we won't be returning this gift, but some may be less happy with their gifts, so barry has great book suggestions for you. >> you know, i love showbiz memoirs, especially those written by comedians. what drives someone to live a nomadic life seeking the approval of strangers? here are some of my 2017

maybe you've never heard of doug stanhope. on the circuit for 25 years, he's earned a loyal international following. this is not fame. it's obscene, down and dirty, but stanhope is a thoughtful, intelligent truth teller. it's a factual, entertaining read. now comedian, todd barry, no relation, doesn't smoke, doesn't drink or do drugs but will tell you where to get the best burrito in spokane. thank you for coming to hattiesburg. of course the grand daddy of all comedy clubs is the improvisation, founder bud freedman and co-owner talk about how it all began in a former vietnamese restaurant in hell's kitchen in 1963. here it is "the

and by the way, rick newman, when are you going to write "catch a rising star"? whitney cummings is known for comedy t comedy central and ""2 bro2 bro girls." her vicious zingers once made some to cry, reflecting, joekes are like knives. now in political comedy, check out -- got to take a breath -- the awkward thoughts of w. kamau bell. that's all the t

folks. no, bell describes the time he attended a ku klux klan cross burning for his show "united shades of america." and i want to mention this one "kicking through the ashes." my life as a standup by rich sli shneidner. and finally, "frankly speaking" by frank the bunny, published by hopper collins. happy nibbling. >> frank, this is good stuff. i guess you can say i've always had nose for news. >> i can sniff out a good story a mile away. i love the quotes on the back. these are the people

from his privileged perch, frank dishes on the true behind the scenes stories, that's from roger rabbit. >> his contract dispute went all the way to apellet court. he didn't carrot all.

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(colonial penn jingle) ♪ all right, time now for "the mix." we're going to kick things off with a woman in pennsylvania who got quite a surprise ch she received her electric bill. check that one out. over, nearly $300 billion. >> billion. >> is what her bill came from. >> look at that monthly payment. amount due, $28,000. >> she says, we wondered if maybe we did something wrong with the christmas lights. >> you think? >> the company says they're pretty sure they just put a decimal point in the wrong place. like the really wrong place. she apparently only

owes $284.46. >> that makes a big difference. >> yes. >> so she did probably use l.e.d. lights. >> thank you. check this out. we've got the selfie museum. that's coming to los angeles. >> oh. >> i like that, that's cute. >> mona lisa, hey. >> they're going to answer these big questions, like, is the selfie art? and why do we disdain selfies? i love this. this is good. hover the producer was on this segment. good for you. >> now, i mean, when in rome, right? >> you're going to do it? >> we have to do it. >> i definitely think there is an art to taking a selfie. >> an art? i hope i don't disappoint you, gio. >> this one's not going in the museum. okay? oh, oh. she did that rapid fire thing. >> is that the technique? >> i think that works. oh, look at this one.

we don't have the earth in the background of our selfie. >> mirror bathroom pics are headlining the selfie museum. over to a man in south africa making headlines not for a selfie but for this video. he was seen with a bull elephant here, who charges him multiple times. watch as he does not move. >> that's amazing. >> so this happened more than once. the guy's name is alan mcsmith. and all he does is calmly walk toward the elephant and uses a stick to veer him off. he says this kind of thing shows how complex these animals are and how they can have a meaningful relationship with you if you keep your calm. >> that is beautiful. >> you first. you can keep calm if those circumstances. an elephant charging me, i don't think calm is my state of mind. the dolphin high-five.

here we go. with his dorsal fin. let's do it. there we go. >> high-five. >> frank, can you do it?

this morning on "world news now," passengers get a scare when their plane skids around on an icy runway. travel is expected to be a challenge for millions on the roads today as well. we'll tell you the trouble spots in the forecast coming up. and just one day after north korea tells the u.s. it's dreaming if it expects them to give up their nuclear weapons, the north korean regime has a new defiant message as it claims america is trying to stir up tensions. frp and new this half hour. the incredible coincidence for a hug and wife. each of them helping strangers in trouble. >> pulling off those heroic rescues while th