making news in america this morning, six feet of snow, that's not possible near the great lakes. >> a lot of snow. >> as the deadly record-setting weather pattern bears down on tens of millions of americans, this morning, just how cold it will get and why it could be days before relief. fbi purge, as president trump lashes out against the bureau. security crackdown, the changes in times square in the quake of terror attacks in new york city. junk food

obesity rate soaring, one father goes to court to protect his son. and down the road again, not on cars but on motorcycles, what's being done to reverse a downhill trend. ♪ from abc news in new york, this is "america this morning." good morning to you all, i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm ron claiborne in nor kendis gibson. it's hard to imagine what six feet of snow looks like but that soon could be the reality in some areas east of the great lakes. yeah, in addition to that snowfall, dangerous cold air stretching and temperatures dipping in and in boston, more on the extreme conditions. >> reporter: whiteout

creating white knuckle driving across the center of the country, from erie, pennsylvania, victims of the cold weather. 4.5 feet of snow fell in 36 hours. >> it was higher than the snowboards. and interstate 80 backed up for miles, lake-effect snow has left buffalo buried. >> i could only do about 20 miles an hour. >> reporter: while in massachusetts, and it's not just snow. in illinois, those subzero temperatures stopping locals' winter plans. >> we wanted to go icie skating we tried. it's really gold. >> reporter: it meant no fun. >> we don't want any concussions. >> reporter: in duluth, minnesota, temperatures hit 21 degrees below zero with windchill of minus 44, causing steam and fog to rise off

lake superior. bone-chilling air and winter whiteout sent cars spinning off roadways. >> lost control, did a 360, hit a car in the next lane and ended up here. >> reporter: in kansas, at least four people died after sliding offer the road. >> parts of the northeast are bracing for up to six feet of snow. meteorologists warn with the windchill frostbite is possible in as little as 30 minutes, diane, ron. >> serena, thanks for that. we'll have a closer look at the forecast in just a few minutes. and major cities are suing the pentagon over the failure of background checks to helps to screen people who buy guns. mayors of new york and san francisco are calling on officials to make a change to that system that allowed the killer to slip through the cracks. the killer had a record that disqualified him from buying a gun but the air force failed to alert the fbi.

the justice department, and some perpetrators were not properly disciplined and still allowed to receive bonuses. some complaints good against senior officials including top attorneys accused of groping. the inspector general is calling for high-level action to address the issue. president trump has returned to twitter to make a bold new prediction about health care, but this morning, he's also criticizing the fbi as one congressman calls for, quote, purge. >> reporter: president trump was back to work joined by a georgia senator and two pro golfers put bs he lit the links he also hit twitter to speak out about that russian dossier. the dossier was a subject of report on fox news just before the president's tweet. >> dossier we have long known is bogus.

tweeted, wow, dossier is bogus, clinton campaign, dnc funded dossier, fbi cannot after all of this time verify claims in dossier. andrew mccabe accusing him of bias after the an ally donated.d and the president is asking how mccabe could be given 700,000s for his wife ace campaign by clinton puppets. a gop congressman take the allegations a step further claiming the fbi and justice department are, quote, offer the rails and calling for a purge of the so-called deep state. >> i would like to see the directors of the agency purge it and say look, we're got a lot of great agents, a lot of great lawyers here. those are the people i'd like to see and know the work is being done. >> reporter: the congressman

discredit special counsel mueller's investigation. meanwhile, president trump is out with a bold prediction following the repeal of the individual mandate in the tax bill, he said that democrats and republicans will eventually come together and develop a great new health plan. but with midterm elections less than a year away, some say that's doubt fulful. >> the entire constituency is sending a message don't cooperate. and russia is offering to serve as a mediator in the nuclear standoff between the u.s. and north korea. some say vladimir putin appear to look more presidential in the runup to the election year. through the diplomatic channels at

on the two leaders of north korea's weapons program. meanwhile, there are new concerns about anthrax on the korean peninsula. after a soldier who defected from the north was immune to anthrax. a local media report with anthrax in his body raising concerns and south korea does not have a vaccine. and new york city is taking steps to protect times square. with two terror attacks, police say parking garages will get extra scrutiny along with locations that rent trucks. city officials do emphasize, though, that no credible threat has been found. and authorities in toledo, ohio, have now charged four teenagers with murder. after the teens threw a sand bag hitting a man in a car below on interstate 75. that man died friday. the four suspects are between the age of 13 and 14 years of age. time now to take a look at your weather forecast on this wednesday morning.

good morning. dangerous lake-effect snow, lake erie and ontario, we've actually had 60 inches off of lake erie alone and more on.way. harsh cold dropping the windchill to 40 below or worse. widespread rain is going to cause problems along i-10, i-20 and perhaps icing. and for the midwest, more snow throughout montana courtesy of arctic air that's going to smack with an abundance of moisture. i'm accuweather's paul williams. coming up, how a fruitcake, yes, a fruitcake, caused a security scare, shutting down a ferry terminal. >> all right. also ahead, a flight from los angeles to tokyo forced to turn around midflight. how an

the mega millions jackpot is on the rise again after no big winner last night. friday's jackpot will be worth $306 million. tonight's powerball is stilted at $370 million. an unconventional draw to der the winner of a virginia house seat is postponed. legislates are picking a name by a bowl. democrat shelly simonds is challenge dhag result aand is a court to declare her a winner. macy's, jcpenney,

nordstrom's all up, holiday sales up 3% compared to last season. the trend of buying online and picking up gifts in the store, gave a boost to those traditional retailers as well. and the tree on the white house grounded that shaded presidents for a generation is coming down. a large portion of the magnolia tree outside the white house is too weak to survive and has been deemed a safety risk. the tree was planted by andrew jackson in 1835 and has been supported by steel poles in recent years. the partial removal will take place this week while the first family is away. all right. from a tree to an abandoned fruitcake that caused chaos and shutting down a ferry terminal. it all started safer a suspicious package spotted under a christmas tree. authorities say the terminal was evacuated as a precaution. normal operations resumed after the bomb squad

only a fruitcake. and a new study whether vitamin supplements are worth the price. also coming up, the rescue efforts after a man gets trapped inside a garbage truck. and the new push to get people to ride motorcycles once again. who wants a taco? i want one! me! how do ya'll feel about the new weight watchers freestyle program? i love freestyle. you can have anything you want. it's real food. it's so much easier going out to eat now. it feels great. you are living dangerously! i'm living freestyle. here's to freestyle! freestyle! the new weight watchers freestyle program has over 200 foods that are zero points. now you can count less and enjoy more. join for free and lose 10 pounds on us. hurry, offer ends january 8th.

i used to have more hair. i used to have more color. and ... i used to have cancer. i beat it. i did. not alone. i used to have no idea what the american cancer society did. research? yeah. but also free rides to chemo and free lodging near hospitals. i used to maybe give a little. then i got so much back. ... i used to have cancer. please give at cancer.org. hey hgood, how was practice? must have been hot out there today, huh? yeah yeah- why don't you go put that stuff in the laundry room right now? okay. do your athletes bring home big odors? tide sport is super

hey buddy! hey oooh- somebody ran laps! yeah. the new tide sport collection- it's got to be tide we're black with new video, the fireball in the night sky over parts of new england. people are mesmerized in the sighting in social media but it was likely a meteor. three cars involved in the crash the eerie light show caused widespread confusion in southern california as well but what a sight. >> i'm surprised it wasn't more widespread than that. a weird thing to see in the sky. in medical news, researchers are shutting new light on supplements that millions of americans take every day. they say calcium and

pills do not seem to prevent bone breakage in those over the age of 50. some experts say certain people do need added calcium and vitamin d. it's best to check your doctor before making any changes. an 8-year-old is recovering at a hospital after falling through a frozen pond after chasing a dog. he fell through about 20 feet from shore. luckily aaron thompson was there and did not hesitate to get under the ice. >> i just started using my hands and my fists just pounding on the ice to break the ice to get out to where he was. >> i was calling out to the boy just in desperate hope that i could find him. >> i couldn't touch the bottom, but i could feel the reef brushing against my feet. i knew i had a good chance if i stayed in that area. >> he did find the boy, rushed

he was treated for hypothermia. and it was a different kind of rescue in el paso. workers had to pull a man out of a trash truck. for some reason, he was standing over a residential trash truck that was picked up with an automated arm and dumped. the man is expected to recover. some fishing expeditions were more exciting than anybody expected. the great white shark was circling. a woman said her kids loved. they asked to be brought to dry land. and offer the coast of the south carolina a great white shark kept circling a charter boat. the captain thinks the shark was looking for dead whales and may have mistaken his boat. and his passengerses were thrilled. >> time for sports. college football bowl games, easy for you to say, on the

>> let's get some nba action before that from espn. >> good morning. good morning, people. i'm neal, we're doing highlights. this is the suns and grizzlies. so the suns are going to lose the game -- they're going to go to overtime, excuse me. what was the point? how many seconds left? hardly any time, jay triano charged it up. and throws it to tyson chandler, suns win it at the buzzer, 99 to 97. that was freaky. missing a game because of knee soreness, knee looks fine.

don't need that. no more chocolate. and 28 minutes it wasn't about the freak, it was about the bulls, man. they win it 115-106. i'm sucking in my gut right now, that's all i have. >> we are, too. the selfie that most football fans never thought they would say, patriots tom brady and james harrison. >> the former pittsburgh steeler signed in a one-year deal by new england. he said, finally a teammate who's older than me talking about tom brady althouwho is 40 old. and one father's legal battle to stop the plight of junk food. and why a plane ended up back at its destination. and i take trulicity once a week

se it, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it comes in a once-weekly, truly easy-to-use pen. the pen where you don't have to see or handle a needle. and it works 24/7. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take trulicity if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, if you have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you're allergic to trulicity. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or symptoms like itching, rash, or trouble breathing. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your risk for low blood sugar. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting,

decreased appetite, and indigestion. some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. to help lower my a1c i choose trulicity to activate my within. ask your doctor if once-weekly trulicity is right for you. ♪ ♪ anif you've got a lifee. you gotta swiffer

time to check "the pulse." starting with twitter traffic overnight about a flight heading from l.a. to tokyo forced to make a u-turn and go bax to l.a.x. because of what the airline calls an unauthorized person on board. >> yeah, it appears the passenger had a ticket on a different airline and somehow boarded the wrong plane just before takeoff. model chrissy teigen was on the plane with her husband singer john legend. she tweeted a flying first, four hours into an 11-hour flight and we are turning around because we have a passenger who isn't supposed to be on the plane. >> and the passenger tweeted his first tweet on the plane, my first tweet can't be more epic than this,

flight. and the dramatic increase in number of tweets before the collection began. also the factor of limit to 280 characters. >> the tweets will be preserved. selective tweets will still be collected based mostly on special events like elections. diabetes is on the rise everywhere, especially in india where obesity is on the rise. >> percentage of indians overweight or obese is almost triple. and that's alarming to a former marketing executive. so he's suing the sale of junk food around schools. he filed the lawsuit seven years ago. >> it hasn't resulted in any laws or regulations, but the food processing companies say they're making the foods healthier no longer marketing to children. the fight goes on. >> if goes on for quite some time. and finally a

harley-davidson to attract customers. they're putting a new emphasis on teaching people to right. >> harley is offering riding lessons and safety courses at more of its dealership. the move is driven by changing demographics. >> harley sales are dropping. people are getting older. they're not riding motorcycle as much. the young ones are not getting in on the trend. nearly half of motorcycle riders are over 50 years. harley believes if more people learn how to ride safely, they'll be riders for life. you know thosegood wednesday morning, thanks for waking up with us to start your december 27-th... here are some top stories to get you started. a pair of homicide investigations underway this morning after two bodies are found dead in the one in the district... the other in maryland. we have the latest details straight ahead. plus tru

ready ahead of another blistering cold day in our area. we have advisories in effect right now. our storm-watch seven team has everything you need to know before you head out the door. good morning washington. toss to josh winter weather advisory until 11am for frederick, montgomery, and loudoun counties - isolated early morning slick spots with flurries/light snow showers (nothing falling as of this writing -- very dry air to overcome) - cold is the big weather story across much of the country; including the dmv - arctic blast to ring in new year's (sub-freezing temperatures!) today: isolated flurries, snow showers early. clouds give way to sun. cold and breezy. highs: 29-33 winds: nw 5-15 mph tonight: mainly clear

lows: 12-18 winds: nw 5-15 mph thursday: partly cloudy. unseasonably cold. highs: 25-29 winds: nw 5-10 mph we begin with a few homicide investigations

overnight. this is the scene of bryant street in northeast where a man has died after being shot multiple times. the incident happened just before three this morning. the man was found inside a home. right now police are searching for the shooter. police in prince george's county are also investigating after a man was found shot to death inside a car in largo. this happened in the area of capital lane and capital court. authorities say it is a homicide investigation. no suspect has been arrested. still no arrest made after two juvenile boys were shot last

monroe elementary school on wander street. both boys were alert when parademics arrived to the scene and were taken to a hospital. their conditions are unknown at this time. right now, d-c police are searching for this man -- described as a "person of interest" connected to a deadly shooting in southeast over the weekend. police found 22-year-old maleak coffin unconscious saturday inside a vehicle on martin luther king junior avenue in southeast. he was pronounced dead yesterday at a local hospital. a security camera captured this man running away and at one point even shooting-- your asked to call police if you have any information that may lead to an arrest. it's xx and we're just getting started. good morning washington. winter weather advisory until 11am for frederick, montgomery, and loudoun counties - isolated early morning slick spots with flurries/light

falling as of this writing -- very dry air to overcome) - cold is the big weather story across much of the country; including the dmv - arctic blast to ring in new year's (sub-freezing temperatures!) today: isolated flurries, snow showers early. clouds give way to sun. cold and breezy. highs: 29-33 winds: nw 5-15 mph tonight: mainly clear and cold. lows: 12-18 winds: nw 5-15 mph thursday: partly cloudy. unseasonably cold. highs: 25-29 winds: nw 5-10 mph

back to that cold snap hitting our area