making news in america this morning, extreme conditions. after nearly 6 feet of snow in some areas -- >> coming in up time fast than we can keep up with it. >> prepare for the polar plunge. cold setting in. the areas expecting to see the worst conditions for new year's eve. tax scramble. new guidance from the irs as people scramble to pay their bills by the end of the year before the new tax law takes effect. so who will it benefit, and how much could you save? new details about how a passenger with a ticket on a different airline managed to get on board this flight from los angeles to tokyo.

over the pacific. what caused the confusion and what the crew failed to do. a new device gets the green light to forever change the way you charge your cell phone. and lottery fever. the big news about the big jackpot overnight, and the glitch that had lottery players in one state thinking they had won. and we do say good morning, everybody. i have to tell you this week's arctic blast was a movie franchise, this would be the bigger, badder sequel right now. >> cold temperatures and icy windchills are gripping many states around the country. it will feel like 30 degrees below zero in some parts. >> that follows record snowfall. more than 65 inches in one area, a state of emergency now in effect where it used to snow, but not like this.

the conditions will get worse. >> reporter: just one week into winter and the bitter cold is tightening its grip on much of the country. >> it's freezing. i feel like icicles are hitting my face. >> reporter: as people are under a state of emergency after seeing a record 62 inches of snow while firefighters in jefferson county work to rescue a woman trapped in this home. in erie and parts of northwestern pennsylvania, 60 inches of snow, but encouraged by forecast that the worst is over. residents of one massachusetts town frustrated their streets haven't been plowed since the christmas day storm. >> it's not good because we're all done. >> reporter: dealing with the arctic blast, in minneapolis where the thermometer read minus 4, turning it into a frosty ice scape, and the coast guard working to break up ice in green bay. all this arctic weather has some people looking to esce

>> i looked for last-minute flights for new year's and it's outrageous. hopeless. >> reporter: but planes skidded off runways in indiana and in pittsburgh. driving is also treacherous. icy roads responsible for more than 40 accidents in kansas city alone. todd ant, abc news, new york. we will have a closer look at today's forecast coming up in just a few minutes. first, we're following breaking news out of russia where the president there, vladimir putin said an explosion was indeed a terrorist attack. at least 13 people were injured and the device contained the equivalent of 200 grams of tnt, and was rigged with shrapnel. there was no immediate claim of responsibility, and putin called president trump to thank him for a tip that prevented a terror attack in that same city. roy moore is going to court to challenge his election defeat. we learned overnight moore has fid

certification of those results. he claims several experts have found voting regularities, and moore took a polygraph test meaning that the allegations against him are false. even after the republican party and president trump congratulated doug jones for winning the race. president trump's legal team is reportedly shifting to a new strategy in the russia investigation. when it comes to former national security adviser, michael flynn. authorities tell "the washington post," they plan to depict flynn as a liar if he accuses the president or his top aides of wrongdoing. flynn is now cooperating with special counsel mueller's russia probe. people around the country are scrambling to prepay their taxes to save thousands of dollars after the new tax law that was signed into effect takes effect. th

released new guidance, and it turns out saving money on your 2018 taxes right now, might be more complicated than a lot of people thought. >> reporter: the new tax law brings into effect rules for millions of americans. >> i'm very upset with how it will affect the value of our home. >> reporter: people in new york, new jersey and california are rushing to pay taxes early to take advantage of deductions that will soon disappear. it limits deductions for state and local taxes, and property taxes capping them at $10,000. accountants say some taxpayers may get a larger deduction this year, but the irs has a message for those rushing to pay those taxes before the new rules take effect. not so fast. in a post on its website, the irs says paying those taxes ahead of time could work, but only under limited circumstances. to qualify for the extra deduction this year, property

taxes not only need to be paid in 2017, but they must be assessed in 2017, which means anyone paying on estimated assessments may be out of luck. >> in the last two days, we have probably had over 1,000 folks. >> reporter: they are encouraging residents to look at state and local tax deductions. andrew cuomo signed an executive order paving the way to pre-pay their property taxes. that could be a risky strategy for some. many pay theirs into an escrow account, and the tax payments they report to the irs will differ from those reported by their banks. it's really simple. so republicans do insist that the tax law will benefit the middle class. they say americans will start seeing bigger paychecks starting in february. in the meantime, this could help pay your taxes. the powerball jackpot is growing this morning because there was no big winner last night. saturday's jackpot is now looking

$384 million, but if you can't wait that long, check out tomorrow's megamillions jackpot worth $306 million. >> to win them both. time to look at your weather this thursday morning. >> good morning. it is going to be a dangerously cold start to the day and going throughout the day as well. we're talking about real cold temperatures that will be well below zero throughout a good chunk of the northeast. that combination of very cold air along with gusty winds. the northwest active as well with slippery travel over the higher terrain, and also some travel delays along the 5. we venture into new year's eve, and the cold continues throughout the northeast with winter weather well to the south. i'm justin povick with your winter weather forecast. coming up right here, the search for a dangerous inmate. how he escaped

shower. also, what's to blame for a power outage that left people stranded on dissnyland rides during that busy week. and the new device that can charge your device from across the

times square is all dressed up for new year's eve. workers have secured nearly 300 waterford crystal triangles to the ball that will drop at mind, and they are promising more curt for the party including sharp shooters to protect against a las vegas concert-style attacks. this is not stopping visitors. 6 million tourists are expected, 10% more than last year. speaking of vegas, new year's security is stepped up in vegas in the aftermath of the shooting on the strip.

more than 1,500 police officers will be patrolling the streets. the national guard is also doubling its presence there, and more than 4,000 crowd-controlling barricades will be placed around the strip to protect pedestrians. we have new details now on a mysterious quadruple murder being described as an act of savagery. the bodies of two women and two children were discovered in new york. police say the women ages 36 and 22 were in a relationship. a 5-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy found in the apartment were one of the women's children. police say the killings were not random. and police in the southeast are searching for an inmate who made a daring escape from jail. christopher carroll used a medal rod to break through the shower in a jail south of atlanta. authorities say he slid through a hole and drove off in a stolen truck. he was in custody for driving a stolen car and trying to steal an officer's weapon. he was spotted in a swamp

the border in south carolina. power has been restored in disneylan disneyland. it affected toontown, and dozens of rides including the monorail. they escorted people off the rides there in orange county. for the first time, the fcc has approved a device that can charge your cell phone and other electronics from a distance. the charging transmitter that works up to 3 feet away. it uses radio fre consequences and charges your device regardless of the manufacturer, and it's the only wireless charger that does not have to touch the device it's powering up. >> what up? >> what up? >> watt. cop up, the glitch that cold lottery players that were winners, but they weren't. and new details about how the wrong passenger got on board a flight from los angeles to tokyo, forcing the plane to turn around over the pacific.

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fast. so you can play on. theraflu expressmax. new power. watch your foot! watch your foot. watch your foot. watch your foot, sir. >> these milwaukee police officers being called heroes for saving two teens trapped inside a burning car. they were pursuing another vehicle when they saw the car cross a median and crash into a pole. the teens were taken to the hospital for treatment. the driver was cited for failure to yield and reckless driving. a pilot had to make a u-turn four hours into its flight from los angeles to tokyo. >> the crew realized there was an unauthorized passenger on board. he turned out to be the brother of another passenger, and a boarding pass may have been scanned twice, and now the airline could be fined. abc's matt gutman with the new

investigating how a pair of brothers with a single boarding pass got on flight 175 from los angeles to tokyo. the mistake only detected 2,000 miles into the flight when a head count revealed the extra passenger. you can see the flight's boomerang path and hooking right back to l.a.x. arriving just after 7:30. the flight sequestered a secure part of the airport, and they discovered brothers with nearly identical names allegedly used the same boarding pass, and one did have a legitimate ticket for the flight, while the other had a ticket to tokyo also, but with a partner airline, united. >> thank you so much for taking me on this awesome vacation, babe. >> welcome to los angeles. >> reporter: one of the passengers on board, a very bemused supermodel, chrissy teigen.

husband, john legend tweeting, why did we all get punished for this one person's mistake? why not just land in tokyo and send the other person back? how is this the better idea, you ask? we all have the same questions. the airline partially answering that question in a statement as part of the airline's security procedure. the pilot in command decided to return to the originating airport where the passenger was disemba disembarked. the fbi still hasn't decided whether or not to press charges against these two brothers, but facing stiff questions will be the airline. ana still has to answer how it allowed a passenger on board with a duplicate boarding card, and why it didn't conduct an accurate head count while the passengers on board before the flight was well under way. the airline could face some significant fines. matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. >> matt, thank you. the miss america pageant is looking to shape its future with help from its past. it will list former

winners to help select new leaders for the organization. in e-mails published last week, officials ridiculed the appearance, intellect and even sex lives of former winners. several top leaders resigned, including the executive director and president. officials in south carolina have some explaining to do. many people who played the state's at a play game thought they had won the top prize of $500, but when they went to claim it, they got an error message. lottery officials said a computer glitch caused more people to win than should have been allowed. but that explanation is not sitting well with those holding a winning ticket. >> christmas is here. it's really here, you know what i'm saying? so i mean -- and i couldn't believe that i won. >> my reaction was, it was unbelievable which turned out to be a true lie. >> the error is under investigation. lottery officials are telling people who played game during a two-hour period monday to hang onto their tickets until more information is

and four more college football bowl games -- i can't say it. football bowl games. i said it right. they are scheduled. last night it was texas against missouri in the texas bowl. >> the longhorns never trailed and they used trickery on their last touchdown of the game. the texas coach gets the gatorade bath here after a 33-16 victory. >> purdue also brought out the tricks, faking a kneeldown at the end of the first half against arizona. i love it. the boilermakers scored the first touchdown thanks to a great touch, and they win 38-35. up next, the most admired man of 2017. also coming up, the dramatic scene inside a grocery store when a pregnant woman goes into labor and the store employees jump right into action. and the first trailer for

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otc weight loss aid, try alli®. ♪ we should make that our theme song. >> i look it. >> time to check the pulse, and the new promo for "the roseanne" reboot is talking about how to deal with the death of dan. >> or not. it was revealed he died of a heart attack in the show, but john goodman is joining the cast in the revival, so it looks like dan may be alive after all. >> you watching another game? >> you know what? i played football. if you got a concussion, you went right back in the game. it didn't hurt any of us. there was no long-term damage. >> dan, you're watching

>> so the revival premieres march 27th here on abc. maybe we'll get a better sense of how they bring him back to life. >> once you're out, you can't come back. that's how it should work. poking a little fun at themselves. many preschoolers may look forward to fingerpainting, but one 3-year-old is showing off a different skill set. >> yes. so this little girl is a makeup artist and like many others in their field, she offers tutorials online applying eye shadow, mascara, blush like an expert. >> many people on social media are krcriticizing her mom sayin she won't feel beautiful without makeup. she says, some kids love painting and drawing, but her daughter prefers eye shadow palettes. >> she is doing a much better job than i would do with

makeup. >> kendis would like tips. that list is not me. >> the poll has president trump in second place. pope francis is in third, and most admired woman was again, hillary clinton. and how do you make an audience with the pope even more memorable? how about dressing like a giant polar bear? >> pope francis welcomed a circus troop, completely dressed in polar bear suits. >> the bears stole the show dev fairfax county... eight people sent to the hospital after a late night chase & crash. it all began when a man assaulted a toddler at a home on autumn drive. police say a man then stole a car and took off, then crashing into a truck. police say he then assaulted the

and then stole the truck. officers caught up with the suspect and began a chase carrying over to centreville and frying pan roads. that's when the suspect ran a stop light slamming into a van carrying seven passengers. a juvenile was thrown from the car and has since been taken to the hospital in critical condition. noone else was seriously injured. as for the suspect, he ran from the crash scene on foot and was eventually arrested after altercation. one officer was injured... his injuries aren't listed as serious. the man's name has yet to be released... he faces multiple charges. this is an ongoing investigation still happening at this hour. stay tuned to g-m-w for the latest throughout the morning. good morning washington. toss to eileen toss to eileen

- dangerous cold this morning; single digits chills - few snow showers saturday - coldest new year's in decades - subfreezing temperatures to ring in 2018 today: sunny and very cold. highs: 24-27 winds: nw 5-10 mph tonight: partly to mostly cloudy. lows: 13-21 winds: n 5 mph friday: am clouds. pm sun. remaining unseasonably cold. highs: 33-38 winds: sw to nw 5 mph

warning about a big d.c. police are warning about a big

thefts. there's been a recent rise in such crimes in northwest d.c.'s second district. that area stretches from georgetown to friendship heights. police say many of the cars that were stolen were left unlocked. some had spare keys that were left inside the car. during the last 30 days, 17 vehicles have been stolen in northwest d.c.'s second district. that's more than double the amount during the same period last year. right now.. police believe a vehicle break-in is what led to a deadly shooting in chillum, maryland. and they're trying to determine if the shooter's actions were justified. police believe deontae parker and another man tried to break into a vehicle on sligo parkway early tuesday morning. authorities say the vehicle's owner fatally shot parker from inside his home. the shooter's daughter called 9-1-1. parker was

parker was pronounced dead shortly after the shooting. neighbors say several children were inside the house at the time of the incident. detectives are now consulting with the state's attorney's office to determine if the homeowner should be charged. police say -- they plan to charge the 17-year-old... accused of killing a reston couple - once he's released from the hospital. that teen remains in critical condition. police say -- he shot buckley and scott fricker, early friday... before turning the gun on himself. the couple had apparently been trying to keep him away from their teenage daughter -- who he was dating... saying he was dangerous. new developments in the christmas eve shooting of two loudoun county deputies. a judge postponed yesterday's arraignment of douglas johnson, until early february. the deputies were wounded - while responding to a fight, between a father and his teenage daughter. the deputies suffered serious - but non-life threatening injuries. the f-b-i says it will not take over the investigation into the murder of a baltimore police detective. baltimore police had asked the feds

but the fbi refused, saying there is no evidence his death is connected to a probe into corruption within the department, or any other federal case. still -- the agency says it will offer any assistance it can. it's xx and we're just getting started. good morning washington. - dangerous cold this morning; single digits chills - few snow showers saturday - coldest new year's in decades - subfreezing temperatures to ring in 2018 today: sunny and very cold. highs: 24-27 winds: nw 5-10 mph tonight: partly to mostly cloudy. lows: 13-21