this morning on "world news now," breaking news. at least 12 people are dead as fire rips through a new york apartment building. >> crews battling the frigid conditions, a 1-year-old is monday the victims. also losing the battle. why judge roy moore's attempt to stay alive in alabama's senate race has failed despite his claims of election fraud. apple apologizes. the company's mea culpa in the controversy over slowing down certain iphones and the new discount it's offering to smooth things over with customers. and the wild escape. a man fleeing police takes a

we'll tell you how it ends up. it's friday, december 29th. from abc news, this is "world news now." yeah, it is the last friday in 2017. >> the year's almost over. >> it is almost over. the new year's upon us. what a tragedy to end the year and begin the new year for a family here in the new york area. fire spreading through an apartment building in the bronx. >> at least 12 people are dead, including a 1-year-old. three of the victims are from the same family. the fire broke out on the first floor of the five-storey building. >> so dozens of screaming residents raced out of the building into the frigid temperatures. those temperatures in the teens as some ran out wearing only sandals. new york city's mayor calling it the worst fire in the city's, in decades. >> tis

tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century, based on the information we have now, this will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years. >> at least six other people are injured. four of them critically. there's no immediate word on what caused that fire. apart from 9/11, this is snorne york city's deadliest fire since a social club fire in 1990. more than 200 million americans are feeling the deep freeze this morning. >> temperatures are plunging into record blows in the upper plains and parts of new england. we've even heard reports of below 40 degree -- or 40 below zero. >> yikes. >> abc's alex perez shows us the hardest-hit areas. >> reporter: 200 million americans bun

toe. that dangerous cold snap gripping more than half the country. from the northeast where temperatures are 15-30 degrees below normal. freezing fountains in philadelphia and new york. to chicago at midway airport, it was too cold to fly. more than80 flights canceled. >> no solutions or anything like that. >> reporter: officials warning the cold could be deadly, especially for the very young and very old. >> extreme weather is more than an inconvenience, it's a life-threatening event. >> reporter: shelters overflowing with people trying to escape frigid temperatures. the arctic temps shattering record after record. 17 below zero in flint, michigan, 32 below in watertown, new york. and in cotton, minnesota, an unbearable 41 below zero. >> it feels like your skin is going to be on fire. >> reporter: it is colder in cotton than in parts of siberia. meanwhile

plow drivers trying to plow through five feet of snow. this man had to hire a plow to unbury his car. the first time he could leave his house in three days. how bad was it? >> it was bad. you couldn't see anything. >> reporter: back breaking work for chuck, the day spent pushing the snowblower clearing his home, the sixth time this week. >> getting snowfalls like this are not that uncommon, but it's just the quantity we got this time was completely unexpected. >> reporter: crews have been working non-stop to try to clear the snow, truck after truck dumping their load. some of these piles are 12 feet high and now another winter storm watch and some spots could see an additional foot of snow on top of all this. alex

president trump is addressing the frigid conditions with a snarky comment appearing to question climate change. >> he tweeted in the east it could be the coldest new year's eve on record. perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old global warming that our country, but not other countries, was going to pay trillions of dollars to protect against. bundle up. i guess that's warm thoughts from the president in the end. bundle up. let's get a look at the forecast now. >> here's accuweather's justin povick. >> we're attracting snow. the could have an inch our two around chicago. where you sigh the blue there could be slippery travel. and of course the major cold that continues. active in the northwest as well, soaking rains from seattle to portland. icy mixture and over a foot of snow over the mountainous terrain as we get toward new year's eve, big-time cold continuing to cover much of the eastern

accuweather forecast. we turn now to the election battle in alabama. democrat doug jones will be sworn in wednesday after a last-minute lawsuit from opponent roy moore failed. a judge has now rejected moore's request to block certification of the senate election results. abc's stephanie ramos has the details. >> reporter: republican roy moore is still digging into voter fraud claims, even after democrat doug jones was officially declared the winner in that contentious alabama special election. >> this has been a very close race and we are awaiting confirmation from the secretary of state. >> reporter: he didn't concede after the race and he's not now, saying election fraud experts have agreed that this is a fraudulent election. but even republican election officials debunking that claim. >> that question's been eliminated from anyone's thought and mind, period. >> reporter: and a judge agreed, tossing out moore's last-ditch lawsuit to stop

in that complaint, moore also claims he passed a polygraph test about the sexual misconduct accusations that derailed his campaign. however, the campaign offering no details to cnn. >> he didn't know any of these women and he never conducted, engaged in sexual misconduct, what a surprise. it's not. >> reporter: u.s. senator-elect jones who won by more than 21,000 votes is set to be sworn in on january 3rd. this isn't over yet. moore has less than 48 hours to file an official petition to contest the election. he would, though, have to pay for it himself, and that could cost more than $1 million. stephanie ramos, abc news, capitol hill. senator al franken is thanking supporters as he prepares to officially step down next week following multiple allegations of sexual harassment. he made it clear that he will continue to fight for what he believes in. >> i may be leaving the senate, but i'm not

[cheers and applause] we still have a lot of work to do together on issues ranging from net knneutrality to climat change. >> his voice cracked a bit as he thanked his wife. he said serving in the senate is the honor of his life. a shuttle van plowed onto a crowded sidewalk during a busy lunch hour. at least six people were injured. it also crashed into a gap store sending pieces of glass flying. the driver had a medical emergency. police say there are no signs that this was deliberate. an escape attempt by a suspect came to a watery end in oregon, and it was all caught on video. >> this happened north of portland. police say the person driving that red pickup truck was wanted for trespassing. he tried to get away and drove right into the columbia river. >> let's not forget it's cold right

>> yes. >> it didn't end there. he decided he would try to swim from police but came to his wits and swam back to them and was eventually arrested. just so you know, it was a three and a half-mile swim. >> it would have been, to get away? >> yeah. that's a strong swimmer if you can do that, he probably would not have made it. >> very good technique on getting out alive of that vehicle. you know, you can teach matt gutman some skills right there. >> looking at the positive. coming up, apple's big apology, the discount the company's now offering after it revealed why it slowed down so many older iphones. also coming up, remembering a legendary actress whose career spanned nine decades, including her time on the dick van dyke show. and be lure to find us on wnnfans.com and twitter @abcwnn. you're watching world enoughs now.

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rose marie has passed away. a single woman holding her own with the guys in the office. >> after the show ended in 1966 she continued to appear regularly on television, including her stint on the original "hollywood squares." rosemarie was 94 years old. apple admitted slowing down older iphones without customers' knowledge. >> and now the company is apologizing and revealing a new discount all of a sudden. marci gonzalez with the details. >> reporter: apple responding to complaints and backlash after acknowledging it intentionally slows down older model iphones, the world's most valuable company now says we know that some of you feel that apple has let you down. we apologize. the tech giant calling it all a miscommunication, saying about a year ago it

software to intentionally slow functionality during peak work loads to avoid unintended shutdowns, insisting it was never to force consumers to upgrade their phones. >> the battery lasted me a day and a half, now half a day. they made the battery wear out a whole lot faster. >> reporter: now multiple class action lawsuits have been filed here in the u.s. while agencies in south korea, france and israel are also examining claims be against apple. one suit alleges customers were never given the opportunity to bargain or choose whether they ran slower than usual. there will also be a software update allowing users to check the health of their iphone's battery. marci gone saul izalez, abc new angeles. >> we always knew, didn't we?

there with their popcorn going, uh-huh, we knew. >> poching the wine. coming up, the bombshell revelation surrounding the dr. phil talk show, helping them get alcohol and drugs before the program. with 2017 coming to an end, we look into the future, and the future is now. the hottest gadgets and trends next on "world news now." i tried hard to quit smoking. but when we brought our daughter home, that was it. now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. every great why needs a great how. i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. oughs)! 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.

♪ i know, i want to head bang, but my hair is a little bit of a helmet. they may say there's no future, but i think we've come a long way. >> it will soon being 18 years since the world feared the demise. >> the end. >> y2k. thankfully we survived. and we're improving.

>> reporter: this year president trump announced plans to send men back to the moon. >> we will not only plant our flag and leave a footprint but establish a foundation for an eventual mission to mars. >> research should always be a priority. it's something that unites us globally in terms of figuring out what's out there. >> reporter: that was one of many windows into the future we learned about in 2017. forget gridlock. entrepreneur elon musk says he can take us 700 miles per hour. when you get so fed up driving your tesla in traffic, he started dreaming about the hyperloop. this year his company performed its first high-scale test. the hope that it can take you to l.a. to san francisco in 90 minutes. maybe the answer to our road worries are in the air. >> i think the dream of the flying c

>> reporter: this celebrity pioneer car is the world's first legal flying car on sale. it will take you and a friend from three wheels to no wheels, flying at 100 miles per hour. first models are available next year starting at around $600,000. it has approval in europe, but no word yet whether these models will be flying off the shelves in the u.s. >> i think i would do a flying car provided that it didn't fly too high. i don't want to do clouds and stuff, but maybe three-story buildings. >> a self-driving car has better reaction time than you do. you can have an entire freeway of self-drive cars going 200 miles per hour, five feet distance from each other. you want to switch lanes? you tell the other car you want to switch lanes and they open up. >> reporter: they offer driverless rides in mini vans, and in las vegas, a french

company offers drievleverless r. it had one accident and the human was deemed to be at fault. a minor bump in the road, but this year facial recognition got a rollout for the masses. users now unlock their iphone 10 simply by looking at it. in clintohina, customers can us their face to pay for kentucky fried chicken dinners. >> your face is on the receipt! >> reporter: remember this robot from avatar? meet reality. the method ii robot will soon be ready to go to work in dangerous environments. >> giant robots, that's a great idea, when has that ever gone wrong? >> i'm glad you

>> i want to be nice to our new robot overlords. i don't want to be stomped underfoot. >> reporter: with more personality, there's sophia. she became the first robot to receive citizenship of a country, saudi arabia. >> i am very honored and proud for this unique distinction. >> reporter: and a guest appearance on late night television. >> this is my first date. i'm already nervous around a robot. >> maybe i should host the show. >> stay in your lane, girl. >> reporter: then there's robo dog. >> there are real dogs that need us. rescue a real dog. don't pay thousands for a fake one. >> reporter: it doesn't need walks or leave a mess, but soon it could be bringing you a cup of coffee at work. good dog. >> if it's bringing us coffee, we're fine with that. >> but some real dogs bring coffee. >> there is that, too. >> i mean, just teach the dog how to do it. they learn tricks. >> if we could get that dog to

>> or anchor the show? then you can sleep. when we come back, a special farewell to a woman with a bright smile who's made "world news now" happier. >> yes! >> who could it be? e ahead. 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, insured by unitedhealthcare surance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him.

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when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. ♪ woo! >> look at that. >> we have a very special, special something to say to somebody today. >> yes, we say congratulations and happy retirement to angela! come on in. join. >> 23 years. >> 23 years. and the funniest thing, as we're looking at the prompter, we're seeing angela walk by with her bucket. you've seen anchor teams for a long time. >> yes, so many times. >> who is the naughtiest? >> i think you right now. >> oh, no, no, she's going to take me to sexual harassment. who would you say are the most

fun? rob? you know >> wonderful. quite a few of them. >> you don't want to have favorites. >> each one is my favorite. >> you knew everyone, because you were here. >> i got to react with everybody, and everybody was nice to me. >> since you have to clean up in the area, who would you say is the messiest? >> oh. most everybody here was fine. >> is there somebody who's not here? >> it will have to be a secret. >> angela, congratulations, good luck on your retirement. we have a polka for you. you want to polka? >> yes. >> polka! ♪ lisa's unconventional ♪ aaron's one-dimensional ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ on the stage in '92 ♪ insomniacs and world news who? ♪ it's late at

wearing pants ♪ ♪ so grab your "world news now" mug and everybody dance ♪ ♪ hey, have some fun, every anchor guy and gal ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ ♪ ♪ if you're an insomniac ♪ and a good night's sleep you lack ♪ ♪ do the world >> you want to be a journalist, huh? ♪ this is the legacy ♪ a world news polka is his idea ♪ ♪ so haters, don't hate me ♪ we're in the millennial ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ there's a gift i really want ♪ i don't have anywhere ♪ a frank the bunny plush toy giving me the side eye stare ♪ ♪ when this little tune you hear ♪ ♪ it's the world news polka ♪ you want to sing us out

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this half hour on "world news now," new details about the inferno that even veteran firefighters are calling shocking. at least 12 people dead inside a new york apartment building. the flames moving so quickly, some of the victims were found in a bathtub. the rush to save lives on one of the coldest nights of the year. unprecedented security for new year's eve. this half hour, an abc news exclusive, how police are watching the crowds and the buildings. towering above times square. and new this half hour, the bombshell accusations aimed at the dr. phil show. >> there are many who clm