"star wars" movie is abo to hit the big screen. the world premier just hours away. will the force be with theans who have been waiting for days? good monday morning, everyone i'm reena ninan. >> i'm richard bacon. first up, the republican presidential hopefuls lining up for tomorrow night's big debate in some unfamiliar spots. >> this morning, two new iowa the lead. the center spot. cruz will bebeo his right. ben carson to his left. event. and rand paul just hanging on. there could be some fireworks. stephanie ramos has the story. good morning, steph. >> reporter: the horse race between the gop presidential candidates is heating up. with senator ted cruz on the fast track in iowa. running neck and neck with donald trump.

senator. a 21-point gain since october in one poll. cruz and trump up until now have played nice with each other. that all changed this weekd. in iowa, trump digging at cruz for opposing popular ethanol subsidies. >> if ted cruz is against ethanol, how does he win in iowa? because that's very anti-iowa. >> reporter: then onunday morning shows. >> you look at the way he's dealt with the senate. where he goes in there like a -- frankly, a little bit of a maniac. he'll never get anything done. that's the problem with ted. >> reporter: cruz, in response, tweeting this video. saying in honor of my friend, real donald trump and goe. in the end, trump still wants to work with cruz. saying he sees cruz playing a part in his administration. >> we would certainly have things in mind for ted, to be honest with you. >> reporter: this back and forth kicking off after cruz could be heard on tape behind closed

carson's ability to run the country. >> it's also a question of judgment. >> reporter: as cruzz rises, and trump verbally attacks, carson is fallingng. >> poll numbers go up and down. i wasn't excited when they were up. i'm not excited when they're down. >> reporter: how w would the republicans do against hillary clinton in the general election? well, a new nbc/"wall street journal" poll shows she would defeat ted cruz and donald trump buwould lose to marco rubio or ben carson. reena? richard? back to you. >> stephanie ramos, thank yo and the democrats w will debate this week, too. join david muir and martha raddatz for the new hampshire democratic debate. "your voice, your vote." next saturday, decembeber 19th. 8:00, 7:00 central, right here on abc. >> all right. can't wait. parts of texas cleaning up this morning from a weekend of severe weather. >> at least three confirmed tornadoes touched down in east texas, damaging up to 50 homes in the town of lindale. where the mayor has declared a state of disaster.

>> it just started back that way, toward the high school. and youan see out there in that lane where it started. it just came right through here. stuff flying everywhere. >> i'm just thankful we were not home. i think the lord sent us away and -- he spared us. >> strong winds in l lufkin, texas, threw 64 cargo train cars from their tracks on to the road below. despite all the damage, not a single injury repoported thi weekend. farther north and west, snow has finally arrived. across the cascade mountains. >> t latest storm system brout a solid blanket of snow for opening weekend at the summit there. by the time it's all over, the storm system could bring up to two feet of snow to the northwest. it will also usher in colder weather across much of the western u.s. the latest, east coast, meantime, temperatures as much as 30 degrees above normal this

it was so warm in washington, d.c., the nation's capital's famed cherry blossoms bloomed three months early. the national parks service says late blossoms will not affect the blossoms next spring. and here's a sight not often seen ten days before christmas here in new york. people picnicking in central park. >> i saw that with my own eyes yesterday. the spring-like weather will soon come to an abrupt halt. >> accuweather's paul williams joins us now with the latest. paul, morning. >> thanks, reena, richard. i hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, here we go. it's monday all over. particularly in chicago, st. louis, little rock. over towards nashville. anywhere you see the green, look for blinding rain, scattered showers, big-time travel delays. mother nature will not just pick on the midwest. it's going to pick on the northeast as well. that front pushes through. it will bring with it more travel delays and in the midst of very warm air, it will be a spring-like shower with heavy downpours in the middle of december. back to you.

richard? >> i do like paul's passion. we turn now to new details in the investigation of the san bernardino massacre. after a three-day search, the fbi has finished dragging a nearby lake. still no word if they have found the missing hard drive belongi to syed farook and tashfeen malik. and now there are new questions about why screeners, who let malik into the cocountry, overlooked her social media accounts. on facebook, she discussed how she wanted to be p part of a violent jihad. the fbi is investigating vandalism at two mosques in southern california. treating them as hate crimes. both were spray-painted and a hand grenade was left in the driveway of one e of them friday. a mosque in palm springs was damaged in a fire that police say was intentionally set by a man who is w in custody.

will soon take up positions in their local town councils. they were elected in the election where women were allowed to vote for the first time. the kingdom bars them from making decisions about marriage, travel, education. even from driving. many of them took uber to cast their first ballot over the ekend. and breaking overnight, new details in the october crash of the russian airliner that killed 24 peoplever egypt's sinai peninsula. authorities said a bomb brought it down. this morning, the egyptians saying they have found so far no evidence of terrorism. that conclion after a preliminary port on the crash. this is not the final word. the investigation continues. and now, today marks the third anniversary of the shooting at sandy hook elementary, which killed 20 children and 6 adults. >> andven though it's the first time the anniversary has fallen on a school day, there are no events planned at the local schools. town officials are also taking a

organized public remembrances. the main event will be an interfaith service tonight. at the episcopal church. anti-gun groups around the country are marking the day with ceremonies and speeches. coming up, a new study about sleep and whether too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing. plus, the outburst at the dmv. anxample of how not to behave when your number is called. and check out the working conditions this mailman has to put up with. never mind about the snow, rain,

stay with us. a problem with a wing forced

antonio. a piece of the wing that reduces drag appeared to be at an irregular angle. excuse me. the passenger who took the photos described the flight as a near-death experience. with other passengers screaming in panic. the plane landed safely. passengers continued their trip on another plane. >> glad they're okay. twitter sounding an alarm to some users that their accounts may have been targeted by state-sponsored hackers. the company says a small group of accounts were targeted. there is no indication that the hackers succeeded in stealing sensitive data. google and facebook issued similar warnings about state-sponsored attacks. warning. if you're planning a trip to the post office today, expect to wait. the postal service says today will be the busiest day of the holiday season. based on last year's volume of 640 million cards, letters, and packages. and for the entire holiday season, the postal service

billion items by new year's eve. what have not been heating up exactly are interest rates. many economists say don't expect that to change much this week. the fed reserve is expected to make an historic hike in the benchmark rate for the first time in nearly a decade. it's been hovering near zero since the 2008 financial crisis. but don't expect much. the fed is expected to just nudge the rate by a quarter of a percent. "the hunger games: mockingjay part 2" was tops at the box office for the fourth straight weekend. though this is likely its last time there, with "star wars" expected to crush all competition when it opens next week. "mockingjay" has made more than $245 million so far. "in the heart of the sea" debuted in second place. followed by "the good dinosaur." when we come back, a dangers situation at a hospital. hundreds of people, many of them newborns, being threatened by a deadly disease. and fatal polilice shootg

speaking out. as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. oh, boy. take a look at this. thick, black smoke over portland, oregon, sunday. a tractor trailer hauling fuel

railway cars. the truck driver did not, unfortunately, survive. now for a look at morning road conditions. slippery in the midwe and deep south. a rain snow mix possible in maine. a tough travel day for flyers, delays possible in phoenix, chicago, atlanta, salt lake city, philadelphia, and new york. the l.a. sheriff's department on the defensive this morning after a deadly shooting. deputies firing 3bullets at the suspect. >> the department releasing a video that appears to show nick lal robertson holding a gun as he laid dying. officers say they repeatedly called for him to drop his weapon as he approached a crowded gas station. >> the video indicates the suspect was looking in the direction of the deputy sheriffs and had the weapon in his left direction.

chirp in a car within five feet of him at the time. >> his family returned to the gas station yesterday demanding justice in the shooting. his wife says robertson became child looing when he drank. jury le dibdeliberations expected to start today in the death of freddie gray. william poert is charged wh reckless endangerment,, misconduct in office. if convicted of thehe's expected to face up to 25 years in prison. hundreds of newborns and hospital staff potentially exposed to tuberculosis. all babies from that hospital be treat frdrd antibiotics for up to nine months.

so the risk is slim. a new study show ee t much sleep could shorten your life an. one of the study authors suggests that sleeping more than nine hours might be signs of a more serious health problem. or it could be that restlessness or poor quauality sleep might be the reas behind the increased mortality rates. just another afternoon at the dmv. the woman giving clerks hard time. they asked a trooper to remove her. >> she had anoer idea. kicking, cursing, refusing to leave. the trooper arrested her smp got out of bail on $10 bond. she was charged with redissing arrest. the giants an dolphins wrap up week 14 tonight on"monday night football." >> highlights of yesterday's games from our favorite people at espn.

i'm j.a. the nba this week, over the week end, lost the unbeaten team. the golden state warrior lost. but the nfl has its. >> panthers up, 7-0. newton. ted ginn jr is really fast. ted catches it and just runs. that was a -- illegal contact pelty that the panthers declined. they didn't need it. carolina up, 14. later, newton to get again. ginn again. ginn again. his second td of the day. here we go. the r rest of the team, they all do the same thing. panthers win big, 38-0. sunday night cap. patriots and texans in houston. rob gronkowski comes back after a knee injury. four catches, 87 yards. new england up, 17-6. their defensive line was a

they knocked brian hoyer out of the game. not before they sacked him six times. a fumble lost there. patriots beat the texans, 27-6. spot. >> for more, check out your live "sportscenter." first here. live. 9:00 a.m. eastern. up next, the big change if festive holay music. and a huge night in hollywood tonight. the new "star wars" movie premiers before a star-studded audience. details, next.ills and fever, there's no such thing as a little flu. and it needs a big solution: an antiviral. so when the flu hits, call your doctor right away and up the ante with antiviral tamiflu. prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at itsource and helps stop it from spreading in the body.

in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing, have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. the most common side effts are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting.

ah, topping "the pulse" this morning, "star wars" frenzy

the premier takes place in los angeles tonight. but where is still a secret. >> fans have been gathering outside three l.a. movie theatersrs for mor than a week. when the film opens in the public on thursday, lit show in all three. it's a good bet the premier will be at one of them. everyone can watch the festivities tonight on star wa.com. beginning at 8:30 eastern. a new shift when it comes to holiday shopping. it has to do with what we're all hearing ile doing all that buying. you yeah i don't want a lot for christmas >> catchy, isn't it, chard? >> mm-hmm. >> mariah carey's hit, all i want for christmas is you. it's been the most played

last 20 years. >> that honor -- this time of year we're simply having a wonderful christmastime >> that honor now goes to the shins, with their cer of sir paul mccartney's wonderful christmas time. it's the new most played song. carey's song at number two. >> we could have called it a tie. they're both good songs. postal carriers are extremely busy. they don't need to be harassed. >> tell that to a group op gobble lers. every y, this mailman shows up to do his job, the wild turkeys are there to chase him down. he's forced to fend off the flock, as you can see there, with a pole. >> as miserable as they're making him, they're a hit on youtube.

maybe they're hungrynd need snack. >> or people that view youtube have horrible taste. we have more news here on abc. next. i sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had signicantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness.

and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedur. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. onlybreva penetrates deep and starts to o work immiately to block the virus and protect healthy cells.

as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. with abreva. checking our top stories, donald trump keeping his spot a at center stage for tomorrow night's presidential debate. ted cruz will be right next to him after surging ahead in the mo recent iowa polls. the president will make remarks about his anti-isis efforts today. he'll speak from the pentagon after meeting with his national security council. snow is finally falling i the cascade mountains. the storm system could bring up to two feet of snow to the northwest and usher in colder weather for the western u.s. muchryer on the wes coast. finally, a dryay in seattle and portland.

great lakes. rain from atlanta to raleigh. and finally, on this monday morning, still 11 dayss t go before christmas. plenty of kid outs there still preparing their lists. >> we know that lots of mbers of the armed svices won't be home for the holidays. some have already made it. that's when the fun starts. >> examples of some of the greatest gifts of all now from abc's john donvan. >> reporter: look at that kid's smile. there's santa claus. one of her brothers. wait, who is that guy in the back? it's the time of year for the happy prnk, when dads, long deployed in the service, pop out of costumes i gym jazz. >> i missed you, daddy. >> reporter: or hide behind santa. >> there's no words for it. i'm just very anxious to see them. >> reporter: but now this. >> daddy! [ cheers and applause ]

>> reporter: where 6-year-old jordan took a moment to thank the man in red. th our face of happiness. here's what happened. rob stella, in the back row, had been gone a year in the navy and it took awhile for the kids to spot him on this day. but here's what you get. [ laughter ] >> reporter: and a reminder that happiness on the kids' face -- >> yes, i'm home for go. >> reporter: can also look like this. john donvan, abc news, washington. those make me want to cry. >> it's really emotional. another couple of veterans to tell you about. one of them is rocky. he's been awarded a purple heart after being injured by an ied in afghanistan. he's been treated in germany. >> his handler, andrew brown is being treated at walter reed military hospital. brown is hoping to be reunited with rocky, soon. he says his canine colleague is in high spirits, he hopes, just like he is.

the folks out there as well. we're glad to see, we hope making a speedy recovery. >> interesting and goo stories to end with this morning. that is what's making news in america this morning. >> stick around for "good rning america." have fantastic start of your week..are iowa's most accurate weather team. good morning iowa starts now " sabrina: good morning iowa! i'm ???. it's x:00 a-m on ((day and date)) thanks for joining us! sabrina: weather is always first on iowa... accurate meteorologist sam: (adlib toss) (sam adlibs) sam: rain continues to fall across the state today with more records as totals keep places across central