"gma" to come. making news in america this morning, debate day. the stage is set on the vegas strip. the republican candidates preparing to face off for the last time this year as donald trump hits a new high in the polls. we're live in washington. and donald trump's doctor making news of his own issuing a letter about the billionaire's health. why it's getting a lot of scrutiny. disgruntled guest. a man accused of purposely slamming his truck into a hotel. the dramatic crash caught on camera. and "star wars: the force awakens," the lucky few with a chance to see the movie. >> it's amazing. it's wonderful. >> smiling faces leaving the

the first reactions are in. well, good tuesday morning. i'm reena ninan. >> and i'm richard bacon. and the clock is ticking this morning toward the final republican presidential showdown of the year. the stage is set there at the venetian hotel in las vegas ahead of tonight's debate. >> so much material. it's the first debate since the terror attacks in paris and california and since donald trump announced a plan to ban muslims. and abc's stephanie ramos joins us with more. good morning, stephanie. >> repororter: ree, good morning to you. well, there is a new high and new challenge for donald trump as he continues to soar in the polls. the stage is set for the last gop debate of 2015. ninine candites will stand on stage for the most critical event heading into the iowa caucuses. >> i think we're doing great in iowa, and i expect to win iowa. >> reporter: at a rally in las vegas la night, trump took aim at some of his main sticking points like mexico and the wall he intends to build.

and i know how to get them to pay for it. it's very simple. folks, you're killing us. you're making too much money. now, the wall is going to cost $9 billion, okay, a lot of money. >> reporter: this talk has trump supporters hanging on. brand-new numbers out showing trump hitting 41% with republicans. the highest support he's had yet in a national poll, nearly three times much as his closest rival. but this debate may be a two-man race between trump and senator ted cruz. in iowa the two are in a virtual tie. on the debate stage, trump will l be flanked by cruz and ben carson. carson recently calling coverage of him and his campaign dishonest. >> in my case they can't find any scandals, therefore,et's l see if we can somehow make this guy look crazy. >> reporter: the six remaining candidates will be florida senator marco rubio, former florida governor jeb bubush, busisswoman carly fiorina, ohio governor john kasich, kentucky senator rand paul and new jersey governor chris christie. >> we love you, trump.

>> reporter: while trump predicts he'll be the punching bag at this debate, he also says -- >> it's gonna be good. >> reporter: here's what's also good, donald trump's health. after vowing to release his full medical report, trump instead offered up just a short note from his doctor saying trump's physical strength and stamina are extraordinary. richard, reena, back to you. >> stephanie, you did mention that report there from his doctor, but what else was revealed about his health, anything else? >> reporter: yeah, well, the doctor declared that if elted, mr. trump will be the healthiestst individual ever elected to the presidency. serious statement there. >> yeah, okay. thank you. it sounds a little bit north korea. that's all. doesn't it? stephanie ramos lilive in washington, thank you very much, indeed. well, experts say that terrorism will be the focus of totonight's bate, especially with alarming new details from the investigation to the san bernardino attack. abc news was first to report that homeland security will

media websites in the visa application process, this after it was revealed that tashfeen malik posted online messages about jid before coming to the u.s. but officials were prevented from seeing those messages because of a secret policy to ve t administration embarrassment. >> the primary concern was that it would be viewed negatively if it was disclosed publicly, and there were concerns that it would be embarrassing. >> also part of the investigation, that search of a nearby lake turned up no new evidence according to law enforcement officials. as for fighting terror overseas, president obama says the u.s. is making progress against isis. the president spoke after a meeting with high-level advisers at the pentagon. he named a number of top terror leaders who have been killed in rece months, and he said that that momentum continues. >> we're also taking out isil leaders, commanders and killers one by one, and our next message to them is simple, you are next.

ally in the region has just announced that 34 nations have agreed to form a new islamic military alliance to fight teterrorism. the joint operations command will be headquartered in the saudi capital. > prosecutors in maryland say that a man received thousands of dollars from isis in order to carry out a terror attack on american soil. mohamed elshinawy was arrested last friday for atattemptingo provide material support to a terror organization. he denies the charges. bowe bergdahwill be court-mamartialed r walking away from his army unit in afghanistan. he faces charges of desertion and endangering his unit for which he could be sentenced to life in prison. the decision to try him overtus a preliminary review that recommended he not be charged. bergdahl spent five years as a taliban captive after leaving his unit. bill cosby is fighting back against 7 of the more than 50 women who accused him of sexual misconduct. he's filed a

them claiming he suffered serious financial and personal harm beuse of their groundless accusations. their lawyer says cosby's move is just simple retaliation. next, thank you, america, for the very warm welcome. more than a thousand daily high records have been broken since the beginning of december. even in buffalo, they're taking lakeside walks instead of shoveling snow across the northeheast and dwest. runners are out in shorts. meanwhile, to the west, some daily snowfall records have been -- have fallen. utah got its largest snow accumulation in n two yearon monday. 6.6 inches fell at the salt lake city airport breaking a record set in 1922. lake-effect snow is adding to the trouble. salt lake city is in for what looks like more snow today. the radar shows the cascades and parts of the rockies can expect some snow showers too.

now than it is in los angeles. >> we'll take it. >> damn straight. >> still ahead -- >> that's become sort of a catchphrase. >> that's your phrase. >> do you like it? an important christmas shipping deadline happening today. plus, an american plumber's truck ending up in the hands of isis. this morning he's talking about how that truck got there. and the first reaction overnighght to a film few have seen, "star wars: the force awakens," the premiere in

fans. this tear gas inhe parliament chamber was set off by members of parliament and lawmakers in kosovo oppose any

it's the sixth t time i the past two months that the opposition members have set off tr gas there. it doesn't happen on capitol hill that often, huh? don'n't have hlth insurance yet, today is the deadline for obamacare coverage beganing january 1sthe federal government wanants 10 miion people enrolled in the new year. that's 900,000 more than this year, but participants can expect to pay about 7.5% more for coverage as health care costs go up. >> you've got a little longer to register youdrone. by late february hundreds of thousands of drones will need to be registered with the faa. if you register in the firstst month, it's free. after that it's $5. but be warned, if you get a drone for christmas, which you might if your friends are very generous, how quite exciting, you have to register it right away. drivers for uber and lyft have won a labor victory in seattle. in a first of its ki or the first kind -- first type of f move

seattle city council has voted unanimously to allow drivers for ride hailing apps to organize into labor unions, however, legal expertsay the measure could violate federal labor laws. at issue is whether the drivers are independent contractors or emplployees. well, christmas shoppers are facing a deadline today at the post office. the postal service says today is the last day to mail those packages, so they'll bthere by christmas eve with no extra charge. december 19th is the deadline for first class. ththe 21st ithe last day for priority services. packages can still be mailed as late as 23rd but you have to pay up for that, priority express. when we come back, important information for pregnant women. what they could be taking possly raising the risk of having a child with autism. and close call. a man unhappy with his hotel

give extra. get extra. those people out there on the ice in minnesota wanted to be fishing, but that stopped when cracks in the ice grew wider and chunks of ice broke free. it took rescuers about three hours to bring dozens of fishermen to safety. they've been told to stay off the ice until it gets colder. now, for a look at morning road conditions, snow d ice, hazards from the central rockies across tnorthern michigan.

pockets of rain in the northwest, east texas and north florida too. if you're flying airirport delaysossible in minneapolis, denver and salt lake city. ever wonder what happen ss to your old car or truck when you trade or sell it in, many are shipped overseas. >> that proved a nightmare for a texas business. ever since this photo of a truck used by isis went viral, mark-1 plumbing has been getting threats and abuse and business is way off. the company owner is suing the auto dealer saying it didn't do enough to help him. >> if they had just tried to work with me and tried to tell what happened with the truck, i probably wouldn't have done this but it has affected my business. >> wants $1 million in damages. police s a disgruntled customer drove his truck through the lobby of this comfort inn in oklahoma. surveillance video you see shows two people jumping out of the way just seconds before the

doors and then the front desk, the driver was apparently angry over not getting a cash refund. he faces several serious charges. >> wow, reminiscent of a famous scene in "terminator." no charges however when a florida panhandle hospital became an accident scene in itself after an suv crashed into the emergency room. two people were hospitalized and several others injured in the crash. the elderly driver was not among them pulling into a parking space but somehow accelerated d as you c see there into the building. we have a health art for expectant moms taking antidepressants. researchers finding women who take antidepressant ss in their third and second trimesters are 87% more likely to have a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, however, they also warn it may be dangerous for pregnant women to go off their meds without first checking with their doctors. pete rose rereceived aarsh response to his plea for reinstatement from the commissioner of major league baseball. rose has been banned from the

his petition to end that ban was rejected because of rose's continued legal gambling on sports including baseball, among the reasongiven for maintaining the ban, newew evidencabout rose's betting on games during his career. well, time for highlights involving those still playing their chosen sports. >> yeah, we get those from our good friends, we like these guys. >> our bestest. >> from our friends at es -- >> pn. >> he's stan, i'm neil. he's got a football highlight. i have a a basketbl highlight. >> mday night football to be exact, dolphins and giants. odell beckham jr. and jarvis landry played together at lsu. beckham called it complete. he wants that challenge. they do challenge it and find out it is indeed a touchdown, 7 catches, 166 yards, pair of touchdowns six 1 100-yard mes

and the giants pull into first place tie with washington and philly on top of the nfc east. all right, here we go, the clippers were in detroit. we're down to 24 seconds left. clippers are down three, stan van gundy elects not to foul, j.j. redick elects to tie the game. clippersrs bench, ah. griffin, jamal crawford, i heard it said crawford is on the block as is josh smith as is stevens. clippers up three. look at all the chances th the pistons had at the end to tie it. then there was that chance that had no chance. the clippers hang on and win it, 105-103. griffin, 34 points. >> he was really good in that game. >> thank you. >> no, i meant blake griffin. >> i thought you meant my read. >> you weren't bad either. back to you. >> we like the read. >> thanks, guys. up next in "the pulse," the

talking about. "star wars: the force awakens," overnight reaction from the fans who saw it first. plus, sexy and working out in the rain, the shirtless runner going viral. severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always s on my mi. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't rked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tubercululosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and neous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your r doctor iyou've been to areas where certn fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infectitions, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira ifou have an infection.

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ut your r mouth ansay goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right time now to check "the pulse" starting with hollywood's biggest world premiere maybe ever. >> it is one of the most anticipated prequels, actually it's a sequel, sequels ever. "star wars: the force awakens" has finally arrived and even the glitterati couldn't resist geeking out. >> this is actor jeph gordon-levitt dressed up as jedi master yoda or at least his attempt to kind of look like yoda. >> also invading the red carpet a legion of stormtroopers and droids and of course two generations of the brain trust from john boyega to harrison ford and then there were the

>> incredible. it was so satisfying. >> it's incredible. >> so great. i'm sorry, it's great. >> so great. no, it is. it's amazing. everybody going to love it. >> although everyone said that afafter "thehantom menace." so we'llll see. "star wars: the force awakens" opens later this week on more than 4,000 screens from coast to coast. >> the big question who among last night's attendees would be the first to spoil one of hollywood's most tightly guarded secrets. maybe nobody. maybe nobody. i have faith. >> we're getting some hints, aren't we. "grey's anatomy," it is technically a breach of the embargo. "grey's anatomy" producer shonda rhimes tweeted, "holy crap, that "star wars: the force awakens" is so good in the best old-school way." >> oh, yes and also rob lowe said he cried like a baby and whooped like a teenager. >> and aress elizabeth banks said the movie totally delivers. no spoilers, i repeat, no spoilers. again, no spoilers, just wow.

and we should also say that no one that we know of has actually spoiled it. >> no, but remember when i was telling you about when i saw this footage of people leaving "the phantom menace" and they all said it was the best "star wars" ever and now the fans universally think not. >> how about a little weather? >> do it. >> warming up in the eastern half of the country but in chicago it's a hot, hot, hot, take a look at the hotness. you may remember tahman bradley. he works in the windy city. he pulled over this guy without a shirt. ethan, training and made it work for him. >> you're also like in shorts. >> yeah. >> like it's mid-december. how is that possible? >> it's awesome. i love running in the rain and i'm also single, so -- >> we're asking the ladies. >> way to go, ethan. that went viral even before he got home. >> the camera was there.

before taking that. ethan also says he's received more than 900 friend requests so that single status is unlikely to last. >> i bet somebody has set up a date. >> i mean, you know, whether you're going to find your date through that particular method of being friended i don't know is the best way. >> whatever works. >> he knew what he was doing. finally a stunt that's clearly not for the faint-hearted. have a look at this guy. professional extreme skier named sammy carlson. he's flying up the largest ski jump in the western hemisphere. >> that jump is in michigan near lake superior. it has a nearly 370-foot vertical drop and carson wasn't satisfied flying off the ramp facing forward so for good measure he did it backwards as well. >> it stretched over 500 feet in the video part of a new ski film. is it raining? i hadn't noticed. i'll take my top off. >> oh, there's a camera. >> good opportunity.

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checking our top story, the stage is set for tonight's republican presidential debate in las vegas. terrorism expecte to be the number one topic. it's the last debate for donald trump and his rivals before voting in iowa on february the 1st. australia's marking the one-year anniversary of the siege on the lint cafe by a troubled man. two hostages die when police stormed the cafe. > ash carter has arrived at a u.s. air base in turkey getting a reading from commanders on the status of the battle against isis. >> okay, today's weather, rain moving out of the eastern states but not the wath. snowstorms moving into the upper midwest and a few showers in the pacific northwest. well, as w we mentioned the stars out in full force last night in hollywood. >> well,hree theaters, a half a mile of hollywood manufactured

and two generations of stars for one of hollywood's biggest premieres in recent memory. >> it was everything i expected and more and there was a lot of surprises. >> definitely seen all the original characters like as they've grown. i thought han solo was like at the phenomenal in the movie. there was a plot that blew my mind. >> ex-ceedexceeded. i thought it was really well done. >> blown away about it. >> a lot of things peoplesaid, oh, these senate committees. s thiss what "star wars" is but that's what i grew up with so seeing a new "star wars" movie that didn't have all that bogged down nonaction stuff and pure action flick was magical. > incredible job to bring back the older characters and weaving them into the story. it's really well written. it's very, very -- i thought it would be great. it was great. >> i think there are a lot of things people have never seen before and i think the fans will get what they wanted. >> is this guy in the movie?

i wish. >> okay. >> was the biggest surprise? >> i can't tell you that. >> we should note "star wars" is produced by our companyparent company disney and alarms going o on "world nusews now." >> a lot of comments. intereresting. so we've got a big plot twist. one guy made a good point. i watched them recently and too much dialogue so it's not like that. the big plot twist -- i said it befofore, ena, i think luke skywalker has gone bad. >> no, can't be. >> damn straight. >> not the dark side. >> that's what's making news in