matt gutmanan, abc news, language. >> and you heard reference there to the threat against new york city schools in matt's piece. the big apple schools remained open. despite the school superintendent receivinglmost the exact same e-mail that was sent to ththe l. school. that also was declared a hoax. new yo's police commissioner said the type of threats it contained were similar to recent episodes of the showtime drama "homeland." scary ments on board a soutest airlines plane as it ran off the runway in nashville. take a look at this. incredible images. passengers said the jet experienced a rough lantdding and then ended up in a ditch. the plane from houston hobby was completely full. 138 people on board. after the accident eight people taken to the hospital and later released. the faa will look into whether the plane had either a blown tire or collapsed landing gear. in denver flightsere delayed and canceled. highways were shut down and schohools were closed after a snowstorm dumped nearly a foot of snow over some areas.

just over 6 1/2 inches of snow was officially recorded at denver international airport. mountain snonow total were in the one to two-foot range. obviously good news if you're a skier. you might call this next one a ttenectomy. firefighters in phoenix rescued two newborn kittens who were stuck in a home. one was inside the wall, the other in an attic. the owner had heard meowing inside the house even show she doesn't own any cats. >> the firefighters used saws to cut into the wall. both kittensre doing fine. no one knows what happened to their mother or how she got into the attic. >> glad there was a happy ending. coming up -- [ meow ] >> they're hot on the trigger, aren't they? the sound department. bam. >> golden globe nominees taking on drake's latest hit. >> what could stop donald trump from becoming the gop nominee? expert insight ahead for you.

on your list who has everything. onesies for all ages. but first the wednesday forecast. you're watching "world news now." looks like hot in orlando. 85 down in disneyland. >> important message for residents age 50 to 85. write down this number now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with a rate lock through the colonial penn program.if you are on a fixed income, learn about affordable whole life insurance that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. if you did not receive your information, call this number now. your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. stand by to learn more. >> i'm alex trebek,, here to tell you about a popular life insurance plan with a rate lock that locks in your rate for life sot can never increase did you get your free information kit? if not, please call

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it's a pleasure gel that magnifies both our sensations. it gives us chills in places we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like... re to feel more with new k-y love. welcome back. the final gop debate of the year is history. the democrats wl debate on saturday. leaving 46 days until theowa caucus. >> joining us to talk about thehe state of the race i abc's deputy political director shoshana wawalsh. welcome. >> of course. >> donald trump.

the latest polling, there's an abc poll that came out recently that was very interesting. what did it say? >> it rlly is interesting because it shows donald trump leading by such a wide margin. 38%. the next after that is ted cruz with 15%. then marco rubio with 12%. so you really have this really wide margin. also interesting is that his muslim ban comments that were so controversial, it shows that with thehe republin voters who are the base of the party it didn't hurt him one bit. >> what does this mean? does it mean that donald trump could possibly be the gop nomie? >> definitely he could possibly be. he hasn't fall nen anypolls. instead he has the widest margin of any poll since he entered the race six months ago. so i think that's a as the party leader for so long of course there's the possibility he'll be the nominee. >> him against another 13 versus him against just one other or two other people. and all those other votes have coalesced somewhere else.

that's where he could really fall down, i think. >> right. when voters have less of a choice of course it will narrow. and that's why we're seeing all these different kinds of lanes of the republican party. other tnds, marco rubio and ted cruz, in tonight's debate you really saw them go after each other because they represent different lanes of the republican party, an alternative to trump. but there weren't really any candidates who stooktook trump on except for jeb bush. he who has been really low in the polls. he really made after donald trump tonight 20 make a dent. >> do you think he had an impact? because he was the one who walked in with a huge war chest when it comes to money. do you think he has a chance in this? >> i think he did the best tonight that he has in 234i debate and he was really the only cdidate to take donald trump on head to head. bubut i stilthink he has a large hill toclimb. >> it's the race you can't predict, isn't it? we can always explain it afterwards. but when you get these big moments like trump talking about muslims, a lot of commentators

>> our analysis says oh, that will hurt donald trum. and instead quite the opposite. i want to look ahead to saturdays debate with ththe demoats. >> abc news debate. >> y, the abc news debate what can we expect? >> i think that really hillary clinton is going to want to look like the front-runner nationally that she is and to position herself toward the general election. but of course there is still that primary beforehand. in new hampshire, wourhere our debate-s bernie sanders is leading there. and in iowa the first caulkis state hillary clinton is leading but he is only behind by about 10 points or so. >> does he have a route? does h actually have a realistic and credible route, bernie sanders, to the democratic nomination? >> i think at this point it's hillary clinton. but we can't ignore those polls, espeally in new hampshire, which is the first primary statete where he's leading.

our thanks to shushannah walshe. next up, "the skinny." happy birthday! music music thank you dear, very much music you're welcome musi thank you you make me feel so young look who's coming... you make me feel sspring has sprung and every time i see your face i'm such a happy individual you're not f fooling abody, you know the mont that you speak

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america. today more people will go to work work, return home to their families and sleep more soundly than ever before. all because one man refuses to settle, putttting peoe before politics. that man is frank underwood. >> america. i'm only getting started. i'm frank underwood, and i approve this message. >> fu2016 for frank underwood. >> that has to be deliberate, doesn't it? what is reall interesting about that for me is it just shows you how easy it is to parody political adverts. because until he turns up and says "america, i'm only getting started," it looks like a campaign ad. it could be a campaign ad. if i'd said to you this is a realampaign ad, guess which candidate turns up at the end, you wouldn't have been able to guess. >> looks like the rnc put that out. i think the rnc should hook up with "house of cards."

it's interesting, isn't it, "house of cards" has only been around for four years. this is -- >> the website. >> there's an actual website as well that you can go to. >> look at his eyes moving back and forth. he's watching you, richard. >> that's quite neat. you can go down, you can scroll around. you have to be careful. theree are. >> there we are. frank underwood speaks his mind now with us. we'll be interviewing -- >> thanks again, graphics department. if y go to the website, go to the end of the last season there is a plot spoiler on that website to look out for. you're welclcome. >> you know, richard, you used to call me on your cell phone. just kidding. >> you've never giv me your number. >> i haven't e ever giv you my number, huh? hotline bling, very famous song by drake, went viral. we want to show what you happens when some actors recently nominated for the golden globes, they do their own dramatic interpretation of drake's lyrics. here it is. >> ever since i left the city. >> you got a reputation for

yourself now. >> go. you got me down. >> you got me stressed out. >> because ever since i left the city -- >> you start wearing less and going out more. >> hanging with some girls i've never seen before. >> you used to call me on my cell phone. >> late night when you needed my love. >> call me onmy cell phone. >> late night when you need my love. >> that can only mean one thing. >> i know when that hotline bling. >> that can only mean one thing. you used to call me on my cell phone >> late night when you need my love. >> call me on my cell phone late night when you need my love. >> i love it. isn't that remarkable? i thought they did a grgreat, great job. this could only be topped i think if maybe george stephapoulos stephanopoulos, dan harris and the gang got together and did a

>> it's amazing how intimidating bryan cranston -- because he was doing a little bit of walter white in there. how intimidating he can be when he's simply reading a random note from drake. >> if we rolled some of the music from "hotline bling," coululd you ddrake's dance? >> let's work on that. that needs rehearsal. i mean, sure, i agree with you. it's very popular. rehearsal. howard stern has renewed his contract as well with sirius xm for i think more than the gross national product of the united kingdom. something like 18 -- >> five-year deal. we're talking about, yeah. he earned around $88$80 million annually. and it's expected to rise to 90 million. >> he works three days a week. also a 12-year licensing deal to produce streaming content. >> what are we doing wrong, richard? >> i think more or less everything.

day and much more than that. >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, this is an important message. so please, write down the number on your screen. the lock i want to talkk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurarance that guararanteeees yo rat can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now

and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase. your coverage can never be cancelled as long g as you p your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and gift. both are free, with no obligation. don't wait, call this number now. did you know there's a cough liquid that lasts for twelve hours? try delsym twelve hour cough liquid. its advanced formula releases powerful medicine that acts fast while its extended release medicine lasts for 12 hours.

let's all get down let's all get down let's all get elfed they're back. the holderness family with another pajamagram withto the internet tt went viral a couple years ago and cannot be stopped. >> it turns out it's more than just strange youtube families are getting in on the pajajama act. the onesies. the chstmas sweaters.

these at macy's marked down from $40 to $19. these at target 25. also kohl's and abbar kroie & fitch have them. two retailers who offer those percentage off deals regularly. >> on christmas morning when you wake up all you want to do is basically not get out of bed but still be opening presents and i think a onesie's the best way to be doing that. >> whether you call them union suits blanket sleepers or footsie pajamas they're not just for bedtime anymore. celebrities like khloe kardashian are attempting to make a fashion statement out of onesies and they're wig hits on social media sites like instagram. >> it's more instagramable to put up a picture of yourself with a cute onesie with a cute design than yourself in a ankets. >> some of these styles are quite inventive. >> rrr. >> reporter: and this one even has built-in paws. i do have to say they are ridiculously comfortable and cozy. >> maybe the reason these onesies are so popular is that they take us back to our childhood. and this time of year that can be a really good thing.

of being in your pajamas all the time. >> reporter: becky wuehrlee, abc news, new york. >> it could be worse. they could be footed onesies. >> that'strue. i've never had a onesieie. >> really? >> yeah. >> i think there should be anchor onesies for the anchor desk. because it gets cold here sometimes. it gets cold here. strange things happen in the studio. we should reassure everyone ter last night's program where the fire larm went off we had a few tweets expressing concern for us. just so you know we're very much alive. we made it through the night. >> we certainly did. and it was a false alarm. they told us, my floor director says in 30 years he's been here they never had it go off like this during the live show. the things you bet during the middle of the night. >> don't forget to check out our facebook site whilst you're with us. >> this is abc's "world news

two decades. good morning. i'm richard bacon. >> and i'm reena ninan. here are some of the top headlines we're following this importanting on "world news now." fights over foreign policy were highlights of last night's republican debate in las vegas. donald trump clashing with jeb bush. marc o. rubio and ted cruz toe to toe. an agreement in congress on a major spending bill, meaning no government shutdown at the end of the year. it lifts a 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil, which is a major victory for the republicans. the faa is investigating what caused a southwest airlines jet o'to go off the runway in nashville. passengers say started with a rough landing perhaps from a blown tire or damaged landing gear. and next week is shaping up to shatter holiday travel recos. more than 1 in 3 americans, more than 100 million of us, are expected to hit the roads, rails, and skies. the busiest travel day will be december the 23rd.

december the 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everyone. we begin this half hour with the republican presidential candidates. >> we certainly do. and in their final debate of the year a concentrated on thehe sues most americans are concerned about right now, national security and terrorism. there was also plenty of criticism, as you would imagine, of president obama and hillary clinton. >> front-runner donald trump said that he knew he was going to be attacked last night. jeb bush did exactly that. >> am i talking or are you talking, jeb? >> i'm talking right now. i'm talking. >> you can go back. you're not talkiking. you interrupted me, jeb. are you going to apologize, jeb? no. am i allowed to finish? >> one at a time. go ahead, mr. trump. >> a little of your mededicine there. >> governor bush. please. >> it's not working very well. >> o at a time. >> we keep working from president obama and hillary clinton and washington republicans that they're

searching for these mythical moderate rebels. it's like a purple unicorn. they never exist. >> and for the russians frankly it's time that we punch the russians in the nose. they've gotn away with too much in this world. >> i'd like to also go back to another question, which is is donald trump a serious candidate. >> you're a tough guy, jeb. >> and we need to have a leader that is -- >> real tough. >> we're never going to have a president insulting his way to the presidency. >> i'm at 42 and you're at 3. so far i'm doingbetter. >> doesn't matter. >> margaret thatcher once said if you want something talked about ask a man. if you want something done ask a woman. [ cheers and applause ] >> now, that was a good line. >> but donald trump is like a bear you just don't want to poke. jeb bush was i think the only person that went for him. and you could see the nervousness. because he's quick and he is dominant. and he's rceful. and but worst of all, he's funny. i think whenever you -- iff you're going to put someone

if it's funny. so even the way he said you're -- i'm at 42, you're at 3. a, true. b, was -- his delivery was quite amusing which made it that much more effective. >> which is kind of hard for these republicans to break out of, that sort of authenticity. i think that's why a lot people really donald trump resonates for them. because he knows how to get in that moment and make it real and authentic. >> i think in this many ways, this particular debate -- i'm looking forward to the democratic debate on abc on saturday. this debate is better seen through the highlights we're showing you. because i find this election the most -- the best show in the world, the most gripping with the best turns and the twists. but in some ways the debates can be -- i'm not talking about saturday. but they can be like a cup final where the build-up is better than the match is t.self. i think the match itself like that. >> stick around for the highlights. >> that's what i'm saying. we'll show you more of it later. >> we're going to ve much more as richard mentioned from the

republican debate coming upp in the next half hour. secretary of state john kerry says the u.s. and russia can make a significant difference in syria. kerry met with russian leaders in moscow yesterday, reaching an agreement on some issues but not the future of syrian president bashar al assad. they will participate in a u.n. conference friday in new york. defense secretary ash carter is asking turkey to do more in the fight against isis. an air base in turkey was his first stop on a tour of the middle east. in particular carter wants turkey to better police its border with syria to prevent isis from bringing in weapons and recruits. schools in los angeles will be open again this morning following a one-day closure yesterday. that's because of a terror threat. keepining those schools closed meant $29 million in state funding lost. here in new york city a similar threat was melt with a very different response. the schools remainedopen. abc's brian ross with that part of the story. >> reporter: the first tipoff for new york police was that the alleged threat involving the secret jihadist terror cell,

nerve gas agents, high-powered weapons, and mass casualties seen seemed remarkably similar to the plotline of the tv program "homeland." >> the instigator of e threat may be a "homeland" fan, basically watching homeland episodes that it mirrors a lot of recent episodes on "homeland." >> repororter: pole said the message sent to new york read in part "something big is going down. be only are there bombs but there are nerve gas agents set to go off at specific time, during lunch hour." new york officia said they knew immediately it was a hoax and a bad one. >> it was so generic, so outlandish, and posed to numerous school systems simultaneously. >> reporter: the message continued with a glaring typo, "me and my 138 comrades will die tomorrow in the name of allah," with a lower case a, at least i in the new york veion. >> that would be incredible to think that any jihadist would

>> reporter: los angeles got a similar message, with the sendeder saying he would p personallll ld the attacks. >> one person can't lead an attack in both cities. so they realized right then and there that it didn't have credibility. >> cut and paste job? >> definitely. >> reporter: while new york police call the hoax threats almost comically inept, there's really nothing funny about them. the fbi cyber teams are now working to track down the person who sent them, apparently from an internet address in frankfurt, germany. under federal law anyone convicted of sending a hoax alert could face up to ten years in prison. brian ross, abc news, new york. >> brian, thank you very mumuch. we have some breaking news out of arizona. a search and rescue mission is under way after the crash of a medical helicopter. the chopper went down in the superstition mountains about 20 miles east of apache junction. investigators say the crash site is located in very rugged terrain. there's no word on the conditions of the three people on boards or the cause of the crash. it's back to work for the jury in e first freddie gray case.

the jurors will continue deliberating even though they say they are deadlocked on the charges against police officer william porter. gray died last spring after suffering neck and spinal cord injuries in a police spran porter is one of six officers charged in gray's death. a massachusetts teenager has been convicted of rape and murder of his high school math teacher. phillip chisholm was just 14 when he attacked the teacher in the school restroom. his attorneys never denied he committed t the crime but blamed severe mental illness. he face long prisonsentence. debris spilled from a cargo ship off san francisco could se a danger to marine wildlife. meanwhile, the cleanup of the shipping containers and packing containers continues. a dozen containers fell off a ship in the storm this weekend. some are still floating offshore waiting to make landfall. there's a state of emergency in flint, michin because of lead levels in the city's water system. it affects the city's children in particular because lead can

cause mental retardation. the crisis began after the city began taking its water from flint river. the mayor wants federal disaster relief. a preseason snowstorm nearly paralyzed america's mile-higigh city in denver yesterday. flights were delayed, shooi highways were shutdown. by snowstorm 245 dumped over a foot in some jarz. mountain snow were in the one to two-foot range. the winter write conditions continue again today in the west. here's accuweather's paul williams. hey, paul, good morning. >> thanks, richard, reena. we have cold air expected to take over the southwest part of the country. maki it a little bit chilly in l.a. as well as vegas and neenks, butneenks phoenix, but then along the east coast totally different story. here comes a low slung through with a jet stream guiding it through and it's going to translate into widespread scattered showers as we go into thursday. wednday is clear, thursday is wet, and over here this is where the weekend's going to come into play. much colder a dropping temps below the norm for this time.

year. reena, richard. >> okay, paul, thanks so much. across the pond the lady who transformed he britain with her free market policiessas managed to raise millions after her -- >> oh, yeah, her. we're talking about former british prime minister margaret thatcher. speeches, books, and even outfits belonging to the iron lady were turned into auction gold. soaring above their estimated prices at christie's in london. >> there's even a signed copy of the speech she made on becoming britain's first prime minister in 1979, firstemale prime minister. sold for $56,000. and her blue velvet wedding dress. that fetched 38,000. i would love to have something from margaret thatcher. >> where there is discord that will bring harmony. that's what happens when you're a political anarak. you can remember speeches that t were made when you were 4 years old. coming up we'll return to our political coverage and how hillary clinton is preparing for saturday's debate. >> and also developments for

people tryg to sign up for health insurance through the obamacare website. new hang-ups at a critical deadline. and later the "star wars" movie makers and all the creative energy that went into the wildly anticipated film. the insider's look at "the force awakens awakens." you're watching "world news now." luke, i am still your father. so how ya doing? enough pressure in here for ya? ugh. my sinuses are killing me. yeah...just wait 'til we hit ten thousand feet. i'm gonna take mucinex sinus-max. too late, we're about to take off. these dissolve fast. they'r'rnew liquid gels. and you're coming with me... wait, what?! yorealize i have gold status? do i still get the miles? new mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine. start the relief. ditch the misery.

>> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, this is an important message. so please, write down the number on your screen. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you u see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more.

this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple toto get. coverage options for justst $9.95 aonth, less than 35 cents a day. act now and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase. your coverage can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and gift. both are free, with no obligation. don'wait, call this number now. looking for 24/7 digestive support? try align for a non-stop, sweet-treat-goodness

hold-onto-your-tiara, kind-of-day. live 24/7 with 24/7 digestive support. try align, the undisputed #1e rerecommendeprobiotic. we've been changing things up with-y love. oh yeah. it's a pleasure gel that magnifies both our sensations. it gives us chills in places we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like... dare to feel more with new k-y love. five people north of bod including a mother and her baby found themselves trapped under a temporary construction wall yesterday. the collapse of that wl in a gust of wind happened on a sidewalk in the city of malden. dozens of people rushed to their aid. the baby was in a stroller at the e time. that stroller may have just saved her life. luckily the only injuries were minor. a stunning blow. i don't know if you followed this story. it's a gripping story but a stunning blow for actress kelly rutherford in her custody

battle. reports say a judge in monaco has awarded her ex-his full custody of their two children. and the "gossip girl" actress can only visit them in monaco and in france. she cannot bring them to the u.s. there was a gripping article, to use that word again, about this case in "vanity fair" a couple months ago. but rutherford is appealing the decision. if you haven't yet filed for obamacare, you have a little more time. the government says there was unprecedented demand yesterday on the healthcare.gov website. the deadline now the end of the day this thursday. the penalty for not being insured jumps to nearly $700 next year. returning to politics and the democratic candidates getting ready for their debate saturday night here, right here on abc.c. >> hillary clinton has been staking out her position on terrorism. as "your voice, your vote." and abc's tom llamas covering the clinton dpancampaign. >> reporter: with terror on the minds of voters hillary clinton out to prove she'll take on isis

and protect the homeland. >> it is not enough to contain isis. we must defeat isis, break its momentum and then its back. >> reporter: the former secretary of state is pledgingg to target isis's efforts to recruit online but also slamming republicans for fear-mongering. >> bluster and bigotry are not credentials for becoming commander in chief. >> reporter: clinton heads into saturday's new hampshire debate dominating national polls, but it's senator bernie sanders who's the one ahead in the granite state. and now sanders whose loyal supporters have been packing massive rallies is talking m more and more about isis. >> our goal is to put together a coalition to destroy isis and not once again get bogged down in a neverending war in that part of the world. >> reporter: and next month sanders will have another clinton to worry about. biel we've learned that chelsea clinton will be playing a bigger role in the campaign, headlining two fund-raisers and then off to

the new primary states. tom llamas, abc news, new york. >> great. i like tom's reports. it's going tosh a really good debates, i think, here on abc on saturday night. and it's a bernie sanders -- partly because bernie sanders is so cares mattic and entertaining. but there's also that question of can he thread a route through to the nomination for the democrats? it's very, very difficult for him. so he needs -- he just needs to do something here. >> and he's expected to chalnge hillary on foreign policy. one of the things is hillary's vote to authorize the iraq war back over ten yearsago and these expected to hit her hafrd on that. >> and he's got a lot to say about the climate change deal as well.

>> we will. meatball on white! xt! you want mustard on that or not! come on, come on. i haven't got all day here! it doesn't come with peppers! ey're extra! hurry up.pay the lady! next the chicken's fresh. i killed it myself. so that's what you want? next! while we're still young! you know you told me you wanted mustard. get outta here! titime's up! back of the line! hey. excuse me. what! great sandwichch. thanks you didn't have to be so nice get outta here.

it's the cantina music from "star wars." >> maeve you've heard of the new one. it's pretty amazing, isn't it? >> what reena's really saying there is she fell asleep. fell asleep. >> it's the night shift folks. they turn the lights off. you're sitting down. i doze off for a little bit. it's not because of the movie. itas fantastic. >> here are two people who wouldn't be happy to hear about you falling asleep. we're up all night with abc's

chris connelly. >> reporter: monday night in hollywood. the world premiere of " "star wars: the force awakens." >> give it everything you've got. >> reporter: it's action and humor. it's new characters and light sabers. >> it ends up being a storyry of adventure a and loyal and shock and surprise and uses this amazing and precious thing called the force that tells us that we're all somehow connected. >> camera, action. >> reporter: so much of it the work of producer kathleen kennedy and director co-writer j.j. abrams. all of this inspired by "star wars" creator george lucas. >> there isn't a day thahat gs by or went by as we were making the movie where we don't talk about george. it's the andard, what would george do? >> the thing that is most remarkable is that george got everything right. >> reporter: a veteran of

"alias," "lost,""," "mission impossible 3," and the star trek"" series. for decades a top producer on steven spielberg's acclaimed films. >> i did pose this prorovocative idea who is luke skywalker, that that would beomething that was said by one of our characters. >> why was who is luke skykywalker such a fascinating question? >> i guess because it spoke to a new generation. it was that idea thehere would be young people for whom luke skywalker was essentially a myth. >> reporter: in crafting and casting "the force wakens" set 30 years after "return of the jedi," abrams wanted its characters young. even bad guys like kylo ren. >> i will finish what you started. >> and kathy's like adam driver. i'm like mike dr. >> reporter: john boyega was cast as the ex-storm trooper finn. >> are we really doing this? >> while daisy ridley was the choice for rae. >> when she came in and read you

and literally i had to not giggle from behind the camera becauses i was amazed at what she was doing. >> abrams hoping this film will have the same emotional punchch a the 1977 one had on him as a child. >> the thing i felt when i was a kid when i left the theater was the world was huge and to have people, especially kids go to see the movie and see themselves in it andeel like i'm capablele of something extraordinary, that would be the greatest gift of all. >> reporter: for "nightline" -- >> wre home. >> reporter: -- i'm chris connelly in los angeles. >> it's excellent, basically. we don't want to ruin anything. but it takes itself seriously in a good way. there are some good one-liners in there, but it takes the emotional element seriously. and i hope this doesn't give anything away but it also uses as the old one did the emotional trigger was built around a father-son relationship. and let's just say this is built around it again. >> don't give away any more details. coming up, finding extra cash for christmas.

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this christmas fireside is blazing bright don hathaway with an absolute classi "this christmas." we all want to get the best gifts for our loved ones but budgeting for it can be quite difficult. >> but there are some ways to get a boost to pay for all the presents. abc mara schiavocampo shows us how. >> for the mulders the gift of giving can come with a hefty price tag. but it turns out there may be hidden holiday cash right in their house. first did you know there's money in old toys? clothes too. >> things that sell really well with timeless toys like thomas s e train, mr. potato head and my little ponies. >> reporter: using the website swap.com the mulders fill two boxes with toys in good condition and clothes that are in season. the company pays for shipping,

and once the boxes arrive at their warehouse they'll be put up f for sale on the website. on average sellers earn about $150 per box. and bonus points. save the boxes your toys come in. those can be worth cash too. an american girl doll box can fetch as much as $ $30 on efrfrmt bai. next up, old electronics. even broken ones. check out websites like kiiboo.com. just box up your items and send them to their california office where they will inspect, price, and post your electronics. two smsmartphoneand an airport express expected to fetch christie about $100. and finally, even old books can make a xwuk. using the amazon seleller app christie scans the books' bar codes to find out how much they're worth. then she sets the price before sending them off to amazon, who will sell them. >> this book is worth $74.50.

whopping $196. in total the mulders found 6 50 $56. >> how is that going to impact christmas? >> it's going to help out a lot. >> reporter: mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> do you know how many times i have that the kids aren't using? that's great. they pay for shipping, box it up, take caref selling. >> kids go off toys after about three days. don't forget to followed follow us. we're on twitter. we're on facebook. posting behind-the-scenes photos photos. i have an instagram i set up just for this show. it's richardp, letter p, b bacon. it's largely pictures -- we never leave this room. so neeshl you're seeing pictures of this room which you've already seen. but if you'd like to see more of it go into sta gram.

we'll see you soon. this morning on "world news now," las vegas showdown. >> the republicans debate about terrorism, foreign policy, and donald trump's plan to ban muslims from the protests to the surprises. from las vegas. threatening schools. similar e-mails, threats sent to country. why some schools were shut down and others stayed open. >> travel trends. the surprises in the air and on the roads for americans vaik vacationing over christmas and new year's. what makes this month different from the last. >> and later, richard nye both just saw "star wars: the force awakens." we'ree sharing our views after guesting a sneak peek just hours ago. it's wednesday december 16th. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now." hey, everyone. good morning on this busy wednesday.

>> good morning to you. i'm richard bacon. let's just say that one of us didn't see all of "star wars" tonight tonight. >> there's a reason. >> a great reason. details to come. you're looking for a plot twist, we've got one. and let's get started with last night's republican presidential face-off. nine candidates took the stage in las vegas. >> their answers and attacks on each other reflecting the nation's concerns about terrorism and security. we begin with abc's brandi hitt who's in las vegas this morning. brandi, good morning. >> good morning. good morning, richard and reena. it's hard saying both of your names together back to back now thur on set together. what a night here in las vegas. they talked about terrorism, protecting the homeland and battling isis. really critical issues that dominated last night's republican debate. and as you mentioned, man, was it entertaining because several of tse candidates didn't pull any punches. >> dobld is great at the one-liners. but he's a chaos candidate.

and he'd be a chaos president. >> reporter: in their fifth face-off it was a no holds bards battle over national security with konld trump's plan to ban muslims from entering the u.s. front and center. >> we're not talking about religion. we're talking about security. our country is out of control. >> if we're going to ban all muslims how are we going to get them to be part of a coalition to destroy isis? >> reporter: marco rubio lls under attack on several fronts, whether surveillance and data collection needs to be ramped up to track terrorists. >> that tool we lost, the meta dadata program, was a valuable tour we no longer have under our disposal. >> what marco says isn't true. >> he's one of the weakest candidates on immigration. >> an argument that clearly got under governor chris christie's skin. >> i want to talk to the audience at home. your eyes are glazing oaf this is what it's like to be on the floo of the united states senate. >> a protester interrupted trump and was taken out. that didn't stop the

front-runner and bush from going at if -- >> if you think this is tough -- >> this isn't tough. i wish it was always as easy -- >> dealing with president putin ori or the islamic terrorism that -- >> you're a tough guy, jeb. >> we have to have a leader -- >> real ugh. you're real touch -- >> you're never going to win your way to the president by insulting your way -- >> so far i'm at 42 and you're at 3. >> doesn't matter. >> reporter: that was just a sflaul snippet of the back and forth between trump and bush all night long. this is the last debate for the republicans in 2015. next uphe democrats will be facing off in new hampshire saturday. and that debate is hosted by abc news. reena and richard. >> i think it's like any night out in vas. two or three bits that stand out.t. by the next day you'v completely forgotten. >> well said. >> trump spoke in the spin room, didn't he, afterwards. what did he have to say? >> definitely, richard, and in true trump fashion when asked how he did he said he thought this was his best perform

performance of any debate so far. and a lot of analysts agree, they thought he was strong. when it came to the back and forth with bush he said you know what, jeb had to attack me, he's lowest.policy and i expected it. and he said even if the polls were reversed he would have done the exact same thing. >> interesting fireworks. abc's blandi-hit live in las vegas. brandi, backk thanks to you. >> let's turn next to insight from our deputy political editor who i'm pleased to say joins us re in the studio. shush nah walshe. >> herail came out swinging and need to. >> really he's the only candidate that went head to head with donald trump and it was throughout the debate. let's listen. >> so donltd is great at t the one liners and but he's a chaos candidate. he would be a kay ott president. he would be be the commander in chief we need to keep our country safe. >> jeb does not believe i'm unhinged. he said that because he's failed

in that th campaign, it's been a total disaster, nobody cares, and frankly i'm the most solid person up he. >> >> bush did pretty well. he made an impact. ted cruruz and marco rubio. >> these candidates reaeally represent two different lanes of the republican party and many people say that they could be the two on top of the -- but let's listen to this clip. lu can't carpet-bomb isis if you don't have planes and bromz to attack them with. and if w continue the cuts we're doing now not to mention additional cuts, we're going to be left with the oldest and smallest air force this country have and that leaves us less safe. >> one of the problems with marco's foreign policy is he has far too often sirpted hilry clinton and barack obama, undermining governments in the middle east that have helped radical islamic terrorists. >> really az said they represent two different parts of the republican party and they really have been going at each other not just at last night's debate

but throughout this primary process and recently it's ram upped up. both candidates trying to stay away from donald trump but going after each other. this is going to continue and it is going to one to watch. >> it seemed like it was v very deliberate. i want to ask you trump made a pledge not to run as an independent like he did in september. does this really matter? >> we've heard this before again. in september he shrined a pledge saying he wouldn't run as a third-party candidat but recently he's been sounding he could run as a third party again. if the party doesn't treat him fairly. but tonight -- last night, excuse me, he ruled if out again and said the party is treating him fairly and he will not run as a third parlty candidate. i think a lot of establishment republicans are breathing a sigh of r. leif this morn pg. >> and he's doing well in the pos. >> there ways story i saw doing the rounds on twitter about a cough, a mystery cough. what do you know about th? >> it really exploded on twitter.

who was coughing throughout this debate? it turns out it was ben carson. the doctor of the bunch. and his campaign says that all of them got -- came down with this -- with a cough. not really a cold but they were all under the weather with a cough. so mystery solved. >> heal thyself, physician. >> you know, our viewers said honey, lemon and tea. and that's -- >> the campaign trail can be can hard on your system for sure. >> lots of germs floating around there. abc's shushannah walshe. we'll get more reaction from shush and take you to las vegas again in r next half hour. >> on the democratic side front-runner hillary clinton is providing new details on her plan to battle isis. speaking to an audience in minneapolis clinton said the u.s. nds a 360 degree strategy to prevent domomestic teorism. she positioned herself as the more serious and experienced candidate compared to her republican rivals. >> promising to carpet bomb until the desert glows doesn't make you sound strong.

if makes you sound like you're in over your head. [ cheers and applause ] >> clinton also emphasized the importance of working with muslim-american communities. not a surprise considering the large muslim community in minneapolis-st. paul. be sure to watch the democratic debate this saturday night. as we mentioned earlier, it's on abc. it's mosted by david muir and martha raddatz and coverage begins at 8:00 eastern, 7:00 central. students will be back in class today in l.a. following a terror threat that shut down the entire district. that threat was e-maiailed to a school board member promising an attack with guns and bombs. administrators admitted that fears following the san berndino attack influenced the skiegs decision to close the schools 37 schools in new york were open despite the school superintendent receiving almost the exact same e-mail that was

the e-mail was declared a hoax. new york's police commissioner said the type of threat it contains were similar to recent episodes of the showtime drama "homeland." >> all eyeyes on theederal reserve today which wraps up its last meeting of the year. 9 central bank is expected to raise short-term interest rates, the first increase in nearly a decade. it's not expected to have much impact on consumerer loans. britain's first official astronaut is now on board the international space station. tim peaknd two others, an american and a russian, arrived yesterday, bringing the space station crew to 6. >> other brits have gone into space as tourists. but there was a glitch as the soyuz crafapproached -- the automated system failed and the russian pilot had to dock manually. >> i just hope they're eating a lot of space ice cream. that's the only thing i've ever had space related. >> i wasatching "apollo 13."

you remember that? >> i love that movie. >> there's a scene about something that goes wrong and -- not the big thing gheez wrong. and tohanks said every mission has a glitch. premiere last night. our opinions after so much anticipation. you're watching "world news now."u have. you see, medicare doesn't cover everything - only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so if 65 is around the corner, think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, sured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans,

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passengers on this southst jet are zliebing the few frightening moments when the plane went off the runway in nashville. they say it began way rough landing perhaps from a blown tire or collapsed landing gear. the jet then ended up in a ditch. eight people were taken to the hospital. the faa is investigating. and an unclaimed cell phone triggered an merge response at the miami airport. the bomb squad was called when the american airlines plane arrived from paris. someone report a suspicious item. the passger eventually claimed the phone and he isn't being charged. rough landings aren't expeed to keep americans away. >> next week is expected to shatter records for travel in the sxie on the ground. rebecca jarvis explains. >> reporter: nearly one in three

americans, that's more than 100 million of us, expected to hit the roads this holiday season and when we do gas prices should be below $2 a gallon for most of the country. the national average for a gallon of gas expected to hit $1.98 by christmas, and that is the lowest level since 2008. also a gift for the flyers out there. 87% of planes are coming in on time. and that is the third best rate in more than 20 years. rebecca jarvis abc news, new york. what would you guess is the busiest day to travel, to fly? >> of the whole year? >> no, during next week. >> okay. i think it's probably this friday because it's like a buff everefore christmas. yeah, friday. next story short. >> wait, isn't friday christmas? oh, you mean this week. no, it's the 23rd. so the day before christmas eve everybody books their tickets, they're off.

turns out the roads are quieter than you'd expect p. >>ell, when you're driving on the road, everybody clears the roads. especially when you haven't slept much. >> has someone created that graphic in the lasast 35 sends. >> that was a real road trip we took. >> my mistake. the campaign ads seeing the republican debate that freaked everyone out. and the branding of the ad that is sure to gather up votes. but first our take on "the force awakens." last night, and richard has a lot to say, including who luke skywalker's real father is. >> we're going to break an embargo next. i can't believe we broke old man hennessey's window correction dude, you broke. i just threwhe ball. this is really bad. what are we going to do? dude, kiss your life goodbdbye. t's go.

knowing you caalways count on me, for sure hi knowing you can always count on me, for sure tell him it was an accident and we can fix the window. knowing you can always count on me, for sure i'll come with you.

"return of the" -- "retur of the jedi" there. celebrating the defeat of the empire after the battle of ender. at's the last scene. that's where the story left off in 1983. >> and can you believe over 30 years later we've picked up with "the force awakens." richard and i hadhe pleasure of being able to see it. and what a ride. that pendingending, oh, my goodness. let me tell everyone what actually happened. the big -- [ bleep ]. >> we share a parent company. with "star wars." this is what -- this is what disney do. if you break the embargo and

you are a traitor and part of a rebel alliance. i thought that was quite good. it was actually sensational. and it's quite difficult- it's quite hard to know what constitutes a breach of the embargo because people were tweeting about it last night. i guess you can say it's good. quite a few people say it has twists, which you could argue is a plot spoiler. i'll tell you this. so storm troopopers e. >> there you go. you just ruined it for allf us. i have to say it was remarkable. i was really riveted. i found it incredibly compelling. and i think it does honestly, parent company aside, it really does live up to the hype. >> you don't know what -- you're making stuff up. hang on. >> what? >> you had your own plot twist. you fell asleep. richard, do you know the hours i work? i have two young children at home. i sleep about three hours a day.

and gives me a comfy little chair. there were a few moments that i accidentally -- >> i was just making a pnt. >> it's not a reflection othe movie. it's a reflection of my current lifestyle. but i have to say it's really remark remarkable. these two are amazing. they were a fantastic choice for this film. >> there is a fantastic -- and i talked to you about it. how did that happen? i think not only did you sleep, you slept through the crucial bit. but here's the thing i would say. it's a really good story. it actually is a good story. and they used dialogue sparingly. i rewatched bitit of "the phantom menace" the other day, and there a lot of what i would call waffle, and here is just super smart, pin-sharp dialogue that serves the storory. and it's got several little funny bits, but crucially it takes the story seriously. and i watched and i thought you have to do that to buy into that. >> and i have to say the last scene of the movie w remarkable. and i just said j.j. abrams, how could you do that to us? when's the next one coming out? because i can't wait.

the way they left it i just can't wait for the next one. and instead of getting a dog we're going to get a b-8b-8. >> it's really exciting. the theater bursting into applause i would say eight, nine, ten different points. and also harrison ford really nailing that part again. the way he just slips back into han solo. >> it's good. >> for the first few seconds i wasn't sure, is he rusty, and then he totally nails itit. that's our message. i found it thrilling and reena fell asleep. >> just for a few minutes. just a few minutes. coming up, which u.s. state googles matchin height xxl over any other phrase, any other

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welcome back to "the mix." this is the section where we tell you about the viral stories of the day. the first one is excellent. this is about the s states in america and the phrases over the last year that they have googled the most. so it's really interesting. let's start with florida. so the most googled phrase in florida, "concealed weapons." "concealed weapons permit." more than anything else, they are the three words put into google. let's try wisconsin next.. andwisconsin, their most googled -- no, is it west virginia? >> west rginia. >> west virginia. and their most googled word is -- magic mike. >> i never would have guess that in west virginia. really? >> now, look, i think you're from florida, reena. >> i am. >> that's not a huge amount of information on either state.

but based on those two things, i'd rather live in west virginia. >> you know, it is the second amendment. ye. >> yeah. >> legal means. >> that's true. in mississippi the most googled words were ashley madison. which you know is that website that revealed people having the affair. >> is it because they're checking to see their names are on the list or they're just curious what the site is? >> that's a great question. you don't know. are they doing it out of inresting because it as was a great story or are they panicking? reena, what have you got? >> school lunch is really hard to make. one dad goes the extra length to show his kids he cares about them by doing "stst wars." do you see that? >> yeah. >> that's bb-8. >> that's bb-8. and that's a storm trooper. >> it's a storm trooper. you're absolutely right. >>. >> there's another stormrm trooper. >> and he said it makes about 30 minutes to makee these lunches. and he goes have some sort -- >> the cucumber are not the x wing fighters. they're the other ones that darth vader has. that's sentional.

>> so he picks a character -- >> i'm sorry, reena's nodded off again. >> and chewy. there you go. so h picks a character and a theme and goes with that for the week. and hee ys it only takes him 30 minutes. but i actually love to make these for my son because it's hard to get them to eat anything and this is an interesting way to spice up their lunches. >> yeah. he's certainly a better father than me. i tend to wake up and say oh, my god, is it a school day. and let's have another look finally, this is a dog which found -- it's viral. it's very popular. >> what is that? >> it's a dog that appears to have been converted into a toolbox. is that cute? is that exploitation, reena? no, it's probably not. >> they claim he's weighted on both sides equally so it's not heavy.

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co itoelng hr d lko . nd tay this morning on "world news now" -- donald trump on the defensive at last night's gop debate. how trump and his challengers confronted national security and foreign policy issues in their final debate of the year. full live coverage ahead. school scare. similar e-mail bomb threats sent to the two largest school districts in the nation. how police in each city handled the scares quite differently. and new this half hour, details about a frightening scene on a runway. >> passengers describe what happened to a southwest jet before it ran off the runway. the injuries and t inveigation. and later in "the skinny," it looked like a a politic ad, but it was a preview of the next season of "house of cards." we will reveal hints about the next episodes. it is wednesday december 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." stacking my papers because that's what news readers do. good morning.

i'm richard bacon. >> and i'm reena ninan. >> let's begin with the republicans who want to be president of the united states of america. last night's debate marked by several flash points. >> jeb bush taking on donald frump. two senators, marco rubio and ted cruz, going at it. >> andor details we are joined by abc's brandi hitt, who is still there live in las vegas for us. brandi, you've not hit the slot machines yet. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, reena. good morning, richard. no, we're still here covering the debate. not at the slot machines just yet. but man, did things get a little ugly last night. we saw jeb bush and donald trump go after each other not once but twice. and then you saw ted cruz and rand paul also on the attack together against marco rubio. >> donald, you know, is great at the one-liners. but he's a chaos c candidate and he'd be a chaos president.

>> reporter: in their fifth face-off it was a no holds barred battle over national security with donald trump's proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s. front and center. >> we're not talking about religion. we're talking about security. our country is out of control. >> if we're going to ban our muslims, how are we going to get them to be part of a coalition to destroy isis? >> reporter: marco rubio also under attack on several fronts ovover wheth surveillance and data collection needs to be ramped up to track terrorists. >> that tool we st, the meta data program, was a valuable tool that we no longer have at our disposal. >> marco knows what he's saying isn't true. >> i think marco gets it completely wrong. but he's weakest of all the candidates on immigration. >> reporter: an argument that clearly got under governor chris christie's skin. >> listen, i want to talk to the audience at home for a second. if your eyes are glazing over like mine, this is what it's like to be on the floor of the united states senate. >> reporter: a protester interrupted trump and was escorted out. that didn't stop the national front-runner and bush from going back at it on stage. >> if you think this is tough and you're not being treated fairly -- >> this isn't tough -- >> imagine what it's going to be like dealing with putin or dealing with president xi or

this is a tough business to run for r -- >> you're a tough guy, jeb. >> and we need to have a leader that is -- >> real tough. >> you'r're never ing to be president of t the unitestates by insulti your way to the presidency. >> let's see. i'm at 42 and you're at 3. >> doesn't matter. >> so far i'm doing better. >> doesn't matter. >> the two top tweeted moments were those just tough times between trump and bush going back and forth. this is the last republican debate of 2015, as we now get a whole lot closer to iowa and new hampshire, reena and richard. >> i'm at 42, you're at 3. that's got to hurt. >> brandi, you were mentioning chris christie we saw there in your report was taking aim at the senators on stage but did that really gain him anything as far as attention goes? >> reporter: some experts believe, analysts believe this is one of his best performances yet. he's one of the lowest in the polls, and he really took that moment whehen you sated cruz and

happens with senators in washington, d.c., they bicker and bicker and we don't see anything get done. he used that to make a point you that need someone with executive leadership as president and he said that's what he has as governor of new jersey. >> brandi, is there any chance, any chance at all that donald trump will run as an independent? >> reporter: oh, that is the question, richard. everybody keeps asking. he was asked that twice again tonight and he said, "i will not run as an independent no matter what." now, remember this. back in september he alslso said he wouldn't run as an independent and then later said maybe i will. so who knows? from here on out we've got a lost time left until election day. >> abc's brandi hitt in las vegas. >> take a ride on the venetian canal. >> clearly richard's been there a couple times. and stay with us for more debate coverage. our deputy political director joins us for her insights. that's later in this half hour. >> look forward to that. the democrats, meanwhile, are preparing for their next debate set for saturday night right here on abc. during a campaign stop in minneapolis hillary clinton

it comes to preventing domestic terror. she also said the u.s. needs to o std up against anti-muslim bigotry. minneapolis is home to one of the laest muslim american communities in the u.s. back to class this morning for thousandsf kids in los angeles who had an unscheduled day off yesterday because of a terror threat. officials saying the decision to close the schools was influenced by contied concerns following the san bernardino massacre.e. abs matt gutman is live in l.a. >> reporter: the threat leaving a sea of school buses silent, shuttering nearly 1100 schools, classes canceled for aleast 650,000. some parents turned away. >> oh, my goodness. >> i as superintendent am not going to take the chance with the life of a student. >> reporter: l.a. superintendent ramon cortines saying the city is still rattled by the terrorist attack in san bernardino two weeks a ago. the fbi still investigating why one of the attackers there, syed farook, had pictures of high

a.m. that threat e-mailed to a school board member. >> reporter: by 6:32 the dedecision h been made. >> the superintendent has directed all schools to be closed today, tuesday december 15th, to ensure the safety of all students. >> reporter: abc news learning the note invoked allah and directly referenced d e terrorist attack in san bernardino. it also threatened attacks on several schools with suiuicide bombers, automatic weapons, and grenades. new york city got an almost identical note. >> we are investigating this as a hoax. >> reporter: in los angeles the lapd and sheriff's office combing every single school for suspicious objects. >> they have to take into account the safety of the children of los angeles. i think it's irresponsible based on facts that have yet to be determined to criticize that

>> reporteter: that reat nearly paralyzing the nation's second biggest city. now, investigators tell me they believthat threat to have been a hoax. still, they've done their due diligence, clearing every single school in the district, and say this morning they will be open. matt gutman, abc news, language. >> and you heard reference there to the threat against new york city schools in matt's piece. the big apple schools remained open. despite the school superintendent receiving almost the exact same e-mail that was sent to the l.a. school. that also was declared a hoax. new york's police commissioner said the type of threats it contained were similar to recent episisodes of e showtime drama "homeland. scary moments on board a southwest airlines plane as it ran off the runway in nashville. take a look at this. incredible images. passengers said the jet expericed a rough landing and then ended up in a ditch. the plane from houston hobby was completely full. 138 people on board. after the accident eight people taken to the hospital and later released. the faa will look into whether the plane had either a blown tire or collapsed landing gear. in denver flights were delayed and canceled. highways were shut down and schools were closed after a

snowstorm dumped nearly a foot of snow over some areas. just over 6 1/2 inches of snow was officiallyecorded at denver international airport. mountain snow totals were in the one to two-foot range. obviously good news ifou're a skier. you might call this next one a kittenectomy. firefighters in phoenix rescued o newborn kittens who were stuck in a home. one was inside the wall, the other in an attic. the owner had heard meowing insidede the hou even show she doesn't own any cats. >> the firefighters used saws to cut into the wall. both kittens are doing fine. no one knows what happened to their mother or how she got into the attic. glad there was a happy ending. coming up -- [ meow ] >>hey're hot on the trigger, aren't they? the sound department. ba >> coming up in "the skinny" -- golden globe nominees taking on drake's latest hit. >> what could stop donald trump from becoming the gop nominee? expert insightht ahead f you. and what to give the person

onesies for all ages. but first the wednesday forecast. you're watching "world news now." looks like hot in orlando. 85 down in disneneyland. >> important messasage for residents age 50 to 85. writdown this numberer now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with a rate lock through the colonial penn program. if you are on a fid income, learn about affordable whole life insurance that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. if you did not receive your information, call this number now. your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. stand by to learn more. >> i'm'm alex trek, here to tell you about a popular life insurance plan with a rate lock that locks in your rate for life so it can never increase. did you get your free information kit? if not, please call

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it's a pleasure gel that magnifies th our sensations. it gives us chills iplaces we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like... dare to feel more with new k-y love. welcome back. the final gop debate of the year is history. the democrats will debate on saturday. leaving 46 days until the iowa caucus. >> joining us to talk about the state of the race is abc's deputy political director shushannah walshe. welcome. >> of cour. >> donald trump.

abc poll that came out recently that was very interesting. what did it say? >> it really is interesting because shows donald trump leading by such a wide margin. 38%. the next after that is ted cruz with 15%. then marco rubio with 12%. so you reaeally havehis realally wide margin. also interesting is that his muslim ban comments that were so controversial, it shows that with the republican voters who are the base of the party it didn't hurt him one bit. >> what does this mean? do weelieve that donald trump could possibly be the gop nominee? >> definitely he could possibly be. he's gotten absolutely -- he hasn't fallen in any polls. instead he has the widest margin of any poll since he entered the race six months ago. so i think that as the party leaderer for so ng of course there's the possibility he'll be the nominee. >> him against another 13 versus him against just one other or two other people. and all those other votes have coalesced somewhere else.

that's the big question, isn't it? that's where he could really fall down, i think. >> right. when voters have less of a choice of course it will narrow. and that's why we're seeing all these different kind of lanes of the republican party. other candidates, marco rubio and ted cruz, in tonight's debate you really saw them go after each other because they represent different lanes of the republican party, an alternative to trump. but there weren't really any candidates who took k trump on except for jeb bush. he who has been really lowow in the e polls. he really went after donald trump tonight to make a de. >> do you think he had an impact? because he was the one who walked in with a he war chest when it comes to money. do you think he still has a chance in this? >> i think he did the best tonight that he has in 234i debate and he was really the

but i stl thk he has a large hill to climb. >> it's the race you can't predict, isn't it? we can always explain it afterwards. but when you get these b moments like trump talking about muslims, a lot of commentators think that's it. >> our analysis says oh, that will hurt donald trump. and instead quite the opposite. i want to look ahead to saturdays debate with the democrats. >> abc news debate. >> yes, the abc news debate. what can we expect? >> i think that really hillary clinton is going to want to look like the front-runner nationally that she is and to position herself toward the general election. but of course there is still that primary beforehand. in new hampshire, where our debate, is bernie sanders s is leading there. and in iowa the first caucus state hillary clinton is leading but he is only behind by about 10 points or so. >> does he have a route? does he actually have a realistic and credible route, bernie sanders, to the democratic nomination? >> i think at this point it's difficult to see him beating hillary clinton. but we can't ignore those polls, especially in new hampshire, which is the first primary state where he's leading. >> a lot to watch. our thanks to shushannah walshe.

our thanks to shushannah walshe. next up, "the skinny." happy birthday! music music thank you dear, very much music you're welcome music thank you you make me feel so young look who's coming... you make me feel so spring has sprung and every time i see your face i'm such a happy individual you're not fooling anybody, you know the moment that you speak

tt0w!ti(h,! %4@-h@h tt0w!ti(h,! el@-bg$ tt0w!ti(h,! ed@-de@ tt0w!ti(h,% )8h-$;< tt0w!ti(h,% kzh-9t@ tt0w!ti(h,% n-h-l=l tt0w!ti(h,% 0ph-rzt tt0w!ti(h,% s"h-b(4 tt0w!ti(h,% ueh-ajd tt0w!ti(h,% 7hh-]h0 skinny so skinny okay. leading us off, a moment during a break in the republican debate last night. >> a campaign ad snuck its way into the commercial line-up and it was quite a surprise.

>> it's a new day in america. today more people will go to work, return home to their familiesnd sleep more soundly than ever before. all because one man refuses to settle, putting people before politics. that manan is franunderwood. >> america. i'm onlyly gettingtarted. i'm frank underwood, and i approve this message. >> fu2016 for frank underwood. >> that has to be deliberate, doesn't it? what is really interesting about that for me is it just shows you how easy it is to parody political adverts. because until he turns up and says "america, i'm only getting started," it looks like a campaign ad. it could be a campaign ad. if i'd said to you this is a real campaign ad, guess which candidate turns up at the end, you wouldn't have been able to guess. >> looks like the rnc put that out. i think the rnc should hook up with "house of cards." >> they do do it very well. it's interesting, isn't it,

"house of cards" has only been around for four years. this is -- >> the website. >> there's an actual website as well that you can go to. >> look at his eyes moving back and forth. he's watching you, richard. that's quite neat. you can go down, you can scroll around. you have to be careful. there we are. >> there we are. frank underwood speaks his mind now with us. we'll be interviewing -- >> thanks again, graphics department. if you go to end of the last season there is a plot spoiler there to look out for. you're welcome. >> you know, richard, you used to call me on your cell phone. just kidding. >> you've never given me your number. >> i haven't ever given you my number, huh? "hotline bling," very famous song by drake, went viral. we want to show what you happens when some actors recently nominated for the golden globes, they do their own dramatic interpretation of drake's lylyrics. here it is.

>> you got a reputation for yourself now. >> girl. you got me down. >> you got me stressed out. >> because ever since i left the city -- >> you start wearing less and going out more. >> hanging with some girls i've never seen before. >> you used to call me on my cell phone. >> late night when you needed my love. >> call me on my cell phone. >> late night when you need my love. >> that can only mean one thing. >> i know when that hotline bling. >> that can only mean one thing. you used to call me o on my cel phone >> late night when you need my love. >> call me on my cell phone late night when you need my love. >> i love it. isn't that remarkable? i thought they did a great, great job. this could only be topped think if maybe george stephanopoulos, dan harris and the gang got together and did a rendition of this, abc news version.

>> it's amazing how intimidating bryan cranston -- because he was doing a little b bit of waer white inin there. how intimidating he can be when he's simply reading a random note from drake. >> if we rolled some of the music from "hotline bling," could you do drake's dance? >> let's work on that. that needs rehearsal. i mean, sure, i agree with you. it's very popular. rehearsal. just finally, h howard stern has renewed his contract as well with sirius xm for i think more than the gross national product of the united kingdom. something like 18 -- >> five-year deal. we're talking out, yeah. he earned around $80 million annually. and it's expected d to rise 90 million. >> he works three days a week. also a 12-year licensing deal to produce streaming content. > what arwe doing w wrong, richard? >> i think more or less everything. we're basically volunteers here compared with him.

day and much more than that. >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age e 50 to 85 this is an important message. so please, write down the number onon your scen. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable lifefe insuran that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now

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let's all get elfed let's all get elfed let's all get elfed ey're back. the holderness family with another pajamagram to the internet that went viral a couple years ago and it just cannot be stopped. >> they're all the rage at t the moment. it turns out it's more than just strange youtube families are getting in on the pajama act. the onesies. the hottest holiliday fashn trend. and abc's becky worley tries it on. >> repororter: may it started with that pajama family. they are christmas jammies >> or maybe it was ralphie in "a christmas story." >> you look like a deranged easter bunny. >> reporter: but these one-pieces for grown-ups are now a thing. google says searches for adult onesies are trending higher than searches for ugly christmas sweaters. the adult onesie, selling at most of the major retailers and on sale.

$40 to $19. these at target 25. also kohl's and abercrombie & fitch have them. two retailers who offer those percentage off deals regularly. >> on christmas morning when you wake up all you want to do is basically not get out of bed but still be opening presents and i think a onesie's the best way to be doing that. >> whether you call them unionon its blanket sleepers or footsie pajamas they're not just for bedtime anymore. celebrities like khloe kardashian are attempting to make a fashion statement out of onesies and they're big hits on social media sites like instagram. >> it's more instagramable to put up a picture of yourself with a cute onesie with a cute design than yourself in a blankets. >> some of these styles are quite inventive. >> rrr. >> reporter: and this one even has built-in paws. i do have to say they are ridiculously comfortable and cozy. >> maybe the reason these onesies are so popular is that they take us back to our childhood.

and this time of year that can be a really good thing. >> it's kind of the grownup way of being in your pajamas all the time. >> reporter: becky worley, abc news, new york. >> it could be worse. they could be footed onesies. >> that's true. i've never had a onesie. >> really? >> yeah. >> i think there should be anchor onesies for the anchor desk. because it gets cold here sometimes. >> it gets cold here. strange things happen in the studio. wehould reassure everye after last night's program where the fire alarm went off we had a few tweets expressing concern for us just so you know we're very much alive. we made it through the night. >> we certainly did. and it was a false alarm. they told us, floor director says in 30 years he's been here they never had it go off like this during the live show. the things you bet during the middle of the night. >> don't forget to cheheck out o facebook site whilst you're with us. >> this is abc's "world news

two decades.decades. good morning. i'm riard bacon. >> and i'm reena ninan. here are some of the top headlines we're following this morning on "world news now." fights over foreign policy were highlights of last night's republican debate in las vegas. donald trump clashing with jeb bush. marco rubio and ted cruz toe to toe. we'll hear from the candidates straight ahead. there's agreement in congress on a major spending bill, meaning no government shutdown at the end of the year. it lts a 40-year-old ban on exporting crude oil, which is a major victory for the republicans. the faa is investigating what caused a southwest airlines jet to go off the runway in nashville. passengers say it started with a rough landing perhaps from a blown tire or damaged landing gear. and next week is shaping up to shatter holiday travel records. nearly 1 in 3 americans, more than 100 million of us, are expected to hit the roads, rails, and skies. the busiest travel day will be december the 23rd.

stories on this wednesday december the 16th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning, everyone. we begin this half hour with the republican presidential candidates. >> we certainly do. and in their final debate of the year concentrated on the issues most americans are concerned about right now, national security and terrorism. there was also plentnty of criticism, as you would imagine, of president obama and hillary clinton. >> front-runner donald trump said that he knew he was going to be attacked last night. jeb bush did exactly that. >> am i talking or are you talking, jeb? >> i'm talking right now. i'm talking. >> you can go back. you're not talking. you interrupted me, jeb. are you going to apologize, jeb? no. am i allowed to finish? >> one at a time. go ahead, mr. trump. >> a little of your medicine there. >> governor bush. please. >> it's not working very well. >> one at a time. >> we keep hearing from president obama and hillary clinton and washington republicans that they're searching for these mythical moderate rebels.

it's like a purplele unicorn they never exist. >> and for the russians frankly it's time that we punch the russians in the nose. they've gotten away with too much in this world. >> i'd like to also go back to another question, whicich is is donald trump a serious candidate.e. >>ou're a tough guy, jeb. >> and we needed to haveeader that is -- >> real tough. >> you're never going to be president of the united states by insulting your way to the presidency. >> let's see. i'm at 42 and you're at 3. so far i'm doing better. >> doesn't matter. >> so far i'm doing better. >> margaret thatcher once said if you want something talked about ask a man. if you want something done ask a woman. [ cheers and applause ] >> now, that was a good line. >> but donald trump is like a bear you just don't want to poke. jeb bush was i think the only person that went for him. and you could see the nervousness. because he's quick and he is dominant.. and he's forceful. and but worst of all, he's funny. i think whenever you -- if you're going to put someone

down, it's always more effective if it's funny. so even the way he said you're -- i'm at 42, you're at 3. a, true. b, was -- his delivery was quite amusing which made it that much more effective. >> which is kind of hard for these republicans to break out of, that sort of authenticity. i think k that's w a lot people reallyly -- dona trump resonates for them. because he knows how to get in that moment and make it real and authentic. >> i think in this many ways, ththis partilar deba -- i'm looking forward to the democratic debate on abc on saturday. this debate is better seen through the highlights we're showing you. because i find this election the most -- the best show in the world, the most gripping with the best turns and the twists. but in some ways the debates can be -- i'm not talking about saturday. but they can be like a cup final where the build-up is better than the match is itself. i think tonight's is like that. >> stick around for the highlights. >> that's what i'm saying. we'll show you more of it later. >> we're going to have much more as richard mentioned from the republican debate coming up in the next half hour. secretary of state john

kerry says the u.s. and russia can make a significant difference in syria. kerry met with russian leaders in moscow yesterday, reaching an agreement on some issues but not the future of syrian president bashar al assad. they will participate in a u.n. conference friday in new york. defense secretary ash carter is asking turkey to do more in the fighght againsisis. an air base in turkey was his first stop on a tour of the middle east. in p particulacarter wants turkey to better police its border with syria to prevent isis from bringing in weapons and recruits. schools in los angeles will be open again this morning following a one-day closure yesterday. that's because of a terror threat. keeping those schools closed meant $29 million in state funding lost. here in new york city a similar threat was met with a very different response. the schools remained open. abc's brian ross with that part of the story. >> reporter: the first tipoff for new york police was that the alleged threat involving the

secret jihihadist teoror cell, nerve gas agents, high-power weapons, and mass casualties seemed remarkably similar to the plotline of the tv program "homeland." >> the instigator of the threat may be a "homeland" fan, basically watching homeland episodes that it mirrors a lot of recent episodes on "homeland." >> reporter: police said the message sent to new york read in part "something big is going down. not only are there bombs but there are nerve gas agents set to go off at a specific time, during lunch hour." new york officials said they knew immediately it was a hoax and a bad one. >> it was so generic, so outlandish, and posed to numerous school system simultaneously. >> reporter: the message continued with a glaring typo, "me and my 138 comrades will die tomorrow in the name of allah," with a lower case a, at least in the new york version. >> that would be incrediblble to think that any jihadist would not spell allah with a capital a. >> reporter: los angeles got a

similar message, with the sender saying he would personally lead the attacks. >> one person can't lead an attack in both cities. so they realized right then and there that it didn't have credibility. >> cut and paste job? >> definitely. >> reporter: while new york police call the hoax threats almost comically inept, there's really nothing funny about them. the fbi cyber teams are now working to track down the person who sent t them, appently from an internet address in frankfurt, germany. under federal law anyone convicted of sending a hoax alert could face uto ten years in prison. brian ross, abc news, new york. >> brianan, thank u very much. we have some breaking news t of arizona. a search and rescue mission is under r way aftethe crash of a medical helicopter. the chopper went down in the superstition mountains about 20 miles east of apache junction. investigators say the crash site is located in very rugged terrain. there's no word on the conditions of the three people on boards or the cause of the crash.

case. the jurors will continue deliberating even thou they say they are deadlocked on the charges against police officer william rter. gray died last spring afr suffering neck and spinal cord injuries in a police van. porter is one of six officers charged in gray's death. > a mamassacsettteenager has been convicted of rape and murder of his high school th teacher. phillip chisholm was just 14 when he attacked the teaeacher in the school restroom. his attorneys never denied he committed the crime but blamed severe mental illness. he faces a long prison sentetence. debris spilled from a cargo ship off san francisco could pose a danger to marine wildlife. meanwhile, the cleanupf the shipping containers and packing containers continues. a dozen containers fell off a ship in the storm this weekend. some are still floating offshore waiting to make landfall. there's a state of emergency in flint, michigan because of lead levels in thehe city's ter system.

in particular because lead can cause mental retardation. the crisis began after the city began taking its water from flint river. the mayor wants federal disaster relief. a preseason snowstorm nearly paralyzed america's mile-high city yesterday. flights in denver were delayed and highways were shutt down and scols were closed by a snowstorm that dumped nearly a foot of snow in some areas. mountain snow totals were in the one to two-foot range. the winter wte conditions continue again today in the west. here's accuweather's paul williams. hey, paul, good morning. >> thanks, rhard, reena. we have cold air expected to take over the southwest part of the country. making ia little bit chilly in l.a. as well as vegas and phoenix, but then along the east coast tally different story. here comes a low slung through with a jet stream guiding it through and it's going to translate into widespread scattered showers as we go into thursday. wednesday is clearthursday is wet, and over here this is where

play. much coldeair dropping temps below the norm for this time. year. reena, richard. >> okay,aul, thanks so much. across the pond the lady who transformed he britain w with her free market policies has managed toto raise mlions after her -- >> oh, yeah, her. we're talking about former british prime minister margagaret thatcher. speeches, books, and even outfits belonging to the iron lady were turned into auction gold. soaring above their estimated prices at christie's in london. >> there's even a signed copy of the eech she made on becoming britain's first prime ministster in 1979,irst female prime minister. sold for $56,000. anand her bl velvet wedding dress. that fetched 38,000. i would love to have something from margaret thatcher. >> wherehere is discord that will bring harmony. that is a quote from her first speech as prime minister. this is what it's like when you're a political anarak. you can remember speeches that were made when y you were years old. coming up we'll return to our

hillary clinton is preparing for saturday's debate. >> and also developments for people trying to sign up for health insurance through the obamacare website. new hang-ups at a critical deadline. and later the "star wars" movie makers and all the creative energy that went into the wildly anticipated film. the insider's look at "the force awakens." you're watching "world news now." luke, i am still your father. so how ya doing? enough pressure in here for ya? ugh. my sinuses are killing me. yeah...just wait 'til we hit ten thousand feet. i'm gonna take mucinex sinus-max. too late, we're about to take off. these dissolve fast. they'rnew liquid gels. and u're coming with me... wait, what?! you realize i have gold status? do i still get the miles? new mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine. start the relief. ditch the misery.

>> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, this is an important message. so please, write down the number on your screen. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insusurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. bube careful. many policies you see doot have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more.

with a rate lock for people on a fixed come life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, act now and yoyour rate ll be locked in for life.. it will never increase. your coverage can never be cancelled your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and gift. both are free, with no obligation. don't wait, ca this number now. looking for 24/7 digestive support? try align for a non-stop, sweet-treat-goodness

hold-onto-your-tiara, kind-of-day. live 24/7 with 24/7 digestive support. try align, the undisputed #1 ge recommended probiotic. we've been changing things up with k-y love. oh yeah. it's a pleasure gel that magnifies both our sensations. it gives us chilills in ples we've never gotten chills before. yeah, it makes us feel like... dare to feel more with new k-y love. five people north of boston including a mother and her baby found themselves trapped under a temporary y construcon wall yesterday. the collapse of that wall in a gust of wind happened on a sidewalk in the city of malden. dozens of people rushed to their aid. the baby was in a stroller at the time. that stroller may have just ved her life. luckily the only injuries were minor. a stunning blow.

i don't know if you followed this story. it's a gripping story but a stunning blow for actress kelly rutherford in her custody battle. reports say a judge in monaco has awardeded her exusband full custody of their two children. and the "gossip girl" actress can only visit them in monaco and in frarance. she cannot bring them to the u.s. there was a gripping article, toto usthat word again, about thihis se in "vanity fair" a couple months ago. but rutherford is appealing the decision. if you haven't yetet filed f obamacare, you have a little more time. the government says there was unprecedented demand yesterday on the healthcare.gov website. the deadline now the end of the day this thursday. the penalty for not being insured jumps to nearly $700 next year. returning to politics and the democratic candidates getting ready for their debate saturday night here, right here on abc. >> hillary clinton has been staking out her position on terrorism. as "your voice, your vote." and abc's tom llamas covering the clinton campaign. >> repororter: witterror on the minds of voters hillary clinton

out to prove she'll take on isis and protect the homeland. >> it is not enough to contain isis. we must defeat isis, break its momentum and then its baback. >> reporter: the former secretary of state is pledging to target isis's efforts to recruit online but a also slamng republicans for fear-mongering. >> bluster and bigotry are not credentials for becoming commander in chief. >> reporter: clinton heads into saturday's new hampshire debate dominating national polls, but it's senator bernie sanders who's the one ahead in the granite state. and now sanders whose loyal supporters have been packing massive rallies is talking more and more about isis. >> our goal is to put together a coalition to destroy isis and not once again get bogged down in a neverending war in that part of the world. >> reporter: and next month sanders will have another clinton to worry about. biel we've learned that chelsea

clinn will be playing a bigger role in the campaign, headlining two fund-raisers and then off to the new primary states. tom llamas, abc news, new york. >> great. i like tom's reports. it's going to be a reallgood debates, i think, here on abc on saturday night. and it's a bernie sanders -- partly because bernie sanders is so c charismat and entertaining. but there's also that queson of can he thread a route through to the nomination for the democrats? it's very, very difficult for him. so he needs -- he just needs to do something here. >> and he's expected to challenge hillary on foreign pocy. one of the things is hillary's vote to authorize the iraq war back over ten years ago and these expected to hit her hard on that. >> and he's got a lot to say about the climate change deal as well.

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it's "star wars" music. it's the cantina music from "star wars." >> maybe you've heard about the new one. we just saw it. it's pretty amazing, isn't it? >> what reena's really saying there is she fell asleep fell asleep. >> it's the night shift folks. they turn the lights offff. you're sitting down. i doze off for a little bit. it's not because of the movie. it was fantastic. >> here are two people who wouldn't be happy to hear about you falling asleep. we're up all night with abc's chris connelly.

hollywood. the world premiere of "star wars: the force awakens." >> give it everything you've got. >> rorter: it's action and humor. itit's new cracters and light sabers. >> it ends up being a story of adventure and loyalty and shock and surprise and uses this amazing and precious thing called the force that tells usus at we're all somehow connected. >> camera, action. >> reporter: so much of it the work of producer kathleen kennedy and director/co-writer j.j. abrams. all of this inspired by "star wars" creator george lucas. >> there isn't a day that goes by or went by as we were making the movie where we don't talk about george. it's the standard, what would george do? >> the thing that is most remarkable is that george got everything right. >> repororter: a veran of "alias," "lost," "mission impossible 3," and the star trek" series. >> fire everything! >> reporter: the now 49-year-old abrams was brought on to the

"star wars" anchise by keedy. a for decades a top producer on steven spielberg's acclaimed films. >> i did pose this provocative idea who is luke skywalker, that that would be something that was said by one of our characters. >> why was who is luke skywalkerer such a fascinating question? >> guess because it spoke to a new generation. it was that idea there would be young people for whom luke skywalker was essentially a myth. >> reporter: in crafting and casting "the force awakens," set jedi," abrams wanted its chacters young. even bad guys like kylo ren. started. >> and kathy's like am driver. we're like, mike drop. >> reporter: john boyega was cast as the ex-storm trooper finn. >> a are we rely doing this? >> while daisy ridley was the choice for rae.

>> when she came in and read you just know. and literally i had to not giggle from behind the camera because i was amazed at what she was doing. >> abrams hoping this film will have the same emotional punch as the 1977 one had on him as a child. >> the thing i felt when i was a kid when i left the theater was the world was huge and to have people, especially kids go to see the movie and see themselves in it and feel like i'm capable of something extraordinary, that would be the greatest gift of all. >> reporter: for "nightlin -- >> we' home. >> reporter: -- i'm chris connelly in los angeles. >> it's excellent, basically. we don't want to ruin anything. but it takes itself seriously in a good way. there are some good one-liners in there, but it takes the emotional element seriously. and i hope this doesn't give anything away but it also uses as the old one did the emotional trigger was built around a father-son relationship. and let's just say this is built around it again. >> don't give away any more details. coming up, finding extra cash

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this christmas firide is blazing bright don hathaway with an absolute classic, "this christmas." we all want to get the best gifts for our loved ones but budgeting for it can be quite difficult. >> but there are some ways to get a boost to pay for all the presents. abc mara schiavocampo shows us how. >> for the mulders the gift of giving can come with a hefty price tag. but it turns out there may be hidden holiday cash right in their house. firsof all, groupen ys did you know there's money in old toys? clothes too. >> things that sell really well with timeless toys like thomas the train, mr. potato head and my little ponies. >> reporter: using the website swap.com the mulders fill two boxes with toys in good condition and clothes that are in season. the company pays for shipping,

and once the boxes arrive at their warehouse they'll be putut up for sale on the website. on average sellers earn about $150 per box. and bonus points. save the boxes your toys come in. those can be worth cash too. an american girl doll box can fetch as much as $30 on ebay. next up, old electronics. even broken ones. check out websites like kiiboo.com. just box up your items and send them to their california office where they will inspect, price, and post your electronics. two smartphones and an airport express expected to fetch christie about $100. and finally, even old books can make a buck. using the amazon seller app christie scans the books' bar codes to find out how much they're e worth. then she setets the pre before

sending them off to amazon, who will sell them. >> this book is worth $74.50. >> reporter: bringing in a whopping $196. in total t the mulde found $656. >> how is that going to impact christmas? >> it's going to help out a lot. >> reporter: mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> do you know how many toys i have that the kids aren't using? that's great. they pay for shipping, box it up, take care of selling. >> kids go off toys after about three days. and you're done. don't forget to follow us. we're on twitter. we're on facebook. posting behi-the-scenes photos. i have an instagram i set up just for this show. it's richardp, letter p, bacon. it's largely pictures -- we never leave this room. so you're seeing pictures of this room which you've already seen. but if youou'd like see more of it go to instagram. >> that's it for "world news now" this half hour. we'll see you soon.world news

we'll see you soon. this morning on n "world ns now," las vegas showdown. >> the republicans debate about terrism, foreign policy, and donald trump's plan to ban muslims from the protests to the surprises. we have extensive coverage live from las vegas. threatening schools. similar e-mails, threats sent toto thbiggest districts in the country. why some schools were shut dn and others stayed open. >> travel trends. the surpriseses in their and on the roads for americans vacationing over christmas and new year's. what makes this month different from the last. and later, richard and i both just saw "star wars: the force awakens." we're sharing our views after getting a sneak peek just hours ago. it's wednesday december 16th. >> announcer: from abc news this is "world news now." hey, everyone. goodod morningn this bus wednesday. i'm reena ninan. >> good morning to you. i'm richard bacon. let's just say that one of us

tonight. >> there's a reason. >> a great reason. details to come. you're looking for a plot twist, we've got one. let's get started with last night's republican presidential face-off. nine candidates took the stage in las vegas. >> their answers and attacks on each other reflecting the nation's concerns about terrorism and security. we begin with abc's brandi hitt who's in las vegas this morning. brandi, good morning. >> good morning. good morning, richard and reena. it's hard saying both of your names together back to back now that you're on set together. what a night here in las vegas. they talked about terrorism, protecting the homeland and battling isis. really critical issues that dominated last night's republican debate. and as you mentioned, man, was it entertaining beuse several of these candidates didn't pull any punches. >> donald is great at the one-liners. but he's a chaos candidate.

reporter: in their fifth faceoff, it w was a no-holds-barred battle over national security with donald trump's plan to ban musls from entering the u.s. front and center. >> we're not talking about religion. we're talking about security. our country is out of control. >> if we're going to ban all muslims, how are we going to get them to be part of a coalition to destroy isis? >> reporter: marco rubio under attack on several fronts, whether surveillance and data collection needs to be ramped up to track terrorists. >> t that toole lost, the meta data program, was a valuable hall to we no longer have at our disposal. >> what marco sa isn't true. he get it wrong. >> he's one of the weakest candidates on immigration. >> reporter: an argument that clearly got under governor chris christie's skin. >> i want to talk tohe audience at home. your eyes are glazing over like mine, this is what it's likto be on the floor r of the uted states senate. >> a protester interrupted trump and was taken out. that didn't stop the front-runner and bush from going at it on stage. >> if you think this is tough --

you're not being treated fairly, imagine what it's going to be like dealing with prpresident xi or theheslamic terrorism that exists -- >> oh, i know. you're a tough guy, jeb. i know. [ laughter ] >> this isn't tough. i wish it was s always aeasy -- >> we have to have a leader -- >> real tough. you're real touch -- >> you're never going to win your way to the president by insulting your way -- >> so far i'm at 42 and you're at 3. >> doesn't matter. >> reporter: t thawas st a small snippet of the back and forth between trump and bush all ninight long this is the last debate for the republicans in 2015. next up the democrats will be facing off in new hampshire saturday. and that debate is hosted by abc news. reena and richard. >> i think it's s like anyight out t in vegas two or three bits that stand out. several moments. by the next day you've completely forgotten. >> well said. >> trump spoke in the spin room, didn't he, afterwards. what did he have to say? >> reporter: oh different, richard. in true trump fashion, when asked how he did he said he thought this was his best perform performance of any debate so far.

when it came to the back and forth h with bushe said you know what, jehad to attack me, he's lowest in he pololls and i expected it. he said even if the roles were reversed, he would have done the exact same thing. >> interesting fireworks. abc's brandi hitt live in las vegas. brandi, big thanks to you. let's turn next to insight from our deputy political editor who i'm pleased to say joins us here in the studio. schuh shushanna walsh is here. >> he really came out swinging and needed to. >> really he's the only candidate that went head to head with donald trump and it was throughout the debate. let's listen. >> so donald is gre at the one liners, but he's s a chaos candidate. he would be a chaotic president. he would not be the commander in chief we need to keep our country safe. >> jeb does not believe i'm

unhinged. he sd that because he's failed in that th campaign, it's been a total disaster, nobody cares, and frankly i'm the most solid person up here. >> bush did pretty well. he made an impact. ted cruz and marco rubio. >> these candidates really represent two different lanes of the republican party, and many people say that they could be the two on top at e end. let's listen to this clip. >> you can't carpet bomb isis if yodon't have planes and bombs to attacthem with. >> and if we continue the cuts we're doing now not to mention additional cuts, we're going to be left with the oldest and smallest air force this country have and that leaves us less safe. >> one of the problems with marco's foren policy is he has far too often supported hillary clinton and barack obama, undermining governments in the middle east that have helped radical islamic terrorists. >> really as i said, they represent two different parts of the republican party, and they really have been going at each other not just at last night's debate but throughout this primimary

process and rent three' ramped up. both candidates trying to stay away from donald trump but going after each other. this is going to continue and it is going to one to watch. >> it seemed like it was very deliberate. i want to ask you trump made a pledge not to run as a an dependent like he did in september. does this really matter? >> we've heard this before again. in september he s signed a edge saying he wouldn't run as a third-party candidate, but recently he's been sounding he coulrun as a third party again. he kept saying if the party doesn't treat him fairly. but tonight -- last night, excuse me, he ruled it out again and said the party is treating him fairly and he will not run as a third party candidate. i think a lot of establishment republicans are breathing a sigh of reliethis morng. >> and he's doing well in the polls. >> there ways story i saw doing the rounds on twitter about a cough, a mystery cough. what do you know about that?

>> it really exploded on twitter.r. who was coughi throughout this debate? it turns out it was ben carson. the doctor of the bunch. and his campaign says that all of them got -- came down with this -- with a cough. not really a cold but they were all under the weather with a cough. so mystery solved. >> heal thyself, physician. >> you know, our viewers said honey, lemon and tea. and that's -- - >> the campaign trtrail can hard on your system for sure. >> lots of germs floating around there. abc's shushannah walshshe. 'll get more reaction from shush and take you to las vegas again in our next half hour. on the democratic side, front-runner hillary clinton is providing new details on her plan to ttle isis. speaking to an audience in minneapolis clinton said the u.s. needs a 360-degree strategy to prevent domestic terrorism. she positioned herself as the more serious and experienced candidate compared to her republican rivals. >> promising to carpet bomb

make you sound strong. >> it makes sound like you're in over your head. [ cheers and applause ] >> clinton also emphasized the importance of working with musl-american communities. not a surprise considering the large muslim community in minneapos-st. paul. be sure to watch the democratic debate this saturday night. as we mentioned earlier, it's on abc. it's hosted by david muir and martha raddatz and coverage begins at 8:00 eastern, 00 central. threats in two school districts were dealt with two very different way. students will be back in class today in l.a. following a terror threat that shut down the entire district. that threat was e-mailed to a school board member promising an attack with guns and bombs. administrators admitted that fears following the san bernardino attack influenced the decision to close the schools. 37 schools in new york were open despite the school superintendent reiving almost the exact same e-mail that was sent to l.a.

new york's police commissioner said the type of threat it contains were similar to recent episodes of the showtime drama "homeland." all eyes on the federal reserve today which wraps up its last meeting of the year. the central bank is eected to raise short-term interest rates, the first increase in nearly a decade. it's not expected to have much impact on consumer loans. britain's first official astronaut is now on board the international space station. tim peak and two others, an american and a russian, arrived yesterday, bringing the space station crew to 6. >> other brits havave gone io space as tourist or u.s. citizens. soyuz craft approached the -- the automated system failed and the russian pilot had to dock manually. >> i just hope they're eating a lot of space ice cream. that's the only thing i've ever had space related. >> i was watching "apollo 13."

>> i love that movie. >> there's a scene about something that goes wrong and ---- not the big thing goes wrong. and tom hanks said, "every mission has a glitch." that'shat one glitch. coming up in "the mix," "star wars" themed lunches. who's behind it? that's ahead. what travelers can expect on the air and on the roads. > and we just saw the "star wars" movie at a sneak peek premiere last night. our opinions after so much anticipation. you're watching "world news now." premiere last night. our opinions after so much anticipation. you're watching "world news now."u have. you see, medicare doesn't cover everything - only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so if 65 is around the corner, think about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans,

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passengers on this southwest jet are describing the few igightening ments when the plane went off the runway in nashville. they say it began way rough landing perhaps from a blown tire or collapsed landing gear. the jet then ended up in a ditch. eight people were taken to the hospital. the faa is investigating. and an unclaimed cell phone triggered an emergency response at the miami airport. the bomb squad was called when the american airlines plane arrived from paris. someone reported a suspicious item. the passenger eventually claimed the phone, and he is not being charged. rough landings and cell phone emergencies aren't expected to keep americans away. >> next week is expected to shatter records for travel in the sky and on the ground. rebecca jarvis explains.

ericans, that's more than 100 million of us, expected to hit the roads this holiday season and when we do gas prices should be below $2 a gallon for most of the country. the national average for a gallon of gas expected to hit $1.98 by christmas, and that is the lowest level since 2008. also a gift for the flyers out there. 87% of planes are coming ion time. and that is the third best rate in more than 20 years. rebecccca jarvisabc news, new york. what would you guess is the busiest day to travel, to fly? >> of the whole year? >> no, during next week. >> okay. i think it's probably this friday because it's like a buffer before christmas. yeah, friday. long story short. >> wait, isn't friday christmas? oh, you mean this week. no, it's the 23rd. so theay before christmas eve everybody books their tickets, they're off. >> i've done a lot of traveling on christmas eve itself and it turns out the roads are quieter than you'd expect.

>> well, when you're driving on the road, everybody clears the roads. especially when you haven't slept much. >> has someone created that graphic in that last 35 seconds? >> that was a real road trip we took. >> my mistake. coming up in the next half-hour, the campaign ads at the republican debate that freaked everyone out. and e branding of the ad that is sure to gather up votes. but first our take on "the force awakens." we actually got a sneak peek last night, and richard has a lot to say, including who luke skywalker's real father is. >> we' going to break an embargo next.skywalker's real father is. >> we're going to break an embargo next. "world news now" continues afr this from our abc stations. i can't believe we broke old man hennessey's window correction dude, you broke. i just threw the ball. this is really bad. what are we gog to do? dude, kiss your life goodbye. let's go.

knowing you can always count on me, for sure hi knowing you can always count on me, for sure tell him it was an accident and we can fix the window. knowinyou can always count on me, for sure i'll come with you.

"return of the jedi" there. celebrating the defeat of the empire after the battle of ender. that's the last scene. that's where the story left off in 1983. >> and can you believe over 30 years later we've picked up th "the force awakens." richard and i had the pleasure of being able to see it. and what a ride. that ending, oh, my goodness. let me tell everyone what actually happened. the big -- [ bleep ]. >> we share a parent compa -- >> we do. >> with "star wars." this is what -- this is what

disney do. if you break the embargo and give away a plot spoiler. you are a traitor and part of a rebel alliance. i thought that was quite good. it was actually sensational. and it's quite difficult -- it's quite hard to know what constitutes a breach of the embargo because people were tweeting about it last night. i guess you can say it's good. quite a few people say it has twists, which you could argue is a plot s spoiler.. i'll tell you this. some storm troopers die. >> there you go. you just ruined it for all of us. i have to say it was remarkable. i was really riveted. i found it incredibly compelling. and i think it does honestly, parent company aside, it really does live up to the hype. >> you don't know what -- you're making stuff up. hang on. >> what? >> you had your own plot twist. you fell asleep. >> richard, do you know the hours i work? i have two young children at home. i sleep about three hours a day. somebody turning the lights off and gives me a comfy little

there were a few moments that i accidentally did doze off. it was not a r reflectio of the movie. it's a reflection of my current lifestyle. but i have to say it's really remarkable. these two are amazing. they were a fantastic choice for this film. >> there is a fantastic -- and i talked to you about it. how did that happen? >> did i really say that? >> i think not only did you sleep, you slept through the crucial bit. but here's the thing i would say. it's a really good story. it actually is a good story. and they used dialogue sparingly. i re-watched "the fan ton menace" thether day, and there a lot of what i would call waffle, and here is just super smart, pin-sharp dialogue that serves the story. and it's got several little funny bits, but crucially it takes the story seriously. and i watched anand i thout you have to do that to buy into that. >> and i have to say the last scene of the movie was remarkable. and i just said j. abrams, how could you do that to us? when'shehe next oncoming out? because i can't wait.

the way they left it i jt can't wait for the next one. and instead of getting a dog we're going to get a bb-8. >> forgot the dog. >> new droid, isn't it? >> yeah. >> it's really exciting. the thter bursting into applause i would say eight, nine, ten different points. and also harrison ford really nailing that part again. the way he just slips back into han solo. >> it's good. >> for the first few seconds i wasn't sure, is he rusty, and then he totally nails it. that's our message. i found it thrilling and reena fell asleep. >> just for a few minutes. just a few minutes. coming up, which u.s. state googles matching height xxl over another phrase, any other phrase on google. >> "the mix" up next. height xxl over any other phrase, any other

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welcome back to "the mix." ththis is thsection where we tell you about the viral stories of the day. the first one is excellent. this is about the states in america and the phrases over the last year that they have googled the most. so it's really interesting. let's start with florida. so the most googled phrase in florida, "concealed weapons." "concealed weapons permit." more than anything else, they y arthe three words puput into google. let's try wisconsin next. and wisconsin, theheir most googled -- no, is it west virginia? >> west virginia. >> west virginia. and their most googled word is -- magic mike. >> i never would have guessed that in west virginia. really? >> now, look, i think you're from florida, reena. >> i am. >> that's not a huge amount of informrmation onither state. but based on those two things,

i'd ratherive in west virginia. >> you know, it is the second amendment. yeah. >> yeah. >> legal means. >> that's true. in mississippi the most googled words were ashley madin. which you know is that website that revealed people havg the affair. >> is it because they're checkingng to see eir names are the list or they're just curious what the site is? >> that's a great question. you don't know. are they doing it out of interest because it was a good story, or are they panicking? reena, what have you got? >> school lunch is really hard to make. one dad goes the extra length to show his kids he cares about them by doing "star wars." do you see that? >> yeah. >> that's bb-8. >> that's bb-8. and that's a storm trooper. >> it's a storm trooper. you're absolutely right. >>. >> there's another storm trooper. >> and he said it makes about 30 mites to make these lunches. and he goes have some sort of -- >> the cucumber are not the x wing fighters. the bad guy fighters -- they're the other ones that darth vader has.

>> sensational? okay. so he picks a character -- >> i'm sorry, reena's nodded off again. >> and chewy. there you go. so he picks a character and a theme and goes witthat for the week. and he says it only takes hi30 minutes. but i actually love to make these for my son because it's hard to get them to eat anything and this is an interesting way topice up their lunches. >> yeah. he's certainly a better father than me. i tend to wake up and say ohoh, my god, is it a school day? and let's have another look. finally, this is a dog which found -- it's viral. it's very popular. >> what is that? >> it's a dog that appears to have been converted into a toolbox. is that cute? is that exploitation, reena? no, it's probably not. >> they claim he's weighted on both sides equally so it's not heavy. >> that dog is taking work away from very hard-working tool-carrying americans. >> folks, don't do this to your animal.

>> reena fell asleep. making news in america this morning, heated debate. the gop candidates with a fiercely combative tone. donald trump, jeb bush squaring off. >> he's a chaos candidate, and he'd be a chaos president. >> let's see. i'm at 42, and you're at 3. >> complete analysis and a live report. the most talked about moments and who the experts say cameme out on top. runway scare. a plane rolling off course right into a ditch. the passengers forced to evacuate and talking about the ordeal this morning. caught on camera, he really got the scoop. a reporter putting down the microphone and calling 911 after spotting a bank robbery suspect. >> right. and no spoilers, but the reviews from critics are just in for "star wars: the force awakens." five stars or a big bust. hey, everyone, g good

wednesday morning. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm richard bacon, and we begin this morning with the aftetermath fr last night's presidential candidates debate. >> the nine top candidates there on the stage in las vegas. most of the action was right there at center stage involving donald trump, senator ted cruz and jeb bush. >> bush and trump squaring off several times but shaking hands after the debate was finished. abc's stephanie ramos has the details live from washington. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, richard and reena. well, this final debate of the year focused on national security and terrorism, and the verbal punches came out swinging almost immediately. post-gop presidential debate, donald trump sympathizing with his competition. >> i like jeb. i think jeb is a nice man. i really do, but, you know, i think i'd do the same thing if i were him, i'd be attacking me. >> reporter: on stage the gloves coming off. >> you're a tough guy, jeb. >> we n needo have a leader that is --

>> you're never going to be president of the united states by insulting your way -- >> you're real tough. >> reporter: jeb bush and donald trumwasting no time to spar over foreign pololicy. >> he gets his foreign policy experience from the shows. >> come on. >> that is not a serious kind of candidate. >> i know you're trying to build up your energy, jeb, but it's not working very well. >> one at a time. >> reporter: in their fifth debate face-off, almost every question focusing on national security for the nine leading candidates with trump's proposal to ban muslims from entering the u.s. at the forefront. >> we're not talking about religion. we're talking about security. our country is out of control. >> reporter: marco rubio and ted cr also clashing, first over the nsa's bulk surveillance program, then immigration. rubio suggesting the two of them have similar positions on the issue. >> for marco to suggest our record is the same is like suggesting the fireman and the arsonist have the same record because they're both at the scene of the fire. >> i personally am open to allowing people to apply for a green cart. >> we will build a wall that works, and i'll get donald trump to pay for it.

[ laughter and applause ] >> i'll build it. >> reporter: trump and cruz neneck and neck in the polls but staying iendly throughout the bate, and governor chris christie boasting about his executive experience while jabbing at the senators. >> if your eyes are glazed over like mine, this is what it's like to be on the floor of the unitedtates senate. >> reporter: chris christie hammering the senators there on stage, but they actually got more air timthan he did. ted cruz, he spoke t the most, mo than 17 minutes, followed by trump and rubio. richard and reena, back to you. >> trump's c comment tbush, i'm at 42%, you're at 3%, that's got to hurt, right? that's got to hurt. what did trump say about running as an independent, stephan? >> reporter: well, this is a pledge that we've heard before, right, but last night trump said once again he will not run as a independent. he added he's committed to the republican party and is honored to be the front-runner. >> okay, we'll see what happens. stephanie ramos live in washington. steph, thank you for that report. >> thank you so much. in the spin room after the debate, donald trump

characteristically called last ght his best debate performance in the history of the world. no, he said, so far. >> one candidate who had a hard time breaking through was one time front-runner dr. ben carson. analysts say that he seemed to be a v victim ofircumstance in the race. >> i think that probably the thing that came out of this s the continual slide of ben carson, who led at one point in time, and then afterward the tragic events in france when people started focusing more on these issues related to security, he started falling. i think during the course of this debate that fall continues and my expectation is ben carson will be seventh or eighth place by the next couple of weeks. but donald trump out of this debate is still the dominant player in the gop. >> dowd also saying there were two winners in the debate, marco rubio and chris christie. donald trump dominated the chatter on social media, as you can imagine, during the debate. >> yeah, believe it or not, he

was the most searched candidate according to google trends, and he also gained the most twitter followers during the debate, and the top tweeted moment came when trump called jeb bush a tough guy. that was fun to watch. >> it was. later -- often i think that debate is better watched through highlights, as well. i think you saw the best moments there. so later in "the pulse," the comment that had chris christie trending all night, plus live team coverage later on "good morning america." and be sure to watatch the democratic debate this saturday night hosted by abc's david muir, martha raddatz. coveragege begins 8:00 eastern. >> it'll be great. ahead of that t debate front-runner hillary clinton is providing new details about her plan to battle isis. speaking to an audience in minneapolis, clinton said the u.s. needs a 360-degree strategy to prevent domestic terrorism. she positioned herself as the more serious and experienced candidate compared to her republican rivals. >> it is not enough toontain isis, we must defeat isis, break

its momentum and then its back. >> what they are saying -- >> democratic rival bernie sands says he intends to question clinton about foreign policy during the debate including her votes in favor of the iraq war when she was a u.s. senator from new york. about 650,000 students in los angeles will be back in class today after an unscheduled day of that's because of a terror threat. that threat was e-mailed to a school board member promising an attack with guns and bombs. administrators admitted that following fears from the san bernardino attack influenced the decision to close the schools. schools in new york were open yesterday despite the school superintendent receiving almost the same exact e-mail that was sent to l.a. the e-mail was declared a hoax. new york's police commissioner said the type of threat it contained was similar to recent episododes of thshowtime drama "homeland." and breaking overnight, a search and rescue mission launched in arizona a after th crash of a medical helicopter. the chopper went down in the

superstition mountains about 60 miles east of phoenix. officials say that the crash site is located in very rugged terrain. there's no word on the condition of the three people on board or the cause of the crash. severe weather in denver, a snowstorm dumping nearly a foot of snow over se areas also forced flight delays and cancellations. the shutdown -- and it shut down highways, as well. just over 6 1/2 inches of snow was officially recorded at denver international airport. mounting snow totals were in the one to two-foot range. the latest weather radar shows that same storm system moving eastward bringing snow to the plains and upper midwest. the heaviest hit areas a likely to be from the northeast colorado into west central minnesota dumping at least 6 to 12 inches of snow through the night. and on the back side of that storm, winds could gust as high as 40 miles an hour across south dakota, nebraska and iowa. still ahead, "star wars: the force awakens," we have seen it

overnight. >> she fell asleep. >> no, the first official reviews from the critics. >> yeah, they are. they're out. and new this morning, a plane slides off the runway injuring passengers. details just in. plus, caught on camera. a wall collapses crashing onto a sidewalk trapping people walking by. she sees the world a little differently. and, by some miracle...she actually said "yes." to me. tell her everything you love about her with charmed memories. at kay... ...the number one jewelry store in america. and she e will be e best mom...ever. every kiss begins with kay. it's the kay jewelers save the best for last event! with up to 30% off storerewide... ...now is the time to find her the best gift at an incredible price. so hurry in... ...and save up to 30% at kay... ...the number-one jewelry store in america. emerge restored. fortified.

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lots of water. nutrient rich soil. that's how you grow the best, tastiest vegetables. anand that'sow you makake it progresso. debris spilled from a cargo ship off san francisco is still washing up on beaches. dozens of containers fell off a ship during a storm this weekend. some are still floating offshore waiting to make landfall. there's an agreement in congress on a major spending bill meaning no government

shutdown at the end of the year. it reportedly extends a series of tax breaks for both businesses and individuals. passage is expected by the end of t the week,ut the government ending authority runs out tonight, so they'll try to pass another stopgap bill right away. and if you haven't yet filed for obamacare, you have a little more time. the government says there was, quote, unprecedented demand yestery, unprecedented demand on the heathcare.gov w website a the deadline is now the end of the day thursday. the penalty for not being insured jumps to nearly $700 next year. all eyes are on the federal reserve today, which wraps up its last meeting of the year. the central bank is expected to raise short-term interest rates, the first increase in nearly a decade. it's unlikely, though,h, to have much impact on consumer loans. it's not beginning to look a lot like christmas in the eastern half of the country. and that's bad news for some businenesses

retailers, manufacturers, they stocked up on winter gear, and we're still wearing our fall clothing. some retailers planning big discounts, but even ththat might not help some of the shakier stores. when we come back, state of emergency concerns in an american town because of the amount of lead in its water. and a reporter turns crime fighter on live tv spotting a

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this was the scene yesterday just north of denver in broomfield, colorado. a preholiday winry storm dumping nearly a foot of snow on parts of denver and up to 15 inches in the colorado rockieies makingust getting around treacherous. now for a look at morning road condition, roads will be wet in the pacific northwest and across the southeast and up into the ohio valley. snow will make things slippery across the northern rockies and upper midwest into the great lakes area. if you're flying airport delays possible in minneapolis and new orleans. well, new overninight a ve tense end to a flight in nashville. >> yeah, take a look at the incredible images. a southwest airlines jet running off the runway ending up in a ditch. the plane resting in the dirt. emergencslides deployed and passengers described the moments of panic. >> going down the tarmac or the runway and all of a sudden it

speed bumpmp, and i s like, well, that's kind of rough and then all of a sudden you realize you're going down into something. you don't know what. >> the fun part ist least i got down to slide down the little slide. we're alpretty safe so fortunate for that. a little holiday surprise, if you will. i guess that's my christmas gift from southwest is sliding down the slide. >> i enjoy his understated talk. the plane from houston javy was completely full. eight passengers were taken to the hospital and later released. there is an emergency in flint, manager. the lead levels are too high. it affects the city's children in particular becae lead can cause mental retardation. it began aer the city began taking its water from the flint river. the mayor wants federal disaster relief. well, north of boston five people including a mother and her baby were suddenly trapped under a temporary construction wall. the collapse of that wall and a gust of wind happenededn a sidewalk in the city of malden. dozens of people rushed to their aid.

the baby was in a stroller at the time which may have just saved his life. luckily the victims suffered only minor injuries. a suspected bank robber in rochester, this is a remarkable story, in minnesota, who returns to the scene of the crime, first mistake, was probably not expecting live tv cameras. it happened yesterday as a local reporter just started his live shot right outside the bank when he was interrupted by a bank employee. >> tyler just 24 hours ago this bank in -- >> that t guy righthere. >> what? >> that's the robber. >> oh, that's the robber. this is live tv, folks. that's the robber just went by according to the bank employee, so i got to go here and call 91 i'll talk to you later. >> bank robbers have said it before and i'll say it again, you've got to check your local news feed before returning to the scene of the crime. >> i thought the guy running was the robber, , but whatobber shows up in tie?

>> that is adam sadler and called 911 and the 36-year-old suspect was obviously arrested. >> oh, mgod. how do you -- anyway, how about we talk about sport, huh? >> yeah, we'll talk to our friends at espn. >> yeah, we'll start with a surprise from college basketball. bo ryan has stepped down as coach at the university of wisconsin effective immediately. >> ryan coached the badgers for 14 full seasons and led them to the ncaa tournament the year during his tenure. the surprise was the timing. ryan had said he would coach one more season then retire. as for last night's sports highlights we go to those guys, the great guys, our favorites at espn. >> good morning. welcome to our "sportscenter" set here in los angeles. along with neil everett, i'm stan verrett. the warrior streak is over but patrick kane's streak still going as of tuesday night. >> it was, it was. would it end or would it continue? patrick kane looking to extend his point streak to 27. he's got t american born record.

he's got the blackhawk record. the record is 51 by a guy named gretzky. kane going against colorado. colorado was up to the task, man. they had some dudes who had some speed, and all good things must come to an end and so does kane's streak and for the avalanche, they win the game, 3-0. cavaliers and celtics, you remember they play ded in the playoffs last year. another cool thing off the court. special olympics athlete before tip-off and once the game stard, james. >> and then he gave his shoes to the kid afterwards. >> oh, yeah. >> yeah. >> and those shoes h helped he do that. all right, you remember kevin love and kelly olynyk made that plalay that ht love and took him out for the rest of the playoffs last year. well, love 20 point, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, spend ging a lot of time guarding him and look at james. jerebko can't do much. james did plenty, 24 points and

7 rebounds. >> yeah, warriors are playg wednesday. >> yep. >> back to you. >> thank you, guys, at espn. >> you like them. >> a lot. up next in "the pulse," last night's big debate. why chris christie was trending all night and the persistent cough coming from a candidate who wasn't. and we have seen it and so have the critics. the first reviews, the embargo ended one hour ago, the first reviews are in for the "star wars: the force awakens." stay with us.l it in as few as two a a half days when used at the first sign. without it the virus sprds from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and prott healthy cells. you cod heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva startto work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast.

i sure had a lot on my mind when i got outf the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and whatat if thisappened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. then my doctor told meabout 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 significantly less major bleeding than thehe standar treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tellsou 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,

while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily... and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual b bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk k if you te certain medicines. tell your doctor abobout all anned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus hadess major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctoif it's right for you. all right, it's time for "the pulse" and starting with a bit more from the republican debate. >> new jersey governor chris christie taking some heat for one of his comments where christie said he'd be trusted by

king hussein of jordan for his strategy to defeat isis. the only problem is the king of jordan, king hussein died in 1999. abdullah ii is jordan's current living king, ouch. >> plenty of commenting online about which candidate was coughing. during the debebate, ben n carson'sampaign says he's been struggling to get over a cold, and all the coughing was from him. he himself is a physician. >> this picture from afterwards. wayne newton hanging out with donald trump. remember the debate was in las vegas, of course. and the official u.s. opening for "star wars: the force awakens" is this friday but the reviews already out. >> they are. the embargo ended an hour ago, we've seen it ourselves last night. he new york times" says it delivers the thrills with a a toh of humanity and the big news is that the movie is good. >> the film opens today in britain and "the times of london" and britain's "daily telegrapaph" both ve it five stars. >> b it's not all good reviews actually. the "los angeles times" says "the force awakens" is, quote, only at its best in fits and starts. >> and the "chicago tribune" sasays it isood but not great. still it says that's much better

than not bad. "star wars" like abc is part of disney. >> i think i it does diver. >> i think it does, but it's the last scene that got me and then i thought,t, oh, whyid j.j. abrams do that to us. en is the next one -- >> oh, why did i fall asleep during the film, which you did. >> just for a second. i was a little tired. this earlyhift can be tough on a gal. >> and missed the dramatic twist because you were looking at the back of your eyelids. but you know what it does really well, although there are funny lines in it, it takes the story seriously, which i think you have to do for a film like that to really work. >> it was a compelling story. >> yeah, it was. and i think that they play again on the father/son relationship. there are lots of nods to the old films but also they press the same emotional buttons and they do it well. >> well said. >> i'm giving it five stars.

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clashi several times during last night's republican debate. near every question the top nine candidates faced dealt with foreign policy. ted cruz spoke the most, john kasich the least. jury deliberations resume in the first freddie gray trial. but the jurors say they are deadlocked. gray died last sing from injuries suffered in a police e va six cops have been charged in his death. secretary of defense ash carter has arrived in baghdad where he'll meet with u.s. troops and top iraqi leaders. he's also speak with u.s. military commanders about ways to step up the battle against isis. and today's weather, heavy rain for the northwest, snow over the upper midwest, rain blankeng the southeast up into the ohio valley. and perhaps you've noticed everyone is talking about "star wars: the force awakens." >> and not just those of us who work for abc, another part of

fell asleep. abc's chris connelly talked to the creators of this long awaited sequel. >> reporter: monday night in hollywywood, theorld premiere of "star wars: the force awakens." >> give it everything you got. >> reporter: it's action and humor. it's new characters and lightsabers. >> it ends up being a story of adventure and loyalty and shock and surprise and uses this amazing and precious thing called the force that tells us that we're all somehow connected. >> cama, action! >> reporter: so much of it the work of producer kathleen kennedy and director co-writer j.j. abrams, a veteran of "alias," "lost," "migsssion impossible 3" and the "star trek" series. >> firire everytng.. >>eporter: and now 49-year-old ababrams wasrought onto the "star wars" franchise by kennedy, for decades a top producer on steven spiberg's acclaimed films. >> i did pose this provocative idea who is luke skywalker that that would be something that was

>> why was whoho is lukekywalker such a fascinating question? >> i guess because it spoke to a new generation. it was that idea that there would be young people for whom luke skywalker was essentially a myth. >> reporter: abrams hoping this film will have the same emotional punch that t t 1977 one had on him as a child. >> the thing i felt when i was a kid when i left that theater was the world was huge and to have people, especially kids, go to see the movie and see themselves in it and feel like, i'm capable of something eraordinary, that would be the greatest gift of all. >> we're home. >> reporter: i'm chris connelly in los angeles. >> that j.j. abrams, he's got a bright future ahead of him. >> listen, it's wonderful, and it t thrilling and it's exciting, and itell asleep.