>> 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. >> h he's a chs 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. e most talked about moments and who the experts say came 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, b the reviews from critics are just in for "star wars: the force awakens."

wednesday morning. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm richard bacon, and we begin this morning with the aftermath from 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 age involving donald trump, senator ted cruz and jeb bush. >> bush and trump squaring off several times s but shakg hands after the debate was finished. abc's stephanie ramos has the details liveve from waington. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, richard and reena. well, is final debate of the year focused on national security and terrorism, and the verbal punches came out inging 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 need to have a leader that is --

>> you're never going to be president of the united states by insulting your way -- >> y're real tough. >> reporter: jeb busand donald trump wasting no time to spar over foreign policy. >> 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 aa 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 cruz also clashing, first over the nsa's bulk surveillance program,hen 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 walll that

to pay for it. [ laughter and applause ] >> i'll build it. >> reporter: trump and cruz neck and neck in the polls but staying friendly throughout the debate, 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 united states senate. . >> reporter: chris christie hammering the senators there on stage, but they actually got more air time than he did. ted cruzuz, he spo the most, more than 17 minutes, followed by trump and rubio. richard and reena, back k to you. >> trump's comment to bush, 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, stephanie? >> 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

characteristically called last night 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 victim of circumstance in the race. >> i think that probably the thing that came out of this was the continual slide of ben carson, who led at one point in time, and then afterward the tragic eventin france when people started focusing more on these issues related to security, he started falling. i think during the course ofof this debate that fall continues and my expectation is ben carson will be inin seventhr eighth weeks. debate is still the dominant player in the gop. >> dowd also saying the were two winners in the debate, marco rubio and chris christie. donald trump dominated the chatter on social media, as you

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 calledeb bush a tough guy. that was fun to watch. >> it was. later -- often i think that debate is better watched through highlights, asell. i think k you saw e 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 watch the democratic debate this saturday night hosted by abc's david muir, martha raddatz. coverage begins at 8:00 eastern. >> it'llll be grea ahead of that debate front-runner hillary clinton is providing new details about her plan to battle isis. speaking to an audience in minneapolis, clinton saiaid 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 isot e enough toontain

its momentum and then its back. > what th are saying -- >>emocratic rival bernie sanders says he intends to question clinton about f foreign policy during the debate includinher votes in favor of the ir 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 off. 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 rnardino attack influenced the decision to close the schools. schools in new york were open yesterday dpite 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 epises of the showtime drama "homeland." and breaking overnight, a search a and rescumission launched in arizona after the crash of a medical helicopter.

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 some 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 are 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 othat storm, winds could gust as high as0 miles an hour across south dakota, nebraska and iowa. still ahead, "star wars: the

overnight. >> she fell asleep. >> no, the first official reviews from the critics. >> yeah, they are. they're e out. and new this morning, a plane slides off the runway injuring passengers. details just in. plus, caught on camera. a wall collapses crashg onto a

by. 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 stitill floatg offshore waiting to make landfall. there's an agreement in congress on a mamajor spenng

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 the week, but the government spending 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 yesterday, unprecedented demand on the heathcare.govov websitend 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 day, which wraps up its last meeting of the year. the central bank is expected to raise short-termrm interesrates, the first increase in nearly a decade. it's unlikely, though, t to have much impact on consumer los. it's not beginning to look a lot like chrhristmas ithe eastern half of the cocountry. and that's bad news for some businesses.

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

>> what. do not take breo more than prescred. see your docr if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. ask your doctor if 24-hour breo could be a missing piece for you. see if you're eligible for

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

speed bump, and i was 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 is at least i got down to slide down the little slide. we're all pretty safe fortunate for that. a little holiday surpris 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 because lead can cause mental l rerdation. it began after 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 a a gust of wind happened on a

aid. the baby was in a stroller at the time which may have just saved his life. luckilthe 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 aocal l reporter just started his live shot right outside theank when he was interrupted by a bank employee. >> tyler just 24 hours ago this bank in -- >> that guy right there. >> 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 911. 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 returng to the scene of the crime. >> i thought the guy running was the robber, but what robber

>> that is adam sadler and called 911 a the 36-year-old suspect was obviously arrested. >> oh, my god. 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 of 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 the american born

he's got the blackhawk recorord. 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 theylay ded in the playoffs last year. another cool thing off the court. special olympics athlete before tip-off and once the game started, james. >> and then he gave his shoes to the kid afterwards. >> oh, yeah. >> yeah. >> and those shohoes helpehelp do that. all right, you remember kevin love and kelly olynyk made that play that hurt 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.

7 rebounds. >> yeah, warriors are playing wednesday. >> yep. >> back to you. >> thank you, guys, at espn. >> you like them. >> a lot. up next in "the pulslse," 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 and a half days when used at t first sign. without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. you cocould healour cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva.com don't tough it out, knock it out, fast.

i sure had a lot on my m mind wh i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. what about my family? my li'l buddy? and what if this happened again? i was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if ththis was t right treatment for me. then my doctor told me about eliquis. eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis alsoso had siificantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. knowing eliquis had both... turned around my thinking. dodon't stopliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause seriouand 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

numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, u 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 bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. eliquis treats dvt & pe blood clots. plus had less major bleeding. both made switching to eliquis right for me. ask your doctor if it's right for you. all right, it's time for "the pulse" and starting with a bit more from the republican debate. >> new jersey governor chris christstie takinsome heat for one of his comments where

king hussein of jordan for his strategy to defeat isis. the only problem is the king of jordan, king hussein died in 1999. abllah ii is jordan's current living king, ouch. >> plenty of commenting online about which candidate was coughing. during the debate, ben carson's campaign 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. yne 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 fririday but the reviews already out. >> they are. the embargo ended an hour ago, we've seen it ourselves last night. "the new york times" says it delivers the thrills with a touch 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 telegraph" both gave it five stars. >> but it's not all good reviews actually. the "l angeles times" saysys he force awakens" is, quote, only at its best in fits and starts. >> and the "chicago tribune"

than not bad. "star wars" like abc is part of disney. >> i think it does deliver. >> i think it does, but it's the last scene that got me and then i thought, oh, why d j.j. abrams do that to us. when 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 early shift can be tough on a gal. >> and missed the dramatic twist because you were looking at the ck of your eyelilids. 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 reaeally work >> it was a compelling story. >> yeah, it was. and i think that they play again on the father/son relationship. there ar 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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clashing several times during last night's republican debate. nearly every question the top nine candidates faced dealt with foreign policy. ted cruz spoke the most, joh kasich the least. jury deliberations resume in the first freddie gray trial. but the jurors say they are deadlocked. gray died last spring from injuries suffered in a police van. six ps have been charged in his death. secretary of defense ash carter has arrived in ghdad where he'll meet with u.s. troops and top iraqi leaders. he's also sak with u.s. military commanders about ways to step up the battle agagainst is. and today's weather, heavy rain for the northwewest, snow over the upper midwest, rain blanketing 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

fell asleep. abc's chris connelly talked to the creators of this long awaited sequel. >> reporter: monday night in hollywood, the world 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 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. >> camera, 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. >> fire everything. >> reporter: and now 49-year-old abrams was brought onto the "star wars" franchise by kennedy, for decades a top producer on steven spielberg's acclaimed films. >> i did pose this provocative idea who is luke skywalker that

said by one of our characters. >> why was who is luke skywalker such a fascinati question? >> i guess because it spoke to a new generation. was thaidea t that ther would be young people for whom luke skywalker was essentially a myth. >> reporter: abrams hoping this film will have the same emotional punch that the 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 extraordinary, thatat would bthe 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,nd it's thrilling and it's exciti, and it probably is the best film since "the empire strikes back. >>moring iowa in hd. we are iowa's most accurate weather