. making news in america this morning -- restoring relations. united states and cuba slowly putting an end to a 50-year freeze. prisoner swap and how the pope played a key role. what it means for tourism and imports like cigars. they know which country is behind the sony hack as the studio decides to cancel "the interview". a car slams into people living church. the driver under arrest. and a deer comes out of nowhere into the path of a cyclist going 30 miles per hour. well, good thursday morning. begin with the historic shift in

policy between cuba and the united states. >> the two countries on the brink of war now prepared to open embassies. >> more americans could be on their way visiting the largest island in the caribbean. and travelers can bring back $100 worth of tobacco or cuban rum. and susan saulny has the this morning, shock waves after a deal reached in secret changes the course of history. president obama restoring full diplomatic relations, cuba for the first time since the height of the cold war. >> we want to see greater freedom, prosperity, freedom for ordinary cubans. >> reporter: the u.s. will open an embassy, and it could revitalize the flow of money and people between the two nations. cuba's status as a states state sponsor of terrorism will be

reviewed. and the u.s. will increase its advocacy for human rights and democratic reforms. >> it's about time. >> getting back our cuban heritage and seeing our family will be easier. >> reporter: one obstacle was the five-year imprisonment of alan gross. here he is in video provided to abc news by senator jeff blake who was on board. with the new breakthrough, gross and an unnamed american spy were freed. >> i'm incredibly blessed, finally, to have the freedom to resume a positive and constructive life. >> reporter: in exchange, the u.s. released three imprisoned cuban spies. some disapprove of this breakthrough. >> these changes will lead to greater wealth and influence for this oppressive regime. especially the military.

>> reporter: one of the first things to happen will be an easing of travel bans especially for students and business. >> that deal followed 18 months of secret talks between the u.s. and cuba. we know that pope francis played a key role. >> he wrote separate letters to president obama and raul castro to talk about the prisoner exchange. and in a private meeting with president obama who expressed his appreciation in the interview with david muir. >> the assistance of him and his office in providing a moral authority to the issue. but also his practical facilities in the vatican i think was very, very important. he is the real deal. a remarkable man and an inspiration to all. and when you think about -- >> the president told david he is not ruling out a trip to cuba. he will wait to see how things evolve. the tourism industry already

eyeing cuba's tropical landscape. royal caribbean says all their ship itineraries are set up to 2016. but vacationers will be able to return with $100 worth of those coveted cuban cigars. is it that fantastic. >> everybody will tell you yes. some places do things well. they do cigars well. you can stay with abc news on president obama's relations with cuba. a live report later on "good morning america." and now the reaction after sony canceled the release of the movie "the interview," responding to threats from north korea. some say they are caving in. rob lowe among them saying, quote, the hackers won. >> reporter: federal investigators have enough evidence to connect north korea to the devastating cyber attack against sony pictures.

that the secretive regime sponsored it or directed an individual or group to carry out the attack. a formal announcement expected on thursday. this as sony pulled the plug on the christmas release of its controversial comedy the interview in light of recent threats. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> yes. >> what? >> reporter: executives making the decision after some of the biggest theater chains decided not to screen the movie because of concerns for patron safety. the guardians of peace warned people considering seeing the film we recommend you to keep yourself distant. soon all the world will see what an awful movie sony has made. the world will be full of fear. the main suspects are members of an elite cyber security team known as bureau 121, believed to be behind several hack attacks on south korea last year. >> they have sophisticated mall wear and new tactics and techniques we haven't seen.

>> reporter: there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against theaters in the united states, the interview is being canned. we stand by their film makers and their right to free expression and are disappointed by this outcome. it is unclear if the movie will ever be released. t.j. and reena. russian president vladimir putin's end of the year press conference is getting scrutiny today. the ruble has lost 50% of its value. he's said little about it until now. he still enjoys approval ratings in the high 80s. back at home, a woman is in custody suspected of driving under the influence causing a deadly crash in california. people after church were crossing a highway, one person was killed, several others

injured. the car collided head on with another vehicle. and a murder suspect in texas. more than a hundred officers are searching for christian madewell, last seen south of fort worth. he's accused of shooting and killing a man last friday. a major southern california freeway is open again. a mudslide had closed all seven lanes of the eastbound 91 as heavy rain pushed rocks, mud and other debris on to the road. there were minor traffic accidents, but no injuries. it was the site of a brush fire months ago. another mudslide is possible. southern california and the rest of the west coast get a break today before another storm brings rain this evening. texas and the gulf coast could see heavy thunderstorms. and kansas and missouri will see snow this morning. temperatures in the northeast will reach the mid-40s. 60 in atlanta. freezing in kansas city, and

below freezing for chicago and minneapolis. well, coming up, the layaway debacle surprising shoppers at a major retailer a week before christmas. and a weatherman shot several times walking into work. an update on his condition. and what one duo used to rip off walmart.

stock markets across asia staged a powerful rally overnight, rebounding after positive news from the federal reserve. fed chairman janet yellen said

that the fed would be patient when it comes to raising interest rates. that sent u.s. markets to the best day in more than a year. all three major averages gaining two points. and kmart's parent company has a mixup over christmas gifts, and they are apologizing. people had items cancelled. many of the notices were sent in error, they got the merchandise they ordered. and back to bakes for blackberry. the blackberry classic brings back the physical keyboard. that's a smaller screen than other smartphones. its design will remind fans of the 9900, a much-loved phone. and the holiday lights at homes across the country. the christmas decorations so bright you can see them from space. nasa captured these i believes from atlanta to l.a. they say that night time light

emitted during the holidays is up to 50% greater than the rest of the year. when we come back, fearful screams and praying. a plane hits severe turbulence. and highway hazard. a wild collision caught on camera. give a journey. give a new perspective. give a little joy. a book is a gift like no other. and barnes & noble is like no other book store in the world. with so many books to discover and the new nook by samsung now a full featured tablet. a book is the gift they'll remember long after the holidays are over. he loves me, he loves me not

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residents of wichita, kansas, could be in for a tough commute this morning, a repeat of last evening's rush hour. freezing rain, fog too. and the snow and icy rain will continue before it clears up. >> that makes driving slippery in kansas today. and slippery along lake erie and northern new england. wet in southern california and

new mexico. and flight delays possible in houston and kansas city. and more trouble for ray mcdonald who is no longer a member of the san francisco 49ers. he was let go by the team yesterday because he's the subject of a sexual assault investigation. >> san jose police are investigating after a woman claims she was assaulted at his home. he was never charge when had his pregnant fiancee said he sexually abused her. and stephen collins said he did have inappropriate sexual contact with three girls over a 20 year period. his then-wife secretly recorded the session during a marriage therapy session and made the recording public. he said the rumors are much worse than what he did. a full interview airs tomorrow night on 20/20. and a tv meteorologist was

shot outside his television station. police in waco say the suspect and patrick crawford exchanged words before gunfire erupted. with multiple gunshot pounwounde drove away, he flagged down a construction worker for help. those workers provided first aid and he's expected to be okay. new details and video from the terrifying trance-pacific flight that hit turbulence. it flew through a storm, catching passengers and crew by surprise. [ screaming ] the plane made an emergency landing in tokyo where four passengers and a flight attendant were taken to the hospital. most of the 255 aboard arrived in dallas yesterday still shaken by their experience. and watch the guy near the door of this florida walmart faking a heart attack. at the same time his accomplice -- there's a guy you'll see shortly wearing a red vest, pulls a shopping cart

loaded with toys out of the store without paying the surveillance video any attention. well, the police did catch it. they tracked him down. they have both been arrested and are now facing theft charges. police officers in st. louis, this bud's for you. a teenager being charged with breaking into a gas station. this is 18-year-old bud weiser. his name is bud, last name weiser. he turned himself in, a serious crime. it's st. louis, the home of anheuser-busch. it makes sense. >> okay. nothing like a sunday afternoon bike ride. this is near san francisco's golden gate bridge. the rider capturing it on camera when that happens. the deer jumps into his path and he ends up on the pavement. he suffered a minor concussion.

saying his helmet saved him from a more serious injury. we don't know what happened to the deer. we turn now to the guys at sports. >> high lights from espn. >> this is the actual "sportscenter" desk in los angeles. we're the actual anchors. >> tidy up over there. >> i'm a mess. >> three overtimes. grizzlies down three. gasol, first three-pointer of the season, sent it to double overtime. 2.6 to go in the second overtime. another big man with an unlikely outside shot. tim du tim duncan. >> i called glass. >> they tied into triple overtime. two minutes to play, zach randolph. grizlies win it 117-116. they beat the warriors and spurs back-to-back nights. >> kenny developed the lebron

app. lebron james and the cavaliers hosting atlanta. they are really good. lebrebron james is really good. close your eyes. excuse me, i've seen him play forever. i don't know how to pronounce that name. hawks didn't have jeff tooeg, didn't need him. and paul millsap works on kevin love. they work over cleveland in cleveland 127-98. >> you're supposed to be cleaning up. >> i did that highlight standing up. at home you couldn't -- >> that's all we got. back to you. >> okay. tidy up, boys. up next in the pulse, the 6-year-old theater critic asking sting questions about his new show. and what could be the worst answer on the game show "millionaire," ever. this is what it can be like to have shingles. a painful, blistering, rash.

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all right. we have a followup to kick off this thursday's pulitzer. it's a man who made headlines last month offering a free trip to the woman with the same name as his ex. >> jordan and his then ex-girlfriend, elizabeth gallagher booked around the world airline tickets. but their relationship ended. 18 elizabeth gallaghers with canadian pass ports applied. he picked elizabeth for her strictly platonic trip that starts on saturday. she has a boyfriend. and with his last broadway musical sinking at the box office, sting took extraordinary efforts. >> he took the stage and sat for

an interview with a kinder gartner. >> ian is one of the hottest broadway critics around. >> i tried my best, it may not be the best result. but trying your best is enough. >> i thought it was a great show, and i can see that you tried your best. >> thank you, ian. >> you should be proud of yourself. >> okay. i'll be proud of myself. if you say so. >> i love it. >> the real test is ticket sales for performances after sting leaves the show in late january. it's rare that a government produced conference goes viral. >> the russian government aired a video to promote today's event. >> some calling it terminator-esque. ♪

>> wow. it's a movie trailer. flashing graphic, explosions, all the music. all the makings of a hollywood trailer. can't wait. and finally, what can only be described as an epic fail. happened on a popular game show on australia. >> the contestant is whitney. which of these is not a piece of jewelry commonly worn to symbolize a relationship between two people. >> engagement ring, anniversary ring, wedding ring and burger ring. >> oh, burger ring. that is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me. >> and her run on "millionaire" was over at that point. >> oh, they brought her back later for a consolation prize, a bag of burger rings. it's popular down under. it's like onion rings. >> she had a bad moment.

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>> good morning, everyone, 4:27, i'm matt o'donnell, coming up next on "action news," a bucks county community calls for safer streets after a teenager is struck and killed by a teenage driver as she tried to get on the the school bus. controversy continues over sony's decision to cancel a comedy. plus, weather and traffic updates including what to expect for the weekend, i do believe, the ten-day forecast is including critics mass, i think. # finally those who watch the mtv show jersey shore might recall the house mates going to a beach and board walk facility,

jenkinssons. >> it's where a discovery has been made. long lost videos that have been found are being returned to the family that made them. >> reporter: tony yates has the details. maria's first steps. fun times, daddy in the mirror. and on the lake. home videos discovered in this camera bag left on the beach 16 years ago and put in lost and found which was relocated of over the years as they expanded. >> so it's possible that the lost and found actually originated in the old offices and someone thought to bring it her. >> reporter: here in the attic, the ball was covered in a corner. it was spotted in september. >> to be honest, i have no clue how it was spotted. >> the camera no longer worked, but one day another employee was doing chores at home. >> over the weekend, i was looking through my personal stuff, and i found my old handy

cam. why not bring this in and try and, you know, use it to watch the tapes. >> reporter: they watched and heard the girls' names maria and caroline and the last name. you can't replace the special moments, or the moment we had today when the father called to claim the taps. >> i would have to say it was an unbelievable discovery. completely surprised. >> reporter: how old are your girls now? they're beautiful. >> thank you. 23 and 21. >> reporter: memories that were lost and now found thanks to the staff at jenkinsson the. >> can't replace those moments. >> nice treat. 16 years ago. appreciate you spending time with us. >> stay with us for "good morning america" and have a fantastic thursday.

>> good morning, developing now at 4:30, a car plows into a group of people more than a dozen people were in its path. president obama and cuban president castro take the first step in many decades to improve relations between the two county. >> sony cancels the movie as hackers make threats to movie goers, we've a live report. >> david is here with