. making news in america this morning -- ringing in the new year. revelers welcome 2015 in style around the world. we have all the celebrations. extreme weather, wicked winds and snow making for dangerous conditions and a scare during the rose bowl preparations as a tent is lifted high above the ground. frightening fall a young boy losing his grip on a ski lift. his family members who witnessed it happen. talking about the scary ordeal. dazzling display. the new year's eve skylighting up with more than fireworks. so what is this green glow? and we say good morning to you, everybody, i'm kendis

gibson in for t.j. holmes. >> i'm new york noi new yorkreena ninan. we begin with ringing in the new year in 2015. >> there were about a million people in times square to watch the ball drop. all is quiet, take a look except for those workers who are picking up the tons of confetti. >> what a work out that must be. there was extra security around new york city and other cities because of police protests and shooting. there were no major problems. elizabeth hur has a roundup. country with police on high alert. the fbi warning officers to be vigilant following the assassination of two nypd officers. >> reporter: in new york city

alone, authorities monitoring at least 70 threats against police. but the protests for the most part, remaining peaceful. and police calling times square the safest place in new york city. revelers protected by thousands of nypd's finest. the celebrations kicking off on the other side of the world over sydney harbor. seven tons of fireworks illuminating the sky. in south korea, the traditional ringing of the bell struck 108 times, a buddhist representations of our sins and desires. and cities, one after another ringing in the new year. but perhaps one of the most unique and memorable ways to do so ask these american astronauts. >> we will be over midnight somewhere over the earth 16 times through the this day. >> reporter: welcoming 2015 with all of us from above. this as protesters vow to

continue their fight for justice in the new year. elizabeth hur, abc news new york. it was, however, a tragic start to the new year in china as a stampede claimed the lives of 35 people. >> they were crush toz death just before midnight during new year's celebrations in shanghai's historic water front area. more than 40 others were injured. there are reports people were scrambling for fake money thrown into the crowd from a balcony. recovery efforts after the airasia crash should be more quick today. >> bodies have been returned to land. family members of the passengers and crew are waiting for news. >> reporter: overnight the families of the victims moved from the airport crisis center to this police headquarters in east java. the wait is pain staking. so far only seven bodies out of 162 passengers on that board

have been recovered. just this morning four coffins transported here inside this station. they are matching dna tests to confirm the identity of the recovered bodies. search teams still looking for the plane's fuselage with little luck so far. the suspected area has been expanded. the weather only cooperated for a brief window this morning, too short to make any significant progress. officials are asking the media to keep a respectable distance from the families. they're still hanging on to any glimmer of hope that their loved ones will be back. >> thank you. back in this country, the new year is being ushered in by brutally cold weather from coast to coast. not even california and the southwest are being spared by this. >> reporter: john ehrlichmann reports, it's catching people unaware. >> reporter: deadly winds and choppy water tossing boats.

and up in the mountains, caught off guard by icy conditions. trapped in their cars. >> we can't go. we're stuck. >> reporter: forced to use snowcats for the rescue. and winds gusting at the rose bowl. and more winds at the coast in san francisco. near 50 miles per hour. train service stalled by trees on tracks and some ferry service canceled. >> yeah it was rocky. >> reporter: and in the northern sierra falling trees killing two. >> it was one tree right after another. >> reporter: and icy road conditions in lubbock, texas, more than a hundred crashes. in salt lake city a car slamming into a tractor-trailer carrying 8,000 pounds of crude oil. but they are able to enjoy a rare, snowy, new year's eve. and more snow expected on the mountains and temperatures into the 30s, possibly meaning the coldest weather at the rose

parade since 1952. john ehrlichmann, abc news los angeles. see what's in store for us on this first day of 2015 here's accuweather's justin povick. good morning. >> thank you. the northeast, to kick off 2015 will be quite chilly once again on thursday. a couple of pockets of snow. and some of the snows will be locally heavy. but locally. so only a couple of areas looking at the bursts of moderate to heavy snow. watertown perhaps into the northeastern suburbs of buffalo. much of the northeast sunny. but there will be a gusty breeze. texas dealing with sleet and freezing rain. with icy traveling from san antonio northbound to oklahoma city. and it will be slippery in spots. and later on this week a larger storm system impacting the upper midwest, snow sleet and rain. back to you. the trial of dzhokhar tsarnaev has taken a new turn.

lawyers have asked a federal appeals court to overturn a judge's decision not to move the upcoming trial out of the state, and delaying the motion to delay for nine months. the defense insists it's impossible to pick a fair jury in boston. north korea's reclusive leader may be softening his stance. possibly ready to sit down with his neighbors to the south. in a nationally-televised speech, kim jong-un said he's open to a summit with south korea if seoul wants ties. he plans to strengthen his military and economy. jeb bush is severing more ties as he actively looks into the white house run. he stepped down from boards both businesses and non-profits. and an aid says he will be reviewing remaining business relationships in the coming year. frigid temperatures did not stop more than a hundred people

in maine from doing something most of us wouldn't consider doing on new year's eve. >> they stripped down to bathing suits and jumped into the atlantic ocean. >> it raised $18,000 for the resources of maine. it was barely 20 degrees in portland yesterday. >> i couldn't do it. well still ahead, new details about the mother shot and killed by her 2-year-old. how the child was able to get the gun from her purse and pull the trigger. plus survival story. a terrifying fall for a 10-year-old when he lost his grip on a ski lift.

well, the bulls are still running as we enter the new year after stock markets hit new highs in 2014. stocks fell on the last day of the year, but investors are celebrating the third-straight year of double-digit percentage gains. the rally over the last 12 months has been fueled by an improving economy and an unexpected drop in interest rates. well, the name of the most popular company in the u.s. begins with an a, but it's not apple. it's amazon. this year passed heinz for top honors in the american customer satisfaction index. hershey and mercedes-benz tied for third. they were two points away. at the bottom were time warner and comcast. there's just one direction for this bad boy, up. one direction was the top moneymaker on tours last year

with $282 million. former band boy there, you see, justin timberlake was second at a million -- at a hundred million less. and he doesn't have to split it five ways. the rolling stones were right behind in third place. >> i don't think the boys from 1 1d are complaining. and movie goers are expected in record numbers. the most anticipated, "star wars" episode vii, the force awakens. and avengers: age of you will tron will be the second biggest, and the "hunger games," mockingjay part 2 will be the third. and starting today, taco bell is offering free doritos locos tacos. place an order to get one, and they are giving away a million. it's a mobile app that you have

to download. 1.4 million times it's been downloaded so far. and up in maine, it's free munchy season for goats. for the third year the smiling hill farm has been feeding old christmas trees to the two dozen goats and sheep. they have taken in more than 120 trees. after the benefits of the evergreens were sent out, they still get feed and hay. but they have vitamin c and are natural dewormers for sheep and goats. they were going to town. >> they sure were, weren't they? when we come back plane diverted. a pilot forced to make an emergency landing when a come goes into labor. and one game down to the wire the other not even close. we have the highlights from the bowl games. our eyes... they have a 200-degree range of sight. which is good for me, hey!

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if you're flying airport delays are likely in dallas. well back to the news now, new details about the mother shot and killed my her 2-year-old child. >> the toddler grabbed a loaded gun out of her purse while she pushed him at a shopping cart in a walmart. >> investigators say the toddler unzipped a special gun pocket. and we have matt gutman. >> reporter: it was tragic enough, but in the tortured moments to come the news surrounding veronica rutledge's death got worse. unimaginable her toddler killed her. >> around the age of 2. accessed a concealed weapon that was inside the victim's purse and discharged it striking the victim. >> reporter: that bullet hitting her in the head explain police. the 29-year-old rutledge was a nuclear scientist visiting from out of town. her facebook picture, her and

the toddler and they are aficionados with concealed carry permits. she got a purse to hold her handgun. >> the toddler was sitting in the shopping cart with the purse while the female victim was shopping. >> reporter: her father-in-law raced to the scene to console and collect the children. it's an accident a tragedy similar to this shooting in arizona in which a 9-year-old girl shot and killed an instructor teaching her how to fire an usyzi. many were killed in 2011. matt gutman abc news miami. the area on a colorado mountainside was marked suspicious, but three snow shoers cut across. and an avalanche buried two of the hikers one died. >> they couldn't get him out fast enough. it was rated at moderate

avalanche danger. but human activity often increases the chances of a slide. an oregon boy is recovering from a terrifying fall after a family vacation almost turned to tragedy. he was on a chair lift he slipped and dangled by one hand and fell 20 feet to the snow below. his brother watching in horror. >> are you okay? i was yelling to move it backwards. and the last thing i said to him before he fell was that i couldn't help him. >> reporter: tyler is sore but okay. and his triplet brothers are by his side. they will go snowboarding again, but it's going to take courage to get back on the ski lift. and it could take weeks to clean up salt that poured into a luxury car dealership in chicago. the roof of the morton salt company needs to be stabilized. it collapsed tuesday, burying a

dozen cars at the acura dealership under tons of salt. some were being serviced others were brand new. an unexpected stop for a delta airline the flight after a passenger went into labor mid-flight. they were going to minneapolis, and it was diverted to salt lake city while a pediatrician on board assisted the passenger. she gave birth at a nearby hospital. >> quite an emergency landing and delivery. now to bowl games. boise state feasted at the fiesta bowl. >> the 21st-ranked broncos were no trick ponies using their defense to grind out the win over number 12 arizona. an interception for a touchdown. and then the scoring play to make a game of it. and the key sack ensured the

victory, it was 38-30. the matchup of two top tens wasn't close. tcu's three touchdowns and a smothering defense to clobber ole miss 42-9. >> the horned frogs had 423 yards, holding them to just 129. texas christian capitalized on turnovers, scoring 14 points. the rebels county score until the fourth quarter. well there's more college football today, of course. the crimson tide faces ohio state in the sugar bowl. featuring two veteran coaches. and oregon takes on florida state in the rose ball with the heisman trophy winner on both teams. it's on espn. and dick clark's rockin' new year's eve. the performances that stole the show. and the green light streaking across the night sky.

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rockin' new year's eve. and meghan trainor, all about that bass and lady antebellum. but stealing the show early in the evening, i idina menzel. ♪ let it go ♪ ♪ let it go ♪ >> let it go right now. elton john also performed at the barclay's center in brooklyn. but taylor swift rang in the new year in style right in the thick of it all in times square. >> it was incredible. great performances. >> awesome performances. and taylor wasn't wearing much of anything. >> i don't know how she pulled that off. >> she has an extra reason to shine on this new year's day, 2015. >> she managed to unseat "frozen" as the top album.

eventually let it go to swift's album, "1989," that sold 3.6 million since october. that's compared to 3.5 million of "frozen." no album has sold even 2 million copies this past year. and as the parent of toddlers who love the "frozen" song i'm grateful to taylor swift. >> she's done a good job. 20 degrees, she was wearing that. and special treat for stargazers as we kick off the new year. a glowing green comet that can be seen with the naked eye. >> lovejoy is making the earliest approach to earth, offering views from 44 million miles away. >> it will travel at 3 degrees are per day, which means it will noticeably move. >> it looks like something out of starr trek. >> it does. we'll be able to see it. just look up, folks. >> for some of you your local

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>> good morning everyone, whether you're still up or just waking up, i'm matt o'donnell. 4:27 thursday, the first day in the month of january and 2015. the mummers are getting ready to strut. police in city across the country stepped up patrols making sure revelers ring in the new year safety. police are investigating two crime scenes blocks part in chester. bundle up if you're heading to the parade, david murphy has the chilly accuweather forecast. "action news" the first one of 2015 starts in two minutes. olitical landscape of the year gone by. >> we've ushered in 2015 after seeing major changes in washington and across the country.

starting with the seismic shift in congress. >> abc news can project that republicans will take control of the senate. democrats may still have the key to the white house, but on election day locked out of power on capitol hill. >> house, senate, governors, you name it, wb republicans won it. the blue man group, now the red man group having lost two of three men. >> after the lowest turnout in 70 years. >> the way i see it if you can't wait in line to vote on black friday you better not be camped outside walmart all night. >> big social issues the number of states where gays marry doubled, pot legalized in two states. the president with an executive order on immigration. they say you're acting like an emperor and damaging the presidency your response?

>> pass a bill. >> after the 2014 election. >> not going to make the decision yet. >> who will fill obama's shoes? >> commuting to work or a home office? >> kind of prefer a home office. >> do you have a favorite shape for that home office? >> i want to see the first woman president. i also want to see the first bullied president. you shut up. >> while michelle obama soared high when she video bombed the miami heat her husband was suffering from sinking poll numbers. >> i have been dealing with this since 2009. right now we have a republican party that seems to only care about saying no to me. >> but if the past year is a guide, with obama in the saddle at the white house, republicans with the reins on capitol hill next year isn't likely to be more protective than 2014. >> politics in 2014, same garbage garbage, different date plus isis. that's it. >> plus isis.

>> happy new year everyone, here's what's happening on this first day of 2015. >> the mummers have a new route when they parade through philadelphia. we'll have a live preview this morning. we'll look at how america celebrated the new year. >> police are looking for a an he wouldn'terly woman who walked away from her home. >> happy new year, who pulled an all nighter? i would like to know. >> reporter: i would like to thank my neighbors either they