making news in america this morning, rail disaster. the new details on what happened just seconds before this amtrak train derailed sending cars crashing onto a busy highway killing at least three people and leaving more than 100 injured. >> there was a point where the shaking got extremely violent and that's exactly when i knew something bigger was going to happen. >> one survivor explains how he escaped with his train car suspended in the air and this morning, the hero driver below who pulled so many to safety. decision day on capitol hill. the republican tax plan moves one step closer to becoming law. supporters respond to a new estimate claiming the richest 1% of americans will see most of the benefits. resign, the new push to get al franken back in the senate despite accusations of sexual

misconduct. plus, redefining green energy. how scientists are creating plants that can glow in the dark. and drinking with duncadunk. they brew a whole new kind of adult beverage. a good tuesday morning. investigators have revealed that amtrak train that derailed in washington state was speeding going 80 miles per hour in a 30-mile-per-hour zone. >> we learned that just a few moments ago and three people were killed and dozens injured on a track that was just recently upgraded. this morning the survivors are sharing theirerrifying details about the moments before the crash. >> and we're hearing the stories of those who rushed in to help as that train dangled over a busy expressway. abc's maggie rulli joins us from dupont, washington. maggie, good morning. >> reporter: dan and kendis,

good morning. you can see that is where it jumped off the track. authorities here now are trying to figure out what went wrong. an early morning commute interrupted by chaos. >> amtrak 501. >> reporter: 501 had just left seattle heading towards portland. the ntsb says preliminary findings from the data recorder show the train was traveling at 80 miles per hour near the curve where the speed should have been reduced to 30 miles per hour. >> they're requesting all possible units. there are bodies on the freeway. >> reporter: 13 cars careened off both sides crashing directly onto interstate 5 below. >> oh, my god. that train is derailed. >> started shaking really badly. >> reporter: daniel and his girlfriend were on their way to work when they saw the derailment. he rushed in to help. >> people were in shock and a lot of them initially when they got out of the train, they just

went and they sat down with their heads -- with their face in the palm of their hands. >> reporter: it happened on a new line. this train carrying its first paying customers. just last month in a nearby town of lakewood mayor don anderson warned about the possibility of a crash. >> when there is an accident. >> reporter: a report following a 2015 accident followed safety lapses. >> it's something that was mandated by law long ago but amtrak has been slow to implement it. >> reporter: crews have been out here working throughout the night. one officer i spoke to said he could not believe what he saw on the scene. that it almost looked unreal like someone had just taken toy train cars and tossed them around. diane and kendis. >> they certainly look like that was the case and the rain is not making it very easier for those crews out there, maggie, thank

you. the derailment highlighting how train technology in the united states has not kept pace with other countries like japan where there is more automation and speed control. >> the president tweeted the train accident shows more than ever why our soon-to-be submitted infrastructure plan must be approved quickly. his budget pla has proposed slashing certain subsidies for amtrak in favor of future transit projects locally funded. >> we'll keep our eyes on that. in the meantime, new concerns being raised after that travel nightmare at the atlanta airport after that power outage that led to 1100 flights being canceled being blamed on a fire inside a tunnel. the investigation expected to take days. the question is why one tunnel carries the main lines and backup lines. operations are returning to normal although some passenger also have to wait until thursday for a flight. the outage could cost delta air lines an estimated $30 million. >> congressional republicans are counting down to the biggest tax overhaul in decades with the

first vote just hours away. every gop senator is now a yes on the bill which president trump is eager to sign before christmas. meanwhile, a new nonpartisan study predicts the wealthiest 1% of americans stand to benefit the most. abc's arlette saenz has more from washington. good morning, arlette. >> reporter: hey, good morning, diane and kendis. republicans are on the brink of handing president trump his first major legislative win but some argue the gop tax plan won't be a win for all americans. president trump is ready to push the gop tax plan over the finish line. >> it will be the biggest tax cut and tax reform in the history of our country. >> reporter: but on capitol hill, protesters urged lawmakers to say no. [ chanting "this is what democratically looks like" ] >> reporter: who benefits and who loses out? it is a boon for big business and permanently slashes the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. for the wealthy, the top tax rate is lowered for more than

39% to 37%. republicans insist the tax plan is aimed at the middle class. >> if people are out there working for a living and feel more money on their pocket they'll like it. >> reporter: the individual tax cuts expire after eight years and a new analysis found in a decade 70% of middle

"the washington post" it could last for at least another year. the report comes as white house lawyers prepare to meet with special counsel robert mueller's office this week. the trump team is apparently looking to find out where things stand but he is under no obligation to share that. >> the trump administration is now blaming north korea for a massive cyberattack last may targeting hospitals and schools. a top security official says north korea is directly to blame for that ransomware attack that crippled many of thosing its. he warns north korea is increasingly resorting to cyberattacks calling for the public and private sectors to work together to boost protectioned. meanwhile, north korea is

rejecting rex tillerson's offer to hole new talks and kim jong-un's regime dismissed the offer as an attempt to shift responsibility for current tensions. >> time now for a look at your weather on this tuesday morning. there are new fears of another extreme drought in southern california. los angeles has seen less than 1 inch of rain in ten months. the thomas fire north of l.a. is now 50% contained and we've learned a cooking fire at a homeless camp is now blamed for starting a fire in riverside county as well as the one in bel air. as for the nation's temperatures, mostly moderate. a storm is bringing rain and thunderstorms from texas to the carolinas through tomorrow. atlanta will see 64 degrees. miami 82. coming up, a decision from president trump's nominee for a federal judge after he struggled to answer some basic legal questions. also ahead caught on camera a home goes up in flames.

how a high-tech doorbell sounded the alarm. a 5-year-old identifies a christmas threat and takes action. hear his 911 call to take down ok, let's try this. it says you apply the blue one to me. here? no. have a little fun together, or a lot. k-y yours and mine. two sensations that work together, so you can play together.

this holiday season... give the gift of effortlessly smooth feet... from amope. amope pedi perfect with diamond crystals. removes rough, hard skin effortlessly... for touchably smooth feet. salon quality results you can see... and feel immediately.

perfect for that special someone on your list. now find savings... with up to $15 off at coupons.com. amope. love every step. have you ever tried a jury trial? >> i have not. >> civil? >> no. >> criminal? >> no. >> bench? >> no. >> that, of course, was one of president trump's judicial nominees being questioned by republican senator from louisiana, john kennedy. >> matthew petersen had been nominated for a lifelong seat but struggled to answer basic legal questions and now petersen has withdrawn his nomination. >> yeah, he's saying he doesn't want to be a continued distraction. senator kennedy said he had no idea that petersen lacked experience for this post.

>> but just because you've seen my cousin vinny doesn't qualify you to be a federal judge and he has no litigation experience. >> all right. he brought up "my cousin vinny." >> two utes. >> he said white house staffers chose petersen as a nominee. >> i wish he work the "my cousin vinny" suit for the appearance. some democrats may be floating the idea of al franken remaining in the senate. franken announced he was stepping down because of sexual misconduct allegations, but he hasn't yet set a resignation date. now, fellow democrats including senator joe manchin said the pressure put on him to resign was wrong and democrat patrick leahy has reportedly said he regrets calling for his resignation. the salvation army says donations to its annual red kettle drive are down but this will help. someone dropped a $200,000 check into a red kettle in minneapolis. the donor wants to stay

anonymous, officials hope this generosity will inspire other. >> very nice. > forget coffee. something new is brewing at dunkin' donuts. it is releasing a coffee-inspired beer made with dark roast beans. for now it's only available at a massachusetts brewery to celebrate the official start of winter but we'll see if it catches on. even offering doughnut and beer pairings. >> i like the idea. when we come back cobkobe bryant's big night. meryl streep was accused of staying silent on harvey weinstein. but when we brought our daughter home that was it. ♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day.

it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. and roomba from irobot gets to work using two multi-surface brushes and power-lifting suction to grab and remove everything from fine dust to large debris. daily dirt doesn't stand a chance. you and roomba from irobot. better together. therbottle of tropicana pure oranges squepremium.o each and absolutely no space for added sugar, water, or preservatives. tropicana. we put the good in morning.

♪...nausea, heartburn,♪ indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ here's pepto bismol! ah. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ this morning a california couple credits a doordell with saving their lives after their house caught fire in the middle of the night in yeah, their doorbell was locate the on the front door and sent a motion alert to their phone and that woke them up. >> we took down our smoke

detector because we just repainted the entire house and so without the ring system in place and me getting these alerts i probably wouldn't have woken up. >> no word yet on what caused that fire but you can see how much damage was done. we're going to turn to a story about the consequences you could face when you write a bad review about a company online. >> a woman from indiana claims a hotel actually charged her after she wrote a bad review. katrina arthur says her room at the abbey inn was dirty and the hotel e-mailed her for a review and didn't hold back. she said after that they charged her $350 and then she got a letter from a lawyer threatening legal action. >> i was honest and i wanted people to know not to waste their money, not to go there because i know people save money for special occasions. >> the state's attorney general filed a lawsuit against the company that owns the hotel. according to the lawsuit, the

policy said customers could be charged for negative reviews if the hotel is not given the opportunity to address the problem first but the attorney general says customers were never told of that policy. well, actress meryl streep is responding to accusations that she stayed silent about harvey weinstein's alleged sex crimes. streep is among the actors set to wear black at the golden globes to protest sexual harassment. actress rose mcgowan in a now deleted tweet said the silence of people like streep is the problem. streep released a statement which reads in part, not every actor, actress and director who made films that harvey weinstein distributed knew he abused women. he needed me much more than i needed him and he made sure i didn't know. we have new details about the weekend arrest of sarah palin's oldest son. palin called the police herself and police say the victim of the alleged assault was palin's husband who allegedly showed a gun during the dispute. todd palin and 28-year-old track palin were supposedly arguing about a truck.

the younger palin was already on probation for another domestic violence arrest. turning now to sports and drama at the end of monday night football game. >> and it was a very special night in l.a. highlights from espn. good morning, america. i'm scott van pelt on monday both the tampa bay buccaneers and los angeles lakers paid homage to the past and begin on monday night football as jon gruden is welcomed into the buccaneers' ring of honor and remembered super bowl xxxvii in the victory but it's the falcons that got the win in this one, devonta freeman had a huge night and they got into field goal range and murphy from 54 and slides wide and atlanta moves to 9-5. they're currently the last team in the playoffs in the nfc. meanwhile, in the nba kobe bryant had his jerseys, both 8 and in retired and the young lakers squad was inspired to play one of its better games of the year. they're tied with the champion

warriors off the durant miss here comes caldwell-pope for the win. missed everything but the floor. the bryants got a young kid. they got to go and ball who had a good game pushes to the rim and david west, huge block and that seals the victory for golden state as they win it by a score of 116-114. durant, by the way, went for 36 in this one. up next in "the pulse," the former baseball player's unusual and very generous donation to a charity. and also ahead, talk about going green. the new plants that grow in the dark. >> ooh. plus, a little boy's 911 call to save christmas. the doctor's office, just for a shot. but why go back there, when you can stay home with neulasta onpro? strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection.

neulasta helps reduce infection risk by boosting your white blood cell count, which strengthens your immune system. in a key study, neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. applied the day of chemo, neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the next day. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to neulasta or neupogen (filgrastim). ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries, and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. the most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. so why go back there? if you'd rather be home, ask your doctor about neulasta onpro. whentrust the brand doctors trust for themselves. nexium 24hr is the number one choice of doctors and pharmacists for their own frequent heartburn. and all day all night protection.

when it comes to frequent heartburn, trust nexium 24hr. no one i'd rather have dinner and a movie with.. no one i'd rather lean on. being in love is an amazing thing. being in love with your best friend... ...is everything. ever us one diamond for your best friend ... one for your true love. for the one woman in your life who's both. ever us. available at kay, jared and zales. feel that tingle of a cold sore only abreva can heal it in as little as two and a half days when used at the first sign. abreva starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. abreva acts on it. so you can too.

♪ okay, "pulse" time and you can find president trump at disney world today? kind of. it'll be his silicone twin. the magic kingdom's hall of presidents is re-opening after a year-long renovation and the president's likeness was just unveiled but plenty of critics are saying it's not the most flattering likeness. >> so each president has recorded a speech for the attraction since it opened in 1990. mr. trump's figure says in part that to be an american is to be an optimist. a little different message than his inauguration about american carnage. >> this is like the twax figure -- sfwles's above your shoulder. >> you didn't like my robot? scientists at m.i.t. are redefining green energy. >> and developed plant that produce light and not just a faint glow but enough to light

up streets, parks, even homes. so far they have been successful with spinach, arugula and kale and use an enzyme that make fireflies light up >> that's leaving us wondering would a salad like this give you a healthy glow? >> or if you go with it, they can do it with tulips then you could grow a 60-watt bulb. >> i should move on. former world series cole hamels and his wife are making a massive donation. 32,000-square-foot house to a camp. >> the camp is for children with special needs and chronic illnesses. the house and land is worth nearly $10 million. hamels and his wife say they made the donation to help make kids' dreams come true. a little boy in mississippi is breathing a sigh of relief after reporting a would-be thief. >> 5-year-old tilen called 911 because he was afraid the grinch would steal christmas and the police showed up at his house and the officer said she wanted

him to know that she would not let that happen after hearing his call for help. >> i just want to tell you something. watch for that little grinch because the grinch is gonna steal christmas, okay? >> okay, do you have any adults there with you? >> ma'am, i'm sorry this, is my son playing on the phone. >> no, no, it's fine. it's fine. he called in saying that the grinch was trying to steal his christmas so it's definitely been the most interesting thing that's happened as far as 911 hangups for me. >> luckily christmas is just fine. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real. fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions.

tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can do more with my family. talk to your doctor today. see if lyrica can help. when you have a cold, stuff happens. ♪ { sneezing ] shut down cold symptoms fast [ coughing ] with maximum strength alka seltzer plus liquid gels.

the unique formula with nourishing almond oil leaves skin smoother moisturized for 24 hours. enjoy smoother skin and now try new oil infused lotions moisturize with indulging scents wheyou know your holidayt of tshopping is complete., feel free to celebrate. this i can do, easily. i try hard to get a great shape. benefiber® healthy shape is a clear, taste-free, 100% natural daily fiber... that's clinically proven to help me feel fuller longer. benefiber® healthy shape. this i can do!

>> ♪ >> good morning, i'm tamala edwards. it's tuesday december 19th and here's what's next on "action news." the work begins to piece together was caused that train derailment in washington state that has killed three people. we are live on that scene. and we've learned new details overnight about a deadly shooting that happened inside of an overbrook home. the family of the victim was right upstairs as the violence unfolded. now let's take a live look on sky6 across penn's landing. christmas six days away but it sure doesn't feel like it. meteorologist, david murphy is tracking temperatures that will get up into the 50's today t we've got those stories and so much more ahead on "action news." >> ♪ s the plains. heavy rain in the southeast and still feeling like summer in south florida. and finally this morning, a special holiday gift for

shoppers at a grocery store in massachusetts. it comes from a guy who knows how to belt out a tune? and works at the store and has big dreams for the future. we have more from our station in boston. ♪ >> he stops customers in their tracks. ♪ >> reporter: the grocery store staff knows his way around an aria. they knew he could carry a tune and used to sing while he washed dishes in the back. ♪ >> reporter: but the big reveal came last friday night when he offered to test the sound system at russo's for professional musicians hired to play for holiday shoppers. in the end, store owner tony russo decided he belonged in front of that mike too. ♪ >> clearly he's very talented and actually exceptional.

>> what have customers said to you. >> a couple of people have cried. >> reporter: it's been an incredible three days for this 23-year-old who used to sing professionally back in brazil. these days he's working to support himself taking computer classes in a small business program and sending money home to his family. but still there is the dream to study music at berkeley. >> i've always dreamed about being a professional musician like but i always kept my feet on the ground about it because i know it's a hard path to follow. ♪ my bathroom and my car are my number one fan. >> from the bathroom to the car to the kitchen, now to the store. >> i would have him sing out in front as well. he wasn't washing dishes or cutting cold cut sfs at the wants some accompaniment -- ♪ forever and ever we'll stay

? way too early. >> no? >> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program with matt o'donnell, tamala edwards, karen rogers and meteorologist, david murphy. >> ♪ >> goodgood morning everyone its 4:30 a.m. on this tuesday december 19th. >> and we're learning new information this morning about the speed of the train in that deadly amtrak derailment in washington straight. >> a car struck and killed a woman who mysteriously fell onto a new jersey roadway. >> today the house of representatives is expected to vote on a major tax overhaul. if it goes on to become law it would be the first legislative major victory for president trump. >> the holiday season is heating up for more reasons than one. let's go to meteorologist, david murphy and karen rogers. >> feels good out there today,

doesn't it.