making news in america this morning, breaking news, a car plows into a crowd in australia. more than a dozen people injured. two people under arrest. the latest from the scene. looming shutdown. new urgency on capitol hill to prevent a government shutdown tomorrow night. at stake, stabilizing obamacare, paying for children's health insurance and billions in disaster relief. new details on the high-stakes talks. pope francis under fire. he sparks controversy with his decision about a vatican funeral for the disgraced cardinal bernard law. a new warning about the flu. a sharp spike in the number of cases coast to coast. the recommendations from doctors. shocking tie. a recount for a crucial state

race in virginia ends in a tie so who gets the seat at the statehouse? could they really end up drawing straws? the new breakfast trend. the ingredients popping up in the cereal aisle sending sales soaring. a good thursday morning to you all. we begin with breaking news from melbourne, australia, where an suv plowed into a crowd. >> more than a dozen were injured. some critically and police are calling this a deliberate act. abc's james longman is following the investigation right now and joins us from london. what do we know? >> reporter: good morning. police have declared a major incident and are calling this a deliberate act, although they say it's too early to know the motivation behind it. we know the car drove into pedestrians 4:30 local time right in the center of melbourne.

a busy street. the driver and a second man have been arrested. what appears to be a white 4x4 can be seen with its hood smashed in and we have seen police and emergency services at the scene. people are taken away on stretchers or being attended to where they lie on the road. a similar incident happened in january where six were killed. authorities installed concrete blocks to prevent similar attacks but don't seem to have made much of a difference. >> all happening at the start of the evening rush hour on a summer day, james. i know australia has had its issues with isis and authorities foiled an attack last month. have they been prepared for something like this? >> reporter: well, i think many countries prepare themselves for things like this because this has been the kind of modus operandi of various attacks around the world over the last few weeks, if not months. there have been several plots foiled in australia. i mentioned that one in jana happened just around the corner.

another plot for new year's eve had already been discovered and, yes, australia has had a problem with young man joining isis. during the height of the fighting in syria videos were put out by australians to get them to join. we still don't know the motivation for what was behind this attack but it's obviously very concerning just before christmas. >> that, indeed. very early on into the investigation into what happened in melbourne, australia. james, thank you. back here at home we should move on. republicans are scrambling to avoid a government shutdown hours after their big victory on taxes. >> after making good on a promise to do the sweeping tax cut they're trying to fund the government. adding to that, millions could lose health insurance. arlette saenz has details. >> reporter: well, republicans

had their kumbaya moment yesterday but they are facing another deadline. less than 48 hours to go and congress is in an all-out scramble. congress is barreling towards a government shutdown with no consensus on how to avoid it. house gop leaders have introduced a plan to keep it funded through january. it provides a four-week extension for flood insurance, fisa surveillance and the children's health insurance program. >> we'll do something once again before the end of the year to make sure states don't get hit with any c.h.i.p. cuts. >> reporter: a stand-alone vote on an $81 billion disaster relief package but it's not a done deal. gop leaders still have to sell the plan to their rank and file and unclear how republican leaders in the senate will react. congress also appears ready to punt on thorny issues like health care and protections for

the so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers. democrats are anxious for republicans to show their cards. >> we're trying to get as good a deal as possible, but the bottom line is we haven't seen anything. >> reporter: the shutdown scramble comes after republicans took a tax victory lap complete with a presidential fist pump. >> it's always a lot of fun when you win. >> reporter: glowing republican lawmakers praised the president for their first major legislative win. >> you listen to voices no one else was listening to. >> you're one heck of a leader and we're all benefiting from it. >> reporter: house gop leadership hasn't said when they might be voting on that spending deal. as for taxes, at&t and comcast and other major companies announced they would be giving employee bonuses after the tax bill passed and wells fargo will raise their minimum wage to $15. >> all right, arlette, thanks. president trump has put the world on notice ahead of today's u.n. vote on jerusalem. the president threatened to cut off u.s. aid payments to any

country that votes for the resolution condemning his decision to recognize jerusalem as the capital of israel. the threat comes after u.s. ambassador nikki haley warned she will, quote, be taking names during the vote. another north korean soldier defected to south korea. the fourth defection alone this year. one was captured on video making an escape as guards chased him while opening fire. thursday's was last dramatic. south korean guards fired about 20 warning shots at north korean troops. and prosecutors say the driver of a bus carrying a cruise ship passengers on a day. preliminary investigation determined the driver lost control on a road south of cancun. an explosion caused damage at a popular tourist area in hollywood at a restaurant on the

first level of an apartment building. the explosion sent glass and debris flying into the street but the restaurant was vacant at the time and some were evacuated as a precaution. one person suffered minor injuries. controversy swirling around today's vatican funeral for bernard law. pope francis is presiding over law's funeral mass at the vatican. law resigned in disgrace after it was revealed that he shielded pedophile priests for died wed 86. victims of abusive priests say they're outraged at the vatican's funeral plans. >> he was rewarded with a prestigious position in the vatican, and he moved on with his life. how do you go forward with your life and look in the mirror and say what you did was the best thing for victims when you did nothing. >> that woman needing to say she hopes the gates of hell are open

wide to welcome law. law was never charged with any crimes and remained in rome until his death from an undisclosed illness. the weather, two storms threatening christmas travel. let's take a closer look at that forecast. >> good morning. wet and wintry conditions expected this weekend if you are taking to the roads or perhaps catching a flight. notice in the northeast perhaps wintry weather over far north new england. it turns to a plain rain as we work our way into the ohio valley and southeast and slippery roads going to be a possibility over the center portion of the country extending into the rockies. as we venture into sunday, notice that potential for snow with dry conditions continuing over the southwest. i'm justin povick with your accuweather forecast. well, coming up a new twist

in the election shocker in virginia. the big question, how do you decide a tie? ahead, apple admits it really does slow down your old iphone. now the company is explaining why. lottery fever is spreading overnight. this morning the results from last night's powerball drawing. and the new 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,

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we're back with new video from memphis where crews took down two confederate statues after a months long battle. they sold the public parks where they stood and the new owner had them removed. authorities in texas are searching for a 6-week-old baby and the woman who may have snatched her. she's been missing since tuesday, the same day her mother was found stabbed to death in their houston apartment. police say the kidnapper may be trying to pass the baby off as

her own and they have a message for the suspect. >> if you want to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulders, you go right ahead but we won't stop searching. the flores family deserves to have her in their hands. >> police issued an amber alert and offering a $5,000 reward and asking the public to be aware of anyone who suddenly has a child. >> what was already a razor thin victory in a virginia state election is now a tie. a three-judge panel overturned shelly simonds' one-vote recount win. judges ruled an uncounted ballot should go to the republican incumbent. the tie will be broken by lot which means they could draw straws. we're told the winner's name will likely be picked out of a bowl. >> rock, paper, scissors. apple is now admitting it slows down older iphones but it says it's not a ploy to get you

to buy a new one. >> sure. >> apple says it slows down the processors in older ones to prevent battery issues to cause them to suddenly shut down or restart even when fully charged. for the second morning in a row, we have no winner in a major lottery drawing. last night's powerball drawing was worth $272 million but nobody matched all six winning numbers. that means saturday's power bba will be worth $300 million. >> we still have a chance. when we come back a dramatic armored truck robbery caught on camera. tonya harding's new interview describing how she became public enemy number one. a spike in flu cases. where the flu is now considered wi widespread. . ♪ so probably take it at night. and if you have any questions,

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rifle and held up two couriers loading up an atm. they got away with a bag stuffed with $200,000. olympic gold medalist mckayla maroney filed a lawsuit after charges dr. larry nassar with abuse. she said the usa gymnastics organization silenced her with a settlement that prevented her from speaking out suing the u.s. olympic committee and michigan state university where he worked for decades. her attorney detailed the accusations. >> by insisting that as a condition of paying her money for therapy and the suffering she's incurred that she has to keep larry nassar's secret and she has to keep usa gymnastics' secret and can never speak of this again and can never criticize them or she could be sued for $100,000 or more is repugnant. >> now maroney says he abused her for years starting when she was only 13. he is now in prison after

admitting to molesting girls and possessing child porn. tonya harding is speaking out about the attack on nancy kerrigan. she's the subject of a new movie. she sat down with abc's amy robach for an upcoming special describing being tried in the court of public opinion. >> you've said this, that 23 years later there are still people who believe that you actually carried out that whack. >> yes. >> why do you think that is? >> because they don't listen. the media had me convicted of doing something wrong before i had even done anything at all. i'm always the bad person. >> harding says it was her faith in herself and her father that got her through the hard times. you can see that next month on "truth and lies" here on abc. >> meryl streep is facing growing backlash after she denied knowing about allegations

against harvey weinstein. posters showing streep and weinstein are now plastered around los angeles with the caption, she knew. streep and others actresses interest been criticized for planning to wear black at the golden globes as a symbol of protest. streep says she had no prior knowledge of weinstein's alleged harassment or sexual abuse. weinstein denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex. an executive at the nfl network resigned amid a scandal. vice president president david eaton's departure comes after complaints of a hostile work environment for women. three analysts including hall of famer marshall faulk were suspended after allegations of harassment. venus williams has been cleared in a deadly car crash. police in florida say no charges will be filed. investigators found an unknown vehicle started that crash and then a family's car ultimately slammed into williams. the passenger in that car died.

we have new evidence of the toll that the opioid epidemic is taking on families. new figures show deaths from drug overdoses rose 21% bringing down the average life expectancy in the u.s. 63,600 lives were lost and for the first time fentanyl and other opioids took more lives than heroin. 12 statesy coast to coast are seeing widespread flu activity. some areas reporting three times as many cases as compared to this time last year. it may only be 10% effective, the vaccine, they're urging everyone over 6 months old to get one. if you're sick, they encourage you to stay home from work. when it comes to break it is there is a new trend. peanut butter. general mills says boxes of its chocolate butter cheerios are flying off the shelves. it has helped boost overall

serial sales by 7% compared to last year. the company's reeses puffs are also doing well and say boosting other cereal sales. the odd thing an nba player had stolen from his house. decking the halls and streets, the odd placement of this christmas tree. ♪ i can do more to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. and i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release it, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it comes in a once-weekly, truly easy-to-use pen. the pen where you don't have to see or handle a needle. and it works 24/7. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it should not be the first medicine to treat diabetes, or for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

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trending calling it blind-blowing. it has its own twitter handle now too. looking for me? >> there is an abb out for that toilet. an ingenious inventor came out with a simple way to keep your drinks cold when you're on the go. >> the blitzen rooftop chiller claims to hole any bottle in place so you can cool your booze as you drive. you're not supposed to drink while you drive made with 100 pounds of magnets. it depends on the temperature outside. faster driving, of course, we do not recommend speeding or again drinking the wine while driving. >> exactly. >> for after you're done. a tree stands in the middle of a road in mississippi because someone got fed up. >> an unknown jackson, mississippi, resident was upset after waiting for months for a pothole to be repaired so they actually put it to good use by going there and planting that christmas tree right there inside of the pothole. >> normally you have to dig a

hole. in this case they had a head start raising awareness. >> official there is in jackson say they were aware of the problem so the potholes and do not encourage people to do this. a 9-year-old girl is putting her sibling rivalry on display. >> and wrote a message in the snow in front of her house saying, santa, stop here. leave presents. take brother. santa, leave presents. take brother. >> hey. >> you can have him. i feel chronic, widespread pain. 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

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>> good morning i'm tamala edwards, it is thursday, december 21. we've got breaking news a car plows into people on a crowd street in australia. more than a dozen people have been injured. authorities believe it is a deliberate act. queer gathering details on the still unfolding story. a man was in a deadly hit anticipate run, what the driver claims happened while he was behind the wheel. sky6 live hd looking out across center city. you can see downtown city hall. meteorologist karen rogers is tracking what to expect in your holiday forecast. those stories up next on "action news." will be plenty of snow from the great lakes to the rockies. expect thunderstorms in the deep south and texas, but it's still feeling like summer in florida,

80 in orlando. it's been four months since hurricane harvey stormed through the gulf of mexico as the first major hurricane to make landfall in the united states in 12 years, destroyed thousands of homes. >> one texas family is among the many still recovering during this holiday season. and thanks to an act of kindness from people two states away, christmas has turned into a time of thanksgiving for them. here's abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: this holiday season overwhelming gratitude by one texan family for the gift of a lifetime. when hurricane harvey hit the small town last summer they braced for the worst. >> it sounded like there was a train going through our balcony. it was intense. >> reporter: then the scene of nightmares. their home destroyed by the category 4 storm. >> there's no fixing it. it's history. >> reporter: that devastation inspired an ago ct of kindness a family watching their plight from two states away. >> when we heard the story on

abc, we just -- i blurted it out, i think. why don't we give them it. give them the tiny house. >> reporter: a family owned construction family in colorado had built a demo tiny home in their driveway and decided to donate to a family in need. after three days of driving and more than a thousand miles long -- >> thank you, thank you and thank you. >> it means more to us than we can say in words. >> reporter: a bit of sunshine after the storm. matt gutman, abc news, los angeles. >> what a wonderful gift. >> what a great gift. how many can i say i gave you a house for christmas? >> i would love for you to say that to me. >> not going to happen. >> i know it's a tiny house but it's beautiful and means the world to those people. >> merry christmas to them. >> that's what's making news in america. >> have a great day.

>> good morning it is thursday, december 21, here's what we're following for you, breaking news overnight in australia, more than a dozen people have been hurt in what officials are calling an intentional crash in the center of busy melbourne. valley forge casino is going to a new player what the new management has planned for the venue once they take over. >> let's get a