the most original. >> amazing. interesting look at history. >> this is awesome. gerri's sister tiara is celebrating. winston told the birthday girl's sister, hey, i'm going to propose. >> from the bottom of my heart, my love. >> she's still dancing. he finally gets down on one knee and he proposes. what's wonderful about the story is how much they've gone through. he met her a while ago and liked her but kept it to himself

because she was with somebody else. she went through a bad breakup and at one time they both battled homelessness. now he's proposing, dropping on one knee and they're going to get married. good luck to both of them. >> oh! my name is rob anderson in the las vegas strip with eldridge and gabby. we'll do some magic. >> this couple have been together for ten months. he does a couple of tricks that astonishes them both. it doesn't astonish all of us th, think of your special relationship and time it happened. >> i believe the hour you're thinking of right now is 7:00. yes or no? >> no. >> let's fix this, hang on. could it have been 6:00?

>> whoa. >> out of all these cards you thought of the one that would wind up at 6:00. that means the 6:00 card must be important, must be special, represents a good memory for you guys. i want to take these and going to show the camera what the 6:00 card is and then aldridge, when you're ready, take this card and show gabby what this card is when you're ready. >> okay. >> i know he shows her the card that says "will you marry me" and he hits a knee and they kiss. so i think that's a yes. that's our show. we'll see you next time on another all new episode of "rtm."e on a rim and slammed into another truck. when it ended, the suspects were hugging and kissing. >> what? >> they now face multiple charges together. >> what? that is so weird. >> that they survived?

>> after going through all that, they just kind of hugged and kissed and -- >> and now the cops are taking them in, taking them down. >> and getting tased. all right. true love. how about a beyonce video for "on the run" with jay z. that's thousand would tu that's how it would turn out. american shipping companies are trying to keep up with record gift returns. >> here's abc's rebecca vjarvis. >> reporter: $90 billion in gifts heading back to stores. ups expecting americans will ship back 1.4 million returns. >> as e-commerce grows, you see returns grow at a fast pace as well. >> reporter: nearly 30% of items bought online get returned.

take advantage of free return shipping, now offers by about half of retailers. know the return policies. some offering 30 days, some even shorter. planning to return the old-fashioned way? save time by starting the process online. >> walmart came up with an app making it easier to do an express return within 30 seconds. >> reporter: plus cash in on any unwanted gift cards by trading or selling them on cardpool or gift card granny where you can get about 90% of their value. many will swap out christmas decorations for gift cards and many don't expire for five years. rebecca ja rebecca jarvis, abc news, new york. we're going to move on to a couple of football items, starting with the future of jon gruden. >> there's a good chance he will

be the next coach of the raiders. he coached the team for four seasons starting in 1998 before leading the buccaneers to a super bowl win. and josh rosen is leading a quarterback exodus out of los angeles. he says he's skipping his final season at ucla to enter the nfl draft this spring. and sam darnold is going pro. he's giving up his final two seasons with the trojans who got destroyed in the cotton bowl by ohio state, just to rub it? >> wow. someone loving that. >> did you throw that in there? and coming up, ayesha curry. >> the celebrity chef, model and wife of steph curry upped her game. suppositories for relief in minutes. and dulcoease for comfortable relief of hard stools.

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well, when you think of the words super mom, ayesha curry may be one of the names that come to mind. >> she's the mother of two,

author, celebrity chef, tv host and now about to get busier, here' we're up all "nightline" with juju chang. >> reporter: it's sort of like ayesha curry's opening night. what gets you all nervous? >> it's the first time i'm putting myself out there, making myself vulnerable. >> reporter: on this night, she's opening her flagship restaurant. and we're right there with her for all the bustle for the big day. this is like performance art, though. it's so cool watching everybody come together. it looks like chaos hours before. and then it's this beautiful performance. >> reporter: it's this face that's become so familiar to her 5 million followers on instagram and her wildly popular twitter feed, but it's not just on social media. >> we're going to strain this directly into our pitcher. >> reporter: she's here on the food network. >> hello, bakers. >> reporter: and here as the coast host on the great american

baking show. >> i'm ayesha curry. >> reporter: and this is her all dolled up as one of the latest celebrity cover girl models. >> no matter the arena, i'm always in the spotlight. >> reporter: but this mogul in the making is quickly becoming her own brand, with her own cookware line, a kid friendly cook service. and her daughter's antics that often go viral. you're juggling eight different titles. >> obviously mom and wife first. those are the two most important titles. >> reporter: oh, right, she's married to this guy, steph curry. >> reporter: you didn't say nba wife. >> hmm. >> reporter: that's not a title. >> no, i don't think i'll ever call myself that. because i feel like, i mean, i don't think my husband would call himself chef's wife. >> reporter: there you go.

ayesha's a staple in the stands, cheering her husband at near every warriors home game and he often returns the favor, making a cameo on her cooking show. >> you don't have to give yourself applause. >> reporter: and supporting her at her restaurant. i love the way you support each other. >> it's important. one thing my mom always told me was to never lose yourself inside of your marriage. >> reporter: this restaurant is part her vision. her third in the international smoke franchise, along with celebrated chef michael mena, they've carefully crafted a menu that's a global fusion take on barbecue. her parents are here rooting for their daughter on her opening night. >> it's serious. i'm fine. oh, my goodness. i hope that's cover girl. [ laughter ] >> reporter: some of the menu items pay homage to her family's rich heritage. >> i grew up eating with the

jamaican johnnycake. >> r brought your family cooking into the restaurant. >> oh, yeah. whatever i can, i sneak in. >> reporter: now it's time to get down to business for the big night. i brought my mom and squad of sisters and families. back to help me sample the delicacies. >> we have our jamaican johnnycake. >> oh, wow. >> this is my recipe. try the corn bread. >> i love that you are all captive. >> we're so happy to be together, actually. >> that's got to be nice. >> reporter: for ayesha, perhaps that's the surest sign of a good dish. creating a flavor. that helps bring people together. >> i mean the people in here -- >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm juju chang? san francisco. >> that's really cool that she's doing that. >> she was able to bring juju's

family together. she can do it all. coming up, this happened. we'll tell you what happened, next. ♪

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(colonial penn jingle) ♪ grant on top of the books there, that's the same author that wrote "hamilton." >> every book on that non-fiction list, i've been saying, i'm going to read that. it is time you heard the music for this happened. the original noah's ark was built to with stand the storm, the replica in the netherlands, not so much. this hand just yesterday. this replica of noah's ark, 76

yards long came loose from its moorings and slammed into other boats. >> oh, no! >> and was a little bit beaten up after this massive storm that took place there in the netherlands. winds were only about 55 miles per hour, but, >> you would have thought they would have built the ark to withstand the storm. >> it's a museum there floating down the danube in another part of europe. >> noah would not approve. >> noah would not. and check it out, this happened. okay. that's ralph, the t-rex showing off his ice skating skills, ow! the california gold synchronized skating team was getting in a little skating before christmas, not sure why the t-rex costume was being worn, but apparently, it maybe shielded his big --

>> that's a beautiful move. >> they don't even stop to see if the t-rex guy is okay. let's keep going. so, let's move on now to, you know, you have those friends who are trying to take a nap, and they will kind of pester you all the time. it happens apparently in panda world as well. this is in chengdu at the reserve there in china. this panda is in a playful mood and trying to get the friends to wake up, and like, nah, nah, this would be on a friday night when my friends are lierks come o let's go out. >> that's me on a saturday morning when i think my daughters are going to let me sleep in. mommy, mommy! and check this out, a husky who can say "i love you." >> say i love you. >> i love you. >> or saying something.

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this morning on "world news now," the book, the bombshell, the backlash. >> it's revealing new details about life in the west wing and the residents itself. the president lashing out at someone who had been one of his closest advisers, steve bannon, who's quoted in the book taking aim at the president and his family. lawyers for the president are responding overnight. we're covering it all. a major winter storm slamming the east coast. thousands of flights already canceled and schools taking no chances. closed ahead of the monster storm. the latest storm track ahead. and a fire breaks out at the new york property where bill and hillary clinton live. we'll have the details. >> and it's the best scientific discovery ever. the experts say you should be

eating pizza for breakfast. can't argue with science. it is science after all. it is thursday. it is the 4th of january. from abc news, this is "world news now." and we do say good morning everything. we are going to start with the plot twist in america's number one soap opera, just happens to be reality and the main characters are the president and his former chief strategist, steve bannon. >> the president unleashed on bannon and followed up with a cease and desist letter demanding that he stop making disparaging remarks about the first family or face a lawsuit. in a radio show last night, bannon said the president is a good man but called ivanka dumb as a brick and describes don jr.'s meeting with a russian lawyer as treasonous. >> reporter: former white house chief strategist, steve bannon out with bombshell allegations.

donald trump jr., paul manafort, jared kushner and a russian lawyer whom they were told had dirt on hillary clinton. in an exclusive new book, bannon calls the sit-down treasonous and unpay the rotttriotic and ti hud have been called immediately. >> in retrospect, i probably would have done things differently. for my, it was opposition research. >> reporter: his father defended him. >> from a practical stand point, most people would have taken that meeting. >> reporter: the president insists he was not aware of the meeting during the campaign, but bannon says there's no way that's true, saying the chance that donald trump jr. didn't walk the attendees right up to his father's office after the meeting ended was, quote, zero. and he warns, going tor. like a national tv, just months ago,

the president lavished praise on his former chief strategist. >> i have a very good relationship, as you know, with steve bannon. i like steve a lot. >> reporter: tonight an unprecedented public rebuke. the president saying in a quote, steve bannon has nothing to do with me or my presidency. when he was fired he not only lost his job, he lost his mind. the president accuses bannon of leaking to reporters and exaggerating his role, adding steve is learning that winning isn't as easy as i make it look. >> i think furious, disgusted would probably certainly fit when you make such outrageous claims and completely false claims against the president, his administration and his family. >> reporter: the bombshell book "fire and fury" is due out next week. michael wolff getting exclusive

access. he says that they thought they would lose and that kelly aanne conway was actively interviewing for a tv job. saying that melania trump didn't want her husband to win and cried when he did. and that ivanka discussed the possibility of running for president herself one day. the white house dismission it all as trashy fiction. the white house was pushed as to why and how this author had so much access. because they don't release visitor logs, they say he was here about a dozen times. they also say that the author did have one conversation over the phone, a brief one, with the president, after he took office. but the author says he spoke to more than 200 people, many of them the closest aides to this president. cecelia vega, abc news, the white house. >> that's not all. let me get ready, because the

tea was spilled in that book. there was a whole lot. shall we go through -- >> many details that we learned. >> so the white house insider shared many of the details about the president, saying he spends his evenings eating cheeseburgers in bed, watching tv and talking on the phone. >> they say he likes mcdonald's, because he fears being poisoned and with fast food, nobody knows you're coming and the meals are safely pre-made. one excerpt claimed that the president and first lady sleep in separate bedroom the. housekeepers are forbidden to pick up his clothes or anything he throws on the floor and no one is allowed to touch his toothbrush. >> there's more. i need more tea. the president is described as ill-informed. so much so that a top aide was summoned to teach him about the constitution, but he allegedly got bored by the fourth amendment. the book also says that the president is mocked by his own advisers, referring to him as an idiot and a dope behind his

back. woo! there was a whole lot. >> all right, we'll get to the rest of that throughout the morning because there was plenty. but we have to look at this monster storm playing out rye no -- right now, packing heavy wind and heavy snow as well as frigid temperatures and hurricane-force conditions. >> the storm may be to blame for a partial amtrak train derailment in savannah, georgia this morning. emergency officials say switches on the track froze up, but no one on board was injured. and the radar showing the storm moving up the atlantic kohl'sco the northeast where blizzard warnings are in force, and it could dump up to ten inches of snow before it's over. washington, d.c. was one of those spots getting snow. we are with elizabeth hur in new york. >> reporter: good morning to you. and for crews here in the northeast, they've been down this road before, and officials say they are ready.

but some towns down south where they don't even have salt trucks to work with, they are dealing with a snowstorm. some of these towns have not seen this in 30 years. we are talking about parts of georgia and florida, where slick conditions turned highways into ice skating rinks, and driving conditions were just downright dangerous. the heavy wind and snow also wreaked havoc on the roadways in residents were wrarned to stay inside, stay off the roads for their safety. now as far as snow totals are concerned, forecasters say it depends on where you live along the coast, but some areas in the new england area could get more than a foot of snow when this is all said and done, so how seriously are officials here in the northeast taking this storm? again, the snow hasn't even started falling. that's when they announced schools in the philadelphia, new york city and boston areas will be closed today. their message, bottom line,

better safe than sorry. >> there's dangerous cold that comes after it as well. the storm is having an impact on air traffic across the country. >> more than 3,000 flights coming into and out of east coast airports have been canceled so far with more to come for sure later today. that's creating a trickle-down effect at airports nationwide. >> and that means long waits for those folks who extended their new year's holiday waiting to get home. >> those lucky foalks. >> we have an intense storm moving its way up the eastern seaboard. snow accumulations with highest amounts expected in maine, possibly up to two feet in the maine area. this low pressure system intensifying, not just bringing snow but high, gusty winds. gusts up to 70 miles per hour. and here's how much we're looking at. two feet possible in maine, near a foot in boston.

lynda, kendis? president trump's former campaign chairman is suing robert mueller and the justice department. he says they exceeded their authority when they let the russia investigation expand to his business dealings. >> he is facing money laundering allegations going back a decade. he says mueller's authority is too broad. he wants the indictments against him thrown out and the scope narrowed. and a small fire created a stir on bill and hillary's property. it broke out on the second floor of a detached building behind their main home in chappaqua, new york. the clintons weren't home. the cause is still under investigation. as the snowstorm bears down on the east coast, one more weather note, and it is really significant and dramatic from california. this is just in to us right now >> take a look. >> it is raining in california. >> a puddle has formed. >> a puddle has formed. these images from santa cruz. it had our affiliates there and

our stations going into rolling coverage. they had continuous live coverage. >> of the puddle. >> of the puddle and the rain. when you're from the north like we are and you're used to snow and cold weather, we like to tease our friends in the southeast. but the problem is, there are a lot of people not used to the roads and the weather and the bad conditions that it really have something to be concerned about. >> it is. >> make sure everyone is very careful. we're used to those icy, slick roads. >> there in california, we do send our prayers up to them. hope they'll get through that rain. coming up, the first brand new menu item to hit in and out burger in more than a decade. what you can now get to wash down that double-double. but first, the loud noises that forced not one but two emergency landings for a flight. we'll tell you how it ended. and remember, check out our behind the scenes pics on

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delta airlines says loud noises forced two emergency landings for london-bound

passengers were caused by loose cargo. the crew heard a boom after the flight left atlanta on tuesday. it turned back and passengers changed planes. >> the sound was heard again forcing a second emergency landing. delta hasn't revealed the exact cause of that noise. now to the shocking new developments in the case of the woman and her family held by the taliban. >> her husband is behind bars this morning charged with more than a dozen criminal offenses, including sexual assault. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: joshqua boyle, the canadian man held by the taliban in iowa. he's charged with 15 criminal offenses, including physical and sexual ray sauassault of a woma. the alleged assaults took place after boyle returned to canada in october with his american wife and children after five years of captivity in pakistan.

caitlan coleman was six months pregnant when the couple was captured. while in captivity, she gave birth to three children. she says they witnessed their mother being beaten and raped by guards. >> and afterwards, the animals wouldn't give me back my, they wouldn't give back clothes. >> reporter: upon their return to freedom, boyle talked about what he rebuild. >> going to be of incredible importance to my family that we are able to build a secure sanctuary for our three surviving children to call a home. >> reporter: hess wife caitlyn has now released a statement saying ultimately t is the strain and trauma he was forced to endure for so many years and the effects that had on his mental state that is most culpable for this. she went on to say that she and the children are healthy and holding up as well as expected. joshua boyle's lawyer said he has never been in trouble before

and looks forward to defending him on these charges. lindsey davis, abc news, new york. coming up, three days into the new year, stocks are already two for two. how close we are now to the dow hitting 25,000. but first, a '70s game show classic makes a big return. why host alec baldwin says it's one of the best jobs he's ever had in his life. that's next on "world news now." i had frequent h ...prilosec otc 7 years ago, 5 years ago, last week. just 1 pill each morhours and. it's been the number 1 doctor recommended brand for 10... ...straight years, and it's still recommended today. use as directed.

oo you've written and direct many shows with your brother, cast your wife in your shows, which of them is harder to work with? >> how do i answer that. it was very difficult working with alec baldwin. the guy is a monster. >> that was alec baldwin there. returning to the small screen last night, right here on abc kicking off season three of "match game". >> and he opens up with lara spencer. >> here's the host of "match game." >> reporter: a new year brings a

new chance to fill in the blank. >> we've been watching "lord of the rings" all wrong. apparently the one ring to warn them all isn't worn on your finger, it goes on your blank! >> reporter: the revival features every day people vying for $25,000 while trying to match the often risque answers of a panel. in a game of fill-in-the-blank. >> you've got strahan, steve. what's special about alec baldwin. >> are we rolling? >> reporter: yeah. >> you're throwing that down? >> reporter: i'm throwing down. >> you're throwing down strahan, steve harvey and why me? i think it's obvious. >> reporter: and the man behind the skinny mic, none other than alec baldwin. >> and i play trump on tv. >> this is a time when i like to

reflect on all the good things i've done this year. it will only take a minute. >> reporter: he says it's all fun and games. as busy as you are, why a game show? >> literally, i said to myself, i'm so lucky. tv has replaced the movies in the hearts of the american viewer. >> reporter: there's just great quality. >> so much choice. when i do the game show, i said i get to stay home, i work with people i love, i have a ball. it's in new york, it's easy. and everything in my life is about being with my kids. because why have kids at my age, why have kids and not be with them? >> reporter: this season features a brand new lineup of hilarious pan liselists that he helped pick himself. those panelists not shy about sharing their thoughts on baldwin's stellar hosting jobs. >> he's fun, he's wit eyty.

>> i got lost in his eyes when he wasn't looking at he. >> those other shows, they can be funny. you're relying on mom and dad and the host, harvey's funny, but's not near as funny as i am. >> lara spencer with baldwin. >> they look like they're having a lot of fun. >> got to love his humblebraging. are you a fan of "match game"? >> it's come back several times to tv. now that i have a little one, i don't know if i want her watching it. because when i was a kid and watched it, it went kpleentsly over my head, all thee talking . it gets saucy. >> the original one, by the way, premiered in 1962, revived several times over the course of the few decades. >> like once a decade for the next couple three decades. >> so basically, "match game" is

the cockroach of game shows. it will survive a game show nuclear holocaust. why you should be eating pizza right now. (male #1) it's a little something i've done every night since i was a kid, empty my pocket change into this old jar. it's never much, just what's left after i break a dollar. and i never thought i could get quality life insurance with my spare change. neither did i. until i saw a commercial for the colonial penn program. imagine people our age getting life insurance at such an affordable rate. it's true. if you're 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance life insurance through the colonial penn program for less than 35 cents a day, just $9.95 a month. there's no medical exam and no health questions. you know, the average cost of a funeral is over $8,300. now that's a big burden to leave your loved ones. as long as you're 50 to 85, you cannot be turned down because of your health.

your premium never goes up and your benefit never goes down due to age. plus, your coverage builds cash value over time. call now for free information and a free gift. all i did was make a phone call and all of my questions about the colonial penn program were answered. it couldn't have been any easier and we both got the coverage we should have had for years now. mm-hm, with change to spare. (laughing) (colonial penn jingle)

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dads take dayquil severe. the non-drowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat... ...stuffy head, no sick days medicine. okay, time for the mix, and when you think breakfast, of course, you think eggs. you might have a bagel or a doughnut, we're not judging. but there's somebody who says this is actually the perfect breakfast meal. >> i people, it's the perfect food anytime if you think about it. pizza, hello! >> this is like, science has looked into this. who wants pizza, anybody? >> yeah. >> what do they say? >> science has looked into it. some expert on flour and rice from the uk. and he says the nutritional value of pizza in general is because of the carbohydrates, and because pizza for breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you need a lot of carbohydrates, and pizza has a

lot of carbohydrates. >> soki e i can eat some of thi right? because, science! please, please. don't leave it here, i will eat it all. >> no, please do eat it all. oh, tony, did you want some pizza? so that's end to his scientific study there. >> oh, okay. >> that it's important for -- >> i'll take it. >> for you for breakfast. there you go. >> i mean, i have to say at this hour, we eat all kinds of crazy things for breakfast. while you take care of that, kendis. >> all righty. >> let me talk about in-n-out burger. does everybody know about in-n-out burger? it's most any california. but in-n-out burger is introducing its first menu item -- we're getting this back. just fyi. in-n-out burger has its first new menu item in years. >> this is huge. this is mega.

>> 15 years. >> you would think it would be some kind of new burger or maybe they introduce bacon as you were saying earlier. no hot chocolate is the new menu item in california on the west coast, which sounds, i guess, okay. it looks delicious covered in marshmallows, and they had it on the menu decades ago and it fell off. hot chocolate at in-n-out burger. i'm betting it's really tasty. >> it is in and out, which is great. it is wintertime all around. wow, did we empty that out? >> savages. you people! >> you people are pigs! holy cow! there's a dog that would have loved a pizza. just sledding here, it's actually enjoying this winter weather. >> sledding all by himself. >> that australian shepherd dog

sliding down the hill by

this morning on world news, a powerful winter storm is barrelling up the east coast right now. snow and ice paralyzing parts of the south, and the storm is gaining strength as it moves north. the morning commute promises to be treacherous for millions. we're tracking this monster storm. also happening this morning, new reaction from the president's lawyers to the bombshell comments by former chief strategist, steve bannon, those comments coming in an explosive new book, a look inside the trump white house. and this half hour, the search for two missing sisters now finally over. ending just hours ago. the girls had been missing since their mother's body was discovered on new year's eve. the very latest on their

condition and their alleged kidnapper. and new details about the dating life of one mr. brad pitt, how he's moving forward in life as a single dad and sometimes he's not going by the name "brad." that's in "the skinny" on this january 4th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> his name, i was just busy looking at the big news. the big breaking news, whether it's snowing outside or whatever, you still have to go back to work. nobody actually won last night's powerball jackpot. >> yeah. >> just for the record, just so you know what the winning numbers are. here they are, 2, 18, 37, 39, 4 estimated jackpot will be about $550 million. and remember, tomorrow's the

megamillions jackpot, $418 million at least. >> so nearly $1 billion in these combined lotteries on the line in the next few days. >> i learned from our erielle reshef that the odds of winning them both is something like one in 88 quadrillion. >> is that a real word? >> it's a real word. let's move on to the other big story. the nasty storm pounding the east coast with heavy snow, hurricane-force winds and bone-chilling temperatures behind it. >> officials have declared the southeast in declaring states of emergency. >> and schools are closed up and down the atlantic coast including boston, philadelphia and many parts of the d.c. area. more than 3,000 flights have been canceled so far with more likely as the storm worsens. >> the extreme cold likely to blame for the derailment of three cars on an amtrak passenger train in savannah. 311 passengers on board were not

injured, just anxious to get going. >> and the southern tip, or you can see it there, that storm system, the radar shows the storm roaring into the northeast where blizzard warnings are in effect. more snow will accumulate with 18nches possible in parts of maine. and on the southern tip of new jersey is cape may. you're looking at it. it's usually a great place to go in the summer. they're under a blizzard warning with six to nine inches expected before it's all over with. steve osunsami begins our coverage. >> reporter: the storm they're nicknaming the bomb is shutting down highways, airports and cities, turning lives literally upside down from florida to maine. >> we're asking you, if you don't have to be out, please don't be out here right now. >> reporter: already 17 people have died in the bitter cold and now this.

roads so slick in the carolinas they're pulling drivers like this one out of ditches. crews responding to this multi-car pile up. >> everyone is freaking out. as you can see, the town shut down. >> reporter: in south georgia where snowplows are as rare as snowflakes, police report more than 222 people have been hurt in accidents near savannah alone. this is our slippery trip there. it's just ice. we're on top of ice. this is the most snow this region has seen in more than 30 years. victor oquendo in florida. >> shutting down both directions of the interstate. the bridges frozen over. >> reporter: stacy pelosi and her husband are trying to fly home to new york, but all flights are canceled, and now the storm is heading where they want to be. in massachusetts, they're bracing for a nor'easter. >> we bought lots of water. we do have heat in the house, which is great. >> reporter: more than 50,000 people in florida and georgia

will be in the dark, and that number is expected to rise as the storm pushes north. another concern on this end of the storm is that all of this ice is expected to ice and then refreeze, which means days of icy roads. steve osunsami, abc news, savannah. >> those are many places that aren't used to those conditions. rough days ahead. we're going to turn to president trump who is locking horns with former top adviser, steve bannon, saying he lost his mind. >> the president's lawyers sending a cease and desist letter. after excerpts from a new book surfaced. this tell-all is packed with personal details and embarrassing allegations that infuriated the president. abc's arlette saenz has more. >> reporter: bombshell allegations made by president trump's former chief strategist steve bannon are rattling the

white house. in an explosive new book, bannon describes that infamous 2016 trump tower meeting between jared kushner, don jr., paul manafort and a russian lawyer as treasonous and unpatriotic. president trump has defended his son. >> i think from a practical standpoint, most people would have taken that meeting. it's called opposition research or even research into your opponent. >> reporter: mr. trump insists he knew nothing of the meeting during the campaign. but bannon argues that's not true. he says the chance donald trump jr. didn't walk the attendees up to his father's office was quote zero. and bannon predicts members of mueller's team will crack don jr. like an egg. he says steve bannon has nothing do with me or my presidency. when he lost his job he lost his mind. >> i think furious, disgusted would fit when you make such

outrageous claims. >> reporter: the book "fire and fury" is due out next week. abc news obtained an advanced copy of the book by veteran journalist michael wolff. who had unusual access to the west wing. among the claims, many on team trump, including the candidate himself, didn't think he would win. even melania trump didn't want her husband to win and was in tears when he did. the white house is dismissing the book as tabloid fiction. a spokesperson for the first lady says she was confident he would win and was very happy about his victory. >> here's the thing about this. if the white house is dismissing a lot of what they're saying about the book, then why bother filing this cease and desist to try to shut up steve bannon if what you allege that he's saying is not true at all. >> well, i think possibly president trump just doesn't like that he's saying it or making allegations. he doesn't like them repeated.

i'm just thinking aloud here. >> i'm saying that the white house is kind of going against their own argument there by filing this. >> some of their revelations like the president and first lady sleep in separate bedrooms, i feel like that's not so shocking. >> that's called marriage. >> not so shocking. for some. >> it's called relationships. all right, there's so much there about that book. in the meantime, there was stuff that took place at the white house. the president disbanded the commission he convened to investigate voter fraud in 2016's election. the president has repeatedly claimed millions voted illegally, allowing hillary clinton to win the popular vote, but the commission never produced any such evidence. the white house blames a decision to dissolve the panel on states refusing to turn over personal data on voters. breaking overnight, good news about a pair of sisters from texas. they've been found safe after being missing for days.

they had not been seen since last saturday near austin, texas where they live. their mother was found dead and their roommate, terry miles was named a person of interest in her death. police received tips about sightings of the girls in colorado, that's where they were pulled over by police. >> the two girls were located inside the vehicle. they both were unharmed. and safe at that time. the girls will be transported to the hospital and checked medically. >> terry miles is in custody pending charges. the girls are turned over to child protective services and will be reunited with family in texas. today wall street hopes the bulls keep running towards another record. the dow is inching toward 25,000. it starts the day, get this, at 24,922. that's close to a record high, but the nasdaq and s&p are at record highs. they set new highs thanks in part to tech stocks. one company that did not have a

good day was intel. it lost 3% amid news its computer processors have major security flaws. the weather gripping much of the country has brought snow to places that haven't seen snow in years, in decades. >> and some people are taking advantage of the rare blast of old man winter. these kids are making snow angels in tallahassee. >> when you really, really want to make snow angels and you live in the south. >> exactly. the capital is seeing its first measurable snowfall since 1990. >> in georgia, that is the fire chief of valdosta making his own snow angel. a little more snow there. they haven't seen snow since 1989. >> doesn't matter that it's a dusting and it's great. >> it's a big deal. >> there were plenty of crimes happening in valdosta, but hey, the chief was making snow angels at the time.

all right, coming up, truth and lies. and waco. nearly 25 years after that incident, the siege there on the compound, what we're just now finding out about what really went on inside. and the new year's surprise from lady gaga, what she shared yesterday that nearly broke twitter. but first, you have to look at it. here's a look at today's forecast. forecast. ♪harry's meeting clients...♪ ♪...from far away. but they only see his wrinkles.♪ ♪he's gotta play it cool to seal the deal.♪ ♪better find a way to smooth things over.♪ ♪if only harry used some... ♪...bounce, to dry. ♪yeah! ♪he would be a less wrinkly, and winning at life.♪

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♪ all right, so this morning we're getting a look at a disturbing chapter of american history. many of us will recall that deadly siege of the branch davidian complex. >> it happened nearly 25 years ago after a 51-day siege, a fbi tear gas attack, and fire engulfed the compound. 76 people died, including the group's leader, david koresh. >> it's the subject of an abc special airing tonight. >> the branch davidians are an offshoot of the 7th day adventist church.

>> they had a doomsday prophecy. they believed there would be an end of the world, and when this time came they would die. >> one of the things about being a branch davidian under david koresh is you're supposed to separate yourself from the world. >> there was no running water, no heat, no electricity of any kind. we had to go to bible study three times a day. >> why did you come here? >> because i heard there was something here that i wanted to listen to. >> he was polarizing because he's, what he's doing is so radical. he truly believed he had a mission from god. he told him where to sleep, who to sleep with, what to do, he's the lord of the manor in every sense of the word. he had absolute, absolute authority over the air they breathed, over the literally, the food they ate. >> he taught that we should not eat any dairy products. and his reasoning was dairy products are made from milk, which is baby food. milk is what you eat when you're a baby, and we're adults now.

>> could you have apples and bananas but not bananas and oranges together. there were a lot of food combining rules. you couldn't eat fruit and vegetables together. >> my wife got into trouble once for telling somebody it was okay to eat cheese. she was put out of camp. >> so it's almost like he was sitting around thinking of really wacky ways to manipulate people. but the idea was to test people, to see if they really believed and would really obey when the time came. >> such an interesting story. the two-hour documentary, you can see there, it airs tonight on abc at 9:00 eastern time, 8:00 central. when we come back, is brad pitt on tinder and bumbler? a new development on his dating life. and do you remember snoop dogg's gin and juice? you haven't heard it until you've heard it on the banjo, "the skinny" is up next. you haven't heard it until you've heard it on the banjo,

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♪ skinny ♪ so skinny

all right, time for "the skinny," and i meant bumble. brad pitt possibly on bumble? not really, he is apparently back on the prowl. >> nearly 16 months after wife angelina jolie filed for divorce and they went their separate ways, the oscar winner now slowly adjusting to life as a single dad, you know what that means, dating. according to e! news, he's dating. >> he's been on a few dates but nothing serious, and finding love in a hurry is not a huge priority in his life. but the source adds he can be flirty by nature, and that he's also the nicest guy in the world. >> and the new york post's page six is reporting that when brad is out cruising, i don't know if he's cruising, but flirting with women, he sometimes goes by his real name, william. >> does brad pitt need to flirt?

>> or hide his name? they walk up to them and they don't know? >> hi, i'm william. >> no, you're not. next to a new year's surprise from lady gaga. >> lady gaga returned from a ten-day break from social media to usher in the new year with this. >> wow. >> she posted this photo to her twitter account, sporting a white bikini and tattoos and not a lot else out there. >> amazing. she captioned the photo, happy new year to happiness, love and simplicity of beautiful, unforgettable nature life. >> all right. in less than 24 hours, it's racked up some 71,000 likes.o belongs in a museum. >> i want those tattoos. >> she looks good. >> wouldn't look the same on me. next, to a brand-new take on snood juice. >> i love this song.

♪ my mind's on my money and my money on my mind ♪ >> snoop doggy dog from his album "doggie style." ♪ down the street ♪ laid-back ♪ like my money on my mind and my mind on my money ♪ >> that's when they used to bleep out what he was smoking. >> yeah. >> now a cover of the song in bluegrass, played on the banjo, do we like this, folks? ♪ rolling down the street ♪ smoking ♪ sipping on gin and juice ♪ laid-back with my mind on my money and my money on my mind ♪ >> it's amazing. i am here for this.

>> i'm lovin' this. >> laid-back. ♪ laid-back ♪ with my mind on my money and my money ♪ ♪one way or another, i'm gonna find ya'♪

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♪ ♪ well, anyone with a school-aged child in their life knows all about those school fundraisers. >> yeah, but at a middle school north of boston, one group of sixth graders managed to raise more than a million dollars for a pretty good cause. here's david muir. >> reporter: it was just last month we first introduced you to talia, and her sixth grade classmates in massachusetts. selling jars of cookie dough, they helped one of their own. she was born with a disease similar to als, doctors racing to start a clinical trial, but they needed $1 million to take

it to the next phase. the children first raising $55,000 selling those jars, then performing for sports teams and the video they hoped would go viral. and after you heard talia's story right here, so many of you giving, $65,000 overnight, and to start this new year, those sixth graders were suddenly summoned to the middle school gym with talia's mother joslin delivering the new total. >> over $1 million! [cheers and applause] >> reporter: with the help of yet another donor, those kids now surpassing the $1 million mark for talia. and they're still going. >> i'm so happy that we finally made it to $1 million. and that we can go into funding a cure for talia. >> talia's mother grateful. >> you showed the world what you would do for a friend.

>> reporter: and you can hear there in her voice and see it in her face how much it means to them. our david muir with that report. >> thanks for that beautiful report. in the meantime, we've been watching captivated by the scene out of southern jersey, just as we've been on the air in the half hour, the house has disappeared. >> they were under a blizzard warning. >> they are under a blizzard warning in cape may, new jersey. >> and this storm is pounding that area. >> six to nine inches in that area itself. the storm system called a megamonster, giant, hurricane, bomb, typhoon. i think those are meteorological terms. >> the storm is the bomb. >> it is moving its way up behind, no matter how much snow you get, it's the cold. >> be careful out the. >> yep. ♪ ♪

>> good morning everyone we have an accuweather alert. let's get you a live picture off the bat. this is mobile 6 driving through a snowy absecon, new jersey, you can see route 9 there. it is snow covered already. second live look, philadelphia international airport not a lot of snow compared to the jersey shore here in philadelphia, but everyone will see something from the storm. >> indeed. good morning, 4:00 a.m., thursday, january 4 we're on the air a half-hour early to bring

you the latest on the