flames are subsiding... and evacuation orders lifted in tennessee... but the wildfire threat is far from over. once rivals... now allies. new this rn about donald evacuation orders have been lifted. the fire is far from over. >>jennifer: and marco rubio opens up about donald trump. >>russell: the old building is still standing in downtown tampa. >>dave: straight up at 6:00 this morning. we have a little fog to the north in the sumter county area. look at that 71 degrees, the

wednesday morning. other spots in the mid to upper 60s. really a beautiful day. clouds, sunshine but warm, humid as high temperatures head back into the lower 80s. vab he is a? >>vanessa: you did indicate that you have some reduced visibilities you're seeing in the bartow area. i think that fog is going to be most of what's getting in folks' way this morning since we're not dealing with major crashes or big construction closures. i remember dave saying it was 1/8 mile visibilities. if you're having trouble seeing, slow down and use the low beam lights. >>russell: we're going to begin with a wildfire in tennessee. this morning, we know that flames have killed three people, scorched thousands of acres and left you'rists hot spots in ruins. >>jennifer: firefighters brace for mr lightning and wind this morning that could cause fires to flare up again. dave osterberg is tracking rain and hopefully some relief in tennessee this morning.

look at the devastation. >>walter: good morning to you. just a devastating scene across southeastern tennessee where flames tore through towns, threatening thousands of people. residents said it felt like the gates of hell were opening up. tennessee emergency management lifted evacuation orders in several areas but a curfew remains i effect as fire crews watch for hot spots. they're also looking for roadways to clear the high wind could spark more fires. right now the great smoky mountains under a high wind warning with gusts up to 60 miles an hour and also president elect donald trump is offering any help necessary from his administration. >> i just got off the phone with president elect donald trump and mike pence expressing sorrow about what's happening and pledging to help in any way they can.

closed for the time being. the theme park tweeted late yesterday, our thoughts and prayers are with the community and those affected. and then there are stories of people missing. a man named michael reed cannot find his wife and daughters. he and his oldest son were away when his wife noik he will -- nicole said the house across the street was on fire. he said to call 911 and the winds could certainly stir things up again, dave. >>dave: and that's the problem, too. eastern tennessee, while they're getting the beneficial rains, they were also under severe thunderstorm warnings so winds are gusting over 60 miles an hour. i can only hope that the rain and i want to show it to you here on skytower radar, is enough to take care of those fires. very good news, bad news setup.

lightning and see the counties going orange here? those are severe thunderstorm warnings meaning you're likely seeing winds of about 60 miles an hour in eastern portions of tennessee. now, further south, it's not good news at all. we've got tornado watches out going all the way down through parts of louisiana. unfortunately, the same line of storms that may be bringing the beneficial rains to tennessee has taken the lives of three people in northeast louisiana last night, very early this way of thunderstorms and tornados, alabama, tennessee and louisiana as well. it's a classic good news, bad news type of setup. i can only hope at least the rain helps to put the fires out. >>russell: thank you. it's 6:04 right now and developing this morning, thorments -- authorities want

man falling 30 feet from a ramp. shayla reaves is live along the leroy selmon crosstown this morning. the man is hurt but we understand he's going to be okay? yes? >>reporter: yeah. good morning to you, russell. we're told he suffered some serious injuries and medics transported him to the hospital for treatment. as for what's happening next, troopers are focused on trying to locate the truck involved in what's been described to us as a multi car crash. very serious situation unholded here. it all started around 9:30 tuesday morning. according to florida highway patrol, this unfolded on the crosstown connector just before i-4. we're told a northbound truck spilled gravel, causing several drivers to lose control and strike a barrier wall. we're told that 24-year-old man checked for damages and another driver plowed right into him and his car. first striking the wall and then

he fell about 33 feet to the ground. the truck responsible for this accident, well, for the spill, rather, we're told that truck did not stop and travelled onto i-4. troopers are still looking for that vehicle this morning and anyone with any information, maybe if you saw something or have any details that you did not report, you're certainly urged to reach out to florida highway patrol and share back to you, russell and jen in the studio. >>russell: we'll talk later. thank you. >>jennifer: time is 6:06. nearly two dozen people are under arrest this morning accused of blocking traffic during a protest in tampa. the fight for 15 protest started in ybor centennial park last night but made its way down to the mcdonalds at east 13th avenue and north 21st street. some of the protestors sat down in the roadway and refused to get up after multiple orders by

custody. some protestors we spoke with said that tuesday's march was about much more than increasing their pay. they deserve respect. >> we have to struggle to make ends meet. that's not fair that our corporations don't care. >> if that's what it takes and we do it respectfully, that's what we're going to do. >>jennifer: florida retail federation and other large buses nationwide say they are opposed to they claim businesses would have to make up for the higher pay by reducing their work force or vesting prices. later today, we should find out if a tampa man will be granted bail after killing another man at a basketball court. dooley is serving an eight-year prison sentence. dooley said it was self defense. he won an appeal to get a new trial after the court found

to be released on bail pending the next trial date. the widow of the man dooley killed is fighting for his release. >>russell: it's 6:08 and the president elect trump is turning to veterans of wall street in washington to fill some top cabinet positions. today he's expected to announce steven as and elaine chau to lead the department of transportation. still no decision on who will be secretary of state. however, president elect did have dinner with mitt romney in manhattan last night. the former presidential nominee is widely considered to be the frontrunner for secretary of state. it's their second meeting as trump weighs just who he wants to appoint. and as trump pieces together his administration, he's also following through on one of his

carrier has reached a deal with the president elect to keep nearly 1,000 jobs in indiana. details of the agreement are not clear. we'll hopefully find out more when trump and vice president elect mike pence go to indiana tomorrow. trump is also getting support from florida senator marco rubio. during an interview on the fox news channel last night, the senator discussed his eagerness to get down to work with the president elect saying he's excited to work with the president who will laws. >> i'm excited about finally being in a position to pass laws and repeal laws and have a president that will actually sign it. >>russell: and that presidential recount in wisconsin will be done electronically and that's a setback for jill stein. she requested the recount was because the voting equip the may have been hacked.

electronically. >>laura: environmental concerns and a flock of birds are holding up demolition of the old tampa tribune building in downtown tampa. the group that purchased the property had hoped to start carrying down the building earlier this year but old printing presses still inside are slowing down the process. according to the tampa bay business journal, crews are concerned about possible ink contamination and also the group is working with the audubon society with a that have made homes on the property. tis the season for charity scam. >>russell: ahead this hour, how to tell if you're giving to a grinch or an organization in real need. >>jennifer: as if we were not already wasting enough time on facebook, it's adding classic arcade games to your news feed. >>dave: space invaders?

got them in sumter, citrus county, right on the line there. bartow, northeastward to winter haven. winter haven is okay but that stretch between the two towns looking at a bit of fog this morning. not back to the coast, though. overall it's a great start to the day. it's warm, muggy, we're talking temperatures for a lot of us starting in the lower 70s. that means it won't take long to get back to the lower 80s for temps this a ? think of your fellow man. ? ? lend him a helping hand. ? ? put a little love in your heart. ? ? take a good look around... ? ? ...and if you're lookin' down, ?

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>>russell: we want to take a minute to say thank you to all of you, all of our fox viewers. you really stepped up giving tuesday, helping metropolitan ministries reach 60,000 meals for the less fortunate. they provide food, clothing, shelter, job training and many other services and needless to say, extremely busy this time of year. 18,000 families registered for help for food and toys over the holidays. >> they put people back to work, they train them and do all things to get back on their feet. can't beat it.

did? you dropped off hundreds of pounds of food and toys and the shelves are filling up. we have to say it. they still need more. just keep it up. for more information how to make a monetary donation, go to fox 13 care force.com. >>jennifer: if you plan to donate this holiday season, you have to make sure you vet the organization first so you don't fall for a scam. you can do that through the better business bureau give.org and don't give out credit card phone to a caller claiming to be a charity and don't give money in response to an email from an unfamiliar organization unless you can confirm they are legit. if you do plan to donate online, make sure the charity has a secure website. doesn't feel like the holidays. >>russell: it doesn't. i have to tell you all, i'm stunned by what i'm seeing in tennessee. i mean, i know it's dying down a little bit and i know it coul

it, driving through the fire. i heard on a news report last night, a woman was saying it's so hot in here and she was in her car. you have to think about it. you don't think of it being in tennessee. you know? you think of it being out west. >>dave: this is going around on facebook. there was a temperature sensor from gatlinburg which showed 118 degrees as the fire was approaching. when you get how fast that sweeps through and even if you're like, okay. we have an hour or two, sometimes you don't. and here's the thing. it is raining out there and that's going to help. >>russell: good. good. >>dave: but the winds are also like 60 miles an hour. >>russell: the winds are incredible, aren't they? >>dave: they are. i'll show you that in a second. as you walk out the door this morning, we do have some fog. it was right in the middle of polk county. the visibility hasn't moved much in bartow.

run into some fog, interior portions of polk county, winter haven, and then there's a bull's eye up here, eastern citrus county and western sumter county. again, chances are going up 75 through sumter county, you may run into a little bit of that. it's not awful but it is there. it's very warm and very muggy outside. look at the temps in the 70s. i have almost just as many 70s in the metro area as 60s and even the 60s are like 68 in west chase, 69 a it's 71 in tampa. brandon, you're at 72 degrees. our normal high temperature for this time of year is 75. we're almost there. we may be there by like 10:00 in the morning. then you have all of this moisture, the dew points in the upper 60s and lower 70s. once you get to the top left-hand corner of your screen, see this yellow color? those are dew points back in the

way. probably not until we get into the friday time frame into saturday so really for the next couple of days, we continue with the muggy weather and then it starts to dry out for friday and saturday. look at the rain, the tornado watches. a new one popped up here southwestern louisiana, through mississippi and this one continues from alabama into georgia and even though they're not officially under a tornado watch, that part of eastern getting winds of 60 miles an hour to go along with that heavy rain. we'll see what happens after all that passes through. variable clouds for us today. breezy, warm, high around 82 degrees. warm, muggy, some clouds tonight. it wouldn't surprise me to see a little bit more fog, 69 degrees the over night low and more clouds with the tiniest chance of a quick shower tomorrow with a high temperature around 79 degrees. boaters are back to the moderate chop again.

chance on thursday. now, here is the tease, right? we're going to go back to the mid 70s, dry it out for like two days and then the warmth and humidity returns again, sunday, monday and tuesday. i have two days for you. >>vanessa: we'll take it. thank you. 6:19. on the roadways, no big complaints. right now we're looking live at the river view area, 75 south progress boulevard. quite a few cars out there but overall, the speeds are looking 75 drivers northbound travelling from the selmon to i-4, plan for four minutes travel that go stretch. if you're heading between pinellas and hillsborough, you can see we're running up to speed there in the northbound direction. 75 to branch forbes road, taking i-4 eastbound around eight minutes is that drive. >>russell: one of the holiday season's most highly anticipated films is about tampa. don't expect to see the great city in the movie. >>jennifer: there are shots of

in the film "live by night" but the film was shot hundreds of miles away. take a look at the trailer. >> this is heaven. right here. we're in it now. >>jennifer: ben affleck stars in the film about a son of a boston cop who moves to becomes a gangster. affleck and the people behind the movie did come to tampa to scout locations but ultimately decided on coastal georgia for the shoot because of tax incentives. >>russell: we'll just have to see if they get it right then. new this morning, calorie counts. do you pay attention to them when you're dining out? or ordering uber eats? >>russell: we are breaking one cupcake she ordered, one.

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it's time to see what's clicking on the web. vanessa is here with this >>jennifer: time to see what's clicking on the web. >>vanessa: bringing you hot clicks this morning. >>russell: bringing them in. bringing them in. >>vanessa: beep, beep, beep, backing up. everyone you know had their favorite stuffed animal or blanket they couldn't live without when they were a kid. do you remember yours? >>russell: yeah. sock monkey. >>vanessa: i had a charley one goat is no different. this is polly. she lives at goats of anarchy. that's a sanctuary for baby goats with special needs. look at this. polly is blind. she suffers from neuro logical problems and she has severe anxiety. sanctuary's owner says the only thing that will calm polly down is her beloved duck costume. >>jennifer: that's a goat in a duck suit. >>vanessa: oh, my gosh. if she starts to run around and

she is instantly content. oh, my gosh. we all need a duck costume for those bad days. >>vanessa: yes, we do. >>jennifer: we do. >>russell: will you all chip in and get me a duck costume? i'll wear it. >>vanessa: he said he's going to wear it. we have it on tape. >>russell: that's a doll. i love polly. >>vanessa: she actually has quite the collection of costumes. she has a pig her owner dressed up as two sweet peas. >>russell: in a pod. got it. she's little. >>jennifer: is she a unicorn? >>vanessa: there's a fox. the duck is by far her favorite look. >>jennifer: we love polly. >>russell: we have a new obsession with polly. we have to do a polly update at least once a week.

suit is coming soon. >>jennifer: what is this? >>russell: i know what's going on. >>vanessa: so crowds are gathering down south for miami art week. the citywide festival's 15th year for this. this is just some of what's on display. it's a tongue slide. a human tongue functionals on -- >>jennifer: wait a second. >>vanessa: i don't know. do you want to 26,000. >>laura: it's not a human tongue. >>russell: no. a sculpture. >>vanessa: this is on sculpture at miami beach. this is the invisible man. it disappears as you walk around it. symbolizes the hands up, don't shoot movement. one more we have for you. this is the ritz rainbow. multi colored beam of light

district. >>jennifer: that's like the snap chat filter. >>vanessa: it can be seen for 25 miles,,000. art event runs through sunday. >>jennifer: i see penguins. >>vanessa: we see penguins in the video. last hot click of the day, of course, jen is in love with this. kids at a children's hospital in san diego got surprise visitors. penguin >>jennifer: cockatiel. >>vanessa: patients are often unable to leave so this was a big treat for them. >>jennifer: that's great. >>russell: you knocked it out of the park today. >>vanessa: these were good ones. i'm still stuck on polly, too. >>russell: i'm a little obsessed with polly. >>jennifer: i'm going to have nightmares about the tongue. >>vanessa: we'll put you in the duck suit and everything will be okay. >>russell: ahead in the next

florida. >>jennifer: things may be different in 2017. we'll explain why. the flames are mostly out but the wildfire threat is far from over in tennessee. why mother nature could be a i'm a coupon guy... i signed up for the publix digital ones... i clip the paper ones... in fact if there was a third kind, i'd probably love those too. that's how i save at publix. how 'bout you?

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da it is exactly like a likecompetition.on. whoever finds the most bogo's wins! which is usually me. that's how we save a lot at publix. how 'bout you? publix. where shopping is a pleasure. (russell - we begin this half hour in tennessee... >>russell: we're going to begin in tennessee. rain is coming down and that's helping to remain the dousing fires that have scorched thousands of acres and forced tourists and residents to evacuate. this morning tennessee emergency management has lifted evacuation orderd in several states. but a curfew does remain in effect as fire crews watch for hot spots. firefighters are also working to

right now the biggest concern is high winds that could spark more fires. great smoky fires is under a high wind warning with gusts 60 miles an hour. >>jennifer: that same weather system is creating problems in other areas. there are reports of tornados in mississippi, louisiana and alabama. northeast alabama a suspected tornado killed three people and injured several more. there are also reports of more than 20 structures destroyed including a shopping baptist church and a daycare. this is a case of good news, bad news for the southeast. >>russell: much of the area is in extreme drought. the rain will help. but boy, what a storm they've had move through there, right? >>dave: indeed. big line of thunderstorms. some of it is helping and some of it is hurting. let me show it to you. in tennessee you see the counties go orange and then the orange goes away so the severe thunderstorm warnings are coming to an end, which is good, and

they're going to get a couple of hours of that to help out, take care of the rest of those fires in eastern tennessee but then as you go further south, a lot of energy with this line of storms and that's why we have two separate tornado watches which include new orleans, which include coastal mississippi, all the way through the birmingham area and outside of atlanta. that's where we're concerned about the potential for tornadic activity. so it's not very often when you have a line that helps and none of that makes an impact on us, really. 71 the current temperature here. brandon at 72. it is warm outside and it will go back to the lower 80s with a mixture of clouds and sun. >>vanessa: thank you. we have a couple of crashes we're following in hillsborough county. we'll start out at 56th street north and hillsborough avenue. right now we have sky fox overhead, a crash in the middle of the intersection. looks like emergency crews might

medically there but the intersection mostly blocked, we're hearing the main direction of concern is going to be in the southbound direction but it appears as though they might be diverting folks around the intersection so avoid or plan extra time, particularly if you have to head in the southbound direction. i believe this involves a motorcyclist from what i'm able to see from the shot. we'll work on getting more information whether there are any serious injuries here. looks like a big wipeout for the bicycle. we'll switch gears and get to this one. this is also in hillsborough as pi menti center area, there's a crash at 301 and sun city center boulevard and a middle lane is blocked. f.h.p. hasn't specified which direction but both ways we're going, we don't have any major delays. >>russell: hillsborough detectives are still looking -- i'm still stunned by this video, looking for a mob of thieves that crashed into a gun shop. surveillance video shows them smashing a car through the arms

get, they made off with about 40 weapons. deputies say took just about 60 seconds to get it done. >>jennifer: plant city investigators are looking for the person responsible for setting a house on fire. fire crews found anti-trump messages spray painted both inside and outside of the home. the homeowner, matthew smith, says he was being targeted for being a trump supporter. no one was in the house when the fire started. >>russell: we're learning more about what may have caused a deadly plane crash in the pilot may have been a hero by saving several lives. the plane crashed late monday night killing 71 people. another five survived. and investigators say those people survived because the plane never caught fire after it crashed. likely reason? plane was almost completely out of fuel. investigators think that the pilot dumped the fuel to prevent it from exploding, knowing the plane was going down. >>jennifer: 6:35.

built-in mandate reincrease in elementary schools did not pass last year but a state senator just reintroduced the bill for the 2017 session and things may be different this time around. here is why. >>reporter: good morning to you guys. it's hard to believe but in many of florida's public schools, recess has been completely erased from the schedule. but a group of empassioned parents are fighting to take back the so-called recess moms right now. christie, you've been up and down this state all the way up to tallahassee numerous times to try to get this bill through. can you give me your reaction to it being now back on the table? >> we're very excited that we have the senate bill moving forward already in the senate. soon to be in the house as well. we got hung up in the senate last year. we have recess moms from across the state. every county imaginable. it's having the same issue.

locally and love to work with the schools in the district but unfortunately, it hasn't been happening yet and it's not an important enough issue in our county that we have to take it up to the state and we have a lot of support from our state legislators, we have a lot of new legislators right now after the election so we're very excited to work with them and they're excited to wshg with us. we've already made a lot of connections that we will have recess in schools every day. >>reporter: your kids are in the public schools. what do >> my oldest is in sixth grade. she went all the way through elementary, first through fifth grade, not having recess at all. at the tail end of that, i caught it and we started taking it to tallahassee last year in fifth grade and at the end of the year last year, she finally got to squeak in some recess. i have a third grader and 2-year-old as well. we're not going anywhere. we have other kids. we're not even just doing this for our kids. we're doing this for the kids whose parents maybe can't do

legislators all the time, can't be in constant email contacted. this is a right for all kids. our kids, other kids in our schools, other districts. this is something that all kids need to be able to move every day. >>reporter: you and i grew up having recess. twice a day for me in elementary school. what effect have you noticed with your children because they don't have recess regularly every day? >> well, we hear it from the parented, from the teachers, even the principals that by the end of the day, the kidsre and they can't focus and they can't do the things that actually are the goals of the teachers and the administrators to score high on the standardized tests to get the grades that their schools want them to get because they're kind of blocked in their desk and not able to move. they get reprimanded sometimes when they're fidgety in the hallways. when we have the opportunity to have recess at the end of last

for than they're asked to do because they're seeing the positive benefits of this. >>reporter: thank you for talking with us this morning. hope. ly you'll talk more about the issue but now that the bill is back on the table, there's a lot of enthusiasm about it but also hope that it will actually go to a vote in the senate because the road block that was in place the last session, that man is no longer in office as of next year. he did not run for re-election. so there this will actually make it out of committee this spring. >>jennifer: i'm sure parents will be watching closely. thank you. >>russell: here's one. if you knew that a double quarter pounder with cheese had 740 calories in it, would it keep you from ordering it? no. starting next may, fast food chains with more than 20 locations have to display calorie counts on their menus but a new study found as few as

counts on the menus. the reason, simply presenting calorie information is not enough. the nutrition information must be larger and easier to understand. they just know how many calories isn't enough. consumers need to know their recommended calorie intake without these added steps. most of the information is ignored or misunderstood or you don't look at it. >>jennifer: that's only one third of your daily intake. yeah. if you're a power customer, expect a higher bill in 2017. that's despite objections from the aarp and sierra club. it's an $811 million base rate increase overall but public service commissioners agree to spread out the increases the next three years. a residential customer who used 1,000 kilo watt hours of electricity a month will see about a $7.50 increase come january. >>russell: talking a lot about the weather this morning.

the fires in gatlinburg but also, there were tornados in alabama and it's caused death and damage. >>jennifer: and dave is looking at that next and also ahead, it's game on at universal studios. we have the details on a new nintendo themed area comin ? think of your fellow man. ? ? lend him a helping hand. ? ? put a little love in your heart. ? ? take a good look around... ? ? ...and if you're lookin' down, ? ? put a little love in your heart. ? ?put a little love in your heart.? ? in your heart. ? (avo) the subaru share the love event is happening now

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>>dave: time brookdale, bayshore camera, we're at 69 degrees in the south-southeast wind at 10 miles an hour. that camera, gorgeous. here's another great shot looking downtown. we're at 71 degrees in the southeast wind at eight. gorgeous. yeah. it's warm, muggy and then i take you to lakeland and there it is. that hint of fog that we have this morning. we're at 70 degrees overlooking lake mirror. south-southeast winds at eight miles an hour so not everybody

obviously this sticks out to you from bartow up toward lakeland to winter haven, really interior porings of polk county. heads up for fog this morning. obviously right near the sensor it must be all fogged in because it's down there at zero. winter haven reporting 10 miles and eastern citrus, western sumter county, those two particular spots, you may experience the same thing tomorrow morning as well. big pictur rain and thunderstorm activity. while it's definitely helping out in eastern tennessee, by now i'm sure you know all about what's been happening with those wildfires in gatlinburg and even into portions of the carolinas, this rain should hopefully take care of that. the bottom part, you see these boxes? these are tornado watches. believe it or not, we've had tornados overnight. unfortunately in northeast alabama, earlier this evening, actually early in the overnight, there was a tornado that came

folks. a lot of damage reported in the particular town. i believe it's rose lee in northeast alabama and they're about to get hit again with another big line of storms that stretches all the day to southeastern louisiana. once the line makes it to us, there will be nothing left of it. all the energy is riding to the north. by the time is moves through here tomorrow morning, you get a sprinkle. that's all. 82 degrees for a high today. fog will burn of really be a very late summerish day, early fall because it doesn't feel like november 30. tonight 69 degrees the overnight low. more clouds. don't be surprised in the same areas that have fog this morning, you may have it tomorrow morning, also a whopping 30% rain chance for you tomorrow with a high around 79 degrees. and it drys out friday and saturday. but guess what? humidity comes right back in

>>vanessa: all right. right now we're keeping an eye on the motorcycle crash at 56th in hillsborough. sky fox is still overhead. the intersection is mostly blocked here and we're now starting to see some big delays stacking up in all directions through that intersection so make sure you're avoiding the area and instead of 56, maybe taking harney or 40th street and take sligh avenue or mlk. we do know there are some injuries we think they might be serious injuries and we think this might be an extended closure here in the intersection but we'll keep an eye on this and let you know. in the meantime, please avoid north 56th street at hillsborough avenue. we want to get over to the interstates and look at how those are slowing down. usual manner here approaching i-4, southbound 275, we're already up to a 21 minute ride in the red from the bearss exit

you can see along i-4 westbound, just before you get to downtown tampa and then southbound 75 approaching the selmon. it's about to switch over to 6:48. we'll switch gears and get to charley. we're like matching again. i know you can't see. we're wearing black and white. >>charley: this is actually blue, but all right. it's dark blue, navy. short sleeves and christmas trees. welcome to florida. >>vanessa: i know, right? >>charley: look at this. before the sun comes up too much, glimpse. isn't this gorgeous? >>vanessa: i love it. >>charley: i love this time of year. i love the peacefulness and serenity of christmas lights. there's something about the christmas lights that just make me feel peaceful. >>vanessa: and look at the canopy the trees are making over the trees. >>charley: isn't it gorgeous? we're at tampa's lowry park zoo. it looks beautiful and they're doing something special called

it makes me think of christmas traditions. growing up, did you ever traditions or things leading up to christmas day your family would always do? >>vanessa: probably not anything out of the order. we have to put the tree up and the decorations and we had certain decorations we always used and -- yeah. >>charley: and i remember as a kid, i would have to see santa and sit on santa's lap and tell santa -- why is >>vanessa: jen is over there going, i know him. >>charley: in fact, this is an "i know him" story. i would visit santa at a local department store in south florida when i was a wee child. and then unbeknownst to me at the time, my grandfather used to help santa. he would have a part-time job during the holidays at said

as one of his helpers. i did not know that. i would sit on santa's lap and i thought, santa looks familiar. i saw a picture in a book and i realized that's my grandfather for about five years, i thought my grandfather was santa claus. >>vanessa: but he was just a helper. that's cool, though. >>charley: i know that now. i know now he's not the real santa but i grandfather was santa claus and i would go to school and go, look. don't tell anybody. don't tell anybody. santa is my granddad. so there you go. true story. i found out later he was just a helper but i know him. and the real guy will be here this morning. i have select dates. the zoo open until 10:00 at night. you get to see animals at night, beautiful lights, food, music and santa and we'll have it all right here on "good day tampa bay." >>vanessa: sounds wonderful.

567891. we'll take a look at today's top stories and new this morning, congress rejected legislation that would require women to register for the military draft. house and senate leaders reached the agreement as part of a new defense policy bill. the bill, which authorizes spending for military programs also struck down a measure that would have undercut protections against workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation. and services honoring fidel castro continue today in cuba. original leaders and tens of thousands of havana's plaza revolution last night. it's the same place the controversial leader delivered fiery speeches to the mammoth crowds in the years after he sees power. and game on. universal studios confirmed it will add nintendo themed areas to the parks, including the one here in orlando. it's expected to be a fully immersive experience. there will be rides, character meet and greats and food

announced yet or characters. >>russell: oil prices on the way up. we'll talk with lauren simonetti what this could mean for your drive home for the holidays. and act fast to fly cheap. we'll tell you about the airline that's offering 20% off flights

a possible hike >>russell: possible hike in gas prices as millions of us hit the road for christmas. >>jennifer: one airline is cutting you a deal. from the fox business network studio, lauren simonetti is with us. good morning. >> 20% off. let's celebrate. that's the code, celebrate. use it to get 20% off any jet blue flight. book by tonight to get it. new year's, christmas, those dates are have to travel between december 7 and february 5. >>russell: december what? december 7 and february 5? >>jennifer: through the holidays? >> new year's and christmas dates are blacked out. >>russell: you have about five days in there. five days you can take a trip in there. let's talk about oil prices. they're surging.

they're surging 6%. i don't know what's going on because we know about this meeting that opec members are having in vienna, austria today. we've known about it forever. any time we get a glimpse of there being a deal to cut protection, you can see the price of oil go up. that's what's happening now. there will be a deal today. do we believe them? that's the question. let's say they do reach a deal. price of oil donald trump administration might say, we have plenty of our own oil. who cares? if opec does not come to a deal today, what does that say about the credibility of the cartel? so the point here, the bottom line is, oil prices have been between $40 and $50. no deal could very well send them back to $30 and a deal could also send them closer to 60 unless donald trump has something to say about that.

i just bet he does. all right. it's a whole new world out there now. we'll see you later, okay? >> see you guys. >>russell: it's game on for facebook messter.pthe company a instant games platform. you can play games against each other. right now it's only available in 30 countries and you have to have the latest version of your android or i.o.s. pac are just some of the games. if we didn't win the powerball, we're glad this group did. at 7:00, find out who will be splitting $421 million jackpot. >>jennifer: a crazy story of survival on the connector to i-4. a man plummets 33 feet off the overpass. this morning the search for the truck that caused the crash. >>russell: this is one. a family shows up at a shelter to get their lost dog.

their backs on her and they got another dog instead. another dog instead. needless to look at this... a silicon valley server farm. the vault to man's greatest wonders... selfies, cat videos and winking emojis. speaking of tech wonders, with the geico app you can get roadside assistance, digital id cards... or even file a claim. do that.. yeah, yeah that should work. it's not happening... just try again. uh, i think i found your problem. thanks. the award-winning geico app. download it today. hand-dipped, with real milk, is the only way to make a milkshake. you can't trust machines. now, how come? once, i got a machine-made shake from some other place, and it clanked and clunked and spit out a glop into my glass. and do you know what it was made of? artificial turf? what? no. powder! what?

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((russell- death and destruction. wildfires >>russell: death and destruction. wildfires burning nearom the effort to stop the flames from spreading. >>jennifer: instant millionaires. enough money to tell the boss they quit. the 20 co-workers who are sharing an enormous lottery jackpot. >>russell: this will set you off. a lost dog thrilled to be reunited with her owners. the owners turned their backs on her and brought home a new dog