here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> the u.s. closely monitoring growing military cooperation between russia and china in the resource rich arctic. russian and chinese warships stepping up operations in recent weeks. and bombers from both countries seen patrolling the skies near alaska in july. for the first time, the arctic now a new point of tensions as the u.s. and china see new opportunities in a region where rising temperatures have caused the polar ice sheet to recede, opening up new sea lanes and shipping routes. we traveled to alaska, where u.s. special operation teams are preparing for any conflict in the region. we're about to get on this c-130 aircraft headed to wales, one of the most western points in alaska. we are with a team of green berets as they operate in the arctic. we follow them to the closest point to russia on the american mainland. >> some of the areas where our outstations are at less than three miles away from russia. so the actions that our personnel and the operations that our personnel are taking on

our stephanie ramos with u.s. special operations officers in this new frontier. >>> a now couple positively identified after 44 years, after their lincoln continental was found at the bottom of a georgia lake. >>> dodgers superstar show hhei ohtani sues for ownership baseball card collection. >>> and the extraordinary acts of kindness and of joy this thanksgiving day. tonight's america strong. >>> good evening, everyone, thank you so much for joining us on this thanksgiving. i'm linsey davis, in for david. we begin tonight with the massive storm that is slamming the northeast with heavy snow and rain, creating havoc for holiday travelers. the blinding and heavy snow making roads nearly impassable in parts of new hampshire. cars left stranded on the side of the road. but the heavy rain did not stop large crowds from lining the streets of new york city to take in the sights of the annual macy's thanksgiving day parade. and the new details coming in about the stowaway that boarded a flight and managed to make it all

>> david: stephanie ramos in new york. steph, thank you. >>> we turn to the chilling new testimony today in the trial of about undocumented migrant accused in the murder of georgia nrsing student laken riley. the last text tonight that she sent her mother. here's faith abubey. >> reporter: in a georgia courtroom today, prosecutors showing this chilling security footage they say shows jose ibarra just hours before he allegedly killed nursing student laken riley on a nearby jogging trail. the hooded figure seen lurking around apartments at the university of georgia, peering into windows and trying to open a door. >> what does he do right there at 7:54? >> he is ducking down. >> reporter: prosecutors say ibarra was hunting for women the morning riley was last seen going out for a run, reading her final text to her mom. >> it says, "good morning, about to go for a run. if you're free to talk." >> reporter: but prosecutors say minutes later, when riley's mom tried calling her back, it was too late. the 22-year-old trying to cal

here's abc's stephanie ramos tonight. >> reporter: tonight, federal prosecutors accusing sean combs of relentless efforts to corrupt witness testimony and subvert his criminal case from behind bars. "almost immediately after arriving" at the federal jail in brooklyn, prosecutors say combs started using "telephone accounts of at least eight other inmates" to call people not on his approved contact list. prosecutors alleging combs frequently instructs "family members and his attorneys to add other individuals via three-way call," which is not allowed. an october call made between combs and one of his adult sons, prosecutors allege, "provides the clear inference that the defendant's goal is to blackmail victims and witnesses either into silence, or providing testimony helpful to his defense." and prosecutors say combs "is explicit about his intention to use public statements" to sway potential jurors, including this instagram post by his kids. ♪ happy birthday to daddy ♪ >> reporter: prosecutors say combs "enlisted family members to plan and execute a social media campaign around the defe

>> david: stephanie ramos tonight. steph, thank you. >>> next tonight, we're tracking a new tropical storm, sara, it just formed in the caribbean. will it affect the u.s.? of course, that's the question. and while there is rain in the east, it has not reached new york, philadelphia, and boston, so, red flag warnings are back up because it's so dry. let's get right to chief meteorologist lee goldberg from wabc tracking it all. hey, lee. >> hey, david. firefighters really welcomed the lighter winds today, but it won't last. gets gusty again tomorrow. the fire risk elevated again. we've been watching rain all afternoon from the eastern great lakes, the mid-atlantic. it's running into a dry detour here in the northeast. so, not a drop of rain. fire weather alerts up for friday and saturday. severe drought has expanded across the northeast. even extreme drought, southern new jersey, that's not changing. maybe the next rain is about a week away. could that have some of the dna of the remnants of tropical storm sara? that sto

>> david: stephanie ramos with us here. stephanie, thank you. >>> tonight, the nfl with a new warning for its players after break-ins at players' homes in four states now. including patrick mahomes and travis kelce. the list is growing. is this all coordinated? here's our senior investigative correspondent aaron katersky and what he's learned tonight. >> reporter: after a rash of recent burglaries targeting the homes of sports superstars like chiefs quarterback patrick mahomes and tight end travis kelce, tonight, the nfl is warning players to protect themselves. >> kelce again! >> reporter: this memo obtained by abc news says the burglars are "organized and skilled" and "appear to exploit team schedules and target athletes' homes on game days." >> this is going to be for all the super bowl trophies. >> reporter: mahomes and his wife showed off their home for the netflix documentary series "quarterback." >> do you think this fits all my shoes? >> reporter: now, the nfl is urging players to avoid posting images of their resid

abc's stephanie ramos explains. >> reporter: this morning, growing concern over the arctic where russian chinese warships have stepped up military cooperation in recent weeks, and bombers from both countries seen patrolling the skies near alaska in july for the first time. the resource-rich arctic now a new point of tension as the u.s., china and russia see new opportunities. in a region where rising temperatures have caused the polar ice sheet to recede, there are now sea lanes and shipping routes opening up. we traveled to alaska where u.s. special operation teams are preparing for any conflict in the region. we are with a team of green berets as they operate in the arctic. we follow them to the closest point to russia on the american mainland. >> some of the areas where our outstations are at, less than three miles away from russia. so the actions that our personnel and the operations that our personnel are taking on the ground there, they are going to elicit a response in some form or fashion. >> reporter: this is polar dagger, a mission intended to show russia's decision makers what

here's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, growing fire danger in the bone-dry northeast.s bracing for gusty winds and more fires. >> we are following a developing story, a stubborn brush fire in inwood park has sparked back up. >> reporter: in new york city, firefighters still putting out hotspots from a fire that broke out in upper manhattan earlier this week. new jersey transit police posting these videos of a recent fire near commuter train tracks, warning anything can start a fire. even a cigarette butt. meanwhile, outside new york city, more heavy smoke. firefighters conducting back-burning operations. some 400 personnel from 40 agencies containing the jennings creek fire burning on either side of the new york/new jersey border. >> today we've got a crew in from montana. this is going to give us a hand along with a couple of folks from colorado that were already here helping out. >> reporter: the cause of the fire remains under investigation. and david, officials say this jennings creek fire is 90% contained, but they're still worried about the winds this weekend. wh

we begin with stephanie ramos in high point, new jersey, where they've already seen 20 inches of snow. >> reporter: tonight, weather whiplash for the northeast after months of drought. neighborhoods slammed with heavy wet snow. wildfires, to now snow and ice. what do you think about all this? >> it's been crazy. >> reporter: in the scranton, pennsylvania area, conditions so slick even plow trucks got stuck. the driver of this plow says he tried to go around another vehicle and got stuck on the shoulder. >> i mean, i love the snow. this is kind of fun, but it's not fun when you get stuck. >> reporter: authorities in pennsylvania shutting down a 50-mile stretch of interstate 84 from outside scranton to the new york border for a time. overnight crews all over the region racing to clear roads, cutting up branches, and dodging live power lines. more than 100,000 in the dark. meanwhile that atmospheric river still soaking the west. overnight, first responders rescuing two people and a dog in chico, california. flash flood warnings in san francisco. our melissa adan in sonoma county, califor

stephanie ramos with the images tonight. >> reporter: three separate home explosions rocking communities across the country tonight. flames and smoke billowing from this home in tennessee. fire crews saying debris flew nearly 150 yards in all directions. the home reduced to rubble. flames tearing through what's left of the roof, knocked off the foundation. no one was injured, but officials fear other homes in the area could be on fire. the cause is now under investigation. overnight in michigan, just north of detroit, a suspected gas leak causing this two-story condo to explode. doorbell video showing that loud, fiery blast. debris seen flying across the street. two adults seriously injured. earlier that same day, investigators reviewing how this home in the town of bethel, an hour outside cincinnati, exploded. two people were killed, another injure d and treated for seriou burns. neighbors say an hvac technician was working on the furnace before the explosion. david, while the cause of two of the explosions are under investigation, natural gas line leaks are rare, but extremely dangerou

here's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, the mystery of the u.s.-bound flight that made it almost all the way to north america and descended more than 8,000 feet before it turned back around towards europe. we're now learning that flight encountered severe turbulence over greenland. images showing items thrown across the cabin. according to scandinavian airlines, 245 passengers were onboard traveling from stockholm, sweden, to miami, when it hit turbulence. one passenger telling abc news the turbulence started intensifying to the point where it was unpleasant. people were screaming. the airbus a330 then descending roughly 8,300 feet in seven minutes to find smoother air. the airline making the unusual move to fly back to europe despite its proximity to canada and the u.s. the aircraft rerouting to copenhagen more than five hours away. the airline saying they "do not have the necessary facilities and staff" to inspect the plane in miami. no severe injuries were reported among the passengers or crew. david, that plane landed in copenhagen without inc

here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, authorities saying the wisconsin father who faked his death is living in eastern europe. 45-year-old ryan borgwardt sending investigators this proof of life video. >> i'm in my apartment. i am safe, secure. >> reporter: in august, he vanished from this lake in wisconsin. authorities finding his kayak, car, wallet, keys and license. search and rescue volunteers searching for weeks. but authorities later learning the father of three faked his death to convince his wife and children that he had died so he could start a new life in europe with a woman he'd met online. >> he paddled his kayak in a child-sized floating boat out into the lake. he overturned the kayak and dumped his phone in the lake. he paddled the inflatable boat to shore. >> reporter: then riding an e-bike overnight to madison, where he boarded a bus and went to detroit, and then the canadian border. he continued on the bus to an airport and got on a plane. authorities now communicating with borgwardt daily, pleading for him to return home for the holidays. >> christmas i

stephanie ramos is at the airport with details. orning, stephanie. >> reporter: george, good morning. passengers on an alaska airlines flight from washington, d.c. to los angeles went through a really big scare when their plane lost a tire but went on to lax. overnight alaska airlines flight 309 making an emergency landing in l.a. after reporting an issue with one of their landing gears. passengers told to brace. >> brace, brace, brace. >> reporter: the shaky landing caught on camera. met with a round of applause from relieved passengers. >> we just came to a nice smooth stop. and i think everybody unclenched. they all -- we all got out of our emergency positions. and everybody just let out a big breath and everyone started to clap and there were some, you know, screams. i think we were all relieved. >> reporter: the boeing plane sustaining tire damage on takeoff. dulles airport reported finding debris that may have been from the tire of the plane. making an emergency landing in los angeles. the left tire visibly damaged. alaska air

stephanie ramos is here with the latest. morning, stephanie. >> reporter: rebecca, good morning. three people are dead following a chilling stabbing spree on the streets of manhattan monday. officials say the 51-year-old homeless man allegedly attacked without saying a word to his victims. watch this surveillance video where you see him put a large knife in his pockets moments before the first attack. he allegedly stabbed a 36-year-old construction worker a little before 8:30 a.m. then two hours later a 68-year-old man was attacked while fishing. both men died after the stabbings. then just before 11:00 a.m., a 36-year-old woman was stabbed multiple times near the united nations head quarter. she later succumbed to her injuries. a cab driver who witnessed the third attack followed the suspect and alerted an officer. police found two bloody kitchen knives on rivera and that his clothes were covered in blood. guys, police say rivera had eight prior arrests. his arraignment is expected sometime today. michael? >> michael: sense

stephanie ramos is in philly with the latest. morning stephanie. >> reporter: michael, good morning. a strike avoided for now. the transport workers union local 234 which represents more than 5,000 workers have agreed to continue talks after the agreement between the two entities ended at midnight last night. here's what the president of the union said in a statement overnight. we're willing to go the extra mile and grant additional time to reach a fair agreement. however, let me be clear, if septa's managers fail to meet our demands, we will be on the picket line. now, if the union were to strike, about 5,300 workers would take to the picket line, bringing mass transit in philadelphia to a halt while also affecting commuters in south jersey and wilmington, delaware. here's what employees are fighting for. better wages with safety and security issues at the center of their concerns. they're asking for bulletproof vests, bulletproof enclosures and more police presence citing on going violence in the city. it is unclear how long a

stephanie ramos joins us from a gas station in new york. orning, stephanie. >> reporter: george, good morning. if you're planning to travel, brace yourself. aaa predicting 79.9 million travellers will hit the road. that's nearly 2 million more people than last year. if you're driving we do have some good news. gas prices are expected to drop below $3.00 a gallon. that's a nice change from last year which was $3.26. here another deal. most sheetz in michigan, pennsylvania, ohio, north carolina, virginia and west virginia will sell gas for $0.40 off per gallon next week. make sure to check the type of gas to make sure it's compatible with your car. busiest times to travel, tuesday and wednesday afternoons will be some of the busiest times on the road. if you want to avoid the crowds, experts suggest leaving on thanksgiving morning. it's the least crowded time to travel. for those renting cars, wednesday before thanksgiving is the peak pickup day. guys, no matter how you're traveling, plan ahead. george? >> george: good advice. thanks. now the

our stephanie ramos is at the george washington bridge in fort lee, new jersey, for us. ning, stephanie. >> michael, good morning. the thanksgiving travel rush is here, and it's shaping up to be one of the busiest on record. take a live look. traffic is building up as millions hit the road. aaa project 71.7 million americans will travel by car over thanksgiving. that's 1.3 million more than last year, and even higher than pre-pandemic numbers in 2019. on the west coast, san francisco drivers will see the most traffic tonight while los angeles commuters should brace for heavy congestion tomorrow evening. for lighter traffic, leads on thanksgiving morning and head home early sunday morning. let's talk gas prices. they are dropping. aaa says the national average could fall below $3 per gallon for the first time since 2021. that's a big drop from last year's average at $3.26. and if you are near a sheetz gas station, they are offering thanksgiving treat, $0.40 off per gallon of unleaded 88. wherever you are, plan ahead and stay safe. >> we know rain and snow moving across the

stephanie ramos has the story. >> george, good morning.th a troubling attempted robbery on the subway tuesday morning. the victim is the suspected thief who was trying to take a subway rider's cell phone. the attack happened at around 9:00 a.m. when the 28-year-old slashing victim approached the rider and attempted to take his phone. he was slashed in the arm. the slashed man was taken to the hospital and police are interviewing him. the rider who held onto his phone continued on the train. this is the latest in a series of concerning incidents. you might member the italian tourist attacked recently. along with a 55-year-old tourist from denmark. just a few weeks ago three people tragically lost their lives in a random stabbing spree. while these incidents are unsettling, it is important to note that overall crime in the city is down. this being a holiday week, security preparations of course are underway for the thanksgiving day parade. law enforcement agencies including the fbi and nypd have outlined potential risks to the event, includi

stephanie ramos has the story. >> reporter: good morning. bishop was wrapping up his morning sermon when he started convulsing. thankfully, he is okay. we do want to warn you this video may be difficult to watch. this morning the now megachurch founder bishop jakes is recovering and in stable condition after experiencing a medical emergency during a sunday sermon at the potter's house in dallas. during the service which was live streamed the bishop is seen lowering his microphone, his hand falling to his side before he begins shaking in his seat members quickly rushed to his aid before the live stream abruptly cut out. in a statement the potter's house says bishop jakes experienced a slight health incident and received immediate medical attention following his powerful hour long message. bishop jakes, who founded the potters house in 1996 has built it into a spiritual home for 30,000 members. >> god has a plan for my life! >> reporter: his energetic and soulful sermon making jakes a household name among the church faithful for decades. jakes