here's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: flu season is getting worse -- and fast. the number of states sickened with high flu levels more than doubled in the last week, now at 21. the south and west seeing the most patients with flu-related symptoms. >> this one really hit me hard. >> reporter: california school teacher laura londano skipped her flu shot this year. >> i had my two weeks off. and this is how i'm spending my holidays is just in bed and now here in urgent care. >> reporter: this seasons vaccine isn't cutting it. reportedly only 10% effective against this years dominant strain of flu, yet doctors still recommend getting a flu shot. >> everybody who i've seen who has the flu, most of them -- most -- did not get the flu shot. those who have had the flu shot, their symptoms are much, much, much less. >> reporter: and experts say since not everyone who has the flu goes to the doctor the numbers are likely higher than reported. >> adrienne bankert joins us. the flu season is supposed to get worse before it gets better? >> exactly, tom. the experts are sayin

i mean, it's a beautiful thing. >> reporter: adrienne bankert, abc news, new york. >> and tonight, wers for being america strong. we thank adrienne for that report, and we thank you for watching. i'm tom llamas. big show tomorrow morning on "this week," and i'll see you back here tomorrow night. have a great evening. good night. from sony pictures studios, it's america's game! wheel... of... fortune! ladies and gentlemen, here are the stars of our show -- pat sajak and vanna white! [ laughs ] thank you very much. thank you, jim. hi, y'all! he asked. thank you. i know you've gotta go. you got letters to touch. i do, i do. and things to do. yes. hello! nice of you to show up here. we appreciate it. get ready. let's give away some money here. $1,000 to be specific. and the category for our first "toss up" is "things."

i mean, it's a beautiful thing. >> reporter: adrienne bankert, abc news, new york. >> and tonight, we for being america strong. we thank adrienne for that report, and we thank you for watching. i'm tom llamas. big show tomorrow morning on "this week," and i'll see you bright and early on "gma" and back here tomorrow night. have a great evening. good night. >> i'm karen rogers. >> and i'm jeannette reyes, tonight on fyi philly. >> happy shopping. >> it's our annual holiday gift guide. >> life is too short for boring. >> we've got a list. >> i see a lot of socks >> and checked it twice. >> the last bottle. >> with ideas for the naughty and nice. >> yum. >> plus, some low-priced presents. >> chardonnay go. >> and some festive decorating tips. >> hello and welcome to fyi philly. happy holidays. >> we are at the made in philly market in dilworth park. >> in the shadows of city hall and it is beautifully decorated for the holiday season. >> the garden maze is back, the rothman rink is open, there's the brand new deck the halls light show, some great things to do and see here at the park. >>

here's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: it was a cold-blooded killing of a mother of three and a veterannypd. >> my partner's shot. my partner's shot. >> reporter: in july, without warning and for no reason a deranged gunman murders officer miosotis familia. her children thrust into a stark reality. eldest daughter genesis now the guardian of twins, her 12-year-old siblings. >> i was really concerned about my brother and sister. sorry. >> reporter: but just in time for christmas, neighbors and strangers raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy them a new apartment. >> oh! >> reporter: furnished complete with christmas decorations. >> it was just really emotional that there are so many people who care about the well being of me and my siblings and want us to have a nice place to ourselves. >> reporter: the home giving them all hope for the future. >> we've had to learn how to move forward. and it hasn't been the easiest road to go down. but the support that me and my siblings receive, it helps a lot. and we would be in a much darker place if it weren't for that. >> reporter: and swee

>> adrienne bankert with some good tips tonight. all right, adrienne, thank you. >>> when we come back, a major change in how you use your credit card. >>> also, that deadly shooting, a college student killed. authorities releasing this surveillance footage, asking the public to help find his killer. >>> and what prince harry said about fiance meghan markle that has at least one of her family members firing back. stay with us. blem for me. i'so on a lot of medications that dry my mouth. i just drank tons of water all the time. it was never enough. i wasn't sure i was going to be able to continue singing. i saw my dentist. he suggested biotene. it feels refreshing. my mouth felt more lubricated. i use biotene rinse twice a day and then i use the spray throughout the day. it actually saved my career in a way. biotene really did make a difference. [heartbeat] where we can find common ground... big enough to dance on. for a better us, support to your local y today. i love you, droolius caesar, but sometimes you stink. febreze car vent c

here's abc's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: a tragedy right before christmas, one man is dead, and now four teens may face homicide charges after what could be a childish prank with fatal consequences. >> 911, where's your emergency? >> i just went underneath the bridge, and something hit my car! it hit my friend! and he is not moving! >> reporter: police in toledo, ohio say what hit that car tuesday and ultimately killed 22-year-old marquise byrd was a sandbag allegedly thrown off this i-75 overpass by four boys just 13 and 14 years old. detectives believe the falling sandbag was intentionally thrown into traffic, and that other vehicles were also hit by objects. the teens first charged with felonious assault and vandalism. but the prosecutor made this warning if byrd died from what were initially critical injuries. >> the state will be bringing forward some sort of homicide charge on all four of the that were involved. >> reporter: the incident mirrors another baffling case where five michigan boys, aged 15 to 17, allegedly threw nearly two dozen rocks at cars from this overpass in o

i mean, it's a beautiful thing. >> reporter: adrienne bankert, abc news, new york. >> and tonight, we for being america strong. we thank adrienne for that report, and we thank you for watching. i'm tom llamas. big show tomorrow morning on "this week," and i'll see you bright and early on "gma" and back here tomorrow night. have a great evening. good night. back here tomorrow night. have a great evening. good night. kidnappi kidnapping. >>> there's people who care and love you and we engulf you with our love. >> a community rallying around one another after a devastating number of horses die in the southern california wildfires. >>> the bus flipped over on my side. i was very lucky. >> a personal account from inside a party bus that overturned, sending dozens to the hospital. abc 7 news at 6:00 starts now. >> announcer: live. where you live. this is abc 7 news. >>> good evening. i'm eric thomas. >> i'm dion lim. thanks for joining us. >>> hillsborough police say they've made an arrest in a cold case kidnapping dating back more than 20 years. >> in 1995, people abducted that girl you ju

and i think that's really hard for kids to resist. >> and adrienne bankert joins us live now on-set., so many people can relate to brooke, that they're addicted to their smartphones. late today, you heard from facebook? >> reporter: yes, we did hear from facebook, in fact, and they say, they're always about enhancing relationships. but there's plenty of research that suggests that young people need help in balancing those on and offline interactions. >> same with adults, too. they can never put the phones done. >> reporter: hello. >> all right, adrienne, thank you so much. >>> coming up next here, former president barack obama sits down with prince harry for his first interview since leaving the white house. what he said about social media that may have been a warning to president trump. stay with us. ng to president trump. ng t with us. president trump. president trump. stay with us. noon? eating. 3: uh, compliance training. 6:30? sam's baseball practice. 8:30? tai chi. yeah, so sounds relaxing. alright, 9:53? i usually make their lunches then, and i have a little vegan so wow, you

they will be back before a judge next week with a trial set for january 4th, tom. >> adrienne bankert for us tonight. adrienne, thank you. >>> tonight, the head of the miss america organization resigning because of mocking and degrading contestants over e-mail. dozens of former pageant winners demanding change, and tonight getting it. the latest now from abc's gloria riviera. >> reporter: tonight, the man at the center of the miss america scandal is out. ceo sam haskell resigning, effective immediately, after leaked e-mails from 2014 exposed alleged crude, sexist and derogatory comments about contestants and winners. 2013 miss america mallory hagan, belittled for her weight and love life. >> having someone bully you, belittle you, demean you, degrade you in any way is not okay. no matter what. >> reporter: hagan is 1 of more than 50 former miss americas who called for haskell and others to go, several describing a toxic environment. >> after giving up my crown i didn't go back to the miss america pageant for five years just because i was so hurt by the way i was treated. >> reporter:

patients with sickle cell disorders, tal cresan occouso if you'd re, as e or receivehere's abc's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: if you purchased gift cards as presentsuld s wepys after jo er >> this ftard had been used thrter: layton checkewhich plainly shows those y llet. >> >> rexperts liftf infhat are out in theodyvated them, and then they can loot them. >> reporter: layto didn't get his money back. walmart tells us i protocols in place to protect our customers from criminal behavior.card association suggests that y but buy them online directly from the retailer and register them as soon as you us lir gi, carheey here is cash it time but experts are saying yer rather than later. it gives crooks less time to >> great at adrienne, thank you. up here on the shrious e-mail henirireds ofraud. t how did it perform in a freezing times square? zed care. he spent decades fightin chanchers, they first had to protect themselves. en for a d to learn selfonceelto® i ly x a d thinignib not farin. warfaro® is eting just o's natural blottingib patientsin in reducing the ri don't stop taking xarelto® without t

. >> "pop news" is coming up next with adrienne bankert, ladies and gentlemen. ♪ as soon as i became a parent i changed as a person, drastically. ♪ i tried hard to quit smoking. ♪ but when we brought our daughter home that was it. ♪ now i have nicoderm cq. the nicoderm cq patch with unique extended release technology helps prevent your urge to smoke all day. it's the best thing that ever happened to me. can you say thanks nicoderm cq? every great why needs a great how. i used to have more hair. i used to have more color. and ... i used to have cancer. i beat it. i did. not alone. i used to have no idea what the american cancer society did. research? yeah. but also free rides to chemo and free lodging near hospitals. i used to maybe give a little. then i got so much back. ... i used to have cancer. please give at cancer.org. ♪ ♪ this holiday, the best gift you can give, is your time. volunteer at neighbhorhoodofgood.com. state farm. here to help life go right. >> adrienne bankert, resiliency personified coming off her defeat in the cooking challenge is goin

here's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: weight-watchers is blowing it up again. announced she has lost 40 pounds and is raving about "freesty "freestyle". the fish tacos are zero points. members lose weight by limiting the number they consume. weight watchers is taking food that will fill people up without costing them precious points. >> it's not thing like cake, cookies, chips and soda. th their idea is not that you request can go on a free-for-all but choosing foods that you are not likely to overeat. >> reporter: 200 more items have been added to the menu, including low-fat yogurt, corn, alexis has lost almost 95 pounds on weight watchers and was part of an early group to test the freestyle program. >> you think i can't go out to dinner because i'm not going to have options that fit with my plan or program. by having things like seafood and chicken and turkey, you are able to eat the foods that you need to fuel your body and get to eat the foods that you want to indulge in. >> reporter: to counteract the extra calories, daily points totals go down. but now th

here's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: the hunt intensifies tonight for a drive-by shooter who fired at several cars on two separate freeways. police now say a fourth victim has come forward. it started early thursday in detroit, a driver pulls over to this gas station, bleeding as he limps inside for help. >> can you call police? i just got shot in the leg. >> reporter: he didn't know what hit him. >> i thought it was a rock, i was on i-94, i heard a big bang. >> people were hanging outside the vehicle shooting. minutes of each other. none of the other drivers were hurt but say bullets hit their cars. >> sounds like our caller's vehicle was struck. he's got a couple of flat tires and he has holes in his vehicle. >> reporter: three of the drivers describe a silver car pulling alongside them, then shots being fired. police say they believe this is the work of one gunman. >> we don't rule anything out because we are just at the very beginning of this investigation. >> reporter: police say all four shootings are a single incident and had to be traveling at over 80 miles per hour. >> thank

here's abc's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: police today expand their search for evidence.the hunt for a gunman who took aim at drivers on michigan freeways. >> can you call police? i just got shot in the leg. >> reporter: the first of four people targeted. seen here stumbling into a detroit gas station just before 3:00 a.m. thursday. >> i thought it was a rock. i'm on 94, i heard a big bang. >> reporter: minutes later a bullet tears though this man's truck. >> it went through the car. a bullet was actually stuck on the bottom of my seat. i think it was probably about five, six cars down, i saw a gun flashing down the window. >> reporter: three of the drivers recall seeing a silver sedan pull up alongside them. >> we doubled our patrols on the freeway system. we actually have some undercover officers working out there. >> reporter: and david, only one of the drivers was hurt in what police say could have been a game or a stunt, like target practice. and that the suspect's had to be moving at very high speeds in order to do so much damage in minutes. david? >> adrienne, than

abc's adrienne bankert on how you can stretch your family dollar. >> reporter: if you're in the market for a new car -- >> we're trying to move every car out of the inventory, especially 2017s. >> reporter: -- now may be the best time to score a deal. >> this holiday, treat yourself to a mazda. >> reporter: experts say this year's discounts are deeper than ever. some up to 40% off. >> so, you'll see some deals, anywhere from $6,000 to $8,000 off a new car. >> reporter: right now, you could get $8,000 in bonus cash on a 2017 buick lacrosse. and save $4,000 on a 2017 ford expedition. jeep, with a redesign for its 2019 cherokee, now offers up to $5,500 cash allowance on 2017 models and $4,000 on 2018s. at this new jersey area dealership, they're looking to strike a deal. >> that's with $2,000 down. >> reporter: good news for buyers like cal. to make sure you're getting the best deal, do your homework. arrange financing beforehand. search your zip code for regional rebates. and if for rebates for veterans, recent graduates and loyalty programs. prices for the same car at competing dealersh

here's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: this tampa neighborhood coming together tonight to remember four innocent lives lost. >> it's sad to see all of this. three too many and now a fourth person. my own brother. >> reporter: as the parents of the man accused of murdering them say they are devastated for their son and his alleged victims. >> when they arrested my son, devastation because i love my son and it was disbelief that this was happening to our family, and we questioned why. >> reporter: her son howell donaldson seen here shackled by the wrists and ankles is accused of terrorizing a tampa neighborhood over six weeks. police say he killed four random people within blocks of each other. his parents can't believe it. >> he doesn't have the personality of that characteristic that they are giving him. >> our hearts are heavy. as their hearts are heavy. >> reporter: investigators say a tip from a former coworker helped them link this grainy video and the murder weapon to donaldson. and tom, it's one of his former co-workers at a local mcdonald's who will receive a $110,000 cash reward

here's abc's adrienne bankert tonight. >> reporter: sydney galleger was a vibrant, active 17-year-oldthe competitive diver and skier died in 2015 after going into cardiac arrest while under general anesthesia while getting her wisdom teeth pulled. sydney's parents sued the dentist, dr. paul tombach, alleging negligence and dangerous actions. the family alleged that during the surgery her "heart rate dropped dramatically, she had no pulse and became unresponsive." she was declared brain dead at the hospital a week after that routine dental procedure. the family ultimatelyet dr. tombach did not admit wrongdoing and after a temporary suspension, he had his license reinstated. the american dental association says parents should always ask, will my child be conscious or unconscious during the procedure? and, david, the ada also says to ask for instructions and emergency contact information if there are any concerns or complications after surgery. david? >> adrienne, thank you. >>> when we come back here tonight, the new headline in the death of that missing toddler. the suspect, the americ

here's abc's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: on the other side of the multi-billion dollar worlds of gamingedia are faces, like brooke's. 15 years old and self-professed recovering social media addict. >> i always waited and waited and waited for someone to replay. it was like my heart. like, i couldn't put it down. >> reporter: brooke received treatment at an addiction center but, she's not alone. tonight, the world health poised to sound an alarm, adding gaming disorder to a journal on mortality listed among obsessive compulsive disorders and substance abuse. as some on capitol hill now asking for certain companies are deliberately trying to get online users hooked. >> drop the "the." just facebook. it's cleaner. >> reporter: even former facebook president sean parker, who justin timberlake played in "the social network," now says the company was initially built to be addictive. >> the thought process was all about, how do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible? it is a social validation feedback group, because you're exploiting vulnerability in human psycholo

here's abc's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: if you purchased gift cards as presents this year there couldnch draining them. >> i was shocked. >> reporter: just two days after josh layton bought this walmart gift card for his mom a thief was apparently using the card's number. >> this gift card had been used at three different times. >> reporter: layton checked the card's balance, which plainly shows those charges, what's left, just 47 cents. >> it never left my wallet. >> reporter: security experts f unused cards that are out in the open. then wait until somebody buys them. >> if the bad guys know those card numbers, they can keep checking them and seeing if anybody has activated them, and then they can loot them. >> reporter: layton says he reached out to walmart, but didn't get his money back. walmart tells us, it has protocols in place to protect our customers from criminal behavior. the retail gift card association suggests that you try to buy cards behind the counter, but buy them online directly from the retailer and register them as soon as you get them. >> and we have adrienne her

here's abc adrienne bankert. >> reporter: weight watchers is blowing it up again.pounds on the popular meal plan and now she's raving about the mega company's free style, saying when i first heard about i thought it was too good to be true. the fish, bean and corn in my favorite tacos are now zero points. members lose weight by limiting the number they consume. with the new free style program weight watchers is taking food that will fill people up without costing them precious points. >> it's not things like cakes, cookies, chips and sodas. their idea is not that you can go on a free for all or free food, but rather choosing foods that you're not likely to overeat. >> reporter: weight watchers has always had zero point foods like celery, and fruit. bean, corn, eggs adding freedom and flexibility. alexa has lost almost 95 pounds on weight watchers and was part of an early group to testify the freetile program. >> i can't go out to dinner because i'm not going to have options that are going to fit with my plan or program by having things like seafood and chicken and

. >> they are looking into what companies may be doing -- oh, adrienne bankert has the story.> reporter: on the other side of the multi-billion dollar world of gaming and social media are faces like brooke's. 15 years old and a self-professed recovering social media addict. >> i always waited and waited and waited for someone to reply. it was like my heart, i couldn't put it down. >> reporter: her parents stay it was a knock down dragout fight to get it out of her hand. brook received treatment at an addiction center, but she's not alone. the world health organization poised to sound an alarm. listed among obsessive compulsive disorders and substance abuse as some on capitol hill ask if certain companies are deliberately trying to get consumers hooked. even former facebook president sean parker, who justin timberlake played in the movie "the social network," says was built to be addictive. >> the process was all about how do we consume as much of your time and conscious attention as possible. it's a social validation feedback loop because you're exploiting a vulnerability in h

here's abc's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: police expand their search for evidence, on the hunt forof four people targeted seen here stumbling into a detroit gas station just before 3:00 a.m. on thursday. minutes later, a bullet tears through this man's truck. >> went through the car. and the bullet was actually stuck on the bottom of my seat. about five, six cars down i seen a gun flashing out the window. >> reporter: three of the drivers recall seeing a silver sedan pull up alongside them. >> we have doubled up on the freeway system. we have undercover officers working out there. >> reporter: only one of those drivers was hurt in what police call a game or a stunt similar to target practice and the suspects had to be moving at very high speeds in order to do so much damage in minutes. adrienne bankert, abc news, detroit. >> our thanks to adrienne. >>> and coming up in the next half hour, jimmy's return with billy by his side. giving an update on his son's latest heart surgery. >>> and the golden globe nominations next on "world news now." golden globe nominations next on "world ne

here's adrienne bankert. >> reporter: it was a cold-blooded killing of a mother of three and a veteranf the nypd. in july without warning and for no reason, a gunman murders the officer.had her children thrust into a stark reality. eldest daughter genesis now the guardian of twins, her siblings. >> i was really, really concerned about my brother and sister. >> reporter: but just in time for christmas, neighbors and strangers raise hundreds ef thousands of dollars to buy them a new apartment. >> oh! >> reporter: furnished complete wth decorations. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: it was just really, really emotional that there are so many people that care about the well-being of me and my siblings and want us to have a nice place to ourselves. >> the home giving them hope for the future. >> we've had to learn how to move forward. it hasn't been the easiest road to go down, but you know, the support that me and my siblings receive helps a lot. we would be in a much darker place if it weren't for that. >> reporter: and sweet reminders of the angel watching over them that they love, mom. >> uns

adrienne bankert here for that. >> they're just like us trying to get their holiday cards out in time their mail out because you have to send out the beautiful cards. look at this lovely feet. kate and william posing with their two adorable kids. george and charlotte all wearing that robin egg blue that makes them look, oh, so stunning and the prince of wales and the duchess of cornwall releasing their turs but everybody is interested in the kids. also a reminder like rebecca said u.s. postal mail priority express use it by friday and hopefully they'll arrive on them. >> just like the royals. >> we'll be right back. i met bruce i saw on his lapel he's got a purple heart. (bruce) we started talking about the service. i outrank him. (chris) [laughs] yeah. meals on wheels reaches so many people. it's impactful beyond anything i've ever done in my life. (bruce) the meals and his friendship really mean, means a lot to me. (vo) through the subaru share the love event, we've helped deliver over one-point- seven million meals to those in need. get zero percent financing for 63 months on selec

abc's adrienne bankert is here with details. morning, adrienne. >> reporter: good morning to you, too, robin. this could be one of the greatest game changers in the industry in the midst of major transition. cvs is looking to stay ahead of that game with its 10,000 locations nigationwide. they say they're trying to position themselves as a one-stop shop not only for those who need to pick up a prescription but need to see a doctor. this is coming at a time where we're seeing a rise in urgent care clinics as well as e-medicine, and as you mentioned, that $69 billion merger the leadership is saying it's a way to stay competitive. cvs' ceo is saying they hope to remake the health care customer experience less expensive and easier for people. but just think. you're already coming to these stores already for quick, convenience items, grocery store items, maybe a greeting card, a roll of paper towels. now you might be able to see a doctor, as well. >> not everybody thinks it's a good deal for the customer. >> reporter: that's right. i

adrienne bankert is here with some predicts.g, both royal geeked out right now. of course, meghan has created a name for herself as a fashionista with her sleek looks on the show "suits" but all are wondering what vision in white the soon-to-be royal will channel on her wedding day. just what will meghan markle be wearing on her big day? the future duchess preparing >> she's going to be doing it herself. i don't know if she'll be driven by the politics of fashion but will probably get married in a british designer. >> reporter: could she shoes her friend nisha. >> beautiful wedding so we would expect that the wedding dress would be fairly demure, kate's dress was due muir when she married in westminster abbey. she had to have sleeves. >> reporter: or pay home o.j. to princess diana by selecting amanda wakely or catherine walker who designed some of her most iconic looks. her bestie jessica mulroney no doubt helping her make the decision of a lifetime as the world prepares to see her walk down that aisle. >> you can't see me in m