andrew dymburt. >> happy wednesday i'm rhiannon ally. we want to begin with the us military getting ready to strike back after that deadly drone strike on us troops in the middle east. >> three americans were killed. and now we're learning what the us response may look like as the pentagon targets iranian backed fighters, which operate in several countries. >> meanwhile, new details about the financial impact of militants attacks on commercial ships in the red sea. american consumers could soon be paying the price. abc's em nguyen is here now with the latest m good morning rhiannon. >> good morning. yeah. president biden made it clear the us will strike back. but many details remain unclear, including where it will happen and how hard this morning the pentagon has signaled it's moving ahead with president biden's decision to retaliate against iranian backed fighters in response to sunday's drone attack on a us base in jordan that killed three american soldiers. >> i don't think we could be any more clear that we have called on the irania

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. >> i'm andrew dymburt and i'm rhiannon ally. good morning to you. we begin with a critical discovery in the investigation of that nearly catastrophic alaska air incident. >> the plane's so-called door plug, which fell off last friday after takeoff from portland, oregon, has been located. but the search for answers is just getting started. abc's alison kosik leads us off. i'm excited to announce that we found the door plug. >> the national transportation safety board announcing a schoolteacher in portland, oregon, found the door plug of the alaska airplane in his backyard. >> we are really pleased that we that bob found this. we're going to go pick that up, up and make sure that we begin analyzing it. >> investigators had been looking for the plug, even asking the public for help after the part blew off the boeing 737 max nine in midair on friday, leaving a gaping hole in the fuselage, forcing an emergency landing, investigators believe it holds clues of what caused the accident. we are emergency. >> we are depressurize and we do need to return back

andrew rhiannon. >> all right melissa thank you. breaking news from florida where the first lunar lander to launch from the u.s. since 1972, just soared into space. >> it's been a long time. take a look at this video. the rocket was developed jointly by boeing and lockheed martin. it is carrying a robotic lunar lander called peregrine, named for the falcon that is the fastest flying bird in the world. >> if it all goes according to plan, it will attempt a touchdown on the moon on february 23rd. the lander is also carrying ashes of about 70 people, including star trek creator gene roddenberry and actress nichelle nichols. hair from president george washington and john f kennedy, for some reason are also on board. >> really interest. >> we got an email because a lot of people are wondering why is it going to take until, you know, february 23rd? that seems like a long time, doesn't it? one of our producers sent out a note explaining it all, and basically it will do a phasing loop around the earth first, and that's why it will take so l

andrew, rhiannon, derek. >> thank you. israel's government says it fears that two of three hostages who appeared in a new video released by hamas may be dead. the hostages were likely speaking under duress, and abc news is not showing the video. among them is 26 year old noah argaman , seen here being carted away by hamas during the october 7th attack. back in this country, the proposed merger of the kroger and albertsons supermarket chains has hit a snag. >> washington's attorney general is suing to block the deal, claiming less competition would push food prices higher. the companies have said they need to merge, though, to better compete with rivals, including walmart. a new move by apple to avoid a ban on its smartwatches. the company is reportedly dropping the blood oxygen feature from two new models. the move is meant to resolve a patent dispute. >> time now for your tuesday weather. >> good morning. it's the coldest air of the season in places like chicago, waking up to ten below zero in the windy city and even way

andrew dymburt. >> good morning to you i'm rhiannon ally. we begin with a growing mystery in upstate new york, where the fbi is investigating a deadly and fiery crash. it happened outside a concert venue. >> agents are now looking into whether there's a link to terrorism. this morning, a new clue as the fbi investigates whether a potential new year's day terror attack was averted in upstate new york. this large suv crashed and erupted into a ball of flames in rochester early yesterday morning, and investigators now tell abc news the driver is from nearby syracuse and went to the syracuse airport before the crash to rent that large ford expedition suv. police say the ford collided with a smaller suv around 1 a.m. outside the kodak center, where 1000 people were coming out of a concert. >> the force of the collision caused the two vehicles to go through a group of pedestrians that were in the crosswalk, and then into two other vehicles. >> two people in the smaller suv were killed. the driver of the ford was hospitalized with life threatening

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rhiannon andrew. >> andrea. thank you. more people are canceling their streaming tv services, worried about rising prices, new data shows 24% of subscribers canceled three or more streaming subscriptions. in recent months. a substantial increase from the same period. just two years ago. >> turning now to the weather in the northeast could see significant snowfall this weekend. but first, a high surf warning in the west. let's check your wednesday forecast >> good morning. we are tracking a coast to coast storm bringing feet of snow to parts of the sierra. 2 to 4in of snow to big bear lake in southern california that moves through the four corners region. there are many areas under winter weather advisories, winter storm warnings for some and this system is going to move into the northeast with widespread snow this weekend, especially near and northwest of interstate 95. there is an intermediate zone with some ice as well. here's a quick look at our snowfall forecast. the darkest blue six plus inches of snow for the interio

rhiannon andrew lionel. >> thank you. the biden administration is expected to relist yemen's houthi rebels as a terrorist group after the u.s. carried out a new airstrike against them, destroying more missiles. this latest strike is in response to a series of attacks on commercial ships in the red sea, impacting global trade. the houthis are supported by iran, the ceo of chevron warns oil prices could rise quickly if the attacks lead to a major disruption in shipments. new help for israeli hostages being held by hamas for more than 100 days now, the government of qatar says a deal has been reached to deliver medicine to the hostages. it comes after israel confirmed the deaths of two hostages seen in a recent hamas video. the agreement, reached by qatar also provides more aid for gaza. >> we turn now to the migrant crisis, which is also a housing crisis in several big cities. the extreme winter weather only adding to the challenges this morning. abc news is streaming channel abc news live getting an exclusive look at a new

rhiannon andrew lionel. >> thank you. time now for your tuesday weather. the northwest are already running high and flooding fears are increasing, with a powerful storm due to arrive tonight, continuing into tomorrow and looking at the radar, a fast moving storm will bring rain and snow to the great lakes and ohio valley today. but it's not cold enough for any significant accumulation. checking today's high temperatures. more record highs are expected across the west. phenix gets into the low 80s but still chilly in the midwest and the northeast. 73 in miami, 74 in south texas. up, the job that pays $400,000 a year, no college degree required. >> but first, elon musk announces a big breakthrough involving a brain implant that could improve the lives of thousands of people. >> and later, the former mobster who stole dorothy ruby's slippers learns his pu morning america. >> police are revealing new details about the a murder mystery in california's mojave desert. six bodies were recently found in a remote area. investigators say it appears the violence is li

rhiannon andrew. >> andrea, thank you. we're now hearing from a california man who survived a spectacular crash outside of los angeles. we showed you this video yesterday. just a reminder, cordell. patrick, there on the right side of your screen, was ejected from his rv on monday after it slammed into the center divider in newhall, california. at first, police thought patrick was driving the vehicle when he was thrown onto the roadway, but he tells kabc. s leo stallworth he was not behind the wheel. i got thrown out a vehicle, an rv going 60 miles an hour. >> so you were a passenger in the rv? i was a passenger. my wife was driving, my wife was driving. i had to get up and use the restroom. that's the only reason my seatbelt was unbuckled. okay. i was getting up to use the restroom when i got up, i noticed that that we weren't going straight. we were going sideways toward the median . she had fallen asleep. she had fallen asleep. so as i reached to grab the steering wheel, we had impact and i was thrown out the window. i d

rhiannon andrew. >> andrea, thanks for that. now now, an update on a medical breakthrough. doctors say a partial heart transplant on a baby who was just 17 days old has been deemed a big success. owen monroe was born in 2022 with a heart defect, arteries and valves from a donated organ were integrated into his heart, and they've continued to grow right along with him. owen's mom is hoping that his surgeries are over. we are just eternally, eternally grateful for our donors family. >> um, truly, owen would not be here today. >> wow. look at owen. there he is. he's now 22 months old. he was the first person to ever undergo this procedure. doctors say his case could lead to more heart saving operations. it could really be a game changer. >> save lives, save families too. >> amazing breakthrough there. >> all right, coming up, how long before we can finally stop wishing everyone a happy new year? >> are you over it, andrew? a little bit later in the mix, how a recliner is helping a pothole go viral. you're watching world news now. >> attention marine families! in september 2023

andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with the republican rivals slugging it out on the debate stage in iowa. ron desantis and nikki haley ripped into each other in the first one on one showdown, repeatedly accusing one another of lying. former president trump escaped most of the incoming fire as he tried to steal the spotlight with his own event, and the gop field just got a little smaller. >> abc's derek dennis has the latest right from the start of last night's feisty debate in des moines, iowa. >> the gloves between florida governor ron desantis and former un ambassador nikki haley were off. >> we don't need another mealy mouth politician who just tells you what she thinks you want to hear every time he lies. >> drake university don't turn this into a drinking game because you will be overserved by the end of the night. >> both candidates trying to prove they're the best alternative to former president trump. the frontrunner in the gop primary immigration a top issue with desantis touting a trump tactic. we w

i'm lionel moise in for andrew, and i'm alison kosik in for rhiannon. >> and we begin with alabama. s controversial execution of a convicted murderer who spent decades on death row, 58 year old kenneth smith was put to death using nitrogen gas, one state official calling it a humane method of execution. >> but critics disagree. the state of alabama executing death row inmate kenneth smith overnight, marking the first time in u.s. history nitrogen gas was used to carry out capital punishment. >> smith was pronounced deceased by a physician at 8:25 p.m. central standard time. >> the supreme court had denied an appeal in a 6 to 3 decision, with the liberal justices dissenting, justice sotomayor accusing alabama of experimenting with human life, saying having failed to kill smith on its first attempt, alabama has selected him as its guinea pig to test a method of execution. never attempted before. smith was one of three men convicted in the murder of elizabeth bennett in the 1980s. in 2022, smith and the state of alabama, agreeing to a new form of execution after the state botched a let

andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with new details overnight about a deadly school shooting in iowa. >> a sixth grader was killed on the first day back from winter break. and now we're learning more about a possible motive. people in perry, iowa, held a vigil last night, hours after a gunman opened fire at the local high school, killing one student and wounding five others. we are perry strong, blue jay strong, iowa strong. the calls to police from the school northwest of des moines came in just after 7:30 a.m. we heard four gunshots and we all jumped. >> and just like we all looked at each other, didn't know what to do. police swarming the school within minutes, finding multiple victims and students and faculty sheltering in place, some running from the building. >> the shooter has been identified as 17 year old dylan butler, a student at perry high school. >> butler was armed with a pump action shotgun and a small caliber handgun. police say butler opened fire at a school breakfast program for middle and hi

andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with reaction to the jeffrey epstein documents . the names of several people connected to the disgraced financier and sex offenders were unsealed last night. >> the names in those documents include bill clinton and prince andrew. this morning we're learning why attorneys wanted to depose former president clinton in a now settled defamation case relating to allegations against sex offender jeffrey epstein and his onetime paramour, ghislaine maxwell. >> we know that clinton has been publicly associated with epstein before the first batch of previously sealed court documents related to epstein were made public last night, one from a lawsuit filed by virginia giuffre. >> she's one of the women who say they were abused at epstein's home in florida, new york and on a private caribbean island. giuffre's attorneys sought to depose clinton as part of her 2016 lawsuit against epstein's former girlfriend, ghislaine maxwell, because her attorneys argued clinton is a key person who can provide information about his close relationship with maxwel

andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with a barrage of u.s. missiles raining down an iran backed militant targets in yemen, a us led coalition launched dozens of airstrikes overnight, taking direct aim at houthi rebel locations. >> the houthis say at least five of its fighters were killed and the operation was in retaliation for nearly 30 attacks on commercial shipping in the red sea. and it's fueling more fears. the mideast war could widen. this morning, american fighter jets and a submarine sending a message striking back against iranian backed houthi rebels. >> it looks like they not only went after the sites where they launched these iranian supplied weapons, they went after multiple, if not dozens of storage facilities. >> pentagon officials say the u.s. and british military launched retaliatory strikes against more than 60 targets in yemen, using tomahawk cruise missiles. new video shows warplanes taking off from the uss eisenhower carrying out strikes on coastal radar sites, drone and missile storage and launching locations. earlier, th

andrew dymburt. >> good morning to you i'm rhiannon ally.begin with the widespread winter weather causing problems from coast to coast. >> nearly every state in the u.s. faces extreme weather conditions, from blizzard warnings in the plains to tornado watches in the south. >> it is definitely sticking. >> this morning, the storm that caused whiteout conditions in oklahoma. this vehicle pile up in new mexico and shut down highways in nebraska. and now that storm is on the move. >> this is one of two very powerful storms that are forecast for this week, with nearly every weather related hazard in play. >> it includes tornado watches in texas and louisiana, with at least one confirmed twister touching down in cold spring, texas, and tens of thousands in the lone star state are already without power at the college football championship game in houston, the stadium springing a leak from the heavy rain today, thatrillionain will drench areas from florida to new england. governors in north carolina and new jersey declaring a state of emergency ahea

andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we'll get to those new airstrikes in the middle east in a moment. but we begin with the extreme weather gripping much of the country. >> the death toll from the frigid conditions rising overnight and much of the country is about to get even more snow. this morning, at least 31 deaths nationwide are now blamed on the arctic blast gripping the u.s. among the victims, a man in wisconsin dying of hypothermia. three people in oregon also dying of hypothermia as parts of the northwest face heavy snow and ice. south of portland, this truck sliding down an ice covered road. conditions so bad. deandre ayton of the nba's portland trail blazers missed last night's game due to icy roads in his neighborhood. temperatures in some states are 35 degrees below average in bolton, mississippi. this water tank, overflowing after a sensor froze water spilling onto the firehouse below, coating vehicles in a thick layer of ice. the severe cold snap leading to record electricity and natural gas demand from t

andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon. we begin with new states of emergency overnight as extreme weather hits more of the nation. >> oregon has declared an emergency because of a deadly ice storm, and philadelphia now has declared a snow emergency just in time for the morning commute. snow is falling from the mid-atlantic states to new york, up to six inches in some areas. abc's em nguyen has the latest images from this arctic blast. >> terrifying moments as another storm hits the east. this plane from rochester, new york, arriving from philadelphia to sliding off the taxiway after landing. >> and then we felt kind of a slide happening. and then a lot of jolting going on. >> no injuries there, but at least 41 deaths are now blamed on the extreme weather gripping much of the country. this week. driving has been treacherous. this car in new york slamming head on into a plow truck in oregon roads, turning into an ice rink, cars skidding and sliding down the street, a portland family is mourning the loss of three loved ones a

. >> good thursday morning, everyone i'm andrea fujii in for rhiannon i'm lionel moise in for andrew. >> we begin with the race for president and nikki haley's new message to former president trump. >> her message last night bring it on as her campaign insists she has enough money to stay in the race. in the meantime, trump is now threatening the financial donors who are supporting haley. >> abc's jay o'brien has the latest on this race from washington. jay good morning. >> lionel. good morning. as nikki haley vows to stay in the race through her home state of south carolina's primary next month, she's issuing a challenge this morning to former president trump and the next president of the united states, nikki haley. this morning, nikki haley defied it on her home turf in south carolina as she faces increasing pressure to drop out of the race . >> bring it donald, show me what you got. >> at a rally last night, haley saying her campaign has raised $1 million since tuesday night when she lost to donald trump in new hampshire. >> we have had 200,000 donors from all 50 states, 95% of tho

. >> i'm rhiannon ally and i'm lionel moise. in for andrew. we begin with things getting nasty in the race for president overnight. >> the results of the new hampshire primary are in and former president trump won the state by double digits. but nikki haley says she's not giving up her fight in response, trump overnight was lashing out. >> turnout was higher than expected, but experts say if haley could not win in new hampshire, a state where independents can vote in the primary, then she may find the road ahead quite challenging. abc's melissa o'donnell is in new hampshire. melissa good morning. >> good morning lionel. the former president has just taken a major step toward his third consecutive presidential nomination in this morning, former president trump celebrating his win over nikki haley in the first in the nation primary. usa. usa usa claiming haley is delusional for claiming a victory in new hampshire. trump calling haley an imposter. >> she's doing like a speech like she won. she didn't win. she lost. who the hell was the imposter t

. >> i'm rhiannon ally, and i'm lionel moise. in for andrew.begin this morning with the first votes cast overnight in the new hampshire primary. >> it was not good news for former president trump. he was swept by nikki haley. it was six votes to zero in teeny tiny dixville notch, new hampshire, which continued its tradition of casting votes at midnight. >> but polls show dixville notch may not be a reliable indicator of how things will play out later today. across the state, abc's melissa don is in manchester, new hampshire with the latest melissa good morning a big day there. >> good morning ryan. it definitely is. and look trump here is trying to maintain unity in new hampshire. but observers are saying that this primary is showing nikki haley's last stand this morning. former president trump's former rivals in the republican primary have officially thrown their support behind him. >> it's amazing the way you can like somebody when you win right ? >> south carolina senator tim scott, north dakota governor doug burgum and vivek rasmussen. are

i'm rhiannon ally and i'm lionel moise in for andrew. >> we begin with the deadly attack against u.s. troops in the middle east. >> the drone attack on a small base in jordan is being blamed on fighters supported by iran. it's a significant escalation amid growing concern about a broader regional conflict stemming from israel's war in gaza. >> abc's em nguyen has new details on the american casualties. m good morning, lionel. >> good morning. yeah, this marks the first time u.s. troops in the middle east have been killed by enemy fire since the israel-hamas war began in october, triggering an onslaught of attacks across the region. this morning, new details about the attack that killed three american troops in jordan. the white house says iranian backed militants launched an explosive laden drone into a base near the syrian border. in addition to the three americans killed at tower 22, base 34 were wounded. eight had to be evacuated for a higher level of care. the pentagon says the injuries include shrapnel wounds and possible traumatic brain injuries. president biden addressed the at

i'm rhiannon ally and online or more is in for andrew. >> we begin this morning with the cold weather turning downright dangerous for millions of americans. >> yeah, people are used to scenes like this one in buffalo, where the lake effect snow is finally ending today, but wind chills near the great lakes will remain below zero this morning. and it's not much warmer as far south as texas. this morning. 100 million americans are waking up to an arctic blast, bringing snow, ice and record setting cold in texas. the power grid operator is asking residents to conserve electricity as below freezing temperatures push farther south. wind chills overnight in dallas were expected to dip to minus seven. >> windchill alerts are stretching from montana to the southern tip of texas. some cities in iowa feeling like minus 30 in mississippi and alabama, people are urged to wrap exposed pipes in their homes with temperatures in the teens expected along the gulf coast this week. >> it comes as communities from oregon to the great lakes dig out after a weekend of heavy snow, parts of iowa getting up to

rhiannon, ally i'm derek dennis. >> glad to be with you. i'm in for andrew dymburt. we'll get to that ice storm in parts of the south in just a moment. but we begin with a major development in the race for president ron desantis is dropping out and supporting former president trump. >> sources say governor desantis has no current plans to campaign with trump. in the meantime, trump could take the stand in a new york city courtroom today. >> abc's melissa odone is following all the developments this morning. she's in new hampshire, where voters head to the polls tomorrow. melissa good morning to you. >> good morning derek. so this race has changed dramatically within the last 24 hours. and so has former president donald trump's tone toward ron desantis . and then there were two i can't ask our supporters to volunteer their time and donate their resources. >> if we don't have a clear path to victory. >> florida governor ron desantis, once thought to have the best chance of supplanting donald trump as leader of the gop, now suspending his presidential campaign and endor