protecting the president do fall to the secret service, but david, this would be a rare move. >> cecilia vega with news front of trump tower. cecilia, greet have you. >>> next tonight, to driving turning deadly in this country, and the record cold, which still has a grip on much of this nation tonight. just as millions begin their holiday travel this week. look at this. luggage everywhere at the denver airport. snow and ice cab canceling flights, delaying flights, as well. the ripple effect from coast to coast. abc's eva pilgrim now from chicago. >> reporter: tonight, the arctic blast heading east. millions suffering in sub-freezing temperatures. >> it feels like i'm in the antarctic. >> reporter: ice-covered highways making travel treacherous. this suv slamming into a police cruiser in kansas. reports of at least 1,600 crashes and 19 dead in the last three days. a stranded motorist capturing this 67-vehicle pileup near baltimore. >> oh, my god. stop! stop! >> reporter: truck after truck barrel straight into the inferno. >> the whole 95 is on fire. >> reporter: temperature records shattered i

trump, you are the gift. >> and cecilia vega joins us live tonight. cecilia, president-elect trump will be sworn in one month from tomorrow now after the electors did their work today. in the meantime, there's a headline out there today that mr. trump will be bringing some of his own security team to the white house? >> reporter: david, the president-elect's team confirms that his long-time head of security will be going with him to washington. of course, the responsibilities for protecting the president do fall to the secret service, but david, this would be a rare move. >> cecilia vega with news front of trump tower. >>> next tonight, to driving turning deadly in this country, and the record cold, which still has a grip on much of this nation tonight. just as millions begin their holiday travel this week. look at this. luggage everywhere at the denver airport. snow and ice cab canceling flights, delaying flights, as well. the ripple effect from coast to coast. abc's eva pilgrim now from chicago. >> reporter: tonight, the arctic blast heading east. m

i'm cecilia vega. we begin tonight with the rising death toll and the mounting questions in what is now the deadliest fire ever in oakland, california. this is all that remains. today, investigators sifting through the rubble. what was once a crowded warehouse party, that went up in seconds. there are now 33 confirmed fatalitie fatalities. the blaze overwhelming that building, trapping people inside. the search for loved ones painstakingly slow. families fearing the worst. late tonight, word that the district attorney's office has launched an investigation. here's neal karlinsky. >> reporter: tonight, as the number killed grows into the dozens, the search goes around the clock. questions mounting about whether it could have been stopped. do you feel like a blind eye was turned? >> as far as preventable, absolutely. i'm not going to make excuses for the city, because we've documented, turned it in, called it in. >> reporter: the building went up fast. people weren't supposed to be living here, it only h

i'm cecilia vega. we begin tonight with that breaking news in oakland, california. a warehouse party that turned into a deadly inferno. witnesses say it went up like a the scene so horrific, authorities at this hour are still searching for the missing. at least nine people killed, dozens unaccounted for. party-goers trapped on the second floor as the flames devoured that building. it was a gathering place where many artists lived and worked. tonight, details about the victims are just beginning to emerge. and now, questions about just how unsafe this building may have been. no sprinklers? code violations? our neal karlinsky has been on the scene all day, and he starts us off tonight. >> reporter: it was 11:32 p.m. when the first calls came in. a party at this oakland warehouse and artists' collective was exploding into an inferno, flames ripping through windows. firefighters could be seen breaking in with pickaxes. bob mule, one of the lucky few to make it out, tried to rescue a man calling out for help. >> i was pulling him out, he and there was a lot of stuff in t

i'm cecilia vega. have a great night. >> i'm karen rogers. >> and i'm melissa magee.. >> this is absolutely stunning! >> it's beginning to look a lot like gift giving season! >> philly centric ideas. >> and we've got one of a kind finds for you! >> no one else will have it. >> from artisan made offerings. >> what a great holiday gift. >> to hand crafted made spirits. >> i've never seen anything like this. >> plus toy ideas for the kids and gift guides for men and women! >> hi everybody and welcome to fyi philly. >> we are at the kimmel center for the performing arts and they are ready for the holidays, of course! >> we have a super exciting contest to tell you about later in the show. >> it would be the ultimate christmas gift for a couple looking to tie the knot. >> hint hint, stay tuned for that. >> but let's kick off our holiday season with some shopping ideas. >> two outdoor philly markets have been a huge hit for finding unique gifts. >> and this year you can find

i'm cecilia vega. we have breaking political news on donald trump's pick for secretary of state. details on that in a moment, but we begin tonight with those frigid temperatures impacting millions from coast to coast. it is not even officially winter yet, but you would not know that here. i-90 outside cleveland at a standstill. icy roads reeking havoc. and near buffalo, new york, take a look at this. they are digging out from more than two feet of snow. tonight 22 states facing winter weather alerts, and over 175 million americans in the and the nation is now bracing for an even bigger polar plunge to come. abc's adrienne bankert starts us off. >> reporter: tonight snow and ice from coast to coast. drivers in the midwest dealing with lake effect snow, slippery roads triggering spinouts and stranding drivers. this massive accident in flint, michigan, at least 40 vehicles piled up, shutting down interstate 75, no one seriously injured. in parts of ohio and new york, they are digging outmo when you hear t

>> cecilia vega tonight, thank you. >>> next this thursday evening, the dangerous discovery inside a house in florida. it started with deputies responding to a domestic disturbance. the suspect struggling with officers there, allegedly trying to grab their guns. the sheriff saying, while they were there, authorities found chemical materials that could be explosive. here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: police had responded to the home of sherif elganainy following an altercation with his parents. >> why does your room smell like chemicals? >> chemicals? no chemicals at all. >> reporter: but the report of a disturbing chemical smell was just the start. >> do you usually leave a straight blade knife in your pocket like that? >> reporter: within seconds, a fight erupts. >> get off me. get off me, man. >> we need another unit. he pulled on my gun, he pulled on my gun. >> reporter: authorities are investigating whether the chemicals found are explosives. >> you look around the world and you see what happened in germany. we are treating this like thi

i'm cecilia vega, in for david. as we come on the air tonight, the holiday travel rush at a peak. and brought to a crawl for millions of americans. and it can only get worse. and we're tracking back-to-back storms sweeping across the country as a record number of travelers are on the road and in the air. major airports reporting hundreds of flight delays. this is the scene in los angeles today, in denver, the security lines, painful. and in new york, brace yourselves. that is not all. dangerous driving on the highways. cars sliding off icy roads in new mexico. and weather alerts across 23 states. snow and heavy rain from california to massachusetts. david kerley starts us off tonight. >> reporter: the holiday road home is a blizzard of snow and ice for some tonight, with a wreath to keep the spirit in iowa. it's flooding out west. california, hit hard by rain. rescuers pulling people from the water. starting today, more than 93 million americans expected to hit the roads through the new year. and some of the nearly 2 1/2 million flying today, delayed. part of that rain again. both

i'm cecilia vega. as new year's celebrations are under way around the world, we begin right here at home with a staggering show of force. a live look right here at new york's times square, the sidewalks are packed. more than a million people expected there for the country's biggest party. security at an all-time high. sanitation trucks are on guard, blocking against possible truck attacks like that deadly one on a christmas market in germany. law enforcement not just here but from coast to coast on high alert tonight against any and all threats. abc's eva pilgrim is right there square starting us off tonight. >> reporter: tonight, more than a million now pouring into times square. security check points going up, trucks in place. 7,000 police, some heavily armed setting those unprecedented security measures in motion. the fbi loading into suvs preparing to check for any possible explosive devices. >> we'll be looking at our cases here in new york and we'll also be looking at events worldwide to see whet

i'm cecilia vega. have a great sunday.

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cecilia vega is tracking it. some celebrities making a last-minute appeal. >> this message is for you. this protest on the national mall, and a protest -- trying to get the electoral college not to vote for donald trump today. a formality normally, but this year all eyes are on them as trump's opponents hope for a hail mary. the vast majority of electors insisting they are not changing their vote. >> it really shows a lack of understanding of our democracy. it shows an honest lack and disrespect. praising thep process this weekend. donald trump: i never appreciated it until now. cecilia: still in the actions of -- accusations of russian hacking forctor of intelligence classified information before they vote. >> what did trump know and when did they know it? were they in touch with the russians? i think that is an open question and the public has the right to know. >> the nonsense about the electors trying to use the russian hacking issue to change the election results is really unfortunate. -- i thinkctually that

here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: she's expected to play a powerful role in her father's administration. >> my father and our next president, donald j. trump. >> reporter: but today, a frightening moment for ivanka trump. her husband and children with her on a jet blue flight when aides say a man began yelling. >> he was upset. he waukd on as soon as he saw her and he started shaking. he was visibly shaking. he was agitated. if i was security, i wouldn't take a chance, either. what did he said, you ruined your country. >> reporter: a professor claims it was his husband chasing down iv eye ivanka and jared kushner. and that's exactly what flight astep dapts did. secret service onboard, too, but not intervening. as ivanka was off, her father took to twitter, write, "the united states must grately strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." that hasn't been u.s. policy for nearly 40 years. it came just hours after a strikingly similar statement from vladimir putin. russia's president saying, "we need to strengthen the pote

cecilia vega is here at the table with us. good morning, cecilia. >> hey, guys. good morning now.u in just a minute. before we do we have former uconn soccer star, noriana radwan, who made an obscene gesture at espn cameras on live tv while celebrating a huskies win. uconn then took away her scholarship and now she's suing and she's joining us live. i guess two questions for you. why have you decided to sue and what do you hope to accomplish from the lawsuit? >> well, hello. it's great to be here. i decided to sue to get my voice back. and have due process in the federal judicial system. i'm doing this so all the other student athletes don't have to go through with this. this happens a lot to women especially, and student athletes around the country. and i feel as if i have a chance to change it. >> noriana, do you feel your gender had something to do with it, and male students receive more lenient -- >> yes, i do. i believe men get away with a lot more, football players, basketball players and women get treated with more harshness. >> and noriana, when this first happened, you we

but first abc's cecilia vega is here with more on trump's comments. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. an attack on humanity and what's going on is, quote, terrible. that is the latest response from donald trump. it's clear where he stands on that attack in germany. what's not so clear this morning is where he stands on that proposed plan to ban muslims. president-elect donald trump emerging from the confines of his mar-a-lago estate. appearing before the cameras and addressing the terror attacks in europe. his national security adviser retired general michael flynn behind him. >> what's going on is terrible. in fact, we have intelligence here right now but what's going on is terrible. >> reporter: but this was no press conference. today marks 148 days since his last one. in fact, trump took questions for all of 90 seconds and even then he did not answer when asked whether he is now reconsidering his proposed muslim ban. >> you know my plans all along and it's -- i've been proven to be right 100% correct. what's happening is disgraceful. anyway,

excited as always to have cecilia vega right on the desk here. >> great to be here this last saturday of 2016. thank you, good morning to everybody. we are just hours away from 2017, a look right now at times square completely empty, you can see it there, security at an all time high ahead of the millions expected to pour in for the big celebration. and at the center of that party, there it is, a live look at the ball which, of course, drops promptly at midnight. >> and rob is right there. he'll have your new year's forecast. >>> we start with the latest twists and turns in the russian hacking scandal. >> president-elect donald trump making the extraordinary move praising russian president vladimir putin for not retaliating against american sanctions. this as dozens of russian diplomats are being kicked out of the u.s., payback for russia's alleged interference in the presidential election. >> so what is behind putin's decision not to retaliate and what about these new reports that the russians may have hacked into a power company in vermont? abc's mary bruce is on the story from wash

. >> we have to get the morning rundown first from cecilia vega. hey, cecilia. >> good morning to you. we do begin with the winter storm moving in from the great lakes to the northeast bringing freezing rain, bitter cold temperatures and on top of all that delaying hundreds of flights and rob marciano is in albany, new york, which is proving good morning, rob. >> reporter: hey, good morning, cecilia. a difficult monday morning commute to say the least. really the past few days for so many americans tough to get around, whether it's train, plane or car, it has been difficult for sure. here in the capital district of albany, five, six inches on the ground and they did pretreat the roads with a salt brine. the side areas and hillier terrains difficult to get around and some schools are delayed and later in the week and folks not looking forward to that. cecilia. >> you can say that again, rob, thank you. >>> and this morning china is expressing what it calls serious concern about donald trump's latest comments on taiwan. it comes after the president-el

cecilia vega is here. >> reporter: good morning to you.onald trump's opponents need just 37 electors to go rogue today. a handful have said they plan to. despite the last minute push for a different outcome, the president-elect is poised to win the electoral college when members cast their votes. from celebrities making a last-minute appeal. >> republican members of the elect trorl college this message is for you. >> reporter: to pro testers marching on the national mall. and an online petition with nearly 5 million signatures. this morning, an unprecedented push for the electoral college not to pick donald trump when they cast their vote today. 538 members convening in every state capital and the district of columbia. trump's opponents hope for a hail mary. the vast majority of electors insisting they're not changing their vote. >> it really slhows a lack of understanding of our democracy. it shows an honest lack and disrespect. >> i never realized what they had in mind. >> reporter: still amid ak zaugss of hacking in the election, 80 ele

abc's cecilia vega is here with the story. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hey, michael. you know this, ivanka trump is expected to play a powerful role in her father's admission and witnesses say he was not happy to be on that commercial flight with the trump family and say he doesn't like her father's politics and he certainly let her know. ivanka trump's family vacation to hawaii turning into a frightening moment on a jetblue flight. her husband and children there too when aides say a fellow passenger began yelling at her. >> he was upset. he walked on as soon as he saw her he started shaking. he was visibly shaking. >> reporter: witnesses say the man told the future first daughter that her father is ruining the country. a college professor tweeting that his husband is the man who chased down ivanka and jared kushner to, quote, harass them and that jetblue kicked us off a flight when a flight attendant overheard my husband expressing displeasure about flying with trumps. >> she was calm. she was trying to distract her kids and was really calm so, yeah, it was -- she ha

. >> let's go to cecilia vega for the morning rundown. >> save me some of those cookies, guys. good morning to you. the big story this morning, tech titans descending on trump tower for a face-to-face with the president-elect. top executives from apple, facebook and oracle among the names on the list. many opposed donald trump during the election but they now say they're ready to talk jobs and innovation. the head of ibm will also be there after pledging to hire 25,000 american workers in the next four years. at a late night rally in wisconsin trump made his first public appearance with house speaker paul ryan. he called ryan a great guy and compared him to a fine wine despite their very trump also praised his secretary of state pick calling exxonmobil's ceo rex tillerson a skilled global business leader but tillerson faces a tough confirmation fight. many lawmakers concerned about his close ties to russia. >>> wall street is awaiting a key decision by the federal reserve. it comes this afternoon and is expected to raise interest rates by a quarter point. this would be only the

abc's cecilia vega has the details. >> reporter: this is the moment it became official. >> texas nowuts president trump over the top. >> reporter: donald trump cementing his win with this vote in texas delivering the 270 electoral college votes he needed but it was hardly a day of cheers. across the country, tensions boiling over. protesters shouting down electors outside the state capitol. trump as vladimir putin's puppet. as the votes were read in kansas, protesters turning their backs. from washington to arkansas to north carolina, one last attempt to get elect tors to change their votes and a handful did. among them, three in washington who were supposed to vote for hillary clinton. instead voting for republican colin powell hoping to block trump's victory. in texas, two trump defectors instead voting for john kasich and ron paul. one elector who voted predictably, bill clinton casting his ballot for his wife. >> i've never cast a vote i was prouder of. in the end we had the russians and the fbi deal. she couldn't prevail against that. >> reporter: the president-elect celebrating