dr. ashton can elaborate on that. those clues but so far police have not made any arrests still looking for those suspects. >> got away with the crash. >> don't put money in your mouth. >> that was the first lesson. >> that was my biggest concern. ron, thank you very much. >>> we do have other health news of a more serious variety this morning. the number of children who have died from the flu is really on the rise right now and eight weeks into an already rough flu season, two dozen states are now reporting that the virus is at a, quote, high level. abc's dr. jen ashton is here with more. >> reporter: this morning the death toll is on the rise due to the season's flu epidemic. the flu responsible for 19 more pediatric deaths bringing the total to 45 children so far this season. now 24 states battling high influenza-like activity pushing hospitals like this one in las vegas to capacity. >> sometimes we have to go on what's called divert where we have to close our doors to ambulances and they have to be redirected or r

dr. jen ashton for advice. good morning. >> good morning. >>> so aren't schools like petri dishes at this time? >> they always are. this year it's all about the strain of flu known as h3n2 what is hitting particularly hard especially kids and teenagers. but there are some things that we're doing even in my house with my kids as they get ready to go back to school that you can encourage your kids to do to help prevent or reduce the risk ng sick. the cdc is still recommending the flu vaccine, even though it's not a particularly good match, it can offer some benefit. we always tell our kids, wash your hands, keep them clean. the more you wash them, the better. getting a lot of sleep is definitely helpful. covering sneezes or coughs with tissues, and if they're not feeling well, keep them home from school. it's so important. >> and it's not too late to get the flu shot. >> no, we still have four more months of the flu season. >> when we talk about the flu reaching epidemic levels, that's a bit of a scary term but d

dr. jen ashton joins us now. we heard bazi say sadly this flu killed people who were completely healthy until they got this. what are you telling patients? >> we have to take this seriously. the first thing is if you are diagnosed with the flu or you suspect you have it, minute niese contact with other people. you really want to stay home if possible. if you notice shortness of breath or difficulty breathing and you're getting worse not better, those can be warning signs you want to see a doctor. in terms of antiviral medication, you have to remember that's not just for treatment of people who are diagnosed with the flu, it also may be appropriate for those exposed to the flu. >> all good things to remember. thank you very much. >>> next to politics and a stunning case of deja vu. at the gop's annual winter meeting. all eyes on mitt romney who said emphatically he would never run for the white house again. but it turns out the third time might be the charm. abc's gloria rivera explains. >> reporter: taking center

. >> reporter: chloe ashton daughter of abc's dr. xed and face problems a little bit differently than i might have. i'm excited to see the changes. >> reporter: and joining us right now is abc news senior medical contributor, dr. jen ashton and your beautiful daughter meditateing with mom. >> first of all, it was her idea. when you suggest something as a parent they want to do the opposite. it really wasn't my idea. she came to me. >> i've learned that being married already. >> there you go. more of the same. so she came to me and asked if she could learn how to meditate. and i think part of it was to reduce stress. part of it is she's an athlete. she's used to taking care of her body but wanted to incorporate more mental well-being too. i was really supportive of it. >> why do you think it's a good idea? >> it's interesting. half my patients are under the age of 21. there are a lot of stressors for a teenager and a young adult that there weren't when we were growing up. as a way to kind of unplug reduce stress increase their focus an

dr. j ashton. coming up jennifer lopez joining us live on "good morning america." morning, it is 8:27 a.m., welcome back to "good morning washington." traveling around the beltway things looking good around the beltway, no problems. the woodrow wilson bridge looks good as well. prince george's county, no problems there either. northbound, 32, crash involving a tractor-trailer in the fuel spill there, you may find activity on the northbound and southbound lanes. as you are headed on to the metro into downtown for any of the events commemorating the and legacy of dr. martin luther king jr., you will find everything looking pretty good. we had some problems on the red line, but other than that the orange line and other related lines are running very well operating right until midnight. the trains are on a saturday schedule. operating on a sunday schedule, the brunswick and camden lines no reported problems on prince william's county northbound with a car blocking the right lane. >> i think we will get some sunshine but it will not be until later on this morning. moist

dr. ashton

dr. j ashton. coming up jennifer lopez joining us live on "good morning america." morning one person is dead after an overnight fire in montgomery county. this started around 4:30 in cheltenham township at the linwood garden apartments on south john russell circle. crews have not told us the name of the victim. 8:27 on this mlk day january 19 i'm tamala edwards. let's go over to karen rogers with traffic. >> reporter: hi, tam the roads are wide open, you can see, this is i-95 at girard. roads are in good shape, this is southbound traffic. the ramps and the overpasses and the secondary roads were icy. we've had accidents earlier in the morning. it's kind of quiet right now. the speeds were reduced to 25 miles per hour on area bridges. they have bump i had up to 35 miles per hour. slow speeds on the schuylkill expressway. westbound heading between the boulevard to blue route 18 miles per hour. you mentioned the fire location you want to watch for icy conditions possible on john russell circle with fire crews there. tam. >> let's okay, let's head over to david murphy

dr. j ashton. coming up, jennifer lopez joining us live on "good morning america."ing news in san francisco. that's where police want to find two crook who is used a rental truck to rip off a store. witnesses say the thieves back a u-haul truck through the front door of a patagonia store near fisherman's wharf. the truck drove away. it happened this morning early. >>> it is holiday light out there. here's a look at the bay bridge toll plaza where we have virtually no traffic. you can see all that westbound traffic building up. >> . >>> good morning. tracking fog. quarter mile in-- king tides, they're going to hit today at 9:58 at the goldendpoeldgolden gate. look for minor tidal flooding. right now we are in the low to mid 50s. as we head deep entire the forecast spare the air may ♪ >>> we're taking you back right there. new kids on the block. 1988. the right stuff. they're going to be here live tomorrow. all the new kids. ginger very excited about that. i didn't know, ginger. i guess you're one of the fans. they are coming for tomorrow. >> i am. and a lot of their

dr. jen ashton.d morning. >> good morning. >> we have heard of stories where the survivor is a child. is there a medical reason? >> it does seem so anecdotely but there's no medical reason for that. kids are resilient. where you're seated and again with any high-speed trauma restrained or unrestraibt strained. whether you have a seat belt on or not. >> how do you explain she was able to get out and through the woods to find a stranger. >> this is the fight or flight response. the adrenaline, stress hormone. clearly there's emotional shock as well as physical shock. if she survives without a head injury, she's talking about a five to 15 minute walk through the dark in very scary situation. it's incredible. >> given the fact that nobody else survived what kind of injuries do you think we're dealing with for this little girl this mo >> there's a principle in emergency medicine with a motor vehicle accident. there are fatales at the scene, gives us an indication of the degree of trauma. when there are no

dr. jennifer ashton is here with what you need to know. you guys fans? >> yeah. >> i'm not a fan, but what are the main findings here? >> this was a big study out of yale and they looked at about a half a million people and followed them for ten years by questionnaire and found those who drank the most coffee had the lowest risk of skin cancer, the deadliest and they went down with every cup they drank a day. those who drank four or more cups a day like i do cut their risk by 20%. >> it's not all in the same hour, robin. don't worry. >> you looked scared. >> it's spread out. >> so should people start drinking more coffee? >> well, look, we have to remember caffeine is a drug and can be side effects and risks and can increase heart rate, cause dehydration, lead to insomnia but the benefits have been very well documented. also, it not only can lower the risk of skin cancer, basal cell but certain types of uterine cancer and can be protective to the brain so more in the net positive column. >> can they explain why? they know it's a positive.

dr. jen ashton says it is uncommon but can be serious. >> we don't know what causes it, but we do know howthat can be anything from changing their diet to needing to hospitalize them to placing an in-dwelling feeding tube in some cases. ♪ >> reporter: despite the challenges leading up to little river's arrival, she says motherhood changed her for the better. >> you have a baby and you realize how much of a complete crap you were. it is nice to have a different perspective. >> reporter: based on this adorable you tube video clarkson released last friday of river rose dancing to her mom's new singles. noets ♪ >> reporter: it is no wonder clarkson says she would do it all over again. abbie boudreau abc news los angeles. >> how adorable. >> great shot. >> she clearly has it in her genes, doesn't she? she was moving without a problem there. >> in the studio at that age. you know we will see that kid somewhere down the road on the stage. >> it is tough for women. i didn't have morning sickness. i remember -- like an old wives tale like something is wrong because you are not throwing up. >> so ma

dr. jennifer ashton our senior medical contributor, and contributor tory johnson.ncredible journey for you. >> yeah. and it has been. it has been a journey. this is really the first time in my life that i have felt freedom. i have lost weight in the past, but felt like sprinting through a marathon. this is a genuine change, a pace a walk through life. it was key to be honest with myself about the foods that were triggers, that i abused. and they are completely gone from my diet. i never touch them. once i got rid of the foods, it was like rolling downhill. it became effortless it was just life, not a diet. we hear people like dr. jen preach, it's a lifestyle. >> i have known you for so many years. i have never seen you happier. you look amazing. on the camera you jump off the screen and your smile. >> stress release, all part of the puzzle. >> i need to read. so inspired. and tory johnson, you do it as well with the best selling and inspired so many with "the shift." what do you make of 2015 and the advice for our viewers right now? >> one of the things that's huge

dr. j. ashton. >>> "pop news" and weather coming up. t.j.?ve. >> do it do it do it. >> i'm always worried i'll fall but i'll get it. here's a look -- i got to do a little spin. "morning menu" coming up here viral sensation, man, it is good to see you. here he is the shake it officer himself. >> want to do it with me? ♪ and that's what they don't see ♪ >> the shake it officer, the viral sensation, a whole lot more from him and why one mom is taking a stand against leggings. a backlash. >>> how to revive those resolutions, what you could do to get back to the good habit all that plus day two of the paw-lympics coming up live right here in times square. ♪ >>> "gma's morning menu" brought to you by centrum silver multivitamins, the most amazing parts of you. if you have medicare part d, walgreens gets that you might be at the corner of "looking for a good deal" and "sheesh, i wish i'd looked some more." that's why walgreens makes it easy to switch your prescriptions and save money. just stop by. and leave all the legwork to us. switch your prescr