mary bruce, abc news, washington. >> mary, thank you. talking of apps, i set up an instagram account to take you behind the scenes of "world news now." richard letter p bacon, p in the middle, there is reena drinking a cup of coffee on set an hour before transmission with rollers in her hair. ten minutes before, she was asleep in a makeup chair. next to her is the man who heckles. >> the commish. >> there he is. >> yes. >> looking unhappy. >> he looks very happy snapping that photo of him while he's working. my friend said the wisest thing. instagram is better than twitter because you write about what you hate and you photograph what you love. >> so you love the commish. sometimes we use k-y ultragel to enhance my body's natural moisture so i can get into it a bit quicker. and when i know she's into it, i get into it and... feel the difference with k-y ultragel. >> important message for residents age 50 to 85. write down this number now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance wi

mary bruce, abc news, washington. nikki: so far, cruz seems unwilling to criticize trump publically - tweeting earlier this weekend - "sorry to disappoint -- @realdonaldtru mp is terrific. hashtag "deal with it." nikki: meanwhile, here's your first look at the stage for tuesday's final republican presidential primary debate of 2015. there are nine podiums for the prime-time donald trump is front and center, flanked by his newest, closest rival ted cruz and also ben carson. also on main stage, marco rubio and jeb bush, john kasich, chris christie, carly fiorina and rand paul. as for the first round debate...mike huckabee, rick santorum, lindsay graham and george pataki will face off. that starts at six p-m tuesday on c-n-n. nikki: and taking a look at elections around the world. nikki: at least six womehave been elected to public office in saudi arabia, according to preliminary results published in state media on sunday. saturday's historic elections for councils marked the first time women in the country were allowed

abc mary bruce is in washington to save you money? >> post christmas rush on. retailers slashing prices and eager to sell off extra inventor dwri and appeal to shoppers making exchanges. >> what we know the day after christmas is that nearly 7-10 american shoppers will hit the post holiday sales and they truly will be experienced amazing discounts and certain retail categories. >> best bargain apparel thanks to warmer than usual weather. retailers are struggling to sell winter lomings making for huge savings like macy's some women's coats are 50 to 60 prosecution off and clothing averages more than 40% off even better 49% off. it's also a good time to stock up for next year holiday swag like wrapping paper and deck races good discounts. with gift card sales reaping a new peek now is a good time to start cash something. >> year after year we found gift cards are one of the most popular gift to give people freedom to not have" pick a gift that's perfect for resip yept and give recipient the freedom to pick whatever they want. >> for many that means fueling up at

abc's mary bruce on the money trail. >> reporter: remember these guys?lamas on the loose that took over the internet? after their great escape, the federal government took time to tell the owners, they needed permission from washington to showcase the animals. just one out of 100 examples of alleged federal overreach and wasteful spending, highlighted in a new report. it's the kind of federal pork that makes taxpayers squeal. $65,000 to study what happens to bugs when the lights go out? $2.6 million on a weight-loss program for truck drivers. and $375,000 to study the dating habits of seniors. leaving the study's author asking, government spending or match.com? we couldn't find any lawmakers coming to the defense of this spending. pennsylvania congressman joe pitts, who oversees some spending, is pointing the finger at the agencies spending the money. why are we seeing $2.6 million for weight-loss programs for truckers? >> it's just mind boggling. i'm sure they'll come back with some kind of an excuse. >> reporter: waste watcher republican senator james

abc's mary bruce reports.. he's not backing down... dominance on the field... is playing defense... script: manning sot: it's a joke. it's a freaking joke tonight, star quarterback peyton manning is furious and fighting back. telling abc's partner espn that allegations he used performance enhancing drugs are simply not true. manning sot: it's completely fabricated, complete trash, garbage, there's more adjectives i'd like to be able to use. it really makes me sick. explosive allegations against a member of the first family of claims manning's wife was supplied human growth hormone, a substance banned by the nfl, while manning was being treated at a indianapolis clinic after neck surgery in 2011. the report features a former clinic charlie sly, who spoke with an undercover reporter. sly sot from documentary: 8 and all the time we would be sending ashley manning drugs. like growth hormone, all the time, everywhere, florida. and it would never be under be under her name." manning says it never happened espn q: did you ever use hgh? sot manning: absolutely not, absolutely not. tonight,

mary bruce: "a historic moment set in motion by the killings." mary bruce: "thousands gathered in selma to remember that day in 1965." sot: it's become a my life. an ugly scene in gloria rivera: still searching for answering after the freddie gray brandi hitt: death in a texas jail sot: "i was sickened by what i saw." steve osunsami: "police officer michael slager fires 8 times at walter scott." sot: "he was my son." nats: "be on the lookout for two escapees from clinton county correctional facility." gio benitez: many comparing it to the plot of shawshank redemption. george stephanopoulos the massive manhunt finally over lana zak: "the amtrak train derailed in philadelphia." david muir: "going more than 100 mph" george stephanopoulos: "the verdict is in- the death penalty for dzhokhar tsarnaev." sot: "he wanted to go to hell, and he's going to get there early," sot judge: "i sentence the defendant to life in imprisonment." brandi hitt: "holmes received 12 consecutive life sentences." "a record broken- boston buried under snow" kendis gibson: "mo

>> mary bruce at the white house tonight. thank you. >>> and there will be a big democratic debate, too, right here on abc. join david muir and martha raddatz for the new hampshire democratic debate, your voice, your vote. december 19th, 8:00/7:00 central. >>> we turn now to that extreme weather this weekend. at least two reported tornados so far in east texas. take a look at this. homes damaged this afternoon in lindale. this neighborhood in shambles. you can see it there. first of all, welcome to abc news, it's great to have you with us. we have to start with tough weather out there with this forecast extending through the evening. >> reporter: that's the big concern. portions of oklahoma and middle sections of texas, going to be watching for isolated tornadoes and a lot of strong winds, large hail and damaging winds out there. not to mention rainfall. oklahoma city, dallas, even austin could see as much as four and five inches of rain. talking about a threat for flash flooding. >> here on the east coast, it does not feel a

>> mary bruce live at the white house tonight. mary, thank you. >>> and of course, one of the main issues in the race for president, how to tackle isis. tonight, word of se progress in iraq. iraqi military officials now saying they have reclaimed of the city of aramadi. driving out the terror group after fierce battles and after help from u.s.-led air strikes. the iraqi flag raised on top of a government compound now. ramadi fell to isis last may. >>> back here at home now, and the new headline late today about one of the most popular christmas gifts this year. the hoverboard. this time, a fire igniting inside this mall in houston. abc's gio benitez with the growing list of falls captured on video. people landing on their heads in some cases, and tonight, doctors are now sounding the alarm. >> that's electrical. don't put water on it. >> reporter: today's houston fire frightening shoppers. hoverboards igniting. >> it is on fire. >> reporter: homes up in flames. tonight, the consumer product safety commission reveals it's investiga

>> mary bruce at the white house tonight. thank you. >>> and there will be a big democratic debate, too, right here on abc. join david muir and martha raddatz for the new hampshire democratic debate. your voice, your vote. one week from tonight, saturday, december 19th, 8:00/7:00 central. >>> we turn now to that extreme weather this weekend. at least two reported tornadoes so far in east texas. take a look at this. homes damaged this afternoon in lindale. this neighborhood in shambles. and now, murlgeteorologist indra peterson is with us. welcome to abc news. but we do have tough weather to talk about a forecast that stretches late into this evening. >> reporter: that's the concern as we go to the overnight hours. we have severe thunderstorm watches up right now. portions of oklahoma and middle sections of texas, going to be watching for isolated tornadoes and a lot of strong winds, large hail and damaging winds out there. not to mention rainfall. oklahoma city, dallas, even austin could be seeing as much as four if not five

abc's mary bruce, back at it tonight, chasing down answers on capitol hill and tracking your money. >> reporter: remember these guys? the llamas on the loose that took over the internet? after their great escape, the federal government took time to tell the owners, they needed permission from washington to showcase the animals. just one out of 100 examples of alleged federal overreach and wasteful spending, highlighted in a new report. it's the kind of federal pork that makes taxpayers squeal. $65,000 to study what happens to bugs when the lights go out? $2.6 million on a weight-loss program for truck drivers. and $375,000 to study the dating habits of seniors. leaving the study's author asking, government spending or match.com? we couldn't find any lawmakers coming to the defense of this spending. pennsylvania congressman joe pitts, who oversees some spending, is pointing the finger at the agencies spending the money. why are we seeing $2.6 million for weight-loss programs for truckers? >> it's just mind boggling. i'm sure they'll come back with some kind of an excuse. >> reporter: w

. >>> abc mary bruce is in washington with tips to save you on holiday deals. >> reporter: retailers are slashing prices eager to sell offry. >> 7 to shoppers will be hitting the stores. >> reporter: retailers will be selling winter clothes, like macy's winter coats are 350 to 60% off. designer clothes better average 49% off. it's a good time to stock up for next year. holiday swag steep discounts. gift cards reaching a 23450 peak a whopping $130 billion, now is a good time to cash in. >> we found gift cards are one of the most popular gifts. you don't have to pick a gift that's perfect. it gives the resip -- recipient the freedom to pick whatever they want. >> that was mary bruce reporting. >> "action news" is staying on top of the developing story this sunday morning. tornados striking in the dallas area. there are deaths reported and damage is severe. new from the overnight, a tractor-trailer and car collide in montgomery county. news of a tour bus crashing in san francisco. details coming in on what caused the wreck. >> reporter: a warm front moving in this afternoon that means a

abc's mary bruce with the story. it's a joke. it's a freaking joke. >> star quarterback peyton manning is furious and fighting back telling abc's sister netwtrk espn that allegations he used performance-enhancing drugs are simply not true. >> it's completely fabricated. complete trash, garbage. it's more a`jectives i'd like to be able to use. >> explosive allegations against a member of the first family of football. the denver bronco is a five-time league mvp. a new al jazeera documentary claims his wife was supplied human growth more money, a substance banned by the nfl while manning was being treated at an indianapolis clinic after neck surgery in 2011. the report features someone it entifies as a former pharmacist, charlie sly who spoke with an undercover reporter >> all the time we would be sending ashley manning like growth hormone all the titi,er from, flflida. it would never be under payton's name, always under her name. >> he says it never happened. >> have you ever used hgh or any performance enhancing drug? >> absolutel

mary bruce has the latest. >> reporter: donald trump is taking aim at his new chief rival. >> i have far better judgment than ted. >> reporter: he appeared on two political talk shows criticizing senator ted cruz. >> i don't think he is qualified to be president. you can't walk into the senate and scream and call people liars and not be sable to con joule and get along with people. he will never get anything done. that is the problem with ted. >> reporter: the comments come as the texas senator is trumping trump in iowa. cruz with a 10 point lead in one poll, up to 31% to trump's 21. he blasted the numbers tweeting don't trust desmoines register poll. it's buy wrist. dr. ben carson is down to 13%. george stephanopoulos and doubled down on his threat to leave the republican party with party leaders tried to manipulate the nomination process using back room deals. >> if that is the case, then i'm out of here. >> on the democratic side hillary clinton is getting help from the president, tv's president fitzgerald grant. >> she is the most qualified, experienced and take the country where

mary bruce is on the campaign trail in des moines. >> reporter: this morning donald trump is soaringdrawing battle lines in the republican rails. >> there's not a contest between the two of us. jabbing ted cruz for the first time. >> no matter what i say i do like ted cruz, but not a lot of eadvantage getticcals come out of cuba. the oil companies give you a lot of money. >> reporter: the texas center is gaining on trump in iowa where corn is king. >> ted cruz is against ethanol, how does he win in iowa. that's very antiiowa. i don't know how he wins in iowa >> reporter: this farmer said cruz won't cut it here. >> i don't think it's a disaster. i don't think anyone else can do it. >> reporter: but trump said he'll take care of his chief rival. >> will you name him your vice president or -- >> he is a good guy. i would say that we have things in mind for ted. >> reporter: earlier at a luncheon in new york he took more heat for his calls to ban muslims coming into the u.s. a clear majority of americans oppose the idea, but primary republican voters are split. >> right now i have no pro

abc news reporter mary bruce has more. >> it is a joke. a freaking joke. >> tonight star quarterback peyton manning is fighting back telling espn that allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs are not true. >> it is completely fabricated and complete trash, garbage. there are more adjectives i would like to use. it really makes me sick. >> explosive allegations against a member of the first family of football. the denver bronco is a five -- is a five-time league mvp. they say manning's wife was supplied human growth hormone, a substance banned by the nfl while he was being treated at a clinic after neck surgery. the report features someone as a former pharmacist who spoke with an under cover reporter. >> all of the time we would be sending ashley manning drug, a growth hormone all the time, florida. it would never be under peyton's name. it is always under her name. >> manning said it never happened. >> have you ever used hgh or performance-enhancing drug? >> absolutely not. absolutely not. >> tonight sly is recan'ting his story

mary bruce, abc news, washington. adam: cnn has released the lineup for tuesday' s republican presidential primary debate. the debate includes donald marco rubio, jeb bush, john kasich, chris christie, carly fiorina, and rand paul. in the first-round debate, mike huckabee, rick santorum, lindsay graham, and george pataki will be facing off. while donald trump continues to top the republican field dr. ben , carson, the candidate closest to trump in the polls for a number of weeks, has started to fade a bit. his numbers are also down here in new hampshire, where he has not campaigned in 23 days. the last time granite state voters got a check-up from dr. ben carson was november 20, almost a week before he hasn' t been back since, even announcing an upcoming trip to africa before revealing plans to return to the granite state on the 20th and 21st. but by the time that visit rolls around, carson will have been absent from first-in-the-nation new hampshire for a full month. cathie chevalier, carson' s new hampshire campaign

and experienced and has the right ideas to take the country where i believe it needs to go. >> mary bruce reporting. federal investigators have ended their search of a lake near san bernardino. specialized f bixt i drivers scoured the lake three days for discarded evidence including hard drive used. some items were retrieved in the search and officials have not said what they are and investigators believe syed farook and tashfeen malik tried to store items. >> the pope calls on humanity to not let sadness prevail. francis said "we cannot let ourselves be overcome by weariness" he spoke at the church holy year emphasizing empathy and kindness. >> they rallied to share support for islam ing society mosque vandalized that west. it was meant to counter anti-islamic scene since the terror attacks in paris and california. >> it really hit home with my and i felt that we needed to do something as a community to show the city and nation that we stand together as one. >> islamic christian and jewish leaders led the group in prayer and organizers hope teach about islam can counter miss cop semss. >

mary bruce, abc washington. >>> still more news ahead. eyewitness news at 5:00 begins right now. >> this is breaking news from channel 7 eyewitness news. >>> seven people hurt in a scaffolding collapse in new jersey. emergency crews on the scene right now to figure what caused it to come crashing down. i'm sade baderinwa. >> i'm diana williams. the scaffolding coming down 3500 feet. we know the injured are workers. it's not clear if they were on the scaffolding when it collapsed or standing below it or nearby. the hackensack fire department tweeted out this photo of the scene a short while ago. >> this happened at an apartment complex on tracy lane. let's get writ to eyewitness news reporter cefaan kim who has been gathering more information. >> as you said, the fire department says that scaffolding fell about 35 feet this time if all of the injured workers were actually on that scaffolding when it fell but according to one resident, at least one of those men was on the roof when this happened and he was working on that roof when a chunk

abc's mary bruce is at the white house with more. " " nat cruz in iowa (gfx: cruz: 31, trump: 21, carson: 13, rubio:10, bush: 6) ted cruz plolong past trump i ithe new des moines register poll, now with a ten point lead in iowa (gfx: cruz today at 31 percent vs cruz in october 19 dmr poll at 10 percent). it's a jaw-dropping, record-breaking rise for the texas senator. a 21 percent leap since october. cruz tweeting overnight thank you to his supporters. asking them for help to keep the momentum going! (gfx: cruz tweet thank you #cruzcrew! help us build the momentum). meanwhile trump was quick to blast the new numbers. (gfx tweet) also tweeting overnight "don't trust des moines register poll." saying it's biased. trump's been clear -- he's not a fan of the paper. sot trump, friday night "the des moines register is the worst. they are the worst. the worst. no they're very dishonest ." (gfx: trump today 21 percent vs trump in october 19 dmr poll at 19 percent). despite falling to second, trump maintains strong support in the key state nat: trump taking stage in ia on friday cruz and trump ha

mary bruce, abc news, the white house. >>> i love it when the comics trot out the old impressions.s where donald trump will be center stage, but for the first time, ted cruz will be standing right next to him. mary bruce, abc news, the white house. >>> i love it when the comics trot out the old impressions. the cast for tuesday's big debate in las vegas has been shuffled some. chris christie will be back on the main stage after taking part in the under card last time. rand paul just squeaked by thanks to a new poll released just yesterday morning that helped him make the cut. and as mary said, ted cruz will be at center stage right in donald trump's face. it's a treat though, isn't it, to see the old george w. bush impressions. >> she's so good at it. will ferrell is just fantastic. >> jon stewart one. >> it's a bit like that. >> that's pretty good. >>> so nate silver was saying so 538, the website that predicts the outcome of elections they had trump at 2% chance for a long time of getting the nomination. now it's either still only 5 or 10% chance not of being president -- of gett

>> mary bruce at the white house tonight. thank you. >>> and there will be a big democratic debate, too, right here on abc. join david muir and martha raddatz for the new hampshire democratic debate, your voice, your vote. one week from tonight, saturday, december 19th, 8:00/7:00 central. >>> we turn now to that extreme weather this weekend. at least two reported tornados so far in east texas. take a look at this. homes damaged this afternoon in lindale. this neighborhood in shambles. you can see it there. first of all, welcome to abc news, it's great to have you with us. we have to start with tough weather out there with this forecast extending through the evening. >> reporter: that's the big concern. portions of oklahoma and middle sections of texas, going to be and a lot of strong winds, large hail and damaging winds out there. not to mention rainfall. oklahoma city, dallas, even austin could see as much as four and five inches of rain. talking about a threat for flash flooding. >> here on the east coast, it does not feel

mary bruce has the details. >> reporter: this morning donald trump is soaring in the polls and drawing the republican case. >> it's not a contest between the two of user in jabbing ted cruz for the first final. >> everything i say he agrees with me. no matter what i say, i do like ted cruz but not a lot of ee van gel cass out out of cube. oils pays him a lot of money. the oil companies give him a lot of money. so -- but i'm with you. i'm with everybody. >> reporter: the texas senator is gaining on trump in iowa where corn is king. >> if ted cruz is against ethanol, how does he win in iowa? because that's very anti-iowa. i don't know how he wins in iowa. i don't know. >> reporter: this farmer tells us cruz won't cut it here. >> i think anybody else gets elected i think it's just going to be a disaster, i don't think anybody else can do it but him. >> reporter: but trump says he will take care of his chief rival. >> will you name him your vice president or -- or -- >> he is a good guy. he is a good guy. i would say that we would certainly have things in mind for ted. >> reporter: earlier

abc news reporter mary bruce had some hips for us. >> reporter: the post christmas rush is on.retailers are slashing prices, eager to sell off extra inventory and appeal to shoppers making exchanges. >> what we know the day after christmas is that nearly 7 in 10 american shoppers are going to be hitting the post holiday sales and they truly are going to be experiencing some amazing discounts in certain retail categories. >> reporter: the best bargains, apparel, thanks to warmer than usual weather retailers are struggling to sell winter clothes making for huge savings, like macys are some women's coats are 50 to 60% off. clothing, especially for teens, averages more than 40% off, designer clothes even better at an average 49% off. it's also a good time to stock up for next year, holiday swag like wrapping paper and decorations see steep discounts. and with gift card sales reaching a new peak, a whopping $130 billion according to industry experts now is a good time to start can a, in. >> year after year we found gift cards are one of the most popular gifts to give people the free

abc's mary bruce reports.. it's not for he faint of heart. script: this morning, the holiday may be over, but the shopping season is still going strong. the post-christmas rush is on? retailers are slashing prices, eager to sell off extra inventory and appeal to shoppers making exchanges. 5510 retail me not for gm sot brian hoyt- vice president of communications for retailmenot (16;40;56;37) what we know the day after christmas is that nearly 7 and 10 shoppers are going to be hitting the sales. and they truly are going to be experiencing some major discounts in certain categories the best bargains - apparel. thanks to warmer than usual weather, retailers are struggling to sell winter clothes. making for huge savings. like macy's where women's coats are 50-60 percent off on select styles. (gfx) clothing, especially for off. designer clothes - even better -- at an average 49% off. it's also a good time to stock up for next year - holiday swag, like wrapping paper and decorations, see steep discounts. with gift card sales reaching a new peak --

here's mary bruce. >> it's a joke. it's a freaking joke. >> reporter: tonight, star quarterback peyton manning is furious and fighting back. telling abc's partner espn that allegations he used performance enhancing drugs are simply not >> it's completely fabricated, complete trash, garbage, there's some more adjectives i'd like to be able to use.. it really makes me sick. >> reporter: explosive allegations against a member of the first family of football. the denver bronco is a five-time league mvp. a new al jazeera documentary claims manning's wife was supplied human growth hormone, a substance banned by the nfl, while manning was being treated at a indianapolis clinic after neck surgery in 2011. the report features a former pharmacist, charlie sly, who spoke with an undercover >> all the time we would b b like growth hormone, all the and it would never be under peyton's name, it would always >> reporter: manning says it never happened. have you ever used hgh or any other performance enhancing drug? >> absolutely not,

abc's mary bruce has the latest from the campaign trail. tonight the bro-mance between donald trump and ted cruz is on the rocks. not a contest we understand as cruz gains ground, trump for the first time, is taking aim at the texas senator....targeting his faith sot trump: i do like ted cruz but not a lot of evangelicals come out of cuba against ethanol, how is he winning in ia? because that's very anti-iowa. this iowa farmer tells us it's trump or bust mos/jason meester - anybodyelse gets elected it's the same old garbage... mb- you think he's the only one? mos/jason meester - i think he's the only one to get it done yea but trump also has kind words for his chief rival, saying cruz would have a role to play in a his administration trump sot: we would certainly have things in mind for ted to be honest under fire for his call to ban muslims entering the us. but he stands by his controversial proposal sot now for a story that's positively las vegas. metro officers were dashing down the aisles of target earlier today, to brighten up the holi