i'm muhammad lila in for john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez.e up with something. >> there's an idea. >> first, we begin with the chemical spill in west virginia. it's contaminated the water supply to more than 100,000 customers and triggered a state of emergency. >> and that means no drinking tap water, no cooking, washing or bathing or doing any of those things this morning. >> nine counties in the western part of the state, including the capital charleston, are effected. here's what happened. a massive storage tank filled with a chemical used to wash coal impurities leaked into the elk river. officials don't know how much of the chemical leaked or how long it will take to flush it out. >> it may change for the good, it may change for the bad, but we're trying to get the information out in a timely manner and not to alarm the people. >> emergency supplies of water are being trucked in, but the run on bottled water was immediate. restaurants, schools, day care centers and other health facilities will be closed today. >>> the first lawsuits have

i'm muhammad lila, filling in for john muller. >> and i'm diana perez. we do begin with the festivities around the globe. city after city, welcoming the new year with a bang. >> many of those party goers didn't seem to mind to brave the winter cold for some spectacular fireworks. here's abc's tahman bradley with the latest. >> reporter: the world rang in 2014 in spectacular fashion. in every corner of the globe -- dazzling fireworks displays. in australia, a million people gathered for the show over the sydney opera house. in brazil, a big bash on the copacabana beach. in shy now, a stunning light show at the great wall. across the u.s., frigid temperatures didn't stop the wave of celebrations. in new york, revelers packed times square to watched the famed crystal ball drop. supreme court justice sotomayor led the festivities. chicago welcomed 2014 and braced for at least six inches of snow. in portland, maine, these people braved the cold for a new year's eve 5k run and dip in the ocean. >> fabulous. >> freezing. >> so fun. >> it

here's abc's muhammad lila now. >> reporter: it's literally a license to kill. >> why? why do this senseless killing? >> reporter: overnight, the dallas safari club auctioned off the chance to kill a real life black rhino in africa. the winning bid? $350,000. the winner's name kept anonymous. the auction drawing these protest, even an online petition with 60,000 signatures and growing. >> it's sad. especially an endangered species. >> reporter: among those here -- >> mine says "honk to save the rhinos." >> reporter: the reis siblings, child activists crusading to save the endangered species. >> maybe they're just doing that so they can get a few pictures with the rhino laying down dead. >> reporter: there are only around 4,000 to 5,000 black rhinos left in the wild. and when we reached out to the dallas safari club for a statement, they sent us this. saying, "science shows that selective hunting helps rhino populations grow." and, that the rhino targeted will be hold, aggressive, and "known to charge and kill younger, breeding class bulls, cows and even calves." executi

muhammad lila, abc news, new york. >> so close. >>> when we come back here tonight, the honeymoon surprise for one couple returning to the famed waldorf astoria 66 years later. what was waiting for them? in the last 23 years, but i needed help in quitting smoking. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix varenicline is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced the urge for me to smoke. it actually caught me by surprise. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking, or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood, and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental-health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these, stop chantix and see your doctor right away, as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have a history of heart or blood-vessel problems or if you develop new or worse symptoms. get medica

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> i'm muhammad lila in for john muller.are you feeling? >> i'm feeling great. i'm especially happy because it is friday eve. >> friday eve. that's what we call it here. one day closer to friday. >> we almost made it. >> no morning sickness yet? >> oh, gosh. you're so stuck on this. i know. >> i'm surprised. been a long time, you know. >> the past two female anchors on the show had babies, but no, i'm holding strong. no babies on this end. >> there will be photos of babies. we'll show you those photos again. some of the most popular photos we put on the facebook site are those two babies born yesterday. we will show that you later on in the show. >> that's right. but we begin with latest details on the scandal that could threaten the political future of new jersey's outspoken governor. >> chris christie is denying he knew anything about orders to back up traffic on the nation's busiest bridge. the governor says people will be held responsible. >> newly released e-mail and text messages suggest top christie aides engineered t

i'm muhammad lila filling in for john muller. >>> and i'm diana perez. last year. >> so you knew you were going to be here. well, if you weren't here with me, which i know is exactly where you want to be, where would you be? >> i would be at home with my family, i think, curled up under a blanket watching the festivities probably telling the kids to go to bed because it's too late for them. >> so now you did a little bit of the times square experience last year. this year you said you wanted to stay as far away from it as possible. >> you do it once and, you know, you've kind of have been there, done that. >> that's true. at least you do it. by the way, we have the champagne flutes. we can at least toast an empty glass. all right, well, let's get started. good morning and happy new year's day to you, as well. we begin with the bone-chilling weather for millions of americans from minnesota all the way to maine. >> temperatures felt like the teens last night but that didn't stop a million people from packing into times square to ring in 2014 with that famo

. >> i'm muhammad lila in for john muller. our viewers will be noticing a couple of faces they're not used to. do you know this is a big anniversary today. >> it is. a little celebration in store. >> oh, celebration? i would never say no to a celebration. it's the 22nd anniversary of this show being on the air. that deserves a round of applause. >> all right! >> and i think as you say, we are going to have a celebration in just a few minutes. first of all, we want to begin with the dangerous cold that's gripping much of the nation right now. >> and the numbers are frightening. a polar vortex of cold, dense air will plunge half of the u.s. into subzero temperatures. >> in some places, actual temperatures of minus 31 with windchills into the minus 60s. we begin with abc's gio benitez in chicago where schools will be closed today. >> reporter: another major snowstorm pummels the midwest. almost a foot of snow falling. up next, the coldest arctic air in decades. a subzero cold snap hitting america's heartland. monday's forecast, 8

i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >> i'm muhammad lila in for john muller.this morning on "world news now" -- the polar vortex has plunged half the nation into a brutal deep freeze with 187 million americans facing windchills as low as minus 60 degrees. cold weather warnings and advisories stretch from north dakota to georgia. we will have the update in a few minutes from accuweather. >>> a key house vote on renewing unemployment benefits for more than a million americans had to be postponed after the bad weather kept lawmakers from getting to the nation's capital. >> a frightening ride for a dozen passengers on a city bus in boise, idaho. the driver lost control, ran into a building and ended up dangling on a ledge after over a parking garage. the driver says the brakes failed. no one was seriously hurt. >>> and with a virtually last-second touchdown, the florida state seminoles are college football's new national championships. they came from behind against auburn, winning a classic game 34-31. null and those are some of our top stories on this tuesday, ja

muhammad lila, abc news, new york. >> does that float your boat?tely, if i had that kind of money. >> so, ,000 -- there you go. of money. how about you? >> $200,000. there you go. cleaning power than bleach. as more the secret is the hydrogen peroxide formula. it kills 99.9% of germs. that's healthing . powerful cleaning that's family friendly. lysol. start healthing. and for where it matters most, try new lysol power & free pourable. >>> all right, folks. >>> all right, folks. it's time for "the mix." playoffs are happening. let's get into it. football. dallas cowboys. nope, they're not in the playoffs but they're getting a lot of buzz anyway. why, you may ask? because of their cheerleaders. they just released a really cool viral video. my god those girls are hot. at any rate -- >> listen, who chose this story? >> i'm sorry. having a hard time thinking right now. they're on a tropical beach using a gopro camera attached to a hula hoop. isn't that crazy? >> that is -- it's -- it's very cool the way it's shot, but i think the reason it's gotten abou

i'm muhammad lila, filling in for john muller. >> and i'm diana perez. we do begin with the festivities around the globe. city after city, welcoming the new year with a bang. >> many of those party goers didn't seem to mind to brave the winter cold for some spectacular fireworks. here's abc's tahman bradley with the latest. >> reporter: the world rang in 2014 in spectacular fashion. in every corner of the globe -- dazzling fireworks displays. in australia, a million people gathered for the show over the sydney opera house. in brazil, a big bash on the copacabana beach. in shy now, a stunning light show at the great wall. across the u.s., frigid temperatures didn't stop the wave of celebrations. in new york, revelers packed times square to watched the famed crystal ball drop. supreme court justice sotomayor led the festivities. chicago welcomed 2014 and braced for at least six inches of snow. in portland, maine, these people braved the cold for a new year's eve 5k run and dip in the ocean. >> fabulous. >> freezing. >> so fun. >> it's a great thing to do o

i'm muhammad lila. john muller is off today. >> i'm reena ninan, in for diana perez. we start with a winter storm battering the midwest and taking aim on the northeast. take a look. the arctic air is coming out of the central plains and grabbing moisture from the gulf of mexico. the storm is leaving its mark and will eventually affect 21 states. 2014 has begun with an extreme blast of winter weather. a huge storm has been moving across much of the country, bringing with it freezing temperatures and lots of snow. in minneapolis, temperatures dropped to around zero. fire crews struggle to deal with a massive blaze, following an explosion at an apartment complex. water turned to ice in the extreme temperatures. and in indiana, slippery, snow-covered roads are making travel difficult for drivers. nearly a foot of snow has fallen in chicago, with more expected today. residents are doing their best to dig out. >> it does the job. it's in the porch. now, doing the car. make do with what you've got right now. >> reporter: the storm is headed towards the east coast and new eng

. >> and i'm muhammad lila in for john muller. we begin with breaking news this morning as a brutal deep freeze is gripping more than half the nation. more than 500 passengers are now stuck on three amtrak trains heading into chicago because there's so much blowing and drifting snow. >>> now, all three trains were stopped last night in the northern illinois city of mendota, about 80 miles west of chicago. amtrak says the passengers are being kept comfortable and fed as workers try to re-open the tracks. we will stay on top of this breaking story throughout the morning. >>> and to give you an idea how super frigid this air is water vapors now rising off lake michigan in chicago. usually the frigid lake waters are much colder than the air but this morning the waters are actually warmer than the air above. chicago's temperature yesterday set a record at o'hare airport, 16 degrees below zero. >> wow, further north on the lake, these dramatic photos shot by photographer thomas zakowski that captured how extreme the temperatures are. th

. >> i'm muhammad lila in for john muller. also an update on the latest amanda knox murder trial but we begin with the big developing story, the scandal involving new jersey governor chris christie and the lane closures at the world's busiest bridge just got a lot more serious overnight. >>> one death happened during the day's long traffic mess near the george washington bridge when paramedics were delayed. the traffic backups appear to have been orchestrated by a top aide to christie. abc's mary bruce is live in washington with the story. good morning, mary. >> reporter: good morning, well, this scandal over an epic traffic yam is becoming a main political liability for the rising republican star, governor chris christie. what happens when you combine political power, retribution and road rage? a political scandal. jersey style. new jersey governor chris christie a rumored 2016 presidential candidate is in a political jam over a traffic scandal. in september, gridlock turned the town of ft. lee, new jersey, into a parking lot

good wednesday morning, i'm muhammad lila.ohn muller is off today. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. the dangerous deep freeze across the country is leaving its mark with record temperatures and deadly conditions. >> so far there are at least 21 deaths confirmed related to the cold. all 50 states dipped below 32 degrees at some point yesterday. even hawaii, where it was 25 at the top of a volcano and records have fallen in dozens of cities. our coverage begins with abc's mary bruce. >> reporter: merciless unrelenting cold is paralyzing the u.s. you have been spared the frigid wrath of this jarring deadly arctic cold snap. >> it hurts. it hurts. >> freezing. freezing. can't feel my face. >> numb and i'm pregnant so we're both numb. >> reporter: the polar express making much of the u.s. look like the north pole, blinding blizzards, lake-effect snow, walloping buffalo and upstate new york. the icy niagara river looking more like a glacier. >> looks like something out of national geographic. >> reporter: lake michigan is s

i'm muhammad lila. john muller is off today. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> we begin with breaking news in west virginia. a chemical spill contaminated the water supply to more than 100,000 customers. that includes homes, businesses, even hospitals. >> people are unable to use water for anything. that means no showering, no shaving, no morning coffee and no idea just how much longer it'll take. the problem began here in a storage tank full of chemicals used to process coal. it leaked into the elk river supplying water to the entire region. at first the water company thought the treatment plant could filter it out but then learned it hadn't. >> it's clear that it's migrated through the treatment plant into the regional system, and then it's at the customers' taps. >> the chemical is not considered to be toxic, but officials aren't sure how much of it is in the pipeline, so they issued a warning, do not use the water at all. within hours, nine counties were included in the advisory. ems

. >>> good morning, i'm muhammad lila in for john muller. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diana perez. >>> we begin with the brutal cold. that is sweeping across much of the continent. the latest weather map shows the polar vortex pushing superfrigid air from the north pole as far south as louisiana. >> highs today across a wide swath of the midwest will be well below zero. in chicago, where the schools today will be closed, overnight temperatures at minus 20 degrees. st. louis, heavy snow is falling with forecasters calling for up to a foot of snow. some folks in st. louis are resorting to ditching their shoes in favor of cross-country skis, as you see right there, like this man in university city. we have more from mary bruce in washington. >> reporter: there's cold and then there's this. bitter, bone-chilling, freezing air sweeping across half of the continental u.s. an arctic blast plunging temperatures to lows not felt in decades. >> it was just getting nice and balmy, 7 below. >> reporter: wind chill warnings. 8 below in cleveland, 12 below in pittsburgh. it's so cold in chicago

i'm muhammad lila. john muller is off today. >> and i'm reena ninan, in for diana perez. we begin with the monster winter storm. it has the northeast in its grips this morning. here's a look at the radar, from d.c. all the way to maine, covered in a lot of snow. >> this is actually a collision of two storms. one from the midwest. the other, a powerful nor'easter, barreling up the coast. >> this is what it looks like here in new york. a winter weather wonderland in times square. six to eight inches of snow are expected in the big apple by this afternoon. >> meanwhile, chicago is digging out from under 18 inches of snow that have fallen since tuesday. but there is now a bigger danger. temperatures that could hover around zero for days. >> the blizzard conditions are hammering boston and its suburbs this morning. the national guard is being called to help. abc's marci gonzalez is braving the elements in massachusetts. marci, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, reena and muhammad. as you mentioned, it's not just the snow and strong winds creating such a big problem. fore

for "good morning america," muhammad lila, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to muhammad. >>> meantime, with more than 2 million americans joined the ranks of the insured, it appears obamacare could make things worse for emergency rooms. an oregon study shows the newly insured are 40% more likely to head straight to the e.r. the findings contradict the key argument that obamacare would help rein in e.r. visits and costs. >>> and californians from sacramento to hollywood are puzzling over an unidentified object they saw new year's eve. they say the glowing object hovered for some time. and then, zoomed away. the air force, of course, says it didn't pick up anything on the radar. they always seem to say that, right? >>> and to a shocking sight in new orleans, where number 11 oklahoma took down third-ranked alabama in the sugar bowl, 45-31 last night. the crimson tide were heavily favored. but oklahoma quarterback trevor knight passed for 348 yards and 4 touchdowns, completing 32 passes setting a sugar bowl record. good for him. >>> and finally, i thought this was fitting. here's an ice s

let's get to muhammad lila in new york's laguardia airport for us this morning.ood morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, david. i'm live in the departures hall of laguardia airport. all morning, we've been seeing a steady stream of passengers scrambling here. hoping their flights aren't delayed. you can see some of the passengers over my shoulder. new york, so far, hasn't been hit by the big blast of winter. that's not the case in a lot of other cities in america. let's look at some of the numbers. so far, more than 1,700 flights have been delayed. more than 1,100 flights have been canceled outright. express jet, commute air are meeting the deadlines. and united airlines. and let's look at the airports. no surprises here. newark's liberty international, chicago's o'hare, and cleveland international, the top three airports right now that are suffering from delays and outright cancellations. as for new york's laguardia, one of the reasons it's moving so well, people have told me they've come here several hours ahead of time knowing the storm was going to hit t

i'm muhammad lila in for john muller. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diane perez.orld news now." >> it may not feel like it out there, but forecasters say the extremely cold temperatures that have impacted millions will be moderating over the next few days. we'll get the latest on this historic cold snap from accuweather in just a few minutes. >>> one skier is dead and three others injured after a backcountry avalanche in vail, colorado. the man killed is the 24-year-old grandson of the founder of vail mountain. the three survivors who were trapped in the snow are expected to recover. >>> four u.s. helicopter crew members have been killed in a crash off the coast of england. the helicopter was in a training expedition when it went down in a marshy area. >>> colorado is having trouble keeping up with demand. sales are so brisk, they are limiting the amount of pot sold to users. those are some of our top stories on wednesday, january 8th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> good morning, my friend, how's it going? >> good morning. it's going we

. >> i'm muhammad lila in for john mueller. >> of course, a very big announcement, i think in a day or and john proves once again he knows when to take time off. >> absolutely. we are all envious right now. we begin with new details about the deadly plane crash at the aspen airport. >> because of winds gusting up to 50 miles an hour, the pilot tried a landing. on the second attempt, the plane crashed and burned. >> the jet came down at about 12:20 local time while trying to land, bursting into flames but charred wreck flipped upside down. recordings captured this transmission between the tower and airplane. >> okay, we'll turn back and do another approach. we still have a tail wind of 30 knots. >> runway 15 clear to land. >> roger, november 115. >> one person was killed, another severely injured. a third person suffered serious injuries. the local sheriff believes they were the only three people on board the plane. this challenger 600, it left tucson, arizona flying north on its way to aspen. it's not clear why the plane crashed, but landing in aspen requires a steep quick drop into a