for "nightline," ryan smith, abc news, new jersey. >> our thanks to ryan smith for that report and ourks to you for watching "nightline" tonight. tune into "gma" first thing in the morning and, as always, we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com. thanks again for watching and good night. hey, the gears are stripped here. you let the kids play with this? yeah. yeah, the kids did that, dad. it had nothing to do with you plopping your jumbo can in there every day. ahh, there we go. hey. hey. hey. this is erica. well, hello there. uncle robert! hey, you little monkeys. hi. say hello to erica. i've heard so much about you. you must be ally, and... this must be geoffrey and michael. robert told me about the freckle patterns. there's an easier way to tell. geoffrey, raise your hand. that's geoffrey. actually, we were on our way to go bowling, but erica wanted to meet the kids. debra: hi. this is erica. hi. i'm marie, robert's mother. are you two dating? robert: ma... well, we just met last week. at emerson savings. wow, open a checking account, get a free girl. i'm going down there. sorry, i was the

for "nightline," ryan smith, abc news, new jersey. >> our thanks to ryan smith for that report and ourghtline" tonight. tune into "gma" first thing in the morning and, as always, we're online 24/7 at abcnews.com. thanks again for watching and good night. which means it's time thfor the volkswagens here, sign-then-drive event. for practically just your signature, you could drive home for the holidays in a german-engineered volkswagen. like the sporty, advanced new jetta and the well-craft all-new golf. if you're wishing for a new volkswagen this season just about all you need is a finely tuned... pen. get zero due at signing, zero down, zero deposit and zero first month's payment on select new volkswagen models. bulldog: bulldog: oooh! mattress discounters' $197 mattress sale! television announcer: get a serta mattress, any size, for just $197 each piece when you buy the complete set. the $197 mattress sale... bulldog: oh boy! television announcer: ...is on now. ♪ mattress discounters

>> ryan smith, thank you. >>> and now to the storm system we're tracking here this evening. bringing torrential rain. and we are watching this. take a look. this is a typhoon, seen from space this evening, unleashing an arctic blast that is now on the way. rob marciano tracking all of this. let's begin with thor if roam shus rains on the way. >> central and south texas, over five inches in some spots. mile nor flooding. for the most part, good news. they needed the rain. here's where it's going. combining with the northeast and stop the map at 10:00 a.m. heavy rains through philly and new york. a second system will bring in cold air, showery activity. northern new england could see a foot of snow. >> rain, snow and arctic air behind this because of the typhoon? >> in part, because it may very well trigger an arctic blast. it is miss japan. won't be a typhoon for now. it will explode into a huge store that hits alaska. that will pump up warm air west and that will send cold air in the east. >> not often that we talk about typhoons affecting us here. thank you, rob. >>> well t

>> reporter: ryan smith, abc news, new york. >> i love it, even tony romo was stunned.monday night. i hope to see you right back here for tuesday night "world news tonight." from all of us here at abc, have a good evening. good night.

here's abc's ryan smith. >> reporter: tonight, crunch time in the case of football star ray rice versus the nfl. the former baltimore ravens' closed door appeal to get back in the nfl wrapped up today, with rice and his wife, janay, who defended her husband at a news conference after the incident, testifying separately. >> roger goodell must show that what he saw in the video was vastly and starkly and completely different than what he was told by ray rice. >> reporter: sources tell espn that ravens executive ozzie newsome said today in the hearing, he heard rice telling goodell that he hit janay in a casino elevator. goodell said that rice's account was, quote, ambiguous. rice, initially suspended two games after beating his wife in an atlantic city elevator, then later banned after this video of the attack surfaced, is claiming double jeopardy. that he can't be suspended twice for the same offense. >> the credibility of roger goodell is at stake here. >> reporter: now the decision is in the hands of a former federal judge, barbara jones. we could see a ruling next week. and her decisi

>> reporter: ryan smith, abc news, new york. >> i love it, even tony romo was stunned.monday night. i hope to see you right back here for tuesday night "world news tonight." from all of us here at abc, have a good evening. good night. this is "jeopardy!" let's meet today's contestants. a database developer from monrovia, california... a dancer from new york, new york... and our returning champion, a training system manager from hilliard, ohio...

>> reporter: ryan smith, abc news, new york. >> i love it. even tony romo was stunned.monday night. i hope to see you right back here for tuesday night "world news tonight." from all of us here at abc, have a good evening. good night. >>> bay area businesses brace for the outcome. >> and university walk out, hundreds of uc berkeley students ditch classes to express discontent over a fee increase. >> and so long to the panda. the deal that lured him to boston. >> sky 7 hd is live right now in oakland a large demonstration against police violence is planned for tonight. >> we're moments from the announcement of a grand jury decision in the police shooting death of a ferguson, missouri teenager. good evening, i'm dan ashley >> the grand jury reached a decision and gone home and officials are just about to announce it. the question, should officer darren wilson be charged with murder or manslaughter of the death of michael brown august 29th? here is a live look at the court house in st. louis county seen crowds swelling in the past hour, take a look at this area. you've see

>> all right, ryan smith back on the case tonight. ryan, thank you. >>> and now to the storm system we're tracking here this evening. bringing torrential rain. and we are also watching this. take a look. this is typhoon nuri as seen from space this evening, unleashing an arctic blast that is now on the way. abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano tracking all of this. let's again begin with the ferocious rains on the way. >> central and south texas, over five inches in some spots. minor flooding. for the most part, good news. they needed the rain. here's where it's going. up to the northeast. it will combine with another system, coming through chicago and we'll stop the map at 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. heavy rains through philly and new york. then the second system swings through. that will bring in cold air, showery activity. winter storm watches posted for northern new england. could see over a foot of snow in some parts up there. >> rain, snow and arctic air behind this because of the typhoon? >> well, in part. this typhoon may

wonderful, '80s. >> i'm reena ninan. >> i'm ryan smith. happy black friday.eep freeze gripping much of the nation as southern californians celebrated thanksgiving in record 90-degree heat. northeasterners celebrated in the cold and dark. >> the cold snap isn't over yet. good to know. abc's gio benitez has the details. >> reporter: a biting cold holiday for millions across the country. in minnesota, windchills as low as 30 below zero. minneapolis seeing the coldest thanksgiving in three decades. from the texas panhandle to new england, residents waking up to freezing temperatures. that nor'easter dumping up to 20 inches of snow and causing countless wrecks on one of the busiest travel days of the year. about 1,000 flights delayed or cancelled. heavy snow also knock out power to residents across new england. >> we looked out here. the tree was down. took the wires down. snapped the pole in half. >> reporter: this family was already for their thanksgiving dinner when they lost power. crews across the region working to restore power to the hundreds of thousands w

. >> i'm ryan smith. how did your turkey turn out?> we have in one of our half hours automat hours, i'm going to be giving you an update. let's just say it involved calling the but irerball folks. now on to black friday. >> really? that's true, yeah. it's black friday now. and everybody is excited about getting to the stores. i had a great thanksgiving. i'll explain what the itis is later in the show. >> curious. >>> lots of activity still in ferguson. >> absolutely. >> this thanksgiving, in fact it was a quiet evening but protesters still taking a thanksgiving break. >> no police or national guard troops outside the police station. many residents spent yesterday trying to rebuild. abc's marci gonzalez is joining us from ferguson. >> good morning. there weren't any big protests here last night. people did step away from their thanksgiving dinners to come out, but for a much different reason. >> reporter: the reminders of this community's darkest days, now the canvas for inspiration. >> reporter: protests against the grand jury's decis

. >>> good friday morning, i'm ryan smith. >> and i'm reena nina

they are investigating claims of improper drug use, ryan smith has more. >> reporter: agent with theng secret raise on several nfl teams to investigate whether the medical and training staff were illegally handling and distributing prescription drugs to players. they randomly selected teams and spot checks sunday. it included 49ers, buccaneers and sea hawks. an unprecedented move which is dea said is an on going investigation into the potential violation of controlled substance act. agents went through 49ers staff and players bags, the team adamant they are clean. >> reporter: according to our sister network, the inspection were motivated by the allegations raised in the scowld pain killer lawsuit filed by former nfl players earlier this year. >> the pendulum was shifted from performance enhancing drugs to pain killers. >> reporter: they said the pain killers were handed out like halloween causing addiction and organ damage. >> we didn't know what we were taking at tiles. >> that was ryan -- at times. >> that was ryan smith reporting. no nfl player has been arrested and connected wit

and abc's ryan smith has the latest from washington. morning, ryan. >> reporter: good morning, paula. while some think ray rice may face an uphill battle to return to the field, one person firmly in his corner, his wife janay now speaking out for the first time in months, standing by her man and along with some of his former teammates believing he deserves a second chance. this morning, according to his wife, newly reinstated ray rice is ready to play football. just hours after winning his battle to overturn an indefinite suspension by the league, janay rice tells espn's jemele hill the couple has put their infamous elevator altercation behind them. >> she's very excited about the future that he could have in the nfl for him getting the opportunity to kind of regain from a playing standpoint some of the things he's lost. >> reporter: in her conversation with hill, janay questioned why he was cut in the first place. "i was extremely surprised and angry that the ravens released him. they were our family." while former teammates also seeme

ryan smith, thank you so much. it's really important, as he pointed out, that the owners are basically who roger goodell answers to at the end of the day. they hire, they fire the commissioner. >> absolutely. he has several bosses and they are the owners. >> 32. >>> a lot of other news breaking overnight and for that as always let's get it over to ron claiborne. good morning, sir. >> good morning to you, dan, paula, rachel, rob. good morning, everyone. >>> we begin overseas in turkey where pope francis is on a mission to bridge the divide between christians and muslims. abc's alex marquardt is in istanbul with more. >> reporter: good morning, ron. the pope has come here to one of the biggest muslim countries to try to improve the dialogue between the different faiths. his first stop here in istanbul was to the country's most important mosque, the blue mosque where he bowed his head for two minutes in what the vatican called a moment of silent adoration. this morning he gave a service to some of the country's tiny c

ryan smith, abc news, new york. >>> and now to the shooting rampage in texas.ral buildings in downtown austin. firing off more than 100 rounds before dying himself of a gunshot wound. tonight, we're finding out more about what may have triggered the shootings. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: tonight, people say this man is behind the mayhem in downtown austin seen here in this video. 49-year-old larry mcquilliams. allegedly unloading 100 rounds of ammunition in just ten minutes. the rampage started just after 2:00 a.m. near a popular area where bars had just closed. three nearby government buildings targeted. first, shots outside of the federal courthouse. >> firing at the federal courthouse. >> 10-4. they said they shot at the federal courthouse. >> 10-4. >> reporter: then, gunfire outside the mexican consulate. the building set on fire using these small camping propane cylinders. the blaze, quickly extinguished. the rampage continuing in front of austin police headquarters. there, mcquilliams encountering sergeant adam johnson, who was securing his two poli

abc's ryan smith has the latest. >> reporter: former baltimore raven ray rice and his wife janay hand in hand as they take on the nfl and commissioner roger goodell. rice wants back in the nfl. appealing the decision to increase his suspension of the star from two games initially to an indefinite ban after the release of this brutal beating video of janay rice. testifying for two-plus hours. he claims goodell can't penalize him twice and he told the commissioner everything about the beating up front. something goodell denies. >> it was clear there was an act of domestic violence, but it was inconsistent with the way he described what happened. >> reporter: yet another tough call goodell faces on domestic violence. minnesota viking stars adrian peterson was sidelined with pay from the nfl pending the outcome of his felony child abuse case for beating his 4-year-old with a switch but struck a deal tuesday. with that deal behind him, will goodell let peterson back in the game? >> commissioner goodell could decide you're going to be suspended but time served. >> reporter: ryan smith, abc

here's abc's ryan smith. >> reporter: that shocking video released in september of ray rice punching his then fiancee, janay, triggered a firestorm. nfl commissioner roger goodell upping rice's initial suspension for domestic violence from two games to indefinite claiming rice downplayed the assault in a june meeting. >> it was clear there was an act of domestic violence. but it was inconsistent with the way he described what happened. >> reporter: but in her ruling, a retired federal judge calling the nfl's additional suspension of rice arbitrary and an abuse of discretion. noting, "i am not persuaded that rice lied or to misled the nfl" even flagging the handling of previous domestic violence cases saying "rice's mishandled suspension speaks to their admitted failure in the past to sanction this type of conduct more severely." >> goodell knew exactly what happened and his reaction with the indefinite suspension was based more on public outrage than it was on fact and circumstance. >> reporter: when the assault happened back in february, rice agreed to a court-ordered domestic viole

. >>> good friday morning, i'm ryan smith. >> and i'm reena ninan. the holiday shopping frenzy in full effect already. oh -- there you go. you can hear it. that's the excitement and chaos of this video. black friday shoppers at macy's in new york city. >> a lot of people braved crowds after the turkey dinner. there were big deals and scuffles as well. here's abc's elizabeth hur. >> reporter: for some, this is precisely why heading out on black friday is a no-go. this playing outside inside a houston walmart overnight, a fight over tv ending with the police separating the zealous shoppers. but for die hard bargain hunters, nothing gets between them and the dpeems and with more stores opening earlier, thanksgiving day sales will rise to $2.6 billion this year. >> we'll sell more tvs this year than ever before. >> reporter: kohl's opening at 6:00 p.m. yesterday, offering a 32-inch tv for $99. and staples, $99 got you an asua laptop. >> shopping tonight and tomorrow. >> reporter: iowa from pennsylvania, these early bird shoppers call this their new tradi

ryan smith hasíoo cf1 >> reporter: crunch time in the case of ray rice versus the nfl.the former baltimore ravens closed door appeal to get back in the nfl wrapped up with rice and his wife janay who defend her husband at a news conference after the event testifying separately. >> roger goodell must show what happened in that video and what he saw was vastly and starkly and different from what he was told by ray rice. >> reporter: the ravens executive ozzie newsome said he heard rice telling goodell he hit janay in a casino elevator. goodell had said that rice's account was ambiguous. rice, initially suspended two games after beating his wife in an atlantic city elevator, then later banned after this video of the attack surfaced. he's claiming double jeopardy. that he can't be suspended twice for the same offense. >> now the decision is in the hands of a former federal judge, barbara jones. her decision could come as early as next week. when it does, it could be the defining moment for roger goodell and the nfl on the issue of domestic violence. ryan smith, abc news, ne

. >> i'm ryan smith. we begin with the nasty winter storm making a mess of thanksgiving plans across the northeast. >>> northern new england is getting slammed with more than a foot of snow. knocking out power to hundreds of residents. >> a travel nightmare for much of the east coast as millions took to the roads and skies of the more from abc's elizabeth hur. >> reporter: the game plan, simple, plan ahead and leave early. sounds easy enough but when millions of travelers have the same idea and add to the mix a nor'easter, you guessed it, holiday headaches were inevitable. >> it's rough because we keep getting texts it's delayed so i'm hoping we can get out. >> reporter: in the air hundreds of flights were canceled and thousands delayed. new york airports hit the hardest causing a ripple effect across the country. on the ground, heavy snow snarled traffic and the roads were littered with accidents just west of the i-95 corridor. >> we're urging motorists to drive with additional care and allow more time t

abc's ryan smith. >> reporter: it's the melee dominating the racing world tonight.at's nascar icon jeff gordon, lunging at racing champ brad keselowski after keselowski's car slammed into gordon's on a texas track sunday night, spinning him out. look again. after the race, gordon rushes to keg low ski's car, barking at him. grabs his collar, the crowd noise builds -- an all-out brawl ensues. sweeping up the drivers, afterwards, gordon, a 20-year veteran of the racetrack, lashing out at his competitor. neither driver backing down. >> he's just a [ bleep ]. >> i didn't want to ruin anyone's day. i wanted to win the race and that was our opportunity. >> reporter: keslowski posting this week last night "you either take the gap or regret it forever." nascar fights are nothing new. this is keselowski's second in the last month. is this all just theater or are these emotions real? >> what you're witnessing is authentic. the drivers, in my opinion have never been under more pressure. >> reporter: pressure added by nascar's new racing format, introduced amidst sagging rating

ryan smith now. >> reporter: game night, the 49ers celebrating a big win over the giants. >> and the 49ers will hold on to win it. >> reporter: heading to the airport, when the dea swooped in. pulling the team's doctors into a room. the spokesperson seemingly caught off-guard. >> they are random checks to team physicians as they travel to see if anyone is carrying controlled substances. >> reporter: 200 miles away in maryland, a similar drama under way. the buccaneers' medical staff questioned at the airport. and the dea, surprising more traveling teams. the seahawks, the lions, the bengals. >> you have to wonder if the actions on sunday were making up for inaction for years on nfl sundays. >> reporter: this, after 500 former players suing the nfl for handing out medication like candy on halloween. players like super bowl winner richard dent, telling abc he was pumped with drugs after a foot injury. >> when you look at it, long term, it's all about getting you back to work, getting you to win and play games. >> reporter: the dea is calling last night's searches routine investigations

ryan smith at the ravens game today. >> reporter: with big games playing out across the nfl with the playoffs on the line, tonight, the former all-pro ray rice is still a man without a team -- for now. eligible to sign with any club after winning his case against the nfl friday, espn now reporting four teams have shown interest in the super bowl-winning running back. but none are likely to pick him up this season. this weekend, rice's wife, janay, standing by her husband, speaking out about that brutal attack in the elevator. >> in my heart in knew that our relationship wouldn't be over. because i know that this isn't us, and it's not him. >> reporter: at the raf ens the game today, sprinkling of fans wearing his jersey. >> you see one more who is reinstated. don't agree with that. >> i don't agree with what he did. and he got punished and let him make his money. >> reporter: he wouldn't be the first star to come back. michael vick served 21 months for dog fighting and still plays with the jets. still, rice has a long way to go. >> teens will look at that and say that video is too mu

i'm ryan smith. >>> good morning i'm ryan smith. >> here's the top headlines we're following this morningbeen a relatively quiet night in ferguson, missouri, as the national guard patrols the streets. there were arrests in los angeles and other cities as demonstrators continue to protest against the grand jury decision. >>> rough start to the thanksgiving holiday, a powerful winter storm that unleashed rain, sleet, and heavy snow has knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of people. mostly in new england. >>> surveillance video shows a gunman taking one of three hostages in an oklahoma office building earlier this month. negotiators were able to end the drama after about four hours with everyone getting out safely. >>> and smoking in the u.s. is now at its lowest rate on record. less than 18%, that's 3% less than just eight years earlier, but it appears we're not going to make the goal of 12% by 2020. some of the top stories on this thanksgiving day. ♪ >>> from nbc news, this is world news now. >>> well, good happy thanksgiving everyone, i'm rita ninen. >> and i'm ryan smith. great th

and ryan smith is here with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, they have been battling over whether the player was fully transparent about the elevator attack in february. but now an arbitrator, siding with rice over the kmiscommissi, clearing way for him to return. this orning, former baltimore ravens star ray rice allowed back into the nfl. this after a retired federal judge ruled they were wrong to boot him in the sidelines after the release showing him hitting these then-fiancee in an elevator. a huge blow to roger goodell who said they didn't tell the whole story. >> it was clear there was an act of domestic violence. but inconsistent with the way he said it happened. >> reporter: the judge called it arbitrary. i'm not persuaded he lied to or misled the nfl. and slamming the previous cases, saying they are admitting to failure in the past to sanction this type of conduct more severely. speaking out after the decision, rice, through his lawyers, saying in a statement, i will continue working hard to improve myself and be the best husband, father and friend while giving back to m

abc's ryan smith with the details. >> is this an emergency?dland, ten days before christmas last year. she and her husband dustin shopping together at the upscale short hills mall in new jersey when the unthinkable happened. >> i'm at the short hills mall parking lot. my husband has been shot. >> reporter: shot dead. new surveillance tape showing they might have scouted the mall, searching for prey. holiday shoppers. >> i want people to realize that, at least as of now, it's not safe to shop at every mall. >> reporter: this shows the suspect's dark suv three days before the carjacking in the mall's parking lot. it follows this white range rover right past the entrance. and then on the night dustin friedland was killed, that same suv lurking in the lot before driving to the friedland's car. minutes later, that suv speeding off with the friedland's stolen range rover right behind. four men now charged pleading not guilty and jamie friedland suing the mall saying it wasn't safe. her lawyer giving us that take. >> there's no police, no security, n

abc's ryan smith with the story. >> reporter: game night.ebrating a big win over the giants. >> and the 49ers will hold on to win it. >> reporter: heading to the airport when the dea agents swoop in, pulling the team's doctors into a room. the 49ers spokesman seemingly caught off guard. >> they are random checks to team physicians as they travel that -- to see if anyone is transporting controlled substances across the lines. that's all the information we have. >> 200 miles away in maryland, a similar postgame event under way. the tampa bay buccaneers stopped by federal agents at the airport. their medical staff questioned. as the night goes on, the de a surprising more traveling teams. the seattle seahawks. the detroit lions. the cincinnati bengals. >> you have to wonder to what extent the dea's actions were making up for inaction for years on nfl sundays. >> reporter: the unannounced inspections coming as players sue the nfl for allegedly handing out painkillers like candy at halloween. players like richard dent telling abc he was pumped wi

and ryan smith is here with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, they have been battling over whether the player was fully transparent about the elevator attack in atlantic city in february. but now an arbitrator, siding with rice over the commissioner, clearing the way for the former star to return to the game. this morning, former baltimore ravens star ray rice allowed back into the nfl. this after a retired federal judge ruled the league was wrong to indefinitely boot the nfl pro from sidelines after the release of this video showing him hitting his then-fiancee in an elevator. a huge blow to roger goodell who said rice didn't tell the league the whole story. >> it was clear there was an act of domestic violence. but inconsistent with the way he described how it happened. >> reporter: the judge called it arbitrary. saying it's not true. and noting that i am not persuaded that rice lied to or misled the nfl. and slamming the previous cases, saying that rice's mishandled punishment speaks to their admitted

. >> i'm ryan smith. we begin with the nasty winter storm makin

ryan smith is here. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: good morning, robin.ust as a handful of nfl teams were getting ready to head home, they got flagged by the dea, random senchs of medical and training staff bags looking to see if they were running afoul of the law. overnight, agents of the dea doing secret raids on several nfl teams to see if the training staffs were illegally handling and distributing prescription drugs to players. dea searches included san francisco 49ers, tampa bay buccaneers, and seattle seahawks. the dea says the move is part of an ongoing investigation into potential violations of the controlled substances act. after their win against the new york giants, agents went through 49ers staff and players' bags. the team adamant they're in the clear. >> we have medicines used for our players. >> reporter: these inspections were motivated by al gagss made in the so called painkiller lawsuit. >> the pendulum has shifted. >> reporter: more than 1200 former players are suing the nfl saying pain killers were quote handed out like candy at hallo

ryan smith is here, has the latest for us. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: good morning, robin. you know this, at championship time, it's on. if you think the guy whose collision propted the melee is going to back off, you're wrong. he says he races hard and it's nothing to be ashamed of. jimmie johnson got the win. this morning, it's this brawl -- after the race -- that's got everyone talking. nascar superstar jeff gordon going after former print cup champ brad keselowski after keselowski's number 2 car collided with gordon's number 24, spinning him out. >> a spin here. >> reporter: take a look. gordon screams at hez low ski. then grabs his collar. and listen. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: the crowd noise swells. a scrum ensues. fists flying. the racers disaippearing in the melee. moments later, keselowski emerges. gordon didn't mince words. >> he's just a dip [ bleep ]. the way he races, i don't know how he won a championship. >> reporter: keselowski being known adds bad boy in nascar circles. the second post race fight in four weeks. last time, it was matt kenseth, jum