here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: with performances that blend both joy and pain, the alvin aileyeater has become a cultural institution. over the years performing for a diverse audience of more than 25 million people around the globe. in an escapist culture, the ailey company makes you think and feel. with work often inspired by race in american society, sometimes it's heavy. and then as if knowing litsit lifts you up again. in 1958, dancer and choreographer alvin ailey created a home for dancers to explore identity and self-expression through their art. that legacy continues to this day as america continues to confront its own history with racial violence. >> you go, aahhh. that propels you out of your body. >> reporter: hip-hop choreographer rennie was commissioned for the ballet "lazarus" which celebrates the company's 60th anniversary. it's raw and unapologetic, a reflection of the african-american experience in ailey's life. >> he said, my work is about blood memories. i thought, man, that's crazy. how do you address these complex issues like racial inequality through dance?

zachary kiesch with another look at the pop princess. >> reporter: dua lipa, the jewi jewish-albanian her self titled album "dua lipa." "dua" means "love" in albanian. ♪ he's only calling because he's drunk and alone ♪ >> reporter: including this year's boyfriend breakup anthem "rules." ♪ it's going to look better in the morning ♪ ♪ you ain't getting by him >> reporter: the music video has become one of youtube's most watched of all-time. >> this is 1 billion. 1 billion. >> 1 billion-plus youtube views on this one. ♪ you say sorry >> reporter: her post-break u.n. battle cry "i don't give a" cemented her as one of spotify's most-streamed artists. on top of that she just earned two grammy nominations. >> thank you so much. because i couldn't have done this without you guys. >> reporter: we join the singer on tour in chicago. two years ago she performed here at the vick theater as a supporting act. >> i'm really excited about tonight. >> reporter: tonight it's her show. >> when i did that show, it was such a [ bleep ] deal for me. to get to headline my own one is crazy. ♪ >> reporter: sh

zachary kiesch, abc news, new york. >>> comedian pete davidson made a brief appearance on "saturday night live" just hours after police were asked to check on him. he introduced a musical performance by miley cyrus, mark ronson and sean ono lennon. just hours earlier he posted an alarming note on instagram writing, "i really don't want to be on earth anymore." >> that prompted a wellness check from the nypd. the post was later deleted. this has been a roller coaster year for davidson. his high-profile headline-making romance with ariana grande began weeks after it began. grande was among those expressing concern for davidson on social media. >>> all right. when we come back, the major, big, huge, sad announcement -- >> no, sad? >> mmm-hmm. from right here in this room. just moments away. >> so dramatic. >>> and the latest development in the cardi b/offset drama. >> cardi, cardi, hot tamale. >>> "the skinny" is next. >>> the skinny is next. 60% of women wear the wrong size pad and can experience leaks. you don't have to. with always my fit, try the next size up and get up to 20% better cov

. >> and i'm zachary kiesch. here are some of the top headlines we're following this morning on "world news now." >>> there was no warning before a massive tsunami struck indonesia. it was caused by a huge landslide into the sea after the child of krakatau volcano erupted. the first waves crashed ashore just 20 minutes later. >>> supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg is still in a hospital but a spokesperson says the 85-year-old is up and working. >>> jennie-o is expanding its recall of ground turkey, removing more than 164,000 pounds due to a possible salmonella contamination. >>> here is the true magic of santa. he is immune to the government shutdown. norad's tracker will still let you for him saint nick's progress. those are some of our top stories on this christmas eve. >>> from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> hundreds of thousands of federal workers out waiting to know when they'll be back to work but santa, we can still track him. >> we can trust. >> yeah. all is right in the world. we'll follo

abc's zachary kiesch joins us with more of this story. e game's top offensive threats, is gone. it took almost ten months for this disturbing tape to come out but within hours he was fired. this morning, one of football's rising stars disgraced and dumped by his team. pro bowler and second year running back kareem hunt was released by the kansas city chiefs friday night, this hours after tmz sports shared a video showing hunt in a cleveland hotel allegedly involving and kicking a young woman identified in police reports as abigail ottinger. ottinger, who police say suffered abrasions seen here on body cam talking to officers called to the scene. >> i was assaulted by a player on the 23rd floor. he shoved me. he pushed me. >> reporter: news of the incident broke back in february of this year. hunt was not arrested or charged by police. the nfl maintains friday was the first time seeing the video after trying but failing to obtain it. the chiefs say hunt wasn't honest about what happened that night writing, as part of our internal discussion

zachary kiesch with the details just now coming in. >> reporter: tonight, a north carolina conservation center is devastated after a 22-year-old employee was attacked and killed by a lion that was in the center's care. these images from the center showing the resident lions. police say, in a desperate attempt to retrieve the worker, the lion was shot and killed. the victim, alexandra black, was a recent college grad and intern who had been on the job for only two weeks. according to officials there, a professionally trained animal keeper was doing routine cleaning when the lion somehow left a locked area and quickly attacked black. the company website says the center is home to more than 80 animals and welcomes thousands of visitors every year for educational tours. in 2004, the center accepted 14 lions and tigers that were living in unacceptable conditions. jon, this lion is described as being typically shy and nervous. but there's an open investigation to determine what happened. and the center will remain closed until further notice. >> zachary, thank you. >>> we move on to the gover

zachary kiesch has the story. >> reporter: tonight, the two double tree employees at the center of this viral video that sparked outrage out of a job. >> i was racially profiled. >> reporter: jermaine massey, a guest at the portland hotel, started recording when he says he was approached by hotel security, telling him he's loitering while he was on the phone with his mom. >> he is calling the cops on me. because i'm taking a phone call in the lobby of my hotel. >> reporter: in the video, you can see him showing his room key. >> portland police will be here in a minute. >> thank you. call them. i'm waiting. they're coming why? why are they coming? >> to escort you off the property. >> because why, and i'm staying here? >> not anymore. >> reporter: massey telling abc news he thinks he was kicked out because of his race. >> when i left that hotel, i remember seeing the faces of the people in that lobby. and i felt like a criminal. >> reporter: tonight the double tree apologizing, tweeting the former employees' "actions were inconsistent with our standards and values." >> these situations h

here's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: tonight, nfl star kareem hunt breaking his silence after being fired once this video emerged, showing him shoving and kicking a woman. >> it don't really matter what happened. i was in the wrong. >> reporter: the video was first released by tmz sports on friday. the incident happened back in february at a cleveland hotel. you can see hunt arguing with the woman and then shoving her. she then hits hunt. later, he is seen kicking her. hunt and a group of friends say they first met the woman, abigail ottinger, that night. >> i was assaulted by a player on the 23rd floor. >> reporter: the former kansas city chief running back sitting down exclusively with espn. >> my mother raised me right. i know right from wrong. i'm asking for forgiveness. and i believe i definitely deserve forgiveness. >> reporter: local police were called to the scene, but did not file charges or make any arrests. on friday, the nfl claimed they began their own investigation into the incident immediately. but hunt says they never spoke to him directly. >> has the nfl ever questioned y

here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: wearing hania aguilar's favorite color, purple, mourners packed a local high school gym to say good-bye the 13-year-old girl was taken from her front yard and murdered last month. today, on the same day as her funeral, the fbi and local police announced the arrest of 34-year-old michael ray mclellan, in connection with her death. authorities say aguilar was waiting outside of her home to go to school when mclellan forced her into a family member's idling suv and drove off. the suv spotted on surveillance driving away after the kidnapping. >> just came and stole the truck, left in the truck with a child in the car also, a little girl. >> reporter: investigators say forensic evidence found in the suv and on hania's body led to mclellan who's already in custody in north carolina on unrelated charges. mclellan has been charged with multiple felonies in connection with hania's death. including forcible murder and rape. mclellan is currently being held without bond and is scheduled to be back in court on monday. tom. >> a horrific story, thank you, zach

here's abc's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: in north carolina, conservation center is devastated aftermployee was attacked and killed by a lion that was in the center's care. these images from the center showing the resident lion. police say in a desperate attempt to retrieve the worker, the lion, known as matai, was shot the victim, alexandra black, was a recent college grad and intern who had been on the job for only two weeks. >> we've lost a person. we've lost an animal. we have lost our faith in ourselves a little bit today. >> reporter: according to officials there, a professionally trained animal keeper was doing routine cleaning when the lion somehow left a locked area and quickly attacked black. the company website says the center is home to more than 80 animals and welcomes thousands of visitors every year for educational tours. in 2004, this center accepted 14 lions and tigers that were living in unacceptable conditions. zachary kiesch, abc news, new york. >> just a tragic story there. >>> the political blame game in washington is intensifying. ten days into the government s

here is zachary kiesch. >> reporter: nfl star kareem hunt breaking his silence after being fired onceo emerged showing him shoving and kicking a woman. >> it don't really matter what happened. i was in the wrong. >> reporter: the video was first released by tmz sports on friday. the incident happened back in february at a cleveland hotel. you can see hunt arguing with the woman and then shoving her. she then hits hunt. later he's seen kicking her. hunt and a group of friends say they first met the woman, abigail, that night. >> i was assaulted by a player on the 23rd floor. >> reporter: the former kansas city chief running back who played the first 11 games of the season sitting down exclusively with espn. >> my mother raised me right. i know right from wrong. i'm asking for forgiveness and i definitely believe i deserve forgiveness. >> reporter: local police were called to the scene but did not file charges or make any arrests. on friday, the nfl claimed they began their own investigation into the incident immediately, but hunt says they never spoke to him directly. >> has the nfl ev

here's zachary kiesch. >> reporter: this surveillance camera capturing the dramatic moment. a fighter jet crashing into the ocean during a military training exercise in hawaii. the pilot was forced to eject. and tonight, he has reunited with the man who rescued him, and likely saved his life. >> you can't ask for a better, more qualified person to be right there in an ejection scenario than mack was. i was the most fortunate person ever. >> reporter: navy veteran and now civilian contractor matt pothier, reliving what happened after ejecting out of a 1950s-era fighter jet. the aircraft falling into waters just miles from waikiki beach. mack ladner, a boater in the area, raced in to rescue pothier before his parachute filled up with water, which could possibly have pulled him under. >> i was seeing if he was okay and if anything was hurting. he was like, no, i'm just tangled in my parachute. >> reporter: it turns out pothier actually fractured his spine. but he says, on top of time with his wife and kids, he wants to be back in the sky. >> i'm just happy to be here. looking f

zachary kiesch joining us again this morning. >> good morning. >>> we begin this half hour with christmasians to part with the materialism of christmas and embrace simplicity, charity and love. francis also condemned the divide between the world's rich and poor. >> in bethlehem, worshippers attended a midnight mass ceremony at the church of -- >> president trump and melania trump were among those at a service at the national cathedral in the nation's capital. >>> and despite the government shutdown, norad is tracking santa in flight as he puts in an all-nighter for billions of children around the world, santa still has lots of toys to deliver, but don't worry, word on the street is he's stopping by your house pretty soon. >> he's not stopping by my house, but -- >> not your crib? no. >> maybe everybody else's. >> what i can tell you is it has not been a time for investors to celebrate heading into the holiday. all the major stock market averages fell at least 2 percentage points christmas eve as wall street tumbles towards its worst december since the great depression. >> the market chaos

abc's zachary kiesch is here with more. zachary, good morning. >> good morning to you, dan.ing a racial slur. and on the other side, a 17-year-old african-american student who has competed in more than 20 matches this year alone with no issues. this time he was given an ultimatum. cut the hair or take the loss. by this morning, the video posted online by a local reporter had been seen more than 10 million times. that's andrew johnson, an 11th grader from new jersey reluctantly agreeing to have his hair cut. >> his hair has always been like that, so for them to now bring it up is out of line. >> reporter: the ref, alan maloney, gave the buena high school wrestler an option, cut his locks on the spot or forfeit the match saying the hair violated athletic regulations. the student athlete's mother writing on facebook afterwards, hardest thing i've ever seen. he is good now, but that was brutal emotionally and physically. marco, a student, was in the gym when it all went down. he says -- >> many people in the crowd were definitely angry that they were cutting his hair. >> reporte

zachary kiesch joins us with this super fan's legal battle. ary, good morning to you. >> good morning to you, dan. you can't make this stuff up. this is what you call a diehard. russell beckman is his name. he has season tickets for both teams. that complicates things in chicago when the bears face off against the packers in chicago. >> aaron jones, he's in for the touchdown. >> reporter: green bay packers long-time rivalry with the chicago bears has reached a new level. russell beckman, a cheese head who took his fight to court, is center of it. >> i'm a packer fan. you have to claim your fandom. that's what i do. >> reporter: beckman is a season ticketholder for both teams, but his heart is with the packers. >> as a season ticketholder in chicago, i'm entitled to certain perks. one perk is being able to go to pre-game warmups on the field. >> reporter: back in 2016 the bears told beckman if he wanted to watch the warmups, he had to lose the packer garb, refusing to let him sport the beads for green gear from the sideline. he took them to cour

zachary kiesch has the story. >> reporter: this young african-american athlete comp e competed this whole that ended when a white referee, who apologized for a racial slur in the past, refused to let him compete until he cut it. this morning, new jersey's division of civil rights has launched an investigation. andrew johnson, an 11th grader was given an ultimatum as he stood ready to compete. cut the locks or forfeit the match. johnson reluctantly agreed. the governor of new jersey says no student should have to ne needlessly choose between his or her identity or playing sports. on limpk wrestler jordan burroughs weighed in. >> it's magnified because of how closely r identity and heritage dreadlox are. >> reporter: league rules state if player's hair is too long they can choose to wear a cap. why cap wasn't an option in this case is not known. people, including celebrities, want know what role race played. director ava duvernay tweeting, i don't just wear locs. they are part of me. a gift to me. they mean something to me. to watch this young man's ordeal wrecked me. the league will not as

. >> and i'm zachary kiesch.me of the top stories we're following on "world news now." >>> homeland security is making sweeping changes. this follows the death of a second migrant child in u.s. custody this month. now all children under the age of 10 must get medical checks and coast guard medical personnel have been sent to the border to help respond to the crisis. >>> a severe storm system extends over most of the nation's midsection, bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the south and snow and ice to the north. delays and cancellations are likely on the roads and at airports today. >>> the coast guard is searching for a cruise ship employee who went overboard about 200 miles off of puerto rico. the 20-year-old crew member from the uk was last seen entering a deck area on royal caribbean's "harmony of the seas". >>> today a crew will begin installing the t waterford crystals on the ball in times square for new year's eve. weighs nearly 6 tons. whoa. those are some of our top stories this thursday, december 27

. >> and i'm zachary kiesch. here are some of the top stories this hour on "world news now." >>> the secretary of homeland security kirstjen nielsen is traveling to the southern border today to visit facilities in el paso. nielsen has been under fire after is second migrant child died while in custody. >>> customers from new york to california reported outages. 911 service and some atms were affected. verizon also reported disruptions because of centurylink's issue. >>> a massive transformer explosion rattled new yorkers overnight when it turned the sky bright blue. the fire at a substation in queens delayed subway service and briefly shut down laguardia airport. no one was hurt and everything is back up and running. >>> and the ball that rings in the new year is all dressed up for the big night. the 6-ton device will be sporting some sparkling new waterford crystals as 2018 ends and 2019 begins. those are some of our top stories for this friday, this last friday, december 28th. >>> from abc news, this is "world

. >> and i'm zachary kiesch.ere are some of your top stories right now on "world news now." >>> a migrant child from guatemala has died in u.s. custody, the second death this month. officials say the 8-year-old boy was treated at a hospital in new mexico for a 103-degree temperature. was then released to only return a few hours later, vomiting. he died a short time after. u.s. customs and border protection say an unprecedented number of children are crossing the border during peak of flu season. the agency is now ordering medical checks on all children in its custody. >>> at least one person is dead after a small plane crashed into a residential neighborhood in sioux falls, south dakota. the person who died was on the plane. two homes were badly damaged. federal investigators are headed to the scene. >>> new questions about a hole that formed in the soyuz capsule docked at the international space station. a russian kosmonaut claims the hole was drilled from inside, suggesting sabotage. nasa says the astronauts we