the prime suspect of natasha gibson who was butch evered in front of a friends house in september. >> we obtained a baseball bat and knife, both we believe were used in this brutal attack. >> they believe that gibson's killer was cut in the attack. and followed a two mile trail of blood and found the murder weapon in a storm drain and dna was put in a data base and preliminary tests matched alan's dna. >> we hope in the next few days we'll be able to get the confirming lab report in regard to dna and then we'll act accordingly. >> i am so happy right now. >> gibson's mother called the developments bitter sweet. tomorrow would have been her daughter's birthday and she is taking care of her 10-year-old granddaughter since the brutal slaying. >> we went through halloween and thanksgiving, my daughter's birthday is tomorrow and we have to do christmas, it's been rough. it's been rough. >> allen is behind bars and charged in the vicious throat slashing of a woman in port richmond in april. they are trying to connect alan to a half dozen try vai lent attacks and assaults in the area includi

dna linked him to the murder of gibson. gibson's mother calls the development bittersweet. it's been rough. i'm so happy now. >> police are investigating whether alan is responsible for a series of violent attacks in kensington. the victims were tortured, stabbed, tied up with duct tape and thrown in the river with cement weighing down their legs. one of the three survived. tamen lee was convicted of all counts on the haneest crime from 2014. the jury will decide if he will be sentenced to death. the case involved settling a drug debt. >> a female student is arrest in allentown for bringing a firearm to school. the girl had the firearm in her locker. nobody was hurt. in philadelphia, written house square is decked out for the holidays. >> with a flip of the switch, the tree was set aglow. the tree lighting ceremony included carolers and a visit from santa claus. the tree is 30 feet tall and illuminated by 5,000 lights. ♪ ♪ happy holiday ♪ >> the sounds of the season filled ronald mcdonald in camden tonight. residents and 200 others that benefited from the house were t

the brutal throat slashing of a woman in richmond and now dna has linked him to the murder of natasha gibson in september. >> we hope in the next few days we'll be able to get the confirming lab report in regard to dna and then we'll act accordingly. >> delaware district attorney jack walen says the motive is unclear and they suspect it may just have been a crime of opportunity as gibson was walking home from a bar to a friend's house on bailey street. the killer was cut and left a trail of blood and police found the suspected murder weapon in a storm drain and gibson's mother says her daughter was a loving mother who did not deserve to die. the developments are bitter sweet. >> it's been rough. it's been rough. but i'm so happy right now. like -- >> sources say that philadelphia police suspect allen is responsible for a half dozen other violence attacks in the kensington area, including the rape and murder of rickry morgan. and that allen has a long criminal history and spent much of the past 18 years behind bars for attempted murder, carjacking and other offenses. >> i thank god he is off

arrest warrants are issued for stephan gibson and helen grant. that gibson had a gun when they forced themselves into a home and they got away with cash and a mother and her newborn child were home at the time but they were not hurt. >>> crews were back in queenscil ab village to repair a water main that broke on tuesday. one lane is open to traffic right now and no word on when the repairs will be completed. >>> and still to come on "action news" at noon, two men are in custody after they hijacked a flight and the demands they were making as they threatened to blow up the plane and the authorities arrested man allegedly responsible for a road rage shooting that killed a boy in arkansas. and melissa magee is back with a closer look at the holiday forecast from accuweather. >>> malta's prime minister says two hijackers are in custody after they forced a libyan plane to divert to the airport. a standoff ensued on the ground for more than four hours. more than 100 passengers and crews were on the flight and all landed safely. and they were protestin

he was formerly charged today with the september murder of natasha gibson. it was a random encounter and that gibson did not know her attacker. >> killed her by slashing her over 20 stab wounds to her body and multiple stab wounded to her chest, face and neck, her neck was slashed open. >> police say that allen was injured in the attack and left a blood trail that extended to philadelphia where video shows him calmly buying a beer at a convenience store. allen is also charged with four slashings and six assaults in kensington and philadelphia police released photos of a possible suspect. >> we received numerous tips after releasing that. following up on the tips we were able to develop byron allen as a suspect. >> he was patrolled in 2015 after serving 12 to 15 years behind bars, the first of this set of crimes is he charged with occurred in april. and allen is now the prime suspect in a july murder of a woman named ricky morgan whose body was found in kensington last july. john rawlins, channel 6 "action news." >> john thank you. >>> in other news, crews ha

abc's ken gibson explains >> the russians are going, kicked out of compounds in new york and maryland allegedly involved in spying. the white house ordered expulsion of 35 russian impressive from the country. they will be starting the new year back home >> we have to leave within hours it's just not human >> moscow promised retaliation, but putin saying in statement we will not create any for sures u.s. diplomats, we will not expel anyone, then an invitation tputin welcoming all children from the u.s. diplomats to the christmas children's show at the kremlin. experts say it's spy versus sly. >> the goal of that message was not the obama white house. it's the incoming administration. >> reporter: the president-elect seemed to accept the olive branch tweeting great move on delay i always knew he's very smart. that praise drawing fire from the top democrat on the house intelligence committee who said putin is smart. knows he can get much of what he wants from donald trump through little more than flattery. donald trump yet to say whether he'll keep the u.s. sanctions in place, he'll beco

the da woman says the man is depraved having killed natasha gibson in a random attack with no motive beyond blood lust. >> this is probably the most dangerous criminally have ever seen in my years here in delaware county as the district attorney. >> investigators say allen stabbed gibson more than 20 times and slashed her neck. they say he was cut himself in the september attack and police followed his blood trail for almost two miles to a storm drain at 61st and baltimore in philadelphia where they discovered the murder weapon. in addition, philadelphia police say allen remains a suspect in yet another woman's murder in july. >>> the search continues all through europe tonight for the man who drove a truck into a crowd of shoppers in berlin. authorities have identified the suspect as tunisian national age 24. it turns out that law enforcement agencies had him under surveillance for six months earlier this year because of alleged ties to islamic extremists before they called off the operation. 12 people were killed and 48 were hurt monday when the truck plowed into a crowd at one of

. >> i'm kendis gibson. here's the top headlines. arctic weather moves northeast as cold temperatures linger in the midwest. many areas have wind chill advisories this morning as well. full forecast straight ahead. >> a shooter remains on the loose in a heart breaking case of road rage in arkansas. a gunman kills a 3-year-old boy in little rock. the chill was riding to the store with his grandmother. >>> four-day ban on drinking water in corpus christi has been lifted. test results show no c contaminati contamination. >> recalling style and glamour of zsa zsa gabor. >> those are some of our stories on this monday, december 19th. >>> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good monday morning, everyone. we start this half hour with hundreds of traffic accidents caused by this weekend's extremely cold weather. >> baltimore alone had three major accidents within an hour on i-95. one a firey 67 vehicle crash leaving two people dead. >> dramatic scene in baltimore. take a look again. >> goodness. >> incredible. throughout the midwest,

. >> i'm ryan smith in for kendis gibson. here are some of the top headlines we're following this morning on "abc news now." >>> nearly 40 confirmed dead in that massive warehouse fire and we're learning names of victims whether the fire could have been prevented. >>> the death toll in the gatlinburg wdf14. the latest victim, a woman who was killed in a multi-car crash as she was trying to flee. dolly parton has le standing rock tribe. criticism from some. >>> parts of the u.s. braci the season. temperature. the high in denver today 54. but in a few days it will be 1. those are some of our top stories on this monday, december 5th. >>> we begin this half hour with the latest from oakland. more bodies have been recovered from friday's tragic warehouse fire. >> the death toll has risen to 33. among the dead is a 17-year-old and there are fears that more teens may have been killed. >> while the search for victims continues, dozens of families waiting to hear from loved ones hope for the best. abc's danya >> reporter: questions gr

this morning, authorities in montgomery are searching for these two home invasion suspects, steven gibson was armed with a handgun when he and helen grant forced their way into a home an ransacked it the victim the suspect knew was home with her newborn baby inside. fun where they are, call police -- if you know where they are, call police. >>> a family suspected that their loved one was being abused by home health aid can get hidden cameras to help them. new jersey attorney general released video to show what the cameras can capture. officials in trenton showed off how the spy cameras are so small now they look like everyday items. >> it was a bike notice nans is a in south philadelphia. santa -- bonanza is a in south philadelphia. kids got a brand new bike. small ones for little kids and bigger ones for bigger kids. >> i'm going to ride it over the mountains and ride it near the city. >> i love that. >> the bikes were bought with donations raised by state representative gordon harris. >>> 4:57 a.m., we have more stories you didn't see last night. someone in a santa mask spread christmas

arrest warrants were issued for stephen gibson and helen anne grant. they got away with cash. the victim knows the suspects. she and her child were not hurt. >>> authorities want the public to keep their eyes out for this woman, sara packer is charged with obstruction and child endangerment in connection with the death of her adopted daughter. the body of 14-year-old grace packer was found in a wooded area in lieu certain county -- luzerne county. she did not cooperate with the investigation. packer was in custody for a month, the judge reduced her bail this week, if she is released police think they could be difficult to locate later. >>> president-elect trump is talking about buildings up the nuclear arsenal calling for the u.s. to greatly strength and expand the nuclear capability. the comment came a day after meeting with defense contractors. putin called for his country to strengthen its stockpile yesterday, trump has yet to explain his social media post. >>> the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing. 103 million americans are expect to do take a trip which would set

police just announced murder charges against byron allen for the death of natasha gibson in delaware county. she was stabbed and beaten in september. alan was previously charged in four other knife attacks against women in philadelphia and was in custody for the past several months. we'll have a live report in this case coming up later at 12:30? in radnor township, chopper 6 hd was over the scene of a water rescue this morning. a drever lost control and drove into a creek at 7:30 a.m. at saw mill lane. two people were trapped in the vehicle and fire crews were able to get them out and no word on their conditions or why the car veered out of control. >> turning to accuweather the fis day of winter is feeling a bit on the mild side. temperatures are milder today as we look live from our sky 6 hd camera. karen rogers has the first check of the forecast. feels nice? >> it doesn't feel bad as all for the first day of winter. we have lots of clouds up above and today is the winter solstice, it arrived at 5:44 this morning and that is when the sun's direct rays are over the tropic of capric

steven gibson and helen grant were taken into custody. police say gibson had a gun as the couple forced their way into the home on east broad street around 11:30. they got away with cash. a mother and her newborn child were home at the time but were not hurt. >>> a man captured on surveillance video is wanted for breaking into a philadelphia police officer's vehicle. this happened after midnight yesterday after the officer parked his vehicle on the 2300 block of coral street in kensington. the suspect broke the back window and took two bags. one contained the officer's riot helmet, rain gear and police issued polo shirt. the thief also took ammunition. if you know who this man is, you're asked to call police. >> well, the families of several fallen philadelphia police officers sat down together today for a special holiday meal. the christmas survivor's breakfast was hosted by the fraternal order of police at lodge five headquarters here in northeast philadelphia. it's a show of support to the families of officers killed or wounded in the

i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm marci gonzalez in for diane macedo. we begin with the brutal bout of arctic air. >> minus 22 in chicago. that's what people are waking up to. in d.c., 18. and here in new york city, 14. >> getting home for the holidays is proving difficult because of the weather. travelers forced to sleep in airports as thousands of flights are canceled. >> you can see the bags there piling up at denver's airport. nfl players and fans enduring temperatures below zero. the cold front is smashing records. and it's on the move. this morning, a fresh blast of arctic air. >> feels like i'm in the antarctic. >> reporter: the cold front breaking records in two dozen cities. travelers likely face a fifth consecutive day of wert >> got through security, then my flight got canceled. >> reporter: at denver international airport, people sleeping in the airport. frontier chance ms dozens of flights. blizzard conditions responsible for this 67-vehicle crash over the weekend. this lake michigan lighthouse captures how the weekend felt for millions of

murder charges. 37-year-old byron allen of philadelphia stand as accused of brutally murdering natasha gibson in yeadon and they called it a random attack and fits allen's pattern of stalking and attacking women and faces charges in four other slashes and sex assaults in kensington as well. he is also the prime suspect in another murder that happened back in july. >>> the manhunt continues tonight in germ nay for a suspect in this week's deadly attack on a packed christmas market in berlin. photos of 24-year-old anis amri. a poster is plastered across europe. he is a suspect and not necessarily the man behind the wheel at the time of the attack. we have more on the hundreds of tips that police are sorting through coming up at 5:30. >>> nearly five years after their daughter was capture bid the taliban, a pennsylvania family is speaking out now that a new video of her pleading for help is released. >> we waited since 2012 for someone to understand our problem. 31-year-old caitlyn coleman appeared in the video with her husband josh, and their two sons and who are now toddlers. they were kidnapp

i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm marci in for dianne ma said owe. > >>> we begin with the passing of george michael. >> we got the word overnight who said he died of heart failure at his home in england on christmas day. michael had not been ill. we have more on the pop icon's life and career. ♪ >> reporter: the stunning death of george michael brings a sudden end to one of pop music's most brilliant careers. he was just 53, his publicist said he died peacefully at home. he was one half of wham! his first solo album, 1987's "faith" sold more than 21 million copies and he enjoyed several hit singles. >> my music is reflected parts of the music that i listen to and some of my favorite albums would not be things that anyone expected. i know what my limitations are. ♪ ♪ >> reporter: his career included brushes with the law, overdangerous driving, drug use and public sexual behavior. >> i don't inhale any of that. it's dangerous. i don't inhale any of that. you give people music for years and years when you write. you tie yourself to more than one night. you tie yourself to their big event

i'm kendis gibson. >> have to get through friday. i'm eva pilgrim in for diane. >>> widespread snow and temperatures that are downright dangerous. >> yeah, let's get to the radar. snow is hammering the great lakes area. the lakes are still very warm and arctic air is sweeping across the water creating the perfect conditions for historic lake-effect snow. here is the scene overnight. this is binghamton, new york, central new york state. people there could see several inches by the time it is all over later today. now, the snow is causing some problems on the roads. this was the scene along the shores of lake erie as many as 75 vehicles in a pileup on interstate 90 year cleveland. >> and a major snowmaker is hitting the northwest. this picture tweeted out overnight by the national weather service in seattle. they say it's the first measurable snowfall on their roof in two years. all this winter weather coming in with a wave of bitterly cold air, some of the lows this morning, single digits and below zero all over the map as you can see

. >>> good tuesday morning, i'm ryan smith in for kendis gibson. >> and i'm diane macedo. transit stations in los angeles start under a heightened security alert. >> they're investigating a threat against the universal city red line station, an area popular with tourists. an anonymous tip was phoned in from overseas about some sort of detonation that was to happen today at that station. it's left many commuters shaken. >> it's scary. never know like -- usually there's never a problem on the train. >> i know i won't be on the train tomorrow. i feel like it is a dangerous situation and threats aren't taken seriously and hear about it after the fact. >> los angeles mayor eric garcetti doesn't believe the threat is credible and advises people to go about their day and plans to ride it today as a show of support. >>> overnight we learned the name of the ten more victims in that oakland warehouse fire from the bay area. >> just a few hours ago thousands gathered a few miles away for a vigil to remember the dead. that number is now up to 36 as three more bodies were pulled from t

i'm kendis gibson. i'm hoping you're staying warm. >> i'm adrienne bankert in for diane. >>> from upstate new york in oswego. blinding snow and wind. and to make marys worse, temperatures there are dipping into the single digits this morning. >> the folks up there are quite used to it. morning lows zero in chicago and new york city. it's not much better. everywhere in between and it's minus 35, can you believe that, up there in caribou, maine. >> i don't think i could handle that the problems on the west coast, rain and snow sweeping off the pacific. mudslides are a concern. parts of the sierras could get four to six feet of snow and angelica spanos has details. >> reporter: whiteout conditions and blinding snow cripples drivers in upstate new york. >> it's brutal but it's -- you get used to it eventually but, yeah, it's real cold out. >> reporter: a dangerous windchill and gusty winds making it feel like 20 to 35 degrees below zero in parts of the region. in vermont, the cold will draw skiers and board

i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm marci gonzalez in for diane. a swath of heavy snow blanketing several states canceling flights and causing problems on the roads. >> let's take a look at the radar. look how huge. a big storm system forcing weather alert notice 17 states over the past 24 hours and it's not dong yet. the snow moved east overnight making its way into new england. this morning, winter weather slamming states from the great lakes to the northeast. overnight, the storm reaching the boston area where a tricky morning commute is expected. the storm is dumping more than 6 inches of snow on at least 8 states causing major problems on the roads including this 33-car pileup in flint, michigan. in detroit, in passenger plane skidded off the snowy runway after landing. >> 724, we just went into the grass. >> all 70 on board are safe after an emergency evacuation from the plane's rear hatch. >> they did a good job of keeping everyone calm and getting us off the plane in an orderly fashion. people on the ground helping us too on the bus, off th

good friday morning, i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm mara schiavocampo in for diane macedo. we begin this morning with president-elect donald trump triggering fears of a nuclear arms race with a tweet about expanding america's nuclear capability. >> it does appear to be a major break from long-standing u.s. policy. his team scrambling overnight to clarify that he's not advocating the use of nukes but it follows a similar statement from vladimir putin about his country's own nuclear arsenal. abc's maggie rulli has the latest live for us from washington. maggie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the president-elect might be staying out of sight in his south florida estate at mar-a-lago but has twitter to keep him busy and in the headlines. the president-elect might not be in the white house just yet but he's already taking a jab at foreign policy. tweeting out, the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such a time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes. that hasn't been u.s. policy for nearly 40 years. it came hours afte

. >> and i'm kendis gibson. it is starting out to be a rough thursday for many. breaking news, the holiday rush is getting off to a rocky start with delays overnight at a major airport. >> gridlock overnight at los angeles international airport with people stuck in traffic jams and on airplanes. a ground stop forcing some flights to land at other airports. passengers saying they waited two hours on the tarmac to deplane. a frustrating start for many people getting to their holiday destinations. >> our pilot was telling us that it would be like another 20 minutes, he hasn't seen so much airplanes on one track in a few years so it took us a while to get to our gate but we're here now. >> the airport is blaming the delays on runway construction and the high number of holiday travelers. >> as you look at those images you'll notice the tarmac was fairly wet causing some of the declines as well for the area. l.a. getting quite a bit of rain in the san fernando valley wet roads were packed with holiday shoppers and travelers and fans and players at the poinsettia bowl i

arrest warrants were i should for stephen gibson and helen anne grant. the couple had a gun when they forced their way into the home. they got away with cash. the victim knows the suspects. she and her child were not hurt. >>> authorities want the public to keep an eye out for this woman, sara packer is charged with child endangerment in connection with the death of her adopted body. the body of grace packer was found in a wooded area in luzerne county. a judge rulessed her bail -- reduced her bail this week. if she is released she could be difficult to locate later. >>> trump is tweeting about building up the nuclear arsenal. he called for the u.s. to greatly strengthen and expand it's nuclear capability. the comment came a day after meeting with top defense officials and contractors. russian president vladimir putin called for his country to strengthen his stockpile yesterday. >>> the holiday hustle and bustle is in full swing. 103 million americans are expected to take a trip which would set a record. katherine scott is live at philadelphia internatio

. >> the da talking about the violent death last september of natasha gibson of yeadon, they say it was a random attack. and charged with the murder is byron allen of philadelphia. >> we know he killed her by way of slashing her, over 20 stab wounds to her body. multiple stab wounds to her chest and face and neck and her neck was slashed open. >> police say that allen was cut during the attack and trailed his own blood almost two miles from the crime scene in delaware county up to baltimore avenue over to philadelphia where the murder knife was discovered in a storm drain at 61st street and then on to a convenience store at 58th and katherine where surveillance video picked up allen picking up a beer. he is now charged with five slashings and sex assaults. the first one in april. >> a 45-year-old female had her throat cut with a box cutter and it was severe. >> allen is still a suspect in the murder of ricky morgan a woman whose body was found last july only blocks from the four other kensington attacks. >> reporter: so maybe more to come here. allen so far charged with five attacks all

take a look at emily gibson's submission. her take on her grandmother's gingerbread recipe. >> good morning, i'm emily gibson and i'm from sandy, utah. when i was a little girl my grandma and i would make homemade gingerbread cookies and even though she's not here anymore i feel like we're together at the holidays when i make them. most gingerbread cookie recipes are the same, molassemolasses, eggs. i put them into the freezer five minutes before i cook them. that's what helps them hold their cute gingerbread shape. merry christmas. >> merry christmas to you. we have gingerbread men for all of you, guys. august of you guys here in the audience. >> and the girls are here to get theirs a little earlier than everybody else. >> uh-oh. >> you want one for your mom and dad. there you go. >> everybody gets a gingerbread man and you can get the recipes. send us your videos and your recipes, we want to hear them to our website. >> all right, stay right there. we're coming up with our gingerbread house showdown. you don't want to miss

. >> and i'm kendis gibson. we're going to start the hour with the breaking news from the overnight hours. you did get the slow clap from jack. so that really means you're welcome. >> thank you, jack. >> yes. breaking news from new orleans that is coming in. that verdict. and a guilty one in the killing of popular former new orleans saints player. the trial of cardell hayes went straight through the weekend. >> it centered on the death of will smith who was shot and killed on april 9th after a confrontation with hayes. after nearly six hours of deliberation jurors convicted hayes of manslaughter. the details on the case now from abc's phillip mena. >> reporter: prosecutors calling this road rage shooting an execution. jurors hearing closing arguments in the killing of former new orleans saints star will smith. c cardell hayes shooting him eight times, seven in the back. smith's wife hit by gunfire too. speaking in his own defense, hayes telling jurors he opened fire fearing for his life, claiming smith attacked

i'm kendis gibson. >> we begin with the international man hunt in the berlin attack. >> looking for the 24-year-old, amri, been on the radar for months, suspected of having ties to islamic extremists. molly hunt is in berlin where the market was scrubbed clean and set to reopen today. >> reporter: a dragnet for this man, anis amri of tunisia, warning he could be armed and dangerous. his wallet and id found in the cab of the battered semitruck after he bulldozed through a crowded christmas market crushing stalls, killing 11, and injuries dozens more. he was long on the radar of german terror officials. this went out to international police noting he used six aliases in three countries. he came to germany in 2015 seeking asylum, but it was denied. officials concerned about his ties to radical islamists and allegations of petty crime. germany then tried to deport him, but he didn't have the paperwork to prove he was tunisian, and so he stayed. according to the a.p., german authorities had him under surveillance until september when they got a tip he was trying to obtain weapons. they searc

. >> i'm kendis gibson. the top story is the deadly winter weather now in the great lakes region. 75 vehicles may have been involved in a pileup on interstate 90 east of cleveland on the shore of lake erie. somehow, there were no fatalities. >> in central michigan, three killed in aup involving 40 vehicles on i-6. yesterday, new york got three feet of snow, more than all of last year. all the cold air moves east bringing the first freeze to major cities of the northeast. abc has the story. >> reporter: along the great lakes, the first major snowstorm of the year is reeking havoc for drivers. the mangled mess of up to 70 tractor trailer and cars on interstate 90 in erie, pennsylvania. >> watched the guy climb out of his seat. >> reporter: many right there as first responders raced to pull victims from the wreckage. roads going from clear to whiteout in an instant bringing wreck along the great lakes from ohio to western new york where snowfall was over 2 inches an hour made it hard to even walk. >> this is a

. >>> and then our own kendis gibson goes in search of food you can eat during a movie without disturbing your neighbor. silence, please, we'll actually see him take a bite of something. kendis is going to eat on camera, ladies and gentlemen. you'll see that one ahead on this wednesday, 21st. >>> from abc news, this is "world news now." >>> we start this morning with the deadly chain reaction explosion at a mexican fireworks market. >> at least 29 people are dead and dozens of others injured. the market packed with people shopping for fireworks in mexico city preparing for christmas and new year's celebrations. >> reporter: it looks like a cross between a massive celebration and a huge mistake. cell phone cameras rolling as commuters drove home just outside mexico city. the country's best known fireworks market exploding in a huge plume of smoke and flames. people in nearby neighborhoods could hear explosions as the fire spread, and the fireworks just kept detonating. back at the scene, people visiting the market scrambling, running to safety. in the aftermath, confusion and chaos. people

good morning, i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm in for diane macedo, and we begin the half hour with donald trump calling on the united states to expand its nuclear capabilities. >> it was a stunning remark. it came, of course, in a tweet, appearing to suggest departure from long-standing u.s. policy aimed at reducing the role of nuclear weapons. >> it followed similar comments from vladimir pew tip about his own country's nuclear ambitions. >> reporter: the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes. that's not been u.s. policy for nearly 40 years. it came just hours after a strikingly similar statement from vladimir putin, saying, we have to strengthen the military potential of strategic military forces. the move unusual, splitting with the current administration, but while trump is actively tweeting, he's not held a real news conference since being elected. abc news first to report his former campaign manager will be coming to the white house as counselor to the president. >> this would be a tradition

gibson. >> good to be here. >> glad to have you with us. i saw flo rida on the way out. >> the penthouse suite, as fancy as it gets, but the biggest attention getter is not in the room, but the outside views. >> you're in our gorgeous upper suite, which is 1,200 square feet. >> wow. >> yes, indeed. we have the largest rooms in hong kong. >> three times the size of a new york apartment. >> yes. >> reporter: at $5,000 a night, it's not cheap, but oh, the benefits. >> beers, soft drink, coconut water. >> champagne. >> coffee. >> and this is complimentary? >> no. >> reporter: every room with floor-to-ceiling harbor views, even the bathroom. >> and you can even watch television whilst you're having a bath. >> oh, my gosh. the hotel caters to your every need whilst in the room. asian breakfast, check. >> shrimp and pork for breakfast? >> yes. breakfast of champions. >> yes, when in rome. >> reporter: in-room manicure? check. hotels in the city of hong kong are built around beautiful views. across victoria harbor, there are no better views from th

. >> i'm kendis gibson. he's the topheadlines on "world news now," shocking news from london. top superstar george michael passed away at 53. his death being blamed on heart failure. he's remembered for megahits like "whisper," faith, "i want your sex," and so many more. updates comining up. >>> china calls it a routine exercise, but amid renewed tension over taiwan that beijing claims. >> a powerful earthquake struck chile, but little damage or loss of life. a few evacuated for fears of a sue nammy, but that was canc cancelled. >> shinzo abe visits pearl harbor, the first leader to visit the site of the astack. those are our top stories on this monday, december 26th. >>> from abc news, this is world news now." >> good morning, everybody, on this monday morning. we are going to start with the shocking news, 2016 has taken another legend. this time, george michael dead at the age of 53. dyi dying of heart failure in his home in new england. >> michael rose to fame as part of the duo what happens in the '80s before a solo career selling more than 100 million albums. we'll look b

. >>> good tuesday morning, i'm ryan smith in for kendis gibson. >> and i'm diane macedo.

"hacksaw ridge," that's the mel gibson movie that stars andrew garfield and also got a nomination this time for saving lives instead of slinging webs. "manchester by the sea," "moonlight" and "lion." >> casey affleck got a nomination and he's one of the favorites in that category. denzel washington up there also, i think the category that's loaded is actress drama. amy adams, isabella and natalie portman as jackie alongside jessica chastain again so a lot of movies in great shape and have to say the movies the top contenders continue to be the top. "la la land," you've got "moonlight" and you've got "manchester by the sea." these are deep, you know, powerful movie, not major wild -- >> "la la land" is -- i was going to say it's got a beautiful message but really is also very magical and takes you along the way. >> sweeps you away and love love when you watch it. >> i love the movie. >> ryan gosling not too shabby. in tv any surprises. >> well, always seems like there's something, you know, unusual being -- we have great performance for "black-ish" this morning. >> all right. [ applause

abc's kendis gibson is here with more on what happened on this flight. kendis, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. this was absolutely a wild scene. the flight rerouted, punches thrown, police forced to rm to the plane, far from your retoon cross country flight. >> hey! >> reporter: a midflight meltdown. forcing a delta flight from minneapolis to los angeles to turn around only an hour after takeoff. >> 2565, we have the authorities called. they should be at the gate when you get there. >> thank you. >> reporter: according to the passenger who took this video and gave it to abc news, it started when a woman seated in coach tried to use the restroom shortly after the delta plane took off. when the flight attendant told her to sit down, she and her partner reportedly began shouting. the captain allegedly came on the intercom twice warning them if they didn't calm down the plane would be heading back to the gate. the couple didn't listen. when the plane touched down back at minneapolis/st. paul the police stormed the aircraft but the couple didn't go q

rallied behind him including randy travis, jumping in to surprise the big music fan with a brand-new gibson guitar. also donating furniture to the family of seven. it turns out randy and his wife were old friends with the officer who first met the travis family while responding to a theft on their texas ranch a few years ago. i love those heart warmers. >> really great. seems like a really nice guy. >> he seems like a great guy. [ applause ] >> i think we're still more excited about the j. lo story. >> we're moving on. >>> finally the royal family is getting ready for big changes. prince william and kate middleton along with their children prince george and princess charles have plans to make kensington palace their full time home. they're looking into new schools for george after deciding to leave anmer hall in norfolk? >> who knows? >> let's move on. >> norfolk. >> it was just a name, kids. norfolk. leaving it behind for city roots and preparing to take on added royal responsibilities, quit laughing, paula, as william considers trading in his career as a helicopter public for more public