as we come on the air tonight, the holiday travel mess. delays and cancellations now building coast to coast as we now track two storms set to hit before christmas. the treacherous driving conditions. also break iing news comingn now of a new christmas terror plot just this warted. multiple arrests. and we have new video of that truck plowing into the christmas market. the your jet international manhunt. tonight, ivanka trump and her family harassed on a flight. meantime, the president-elect tweeting about building up america's nuclear arsenal. the consumer warning, just before christmas. the furniture tumbling over, killing children. and tonight, news of a multimillion dollar settlement. and the battery fears. this device blowing up on this bus. and

the woman this week millions were watching. what we did not know. good evening. and it's great to have you with us here on a thursday night, just three days until christmas. and tonight, we are now track two storms hit, and this evening, delays and cancellations growing across this country. planes lined up. it's been almost 24 hours of lines at l.a.x. hundreds of flights delayed. paepgers stuck for hours with nowhere to go. the ripple effect being felt across the country. storms in the west and another system set to hit the east christmas eve. abc's david kerley, leading us off. >> reporter: holiday travel tonight on one of the busiest days of the year delayed. in two coastal cities and some in between. >> the flight was being delayed and delayed. >> reporter: more than an hour delay in new york, los angeles, phoenix and vegas, as well. the l.a.x. delays

construction is to blame, with rain contributing. >> it's been a pain. >> reporter: all during two of the busiest travel days of the year, in a record-setting holiday travel season. nearly 5 million to fly today and tomorrow to get home for the holidays. we're on the 27th floor of a skyscraper in downtown chicago, and this is united's command center, where they look at the weather, international and domestic flights, everyone tracked on a board. and green up there is good. >> is that thing ready to go? >> keep it moving. >> reporter: heavy volume and potential weather -- >> we'll have dulles take a look at it. >> reporter: keeping those airline operating centers on their toes. >> this room is here and tasked with trying to put the pieces of the puzzle back together and minimize customer impact ultimately. >> reporter: and david kerley with us tonight, and as you point out, tonight, tomorrow, the busiest travel days of the year. where are they most concerned tonight? >> reporter: well, it's the weather, david. weather this time of year is also the concern. the rain caused the problem i

construction. the concern tomorrow is in the midwest. chicago is going to get some snow. the question is, will it be heavy enough to affect some of the systems across the country? >> david kerley leading us off tonight. david, you talk about that show, those two back-to-back storms we're now watching tonight. one battering the west. one that will reach the east right before christmas. dangerous driving tonight. one person badly injured, crashing into a snowplow in new york. snow and heavy rain moving across the country from california, all the way to the east coast. here's abc's gio benitez on that front. >> reporter: twoonight, two monster storms in the west about to barrel through the country, bringing along winter weather alerts. snarling travel during the holidays. 18 states now under some kind of alert. in southern california, heavy rains. a dash cam capturing a driver in l.a. crossing several lanes, hitting standing water and almost crashing into the side of the road. further south in san diego, accident

crushed. a tractor trailer on its side. >> i know this is the holiday season, people are in a rush to get to places. please slow down, take your time. >> reporter: this driver stranded in flooding. the only way out, the sunroof. firefighters helping rescue the man. >> i'm glad i had a sunroof. i went out through the sunroof. >> reporter: the east coast not in the clear, either. look at these images from upstate new york. one driver seriously injured after hitting the back of a plow truck today. and we're told, a state trooper making his way to that crash site hit a patch of ice and hit a tractor trailer. incredibly, nobody was hurt. >> all of this as millions now travel for the holidays. gio with us now, with the west coast, the middle of the country, and then the east coast on christmas eve? >> reporter: that's right, david. it will hit the midwest tomorrow, right in the middle of all of that holiday travel. but then, it keeps going. and it will hit the east coast on christmas eve. just in time for santa, david. >> all right, drive safely out there. gio, thank you.

tracking this all. a wet and windy new york city tonight. hey, rob. >> reporter: hi, david. the good news is that these storms are moving fast. the bad news is, there's two of them, and they're pretty big. take a look. now into arizona, and hitting the four corners tonight. by tomorrow afternoon, mentioned snow in chicago and points traveling north. by christmas eve, day, up and down the east coast, you're going to be hit with heavy rain. plan accordingly. get out there tomorrow. resetting for storm number two, blasting the entire west coast from seattle to san diego, rain, wind, mountain snow, we're tacking twoun three feet of it. and by sunday night, a full-on blizzard for the dakotas. it will be warm in the east, but any sort of travel across the west will be difficult this holiday weekend. david? >> urging everyone to be careful out there. all right, rob marciano with us tonight. rob, thank you so much. we move now to breaking news coming in tonight of a new christmas terror plot just thwarted. multiple arrests in melbourne,

market terror in berlin. for the first time right here tonight, we're seeing video showing the moment the truck barrelled into that market, killing 11 people. we've now learned two americans are among the injured. a global manhunt for the suspect, a 24-year-old, and authorities today revealing his fingerprints were found in the cab of the truck. abc news learning the suspect was, in fact, known to u.s. intelligence. abc's matt gutman in berlin tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the first images of that truck barreling towards the christmas market. moments later, can you see people fleeing in panic. and now, prosecutors say they're almost certain it was this man, anis amri, who was driving, that he hijacked the truck, killed its original driver, and plowed into the market. they say his fingerprints were found on the steering wheel. >> we have his photograph. we have his fingerprints. and we have his dna. so, he can't disappear. >> reporter: overnight, police in riot gear

in an apartment building. no luck. abc news has learned berlin police s.w.a.t. teams have conducted dozens of raids. this is one of at least two train stations closed down entirely for hours today, because of tips received by police. it's a city on tenterhooks. german authorities facing tough questions about how someone long on the radar as a terror threat could carry out such a horror. tent, german public case "der spiegel" reporting amri was caught on a telephone wiretap offering to commit a suicide attack. investigators reportedly found his statement too, quote, "convoluted" to arrest him. amri, seen here in a self-shot video, had a long criminal record. arrested in italy for or ttorcha school used as a refugee center. germany tried to deport him in july, they kept him under surveillance, but only until september. the attack left behind crushed

including two americans. richard ramirez moved to germany from texas, was critically injured. his partner killed. russell schultz also injured, telling "the austin states mapp" he could see the dead around him, and ramirez sweeping in the street. and we just learned that australian officials say they have prevented a possible attack in melbourne, planned for christmas day. they've arrested seven men, they say, were self-radicalized isis followers who were planning a, quote, multimode attack using explosives and possibly weapons. five of those men are still being questioned, david. >> matt gutman and our team in berlin tonight. matt, thank you. now, to president-elect donald trump tonight, tweeting today about building up america's nuclear arsenal. vladimir putin talking about building up russia's nuclear strength. mr. trump today naming three key players to his white house staff, and kellyann conway with a major new role. and that picture, an

confrontation involving ivanka trump. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: she's expected to play a powerful role in her father's administration. >> my father and our next president, donald j. trump. >> reporter: but today, a frightening moment for ivanka trump. her husband and children with her on a jet blue flight when aides say a man began yelling. >> he was upset. he waukd on as soon as he saw her and he started shaking. he was visibly shaking. he was agitated. if i was security, i wouldn't take a chance, either. what did he said, you ruined your country. >> reporter: a professor claims it was his husband chasing down iv eye ivanka and jared kushner. and that's exactly what flight astep dapts did. secret service onboard, too, but not intervening. as ivanka was

off, her father took to twitter, write, "the united states must grately strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." that hasn't been u.s. policy for nearly 40 years. it came just hours after a strikingly similar statement from vladimir putin. russia's president saying, "we need to strengthen the potential of strategic nuclear forces." trump's move, an unusual case of an incoming president public by splitting with the current administration. but while trump is actively tweeting, he has not held a real news conference since being elected. today, abc news first to report kellyann conway, his former campaign manager, will be coming to the white house as counselor to the president. on "gma," david asking when we will hear from the president-elect. >> 44 days since the election, no press conference, and here's what you said about hillary clinton and her folks not having a press conference during the campaign. >> supporters are protecting her by not letti

press. >> george w. bush spoke a couple of days after. barack obama, three days after. we're at 44 days now. >> right, but let me say this. donald trump and mike pence have been forming their cabinet at a rapid pace. this will be a traditional white house in the sense that you will have a great deal of press availability on a daily basis and you'll have a president who continues to be engaged with the press. >> all right, so, kellyann conway, counselor to the president after the inauguration. cecilia with us live tonight. and you heard her talk about a traditional white house, that they will be taking questions from the press, and who will be the face taking those questions? >> reporter: well, we now know that name, david. a key figure in the republican party, his name is sean spicer. he's a former chief strategist for the rnc. he was a huge player in the trump campaign. now about to become one of the most visible faces in the trump white house. and i'll tell you, he's got a tough job ahead of him. he's got to be the press secretary for a man who has a notoriously hostile relationship with the media. david?

you. next this thursday evening, the dangerous discovery inside a house in florida. it started with deputies responding to a domestic disturbance. the suspect struggling with officers there, allegedly trying to grab their guns. the sheriff saying, while they were there, authorities found chemical materials that could be explosive. here's abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: police had responded to the home of sherif elganainy following an altercation with his parents. >> why does your room smell like chemicals? >> chemicals? no chemicals at all. >> reporter: but the report of a disturbing chemical smell was just the start. >> do you usually leave a straight blade knife in your pocket like that? >> reporter: within seconds, a fight erupts. >> get off me. get off me, man. >> we need another unit. he pulled on my gun, he pulled on my gun. >> reporter: authorities are investigating whether the chemicals found are explosives >> you look around the world and you see what happened in germany. we are treating this like this guy could have been a potential terrorist. >> reporter: sources say elganainy, who has a criminal record, may have mental health issues, but he

suggested that he was at least thinking about isis. >> mom made statements to our detectives that when he gets mad, he says things to her like "i'm a terrorist" or "i'm part of isis." >> reporter: david, while no clear terror ties have been found, authorities say the suspect had, quote, the potential to do bad things, unquote. david? >> pierre thomas tonight, thank you. to mexico this evening. the death toll rising from that devastating fireworks explosion. at least 35 people now killed in that blast at a market outside mexico city. some of the youngest of victims who did survive are now being treated at a burn center in texas. investigators now focusing on whether safety violations may be to blame for that explosion this week. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this thursday. the holiday health concern involving your heart. the new study out tonight with findings about what happens between christmas and new year's. also tonight, the deadly dresser concerns. three young children killed by falling furniture. the massive settlement just

announced, and you will see the test results right here after the break. also, the device exmroegd on the city bus. now raising new questions about the batteries inside these devices. and the duke drama tonight. the star player tripping an opponent. a tantrum on the sideline, and this evening, coach k taking action. a lot more news ahead.

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three families sued ikea, and tonight, their lawyers say a $50 million settlement has been reached. >> these were completely preventable accidents. had eikea made its furniture stable and safe like other manufacturers, none of these kids would have suffered the terrible death that they did. >> reporter: the tentative settlement comes just six months after 29 million ikea dressers were recalled due to tipping hazards. under the recall, customers could return some models or get anchor kits to secure dressers to the wall. tonight, a reminder. the government recommends securing all top-heavy furniture, regardless of brand. every 24 minutes in the u.s., a child goes to the emergency room because of a tipover incident. david, ikea says that settlement is not yet been approved by a court, and so, it can't comment at this time, but those families say they are glad to have the legal action behind them. david? >> linzie janis, our thanks to you tonight. when we come back here, the

new holiday health warning tonight involving your heart. what researchers have discovered tweep christmas and new year's. also, a wild police chase. the stolen truck suspect taking off on foot, swimming across a pond. you will see the takedown, right after the break. and then, the trip on the court seen by million, followed by the tantrum. the duke basketball star in hot water tonight, coach k not happy. we'll be right back. with my moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, the possibility of a flare was almost always on my mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go... and how to deal with my uc. to me, that was normal. until i talked to my doctor. she told me that humira helps people like me get uc under control and keep it under control when certain medications haven't worked well enough. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure.

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his tires destroyed when he hits a spike strip. he then makes a run for it, swimming across a pine and running through a golf course. deputies finally closing in. that suspect is in custody tonight. the drama involving a star duke basketball player, grayson allen, suspended by coach k tonight after tripping a player on the opposing team. the star guard earning a technical foul and throwing a tantrum on the bench there. it is the third time allen has tripped an opponent. coach k making the suspension after originally saying he wouldn't be swayed by public opinion. there is a new holiday study tonight about the possible health risks around christmas. higher rates of heart-linked deaths between christmas day and january 7th with victims one year younger than those who succumb to heart issues during the rest of the year. there are tips for reducing stress during the season, take time to decompress, don't overdo it at the christmas dinner table, and those with holiday alcoholic

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her. >> i started watching "jeopardy!" in the '80s. and i remember when i was in maybe ninth grade i tried out for the teen tournament, and i didn't pass the written exam. this year, there was the in-person interview in oklahoma city. who is so fee ya vergara? >> correct. >> what is israel? >> correct. >> i had no idea that that board was that huge if example. >> reporter: but as we would all learn, cindy stowell was battling cancer. stage four colon cancer. her lifelong dream of being a contestant on "jeopardy!" came true, and only alex trebek and a select few on the staff knew. she taped the shows in the fall. >> eve when you think the odds are completely against you, somehow, you know, be it luck or something, things can all work out. >> she wins $22,401 and now has a four-day total of $62,001. way to go. >> reporter: and it would grow. she would go on to win more than

her boyfriend sent out this message on december 5th, revealing, "in the early morning hours, cancer took the best friend, partner, and pub trivia teammate a guy could ask for. cindy died before the country would watch her and get to know her. >> it was kind of just a line in the sand that i drew. i wanted to donate a lot of the money to cancer research. >> 62,000 -- >> i am completely blown away by the support they've shone me. >> reporter: her boyfriend, her family, right there with her. >> it's been an unreal experience. >> cindy's hope of donating that money to cancer research inspiring so many, and of course, we're thinking about cindy's family tonight. thank you for watching here on a thursday night. i'm david muir. we hope to see you right here tomorrow. good night.

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