as we come on the air, holiday travel at a standstill. long delays at some of the nation's busiest airports. the dangerous drive home. and the one-two winter weather punch still on the way. breaking right now, carrie fisher suffering a heart attack. what we've just learned. the christmas terror alert. the new warning tonight. isis targeting american churches. the growing furor over donald trump's words on nuclear weapons. is the president elect doubling down on beginning an arms race? and the christmas letter he received from vladimir putin. why he calls it "very nice." and, still not done with your holiday shopping? don't worry. even the biggest procrastinators still have time.

we will tell you exactly how much. good evening. it's great to have you with us on this busy friday night. i'm cecilia vega in for david. and we're tracking back-to-back storms sweeping across the country as a record number of travellers are on the road and in the air. this is the scene in los angeles today, in denver, the security lines, painful. and in new york, brace yourselves. cars sliding off the roads in new mexico. and weather alerts across 23 states. snow and heavy rain from california to massachusetts. david kerley starts us off tonight.

>> reporter: for some tonight, the holiday road home is a blizzard of snow and ice, with a wreath to keep the spirit in iowa. it's flooding out west. california, hit hard by rain. rescuers pulling people from the water. starting today, more than 93 million americans expected to hit the roads through the new year. and some of the nearly 2 1/2 million flying today, delayed. part of it that rain again. both san francisco and los angeles suffering the most significant delays, averaging more than an hour and a half in the bay area. >> we got here early to try and beat this. >> reporter: and los angeles, 90-minute delays, too. >> we are going to miss our flight. >> reporter: l.a.x. has been plagued with problems for days. the rain, heavy crowds, and construction on its runways. taking longer for jets to get to and from the gate. backing up planes, and people. >> this line is hideous. it's got to be, i don't know, 1,000 yards long. the good thing is, our flight is delayed. >> reporter: the airlines say they added 100,000 seats this holiday season to help get travelers home. >> and david joins us from a

very busy reagan national airport in washington. for those suffering through these delays, how long are we talking? will they make it home tonight? that's what everyone wants to know. >> reporter: if they're flying out of san francisco or los angeles, it's going to be problematic. big delays, about 2,500 flights delayed today. >> thank you. let's get to rob marciano, with your eye on two different storms tonight. >> we've been tracking these for a couple days, and they're just as potent as forecast. chicago, milwaukee. by the time it gets to detroit and pittsburgh, to boston, heavy rain. christmas eve, a blizzard warning posted for the west

coast. and the christmas day blizzard, the east side will be pumped up warm. mixed reviews on that front. >> thank you. and breaking news in the west, a midair medical emergency for carrie fisher, famous for her roles in the star wars movies. suffered a massive heart attack on the way from london to l.a.x. david wright with the news coming in at this hour. >> reporter: a medical emergency at 30,000 feet for actress carrie fisher. >> united 935 heavy, i need the nature of the medical emergency. >> reporter: the united airlines flight from london to los angeles was just about to land at noontime today, when fisher suffered a massive heart attack. >> we have some passengers, nurses assisting the passenger. we have an unresponsive passenger. so they're working on her right now. >> reporter: a fellow passenger,

actress anna akana, tweeted, "don't know how else to process this but carrie fisher stopped breathing on the flight home. hope she's gonna be okay." by 12:15 p.m., the l.a. fire department performed cpr and transported her to a local hospital. >> darth vader. >> reporter: carrie fisher is, of course, best known as princess leia in the "star wars" trilogy, a role she reprised in last year's new installment, "the force awakens." she talked with david after the movie came out. >> at one point, you said, i'd rather play han solo. >> that's the best character. i'm glad the female can yell at the men. you came in that thing? >> reporter: fisher, the daughter of debbie reynolds and eddie fisher. she was in london as part of a book tour. >> reporter: we're hearing reports of the crew jumping into

action? >> that's right. the passengers were impressed, saying the crew flew into action, and doctors and nurses helped, fellow passengers. and new warning, isis listing thousands of churches as possible targets, urging followers to attack them on the christmas holiday. here's pierre thomas. >> reporter: tonight, police warning that isis is calling on sympathizers to attack churches over the holiday. while the bulletin makes clear authorities have not identified any specific plot against any specific church, but the list

provides them with possible target ideas. >> people inspired by terrorist ideologies, but operate independent of a terrorist organization. >> pierre, what are they reacting to here? >> reporter: isis using social media to put out a hit list of churches to attack. and everyone is on high alert, given what just happened in germany. and donald trump's tweet igniting an uproar. today, suggesting he is in favor of a new arms race. also sharing a very nice christmas letter from vladimir putin. here's mary bruce. >> reporter: today, the president-elect teeing off with tiger woods, leaving the world to wonder whether he is

reigniting a nuclear arms race. it seemed to start with this. vladimir putin vowing thursday to "strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces." hours later, trump took it up a notch. tweeting, "the united states must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes." expanding the nuclear arsenal would upend four decades of u.s. policy, and flies in the face of what trump himself said in the campaign. >> the biggest problem we have today is nuclear proliferation. >> reporter: today, newly-named white house press secretary sean spicer scrambling to explain. >> other countries need to be put on notice that he is not going to sit back and allow them to undermine our safety, our sovereignty. >> reporter: but spicer was definitive, saying there is not going to be an arms race. in a phone call with cable news host mika brzezinski, the president-elect saying something very different. >> and the president-elect told you what? >> let it be an arms race. we will outmatch them at every pass. >> reporter: tonight,

frustration from experts in nuclear weapons. >> you don't screw around with nuclear policy on twitter. every word matters. these words are rippling around the globe and this is how arms races start, with a war of words. >> reporter: now putin is weighing in, saying, "it's not us who have been speeding up the arms race." and later today, perhaps seeking to dial down the tension, trump releasing what he called a "very nice" letter the russian president sent him last week. putin extending his "warmest christmas and new year's greetings," adding he hopes they can act in a "constructive and pragmatic manner." >> and mary joins us from washington now. the president-elect isn't just tweeting about nuclear weapons. he's also wading into a battle over israel, playing out in real time at the united nations? >> reporter: the united nations security council passed a resolution for building

settlements today. obama pressured them to veto the resoluti resolution. but trump saying things will be different after january 20th. >> thank you. and we want to head overseas, the hijacking drama unfolding on live television. hijackers threatening to blow up a plane with 117 people onboard. the hijackers released their hostages unharmed, and also surrendered peacefully. now to the latest in the deadly christmas market terror attack. today, the suspect killed in the streets of italy after a shootout with police. officers in milan stopped him for a routine i.d. check. the suspect on the run for more than three days. matt gutman, on the suspect

cris-crossing europe. >> reporter: tonight, this haunting video. calling the leader of isis the prince of the faithful. authorities believe he recorded it days before he drove this massive semi truck through the christmas market in berlin. this morning, gunned down by italian police after slipping through the borders of at least three different countries. crossing from germany to france, to italy and milan. at 1:00 a.m., there were no more trains going to the town where he was killed. so, the question is, how did he get there and why? two police officers noticed him

alone, and asked him for i.d. then he pulled a gun and fired. one officer, hit in the shoulder. the other, a trainee, shooting back killing the fugitive. and there are still questions. did he have accomplices, was he planning to meet someone? today, forensics teams on the ground searching for clues. angela merkel crediting european cooperation for stopping him. >> matt, thank you. also tonight, we're learning more about a foiled terror plot in australia. four suspects charged with planning multiple christmas day attacks in melbourne. prosecutors saying they were inspired by isis.

and back here at home, in ft. worth, texas, tonight, growing backlash over the arrest of a mother called police for help, and ended up on the ground in handcuffs. tonight, the police chief with sharp words about that officer's actions. here's phillip mena. >> you don't have the right to grab and choke nobody's son. >> reporter: jacqueline craig is telling a ft. worth cop that a neighbor has choked her 7-year-old son for littering. but it's the officer's next question that has sparked outrage. >> why don't you teach your son not to litter? >> it doesn't matter if he did or didn't. it doesn't give him the right to put his hands on him. >> why not? >> because he don't! >> reporter: tensions escalate fast. >> don't grab her! don't grab her! >> reporter: craig's daughter shot the video, which appears to have breaks.

today, craig has a message for police. >> it was not fair to degrade me as a parent. it was not fair what you did to my children. you degraded your profession, period. >> the officer was rude. this is not the way we do things here. >> reporter: tonight, that officer has been pulled from duty. while investigators review the case. >> thank you. there are new developments in the road rage killing of a 3-year-old boy, shot while riding in the backseat of his grandmother's car. the suspect surrendering, pleading not guilty. he fired into the car, he's being held without bail. and there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight." this little boy dangling from

the ski lift. the ski patrol coming to help him. and procrastinateors, there's help for you. and the rockettes, talking about an inauguration day performance for donald trump. he and the rockettes, talking about an inauguration day performance for donald trump.

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keeping with tradition, staying open late, until 9:00 p.m. christmas eve. and for a new tradition, amazon's got you covered with their "procrastinator's delight," where if you live in any one of their more than 30 metro areas, you can order on amazon now up until 9:45 p.m. on christmas eve and get your gifts by midnight. and here at best buy tonight, it's crowded. these are shoppers on a mission. they're offering select mac books, $200 off, as well as other deals. >> thank you. when we come back, the little boy dangling from a ski lift. plus, why this college football star is issuing a tearful apology less than two weeks before his bowl game. and the rockettes, why not everyone is jumping at the chance to dance for donald trump's inauguration. card from capital one. why i havh

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and a star college football player making an emotional apology. joe mixon addressing a 2014 altercation in which he struck a woman. >> it's never, never, never okay. never, never okay to retaliate and hit a woman. >> that apology, coming after video showing mixon punching the woman. he's scheduled to play in the sugar bowl against auburn. and a frightening scene on the ski slopes, a little boy dangling from the chair. he was stuck for several minutes, the ski patrol ultimately raising a ladder, helping him down. he was okay. and a rockettes rebellion over an inauguration day performance.

after reports that some dancers were outraged after allegedly being told they had to perform by their union, a statement that it's voluntary. when we come back, in this season of giving, she set up her own santa's workshop, helping those who need it the most. so, who is our person of the week? ♪ he has a sharp wit. a winning smile. and no chance of getting an athletic scholarship. and that is why you invest. the best returns aren't just measured in dollars. td ameritrade.

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>> they're not just teaching me how to sew. they helping me move on with my career. >> reporter: are you aware of the impact that you are making? >> if it was just me, all alone, this would not be here. it's an amazing group of people behind me that i owe everything to. >> reporter: a coat of many comforts, also helping many get back on their feet. >> so, we choose veronika and everyone at the empowerment plan. from all of us at abc, have a great holiday.

this is "jeopardy!" introducing today's contestants -- an attorney from providence, rhode island... a doctoral student from arlington, virginia... and our returning champion, a gis technician from oklahoma city, oklahoma... ...whose 2-day cash winnings total... and now here is the host of "jeopardy!" -- alex trebek! [ cheers and applause ] thank you, johnny. thank you, ladies and gentlemen. two impressive wins in a row for our returning champion, sam. he's trying for a three-peat today. molly and vinnie will have something to say about that. let's start work right now. good luck, players.