i'm bill ritter in for diana williams. he still has a year to go before he retires. we're talking about the dean of new york's congressional delegation, founding member of the congressional black caucus, first african-american chair of the house ways and means committee. he has had his share of victories. yes, had some setbacks and mistakes, as well. this is not an exit interview by any stretch of the imagination. but, charlie rangel, it's a "what's happening in the country right now" interview. we welcome the democratic congressman from new york. welcome. >> thank you, bill. thank you. >> maybe here more times than anybody else, i'd say, over the years. >> it's been fun. >> it has been. first of all, you look incredible. i mean, how much weight have you lost? >> well, the weight i lost i don't even like talking about. the idea is keeping it off, and i feel good. >> okay. but you look great. >> thank you. >> you're turning 86 in june. >> that's right. >> so you have some perch by which to look back and still a look forward, and we're gonna talk about both right now.

i'm bill ritter in for diana williams. the numbers don't lie, and neither do our eyes. the homeless problem in new york city either flirting with or at the point of being the worst it's been in decades or perhaps ever. much criticism directed at mayor de blasio, but the hard truth is, this is not a problem wholly of new york city's making, and finding an answer is difficult at best. the homeless situation in new york city has gone from bad to worse this year. in the last few weeks, police have dismantled about 30 homeless encampments. the mayor spending millions on new homeless housing with onsite social services, and now he's trying to do something about homelessness on the streets and aggressive panhandling. point, that we are gonna go at this problem with everything we've got. and when we hear a report of someone in distress, someone in need, we are gonna go there compassionately, vigorously, with all we have. but we will not tolerate any form of illegal activity. >> at a breakfast on thursday, the mayor announcing a new program nyc home-stat. it includes daily canva

. >> this is "eyewitness news upclose with diana williams." >> this is a land founded by people seeking religious freedom, but donald trump, if he's president, says he wants to shut down the borders to anyone of the muslim religion. can a proposal of hate help spark a discussion to end hate? a question right now without an answer. one thing is for sure -- despite getting hammered by fellow republicans and by democrats, mr. trump is refusing to back down. >> i've resonated with the people because i tell the truth, and we have a problem in this country, and it's a very dangerous problem and a very big problem, and people don't want to speak out. >> and you know how you make america great again? tell donald trump to go to hell. stands for, and, more importantly, it's not what this country stands for. >> nonetheless, mr. trump continues to lead in the polls for the republican nomination for president. and if the republicans should somehow sour on him, he has now raised the possibility of a third-party run. good morning, everyone. i'm bill ritter, in for diana. yes, radical muslims are sprea

. >> i'm diana williams. liz is off. offs been hearing there is massive manhunt underway in southern california. right now three men armed and are, where they are, the or what they are planning next. buildings are shut down, workers sheltered in place. now four hours after this mass shooting at a county office building. >> police say up to three men dressed in masks and vests went to the building this afternoon and then just started shooting. by the time s.w.a.t. teams arrived the shooting had stopped. in an area that had been rented out today for a county employee lunch banquet. so far no suspect no, motive. the killers on the loose and may have fled in a black suv. >> here are the numbers. 14 killed, 14 wounded. helicopters and planes have been mobilized to search for that escaped vehicle. aus said, bill that dark- colored suv. president obama has been briefed. >> all this happening in the city of san bernardino, 60 miles east of los angeles. the facility is called tin land regional center. eyewitness news reporter jim

i'm diana williams. >> i'm sade baderinwa. there will be a vigil tonight as that city mourns those killed. >> new information that we've gotten tonight, the number of injuries has increased to 21, and the 14 people killed have all been identified. police say the four guns used in the attack were all legally purchased and we're learning just how heavily armed the shooters were. a raid of their home found twelve pipe bombs and thousands of rounds of i am maw in addition. >> the investigates org's are digging deep into the shooter's background. we begin first with n.j. burkett who has bernardino since late last night and joins us now live. new jersey. >> reporter: that's right, sha da, on the ground in southern time we've been able to get within sight of the crime scene. you can see it behind me. i can assure you that the ballistics alone took much of the night before. they could do anything they had to search the building for explosives. the extent of the carnage is matched only by the amount of firepower. pathologists and recov

. >>> i'm diana williams in the newsroom. here's what's coming up. we've shown you other hoverboards on fire and now one has caught fire inside a home. why firefighters say this situation could have been a whole lot worse. >> and a change in car safety consumer reports latest test results. we'll tell you what the group is recommending now. all that and more coming up on eyewitness news first at 4 and then at 5 and 6 as well. so a lot coming up today. we'll see you guys then. >> you've got everything we need. thank you so much. >>> time for the feed, the stories got their start on social media. now getting shared and re- tweeted. a fatal horrific fire could have left an 8-year-old girl with little hope. instead her christmas spirit redefining what the season really means. the fire killed sofia terry's parents and three siblings. she only survived because her dad cradled her in his arms to protect her. she was still badly burned, lost a foot and hand. she didn't lose her spirit. when her aunt bought her a christmas card stand she wished for it to be fi

visit radiocitychristmas.com >>> i'm diana williams in the newsroom, and here's what's coming up a bit later on eyewitness news. a little boy says he was forced to stick his hand down a dirty toilet at school. you have to wonder what kind of lesson was someone trying to teach there. >> also 7 on your side has a story that leads to an arrest. how investigators found their suspect and what you can do to avoid getting ripped off. means lauren is going to join us with neighborhood eats. you got something good for us. >> are you ready for a little bit of indian food that's very healthy, fast casual, affordable, and really very different than your typical indian meal. >> you know, i'm pretty much happy with anything you give me. >> okay. i'm going to make you happy then for sure. >> it's the lunch hour. we're going to have it now. >> i know. >> thanks lauren. >> it is time for the feed so we're kind of, you know, in the same realm. a love letter to trooper killed during a traffic stop was posted on facebook and now it has gone viral. the love letter is in the form of pictures. the wife of lo

. >> i'm diana williams. the scaffolding coming down 3500 feet. we know the injured are workers. it's not clear if they were on the scaffolding when it collapsed or standing below it or nearby. the hackensack fire department tweeted out this photo of the scene a short while ago. >> this happened at an apartment complex on tracy lane. let's get writ to eyewitness news reporter cefaan kim who has been gathering more information. >> as you said, the fire department says that scaffolding fell about 35 feet this time if all of the injured workers were actually on that scaffolding when it fell but according to one resident, at least one of those men was on the roof when this happened and he was working on that roof when a chunk of that roof came off and that man fell down with it. let me take a step back so you can see the massive response now. we have since been pushed back from the scene since we got here but it happened down this driveway between these two three story buildings. according to witnesses, they first heard a loud boom and then saw that scaffolding collapse and saw sever

diana williams is off tonight. >> i'm sade baderinwa. >>> we are in the peak of the heavy rain. it will ease up soon. >> meteorologist lee goldberg is outside the studios on the upper west side. what doll you got, lee. >> reporter: heavy rain. drenched like this. heavy rain. now pushing close to east of new york city. rained lighter than "first at 4:00" but raining around the area and ponding and a lot of water near the crosswalks and puddles. let's look at the weather map. we are looking at the george washington bridge. you can barely see it on the fort lee side. delays on the airports and roadways. 59 degrees. mild rain. there is the latest rainfall totals. you know a rainfall deficit for this month is what we have right now. a little over an inch of rainfall. we are normal in december. an inch across much of new jersey. raining heavily over long island. an -- an inch and a quarter over here. huntington to stony brook over to uptown. heavy rain near old bridge to holmdel but the back edge is moving through sussex into western passaic. in one hour it will be closing in on bayon

i'm diana williams. >> i'm sadwe baderinwa. >>> bill cosby charged with drug drugging and -- with drugging and sexual assaulting a woman at his mansion. >> it could send the 78-year-old to prison. >> kimberly richardson is outside the courthouse. kimberly. >> reporter: inside the courthouse i sat just a few feet away from bill cosby, watched him fidget and bite his nails and laugh out loud when the judge asked him if he understood the conditions of his bail. right now the 78-year-old is at home after posting bail. he's

diana williams is off tonight. those stories coming up. >>> new video in the slashing of a teenager walking to school in queens. >> in the past half hour the nypd releasing this video of the hooded attacker. he slashed the exchange student across the face twice. >> eyewitness news reporter stacey sager is in whitestone with the video that police hope will help catch the guy. >> reporter: this attack came that's why police say it's so disturbing. this is a pretty quiet neighborhood. it's not far from the cross island parkway and the whitestone bridge. a 16-year-old girl slashed on her way to school and now police do have this new video they want you to see. in this video from a resident's security camera, you can see the suspect in a hoodie and gloves chasing the girl from behind and running away. it's a neighborhood where hundreds of kids walk to and from school every day, many alone. this image of police retrieving a box cutter on 13th avenue after a 16-year-old was slashed on her way to school this morning, well,

. >> i'm rob powers in for diana williams. we're getting hit with the heaviest rain of the day and won't be over for a few more hours. the downpours, the fog taking a toll on people. this is a snapshot from flight aware.com that shows how many flights are in the air right now. that is just the north american region. country facing delays including one to three and a half hour delays at three major airports in our area. we have two reports. eyewitness news reporter michelle charlesworth is live at laguardia, but let's get right to meteorologist lee goldberg with an accuweather alert. lee, it is pouring out there. >> it's torrential rain. we're getting absolutely drenched with a soak rainfall. nothing worse than wet feet and it's nasty out here. it's really tough whether you're walking on the street or trying to drive down the avenue. a lot of water around, standing water, easy to hydroplane. take it really slow. it's just getting dangerous. a look down to lower man hat tab. you see the ceiling is still now below 500 feet. tempe

diana williams is off. >> i'm sade baderinwa. before christmas meant the mall was packed with shoppers. here is what we know. >> it started with an attempted armed robbery at a watch store. the suspected gunmen then taken into custody and a mall employee hit by a bullet still in the hospital. >> roosevelt mall is open tonight. eyewitness news reporter stacey sager and kristin thorne are there. we begin with stacey? >> reporter: well, sade, one man is in police custody. one man is shot and in the hospital at this point. there was also a whole lot of confusion at roots veldt field -- roosevelt field mall today. it began as attempted armed robbery. massive police response. protocol is for an active shooter. >> it was like the whole second floor of the mall, just the whole second floor. it was -- to tell you the truth, when i seen everybody running, i started running. >> reporter: so it was, the christmas rush of shopers

. >> diana williams is off tonight. we learn the da's office is looking into those claims. parents just found out about the allegations hours ago at the letter sent home at the end of the school day. he's on leave from st. margaret >> reporter: here at the church there's a bench dedicated to montsenior o'keefe. in gratitude it reads in 2015. the montsenior may not be returning to the paris for something that happened in the 1980s. >> i'm here because i'm praying for him. i think there's a misunderstanding. >> it was a late afternoon trip to st. margaret, praying for her pastor who is on medical leave. the letter begins, i write to share some unsettling news. it was informing that two boys have been found to be credible when o'keefe works at the high school in the bronx. the case was turned over to a prosecutor in virginia where

for diana and william connett... life...has not been easy. after moving from ohio, the mother of three was diagnosed hard enough, until it got worse. william had a maintenance job in exchange for housing that was making ends meet...until new management took over, leaving his family out of a home and out of work...compounding that, he's had a tough time getting work...because of diana's daily physical therapy appointments. "we werent gonna have anything for christmas" but the home for the holidays program changed all that...a whole house of furniture...toys for the three kids, even a christmas tree.. "its something we never would have imagined for us. its way beyond what we would have ever expected we could have gotten in two lifetimes." for ladoris johnson...it was the same story, different circumstances. "this means everything" life seemed to keep knocking her down after moving to las vegas last february....a single mother with a 2 year old daughter...and now, 5 months pregnant with her second child. although she works two jobs...she's strug

i'm diana williams. >> and i'm sade. it's finally beginning to feel like december. but along with the cold, parts of our area could see wintery mix over night. >>> and salt spreaders are ready just as a precaution to hit the roads later tonight. amy freezes in with what we can xrekt. >>> good evening to the both of you, sade and diana. it's a winter advisory posted for the northwest of the city. and what that means is a messy mix around here. not necessarily deep snow but the snow alert likely for slick streets and also heavy rains coming in and the possibility of water tomorrow morning. 24-hour temperature change. no doubt about it. 25 to 26 colder than it was at the same time yesterday. go from breaking records to

williams and to the family of lisa colagrossi. of course we lost lisa in march, and we are thinking of her boys and her husband and diana who has been public about her family's struggles in this past year, her husband dealing with a rare form of blood cancer. >> stem cell transplant. and was injured very badly in a motorcycle crash. so he is receiving -- he's had surgeries and treatments and tough times for her family. >> so many of you have responded to it. this is a viewer hack med thinking about todd, lisa colagrossi's husband and her sons davis and evan. a lot of you thinking about our eyewitness news great family member, lisa colagrossi who we lost this year died of a brain aneurysm, and you know what, we have the same relationship with you. we get close to you, you get close to us, and we miss her every single day. >> yes, we do. >> at this news organization. >> a powerful picture of diana, of doug and embracing on facebook. you have to see what she writes about it. it gives such perspective and shows how powerful she is. >>

ones as normal an upbringing as possible. >> princess diana was keen to shelter william and harry from the spotlight as much as possible. and that's exactly what william and kate will doing. >> william and kate will attend will joint royal service at sand ringham. her family will join in at their newly renovated home in norfolk and what about uncle harry. >> maybe he'll be giving them presents other people might not think of -- maybe presents that will raise eyebrows of mom and dad. >> william joking, we'll watch george try to tackle his presents as he tries to unwrap them. >> maybe uncle harry gives him a book. you spent time with harry. >> i made a documentary about prince harry. he served in the royal air force and i went to camp bastion in afghanistan, followed him around there and made a documentary about his time there. they are nice, that's the thing. >> he's really into afghanistan, isn't he? you know, his brother has his beautiful family but he was really into serving his country. >> yeah, he was legitimate flying black hawk helicopters. he really was in danger. it was authent

i'm diana williams. >> police tonight searching for that van who struck. it is the deadly pedestrian accident, despite the city's vision zero program to cut down on them. >> the accident at bruckner avenue and willis avenue, in >> this is willis avenue coming straight at us and the cross is bruckner boulevard. in the eyes of people who live in this area, it is a very dangerous intersection. for one particular father, it cost him his life at the hands of a hit-and-run driver. there is deep sadness, and there are plenty of tears, for a family friend and neighbor. >> loving father, loving neighbor. loving friend. to everyone. and all we want is for the one who did this to get caught. >> 47-year-old thomas kirby, a husband and father of three, was heading back to his apartment, when he crossed bruckner boulevard, here at willis avenue. where he was struck and killed, police say by the driver of a van who then kept going. not even stopping. >> he was a loving father. always doing sports with his kids. always see him, anything he was doing, he was always doing w

. >> i'm diana williams. it's a rough commute for anybody that has to take the sawmill, but things are finally improving just a little bit. we learned a short while ago that one southbound lane has reopened. all of those northbound lanes, they remain closed. all of this is right near the bronx westchester line and this is creating huge backups on surrounding roadways as well. >> it's more than five hours since a chase involving nypd tonight one suspect is dead shot by police, another is in custody. eyewitness news reporter marcus solis has been tweeting photos and updates throughout the day and joins us in yonkers. marcus? >> reporter: sade and diana, no doubt about it, extensive investigation. you can see the lingering traffic. northbound lanes are completely closed. police say there was a confrontation and that lead to the shooting. there were two key areas of concern here. one it appears that the suspect was unarmed and, two, goes there were no witnesses to this actual shooting. >> the best information tha

diana williams is off. the threats came in the form of an e-mail. >> sweeps are going on at schools in l.a. there is no decision on whether they will reopen tomorrow. in new york city the threat has here is how the two public school systems compare with 640,000 students and 1100 schools, l.a. is the second largest in the country. new york city is the largest with more than 1 million students. >> the response to the threats drastically different. los angeles closed all public schools. new york schools remained open. now, we will head to los angeles in a minute but eyewitness news reporter n.j. burkett begins our team coverage larch for us in for the -- live for us in fort greene, brooklyn. >> reporter: one threat, two different responses. nypd commissioner bill bratton said authorities in los angeles panicked in what he described today, quote, as a significant overreaction. parents in brooklyn aren't so sure about that. most parents and children we met had no idea about the threat. although they were pleased

a special shoutout to diana williams and family and to the family of lisa colagrossi. >> been a tough year for us one eye, lisa died in march, and diana had a rough year, her husband had a stem cell transplant and her son was in a terrible motorcycle accident in july and diana has been a rock for us here and her family. >> she's written extensively on facebook. they're so strong and they're going to make it. >> they're all brave and very loving. >> mm-hmm. >> a lot of places to go with that. we're going to say we're thinking about lisa colagrossi's family and diana as well. we'll take more of your messages. i don't want to come up with other messages about that. no way. savor an egg mcmuffin any time you like. with real butter. mcdonald's all day breakfast menu. >>> robert downey junior is getting a christmas present from california's governor, a pardon for his 1996 drug conviction. down knee was convicted of felony drug possession after authorities found heroin, cocaine and a gun in his vehicle. in 1999 he served nearly a year in prison after acknowledging he violated his probation.

as normal an upbringing as possible. >> princess diana was keen to that's what william and kate are doing with george and charlotte. >> reporter: kate's family will join in at their newly renovated ten-bedroom home. what about uncle harry? >> maybe he'll give them presents other people might not think of. those that will raise eyebrows of mom and dad. >> william joking we'll watch george try to tackle his prens as he tries to unwrap them. what do you get kids that have everything? prince george he knows what he he apparently likes anything with wheels. he loves helicopters. there you go, guys. now you know. >> runs in the family. >> that's true. >> let's go >>> thank you very much. sunshine with a little fog this morning. dense fog in the valley. white stone, 37 on staten island. chilly there at oak wood. 37 around newark. sunshine today by 2:00. nice and about seven degrees warmer than normal. 48 tomorrow, cooler but we warm to 58 by friday. and 60 for the weekend. >> so we have 16, 10, and 13 all like i was in a huddle. 16, 10, 13, let's get to some pop, pop, pop. >>> we start "po

we dug up this video showing princess diana taking william to his first day of nursery school way back in 1985. >> gosh, look at his little shoes. >>> b.j. novak made a name for himself in hollywood as an actor, writer, producer and the he created an app called wolf. >> it is a site that i'm launching to be the last word in social networking. for just $12.99 a month it links up all your communication portals so you are always in reach. it's part of the dog pack i call it. why tell you when i can show you. i just sent myself a woof. >> you have a woof on line one. >> thank you, erin. woof. >> now b.j. novak is really adding app developer to his resume. he co-founded the fist applist app is what it's called. people can make lists about various topics. snoop dogg created one called other great combos besides gin and juice. chicken and waffles, kobe and shaq. b.j. novak, good morning. >> good morning. >> what's going on in your life that you said, you know what, we need a list. >> it looked like so much fun when i played the guy on tv i thought i'd do it in real life. >> because we all do

we dug up this virginia from our archives that shows princess diana taking william to his first day of nursery school back in 1985. >> b.j. novak made a name for himself in hollywood as an actor, writer and high school producer and the head tv comedy "the office jrgsz." he created an app called wolf. >> for just $12.99 a month, wolf tell you when i can show you. i just sent mason a woof. >> ryan, you have a woof on line one. >> thank you, erin. woof. >> now b.j. novak is really adding app developer to his resume. the list app you can make lists about various top eckictopics, snoop dogg made one with chicken and waffles. b.j. novak, good morning. so what's going on in your life that said, you know what we need, a list? >> it looks like when i played@ the guy on tv, i thought i would do it in real life. >> because we all can do it, right? >> we all make lists, we all think in lists, it's not just what my favorite movies are what are my memories of this or that. and i thought it would be great if you could share a list. it's the kind of lists you keep on your phone, you ask your friends o

just like princess diana did with william and harry, these parents are trying to give their little once as normal an >> princess diana was keen to shelter them. that's what william and kate are doing with george and charlotte. >> reporter: kate's family will join in at their newly renovated ten-bedroom home. what about uncle harry? >> maybe he'll give them presents other people might not think of. those that will raise eyebrows of mom and dad. >> william joking we'll watch george try to tackle his prens as he tries to unwrap them. what do you get kids that have everything? prince george he knows what he likes. he apparently likes anything with wheels. he loves helicopters. there you go, guys. now you know. >> runs in the family. >> that's true. thank you, thank you very much. >> let's go to ginger. >> i think i found the biggest smile in the crowd. give it to us matthew. big smile. yeah, there it is. he said,ky do it. over the weekend, freezing fog in wilmington, ohio. beautiful pictures. the fog in the air. it freezes on surfaces 32 or below. visibility this morning, not so great from

as normal an upbringing as possible. >> princess diana was keen to shelter william and harry from the spotlight as much as possible. and that's exactly what william and kate are doing with george and charlotte. >> reporter: william and kate will go to the royal christmas service at sandringham. kate's family will join in at their newly renovated ten-bedroom home in norfolk and what about uncle harry? >> maybe uncle harry will be giving presents that other people might not think of. maybe presents that will raise eyebrows with mum and dad. >> reporter: william joking, we'll watch george try to tackle his presents as he tries to unwrap them. what do you get kids that have everything? princess charlotte is probably too young to decide but prince george, he knows exactly what he likes. he apparently likes anything with wheels. he loves helicopters. there you go, guys. now you know. >> runs in the family. >> that's true. that's true. thank you, lama. thank you very much. >> let's go over to ginger. >> all right, george. you know, i always come out here. i scan the crowd. i think i found th

we dug up this video from our archives showing princess diana taking prince william to his first day of nursery school back in 1985. >> i love that picture. b.j. novak made a name for himself. "the office" he created and app called wolf. >> wolf is the site i'm launching. for just $12.99 a month it linked up your portals and all within a reach and part after dog pack i call it. why tell you when i can show you? i just sent myself a wolf. ♪ >> frank, you have a wolf on line one. >> thank you, erin. wolf! >> now b.j. novak is adding app developer to his resume. he cofounded the list app is what it's called. people publications and other outlets can make. snoop dogg has created one. chicken and waffles and kobe and shaq. b.j. novak, good morning. >> good morning. >> what is going on in your life you had, you know what? we need a list. >> it looked like so much fun when i played the guy on tv. i thought i'd do it in real life. >> we all do it, right? >> we all make lists and think in lists and it's not what my favorite movies are this year but what am i thinking about today and what ar

kate middleton and prince william welcomed their first daughter princess charlotte elizabeth diana. employers and fans gathered for that event at the hospital two years after the birth of the couple's son prince george. another star was born when the left shark and bad dancing stole the show during katie perry's super bowl half time performance. one of the favorite stories of the year a pair of llamas on the lose from cops outside phoenix. we covered it life. >> uh-oh. doesn't want to be caught. doesn't want to be caught. faster than humans as you can see. confirm black hav vaus are faster than human. >> the llamas galloped through town after police and handlers finally caught them. they were also a dress that caused confusion across the country. black and blue or white and gold? classic movie franchises reemerged. 2015 was the year marty mcfly wanted to arrive in back to the future part 2. >> i believe we may have inadvertently traveled into an orphanage 2015. >> jurassic world auz a summer blockbuster. chris pratt helped launch the dinosaur saga. >> the force awakens with a new st

the mantel an supporting charities that were close t diana's heart. and harry is in on it too maintaining his mother's legacy with his charity center and working with her land mine charity. >> she paid a hugee pt in my life and harry's growing up in how we saw things and how we experienced things. >> reporter: in aouching tribute to his mother choosing diana as one of princess charlotte's middle n names and on e home front, just as diana tried to do, t this couple are raising their children with little fuss and keeping them out of the public eye as much as possible. and ve got breaking news for you. kate has a new much shorter hairdo chopping off four inches and, yeah, if you're guessing, she l looks good, amy. >> always. it doesn't really matter, lama. thank you so much. over to you, robin. >> that time of year, "people" magazine out withts best of 2015 issue, the magazine is celebrating the year's 25 most intriguing people and "people's" cute stiff ed doreitor kate coyne with a previewer. >> the editors discuss it as a group but the list is almost s