this morning on world fl"ws now," the president's tax cut hits a snag. >> the fate of the bill is uncertain as a key senator says he may vote no. >> is the speaker of the house thinking of leaving congress? what's fueling the speculation. paul ryan and the white house are weighing in. plus frantic efforts to rescue a man who fell on the subway tracks when the train was approaching. terrifi terrified witnesses screamed in terror trying to alert the apparently unconscious man. and go ahead and whip out those lightsabers and feel the force. because "the la

finally here. the "star wars" epic hitting theaters and fans just getting out of the first viewing. what did they think of this movie on this friday, december 15th? from abc news, this is "world news now." >> look at the mom, the grandma there, looking like princess leia, as you can see. >> she looks great. >> she did. she's not a "star wars" fan. she just happened to wear that to go see "i tonya." it was kind of awkward. we'll break down of course the first night of "star wars" a little bit later on, as we say hello to eva. it's been a while. so great to see you. >> i get a slow clap. >> yes, absolutely. eva pilgrim back with us on this friday morning. we're going to start this half hour with a new republican defector, possibly, pufting the republican tax package o

ground. >> marco rubio says he will not support the bill in its current form and is hoping to use his crucial vote forea provision that would benefit lower income americans. it would only take three republican no-votes to sink this bill. mary bruce has the latest. >> one, two, three. >> reporter: president trump cutting through red tape at the white house and hoping republicans can stay united enough in the senate to pass his tax bill. >> we're doing very well on the tax front. we have tremendous support. we have tremendous spirit. >> reporter: but back on the hill, the president is aware there are signs of trouble. senator marco rubio tells us he's a no unless the bill includes a larger expansion of the child tax credit. >> unless they can figure out a way to add to the 1100 figure i won't support the bill. >> reporter: senate republicans can only afford to lose two votes, and senator bob corker is expected to be a

concerned that it will add $1.5 trillion to the deficit. and two more are undecided. most democrats are trying to figure out what's actually in the plan. republicans haven't sent it out. have you seen the new republican bill yet? >> i have not, but my staff reminded me, i'm only the ranking democrat on the senate finance committee. >> reporter: here's what we've learned. the plan gets rid of the obamacare mandate. that could leave 13 million more americans uninsured over the next decade. republican susan collins of maine is waiting on the final bill to decide how she'll vote. she's hoping they will boost the health care market. her constituents have been giving her an earful. >> what i'm telling you is that i believe the commitments that i've received. >> it's my life on the line. >> reporter: for the wealthy, the plan lowers the top tax rate

for big business it slashes the corporate tax rate from 35% to 21%. and for middle class americans it doubles the standard deduction. for those who itemize it keeps current deductions on medical expenses and student loan interest, but advocates for the middle class warn it caps state and local income and property tax deductions at just $10,000. >> most middle income new yorkers who own their homes are going to be hurt by the tax bill. >> reporter: the president is promising relief to the middle class. but they say that those making $ $75,000 or less will pay more over the next decade u >> middle income americans will get a break. >> reporter: they need every vote they can get to pass tax reform. there are still a lot of questions about john m

hospital for side effects of his cancer therapy. we're told he's looking forward to getting back here to work soon, but no word yet on when that will be. mary bruce, abc news, capitol hill. house speaker paul ryan is denying reports that he's planning to leave congress anytime soon. but sources on capitol hill say ryan is telling confidantes that he may not seek reelection and may resign once the tax bill is approved. he abruptly took the job when boehner stepped down. the white house is making it clear that the president wants ryan to stay put. >> the president did speak to the speaker, not too long ago, and made sure that the speaker knew very clearly in no uncertain terms that if that news was true he was very unhappy with it. the speaker assured the president that those were not accurate reports and that they look forward to working together for a long time

>> now ryan is 47 years old and has three young children. two years ago when he initially expressed a lack of interest in the job he said it was for empty nesters. a texas republican lawmaker is said to be doing the right thing by leaving congress. blake fahrenthold posted a video online saying he won't seek reelection next year. he denied sexual allegations against him. but he blamed the workplace environment less than profession a speaker pavul ryan said there were accusations against fahrenthold that were yet to surface. there are many asking for him to step down right now. ryan zinke says he's fired four senior managers for inappropriate conduct. it came as the department revealed more than a third its workers say they've been harassed or discriminated against in the past year. zinke says

hundreds more managers if that's what it takes to remove inappropriate behave year. > -- cory iverson was with the cal san diego fire department for it's years. firefighters lined the street to honor him as his body was carried away in a hearse. he was fighting the thomas fire which is still growing and threatening communities in santa barbara and ventura counties. evacuations have been issued for fillmore. it is now the fourth ladies and gentlemen of the jury e fourth largest fire in the state's history. the pittsburgh area is digging out from heavy snow. the wind chill will be brutal in some areas. it will feel like it's below zero in vermont and

york. there's a winter storm watch and the upper peninsula of michigan is under a warning. the first official christmas portrait of the trump administration has been released. >> and there it is, a photo tweeted out by the first lady. it shows mrs. trump and the president holding hands inside the white house and also at the white house the long national nightmare is over. pie gate has come to an end. >> oh, yeah. white house press secretary sarah huckabee sanders and reporter april ryan officially stuck a fork in the feud. it started you may remember at thanksgiving when ryan tweeted that a pie sanders was holding in a photo was a quote, fake pie. >> so sanders promised to make one from scratch and even posted pictures of the process. sanders brought it to the white house press potluck and ryan said she believes the gesture is a reset button in essence and joked that they should write a

i'm not eating the pie. >> she didn't eat the pie. she says i was born at night, but not last night. i'm not eating your pie. i don't trust that pie. >> do you think she snuck something in the pie? even if you don't like it, you just take a bite. you can spit it out like behind your back. >> she has seen "the help". we don't trust those pies. coming up, the reluctant nativity scene actor, utterly furious with his role. sending police on a wild chase, not once but twice. and the one day where you can dress up like a jedi and not look like a weirdo in a robe. it's "star wars" day. we're going to hit a theater to see what the true fans thought of the film on the opening night. find us on wnn fans.com. you're watching abc news now er't

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that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. sir, please wake up! sir, wake up! >> you hear a frantic woman as a man lies unconscious on the tracks. bystanders flagged down an

approaching train which stopped and the man was pulled onto the platform. it's not clear what made him fall onto the tracks in the first place. he is hospitalized reportedly in serious condition. the suspect in a deadly car attack in charlottesville allegedly used his car to plow into a crowd that was protesting in august. you recall heather heyer was killed. a fraternity has been indicted for hazing. the frat is accused of abusing a pledge during a three-day event last year. the pledge was left with a lacerated spleen and denied food, water and sleep. the pledge had to be hospitalized. the fraternity is facing a $10,000 fine. in object, the university suspended the frat from campus

until 2023. two police officers in missouri are recovering after they were both shot in the chest by a suspect. >> it triggered a standoff at a home near st. louis. but what appears to have saved those officers' lives were their bulletproof vests. >> reporter: police in tactical gear storming this home after an armed suspect barricaded himself inside for nearly eight hours, using a battering ram to break into the garage, later bringing the man out on a stretcher. the ordeal starting around 7:15. bell fountain neighbors spotted a man wanted for questioning in the neighborhood when suddenly -- >> shots fired. scene is not secure. >> this man jumps up off the ground, and i see pepper spray being deployed from the officers, and this man backs up about 15 feet and starts

shooting. >> reporter: the officers, a 44-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman. >> both were shot in the chest but the vest blocked both of the rounds. >> reporter: and the officers have been released from the hospital. clearly those bulletproof vests saved their lives. the department just got those vests last year. alex perez, abc news, missouri. >> and the suspect did sustain one gunshot wound, we're told, to the upper chest and was taken to the hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries there. >> thank goodness for those vests. coming up in the next half hour, omarosa's departure from the white house, claiming she wasn't fired but resigned, and the candid moment on gma when rob robin made it clear how she felt about the "apprentice" contestant there.

super fans just getting out of the latest movie. did it live up to their hopes and dreams? we'll find out on "world news now." ♪when you've got...♪ ♪...nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪ here's pepto bismol! ah. ♪nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea!♪

♪ no spoilers. there it is, right there, on the big screen. the moment ray fines long-lost luke skywalker. the literal cliff-hanger from the last "star wars" movie, the force awakens. >> and everyone's holding their breath. the big questions final lly get answered, so we're told. i have not seen it. >> i have seen it a few hours ago. i

i stayed awake. ♪ >> opening night. we're going to see "star wars." >> whoa. >> i got my jedi tattoo just for this movie. yes! >> look at that. that's dedication, baby. >> we're getting dressed up. >> yeah, that barrier's kind of low, but definitely, yes. >> oh, i like it. >> i feel like i could conquer the galaxy. >> i have no idea what you are saying. i was going to wear the same thing. >> i like your suit. i like the outfit. >> thanks, man. i could say the same thing. >> i saw raw. untamed power. >> does she go dark? >> who are her parents? >> are you excited for the new film? what kind of lightsaber have you

on the big screen? >> luke. >> luke? >> i have no idea. >> so, so dart, are you feeling a little left out? >> no. i'm happy to be passing it on to the next generation. >> this is not going to go the way you think. ♪ >> fulfill. your. destiny. >> just stepping out. >> yeah. >> immediate thought? >> just awesome. >> just so great. >> it was amazing. >> awesome, it was amazing! >> extraordinary. >> it will give me just one facial expression that, that summed up this movie? that's it? >> that's it. >> awesome. >> yes! >> we're going saturday. we're going again tuesday. he's going again tomorrow night. >> that might not be

this is a -- may the force be with both of you. >> and you. >> it was all right. >> did you like it? >> it was okay. >> i mean, be truthful. >> okay. >> come on, give using, come on! >> it happened. it was two hours and 34 minutes. >> you didn't fall asleep. >> i didn't fall asleep. it was amazing to see carrie fisher on-screen, of course knowing that she passed away. and her scenes were so, she almost seemed pensive throughout many of the scenes. >> it got some bad reviews, so -- >> but it's also getting a lot of good reviews. but, you know -- >> it was so good! what are you talking about! it was the best movie i've ever seen! what are you talking about! >> did you see that? >> what kind of question was, what kind of

have? >> color, the colors are different, aren't they? they're different colors. i know that. i've never seen it. i've never seen a single one. >> is that a lightsaber, or are you just happy on this friday? any object. any surface. if you've got a life you gotta swiffer

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♪ okay, time for your friday mix, and this guy in portland has made a name for himself in playing flaming bagpipes. years ago we saw him as darth vader, and he's back with his latest version of it. take a look at him right now. ♪ >> one of the characters. >> on a unicycle. >> yeah, exactly, no less. there goes one of the walkers as well from the empire strikes back. and it's perfectly captioned there, "keep portland weird", because it kind of sums it up. does he take down -- does he

yes, he does! oh, and down goes the walker. this is my favorite story that i've seen in a long time. i love the live nativity scenes. sometimes they have live animals, and this particular cow wanted nothing to do with the scene. this is like in downtown philadelphia. this is like in the country, this cow had to be wrangled up. not once but twice. >> he didn't want part of it. >> he snuck away. i was joking about the philadelphia police twitter account. it was hilarious their tweets after they had to chase this guy two times. >> they can't believe they were doing that. ba, ba, ba, ba,ba. new york city's very own concrete a cappella. ♪ politics and foreign wars ♪ all the weather, all the scores ♪ ♪ that's world news polka ♪ if you're an insomniac ♪ and a good night's sleep you lack ♪ ♪ do the world news p

♪ it's late at night, you're wide awake and you're not wearing pants ♪ ♪ so grab your "world news now" mug and everybody dance ♪ ♪ everybody be a pal, every a anchor guy and gal ♪ ♪ do the world news polka ♪ bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, bop, ♪ ♪ ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ world news polka ♪ if you are up this late at night you must be headed for the john ♪ ♪ five whole days every week, we're here with our tongues in cheek ♪ ♪ and the world news polka ♪ oh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ who cares what the bosses think, they're a goofy crew ♪ ♪ if your neighbors call the cops here's what you have to do ♪ ♪ when they say it's half past three ♪ ♪ say it's

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this morning on "world news now," the huge tax cut bill on shaky ground, as marco rubio, the latest republican senator to voice concerns about the legislation. the president still hopes to sign it before christmas. plus omarosa trying to set the record straight. saying she wasn't fired from the white house but what she's saying to robin roberts' candid reaction to the interview. and new this half hour, the new affair allegation against matt lauer. >> a staffer is going public with her claims of an alleged affair when she calls predatory. and no spoilers. i repeat, no spoilers. it's the number one rule when talking about a movie this big. so just imagine how the "star