making news in america this morning, disaster in the mud. more than a dozen people dead in southern california. >> every minute it goes by, you know, you have less hope. >> homes wiped off their foundations tossed into trees. freeways turned into raging rivers, this morning, the new concern about more victims buried in mud. more than 5 feet deep. breaking overnight, a federal judge hands down a key ruling in the immigration debate throwing a wrench in the trump administration's plan to end the so-called daca program for young immigrants. >> i don't want to, you know, shut them down in any way. >> james franco speaking out since multiple actresses

him of sexual misconduct and now an event featuring the a-lister is canceled amid the controversy. >> what are you doing? what are you doing? >> new details about the teacher handcuffed at a school board meeting for protesting her boss' pay raise. would she have been arrested if she were a man. plus, bats invade walmart. >> this is crazy. >> airline seats get even more uncomfortable and siblings meet for the first time thanks to a chance encounter on facebook. we do say good morning, everyone. i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm maggie rulli in for diane macedo. we begin with the disaster unfolding in southern california. at least 13 people are dead and dozens are missing after heavy rains unleashed mudslides that swept homes off their foundations in the very same area of santa barbara county already devastated by

month's historic wildfires. they left the hills barren with fog to hold back the water. >> some scenes, cars tossed into buildings buried in rivers of mud while boulders came crashing down rolling as if they were just marbles. a frantic search overnight for the missing. after heavy rain unleashed massive mudslides in southern california. >> my mom and i'm fighting with all my heart to find her but like i can't focus too much on she's most likely dead out here. >> reporter: in montecito robert riskein and his friend looking for robert's mother. >> i've just been clawing through the mud and it's hard to hold hope when the mud is so deep. you know, but it's your mom. so what do you -- you got to just keep going. she's a grandmother. she's, yeah, one of my best friends and you got to keep going. >> reporter: but with no luck.

robert breaking down during the search taking pictures and collecting items from her home. >> it's hard to process. i mean the house you grew up in and it's in pieces. >> reporter: the fast-moving mud with the consistency of wet concrete destroying everything in its path. >> sounded like a hurricane or a freight train coming through. i just can't quite believe it. is that a house behind us? was that a house? >> reporter: witnesses describing the scenes in santa barbara county as apocalyptic. rescuers saving this muck covered 14-year-old girl. this massive tree stabbing through a portion of what was a home. oreos of people holding on to trees for hours. one official comparing it to a world war i battlefield. abc's matt gutman in montecito. >> firefighters are telling us that foundation right there, it had a house on it. that house is now over there. >> reporter: ellen derenn jest

not a river flowing through her neighborhood but the flooded 101 freeway and oprah sharing this of mud in her backyard. one sign of hope in the sky after the storm, this rescue helicopter flying into a rainbow. and the coast guard also rescued a family of five in santa barbara. a baby was also pulled from the mud and 30 miles of the 101 freeway have been closed. we're going to have the weather forecast in just a few minutes. now to the other story breaking overnight, a federal judge issued a ruling that blocks the trump administration's plan to end the so-called daca program which protects young immigrants from deportation. the ruling comes hours after a highly unusual televised meeting at the white house when the president revealed that he's willing to pass a more comprehensive immigration overhaul. abc's lana zak has all the details from washington. lana. >> reporter: good morning to you, maggie and kendis. all

that the clock is ticking on a spending deadline to avoid a government shutdown now nine days away. democrats say a deal on daca is a precondition for any spending agreement. republicans, though, say that's unlikely. happening overnight, daca is being protected by a federal judge. president trump had announced that the program would be ending march 5th meaning current daca immigrants could face deportation but the judge's ruling orders the government to accept renewal applications from current d.r.e.a.m.ers as the battle continues to be fought both in the courts and in congress. >> i hope that the folks watching most closely this court's temporarily injunction are the members in congress who need to act to find a permanent fix for the d.r.e.a.m.ers. >> reporter: the move puts another level of pressure on congress and the president to come up with a solution. earlier on tuesday the president convened lawmakers to hash it out. >> should be a bill of love and we can do that. but it also has

where we're able to secure our border. >> reporter: in a white house first, the president let immigration negotiations between democrats and republicans play out before television cameras. the democrats pushing for a separate deal on daca. >> what about a clean daca bill now with a commitment that we go into a comprehensive immigration reform procedure? >> i have no problem -- i think that's basically what dick is saying. we'll come out with daca. we'll do daca and then we can start immediately on the phase two which would be comprehensive. >> would you be agreeable to that. >> reporter: but republicans pushed back. >> mr. president, you need to be clear, though. i think what senator feinstein is asking when we talk about just daca we don't want to be back here two years later. you have to have security as the secretary would tell you. >> reporter: and the justice department is reacting to that judge's ruling saying that the administration acted within their legal authority and that the fate of daca remains with congress.

maggie, kendis. former white house chief strategist is out of a job again stepping down as chairman of breitbart news after facing intense backlash from the president's supporters. it comes days after he was quoted in a new book disparaging the president and his family. allies say bannon plans to continue his far right activities but many question whether he can maintain his influence. three federal judges have ruled north carolina's congressional map which was redrawn by republicans is illegal. the judges in the so-called gerrymandering case ruled the drawing was done with excessive partisanship that gave republicans an advantage for most of the seats. they've ordered state lawmakers to adopt a new map by january 24th. republicans plan to appeal. controversial arizona sheriff joe arpaio running for u.s. senate. he was pardoned by president trump last year after he was convicted of contempt of court. the 85-year-old maybe best known for his

tactics joins a very already crowded field of candidates. now to a breaking news story, a strong earthquake briefly triggering a tsunami alert in parts of the caribbean overnight. a 7.6 magnitude quake was centered off the coast of honduras and was felt in several neighbors countries. tsunami sirens could be heard in belize but the alerts have been lifted and no serious damage or injuries reported. northern honduras, the area closest to the quake is sparsely populated. it's time now for a look at your weather this wednesday morning. good morning. well, in the southwest it's all about catching our collective breath behind the significant flooding that we had to experience throughout the southwest. so we're going to experience a drying pattern that's going to ensue throughout the southwest. now, the northwest by thursday will still have a great deal of moisture with additional scattered showers there but looking for that dry pattern to settle in and stay pretty much

even going into friday as a high pressure system begins to build and continue to wring out the southwest coast. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. well, coming up newly minted golden globe winner james franco responds to sexual harassment allegations for the first time and the headline about michael douglas. the avalanche danger leaving thousands of tourists on a ski vacation stranded. the astronaut who claimed that he grew more than 3 inches in space. is that even possible?

we're back to show you a car literally pounded by the weather. a chunk of ice and snow fell 21 stories off a building in new york city and made a direct hit. nobody was injured

new sexual misconduct allegations against james franco have forced "the new york times" to cancel a planned event with the actor today. franco appeared on stephen colbert's show and asked about claims against him made by several women including actress ally sheedy. >> i had nothing but a great time with her, total respect for her, i have no idea why she was upset. she took the tweet down. i don't know. i can't speak for her. i don't know. in my life i pride myself on taking responsibility for things that i've done. >> franco said if he's done something wrong he will fix it. one of the women accusing franco claims he assaulted her and tried to lure a teenage friend of hers to a hotel room. also this morning, michael douglas is denying a claim he committed a lewd act decades ago. his denial comes even before a report about the alleged misconduct has been published. douglas says a former employee is accusing him of the act more than 30 years ago and cim

denies. the recent revelation apple deliberately slowed down older iphones is getting the attention of prosecutors. authorities in france say shortening a product's lifespan is a crime and looking into apple's actions. the company insists it only slowed down the phones to prevent random shutdowns caused by aging batteries. 13,000 tourists have been stranded in the swiss alps because of heavy snow and avalanche. some dramatic photos showing the snow that crashed into these apartments at a ski resort in the italian alps. it burst through doors and windows. many roads are closed right now so helicopters are being used to air lift some people but it's not all bad news. they were given some cheese while they were being evacuated. no wine? just cheese. >> only in the alps. all right, coming up, bats invade walmart. we'll show you. also ahead a teacher handcuffed while protesting her boss' raise. what the school is now saying

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great taste. naturally. this is crazy. it's not just crazy. it's just an average day at this walmart in southeast texas. those are bats flapping around the store. inspectors say the bats were apparently living in the store's lawn and garden section. the walmart is still trying to get them out of that store. well, outrage is growing this morning over the arrest of a teacher in neighboring louisiana. thrown in jail after speaking out at a school board meeting. >> it all started when she objected to her boss getting a raise. within moments she ended up on the floor in handcuffs. some fellow teachers say she was only treated that way because she's a woman. abc's steve osunsami has the details. >> reporter: desha hargrave was simply speaking her mind at a school board meeting in abbeyville, louisiana, last night upset they were giving this man, the superintendent a nearly $30,000 raise while

handing out nothing extra to teachers. >> superintendent or any person in a position of leadership getting any type of raise, i feel like it's a slap in the face to all the teachers, cafeteria workers and any other support staff we have. >> reporter: the board was only trying to hear public comments and not a debate. >> is it against policy to stand? sir, do not -- >> reporter: for some reason the second she walked out of the room -- >> what are you doing? what are you doing? >> don't. >> reporter: she was on the ground put in handcuffs and charged with resisting an officer. >> i have never seen a man removed from this room. i have never. >> reporter: this is a petty personal attack on the superintendent. and his family. it has nothing to do with what the job requires, what the salary should be. >> reporter: tonight a city attorney says that no charges will be filed against the teacher and the local police underline that it was a school resource officer who made the

arrest and they say that any questions should be directed towards the school board. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. >> the school board president claims the whole incident was a setup by several board members. he says they have been determined to get rid of the superintendent. the director of the fbi sounding the alarm about encryption that prevents law enforcement from gaining access to data stored on phones and other electronic devices. speaking at a cybersecurity conference director christopher wray called this an urgent public safety issue. he says the fbi was unable to access data on nearly 8,000 electronic devices during investigations last year. he did acknowledge, however, a solution to the problem will require some significant innovation. a u.s. official now confirms a classified government satellite fell into the indian ocean after sunday night's rocket launch by spacex after it failed to remain in orbit. it's believed to be a billion dollar spy satellite. meanwhile, this photo taken by a pilot over afric

after the launch shows a bright spiral. look at that experts say that was likely the moment the rocket was venting fuel. a normal process to avoid explosions. back on the ground we often see contests at basketball games where fans try to win prizes but making half-court shots. but this one was a little special treat. >> this guy had a chance to sink a half-court shot and came up short. >> he decided to take off his shirt. >> as one does. >> to, of course, to fire up the crowd. give it a second try. does he get it? no. >> me might have been a little too pumped up. his second shot went flying over the backboard and enjoyed his moment in the spotlight despite walking away empty-handed. we all got a show. the other video that caught our attention overnight comes from the bbc. one reporter's trip to the zoo, what went wrong? >> he's trying to do a report in front of the camera when the

lemurs took over. take a look. >> oh. just go for it. so any time -- any time you like. >> oh, boy. >> and where they're doing that annual stock take of animals. >> i love that he keeps trying to do the report. there are lemurs flying in front of him. >> i love the typical photographer there, any time, dude. come on. like my car is running. >> all right, coming up, airline seat, well, they're getting even more uncomfortable. the uproar in hollywood following a new report about a major pay gap between mark wahlberg and one of his female co-stars. what a deejay gave to prince harry and harry's reaction. assi. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. t to help others, they first d to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating.

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♪ all right time for "the pulse" and we begin in hollywood. news of a very different pay scale on the set of "all the money in the world." >> the movie was reworked following sexual misconduct allegations against kevin spacey. according to "usa today" mark wahlberg was paid $1.5 million for the reshoot but co-star michelle williams, she reportedly only got about $1,000. >> yeah, and this comes after the director ridley scott said everyone did the reshoot for free. ironically enough the oscar winner williams had more screen time than wahlberg. there's an attempt to end a growing controversy. literally on the international space station. >> yeah, a japanese astronaut claimed he grew more than 3 inches in just three weeks on board, the controversy started when he said his growth means he might not fit into his space suit. he said there was a measuring error. it isn't easy without gravity

apologizing for the fake news saying he will be able to flay back to earth after all. >> i like the part of him being a giant. speaking of uncomfortable flights, british airways is about to give you another reason not to fly economy. >> from now on you won't be able to recline in your seat. the first nonbudget airline to make the move but don't worry, the nonreclining seats will only be on short flight, not ones across the atlantic yet. then a deejay hoping to score a gig of a lifetime. prince harry and meghan markle were visiting a radio staying when one deejay slipped him a card and saying, yo, can i deejay your wedding. he shouted deejay at your wedding. more news after this.washington with breaking news in southeast. take a look at this video. while you were sleeping, police say a man stole a police cruiser, triggering a pursuit in the 600 block of pennsylvania avenue. officers caught up with the car near 3rd street, where the man crashed into other police vehicles. two officers are hospitalized with non-life threatening

we will have more on this story in just a few minutes. also breaking overnight-- a federal judge is temporarily blocking the trump administration's decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation. the decision was handed down late last night, blocking the deportation of so-called dreamers, as multiple lawsuits play out in court. daca has protected about 800,000 people who were brought to the u.s. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas. widesptread evacuations happening right now in california where mudslides crippled several neighborhoods. this is in santa barbara county -- where heavy rains triggered mudslides, sweeping away dozens of homes. at least 13 people are dead. dozens more were rescued by emergency helicopters. good morning washington. toss to eileen - 40s today, 50s tomorrow, 60s friday - rain chances return; bulk of the rain friday - tumbling temperatures saturday

weekend through early next week today: partly to mostly cloudy. seasonable. highs: 43-46 winds: s 5 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. patchy fog. lows: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph to calm thursday: mostly cloudy and milder. showers possible late. highs: 51-55 winds: s 5 mph a sad update in the search for a missing man.

found the body of daniel dehaven. dehaven was

suffering from dementia when he vanished from a shopping trip to a costco store last week. police located his body in a wooded area near bwi airport. investigators say the death is not suspicious. steve bannon, former chief strategist for president trump is looking for a new job-- again. bannon step down as head of breitbart news. the moves comes after he disparaged president trump's children in that new book "fire and fury". bannon returned to breitbart late last year after he was fired as chief white house strategist. here's what short-lived white house communications director anthony scaramucci thinks about bannon. sirius x-m, which hosts a breitbard radio show, says it will end its relationship with bannon as well. happening today house majority whip, steve scalise - getting ready for another surgery... following that

last june. the louisiana congressman suffered serious injuries, in that shooting. he says -- today's procedure is a routine follow-up... and he'll continue to handle his leadership duties as he recovers. also happening today-- virginia governor terry mcauliffe is preparing to deliver his final state of the commonwealth address. the speech is set to begin tonight at 7 o-clock. it will be one of the final acts for governor mcauliffe before his term ends this weekend. ralph northam will be sworn in at noon on saturday. it's xx and we're just getting started. breaking news-- a police cruiser stolen, then crashed. the latest on the pursuit that left several officers injured overnight. plus, a federal judge blocking the trump administration's decision to end "daca". what this means for thousands of undocumented families. good morning washington.

- 40s today, 50s tomorrow, 60s friday - rain chances return; bulk of the rain friday - tumbling temperatures saturday - back to the cold this weekend through early next week today: partly to mostly cloudy. seasonable. highs: 43-46 winds: s 5 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. patchy fog. lows: 31-35 winds: se 5 mph to calm thursday: mostly cloudy and milder. showers possible late. highs: 51-55 winds: s 5 mph back now to that breaking news.... while you were sleeping, a police cruiser was stolen and crashed.