making news in america this morning, the death toll in the california mudslide disaster rises as we get a new view of the devastation. >> i didn't think it would ever turn into something like this. we've never seen anything like this before. >> 100 homes destroyed. this car washed away in a river of debris. water service could be out for several months and this morning the shocking development, why emergency cell phone alerts were never sent. president trump strikes a different tone when it comes to the russia investigation. his new response when asked whether he's willing to answer questions under oath. a young man, the picture

health, falls victim to the flu. this morning his father's tearful warning to everyone about just how dangerous the flu virus is this season. a man attacked by a bear in florida needs 41 stitches to recover. >> i came outside and he was right there. >> what happened just before the rare attack? plus, eric clapton's new health struggle. we'll see what 23 see of snow looks like. and the woman who just returned her dead christmas tree to costco and got a refund. good thursday morning, everyone. i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm maggie rulli in for diane macedo. the rising death toll in the california mudslide disaster. >> yeah, at least 17 people are dead and dozens believed to be missing. around the town of montecito in santa barbara county hundreds are stranded with roads cut off and no water supply. >> meanwhile, as we see new video of the ragin

we're learning why they never received emergency alerts. this morning, rescuers going door to door, searching for survivors in southern california, placing an x when it's all clear. >> i didn't think it would ever turn into something like this. we've never seen anything like this before. >> reporter: powerful mudslides funneling down these hillsides left barren by last month's fires. abc's kayna whitworth flying over the damage. >> if you look out there, you can see all of these homes completely surrounded in mud in all areas. i mean look at this. the rocks and mud have pushed down out of the canyon and collapsed trees and moved cars. yet somehow just to the left was completely spared. >> reporter: new video shows the power and speed. an empty car burbank bobsledding down the street as a muddy mess washing downhill. >> oh, my god,

>> reporter: marco and his family scrambling to safety as a wall of mud hits their home. >> close the door. get, get ready to go out. wake dad up. >> reporter: the family, some of the lucky ones surviving the ordeal. but the death toll is rising. at least 17 people have been killed. including roy rohter, the founder of a catholic school. 12-year-old sawyer corey and her cyst morgan. peter flore and ken liatis who hasn't been heard from since tuesday. the evacuations still ongoing. it could take weeks or possibly months to restore drinking water in montecito. meanwhile, the busy 101 freeway now a mud-caked mess. it's closed until monday. two local whale watching companies are offering emergency ferry service to evue

there's word that cell phone alerts didn't go out until after the mudslides began. they were afraid future warnings would be ignored if nothing happened this time. now to washington, d.c. and president trump's apparent change of position about the russia investigation. seems to be backing away from a possible interview with special counsel robert mueller. also, the president finds himself in the middle of a challenging debate over immigration. lana zak with the details. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and maggie. in washington lawmakers say they're increasingly close to coming to an agreement that would protect the 800,000 d.r.e.a.m.ers in the country. expect the white house will face increasing questions about the president's most recent tweets about the russia investigation. abc news has confirmed that special counsel robert mueller has told the president's lawyers he is likely to request an interview with the president, but asked directly if he was willing to meet with mueller, the president hedged. >> i can only

was absolutely no collusion, everybody knows it. >> reporter: president trump had previously said he was willing to meet with investigators. >> wow be willing to speak under oath to give your verse? >> 100%. >> reporter: on twitter he dismissed it all as, quote, the sing the greatest witch-hunt in american history, adding republicans should finally take control. he was asked to explain what that means. >> how do you want republicans to take control of the russia investigation? >> thank you very much, everybody. >> do you want them to shut down the russia investigation. >> thank you very much, everybody. >> reporter: the senate republican leading one of the investigations seemed to balk at the president calling for republican control of the russia investigation. >> i don't intend to have a discussion with the president on that point and i hope he doesn't call me and tell me the same thing that you said he said. >> reporter: meanwhile, congressional negotiators say they are closing in on a daca deal to protect undocumented immigrants brought to the united states as children. the president insists that

wall but republicans on the hill seem to temper expectations. >> it depends how you define wall. that wall doesn't have to be 2,000 miles of solid wall. >> reporter: now, republican jeff flake says he believes congress will come to an agreement before the january 19 spending deadline but, kendis and maggie, it is not clear if daca will be part of that bill or a stand-alone. we know senate majority leader mitch mcconnell pledged he hopes to have daca done by the end of this month. >> all right, so time is ticking for them. lana zak in d.c., thank you. the trump administration says an immigration sweep at 7-eleven stores across the country are only the beginning. agents hit up nearly 100 stores in 17 states and d.c. in the predawn raid arresting nearly two dozen people suspected of being in the country illegally. the store owners may also face fines and criminal charges for employing undocumented workers. a legal

trump administration. in a battle over who trees a consumer watchdog. a federal judge has ruled president trump can appoint his budget director mick mulvaney as acting director. a woman selected by the outgoing director of the agency sued to keep the job. she's expected to appeal the ruling. another high-profile republican is retiring from congress. darrell issa harshly criticized president obama as a house committee chairman, the 30th republican who has announced he will not seek re-election in november. overseas, tapes are finally reaching tourists stranded in the swiss alps. here's what 23 feet of snow look like. it was the biggest storm in a generation. about 13,000 tourists have been trapped because of the risk for avalanches. >> all right. well, nothing like that back here at home. let's check your weather for this thursday.

system moving across the central plains bringing snow and ice to northern states and rain and ice farther south. the strong winds could produce blizzard conditions in parts of minnesota, iowa and wisconsin followed by bitter cold temperatures. the same storm brought heavy snow to the rockies where it was welcome in ski towns like breckenridge which saw about ten inches. perfect conditions for some skiers there. and still ahead, another close call at a major u.s. airport. how a plane nearly landed on the wrong runway. but first a stunning revelation from the governor of missouri. the secret recording prompting him to admit he had an extramarital affair. plus, caught on camera, the dramatic moment a construction crane comes crashing down.

i'm a navy s.e.a.l. i'm a businessman but most importantly i'm a very proud husband and father. >> well, that's missouri governor eric greitens billing himself as a family man. well, this morning he's admitted having an extramarital affair. but he's denying some explosive allegations that he blackmailed his mistress to keep her quiet. a local tv station aired a recording in which the unnamed woman reportedly claimed the governor took a photo of her naked and threatened to release the image if she ever went public. overnight the governor's lawyer denied any blackmail calling the accusation about the nude photo false. police in orange county, california, are investigating the death of an ivy league student as a homicide. the body of 19-year-old university of pennsylvaa

park where he was last seen. he was home on winter break and had reportedly been picked up by a friend to meet up with another friend in the park. his family just wants answers. >> our family is devastated by the news and we like so many of you around the world loved blaze. blaze was a brilliant, colorful and ka icharismatic man who she light on all those who touched. >> they questioned his friends several times but this point they're calling him a witness and not a suspect. >> that youtube star logan paul is facing new fallout after posting a video that showed an apparent suicide victim in japan. youtube's parent company google is now dropping paul's channels from its advertising service. he's also being dropped from the online series "foursome." paul has since apologized for the video. and coca-cola are making a bold new move trying to put fizz back in sales of

adding four new flavors to its classic diack coke included ginger lime, twisted mango and zesty blood orange after bottled water unseeded soft drinks as america's favorite drink. the father of a young man who died from the flu shares a warning. the teacher arrested after protesting her boss' raise gives her story. a mansur visiting a terrifying bear attack in florida and has the scars to prove it. she'll love us. right? we are the new light & fit greek yogurt with zero artificial sweeteners. zerooooo! ooh eye contact. be cool. ♪ ♪ yeah girl, 13 grams of protein. 90 calories. yaaasssss! (loudspeaker) clean-up in the dairy aisle. we're the new light & fit greek nonfat yogurt

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life-threatening. a new warning about the flu virus spreading across the country much earlier than usual. the parents of a healthy 21-year-old body builder who just died from the flu are warning everyone no matter what your age, get the flu shot. kyler died from septic shock just days after his flu symptoms began. he finally went to the hospital when this fever kept rising but it was too late. >> you know, whenever you have fever and you have it multiple days, just don't let it go. >> experts say it's not too late to get the flu shot although it's only 30% effective. it can still help lessen the symptoms. it takes about two weeks for the vaccine to take full effect. more evidence of the toll this flu is taking. one school near charlotte, north carolina, is closing for the rest of the week after 160 students came down with flu-like symptoms. >> a baltimore hospil

circumstances behind a disturbing video. a man says he recorded hospital security guards wheeling this woman to the bus stop wearing only her hospital gown then leaving her in the cold. he called 911 and says medics brought her back to the hospital. now, that hospital confirms that she was discharged from the emergency department saying, quoting here, this unfortunate event is not representative of our patient-centered mission. while there are many circumstances of this patient's case that we cannot address publicly, in the end we clearly failed to fulfill our mission with this patient. the faa's investigating another close call at san francisco international airport. anary rowmexico flight nearly landed on the wrong runway heading straight toward a virgin american flight packed with passengers before air traffic control alerted the pilots. it's the second close call at the airport in recent months. in july an air canada flight nearly landed on a crowded

the former head of the transportation department will investigate the chaos in new york's jfk airport this week. bad weather and a burst water pipe left thousands of people stranded. as of wednesday, 5,000 pieces of luggage were still stuck at the airport and it could be two weeks before some people even get their bags back. >> a rally planned today in louisiana for the teacher arrested during a school board meeting there. deyshia hargrave was handcuffed after protesting a $38,000 raise given to the superintendent. now, the board president says hargrave spoke too long about a subject that was not on the agenda. >> by silencing my voice they've also taken away or tried to take away my first amendment rights to speak and i'm appalled at this and you should be too. >> the school superintendent is now speaking out for the very first time. he says the marshal who arrested hargrave acted correctly because she was not following the protocol of the meeting. >> go to the podium. stat

that way there's no ambiguity if somebody received the authority to speak or not. our people are -- know what to do and when it happened, that person -- that marshal acted in what we ask him to do. >> the core issue the teachers union says they haven't received a raise in nearly a decade. the city prosecutor says he will not press charges against hargrave. one man now sharing his frightening tale of survival after being attacked outside his home by a bear but here's the real kicker. he lives in naples, florida. andrew says he was letting his dogs outside when he came face-to-face with a four-foot bear. >> i came outside and he was right there. and i tried to run and wasn't fast enough. i tried to go like this to get back in & just did o

and flew that way and somehow got in the door. >> what a close call. you see the size of that gash. andrew had to get 41 stitches. >> all right, up next in "the pulse," the music legend who says he's going deaf. also ahead, lights out. what caused the power outage at the world's biggest technology show. plus, how a woman got a full refund for her dead christmas tree in january. it's a long-distance run. and you have the determination to keep going. humira has a proven track record of being prescribed for nearly 10 years. humira works inside the body to target and help block a specific source of inflammation that contributes to symptoms. in clinical trials, most adults taking humira were clear or almost clear and many saw 75% and even 90% clearance in just four months. 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,

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sounds. >> he's still doing plenty of gigs. >> good for him. next to a massive loss of juice at the world's biggest technology show. >> it's never a good thing for the consumer electronics show when the power goes out. >> that's tough. >> yeah, people had to use the lights on their phones to see some of the products during that outage at the las vegas convention center. others just said that's enough. we're going outside. as it turns out it was the rain that caused the problem creating a so-called flashover on a transformer but the outage lasted about two hours. tough at an electronics show. >> not enough to do in vegas when that happens. >> what are you going to do? quiet town. next to to an unexpected refund that caught our attention. >> a woman brought her christmas tree back to costco asking for a full refund last week because it was dead but most christmas trees are dead by january. >> exactly. so another customer posted this on social media to try to shame her but she got her refund. she got the last lah.

yes. don't hate the player. the game. >> the christmas tree game. finally a man finds out that black ice, guess what, it can be painful. >> this is in northern virginia here. he's heading to work, just a normal day and then ends up slipping, sliding. doing so well. >> he can make it. >> no. >> down goes -- >> i'm really impressed by how long he stays up. >> he does. he slides for a little bit. >> they're not used to it in virginia. >> brian boitano would love his skills on the ice. he's fine and his wife tweeted this out on social media. >> he's fine but she can't stop laughing. >> she got a goodmorning washinn is starting with temperatures in the area above freezing! and there is more good news in your forecast, in just a moment. first-- here let's take a look at some top stories. the death toll rising in california, following devastating mudslides. at least 17 people are confirmed dead and more than a dozen others are missing this morning. family and friends --

for loved ones. officials say most people in the impacted area did not follow to voluntary evacuation orders. more than 100 houses are destroyed -- another 300 damaged. president trump changing his tune about his willingness to sit down for an interview with special counsel robert mueller. speaking at the white house wednesday, the president called a possibly interview "unlikely", and proclaimed his innocence. for months-- president trump said he would sit down with mueller if asked. abc news confirms mueller has told the president's lawyers he will likely request an interview. good morning washington. toss to eileen - 50s today, 60s tomorrow, 30s this weekend - showers arrive this evening; rain for the friday am commute - midnight high saturday with tumbling temperatures - windy & colder saturday - back to unseasonably cold through next week today: mostly cloudy and milder. pm showers. highs: 50-55 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy a

highs: 52-58 winds: sse 5-10 mph friday: cloudy and warm. rain likely. highs: 63-67 winds: s 5-10 mph the property that was the scene of

murders... is back on the market. this is where the savapoulos mansion used to stand. someone bought the home after their deaths -- and tore it down, intending to rebuild. but they never did... and now the property is back on the market -- with one big change. while the address used to be on woodland drive -- the property is now listed as being on

new details... about that ban on personal cell phones, in the white house. according to a memo from chief of staff, john kelly -- those new rules will take effect next week. and it turns out -- it's not just cell phones. the ban covers "all portable electronic devices" -- including laptops and even smartwatches. lockers are now in lobbies of the white house -- and staff members are being told to leave their devices there, in their car - or at home. seven's on your side with health matters -- a shortage of critical equipment in hospitals across america -- triggered by hurricane maria. puerto rico-based company "baxter international" makes about 43-percent of the i-v bags and solutions for the entire country. its three plants went down after the storm. now local hospitals are scrambling -- in the midst of flu season. inova's five hospitals use up to three-thousand i-v bags every day.

bags... using oral medication... or directly injecting fluids. baxter hopes to be back to full manufacturing speed sometime next month. for the first time in more than 20 years-- the department of agriculture is planning a deer cull at fort meade. officials say overpopulation has lead to an increase in deer-related accidents. fort meade is not bringing in amateur hunters. two u-s-d-a marksmen are expected to kill about 100 deer between january 22 and the end of march. the meat will be donated to the maryland food bank. it's xx and we're just getting started. the death toll rising in california-- in the wake of devestating mudslides. we have the latest on the frantic search for survivors, coming up.

washington. - 50s today, 60s tomorrow, 30s this weekend - showers arrive this evening; rain for the friday am commute - midnight high saturday with tumbling temperatures - windy & colder saturday - back to unseasonably cold through next week today: mostly cloudy and milder. pm showers. highs: 50-55 winds: se 5 mph tonight: cloudy and mild. scattered showers. highs: 52-58 winds: sse 5-10 mph friday: cloudy and warm. rain likely. highs: 63-67 winds: s 5-10 mph happening now in california-- crews are