Candidates is heating up. With senator ted cruz on the fast track in iowa. Running neck and neck with donald trump. Its a swift rise for the texas senator. A 21point gain since october in one poll. Cruz and trump up until now have played nice with each other. At all changed this weekend. In iowa, t tmp digging at cruz for opposing popular ethanol subsidies. If ted cruz is against ethanol, how does he win in iowa . Becacae thats very antiiowa. Reporter then on sunday morning shows. You look at the way hes dealt with the senate. Where he goes in there like a frankly, a little bit of a maniac. Hell never get anything done. Thats the problem with ted. Reporter cruz, in response, tweeting this video. Saying in honor of my friend, real donald trump and goodhearted maniacs everywhere. In the end, trump still wants to work with cr. Saying he sees cruz playing a part in n s administration. We would certainly have reporter this back and forth kicking off after cruz could be heard on tape behind close doors questioning trump and ben carsons ability to run the country. Its also a question of judgment. Reporte as cruz rises, and trump verbally attacks, carson is falling. Poll numbers go up and down. I wasnt excited when they were up. Im not t cited when theyre down. Reporter how would the republicans do against Hillary Clinton in the general election . Well, a new nbc wall street journal poll shows she would defeat ted cruruand donald trump but would lose to marco rubio or ben carson. Ena . Richard . Back to you. Stephanie ramos, thank you. And the democrats will debate this week, too. Join david muir and Martha Raddatz for the New Hampshire democratic debate. Your voice, your vote. Next saturday, december 19th. 8 00, 7 00 central, right here on abc. All right. Cant wait. Parts of texas cleaning up this morning from a weekend of at least three confirmed tornadoes touched down in east texas, damaging up to 50 homes in the town of lindale. Where the mayor has declared a state of disaster. Onontwister came within feet of Luke Griffins home. It just started back that way, toward the high school. And you can see out there in thatat lane where it started. It just came right through here. It was just a white wall of stuff flying everywhere. Im just thankful we were not home. I think the lord sent us away and he spared us. Strong winds in lufkin, texas, threw 64 cargo train cars from their tracks on to the road below. Despite althe damage, not a single injury reported this weekend. Farther north and west, snow has finally arrived. Across the cascade mountaiai. The latest storm system brought a solid blanket of snow for Opening Weekend at the summit there. By the time its all over, the storm system could bring up to two feet of snow to the northwest. Weather across much of the western u. S. The latest, east coast, meantime, temperatures as much as 30 degrees above normal this weekend. It was so warm in washington, d. C. , the nations capitals famed Cherry Blossoms bloomed three months early. The National Parks service says late blossoms will not affect the blossoms next spring. And heres a sight not often seen ten days before christmas here in new york. People picnicking in central park. I saw that with my own eyes yeststday. The springlike weather will soon come to an ababpt halt. Accuweathers Paul Williams joins us now with the latest. Paul, morning. Thanks, reena, richard. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but, here we go. Its monnay all over. Particularly in chicago, st. Louis, little rock. Over towards nashville. Anywhere you see the green, look for blinding rain, scattered showers, bigtime travel delays. Mother nature will not just pick its goingngo pick on the northeast as well. It will bring with it more travel delays and in the midst springlike sher with heavy downpours in the middle of back to you. Reena . Richard . I do like pauls passion. We turn now to new details in the investigation of the San Bernardino massacre. After a threeday search, the fbi has finished dragging a nearby lake. Still no word if they have found the missing hard drive belonging to syed farook and tashfeen malik. And now there are new questions about why screeners, who let malik into the country, overlooked her social media accounts. On facebook, she discussed how she wanted to be part of a violent jihad. The fbi is investigating vandalism at two mosques in southern calififnia. Treating them as hate crimes. Both were spraypainted and a hand grenade was left in the driveway of one of them on friday. Damaged in a firirthat police say was intentionally set by a man who is now in custody. Well, 20 Saudi Arabian women will soon take up positions in their local town councils. They were elected in the election where women were allowed to vote for the first time. The kingdom bars them from making decisions about marriage, travel, education. Even from driving. Many of them took uber to castst their first ballot over the weweend. And breaking overnight, new details in the october crash of the Russian Airliner that killed 24 people over egypts sinai peninsula. Authorities said a bomb brought it down. This morning, the egyptians saying they have foundo far no evidence o o terrrrism. That conclusion after a preliminary port on the crash. This is not the final word. The investigation continues. And now, today marks the third anniverry of the elementary, which killed 20 children and 6 adults. And even though its the first time the anniversary has fallen on a school day, there are no events planned at the local schools. Town officials are also taking a lowkey approach with no organized public remembranans. The main event will be an Interfaith Service tonight. At the episcopal church. Antigun groups around the country are marking the day with ceremonies and speeches. Coming up, a new study about sleep and whether too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing. Plus, the outburst at the dmv. An example of how not to behave when your number is called. And check out the e rking conditions this mailman has to put up with. Never mind about the snow, rain, and gloom of the night. Stay with us. Behind every open heart. Is a story. For some, its about finishing the race. No matter what the obstacles. When you keep an open heart, Amazing Things happen. Save up toto0 every kiss begins with kay. Its the kay jewelers save the best for last event with up to 30 off storewide. Now is the time to find her the best gift at an incredible price. So hurry in. And save up to 30 at kay. The numberone Jewelry Store in america. Come on duck puppy barks you can do it duck. Hurry up duck you can do it duck. Iams. Helps keep your dog healthy at every stage. So you can always look forward to whats next. You know that wow, im starving feeling . Well now at subway you can make it deluxe 50 more meat on any 6inch sub for just 50 more, for our 50th annnnersary. So when youre craving that little extra. Get to subway and make it deluxe. Eow mix jingle slowly and quietly plplks] right on c c. [cat meows] meow, meow, meow, meow. Its more than just a meal, its meow mix mealtime. With great taste and 100 complete nutrition, its the only one cats ask for by name. Here in vineland, home of progresso, we love all kinds of chicken soups. But just one kind of chicken. White breast meat chicken every time. So if youre not going to make yo own chicken soup tonight, a problem with a wing forced this Emergency Landing of a uthwest Airlines Flight in san antonini a piece of the wing that reduces drag appeared to be at an irregular angle. Excuse me. The passenger who took the photos describededhe flight as a neardeath experience. With other passengers screaming in panic. The plane landed safely. Passengers continued their trip on another plane. Glad theyre okay. Twitter sounding an alarm to some users that their accounts may have been targeted by statespspsored hackers. The company says a small group of accounts were targeted. There is no indication that the hackers succeeded in stealing sensitive data. Google and facebook issued similalawarnings about statesponsored attacks. Warning. If youre planning a trip tohe post office today, expect to wait. The Postal Service says today will be the busiest day ofofhe holiday seseon. Packages. And for the entire holiday season, the Postal Service expects to deliver more than 15 billion items by new years eve. What have not been heating up exactly are interest rates. Many economists say dont expect that to change much this week. The fed reserve is expected to make an historic hike in the benchmark rate for the first time in nearly a decade. Its been hovering near zero since the 2008 financial crisis. But dont expect much. The fed is expected to just nudge the rate by a quarter of a percent. The hunger games mockingjay part 2 was tops at the box office for the fourth straight weekend. Though this is likely its last time there, with star wars expected to crush all competition when it opens next week. Mockingjay has made more than 245 million so far. In the heart of the sea debuted in second place. Followed by the good dinosaur. Dangerous situation at a hospital. Hundreds of people, many of them newborns, being threatened by a deadly disease. And Fatal Police Shooting caught on camera. The family of a young black man speaking out. Young man speaking out. The holidays bring many challenges to the feet. By day they must stay warm. But by night, beautiful, smoother and ready to impress the other party animals. Oh look whats this one . Todays the big day youre going to smash it. Right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the firstign. Without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. Only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. You could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Learn how ababva starts to work immediately at abreva. Com dont tough it out, knock it out, fast. With abreva. Oh, boy. Take a look at this. Thick, black smoke overer a tractor trailer hauling fuel veerd off the road and wept into railway cars. The truck driver did not, unfortunately, survive. Now for a look at morning road conditions. Slippery in the midwest and deep south. A rain snow mix possible in maine. A tough travel day for flyers, delays possible in phnix, chicago, atlanta, salt lake city, philadelphia, and new york. The l. A. Sheriffff department on the defensive this morning after a deadly shooting. Deputies firing 3bullets at the suspect. The department releasing a video that appears to show Nick Lal Robertson holding a gun as he laid dying. Officers say they repeatedly called for him to drop his the videoeo indicates the suspect was looking in the direction of the deputy sheriffs and had the weapon in his left hand as he was looking in that direreion. There are two people and three chirp in a car within five feet of him at the time. His family returned to the gas station yesteay demanding justice in the shooting. His wife says robertson became child looingg when he drank. Jury le dibdeliberations expected to start today in the death of freddie gray. William poert is charged with reckless endangerment, misconduct in office. If convicted of thehes expected to face up to 25 years in prison. Hundreds of newborns and hospital staff potenentially all babies from that hospital be treat frd antibiotics for up to nine months. The nurse showed no symptoms. So the risk is slim. A new study show e too much sleep could shorten your life span. One of the study authors suggests t tt sleeping m me than nine hours might be signs of a more Serious Health problem. Or it could be that restlessness or poor quality sleep might be the reason behind the increased mortality rates. Just another afternoon at the dmv. The woman giving clerks hard time. They asked a trooper to remove her. She had another idea. Kicking, cursing, refusing to leave. The trooper arrested her smp got out of bail on 10 bond. She was charged with redissing arrest. Up week 14 tonight on monday night football. Highlights of yesterdays games from our favorite people espn. Thats jay. Im j. A. The nba this week, over the week end, lost the unbeaten team. The Golden State Warrior lost. But the nfl has its. Panthers up, 70. Newton. Ted ginn jr is really fast. Ted catches it and just runs. That wasas a illegal contact penalty that the panthers declined. They didnt need it. Carolina up, 140. Later, newton to get again. Ginn again. Ginn again. His second td of the day. Here we go. The rest of the team, they all do the same thing. Panthers win big, 380. Sunday night cap. Rob gronkowski comes back after a knee injury. Four catches, 87 yards. New england up, 176. Their defefsive line was a menace. They knocked brian hoyer out of the game. Not before they sacked him six times. A fumble lost there. Patriots beat the texans, 276. Spot. For more, check out your live sportscenter. First here. Live. 9 00 a. M. Eastern. Up next, the bighange if festive holiday music. And a huge night in hollywood tonight. The new star wars movie premiers before a starstudded audience. Details, next. Ills, and fever, theres no such thing as a little flu. And it needs a big solution an antiviral. So when the flu hits, call your doctor right away and up the ante prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source and helps stop it from spreading in the body. Tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. Before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if youre pregnant, nursing, have Serious Health conditions, take other medicines. If you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, ororigns of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. Children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomitingng ah, topping the pulse this morning, star wars frenzy reaching a fever pitch. The premier takes place in los angeles tonight. But where is still a secret. Fans have been gathering outside three l. A. Movie theaters for more than a week. When the film opens in the public on thursday, lit show in all three. Its a good bet the premier will be at one of them. Everyone can watch the festivities tonight on star wars. Com. Beginning at 8 30 eastern. A new shift when it comes to holiday shopping. It has to do with what were all hearg while doing all that buying. You yeah i dont want a lot for Christmas Mariah careys hit, all i want for christmas is you. Its been the most played holiday song in stores for the last 20 years. That honor this time of year were simply having a wonderful christmastime that honor now goes to the shins, with their cover of sir Paul Mccartneys wonderful christmas time. s the new most played song. Careys song at number two. We could have called it a tie. Theyre both good songs. Postal carriers are extremely busy. They donteed to be harassed. Tell that to a group op gobble lers. Every day, this mailman shows up to do his job, the wild turkeys are there to chase him down. Flock, as you can see there, with a pole. As miserable as theyre making him, theyre a hit on youtube. Nearly 1 million views so far. Maybe theyre hungry and need a snack. Or people that view youtube have horrible taste. We have more news here on abc. Next. I sure had a lot on my mind when i got out of the hospital after a dvt blood clot. What about my family . My lil buddy . And what if this happened again . I was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if thisisas the right treaeaent for me. Then my doctor told me about eliquis. Eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. Not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. Knowing eliquis had both. Turned around my thinking. Dont stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. Dont take eliliis if you have ananrtificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. If you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis treats dvt pe blood clots. Plus had less major bleeding. Both made switching to eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if its right for you. Right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Without it the virus spreads only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. You could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva. Com dont tough it out, knock it out, fast. With abreva. Checking our top stories, donald trump keeping his spot at center stage for tomorrow nights president ial debate. Ted cruz will be right next to him after surging ahead in the most recent iowa polls. The president will make remarks about his antiisis efforts today. Hell speak from the pentagon after meeting with his National Security council. Snow is finally fling in the cascade mountains. The storm system could bring up northwest and usher in Colder Weather for the western u. S. Much dryer on the west coast. Finally, a dry day in seattle and portland. Rain showers continue for the great lakes. Rain from atlanta to raleigh. And finally, on this monday morning, still 11 days to go before christmas. Plenty of kid outs there still prpraring their lists. We know that lots of members of the Armed Services wont be home for the holidays. Some have already made it. Thals when the fun starts. Examples of some of the greatest gifts of all now from abcs john donvan. Reporter look at that kids smile. Theres santa claus. One of her brothers. Wait, who is that guy in the back . Its the time of year for the happy prnk, w wn dads, long deployed in the service, pop out of costumes i gym jazz. I missed you, daddy. Reporter or hidid hind santa. Im just very anxious to see them. Reporter but now this. Daddy [ cheers and applause ] ho, ho, ho, ho, ho. Reporter where 6yearold jordan took a moment to thank the man in red. With our face of happiness. Heres what happened. Rob stella, in the back row, had been gone a year in the navy and it took awhile for the kids to spot him on this day. But heres what you get. [ laughter ] reporter and a reminder that happiness on the kids face yes, im home for good. Reporter canlso look like this. John donvan, abc news, washington. Those make me want to cry. Its really emotional. Another couple of veterans to tellll you about. One e them is rocky. Hes been awarded a purple heart after being injured by an ied in afghanistan. Hes been treated in germany. His handler, andrew brown is ing treated at Walter Reed Brown is hoping to be reunited with rocky, soon. He says his canine colleague is in high spirits, he hopes, just like he is. Theyre just as important as the folks out there as well. Were glad to see, we hope making a speedy recovery. Interting and good stories to end with this morning. That is whats making news in terry branstatabecomes the longest serving governor in American History today. Today marks three years since the devastating shooting at sandy hook elementary. Im live at Greene Square with a look at the constructions completion. Good monday morning, its 4 30