Transcripts For KGO ABC News Good Morning America 20140102

And celebrity chef, Nigella Lawson, live, sitting down to answer questions about allegations from that bombshell trial. And what really happened with her personal assistants that led to that milliondollar fraud case . Good morning, america. David and amy with the team. Robin and george picking a great couple of days to be off. Hunkering down. It is a mess of a morning across america. More than 100 million americans in the path of this first storm of 2014. Look at the drive this morning. 22 states going to get hit with this one. Here is a live shot we have of chicago. Look at the snow coming down. The huge storm moving east as we speak. Some snow falling here in new york this morning. Roads everywhere are slick. And thousands of flights are already canceled or delayed this morning. Its how Mother Nature says happy new year. Welcome back. Our extreme weather team, live with it all. Lets get to ginger zee, live in times square. Ginger, it is coming. Its the day after new years. And you can see right here in times square, some of this confetti thats been a little bit smushy and gross after the new year. I want to start with cleveland. The breadth of this storm is huge. You saw pictures from chicago, detroit, cleveland, a snowy, icky mess. If youre going back to work or school, heres what is going to happen with this storm. We are 12 hours from the worst of it here in new york city. I want to give you timing, for everyone else. Through pennsylvania it comes. Then, it starts wrapping in the low thats going to go offshore. Getting some moisture. Thats 6 00 p. M. , but overnight is the worst of it. From new york, through long island, which has a blizzard warning, parts of connecticut up through boston, and eventually maine. The big next question, how much more snow . And chicago already had in some places more than a foot. Theyre going to see lakeeffect, three to six inches with a ring around the lake. And look at that. Philadelphia, just under four. New york could see close to a halffoot. Locally, a lot of places, a foot or more. And certainly more in boston, its going to come along with winds. And behind it, some of the coldest air in decades. Chicago overnight lows by the end of the weekend, 13 below. And it gets even more worse from there. Thats where we find our gio benitez. Hes in rose mont, illinois, good morning. Reporter good morning, ginger. If this is whats heading your way, get ready. It is freezing. Check out all of this fluffy snow. It may look like a Winter Wonderland but dont be mistaken. This is actually a nightmare for so many people here in chicago and in this area. In the midwest, you have people trying to get through and they just cant drive through all of this weather. And take a look at whats happening all across this nation. A monster winter storm, driving hard across the nation. Its pretty bad out there. Reporter more than 20 states, from kansas to new england, in the crosshairs. A threealarm fire in sub zero minneapolis. Rescue crews there battling the blaze and the bitter cold. Water from their hoses quickly freezing and coating everything it touches in solid ice. Its like working on a skating rink. Reporter firefhters, even hacking ice off their ladders. This train in eastern iowa derailed after frosty temps warped the rails. Overnight, the chicago area hit with its biggest snow of the season. Up to a foot of white. It keeps piling up. It has not stopped. Reporter this car sliding right into a traffic light and a stop sign before slamming into the side of a store. And the northeast, now bracing for the blow. Residents from philly to boston, stocking up, ahead of plummeting singledigit pumps and blizzardlike conditions likely to hit some areas with more than two feet of snow. In burlington, vermont, salt is going fast. Most stores there, already sold out. And back here in chicago, its going to keep snowing all day long. Weve already had a foot of snow in some parts of you heard ginger say its going to be even worse all along the east coast. Get ready, because this is the exact same system thats heading your way, david. Were warned. Gio benitez in the middle of it all for us. Gio, appreciate it. Its going to be a mess on the roads and in the air already this morning. Thousands of Flights Canceled and delayed. Lets get to Muhammad Lila in new Yorks Laguardia airport for us this morning. Good morning. Reporter good morning to you, david. Im live in the departures hall of laguardia airport. All morning, weve been seeing a steady stream of passengers scrambling here. Hoping their flights arent delayed. You can see some of the passengers over my shoulder. New york, so far, hasnt been hit by the big blast of winter. Thats not the case in a lot of other cities in america. Lets look at some of the numbers. So far, more than 1,700 flights have been delayed. More than 1,100 flights have been canceled outright. Express jet, commute air are meeting the deadlines. And united airlines. And lets look at the airports. No surprises here. Newarks liberty international, chicagos ohare, and cleveland international, the top three airports right now that are suffering from delays and outright cancellations. As for new Yorks Laguardia, one of the reasons its moving so well, people have told me theyve come here several hours ahead of time knowing the storm was going to hit today. And clearly, david, on a day like today, thats some of the best travel advice there is. Muhammad lila at the airport for us this morning. Thanks. Were going to stay on the storm all morning long here. A lot of kids going back to school today. Well see how that goes. Well keep you updated. We also have some breaking news for you this morning. Dramatic rescue halfway around the world, the 52 passengers who were stranded on a ship in antarctica, all have been airlifted to safety just a short while ago. Abcs Alex Marquardt has all of the details. Alex, good morning. Reporter good morning, amy. Thats right. We learned that moments ago, 52 scientists and tourists were airlifted out. To a ship that is now taking them out. Theyre airlifted by helicopter, 12 at a time and and after a week and a half stuck in that ice, they say theyre relieved to finally be going home. This morning, the clear blue skies the rescue teams have been waiting for. This was the moment the stranded passengers realized their ordeal was almost over. A helicopter from a chinese ice breaker, testing the landing pad the passengers had stomped in the snow. If all goes well, well be off in about an hours time. Reporter expedition leader, professor chris turney had been tweeting and posting video throughout. And soon confirmed the rescue was on the way. The helicopter thats come to take us home. Thanks, everyone. Reporter then, a second, carrying another 12 passengers out. There were expected to be seven trips in all, flying passengers and gear to an ice flow next to the australian ice breaker that will take them out. Then, a tweet from turney. We made it to the Aurora Australis safe and sound. A huge thanks to the chinese and ausantarctic for all their hard work. Inpenetrable arctic ice, and driving rain and thick fog had dropped multiple attempts by three ice breakers from reaching the stranded russian ship with its 74 scientists, tourists, and crew. Over the past ten days they were never in any real danger. With plenty of supplies and good cheer, on full display in this new years video. Ice cold, cha, cha, cha ice cold, cha, cha, cha reporter and theyll have a little bit more down time. It will take until about midjanuary to get to the island of tasmania, from which they will finally fly home. As for the stranded ship, its 22man russian crew is staying with it until they break free, because they arent in any danger. David . Remarkable good spirits through the whole thing. Alex marquardt, thank you. Were going to turn to the young, reclusive north korean dictator, kim jongun, beginning the new year with alarming new comments, aimed at america and at the powerful uncle he had executed. I want to bring in our Global Affairs correspondent Martha Raddatz this morning. Martha, were used to rhetoric out of north korea, but what did you make of this . One of the reasons the new years address is so important and so closely watched is we know so little about the Young North Korean leader. But this 30yearold is now issuing these fresh threats, accusing the u. S. And south korea of conducting military exercises as a rehearsal for nuclear war with the north. Saying it would result in a Deadly Nuclear catastrophe. But at the same time, he said that the north and south should try to improve relations. That line really caught my eye because he said something similar last year at this time. And a few months later, when i was in south korea, he was threatening a military attack on seoul that had that nation and the u. S. On edge for weeks, david. Yeah. We all remember what followed. We know he had his uncle executed, even though that uncle was instrumental in his rise to power. I wanted to show everybody at home those images, before and after. You see his uncle circled. And photoshopping him out of official photos. And very dark, very public words about his uncle. This was rare. Indeed, david. Photoshopped and executed within days of being accused of treason. He referred to his uncle as despicable human scum. This is clearly viewed as kim jonguns effort to consolidate power. All right. Not holding back. Martha raddatz keeping us on top of it all. Happy new year. Happy new year to you, david, and everyone. Bring it back to new york. Bianna golodryga tracking the other news headlines. Good morning, happy new year to everybody and happy new year to everybody at home. We begin with a developing story. Two highprofile attacks on social media affecting millions of users. Abcs chief business correspondent, rebecca jarvis, is here with details. Reporter good morning. Troubling news for anyone who has used the photo sharing app, snapchat. Its a hugely popular app, that deletes photos just seconds after you view them. So big, that facebook wanted to buy it for 3 billion. Hackers have gained access to user data, posting phone numbers and user names for an estimated 4. 6 million snapchat accounts online. Experts say the breach doesnt affect every user. But the biggest threat for those who have been affected, the hackers can gain access to apps like facebook and twitter since user names and passwords are quite frequently the same. Theres another highprofile data breech also involving web calling service, skype. Skypes twitter and Facebook Accounts were hacked with posts allegedly written by the syrian electronic army. Skype has fixed the breach. And reassured users none of their info was compromised. They have also, this morning, bianna, apologized for the inconvenience. Well see if that apology is enough. Rebecca jarvis, thanks to you. Were going to turnover seas. A giant of International Politics is believed to be near death. Former israeli Prime Minister ariel sharon has been in a coma since 2006. Is said to be suffering from kidney failure. Doctors say his condition has deteriorated over the past two days. Here at home, First Lady Barbara Bush is recovering from a respiratory illness at a hospital in houston. Shes said to be doing well. And is in good enough spirits to cheer on baylor during its bull game yesterday from her hospital room. And americas biggest cities seem to have gotten safer. New york had a 20 drop in murders last year to the lowest number in half a century. Meantime, l. A. s murder rate fell 17 . Chicagos 18 , despite several highprofile shootings. Lets hope that trend continues. Skyrocketing in colorado are marijuana sales. The first day of legal sales of pot for Recreational Use saw long lines, enormous demand, and a lot of celebrating. Despite colorados new law, any use of marijuana remains illegal under federal law. And this morning, hollywood is mourning actor james avery. He was best known for playing uncle phil on the fresh prince of bel air. Costar, alfonso rivero, who played carlton, his son, one of many mourning the loss, calling avery a second father. James avery was 68 years old. And talk about a delivery mishap. A woman in suburban chicago expecting a christmas package, got this, instead. A present from sasha and malia obama. It was an obama photo album, already opened, meant for the girls godmother. The woman contacted their godmother and plans to drop it in the mail today. What a surprise that is. And speaking of surprises, it was no ordinary new years for two families. In washington, d. C. , twin siblings born in different years. A woman gave birth to a daughter at 11 58 on new years eve. Her son arrived three minutes later in 2014. And the same thing happened in toronto. Gabriela and sofia. Arent they so cute, separated on the clock by 8 1 2 minutes. On the calendar, a full year. I think thats the best of both worlds. Theyre twins and have each a day to celebrate. One already looks older and wiser. A full year older. One will be reminded by the other every time. Thanks. Turning to one mothers fight against an nfl team. The family of linebacker Jovan Belcher, has filed a wrongful death suit against the Kansas City Chiefs. He murdered his girlfriend and committed suicide a year ago. The mother says were it not for the team, her son would be alive today. Abcs Ron Claiborne has the story. Reporter this morning, the Kansas City Chiefs are facing a lawsuit, accusing them of ignoring signs of brain damage, suffered by Jovan Belcher and pressuring him to play when he should not have. And it goes a step further. Seeking to blame his 2012 suicide on the teams alleged negligence. They add on something new that the other lawsuits similar to this have not, and thats the wrongful death claim. Reporter in december of last year, the 25yearold belcher shot and killed his girlfriend, 22yearold kassandra perkins, in front of their 3monthold daughter, before driving to the teams practice facility and killing himself. Now, belchers mother is bringing a lawsuit, saying the repeated blows to his head in his four seasons with the chiefs, caused him to suffer severe headaches, depression, mood swing, suicidal ideations. And insane impulses. It also says he didnt get proper medical care after two concussions. One in 2009, the in 2012. Instead, it says the team berated him and bullied him to play through his injuries. If they can prove that theres permanent damage to his brain because of concussion and because of practicing and playing the game, that takes them a long way to proving what happened. Reporter the Kansas City Chiefs told abc news, they are aware of his familys lawsuit. But would not comment. Belchers body was exhumed this year to undergo medical tests as part of his familys effort to prove he suffered permanent brain damage from playing football. And the medical tests are key to the familys lawsuit. They need to prove that belcher did not just have concussions but was permanently braindamaged from playing football. And more, that that was the reason he killed himself. Amy, the lawsuit against the chiefs does not specify a dollar figure. Theyre hoping the jury will set that. Much, much more to come in this month. Ron claiborne, thank you. Now, to a major break in the case of an american banker on the run, accused in a 20 million fraud case. Authorities say he faked his own death. And look at this. What he looked like before and after being captured after a year and a half on the run. Hes now headed for a courtroom today. And Steve Osunsami in atlanta this morning, where price was arrested. Steve, good morning. Reporter good morning, david. Investigators have been searching the world for this man and thought he might be sailing the seas. But after what was a routine traffic stop where he was pulled over for tinted windows, hes back home at georgia this morning and facing a judge. This was aubrey lee price, in happier days, when prosecutors say the former georgia Bank Official was stealing millions from unsuspecting investors. And this is what he looks like now, arrested in georgia on new years eve, way different than the 47yearold executive wanted by the fbi for more than a year. This is a great way to start out the new year for us. Reporter wendy cross is one of 115 investors from florida and georgia that prosecutors say he swindled. She lost 360,000. Hes a thief and a liar. Reporter according to the criminal complaint, price collected about 40 million and used that money to invest in a failing georgia bank, where the government says he then stole, misappropriated and embezzled more than 21 million, directing much of that money to his own pockets. Not just my money. But it was my dreams and my future and my freedom, gone. Reporter price disappeared before police could arrest him, convincing his family and his Business Associates that he had killed himself. He left a suicide note in june 2012, saying he was emotionally overwhelmed and incapable of continuing in this life. Just a month later, there he was. Appearing in surveillance videos posted online by the fbi. From the key west airport. And then, the ferry terminal. This morning, his alleged victims, hoping he still has their money. Right now, price is charged with one count of bank fraud and could get up to 30 years in prison. If convicted, he faces additional charges in new york. David . Steve, thanks. Its like our before and after after filling in this week. I mean, thats drastic, right . Speak for yourself, david. Ginger tracking the storm. You came inside. And its starting to come down in new york. Exactly. Here in new york. And we were talking about the chill and how cold its going to be. I didnt want to leave out the south. Look at dallas this morning, their windchill is 14. Oklahoma city feels like 4. And of course, as you go north, it only gets worse, and really uncomfortable to nearly dang dangerous. 19 below to minneapolis. Fargo starts the mourning feeling like 23 below. Buffalo, 6 below. And burlington, vermont, 24 below. The cold is pretty much everywhere. And the cold front going to push through. The one thats going to give more snow in the southeast, going to bring storms. Some of them could become severe. Some damaging winds. Maybe an isolated tornado in parts of florida today. Orlando will go for a high of 81. You will see locally heavy rain showers. Tallahassee, 64. Atlanta behind it, 49. And birmingham, 47. Everybody just going to be falling out. Your local forecast coming up in 30 seconds. California had its driest year on record. Theres actually a town where a gold rush town, underwater is now becoming exposed. Well talk about it in the next half hour. Any gold left . Exactly. Thanks, ginger. Coming up next on good morning america, new clues in the case of a missing michigan doctor and why the familys private investigators now says she may have wanted to disappear. Also, one fathers fight for his biological son after he was put up for adoption. What hes doing now that he hopes will bring him home. Plus, taylor swift under fire. Why some of the pop superstars neighbors at her summer home are seeing red. And celebrity chef, Nigella Lawson here live, answering questions about what really happened in that bombshell trial. So we can offer you the same great, nationwide coverage for half the cost. Out here, and here, and here. Well, not here. That would be weird. The world needs more straight talk. Same phones. Same networks. Half the cost. Get a Samsung Galaxy s3. Unlimited everything just 45 a month. Only at walmart. To prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, hes agreed to give it up. Thats today . [ male announcer ] well be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. I was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. And now ive got to take more pills. Yup. Another pill stop. Can i get my aleve back yet . For my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easyopen red arthritis cap. Ive quit for 75 days. 15 days, but not in a row. For the first time, you can use nicorette. Even if you slip up. So you can reach your goal. [ male announcer ] now, quit on your own terms with nicorette or nicoderm cq. [ male announcer ] even more impressive than the research this man has at his disposal is how he puts it to work for his clients. Morning. Morning. Thanks for meeting so early. Come on in. [ male announcer ] its how edward jones makes sense of investing. [ male announcer ] its how edward jones almond breeze almondmilk makes everything good even better. From the bowls of cereal you make. To all the delicious recipes you bake. Because inside every carton is the goodness of blue diamond almonds. So grab a carton of almond breeze. Almondiciously good [ female announcer ] neutrogena® pore refining cleanser. Alphahydroxy and exfoliating beads work to clean and tighten pores so they can look half their size. Pores. Shrink em down to size [ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. Neutrogena®. [ female announcer ] pore refining cleanser. Youre always on, so were always ready. Tyson grilled ready chicken. Made with 100 all natural ingredients, all white meat, and fully cooked. Well take care of dinner. You take care of everything else. Using stilts to take down the lights . Not good. Going to the kmart winter sales event . Good. Get up to 60 off winter apparel, and shop your way members get 10 back in points. Kmart. Get in. Get more. Chose prego traditional over ragu traditional. Prego . but i buy ragu. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices ive made. [ pop muzak plays ] [ sigh of relief ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. Choose prego. Good morning. Im matt keller. Police in san jose are investigating the citys first murder of 2014. A man in his late 20s was found early this morning in front of a residence on East San Antonio street suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He died at a hospital. Police are interviewing neighbors. Time to get a check on the morning commute with sue hall in the abc7 traffic center. Good morning. Good morning, matt. Thank you so much. A couple trouble spots out there. Weve still got this stall on the sunol grade pass. Chp finally getting on scene there. Took them quite a while. Should be clearing out shortly but you can still see a little bit of slow traffic coming off the grade there. In in san jose, a solo spinout 87 northbound past taylor, facing the wrong way. Drivers slowing to take a look. Muni experiencing systemwide delays. No other mass transit problems. Matt . Isnt it time you discovered the sleep number bed . The only bed clinically proven to relieve back pain and improve sleep quality. And right now, its our lowest prices of the season. Save 300 to 800 on our newest innovations. Plus, 18month special financing on all sleep number beds. Only at a sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just 699. 99. Sleep number. Comfort individualized. Good morning. Were back and temperatures this morning not quite as cold as yesterday. The air quality is not quite as poor but it will be later on today. Low to mid30s up in the north bay valleys where its coolest, mid to upper 30s in the east valleys and the south bay, then 40s for the rest of us, even 50 in san francisco. Right now sun is almost up, almost cresting the hills as we look from our Vantage Point this morning. 7 to 11 degrees warmer than average. Some records will fall today. Your accuweather sevenday forecast, ab just imagine that youre here with me. Even though i know that youre not. 7 30 on a thursday morning. And more video surfacing of that missing michigan doctor. Her family wondering who those videos are for. And looking at the giant snowstorm moving eastward this hour. We have live pictures from cleveland of the snow. This is the drive into work for the new who have to go back on thursday and friday this week. We feel your pain already. Delays and cancellations across several states. And ginger zee, tracking it all this morning. And also ahead here on gma, taylor swift is in a bit of hot water. Some of her neighbors near her rhode Island Estate are not so happy with the superstar. Why they say shes messing with their beautiful coastline. And Nigella Lawson joins us live. She sets the record straight about that bombshell trial that made international headlines. All that coming up. First, new clues in the case of the missing doctor. She vanished almost a month ago. And new videos are surfacing online of the 30yearold woman. Her family wondering, just who she is talking to in these clips. Abcs linsey davis is here with all of the details. Good morning. Reporter good morning, amy. Teleka patrick disappeared december 5th. Just this week, another organized search for her. And a new billboard on the indiana interstate where investigators found her car. Just imagine that youre here with me. Even though i know that youre not. Reporter more mysterious videos have surfaced of missing michigan doctor teleka patrick. I just figured, you do your best and i do my best. And we give each other a chance. Reporter the bizarre videos show the 30yearold talking to, singing, buying flowers and cooking for a mysterious possible love interest. I dressed up for you. Reporter telekas family say they thought she was single. And now, because of this new discovery, police are scouring her computers. Just to see if theres any patterns in her intercommunications. Reporter patrick is a firstyear medical student in psychiatry, doing her residency in michigan. She was last seen on december 5th, in surveillance video, at a Radison Hotel five minutes from her home. A Hotel Employee said she appeared agitated after he turned her away for trying to pay for a room in cash. Two hours later, more than 100 miles away, patricks car was found in a ditch on the side of the road with a flat tire. Inside, her wallet. But no sign of car keys. A private investigator hired by the family told fox 17, it seems she was trying to get off the grid. Sometimes she would have trouble sleeping. She would communicate to friends that she was feeling unsafe. Reporter police say no one reported seeing anyone on the road that night. Theres no word in the dictionary to describe my feeling right now. Its the worst nightmare. And i really want the nightmare to be over. Reporter teleka left her cell phone and purse at the hospital where she works. So far, police say they have no leads. But a man reporting to be her exhusband, said teleka suffered from Mental Illness and she was delusional. But he does not believe she would harm herself. Hope the family gets answers soon. Were going to turn to the mysterious death of a california priest, found dead new years morning after he failed to show up for mass. Police revealing few details right now. And abcs reena ninan has the story. Reporter this morning, mystery surrounding the murder of a beloved catholic priest, found dead inside the rectory of his own church. Pastor eric freed seen here during his installation in 2011. Overnight, the towns mayor telling us, he was a beloved man of god whose murder has rocked the community. He was a real caring person. Was willing to help anybody at all times. Reporter freeds body was found wednesday morning after he failed to show up for a 9 00 a. M. New years mass. Overnight, his parishioners gathered not for a sermon. But for a somber press conference outside the church. Their place of refuge, now surrounded by yellow crime scene tape. I want to assure the residents of eureka, this is not a larger situation where people need to be concerned. But we are spending every resource possible to make sure this investigation is as thorough as possible. Reporter freed taught religious studies at hum bolt state university. Police have not revealed details about a possibleotive, cause of death or suspect. The community is devastating. These things dont happen here. Reporter father freed was apparently killed between tuesday night and wednesday mornings mass. We reached out to st. Bernards overnight. They told us freed was planning to use his sermon to announce his goals for the new year. To be happy, thankful and aware that faith and understanding is all in gods hands. For good morning america, reena ninan, abc news, new york. Just feel for that community, all gathered there waiting for some sort of answer on that. Horrible story. All right. Well be continuing to keep you updated on that, as well. We have a bitter custody case in utah to bring you this morning. The biological father, suing to get his son back and 130 million in damages, claiming he was defrauded and his baby given up for adoption out his knowledge. Aditi roy has the story. My son doesnt deserve to go through this. I dont deserve to go through this. Reporter Jay Strickland says his son was placed for adoption at birth, without his knowledge or consent. And hes fighting for custody of a 3yearold son hes never met. He filed a 130 million federal lawsuit, claiming the boys mother, Whitney Patterson dempsey lied to him. She put him up for adoption the next day. Reporter the unmarried pair broke up before the child was born. But they remained friendly and agreed to share custody. I helped her as much as i could. I gave her money when she needed it. Reporter strickland said they picked a game together, jack. One day after jacks birth, strickland said pettersson put the baby up for adoption and didnt tell him until one week later. The moment i found out, i filed for paternity, which was already too late. I know i should have filed earlier but i trusted her. Reporter one legal barrier, he thought pettersson was divorced. But she was actually still married to her estranged husband, who, under utah law, was the presumed father, and had the right to give away custody. Under current utah law, if youre a biological father and have not filed every paper thats required, you could permanently lose your child. Reporter strickland says that pettersson confessed him, she had been planning on putting him up for adoption since the beginning. Abc news reached out to pettersson and codefendant, lds family services, which facilitated the adoption and has not heard back. Strickland continues to send messages to his son. Hoping someday, he will deliver them in person. For good morning america, aditi roy, abc news, los angeles. Our thanks to aditi. Its Throwback Thursday, here. Ginger zee, what have you got behind you . This is really throwback. From the 1940s, a crane you can now see because lake shasta in california is 130 feet below where they should be. 130 feet low. California, having their driest year on record. You can see it all over that state. And not just california. More than half of the west is some sort of moderate or greater drought. Look at some of the numbers. Portland, oregon, had their fifthdriest year on record. Los angeles had only 3. 6 inches of rain last year. They usually have closer to 15. San francisco, bad. Redding, same deal. They need some moisture. Doesnt look like its going to happen. 78, palm springs. Warm and dry. The winds are relaxing for fire danger. San francisco 64. Sacramento, just shy of 70. We want to check in because we have the snowstorm happening in the midwest and great lakes, all the way through the northeast, this is novi, michigan, just outside detroit. Ive driven the roads many times. I96, thats not a fun drive this morning. Please, be c good morning. Im mike nicco. Some high clouds will mix with our sunshine but record near highs from low to mid60s coast, mid to upper 60s the rest of us. A accuweather sevenday forecast, this Weather Report brought to you by abreva. I had so many tweets, people saying, i will melt the snow and shove it to the west for them. Cant do that. Poor folks on the road this morning. Taylor swifts rhode island neighbors seeing red. Why they say shes ruining their beloved coastline. And Nigella Lawson, what she is saying about the trial that put her personal life in the headlines. [ female announcer ] right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal a cold sore in as few as 2 1 2 days when used at the first sign. Without it, the virus spreads from cell to cell. Unlike other treatments, abreva penetrates deep to block the virus, to protect healthy cells so cold sores heal fast. As fast as 2 1 2 days when used at the first sign. Learn more at abreva. Com. Dont tough it out. Knock it out fast. [ female announcer ] only with abreva. Knock it out fast. Hurry to sears for our new years mattress spectacular. Get 50 to 60 percent off, plus an extra 10 percent off, with even more ways to save, better sleep starts here. Sears. The joint is jumpin osteo biflex® helps strengthen your joints. like calcium supplements can help your bones, osteo biflex can help your joints. osteo biflex. Also in joint muscle and joint bone. Also in joint muscle what does that first spoonful taste likok. Honey bunches of oats. Ching mmmm mmmm mmmm wow its the oats. Honey. Yeah. Honey bunches of oats. This is a great cereal. [ coughing ] [ crying ] sorry. [ male announcer ] new robitussin dm max nighttime. Fast, powerful cough relief that helps you sleep like a baby. Robitussin nighttime. Dont suffer the coughequences. Im just curious. Has anyone told them theres a massive snowstorm coming . I mentioned it to them. Theyre good. Well check back in with them in about 12 hours. Back now at 7 43 now. And superstar taylor swift in hot water. Sparking outrage among her neighbors for a building project on her rhode island property. Reporter taylor swift may have recently been crowned 2013 tennessean of the year. But dont expect rhode islandeners to say the same anytime soon. She has gotten into hot water for the plans she has for her multimilliondollar waterfront property. Known more for her ballads and breakups. I knew you were trouble when you walked in reporter some are saying taylor swift is causing trouble. She spent 7 million for this mansion. 16 rooms and 5 acres, its located in the exclusive neighborhood of westerly. The pop singer is spending big bucks on improvement to the property, including a seawall, that some locals claim will restrict access to a public beach. I dont think any celebrity should have the right to do that with such a historic area. Reporter swift maintains she has all the required permits for the work and is restoring the wall after it was damaged in hurricane sandy. Others say huge boulders being placed by construction crews restrict use of the area popular with fishermen and bathers. Thats something thats just going to stick. And we wont be able to surf there. Reporter the Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission for rhode island tells abc news, they have, quote, no issues with the project. And the group that regulates Coastal Development have told local newspapers it approved the work and its up to snuff. Theres some reports that swift was actually asked to move the boulders by the state of rhode island itself. Whether it was originated from state officials or not, its clear that residents there are protective of their land. Bouldergate. The next scandal. Coming up, the women who dropped 130 pounds. They reveal their incredible transformation live, right here. And the play of the day. Man versus nature. What happens when a wild turkey takes on a Delivery Driver . Oh, no. That sounds like a bad joke. Well be back. So i can reach ally bank 24 7, but there are no branches . 24 7. Im sorry, im just really reluctant to try new things. Really . Whats wrong with trying new things . Look mommys new vacuum cat screech you feel that in your muscles . I do. Drink water. Its a long story. Well, not having branches lets us give you great rates and service. Id like that. A new way to bank. A better way to save. Ally bank. Your money needs an ally. [ male announcer ] bobs heart attack didnt come with a warning. Today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. If youve had a heart attack, be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. If awe know the value of ixk, be sure to talk to your doctor your education is where it can take you. now arriving city hospital. which is why were proud to help connect our students with leading employers across the nation. next stop financial center. lets get to work. You may be muddling through allergies. Try zyrtecd®. Powerful relief of nasal congestion and other allergy symptoms all in one pill. Zyrtecd®. At the pharmacy counter. And other allergy symptoms all in one pill. Using stilts to take down the lights . Not good. Going to the kmart winter sales event . Good. Get up to 60 off winter apparel, and shop your way members get 10 back in points. Kmart. Get in. Get more. The joint is jumpin osteo biflex® helps strengthen your joints. like calcium supplements can help your bones, osteo biflex can help your joints. osteo biflex. Also in joint muscle and joint bone. Also in joint muscle or how to find big savings on the things you need. Just make a Straight Line to safeway. Your club card helps you keep your resolution to save money. Nows a good time to pack your lunches. Lean cuisine entrees are just 2. 00. Chobani yogurt is just a buck. Resolutions kept. And charmin is 8. 99 for the 20 double roll bonus pack. Real big deals this week and every week. Only at safeway. Ingredients for life. Right then. Heres the play of the day. For this play of the day, we know that josh sometimes likes to do boferes. We have a trofer. Wow. We have a trifer. Whatever you want to say it. This is a favorite. A photographer getting up and close and personal with a buck. I dont know how current that is. Yeah. Looking dumb and dumber as it keeps going. Hes getting quite a pounding. I think he didnt want to him to run after him. I think running if you show your fear see . Hes all right. Then, we move on to a ram. Here you are on a motorbike, right. And its a game of chicken with a ram, not a chicken. And the ram has horns. Thats probably not a good idea. I just say, i believe there is a reverse mechanism on that bike, right . Reverse, dude. Come on. Not to do with a ram. A ram truck . Now, we go to what you think would be a gentle creature, a wild turkey. No. Hes on the attack. Attacking a fedex Delivery Driver in minnesota. Actually chasing him around the truck. Look at that. And the guy is running. The u. P. S. Driver actually running around a fedex truck. Thats kind of funny. And the best part is, the people taking the video up in this office are laughing hysterically. The guy has no idea he has an audience of millions, being chased by a wild turkey. Maybe this will happen to all of the christmas packages. The turkeys gotten in the way. beeping of c ffee maker. save your coffee from the artificial stuff. Switch to truvia. Great tasting, zerocalorie sweetness from the stevia leaf. From nature, for sweetness. Isnt it time you discovered the sleep number bed . The only bed clinically proven to relieve back pain and improve sleep quality. And right now, its our lowest prices of the season. Save 300 to 800 on our newest innovations. Plus, 18month special financing on all sleep number beds. Only at a sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just 699. 99. Sleep number. Comfort individualized. Explaining my moderate to severe so there i was again, chronic plaque psoriasis to another new stylist. It was a total embarrassment. And not the kind of attention i wanted. So i had a serious talk with my dermatologist about my treatment options. This time, she prescribed humiraadalimumab. Humira helps to clear the surface of my skin by actually working inside my body. In clinical trials, most adults with moderate to Severe Plaque Psoriasis saw 75 skin clearance. And the majority of people were clear or almost clear in just 4 months. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. Serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer have happened. Blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening Heart Failure have occurred. Before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. Ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. Tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. You should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. Make the most of every moment. Ask your dermatologist about humira, today. Clearer skin is possible. Yeah, lets do durable. Lets do different. But mostly, lets do soft. Like this, no, its gotta feel like this. Lets touch this. Touch that, save a ton, and then, lets get on it. Lets see the big game. And lets do floor seats. Lets do this. More saving. More doing. Thats the power of the home depot. Right now get wholehome basic carpet installation for 37 bucks. Good morning. Im kristen sze. Happening today, b. A. R. T. s board of directors votes this morning on that tentative labor contract that had been modified. Union leaders are urging members to ratify it. Their votes wont come, though, until after b. A. R. T. Approves the deal. Meteorologist mike nicco checks out our forecast with another sparetheair day. Air quality a little better but still sparetheair so no burning through midnight. Record high temperatures one of the stories, 67 in santa rosa. Heres your accuweather sevenday forecast. Above average until at least the middle of next week. Sue . All right. We still have a couple incidents out there this thursday morning. Go to san jose with a solo spinout still blocking lanes north 87 past taylor. We have a car into a ditch, a van into a ditch west 37th past mare island and still a delay on the muni line. The news anncr at jennieo a where every thursday people ride 10 miles for tacos. We thought wsurprise them with a better kind of taco made with jennieo ground turkey cooked thoroughly to 165. I feed my kids turkey tacos over regular tacos any day. I think they are light and they are just fresh tasting. Yeah. When i eat well, i feel well. Anncr its time for a better taco. The tacos tonight were pretty much perfect. Make the switch. Look for jennieo ground turkey in a store near you. Good morning, america. Its 8 00 a. M. , in a frigid times square. This morning, we get a taste of abcs hit show, the taste, with star, Nigella Lawson, speaking out. What she has to say about the scandal that put her on the witness stand. And we show you the incredible transformations of people who have lost half their size. Their emotional stories and the tricks for keeping off the pounds for good. We fell in love with her on full house. Now, she has one of her own. How Candace Cameron bure balances her career with being a mom. As we say good morning, america. Welcome back. That crowd anticipating a lot of snow out there in times square, in short order. Inside the studio, we have the stars of the taste. There they are. The show is back for a second season. This morning, theyve got a special taste test planned for me. Woo hoo. Cant wait for that. Good morning, america. Robin, george, lara and josh are all off this morning. Were glad to be with you. David muir, Bianna Golodryga, rachel smith, ginger zee, all here. Were glad to be here with you, too. Also coming up this half hour, so many getting into the new year with a healthy start, hitting the gym. No. Yep . Or trying. Theres becky worley on the elliptical. I got to get this straight. You dont have time to shower afterwards. You dont have time to work these days . Shes trying out the dry shampoos. Dont take a show afterwards . Really . Something i need to try there. Did you shower before work . Well, you know, last week its a necessity, david. It really does work. A little tmi. Plus, anyone who has bought clothing for kids knows they can ruin them or grow out of them after wearing them just once. So, a lot of highend designers making clothing for kids, why pay top dollar. This morning, were going to tell you how to dress your kids in designer duds. Thats the kid from modern family. I dont think so. Looks perfect. And we have william proving yet again hes the peoples prince. How he made one little girls new year already. Looking forward to that. Lets turn to Bianna Golodryga with the top stories. Hey, thanks, amy. We begin with some 70 Million People in the northeast bracing for a monster winter storm. Its already slamming the midwest with more than one foot of snow and frigid temperatures. As it marches eastward, eventually affecting 21 states. This morning, so far, more than 2,100 flights have been delayed or canceled. Folks in the storm path are already prepping, salting down, and stocking up. Ginger will have an update in a moment. All of the wouldbe arctic adventurers are off their cruise ship. A helicopter crew rescued all 52 of them overnight. The crew became stuck on ice on christmas eve. But the passengers luckily had plenty of food, water and skype. Its not something you see every day. At least not if you live in central florida. An Orange County woman called 911, after spotting this kangaroo hopping around her neighborhood. Any other day. Animal control officers eventually chased it down and returned it to its owner. No reports of any injuries either to people or to that kangaroo. Theres reason to celebrate lsus victory yesterday, even if youre not a football fan. And heres why. Outback steakhouse is giving away free bloomin onions today. Theyre so good. Because the tigers won the outback bowl. If iowa had won, it would have been coconut shrimp, equally good. And finally, its Mission Accomplished for a starbucks superfan. A ph. D. Student just completed a 365day challenge, eating nothing but starbucks meals for an entire year. Thats breakfast, lunch and dinner at the coffee chain, even on christmas and thanks giving. She said she did it because she likes to explore new things. I dont know if that fits. How many new things do they have . It cost her about 600 bucks a month. Not very cheap. And by the way, her name is beautiful existence. I think she just likes hearing them say her name when her coffee is ready. Beautiful existence. Go to the head of the line. Amy robach, line 2. Time for the weather. And ginger zee, this is a massive storm on the move. But theyre cheerful outside. Theyre bundled up and ready. Im telling you, david. Every time you come out here, its hard to hear because we have such a great crowd. These folks are from atlanta. We have a serious storm coming this way. But evan, youre a little excited for the snow . Yes. Yes, he says. Perfect timing, yall are leave right after. By saturday, the flights should be back on time. But, boy, is it going to be a mess the next couple of days. It really started in parts of the great lakes and midwest. This picture from wisconsin because it wasnt just chicago area that had snow. It was kansas. It was missouri. It was parts of southeastern iowa. And look what happens behind that cold front. Evan, look at the temperatures. Youre from atlanta. Look at that. 22 is what its going to feel like tomorrow morning. 4 below in the northern plains. Here are all of the advisories and warnings. Yes, there are blizzard warnings for long island and cape cod. Blizzard, remember, doesnt have to do with the snow. It has to do with the wind and snow. It will be blowing snow. Youll be seeing drifting. Its going to be an absolute wreck on the roads and certainly going to be a problem for air travel. The worst of it, remember, comes right along the east coast tonight through early tomorrow. Well have updates throughout the show. For now, thats the big picture. All of the folks are excited for the storm. Theyre staying put, they say. Thats good news. Rachel . Heres a look at whats ahead on the gma morning menu. Why Prince William is proving hes the king of the selfie. Full house star Candace Cameron bure is talking about how she juggles hollywood and other hits. And Nigella Lawson is here, talking about those incendiary headlines. Shes here with the hosts of the taste. Thats coming up live on gma, in times square. [ male announcer ] introducing new fast acting advil. With an ultrathin coating and fast absorbing advil ion core™ technology, it stops pain before it gets worse. Nothing works faster. New fast acting advil. Look for it in the white box. Orange juice. Tomato sauce. Can cause acid erosion. The enamel starts to wear down. And you cant grow your enamel back. My dentist recommended that i use pronamel. Because it helps to strengthen the enamel that you have. And i believe its doing a good job. You didnt really like them before. I didnt. How about now . Now im thinking about going the one, two, one. Yeah thats good. I like one, two, one congratulations. Nothing leaves you feeling cleaner and fresher than the cottonelle care routine. Nothing leaves you feeling cleaner and fresher than at uwe know you cant afford wrong turns on the road to your future. Thats why we build tools like our Career Guidance system. Its kind of like gps, you know, for your career. It walks you through different degree possibilities and even lets you explore local job market conditions, helping you map a clear course from the job you want, back to you. Go to phoenix. Edu and get started today. We actually see their faces. Oh my god, hes taller than i remember. Because weve got the kfc favorites bucket. Everybody gets what they want. We love this new extra crispy boneless. Mmm. Mmm. Now, they still dont talk to us. If somebodys battery runs out then you know maybe we can actually carry on a conversation. 10 pieces, any recipe. Twelve ninetynine. And you know what i want . All of us being together. Aw. Aw. They dont care but i care. No. Aw. We are watching some extreme talent this morning. Look at that. Gymnasts from around the world, all featured in this amazing video called, the art of gymnastics. Some of them world champions in their discipline. Others have performed at cirque du soleil. Shockingly impressive stuff. Getting a lot of buzz online. And rachel smith is here to give us the latest in pop news. What else is popping . Theres lots of things popping this morning. Those guys are always like 19 years old. When you get up close. Theyre always very young. No wonder that i can flip like that. I dont feel so bad. Why do you get up so close to them . Happy 2014 to you all. It feels like the holidays come and go so quickly, right . Lets have a little throwback moment. A Throwback Thursday moment for you. This young girl had a royally awesome christmas day, thanks to Prince William. Check it out. 12yearold madison here. She was visiting sandringham estate. She was with her mom. She was hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal family walking from home to church. And she is on her cell phone posing for a selfie with Prince William himself. She could not operate the camera. Prince william snapped it for her. And you have to have a good old selfie on christmas day. One or two. You probably cant convince anyone thats him. Looks like the real thing. Thats legit. Thats a profile pic, right. A new year, and the top 50 bachelors. We have a gma exclusive from town and country magazine. And its hot. The top hunk, scott eastwood. Hes the son of clint and dina eastwood. You remember the spread he did for town and country over the summer . It was pretty nice. Happy we have him now. Very handsome then. I knew there was something. Im going to get right on it. The full list is definitely a treat. Leonardo dicaprio, prince harry. Theos on there. And an honorary spot, how about Little Prince george. Oh. Not even 1 yet. Already on the list. Welcome to the royals. Are you fans of sleepless in seattle . Of course. Tom hanks, meg ryan . Yeah. A lot of people flock to seattle after that movie hit. And apparently, theres a new reason people are flocking to seattle these days. A chinese romcom, finding mr. Right. It was a smash hit. It seems to be inspiring Chinese Tourists to hop on a plane, hightail it to seattle. Theyre taking romantic vacas. Getting married, have a little honeymoon, all because of the movie. Set in seattle . All set in seattle. Its like speeding up. That was our edit machine. Oh, okay. We can do that at abc. I guess maybe fast forward. I dont know. Basically, a local Tourism Company says their phone have been ringing off the hook. They did a special new years eve broadcast from seattle. Love seattle. Ive never been. You havent . Oh. You fall in love right away. Do it. Maybe with one of the 50 most eligible bachelors. Now, on to a way to keep love alive. Mark thompson had to leave his girlfriend, meredith, in new york, during his tour of duty in the army. But she gave him this stuffed penguin named mumbles to keep him company. This is so cute. Mark has been snapping pictures with mumbles in different areas. Its almost like a flat stanley type of thing. There he is with some actual penguins. This pose is one where he was oh, yeah. A little smooch from a kitten. Just fun stuff. Thats one nice way to keep love alive. Yeah. Thats meredith. Thats not mumbles. Back together. Thats so precious. Not a cutout. Good way to end. Thank you, rachel. Also here on good morning america, were going to be talking about a problem that so many moms struggle with, balancing work and parenting. Hollywood mom, one may think have an easier time with it. They have help from nannies who make time for their careers. But one famous mom, Candace Cameron bure, chose to raise her three kids herself while she worked. And bianna found out you didnt know already. I never had heard of this. How did she do it . Reporter we grew up watching the show. We still watch it every night. This is a great story. Unlike so many other child stars, she ended up perfectly well. And she has kids of her own. Shes explaining how she gets it done. Everywhere you look reporter she grew up before our eyes as the lovable d. J. Tanner on full house. Stephanie is a child. I am a woman. Reporter and currently Warming Hearts as the star of let it snow. I could never imagine there could be so much magic in christmas. Reporter now, at 37, Candace Cameron bure is opening up about managing marriage, motherhood, and a hollywood career in a new book balancing it all. Its like an autobiography. And it takes you through my life story of picking out the moment wheres i had to make choices that would help me balance my life. Hugs for everybody. Reporter one of the choices included taking a break from acting to start a family. Bure has been murrayed for 17 years to former hockey star, valerie bure. And they have three, growing kids. I had the piece of mind to know that if i wanted to return to acting, if that were meant to be, the door would open. If it stayed closed, i knew my life just had a different path for me. Reporter this is bures second turn as an author. In her first book, she wrote candidly about her struggle with bulimia in her early 20s. Healthy now, bure is concentrating on finding balance amidst the everyday chaos. And doing it all without a nanny or personal assistant. She hopes her new book will knock down the misconceptions about mothers in hollywood. I dont have any of those things. Ive done this with my husband, with our partnership together. And weve just done it ourselves. And i dont think im any better of a mom because i dont have them. And she says most of the time, the anxieties mom face really come from within. I have to take it day by day. Thats part of balancing it all. We can beat ourselves up in our minds when were not driving to what we think we should or could be doing. Reporter and one thing bure is not ruling out, a full house reunion. Weve all talked about it. Who knows . It would be really fun. I always said i would be up for it. That would be heaven on earth if they had a reunion. Wouldnt that be so much fun . That would be great. She looks like she did as d. J. Tanner. She has not aged at all. This is such a Great Mission that she wants a life of normalcy. We have an idea that hollywood moms have it all. And she doesnt. And she doesnt want it. She doesnt want the help. She doesnt need the chef. She doesnt need the cooks and the nannies. She likes raising her kids on her own. She says if hollywood would call, she may return. And were all doing that balancing act. We ask you on twitter, how do you do it . How do you balance work and motherhood. Heres what some of you had to say. Melissa tweeted that her trick is to compartmentalize. When im with kids, its all about them. When im working, im 110 there. And allison said, take time for yourself. Refill your tank. After becoming a mom, good enough becomes the new perfect. Learn to say no. Thats my mantra. Good enough. You know . You cant do it all. But we try. Go find another mom then. Enjoy your therapist in 20 years. Youre the one that i heard. Go get another mom. You both are great moms. Thanks. Always one to top new years resolutions. Which is, what, get into shape . Obviously we mentioned this earlier. Theres not a lot of time to workout these days. Were trying to juggle so much. And abcs becky worley found out a way to make your lunch workout a real possibility by what you do afterwards. Dry shampoos and going back to the office . Reporter one hour to work out and make it back to the office. One problem washing and drying my hair takes about 25 minutes. So, do you think the boss would let me have a twohour lunch break . Ah, no. When i read online that you can skip the gym wash by using dry shampoo, sprays that remove oil from the roots of your hair, i had to dry. Step one, get sweaty. Sports club l. A. Lots of ways to do that. Mission accomplished. Im pouring with sweat, including my roots. Now, for the big test. Rinse off the sweat. No hair wash. Just a oneminute blowout to get the sweat off the roots. Now, for dry shampoo. I tried a bunch of these at home. And they seemed to work equally. They absorb oil from the roots. But their intended use is to let a wash and blow outlast a few days. But using it as a workout pickmeup is another story. So, this gym test is sort of an offlabel use, advised by bloggers online. Well see if it works. Hold eight inches away. Spray liberally. Shake it out. And give it a few minutes as you freshen up the rest of your look. It looks pretty freshly shampooed, if you is ask me. This is what my hair looked like before. And this is the aftergym dry shampoo look. Nobody at the office will know how sweaty i was just five minutes ago. Added bonus my hair smells pretty good. For good morning america, becky worley, abc news, san francisco. Ah, yes. Becky always looks stunning for us. Why did you put them all in front of me . You were so inquisitive. Im inquisitive. Im a believer in these bad boys. Without a doubt. Proof. Are you okay . Proof that the hair actually moves. Ill let you know how this go, amy. Were in the middle of an experiment here. I use these at the gym or between washes. Im feeling cleaner. Are you feeling fresh . It will change your life. Yeah. It has changed my life. Amy, over to you. Thanks so much. Abcs hit really cooking show, the taste, returns tonight with a twist. Season two has a twohour format and a brandnew mentor chef. Marcus samuelsson joins us with taste veteran anthony bourdain, nigella aweson and ludo lefebvre. Did i say that right . Yes. Nigella, you had quite a year. The trial against your two former assistants just wrapped up a few short weeks ago. And it was on public display. You went through a lot. And the focus turned sharply on you at times. This was a criminal lawsuit against them. But at times, did you feel like you on trial . Well, i did. But its one of the monsters of the english legal system that youre not allowed any counsel if youre a witness. Maybe it will change. Maybe thats good. What were the moments like on the witness stand for you . You know, i cant remember exactly because youre so focused on answering the questions to the best of your ability, that actually, you dont have the normal awareness of yourself. Maybe thats a good thing. Its a good thing. My only desire was to protect my children as much as possible, which i wasnt always even i couldnt do. But thats what i wanted to do. And actually, you know, since then, ive eaten a lot of chocolate, had a good christmas. And im into the new year. Speaking of that. You have the very private moments that you didnt want the world to know. To have them on public display. How do you handle that with your children and your family. Obviously you went something this summer as well with your very public divorce . How do you protect your children . I dont know. To be honest, to have not only your private life, but distortions of your private life on display is mortifying. But, there are people going through an awful lot worse. And to dwell on it would be selfpity. And i dont like to do that. Exactly. That was 2013. And theres pie. Forget chocolate. Lemon meringue pie is what we have. 2014, obviously, we just mentioned a new show, a new chef. Very excited to see marcus there. Your big smile. Tell me what you bring to the table. I learned a lot from all the mentors and how to play the game. Tony is a master of playing the game. I had a lot of fun. It was fun to work and to be on the show. Its an exciting show. Tell me how the show works for people who dont know. I want to get a blowbyblow. You get people to prepare dishes. And you taste them. And you have to be very frank, correct . We have to make all of our decisions based on a blind tasting of a single spoon. We have no idea who is cooking for us, whether theyre a great chef. Whether theyre a professional home cook or a completely delusional character. We pick them for our team team based entirely on the taste. And then later, during the course of the game, we are deciding whether essentially to send them home or reward them, again, based on a blind tasting. We dont know if were sending someone home from our own team or someone elses team. You can say its terrible. And its from your own kitchen. Who is the most outspoken . Who isnt afraid to say exactly what they think. Well tony too, huh. I hear you intimidate some contestants. Is that true . Hes passionate. You know . Hes very passionate. They all want to be on my team. No, hes very passionate. And it begins with that smile. Everyone thinks youre going to be all nice. No. We let it all out. Wait until you get to my kitchen. Ive seen you in your kitchen. Hes a rookie. Yes. Believe me. The stories. I want to get some tasting done now. Nigella, tell me what you brought. Lemon meringue pie. I have to say that. The thing about food is its texture as well as taste. That thing about the crisp underneath. Better one there. And crisp underneath and then that smoothness and the meringue. And also, i think everyone underrates lemon as the perfect dessert. Amazing. From lemons to meatballs. Oh, my gosh. Oh, my gosh, so good. Nice and salty. The one from the muppets made. The swedish chef. And then meatballs, lemon meringue pie. I figure id make something really expensive on someone elses dime. Are there truffles on here . Fettuccine with white butter and truffles. Thats what i need. Thats good, huh . Awesome. Amazing. Im not going to tell you what it is. Youre supposed to tell blind. I dont have a blindfold on me. What is this . Parmesan cheese and . And couscous . Good morning opinion im xi c kristen sze. A man in his late 20s was found early this morning on East San Antonio street suffering from at least one gunshot wound. An ambulance took him to the hospital but he later died. Police are interviewing neighbors now for information. Your morning commute, folks going back after the holidays. Sue hall as a look. A couple hotspots still out there and pretty mild all the way around. Southbound 101, oregon expressway, reports of an accident on the peninsula, up to vallejo. This van in a ditch, west bound 37. Emergency crews are making their way to the scene to pull that out. Still a couple delays on mass transit, and theyre experiencing a minor delay on b. A. R. T. Daly city line in the airport direction. Kristen. Sue, thank welcome back. 48 in san francisco. Still have a lot of mid to upper 30s inland. 43 in half moon bay. Significantly warmer today. A little haze out there, a sparetheair day. See a few condensation trails, a few high clouds out there, 7 to 11 degrees warmer than average. Infiltrated here in times square. Good morning america. Amy, your thoughts . What did they do . Not going to get anything past them. Spies everywhere. All to celebrate tonights premiere of the assets, a miniseries here on abc later. Sandy graef inspired the miniseries. If you like homeland, this is the real thing. I like homeland. She is very cool. Were going to talk to her about it all. Robin, george, josh, lara all off. Theyre back next week. Also coming up on gma, were going to show you incredible transformations. We love this. Each of these women lost at least 130 pounds. And this morning, theyre going to reveal their stunning weight loss. No better way to start the year. Exactly. So many highend designers are making clothing for kids. This morning, were going to tell you how you can dress your children in those designer duds without spending the big bucks. All right. By the way, we want to say thanks to our friends at the taste. I was eating so much, i didnt get to tell everybody that the season premiere of the show is tonight at 8 00, 7 00 central here on abc. Dont miss it. I still have truffles. Story about that. Yeah. David gets the dry shampoo. I draw shampoo. Truffles. Save us. A brandnew year means motivation to finally get in shape. Youre about to meet three women who met that challenge headon, all featured in people magazines half their size blockbuster issue. Im here with Senior Editor michelle tan. This is the 12th year that people had the size issue. What makes this year different . We wanted to provide more inspiration. More of the great weight loss transformations. We feature 14 real people who lost more than 100 pounds, half their size. Some of them even losing more than 400 pounds. What do they have in common . They never said i want to fit into skinny jeans. They made goals for a longer, healthier life. These women are featured in this issue. Theyre about to join us with brandnew bodies and a new outlook on life. Before we meet them, i want viewers to know what inspired them to make a change. I put on 100 pounds in 4 months. Reporter gingers weight gain began after a diagnosis of hyperthyroidism. That gave me the green light to eat as much as i wanted. Reporter she ballooned to 263 pounds by sneaking fast food and candy during trips to the grocery store. I would buy two to three pounds of candy and make sure i had it eaten before i got home. One night, she had horrible heart pains that scared her straight. I was afraid i wouldnt see my kids again. And i decided i was going to get healthy. Reporter having had heart surgery, at just 5. I wasnt going outside and playing with people, like i used to, food became my best friend. Reporter she was teased mercilessly. And she turned to food for comfort. I was trapped. I was a prisoner in my own body because i thought about food 24 7. Reporter she ballooned to 470 pounds before she was 18. I had a doctors appointment. And he said, if you dont change your ways, youre not going to make it to the age of 21. The day i left that office, my goal was, i wanted to live. Reporter kates long batter with her weight started at age 12. I was very active before, playing soccer and dancing. And i gave it up, because i was embarrassed because i was so big in comparison to everybody else. Reporter she steadily gained ten pounds a year for a decade, until she peaked at 263. I would eat a normal dinner with my family. And then, i would take a box of waffles and eat that as dessert. Reporter he turning point came when her mother was diagnosed with cancer. My family was trying to eat better foods to support her. And the idea that i was that person and i was okay with it. But wait a minute. I could actually be a thin person. It just sort of kept the wheels turning. Reporter these women are such an inspiration. We dont want to delay them anymore. Were going to get our first person out, our first guest. Ginger. One last look at how she looked before. And now, the new and improved ginger. You look fantastic. Fantastic. Wow. You have the honor of telling us how much weight she lost. At her highest weight, ginger was 263 pounds. And today, shes 132 pounds. That means she lost 131 pounds. To give you a visual of what 131 pounds looks like, your weight loss was the equivalent of 43 50ounce bottles of detergent. Your fellow friends here. Before she lost the weight. And hot momma. You look incredible. Beautiful. Tell us how much weight she lost. She was at 470 pounds. Now, a petite 147 pounds. That means shes lost an astonishing 323 pounds. Incredible. To give you another visual of how much weight shes lost, thats equivalent to 16 spare tires. Thats how much weight, my friend, you have lost. Wow. Incredible to see it. Were going to talk to you more about your tips on how you lost weight in a moment. One more person to finally meet. Kate. Here you see kate before. And now, kate today. You look stunning. Not only changed your weight, you changed your hair color, too. Im liking the blonde. How much weight has she lost . Kate was at 263 pounds. But today, shes at 127 pounds. That means she has lost 136 pounds. Thats incredible. 136 pounds. Our last visual to give you an idea of what 136 pounds looks like, you lost the equivalent of this love seat and five little dogs. Weve gone creative. The love seat and dogs. Lets talk about how you were able to transform. Ginger, how did you lose the weight you lost . I lost my weight through jenny craig. These are some of the snacks i learned portion control on. My favorites are apple straws. When i have a snack attack, i grab them. Do you ever feel the urge to splurge . Especially around the holidays. I do. Ive come up with a recipe. My brownies are brownie mix with a can of pumpkins in place of the eggs and the fat. Able to do it. You look incredible. Thank you. And you are focused on food, as well. And portion control. Yes. That is true. What ive learned to do is learn to eat like a kid. And i use my kids plates. And i portion out my meals by using smaller portions. Two servings of vegetables, vegetables should overpower your other two. Your carbohydrates and your protein. Thats a great tip. Use your kids plate. Kate, come over here. You focus on exercising. Yes. Tell us what specific exercise you did. Well, i did a little bit of yogabooteeballet. But i lost the initial weight by walking my dog. We adopted a rescue dog. And i lost about 30 pounds in the first month we had him because i needed to walk him all the time. Thats why we reference the dogs on the couch. Walking the dogs. Ladies, you look incredible. Thank you for joining us and telling us our stories today. Ginger, i never thought i would meet another jirng. But i have. Another ginger as a unit. Were all so impressed out here by those stories and want to wish everyone a happy new year. Whats your name . Sabrina parker. And shes from dallas, texas. Also cold this morning. Feels like the low teens in dallas this morning. We talked about the cold and where thats going. Look how cool it was to freeze a bubble. Thats a bubble chosen in arlington, washington. That was cool. Tweet me your photos. Also have to talk about the coldest air in decades. Were talking about since the mid90s. Overnight lows for the next four nights. Going into january, not looking better. St. Louis starts the morning below zero. And the snow totals, most of it tonight through early friday. Good morning. Im mike nicco. Some high clouds will mix with our sunshine but record near highs from low to mid60s coast, mid to upper 60s the rest of us. A accuweather sevenday forecast, this Weather Report brought to you by kfc. How to dress your kids in Designer Clothing without spending big bucks. So we made our own commercial to tell you why. First, chex makes lots of gluten free flavors. Which is a huge thing for us. And theres seven to choose from. Like cinnamon, honey nut, and chocolate. I tell them you guys are gonna turn into chocolate chex i like cinnamon, greg is a honey nut nut. When you find something this good, you want to spread the word. [ all ] were the pearsons, and we love chex isnt it time you discovered the sleep number bed . The only bed clinically proven to relieve back pain and improve sleep quality. And right now, its our lowest prices of the season. Save 300 to 800 on our newest innovations. Plus, 18month special financing on all sleep number beds. Only at a sleep number store, where queen mattresses start at just 699. 99. Sleep number. Comfort individualized. Welcome back. Any parent who has had to dress and redress a child several times a day is going to want to hear this one. Theres a new service that lets you rent out highend designer looks for the little ones. If they spill it, you take it back. Rachel smith checked it out. I did. I dont have these labels in my closet, guys. Dior, versace. The hottest names on the runway are catering to the youngest clientele. And now, parents can get the clothes without breaking the little piggy bank. Whats in a name . Just ask celebs like katie holmes, jennifer zoe and jennifer lopes. Theyre cute as a button. But 2,000 for a pintsized chanel . But now, parents can adorn their kids in kiddie couture. Versace, dior. Fendi. Think, rentarunway for kids. It probably looks great on you. You like versace . Uhhuh. Reporter borrow minicouture offers kiddie highend clothing with over 30 designers and thousands of outfits to choose from, starting at just 30 bucks. That retails about 233. You can rent it from us for about 63. Reporter a husband and wife due owe came up with the idea in 2011, after spending 200 bucks to a suit their son wore to a wedding. Reporter they last for five days and costs for shipping are covered. And all are insured. Envision a milk stain or throwup. But you dont have to worry about it because theres the insurance policy. They deal directly with designers and wholesalers to stock up on the latest fashionforward frocks. We can keep in our collection. And the other ones we would sale. Like a sample sale. Exactly. Those that are left, we donate. Reporter while kids approve, moms adore. Im a working mom. I pretty much do all my shopping online. The variety they have is just, you know, amazing. Reporter big savings for small but discerning customers. Weve got a superdose of cuteness in the studio today, right . Well, these right here, these lovely kids are dressed in borrowminicouture. Com. And the sizes range from 9 months to 4 years. And the prices range from 30 to 100 bucks. Its not too bad, considering. And weve got some kids in some of the designer clothes. This is miss zoe right here. Hi, hon. Shes wearing a chloe dress. Shes ready for her closeup. Ready for her debut on tv. Emma here. Shes wearing a macino dress. You can rent it for 74. And you look like a stud, man. You look great. There you go. His suit retails for 384 bucks. You can rent it for 83. Look at morgan in her dress. You want to wave as we say goodbye. Coming up, the stars of a new drama with the woman who inspired the show. As you can see from our audience this morning, decked out in spy gear. Anticipation building for the hot, new miniseries, the assets. If you like secrets, spies and lies, this show has it. Were going to talk to the star and the woman who tracked down one of the biggest traitors in our countrys history. First, abcs dan harris with the story behind the assets. Reporter what you are watching is inspired by reallife events. One of the worst acts of treason in american history. At the height of the cold war, a cia officer walks into the Russian Embassy in washington, d. C. , hands over a treasure trove of secrets and demands a meeting with the kgb. My name is aldrich ames. I work for the cia. Reporter this betrayal is at the heart of the new abc miniseries, the assets. I think youll want to meet with me after he reads this. Reporter it is based on the reallife case of aldrich ames, a cia mole who shocked the nation. Tonight, aldrich ames. Reporter and was covered extensively ly bly by abc new e including this interview by ted koppel. What you did, you did for money. Reporter the assets, takes us inside the hunt to track down ames, which was led, in part, by sandy grimes. It was june 13th, 1985, that aldrich ames, everyone knew as rick, gave the kgb ever known human asset that the cia had in the soviet union. It didnt take long for grimes to start to suspect rick ames. But bringing ames down would prove to be tricky and treacherous work. A story brought to life in the assets. For good morning america, dan harris, abc news, new york. Were joined by the former cia agent who exposed the traitor, sandy grimes and wrote the book that the miniseries is based on. And paul rhys, the actor, who ditched the trench coat and glasses. You were the agent that first suspected this guy was a traitor. Do you remember to this day what it felt like on the inside, the moment you started to suspect . All i felt, all i thought about, were the victims. Those people who were executed because of his treason. That was my thoughts. Among the soviets. Among the soviets who were spying on behalf of the United States government. And its their story thats being told tonight. Paul, you didnt get a chance to meet aldrich. But i understand you tried. I tried. You had to rely on sandys book . I loved sandys book and other books. They were very authoritative and knew a great deal. My job is to find the human being underneath the traitor, which wasnt that hard to do because he was driven by greed and love, just like the rest of us. He wanted to impress his new wife, right . Yes, he did. He felt not quite worthy of her. I suspect he would not have committed treason if it wasnt for her. Sandy, im curious. You were a mom and a wife at the time, obviously. You had to try to keep this secret from your family about your reallife role at work. Yes. How did you do it . Easy. Just play mom. What did they think you were doing . They didnt care. They were older girls, older teenagers. And their life centers around them. So, mom didnt have to talk about anything except ask them where they were going at night and reminding them what time they had to be home. Your husband was fooled, too . He knew, obviously, i worked at the cia. And knew i worked on soviet matters. But other than that, he had no idea. And he, also, knew rick. Yes. He was very surprised the day he heard that rick ames had been arrested for treason. Was he surprised when he learned the cia agent that brought him down was his wife . He wasnt. He happened to be on a business trip in california. And i told him before he left that morning, please, listen to the news. And paul, so much attention on the series homeland, which is a huge success. But this is the real thing. Its a real story. Its the most exciting script ive ever read. And it was all the more exciting because its real. Every event that happened over highly dramatic is real. You do a great job. Sandy, thank you for your work and the book. I cant wait for this to premiere tonight. The assets, 10 00 eastern, 9 00 central, on abc. Participate in a session on redit, at 9 30 eastern. Good luck tonight. Ill be watching. Back in a moment, right here on good morni we want to give a big thank you to the Humane Society of new york for bringing these adorable dogs here this morning. They are all available for adoption. Yes. Find good homes. Tomorrow on gma, tom hanks. More incredible transformations. And dianes become on world news later tonight. See you tomorrow. Stay warm and dry. Good morning. Im kristen sze. Meteorologist mike nicco has the forecast on another sparetheair. 25 of them so far, 12 exceeding healthy levels. Today record highs are possible, 65 in richmond, san rafael, 67 in santa rosa. Your accuweather sevenday forecast, low to upper 60s, possible record highs tomorrow and poor air quality. Hopefully with the cooler temperatures, cleaner air will come in by next week. Sue . A lingering problem on the peninsula 101 near the oregon expressway, accident now cleared off to the side of the road but you may find residual slowdowns there. We still have a minor b. A. R. T. Delay as well as the line on muni. Take a lilt extra time. Thank you for that. Join us for our midday news today at announcer its live with kelly and michael. Today, an amaze performance from elton john. And modern family star Sofia Vergara pays us a visit. Plus, two more lucky audience members compete in our new years look back challenge. All next on live. [captioning made possible by disneyabc domestic television] announcer now here are kelly ripa and michael strahan. [cheers and applause] [cheers and applause]