Transcripts For WJLA World News Now 20151215

Hello there, good morning. It is tuesday. Im richard bacon. Im reena ninan. Star wars star wars on the brain, huh. We are checking social media throughout the night to see if anybody has broken the embargo. Youve not seen anything yet. A lot of people saying if you tweet out a spoiler were going to smash your hoverboard to pieces. L. A. Thats if it hasnt already caught fire. Lets begin with the republicans who want to be president. Tonight, they will be facing off one final time before the holidays. The podiums with the nine candidates will be in use at the venetian hotel. Thats in las vegas. Frontrunner donald trump will be center stage and, of course, flanked by his closest rivals ted cruz and ben carson. Its your voice, your vote. Abc looks at the predebate polls. Reporter donald trump aiming at a new target, two National Polls released show trumps frontrunner status in the race for president is now threatened by texas senator ted cruz. And as usual, trump isnt holding back. You look at the way hes dealt with the senate where he goes in there like a frankly like a little bit of a maniac. Youre never going to get things done that way. Reporter cruz taking to social media not to respond with an attack but by posting a link to the movie flash dance and tweeting in honor of my friend donald trump and good hearted maniacs everywhere. Shes a maniac, maniac the source of the new feud, new poll numbers including this quinnipiac poll showing trump leading in iowa with 28 , cruz in a close second at 27 . In third place, marco rubio at 14 . With cruz on the rise, others are also taking aim. The only budget hes ever voted for in his time in the senate is a budget that cut defense spending. Anybody in any religion. Reporter also surging on a much smaller scale new jersey governor chris christie. The governor has been bumped up to the main stage. And will now appear with the other leading candidates during tuesday nights republican president ial debate. And yet, another poll the nbc wall street journal poll suggests if the general election were held today, Hillary Clinton would beat donald trump by ten points. That same poll shows Hillary Clinton would be in a neck and necktie with cruz, rubio, and ben carson. Reena, richard . Carla, thank you so much. Donald trump has released is that a fire alarm . I think its a fire alarm. Its going off. Oh, boy. Ive worked in a few studios in my time. Normally theyre kind of soundproofed and protected from the fire alarm and all you get is a light. You know what i thought that was . I think that somebody may have broken the embargo on star wars and someone has alerted the whole company. I had that alarm installed. I should have remembered. Right. We want to tell you about donald trump. Hes released a onepage statement from his doctors which says that trump is in excellent health. His physician reports that trump has lost 15 pounds over the last few months and he takes a daily aspirin, a low dose of statten. His doctor goes on to say if he wins next november, trump would be the healthiest individual ever elected president. Wow. He might not be that healthy that much longer. An alarm is definitely going off. Something is happening in the building. Disney has alerted all of its entities that star wars premiere has premiered in l. A. I think thats what that is. Find out whats going on. Lets stay with this story. We turn to abc news Early Morning for post debate coverage. Look for analysis from our this is tomorrow. From our deputy political director on world news now. Tomorrow. Thats analysis. Well have that. The terror attack in San Bernardino, the terror attack in San Bernardino could be a topic during the debate tonight. Marco rubio in particular is being critical of the administrations response. That search of a lake for evidence in the attack has apparently turned up nothing. Divers were believed to be looking for a hard drive discarded by the couple who carried out the attack. Spurred bid that terror attack, Homeland Security says it will step up scrutiny of social media sites when considering visa applications. Elizabeth hur has that part of the story. Reporter anyone wondering what is being done to defeat isis, president obama had this answer. Were also taking out isil leaders, commanders and killers one by one. Our next message to them is simple, you are next. Reporter that message after his visit to the pentagon with top Security Officials talking strategy in tackling terrorism. We are hitting isil harder than ever. Last month in november, we dropped more bombs on isil targets than any other month since this campaign starred. The reassurance comes as new questions are raised about missed cues and warnings in the San Bernardino attacks. Abc news has learned that Tashfeen Malik had extensive social media postings supporting jihad but still got a fiance visa to come to the u. S. Turns out a secret u. S. Policy prevented immigration officials from searching social media as part of the screening process. The primary concern was that it would be viewed negatively if it was disclosed publicly and there were concerns that it would be embarrassing. Reporter just last year, immigration officials did ask for new policies allowing them to look at applicants social media public posts but were opposed by the Homeland Security Departments Office of civil rights and civil liberties. The Homeland Security Department Says the current screening process is being revised. Acrding to insiders even the new pilot programs are not a widespread policy. Elizabeth, thank you for that important report. By the way, its a false alarm. In case you the dear viewers who we love very much were worried about us, its a false alarm in this building. Its a false alarm. No one has broken the star wars embargo. Heres another interesting story. There are now doubts about what brought down that russian jetliner in egypt in october. The u. S. , britain and russia all said they found evidence of a bomb aboard the plane. An affiliate of isis you might remember claimed responsibility but egyptian investigators now say they have found no evidence of terrorism. Egypts Tourism Industry has suffered since the incident. Members of Kosovos Parliament were tear gassed during a session by opposition members. Its the sixth time in the past two months. The protesters oppose any deals with neighboring serbia and montenegro. Kosovo was once part of serbia and the European Union is trying to get them to resolve their differences. Bowe bergdahl will be courtmartialed for walking away from his army unit in afghanistan. He will be charged with desertion. He could get life in prison if convicted. A preliminary hearing officer had recommended he not be charged. Bergdahl spent five years as a taliban captive after leaving his unit. Pete rose has been banned from baseball for gambling since 1989 and Major League Baseball says that is not going to change. Rose had applied for reinstatement to Major League Baseballs commissioner but that application has been rejected because of roses continued legal gambling and new evidence about roses betting on games when he played for the cincinnati reds. Hollywood boulevard was locked down tighter than the death star last night for tinseltowns biggest premiere in recent memory. It was amazing sight. Check them out, those storm troopers on the red carpet stretched for half a mile and the most elite of a list celebrities last night at the premiere of star wars was shown to vip crowds in three separate athletes including the chinese theater where the original star wars played 38 years ago. Im really excited to get this movie out there for the audience and see how they feel about it. Of course, the force awakens will open later this week. On more than 4,000 screens from coast to coast. We want to give au update here at abc news, our alarms have been going off here. We thought it was a fire alarm. We thought actually it was in fact somebody breaking the embargo. Weve been monitoring because theyve all seen the film. We should say its a false alarm, for the fire alarm and for the embargo for star wars. Thank you. Were safe. The post premiere excitement is very much alive this morning in hollywood. Lauren lyster is there. Good morning to you. Why is this movie so anticipated and have you gotten any details about the film . Reporter i know you guys are dying for spoiler alerts. No fan will give them to me. A few reasons why it is highly anticipated. One the time, it has been years since the last Star Wars Film about a decade since the release of the last one. In addition the return of characters from the original trilogy. Fans were excited about this, hans solo, luke skywalker, Princess Leia who is a general in this film. Then the money. Some analysts predictions believe this will be the highest grossing film ever. Now, to break the record of a film held now, this film would have to do 2. 79 billion. Well top that. That was the record set by avatar. Highest grossing Star Wars Film so far has been 199s phantom menace which brought in just over a billion dollars. This has a way to go. I saw footage the other day of fans leaving the phantom menace. We know the fans didnt like the film. Asking fans on the night, we need to wait. Look at lauren. She asked them to give spoilers. Everybody left her. Theres nobody behind her. Yeah. Hardcore. Yeah. Lauren, thank you so much. Thats true. Well speak to you again later. But theyre just joyous and thrilling occasions, arent they . Things like this. Exciting. Were both going to see the film later this week. We will break the embargo. Coming up in the skinny, the Hollywood A Lister who dressed as yoda for the star wars premiere. Also ahead, bill cosby fighting back taking legal action against his accusers. What attorneys on both sides of the scandal are saying. And later the best gifts for music lovers on your list from ear buds to headphones. Were getting expert advice for shoppers. Youre watching world news now. Now. Seriously . Where do you think youre going . To work, with you. Its taco tuesday. Youre not coming. I took mucinex to help get rid of my mucusy congestion. Oh, right then ill swing by in like 4 hours. Forget the tacos one pill lasts 12 hours. Im good all day. Wait your loss. I was going to wear a sombrero. Only mucinex has a bilayer tablet that starts fast, and keeps working. Not 4, not 6, but 12 full hours. Start the relief. Ditch the misery. Lets end this. politely wait, wait, wait you cayou have to rinse it first. Thats bakedon alfredo. Bakedon . Its never gonna work. Dish issues . Trust your dishwasher with cascade platinum. It powers. Through. Your toughest stuckon food. Better than finish. Cascade. Important message for residents age 50 to 85. Write down this number now. Right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance Life Insurance with a rate lock through the Colonial Penn program. If you are on a fixed income, learn about affordable whole Life Insurance that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. If you did not receive your information, call this number now. Your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. Stand by to learn more. Im alex trebek, here to tell you about a popular Life Insurance plan with a rate lock that locks in your rate for life so it can never increase. Did you get your free information kit . If not, please call this number now. This affordable plan through the Colonial Penn program has Coverage Options for just 9. 95 a month. Your rate is locked in and can never go up. And your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. See how much coverage you can get for just 9. 95 a month. Call now for your free information kit. Friends coming over . Yeah, so . It stinks in here. Youve got to wash this whole room are you kidding . Wash it . Lets wash it with febreze. For all the things you cant wash, use. Febreze fabric refresher whoa hey mrs. Webber inhales hey, it smells nice in here and try pluggable febreze. To continuously eliminate odors for. Up to 45 days of freshness pluggable febreze and fabric refresher. [inhale exhale mnemonic]. , two more ways to breathe happy nearly all, hundreds of thousands of drones flying in this country will need to be registered like other aircraft. The faa is offering free registration for 30 days starting next monday. After that, its 5 each. The owners of drones already in the air have till late february to register. But if you get one for christmas, you have to register right away. Bill cosby striking back against some of the women who have accused him of Sexual Misconduct. The comedian has filed a defamation against seven of the more than 50 women who have come forward. Abcs linsey davis has this update. Reporter bill cosby turning the tables, saying hes the victim and filing a lawsuit against some of his accusers. We are taking steps in order to right a wrong. And the burden of proof is supposed to be on the people who are making the accusation, that the media hasnt required these accusers to have to do. Reporter the lawsuit, filed in federal court in massachusetts, is countersuing the seven of the more than 50 women who have come forward accusing cosby of sexual assault, drugging or rape. These seven have all sued him for defamation, after he accused them of lying about the allegations. Cosbys attorney accuses these particular victims of malicious, opportunistic, false and defamatory accusations of Sexual Misconduct against him for their own financial gain. Joe cammarata represents all seven women. My seven clients intend to vigorously proceed with their case. Each one of them are confident that their good name and reputation will be restored at the end of the day. Reporter cosbys legal action to salvage what he can of his legacy comes the same Day Boston University announced its taking away his honorary degree. One of more than a dozen institutions to do so in the past year. The 78yearold has long denied all the allegations. According to his attorney, cosby is seeking compensatory and punitive damages, to the maximum extent of the law. Linsey davis, abc news, new york. Coming up, the actor who stole the show at the star wars red carpet. Hes not even in the new movie. The skinny is next. Announcer world news now continues after this from our continues after this from our abc statio skinny, so skinny well, folks, in case you missed it, the hollywood premiere of star wars the force awakens was last night. The stars certainly out. But one star who wasnt in the film had everyone doing a double take on the red carpet. This is Joseph Gordonlevitt dressed as yoda. There he is. People like it. Its been around on social media a lot because people like it. It looks kind of cute. There he is with storm troopers in l. A. I think Joseph Gordonlevitt has forgotten the narrative of star wars because in the last one, return of the jedi not the last one to be made, but in the last one sequentially in the narrative, yoda dies. Why did you tell me that . I havent seen that one yet. That film came out 30 years ago. Youve had time. Maybe ill netflix it this weekend. Youve had time all your life. Im just saying yoda died. Its disrespectful to his family. This came out today. This is really interesting. Youre going to like this. This is about the celebrities who when you put them on the front of the magazines sell the most magazines. Ad week released the sales figures for popular magazines that feature famous faces. Were learning which covers sold the best stories of the year. Were going to start with People Magazine here. So the august 3rd issue featuring Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert shocking split was big for them. It sold 800,000 copies off the newstands. This even topped ben affleck and jennifer garners divorce. Theres the worst. Apparently pope francis only sold 450,000 off newstands. Come on, the pope . We capitnt say he people took to the streets to see him. I dont think hes too concerned with people buying him on People Magazine. This cover did the best for vanity fair this year. Caitlyn jenner sold 400,000. No nomp normally they average about 160,000 vanity fair, it jumped to 400,000 it won a huge award for best magazine cover of the year. It was sensational. And this kind of hurts me to say because i love this gal. Sarah Jessica Parker apparently rpers bazaar. Also for this i think shes a fantastic person. Jennifer aniston doing well. A interesting detail. Kim kardashian doesnt do that well. Caitlyn does well. Kim kardashian not is heing well this year. The pope not doing well . I guess if you are a devout catholic. Hes still a rock star if youre not catholic. Next up, we want to talk about tennis superstar Serena Williams earning another honor. Sports illustrated sports person of the year. Another magazine cover claiming the rightful throne in that photo because of the astonishing year that shes had. I interviewed her father, richard, at length once. Really. And you know for serena and venus, before they were born, he wrote down on a piece of paper that he would make both of them the tennis champions of the world. Wow. If you think about that, thats he didnt know they were going to be good at tennis. His family doesnt play tennis. Isnt that the most intriguing thing . That is kind of fascinating. We do have sad news for the current longestrunning production in las vegas jubilee ending their 34year run. Thats with the women with the tatas hanging out. Find another show to go and see. Coming up, music to the ears. Be right back. Ears. Be right back. Approaching medicare eligibility . You may think you can put off checking out your Medicare Options until youre sixtyfive, but now is a good time to get the ball rolling. Keep in mind, medicare only covers about eighty percent of part b medical costs. The rest is up to you. Thats where aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plans insured by Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company come in. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement insurance plans, they could help pay some of what medicare doesnt, saving you in outofpocket medical costs. Youve learned that taking informed steps along the way really makes a difference later. Thats what it means to go long™. Call now and request this free [decision guide]. Its full of information on medicare and the range of aarp Medicare Supplement plans to choose from based on your needs and budget. All plans like these let you choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients, and there are no network restrictions. Unitedhealthcare Insurance Company has over thirty Years Experience and the commitment to roll along with you, keeping you on course. So call now and discover how an aarp Medicare Supplement plan could go long™ for you. These are the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Plus, nine out of ten plan members surveyed say they would recommend their plan to a friend. Remember, medicare doesnt cover everything. The rest is up to you. Call now, request your free [decision guide] and start gathering the information you need to help you keep rolling with confidence. Go long™. Whoa, listen to the music whoa, listen to the music like that . Its that tune. You like that . I love it. Now for many of us who do listen to music all of the time, headphones are an essential part of the listening experience. And how youre listening just as important as what youre listening to. For the best deals on this hot holiday tech gift, heres abcs becky worley. Reporter headphones, predicted to be the most popular tech gift given this season. So to find the best we turned to brian tom, tech editor at cnet. Teens and 20 somethings, what do they want . The priority is design and then bass. A lot of younger kids love that booming deep sound and the style of it. This is the beats solo two. This is a wireless headset. Youve got the flashy colors and this clean design we have here. Thats going to be really popular. You can go big and large and just you dont care what anyone else thinks. These are the monster 24 ks. Gold, blingbling. All gold everything. Is there a budget model you can get . These are the audio technica. M 50 xs. My favorite best budget overall. Great headphones. I see on ear and over ear. Whats difference . Which is better . A lot of times it comes down to how it feels. Some people dont like cupping your ear off. You typically get better sound that way. On ear rests on your ear little pillows. If youre buying headphones for someone who commutes or a road warrior, its all about noise canceling. The bose comfort 25s are noise canceling headsets. It hears the outside noise around you, it sends reverse frequency in here and deadens that sound and kind of creates a chamber inside like your own isolated room. Reporter finally lets talk cheaper ear buds. Can you get a good pair on a budget . There are some around the 150, 200 price point. Thats a lot. That 40 to 50 sweet spot, youll get everything that you need. Becky, thank you for that. Reena, tonight is the star wars premiere. Were going to go to it, right . Yeah, but the l. A. One is tonight. The last time a Star Wars Film cape out nearly ten years ago in london, i hosted that premiere. There were two cinemas next to each other, one full of celebrities and one for fans. As a surprise to the fabs just before the film started i walked george lucas. Wow. And the reaction, it reminded me i was in grant park when obama was voted for president. I know this is crazy, but that emotional reaction. Youre comparing obama to the star wars. Thats what it means to the fans. Okay. Got some jedi action. Mind tricks or was that star trek . Announcer this is abcs world news now. Informing insomniacs for two decades. Informing insomniacs for two decades. Making news in america this morning, debate day. The stage is set on the vegas strip. The republican candidates preparing to face off for the last time this year as donald trump hits a new high in the polls. Were live in washington. And Donald Trumps doctor making news of his own issuing a letter about the billionaires health. Why its getting a lot of scrutiny. Disgruntled guest. A man accused of purposely slamming his truck into a hotel. The dramatic crash caught on camera. Star wars the force awakens, the lucky few with a chance to see the movie. Its amazing. Its wonderful. Smiling faces leaving the World Premiere overnight. The first reactions are in