ambulances and patients as that highly contagious new variant is now discovered in new york state. this morning, we're taking you inside one lab's race against time to answer the big question -- will the vaccines work against the evolving virus? ski lift scare. the dramatic rescue of a 14-year-old girl dangling from the chair lift for a terrifying two minutes. the safety concerns and what her mom is saying this morning. multibillionaire mystery. one of the richest men in the world, china's jack ma, vanishing from public, not seen for the past two months after reportedly giving a speech critical of the chinese government. new details on his disappearance this morning. >> and now, here is the host of "jeopardy!," alex trebek. >> alex trebek's final messages. >> if we all pitch in just a little bit, we're going to get there. >> the late host's heartfelt words in his final week of shows, and this morning, "jeopardy!" greatest of all time, ken jennings, joins us before he takes the helm. and lotto fever. the $400 million dual mania. not one, but two huge blockbuster jackpots, will there be a winner of one of the largest prizes in history? ♪ everybody's got boogie fever we've got the boogie fever because we're all together for the first time in the new year. 2021. >> happy new year. >> happy new year. what a busy morning it is. >> it is a busy morning. we're going to get right to that high-stakes showdown this morning. take a live look right now, georgia voters are going to the polls to cast final votes in two runoff elections. >> control of the senate and the early course of joe biden's presidency at stake. if democrats win both, they take control of the senate. republicans hold the senate with a split. both president trump and president-elect biden rallied in georgia on monday, but the president focused on his cause, his futile cause to overturn joe biden's victory in the state. >> cecilia vega has the latest on the growing fallout over his refusal to acknowledge the election results of november. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hi, robin. good morning to you. president trump, you know, he is in denial. he cannot believe that it is possible that he lost this election. court after court around this country has found zero evidence of widespread voter fraud. now with all eyes on georgia this morning, election officials are debunking his false conspiracy theories one by one, republican election officials. overnight in georgia something rarely before seen in this country, an american president desperately clinging to power refusing to believe the reality that he lost an election. >> and they're not taking this white house. we're going to fight like hell, i'll tell you right now. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a rally for the two republicans in georgia's special election. the outcome of today's high-stakes vote determines which party controls the senate. but president trump was fixated on his own election. >> there's no way we lost georgia. there's no way. >> reporter: but he did lose in all three of the state's counts and as congress prepares to certify the election results tomorrow, president trump delivering a not-so-veiled threat to vice president mike pence who will preside over the joint session. >> i hope mike pence comes through for us, i have to tell you. i hope that our great vice president, our great vice president comes through for us, he's a great guy. of course, if he doesn't come through, i won't like him quite as much. >> reporter: but pence does not have the power to overturn the election. this a day after the release of that stunning call where the president seemingly threatened georgia's republican secretary of state, telling him to recalculate the results and find more votes. >> all i want to do is this -- i just want to find 11,780 votes. >> reporter: now, president trump delivering a new threat. >> i'm going to be here in a year and a half and i'm going to be campaigning against your governor and your crazy secretary of state. that i can tell you. >> reporter: the backlash fierce. one top republican election official in the state delivering this scathing rebuke. >> the president's legal team from our point of view intentionally misled the state senate, voters and the people of the united states. >> reporter: republican senator pat toomey calling the recording a new low in this whole futile and sorry episode. and from senator liz cheney, one of the top republican leaders in the house -- >> i think it's deeply troubling. >> reporter: and democrats asking the fbi to investigate. this as more than half of house republicans and 13 republican senators are expected to challenge the results of the election when congress formally counts the electoral college votes tomorrow. what is usually a drama-free ceremony that takes less than an hour is now expected to be a long, drawn-out fight with the president's allies potentially forcing an all night debate even though they do not have the votes to overturn biden's decisive win. back in georgia, president-elect joe biden on the attack. >> politicians cannot assert, take or seize power. power is given, granted by the american people alone. >> reporter: now again in this push to deny the results of the election president trump is calling on his supporters to show up for protests here in washington and they are listening. there is a protest planned for later today right here in d.c. and tomorrow president trump's supporters have a permit for 30,000 people to gather right here behind me. president trump is expected to attend and i've got to say d.c. officials here in the city are very worried about the potential for violence. they've got extremist groups, excuse me, like the proud boys that are expected to show up. d.c. officials already arrested the leader of that group when he showed up into town yesterday and, michael, now the national guard has been activated to try to keep the peace here in this city. >> hopefully there is no violence, cecilia. thank you so much for that. we're going to go now to steve osunsami who is in atlanta for the very latest on those senate races in georgia that will decide who will control the senate when joe biden takes office. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning to you, michael. we are outside a polling place in atlanta where people were lined up an hour before the poll even opened. it is obvious to anyone who lives in georgia, who has opened a mailbox or watched a television, to know this runoff election is hugely important. republicans only need to hold on to one of the two senate seats that are up for election to maintain control of the u.s. senate. some 3 million voters in georgia have already cast ballots in this election. that is down from this same point during the november election, but still high for a runoff. most of those votes are coming from blue counties. democrats and democrat candidates jon ossoff and raphael warnock are trying to take away these seats from david perdue and kelly loeffler. >> steve, when can we expect to know the results? >> reporter: unlikely we'll get results tonight. one point i should underline the people who run the elections in this state, who are republicans and trump supporters are all trying to ensure voters this morning that the election will be safe and secure. michael. >> all right, steve, a lot of eyes on georgia today. thank you so much. george? >> michael, thanks. let's bring in jon karl for some analysis right now. let's begin with georgia right there. we saw the president last night spent as much time talking about his own race as he did about the senate races. today that led some to speculate on whether the president really wants these republican candidates to win. >> reporter: well, the president's conflicted here, george. if these republican senators win, he is left as the only republican in this cycle who lost in georgia and it also undermines his argument that the election system is rigged there. prominent republicans have been urging the president to get more involved there. they say they've been telling him that if those republicans lose, that he'll be blamed for it, and his response has been consistent. if they lose, it's because they didn't support me strongly enough. >> meantime, he is focused on tomorrow when the congress is going to count the electoral votes. some republicans putting out those objections. it's putting mike pence, vice president mike pence in a tough spot. >> reporter: well, mike pence will be presiding over that formal counting of the votes. it's purely a ceremonial role. he literally reads from a script provided by the parliamentarian, but donald trump simply doesn't understand, and i'm told that the president has directly raised with pence that he expects him to effectively unilaterally overturn the results, to deny joe biden that victory. this is a purely ceremonial role but apparently donald trump either doesn't understand that or does not accept that fact and i tell you this, george, people close to pence are really worried that when this is over, that donald trump will go off and lash out at his vice president in a very big way. >> but as you point out, there's nothing vice president mike pence can do and after he does announce the vote tomorrow, there will be nothing else left between now and the inauguration. the president will have about 14 days to go. the big question is what's next? >> reporter: well, and it's going to be a raucous 14 days and i think that the next phase of this is a heck of a lot of pardons. the president has one major uncontested power left and that is that he can pardon whoever he wants. >> jon karl, thanks very much. we'll have full coverage of the developments in georgia all through the day on abc newslive. robin? now to the other major story, the coronavirus emergency. this is a live look at people waiting to get the vaccine in daytona beach, florida. this morning, law enforcement announcing they are only taking the first 1,000 people. and the lines for testing just as busy. there's a look at cars wrapping around the parking lot outside dodger stadium overnight which is the largest covid-19 testing site in the u.s. our chief national correspondent matt gutman joining us from los angeles where hospitals are simply overwhelmed there. good morning, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. so overwhelmed, in fact, that this hospital is using its chapel, meditation room, as overflow space. you can see all those cots lined up and just across the hallway this area is what used to be the gift shop. it's now being used as additional examination space. icus and ers are so jammed here in l.a. county that the county has told ambulance drivers not to transport trauma victims, victims of gunshots, car crashes, heart attacks to the hospital if they have little chance of surviving. this morning, public health officials are warning the covid crisis is spiraling out of control forcing some e.r.s and icus to turn away patients. >> if you have someone going into labor or having a heart attack or who gets into a car accident on an icy road, they may not have a bed because the icus are full. >> reporter: nationwide, a record 128,000 people hospitalized because of covid. in l.a. county, the situation is so dire that ambulance crews are now being advised to cut back on oxygen use and not to transport patients with little chance of survival to hospitals. and last week martin luther king hospital in south l.a. declaring an internal disaster turning away ambulances for several hours. the positivity rate there is a staggering 32%. >> well, you know, it's the kind of thing you might do if there has been some catastrophic event that has disabled the hospital, for example. >> like what? >> you know, like let's say -- >> earthquake. >> fire or flooding or a bomb exploded or something like that. >> reporter: california bracing for a second surge from the christmas and new year's holidays. the state now reporting at least six cases of that highly contagious uk variant. >> it's nonstop and it has been for the last few weeks and, you know, we're all hands on deck. >> rapid response. >> sorry. >> rapid response, emergency room 17. >> how often do you hear that announcement a day? >> lately it's been all day. normally we have like one or two a day, but there have been days recently where we've had eight and so that's not that uncommon. >> reporter: and while we were interviewing mlk's dr. jason press in the icu, there was a commotion behind us. >> i need propofol. >> he broke off the interview to help. >> is the person okay? >> i mean, we'll see. yes -- no, i mean stabilized, i would say. >> stabilized for now. >> reporter: meanwhile, frustration mounting as the rollout of the vaccine sputters. in florida, seniors camping out overnight to try to get their jab of hope. >> the logistics of doing it, giving the vaccinations needs to be improved. >> it's so frustrating. so frustrating. >> reporter: in new york, the governor there threatening hospitals with a $100,000 fine if the vaccine sits on the shelf longer than a week. >> they have to move the vaccine and they have to move the vaccine faster. >> reporter: and it's hospitals like this that are serving mostly underserved minority populations that are hit the hardest. a lot of folks can't afford not to work. they are essential workers. what happens is, there is a high rate of covid and a low number of hospital beds creating that overcrowding making it even worse. michael? >> all right, matt. thank you for taking us behind the scenes. can only imagine what the health care workers go through every day. thank you so much for that. we're going to go overseas now. the united kingdom is under a strict new lockdown. the new variant of the virus raging throughout the uk causing cases to surge. james longman is in london with more. good morning, james. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, michael. a new year and a new national lockdown. people across britain are being told they must stay home. this part of town is usually packed, you can see, it's very, very empty, indeed. in the national address last night, the prime minister boris johnson said the coming weeks would be the hardest yet and there was now more pressure on hospitals from covid than at any time during the pandemic. infection rates and hospitalizations are soaring with health experts, of course, keeping an eye on that mutation which seems to spread much faster than the original virus. people will still be able to leave their homes for supplies and to exercise but just like the summer, schools and all but the most essential businesses have closed. this as a lawmaker from scotland has now been arrested for breaking lockdown rules back in september. an example to the public of just how serious this situation is. but there is light at the end of the tunnel. i think it's important to say that. new vaccines on the horizon. the prime minister was quite specific, he said there were four groups of people he wants to inoculate first -- care home residents and carers, those age 70 and over, all frontline health and social care workers and the clinically vulnerable. that's some 14 million people, that is a huge task to get them all vaccinated by mid-february. of course, it takes some time for those shots to take effect so it looks like this country is going to be in lockdown until at least march, michael. >> all right, well, what i took out of that was light at the end of the tunnel. james, thank you so much. george? let's switch gears. it's a big week for the lottery. both mega millions and powerball at more than $400 million. that's only happened twice before. t.j. holmes is warming up and tracking the massive jackpots. >> george, it's something. five years ago this month i was standing here and talking about the record jackpot of $1.586 billion. we have to lower our threshold now. we're talking about life-changing money. here we are, a jackpot tonight, mega millions, that will be $432 million. tomorrow's powerball jackpot, $410 million. so the first time, or the third time we've seen in history that both have reached these numbers. the reason we haven't been talking about jackpots a lot, yes, pandemic had an impact on sales. people weren't getting out there and buying the tickets. so the jackpots have been smaller because people haven't been buying tickets. so you have to buy the tickets to get the jackpots up, but you have to get the jackpots up to get people to buy more tickets and to get us to talk about it. all of these things have been taking place and that's why we've seen smaller jackpots. still, $400 million -- >> smaller, 400 mill. >> i usually don't get involved until 800, 900 million. but 400 million you'd still be worth more than taylor swift's reported net worth at 400 million, but you'd have to win both of them to be worth as much as tiger woods. he's worth about 800 million. so give you something to think about, fantasize about, here we are. it's lottery time again, guys. >> thank you, t.j. >> you got it. we are following a lot of other stories this morning including the growing number of cases of that new covid variant in the u.s. this morning, we take you inside a lab racing to keep up with the evolving virus. it's testing the vaccine's effectiveness against the mutation. we also have new details on the mysterious disappearance of one of the richest men in the world not seen for more than two months after criticizing the chinese government. but first, we say good morning to ginger. good morning. >> good morning, robin. let me start you out with a tornado video. no, not from oklahoma but from northern california. sacramento area gets about four per year and certainly got one at least yesterday. two were reported. wanted to also share, it's been the wettest start of the year to parts of washington state, the third -- the cascades are 115% above their snow. much more in the way of wind coming. a parade of storms. let's get to tuesday trivia sponsored by capital one. good morning. i'm mike nicco. kind of looks like sum yyoueru u out there. get the umbrella ready, two storms, both 1 on the storm impact scale for wednesday, thursday, friday and a dry weekend. today 56 to 60 degrees. a little cooler tonight with less fog. 33 to about 44 degrees. my accuweather 7 i'm i'm going to get a lottery ticket during the break. we'll be right back. and take. it. on... ...with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred... ...as have certain 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(ding) l'eggo with eggo good morning. governor newsom says the pace of the covid-19 vaccination in california isn't good enough. he says only 35% of vaccine doses have actually been administered so far. the department of consumer affairs has approved public health emergency waiver for thousands of dentists to started a ministering vaccines. they will need to undergo training through the cdc first. the parolee app accused of killing two women in a hit and run could make his court appearance today. police say troy mcalister was intoxicated and driving a stolen car when he was involved in that crash. he has been arrested several times since last april when he finished a sentence for robbery. he faces several felony charges including vehicular manslaughter. we'll check in with stwith the xfinity hello 2021 sales event. get powerful internet you can count on... ...and $250 back when you... ...add xfinity mobile with nationwide 5g on the most reliable network. keep in touch with family and friends. stream your favorites with ease. and take your devices to the next level. get xfinity internet and mobile together... ...and say hello to 2021 with $250 back, for a limited time only. this sale won't last, so click, call, or visit a store today! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ good morning. fog the big issue whether a super commuter or just moving into and around the bay area. you can see lower elevation through 9:00, 10:00. visibility less than a quarter of a mile. thickest fog in the north bay, but you can see in the east bay it is spreading throughout the bay. and it is only this morning. get ready for in some wet weather, light storms on the storm impact scale for wednesday, thursday, friday and monday. we'll try to bring a little sunshine today, saturday and sunday. >> thank you, mike. coming up, inside the lab racing to keep up with the evolving virus as the new variant is confirmed in another state. another abc 7 news update in about 30 minutes. that's why the new myww+ is our most holistic weight loss program ever. the app helps you take the foods you have and gives you creative ideas for meals. you can choose any workout you want to fit within your time frame. there are a ton of zero point foods that i love. i never feel restricted. with the new tools my mindset has completely changed. more holistic. more personalized. more weight loss. the new program from ww, weight watchers reimagined kickstart your weight loss with the ww triple play offer ends january eleventh! wi(quiet piano music)ay (loud music & noises) ♪ (quiet piano music) comfort in the extreme. the lincoln family of luxury suvs. less sick days! cold coming on? 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janai norman is with us this morning. good morning, janai. >> reporter: hey, michael. good morning. the virologist i spoke with told me viruses are expected to mutate and says that these two variants are likely just the beginning and will almost certainly be more and that's why it's so important for scientists to carefully monitor these new variants like the one now confirmed here in new york. this morning, another confirmed case of that highly contagious variant of the coronavirus in the u.s. this time in new york. a 60-year-old man with no history of recent travel. >> he was symptomatic, but he is on the mend and he's doing better. >> reporter: that patient connected to this saratoga springs jewelry store. three others testing positive but it's not known if they contracted that same variant first detected in the uk. new york now the fourth state in the country along with colorado, california and florida, to have known cases of the uk variant believed to be more contagious but not more deadly than the original strain of coronavirus. experts say it's likely in even more states. >> by the time a new variant is detected it's already probably widespread. >> reporter: virologist dr. dan barouch is one of the scientists trying to keep up with new variants causing concern. not only the uk strain, but now experts say another variant first detected in south africa may spread even more easily. at this lab in boston they are studying the genetic sequence of the new variants found in the uk and south africa to determine how effective covid vaccines are. >> the general suspicion is that these current variants are still likely susceptible to vaccines, however, we don't know that yet and experiments will be under way in many labs across the world to determine that in the very near future. >> reporter: but dr. barouch calls it a race against time to get the pandemic under control. >> the emergence of the new variants increases the need for a rapid vaccine rollout, a rapid vaccine campaign in the united states and throughout the world and also it increases the importance of public health measures. >> reporter: and dr. barouch says having a vaccine certainly helps but it says the u.s. should be doing more covid testing, more tracing and more testing for covid variants because he says early detection of a new variant is key. michael. >> all right, janai, thank you so much. for more now we're joined by dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university school of public health. dr. jha, thank you for joining us this morning. let's start with the basic question. this variant is said to be more contagious. does that mean we need to change the precautions we've been taking as far as wearing masks and socially distancing? >> yeah, good morning, michael. thanks for having me on. it does not mean that. in fact, all of those precautions are going to work just as well for the variant. the key issue is to really have those precautions in place all the time. in the past, and with the other strain, you know, if you were exposed you didn't always get infected. the chances you're going to get infected if you're not doing those things gets much, much higher with this variant and means we'll see a lot more community spread of this virus, of this variant, so it's a concerning situation. >> well, do you think this variant being more contagious could actually be worse than if it were more severe? >> i do. i do because the bottom line here is that if it's more contagious it's going to spread much more widely, a lot more people will get infected and a lot of more people will be hospitalized and a lot more will end up dying so we don't want either contagious or deadlier but more contagious will probably end up meaning more end up dying from this virus. >> the british prime minister announced another lockdown for all of england on monday citing the need to get this variant under control. it's been detected in several u.s. states so could we be headed towards a lockdown? >> well, i think the virus -- the variant is probably pretty widespread across the united states if it's in four states in people who haven't traveled it stands to reason that there is community spread of this virus happening. you know, whether we're headed towards a lockdown depends a lot on how much we can do right now to avoid that kind of exponential growth that the uk is having. it's really up to us. >> and the vaccine is out but the rollout is way behind. there are just 4.5 million doses administered. so what is the biggest problem with that, and how do we fix it? >> yeah, i think we need a lot more federal leadership here. states are struggling to get these vaccines out. i think we need to get resources to states. we need the federal government to partner with states to set up vaccine sites. there's a lot of work that needs to be done. most of the vaccines we have produced are sitting on freezer shelves. they need to be in people's arms. >> dr. jha, thank you so much. we always appreciate your input. >> thank you. >> all right, george. okay, thanks. to the mystery now surrounding tech tycoon jack ma. the billionaire founder of chinese giant online retailer alibaba has not been seen in public since october when he blasted chinese regulators in a speech. that drew fire from china's leaders and rebecca jarvis has the story. good morning, rebecca. >> reporter: good morning, george. he is very powerful, very wealthy and generally a very public figure, but since giving this speech that was critical of china's government, jack ma hasn't been seen in public and now many are questioning where is jack ma. he's one of the world's wealthiest tech entrepreneurs worth an estimated $50 billion. >> no matter we are from a country big, small, rich or poor, everybody should have the equal chance to compete. >> reporter: but for the past two months jack ma, the flamboyant founder of e-commerce giant alibaba, the closest thing in china to amazon, hasn't been seen in public. the famously outspoken 56-year-old making headlines in october after delivering a speech critical of the chinese government accusing financial regulators of suffocating innovation and likening its banks to behaving like pawnshops. the 20-minute speech drawing the ire of the chinese government triggering an antitrust investigation into his company. he hasn't been seen publicly since, even missing a scheduled appearance on a reality talent show he had previously said he was looking forward to. >> i like your passion and i like your motto. >> reporter: his company citing a scheduling conflict according to the financial times. ma, a married father of three known for his rags to riches life story, raised in communist china the former schoolteacher failing his entrance exams twice. notoriously turned down for dozens of jobs including one at kfc before finally hitting it big with alibaba. ma telling diane sawyer in 2010 china's climate is changing. >> you think ultimately that there will be a political change because of the economic change? >> it is changing. if i talk to you like this ten years ago, 20 years ago, i would be scared. i mean 20 years ago i would probably end up in prison. now we can talk. i do not want to make the government happy but i don't want to make them unhappy. i do not give up. i could have given up a hundred times but i did not give up. i say, well, the job i've been doing is helping millions. >> reporter: experts believe the chinese government wants to send a message here that no matter how much money you make, you will never be more powerful than the state and sources close to jack ma tell abc news that he is okay but he is lying low for now, guys. >> glad he's okay. all right. thank you, rebecca. coming up next, that ski lift scare. the dramatic rescue of a 14-year-old dangling from a chair lift. don't worry, she's okay. what her family is saying this morning. come on back. morning. come on back. if you have moderate to severe psoriasis, ...little things... ...can become your big moment. that's why there's otezla. otezla is not a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. with otezla, 75% clearer skin is achievable. don't use if you're allergic to otezla. it may cause severe diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. otezla is associated with an increased risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. upper respiratory tract infection and headache may occur. tell your doctor about your medicines, and if you're pregnant or planning to be. otezla. show more of you. ♪ meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. ♪ ♪ meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow. ♪ still the only one cats ask for by name. ♪ meow, meow. say hello to a drug-free way to ease stress. stress comfort. a gummy supplement with lemon balm plus saffron, to naturally boost your mood. stress comfort from nature's bounty. balanced nutrition for strength and energy. whoo-hoo! great tasting ensure with 9 grams of protein, 27 vitamins and minerals, and nutrients to support immune health. ♪ birds flyin' high you know how i feel ♪ ♪ breeze drifting on by you know how i feel ♪ [man: coughing] ♪ it's a new dawn, it's a new day... ♪ no matter how you got copd it's time to make a stand. ♪ ...and i'm feelin' good start a new day with trelegy. no once-daily copd medicine has the power to treat copd in as many ways as trelegy. with three medicines in one inhaler, trelegy helps people breathe easier and improves lung function. it also helps prevent future flare-ups. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. it's time to start a new day. ask your doctor about once-daily trelegy. and save at trelegy.com. ask your doctor when panhe doesn't justs. mmake a pizza. he uses fresh, clean ingredients to make a masterpiece. taste our delicious new flatbread pizzas today. panera. we are back now with that dramatic ski lift rescue. the teen dangling by her jacket before she dropped to the safety tarp below. will reeve has more for us. good morning, will. >> reporter: good morning, robin. it's a question that anyone who's ever skied has most likely asked while on a lift. can i fall off? the answer is almost always no but in this case it was yes. the girl is okay but safety questions abound. it was all caught on camera. this is heart-stopping video of near catastrophe. >> oh! yes! >> reporter: a 14-year-old girl dangling from a ski lift in upstate new york. witnesses say she was there for nearly two minutes before rescuers rushed in with a safety tarp to help break her fall. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: here she nearly slips out of her jacket only to get stuck again. >> worst nightmare right here. >> reporter: finally freeing herself falling into the tarp below. >> she was okay and wasn't injured. she was able to stand up and walk away. there was a ton of relief. everyone was clapping and cheering. >> i don't know how she got into that particular situation yet. we are conducting our own internal investigation. >> reporter: as winter continues so does the pandemic. at the bristol mountain ski resort, where the chair lift incident occurred safety precautions, include enforced capacity regulation, social distancing on lifts and in line and required face coverings at all times except when in the act of skiing. ski lift accidents are rare. according to the national ski area's association, a passenger is five times more likely to die riding an elevator and eight times more likely in a car than a ski lift, rare does not mean never. 17-year-old connor golembiewski died after a fall from a ski lift in pennsylvania. a 5-year-old girl fell into a tarp below this lift in california. somehow she suffered only minor injuries. the sister of the girl in this weekend's incident said she escaped without even a bruise. the girl's mother said that as of last night she had not yet been contacted by bristol mountain, which left her concerned as a parent about the mountain's safety protocols, guys. >> glad she's okay, will. >> scary. >> very scary. coming up next our "play of the day." trust me, it's not scary. >> no? 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(♪ ) ♪pump up the jam ♪ pump it up pump it up. back with our "play of the day." the dog who wants to be a horse, of course, of course, take a look at bella, the wheaton terrier. hops for horse racing. how great is that? well, also helps that bella lives in kentucky which, of course, is horse country and she spends her day waiting for animals to come on television. but her favorite pastime is running with the horse. >> good workout there. >> tail is going too. >> don't even have to take her out. just put her in front of the tv. >> she's getting some air. she's getting some lift there. >> must be the shoes. >> got to be the shoes. oh, coming up we got the big moments from last night's "bachelor" premiere with that man right there, matt james. come on back. where grandson and grandad will bond this is the pool where cannonball records will be broken and, this is the kitchen where the new boyfriend will unofficially become family. these are the vrbo vacation homes waiting for you to fill with your family. your together awaits find it with vrbo yeah, thanks for driving! ♪ wait, what are we listening to? get it at mcdonald's when you get two of your faves for just six bucks. get it at mcdonald's when you get two of your faves (avo) command products organize any s...and without damage. command. do. no harm. ♪ ♪ smooth driving pays off. ♪ with allstate, the safer you drive the more you save. ♪ you never been in better hands. allstate. click or call for a quote today. putting the chains on so is spring's california. part of the nevada basin only at 30% of their snow so they need it for sure and i wanted to just share with you more snow on the way for parts of the cascades and northern sierra. two amazing guests. tim tebow and ken jennings will join us live. this segment sponsored by "good morning america" is sponsored by allstate. you've never been in better hands. click or call for a quote today. ick or call for a quote today. good morning. # governor newsome says we're seeing a temporary lull in the pandemic but he is warning that holiday gatherings are likely to fuel a surge of new cases. 7 day average is nearly 38,000. yesterday there were more than 29,000. and this friday we'll learn whether the stay-at-home order will be extended for the bay area. san francisco officials announced last week the city will keep the order in place indefinitely. take a look at weather and mike. >> hi, everybody. fog still an issue, whether it is the central valley through 10:00 or the rest of us 9:00. this afternoon we'll have hazy conditions, high clouds and mid to upper 50s. a series of storms, all 1st. and coming up, the dry january challenge, many looking to start the new year by taking a break from drinking. how to get started. and another update in about 30 minutes. so give your businesss more than resolutions... give it solutions, from comcast business. work more efficiently with fast internet and advanced wifi. make your business safer with powerful 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through for us. if he doesn't come through, i won't like him quite as much. >> as the backlash grows within his own party. also this morning, covid hospitalizations across the country hitting a new record high. e.r.s forced to turn away ambulances and patients as that highly contagious new mutation is now spotted in new york state. also this morning, the so-called "covid vigilantes" shining a light on pandemic rule breakers. is this shaming people or holding them accountable? the dry challenge. with drinking on the rise during the pandemic, is it time to ditch alcohol for a month? the top three tips to navigate dry january and "gma" viewers' questions answered right here. ♪ i can make your hands clap a blockbuster "bachelor" premiere overnight. matt james center stage as he starts his journey to love and "the bachelor" supercouple sean and catherine weighing in this morning. all that and tim tebow is joining us live. what he's revealing first here on "gma." and tim is saying -- >> good morning, america. ♪ something big i feel it happening ♪ tuesday, tebow, tebow. tuesday, there's a reason why the dogs. it will all make sense. as we say good morning on this tuesday morning -- oh, look at him. good to see him as always. good morning, tim. can't wait to talk to him in just a little bit. but it was really quite an episode of "the bachelor" last night and one moment that really caught my eye, i have to say, is when matt said a prayer with all the women after they arrived. usually a first night toast but instead he asked them all to pray. so that was a moment you don't normally see. >> no, you never see. >> never see. >> never have seen it before on the show which even makes the show more interesting. going to keep on watching. also this morning, it's the final week of "jeopardy!" shows from alex trebek. the special message he left for fans that was shared overnight about giving covid and helping each other. we'll talk to the g.o.a.t. ken jennings live just ahead. >> looking forward to that. first, we begin with that high-stakes senate showdown in georgia right now. voters heading to the polls to cast votes. control of the senate is at stake. if democrats win both, they take control. republicans hold the senate with a split. both president trump and president-elect biden rallied in georgia on monday but the president focused on his calls to overturn joe biden's victory, futile calls. we want to go back to cecilia vega who has all the latest on this. good morning, cecilia. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning again, and at that rally overnight president trump said that everybody loved his phone call with georgia's secretary of state where he seemed to threaten him to find more votes. the reality, top republicans are outraged and democrats want the fbi to investigate. overnight in georgia, something rarely before seen in this country, an american president desperately clinging to power refusing to believe the reality that he lost an election. >> and they're not taking this white house. we're going to fight like hell, i'll tell you right now. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a rally for the two republicans in georgia's special election. the outcome of today's high-stakes vote determines which party controls the senate but president trump was fixated on his own election. >> there's no way we lost georgia. there's no way. >> reporter: but he did lose in all three of the state's counts. and as congress prepares to certify the election results tomorrow, president trump delivering a not-so-veiled threat to vice president mike pence who will preside over the joint session. >> i hope that our great vice president -- our great vice president comes through for us. he's a great guy. of course, if he doesn't come through, i won't like him quite as much. >> reporter: but pence does not have the power to overturn the election. this a day after the release of that stunning call where the president seemingly threatened georgia's republican secretary of state telling him to recalculate the results and find more votes. >> all i want to do is this, i just want to find 11,780 votes. >> reporter: in georgia, president-elect joe biden on the attack. >> politicians cannot assert, take or seize power. power is given, granted by the american people alone. >> reporter: president trump has called on his supporters to turn out for a rally here tomorrow. you can see behind me the preparations are already under way. tens of thousands of people are expected to show up including extremist groups and the president himself, george. the national guard has already been activated to try to keep the peace here in this city. >> cecilia, of course, this is all for show. president-elect biden does have the electoral college votes to be president. cecilia vega, thanks very much. michael. >> thank you, george. now to the other major story, the coronavirus emergency. cases surging across the country and so many hospitals buckling under the pressure due to another record of admissions. let's go back to our chief national correspondent matt gutman who is at a hard-hit hospital in los angeles with more. good morning, again, matt. >> reporter: hey, good morning again, michael. this hospital is so hard hit that it's actually using its chapel/meditation room as overflow space. you can see those cots inside and just across the hallway this is what used to be the gift shop. now it's an examination room and later this morning, the national guard coming to this hospital to help. this morning, public health officials are warning the covid crisis is spiraling out of control. nationwide a record 128,000 people hospitalized because of covid. forcing some e.r.s and icus to turn away patients. >> if you have someone going into labor or having a heart attack, or who gets into a car accident on an icy road, they may not have a bed because the icus are full. >> reporter: in l.a. county the situation is so dire that ambulance crews are now being advised to cut back on oxygen use and not to transport patients with little chance of survival to hospitals. california bracing for a second surge from the christmas and new year's holidays. the state now reporting at least six cases of that highly contagious uk variant. meanwhile, frustration nationwide is mounting as the rollout of the vaccine sputters. in florida, seniors camping out overnight to try to get their jab of hope. >> the logistics of doing it giving the vaccinations needs to be improved. >> reporter: and in new york, the governor there threatening hospitals with a $100,000 fine if the vaccine sits on the shelf longer than a week. >> they have to move the vaccine and they have to move the vaccine faster. >> reporter: just want to go back to that order from l.a. county to ambulances telling them that if they have a trauma patient, someone who has had a heart attack, been shot, a car accident, to work on them for ten minutes. if they can't resuscitate a trauma patient after ten minutes they're told not to bring them to the hospital. george? >> okay, matt, thanks very much. coming up, covid cancel culture. how a social media movement is calling out for people who are not following the rules. but the question is, is it going too far? also, with heavy drinking on the rise, tips for taking on the dry january challenge. dr. ashton is live answering your questions about getting started. and "jeopardy!" g.o.a.t., ken jennings is live. what he's saying about filling alex trebek's shoes. we'll be right back, everybody. ♪away from the wreck we made ♪away from the wreck we made ♪ can't believe that "daniel deal" daniel, state farm offersnce. surprisingly great rates to everyone. sure you do... you wanna meet the queen? ahhh i'm not dressed for that. when you want the real deal... like a good neighbor, state farm is there. if you have obstructive sleep apnea and you're often tired durisunosi can help yould be missistay awake for them.ings. once daily sunosi improves 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without talking to your doctor. so help heal your skin from within, and talk to your eczema specialist about dupixent. if your financial situation has changed, we may be able to help. not the ones living in the annals of history. mommy? mommy is on a break. but those who took an old way and made it better. like stefanie from carmax. she suggested test drives should last... 24 hours. or the rock stars who figured out how to put our whole lot... ...right there in your living room. so you can shop online, in-store, or both. because sometimes the way it is isn't good enough. the way it should be. carmax. with a touch of honey... plump, juicy raisins and tasty fiber into one delicious cereal? it took a lot of bran-storming. get it? kellogg's raisin bran crunch. two scoops of delicious. back here on "gma" on this back here on "gma" on this tuesday morning. glad you're with us and tomorrow on "gma" we kick off our series "motivation nation." tips from the ultimate fitness experts, stories from real people about how they're getting healthy at home during the pandemic. so that is tomorrow. right now, "pop news" who is at home. that is lara. good morning again, lara. >> good morning, robin. we're going to begin with diane von furstenberg, the legendary fashion designer, celebrating her 74th birthday with a swimsuit selfie writing, am i crazy to post this? own your age. it's proof you've lived. love everyone. and the make-up free von furstenberg getting a lot of love right back. kate bosworth and many more celebrating dvf's positive message and the answer our friend, robin, no, diane, you're not crazy. you're beautiful. >> not at all. not at all. she is not crazy at all. i couldn't agree with you more. she is a dear friend. so, robin, how about -- love you too. the endless energy and talent that is alicia keys. check out this amazing video. the 15-time grammy winner appearing to have created a new way to paint. take a look. >> yo, i think i just did something crazy. watch this. ♪ >> keys using her piano keys instead of brush strokes to create original art. keys writing, in the caption, quote, this year there's no limit to us. let's create the unimaginable. a great message as we head into the new year. and guys, remember this name today, bianca smith, the 29-year-old has broken a new barrier in the world of sports becoming the very first black woman to be hired as a coach in major league baseball. smith will head to the boston red sox to coach their minor league team. she has been coaching baseball for several years at the collegiate level, quite successfully. after a successful career herself, playing softball, at dartmouth college she graduated in 2012. congratulations to bianca. and finally, 2020 let us as a nation to take up some new hobbies. learning to bake bread. sourdough becoming all the rage. renewing our love for doing puzzles and one sport in particular is booming in the wake of the pandemic. the national golf foundation reporting that since june over 50 million rounds of golf have been played. the industry also hitting a hole in one with an all-time high in sales of golf equipment. we have proof of the phenomenon even in our own "gma" family. golf is a great way to get out there and get some exercise. yes, there is the shot. >> nice. >> there it is. >> look at that smile. >> michael strahan, how's the game? >> oh, the game is -- i'm laughing because i'm laughing at my own game. it's not that good. >> that looked like a smile. >> i have fun. i love it. you're outside, fresh air and i played with george and you missed the pictures of him. i'll have to take some next time. >> that's coming. thank you, lara. we're going to move on now to our "gma" cover story. as covid surges across the country covid vigilantes shaming others for traveling, partying and not wearing a mask and some say the movement has gone too far. gio benitez has that story. good morning, gio. >> reporter: hey, george, good morning. yeah, you know, we saw so many people traveling over the past few days, but now the attention is on those who also chose to party in big groups and so while some call it shaming, others call it accountability. this morning, so-called covid vigilantes popping up online launching social media accounts with just one goal, to call out pandemic rule breakers. one account gaining almost 100,000 followers in just a few days. posting images of americans who traveled around the country and abroad to seemingly join packed maskless parties. todd masterson is one of the instagramers taking them on. >> i think pointing out people doing bad things or people doing things we consider wrong isn't shame, it's just accountability. >> reporter: but some say this is cancel culture gone too far. the accounts have also called out some frontline workers who appeared to forget to turn off their phone's geotracking showing them in big party locations. >> this to me is a perfect recipe for a situation where individuals on social media feeling compelled to take the lead. >> reporter: taking center stages this weekend, a sinking party boat with 60 people on board off the coast of puerta vallarta. nobody hurt but there were a lot of jokes. >> i know that a lot of people had plans to go to mexico and had reservations and flights and everything booked and they saw how the internet was treating people that were breaking quarantine and they canceled all those plans. >> reporter: it's not the first time people have taken to social media to call others out. instagram's dr. mike was photographed partying in miami this november. he later issued an apology. >> i messed up. i really did. and i need to do better. >> whose place is it to be a judge, be a jury to -- whose place is it to protect people in society? some of it may be justified. some of it is not justified. the risk is who gets to decide? >> reporter: and, again, there's a concern that these accounts are going too far by shaming others, but by the looks of it these accounts aren't going anywhere any time soon. in fact, they're only getting more popular so we will be seeing a lot more of this, robin. >> looks that way. all right, gio, thank you as always. now to a challenge so many tackle at the beginning of the year, dry january. the wellness trend taking on new significance with drinking on the rise during the pandemic. 34% of people in one study say they were binge drinking at least once over the past 30 days. amy is here with more on this for us. good morning, amy. >> hey, good morning, robin. yes, so the top reason people cited in that study published by the national institutes of health for drinking more alcohol -- not a big shocker here -- stress, something we are all feeling during this time. so that may make this dry january challenge even more challenging. after a particularly tough 2020, now is the time to evaluate habits like alcohol consumption. >> it definitely escalated pretty quickly. especially given all the things that were going on in the world. it was the only marker that my workday is over and now i move into evening but i'm still literally in the same space that i woke up in, i worked in and go to bed in. >> reporter: a 2020 rand corporation study found american adults reporting drinking 14% more often during the pandemic compared to the same time last year, with women increasing their instances of heavy drinking by 41%. one popular movement finds many committing themselves to a dry january, ditching booze for one month to improve their well-being. >> it is a way for people to analyze their relationship with alcohol. >> reporter: hillary shinebaum author of "the dry challenge" gives readers a step-by-step guide on navigating through a sober month, providing tips. the first one, store your alcohol in a place where you won't pass it all the time. >> this will eliminate any temptation and reminder that the booze is there and there to drink. >> reporter: also, create a support system by recruiting a friend, spouse or family member to join you on your sober journey. >> not only will you have somebody there to plan nonboozy activities with you, but you'll also have someone to vent to if you're having a hard time. >> reporter: and track your progress. journaling how each day helps you take stock of differences you've made. >> you might see improvement in hours you're sleeping, weight loss and even levels of energy. >> now this is all about evaluating your relationship with alcohol and making better decisions. but this is very important to note it is not a substitute for professional help, robin. >> good for pointing that out. okay, amy. dr. jennifer ashton who has her own dry january is back to answer viewer questions because i know you do this every few years. first of all, we want to get to viewer questions. this one is from tam in atlanta, jen. >> every time i try a sober month i feel a bit under the weather the first couple of days. is there a reason for that and anything i can do about it? >> so, robin, i think that's a great question and people should think of it this way, this kind of wellness challenge should make you feel better physically, not worse. so you want to watch out for some signs and symptoms like sweating or nausea or vomiting, some gastric distress or flu-like symptoms. those can be signs of alcohol withdrawal and, again, this type of month challenge is not for sobriety or abstinence issues. it's really a wellness challenge so the goal here is feeling physically better, not worse. >> we cannot reinforce that last bit of what you said and what amy said as well. this one comes from madison, posted on our facebook page. madison says, i find that when it gets cold outside and i'm bored, i'm more likely to have a cocktail. do you have any recommendations on what to do to fill the time and replace my drinking? >> yeah, i mean, there are a lot of great ideas. you can make mocktails. you can do some yoga, some meditation, fill a glass with seltzer and drop fancy ice cubes in it. but again it's really about that awareness of, do you drink mindlessly or do you drink socially and what happens if you don't drink? >> and, jen, as we said on a personal note, you've been doing this the last couple of years, in fact, it was the first chapter in your book, "the self-care solution." so what have you learned for not drinking for a month? >> well, i think, you know, i did it as a wellness challenge and i learned that it wasn't difficult for me to go without alcohol for a month. my skin improved. my sleep improved. and, you know, it was all about servings because five ounces of wine is considered one serving, 1 1/2 ounces of my favorite tequila is considered one serving. but if you drink at home or a restaurant you're likely getting twice that amount. for me it was about awareness and keeping track of it. >> awareness as always. looking good as always. >> thanks, robin. >> how is it going? you're doing it again? >> i feel great. it's good. >> you're looking good. thank you, jen. learn more about the dry january challenge and check out our "gma" 2020 wellness guide at goodmorningamerica.com. now back to ginger again. hey, ginger. >> hey, robin. let me warm you up and take you to pompano beach, florida. a really nice morning caught on our surfline cameras. they in 2020 had 107 inches of rain. miami had their third wettest year on record. ft. lauderdale, their second wettest so a dry morning with some sunshine, yeah, we'll take that in miami to start and you'll keep it dry and mild today, temperatures in the 70s. started in the 50s, kind of cool for florida this morning. i'm sure you're all enjoying it. i hope you are. good morning. i'm mike nicco. kind of looks like sum yyouee l out there. get the umbrella ready, two storms, both 1 on the storm impact scale for wednesday, thursday, friday and a dry weekend. today 56 to 60 degrees. a little cooler tonight with less fog. 33 to about 44 degrees. my accuweather 7 now to last night's big "bachelor" premiere introducing us to matt james. this season the show received the most applications to compete ever. lara is back with more and the bachelor nation couple dishing out some advice for both matt and the women. hey, lara. >> hey, michael. yeah, we got it all. more than 6,000 applicants tried out for this season of "the bachelor," as you said, more women than ever before in the history of the show and that means more pressure for the new bachelor. take a look. >> my name is matt james. i'm 28 years old. i'm the bachelor. >> bachelor matt james kicking off his search for love monday night with a record number of women applying to be on this season. one contestant even giving the bachelor a survival kit to prepare. another declaring herself queen. >> so i'm victoria like the queen. >> reporter: then there was kayla who rolled up in a pick-up truck. matt telling chris harrison he had never been in love. >> again, i've seen how being vulnerable in the past led to heartbreak but part of the process is letting my guard down. >> reporter: james starting off the first cocktail party with a prayer instead of the traditional toast. >> dear heavenly father, thank you for bringing us all together healthy. give these women the courage to get through these next few months. >> reporter: it was a night of first jitters, first impressions and some sparks. that bachelor nation super couple sean and katherine remember all too well. >> the whole experience for me was so surreal but at the same time it was really exciting because i didn't know who was going to step out of the limo. if you don't have jitters you probably don't have a pulse. >> reporter: their advice for matt, be present. >> as crazy as it is be in the moment with every woman you have a conversation with. >> reporter: their advice to the women competing for his heart -- >> if you're trying to fake it or be something that you're not, he's going to eventually see that. another thing is don't talk about the other girls to him. just don't do it. it never works. it never helps. >> good advice. and "the bachelor" continues next monday night at 8:00 p.m. michael, back to you in the studio. >> we will be watching. coming up, tim tebow, one of our favorites, he is going to join us live to talk about his new book. we'll be right back. we'll be right back. good morning, governor vaccinations are not good enough. the department of consumer affairs has approved a public health emergency waiver for thousands of dentists to administer vaccines but they will need to undergo training first. dense fog continues to be a problem not only in the central valley but himself into the bay. and this will continue visibility lower than a quarter mile through at least 9:00. you can see in the east bay valleys from this vantage point and also over the bay from this vantage point. that is my biggest concern for your commute. my accuweather 7 day forecast, dry today but we have a storm light tomorrow and another thursday into friday and ♪ ♪ digital transformation has failed to take off. because it hasn't removed the endless mundane work we all hate. ♪ ♪ automation can solve that by taking on repetitive tasks for us. unleash your potential. uipath. reboot work. habe live i live i live i li abc 7. and another update in about 30 minutes. and you can find the latest at abc7news.com. ♪ welcome back to "gma," everybody. we're glad you're with us this morning and now we have an exclusive with a great friend of "gma." >> he is that. tim tebow has written his first children's book. it is called "bronco and friends: a party to remember." it's about celebrating our differences with love and tim tebow on a tuesday joining us here on "good morning america." so great to see you. we really appreciate you spending a little time and making this announcement about your children's book. the hero of the book, bronco. your beloved dog who unfortunately passed away a little over a year ago. so tell us, tim, why you wanted to tell this story. >> well, first of all, good morning, guys. i miss you. i look forward to hopefully being able to give you a hug real soon. love you guys. so grateful. thanks for having me this morning. bronco was such an amazing dog. i wanted to honor him. i remember when i was a young boy and my mom and dad would read to i remember how impactful those stories were and i wanted to write a children's book for all the young boys -- boys and girls out there to encourage them and their worth and that they're unique, they are special, they are wonderful. that is literally how the book ends with you are unique, you are special, you are wonderful. i believe that god created all of us fearfully and wonderfully made and we are special and i think we need to embrace those differences because he made us perfect. he designed us perfect and so i wanted to encourage young kids because you know what, those young children's books really have huge impacts on our life and i was hoping this could have a big impact. >> we all remember those children's books. so you said you wanted to honor bronco. how did he inspire you as you were writing the book? >> because he was an amazing dog that was so loving. but i also -- i also want to share that the other main characters in this book, their names were also wish kids that i fell in love with and that lost their battle, most against cancer, that are looking down from heaven now, but i wanted to honor them in the book as well and so this book was really written to honor bronco and these wish children that fought so courageously and all of them have incredible, amazing stories that i wanted to honor and so hopefully there's multiple reasons that i wrote this book and kind of all coming together, you know. because when i think about all of those children, all of them lived with such purpose and courage and teamwork and meaning and so, when i'm writing it, yes, i'm remembering my amazing dog that i loved so much but i'm also remembering all those children that fought so hard and, in fact, if i could just honor them by putting their name in there as well but also i could honor them by writing something that i feel like in a time where we look at our differences and a lot of times we see less than is we can look at our differences and we can see unique. we can see special. we can see wonderful. we can see purpose in all of it because i don't believe that our god made any mistakes and he didn't make any mistakes on anybody. no matter your ability, your disability, your background, your color, any of it. he didn't make a mistake. that means none of us are mistakes. we are all fearfully and wonderfully made. >> amen. >> amen to that. without a doubt. you know, tim, we're going through a tough time right now. is that why this is a very timely and is that why it's very important for this story to be out there and for your book to come out right now? >> yeah, it is. it's timely because it's about worth. it's about everybody's worth. it is about their value, not because of a like on social media, not because of a thumb's up, but because your god given value, your meaning, your purpose, i believe we all have it and i love the purpose in this book because all of the different animals are searching for meaning and for purpose and they find it by actually helping one another and they all find out that they all have something to add to the bigger picture and just like i believe we all have something to give and to add to the bigger picture here in life and we all have purpose in this life. we can all have meaning in this life and most of the time we find that by helping one another, not just by serving ourselves. >> and somebody is standing there by your side these days. your one-year anniversary is coming up to the beautiful demi-leigh on the 20th. what has this first year of marriage in pandemic quarantine, how has that been for you, tim? >> i got to be honest, i don't really know what it's like to be married not in a pandemic, so we got that going for us. but honestly i think it's important to always find the silver lining and the blessings in anything, even when it can be disappointing. there are so many disappointments this year but i feel like one of the blessings is we got a lot more time together obviously being in quarantine. we got an extended honeymoon. so we want to find the blessings but it's been amazing and january 20th we'll be celebrating our one-year anniversary. so i can't give it away in case she's watching which i'm sure she is on what we'll be doing but i'll have a one-year surprise for her. she's been amazing and truly such a blessing and i can't thank god enough. >> well the other blessing in the pandemic for you, you adopted three puppies. >> oh, boy. >> yes, we did. yes, we did. paris, chunk and kobe, they're incredible and a handful but i guess it's sort of teaching us, you know, early steps of parenting, maybe we're learning and can add more to the family sometime. >> they're giving me a wrap here, but i want to talk about night to shine. very important to you and your foundation. it's a prom night for everyone of all ages. tell us about it quickly. >> it is. night to shine is my favorite night of the year. it's a worldwide prom for special needs people and obviously it has to look different because we would never want to put anybody at risk so having night to shine virtual and drive-through which is night to shine's drive-through and we can't wait and it's going to be all around the world. that's actually how me and demi met so it means so much to us and so we're just so grateful and we can't wait to make a difference in so many people's lives. >> you are doing that, my friend. we are grateful to have you with us this morning. thank you so much, tim. be well. >> thank you. >> my love to your family. >> appreciate y'all. >> please share with them. "bronco and friends: a party to remember" is available today. ken jennings, he's going to join us live next. ♪ how you l ♪ this week marks the end of an era in broadcasting. alex trebek's final episodes of "jeopardy!" are airing. they were taped shortly before he passed away. on last night's show he began with a special message about the pandemic. >> this is the season of giving, i know you want to be generous with your family, your friend, your loved ones but today i'd like to you go one step further. i'd like you to open up your hands and open up your heart to those who are still suffering because of covid-19. people who are suffering through no fault of their own. we're trying to build a gentler, kinder society and if we all pitch in just a little bit, we're going to get there. okay. >> alex trebek certainly did that. we're glad to have "jeopardy!" champion, upcoming interim "jeopardy!" host ken jennings joining us this morning. ken, welcome back to "gma." >> good morning, everybody. >> good morning. are you ready to take over this big, big job? >> yeah, you can't fill shoes like alex trebek's. he was just a legend and, you know, i'm like everybody else. when i hear that music, i don't want to see an interim host. in a perfect world i want to see alex trebek so it was a little bit nerve-racking being asked to do that. it was an honor but it's a stressful one. >> but it's wonderful to see the friendship that formed between the two of you, ken. you joined the show last year as a producer, so did mr. trebek. did he offer you any advice? >> you know, alex always -- i spoke to him on the phone actually the weekend he passed and he was -- he was frail but he was still very much alex and i remember him just being very confident in me to be a guest host if he ever needed that. we were hoping we'd have him with us for longer. but i remember -- i was reminded of the thing he always emphasized about the show which was, he's not the star of the show. you know, the host is not the star of "jeopardy!". he always made it about the players and about the competition and it's just hard to imagine that in the tv landscape today, a star of his size saying, hey, the game is not about you but that was great advice. >> you're also on a new trivia game show on abc prime time called "the chase" hosted by our girl sara haines and you and two other former "jeopardy!" champions, james holzhauer and brad rutter. you're calmed the chasers on the show so explain your role in the game. >> we're the obstacle. if you remember the three of us from last year's "jeopardy!" g.o.a.t. tournament, now we're going to see if regular trivia teams can team up, can gang up to take us on and if they can beat us in the chase, they win a lot of money but if they don't and get caught, by the chasers, the chase is over. it's a really exciting fast-paced format from the uk where it's been a big hit for years and excited to see it on network tv. >> we're excited too. let's take a look at a clip. >> hello, ken. pretty good job there. >> well, james has played college "jeopardy!" but he's entering the pro game now. we'll find out if you're a jamarcus russell. this is the ken fl. >> the ken fl. i know you're quite a fan of ken ken jennings i heard. >> you got michael's attention. >> hey, i got to say that was some smack-talking. that was nfl, ken nfl level right there. >> absolutely. so was there a behind the scenes between the three of you, friendly competition going on, ken? >> that's right. like we really enjoyed the interplay between the three of us on "jeopardy!" last year and so the beauty of the chase format is while one of us is in the chair, the other two are in this backstage lounge kibbutzing like the two old guys on "the muppet show" roasting whoever is in the chair and ripping on what's going on. it's a lot of fun. >> what's the secret? how do you keep up on all this trivia? >> you know, a lot of the secret for me is having teenagers now, you know, nothing annoys a teen more than a parent who like knows all the memes and all the slang and all the top 40 hits maybe before they do so at this point i really just keep young to annoy my kids. >> hey, whatever works, right? >> and it does work for ken. >> ken, thanks for coming back on. "the chase" premieres thursday at 9:00 right here on abc. you can see ken hosting episodes of "jeopardy!" starting next monday. now let's go to ginger. >> i want to join the ken fl so bad. thanks, guys. as the school year returns, you know kids have continued learning remotely and been doing this for quite a long time and so all of that happening from home, but that means that snow days could face extinction. well, this segment sponsored by campbell's and they are committed to preserving magical winter fun with their save the snow day pledge. it urges everybody to get outside. build a snowman, experience some much needed joy. we have been asking you to share your snow day photos and we got some great ones so far. we want to you look at 3-year-old dylan from queens, new york, sweet little face, getting ready for a snowball fight there and there's 4-year-old merrick from devin, pennsylvania, sliding down a snowy hill and check out 18-month-old poppy from new york city squealing in delight with all that snow. if you are looking to celebrate a snow day and you want to share it with us you are in luck if you live in steamboat springs, colorado, two to five inches, some of the higher elevations ten plus. go to "gma's" instagram to find out how to sign the pledge and don't forget you got to submit your photos on our instagram. plus, you can show your support on social by using #savethesnowday. good morning. i'm mike nicco. low visibility will be an issue through the morning commute and then hazy conditions and high clouds and temperatures in the mid to upper 50s this ♪ we have it in our hands. we can't show you. time to reveal our very first book club pick of 2021. amy, this really caught your attention. >> i read that cover to cover and it is a thriller. i can't think of a better way to kick off the new year than with the thriller already being called the next "gone girl." let's see our january pick. >> three, two, one. >> boom! "the push." all right, yes, this is by ashley audrain. it's her dramatic debut novel. i'm serious, it hooks you from the very first page. it will have you racing to get to the ending, in fact, let's take a listen from the author herself. >> good morning, america. i'm ashley audrain, author of "the push" and i am thrilled that "the push" has been selected as "good morning america's" january book club pick. "the push" is a suspenseful family drama about the expectations and fears of motherhood and whether we can ever fully know the people we hold the closest and i cannot wait to talk to you about it later this month. >> ooh and we cannot wait to talk to ashley. "the push" is available everywhere starting today and read an excerpt on goodmorningamerica.com and as always follow us on instagram @gmabookclub. i know you will read it. >> a psychological drama about the making and breaking of a woman and experience of motherhood is nothing at all what she hoped for and everything she feared. >> da, da, da. >> i'm in. thank you, amy. we'll be right back. ♪ "gma's" "let it snow" is sponsored by campbell's, mm-mm, good. we have the power to harness california's abundant solar and wind energy, but it's not available all day long. use less energy from 4 to 9 pm for a cleaner california. ♪ we're back now with a look at one of "seventeen magazine's" top pick books, a murder mystery from lilia buckingham and author of "pretty little liars," sara shepard. thanks for joining us. lilia, before we discuss the book, i want to ask about your mother. it's been a little over a year since your mom was sentenced to three weeks in prison for the "varsity blues" college admissions scandal, so how is she doing now? >> you know, i think we're all doing a lot better. obviously i'm a big advocate for therapy, and, you know, i was definitely really sad and upset by my mother's actions, but i was lucky enough to have an incredible support system and an incredible creative outlet, which was writing, and, of course, co-writing "influence" with sara" where i got to disappear into my own world and i'm lucky enough to have my own social media platform to promote the ideals and morals and causes that i'm super passionate about so, you know, we're all doing okay. it is okay to move on and forgive and learn from past mistakes so, yeah, that's definitely an important life lesson that i learned through that whole experience. >> definitely -- >> thanks for asking. >> definitely a life lesson. you did take this time to write and wrote the book "influence" and you've been an influencer since you were 12. you're 17 now. so besides the murder plot, how much of the book is based on your life? >> you know, so much. it's crazy how authentic the pages are. i just -- when i came to sara with the idea, i was like why has no one done this? why is there no murder mystery set in this insane world of big parties and fake relationships and these kids with millions of followers? so much of it is authentic. paranoia of posting, the big events, the fun of it all, a lot of it is based off my life and, you know, i'm so glad i got to kind of show people a peek behind what the influencers/social media world really looks like from an influencer's perspective. so much of it is authentic. it's funny. people won't believe how much is authentic. >> you and sara wrote this book. sara, you've written 40 books in 13 years and yet you still found liars" cameo so how were you able to do that? >> oh, my gosh. good time management. maybe not sleeping. i don't know but, no, i really love to write and i -- with "pretty little liars" all of my books, i just really get into the characters and i just get really immersed and i'm happy to do it. >> and we're happy that you are doing it. we have time for one quick question, lilia. you said sara's "pretty little liars" books made you want to be a writer. in this book you bring in a lot of issues those teens face into the influencers' world. was that important to you? >> absolutely. i think coming from a teenager these messages mean a lot because a lot of us are kind of just now learning how to use technology -- like social media and influence -- sorry -- instagram and snapchat. so i think it was really important to show what these teenagers are going through with this new presence of social media. so i kind of wanted people to be able to relate to that like anxiety that does come from social media presence. >> and i will say this, "influence," it may follow "pretty little liars" on to the screen. we sure hope that definitely happens. i want to thank you both for joining us this morning and "influence" is available in stores and online right now. make sure you go check it out. we'll be right back. so give your businesss more than resolutions... give it solutions, from comcast business. work more efficiently with fast internet and advanced wifi. make your business safer with powerful cybersecurity solutions. and stay productive with 24/7 support. make this year's resolution better solutions. bounce forward with comcast business. get started with a powerful internet and voice solution for just $64.90 a month. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. switch today. but today there's a combination of two immunotherapies you can take first. one that could mean... a chance to live longer. opdivo plus yervoy is for adults newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread and that tests positive for pd-l1 and does not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. it's the first and only approved chemo-free combination of two immunotherapies that works together in different ways to harness the power of the immune system. opdivo plus yervoy equals a chance for more days. more nights. more beautiful weekends. more ugly sweaters. more big hugs. more small outings. opdivo and yervoy can cause your immune system to attack normal organs and tissues in your body and affect how they work. this may happen during or after treatment has ended and can become serious and lead to death. some of these problems may happen more often when opdivo is used with yervoy. see your doctor right away if you have a new or worse cough; chest pain; shortness of breath; diarrhea; severe stomach pain; nausea or vomiting; dizziness; fainting; extreme tiredness; weight changes; constipation; excessive thirst; changes in urine or eyesight; rash; itching; confusion; memory problems; muscle pain or weakness; joint pain; flushing; fever; or tingling in hands and feet. these are not all the possible side effects. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions including immune system problems, or if you've had an organ transplant or lung, breathing, or liver problems. here's to a chance for more together time. a chance to live longer. ask your doctor about opdivo plus yervoy. thank you to all involved in our clinical trials. >> announcer: this week on "gma" it's not just another new year weight loss series, no, no, no. what if we showed you how real people just like you lost the weight they wanted, got in shape and felt great? join the movement. "gma's" motivation nation on remember we used to sit close like that. motivation nation. . good morning, everybody. i'm kumasi aaron. the parole ebeinge accused of k between could make his court appearance today. police say he was intoxicated when he he was in the crash that killed the two women. he faces vehicular manslaughter. and dangerously low visibility continues through 10:00. dense fog advisory for the central valley spilling into our neighborhoods. the fog will eventually turn to haze and high clouds and temperature deal our temperatures pretty close to average, 56 to 60 degrees. a little less fog tomorrow morning and then rain on the way for wednesday, thursday, friday and monday. now it is time for live with kelly and ryan. >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, in the studio, star of the serious "cobra kai," ralph macchio. plus, from the new quiz show, "the chase," ken jennings. and learning how to flatten the blood sugar curve for weight loss. all next on "live!" ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] >> ryan: thank you. thank you. thank you three so much. >> kelly: please stop. you humble us. >> ryan: thank you, two and a half. >> kelly: it is tuesday