This new round of deadly storms. 23 reported tornadoes in four states this time. At least five people killed. And now this system headed to kentucky again. Rob marciano standing by to time this out. The Sexual Assault allegations tonight against Sex And The City star chris noth. The Hollywood Reporter saying two women have now come forward with separate claims of Sexual Assault. Noth responding tonight. Peloton pulling its ad with the actor. The Major Development involving those american and canadian hostages in haiti. The remaining 12 hostages released. In new york city, the Apartment Building on fire. The teenager seen climbing out from the fourth floor. The breaking headline as we come On The Air Tonight involving Actor Alec Baldwin and the Search Warrant now issued for his cell phone. Christmas eve, one week from tomorrow. And your money tonight. Where are the deals . Our reporter on what to look for right now. Christmas apparently coming early for Bruce Springsteen, selling his Music Catalog. The price . It proves hes the boss. And America Strong tonight. The president awarding the Medal Of Honor to three soldiers, three heroes. Their stories will move you. Good evening and its great to have you with us here on a thursday night. Christmas eve is one week from tomorrow. Millions of families preparing for the holidays, and now we find ourselves dealing with this new variant, spreading very quickly. Covid cases surging to the highest point in a year now and tonight, what theyre already seeing in new york city already. Some Broadway Shows shutting down. Some restaurants reportedly closing because their workers are now sick. And that other major news tonight, a cdc panel now recommending if you havent had the vaccine yet to choose the pfizer or Moderna Vaccine over Johnson Johnson, if possible, because of concern over very rare blood clots. Tonight, this highly transmissible omicron variant sweeping across the country, now in 39 states and washington, d. C. Dr. Anthony fauci telling us cases are now doubling every two to three days. Long lines for testing here in new york city. The Health Commissioner saying cases have tripled in just a month. Averaging nearly 3,800 confirmed and suspected cases every day, calling the numbers tonight, quote, alarming. This is being seen across the country. From orlando, florida, tonight, they have found omicron in nearly 100 of waste water samples tested this week. Samples tested just a week ago, authorities say, did not detect the variant. Dr. Jha is here to answer your questions. I know a lot of concern, especially with the holidays approaching, but first, the news on Johnson Johnson, the vaccine, and this new variant moving quickly. Abcs Stephanie Ramos leading us off tonight. Reporter tonight, a cdc panel voting unanimously to recommend that going forward, americans who have a choice should get pfizer or Moderna Vaccines over Johnson Johnson, after a review of rare blood clots linked to the vaccine. They have 15 yeses, 0 nos. The acip vote passes as listed here. Reporter nine people have died from Thrombosis Out of 17 million shots. The blood clots were more common in women in their 30s and 40s. Its very clear that the mrna vaccines are just slightly more effective and slightly more safe. So, it makes absolute sense the cdc would preferentially recommend the moderna and pfizer vaccines. Reporter it comes as Health Officials are pleading with americans to get vaccinated and boosted, with the omicron variant now spiking across 38 states and d. C. Cases doubling every two to three days. It is inevitable, when you look at the pace of the infections now, that things will get worse as we go into the depth of the winter. And with Omicron Breathing down our back, things could get really bad, particularly for the unvaccinated. Reporter authorities are urging caution with a new study making headlines tonight, that if true may partially explain why omicron is so transmissible. Researchers at the University Of Hong Kong estimate that the Omicron Virus could multiply 70 times faster in the bronchial tubes than the delta variant. The study has not yet been made public for review. Today, long lines for testing. New york city bracing itself with a spike in numbers. Nearly 3,800 new covid cases every day, compared to 2,3 00 just a week ago. It is clear that the omicron variant is here in new york city, in full force. Reporter the City Planning to distribute home covid tests and kn95 masks, urging residents to upgrade or double mask. Covid cases forcing Broadway Shows like the Tina Turner Musical and hamilton to cancel performances. Even some new York City Restaurants closing because too many workers have come down with covid. An outbreak at Cornell University now topping 1,000 cases. Many of them omicron. I was definitely surprised, because i am fully vaccinated, but i do realize thats still a risk, so i was still trying to be cautious. Reporter tonight Stanford University just the latest school to go remote and require Booster Shots for the spring. And the nfl tightening Covid Protocols with mandatory masking and virtual meetings. 70 players testing positive this week or exposed, including Odell Beckham jr. And baker mayfield. In florida tonight, an eyeopening finding in orlando. Omicron is already making up nearly 100 of waste water samples taken this week. It went from 0 to nearly 100 in a week. Today, the president meeting with his Covid Response team. The whole point is, omicron is here, its going to start to spread much more rapidly at the beginning of the year and the only real protection is to get your shots. Reporter the cdc now projecting covid deaths could soar 71 , to 15,000 deaths in a week by january 8th. Experts are Warning Hospitals already overwhelmed by the delta surge could reach their breaking point. We literally do not have any icu beds. We have been running rampant up here. Reporter in nebraska, hospitals forced to add covid units to make room for sick patients. Its been a long day and now we are telling patients that we cant increase their level of care because we dont have the beds. Reporter in wisconsin, just 3 of icu beds are available. Were stressed. Were burned out. Were exhausted mentally and physically. We want to take care of the patients that come here, but im telling you, were so exhausted and frustrated. All of those doctors and nurses on the front lines, very concerned with what they could be seeing from this new variant in the coming weeks. And stephanie, were going to get to dr. Jha on the omicron variant, how quickly its spreading, but before i do, i do have one more question tonight on this cdc panel and their guidance, saying to choose pfizer and moderna over the Johnson Johnson vaccine, if possible, because of concern over these very rare blood clots. The company responding tonight . Reporter exactly, david. Johnson johnson saying they remain confident of its benefit risk profile of its covid vaccine, and david, these blood clots are very rare, but given the choice of vaccines, the cdc panel recommended opting for pfizer or moderna when possible, but stressed that covid itself carries a much higher risk of blood clots. This will now be reviewed by the cdc director. David . All right, Stephanie Ramos with us tonight. Stephanie, thank you. We know many of you at home have a lot of questions, particularly with Christmas Eve one week from tomorrow. Families planning get togethers. And so lets bring in dr. Ashish jha, dean of the Brown University school of Public Health. Dr. Jha, always great to have you with us. And first, lets get right to it. We heard from the cdc already that this new variant, omicron, is doubling every two days or so. Its one thing to hear that from them. Its another thing to start hearing it and seeing it from people in your everyday lives. Im hearing from a lot of people, family and friends, colleagues, who are seeing this. Im curious, does this simply underscore just how transmissible this is, and has the speed of this been eyeopening even for you . Yeah, good evening, david. Thank you for having me back. The speed of this transmission has been eyeopening for all of us. Even in the last week or ten days, its moved faster than i expected. And its spreading quite rapidly across the country. I wanted to bring up something we just heard late this afternoon from new york citys Health Commissioner, he said, we are seeing a steep rise in cases here in new york city, for example, coupled with the threat of this more contagious omicron variant. He even goes as far as to say, consider upgrading your mask to a kn95 or kf94 mask. Theyre signaling here in new york to take this seriously. Yeah, absolutely, david. This variant is spreading widely. For people who are, you know, i think vaccinated and protected, its maybe not as much of a problem, but for a lot of other people, i think getting infected could end up getting them sick, so, i think we absolutely need to make this very seriously right now. You bring up vaccinations and people who have been boosted, were seeing these universities, for example, closing down, going online. Hundreds of cases at cornell alone. Theres a second part to this and you made me think of this, you know, the students had to be vaccinated just to return to school in the first place. Were also hearing of people who have had the booster still getting this. And i bring this up with you because youve been adamant that this doesnt mean the vaccines and boosters arent working. It actually would appear they are, in holding back the severity, at least so far. Absolutely, david. And what we know is that boosters will protect against infections, not perfectly, but whether youve gotten two shots or three, youre much, much better protected against severe illness, hospitalizations and deaths and that, at the end of the day, is the thing that we care about most. And, you know, one more question, i mentioned this at the top. Christmas eve a week from tomorrow. What would you say to families asking, and i know i talked about this with my own family, if you want to be careful, what should you do, what do you keep in mind, who should you keep in mind . Yeah, i think Christmas Eve, christmas day, i think its possible to gather with family safely. The key, in my mind, is making sure everybody who can be vaccinated is vaccinated. People are boosted. And if there are high risk people, elderly, others, getting everybody a rapid test can make it that much safer yet, david. So its a really important season, i think we can get together, but there are ways of doing it safely. Dr. Jha, very helpful, as always. We all have to be careful in these coming days. We sure do appreciate it. In the meantime, were going to move onto a lot of other news here tonight. This newest round of deadly tornadoes and now this storm system tonight hitting kentucky again, bringing heavy rain, with so many families there simply trying to save what they can from homes destroyed already. Overnight, take a look at the pictures. More than 20 reported tornadoes in four states. At least five people killed. This reported tornado in atlantic, iowa. Minnesota hit with its first confirmed tornado in december. Small town of heartland, minnesota, hit very hard. Dozens of homes damaged. The roof of the bank gone. A Tractor Trailer blown over near lincoln, nebraska. This system still on the move tonight, as i mentioned. Senior meteorologist rob marciano tracking it again tonight for us. Hey, rob. Reporter hi, david. Were still dealing with this historic storm, not just with that tornado in december in minnesota, but several states, minnesota, but several states, with winds to 100 miles per hour. The low of this thing is now winding its way through canada. We still have Wind Advisories up for parts of michigan and the northern tier, but that front is dragging its heels and digging in across the ohio river valley. Thats where the rain is across the tornado zone. And weve got a wave thats going to develop tonight through tomorrow. So, several days of pulses of heavy rain, from memphis up through mayfield, up through Bowling Green and lexington. And getting a wintry mix in through the northeast by saturday morning. This is not clear of the tornado zone until saturday night. David . All right, rob marciano, thank you. Were going to move on this evening to unsettling new allegations against Sex And The City star chris noth. The Hollywood Reporter saying two women have come forward with separate claims of Sexual Assault. Tonight, the actor now respon respond,ing, calling the accusations categorically false. Heres abcs erielle reshef. Reporter one week after returning to the small screen as hbos mr. Big i remember when you kept your sweaters in the stove. Reporter actor chris noth now facing Sexual Assault allegations from two women who tell the Hollywood Reporter they were triggered to come forward by the Sex And The City reboot. Both women are choosing to remain anonymous. The first claims noth raped her in his los angeles apartment in 2004 after first kissing her. It was very painful and i yelled out stop, she says, and he didnt. She tells the Hollywood Reporter she later went to the hospital for stitches. The other alleged incident more than a decade later in 2015. A server at a new york nightclub saying she went on a date with the actor and they ended up at his apartment. It was there the woman claims noth forced her to have sex, telling the Hollywood Reporter, i was kind of crying as it happened. In a statement, noth calls the accusations categorically false, adding, no always means no. That is a line i did not cross. To new beginnings. Reporter today, peloton pulling the viral ad that caused a sensation after noths hbo character was killed off. The company saying, every single Sexual Assault accusation must be taken seriously. And noth saying that these encounters were consensual, adding, i did not assault these women. David . Erielle reshef tonight. Erielle, thank you. And from haiti tonight, the 12 remaining members of an American Missionary Group kidnapped two months ago have now been freed. Ohiobased Christian Aid Ministries issuing a statement, saying, quote, all 17 of our loved ones are safe. A notorious haitian gang kidnapped the 16 americans and one canadian, including five children in the group, demanding a Million Dollar ransom for each person. Five other hostages were previously freed. Authorities tonight have not revealed anymore details on the release. We turn now to the economy and your money. Tonight, where are the discounts this holiday . Our Rebecca Jarvis looking and what shes found tonight. Reporter tonight, its the most wonderful time for deals, but not so much this year. Santa has got to come through. Reporter retailers this Season Holding back on the Deep Christmas discounts weve come to expect, offering just 5 to 25 off online. Far less than years past, when youd get 10 to 30 off. Retailers are now at the point where theyre saying to themselves, weve had all of these deep discounts earlier, now were starting to pull back a little bit more and a little bit more. Reporter for savvy bargain hunters, the trick is knowing where to shop. This year, im ready. Ill be done tonight. Reporter we found this air fryer now 35, 50 off at best buy. These mens sneakers now 50 off at nike. Com. And this 75inch smart tv now 200 off at target. David, even though the deals are harder to spot and inflation is near a 40year high, experts are predicting consumers will spend a record amount this holiday season, as much as 859 billion, up 10. 5 from last year. Given all that pent up demand from the pandemic. David . All right, Rebecca Jarvis, great to have you. When we come back, the images tonight. The fire at a new york city Apartment Building. The escape from an upper floor. And the breaking headline tonight involving Actor Alec Baldwin and the Search Warrant. The ride of your life is closer than you think. For the first time ever, buy your new car entirely from home with nissan home. Delivered direct from dealer to driveway. Maybe its another refill at your favorite diner. Or waiting for the 7 12 bus. Or sunday afternoon in the produce aisle. These moments may not seem remarkable. But at pfizer, protecting the regular routine, and everyday drives us to reach for exceptional. Working to impact hundreds of millions of lives. Young and old. Its what we call, the pursuit of normal. When i was diagnosed with dupuytrens contracture, i waited to get treated. Thought surgery was my only option. But then i found out about nonsurgical treatments. 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The decision is still subject to state laws. 19 states prohibit distributing the pill through the mail. And in new york city tonight, two teenagers escaping a deadly apartment fire. An 18yearold woman and 13yearold boy seen climbing out the window. They used a Construction Pole to get down. One person in the apartment was killed, another in Critical Condition tonight. When we come back here, alec baldwin and this new Search Warrant. And news on Bruce Springsteen tonight. Uggling to r Type 2 Diabetes knocking you out of your zone . Lowering your a1c with onceweekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. Oh, oh, oh, ozempic® my zone. Lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight. Now, back to the game ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. Most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. And you may lose weight. Adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. 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Authorities say theyre looking for possible evidence including emails and Text Messages after cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was accidentally shot and killed on set. Baldwin claiming he never pulled the trigger and had no idea how a live bullet made its way onto and the news tonight involving Bruce Springsteen, selling his massive Music Catalog to sony. For an estimated 500 million. Music spanning five decades. The deal, which may be the biggest of its kind, includes classic songs like born to run and born in the usa. Not bad. When we come back here tonight, America Strong. The Medal Of Honor for three heroes and their extraordinary stories in a moment. What can i du with less asthma . With dupixent, i can du more. Beginners yoga. Namaste. Surprise parties. Aww, you guys. Dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks. For 3 . So i can du more of the things i love. Dupixent is not for sudden breathing problems. 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You may be at risk if youre 19 to 64 with certain chronic conditions. Or if youre 65 or older. Dont pause a moment longer. Ask your doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated against Pneumococcal Pneumonia today. Finally tonight, the Medal Of Honor for three american heroes. Tonight, three soldiers, three heroes honored. Army Sergeant First Class alwyn cashe. The first black Service Member to be awarded the Medal Of Honor, the militarys highest combat distinction, since the vietnam war. Sergeant cashe pulling his fellow soldiers from their burning vehicle in iraq after it was hit by a roadside bomb. He insisted his soldiers be evacuated before him. He died from injuries in that fire. The army saying he saved at least seven lives. His sister. This award means that his name, his legacy, will go down in history. It means that every soldier is going to know his story. Today, his widow tamara receiving the Medal Of Honor from the president. Alwyn cashe was a soldiers soldier. A warrior who literally walked through fire for his troops. He was a hero. Master Sergeant Earl plumlee from clinton, oklahoma. Honored for his bravery in afghanistan. A marine, a member of the First Special forces group, plumlee took on Suicide Bombers when a Military Base was bombed in 2013. I remember thinking, they were going to kill me, and i was kind of holding firm to wanting to create space or make enough difference for my brothers that were with me, that they would have a chance to kind of overcome those guys. And Shannon Celiz accepting the Medal Of Honor for her father, army Sergeant First Class christopher celiz. Her mother katie right beside her. Sergeant celiz on his fifth deployment, this time in afghanistan, when the medical evacuation helicopter he was protecting came under fire. Sergeant celiz was shot as the aircraft lifted off. He waved off the helicopter so they would be out of danger. His wife, katie. He was selfless. He also had hope that others would always do what was right, not because it was expected of you. Or because you thought something was going to be given in return. He did it because it was the right thing to do. Tonight, a nation honoring its heroes. And we honor them, too. Ill see you tomorrow. Good Night T Omicron Variant is now in the bay area ats biggest county, with more cases than all other local counties combined. Spencer im spencer christian. We are enjoying the combo between storms. Details coming up. I officially dially dially at metallica date in san francisco. Dan an ominous warning from one of the Top Public Health experts in the bay area. She has been right before. Building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. The most challenging moments we have had yet in the pandemic. Those words from Santa Clara Countys Public Health officer with omicron and bay area and her county. Thanks for joining us, i am christian z. Kristin z. Clara county announced today, are the most of any bay area county. Alameda has seven confirmed cases, all from a cluster of a dozen kaiser workers who tested positive for coronavirus after traveling to a wedding in wisconsin. San francisco was the first place in the United States to diagnose and omicron case on december 1. Abc 7 news reported Dustin Dorsey has the warning and growing concern about omicron from Santa Clara County officials. Reporter omicron is here. It is changing the outlook for Santa Clara County Health Officer fully masked, not even taking it off to answer questions, a concerning message after seeing cases rise worldwide. When i look around theor