begin with the historic shift in policy between cuba and the united states. >> the two countries once on the brink of war now prepared to open embassies. >> more americans could be on their way visiting the largest island in the caribbean. also a lift on some goods. and travelers can bring back $100 worth of tobacco or cuban rum. susan saulny is live in washington with the details behind this agreement. hey there, susan. >> reporter: good morning. for decades american policy has been to isolate cuba. now suddenly a new approach. this morning, shock waves after a deal reached in secret changes the course of history. president obama restoring full diplomatic relations with cuba for the first time since the height of the cold war. >> we want to see greater freedom, greater prosperity, greater opportunity for ordinary cubans. >> reporter: the u.s. will open an embassy in havana. and it could revitalize the flow of money and people between the two nations. cuba's status as a states state sponsor of terrorism will be reviewed. and the u.s. will increase its advocacy for democratic reforms and human rights. >> i think it's great. it's about time. >> getting back our cuban heritage and seeing our family will be easier. >> reporter: one obstacle to the restoration of relations with cuba was the five-year imprisonment of alan gross. here he is in video provided to abc news by senator jeff blake who was on board. with the new breakthrough, gross and an unnamed american spy were freed. >> i'm incredibly blessed, finally, to have the freedom to resume a positive and constructive life. >> reporter: in exchange, the u.s. released three imprisoned cuban spies. some decent dants of cuban exiles like florida's junior senator disapprove of this breakthrough. >> these changes will lead to greater wealth and influence for this oppressive regime. especially the military. >> reporter: one of the first things to happen will be an easing of travel bans especially for education and government business. reena, t.j. >> susan saulny live in washington. thank you as always. >> that deal followed 18 months of secret talks between the u.s. and cuba. we know that pope francis played a key role. >> he wrote separate letters to president obama and cuban president raul castro encouraging the prisoner exchange. and in a private meeting with president obama who expressed his appreciation in the exclusive interview with abc's david muir. >> the assistance of him and his office in providing a moral authority to the issue. but also his practical facilities in the vatican i think was very, very important. he is the real deal. a remarkable man and an inspiration to all. and when you think about -- >> the president told david he is not ruling out a trip to cuba. saying that there are no current plans, but he'll, quote, wait to see how things evolve. the tourism industry already eyeing cuba's tropical landscape. cruise lines are looking at future port possibilities. no word when that could happen. royal caribbean says all their ship itineraries are set up to 2016. but vacationers will be able to return with $100 worth of those coveted cuban cigars. is it worth it? i mean, is it really that fantastic? >> everybody will tell you yes. >> really? >> there are some places that do things well. they do cigars well. you can stay with abc news on president obama's relations with cuba. a live report from havana later on "good morning america". and now the reaction after sony canceled the release of the movie "the interview," the studio was responding to threats linked to hackers from north korea. some say they are caving in. rob lowe among them saying, quote, the hackers won. here now is marci gonzalez. >> reporter: federal investigators have enough evidence to connect north korea to the devastating cyber attack against sony pictures. that the secretive authoritarian regime responsed it or at the very least directed an individual or group to carry out the attack. a formal announcement expected on thursday. this as sony pulled the plug on the christmas release of its controversial comedy "the interview" in light of recent threats. >> you want us to kill the leader of north korea? >> yes. >> what? >> reporter: executives making the decision after some of the biggest theater chains decided not to screen the movie because of concerns for patron safety. the group calling themselves the guardians of peace warned people considering seeing the film, quote, we recommend you to keep yourself distant. soon all the world will see what an awful movie sony has made. the world will be full of fear. sources tell abc news the main suspects are members of an elite north korean cyber security team known as bureau 121. believed to be behind several hack attacks on south korea last year. >> they have sophisticated malware and new tactics and techniques we haven't seen. >> reporter: there is no credible intelligence to indicate an active plot against theaters in the united states, "the interview" for now is being canned. sony saying in a statement we stand behind our filmmakers and their right to free expression and are disappointed by this outcome. it is unclear if the movie will ever be released. t.j. and reena. russian president vladimir putin's end of the year press conference is getting scrutiny today. putin will lay out his plan with the nation's financial crisis. the ruble has lost 50% of its value. he's said little about it until now. so far that hasn't hurt him. putin still enjoys approval ratings in the high 80s. back at home, a woman is in custody suspected of driving under the influence causing a deadly crash in california. she ran a red light as people who just attended a church service were crossing the pacific coast highway. one person was killed, a dozen others injured, some critically. the car collided head on with another vehicle. and a murder suspect in texas. more than a hundred officers are searching for christian madewell, last seen south of fort worth. they started checking cars and going door-to-door after finding a truck believed to be stolen by the suspect. he's accused of shooting and killing a man last friday. a major southern california freeway is open again. a mudslide had closed all seven lanes of the eastbound 91 as heavy rain pushed rocks, mud and other debris on to the road. there were minor traffic accidents from the mudslide, but no injuries. it was the site of a brush fire three months ago. officials warn another mudslide is possible. southern california and the rest of the west coast get a break today before another storm brings rain this evening. texas and the gulf coast could see heavy thunderstorms. and kansas and missouri will see snow this morning. temperatures in the northeast corridor will reach the mid-40s. almost 60 in atlanta. freezing in kansas city, and below freezing for chicago and minneapolis. well, coming up, the layaway debacle surprising shoppers at a major retailer a week before christmas. plus a tv weatherman shot several times walking into work. an update on his condition and what may have led to the shooting. and fake emergency. the diversion one duo used to rip stock markets across asia staged a powerful rally overnight, rebounding after positive news from the federal reserve. fed chairman janet yellen sparked the buying spree yesterday, saying that the fed would be patient when it comes to raising interest rates. that sent u.s. markets to the best day in more than a year. all three major averages gaining about 2%. and kmart's parent company is apologizing for a mixup over christmas gifts. people were outaged when they were told that the items on layaway had been canceled. they were sent in they got the merchandise they ordered. and back to basics for blackberry. the blackberry classic brings back the physical keyboard. that's a smaller screen than other smartphones. its design will remind fans of the 9900, a much-loved phone. well a new look this morning at the elaborate holiday lights on display at homes across the country. the christmas decorations so bright you can see them from space. a nasa satellite captured these images over major metropolitan areas from atlanta to l.a. they say that night time light emitted during the holidays is up to 50% greater than the rest of the year. when we come back, fearful screams and praying. a new look inside a plane as it hits severe turbulence. and highway hazard. a wild collision caught on camera. give a journey. give a new perspective. give a little joy. a book is a gift like no other. and barnes & noble is like no other book store in the world. with so many books to discover and the new nook by samsung now a full featured tablet. a book is the gift they'll remember long after the holidays are over. he loves me, he loves me not he loves me, he loves me not he loves me! warm and flaky in fifteen... everyone loves pillsbury grands. make dinner pop. ♪ hanes. a perfect fit for every body. now in colorful new styles. ♪ something earned not given. dedication means pursuing your passion. every day. healing is something we do. together. and together, we put veterans first. search va careers to find out how. residents of wichita, kansas, could be in for a tough commute this morning, a repeat of last evening's rush hour. the city got an inch or two of snow, freezing rain, fog too. and the snow and icy rain will continue before it clears up. >> that makes driving slippery in much of kansas and missouri today. roads will be slippery along lake erie and northern new england. wet in parts of texas and louisiana. southern arizona and new mexico. and later today, the east coast. and flight delays possible in houston and kansas city. and more trouble for ray mcdonald who is no longer a member of the san francisco 49ers. he was let go by the team yesterday because he's the subject of a sexual assault investigation. >> san jose police are investigating after a woman claims she was possibly assaulted at his home. he was never charge when his pregnant fiancee accused him of sexual abuse. and stephen collins said he did have inappropriate sexual contact with three girls over a 20 year period. but not in the past 20 year s. his then-wife secretly recorded the session during a marriage therapy session and made the recording public. he said the rumors are much worse than what he did. a full interview airs tomorrow night on "20/20. " a manhunt is underway after a tv meteorologist was shot outside his television station. police in waco say the suspect and patrick crawford exchanged words before gunfire erupted. with multiple gunshot wounds, he was able to drive away, the car's back window blown out. he flagged down a construction worker for help. those workers provided first aid and he's expected to be okay. new details and video from the terrifying trans-pacific flight that hit turbulence. it happened as a korea to dallas flight flew through a storm, catching passengers and crew by surprise. [ screaming ] the plane made an emergency landing in tokyo where four passengers and a flight attendant were taken to the hospital. everyone is out now. most of the 255 aboard arrived in dallas yesterday still shaken by their experience. and watch the guy near the door of this florida walmart faking a heart attack. at the same time his accomplice -- there's a guy you'll see shortly wearing a red vest, pulls a shopping cart loaded with toys out of the store without paying the surveillance video any attention. well, the police did catch it. they tracked him down. they have both been arrested and are now facing theft charges. police officers in st. louis, this bud's for you. bud being a teenager charged with breaking into a missouri gas station. there he is. this is 18-year-old bud weiser. his name is bud, last name weiser. he turned himself in dollar burglary, a serious chirime. the cops may have gotten a chuckle out of it. it's st. louis, the home of anheuser-busch. it makes sense. >> okay. nothing like a sunday afternoon bike ride. this is near san francisco's golden gate bridge. the rider capturing it on camera when that happens. yep. the deer jumps into his path and he ends up on the pavement. the guy actually suffered a mild con suggestion. saying his helmet saved him from a more serious injury. we don't know what happened to the deer, though. we turn now to the guys at sports. >> we get g last night's high lites from espn. >> he's stan, i'm neil. this is the actual "sportscenter" desk in los angeles. we're the actual anchors. >> while i do this highlight, can you just tidy up over there? >> i'm a mess. >> three overtimes. grizzlies down three. marc gasol, first three-pointer of the season, sent it to double overtime. 2.6 to go in the second overtime. another big man with an unlikely outside shot. tim duncan. >> i called glass. >> they tied into triple overtime. grizzlies up two, just over a minute to play. zach randolph. grizzlies win it 117-116. triple overtime. they beat the warriors and spurs back-to-back nights. >> kenny developed the lebron app. lebron james and the cavaliers hosting atlanta. atlanta is really good. lebron james is really good. close your eyes. delabadoba. excuse me, i've seen him play forever. i don't know how to pronounce that name. hawks didn't have jeff teague, didn't need him. working on kwechb kevin love. and paul milsap works on kevin love. they work over cleveland in cleveland 127-98. >> you're supposed to be cleaning up. >> i did that highlight standing up. at home you couldn't -- >> that's all we got. back to you. >> okay. tidy up, boys. up next in the pulse, the 6-year-old theater critic asking sting the tough questions about his new broadway show. and what could be the worst answer on the game show "millionaire," ever. he worst answer on the game show "millionaire," ever. this is what it can be like to have shingles. a painful, blistering, rash. if you had chickenpox, the shingles virus is already inside you. 1 in 3 people will get shingles in their lifetime. well i had to go to the eye doctor last week and i have to go back today. the doctor's worried its so close to her eye. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about your risk. i tell them aveeno®. because beautiful skin goes with everything. 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(male announcer) only at petsmart, save 30% on select martha stewart pets® and bret michaels pets rock™ holiday products. all right. we have a followup to kick off this thursday's pulse. it's a man who made headlines last month offering a free trip to the woman with the same name as his ex. >> jordan axani and his then ex-girlfriend, elizabeth gallagher, booked around the world airline tickets. he didn't want her ticket to go to waste after their relationship ended. 18 elizabeth gallaghers with canadian passports applied. he picked elizabeth for her strictly platonic trip that kicks off on sunday. she already has a boyfriend. if i was that boyfriend, i would be a little bit nervous. with his broadway musical, "the last ship," sinking at the box office, sting took extraordinary efforts. >> he took the stage and sat for an interview with a kindergartner. >> ian is one of the hottest broadway critics around. >> i tried my best, it may not be the best result. but trying your best is enough. >> i really think that it was a great show. and i see that you tried your best and you did it. >> thank you. >> you nailed it. >> thank you, ian. >> you should be proud of yourself. >> okay. i'll be proud of myself. if you say so. >> i love it. >> that's great. ian likes the show. the real test is ticket sales for performances after sting leaves the show in late january. it's rare that a video produced by a government goes viral, but it's happened in russia. >> we told you about the economic talk by vladimir putin. the russian government aired a video to promote today's event. >> some calling it terminator-esque. ♪ >> wow. it's a movie trailer. flashing graphics, explosions, all the music. all the makings of a hollywood trailer. can't wait. and finally, what can only be described as an epic fail. it happened on a popular game show in australia. >> the contestant is whitney. the first question she was asked is this -- which of these is not a piece of jewelry commonly worn to symbolize a relationship between two people. >> engagement ring, anniversary ring, wedding ring and burger ring. >> oh, burger ring. oh, my gosh. oh, my god, that is the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to me. >> and her run on "millionaire" was over at that point. >> oh, they brought her back later for a consolation prize, a bag of burger rings. it's a popular snack down under. it's like onion rings. >> she had a bad moment. >> everyone does. for some of you your local news is next. and you know it,re sad ♪ then you face will surely show it, ♪ if you're sad and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ ♪ if you're bored and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ ♪ if you're lonely and you know it, eat a snack. ♪ if you're sleepy ♪ if you're guilty ♪ if you're stressed or if you're mad, ♪ if you're human eat your feelings, eat a snack. ♪ i was out for a bike ride. i didn't think i'd have a heart attack. but i did. i'm mike, and i'm very much alive. now my doctor recommends a bayer aspirin regimen to help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. only abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. it penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells.. don't tough it out, knock it out, fast. abreva. if she could, she'd rescue every dog on the planet. and, by some miracle... she actually said "yes." to me. tell her everything you love about her with charmed memories from kay jewelers. hundreds of charms, handcrafted in italy, with collections like open hearts and new, disney frozen. at kay, the number-one jewelry store in america. and she will be the best mom...ever. ♪every kiss begins with kay live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good thursday morning, december 18 at 4:28. >> 18 plus seven equals... >> seven days until christmas. to get your shopping done. >> sue is here for leyla gulen and meteorologist mike nicco is tracking the storms. >> i ran into dry pavement on way to work. but there was heavy drizzle in the north bay. watch out for that through work or the golden gate bridge. we have scattered showers. mostly across the south bay. they are falling apart. it is it. the day planner, the next 12 hours, we have rainy spots, and milder than yesterday, low-to-mid 50's and in the upper 50's with rain fading by noon. mostly cloudy this afternoon. temperatures are nearly 60. the commute home is nothing like the last two eveningings, it will be dry in the mid-50's. >> you can see the roads are wet. any problems? >> they are wet. they are slick. we have a couple of problems. in the san mateo bridge it is dry and looking good. we had high winds there last evening and they have diminished. into san francisco on the bay bridge it is clear. a problem with a solo northbound 880 an injury citizen. in the news at 4:29, many people in the bay area of looking for the break in the rain. there will be a chance to clean up for the last storm and prepare for the next storm. >> behind me can you see they are pumping water out this mobile home park. this family just had an opportunity to come home. flood victims battered bit last two storms have returned home to assess damage. for many them, help is on the way. the flood waters took a big hit at the mobile homework especially the families with children. because of the kindness of the community and the elementary school principal in particular, it is about to get better. it is like a family. everyone is asking, what can we do? that makes you feel good. >> it is more than just words. what started on monday as cash donation is now a to help families get on their feet with gift cards from safe way and target and it