and a good wednesday morning to you all. we begin with president-elect donald trump's formal introduction of his choice for defense secretary. >> we're talking about general james, ad dog as he's called, mattis joining trump last night in fayetteville, north carolina. it is the second stop of his thank you tour and now mr. trump touched on several of his campaign themes at that event. >> last night's rally came after trump set off a firestorm after new air force one planes. abc's karen travers in washington. karen, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, diane and kendis. it seemed a bit surprising that out of nowhere donald trump went after one of america's biggest companies, but after some digging yesterday, that tweet and his public comments about aircraft giant boeing seemed to be a response to the company's ceo. joining donald trump on his victory lap, his choice to lead the pentagon, retired marine general james mattis. >> the american people are character and integrity will now be the civilian leader atop the department of defense. >> reporter: earlier tuesday trump blasted american aircraft manufacturing giant boeing. first on twitter, boeing is building a brand-new 747 air force one for future presidents but costs are out of control. more than $4 billion. cancel order. and later at trump tower. >> i think it's ridiculous. i think boeing is doing a little bit of a number. >> reporter: the attacks seemed to come out of the blue except trump's tweet came about an hour after boeing's ceo was quoted criticizing the president-elect's rhetoric on trade in china. for now there's no $4 billion deal, but boeing has been tapped to produce two new planes to replace the aging aircraft. the pentagon projects the costs could be upwards of $3 billion. and is it too soon to talk about 2020? vice president joe biden getting indicating this week he would consider a run for the white house. and on "the late show with stephen colbert" tuesday night, biden again refused to completely rule out a bid. >> never say never. you don't know what is going to happen. i mean, hell, donald trump is going to be 74, i'll be 77, in better shape, i mean. >> reporter: vice president biden says he doesn't regret his decision not to run. it was the right one for his family but, diane and kendis, he also says that he thinks he is this country right now. diane, kendis. >> i think he's having fun teasing the american public throwing this out there. karen travers live in washington for us. karen, thanks. >> hard to believe we're talking 2020 right now even as a joke. >> i know, i know. hasn't even been sworn in yet. >> yeah, all right. let's go back to 2016 and the controversy with the transition team, the son of donald trump's national security adviser, well, he's now been forced off of the transition team because of a fake news story. pushing the so-called pizzagate conspiracy theory in a series of tweets. >> now, that's the same false story that prompted a gunman to open fire in a washington, d.c. pizzeria. trump's spokeman says flynn jr. had been helping his father with some duties, but that's no longer the case. the other big story we're following this morning, the snow. it's now tapering off in the northern plains this morning after yesterday's blizzard but it's now snowing in boulder and other parts of colorado. the snowplows, as you can see there, are out, and the streets are very slick. the weather is also west of denver, and take a look at some of the lows this morning. wow, 1 degree in denver. 17 in kansas city and you see that minus 10 up there in great falls. that cold is heading south and east. we'll get the forecast now from accuweather's cam tran. good morning. >> good morning, diane and kendis. we are looking at blizzard-like conditions today across the dakotas and northern minnesota. we're talking about blowing snow that's going to be making travel we've got the coldest air of the season moving across the u.s. this week. by wednesday it's going to be well in place across the central plains, thursday in the midwest and then by friday it's going to be moving across the northeast where temperatures will be dropping anywhere between 15 to 25 degrees. diane and kendis, back to you. >> cam, thank you. we have breaking news from indonesia where a powerful earthquake has killed at least 97 people. frantic rescue efforts are now from the rubble of dozens of buildings in the aceh province. four people have been saved so far. the 6.2 quake struck under the ocean at a depth of about 11 miles. for many it's a grim reminder of the 2004 quake and tsunami which killed 230,000 people, most of them in that same province. keeping our focus overseas and to the middle east. it appears to be just a matter of time before all of syria's second largest city is back in government control. syrian troops now control about central neighborhood. now, someone inside an area still held by rebels says their morale has, quote, hit rock bottom. the syrian government and its ally russia have rejected a cease-fire. barack obama is defending his strategy against terrorism at an air force base in florida. he insisted that it is possible to defeat terrorists like isis and still maintain american ideals. the president said proof of his success is that there was no major attack in the u.s. during his time in office despite the terrorisbe the fbi says a threat against the los angeles transit system in l.a. was likely a hoax. security was stepped up in the city yesterday after the threat was first made public but investigators now say there's no evidence the threat was credible and that the anonymous caller may have reported false threats before. they're still trying to identify that caller. and it was 75 years ago today that japanese forces attacked pearl harbor, hawaii, leading the u.s. into world war day that will live in infamy. more than 2,400 americans were killed in that attack and 19 u.s. ships were either sunk or damaged. a full day of commemorations taking place at pearl harbor today including a special ceremony right there at the "uss arizona" memorial. well, still ahead right here for us, a megaretailer expanding paternalal leave for its employees in this country. and a possible break in the oakland warehouse fire. wh i possible cause overnight. plus, protests on college campus while a white nationalist speaks at that school. the tense moment when a microphone is wrestled away from a woman at that event. there are some people you should give underwear to this holiday. and there are some people you shouldn't . people you should. shouldn't. janice! yes. no. should. no way. should. no. definitely not. ha ha, nay. you shouldn't give underwear to everybody. but for those you do, give them fruit of the loom. testing testing! is this thing on? huh? come on! your turn! where do pencils go on vacation? pennsylvania! 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>> all right. let's go, let's go. no, no, no. okay. no fighting. no, no, no. all right. yeah. good. let's talk to each other. let's not fight. all right. >> that woman was trying to ask another audience member a question when her mike was snatched away. texas a&m says it did not invite spencer. that invitation came instead a new orleans man has been arrested for manslaughter in the death of former nfl player joe mcknight during a road rage incident. ronald gasser is seen the day of the shooting when he was questioned but not charged. the local sheriff defended the way the investigation has been handled, and he quoted from hate filled comments on social media aimed at african-american local officials for supporting the department's actions. >> it's not fair for him to be called you punk [ bleep ] uncle tom [ bleep ]. we saw you sell out to them, you rat [ bleep ] punk. that's the tone of what we're calling our elected leaders for standing up and simply saying let justice prevail and let the process take its course. >> the sheriff says the incident had nothing to do with race but more about two men engaged in bad behavior. nfl star will smith. cardell hayes is charged with second degree murder, but he says he feared for his life. smith's widow who was wounded in the shooting took the stand yesterday describing how a simple traffic accident quickly spiraled into violence. an american tourist has died after being struck by lightning while camping in australia. new yorker sam beattie is pictured here with his partner michele sega. now, officials believe the lightning first hit their tent then touched beattie's feet killing him instantly. sega was injured also suffering head and neck injuries. it took three hours for help to arrive at that remote camp area. and a night supposed to be filled with laughter turned into quite a scare as a comedian had to run for cover when shots rang out on the stage. check it out. >> i see a lot of bling around. [ gunfire ] >> toni byrd was doing a set in a bloomfield, new jersey, bar last friday when police say shooting. 30 shots were fired at someone inside the club. six people were hit. none of them the intended target. all of the victims are expected to be okay. >> wow. well now to some sports and this morning that means hoops. >> college and pro highlights from espn. >> good morning, america. i'm neil everett in the los angeles "sportscenter" studio bringing you a couple of basketball highlights. we begin in college at columbus. ohio state was a 20 plus point favorite, and they just got beat by florida atlantic. nick rutherford in overtime. boy, that would have been a good money line to have, whatever money line means. and now let's go to the pros. chris sale not going to the nationals but john wall still with the wizards. so if you're a washington sports fan, that's good. wizard -- wall was great in this the wizards were not. wall had 22 points in the paint. elfrid payton had 22 points in the first half of his 25. that's who wall was working on. and, listen, it's great to pile up numbers, because you get highlights like this, and wall piled it up. a career high 52 points, 5 of 8 from 3, but the number that really matters is 124-116. orlando won the game. call me weird, but it's a team sport. it's what the five guys do collectively. it's more important than the one guy did on his own. >> thoughts. >> i like it. >> i like it. up next in "the pulse," the grammy nominations announced. so, who is leading the pack and who got snubbed? 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we are going to start your wednesday morning "pulse" with the grammy award nominations. >> so the 59th annual awards show may turn into the battle of the super divas. beyonce leads with nine nominations for her album "lemonade" including record of the year, album of the year and song of the year. >> well deserved. adele has been nominated for five grammys, that includes two for "hello" which is up for record and song of the year. the other leading nominees include rihanna who received eight nods including record of the year but she was snubbed for album of the year. the awards will be handed out february 12th in los angeles. >> but thankfully the lir is of "work work work" were -- >> always nominated. a guy finishes off a meal meant for many. it's called the anaconda burrito. >> the creation of a restaurant in fresno, california, three feet long weighing more than okay, so it's meant to be shared but pablo martinez there, he took just 13 minutes to eat the entire thing. >> and martinez knows his way around the table, the 18th ranked competitive eater in the world and now the first person in the universe to eat an entire anaconda burrito. >> probably won't be the last. >> many are saying, why did it take you that long? >> ticktock. the high-end retailer nordstrom is offering a unique christmas gift for $85. it is a ro oh, well, not that kind. >> sparkly. >> leather wrapped stone and talks more about the handmade pouch which it says is made from, quote, rich vegetable tanned american leather. >> all right. when she says she wants a rock for christmas this is not what she means. a little tip there. the store says what you use the stone for is up to you. >> yeah, if she says she wants a rock take her to ruby tuesday's. employees four-legged friend who works at lowe's. disabled air force veteran clay luthi wouldn't take the job without his service dog charlotte. the golden retriever calms him down and relieves the pain in his knees. >> luthi said i wouldn't take the job without the dog but a lot of companies wouldn't hire him with the dog. a customer posted a picture of the two of them on facebook shares. >> good reason to go to lowe's. more news after this. don't s. see me. see me. see me to know that psoriasis is just something that i have. i'm not contagious. see me to know that... ...i won't stop until i find what works. discover cosentyx, a different kind of medicine for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. proven to help the majority of people find clear or almost clear skin. you are allergic to cosentyx. before starting, you should be tested for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur... ...tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms... ...such as fever, sweats, chills, muscle aches or cough. or if you have received a vaccine or plan to. if you have inflammatory bowel disease, tell your doctor if symptoms develop or worsen. serious allergic reactions may occur. see me. see me. see me. on my way. nd clear skin... and a clearer path forward. for a different kind of medicine, ( ? 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"or something"? you don't just graduate from medical school, "or something." and we don't just pull smoked chicken, bake fresh foccacia and hand-slice avocado. there's nothing "or something" about it. nivea in-shower body lotion after washing apply and rinse 24 hours of moisture with no sticky feel. then get dressed and go. delight your senses with in-shower cocoa butter. taking a look at our top stories at a rally last night president-elect donald trump introduced his pick for defense secretary. general james mattis. now, trump will travel to ohio state university tomorrow to meet with some of the victims of last week's stabbing attack. rescue efforts are under way in the aceh province of indonesia following a powerful earthquake. hundreds of hopes and buildings damad at least 97 people were killed. >> back in this country the snowplows are out in colorado this morning with several closures on major interstate 70 due to accidents. north dakota was hit with a blizzard yesterday and will get a few more inches today. looking at the rest of today's weather the east will be dry but there will be showers in the great lakes. snow near the upper lakes and also very cold in the midwest. and santa's helper from irving, texas, made some history black santa at the mall of america in minnesota. >> yeah, and the job actually made him somewhat of a celebrity. bradley blackburn with our dallas station has his story. >> how are y'all doing? >> reporter: it could be the twinkle in his eye. or his jolly voice. >> merry christmas. >> reporter: but when you meet santa lara it's easy to believe. >> how did you know? >> i enjoy being santa claus. >> reporter: larry jefferson calls north tas he's known nationwide. just back from mall of america in minnesota where he was their first ever african-american santa chosen after a national search. >> here i am, tah-dah. >> reporter: he met hundreds of families some flew in from across the country just to meet him. >> i'm santa claus. i just happen to look like them and they can relate to that. >> reporter: in a flash, the story went viral. a clatter of comments, most positive but reports of some naughty list and get some coal. >> reporter: a message to someone who might think santa can only be played by someone white. >> get over it. i'm portraying a character to help lift the spirits during the holiday season. >> reporter: this santa is a 30-year army veteran. he put on the suit in 19990 play santa for his nephews. >> i saw a santa suit for $29.99. i'm going to buy that and come over to y'all them. ? we wish you a merry christmas ? >> reporter: with an upgraded suit and very real beard. ? we wish you a merry christmas and a happy new year ? >> reporter: for a holiday party for uber drivers charming kids and grown-ups. >> santa is a jolly spirit. but it's also what's in your heart. >> reporter: and there's magic in that. bradley blackburn, channel 8 news. >> thanks for coming by. >> 2016. andy: right now on wisn 12 news, flames rip through a local church overnight. the damage left behind this morning as investigators search for clues. melinda: plus, a local police officer accused of shooting and killing his neighbors dog. do next to help pay thousands of dollars in vet bills. andy: but first, let's take a live look outside. a cold and windy morning in southeast wisconsin. we're tracking how low temperatures will drop as you get ready for work and school. good morning and welcome to "wisn 12 news this morning." i'm andy choi in for ben. melinda: and i'm melinda davenport. it's 4:30 on this wednesday, december 7th. let's start with the forecast. meteorologist sally severson is in the weather center. good morning, sal. sally: the windchill chart is hauled out and we are keeping it