And a good cold evening to you this wednesday night. As we come on the air, half the country is in a deep freeze. Serious enough that the states are issuing a windchill alert for millions and millions of americans. And its not just a problem for the roads. So many people are stepping out on to the snow and sliding on pure ice. Our extreme weather team, once again, out in force. From the frozen streets to the passengers still stuck at the airports. And well start with abcs gio benitez. Reporter as that bitter winter storm pulled out, people all over the east coast were left digging out. In new england, winds blowing all that snow around, 35mileperhour gusts. Here in plymouth, massachusetts, americas hometown, even that iconic Plymouth Rock is covered in snow. More than 13 inches of snow falling here, enough for this ice cream shop to jokingly put up a sign, see you in spring. People like jeff, clearing snow from in front of businesses. Hes been at it since 6 00 a. M. Youre keeping downtown alive. Oh, absolutely. You have to. Reporter for the first time in history, philadelphia has had three snowfalls of six inches or more before february. Philly and d. C. Closing schools. But schools were open in new york city, where a new mayor faced a big test, complaints that streets werent plowed quickly enough. The snow hit right before if theres any place thats not good enough, were going to keep working. Every hour from this point on to improve it. Reporter city streets like a skating rink for drivers and pedestrians. And take a look at metlife stadium, home of this years super bowl. Workers clearing the field and the stands. Were treating this as if its pregame and we have to clear the field. Reporter misery in minnesota, a fresh ground blizzard creating whiteout conditions. The cold and snow also creating beauty in ohio. These are called ice pillars, moonlight reflecting off ice crystals in the air. And were in norwell, massachusetts, the hardesthit area. Where im standing right now, but, diane, this is where the. Most snow fell, more than 18 inches. 18 inches. As gio knows, its happened so often this winter. Thousands of Flights Canceled and delayed. Hitting everyone across the country, coasttocoast, and not just in the frozen zone. Abcs reena ninan, now, on the fight to get all those planes flying again. Reporter the second big storm for the northeast in two weeks, turned tarmacs into tundras. Just listen. We got a firsthand look at the allout runway war at dulles airport. Its snowplow behind me clears the runway. It has three devices. A snowplow that moves the snow, a broom, and a snowblower. Across america over the past 48 hours, more than 7,300 flight delays. And over 5,000 cancellations. Frozen northeast hubs, some of americas busiest airports, causing a Ripple Effect of passengers stranded nationwide. From maine most of the flights are canceled already. Reporter all the way to los angeles. I was wondering if i would be able to reroute that flight. Reporter a travel nightmare. But for expert travelers like donna paul you have to roll with the punches. Reporter her secret, find a good spot outside the security gates and camp out there. Its comfortable. I get here early enough to have my starbucks before security. Reporter its hard to forget the images from the last storm. People sleeping everywhere. And women washing their hair in the bathroom stink. If you need to wash up, go to baggage claim. The restrooms get a lot less use when no planes are landing. 2014 has been horrible for the flying public. Nearly 35,000 Flights Canceled. And its only january. Reena ninan, abc news, Washington Dulles International airport. How long will the freeze last . Lets bring in meteorologist ginger zee with the answer of whats ahead. Ive been looking at the longrange computer models. You want to find your state and look at the color thats over it. This is going to come at us in waves. We start thursday. Tomorrow morning. And you see that 32. Thats the blue line at the bottom. Were going to put it in motion. And watch where the cold sticks around. For friday morning, that white color all throughout the northeast, all the way down to kentucky and tennessee, is zero. We get a little break on saturday. But another punch monday. Check that out. 20 below zero is the navy color up in the northern plains. That sticks around for wednesday and early thursday, too. Diane . All right, ginger, and the whole team covering the cold again tonight. And next here, now, the big story about security at the olympics in sochi, two weeks away. Weve heard the worry of Law Enforcement. But today, we finally hear from some of the american athletes. Trying to concentrate on gold medals but forced to think about something else, too. Abc chief investigative correspondent, brian ross, with the latest now. Reporter they are still more than 6,000 miles and 2 weeks away from sochi. But security concerns are clearly weighing on the u. S. Athletes competing to go to the olympics, including Olympic Ski Jump team whose first three female members were announced today in salt lake city. The only thing i said to my family was, bring a jacket that doesnt scream america. Were. Reporter for athletes who race down the ski jump without fear to qualify for the olympics, theres not a lot that scares them. Security isnt my top concern. I hope everybody goes there for the right reasons. We try to be safe. Were big fans of the buddy system on our team. Other than that, were going to be pretty sheltered, staying in the village where we are. Reporter in a case of what may be just security jitters, the olympic teams of the u. S. And five other countries today turned over Law Enforcement troubling email messages they had receive about possible attacks. And even the White House Press security addressed the threat. We have seen an uptick in threat reporting prior to the olympics, which is, of course, of concern. Reporter in sochi, today, still no success by russian authorities in tracking down the suspected female suicide bomber, who authorities believe is already in sochi. Diane . Okay, brian. Well stay overseas for the rough start to the peace talks in syria. Today, the talks were overshadowed by searing and powerful photos. And a warning, some of them may be difficult to see. Heres abcs chief foreign correspondent, terry moran. Reporter images of the horrors of war in syria. After nearly 3 years of killing, more than 100,000 dead. Millions of refugees. And now, this at the opening of the peace conference in switzerland, an Opposition Leader brandished graphic images, allegedly showing mass torture and murder by the regime of president bashar al assad. Reportedly smuggled out of syria by a defector from assads military police. The photos, which are extremely difficult to look at, show what a team of International War crimes investigators claim is graphic evidence of war crimes. 55,000 photos in all. The photos show systemic starvation, beatings, torture, that is unimaginable and certainly not mentionable on this program. Reporter the assad regime called the photos a hoax, and pointed out the investigation was funded by their enemy, the nation of qatar. Secretary of state kerry called for a u. N. Investigation. The questions raised by this require an answer. Reporter these latest allegations of war crimes against the assad regime cast a shadow over the peace talks that began today, which mark the first time the two sides in syria have sat down facetoface. There is blood on all hands in this war. And theres deep pessimism that anything concrete will come out of the talks. Even while they were bickering in switzerland all day, they were still dying in syria. Terry moran, abc news, london. And back here, at home tonight. An update. A surprising turn in a case that made headlines across this country. Youll remember the older man accused of shooting a young father who was texting the babysitter during the movie preview . Well, tonight, abcs matt gutman tells us about the new twist in his defense. Reporter nicole oulson, speaking out for the first time, describes the moment her husband, chad, was killed after texting in a movie theater. And just to think that in the blink of an eye, my whole world just got shattered into a million pieces. And now im left trying to pick them up. Reporter the oulsons were enjoying a rare night out. I was so excited and looking forward to spending the day with the love of my life. Reporter before the movie started the screen lit up with a familiar announcement turn your phones off. Chad oulson sent one last text to the babysitter. And prosecutors say that annoyed the man sitting behind him, retired Police Captain curtis reeves. The man stood up and argued oulson threw popcorn at reeves. Reeves pulled put a handgun and fired. Previous is charged with seconddegree murder. Hes claiming selfdefense. He was hit by an unknown object. Reporter but attorney Mark Eiglarsh says that wont hold water. Popcorn, not viewed as a deadly weapon. Reporter reeves lawyers are trying to invoke the stand your ground law. The issue is what kind of condition is he in . Is he a frail 71 . Or is he somebody who could fight off someone if needed and doesnt need to pull out a weapon under those circumstances . Reporter he faces up to life in prison, if convicted. Matt gutman, abc news, miami. And today marks 41 years since roe versus wade made the decision to have an abortion legal in the united states. But divided passions still run strong. And thousands of people in tendegree weather joined their annual demonstration against the Supreme Court ruling in washington. President obama said, today, quote, every woman should have the right to make her own choices about her body and her health. And a big warning, tonight, about the car you may be driving. A new report shows those really small cars on the road may be a risk if youre in a crash. Only 1 car out of 11 passed a tough, new test. Which one . Abcs Clayton Sandell gets behind the wheel tonight. Reporter minicars can be big fun. Squeezing into small spaces. But in a crash, not so much. In a new test of how minicars held up in front corner collisions, the Insurance Institute for highway safety, found 11 models, mostly rated marginal or poor. The worst, the honda fit and the fiat 500. If youre shopping for safety, you really shouldnt be looking at one of the smallest vehicle segments on the market. Reporter only one minicar, the chevy spark, scored an acceptable rating. Highstrength steel that makes the passenger compartment stronger, along with seat belts that holds the driver in place, reducing injuries, makes it a top safety pick. Were tall guys. Are we going to fit in this car . Today in colorado we took the spark for a test drive. Smaller cars in general, are becoming much more popular. Reporter theres nearly 4 million minicars on the road. But in a crash, theyre often at a disadvantage against bigger cars. Just compare the numbers. This suburban is 18 feet long and 7,400 pounds. The spark, on the other hand, 12 feet long, and only about 2,300 pounds. Tonight, several manufacturers told us they are committed to safety and are reviewing the results, noting their cars have done well in other tests. Honda told us, they are completely redesigning the fit to be much safer. So that in a crash like this, everyone survives. Clayton sandell, abc news, denver. And up next, tonight, once again, we try to help you find real money for american families. Is fast food really fast . Our real money challenge, drivethrough headtohead. Watch the clock. Join the challenge, in a moment. Were back in two minutes. [ male announcer ] this is kevin. To prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, hes agreed to give it up. Thats today . [ male announcer ] well be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. I was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. And now ive got to take more pills. Yup. Another pill stop. Can i get my aleve back yet . For my pain, i want my aleve. [ male announcer ] look for the easyopen red arthritis cap. My feet felt so heavy at the they used to get really tired. Until i started gellin. I got dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles. When theyre in my shoes, my feet and legs feel less tired. Its like walking on a wave. Dr. Scholls massaging gel insoles. Im a believer or treat gas with these after you get it. Now thats like sunblock before or sun burn cream later. Oh, somebody out theres saying, now i get it take beano before and therell be no gas. On tonights real money, we tend to think a trip to the fast food drivethrough will save time, even money. So, are you ready for the fast food challenge . Dave zinczenko shows how to keep the fast food money in your wallet. She has a confession to make. You eat out a lot, huh . Yeah. Reporter this mommy blogger is leaving life in the fast food lane. Chinese takeout last night. Chicken fingers for lunch. Evelyn and her husband, nick, are spending 300 a week on fast food. You think its faster to eat fast food . Right. Reporter and so many families think so, too. But is it really saving them time . We decided to put a clock on it with bradley herron, executive chef at the Genuine Hospitality group. Nick and i are going to hit a drivethrough. Youre going to whip up something with chef bradley, mom. And were going to see who can do it faster. Here we go, one, two, three. And were off. Were going to cut those into wedges. Reporter testing speed and cost. We head to the molinas favorite drivethrough spot, just four miles away. They cook fast while we choose fast food at poyo tropical. By cutting it thin, it will cook quick. Reporter cutting the cooking time in half. While were still waiting in line. And Cooking Fresh is always faster than defrosting. We finally order. Can i get a full chicken, with rice and beans . Reporter and go through two more windows. 20 minutes. Come on. Reporter to get our dinner. Thank you. Reporter who will win this fast food challenge . Home stretch. Reporter dad at 31 minutes. But mom wins it at just 22. Im amazed. Im really amazed. Reporter and the cost, 22 for the drivethrough. 12 for a homecooked meal. I underestimated the amount of time i spend to go pick something up. Reporter you saved like 50 . Right. Reporter and you still have leftovers. Right. Reporter just by cutting the fast food habit by two dinners a week, the molinas can save 2,200 this year. Reporter and the captain of the challenge, Dave Zinczenko is here. Thats a lot of money saved on two meals a week. It is. It is 2,200 a year. This is a changed family, saving real money. You had a chef there. But anybody can try there, you can say. He kept it easy for them. They can continue it on after thefact. And she says shes going to . She says shes going to. And her husband, nick, says its a winwin for everybody. Great to have you here. We have real money tips on ways to save at the grocery store. Just check them out at abcnews. Com. And speaking of groceries, just ahead. Are you ready for a shocking truth about an american classic tonight . Froot loops . Can it be . Froot loops . Can it be . Our instant index. Table at. And the little room above the strip mall off roble avenue. This magic moment it is the story of where every great idea begins. And of those who believed they had the power to do more. Dell is honored to be part of some of the worlds great stories. That began much the same way ours did. In a little dorm room 2713. This magic moment as you age, you may not get all the nutrition you need to stay active. Try boost® nutritional drink. It helps fill nutritional gaps in your diet. Each delicious serving provides 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle, and 26 vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support bone health. Among those who expressed a preference, doctors prefer the nutritional profile of boost® over ensure shake. Help get the nutrition you need with boost® nutritional drink. This has been medifacts for boost® nutritional drink. I took my son fishing every year. We had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. But with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. So my doctor prescribed symbicort. It helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. Symbicort doesnt replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. With symbicort, today im breathing better. And that means. Fish on [ female announcer ] symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It should not be taken more than twice a day. Symbicort contains formoterol. Medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems. Symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure before taking it. [ man ] with copd, i thought id miss our family tradition. Now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. And that makes a difference in my breathing. Today were ready for whatever swims our way. Ask your doctor about symbicort. I got my first prescription free. Call or click to learn more. Afghanistan, in 2009. Orbiting the moon in 1971. [ male announcer ] once its earned, usaa Auto Insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. Because it offers a superior level of protection. And because usaas commitment to serve current and former military members and their families is without equal. Begin your legacy. Get an Auto Insurance quote. Usaa. We know what it means to serve. So, tonights instant index basically asks, can you handle the truth . First up, you love the iconic couple of the 70s. The captain and tennille and the electric clothes. Their big hit, love will keep us together, apparently wasnt enough. Tonight, its over. Stop, cause i really love you stop, i was thinking of you look in my heart and let love keep us together we have learned that tennille has filed for divorce after 38 years of marriage. We have a tough dose of reality all over the internet. The colorful froot loops, lime green, orange, purple, blue, red, are in fact the same flavor. The Kellogg Company says its one blend of all flavors. Its always been that way. And you might want to take a blindfold to the breakfast table to prove it to yourself. And this photo in the news. Bruce springsteens son, sam, a 20yearold new jersey firefighter. He graduated firefighter training last week. And his mom, patty, posted this picture with proud. Ourfamilyhero. Sp