and a good wednesday morning. we begin with president-elect donald trump's formal introduction of his choice for defense secretary. >> talking about general james mad dog mattis joining trump in north carolina. the second stop of his thank you tour and now mr. touched on several of his themes. >> it came after trump set off a firestorm after new air force one planes. for the details karen travers in washington. >> reporter: good morning. 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 fortunate a man of this be the civilian leader atop the department of defense. >> reporter: earlier tuesday trump blasted 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 trump's tweet came an hour after boeing's ceo was found criticizing trade on china. now there's no $4 billion deal but boeing has been tapped to produce two new planes to replace the aging aircraft and 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 a lot of questions after house. and on the late show with stephen colbert 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 he thinks he is the person best prepared to lead this country right diane, kendis. >> i think he's having fun teasing the american public throwing this out there. karen travers live in washington. >> hard to believe we're talking 2020 right now even as a joke. >> hasn't even been sworn in yet. let's go back to 2016 and controversy with the transition team, the son of donald trump's national security adviser, well, he's now been forced off the transition team because of a fake news story. michael flynn jr. is accused of pushing the so-called pizzagate tweets. >> the same false story that prompted a gunman to open fire in a washington, d.c. pizzeria. trump spokesman says flynn jr. had been helping his father with duties but no longer the case. the snowy is now tapering off in the northern plains this morning after yesterday's blizzard but 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 blamed for several crashes on interstate 70 west of of the lows. 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 from accuweather's cam tran. good morning. >> good morning, diane and kendis. we are looking at blizzard-like conditions across the dakotas and northern minnesota. talking about blowing snow that's going to be making travel quite treacherous and then we've got the coldest air of the week. by wednesday it's going to be well in place across the central plains, thursday in the midwest 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 indo indonesia. an earthquake killed at least 97 people. frantic rescue efforts are under way to free survivors from the rubble of dozens of buildings in the it was 11 miles. a grim reminder of the 2004 quake and tsunami that killed 230,000 people. most of them in that same province. keeping our focus overseas. it does appear to be just a matter of time before all after syria's second largest city is back in government control. syrian troops now control about three-fourths of the city. now, someone inside an area 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 terrorists' best efforts. thebi 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. it was 75 years ago today that japanese forces attacked pearl harbor, hawaii, leading the u.s. into world war ii. a day that will live in infamy. 19 u.s. ships were either sunk or damaged. commemorations taking place including a special ceremony any "uss arizona" memorial. a retailer expanding paternal leave. a possible break in the oakland warehouse fire. what investigators said about a possible cause. protests on college while a white nationalist speaks at that school. the tense moment when a microphone is wrestled away from investigators believe they're getting closer to finding the cause of friday's tragic warehouse fire in oakland. 36 people were killed in what is being called the deadliest fire in the city's history. all but one of those victims has been identified and authorities do not believe the fire was intentionally set. the focus has now turned to appliances on the first floor of the building. >> they've narrowed down the area of looking for potential sources of ignition in that area. a potential source of ignition could be a refrigerator, so they're gathering those electrical potential sources of ignition and they're closely examining them. >> and a local state of emergency has been declared in oakland. it allows the city and local residents as businesses as well to be eligible for possible tate or federal refunds as they recover from the fire. against prestigious stanford university. the suit accuses stanford of failing to protect women from being assaulted by the same student who was allowed to graduate. it comes in the wake of that case a former swimmer brock turner who served just a few months in jail for assaulting a woman on campus. the university responded to the new lawsuit saying we will be vigorously defending the lawsuit as we believe that stanford has acted with appropriate diligence and compassion within the co as of the first of the year ikea will offer parental leave to full time and part time-workers and includes parent, adoptive and foster parents. ikea's head says it's an investment in its most important asset, its 14,000 employees. samsung should wait before writing a check to apple. in a unanimous ruling the justices said an appeals court they owe apple for infringing on its smartphone patent. the amount was $399 million. a supreme court didn't weigh in on the specifics of the case but told a lower court to do the math again. >> oh, all right, then. so when we come back a tragedy overseas. we're learning more about the american tourist killed by a lightning strike. plus, shots ringing out at a club as a comedian is caught in the cross fire. what are mommy and daddy like before their dunkin'? they are ridiculous when they first wake up. daddy walks into the walls like he's a bumper car. i think dad gave all his beauty sleep to mom. she has one eyeball instead of two. even dad's beard has 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mastering irresistibly smooth. the lindor truffle ... from the lindt master chocolatiers. hard outer shell... smooth, luscious center. unwrap. unwind. with the lindor truffle. from the lindt master chocolatiers. a blizzard has shut down most roads in north dakota and parts of the northern plains of move than a foot fell as much as 19 inches in some parts accompanied by strong winds of 30 to 50 miles an hour. if those roads re-open they'll be slippery all the way across to the great lakes. also watch out for slippery roads in colorado, roads will be valley. if you are flying airport delays most likely in denver because of that snow. some angry moments caught on camera as a white supremacist speaks. >> richard spencer visited texas a&m captured hail trump to a group in washington, d.c. spencer took audience questions from his opponents but one sequence nearly turned violent. >> are you better than me? >> all right. no, no, no. >> 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 from a former student who had rented out that space. arrested for manslaughter in a death of former nfl player joe mcknight during a road rage incident. ronald gasser is seen the day of shooting when questioned but not charged. the local sheriff defended the way the investigation has been handled and he quoted from hate filled comments 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. 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. also in new orleans testimony has begun in the trial cardell hayes 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 pictured here with his partner michele segali. they believe it hit their tent then touched him instantly. he was injured suffering head and neck injuries. it took three hour for help to arrive at that remote camp area. a night supposed to be filled with laffer turned into 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 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 and the los angeles "sportscenter" studio bringing you a couple of basketball highlights. we begin in college at columbus. ohio state was a 20 p favorite. and they just got beat by florida atlantic. nick rutherford in overtime. that would have been a good money line to have whatever money line means. and now to the pros. chris sale not going to the nationals but john wall still with the wizards. washington sports fan that's good. wizard -- wall was great in this game. the wizards were not. alford peyton had 22 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 point, 5 of 8 from three 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 co did on his own. >> thoughts. >> i like it. >> i like it. up next on "the pulse" the grammy nominations announced. who is leading the pack and who got snubbed? the $85 rock in a leather pouch being sold by a high-end retailer. hashtag "stuffy nose." hashtag "no sleep." i got it. hashtag "mouthbreather." yep. we've got a mouthbreather. pow! it instantly opens your nose up to 38% more than cold medicine alone. so you can breathe ... and sleep. shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. breathe right. before fibromyalgia, i kept on top of things. i was a doer. then the chronic, widespread pain slowed me down. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, ng lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can be more active. 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 both record and song of the year. the other leading nominees 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 five pounds. okay, so it's meant to be shared 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 rock. officially. oh, well, not >> 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. america's favorite new employees four-legged friend who 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 already viral more than morning washington. it's december 7th.. and it's a much drier start to the day that yesterday. we are following breaking news overseas. emergency crews are deploying in indonesia following a massive earthquake. it happened in the country's northern aceh province. the 6-point-5 magnitude quake collapsed dozens of buildings and people are believed to be trapped in the rubble. right now-- at least 54 victims are confirmed dead and there is a race to least 200 buildings are either severely damaged or destroyed. we are following this story.. and will bring you updates as they come in. good morning washington. toss to eileen - sun comes back today - wind chills teens & 20s friday - wet weather returns monday & wednesday - another blast of cold by middle/end of next week today: early morning clouds giving way to partly to mostly sunny skies. breezy and seasonable. highs: 48-54 winds: nw 5-15 mph tonight: mainly clear early, becoming mostly winds: light thursday: morning clouds, becoming mostly sunny. stray morning shower/flurries. turning windy & colder. highs: 44-49 developing now. police are trying to get the word suspect accused of scamming people take a look at this picture. this is willbrod luka-milwa. police say in one case - he accepted more than 13-thousand dollars after telling people he was in a nursing program and needed money for "tuition". police are concerned there are more victims out there. if you have any information -- give them a call. on capitol hill-- senators on both sides of the aisle are calling for hearing on wasteful defense spending. this comes after a troubling report by the washington post. it alleges that the pentagon buried a january 20-15 report that proposed cutting overhead over five years. lawmakers are now demanding answers. the pentagon denies it buried the report, telling a-b-c news that 125-billion in additional cuts is unrealistic. the trump administration has pledged to increase pentagon spending. president obama gave his final speech about national security in tampa, florida the president felt the gravity of it. "..."i was just told that was going to be the last hail to the chief' on the road, and it got me kind of sentimental."..." president obama promised that the u-s is "breaking the back" of isis. he used the speech to target some policies of president elect trump. president obama -- saying he believes the u-s should maintain a ban on torture- which trump has said he will change. the president also touted his record - saying diplomatic solutions like the iran nuclear deal - a 7 on your side is fighting back against crime- to protect your holiday presents. each year- thousands fall victim to thieves who swipe packages off porches. this theft was caught on tape in hagerstown - and when the homeowner posted the surveillance video on facebook - he heard from the guy who did it!! a man posted an apology for what happened and called it a mistake. police didn't go for that -- and arrested him. fight back against package thieves at wjla dot com. just click on the porch pirates tab. it's the season for giving-- and this morning vre is holding its annual marine corps toys for tots collection. if you want to participate, just bring a new unwrapped toy to your morning train and leave it on the seat. vre "elves" will then collect the toys and deliver them to the marine corps for distribution if you are donating money, just hand it to your conductor. vre and the u.s. marine corps reserve partner to collect toys for those who cannot afford a holiday gift it's xx and we're just getting started. good morning washington i'm larry smith. and i'm autria godfrey. that breaking news - a boil water advisory in effect right now in prince william county. its the result of a water main break and its impacting people living in both gainesville and haymarket. the break was found off university boulevard between lee highway and wellington road. people in the area drinking and cooking for at least 48 hours. repair work to the water main will not impact traffic. all schools are open today, and will be providing bottled water. students are also advised to bring their own bottled water for personal use. - sun comes back today - wind chills teens & 20s friday - wet weather returns monday & wednesday - another blast of cold by middle/end of next week today: early morning clouds giving way to partly to mostly sunny sk highs: 48-54 winds: nw 5-15 mph tonight: mainly clear early, becoming mostly cloudy. lows: 29-36 winds: light thursday: morning clouds, becoming mostly sunny. stray morning shower/flurries. turning windy & colder. highs: 44-49