Hospital as a newborn meets the parents she never knew she had. First meeting was beautiful, it was wonderful. Couldnt have went no better. The woman who raised her is now facing charges of kidnapping. And end of an era. The greatest show on earth shutting down. Ringling brothers has been entertaining generation after generation for nearly 150 years. 30 tons why the dazzling spectacles are passing into history. And good sunday morning, everyone. On behalf of all of us here, we want to thank you for joining us. Just five days before the inauguration. One day before mlk day. President elect donald j. Trump is doubling down in his war of words with the civil rights icon, congressman john lewis. Trump taking to twitter to call lewis all talk, talk, talk, and district in atlanta as crimeinfested. This all started as lewis said trumps presidency is not legitimate. And would boycott the inauguration. Heres the aftermath of all of this. Critics tweeting out pictures of lewis mug shot from one of his many arrests in his time in the Civil Rights Movement. Pointing out he has, in fact, been a man of action during his long career. Trump, per usual, not backing down here. Will he go forward with his planned visit to the national africanamerican museum in on nor of Martin Luther king day . We start with abcs david wright. David, good morning. Reporter good morning. Lewis is 1 of 18 members of congress who will not be attending the inaugural. His decision not to attend getting lots of attention. Here we are the eve of Martin Luther king day and this icon of the Civil Rights Movement says he doesnt view Donald Trumps presidency as legitimate. Trump blasted all talk, no action. Others have called john lewis the conscience of the congress. The living link to dr. Kings dream. Lewis still bears the scars from a brutal beating he received crossing the Edmund Pettis bridge in the march on selma. 1965. Bloody sunday. Hes been a fighter for civil rights ever since. And yet, when lewis told an interviewer hes boycotting the inauguration for the first time in three decades i dont see this president elect as a legitimate president. Reporter donald trump went ballistic. Lambasting lewis as all talk, talk, talk. No action or results. And suggesting lewis should finally focus on the burning and crimeinfested inner cities of the u. S. Democrats spoke up. John lewis is our hero. And he symbolizes everything we stand for as americans reporter new jersey senator cory booker praised lewis for facing down some of historys most hateful. Now and then. John lewis is a great moral, civil, and human rights leader. Reporter lewis has earned admiration on both sides of the aisle. The Vice President elect attended the 45th anniversary of the march on selma. Mike pence calling him a legendary civil rights leader. Cokie roberts counts herself an admirer and a friend. Donald trump needs to spend time reaching out to the americans who did not support him. And an argument with john lewis is not the way to reach out. Reporter tomorrow, as a kickoff for inauguration week, donald trump was scheduled to tour the new Smithsonian Museum of africanamerican heritage, where several of the exhibits feature lewis prominently. You know, the very exsis tense of that museum is a testament to the fact that john lewis is not all trump is also wrong in suggesting in his tweets that lewis home district is full of urban decay. Georgias Fifth District is the headquarters for ococacola and delta and has one of the busiest airports in the u. S. And Emory University as well. At the heart is the issue of russia. The reason the congressman says he cant support the new president is he believes russia helped get trump elected. With congress poised to investigate possible or alleged contacts between the campaign and the kremlin, Alex Marquardt has just arrived in moscow. Alex, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, dan. The russians are watching this change in administrations very carefully and are making it clear they want a new relationship with the u. S. The latest move from the russian side is to invite the u. S. To talks this month on syria. Talks that the Obama Administration had been frozen out of. That invitation extended by russias ambassador to trumps Incoming National security on the same day the Obama Administration kicked out 35 diplomats for cyberattacks and meddling in the investigation. In a recent interview, trump said the sanctions would remain in place for a period of time. But could be lifted in the two countries Work Together well on terrorism and other issues. Russia has, of course, denied they spied on trump during past visits here. One official here calling it a complete break from reality. The big question, when will putin and trump have their first meeting . Reports that could happen on trumps first foreign trip in iceland have been shot down. Both sides have shown a willingness to get together once trump becomes president. Alex, we want to thank you for that report this morning. We want to bring in abc news chief anchor george stephanopoulos. The host of this week later this morning. Were going to talk about russia in a second. Lets go back to congressman lewis. And trumps apologists and defenders say lewi its true. A lot of democrats are saying is it really smart to question the legitimacy . To do what republicans did in the past, like donald trump, to question the legitimacy of president obama . Was it proportionate, and wise . I think it falls short. He wasnt right about the district. Not about john lewis history. And as cokie pointed out in materialier piece, this is a point in time now where donald trump needs to be reaching out to those who opposed him. Sure. During the campaign this is a guy that tangled with a gold star family. With a war hero, john mccain. With a prominent judge of mexican extraction. And he won. He won nonetheless. Is there any reason to think this one will be any different . The question is, what does he want to do as president . Will he have the power to do that . Look at the polling for donald trump coming in. Just five days away. A 44 approval rating. Thats 40 points below where barack obama was eight years ago. Its almost 20 pnt where george w. Bush was coming out of a contested election. A president who is unpopular is not powerless by any means. Hell need support to get his agenda through. He does have both houses of congress. I want to go back to russia. Because we cant forget that john lewis argument for all of this questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trumps presidency is because of russias interference in the election. But, diplomatically, what was america have to gain by improving those relations . You want better relations. The question is on what terms. You have donald trump tell the wall street journal this week that he would think about lifting sanctions in the future depending on what russia did. This is at odds with what his own nominees were saying on capitol hill this week. You have general mattis, his nominee, saying russia is a threat. He wants a strategy to confront russia. Rex tillerson saying, this is not the time to talk about lifting sanctions. Mike pompeo says russia is the number one threat and is doing nothing to help us with isis. Theres a big gulf between what donald trump is saying and his nominees. Yet he encourages the respectful dissent. Yeah, but something pretty remarkable this week. We also learned in the hearings. Rex tillerson, the secretary of state nominee, says he has not discussed russia with donald trump. Interesting. Were going let you go. You have a huge show coming up this morning. Hes going to talk with Incoming White House chief of staff, Reince Priebus and senator bernie sanders. All coming up later this morning on this week. George will head up our team for live, allday coverage of the inauguration, this friday, january 20th. Our coverage begins at 7 00 a. M. Eastern. Dan . Thank you. We move on to the end of an era for many of us, including many of us right here on this desk. A trip to the ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus. It was a staple of childhood. Overnight, we learned that the greatest show on earth is coming to an end. Marci gonzalez is here with more. Reporter dan, good morning. This been around since the 1800s, trying to stay modern. Incorporating technology. Focusing on more breathtaking stunts. In the end, it wasnt enough. Ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey. Reporter after 146 years of flashy costumes, breathtaking acrobatics, and exotic animals, ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus says its taking down its socalled big top for good. Well be closing both units of ringling brothers Barnum Bailey circus in may. Reporter overnight, feld breaking the news to the staff. Its been through world wars. Through every kind of economic cycle. And its been through a lot of change. Its ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus. Reporter for generations of kids and families, the circus march into town was a call to fun and wonder. For animal activists, the dazzling giant stars of the show and here come reporter were a call to arms. They dont have the best interests of the elephants at heart. Reporter in 2016, they announced all of the elephants would be retired. To an Animal Sanctuary in florida. Hi, kellyanne. In may, we were there as the elephants performed for the last time. Were moving the elephants from the touring units. We saw a drop in attendance. Reporter theyve been under scrutiny, too. In 2014, ringling was sued after this stunt went horribly wrong. Eight aerial performers hanging from their hair collapsed to the ground, leaving them hospitalized for months. In 2016, audiences were stunned after a bmx routine ended with one daredevil rider motionless. The company said at the time the performer received immediate medical attention and was taken to a local hospital for further evaluation. There are 30 more performances scheduled until the final bow set for may 21st on long island, new york. And circus managers say rising costs and declining ticket sales, especially after the elephants were removed from decision. Hard to see. Its such an institution. Reporter it is. But a lot of people also celebrating the decision. So some mixed feelings on that. Across the country. Definitely. Speaking of mixed feelings, just moments ago, i spoke with nik wallenda, whose family started first with ringling brothers in 1928 and was part of the circus for two years starting in 2007. We want to thank you for joining us this morning. Given your familys history, i can only imagine this was tough to hear. How are you taking this news . You know, its quite heartbreaking. When i found out they were going to close down a 147yearold american icon. Its upsetting to say the least. My family came over here and i am here because of ringling brothers and Barnum Bailey circus. 1928, my family came over for john ringling. Came over from cuba. It is. Its heartbreaking for sure. The elephants were removed from the show in 2 immediately. There was criticism that the circus didnt keep up with the times. Was there anything they could have done to salvage the situation and avoid closing . You know, its hard to answer that question. I do believe it is all about keeping up with the times. In fact, my mom wrote a book when i was much younger saying she felt like the circus was dying and going away. You could see it receding in attendance. For sure. At the end of the day, were talking about 146 years. The greatest show on earth. Nik, how do you want people to remember the circus . You know, thats a heartbreaking question. The circus will go on. Theres no question, in my opinion. Its been an industry thats been through the thick and thin, ups and downs. It will go on. Maybe not in the form of ringling brothers. But i can guarantee you. Im more than willing to continue on the legacy my family started back in the 1780s. Tha for sharing your familys history. Well look for you in your next feat, whatever that may be. Thank you for joining us. Awesome. Thanks to much. He said hes here because of the circus. His wifes family is here because of the circus. And by the way, his next project, hes working on walking over an active volcano. So nik is not going away. Sounds like one of his next projects may be reviving the circus as well. Now to the Winter Weather alerts in ten states right now. More than 20 million americans in the path of a major storm. Downed powerlines and trees and icy roads causing perilous conditions. There have been six weatherrelated deaths since friday. Adrienne bankert is in wichita. Good morning. Reporter good morning, dan. Look at the bushes. A coating of ice over everything. Trees and streets. Its a major concern. In some cases, a deadly combination. This morning, more than 20 million americans are in the path of a major ice storm. In kansas city, this car hits black ice before spinning out of control, right through a red light, sliding at least 100 feet down the road. In oklahoma, roadway conditions turning deadly. One person killed in a massive wreck on i40. Both lanes on the interstate shut down through the night. With ice, it can change very quickly. Reporter the heavy ice knocking down thousands of trees branches cracking under the weight of the ice. Littering the streets, damaging homes and cars overnight. Darkness blanketing neighborhood. Ooh, the power just went out. Reporter salt trucks out in heavy force this morning, hoping to make travel much less treacherous. Ice can be a challenge for people, you know. Its always great to plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to get where youre going. Reporter and if this coating of ice is any indication, just that much ice could really make it dangerous. Brought down but also those roadway conditions. Major events planned for today affected by this storm. Including the steelerskansas city chiefs game. That game delayed until later tonight because of the icy conditions. Also, there was a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert tonight in wichita. Thats been postponed until tomorrow. Theyre taking every precaution. The good news is the system is moving out. Temperatures are warming up later today and into tomorrow. Dan and paula, back to you. Hard to overlook the irony of the Red Hot Chili Peppers being in the middle of an ice storm. Adrienne, thank you. Lets get more on the weather from rob marciano. Hes back in the studio. Whats going on . No doubt, the Red Hot Chili Peppers will help the thaw. This is day three of the threeday event. Until noon today, still bad out there, especially across the western areas. We have an ice storm warning extended north. Heres the freezing line. That is key. Right over wichita. The furthebe get this moisture rolling up into it. There are pockets of dry air. Thats the good news. Kansas city will warm up. I think by 8 00 p. M. , game time, it should be all rain. But a cold, nasty rain. Watch it into parts of chicago. I think it probably will start as freezing rain and sleet tomorrow morning before it turns over to rain in chicago. Also notice the snow back here. Once we get the accumulating ice, western parts of kansas, oklahoma, nebraska, were going to see one to three inches of snow on top of that. So thats going to be the worst areas. Omaha back through lincoln. Down through woodward, oklahoma. Severe weather watch across parts of southern texas. The mother storm kicks out into the plains. Could see isolated tornadoes today. All right. Hi, ron. Good to see you again. The peripatetic rob marciano. Youve been reunited. And then he throughs these fancy i dont know what that word means. Peripatetic . Peripatetic. It means he moves a lot. Ron was enjoying the elbow room. Im getting peripatetic over here. You are. A lot of other things besides the explainer of peripatetic coming up in news. What do you have . Good morning to all of you. Good morning, everyone. We begin in poland. The welcoming of as many as 4,000 u. S. Troops as part of a nato buildup in that region. This marks one of the largest deployments of u. S. Forces in Europe Russia has criticized the move, calling it a threat to russian security. In belgium, three people in custody after a series of antiterror raids in the brussels neighborhood of molenbeek. The same area where some of the paris and brussels attackers from awhile back lived. No weapons or explosives were found. The suspects are being questioned about possible terrorist ties. Back in the u. S. , a mosque in seattle went up in flames, destroyed by the massive fire there. Police arrested a 37yearold man who they say may have intentionally set that blaze. No one was in the building at the time. Firefighters are working still to recover holy books or anything else they can save from that islamic center. After a disastrous failed launch last september, the spaceex program is back on track this morning. Three, two, one. Very cool liftoff there from the launch pad at Vandenberg Air force base. In southern california. Minutes later, the rockets sending ten satellites into space, right on schedule. Retu that was floating in the pacific ocean. Next up, spacex hopes to launch satellitebearing rockets twice a month. Some day take people to mars. And perhaps bring them back. Or leave them there. That would be nice of them. And a team of science cysts say they may have uncovered new clues in one of the biggest mysteries of our time. The d. B. Cooper. Finding particles on a tie a neck time that could place him as an employee as part of the seattlebased boeing company. Little is known about the man who hijacked a boeing plane in 1971. He parachuted out of the plane with 200,000 in cash in ransom money, never to be seen again. And finally, the uconn Womens Basketball team with a win for the record books. The lady huskies overwhelming scmu. Southern methodist on saturday for the 91st consecutive win. A streak that dates back they beat smu. The final score on saturday, 8848. A 40point gap. Imagine they covered the spread. Maybe not