weekend. the u.s. is looking for a fair trade relationship with china. and the referee in last night's cowboys/raiders game used a folded piece of paper to measure for a down. dallas went on to quick what was the winning field goal in a victory. those are some of our top stories on this monday, december 18th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> couple of weird calls in the sunday games yesterday, but uh, it is how it is. >> a lot on the line right now, too. >> exactly. we again this half hour with the third largest wildfire in california history. >> some multi-million dollar homes in montecito have been leveled. >> one firefighter recorded flames and smoke surrounding his truck. we get m are your fi . >> reporter: fire crews waging an all-out war. crews climbing the california hills with chain you saws, axes and shovels, desperately trying to get the upper hand. the inferno now burning for two weeks. the wall of smoke to thick it blocked out the sun. nearly 800 homes destroyed. several more lost over the weekend as wind gusts topped 60 miles per hour. it brought the flames in so quickly fire crews didn't have time to get up here to save this home. >> it was really the most severe fire behavior i've seen. >> reporter: that new threat forcing mandatory evacuations. celebrities among the thousands of people in the fire zone. rob lowe posting photos of his home and ellen degeneresri one of those who died was cory ievs iverson. colleagues mourning but still on the front lines taking a break in the winds. >> the winds are expected to kickback up severely on wednesday. >> the holidays are coming. everybody wants to really, they want to get home. >> reporter: and you can see the holiday decoration still hanging at this home, overcome by flames this weekend. firefighters plan to be out here through christmas. but they expect the firefight to continue through the new year. marci gonzalez, abc news, mont see t zito california. now to the other big story and that massive outage at the atlanta airport. >> power has been restored to the which had been shut down since afternoon. some passengers were stuck grounded in airplanes in atlanta for as much asini nine hours. >> others say they were kept in the dark by officials. >> this is unacceptable. it is after 6:00 p.m. kids need to be reunited with their families. >> all the airlines that are canceled. they're saying we have to leave the airport, basically, so if our flight's canceled we have to go. but there are people here who have no where to go. so what do you want us to do? >> i could not get them because you can't get cell phone service in the building. we've waited four and a half to five hours and now got a $22 bill. and everybody just refers you to the next guy, the next guy, t >> there is no evidence of foul play in the power outage. it was caused by a fire at an electrical sub station that also destroyed the backup system. >> the airlines have canceled more than 300 flights today and there are huchbls of passengers who must now be rebooked. >> it will be a couple days for the system. everybody's wondering exactly what took place in atlanta. "world news now" has exclusive video of what took place. so here. ♪ >> you know it was expected to be a real video. >> that's actually, that's a live scene from atlanta, how it all played out yesterday just brought back many memories of the classic "airplane" scene. it wasn't quite like that. let's move on to the russia investigation and the president's transition team lawyer, accusing the special counc counsel of breaking the law. the attorney sent a letter to congress claiming that mueller's office illegally obtained e-mails from the transition offi e-mails from the office that stored them. as the president returned from camp david he slammed the special counsel's office but dismissed claims that he planned to fire mueller. >> no, i'm not. are you surprised? >> mueller said the special counsel's office had followed the law when obtaining the documents. >> president trump is closing in on his first major legislative victory. congress is expected to narrowly approve a massive tax cut package as early as tomorrow. despite ununified opposition from democrats. >> reporter: the president promising that a major new tax bill is days >> their >> this is going to be one of the great gifts to the middle income people. >> reporter: it's a win for business. for the wealthy, it lowers the top tax rate from 39% to 37%. for the middle class, it doubles the standard deduction but caps state and local income tax write offs at $10,000. americans making $75,000 or less will pay more taxes within a decade. >> in this is a total betrayal. it's a huge give away to big corporations. >> reporter: the new bill eliminates the obamacare mandate, leaving a potential 13 million americans uninsured. it expands the current 529 education credits to include kindergarten through h to get it done, corporate tax cuts will be permanent. individual tax cuts will expire after eight years. >> i'm confident we'll pass this bill probably on tuesday. we were determined to get theis job done. >> reporter: reports that john mccain will not be casting a vote but recovering from chemotherapy treatment in arizona. the republicans confident they have enough votes without him. the changes would take effect next year. the irs says you could see a change in your bottom line by february. gloria rivera, washington. and the president has received a thank-you phone call from vladimir putin. putin thanking trump for a cia tip that helped russian authorities stop a bombing plot in the city of st. petersburg. putin said he would turn over information about any potential threats against the u.s. it was their second convers and authorities in pakistan are on high alert after a suicide bombing at a church. at least nine people were killed in the attack. dozens of others were injured. you see some of the scenes. it was the first 20one on a chuh ever acclaimed by isis. the eldest son of sarah palin has been arrested again. track palin is facing several counts stemming from the incident, inclusion burglary, assault and criminal mischief. the circumstances are unclear. he was also arrested last year, accused of punching and kicking his girlfriend. a scare for skiers over the weekend when a ski resort near penn state opened for the season. an equipment failure put visitors in danger. erielle reshef has that story. >> reporter: a dramatic scene as skiers and snowboarders dangled >> there is approximately 20 people, kids. >> reporter: a malfunction causing the claihair to slip an slide backwards to the ones behind it. >> a total of about 100 people need to get off the ski lift. >> reporter: a domino effect, leaving four chairs teetering in the air. >> my jaw dropped, and i was like oh, my gosh and sat there for a while and was watch being the emergency personnel come up. >> all the stuff came off. people don't have their ski boots. >> reporter: at least five people hurt. rescuers lowering them one by one to safety. during the almost two-hour ordeal, staff evacuating all passengers from the lift. the resort saying we take the safety of our guests very seriously and are saddened to learn that there were non-life-threateng statistics show chair lifts are normally very safe. 12 deaths on lifts in 40 years. but accidents do happen. in maine, seven were injured when this one rolled in reverse. rare, but scary moments above the slopes. erielle reshef, abc news, new york. >> very scary. and we're entering the busiest time of the year for many of these ski resorts. a pair helped make the human league, they're known for "don't you want me", feeling unwanted. >> a background singer on that 1981 hit. and qantas answered with a resounding no. she was denied access because of this, herri uggs. >> it seems they have include footwear. it's a similar-looking pair of uggs. >> it's what i'm wearing. i only took one off for you, because they kind of smell bad. these are perfectly acceptable. they're not meant for the house or anything. they're not like a house slipper. >> it's not for the business class. >> i don't want to fly you anyway. coming up, we're turning back time. do you remember the hottest toys of the '80s? which ones stood the test of time and which ones should never have been made in the first place? and some people are trying to deter grinches from stealing right from the front door. and i'm putting the shoe back on my >> please do. 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(coughsah! hey, chad! i missed you. ah! i was in the tree watching you, and then i fell. i'm not eating pizza from the trash. then i discovered mucinex. huge difference. one pill lasts 12 hours, and i'm good. oh, here kitty, kitty...ah! not a cat, not a cat! why take 4-hour medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. if you're package is delayed, that might be it. this suv slamming into the back of a u.s. postal truck might have something to do with it. packages were september flyint . no word on any injuries. now to extreme measures people are using to protect their packages against potential grinches. >> you have porch thefts which have become a real problem. >> reporter: police in minnesota searching for these porch pirates. caught on video, stealing packages right off the doorstep, then running back to their get away car. the same thing has happened to an estimated 26 million americans, including jeremy barrow. he came up with a booby trapped box to scare off would-be thieves. and it's working. >> one of the way to scare them safely, and when you scare them, hopefully they're going to drop the >> reporter: with a record 2 billion packages in the mail this year, there are steps you can take to protect your parcels. if you're using fedex, you can have your packages delivered to nearly 8,000 walgreens nationwide. the postal office allows you to cust customize your delivery and tell the deliverer where to leave them out of sight. ups will let you reroute it to another location so it's not left unattended. if you order online, consider doing curb-side pickup. stores like nordstrom and sears will bring your purchases right to your car. >> they should take it straight to your mom or grandma's house. >> you can also have like a neighbor pick it up. the interesting thing, some of these smaller towns are saying you can deliver it to the police station. who wants to steal cops. >> that's a smart move. coming up, it's time to check out the vault for the best and worst toys of christmas past. lysol kills over 100 illness-causing germs and viruses, even those that may cause runny noses. lysol. what it takes to protect. i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. oughs)! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. let's open up the abc vault to find out which it toys were on the naughty list in 1983. >> this year's list has been released, and as carol simpson reports, it provides a good idea of the kinds of toys parents will be looking for if they can find them. >> reporter: according to the survey, 1987 may be the best year for good toys for children but undoubtedly the worst year for parents to find those toys. >> this is a doll called baby skates. and she should be called baby skate or hopes to skate. she really doesn't skate. >> reporter: baby skates was tossed into the trash box, soon joined by baby alive who eats glop and dirties her diaper. also relegated to the trash box, the mountain fortress, too messy, and e.t.'s light a finger. topping the list were cabbage patch kids, the glo worm and the surprise winner was lights alive, which allows children to design patterns of colored lights. >> the problem with having lovely toys such as cabbage patch, they're terribly hard to find. >> reporter: ftoy sblam t blame the improved economy. and parents should persuade the kids they really don't want those toys they can't find. >> convince the kids. we still have our classic toys. we'll be right back the bug stops here protection. lysol kills over 100 illness-causing germs and viruses, even those that may cause stomach bugs. lysol. what it takes to protect. i had this chest cold, wearing off. oughs)! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. my hygi...a mouthwash.o try... so i tried crest. it does so much more than give me fresh breath. crest pro-health mouthwash provides all... ...of these benefits to help you get better dental check-ups. go pro with crest mouthwash. checkup? nailed it thanks to dawn, rescue workers only trust dawn, because it's tough on grease yet gentle. i am home, i am home, i am home i'll have to speak faster. i'm a slow speaker. do i need a british accent? >> if you start using long pauses between -- >> right. >> i don't want to see that face. >> that is prince harry joking around with president obama in an interview that is >> harry of course also made news this weekend because he and meghan have set a date. we know a date that we're going to london! >> woo-hoo! >> it's in may. >> molly hunter with more. >> reporter: and the world count down is on, the prince and meghan markle will say their "i dos" on the 19th may. >> windsor is a special place. prince harry was baptized at wi windsor. >> reporter: inside, his father and camilla received a blessing in 2005. but who will do the honors for prince harry and meghan? >> we believe the archb he's spoke about their spoke about the hopes for the wedding. >> reporter: for the modern couple, which royal traditions will they keep and which will they ditch? >> of course they're getting married in windsor. >> reporter: princess diana and charles did it in 1981. >> a kiss, which receives a roar of approval. >> reporter: and william and kate in 2011. maybe a spin around windsor in an open carriage, giving the crowds a good look just like prince edward and countess sophie here in 1999. in just a few weeks, the royal family will be having their traditional christmas celebrations and meghan will be the first royal fiance ever to join them. >> oh, she's breaking barriers. the first royal fiance. >> i wonder if that means the queen really likes her. >> i would imagine at this point. big wedding. >> or >> i think that's what if is. this morning on "world news now," power back on at the nation's busiest airport. >> after nearly 11 hours in the darkness, things are starting to move again at atlanta's airport, but the damage is already done. passengers describe their nightmarish ordeals as air traffic across the country struggles to get back on track. and mueller's still in charge, at least for now. the president says he is not firing the special counsel in charge of the russia probe even as trump officials hammer mueller's team over transition e-mails that they say were obtained illegally. and this is not how you want to start ski season, with the lift getting stuck chain reaction and a frightening encounter. this is so far out you can't even see the other end. how do you even smoke a j of this magnitude? the answer? nice and slow. [ laughter ] >> or so i'm told. it is monday, december 18th. man. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it was not your mother's early morning newscast, is all we can say. >> i heard someone say that once. wasn't it bill clinton who didn't inhale? >> something that big, i assume nobody could inhale. but i don't know. practice. [ laughter ] >> we'll get to that a little bit later. we begin with a massive power outage that crippled the nation's busiest airport for nearly 11 hours. >> take a listen [cheers and applause] you hear that? those cheers from people in atlanta's hartsfield jackson airport as the lights came back on, just before midnight. the sudden early afternoon power loss brought the hub to a stand still. >> passengers in the terminals were left in the dark. all outgoing flights were brought to a halt. but some passengers, get this, they spent as many as nine hours, trapped in planes stuck on the ground. >> so atlanta may be the reddest. that's flight aware's misery map. but the entire air traffic system was impacted. flighti flights were held at their original airports. >> more than 300 flights in and out of atlanta today have already been canceled. most of them deltas. >> so here's what we are told, the power outage appears to be accidental, the result of a fire that was so intense that not only the backup as well. >> reporter: the nation's busiest airport in the dark. thousands stranded when the power went out without warning at hartsfield airport. >> no power, no light. >> the lights flickered once. it was really scary. they flickered again and it's been about an hour and it's pitch-darkness in the airport. >> reporter: this worried parent unable to find his 10 year old son. >> i've been here stuck by myself with my daughter trying to get to my son. i'm not the only parent. >> reporter: passengers using flashlights to guide them. in some partis of the airport, the only sights and sounds, the emergency announcements. officials saying a fire in an underground electrical facility may may have caused the fire. reports of smoke coming from passengers. >> we could see fire trucks all along terminal e and black >> reporter: the massive power outage shut down critical equipment and computer, stranding thousands of passengers. as many as 100 flights on the tar machbl tarmac. some passengers let off planes huddling for warmth. >> we were scheduled for a 4:00 flight. we're pushed back for a group of six. >> reporter: the drama unfolding in atlanta, at least 600 flights canceled, more than 500 delayed. >> so many cancellations in addition. the atlanta airport has an interesting setup. you have those trains that run between the terminals. it can be a hot mess on a good day. especially -- >> with a little bit of weather. >> espec travel week, this was a complete and utter nightmare. for many of the passengers not knowing what was taking place, it must have been very frightening. >> and to have no power. it is cold in atlanta. i mean, i know it's not as cold as it is here, but it is still not comfortable. >> no. a terrifying 11 hours, but the nightmare is going to continue for many passengers trying to get out. >> and for people not even in atlanta. we'll turn our focus to the west coast and california's third-largest fire growing at this hour. >> the thomas fire northwest of los angeles is 45% contained but has already burned some 270,000 acres. more than 100,000 people have had to evacuate since the start of that blaze. two weeks ago today. >> it has been fueled not only by the dry conditions but by gusty santa ana winds sometimes as high as 70 miles per hour. listen there. you can actually hear the fire. the winds are expected to calm down today to just 10-20 miles per hour. that plus higher humidity should be a plus for those firefighters out there. we move on right now to the fight in washington, d.c. republicans are on the verge of passing their sweeping tax overhaul this week after sweeping what appears to be the final two holdouts. senator john mccain will not be there for the vote. he returned home to arizona after being hospitalized for a viral infection while battling brain cancer. he doesn't plan to return to the capitol until january. >> i'm confident we'll pass this bill possibly on tuesday. we were determined to get this job done, to cut taxes, to reform the tax code for the first time in 30 years. >> the bill doubles the standard deduction for the middle but for people earning less than $75,000 a year will eventually pay more taxes. the corporate tax rate will be slashed and the top tax rate for the wealthy will be lowered. president trump says he is not considering firing special counsel robert mueller even as his transition team takes aim at mueller and the russia probe. they are accused of improperly gaining thousands of transition e-mails. >> reporter: as he arrived back from camp david, president trump expressed concern about a new letter accusing the pegs counsel of illegally obtaining tens of thousands of e-mails from the president's inner circle during the transition, including, quote, materials protected by attorney/client privilege. >> not looking good. not looking good. it's quite sad to see that. my people were very upset about it. >> reporter: the seven-page letter addressed t committee leaders comes from an attorney representing the trump transition team, a new line of attack against robert mueller's investigation. >> they're spending millions and millions of dollars. there is absolutely no collusion. i didn't make a phone call to russia. i have nothing to do with russia. everybody knows it. >> reporter: even before this, the president dismissed the investigation as a witch hunt and a democratic hoax. even blasting the fbi. its reputation is in tatters. worst in history, read one recent tweet. >> the fix was in against donald trump from the beginning and they were pro-hillary. >> reporter: this new letter raises concerns about career staffers in an agency that provide the office supplies to the federal government, accusing them of breaking the law by handing over to the special counsel e-mails, laptops, cell phones and other materials. the special counsel's office insists it followed standard procedures and did nothing wrong. >> republicans should end effort to undermine the mueller investigation. >> reporter: democrats claim the president is searching for a pretext to fire mueller. >> i hope our colleagues will not join that process. the question is, what are they afraid of? what is the white house afraid of? >> reporter: the president insists he has no plans to fire the special counsel. >> no, i'm not. no. what else? what, are you surprised? >> reporter: separate from all of this, the russian president, vladimir putin called the american president, donald trump, to thank him for a cia tip that helped the russians to foil a terrorist bomb plot in st. petersburg. both presidents expressing praise for the u.s. intelligence services for a job well done. david wright, abc news, the white house. a military investigation is providing new details about the death of an army green beret in niger. he was killed by i militants in early october. an investigation of his death show that johnson fought to the end and died in a hail of gunfire. he was not captured alive or taken prisoner. he was reportedly hit as many as 18 times. his body recovered two days after the ambush that killed him. hundreds of passengers are recovering after getting sick on a royal caribbean cruise. they were on a five-day cruise on board the independence of the sea, when a gastrointestinal bug took over the ship, quickly spreading. 332 cases were reported. but passengers said that number was probably higher, because some passengers were too sick to seek treatment. the ship is get egg ting an exte deep cleaning before the next cruise. and dozens of skiers had to be lowered from a chair lift in pennsylvania by rope. the lift malfunctioned, causing a chair to slip backwards into a chair behind it, that cha injuries. it happened on the first day of the ski season at tussy mountain. it passed all its tests beforowi beforowing -- before opening for business. maybe some passengers could dance their time away. this happened in dallas. the two sisters found a dance partner in the southwest airlines employee. >> did a little chicken dance. then there was an airplane groove. the dance party ended when the southwest worker ran out of gas. got a little tired. >> or maybe he had to go back to work. >> there is that. there is a certain southwest flight on the other side of dallas-ft. worth. coming up, impressive pasta. the flood the floodle broke a record. and the league investigates misconduct allegations and an anunsment about the team, you're watching "world news now." re no. who knew? i had no idea. so she said, look for one that's shaped like a dental tool with a round brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head surrounds each tooth to gently remove more plaque. and unlike sonicare, oral-b is the only electric toothbrush brand accepted by the american dental association for its effectiveness and safety. my mouth feels so clean. i'll only use an oral-b. oral-b. brush like a pro. she's had a tiny cough. see you at 5! seriously? protection. lysol kills over 100 illness-causing germs and viruses, even those that may cause coughs. lysol. what it takes to protect. that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. a shift without a disaster. to get through my bargain detergent couldn't keep up. it was mostly water. so, i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated, so i get a better clean. i mean, i give away water for free. i'm not about to pay for it in my detergent. #1 awarded it's got to be tide. and for a plant-based clean, try tide purclean y this morning there is a break in a seven-year old cold case u bl lorenzen wright was found shot which led to the arrest of his ix wife. >> reporter: new charges surrounding you the death of nba player lorenzen wright u. >> reporter: the arrest following bill e' turner's . wright's body was found ten days later in memphis. it wasn't until last month that police say divers discovered the murder winnen in a la murder weapon in mississippi. in this interview, she did not respond when asked if she had anything to do with her ex-husband's death. >> i'm a wife, a mother, and an ah. >> reporter: maggie rule eye, abc news oofrn. the owner of the carolina panthers is selling the team. the team has made multiple payouts for harassment claims. he also directed a racial slur towards black former scouts. the league is investigating all of this, and also along those lines of what were yo the french soccer star says he's sorry for this picture. his name is antoine greaseman. his legs were also painted black. before the apology he responded by posting calm down, guys. i'm a fan of the harlem glo globetrotters. the team has not commented on this. >> so many people have gotten in trouble for that. >> he doubled down. he had it on instagram and twitter. >> did he delete them? >> he did. a thriller in pittsburgh. >> but it was the wild end to the game that has many crying foul. you're watching "world news now." i can breathe again! vicks sinex... breathe on. she's had a tiny cough. see you at 5! seriously? protection. lysol kills over 100 illness-causing germs and viruses, even those that may cause coughs. lysol. what it takes to protect. so this was the last gasp attempt by derek carr to score at the end of last night's game against the oh, man, dallas took over possession after this play, and they just ran out the clock. oh, well. >> goodness. earlier, the referee used a folded piece of paper to mess ire. a paper, a piece of paper. that led to the field goal. the patriots and steelers played a regular season classic in pittsburgh. new england took the lead with less than a minute to go. >> yeah, then the steelers quickly got in scoring position. they thought they won it when big ben find jesse james who appeared to score. it looks like a score. he's over the line. but video review reversed that call. gronk was back for the patriots. some called his end zone celebration a mad scientist impression. not really final score, 27-24. a tough game for the steelers and their fan. >> the team in eastern p.a. had another successful sunday. st. nick. >> the eagles flew up to new jersey to play the new york giants. they soared back to philly with their second victory in the last eight games. nick foles threw four touchdown passes in a 34-29 win. >> gun one of them went to trey burton who came up with the new campfire celebration. warming his hands, after the game he explained it dwighting it's cold out hire for a florida boy. >> i dig it. >> it was a hot pass. there you go. kevin hart portraying 7'1" shaquille >> there's a bit of size difference. hart maid de up for being vertically challenged. they put him on stilts. >> you're like the letter f came to life. empty my pocket change into this old jar. it's never much, just what's left after i 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his pasta and pizza. check this out, the world's longest joint. 100-foot-long joint. think rolled it on saturday, in beantown green town, a boston-based cannabis club. it was a pro-marijuana exhibition happening in worcester, mass. in order to do this, a lot of people are wondering, not that we know how to roll marijuana around here, they had a secret rolling technique, using 40 people to roll it, over 1,000 grams of pot. i'm not sure what pot trimmings mean. but my favorite part of this whole story, it was a 55-year-old woman who was like, are you going to smoke it? are you just going to let people look at it? it is >> did they start smoking it? it was supposed to be a 50-foot blunt. we were going to broke the record, but then we got high. there in boston. not that we would know. but, in case they do smoke it and get the munchies, this issiis something they might want to tap into. a noodle measuring nearly two miles long. it broke the record, a chinese company cooked its way into the books. they cooked up a single noodle strand measuring that whopping 10,119 feet. impressive. >> that is impressive. i would have broken that. i mean not broken the record but broken the noodle many >. now for the holiday bit of this. look at this light show. it is a show kenny delany and hillsboro, tennessee. it is synchronized with a remix of several songs. >> you can hear it. >> the this morning on "world news now," atlanta's airport is back up and running, but passengers sell stranded. the busiest air hub in the u.s. brought to its knees after a power failure. so what caused the outage in the first place? the growing inferno in california. the third largest fire in state history getting whipped up by even more fierce winds with deadly results. and new this half hour, fresh reaction to the news out of charlotte. >> the owner of the carolina panthers selling the team and under investigation. and guess who's putting in a bid? brother love. and it's the real-life x-files. a secret pentagon program looking into ufos is revealed. fight irpilots spotting strange objects in the sky. the truth is out there on this monday, december 18th. from abc news this is "world news now." >> that was by far my favorite story of the entire weekend, because i always knew, knew they were among us. >> life? other life? >> yes. >> i want to see this life first. >> we have proof. we'll delve into that a little later, but atlanta is sometimes called hot-lanta? it was a hot mess all day sunday. >> we're laughing, but it wasn't funny for the people who were there. there was no electricity for nearly 11 hours, a major problem considering it handles more passengers than any other airport in the world. more than a thousand flights were canceled. and the effe outage aren't over there yet, hundreds of flights into and out of atlanta today are canceled already. >> yeah. some passengers stayed in the airport during the outage, determined to be the first to fly out. when the lights came back on. others are spend the night at a convention center downtown where chick fil a is working on a sunday. they are providing food for them overnight. that's a big deal. abc's donya baucus has more. >> reporter: atlanta's airport in near dark knauss aftness aftr was knock out sunday morning. >> they went out, wient on, wen back out again. >> georgia's personnel couldn't access the tunnels until we made sure that the fire, which was a electrical fire, was completely put out. >> reporter: thousands of passengers stranded. >> this airport is moving kids that are unaccompanied minors to locations where parents don't even this is unacceptable. sgl >> no power, no light. >> reporter: passengers forced to use flashlights. and in some places, the only sights and sounds, the emergency announcements. >> right now we're just focussing on the comfort of our passengers, because we know that they have had a very, very long and difficult day. >> reporter: up to 100 planes stuck on the tarmac. hundreds more canceled or delayed. >> i think for airlines that are headquartered in atlanta, it's going to have a cascading effect and take a long time to figure out crew schedules, putting the airplanes in the right place. >> reporter: delaying more than 2,000 flights across the country. donya baucus, atlanta. well, just when we thought the firefighters had the upper hand on that massive fire in southern california, the winds weekend. >> the thomas fire has destroyed more than 1,000 buildings. and fours -- forced more than 100,000 people to be evacuated from their homes. it is now 45% contained, after kicking up over the weekend in ventura and santa barbara counties. >> thousands of firefighters working the blaze pause to pay their respects to a fallen comrade. cory iverson died on friday. >> it's important for the fire service family to come together and show our support for cory and his wife and children and expected children and their extended family. to let them know that he's loved and there's a big team here to support him and his family. >> iverson was 3 2 years old wih a 2-year-old daughter and another on the way. we turn our focus to washington and president trump insisting he has no plans to fire the special counsel robert mueller, but as he returned from camp david, he criticized mueller over an allegation from a transition attorney that investigators illegally obtained thousands of e-mails september and received by trump officials before he took office. mueller's office insists they followed the law. >> and republicans are poised to take their $1.5 trillion tax bill across the finish line. they are confident they have enough support to get it to the president's desk even without john mccain. mr. mccain returned to arizona aft after spending days in the hospital from a viral infection while he's battling cancer. the president says that he'll return if necessary. >> he's going through a very tough time. no question about it. but he will come back if we need his help. thank you very much, everybody. >> so the bill calls for deeper tax cuts for corporations. tax breaks for the wealthy and limited benefits for the middle class. a vote is expected as tomorrow. >> the president is set to deliver a speech today outlining his national security strategy. after developing a relationship with the chinese president, there are reports that he will accuse china of being an economic aggressor, which some say could lead to a trade war. now the treasury secretary is saying he refused to comment specifically about what the president will say, but in an appearance on fox news he did not rule out tariffs on chinese goods. >> this isn't about trade wars the this is about reciprocal fair trade. if we have to protect american workers and put on tariffs and other things where they don't have fair trade with us, the president will do that. meanwhile, south korea appears to be ready to renegotiate a free trade deal that president trump had threatened to scrap. the trade ministry says it's pushing for talks with the u.s. within a month. and in australia, police have arrested a involved in a case of black market 101. the man in custody was born in korea but lives in sydney. he's accused of raising ballistic missile components to raise money for north korea. if convicted, he could face a decade in prison. homicide investigators in toronto are investigating the deaths of a billionaire and his wife. their injuries were consistent with those suffered due to hanging. that led to a theory that the case was a murder-suicide. but the victims' family say that would never happen. they urge police to conduct a criminal investigation. the shermans were known for giving away hundreds of millions of dollars to charity. you know iruber is having a emergency calls. the use of the service has cut emergency service. users found it's cheaper to go some insurance offers gift cards to uber. they emphasize it's not a substitute for first responders. in an emergency. >> you're bleeding, you call a uber. >> you know they're going to charge you when you throw up or bleed in their car, right? it has to be minor injuries. >> and also they give you a lower rating. you have to gauge how much, the level of your emergency. last half hour, we were talking about the carolina panthers and the owner, jerry richardson selling the team at the end of the season, as the nfl investigates misconduct allegations. >> but a potential bidder has come forward, diddy has come forward. he says "i would like to buy the panthers, spread the word" retweet. and then he took to instagram. to make his case. >> i will be the best nfl owner you can imagine. i will immediately address the colin kaepernick situation and put him in the running for next year's starting quarterback. it's just competition baby. i will have the best halftime show, the best selection of music. and we will win super bowl after super bowl. >> we'll win super bowl after super bowl. >> that's a lot to promise. >> that is. but the halftime shows will no doubt be good. he's worth $800 million. so he's got the money. >> well, but he has to be voted in, don't the other nfl owners have so say yes, we'll let you own a nfl team? >> it's a bit of a boys club. >> so maybe he should be lobbying them and not his instagram users. no offense, dead eye, nice try, keep trying coming up in "the skinny," the prince and the former president. harry sitting down with barack obama. and the object that left two navy pilots weirded out. an aircraft that moves unlike any the pilots have ever seen. but first we take a look at today's forecast. "world news now" weather, brought to you by tide . somehow we always leave packing to the last minute. time to break these bad boys out no i have a couple of things to wash we got this- come on. even on quick cycle, tide pods cleans great 6x the cleaning power, even in the quick cycle let's go did you just get up uh-huh it's got to be tide that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. she's had a tiny cough. see you at 5! seriously? protection. lysol kills over 100 illness-causing germs and viruses, even those that may cause coughs. lysol. what it takes to protect. . want >> making all kinds of experiments on me! finding our weaknesses. we've got to stop them. they're going to kill us all! >> he was right. we've known all along we are not alone. and now there's proof! >> woo! >> this tickles. >> does it tickle? >> it really does. video just released to the public from american fighter pilots. we're going all in. >> very trippy. >> raising a lot of questions. >> and we're learning about a secret pentagon program that spent millions looking into ufo sightings. >> they're out there. >> my gosh. >> reporter: an unidentified flying object. >> look at that thing, dude. >> reporter: spotted by two navy pilots flying high above the clouds. these the department of defense published by the "new york times" and "washington post," part of a once-secret government program to investigate sightings of so-called anomalous aerial vehicles in the skies. it sounds like a plot out of the "x-files." >> the truth is out there. >> reporter: or something the "nen men in black" would zap from your memory. but according to reports in "the new york post" and washington times, the department of defense has spent $22 million since 2007 looking for ufo sightings. former senator harry reid telling the "new york times," i think it's one of the good things i did in my congressional service. i've done something that no one's done before. >> something like this was a pet project by senator reid and some of his colleagues. something they thought needed to be investigated. but the real question was, w it worth $22 million for two or three fascinating videos? >> reporter: and now the pentagon acknowledging the program for the first time, telling abc news they ended the program in 2012 in favor of other higher priority projects that merited funding but that the d.o.d. takes seriously all threats and potential threats to our people, our assets and our mission and takes credible action whenever merited. >> the cost is $22 million to figure it out. >> it was worth every, every penny. for real. sully was wrong all this time. >> i want to see what they look like. they might not be humany. do they have two eyes? >> this is an actual video in the pentagon, by the way, that's what they look like. coming up, prince harry abducts barack obama. >> not exactly and justin bieber shows us his spirit. bieber shows us his spirit. "the skinny" is next. ♪ look at that. despite getting some pretty bad reviews, it was an epic weekend at the box office for "star wars," opening with $220 million in ticket sales. were you laughing at the shade? >> no, i think brian, the producer just said "wrong." bad review "wrong." >> limited to your ear. true. that makes it the second largest opening ever after "star wars" "the force awakens," which had $250 million. there were some bad reviews for it. >> "the last jedi" currently has a score of 93% on rotten tomatoes. >> that means 7% weren't happy. >> we will get into info about some of the potential cameos we've been hearing about. >> we're still not getting any their storied role. but luke skywalker also had another role in the movie. we don't want to give it away, but his name pops up at the end of the film. >> actor jason gordon levitt made an appearance. and we can say with certainty, he did not play yoda. >> he makes such a great yoda on the carpet. >> the late great carrie fisher's dog went to see the movie over the weekend. you know gary is a prolific tweeter. we're told he perked up every time she was on-screen. >> oh. >> very cute. >> very sweet. speaking of the royals, prince harry is used to giving interviews, but now he's turning the tables on former president obama. the two sat down for a chat that's set to air later this month. >> so obama joked with hair rrr asking if he needed to do a british accent. >> you have sound? are we all great? it's fun. i'll interview you, if you want. >> no, let's keep it this way, i'd much prefer that. >> the two became bffs during the recent invictus games. you see them there all chummy. kensington palace is not giving away all the details, but the interview will focus on their shared interests and president obama will share post-presidency info as well. >> very cool seeing them. it's obvious they have a comradery. pete davidson is known for "weekend update." now we're getting an update from pete that has nothing to do with the show. it turns out pete is a fan of hillary clinton. like that big of a fan of hillary clinton. >> that's so crazy. he got her face permanently tattooed on his leg. with this caption, wanted to give hillary clinton a christmas gift. so i got a tattoo of my hero. >> so clinton proved she's got a sense of humor responding, this makes it significantly less awkward that i've had a pete davidson tattoo for years, but seriously, i'm honored. merry christmas my friend. >> he's fra from staten island, not the bluest of boroughs in new york city. justin bieber gave his mercedes benz a very special makeover. >> his g-wagon is covered with pictures of santa, christmas trees, even a polar bear family. >> the whole thing look like one giant present, complete, as you can see, with the bow right there on the hood. >> and you you know we saw him decorating his tree shirtless. so he's >> he was like dancing around. >> yeah. >> very strange but whatever. >> merry christmas. coming up, we have you covered in this weekend's weekend review. coming up, we have you covered in this weekend's weekend review. it's never much, just what's left after i break a dollar. and i never thought i could get quality life insurance with my spare change. neither did i. until i saw a commercial for the colonial penn program. imagine people our age getting life insurance at such an affordable rate. it's true. if you're 50 to 85, you can get guaranteed acceptance life insurance through the colonial penn program for less than 35 cents a day, just $9.95 a month. there's no medical exam and no health questions. you know, the average cost of a funeral is over $8,300. now that's a big burden to leave your loved ones. you cannot be turned down because of your health. your premium never goes up and your benefit never goes down due to age. plus, your coverage builds cash value over time. call now for free information and a free gift. all i did was make a phone call and all of my questions about the colonial penn program were answered. it couldn't have been any easier and we both got the coverage we should have had for years now. mm-hm, with change to spare. 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