Who is filing charges alleging Sexual Assault. Joy villa joins us live with her story this morning. And mr. New years eve is here, Ryan Seacrest live on gma with the big plans for a rockin eve. Mariah careys big center stage comeback. Were live above times square with all the lastminute preparations for that famous crystal ball drop. With the angels i want to wake up with you how nice. Dan and i were just arguing over who sang that song. It is who . Carly rae jepsen. Ding, ding, ding, it wasnt katy perry. I had no idea. I know my divas. He does know his divas and his pop culture. Were gearing up to ring in the new year, i cant believe 2018 is in just a couple of days. I know what ill be doing. Ill be on the couch watching my man Ryan Seacrest. What will you be doing . Ill probably be asleep. I usually go to bed around 10 00. No comment. I value my sleep a lot. Its going to be a fun night. Its going to be a cold night and we also hope it will be a safe night and thats why as ass times square gets ready, security is at an alltime high. Gio benitez got an exclusive birdseye view as the nypd prepares to protect the 1 Million People expected to come out to see the ball drop. That is commitment considering a Million People still showing up despite those frigid temperatures. We are going to begin with that bitter cold marathon freezing the face and rob marciano is high above times square at the new years ball tracking the latest on the bitter arctic blast. Good morning, rob. I have to imagine its really cold from your Vantage Point. It is cold. I mean from your Vantage Point you could probably see my breath. Its 12 degrees right now. Windchill of 2. All i know is that today is colder than yesterday which was colder than the day before that. Its an unnerving trend, thats for sure, and were not alone here in new york city. Look at the map with all the advisories. If its not cold, its snow, nearly from the entire runs the entire length of the Canadian Border and the cold is the biggest story as far as what is dangerous here over the next few days right in through the new year. Deep freeze, a reinforcing surge of cold air and chicago on new years eve, minus 7, 30 below for a windchill, 10 below in detroit. 5 below in new york city, maybe 13 or 15 below in boston and if we hit 11 as the ball drops, that would make it the coldest new years eve in the apple since 1962. This 12foot, 12,000pound crystal ball will be dropping regardless of the weather so you just got to prepare for it. Dan and paula, back to you. Rob, as you know better than anyone, youre not the only one suffering in the cold there. That deep freeze affecting millions across america. Multiple cities registering temperatures at record lows not to mention record snowfall. Alex perez is in buffalo, new york, where it feels like minus 1. Alex, good morning to you. Reporter hey, good morning, dan. And it feels even colder than that here along lake erie with the wind now. Take a look. There is snow and ice building everywhere. It has been a long, relentless week for millions. Overnight, dangerous, slippery roads in over a dozen states sending drivers spinning, their cars careening into ditches. Shes going again. Shes done. Reporter heavy snowfall causing whiteout conditions, 200 million americans now trapped in a deep freeze. The brutal cold already deadly. Two people in chicago killed by hypothermia. Extreme weather is more than an inconvenience, it remains a serious and potentially lifethreatening event. Reporter police crews in that city using fire torches and brute force to deice manhole covers. In the northeast, temperatures are 15 to 30 degrees below normal freezing this fountain in philadelphia. Ice trapping boats in this harbor in maine. Salt water doesnt freeze too easily so you know its cold. Reporter authorities in illinois say the driver of this convertible spun out and collided with this 18wheeler splitting the semi truck in half. And in erie, pennsylvania, plows forging a path through 65 plus inches of snow, and theres no relief in sight. Areas that are already buried in snow now bracing for another foot by the weekend. Paula. Incredible that theres more snow on the way. Alex, thank you. We want to move now to that deadly fouralarm fire claiming at least 12 lives in new york including a 1yearold child. Youre looking live at the scene right now. This was the worst fire the city has seen in 25 years, more than 170 firefighters responding to the blaze in the bronx, and abcs eva pilgrim is at the scene with the latest on the investigation. Good morning to you, eva. Reporter paula, those fire victims forced out into this bitter cold. Many of them rushing out without coats, jackets, gloves. It is freezing out here and firefighters also having to battle this fire in these temperatures. Those firefighters now going through this building doing their search and recovery effort. The firefighters got here in three minutes. But for many of the people inside, that was not fast enough. 170 firefighters rushing to battle the deadliest fire in new york city in more than 25 years. We have a scene here in which 12 people have died, and 4 are fighting for their lives. Reporter cpr performed as victim after victim removed on gurneys. Based on the information we have now, this will rank as one of the worst losses of life to a fire in many, many years. Reporter the blaze began at 6 30 p. M. When thick, black smoke swept through the fivestory building. Inside these apartments an apocalyptic scene. Parents screaming for help. Children crying. So many unable to get out. This is the worst fire tragedy we have seen in this city in at least a quarter century. Reporter the only thing not destroyed, the buildings exterior. At least three dead from the same family. Burned. They were burned. Even little kids on the stretchers burned. It was crazy. Reporter in one apartment a mother found in a bathtub clutching her baby, both deceased. I came out through the window. You came out through the window . Yeah, there was smoke everywhere already. Reporter this resident managed to reach the fire escape leaving his phone and wallet able to grab just a blanket. He was better off than many here who were forced to flee their homes with no coats or shoes, the red cross rushing to provide warmth to the stunned survivors. No word on the cause of the fire. Investigators will be looking at why this fire spread so quickly. One of the things theyll be looking at is the possibility that the fire burned into a natural gas line, fueling the flames. Dan. A lot of questions. Just a horrifying story, eva. Thank you very much. We move on to the tight security in times square where as we mentioned a Million People are expected to ring in the new year. Abcs gio benitez with that birdseye view of how the nypd is preparing for the Biggest Party of the year. Gio, good morning to you. Reporter hey, dan, good morning to you. Listen, times square is empty right now, but its not going to be like this in just a couple of days. I want you to look right now at that high angle camera. More than a Million People are going to be here in this plaza out here in times square and this massive effort is underway to keep this place safe. This morning, abc news getting a firsthand exclusive look at the nypds intense security for new years eve. We met up with the three Police Chiefs heading up efforts in the air, on the ground and underground. Unique attacks like the concert shooting in las vegas and the subway bombing changing how police operate. Each one of them has added a new dimension of preparedness. Reporter for the First Time Police will screen people going into restaurants and hotels in times square. We flew above it with the head of counterterrorists. What are your pilots going to be looking for on new years eve from the air . So theyre going to be able to provide an overwatch for the commanders, the decision makers. Reporter quickly identifying threats. Instead of just counting floors there is a system in place where well be able to identify quickly if were on the 12th floor or 22nd floor of a building. Reporter more than a Million People will come here but police are now closing off a wider perimeter than ever before because here were in times square but this is the destination. People are coming from all over. Right. We actually work with other agencies like amtrak and the Long Island Railroad and we do a lot of coordinated efforts with them, with other stations and other boroughs. Reporter above ground snipers will be stationed on building rooftops. Also keeping a watchful eye, cameras, 10,000 of them. The Police Commissioner giving us a rare look. It will be people from the state police, the fbi, there will be people from amtrak, new jersey transit, from any agency you can think of will be in that Operation Center that night. Reporter and back here live in times square, we should tell you that all bags and umbrellas will be banned on new years eve. If youre coming out here this weekend, just be patient. It will take time getting in. They are really limiting the entrances here. Dan, paula. Be patient and dress warmly. Gio, thank you. Yeah, thanks, gen. We want to move to President Trump on his busy working vacation in florida talking to the New York Times about the russia investigation saying it, quote, makes the country look very bad, and abcs david wright is in West Palm Beach with more on this for us. Good morning to you, david. Reporter good morning, paula. The president is making headlines here with this interview with the New York Times. They caught up with him at the clubhouse for his golf resort here in palm beach and he told them no fewer than 16 times that there was no collusion between his campaign and the russians and about the investigation itself, he said it makes the country look bad, it makes the country look very bad and it puts the country in a very bad position. The administration had hoped all of this would be wrapped up by years end. But as the clock now ticks down to new years eve, that does appear to have been wishful thinking. The president now says he has no idea when it will wrap up but he added ominously he has absolute right to do what he wants to do with the justice department. Now, after months in which the administration seemed to be doing Everything Possible to undermine the investigation, questioning their integrity and calling it a witchhunt some were worried he was looking for a pretext to fire him but he appeared to back away from that saying he thinks mueller is a fair guy that will treat him fairly. Paula. All right, david, thank you so much. Interesting, dan, that interview with the New York Times just casually happened after a round of golf, after he ate lunch. No aides around. Casual interview. Absolutely. And a lot to discuss from that interview, so lets bring in abc news political analyst matthew dowd. Matthew, good morning to you. The president s allies as you know have been railing against mueller, the special counsel, for weeks. Now trump says, however, that he expects to be treated fairly by mueller, so how do you reconcile that . Well, we could probably spend the full two hours of Good Morning America today going through the conflicting statements of donald trump and trying to reconcile them. You cant reconcile it, those two things. I mean, i think its good that the president said that we cant. Im sure democrats like that he said this but i think donald trump defines that he trusts bob mueller in the way that he says as long as he finds me innocent or my family innocent. If bob mueller starts getting close to Jared Kushner or donald junior or the president , i think Donald Trumps tune will vastly change. Another newsmaking comment from this interview, the president conducted the interview with the times just hours after sending out a tweet in which he said the chinese had been caught redhanded shipping oil into north korea. Trump then told the times hed been soft on china on the issue of trade in hopes of getting their cooperation on north korea. Hes now hinting that all may change. Do you think this kind of implicit threat is likely to work with china . Well, it hasnt worked yet, donald trump made a series of threats through the campaign in 2016 and at the beginning of his presidency that what he was going to do to china. The problem is china is in a very powerful position and hold a large part of our debt, the United States debt. So theyre in a position of strength in the middle of this. I dont think the president wants to get in a trade war. I dont think he wants to get in a situation where he pushes back too hard on china, so i dont think those words will change any dynamic of this and its still a position where north korea still has to be solved by a Multinational Group of countries coming together. Such a pressing issue among many. Matthew dowd, we appreciate your analysis as always. Happy new year to you. Back to you, paula. Thanks, dan and thanks, matt. And now to a family suing Alaska Airlines after their wheelchairbound mother tragically fell down an escalator while they say she was supposed to be accompanied by airline personnel. We do want to warn you this video is disturbing. Abcs Clayton Sandell is in denver for us this morning. Good morning to you, clayton. Reporter good morning. Youre right. That video is hard to watch. Bernice kekona was supposed to be taking a flight home. Instead she took a nasty fall. Her family is blaming Alaska Airlines and a contractor but nthis morning the airline is fighting back. This is the shocking moment that bernice kekonas family say that ultimately killed her, the 74yearold in her wheelchair tumbling down an escalator head first. It could be somebody elses grandma, mom, sister that this could happen to which is just neglect. Reporter in this video you can see kekonas wheelchair, it weighs several hundred pounds on top of her. Fellow travelers at the Portland International airport scramble to lift it. A call alerting her family she had been rushed to a hospital. I yelled on the phone at her what the hell is she doing at the bottom of the escalator. Reporter kekona was flying from maui to spokane last june connecting through portland. Her family said Alaska Airlines was required by law to escort kekona to her next flight, but they claim huntleigh, usa, a Company Alaska contracts with to provide gatetogate Service Abandoned her. After being seated in her wheelchair, they walked away and bernice became confused and she pulls up to the escalator thinking shes getting on the elevator at that point. Reporter kekonas family says the fall left her bedridden in constant pain for the next three months. She died in september. They are now suing huntleigh, usa and Alaska Airlines. Its not going to bring her back obviously but someone needs to own up. Someone needs to take responsibility. Reporter alaska says were heartbroken by this tragic and disturbing incident saying it appears that ms. Kekona declined ongoing assistance in the terminal and decided to proceed on her own to her connecting flight and that when her family booked the reservation, they did not check boxes indicating she had any impairments like trouble seeing or hearing. I just hope that, you know, we get justice for my grandma. Reporter as for that contractor, huntleigh, usa, the ceo told me overnight they are investigating the facts of the case along with their lawyers. Dan, paula. That video is tough. Clayton sandell, thank you very much. We want to move now to that surprising apology from apple after multiple lawsuits were filed. The tech giant admitting to secretly slowing down older model iphones, and abcs Senior National correspondent matt gutman is in los angeles with more on what apple is calling, a, quote, misunderstanding. Good morning to you, matt. Reporter good morning. Turns out consumers werent just imagining things. Some of their iphones really were slowing down. Apple apologizing to its consumers over that sluggish iphone function claiming its deliberate slowdown of older model iphones was meant only to preserve them writing first and foremost we have never and would never do anything to intentionally shorten the life of any apple product or degrade the User Experience to drive customer upgrades. The company says about a year ago it quietly installed software through updates that would intentionally slow functionality of some phones during peak workloads meaning when you use your phone most. The problem is they didnt clearly tell that to consumers. Paula. So apple is facing possible class action lawsuits but theyre trying to make things up to their customers. How so . Reporter thats right. Next week apple said theyll start slashing the prices of replacement batteries from 79 to 29 bucks. The company says its also planning to roll out a Software Update that will show consumers when their batteries are on their last legs. Often thats all that needs to be replaced in an older phone to make it work better. Not sure if that will be enough for some consumers. Matt gutman, thank you. I think a lot of people had that issue and theyre probably wondering or now realizing thats what was going on with it. To go from 40 to nothing just like that. Lets go back to rob who is at the times square ball freezing. Hey there, rob. Poor rob. Poor rob. You know, you just gotta i like to smile through all of this, but im not going to lie. It can be painful if youre out here for too long. Layer up and do what you can. We do have a little bit of snow on the way for a pretty good swath of the country. Chicago getting a little bit, pittsburgh, cincinnati. Not more than one to three inches but some a