Their homes into the freezing streets. The latest on the investigation this morning. Trumps former Campaign Manager under fire, the singer 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 the lastminute preparations for that famous crystal ball drop. How nice. We were arguing over who sang that. Carly rae jepsen. Ding, ding, ding, it wasnt katy perry. I know my deif sdras. And pop culture. We were gearing up to ring in the new year, i can is in just a couple of days. Ill be on the couch. Ill probably be asleep. I usually go to bed around 10 00. I value my sleep a lot. A fun night, cold night and hope it will be a safe night and that is why as 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 consider 1 million still showing up despite frigid temperatures. 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. I have to imagine its really cold from your van trump junior point. It is cold. I mean from your Vantage Point you could probably see my breath. Its 12 degrees right now. Windchill of 2. Today is colder tn colder than the day before that. Unnerving trend for sure and were not alone in new york city. Look at the map with all the advisories, if its not cold, snow, nearly from the entire runs the entire length of the Canadian Border and the cold is the biggest story as far is what is going to be dangerous. Right in through the new year. Deep freeze, reinforcing surge of cold air and chicago, minus 7, 30 below for a windchill, 10 below in detroit. 5 below in new york city, 13 or 15 below in boston and if we hit 11, that will make it the co coldest new years eve here since 1962. This crystal ball will be dropping regardless of the weather so just got to prepare for it. 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 1. Alex, good morning to you. Reporter hey, good morning, dan. Here along lake erie it feels colder. Take a look. The ice, the snow building up everywhere. It has been a long, relentless week for millions. Overnight, dangerous, slippery roads 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 using fire torches and brute force to open up manhole covers. Freezing this fountain in 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 no relief in sight. A lot of these areas that are already buried in snow, theyre bracing for another foot this weekend. Paula. Incredible theres more snow on the way. Alex, thank you. We move to that deadly fouralarm fire claiming at least 12 lives in new york including a 1yearold child. Youre looking live at the scene. 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 good morning, paula. Those fire victims forced out many of them without coats, without shoes, firefighters fighting this fire this morning. They are going through the building now doing their search and recovery process. Those firefighters got here in three minutes. But for many 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 four 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 buildingment inside these apartments an apocalyptic scene. Parents screaming for help. Children crying. So many unable to get out. This is the 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. 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. 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 a blanket. He was better off than many here who were forced to flee their homes with no coat organization shoes and the red cross rushing to provide warmth to the stunned survivors. No word this morning on the cause of this fire. One of the things investigators will be looking at is why this fire grew so quickly. They possibility that the fire burned into a natural gas line fueling these 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 good morning to you. Times square is empty right now but its not going to be like this in just a couple of days. A look right now at that high angle camera. More than a Million People are going to be here out here in this plaza out here in times square and this massive effort is under way 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. Uniquett 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 piloting going to be looking for . Theyll be able to provide an overwatch for the commanders, decision makers. Reporter quickly identifying threats. Instead of just counting floors there is a system in place to identify where were on the 22nd floor of the 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. Other stations and other snipers will be stationed on building rooftops keeping a watchful eye also, cameras, 10,000 of them. The Police Commissioner giving us a rare look. From the 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 all bags and umbrellas will be banned on new years eve. Coming out, just be patient. Itll take time getting in. They are really limiting the entrances here, dan, paula. Be patient and dress warmly. Gio, thank you. 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 bad and david wright has more for us. Good morning to you, david. Reporter good morning, paula. The president is making headlines here with this impromptu interview with the New York Times. They caught up with him at the 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 on the investigation itself he said, quote, it makes the country look bad, it makes the country look very bad and it puts the country in a very bad position. Now, the president has been for the past few months now seeming to undermine the special counsel questioning the integrity of fbi investigators and some were worried that he might be looking for a pretext to fire bob mueller. That appears to be not the case now. The president says that he thinks that bob mueller is a fair guy who will treat him fairly and on the fbi itself, the president said that he is that they had always hoped this would be wrapped up by years end but as the clock ticks closer to new years, the president says he has no 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. A lot to discuss from that interview so lets bring in 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 think its good the president said that we can trust what bob mueller is doing. 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 innant or my family innocent. If he starts getting close to Jared Kushner or tune will vastly change. Another newsmaking comment from the interview, the president conducted the interview 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 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. I dont think those words will change any dynamic of this and still a position where north korea still has to be countries coming together. Such a pressing issue among many. We appreciate your analysis. Happy new year to you. 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 want to warn you this is disturning. Clayton sandell is there. Good morning, clayton. Reporter good morning. Youre right. That is hard to watch. Bernice kekona was supposed to be taking a flight home. Up stead she took a nasty fall. Her family blaming Alaska Airlines and a contractor and this morning the airline is fighting back. This is the shocking moment they say that ultimately killed her tumbling down an escalator head first. It could be somebody elses grandma, mom, sister that this could happen to who neglected. 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 connecting through portland and Alaska Airlines was required by law to escort kekona to her next flight but they claim huntleigh, usa, the contract they contract abandoned her. After being seated in her wheelchair, they walked away and bernice became confused and pulls up to the escalator thinks shes getting on the elevator. Reporter 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 but someone needs to own up reporter alaska says were heartbroken by this tragic and disturbing incident saying it appears ms. Kekona declined ongoing continues in the terminal and decided to proceed on her own to her connecting flight and 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 to that surprising apology from apple after multiple lawsuits were filed. The tech giant admitting to secretly slowing down older model iphones and 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 some of their iphones really were slowing down. Apple apologizing to its consumers over that sluggish iphone function claiming its deliberate slowdown of older models was meant to preserve them writing we 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. So apple is facing possible class action lawsuits trying to make things up to their customers. How so . Reporter they say next week they will start slashing the price of replacement batteries from 79 to 29 bucks and planning to roll out a Software Update that show consumers when their batteries are on their last legs, often tha phone to make it work better. Not sure if that will be enough for some consumers. A lot had that issue and wondering or now realizing thats what was going on with it. 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. You just got to i like to smile through all of this but it can be painful if youre out here too long. Layer up and do what you can. A little snow on the way for a pretty good swath of the country. Chicago getting a little. Pittsburgh, cincinnati. Not more than one to three inches but some areas may get three or four. Cold. Highs 3237 winds variable 5 mph tonight cloudy and cold. Light snow possible. Lows 2027 winds nw 5 mph saturday cloudy and cold. Morning snow. Less than 1. Icy roads possible. Highs 3239 winds se to w 5 mph the cold remains the big weather story. Temperatures will continue running 1020 degrees below average through the extended period. Highs today will climb above freezing for the First Time Since wednesday afternoon. Well reach the mid 30s this afternoon. Clouds will increase this evening, as a clipper approaches from the northwest. Light snow is possible late tonight into tomorrow morning. Accumulations will be less than an inch, but with road temperatures below freezing, the roads could be icy, so use caution. The best chance for accumulating snow will be north all right, thanks, rob. Coming up, freezing temperatures sending drivers into a panic. The important tips you need to know before you get into your car. Thats coming up. Who wants a taco . I want one me how do yall feel about the new Weight WatchersFreestyle Program . I love freestyle. You can have anything you want. Its real food. Its so much easier going out to eat now. 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