Today is Monday, December 29th. We'll tell you how winter weather is putting millions of Americans on alert,

including those trying to get home after the holidays. And why President Trump says peace in Ukraine

could be closer than ever. Also, we're explaining a new FBI investigation into what could be a

massive fraud scheme in Minnesota. Plus, how are stores changing the rules for gift returns?

How common is AI slop, really?

And why is the Times Square ball dropping twice this New Year's Eve?

Those stories and even more news to know coming up.

Welcome to The Newsworthy.

All the day's news in less than 15 minutes.

I'm Erica Mandy.

Thanks so much for being here.

Let's do this.

Weather alerts now cover two-thirds of the country, putting millions of Americans in the path of serious winter storms.

As of this morning, the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes are getting the brunt of it,

with heavy snow and strong winds

creating whiteout conditions. Parts of the region could see up to two feet of snow. The northeast

is also getting freezing rain and ice could build up in parts of New England and New York State.

At the same time, strong thunderstorms are in the forecast for the south. Of course, all of this

is happening as people across the U.S. are returning home from a long

holiday weekend. Reports of crashes have been piling up on highways and interstates, and thousands of

flights have been delayed or canceled so far. Even where the skies are clear, abrupt shifts are happening.

For example, in Dallas, Texas, temperatures were in the 80s yesterday, but today, highs are forecast to be in the 40s.

...