captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. >> right now on america this morning, sounding the alarm, the warning from the director of the fbi about the terrorism threat level right now in the us as the war in the middle east rages and the new report describing the most intense fighting yet amid rising tensions over the future

of nearly 140 hostages, including americans. the historic flood threat in the pacific northwest. >> rivers rising neighborhoods left inundated. amtrak canceling service. the coast guard helping rescue people trapped. the biggest concern this morning, candy, and comments president biden raising eyebrows after saying he's not sure he'd be running for reelectionidentrump. >> how he's trying to clarify that remark. and a preview of tonight's gop debate. can anyone catch trump? >> new scenes of desperation along the us southern border. the new tent cities popping up. and why the border crisis could be taking a turn for the worse. >> a game changer in college sports. the new proposal to pay student athletes. >> three brothers playing in one game. the historic family affair in the nhl. >> and later, always looking on the bright side, the new study on the downside of being optimistic.

>> from abc news in new york this is america this morning. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> i'm andrea from ge in for rhiannon. we begin with a new warning from the director of the fbi about the risk for terrorism. here at home as the war in the middle east rages on, some of the fighting in gaza is now being described as the most intense yet. >> the state department says up to 1000 americans and their family members are now trying to flee the bombing. abc's liz landers is here with details. beginning with the fbi director's new warning. liz, good morning. >> good morning, andrew. the fbi director said the terror threat level right now is the worst since the days before nine over 11. a sharp warning from fbi director christopher wray to congress about the current threat environment in the us as the war between israel and hamas escalates. >> all the lights were blinking red before 911. apparently obviously all of us missed it. would you say that there's

multiple blinks and red lights out there? >> i see blinking lights everywhere. i turn. the threat level has gone to a whole nother level since october 7th. >> wray made the comment as he urged congress to renew a surveillance program that allows the government to keep tabs on foreign nationals outside the country without a warrant. >> the expiration of our 702 authorities would be devastating to the fbi's ability to protect eight americans from those threats. >> in the meantime, israel says yesterday was the most intense day of fighting since the war started, with ground forces targeting a city in southern gaza where many palestinian civilians previously fled for safety. >> i'm reminding you that it's not us that chose the battlefield. hamas chose the battlefield by digging its infrastructure underneath civilians. some 138 hostages are still being held by hamas in gaza. >> families of the hostages reportedly lashed out at israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu during a meeting yesterday as civilian casualties

mount, so too, do concerns about anti-semitism around the globe, including on college campuses in the us. the presidents of three top universities were grilled on capitol hill, accused of not doing enough to crack down on hate. >> does calling for the genocide of jews violate harvard's rules of bullying and harassment? yes or no? >> so it can be, depending on the context, what's the context targeted as an individual targeted at an individual? >> it's targeted at jewish students. jewish individuals. do you understand your testimony is dehumanizing them? >> congresswoman elise stefanik, a harvard grad, called the school president's response deafening. >> i asked a very specific question just calling for the genocide of jews violate their schools, bullying and harassment policies. not a single university president could say yes. the universities say they've boosted security and have spoken out against anti-semitism, while also trying to balance the right to free

speech. >> andrea. >> liz, thank you. breaking news from texas. police are investigating a series of shootings that left four people dead. authorities arrested a man after he allegedly went on a crime spree in austin. two people were found dead in a home hours after two others were found shot and killed. two police officers were also injured. they're expected to be okay. there's no word on a motive. police are also investigating a possible link to a double homicide near san antonio. >> new images of extreme flooding in the pacific northwest. the coast guard rescued five people from this neighborhood, this flooded neighborhood in southwest washington state. days of heavy rain have cut off some communities near seattle. and one weather related death has been reported in portland, oregon. some rivers still rising above record flood stage and expected to crest today. a landslide forced amtrak to cancel trains between seattle and portland. and the biggest concern, more rain is expected in the coming days. we'll have your forecast in just a few minutes. >> now to president biden's

canned new remark on why he's running for reelection, saying he's not sure he'd be running a former president trump wasn't also in the race, but now biden is trying to clarify his comment after arriving back at the white house last night, president biden expanded on his remark that his reelection campaign was prompted by former president trump's decision to run again. would you be running for president if trump wasn't running? >> i expect so. >> but look, he is running and i just i have to run. if you drop out, his country's out. >> no, not now. >> earlier, biden made headlines at a closed door fundraiser when he said, quote, if trump wasn't running, i'm not sure i'd be running. the statement came as he portrayed trump as a threat to democracy. >> this might be the biggest insight we've seen yet into why joe biden is running again. >> trump appeared on fox news last night, where he was asked whether, if elected, he would retaliate against his political opponents. >> you would never abuse power for as retribution against

anybody except for day one. we're closing the border and we're drilling, drilling, drilling. after that, i'm not a dictator. okay. >> meanwhile, new details in the election interference case against trump involving his alleged role in the january 6th riot. in a new court filing, special counsel jack smith outlined more evidence he plans to introduce at trial, claiming trump encouraged violence after his election loss in 2020 and saying trump sent supporters, including groups like the proud boys, to the capitol to achieve the criminal objective of obstructing the congressional certification. one trump has pleaded not guilty. tonight, he'll attend a fundraiser as his primary challengers lagging far behind trump in the polls face off in their fourth debate with nikki haley getting some momentum, ron desantis trying to revive his campaign. >> chris christie trying to show that he deserves to be out there. it's getting to be crunch time for these republican candidates. but we do know that nobody has ever had this big a lead, either nationally or in the early voting states and then gone on not to win the nomination. so someone's going

to have to break some historical trends if they're going to make it interesting. >> and overnight, we learned nikki haley's campaign director in new hampshire has parted ways with the campaign and one other note from the presidential race, former congresswoman liz cheney, a fierce critic of trump, now says she's considering a third party run. police in virginia say the suspect presumed dead after a home explosion, had a history of mental health concerns. >> video shows the massive explosion in arlington county police were trying to serve a warrant at the home. they say the suspect, james, you was shooting flares and a firearm. he apparently embraced various conspiracy theories as well. >> the former alaska airlines pilot accused of trying to crash a plane mid-flight is no longer charged with attempted murder. prosecutors say joseph emmerson tried to cut the engines on a flight to san francisco, allegedly telling police he had taken mushrooms and suffered mental health issues he's now been indicted on in endangerment charges. meanwhile the faa is establishing a committee to focus on mental health issues. >> the holiday season has brought with it more respiratory

illnesses, rsv infection, which can hit children and older people pretty hard, have been peaking since thanksgiving thanks to larger family gatherings. the covid flu and rsv have led to more hospitalizations from california to the deep south, straining resources as doctors suggest limiting risk factors such as close contact during holiday events. >> time now for your wednesday weather. the rain coast moves into northern california today, but there's another big storm heading into the flooded northwest tomorrow and another one after that on saturday. say looking at the radar, there's light snow in parts of the midwest today, but larger accumulations in the mountains from pennsylvania to west virginia with several inches expected in the higher elevations. checking today's high temperatures, parts of the rockies will be up to 25 degrees above normal. but chilly from the great lakes into the northeast. 83 in honolulu.

coming up, we hear from a witness after an american tourist is killed by a shark in the bahamas. >> also ahead, new desperation on the us southern border. the troubling scene at this migrant camp. why the border crisis could be getting worse. >> and later, three brothers playing in one game. the historic family affair in pro

powerful must see interview gma live this morning in new details about the shark attack in the bahamas that left a tourist from massachusetts dead. >> authorities have identified the victim as lauren erickson van wert. a witness says van wert was laughing with her husband shortly before the couple went paddleboarding about 30. after about 30 minutes, the witness heard van wert's husband shouting. a boat came to help, but she died on the beach. she's the second person recently

killed by a shark in the bahamas. >> we turn now to the southern border. our team finding more desperate scenes amid a new surge in migrant crossings overwhelming border authorities. a policy change in mexico now threatens to make matters even worse. abc's lionel moise explains. >> this morning, new concerns on the southern border as more migrants risk their lives to enter the us. a in texas, this near drowning in the rio grande. a border agent helping save the guatemalan national struggling in the water in california, tent cities are popping up in the small town of jacumba hot springs. migrants are climbing through a small opening where the border wall ends. arriving at this camp with no shelter, beds or food, some using wood and trash to make shelters. hundreds sharing just two portable toilets. >> this is ridiculous that we are doing this for the for the government, the community helping to provide essentials. >> doctor was also volunteering a lot of people are with a lot

of respiratory problems. >> some of them have more closely after jumping. you know, they have sprains, pain in the legs. so treating those conditions and now a policy change in mexico threatens to escalate this crisis. >> the mexican government citing budget issues, has suspended migrant deportations and transfers, meaning it will no longer move migrants south from the country's northern border with the us prompting more migrants to take their chances at crossing. the issue is now taking center stage in washington as congress considers more funding for the war in ukraine. republicans are refusing to approve more aid for ukraine unless changes are made at the border. >> we have to affect real policy change at the border and that is a necessary condition to anything we do going forward. >> republicans call it a national security issue, voicing concern not just about migrants from latin america, but also from other countries, including china. a closed door briefing among senators yesterday erupting in chaos with reports

of screaming it was a very tense meeting. >> it was a very tense meeting. chuck schumer tried to shut down anybody who raised the border issue. >> one of them started was disrespectful and started screaming at the one of the generals and challenging him to why he didn't go to the border. >> the white house argues not funding ukraine will only help vladimir putin. as for the border crisis here at home, more than 8000 migrants were apprehended monday alone. border authorities say they are overwhelmed and drew. >> andrea, lionel, thank you. the los angeles city council has d of banning rodeos, citing concerns about animal cruelty. but they're looking to carve out some exceptions aimed at protecting cultural traditions. while making sure animals are not harmed. >> coming up, the growing scam involving used cars. >> also ahead, a game changer in college sports. the new proposal college sports. the new proposal to pay student athletes you really think you can get me to like dark chocolate? without a doubt. won't it taste bitter?

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with easy, more affordable ways to ship. so you can deliver even more holiday joy. the united states postal service. delivering for america. steamer. >> we're back with a new reason for car buyers to beware. a growing number of scammers are rolling back the mileage on used vehicles. odometer theft is on the rise now, affecting more than 2 million cars as it only takes a few minutes to manipulate a digital odometer. and then trick a buyer into thinking they're getting a great deal with low mileage. >> i was heartbroken a little bit, yes. because, you know, thought maybe i was getting a really good car at 66,000 miles. well that car actually had

185,000 miles on it. >> we'll tell you how to spot a odometer fraud before you buy the car later on. good morning, america. >> we turn now to a groundbreaking new proposal that could forever change college sports, injecting more money into the competition and more money for the student athletes. this morning, the ncaa is out with a game changing proposal that would allow certain schools to pay college athletes for the first time. in a letter to division one schools, ncaa president charlie baker proposes creating a new subdivision that would allow participating programs to offer compensation to athletes. >> yes, this has been a long time coming. there has been a crescendo over the last, say, several years and certainly over the last decade where it became something where people were calling everywhere from all corners of the sports world. you've got to give athletes some of the money. >> under the proposal, schools would now be allowed to enter lucrative name, image and likeness. deals with athletes. they'd also be required to invest a minimum of $30,000 per athlete each year into a trust

fund for at least half their athletes. that investment would have to adhere to title nine, meaning equal distribution for men and women. >> that is a, i think, a very strong statement about the value of women athletes and women's sports that will trickle down all the way from the colleges, all the way to that five year old girl starting to play soccer or that 12 year old girl playing volleyball or that 15 year old girl playing basketball, all that. they will understand that there is value in what they're doing. the idea already catching on. >> a top official at ohio state university saying he's 100% supportive. what remains to be seen is the potential impact the proposal would have on smaller schools that may not have the financial capacity to participate for the next few weeks and months, every university will go back. >> their president, their athletic director, and they'll start to evaluate what they can and cannot do. not only what they have financially, but also what ethically they want to do. >> the ncaa president has not elaborated on a timeframe for moving forward with this proposal in the end, ncaa schools would have to approve

any changes. >> coming up, glass half empty or half full. the new study on the downside of being optimist stick. >> plus, the unusual police >> plus, the unusual police chase a hog on the lam [coughing] copd isn't pretty. i'm out of breath, and often out of the picture. but this is my story. ( ♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur.

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>> damian green was running for city council in rainier. he said he did not vote for himself. he abstained because he says he's not good at tooting his own horn. well that decision cost him the election. he lost by one vote. oh damian, swing vote. oh next to a family reunion on the ice. more like a reunion. >> three brothers played in one hockey game in the nhl last night. jack and luke hughes play for the new jersey devils while their brother quinn plays for the vancouver canucks. altogether, they had two goals and four assists. jack and luke getting the bragging rights. >> for me, it's just seeing them off ice. haven't seen him for a couple of months and you know, just the five of us, our whole family's been here for two days, going to dinner and hanging out. it's been great for our family and, you know, it's nice we got the win, too, you know, believe it or not, it was the ninth time in nhl history that three brothers played in the same game. >> hockey's most famous siblings were the sutters who had six brothers in the nhl. >> happy parents. >> now to a dirty problem for

some police officers in new jersey. >> they had some trouble recapturing a pig that was on the loose. it took several attempts to finally get it under control. maybe the best part. the pigs name. get this album einstein. >> he's a smart one on the lam. finally a record setting attempt at a bar in wisconsin. >> it involved a flight of cocktails 24ft long. the flight included more than 100 old fashioneds. the video was sent to guinness for consideration. >> guinness? the world records guinness, not the alcohol. right guinness, not the alcohol. right check your top headlines next this isn't charmin! no wonder i don't feel as clean. hurry up dad! i'm trying! this cheap stuff is too thin! here's charmin ultra strong! ahhh! my bottom's been saved! woohoo! with its diamond weave texture, charmin ultra strong cleans better with fewer sheets and less effort. what's everybody waiting for? this? we all go, why not enjoy the go with charmin. and for a shower-fresh clean feeling try charmin flushable wipes!

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the most prescribed biologic for asthma. i'd like to briefly discuss this council from making pronouncements on foreign policy . >> now, with five people across the bay area urging some local governments to pass resolutions calling for a ceasefire in gaza. >> i've never seen a time where all the threats were. so many of the threats are all elevated, all at exactly the same time. the war in the middle east now leading to an elevated terror alert here in the us. >> the