making news in america this morning, a long day ends with a tense exchange. why the judge in the george zimmerman trial walked out of the courtroom. miraculous survival. new details this morning in san francisco, on the plane crash. and how two flight attendants were thrown from the plane. and alligator attack. a teen finds himself in the jaws of the beast. >> there's stitches here. >> showing off his injuries and telling how he fought off the gator. plus, cable for canines. the new channel being unleashed for man's best friend.

good wednesday morning, everyone. today, a critical day in the george zimmerman trial, as the defense wraps this case up before the jury. >> tensions ran high in the courtroom late into the night, ending only when the judge walked out. abc's preeti arla has more on the angry words exchanged. >> reporter: a tense day in the courtroom, during the george zimmerman trial. a day that lasted well into the night and had plenty of fireworks. >> were you -- it's 10:00 at night. we started this morning. we've had full days every day. >> reporter: the hearing held without the jury present lasted so long, the lights went out at one point. the day ending with the judge walking out of the courtroom after 13 hours. defense attorney don west shouted, saying the state could tell evidence. >> i would offer him the opportunity to apologize to me. >> reporter: another combative exchange between west and the judge over the admissibility of text messages trayvon martin sent friends, talking about fighting. the state says they have nothing

to do with the case. the defense called it compelling evidence, as they try to prove zimmerman shot trayvon martin in self-defense. the defense wants to use an animation of the night trayvon martin died. it was created using zimmerman's account of what happened as long as witness statements. >> they use it for the movies. this is a murder trial. >> reporter: one legal analyst says the trial seems ready to wrap up. >> they want to be out of here. >> reporter: zimmerman's defense team says they plan on resting their case at some point today. preeti arla, abc news, washington. also this morning, we're learning new details about what the pilots of asiana flight 214 realized a few seconds before impact. >> brandi hitt joins us live from san francisco with the latest on that doomed landing. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, john and diana. we learned during the violent crash, two of the flight attendants were actually thrown from the plane. and the pilot interviews are revealing a lot more about what went wrong.

seconds before asiana flight 214 crashed, the ntsb says one of the pilots thought the au autothrottles were on. but then realized the plane was coming in too low. >> he recognized that the autothrottles were not maintaining speed. and he established a go around attitude. >> reporter: that's when the tail slammed seawall and the plane spun out of control, a full 360 degrees. >> two of the flight attendants in the rear of the aircraft were ejected from the aircraft during the impact sequence. >> reporter: both miraculously survived. but the violent crash whipped passengers back and forth, causing several serious spinal and internal injuries. survivors say they were lucky to escape. >> oh, my god. maybe we're going to die right now. it felt like maybe it would roll. >> reporter: swarmed by reporters, the ceo of asiana wouldn't answer questions about his crew or the investigation.

the pilot training on this flight, lee gang guk, was experiencing his first landing on a boeing 777. the pilot training him, had 3,000 hours logged on the aircraft. >> this was the first time that he and the flying pilot that he was instructing, had flown together. >> reporter: we learned none of the crew was tested for alcohol or drugs. the ntsb says that kind of testing is up to the foreign country where the carrier is based, john and diana? >> now, brandi, even though the crash happened on u.s. soil, the u.s. can't test drugs or alcohol on the pilots? >> reporter: no, diana. this was a u.s. carrier, it would happen in a heartbeat. we've seen that happen with other crashes. they've gone through that kind of testing. but the u.s., they have no oversight when it comes to foreign carriers. and it's up to the foreign countries to actually oversee the pilots, their unions and the licensing they go through. so, that testing will never be

done. >> brandi hitt in san francisco. thank you. for the first time, the boston marathon bombing suspect will come face-to-face with survivors of the blast and family members of those killed. security will be extremely tight this morning as dzhokhar tsaranev appears in court to hear the charges against him. the mother of two men who were severely injured says she wants to stare down what she calls the face of evil. texas is one step closer to enacting strict, new limits on abortions. the texas house takes a vote on the issue later today. the measure will then go to the senate, where the republican majority is expected to approve the bill. the last attempt to get that bill through was derailed because of a filibuster by democrat wendy davis. is a return to politics in sarah palin's future? the former candidate and governor of alaska says she may run for u.s. senate next year. palin says she'll wait to see who else is running before making up her mind. the candidate palin endorsed in 2010, joe miller, said he will run again next year.

investigators looking into the fiery train disaster in canada are now considering criminal negligence as a possible cause. and they're trying to determine if the brakes were tampered with before that unmanned freight train broke loose, sped down the hill and burst into flames. two victims were burned beyond recognition. that brings the death toll to 15. 35 others still unaccounted for. thousands of firefighters around the country joined the people of prescott, arizona, to say farewell for the 19 hot shots that were killed during fighting the spire. the lone survivor of that fire, recited the hot shots prayer. >> i should answer death's call. to bless my hot shot crew, my family, one and all. thank you. and i miss my brothers. >> vice president biden also spoke at the service, repeating an old saying. all men are created equal.

and then a few became firefighters. the caribbean is bracing for the arrival of chantal, which is threatening to become a full-blown hurricane. >> the storm packing 60-mile-per-hour winds as it churns over the waters south of puerto rico. it's headed towards haiti and the dominican republic and could be there this afternoon. the next stop would be the bahamas sometime tomorrow. in the u.s., there's lots of wet weather on the east coast and west of oklahoma. and from the southwest, north to montana. you can expect hot and humid conditions with varying degrees of thunderstorms and rain showers along with some flooding. >> temperatures are mostly in the high 80s and 90s. but stiflely triple-digits around phoenix and dallas. the cool spots, the northwest along the california coast. a new list of the most stolen vehicles is out, with something different topping the list this time. and the teenager finding himself in the jaws of a huge alligator. we're going to explain how he fought the reptile off. forget calling the cops. calling your mom. a burglary victim takes a

different approach to fighting crime, after discovering a teenager had broken into her car. we have that story coming up.

welcome back. stocks are on another roll. today, the dow will attempt a fifth-straight day of gains. it closed 75 points higher yesterday, just 109 points from the all-time high it hit in may. the nasdaq and s&p are also closing in on record highs. all of this is due to a positive start to earning season. and the hiring season for teens this summer got off to its best start in seven years. that was in may. since then, employers have dialed it back just a bit, hiring 2% fewer teens than last

year around this time. irs employees got more bad news yesterday. they likely won't be getting bonuses this year. $70 million in bonuses was going to be awarded in september. the new irs chief said his plan to end bonuses is a cost-cutting move and not punishment for singling out conservative groups. auto thieves have a new favorite. the fort f-250 pickup. the heavy-duty truck is the most stolen vehicle, replacing the escalade, which held that spot for six years. and the dog days of summer will have an entire new meaning this year. dog tv, the first network just for dogs, launches in the u.s. on directv august 1st. the programming has sound and movement that keeps the dogs' attention. and is color corrected to suit the dogs' eyesight. the cost for fido watch tv, just $4.99 a month. >> i really would like to see some dogs are watching that and see if they're extra into it because they're dogs. what's a human doing in there? >> $4.99 a month. for your dog to have some tv. >> still think he would like to

play frisbee in the backyard better than that. >> yeah. tv, we don't know if he'll enjoy it, right? it's not been tested. we don't know. >> we'll get to the bottom of that. there's another potential disaster to talk about. this is in the gulf of mexico. what's leaking now. and we'll tell you about the efforts to stop it. and the prank that has millions talking. the elaborate practical joke by a man that terrified his girlfriend. i told him, sure. can't hurt, right? and now today, i see this in the news. once again, centrum silver was chosen by researchers for another landmark study. this time looking at eye health. my doctor! he knows his stuff. [ male announcer ] centrum. the most studied. the most recommended. and the most preferred multivitamin brand. the choice is clear. and the most preferred multivitamin brand. new almay cc cream is kind of a it covers, corrects, clarifies. it's makeup and skin care in one.

it's my look good while doing good for my skin make-up. i save time, money,st, and i avoid frustration. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare, written by people just like you. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. i took my son fishing every year. we had a great spot, not easy to find, but worth it. but with copd making it hard to breathe, i thought those days might be over. so my doctor prescribed symbicort. it helps significantly improve my lung function starting within five minutes. symbicort doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. with symbicort, today i'm breathing better. and that means...fish on! symbicort is for copd including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition

or high blood pressure before taking it. with copd, i thought i'd miss our family tradition. now symbicort significantly improves my lung function, starting within 5 minutes. and that makes a difference in my breathing. today, we're ready for whatever swims our way. ask your doctor about symbicort. i got my first prescription free. call or click to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. your morning road conditions, now very messy if you're anywhere in the eastern third of the country. or from montana to arizona, be on the lookout for wet roads and possible flooding. >> if you're flying, airport delays possible in miami, memphis, denver, detroit and atlanta. back to the news, now. new details in the murder case against former new england patriots player, aaron hernandez. >> for the first time, hernandez has been linked directly to the murder. sean kelley has the latest from our station in boston. >> reporter: former new england patriot aaron hernandez, admitted to shooting semi-pro football player odin lloyd,

according to court documents. a florida search warrant reveals at least one of the men with hernandez the night of the murder cooperated with police. massachusetts detectives say carlos ortiz told them hernandez, lloyd and a third suspect, ernest wallace, stopped their rental car in a north attleboro industrial park to urinate. ortiz says he stayed in the car. heard gunshots. then, the car sped off without lloyd. his body was found in the same place, shot five times. ortiz also told detectives, wallace later said hernandez admitted to pulling the trigger. the disgraced nfl star is the only person charged with murder. wallace is currently charged as an accessory. the revelation of a key witness statement comes as prosecutors release details they say link hernandez to an execution-style killing. defense attorneys call it circumstantial. but detectives have surveillance images of hernandez walking with a handgun at his house the night of the murder and video from multiple surveillance cameras of hernandez driving the nissan

ultima, that left tire tracks at the crime scene. the first night of the investigation, state troopers say hernandez became argumentative. asked, what's with all of the questions and slammed the door in their faces. when detectives told him they were investigating a death, hernandez never bothered to ask whose? during a taped interview, the suspect ortiz told them he believed hernandez was mad at lloyd because of the people he was hanging around at a club. he also thought those problems had been put to rest with a simple handshake a short time before lloyd was killed. in north attleboro, massachusetts, i'm sean kelly, for abc news. happening now in the gulf of mexico, crews are rushing to plug a natural gas leak by later today. the leak is from an old nonproducing well at an oil and gas platform about 75 miles off of the louisiana coast. a spokesman for the company says all of the gas and oil is expected to evaporate. also right now, thousands of california prisoners are on a hunger strike to protest against

the isolation units at pelican bay state prison, where inmates are sometimes held for decades. the protest began when talks aimed at getting prison officials to ease up a little broke down. a lawsuit filed in federal court by ten pelican bay inmates claiming that living conditions are cruel and unusual, is still pending. a florida teenager had an all-too close encounter with an alligator and lived to tell about it. 17-year-old andrew hudson, was hanging out at a swimming hole near orlando. he thought he kicked a log. it was no log. before he knew it, an alligator was chomping down on his head. hudson put up a big fight. >> he came up behind me and clamped. when he took me under, i felt him kind of, like, right here, like the soft part of his belly. and i started swinging. and then, he let go. >> as you see, hudson's doing fine, despite a head full of stitches and staples. a trapper believes he actually did catch the culprit. this was a 12-foot alligator caught last night near the scene of that attack. a seattle crime victim managed to solve her own case

and made sure the perp paid perhaps an even bigger price than he would have in the hands of law enforcement. it started when eliza webb noticed items were missing from inside of her car. she noticed an unfamiliar cell phone that had been left behind, one she figured out belonged to the thief, instead of calling police, she called his mom. >> i said, this is very uncomfortable phone call to make. i have your son's phone. and i'm missing some things out of my car. and i think they might be two related items. and she was devastated. >> so, the busted 19-year-old admitted that he and his friends got drunk and went on a stealing spree. but then, proposed they go door-to-door, apologize and return what they had stolen. humiliating, but that's what they did. hopefully, this is a lesson learned and they don't do it again. >> very well-handled. time, now, for sports. the chicago white sox had an extraordinary 23 hits last night. and most throughout the best pitchers in the game.

>> here's our friends at espn with all of the highlights. >> welcome to our "sportscenter" studios in los angeles. along with stuart scott, i'm stan verrett. something we haven't seen much in major league baseball on tuesday. justin verlander, getting rocked. tigers taking on the white sox. and alex rios, did a lot of the damage against verlander. base hit in the top of the first. second at-bat. that will be good for a triple. top of the fifth, rios back at the plate again. bloop single leaves him three for three. top of the eighth, rios. base hit. first hitter with four hits against justin verlander in a game. later in the eighth, with two on, rios driving in a run. that made it five for five. >> so, he basically just had batting practice. >> pretty much. bottom eight. tigers 8-1. miguel cabrera, off jose kitana, his 29th. most ever by a tiger before the

all-star break. but rios was spectacular. this is off evan reed. rios, six for six. first white sox player to do that since lance johnson, september 23rd, 1995. six hits in a nine-inning game ties the american league record. white sox with 23 hits. that's all from here. back to you. all right. up next, "the pulse." "the view" changing after a surprise announcement from one of the hosts. and president obama crashes a kids' party. coming face-to-face with a pint-sized press corps.

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topping your wednesday "pulse," one of the women of "the view" will be waking up a whole lot earlier. >> today is elisabeth hasselbeck's last day on "the view" on abc. she will move to the fox news channel.

barbara walters wished her well, saying they've had ten wonderful years with her. and she will be now swimming in new waters. >> now 36, joined "the view" after gaining fame on the reality show, "survivor." her new gig starts in september. kids who won a lunch with michelle obama got quite a surprise. they were at the white house for a state dinner. 54 children. they submitted winning recipes for healthy foods like bring it on brussels sprouts. >> and then, the president stopped by to say hello. and there's a picture that's burning up on twitter this morning. there he is. the president, face-to-face with some budding journalists. one little guy, you see him right there, even sporting we're going to say 1930s, 1940s reporter hat. >> needs the old-fashioned camera that goes -- >> that would be perfect. >> that's the scoop. there's good-natured pranking. and then, there's this. scaring the living daylights out of your loved one while she is sleeping. >> while the cameras are

rolling, an alleged boyfriend decided to create a ghost puppet that appears to be coming out of the tv, over the couch where his girlfriend fell asleep. that's not a pig squealing. that's his girlfriend in terror. it took a few minutes. but she woke up so scared she couldn't stop screaming. he physically restrained her from running out of the house. break up with that guy. that's my advice. >> i don't think they should be together. this last one is entertaining. we had to make it our "play of the day." it comes to us from finland. the annual wife-carrying competition. >> 40 couples vie for the competition, mostly using the tried and true astonian method, which involves wrapping the woman's legs around the man's head and hanging upside-down behind him. the winners were a finnish couple picking up their fourth title. >> astonian. i'm more of a caveman. on the shoulder, you know? like a sack of potatoes. >> i don't want to say it's a bad idea. but not a good idea. >> why? just why? >> the girls have to wear helmets. and they're facing the guy's butt. so, i think that in and of itself -- >> a view of the butt. >> i think so. and we'll be right back.

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good wednesday morning. thank you for joining us. >> we start off with traffic. leyla, there is a bad accident? >> terrible. early video shots of the explosive sig-alert, a crash that involved an 18-wheeler and another vehicle. there were no injuries. flames were shooting into the sky. it started before 1:00 o'clock a.m. shutting all lanes of eastbound 80 through emeryville at powell street. the flames were uncontrollable. fire got everything under control and all lanes are open. the sig-alert is canceled.

eastbound 80 at powell street is wide open. there are grown conditions. we do not see delays now. the cool and moist forecast, here is mike nicco. >> good morning, leyla. we have humidity hanging in the air in the form of low clouds and fog but nothing on live doppler 7 hd that indicates you need an umbrella or the streets will be wet. you can see low clouds hang on to the bay big again. this afternoon, we will be cooler from 80 in the north and south bay to 90 in the east bay valley. high clouds and sunshine from 64 in san francisco to 72 in oakland and 82 in san jose. along the coast we will have a cooler breeze as more stubborn clouds upper 50's to low 60's. here is kristen and katie. >> breaking news, another incident involving a passenger plane at sfo. passengers were evacuated off of

a flight from san francisco to cincinnati last night after a tug crashed into the plane on the tarmac. delta flight 2396 was ready to take off at 11:15 and passengers felt a jolt. the pilots inspected the damage and evacuated passengers. some passengers said they were thinking about crash of asiana flight 214 on saturday. delta put passengers on another plane that took after at 1:00 o'clock a.m. and that plane is expected to land in cincinnati at 6:00 a.m. >> now the asiana flight 214 crash at sfo. federal investigators are looking at merckal malfunction to human error after extensive interviews with the pilots. amy? >> we are at holiday inn where the ntsb chairman wil