good morning, america. breaking right now. brand-new wildfires erupt overnight. towering drugs. breaking news. a wildfire growing and nowhere near contained. it's forced evacuations near a popular vacation spot. new details from the front lines. pesky problem. a tractor-trailer overturns on the highway. but it's the cargo inside that caused the biggest issue for police officers and drivers. and ballroom battle. we have a winner on "dancing with the stars." who took home the mirrorball trophy? good wednesday morning. we do begin with a new major lawsuit against the national football league.

>> once again, it is facing off with many of its former players. they are accusing the league of putting profits ahead of their long-term health. the nfl is on the offensive this morning, following a new lawsuit filed by a group of retired players over the use of narcotics to treat pain. >> the nfl has created a culture of drug distribution and massive abuse to get them back on the field as soon as possible, notwithstanding any injuries or limitations they may have. >> reporter: those players are accusing the league of supplying them with powerful painkillers and other drugs that kept them in the game, but led to serious complications later in life. they say team doctors and trainers dispense drugs illegally without obtaining prescriptions or warning of the possible side effects. the suit names eight players as plaintiffs. but lawyers who are seeking class-action status for the case says more than 500 other former players have signed on.

among them, hall of famer, richard dent, who suffered a broken toe in 1990. >> the biggest issue is that when you start looking for the information, and it's not there, that you know, you got shot up 16 times in that toe for 8 weeks in a row. >> reporter: violent hits like this one broke quarterback jim mcmahon's neck, an injury he said nfl doctors never told him about, leaving him to play hurt for years. >> they knew about it. they never tell us. that's just like flatout lying to you. >> reporter: nfl commissioner, roger goodell, in atlanta for meetings, was asked about the lawsuit. >> i was only made aware of it just briefly. i don't believe any of our attorneys have had an opportunity to look at it. >> reporter: the case comes less than a year after the nfl agreed to pay $765 million to settle lawsuits from thousands of retired players who accused it of concealing the risks of concussions. a federal judge has yet to approve that settlement, expressing concerns that its dollar amount is too small. the new painkillers lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages. and breaking news out of arizona now.

a growing wildfire, creeping up on a popular vacation spot. >> that fire is threatening homes and cabins near sedona this morning, forcing residents and tourists to evacuate. it has burned through more than 4,500 acres since yesterday the and shut down a highway. it's still 0% contained. firefighters have been struggling to cope with high winds, hot, bone-dry conditions and some steep terrain. >> it's burning hot. it's throwing 100-foot flames off the top of these ponderosa pines. we're doing what we can to corral it and get out ahead of it. >> about 150 firefighters are on the ground this morning, including highly-trained hot spot crews, trained to battle the most complex types of fires. there was a different severe weather problem in colorado. at least one funnel cloud spotted in the denver area. residents also experienced strong winds, flooding and hail. some of it as large as baseballs. >> there were several fender-benders on area roads. the national weather service says this is the peak time of year for severe weather in the denver area. and another supercell thunderstorm system moved into the chicago area last night, bringing strong winds and large hailstones.

some roads had standing water on them. more than 100 flights were canceled at o'hare and midway airports. temperatures are expected to drop about 30 degrees during the day today. the entire midsection heof t country could see more severe storms today. while thunderstorms are expected around the great lakes and eastward, nearly to the atlantic coast. the showers in northern california and the sierras will not extend to the areas that need that rain the most. now, to politics and the super tuesday of 2014. six states voting in primaries that will help determine who could determine who could win big in november's midterms. abc's shushannah walshe has the overnight results. >> reporter: in kentucky, it was a crushing tea party loss as senate minority leader mitch mcconnell beat his opponent, businessman matt bevin, by a wide margin. >> a tough race is behind us. it's time to unite. >> reporter: he preached party unity. and aimed his fire right at his democratic opponent. secretary of state allison

lundergan grimes. >> allison lundergan grimes is barack obama's candidate. >> reporter: that race will be a brawl to the end. in the shocker of the night, former congresswoman and clinton in-law, marjorie margolies was toppled in her effort to regain her house seat by a state legislator half her age. brendan boyle. in oregon, stories about monica wehby's personal life, including allegations of stalking by a former boyfriend who also poured money into a campaign didn't matter. she beat her opponent and will be the gop senate nominee in that state. it does leave her facing the general election wounded. shushannah walshe, abc news, washington. the scandal over long delays at v.a. hospitals is getting bigger by the day. the veterans affairs department says since last week, the number of v.a. facilities under investigation has more than doubled now to 26. reports of secret waiting lists and a cover-up first surfaced at the v.a. hospital in phoenix, where dozens of veterans died, allegedly while waiting for appointments. and a highly-controversial administration policy gets an

airing today on capitol hill. under intense pressure, the white house is revealing a secret memo describing its legal justification for using drones to kill u.s. citizens suspected of terrorism overseas. release of the memo could take some time. a major city in nigeria has been rocked by two car bomb blasts. the first bomb went off at a busy bus terminal and market around the city of jos. the second one exploded about a half hour later, killing some of the rescue workers that rushed to that scene. at least 118 people were killed. the attacks were hallmarks of boko haram, the islamic extremist group that kidnapped nigerian girls. six people have been arrested for being happy. their crime was making this video cover of the pharrell megahit called "happy" in tehran. they uploaded the video to facebook and instagram. and that's when the authorities got involved. the six were forced to repent on state tv. overnight, pharrell tweeted this. it's beyond sad these kids were arrested for trying to spread

happiness. prince charles stirring up controversy on a trip to nova scotia. he was heard comparing russian president vladimir putin to hitler. the comments at the canadian museum of immigration were directed to a woman who fled poland before the nazi occupation. journalists over heard charles telling her that putin is doing is same thing in ukraine as hitler did during world war ii. the palace says they don't comment on private conversations. the nba reportedly says the los angeles clippers tried to cover up the scandal involving the team owner. according to "the los angeles times," the league's formal charges include the team president. he, sterling and sterling's wife, all accused of trying to destroy evidence and get witnesses to change their stories about sterling's racist comments. sterling has another week to answer to those charges. another legal victory for supporters of same-sex marriage. happy couples gathering yesterday after a federal judge in pennsylvania struck down that

state's ban. pennsylvania has joined the rest of the northeast in legalizing same-sex marriage. what's unclear is if the state's governor will appeal the ruling, effectively putting it on hold. coming up, popular stores pulling pet treats off their shelves because they're making cats and dogs sick. what pet owners need to know. and new details about the actor accused of killing his wife. what we've learned about his alleged violent past. plus, a dramatic scene. a school bus catching fire. and it keeps on rolling.

the apartment building where the fire was. when things like this happen, i think you find a new perspective on life. hi. red cross put us in a hotel so we were able to stay together. we're strong and, if we overcame that or if we can overcome that, we can overcome anything, so. [ sniffle ]

but at this moment, she's fighting a brain tumor. announcer: please take a moment and join st. jude in finding cures and saving children. visit stjude.org. welcome back. more recalls for general motors this morning. the four new recalls involve nearly 2.5 million vehicles, mostly the buick enclave and chevy malibu.

that brings the total number of gm recalls this year alone to nearly 14 million cars and trucks. that's more vehicles than it sold in the u.s. last year. and the spokesperson says more recalls are on the way. all right. the recall of that possibly tainted beef is expanding to even more states. rhode island officials say the ground beef from a michigan plant was delivered to at least 128 food facilities. there's new concern that some of that meat may have gone to grocery stores. abc's dr. richard besser spoke to the usda about where the meat may have gone. >> no one mentioned what restaurants. >> yes, that's right. that's right. no one has mentioned the restaurants yet. >> doesn't the public have a right to know what restaurants serve this beef? >> they will know at some point where the meat was distributed. 11 illnesses is 11 too in many my book. but we did prevent a larger recall by our quick action. >> dr. besser says bottom line, order your burger well done. for beef at home, the freezer does not the kill e. coli.

major pet stores are going to stop selling pet treats made in china. owners have been complaining for years that the food was making their cats and dogs sick. well, now, both petco and petsmart say they will have the treats from china out of their stores by the end of this year. and google has overtaken apple as the world's most valuable brand, according to a new ranking by "forbes." the tech giant grew 40% last year and is now worth $159 billion. apple was bumped to number two, followed by ibm. when we come back, ticket to infection. disturbing, new information about the amount of bacteria hitching rides on passenger planes. and a protective parent on a busy highway that's making for a viral video this morning.

sfx: car unlock beep. vo: david's heart attack didn't come with a warning. today his doctor has him on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. if you've had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. the next time you rent a dvd, don't bother rewinding it. the way i see it, it's the next guy's problem. oh, larry. she thinks i'm crazy. mm-hmm. but would a crazy person save 15% on car insurance in just 15 minutes? [ chuckles ] [ male announcer ] 15 minutes for a quote is crazy. with esurance, 7½ minutes could save you on car insurance. welcome to the modern world.

esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. several major ski resorts, including aspen, plan to reopen for summer skiing and snowboarding.

late spring storms dumped four feet of snow in the rockies. so, while other parts of the country reopen their pools on memorial day weekend, aspen will resume winter sports. >> man. >> a little bit of everything for everyone. driving in the florida panhandle and most of the south should be fine today. but roads will be wet from virginia northward to the great lakes. there could be wet roads in the center of the country, as well. and in the sierras. >> and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in denver, washington and detroit. back to the news, now. and new details about the murder case involving a popular tv actor. >> police say michael jace and his wife got into an argument just minutes after she brought the couple's two sons home from baseball practice. police say that's when jace opened fire, killing his wife. he then, called 911 to report the murder. neighbors are shocked. >> i heard, pow. sounded like a gunshot. but i'm not familiar with gunshots. so, i thought, maybe it wasn't. then, i heard pow, pow. i felt uncomfortable. i ran in the house.

>> there are also reports that jace was physically abusive towards his first wife. and that he was deeply in debt. court papers reveal that jace threatened to kill his previous wife during a divorce two decades ago. another story getting a whole lot of attention is from texas. 19-year-old jacob lavoro is accused of making and selling marijuana brownies laced with hash oil. use of that oil carries harsher penalties than pot. and now, lavoro is facing a felony charge that could land him in prison from five years to life. he's a first-time offender. and his attorney claims that this case should be a misdemeanor. here's something to think about the next time you fly. researchers say potentially deadly bacteria can live in the plane environment for a week or longer. they found that e. coli and the antibiotic-resistant mersa, can remain on tray tables, armrests and window shades. their advice, wash or sanitize your hands before eating on a plane. dramatic moments near the twin cities as a school bus goes up in flames. luckily, though, there were no kids onboard. the bus was completely engulfed just moments after the driver smelled smoke, pulled over and

was able to escape. that burning bus, there you see it, started rolling directly into a fire engine. the truck backed away just in time, avoiding a fiery collision. this was a big, buzzing traffic mess in delaware last night. it went -- up to 20 million bees were released when a big rig carrying their crates overturned on an interstate ramp in newark. the driver and two passengers were able to get out of the vehicle. but they were stung 50 to 100 times each. three beekeepers were sent in to try and calm down the agitated insects. yikes. >> yikes is right. happening today, triple crown hopeful california chrome hits the track for the first time at belmont. he's going to workout, and begin preparations for the belmont stakes which come up on june 7th. after arriving at the track yesterday, he was allowed to rest, following the ride up from baltimore, where his preakness victory took place. another big sporting event to look forward to is super bowl lii. and it will be held right there where a billion-dollar stadium is being built right now in

minneapolis. the nfl owners voted for the city to host the game in 2018, ahead of new orleans and indianapolis. the reigning super bowl champions, the seattle seahawks, are meeting president obama today at the white house. >> as for some of our other teams trying to win championships, details, now, from our guys over at espn. >> good morning, america. wake up. i know, it's early. >> what if some folks are just going to sleep? >> he's stan. i'm neil. this is the "sportscenter" set. >> we're talking nba playoffs. heat and pacers. miami was strong. especially lebron james and dwyane wade in the fourth quarter. wade had 23 points, including 10 in the fourth. james had 22 points, including 12 in the fourth. and james finds wade for the exclamation point. heat get the win, 87-83. series tied at 1-1 games apiece. game three saturday in miami. the cubs were the first team to see masahiro tanaka for a second time in this, his first

season in the bigs. they've been watching videotape. john baker scored. it was 1-0. still 1-0. and tanaka takes the loss. and cubs, one of the worst teams, gets the win. 6-1. >> tanaka looked great. >> yeah. >> i'm sure he'll be okay. >> you think so? >> yeah. >> well, they're going to need him to be okay because it doesn't look like c.c.'s going to be okay. >> no. that's all we have. back to you. >> guys, thanks. the adorable video of the morning here. a momma bear behind the wall. her little one on the road. check it out. >> that is until momma reaches down and pulls the little one over. momma even seems to look both ways at the traffic. and another little guy, if you take a close look, pops his head up to see, what's going on over here? >> i want to go. cute. coming up next, it's "the pulse." the mirrorball trophy is handed out on "dancing with the stars." we have reaction from the winners. and don't do what the ceo of levi strauss has some interesting advice about your jeans.

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♪ ♪ all right. we start "the pulse," with the exciting finale of "dancing with the stars." one of the most competitive seasons in the show's history. >> but one couple had to win. abc's george pennacchio has all of the final moments. >> reporter: olympic gold medalist meryl davis now adds a mirrorball trophy to her collection of awards. she and partner maksim chmerkovskiy were named the season 18 champions of "dancing with the stars." meryl says she wanted to win for maks. she considers him the real star. >> the pros have become bigger celebrities in their own right than the celebrities are. >> this was the first time that the season felt perfect.

it had nothing to do with the win. it had to do with the way it flowed. how hard it was. how much pressure there was. and how every monday felt special. >> reporter: amy purdy and derek hough took second place. but the paralympian was easily the season's most inspirational story. >> i didn't have anyone look up to when i lost my legs. i had never even seen a prosthetic leg before. so, to be able to show kids or just anybody who has a challenge, any kind of challenge, that you can still live an amazing life. >> reporter: and a whole new group of celebrities will go for it when "dancing with the stars" returns in september for season 19. in los angeles, george pennacchio, for abc news. >> it certainly was a season to watch. and the finale did not disappoint. >> no, it did not at all. meryl and maks are flying through the night with the other finalists are here in new york for a special after-party on "good morning america." don't miss it. well, we have surprising

advice from the ceo of levi strauss. don't watch your jeans ever. chip bergh said the pair he was wearing at a conference, you see on him there, on the environment, were a year old. and they had never been washed. and he says, they still look and feel great. >> no word on how they smell. levi's ceo says all you have to do is use a sponge on the really dirty parts. by not throwing hem in the washing machine, he says, you will save water, help the environment and prevent shrinkage. interesting. don't want shrinkage, that's for sure. >> he says to put them in the freezer once a month to help with the smell. >> i'll wash them every now and then. >> not a bad idea. stars of the reality show "19 kids and counting," are looking into making their supersized family even bigger. >> the couple already has ten sons, nine daughters. and they revealed on their tlc show last night they're serious about having a 20th child. >> the kids range in age from 4 to 26. if they can't have another, they said that they're open to an adoption. maybe they like that round number, 20. >> 19 children. >> can you believe it? $3,000, i believe, was it a month to feed them? >> yes. a lot of money.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news >> good wednesday morning at 4:28. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas. mike has the weather forecast. >> looks like someone got a hair cut. >> good eye. >> the glow from the yellow, i couldn't see. >> looks great, looks great. it will be hard to see around some areas, the visibility is low and the reporting stations have three in santa rosa and nine in novato and four at half moon bay, the two areas we will watch for the fog to develop. well look at what is going on outside in downtown san francisco. you can see the winds are not so breezying a yesterday but they will pick up around the bay shore and the coast. you are around 61 to 65 and around the bay it is sunny at 69 to 7 and inland 76 to 82.

leyla gulen has the commute. >> good morning, everyone, happy hump day on wednesday, the weekend is near. we have a big closure starting tomorrow night and this is in san francisco along 280 in the southbound direction for hinge replacement from downtown to pennsylvania avenue is when i say downtown i mean king street to pennsylvania avenue, southbound is shut down because of a construction project on plan ahead. use 101 instead. kristen and eric? >> thank you, leyla gulen. a south bay vocational school we re-open two days after shutting down and leaving students pursuing health care years in a lurch. matt? >> the bryman college president

said the student will be returning today. use look at properties door to the office you can see that the same no trespassing sign and eviction notice put up on monday this is video from bryman fact u taking personal items to the cars. the attorney for the landlord says bryman college owners were first served with eviction back in february and the sheriff carried out the eviction on monday and posting the "no stress piecing" signs. the back. pay had green to $80,000 and the president says the students were enoughed to return to class. the school offers courses for medical assistant, massage therapy and medical assistant. no word on how many students are taking classes but the latest records in 2012 show that there are 400 students enrolled.