making news in america this morning -- tornadoes, hail and heavy rain. a severe weather system kicks off the holiday weekend with a lot of damage. close call. two passenger planes coming within a few hundred feet of each other. the second time in only weeks. we're learning, who made the mistake that almost led to a disaster? bad timing. a car goes over train tracks and stalls, giving the driver seconds to escape. and time is here for fun in the sun. and the new list of america's best beaches is out. good friday morning, everyone. the memorial day weekend, for some people, beginning with a big cleanup after powerful storms dumped damaging hail and tornadoes. >> that's right. cars were no match for the golf

ball-sized chunks of ice in pennsylvania. smashing windows and denting those cars littered in parking lots. >> a mall ceiling couldn't even handle that relentless pounding. abc's tahman bradley has the very latest. >> reporter: overnight, severe storms swept through the mid-atlantic. a tornado, west of albany, new york. >> the entire side of this building has literally just fallen. >> reporter: homes, damaged. power lines, down. trees, snapped. >> it's awful. >> i didn't think it was real. i just didn't -- like, i knew there were winds and everything. but i didn't think it was going to be this bad. >> reporter: this tractor-trailer was blown over. in delaware, high winds carved out this path of destruction. residents returned to survey the damage. richmond, virginia, also took a beating. the storm caused flooding along parts of i-95. giant hail filled the streets of cities along the east coast. when hail is this big, it's dangerous.

a u.s. airways plane, flying through the storm, landed with a cracked windshield. the hail also peppered the midwest. in illinois, these homes were damaged. >> the siding on the south side of my home, and the west side of my home were damaged. >> reporter: in arizona, new wildfires are raging, threatening hundreds of homes and businesses. hot shot crews are on the lookout. the fight is on the ground and in the air. >> at the moment, we're winning the battle. but you know how the cliche goes. it's a war. >> reporter: a thunderstorm is forecast to hit the area today. and that could help the brave firefighters on the front lines. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. also in the southwest, police are blaming a severe dust storm for an accident on interstate 10 in new mexico. at least six people were killed. there was a dust storm in northern nevada with nowhere near tragic results. the dust came from a dry lake bed and kicked up a thunderstorm. in all that dust, visibility fell to less than a mile in the reno area. and there's some bad news for those with outdoor plans this weekend.

>> accuweather's stef davis says more severe weather is in the forecast. good morning, stef. >> thanks, john and diana. we do have the threat for some severe weather for our friday, from the northern to the western half of the lone star state. showers, thunderstorms, gusty winds and hail, mainly during the afternoon and evening hours. now, these storms will be fueled by this tropical moisture coming up from the gulf of mexico. associated with that moisture, we do have an upper-level disturbance that will actually help the arizona wildfires because we'll have increased moisture in the air and humidity and isolated showers. now, it's not going to be a lot. but every little bit does help. john and diana, back to you. >> all right, stef. thank you. overnight, we learned for the second time in recent weeks, united airlines aircraft have been involved in a near-miss. the latest close call was at houston's bush intercontinental airport as two flights were taking off. and the air traffic controller gave incorrect instructions, putting one plane in the path of another. the aircraft were 400 feet apart, just a second or two away from impact.

after the close call, one of the pilots spoke to another pilot who was not involved. >> united 601, you know what happened there? >> you all basically crossed directly over top of each other. that's what it looked like from my perspective. i have no idea what was going on up there in the tower. but it was pretty gnarly looking. >> another near-miss happened over new jersey in april. the faa says steps are being taken to prevent these from happening again. the embattled head of the veterans administration has a new message for vets in which he pledges that the v.a. will do better. this comes as there's increasing calls for secretary eric shinseki to be fired over the growing scandal at the v.a. hospitals. in the message, shinseki says, if any allegations under review are substantiated, quote, we will act. and now, to tensions in ukraine, with the presidential election just two days away. pro-russian insurgents have killed 16 ukrainian soldiers on an attack on a military checkpoint in eastern ukraine. the government acknowledges it will be impossible to hold the

vote in some areas because of the violence. and the military has taken over the government in thailand for the second time in eight years. the u.s. is among countries expressing concern and disappointment over the coup. the state department says there was no justification for the takeover. the thai military says the coup is needed to restore stability. pope francis is set to make a historic visit to the middle east beginning tomorrow. the pope, expecting to visit jordan, israel and a refugee camp in the west bank. there had been questions about whether pope francis was healthy enough for travel, given that he's recently canceled appointments, citing health conditions. and tennessee may bring back the electric chair for executions. governor bill haslam just hours ago, signed a law making it an option because there's a nationwide shortage of lethal injection drugs. some states allow inmates to choose the method of execution. but that won't be the case in tennessee. opponents say electrocution is cruel and unusual punishment. actor michael jace has been formally charged with killing his wife.

the star who played a police officer in the fx series "the shield," appeared in a los angeles courtroom yesterday where bail was set at $2 million. jace allegedly called 911 monday and said he shot his wife, april. the couple's two, young children were in the home at the time. the family's financial problems may have led to that shooting. o.j. simpson is hoping for a new trial after his attorneys filed another appeal to his kidnapping and armed robbery conviction. they say his notoriety tainted the initial case. simpson claims he was trying to retrieve his stolen memorabilia at a vegas hotel and didn't know that his friends were armed. he is serving up to 33 years. last year, a judge rejected an appeal, claiming simpson's previous lawyer botched his trial. and as we enter memorial day weekend, it is important to remember that the holiday is meant to honor the men and women who have died while serving the nation's military. and that's why a small american flag was placed at every grave yesterday at arlington national cemetery. a special army unit put all of them in place, with more than 280,000 flags. they'll be collected again after memorial day.

coming up, a health scare for paul mccartney. new details on what landed the beatle in the hospital. and another team owner under fire. mark cuban's candid comments on race, getting a whole lot of criticism, at a very bad time for the nba. plus, a baby's two-story plunge with a miraculous ending. a miraculous ending.

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aaa expects the most memorial day weekend road trips in the past nine years. more trouble for the world's second-biggest personal computermaker. hewlett-packard plans to lay off 16,000 more workers on top of the 34,000 already announced. ceo meg whitman says h.p.'s turnaround remains on track as she tries to make the company more nimble. abercrombie & fitch is making changes to the way they'll win back their customers. they'll offer larger sizes. you'll no longer see photos of models with six-pack abs. they're also going to cut down on the amount of fragrance they spray in the store. and the music won't be as loud. >> the music and the fragrance. i'll take less fragrance and less loud music. have you ever walked by one of those in a mall? >> yes. you feel very old. i guess we're going to feel a little less old. >> and like, your hearing aid is out of whack or something. >> pretty much. well, there's a gang of mutant heroes that hope to take over movie theaters this holiday weekend. "x-men: days of future past," could gross more than $100 million over three days.

it is the seventh "x-men" movie. and it brings back popular characters and stars. something for you to do this weekend, maybe? >> i'm grilling. i'm grilling and chilling. >> you're staying outside this memorial day weekend. >> i'm staying outside. not going to hit the movie theaters. staying outside. even if it's rainy i'm going to be at an umbrella at the grill. >> you're dedicated. when we come back, trouble on the tracks. a driver's car stalled in the worst possible place. and a rare experience on a lake that you have to see to believe. unlimited cash back. let that phrase sit with you for a second. unlimited. as in, no limits on your hard-earned cash back. as in no more dealing with those rotating categories. the quicksilver card from capital one. unlimited 1.5% cash back on everything you purchase, every day.

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served with fries and your choice of soup or salad. chili's lunch combos starting at 6 bucks. 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. get more memorial day at kmart. with all grills on sale. shop online and pick it up in store for free. and save on all sandals and canvas shoes, too. kmart. where members always get more. it looks like something out of a horror film. or maybe "game of thrones." it is a massive fog bank rolling over lake michigan this week. the fisherman who took this video stopped rolling when the fog bank enveloped him. he says he was inside of it for

half an hour. >> that would be scary. you wouldn't know which way to go. >> a lot of people don't even know what's happening. well, we don't know about fog. but you will run into wet roads this morning, particularly in the northwest, the rockies, south to the mexican border, the carolinas and new england. >> and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in denver, as well as new york. all right. new this morning, some explosive revelations about the relationship between disgraced l.a. clippers owner, donald sterling, and his friend, v. stiviano. >> "the los angeles times" reporting that in early april, their friendship soured after sterling's wife sued stiviano and put a lien on the house donald sterling had given her. days later, a clippers employee reportedly texted stiviano saying sterling was rescinding some game tickets and other freebies. >> according to the paper, that's when stiviano said, let the games begin. and minutes later, stiviano sent the employee an audio file with sterling's racist comments. that recording was posted, by the way, by tmz 16 days later. another nba owner in some

hot water because of his comments about race. it's mark cuban of the dallas mavericks. he's also one of the entrepreneurs on abc's "shark tank." >> abc's ryan smith has what cuban said and what he is and is not apologizing for. >> reporter: mark cuban, causing a stir. >> we are all prejudice in one way or the other. >> reporter: with cameras rolling, during an exclusive conversation with "ink" magazine, the dallas mavericks owner speaks his mind. >> if i see a black kid in a hoodie and it's late at night, i'm walking to the other side of the street. if on that side of the street, there's a guy that has tattoos all over his face, a white guy, bald head, tattoos everywhere, i'm walking back to the other side of the street. >> reporter: the outspoken billionaire, making these comments at a sensitive time for the nba. in the wake of donald sterling's infamous racist rant, earning him a lifetime ban.

cuban's comments going viral, especially on twitter, where some called him a racist. but many, including a lot of pundits, came to his defense. >> i want to emphasize, that i have absolutely positively no problem whatsoever with what mark cuban had to say. zero. >> reporter: after referencing, quote, a black kid in a hoodie, cuban apologized to trayvon martin's family. but says he stands by the words and substance of what he said. ryan smith, abc news, new york. paul mccartney is expected to make a full recovery after being hospitalized in tokyo. he came down with a viral infection that forced him to cancel his tour in japan. and was ordered to rest for a few days. mccartney turns 72 next month. his upcoming concerts here in the u.s. are still on. an incredible survival story from a kentucky college professor who fell 70 feet into a icy crevasse in the himalayas. john all landed on a narrow ledge where he could see just a thin slice of blue sky above. he suffered a broken arm and ribs but still managed to climb his way out, capturing the whole

thing on camera. >> i was getting hypothermic within five minutes of being there. and the only thing that was going to keep me alive was constantly moving and fighting my way out before it got dark. >> it took about six hours to make it out. he had to crawl to his tent to call for some help. he had to wait for another day for the rescuers to arrive. portions of a major interstate in southern alabama are closed this morning after a major fire. two tractor-trailers collided on a bridge in the mobile area and burst into flames. one of those drivers was killed. the trucks were reportedly hauling oil and grease which leaked into the river. it's hard to believe from this video, but the driver of the car right there, is actually okay. the woman was just learning to drive a stick shift, when the car she was in stalled on the tracks near orlando. somehow, though, she managed to get out just in time. the 28-year-old driver there was hit with flying debris. but she is going to be just fine.

incredible life-saving moment caught on camera in south china. check it out. a man successfully caught a baby. came out of a second-story window. as you see, several good samaritans holding out their hands after spotting the 1-year-old on the ledge there above. the man who caught the child brushed off his heroic actions, saying it was just human instinct. >> what an amazing catch. >> and good coordination. whoa. that's scary. moving on to this, now. here's another great catch to show you with much less on the line, we should say. >> it happened last night, in the dodgers/mets game. check out this shot. yeah. puig makes an outstanding grab in right center field. before long, social media was calling it the catch of the year. by the way, the mets won that one. we get last night's highlights, all the other ones, from our guys at espn. >> good morning, america. welcome to our "sportscenter" set. i'm stan verrett. this is neil everett.

nba playoffs had the night off on thursday. not so for the stanley cup playoffs. >> stanley cup. get it? canadiens, they got beat twice at home by the rangers. and it looked like the canadiens were going to get away with one. new york had a guy kick one in late. and then, the canadiens kick one in. and it's all tied up. that was in the final half-minute. so, they went to overtime. and 72 seconds in, that buzz that all the rangers fans were feeling, killed it. tomas plekanec throws it on. it goes in. and the canadiens win 2-1. game four sunday, msg. landon donovan not on the roster for the u.s. national team for the world cup this summer in brazil. the most accomplished player in u.s. soccer history. the big goal in the previous world cup. but not there this time. jurgen klinsmann making that decision when he announced the full roster on thursday. donovan took to his facebook page to address his fans. he said it's been an honor and privilege to have represented the u.s. national team in three world cups. looked forward to playing in brazil.

and very disappointed with today's decision. regardless, i will be cheering on my friends and teammates this summer. and i will remain committed to helping grow soccer in the u.s. in the years to come. thanks for all your support. alex galchenyuk with the goal that won it. i looked down. and thought, i could be headed to the pronunciation box if i try and go with that. but now, i got it. >> that's all we have. >> guys, thanks. up next in "the pulse," the newest list of the country's best beaches is out, just in time for memorial day. and a major celebration for the oldest woman in america. n for the oldest woman in america. but i don't want my breathing problems to get in the way of hosting my book club. that's why i asked my doctor about b-r-e-o. once-daily breo ellipta helps increase airflow from the lungs for a full 24 hours. and breo helps reduce symptom flare-ups that last several days and require oral steroids, antibiotics, or hospital stay.

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inside all of us is a compass. and it always points true north. toward mountains of sand. toward new sites and sensations. toward the true bounty of nature. so let's set our compass for traverse city. and find ourselves, in the magic and the moments of pure michigan. your trip begins at michigan.org time to check, "the pulse," starting with a story getting lots of attention overnight. a relatively thin 9-year-old girl in new york, labeled as overweight. >> this is gwendolyn williams, an active third grader.

but education department officials described her as not just overweight, but close to obese. she's 4'1" and 66 pounds. her mom, needless to say, was shocked to get that so-called fitnessgram from the city. >> yeah. the department of education has sent out similar notices to nearly 900,000 students based on body mass index. they say it's just one indicator. >> clearly not a good indicator. >> not looking so obese to me. >> not at all. another girl to tell you about now. gets some happy birthday wishes from us. >> she is jeralean tally of inkster, michigan. she is the oldest living american. she's turning 115 years old today. jeralean is the second-oldest human being on earth. she was born in georgia back in 1899. today, she is having a checkup at the doctor. but she tells "the detroit free press," quote, i don't feel sick. happy birthday, jeralean. >> amazing. the countdown is on to kim kardashian's latest wedding, set for tomorrow. >> last night, it was ladies' night in paris.

kim, her sisters and closest friends, all out on the town there. kim posting these pictures on instagram. visiting the louvre. the eiffel tower at night. and then, they had a private dinner at the salon chinois. price tag, we're told, anyway, $400 a person. all right. in addition to kim's wedding this weekend also marks the unofficial start of summer. and right on time, a new list runs down the nation's top public beaches. >> numbers five and four, are both in hawaii. then, comes florida's st. george island state park. >> bonita springs, florida, is second. and the top public beach, is duke kahanamoku beach. >> very good. >> yeah. it's in waikiki, hawaii. >> all right. this is all from dr. beach. and he says it's clean, safe and has plenty of amenities. and in case you're wondering, it's named for a hawaiian surfing legend. >> i'm ready to go to the beach. how about you? >> yeah. let's get some nice, warm

weather and head out to the beach. how about that hawaiian beach? you think we can go and come back in time? >> a little road trip? let's do it. >> a road trip to hawaii. let's do that. >> happy memorial day. 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. but it's not. try starting with tyson grilled & ready chicken. made with 100% all natural ingredients, you can have a healthy meal in under five minutes. healthy dinner, done. i'm saving a ton of time by posting them to my wall. oh, i like that one. it's so quick! it's just like my car insurance. i saved 15% in just 15 minutes. i saved more than that in half the time.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good friday morning. it is 4:28. thanks for ending the week with us headed into memorial day week. 4.3 million people will travel this weekend. around here, those of us will stay put. how is the weather? >> the weather is like it was yesterday morning. it could be more drizzle for the commute. i had to use the windshield wiper coming across the bay bridge this morning. fog at a minimum because of the main layer of clouds. thes thatting are -- flags are pointing to the east. that will keep our temperatures in check. possibly 80's inland and 70 to 80 around the bay and 66 at the coast. the coast is mostly gray. the rest of us are rid of the

clouds by noon and high clouds mixed with sunshine this afternoon. >> right from the chute we start with an accident in the macarthur maze. it is westbound 580 to eastbound 24. a car flipped all the way over and back on its wheels and sideways in the road. eastbound 580 at east 24, in the non-commute direction and they are waiting on the crews. otherwise we have road work out there off the richmond and san rafael bridge from eastbound 580 from the tolls to the canal. we will go to the macarthur maze where you can see road work with the blipping lights, slow traffic, and they will pick that up, also, by 5:00 this morning. >> new this morning morgan hill police are hooking for this man, the suspect in two armed robberies last night. the first in a target store parking lot at 9:00. police say a woman walked through the parking lot and a

man with a mohawk drove up to her and demanded her purse. she refused. the suspect drove off in a white four four-door sedan. the same man walked into a subway restaurant five minutes later and threatened employees with a shotgun and robbed the place. matt keller will have a report at the top of the hour. >> happening now a key section of interstate 280 in san francisco is closed through memorial day week. southbound 280 is shut down from downtown king street to caesar chavez including the on-ramp at king, 5th and mar it p -- the concrete needs to be removed to get to a hinge that has to