making news in america this morning -- grieving community. a stadium packed with people, pausing to remember the killing spree victims. the search for answers put aside for a moment to focus on the devastating loss. severe weather. heat and humidity feeding dangerous storms, packing a powerful punch of heavy rain and wind. and the flooding risk is not over yet. dramatic rescue. a driver and her infant are saved by a group of fishermen after her car ends up in the water. but now, she's the one facing serious charges. and way outside. a rapper throws, arguably, the worst first pitch at a baseball game, ever. and good wednesday morning

to you. i'm devin dwyer in for john muller. >> i'm diana perez. we do begin with an emotional gathering for the victims of the southern california killing spree. >> that's right. nearly 20,000 people packed the stadium at the university of california santa barbara, where six of the victims attended. it was a day filled with tears, prayers and calls for action. abc's tahman bradley has more. >> reporter: a day of mourning for the u.c. santa barbara community. thousands, many wearing black ribbons, gathered a this soccer stadium to remember the victims of last friday's deadly rampage. >> why have such a beautiful place and such beautiful people been hurt in this way? >> reporter: six, young lives lost. among them, katherine cooper, a painter. and veronika weiss, who had just finished her first year. >> for as long as we hold them in our hearts, they are not gone. >> reporter: richard martinez, father of chris michaels-martinez, another victim, called for tougher gun laws.

>> how many more people are going to have to die in this situation before the problem gets solved? not one more person should have to die because of this ridiculous situation. >> reporter: it was a message many wanted to hear. the community was terrorized by 22-year-old elliot rodger, a tortured mind, who according to a family spokesman, had been in therapy from 9 years old. many questions remain whether rodger could have been stopped, after his parents reported his disturbing online videos, police visited his home. but found no cause to order a mental evaluation. >> the law is intended to help those with mental disorders. but it's also intended to preserve the safety of that individual in the community. and it's not something that we can take lightly. >> reporter: three california lawmakers are trying to address this. they're working on legislation that would allow family and friends to stop a potentially violent person from owning or buying guns. tahman bradley, abc news, washington.

the memorial to those who died continues to grow outside of the deli mart where christopher ross michaels-martinez was shot to death. >> and there are flowers, candles and a chalkboard where mourners have been leaving messages. >> this spot right here will always mean something different to me. it's not going to take away from the goodness that will overcome it all. >> we'll have more from santa barbara coming up on "good morning america." now, to our other top story this morning. severe weather threatening more than half of the nation. >> that's right. millions of americans bracing for more torrential rains, and straight-line winds in excess of 70 miles per hour, and even some golf ball-sized hail. it comes after another night of wild weather. widespread storms across the eastern half of the country, dealing a powerful punch. damaging winds and large hail, uprooted trees and knocked out power to tens of thousands, from central pennsylvania to washington, d.c. in the nation's midsection, the threat of thunderstorms and

flash flooding now marching eastward, extending from houston to new orleans, and north into arkansas. in houston, a mother was killed instantly when a tree limb fell on top of her. her horrified 7-year-old son, looking on in the driveway. just a few miles east, in la porte, texas, at least a dozen people were injured when they're construction tent collapsed, blown over by a suspected funnel cloud. >> just minor injuries. scrapes, bruises, cuts, contusions. >> reporter: but they weren't so lucky in north dakota, on monday. >> this is about to go right over us. dude, where do we go? we have nowhere to go. >> reporter: where a funnel cloud with winds of 120 miles per hour raked through a camp of oil field workers. it injured at least 9 people, 1 critically, and destroyed 15 trailers. elsewhere, it's all about the flooding. some parts of houston have seen six inches of rain just over the past few days. turning streets into rivers and rivers into lakes. >> the water's moving really fast. it's crazy.

>> reporter: and the region is bracing for still more severe weather. and that flooding risk is highest today from houston all the way to new orleans. drenching thunderstorms also expected all along the gulf. showers and thunderstorms, as you can see, extend into the northeast, all the way down to florida. but it will be clear and hot out in the west. >> and the hot spot, once again, phoenix, at 108 degrees. but elsewhere, temperatures will be moderating a bit. dropping to as low as 54 in boston. there are major new developments overnight involving the l.a. clippers, a team that could have a new owner by the end of the week. our partner, espn, reporting that shelly sterling is racing to sell the team before next tuesday. that's when the nba owners vote on whether to strip control from donald sterling after his racist comments. donald sterling seems to be fighting both the nba and his estranged wife. his lawyer quoting donald as saying, quote, it's my team and i'll sell it when and if i get around to it. we'll be tracking this story throughout the day. this morning, president obama delivers the commencement

address at west point, where he's expected to lay out his vision of american foreign policy. it comes one day after the president announced a major milestone in america's longest war. president obama says the number of u.s. troops in afghanistan will be reduced this year. by the end of 2016, all will be gone, except for embassy personnel. >> we have to recognize afghanistan will not be a perfect place. and it is not america's responsibility to make it one. >> john mccain and two other leading republican senators criticized the president's decision, calling it shortsighted and warning that it would embolden our enemies. the defense secretary has ordered a review of the military health care system. this comes in the wake of that growing scandal over the care veterans got at some v.a. hospitals. the new review will assess the quality of the health care at military treatment facilities, as well as the care the department buys from civilian providers. the oldest member of congress has lost his seat. 91-year-old congressman ralph hall was defeated in a primary runoff after 34 years in the

house. the texas republican, beaten by a candidate about half of his age in a race that divided tea party loyalties. even at his age, hall is an avid jogger. just two years ago, he went skydiving ahead of a primary to show his vitality. it could cost $1 billion to clean up the struggling city of detroit. a presidential task force is recommending that 40,000 buildings be torn down and thousands of others be cleaned up. it also said the remains of factories must be salvaged or destroyed. the city has only about half the money recommended by that report. inmates have been called in to help battle a wildfire burning out of control right now in the central california foothills. they're facing hot, windy conditions, dry brush and steep terrain there. the fire erupted monday, spread to 900 acres and destroyed at least 1 home. about 100 others are still in danger. and some residents are being urged to evacuate.

meanwhile, hundreds of firefighters also struggling to put out a much bigger wildfire in alaska. so far, it scorched more than 280-square miles and destroyed several cabins. light rain that fell yesterday was not enough to extinguish the fire. but high winds threatening to push the flames into residential areas have died down. former president george w. bush is recuperating from knee replacement surgery. a spokesman says he was doing great, even managing to get up and around and go up and down the stairs just a couple of hours after that procedure. the former president is a well-known fitness buff and annually participates in a 100-kilometer bike race with wounded vets. all right. coming up -- hacked, locked and held for ransom. a disturbing attack happening to some iphone owners. and caught in the act. a man watches his home being burglarized from his phone. wait until you hear how he put an end to it. plus, a car plunges into the water with a driver and young child inside. the rescue caught on camera. and the serious charges that driver is now facing.

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it could really save your life. and welcome back. wall street opens this morning with the s&p 500 at a record high. it climbed yesterday for a fourth-straight day. the other major averages were also higher, following a big dose of positive economic news. apple was among the big gainers, closing at more than $625 a share, a two-year high. but that's still far off from its all-time high of just over $700. hackers are targeting iphones and ipads and demanding a $100 ransom. they're apparently commandeering the apple devices by compromising icloud accounts. the phones and ipads are remotely locked and held hostage until that ransom is paid.

a new report provides us with a stark reminder of the pay disparity between american workers and their bosses. it says the median pay for an american ceo is now $10 million. that's a new record, thanks to rising stock prices. that's also by the way, 257-times more than an average employee earns. meanwhile, starbucks is opening one of its la boulange eateries in los angeles, that will offer burgers and other dinner items. it will also serve beer, wine, cocktails and you'll be able to stay there until 10:00 p.m. before committing to other services, starbucks wants to see how the l.a. experiment goes first. google is rolling out its new driverless car, aimed at reinventing transportation. the electric-powered two-seater seen here has a stop button for emergencies. but get this. no steering wheel, no brake and no gas pedal. it runs by a smartphone app. and can only go up to 25 miles per hour. google plans to build as many as

200 of the prototypes. testing begins at the end of the year. >> we are slowly becoming "the jetsons." >> we are, indeed. when we come back, a save at sea. a coast guard rescue on a cruise ship. plus, the throw that's being called the worst first pitch ever. hi there! [ laughs ] -i'm flo! -i know! i'm going to get you your rental car. this is so ridiculous. we're going to manage your entire repair process from paperwork to pickup, okay, little tiny baby? your car is ready, and your repairs are guaranteed for as long as you own it. the progressive service center -- a real place, where we really manage your claim from start to finish. really. ♪ easy as easy can be bye! are you about to spend that on paper towels? mom: well, i use bounty... kerri: ooo! use sparkle®... it's just right for cleaning up everyday little messes

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up to 60% off plus 10% offday mattress spectacular get an extra 5% off or up to 60 months financing and get free delivery start your search at sears, where members get more all that flooding in texas is causing more than just flooding dangers on the streets of houston. the latest danger, now, snakes. this five-foot-long rat snake found itself stuck in traffic on a road along the creek. unfortunately, it learned too late that the cars were an even bigger danger to itself. >> that guy there. oh, spared with that car. let's take a look at your morning road conditions. roads will be wet for the eastern half of the u.s., from the texas gulf coast all the way into new england and throughout florida. it will be another slick day of driving in the pacific

northwest, as well, and into the northern plains. >> and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in d.c., new orleans, houston, as well as memphis. okay. back to the news now. a u.s. marine who accidentally crossed the border into mexico will get to state his case before a judge in tijuana today. >> that's right. sergeant andrew tahmooressi has been jailed for two months. he had three registered guns when he went took a wrong turn and went into mexico through a poorly marked checkpoint. tahmooressi immediately called 911 but was told there was nothing they could do to help because he was no longer on u.s. soil. a man in new jersey is showing us how he used his high-tech camera to catch a thief. 29-year-old nisarg swaminarayan and his family were having dinner with relatives when he got an alert on his iphone from his security system. a burglar slipping into his apartment through an unlocked door was caught on camera. but what that burglar wasn't expecting was to hear swaminarayan's voice coming through a loud speaker on one of those cameras.

>> i simply told him, hey, i can see you. just, please, leave my home. leave my home. i can see you. that's what i told him. >> a few expletives. >> absolutely. the heat of the moment. >> he needed the emphasis. the burglar ran off. thanks to the video and the footage, it didn't take very long for police to apprehend the 22-year-old thief. >> way to go, technology. caught on camera, a daring coast guard rescue at sea. take a look at this. a coast guard helicopter responded to a cruise ship where a passenger was experiencing chest pains. the carnival "splendor" was about 160 miles off the coast of north carolina when the medical emergency happened. the man was lifted aboard the helicopter and taken to the hospital. he is in care there. now, another dramatic rescue caught on camera in galveston, texas. a mother drove her car into a bayou with her child inside. that's when a fisherman sprang into action, bringing the woman to the dock and saving the baby. look at that. police say the woman hit a

75-year-old man with her car just before she entered the water. she is charged with aggravated assault and dui. first lady michelle obama is fighting back against the effort to lower the nutritional standards of school lunch. mrs. obama defended federal standards that exchange lunches like pizza and tatar tots for healthier choices, like fruit and vegetables. republicans say the new lunches are too expensive and kids just throw them away. but the first lady says doing away with the healthy lunches is simply unacceptable. >> so, the last thing that we can afford to do right now is play politics with our kids' health. >> they're forced to serve food that they know kids won't eat. the plate waste is rising exponentially. >> a house committee is set to vote tomorrow on a provision that would allow school districts to opt out of the nutritional guidelines. moving on to some sports now. the montreal canadiens are staying alive in their nhl series against the rangers, winning 7-4, last night. >> that's right. and for the night's other action, here's our guys at espn. >> good morning, america. he's kenny. i'm neil.

we have some highlights for you. kenny had a choice. it was either nba basketball or french open. which way did you go? >> i went with the nba. the former seattle sonics masquerading as the oklahoma city thunder. russell westbrook, loosen up because he's going to go big. russell westbrook, the steal, the bucket. thunder up by ten, trying to tie the series against the spurs. just moments later, thunder up 11. westbrook, another rip. slows it up. kevin durant wants the ball. thunder starting to run away on this thing. westbrook, all fancy now. first player with 40 points, 10 assists and 5 steals in the playoffs since michael jordan in 1989. this series is tied at 2-2. >> did you get that from research? >> uh-huh. let's go to friendlies. great milkshakes. team usa/azerbaijan, the first of three sendoff games before the world cup. hey, man, world cup's coming up. espn. we're going to be rockin' and rolling it. mix diskerud, great name.

gets the loose ball and scores. take another look. michael bradley's shot didn't go through. but diskerud gets the goal. brad davis, from the corner. aron johansson, heads up. usa, 2-0. >> first time they'd ever played a soccer game, those two teams. >> there you go. thank you. who do you like in the nhl? who is going to win the whole thing? >> the kings. >> he's with the kings. i'm with the other guys. >> all right. up next in "the pulse," bill murray crashes a bachelor party and gives a great speech. plus, comedian, actor and inspirational speaker. the commencement speech that had jim carrey trending all night long. it's important to know the difference. like when i found out i had a blood clot in my leg. my doctor said that it could travel to my lungs and become an even bigger problem. and that i had to take action. so he talked to me about xarelto®.

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it was pretty bad. this took place last night at the pirates/mets game. just take a look. >> first pitch was not great. just a bit outside. >> that horrific effort was made by hip-hop mogul 50 cent. the announcer wrapping it up perfectly there, describing it as just a bit outside. cooperstown, dare i say, here he comes. >> i don't think he has a shot at cooperstown. >> i don't think so, either. a little bit outside of the zone there. next up, bill murray offering advice at a bachelor party. check this out. he joined them at a steakhouse in charleston, south carolina. >> that's right. murray's advice here wasn't directed at the groom. it was for the single guys that think they might have found the one. take a listen. >> take that person and travel around the world. buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world. and go to places that are hard to go to and harder to get out of. >> murray continued, saying, when you get home, if you still

love that person, marry her immediately. >> and he also helped to hoist the bachelor overhead there. take a look at that. seems like they all had a pretty good time. >> and a pretty great story to tell. >> there you go. another actor dishing out some advice here is an online hit this morning. >> that's right. funny man jim carrey turned serious during his commencement speech at maharishi university of management this weekend. he talked about the life lessons he learned from his father. >> i father could have been a great comedian but he didn't believe that was possible for him. so, he made a conservative choice. instead, he got a safe job as an accountant. and when i was 12 years old, he was let go from that safe job. and our family had to do whatever we could to survive. i learned many great lessons from my father. not the least of which was that you can fail at what you don't want. so, you might as well take a chance on doing what you love. >> he also added, my soul is not contained within the limits of my body. my body is contained within the

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news good wednesday morning at 4:28. thank you for starting your day with us. i am kristen sze. >> i am eric thomas. >> we will start with meteorologist mike nicco. >> good morning, gang. right along the peninsula coast had are just a few clouds from san francisco all the way down to half moon bay otherwise we are off to a clear start this morning. we are going to have tons of sunshine not quite as breezy away from the cost as it has been and the coast in san francisco is around 62 to 67 and check out our inland temperatures: warm, 80 to 88. mild to warm around the bay up to 80 degrees as low as 68. guess who is back? >> yes, i am leyla gulen. nice to see you.

good morning, everyone. plenty of construction. we have a project that currently running until 5:00 this morning, northbound 880. you will see lanes shut down. closer to the maze, the closure between eastbound 580 and westbound 80 the closure is in place. you can see this project still in place with cones picked up at 5:00 a.m. and maybe some slowing so be careful and slow for the cone zone. >> leyla gulen, thank you. a mix of sadness, anger and outrage on the suburb -- on suburb -- uc santa

victims. >> a student has organized the vigil to be held here on the uc berkeley campus a day after there was a vigil at uc santa barbara which happened last night, a crowd of mostly students packed the campus stadium. they are supposed to be getting ready for final exams but yesterday they paused to mourn. one student said he could not believe the turnout. >> the entire graduate school, everyone was there, the entire stadium has never been that full even for the national championship soccer games. it was awesome to see. classes were canceled at uc santa barbara yesterday so the student could take time to mourn. many were wearing black ribbons volunteers made for the memorial service. they filled the bleachers and sat on the grass and all just came together. they do have classes today. some say they think it will help to