have a great one. making news in america this morning, severe flooding. heavy rain swamping cities across the country. the rescues caught on camera overnight and where all this wet weather is heading today. legends lost, a look back at lauren bacall's stellar career as the world mourns robin williams. what we learned about his final hours and the tributes pouring in for both stars. raging waters crashing through a hospital's doors taking out tables as people scatter to safety. and reptile rescue. the coast guard frees a massive sea creature in desperate need of help.

good wednesday morning. i'm michelle franzen. >> and i'm devin dwyer. it's great to have you with us. we begin with the strong summer storms that are causing dangerous flash floods in many parts of the country. >> that's right, and dramatic images in from arizona including this one showing a firefighter helping a man from a flooded street. >> and this family forced to flee their car after getting stranded in a monsoon. abc's tahman bradley has the very latest. >> reporter: from the midwest to the northeast, record rainfall, some areas got an estimated 10 inches, and today more rain is on the way. flash flooding kept emergency teams busy. this dramatic water rescue in phoenix was caught on tape. a man jumps from the roof of his car onto a fire truck. outside washington, d.c., this woman was trapped in her car. >> i guess she drove into the water, it rose, and she got stuck. >> reporter: the baltimore beltway was backed up for miles yesterday afternoon, and this morning the area is still a mess. creeks and streams are filled and streets look like rivers. baltimore international airport got crushed.

the outside parking lot flooded. the travelers who left these car, they're not going to be happy. >> i'm shocked. i'm surprised. i've never seen it this way before. >> reporter: detroit got its heaviest rainfall total in almost a century. hundreds of abandoned cars stuck on flooded streets and highways. >> a lot of them were swimming out of there. people were climbing up the embankment. >> reporter: state police dive teams checked the submerged vehicles for stranded people while forklifts moved cars. >> it probably took us about three hours to get, i don't know, maybe a 15-minute drive last night, and i've never seen anything like this in my whole life. >> reporter: tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >> incredible images there. those flood watches tahman mentioned in his piece cover millions of americans all along the east coast with that stormy weather on the move. >> and accuweather meteorologist jim dickey shows us where the worst of it is hitting today. >> good morning, devin and michelle. after producing flooding across the great lakes on monday and across the mid-atlantic yesterday, storm system tracking into new england going to bring

some heavy rainfall. going to produce more in the way of flooding talking a widespread area of 2 to 4 inches of rain that includes new york city, boston, up towards montreal, again, watch out for flash flooding and river flooding into the day. into the northwest the storm system continues to move in. we'll see some severe thunderstorms here. the main threat, powerful winds. devin and michelle, back to you. >> thanks, jim. tributes by fans of robin williams are piling up at movie landmarks across the country. they are mile posts of a legendary career cut tragically short as this morning we learn new details about the troubled star's final hours. abc's kirk hawkins has the story. >> reporter: in a news conference the coroner confirming earlier suspicions actor and comedian robin williams committed suicide. >> mr. williams' life ended from asphyxia due to hanging. >> reporter: at 10:30 p.m. sunday the 63-year-old was last seen alive by his wife susan schneider. investigators say she woke up

and left their house thinking her husband was still asleep. but just before noon, his personal assistant discovered his body. distraught she called 911. emergency crews responded in minutes. >> apparent suicide attempt by hanging. >> reporter: family friends speaking out. >> we've been worried. he's been fragile. he was like really -- it was clear to us that he was not in great shape. >> reporter: tributes from coast to coast. at the smithsonian's national portrait gallery in d.c., they installed a photograph. and at the san francisco home that was the setting for the movie "mrs. doubtfire." >> i think many, many people looked up to him, so did i. >> reporter: even outside the northern california home where he died. >> still shocking that he was unhappy somewhere deep in there and ended his life like that. he'll be missed. >> reporter: a stunning loss for family and friends. kirk hawkins, abc news, los angeles. the passing of another

hollywood legend, actress lauren bacall died after suffering a stroke. the sultry voiced bacall became famous with her first movie scene with humphrey bogart in "to have and have not." they married shortly afterward. we'll have more on her career and overnight reaction to her passing later in the newscast. new reaction to the police shooting death of a missouri teen. civil rights leader al sharpton is among those who called for calm. violent protests have broken out for several nights following the police shooting death of michael brown who was unarmed. his grieving parents are asking authorities to tell them the name of the officer who killed their son. >> just because he's 6'4" black walking down the street doesn't mean he fits the profile. >> police say they're withholding the officer's name because of threats against his life. an autopsy confirmed michael brown died of multiple gunshot wounds. another 130 u.s. troops arrived in northern iraq. but defense secretary chuck hagel is promising that they're there just as advisers to assess the scope of the humanitarian

crisis facing thousands of iraqi minorities threatened by isis. the pentagon says it has made a sixth air drop of food and water to help the stranded refugees. hillary clinton is trying to smooth things over with president obama this morning after seeming to criticize his foreign policy in a recent interview. clinton called mr. obama's approach to syria a, quote, failure among other critiques. yesterday the former secretary of state called the president to talk about the comments. a spokesman for clinton says she plans to, quote, hug it out when the two see each other later today on martha's vineyard. the world health organization has approved the use of the experimental ebola treatment given to two american aid workers. the big question is who should get it? one of the last doses of zmapp which is made here in the u.s. is going to two doctors battling ebola in liberia. and it could take months to make more. canada just announced plans to donate up to a thousand doses of its experimental vaccine to

africa, but it is far short of what's needed. and a brief sports note this morning. a new era has begun for the l.a. clippers. the sale of the team to former microsoft ceo steve ballmer is now official. the $2 billion deal closed yesterday, that after a court in los angeles confirmed that shelly sterling had the authority to sell on behalf of her family's trust. the sale, of course, was prompted by donald sterling's lifetime ban from the nba following his racist comments about the players. and still ahead, curbing sickness in the classroom. does hand sanitizer make a difference? and mystery solved. who is taking responsibility now for the flag switch atop the brooklyn bridge? plus, new video. a scary scene for some inside a hospital as raging floodwaters rush in.

the nation's banks are raking in more record profits. u.s. banks posted more than $40 billion in net income during the second quarter. that's the industry's second highest profit in at least 23 years. but still bank executives continue to complain that the rising costs of regulation are hurting their business. well, in a sign of strengthening business, the nation's employers advertised the most monthly job openings in 13 years. there are still more unemployed workers than there are job openings by a 2-1 margin, but it's a big improvement over the 3-1 margin from a year ago. wages, however, remaining stagnant.

well, putting hand sanitizer in your child's backpack may be a waste of time and money. a new study finds the use of hand sanitizer in the classroom did not keep kids from getting sick. researchers in new zealand said sanitizer in school was no better than just teaching students to wash their hands with good old soap and water. and with millions of fans now gearing up for another season of fantasy football, a new study claims that workers managing their teams at work this season will cost employers more than $13 billion in lost productivity. and the same firm that came up with that estimate also says an office ban on fantasy football would probably cause a bigger loss because it would decrease in employee morale. so play on. >> play on. when we come back, on dry land and quite the story to tell. we're hearing from the boaters who were stranded at sea during hurricane julio. plus, a quick-thinking officer saves a woman's life, a stunning scene all caught on camera. d i have copd.

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you're looking at a massive dust storm rolling through washington state. the giant wall of dust and debris more commonly seen in the southwest descended on part of the state yesterday afternoon. it was accompanied by thunderstorms and 50-mile-an-hour winds. look at the cloud there which brought visibility to zero causing a number of car accidents, shutting down a major highway. >> strange weather. more thunderstorms are hitting the pacific northwest making for a slick morning commute. roads will also be wet into colorado, new mexico and arizona. rain-soaked highways from virginia to new england, slick at times along the southeast coast. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays possible in boston, new york, philly and phoenix. and returning now to one of our top story, the death of actress lauren bacall. >> abc's david muir has a look back at her remarkable career on the screen, the stage and on television. >> you know how to whistle,

don't you, steve? you just put your lips together and blow. >> reporter: lauren bacall's life story reads like a hollywood script. discovered at 19 on the cover of "harper's bazaar," paired with humphrey bogart in her very first movie, the love interest in "to have and have not." >> what's the decision? >> i don't know yet. >> reporter: there was a 25-year age difference, but they would soon fall in love offscreen too and they would marry the next year. ♪ they were hollywood's golden couple. >> i like that. i'd like more. >> reporter: no one bacall says has ever written a romance better than we lived it. when bogey died young of cancer in 1957, bacall carried on working onstage and on screen. >> how did it look? >> the mother is dating, and the daughter stays home alone. >> mom, who's looking? >> reporter: you can't always be a leading lady, a glamour puss, she said.

in her 70s, she was nominated for an oscar and honored at the kennedy center. it's hard to believe, she once said, that it all happened to me. >> that was david muir reporting. a lot of fans and friends and celebrities are reacting to bacall's death on twitter. >> her late husband humphrey bogart's estate confirming the news late yesterday saying, "with deep sore re yet with great gratitude for her amazing life we confirm the passing of lauren bacall." >> alyssa milano was one of the first to leave her tribute tweeting, "rest with the angels, lauren bacall." >> lynda carter summing it up "too much loss this week, rest in peace, lauren bacall." and there will be much more on bacall's passing coming up on "good morning america." well, two german artists have claimed responsibility for removing those american flags from the brooklyn bridge last month replacing them with faded white flags. the artists, who are now in berlin, say the stunt was not anti-american but rather a celebration of public art honoring the bridge's german architect.

the men provided pictures and video of the flags shot from the bridge to "the new york times." the new york police have not confirmed their story. and troubled pop star justin bieber's set to get a break in court today. "the miami herald" reporting this morning that lawyers will accept a plea deal in his florida drunk driving case. he'll plead guilty to careless driving in that alleged drag race incident in miami beach and to resisting arrest. in exchange the state will drop the dui charge. bieber will also be required to attend anger management courses. a trio of boaters caught in choppy waters caused by hurricane julio off the coast of hawaii are finally on solid ground. the coast guard picked up the three sailors from a container ship off the waters of oahu on monday. they had been trying to sail their 42-foot boat "walkabout" from california to hawaii when the high waters overtook them. >> i got totally just covered with water and flipped over and i was stuck because i was on the

port side, so when the water came in on the starboard, it swished everything on top of me. >> the sailors are okay. their boat, however, remains adrift. meantime, we're seeing some frightening pictures out of kearney, nebraska. this was the scene last friday when a flash flood burst through the doors of good samaritan hospital. the two-story floor to ceiling windows of the hospital's dining room took the brunt of the damage. no one was hurt. >> incredible pictures there. a police officer, now turning to kalamazoo, michigan, being hailed as a hero for saving the life of a woman choking at a traffic stop. take a look. officer jason gates pulled the woman's vehicle over after she ran a red light. when he approached the window, he saw that she was choking. you see that he there pulls her out and immediately performs the heimlich maneuver. gates said later that he was just doing his job. he did not issue the woman a ticket for running the red light. >> an incredible job. now, sports.

the nba releases its schedule for the upcoming season at 6:00 p.m. eastern time today. >> later today it all but confirmed a christmas day showdown between lebron james and the cavs against his former team, the miami heat. for last night's baseball, highlights from our guys at espn. >> closing down the computer because this is the last thing we're doing before we go home, america. stan, you go first. >> all right. we got some baseball. the royals who have won eight in a row taking over first place in the american league central. the a's are the best in baseball so this is a premium quality matchup. josh donaldson came to play. home run for donaldson, up 7-3 but donaldson didn't think that was enough. they're up 10-3 now. and he is taking chen out of the yard game. third career multihome run game. all of them have come this season, 25 home runs this year. athletics snap the royals' win streak. >> you know why he's been so good? >> why is that?

>> barbecue. >> but they always have barbecue. >> well, yeah, but it's very good this year. tigers not very good right now. oh, look, there's two guys not on the same page. >> what is that? >> communication breakdown. zeppelin will not reunite. gabby sanchez scores and davis can't get it together. davis, oh, that won't leave a mark. the pirates win, 4-2. >> it's an opportunity for the tigers and didn't take advantage of it. >> yeah. >> so the royals still in first place. that's all we got. thanks for watching. >> what he says. >> back to you. >> all right. thanks, guys. well, up next in "the pulse," a close encounter with the largest fish in the sea. and another big sea creature that desperately needed some help and the rescuers who jumped into action. i just saved 15% on car insurance in 15 minutes, so i took a selfie to show everyone how happy i am. really? because esurance saved me money in half that time. can i...? oh you can be in it!

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and we are delving into the animal kingdom for your wednesday "pulse" starting with a surprise visit from the biggest fish on the planet. >> big fish he was. amazingly, look at these two divers spearfishing in the atlantic ocean. they didn't see this guy coming. there he is. a massive whale shark somehow managing to surprise them and after their initial screams of horror, well, you can hear the nervous laughter on the tape. one of them even brave enough to grab the giant fin. >> lucky thing. whale sharks can get up to nearly 50,000 pounds. fortunately for the divers they're gentle and eat nothing larger than shrimp-like creatures. >> no legs or arms. >> what a sight. >> they do have big mouths. i guess they're called filter feeders, those big mouths. >> i don't know how they snuck up on the divers. >> i know. well, next up, speaking of surprising, a visitor for a tree trimming crew in colorado. take a look. there it is, a black bear making itself comfortable in the cab of the tree trimming crew's truck. >> almost a selfie.

this happened to the guys at the front range aborists in colorado springs. they say the bear didn't damage the inside of the truck. >> but it did apparent ly ruin one worker's lunch by slobbering all over his sandwich. after a few minutes, there he goes, running back into the forest wherever he came from. smokey the bear would just be happy he wasn't sneaking a cigarette. >> exactly. >> if it wasn't for the peanut butter sandwich instead. the u.s. coast guard coming to the rescue. >> there they were, there they were off the new jersey coast assisting a leatherback turtle. this one said to be about 800 pounds. you can see its flipper splashing in the water there. >> wow. it had become entangled in some fishing gear, and once it was free, the turtle just drifted away, no doubt grateful. >> our u.s. coast guard rescuing boaters and sailboats and wild animals. they get the job done out there. >> they did a good job. well, for some of you, your local news is next.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 >> good morning on wednesday. thanks for joining us. meteorologist mike nicco has the forecast. >> live doppler 7 hd shows dry air. maybe drizzle along the coast. lowest part of the cloud deck is 1,700' up to 2,500'. more than likely you will not drive interest it. the bay water is calm this morning for the ferry. this afternoon we have a passing high cloud or two inland. 78 in the north bay and 85 in the east bay. sunny along the coast. close to normal. 65 to 69 and sunny around the bay. 20 to 79 into the south bay. >> we are starting off quiet. good morning, everyone, this is

the bay bridge toll plaza where traffic is moving in from emeryville. i do have some construction, a few areas across the pay area. over the a pass, along eastbound correction you will find the delays in the when direction. traffic is starting to build. 680 walnut creek to dublin is clear, and 101 to fran is clear. no issues through the santa cruz mountains. another police shooting in ferguson, missouri, where continues between the police and the community have been running high. police say officers responded to a 9-1-1 call of four masked men caring shotguns. police saw the men running. one pointed a handgun at the officer and the officer fired. the suspect is in critical condition. protests have been clashing with police since an officer shot and

killed an unarmed black teen on saturday. more reaction to the death of comedy legend robin williams with respects paid across the country including a small mill valley theater he was moan to frequent. amy hollyfield? yes, eric, this is the theater with comedy night on tuesday. he would often appear. now the front door is closed in honor of robin williams including notes. one says "you were the best the best. you will be very missed." a lot of areasonation for all he has done for young comics. the details of the death came out yesterday and that added to everyone's sadness when officials said his wife went to bed in a different room and she did not wake him moaned but a personal assistant found him. e