making news in america this morning -- severe weather. heavy rains and hail, damaging winds overnight. with millions of americans still in the danger zone this morning. under fire. ray rice and his wife break their silence, for the first time since new video of their altercation surfaced. but the attention is now turning to the way prosecutors and the league's commissioner handled the case. vicious attack. a 12-year-old boy caught in the jaws of a large alligator. >> he just opened his mouth open. >> how he fought off the predator with his bare hands. and dangling design. the house that's for someone who really wants to live life on the edge.

good wednesday morning to you. i'm reena ninan. >> and i'm dan kloeffler. we begin with some of the country's biggest areas bracing for severe weather this morning. >> 60 million people in harm's way. look at the map. kansas city to chicago to detroit. heavily populated areas in nine states, all on alert. and the trouble has already started. dark clouds rolled in over missouri late last night. along with tornado warnings. against those clouds, dramatic flashes of lightning. >> it's strong out there. >> usually we wait at the door until we're like, we got to get away from the door. >> reporter: torrential rain and hail arriving, too. triggering flash floods and turning rivers of water into homes. >> all of a sudden, the water started coming. >> reporter: to the west, it will be a day of cleaning up. a major stretch of interstate 15, from las vegas to salt lake city, washed away. it will be days before it's passable again.

>> i started digging out what i could from the car. it took six guys that were there to push my car out. >> reporter: and in mesa, arizona, battered by days of monsoon rains, a kitty pool is the best way to get around these streets. the governor declared a state of emergency here. more than 1,000 customers without power and lots of losses in their homes. >> the houses are all -- they're all new carpet, new flooring. mold -- the mold is going to be insane if it's not kept up with. >> a tough day for a lot of people. that severe weather in the center of the country will move east today. >> in the meantime, though, clear and dry for much of the east. a few showers from the gulf and the edge of the southern coast. most of the west finally drying out. snow, yeah, snow, in the higher elevations from idaho to wyoming. now, to our other top story this wednesday morning. the growing threat that islamic militants overseas are posing to the united states. >> president obama will lay out the nation's strategy for

dealing with i.s.i.s., in a primetime address tonight. abc's tahman bradley joins us this morning. tahman, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. secretary kerry is in iraq for a high-level meeting with that country's new prime minister. and tonight, president obama will try to assure a worried public that he has a strategy for taking on and destroying i.s.i.s. tonight, a rare primetime address by president obama to lay out his strategy for battling i.s.i.s. administration officials say the president wants congress to sign off on a program to arm and train syrian rebels, who would take the fight directly to the sunni militant group. yesterday at the white house, mr. obama made his case to house and senate leaders. president obama is also considering an even more aggressive campaign of u.s. air strikes against i.s.i.s. perhaps even expanding them into syria. it appears the president is ready to move forward with this broader military effort, without seeking congressional authorization. some republicans want a vote. >> the view of myself and most of my members, is the president should be seeking congressional

approval, period, for whatever he decides to do. >> reporter: the president's speech, on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, comes as the public becomes increasingly worried about the threat posed by i.s.i.s. the terror group is trying to recruit young women using social media and online videos like this. >> the advice i have for the sisters -- >> reporter: sources say many as a dozen young american women have tried to join islamic radicals in syria. >> i think it's possible, as they train women, that you could see them as suicide bombers. >> reporter: part of the president's strategy, seeking commitments from u.s. allies around the world, to help defeat i.s.i.s. reena and dan. >> tahman bradley, live in washington. thank you. >> join our political team, as abc news covers the president's address live. coverage begins at 9:00 p.m. eastern. now, to the firestorm over that video, showing ray rice knocking out the woman who is now his wife. the owner of rice's former team,

the baltimore ravens, says the organization was wrong for not pursuing its own investigation of the incident more vigorously. with new legal questions swirling, the nfl, along with rice and his wife, are all having their say. abc's karen travers has more. >> reporter: in less than two years, ray rice went from super bowl champion to out of the game. the nfl suspended the baltimore ravens star running back indefinitely. the controversy around this video, showing rice hitting his then-fiancee, now wife, is not dying down. nfl commissioner roger goodell defended the league, in an interview with "cbs this morning." >> did anyone in the nfl see the second videotape before monday? >> no. >> no one in the nfl? >> no one in the nfl, to my knowledge. >> if there's no video, ray rice would be playing in the national football league next week. >> reporter: running back ray rice told espn, i have to be strong for my wife. she is so strong.

janay rice defended her husband in a post on instagram. i woke up this morning feeling i had a horrible nightmare. to make us relive a moment in our lives we regret every day is a horrible thing. and new questions whether rice should have faced prison time. prosecutors telling abc news, he received the same treatment that any first-time offender has. >> it is not unusual. a first-offender with a victim who is very well supportive. >> reporter: karen travers, abc news, washington. that frightening enterovirus that has been spreading, sending hundreds of children to hospitals, is apparently spreading. michigan, the 12th state reporting a spike in respiratory infections among children. six of those states have confirmed cases of enterovirus 68. or e-68. the illnesses start as common colds. but they quickly develop into serious infections. another infection that's front and center with the cdc, ebola. the fourth u.s. aid worker

sickened with the virus, has arrived from west africa, at emory university in atlanta. the total number of ebola infections in west africa has soared to over 4,200, with more than 2,000 deaths. and maybe the last time a kid in the oval office got this much attention, it was jfk jr. hanging out under his dad's desk. check out the son of retiring secret service agent, face-planting on the couch, while mom and dad speak with president obama. the nearly 3-year-old also kicked all of the pillows off the couch. we're told the president didn't seem to mind. haven't you always wanted to do that? come on. >> that is a christmas card if ever there was caught in the oval office. coming up, an alternative to drugs. the new research that shows that kids with adhd can do to help reduce symptoms. and apple goes big. david muir's access to ceo tim cook. plus, alligator attack. a 12-year-old boy fights off a

giant reptile and wins.

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announcer: please take a moment and join st. jude in finding cures and saving children. visit stjude.org. and welcome back on this wednesday morning. apple confirming nearly all the rumors that were out there. the company will sell its iphone 6 later this month, in two sizes. both bigger than present iphones. and update its mobile operating system. ios eight will include the new apple pay system. with several major banks integrating their credit cards into it. and the watch is apple's first new product line since co-founder steve jobs passed away. abc's david muir talked to exclusively to ceo tim cook.

>> i think he would be incredibly proud to see the company that he left us, which i think is one of his greatest gifts to mankind, is the company itself, be doing what it's doing today. i think he's smiling right now. >> investors, though, were not smiling. some, having doubts about the apple watch, which isn't coming out for a couple months. it requires an iphone nearby. it will cost about $350. but the stocks of competing smartwatchmakers and payment systems fell more than apple's did. there are jobs out there. the government reports, the number of openings was again high in july. and companies are hiring at the fastest pace in seven years. it's another sign the employment market is getting better. job openings have soared 22% in the last 12 months. mcdonald's sales are down again. the fast food giant had its weakest sales in a decade last month, mostly because asians are avoiding the golden

arches after a meat supply problem in china. but it's same-store sales were down here in the united states. and the people that turned a waffle into a taco are at it again. taco bell is testing a biscuit taco. it comes with fried chicken and country gravy, or hail jalapeno honey or with egg and cheese. and your choice of sausage and bacon. the shells are similar to a country-style biscuit. >> my mouth is waters at this hour. if the shiny sauce doesn't do it, it has to be the biscuit holder that it's in. >> there you go. coming up, when we come back, new this morning, a report claiming what went wrong during a routine procedure involving the late joan rivers. plus, cliff-hanger. the five-story house that takes some guts to live in. oh, there's an energy crisis happening, alright. a human one. and it's time to fight it. quaker's good energy is just what you want.

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marina del rey harbor. it's probably a juvenile. but they're not sure what it's up to. this time of year, gray whales migrate north. it's been hugging the coast, going south. it doesn't seem to be in distress, though. maybe just lost or curious or waiting for the iphone 6. >> as is everyone out there. right? now, a look at the morning road conditions. there could be troubles with the commute from north texas, to the midwest, with dark skies, wet roads, flooding. a wet morning on i-10 and i-95 in florida. also, slippery conditions in that snow zone, in montana and wyoming. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in chicago, detroit and minneapolis. new details this morning about what may have gone wrong during joan rivers' surgery at a manhattan clinic. >> sources are telling "the new york daily news," that a doctor who arrived at the clinic with rivers, performed an unplanned throat biopsy that cut off her air supply. "the daily news," said rivers signed off on a procedure to see why her voice had gotten raspy.

but when the doctor noticed something on her vocal cords, rivers' doctor asked to do that biopsy. a new study is suggesting that exercise before school could ease the symptoms of ahdh. the small study of 40 children in kindergarten through second grade, found after 30 minutes of exercise before school, not only were the kids' symptoms were reduced, they were more atentative, better behaved and less prone to becoming moody. it's not clear if afternoon exercise would be as beneficial. researchers tested the kids only in the morning. a louisiana boy is recovering after successfully fighting off a ten-foot alligator. 12-year-old matthew kelly was spear fishing with his father, when the alligator chomped down on his leg, leaving big gashes and puncture wounds before his dad could reach him. matthew pried open the gator's mouth and freed himself. >> it wasn't really painful. >> you felt something clamp down on your leg. >> yes, ma'am. pulled me down under.

>> the alligator snatched the dad's gun and the fish before swimming away. but as you can see, matthew is going to be just fine. look at what texas fishermen found off the coast. a huge squid. the squid, seen most often near shore, about the size of a hand. this one, 10 feet long, weighs 200 pounds. but the giant squid was already dead when the fishermen spotted it. it looks as if it was attacked by a shark. the guys still say it's their greatest catch ever. a burglary suspect in florida sure did choose a very strange time to take a nap. here he is. police said he dozed off while attempting to steal jewelry and other items from a home in sarasota. dion davis, fast asleep. a cop took a picture before waking him up and putting him under arrest. he is now facing burglary charges. now, some sports and what would be a record price for an nfl team. the same couple who owns the buffalo sabres hockey team has reached an agreement to buy the

bills for an agreed $1.4 billion. that sale has to be approved by the nfl's other owners. the previous record paid for an nfl franchise was $1.1 billion. that was for the dolphins. there's about three weeks left in baseball's regular season. >> so, lots of important games going on. with the highlights from a couple of them, here are the guys over at espn. >> good morning. welcome to our "sportscenter" set here in los angeles. i'm stan verrett. this is neil everett. we're talking baseball pennant races, dominating the headlines tuesday. >> thank you, stan. let's go to the highlights. royals/tigers. they're locked up in a tight one. rajai davis from the nine hole. two-run homer off jason vargas. jason vargas, i saw him in maui. tigers up 3-0. bases loaded. same score. aaron hosmer, playing. scherzer out of a big jam there. bottom five. j.d. martinez. oh, yeah. solo. his 20th. tigers win, 4-2. a's have just played their

way out of the a.l. west race against the angels. trying to stay in the wild card now. taking on the white sox. josh donaldson, doing some things. top five, over adam eaton's head. that will drive in two. donaldson, that was his second hit of the game. his third hit of the game, top of the seventh. but he wasn't done. top of the eighth. another base hit. struck out four times monday. said he changed the position of his hands. during his at-bats. on tuesday, it paid off. five for six with four rbis. first career four-hit game. the a's needed a win. >> joe panik for the giants also had five hits. you like apples? how about them apples? back to you. >> of a different sort. but, yes, apples nonetheless. possibly the best odd couple pairing ever to show you now. it happened yesterday north of the border. >> there they are. toronto mayor rob ford and mike tyson. they talked to reporters after a brief closed-door meeting.

>> so, both men complimented each other. tyson even calling ford the best mayor in toronto's history. ford says he respects, even idolizes tyson. >> that's an interesting photo op, i have to say. >> put your own caption there. >> i wouldn't know what to say. up next in "the pulse," without warning and free. u2 shakes up the music industry with its latest release. plus, pricey amenity. a new condo in america's most expensive city getting a lot of attention because of the cost to park. that new guy is like a donut, tasty! yeah but you'll regret it. what about him? healthy. yeeeeuk! the perfect man and the perfect snack, don't exist. you sure? try dannon oikos greek nonfat yogurt. perfect cause it's healthy with 0% fat and 12 gr. of protein and so creamy. mmm... could be the perfect...

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time to check, "the pulse," the stories that caught our attention overnight. first up, u2, with 500 million music cues this morning. >> that's because the rock band made a guest appearance at apple's product rollout yesterday, performing a brand-new single. and then, made a bigger splash. the band dropped an 11-track album, called "songs of innocence." and made it all free to all itunes subscribers. >> and apple paid the band to do that. in seconds, it became the biggest album release of all-time. >> i believe it. i'm going to start downloading it as soon as i'm done with the show. we knew new york was already the most expensive city to live in. but here is more evidence. $1 million for a parking space at a new luxury parking building. for that price, you can get a nice house in dallas or seattle. >> yeah. so, the parking place costs more per square foot than the apartments upstairs. it comes with its own charging station. so, maybe cost justified there. the irony of this, the condos are being built on, what else? a former parking garage.

>> of course. finally, speaking of houses, one that is not for the feint of heart. it's still on the drawing board. this is what australian architects have in mind. it's a home bolted on the side of a cliff. it would have three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room. possibly a spa on the bottom. >> it was inspired by the way barnacles cling to a ship's hull. no word on how much it would cost. remember "the real world" on mtv? >> a little of the similarities right there. >> a good location. >> you're not going to have kids jumping around on the floor, i don't think. everyone will walk very gently. >> tv anchors, you're scared of heights, right? >> exactly. might step down after this one, right? for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, we will be back with thousands of schoolchildren making history.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> it is wednesday at 4:28. thanks for joining us. first up we check on the weather forecast which is warming up. mike? >> some of us may needed the air conditioning today. we start off with a fog as the high pressure compressed the marine layer pushing the moisture to the ground in santa rosa with half mile visibility. five miles in half moon bay. the rest of us have fog and low cloud forming. we will get hazy sunshine today quickly. too much smoke in the atmosphere from the fires to the northeast. an the bay, 75 to 85 and inland is up to 95. coast and san francisco is 64 to 72. good morning, everyone, happy when.

approaching the golden gate bridge from marin county down do one lane. some fog but it will not happen per the visibility. traffic is late. other road work, eastbound and westbound 580, eastbound to portola and westbound should be picked up in a moment from 580 to san ramon foothill road. protecting overnight in sonoma, firefighters rescued a technician after he was tangled in safety equipment along old redwood city highway in sonoma county north of petaluma. the worker slipped as he moved from a poll to a cat walk 50' of pot ground. he did not plunge to the ground because of a safety harness. he dangled phone an hour. he was not hurt. >> authorities will search if both sides of the bay if a

straight a student from hayward missing for four days. matt is in hayward with the latest including possible lead involving the teen's facebook page. authorities asked forked asked for the help in fining minh ly. the search for minh ly was called after at 9:00 last might can they believe the 6-year-old is in the rugged terrain or in san francisco after tracing spent activity to a library in the city. the student argued with his father on saturday and walked off wearing only a private colored shirt and slippers. it is getting cold. you need something for eat...come back