making news in america this morning -- flooding aftermath. swollen rivers still causing concern for millions. the evacuations under way at this hour. etch as the murky water recedes. pilot arrested. the plane goes off the runway smashed into a building. was he drunk? daring rescue. blames and smoke surround a car. a police officer not wasting any time pull mang to safety. plus america's best and brightest. young spellers squaring off today. the preparation, the intensity, and those faces of the scripps national spelling bee.

well good thursday morning to you all. we begin with this wild weather that just will not let up. rain flooding tornadoes slamming the southern plain as the death roll rises. >> more than 20 lives lost so far. that number expected to go up as the search for victims intensifies. block after block of debris piling up. some rivers are still rising. we get the latest from bazi kanani. >> reporter: front yards piling high with soggy carpet. people are hoping to salvage the things they can't replace. >> it was every letter i had written to her for the last 25 years. i didn't know she had kept them. >> reporter: the national guard continuing to look for people still missing, including members of three families swept away in a vacation home. one of them michelle carrie

charba is confirmed dead. >> we're doing just -- putting up. trying to save everything. >> reporter: many dams and rivers expected to rise again as the storm threat continues. part of a system spreading more severe weather across the nation's midsection. this tornado caught on a surveillance camera near dayton ohio was one of several striking this past week. this morning, emergency nishls flood-ravaged areas are again pleading with residents to watch for warnings and to get out when ordered. >> it doesn't take much. we're saturated, folks. the isolated thunderstorms could cause immediate local flooding in your area. i can't stress it enough. we're -- we're to a point where we're missing 11 people. we don't need any more. >> reporter: bazi kanani abc news washington. after more than a week of stormy weather, there's no relief in sight for the southern

plains. >> justin povick tells us what's in store. >> another active afternoon over the south plains. oklahoma city dallas high risk for more flash flooding in addition. large hail damaging winds, tornadoes, especially along and west of interstate 35. these are the same hard-hit areas we have been talking about for the past couple of weeks. southeast, spotty thunderstorm some packing a punch from greensboro north carolina south and west toward atlanta. t.j. and reena, back to you. >> all right, justin thank you so much. a big oops. the shipping of live anthrax spores to u.s. labs. the military says this saul a mistake. >> four people in three of those labs worked with anthrax. pierre thomas has more. >> reporter: the health departments are racing to make sure no one has been contaminated by anthrax accidentally shipd from a military weapons facility.

and centers for disease control on the ground in utah. trying to find out how and why anthrax spores were sent. health officials say the risk to the deadly biological agent is low. health and research officials have fanned out to all those labs to see how the material was handled and if personnel were exposed. usually, it's shipped at high levels of security. this time they were shipped at low level because the spores were thought to be dead. the scientists working with the anthrax are been offered antibiotics. a pilot in florida is in big trouble after being arrested for operating his plane while drunk. christopher john hall was arrested last night. he spent the night in jail. he was at the controls and his

son in the plane as he hit a building. the air traffic controller sensing something wasn't right. >> sky master 32 mike i haven't given you any instructions of any kind sir. hold your position. refile your ifr flight plan and call me when you're ready for it and ready to taxi. would you return to your hangar and call the tower, please sir? >> neither hall nor his son were hurt. he's scheduled in court this afternoon. more top soccer officials could be arrested and charged as their bribery investigation moves forward. nine fishlgs and five others are charged with taking $150 million in bribs. that money was supposed to secure votes for were the world cup should happen. visa will reconsider its sponsorship. another major step in

normalizing relations between the u.s. and cuba. the two countries are expected to formally announce the reopening of their embassies. that would come after president obama removes cuba from the list of state-sponsored terror. a new stretch of southern california coastline is closed until further notice after globs of oil began washing ashore. the affected area runs about nine miles, from manhattan beach to redondo beach. crews are working around the clock to clear the beaches there's testing to see if those dplobs are connected to last week's spill. right now, they don't know where they came from. police in los angeles arrested a man suspected of deliberately starting a mszive fire in december that caused $30 million in damage. flames could be seen for miles guszed a downtown office

building. the fire burned so hot it shattered hundreds of windows around the neighborhood. investigators aren't saying what led them to the suspect or what his motive have been. well are you keeping count? another republican joining the crowded race. former pennsylvania senator rick santorum says he's ready to run. his focus will be on improving life for the middle class. >> to really reconnect to what i grew up with and understood to be an america that worked. and worked for middle income families. >> a social conservative santorum faces tough competition for that vote from mike huckabee and senator ted cruz. hillary clinton says she has no intention of showing her age once she's in office. >> i'm ware i may not be the

youngest candidate in this race. but i have one big advantage. i have been coloring my hair for years. so -- you're not going to see me turn white in the white house. >> well big laughs for that prediction. >> all right. still ahead, the nba finals set with one team making a return after 40 years. plus, a boy riding his bike suddenly hit by gunfire. the surveillance video just released and the special visit he got in the hospital. also new this morning. a car involved in a police chase ending up in somebody's home.

woman: she wants to be home with her friends. 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.

yep, that's car in a house. that's where that car ended up after a police chase in gary indiana. a driver lost control and slammed right into the side of the home. he climbed from the wreckage and escaped officers. nobody was in the house at the time. well some big money for the country's three biggest banks. making more than $1 billion in overdraft fees in the first three months of the year. the they continue at this rate bank of america, wells fargo, and jpmorgan chase will rake in huge numbers by tend of december. staggering numbers given especially the efforts to curb some of the fees after the financial crisis. returning soon to a plane you're traveling in? the sky mall catalog. the catalogs disappeared from seat pockets after the company filed for bankruptcy. the new owner says the sky mall catalog should be back to keep you entertains during your

flight later this year. a bit more immediate sli a change to the way mcdonald's prepares its burgers. they'll start to toast the buns five seconds longer which makes the bread 15 degrees warmer. they say that improves taste. it will change the way it grills the patties so the beef is juicier. who knew about the buns? >> i had no idea. five seconds make all the difference. you want to get toasted buns out one more time? you seemed to enjoy that. >> glad you caught that. >> yes, i did. when we come back fiery rescue. a car bursts into flames with the driver inside. plus too close for comfort. the story behind this picture. you know the importance of heart health. you watch your diet, excercise... and may take an omega-3 supplement, such as fish oil. but when it comes to omega-3s, it's the epa and dha that really matter for heart health. not all omega-3 supplements are the same. introducing bayer pro ultra omega-3 from the heart health experts at bayer.

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with fragrance release pearls. touch your skin to release fragrance up to 12 hours. new caress love forever. for an unforgettable fragrance up to 12 hours. [ thunder claps ] a terrifying choose call for a woman in dublin. she was filming a hailstorm when she got the shock of her life. a bolt of lightning struck right next to her. she said it sounded like an explosion. plan on more flooding when you hit the roads this morning. eastern colorado texas louisiana. wet roads in parts of the ohio valley. >> if you're flying airport delays possible in dallas memphis, and denver. a 7-year-old boston area boy shot and wounded in hail of gunfire over the week send back

home this morning. >> he was riding his bike outside a barber shop when someone started shooting. >> new england patriots star rob gronkowski there he is he stopped by the hospital to visit silba. they hung out for a bit before he was sent home. seatment has been reached between tracy morgan and walmart following the deadly accident on the jersey turnpike. morgan and two others were seriously hurt and a friend killed when a walmart truck slammed into their limo van. terms not made public. meanwhile, dustin diamond. you know that name that face. he's now on trial in wisconsin for a stabbing during a bar fight. diamond is charged with second-degree felony assault. he's pleaded not guilty. he says the stabbing was an accident. a wisconsin sheriff's deputy went above and beyond the call

of duty pulling a resistant man from a burning car. the dash cam was rolling when the deputy arrived at the fully engulfed car with the driver inside refusing to get out. finally, the deputy grabbed him by the belt and pulled him away. he was not injured but was arrested for drunk driving. taylor swift fans credit the singing star and her crew for saving their lives. they were coming home from a swift concert when the driver fell asleep and crashed. the cell phones were dead. the girls used lightup bracelets they had got frn the show as flares. eventually someone stopped and the girls went to the hospital. take a look at this picture. a curious bear comes up to the car. a officer was working in the car at the time. the bear eventually lost interest and went away. right, now some sports. last night's playoff action. it was a good night for the

teams. >> we get the details and highlights from our good friends over at espn. we're going have two game sevens in the stanley cup playoffs. and the nba finals matchup is set. i'm robert flores. let's get it started with what happened wednesday evening in the bay area. rockets, warriors. houston trying to stave off elimination. this game was pretty even for the first three quarters. but in the fourth, harrison barnes caught fire. scoring nine straight points over a 2:00 stretch. for the golden state warriors. as golden state ran their lead up to 15 opinion barnes goes for 24 points. steph curry, 26 points. warriors get the cavs in the nba finals next thursday on abc. 104-90. blackhawks ducks. chicago tries to force game seven back in anaheim. third period. corey perry, centering pass. off the stick of patrick maroon. goes just wide.

after the miss ryan getzlaf turns it over. andrew dejarreden centering to andrew shaw, who goes top shelf. blackhawks stay alive. game seven on saturday. the rangers and lightning have game seven of the series in the eastern conference final. that will do it. next "sportscenter" live 9:00 a.m. eastern on espn. up next erks "the pulse." one of the most stressful events of the year for the participants as well as those of us watching. the scripps snashl spelling bee. and hot dog. a baseball fan making an amazing grab in the stands. ♪ your body was made for better things than the pain, stiffness and joint damage of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. before you and your rheumatologist decide on a biologic ask if xeljanz is right for you. xeljanz is a small pill, not an injection or infusion

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all right. time for us to check "the pulse." starting with one of our favorite speck stater sports. >> it's that time of year. the scripps spelling bee. >> we have regional champions competing for 37 grand if cash and prizes. >> check out some of the reactions. >> from the first two rounds. intense concentration. that's a cute picture. the finals air tonight on espn. this starts at 8:00 eastern. it's nerve racking. >> it's a sporting event. i was always out in the first round the. >> aw. >> the only indian kid out in the first round. >> i never made to it the bee in the first place, so i'm impressed. next up it's not just celebrities coming up with unique baby names. >> yeah name berry.com found these names given to american babies in 2014.

>> for the girls, rocket gunner and blaze. >> for the boys six babies were given the name kaliber. then cannon and bulut. >> that's bulut? >> yes, poor kid. >> many seemed to be on people's mind last year. >> billion became the name. a lot of people named billion apparently. also amillion, spelled the way you see it given to 11 babies. >> interesting, t.j. and reena not on the list. cleveland, fans enjoyed the sunshine as the indians put a hurt on the texas rangers. one guy took home a free souvenir. his happened probably hurting. >> take a look. the long home run over the left field wall. the guy who does it does wit a bare-handed, one-handed catch. the right hand, but in his other hand he's got a hot dog.

he didn't drop the hot dog. >> impressive. >> are you impressed? there you go. somebody has a beer or a baby and catches the ball. next few days you're likely to start hearing plenty of hype about next saturday's belmont stakes. >> american pharaoh will compete. ♪ happy birthday dear j.d. happy birthday too you ♪ >> oh well done j.d. he looked satisfied with himself after blowing out the candles. >> it was impressive. but can he run? he can blow out candles on the cake. but american pharaoh, triple crown. >> you never know. he has the teeth. teeth matter. isn't it a sign of health? >> i have no idea. for some of you, your local news coming next.

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>> good morning. it's 4:20 on this thursday. blue and gold. a little warrior excitement. thanks for joining us. >> no this is not from yelling last night. forget about that. mike nicco is here with a look at the weather forecast. >> here's a look. 7 miles in santa rosa. some drizzle some fog forming. they changed the picture on me. showed the eastern bay bridge. more drizzle today than yesterday.

slow our warming. noon 56 at the coast. 60s by the bay. partly cloudy this afternoon away from the coast. 68 to 76 with the coast remaining cloudy. evening hours temperatures in the mid-50s to mid-60s. a lot like last night. >> the commute is not starting out on a safe note. >> unfortunately not. we have a report of a fatality that happened overnight on the nimitz freeway. this is san jose right past julian street and traffic is manageable. i'll be updating you on fatality. it was on the nimitz. nor details straight ahead. >> it's now 4:29 and yes, the warriors have done it in front of the home town fans. golden state knocked off the houston rockets last night to take the western conference championship and next stop the nba finals. abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield is live in pleasantfield. new champions, new

>> reporter: that's right. let e t-shirt printing and sales begin. western conference champions and decorations like this at dick's sporting goods will get to stay up longer because the warriors have extended their season they are headed to the nba finals. mvp stef currie enjoyed the moment with his family holding up his adorable 2-year-old daughter after the win much to the delight of the crowd. the team says winning was just pure joy. the warriors those were in a tough battle most of the night. the rockets did not go down easily. stef currie was playing with a bruised elbow from a fall monday night. he would only hit three three-pointers out of 11 attempts. clay thompson got 0 hot but went down during the game with an injury. 104-90. the title the first time to win the title in 40 years. they proudly celebrated with thei