making news in america this morning, tracking joaquin forming into a major hurricane overnight. the intensity and track changing by the hour. we'll have the latest. syria crisis. an escalation in the war-torn country. russia now getting involved accused of attacking american-backed rebels. the high-level talks happening today. football fight. parents brawl in the stands, but it's their kids on the field getting punished. and swept away. a dramatic rescue after floodwaters take away a man and his vehicle. good thursday morning. we begin with the breaking news overnight, hurricane joaquin intensifying rapidly putting more people on alert. >> yeah.

joaquin is now a powerful category 3 hurricane, sustained winds of 120 miles an hour, gusts up to 150. you can see it right there swirling in the caribbean right now heading towards the bahamas. >> on the islands of the turks and caicos, the outer bands of joaquin bringing gusty, heavy winds and heavy rain. >> and in the u.s. in virginia people already preparing. this a familiar scene as a hurricane approaches. water flying off store shelves. >> and a look further up the east coast on the jersey shore, crews preparing by making protective sand dunes. >> okay. well, a lot of people already taking precautions. >> let's get the latest track from accuweather's justin povick. hey, justin, good morning to you. reena and kendis, thanks and good morning to you. a whole lot has changed with regards to joaquin. this system has rapidly intensified all throughout the overnight. we're going to continue to see this intensifying throughout the daytime, as well, which could take it again to extremely dangerous levels. movement off to the west and the southwest going to make a big

bend off to the north over time, again, that track window hugging the coastline becoming very close over the weekend. reena and kendis, back to you. >> thanks for that, justin. now to the urgent talks set for today after a major escalation in syria. >> russia launching its first air strikes there giving u.s. planes little warning and top defense officials say it appears that cia trained rebels were among the targets. abc's martha raddatz on the tension. >> reporter: the deadly roar of russian air power. images posted by syrian activists showing the sudden, dramatic escalation in russia's involvement. fear in the streets, chaos in the hospitals. the russians say the targets were isis fighters and command posts. but this is where the bombs hit, just outside of homs. there are no isis fighters here. >> it does appear that they were in areas where there probably

were not isil forces, and that is precisely one of the problems with this whole approach. >> reporter: the target the russians more likely were going after, opposition forces, some backed by the u.s., here seen with an advanced t.o.w. missile who are fighting against syria's brutal dictator and america's enemy, bashar al assad. the other concern? russia gave the u.s. only a one-hour warning about the air strikes, putting u.s. pilots flying strike missions there in greater danger. >> putting lots of different airplanes in the same air space creates the potential for collision. >> reporter: martha raddatz, abc news, washington. an afghan official says government forces have now retaken the northern city of konduz which was seized by the taliban monday. some fighting ongoing and a joint military and police operation to clear the streets of insurgents could

actually take days, but a taliban spokesman is refuting that claim insisting the taliban flag is still flying over the city. back here in this country the secret service is coming under scrutiny once again. >> this morning the agency apologizing to utah representative jason chaffetz. the government review finds a senior secret service official suggested leaking sensitive, personal information about the congressman. >> abc's stephanie ramos is live in washington this morning with the details. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and reena. the discovery comes from the inspector general for homeland security. representative chaffetz was very critical of the secret service as the republican house committee chairman. chaffetz was overseeing a critical review of the agency's operations looking into a string of embarrassing scandals including white house fence jumpers and allegations of agents soliciting prostitutes. that's when the assistant director of the secret service allegedly suggesting leaking embarrassing information about chaffetz. chaffetz unsuccessfully applied for a secret service job in 2003. it was that information on that application that the assistant director wanted to use against him.

the congressman says the wrongdoing could go far beyond him. >> we have a deep-seated cultural problem in the secret service. i worry that if they're doing this to me, they're doing it to who knows how many other people. >> reporter: chaffetz's file was accessed approximately 60 times by secret service employees. the agency issued an apology to chaffetz for what it calls embarrassing misconduct, and homeland security secretary jeh johnson also issued an apology to the representative. the agents involved could face criminal charges under the u.s. privacy act. kendis, reena. >> all right. >> stephanie ramos live in washington, thank you. now one more note from washington. hackers linked to russia tried at least five times to access hillary clinton's e-mail account while she was secretary of state. republicans say the attempted cyberattacks shows just how vulnerable clinton's private server really was. the house committee that brought the e-mail controversy to light also back in the spotlight. republican kevin mccarthy suggesting the investigation

into the benghazi attacks gets credit for clinton's sagging poll numbers. >> everybody thought hillary clinton was unbeatable, right? but we put together a benghazi special committee, a select committee. what are her numbers today? >> when i hear a statement like that, which demonstrates unequivocally that this was always meant to be a partisan, political exercise, i feel like it does a grave disservice. >> republicans have long said the motivation for benghazi and the hearings was not political but to uncover the truth. clinton appears before the committee on october 22nd. donald trump tells supporters in new hampshire that if he's elected president, he would send back syrian refugees taken in by the u.s. because they may be isis militants in disguise. trump said it would be one of the greatest tactical ploys of all time and rival republican ben carson enjoying a

fund-raising surge adding more than $20 million to his coffers in the last three months, and during that same three months, democrat bernie sanders has picked up about $26 million outpacing president obama's 2008 campaign, and like mr. obama, most of that money coming from small donors. federal government offices and national parks will be open today. just hours before the deadline congress approved a stopgap spending bill, but the votes just really kicks the ball down the road because the funding runs out in early december. house republicans will have new leaders by then who are likely to be less willing to compromise. still unresolved are issues like the funding for planned parenthood. well, coming up, taking the bite out of fraud. a new era in credit card use begins today. plus, football fight, melee at a youth football game, and it's not the kids fighting, the parents getting into it and it's the young players paying the price. and floodwaters sweeping

away an suv and the driver. the dramatic moment all caught on camera. did you know that people born from 1945 through 1965 have the highest rates of hepatitis c, but most don't know they're infected? people can live for decades without symptoms,

but over time hepatitis c can cause serious health problems. if you were born during these years, the cdc now recommends that you get a blood test for hepatitis c. so talk to your doctor and find out if you have hepatitis c. it could save your life. know more. 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. maybe nothing brings home just how bad california's long-running drought is. this time-lapsed video showing just where the water levels at folsom lake were, a reserve about 25 miles northeast of sacramento. this is from march to august. folsom lake is now just 18% full. that's the second lowest it's ever been for this time of year. well, close calls involving drones are on the rise. already more than 700 cases reported so far this year. denver international is one of the airports seeing an uptick in illegal drone use, so authorities there are teaming up with the faa to launch a crackdown. they're targeting everyone from potential terrorists to unwitting families thinking

they're just playing with toys. as the holiday shopping season goes into high gear, target is taking aim at the competition. starting today, the retailer is expanding its price matching policy from 5 competitors to 29 including members only operations like costco and sam's club. target is also including its website prices in the guarantee and expanding the price match period to within 14 days of a purchase. also kicking in today are new requirements for credit cards, but few of us actually are ready for it. stores must be able to read the high-tech chips in newer cards or be responsible for any fraudulent charges. only about 40% of americans have the new emv cards, but only a fourth of merchants are ready for the new system. the new card readers will still work with the old magnetic strip cards. well, facebook is working on some changes meant to jazz up users' profiles. mobile users will soon be able to replace their profile photo with a brief looping video.

another option will let users assign a temporary profile image to mark special occasions like throwback thursday or other events. the options are being tested with a small number of users now and eventually will be rolled out to more people soon. >> could be trouble. >> i think you're right. when we come back, a mother stunned after she ordered a package from toys "r" us, the toy for her son had real ammunition inside. and another surprise in the mail. a couple gets a bill from the bride after they couldn't make it to the wedding. some of your comments from our facebook page. from our facebook page.

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it's covered by most health plans. snow in september is a bit much even for alaska. anchorage good 2 to 3 inches of heavy snow mixed with rain which led to power outages for thousands of people but in fairbanks, more than 300 miles north, there was a record 11 inches of snow. the most ever for a day in september. >> no snow on the roads in the lower 48. but lots of water. especially along the entire east coast from georgia to maine roads will also be wet in the northern rockies and sierras. >> taking to the skies, delays likeliest in d.c., philadelphia, new york as well as boston. five fraternity members at the university of alabama are now facing hazing charges. >> all of them 20 and 21 years old. their members of the school's phi gamma delta chapter. allegations they forced pledges to stand in buckets of ice in addition to the misdemeanor

hazing charges against them, the students could also be disciplined by the school. ugly scenes from a youth football game in southern california. adults in the stands started fighting as the kids finished up their game. since the altercation last saturday night both teams have been kicked out of their league. some parents say their kids are being punished for the trouble that adults caused. well, caitlyn jenner will not face criminal charges for her involvement in a car crash in southern california last february. prosecutors say they don't believe they have enough evidence to get a conviction against jenner who had not yet gone public as a trance gender woman. one of the drivers was killed when her car was pushed into oncoming traffic. a busy virginia mom trying to order birthday gives online then stunned when her package arrived. she ordered a minecraft foam diamond sword from toys "r" us for her 7-year-old son but found 800 rounds of real, not toy,

ammunition in the box. >> very shocking, you know, you're ordering from a toys "r" us store. you don't expect to get ammo in a box with a toy. >> well, she says she didn't get much satisfaction from toys "r" us. the company now says it is working with its carrier trying to figure out how and why the ammo was included in that shipment. in south freshg take a look at this. a man nearly drowned on the streets of northern colombia but heavy rain triggered widespread flash flooding trying to tie up his jeep cherokee to a tree when he was knocked off his feet by rushing water. both the man and his jeep were kept away for a time until some bystanders were able to pull him to safety. dramatic scenes there. now to some sports. week four of the nfl season begins tonight with one of the league's fiercest rivalries, the ravens versus the steelers. >> don't forget baseball. two for one special.

stan and neil. >> what makes it a two for one special. >> two teams that clinch on one telecast. >> all right. just wanted to understand blue jays and orioles playered a doubleheader. toronto just needed one win to clinch. top seven up 8-0. encarnacion off johnson. blue jays up 10-0. no doubt about that. this is in baltimore but a lot of jays fans made the trip. top nine, 10-1. jose bautista. his 40th. and then they had to wait until after game two because you don't want to do champagne cardinals looking to clinch going for their 100th win. jason heyward is getting a new contract from somebody at the end of the year so he's working on that contract.

grand slam. he was 0 for 9 with the bases loaded this season until he hit that. and then this is jason heyward, i'm working on getting paid. you need a couple of what we like to call top plays here at the desk. that's one of them. bottom nine, carlos villanueva, oh, cardinal, they win. cardinals clinch. home field in the national league. a little extra i thr end. >> follow-up on that guy at yankee stadium. remember him, the guy who couldn't catch the ball. >> his name will smith and he says he was given grief all day at the hospital -- office after being seen missing a couple of foul balls and a third tossed to him by the coach. >> what we're learning smith is a designer at an architecture firm and blames his blundering on quote half a dozen beers that

he had, sure. >> i still feel bad for him. >> do you? i don't. >> i side with him. >> no excuse. >> he needed a glove. if he had the glove it would have been different. up next in "the pulse," the big talker today, a couple gets a bill after they were a no-show at a wedding. your comments keep coming. burger kick getting into the wine business?

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and did you know that one in three people will get shingles? (all) no. that's why i'm reminding people if you had chickenpox then the shingles virus is already inside you. (all) oooh. who's had chickenpox? scoot over. and look that nasty rash can pop up anywhere and the pain can be even worse than it looks. talk to your doctor or pharmacist. about a vaccine that can help prevent shingles. ♪ it is time for "the pulse," and we start with a weird wedding story from minnesota. here's the deal, all right, so a husband and wife were all set to attend a wedding. >> then jessica baker's mother called saying something had come up. she couldn't baby-sit the bakers' kids. the children couldn't go to the wedding so the bakers, they just stayed home. >> they've now received a nearly $76 bill for the food they were supposed to be served.

jessica baker says she has no intention of paying that. >> ooh. ow. a lot of comments about this one. you see there, maria saying no show or not, it really is tacky to send a bill. >> i agree. justin think it's okay. he says, yeah, it's like a verbal agreement. the person made them pay an additional $75. >> garnett says if the bride and groom couldn't afford the e expenex expenses they shouldn't throw a party. >> what's your thoughts. made to atmfans.com and let us know. >> i would vent on facebook but i would senot send the bill. a married couple is asking strangers to crash their wedding next weekend. >> their philosophy, the more of merrier adding they were inspired by the movie "wedding crashers" hosting it out an

outdoor shopping plaza and are expecting 1600 guests. >> and promising a surprise for all the old and new friends who show up. how about wine with that whopper. it goes perfectly with that burger. supposedly aged in flame grilled barrels. >> unfortunately for those of us here in the u.s., the whopper wine is available only in spain and something we all learn first in our first television job. hole on to the handheld microphone. >> a lesson learned about a reporter covering a high school pep rally in phoenix. >> you know i love the tuba. it's one of my favorite -- >> that's awesome. >> maybe that's what he gets for call i calling the instrument a tuba. >> more news after this.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> live doppler hd is going to be very active this morning. we are waking up to a wet morning. right now we are tracking showers that will soak the bay area morning commute. >> we have coverage starting with our meteorologist, drew tuma. >> the shows will move in after 7:00 a.m. with the line of showers that moved through last night and brought early morning rain yesterday. the cloud cover here shows it is moving on shore the next couple of hours bringing another round of light showers. it is quiet. no rain yet. grab the umbrella. especially the first part of the day. that is when the showers will fall. by the evening, more in the way of stars. temperatures are cool for

october. how is the traffic, leyla? >> good morning, everyone. at the toll plaza toll, it looks good but it will be soaked later. clear so far but cars are collecting in the far left hand lane. walnut creek southbound 680, it is breezy up to highway 24 with no problems. we will track weather and traffic as indicated by the green. we will keep you updated on what is happening across the bay area roads. >> with the next round of rain, drivers are warned to be extra cautious, a wise move if year was any case of the danger. matt keller is in los gatos with more. kristen, we have sprinkles in los gatos. it is great to way up in the bay area with wet ground and wet grass. you do not need to water the lawn. we have had good rain in tsantat

hour. look at this video from 3:15, the summit, and drops on the windshield at silicon valley. this area is known for crashes when it is wet. c.h.p. spended to 200 collision cars across the bay area an increase of a normal day. navigating wet roads is hazardous and people drive the same way there although the both conditions are different. >> if it is raining hard the water coming off the road. if the headlights are not on the tail lights are not lit and people cannot see them. >>'s you hit the road, c.h.p. said check your tire fred and give yourself extra stopping distance. if the wipe are blades are on you need to have the windshield