making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, muddy mess, heavy rains causing massive mudslides on the west coast. new video just in showing a wall of water pushing cars into each other. republican revolt. why donald trump and ben carson are threatening to boycott the next gop debate and new evidence overnight showing that joe biden could be rallying the troops for a presidential run. we're live in washington. scary sight. a plane on the runway about to take off when a piece of the engine comes flying off. a wild night in sports. the mets moving on winning on the road, plus, the play already being called the catch of the year in college football.

good friday morning to you. we begin with the images rarely seen in southern california. a vicious rainstorm triggering intense flash flooding and massive mudslides. >> this is what it looked like for drivers. cars tossed around by the river of mud. emergency crews rescued more than a dozen people and eight dogs. south of there a vital stretch of interstate 5 could be closed all day today and that's only the beginning of the mess left behind. a muddy mess in southern california. overnight, the cleanup getting under way. rocks, debris and mud feet deep surround homes and >> we can't see and it was just like -- it was just really crazy. >> reporter: the mudflow miles long stranding drivers for hours

cutting off the main artery between los angeles and the central valley. >> a big rig was sliding towards me. >> we got back in our cars and after that we just started sliding and boulders started coming so it was quick. it happened quick so it was scary. >> reporter: one woman forced to leave her vehicle behind wading through a fast-moving muddy river. the mudslides triggered from this intense storm bringing high winds, heavy downpours and hail catching a lot of people off guard. >> i drove down and then i saw two mudslides -- i passed the first one, the second one i tried to avoid it but i can't. it was coming down too fast. >> and more thunderstorms are expected later today for california. >> we're also watching the radar on the east coast. you can see that large system bringing rain and right behind a cold front, temperatures expected to dip into the 30s this weekend in the northeast. another major story developing overnight. the arrest of a hacker who allegedly passed u.s. military

data to isis. the man is from kosovo. he was arrested last month in malaysia and is accused of stealing the personal information of more than 1300 u.s. military and other government personnel. officials say he then passed the material to isis which posted it online hoping its supporters in the u.s. would use it to stage attacks. if he's tried and convicted in the u.s., he faces 35 years in prison. well, some stunning developments in the presidential race as two gop front-runners threaten to boycott the next debate. >> and the democrats pulling in some serious campaign cash. plus, what about joe biden? it's "your voice, your vote." abc's kenneth moton tracking it all live from washington. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, phillip and reena. yes, donald trump and ben carson say they will not stand for a three-hour debate literally. also getting our first public glimpse into vice president joe biden's inner circle as he decides on the 2016 race. rallying the troops a top aide to vice president joe biden sent

a letter to the vp's former staff about his impending decision on the race for the white house. >> have you made your decision yet? >> tell you what, good to see you all. >> reporter: the vice president playing coy, but that aide, former delaware senator ted kaufman wrote biden is aware of the practical demands of making a final decision soon. the rest reads like a campaign letter. the longtime biden buddy says the vp would run an optimistic campaign, a campaign from the heart, a campaign consistent with his values, our values and the values of the american people. kaufman ended, if biden decides to run we will need each and every one of you yesterday. >> thank you, san antonio. >> reporter: he's right in. in the past three months financial reports show hillary clinton in the lead raising $28 million. bernie sanders had a reason to dance on "the ellen degeneres show." he raised 26 million. republican ben carson, 21 million. carson and donald trump are

joining forces promising to boycott the planned three-hour debate hosted by cnbc and trump told fox news' greta van susteren it's too much. >> i'm all for three hours. i'm sorry they don't have the endurance to go the distance. >> reporter: jeb bush's campaign weighed in saying he's ready to debate. cnbc is finalizing the format of that october 28th showdown. reena and phillip. >> kenneth moton live in washington, kenneth, thank you. reaction is pouring in to the president's plan to delay the u.s. withdrawal from afghanistan. president obama planning to leave nearly 10,000 u.s. troops in afghanistan through most of next year. and that there will still be 5500 when he leaves office there. he promised to bring all the troops home sooner but that was before the taliban's resurgence. >> this modest but meaningful extension of our presence while

sticking to our current narrow missions can make a real difference. it's the right thing to do. >> republican presidential candidates jeb bush and marco rubio criticized the decision saying the number of troops was far too low. bush accused the president of undermining military commanders. well, more violence in the middle east this morning. dozens of palestinians have thrown firebombs at a west bank site revered by some of the jews as the tomb of joseph. no one was hurt. it's the latest in a series of attacks which has left 8 israelis and 31 palestinians dead. the u.n. security council meets in special session later this morning to address the worsening crisis. prosecutors in the u.s. and britain have identified two new suspects that they want to question about the bombing of pan am flight 103. that was the airliner that went down over lockerbie, scotland, in 1988 killing 270 people. the plot to take down the plane has always been tied to libya.

given the turmoil there, those new suspects might never be questioned. former house speaker dennis hastert has agreed to plead guilty in a hush money case linked to allegations of sexual misconduct. he's accused of sexually abusing teen boys when he was a high school wrestling coach paying at least one of them to keep his secret then lying to the fbi about his bank transactions. the plea deal is likely to involve prison time. no rain in sight. a dc-10 tanker is joining the battle in texas to contain a raging wildfire. flames have scorched through six square miles east of austin and wiped out three dozen homes. 400 other homes have been advised to evacuate and raf quadrupling in size on thursday, the wildfire is only about 25% contained. get ready for a wet but less snowy winter. forecasters say el nino is likely to be one of the strongest ever bringing lots of rain to the southwest. they also predict cooler conditions in much of the south

and much milder across the northern u.s. well, still ahead, luck of the draw. the maker of a popular cereal offering a wacky option. we've got to tell you about this one. and shutting it down. one state pulling the plug on daily fantasy sports websites. plus, amazing performance. the mets moving on in the playoffs. highlights and the celebrations.

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hero spencer stone who helped stop a gunman on a european train has been released from a california hospital. stone was being treated for stab wounds following a street fight in sacramento. he released a statement thanking

those who had cared for him and saying he was now focused on healing and recovering and looking forward to the next part of his journey. there have been no arrests in the stabbing. another strike against those heavily advertised daily fantasy sports websites. regulators in nevada ordered them to be shut down, off-limits to users there saying they cannot operate in that state without a gambling license. the sites say they shouldn't need a license because they provide games of skill, not of chance. nevada's decision does not affect season long fantasy sports. well, it's an end of an era. as of tomorrow, us airways will be no more. american airlines and us airways are completing the final step of the merger to become the world's largest airline. the us airways banner will disappear after its final flight from san francisco. it'll arrive in philadelphia. and if you are a fan of lucky charms, particularly the marshmallows in the cereal,

you're in luck, general mills, the maker of lucky charms is out with this video featuring rapper biz markie featuring the rules on how to get your hands on one of the ten lucky charms boxes of marshmallows. take a photo of yourself holding a fake box of lucky charms and send it to them with the #luckytensweepstakes and winners will be notified next week. ♪ oh baby you >> oh, it's pretty good. >> biz markie. i don't know about the marshmallows, pure sugar. oh, well, coming up, surprise attack. a man waking up in a hospital after his encounter with an alligator. and chaotic scene. one country's parliament hit with tear gas right in the middle of a session. session. > chaotic scene. one country's parliament hit with tear gas right in the middle of a session.

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has 26 essential vitamins and minerals, including calcium and vitamin d to support strong bones and 10 grams of protein to help maintain muscle. all with a great taste. . this waterspout on lake superior raised enough concern it would move on shore that the national weather service briefly issued a tornado warning. instead, onlookers along michigan's upper peninsula were treated to a great show from mother nature. if you're heading out to work, expect to find wet roads through the entire great lakes area, but the worst commute will be in southern california where heavy rain has shut down interstate 5 north of l.a. and other roadways in the area. and if you are flying, airport delays are possible in los angeles, las vegas, phoenix and miami. a fox news pundit is due in court in virginia today accused

of lying about being a former cia operative. wayne simmons was arrested and charged with fraud. he made frequent appearances as a commentator on fox news claiming to be an expert in terrorism who spent nearly three decades with the cia. simmons allegedly lied about his credentials on government documents for contracting jobs and security clearances. well, former nba star lamar odom is still on life support this morning after he was found unconscious in a nevada brothel on tuesday. there's been no official word on odom's condition but sources tell espn that he has made some progress in the last day or so. staffers at the brothel say he spent four days there, at times drinking, doing cocaine and taking herbal viagra. actor randy quaid and his wife are free this morning after being held for a week in a vermont jail. a judge released the couple and dismissed charges that they were fugitives from justice in california. the quaids fled to canada five years ago when they were accused of trespassing and vandalizing a santa barbara home they once

owned. if they leave vermont, another state could extradite them to california. well, a terrifying ordeal for a florida man coming face-to-face with an eight-foot alligator. doug brown was fixing a backyard pump in orlando when the the huge gator jumped from a canal and chomped down on his arm. brown managed to yank his arm away and the alligator fell back into the water. his injuries are not serious but he's still rattled saying it felt like a horror movie. for the second week in a row, kosovo's parliament session was shut down by opposition lawmakers setting off canisters of tear gas. they're furious with the government over moves they say endangers their territorial integrity and they're pledging to continue their protests. the trouble began last month when protesters threw eggs at the prime minister. and here's what you do not want to see while taking off, a passenger taking video when the plane's engine started falling apart. this happened on a low cost airline flight in chile.

the captain was told, and the plane was safely back on the ground minutes later. >> low cost airline, huh? >> that's the operative word there, low cost. now some sports. the american league championship series opens tonight with the kansas city royals hosting the toronto blue jays. >> and as we said yesterday morning, the nlcs is now set, as well. highlights now from our guys at espn. >> he's steve, i'm neil. we're going to do sports highlights right now. steve, you go first. >> all right. jon lester and matt harvey, game one of the nlcs in queens. here's how we got to that point. top of the second, daniel murphy off zack greinke, get out of town. murphy's third home run of the series then in the bottom of the ninth. jeurys familia gets howie kendrick, the mets win the game and the series, 3-2. it'll be new york and chicago in flushing on saturday night in game one. it was the falcons and

saints in new orleans on thursday night. that's steve gleason, former saints safety. he grew up in spokane. michael mauti, this is a steve gleason imitation. steve gleason did that in the first home game after katrina for the saints against the falcons. mauti does it here and this is the tweet of the year right here. hey, falcons, #neverpunt. good, steve. mark ingram, he had a couple of touchdowns. drew brees, another 300-yard passing game and the saints give the falcons their first loss. that's all we have. and that's good. >> have a nice day. >> you too, gentlemen. one more football highlight. this one from the ucla versus stanford game last night. >> stanford was already well out in front in the third quarter when they tried some razzle-dazzle. this catch in the end zone, incredible.

receiver francis owusu caught the ball on the back of the bruins defender. it was ruled a touchdown. look at that. pinned it to his back, ruled a touchdown and the cardinal went on to win, 56-35. >> that's an impressive play. >> sure is. highlight from off the field starring one of the good guys, j.j. watt of the houston texans. he dressed up in a full batman costume and greeted kids during a halloween party at a children's hospital in texas. >> but it didn't take long for the cape crusader's mask to come off then watt signed autographs and took pictures with just about everybody there. good going for him. it's really nice. >> yeah, batman just needs jadeveon clowney to be his robin, and he'll be all set. a woman at a hillary clinton rally getting more attention than the candidate all because of her hair. and new gig. a man named santa claus named to the north pole's town council. o part d prescriptions. at walgreens, we call that

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♪ ♪ your friday "pulse," political bumper stickers are apparently so 2008, at least for one woman in texas. >> this is how hillary clinton's super fan is showing her support. the 70-year-old showed up at clinton's campaign rally in san antonio yesterday with a portrait of the democratic front-runner shaved into her head. >> the one of a kind hairdo is the work of a local celebrity barber. >> and look how impressive that is. that is well done. i mean, that is truly artwork. >> down to the pearls there. >> there we go. you know donald trump wants to come in next. all right. santa claus is now a member of the north pole city council. really. thomas patrick o'connor legally changed his name about ten years ago, and, look, he certainly looks the part. >> he sure does. a cancer patient who uses medical marijuana, claus has supported the opening of medical marijuana dispensaries

in the north pole and he does not, by the way, accept requests for gifts. >> there you go. you cannot have that. nothing would get done in the north pole. >> no, you're right. almost everyone needs a day off at some point. and it's not unusual for workers to rely on their sick days. >> it turns out 38% of americans admit they've called in sick when they're actually feeling just fine. >> some of the most outrageous excuses include, my grandmother poisoned me with ham. another claimed he broke his arm reaching to grab a falling sandwich. >> and here, one of our favorites, a woman actually said that she was going to the beach because her doctor said that she needed more vitamin d. >> i would buy that. >> there we go. check out this this life-size version of a childhood car that's now for sale. a pair of brothers in britain made the little tykes car for adults nearly two years ago. >> since then they've driven it over 5,000 miles making people smile when they see it. and now they put it up for sale on ebay. >> looking for more than $33,000 for it.

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it's a highly thercontagious disease.here. it can be especially serious- even fatal to infants. unfortunately, many people who spread it may not know they have it. it's called whooping cough. and the cdc recommends everyone, including those around babies, make sure their whooping cough vaccination is up to date. understand the danger your new grandchild faces. talk to your doctor or pharmacist about you and your family getting a whooping cough vaccination today.

live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good friday morning. it is 4:28. >> now a look at the weather and traffic. mike be how does it look? >> tracking sprinkles. again. live doppler hd shows mostly in the east bay. they are traveling toward the west and they will go from vallejo along 37 danville and pleasanton is a little wet. from the east bay hills, it is clear. we are in the upper 50s to low 60s. the sprinkles will fade by noon. we hang out in the 60s and inland in the 70s. if you liked yesterday you will like today, just a bit brighter. 60s at the coast. 70s at the bay and barely 80 inland. the bay bridge toll plaza, hope for friday light, we have a

sig-alert but, first, traffic is light from the east bay. at the east bay further to the east, 680, through pleasant hill to walnut creek the drive is smooth. drive time traffic, 580, tracy to dublin is 39 minutes. highway 85 from 101 to cupertino is 21 minutes and a sig-alert open highway twelve. kristen? reggie? >> massive mud slides causing problems if los angeles with the main artery from northern to southern california being closed. janet has incredible new video. >> if you head to southern california, as of this morning i-5 is closed. in both directions. there is why: cars have been stuck in the river of mud on 5 north of los angeles. they are not going anywhere. some were seen buried in many

places with people helping each other out using shovels and heavy equipment. more than a dozen people have been rescued and several pets. this are no injuries reported. a driver described the unbelievable over -- event. mountain. >> i saw two mudslides and i i passed the first and i tried to avoid the second but i could not avoid it. it was too fast. >> the mudslide were triggered by severe flooding and southern storms in northern los angeles county yesterday. crews are working to re-open i-5 and we continue to monitor the situation with another update in a bit. >> the oakland's a's executive daughter executivive is one of the top water users in the county after