making news in america this morning, two u.s. olympians pulled off their flight home. brazilian authorities are now holding them amid questions about whether they were really robbed at gunpoint along with teammate ryan lochte. also breaking now, the monster wildfire tearing across southern california consuming 40 square miles so far now closing in on neighborhoods. new flooding overnight as severe storms hit the east coast, plus the destruction left behind in the south and midwest. and back in rio, clean sweep. the americans own the 100-meter hurdles as the hoops team loaded with nba stars, they move on, and our golden girl, simone biles, rewards herself, yes, she'll have fries with that.

a good thursday morning to you all. we begin with breaking news overnight. an investigation that may become olympic size. >> so this new video is in overnight showing two american swimmers shortly after they were detained at the airport in rio pulled off their planes moments before takeoff to the u.s. now, brazilian authorities questioning whether they along with gold medalist ryan lochte and another teammate were really robbed at gunpoint. >> there's also this video obtained by dailymail.com. it shows the swimmers arriving at olympic village around 7:00 sunday morning. that's roughly 2 1/2 hours after they say they were attacked. now, the judge questioned that time gap and also wondered why they seemed so upbeat if they really had just been robbed. >> yeah, that brazilian judge ordered the seizure of lochte's passport, but he is already back in the u.s. we get more now from abc's matt gutman in rio. >> reporter: we've learned from police sources here that those two men, jack conger and gunnar bentz, have been pulled off a

u.s.-bound flight. now, the two men are being questioned by police. their passports have been confiscated. at issue is a story that those two men plus ryan lochte, one of the most decorated swimmers of all time, and feigen told police, they said that coming back from partying early sunday morning they were pulled over by men wearing police uniforms, flashing badges, one of them put a gun to ryan lochte's head, they demanded their money. but after a couple of days of investigating this, police have found that their facts and the story that they told simply have not added up. they're now investigating them for providing false testimony to the police. the authorities here in brazil have left the door open to prosecuting all four men. matt gutman, abc news, rio. >> those two swimmers detained overnight are expected to give statements to brazilian police today, and we will have much more on "good morning america." also breaking overnight, the massive blue cut fire in southern california now spans more than 25,000 acres.

>> hundreds of firefighters are on the scene right now, but have still only managed to contain 4% of it. one bright spot overnight, the northbound lanes of interstate 15, the main route from southern california to las vegas re-opening easing the way for commuters and evacuees. abc's stephanie ramos has more. >> this is nuts. fire on both sides of me. >> reporter: the out-of-control blue cut wildfire is not letting up in southern california. >> it hit hard. it hit fast. it hit with an intensity that we haven't seen. >> reporter: it started as a small brush fire then morphed into this massive blaze burning about 40 square miles. fire crews fighting the flames on the ground and in the air, trying to stop the fire fueled by intense winds from ripping through any more dry brush. abc's rob marciano on the scene. >> you see sky cranes have been dipping into this lake. just moments ago that hillside was on fire. >> hi. >> reporter: at least 82,000 people told to evacuate, but

fire officials estimate that up to half aren't budging. >> if i see visible flames and i find it right down the street from me then i'll probably pack up and go. i'm packed up now ready but haven't loaded anything. >> reporter: the better news, the clinton fire is beginning to dwindle. thousands north of san francisco are being allowed to return home. this as 40-year-old damin pashlik is charged with sparking those fires that destroyed nearly 200 homes and other buildings. >> it just caused devastation. >> reporter: stephanie ramos, abc news. to the east coast now where severe storms hit the mid-atlantic region leaving damage and flooding. the roof was blown off of a washington, d.c. apartment building leaving about 60 residents homeless and streets were flooded in baltimore where power was also knocked out to thousands of customers. but in louisiana, the death toll has risen to 13 in that historic epic flooding. 6,000 people spent another night in shelters. that's down from 11,000. the head of homeland security is expected to visit the region

today to review the federal government's response to the disaster. there's now concern that west nile virus will spread due to all the standing water. a newly named storm formed in the atlantic overnight. tropical storm fiona is located a thousand miles west of cape verde islands. it's not expected to make landfall, but we will continue monitoring it. the coast guard is investigating a fire that forced more than 500 people to evacuate a ship off puerto rico. passengers had to exit the ferry on emergency slides. more than 100 people were treated at the scene. 24 were hospitalized. the ship was coming from the dominican republic. mechanics in the engine room reportedly tried to put out the fire themselves for two hours before sounding the alarm. we go to politics now and donald trump is holding a rally in north carolina this evening after shaking up his campaign staff at the highest level naming a ceo and a new campaign manager. trump was ushered into an fbi office in new york for his first intelligence briefing. but he raised eyebrows before

that meeting when asked if he trusts u.s. intelligence. >> not so much from the people that have been doing it for our country. i mean, look what's happened over the last ten years. look what's happened over the years. i mean it's been catastrophic. >> well, that comment is likely an example of trump's plan to reject efforts to moderate his tone and instead just be himself. well, hillary clinton pounced on the shake-up in the trump campaign during a rally in cleveland. she told supporters that despite the changes, trump is still the same man he always has been. >> there are just 83 days left in this election. i keep track of them, cross them off. and for anyone waiting for donald trump to suddenly become more responsible, remember what a great american, maya angelou said, when someone shows you who

they are, believe them. >> but while clinton continues to lead in the polls, her e-mail controversy is not going away. a judge is expected to decide next week when to release thousands of deleted e-mails from her private server. >> let's get back to the olympics now, shall we. in track and field, a first for team usa. >> the american women swept the 100-meter hurdles. brianna rollins, nia ali and kristi castlin took the gold, silver and bronze. they're the first hurdlers from any country to finish one, two and three in that event. this is also the first time american women have swept any event in olympic history. >> and some fun on the track for usain bolt. the jamaican star was having such a good time during the 200-meter semis that he shared a laugh with one of his opponents. you can see them there. bolt and canadian andre de grasse were grinning at one another as they approached the finish line. both men have qualified for the final. and the u.s. men's basketball team rolled into the semifinals after trailing argentina by 10 early on.

they hit a lead of 105-78. kevin durant led the way with 27 points. the americans will play spain on friday. >> okay, so let's see how much we're dominating rio right now. for the second straight day, the u.s. picked up nine overall medals. that raises the americans' total to 93. the u.s. also has 30 golds. china and great britain are tied with 19. >> we're going to have to expand the graph out a little bit if we hit 100. >> and we will. coming up, the details of a tech giant announcing thousands of layoffs. and changes are coming to every target store. the company spending millions to ease a specific customer complaint. plus, j.k. rolling said she was done with the boy wizard but not so fast. some new "harry potter" books coming soon. today there is only one park for every 14,000 americans. connection to nature is a right that the trust for public land is fighting to preserve.

from boulevards to ball fields and ponds to playgrounds, together we have saved over 3 million acres of land. a park is a gift that is worth protecting. help support the trust for public land and the gift of parks today. get tested for colon cancer? i don't have any symptoms. [female announcer] of cancers affecting both men and women, colorectal cancer is the 2nd leading cancer killer in the united states. and it doesn't always cause symptoms, especially early on. but i'm only 53. i'm too young. [announcer] screening is recommended for men and women beginning at 50. but no one in my family had colon cancer.

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a grass fire and a wooden trestle made for a bad combination in northern california. this happened in san jose. the thick black smoke from the burning trestle was visible from miles away. a nearby apartment building had to be evacuated. no one was injured. target is making some major changes after implementing a policy that allows transgendered people to use the bathroom of their choice. the retailer says it will spend $20 million to add private single stall bathrooms to its stores. conservative groups had threatened to boycott the retailer over that policy. and cisco systems is laying off 5500 employees this summer. it's the largest manufacturer of networking gear and has struggled as technology changes. remember that attempt, we told you, to add a healthy touch to its happy meals. well, it appears to have backfired already. those brightly colored fitness trackers are no longer part of the happy meal.

the company says it pulled the trackers after getting reports of skin irritations, possibly caused by the band. at&t is joining other wireless carriers in eliminating fees for data overages. starting sunday at&t users can choose a plan which will slow down their data speed when they approach their data limit instead of paying the overage fee. now, verizon announced a similar plan last month. a daredevil from ireland says he's learned his lessons. empty pockets before bungee jumping. the guy was brave enough to jump off a very high bridge in south africa and also recorded the whole thing. but he also recorded the part when his phone slid out of his pocket plummeting to the ground. now, that same phone was stolen then recovered in italy earlier this year, so he was pretty lucky the first time he lost it. we're guessing not so much this time. >> it was just destiny for that phone. >> it really wanted to get away from him. >> it just wanted to get away from that dude. all right, when we come back

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hhis stellar notebooks will last through june. get back to great. this week sharpie twelve-packs just three dollars. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. a major highway in the cincinnati area could be closed for weeks after heavy storms caused part of the roadway to collapse. eyewitnesses said a van on the highway at the time avoided disaster by a hair.

so no storms in that area this morning, but drivers in the dakotas, minnesota, western wisconsin could see heavy rain and even some hail. and if you're flying you can expect delays in dallas and minneapolis. a police officer was wounded in a wild shoot-out caught on camera in chicago. [ gunfire ] >> the police were chasing a suspected carjacker when that man opened fire. the bullet came through the officer's windshield and grazed his face. the suspect was arrested after losing control of the stolen suv. he's already a convicted felon who was on parole for armed robbery. and a gripping murder trial is under way in south florida after a woman was accused of killing her boyfriend, who is a miami police officer. abc's steve osunsami has the latest. >> reporter: lawyers fighting for her freedom say that tiniko thompson is a victim claiming that her police officer boyfriend was physically abusive and saying that she shot him accidentally as they struggled

over his gun. >> then the swabs came back positive for tiniko dna up on his fingernails. >> reporter: before police charged her with second degree murder she told wtvj her boyfriend officer carl patrick put a gun in her face the night he died in may of 2014. >> and i held on, and we struggled because i wasn't going to let go. >> reporter: but prosecutors say it's all a lie saying that for 13 months she pretended she was pregnant with his child and the fight broke out, they say, when he learned the truth. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. the man who climbed trump tower here in new york has been arraigned. 19-year-old steven rigato of virginia used suction cups to scale the tower to the 21st floor. prosecutors say he actually planned and practiced the climb ordering the equipment on amazon and waiting until his parents were away before going to new york city. he entered no plea from a hospital room where he's been undergoing mental evaluation. the youngest girl injured in

that ferris wheel accident in tennessee last week is back home this morning. 6-year-old briley reynolds was released from the hospital wednesday. she suffered a traumatic brain injury from the nearly 40-foot drop. briley, her older sister kayla and a 16-year-old friend were all hurt in the fall. the other two were treated and released from the hospital last week. explorers in the great lakes have made an incredible discovery. they found a ship that sank more than 200 years ago. "the washington" went down during a fierce storm in 1803. it's the second oldest confirmed shipwreck in the great lakes. >> fascinating find. time now for some sports. >> i was still so focused on the ship. >> that was so cool. >> i was about to say sh, i wonder if there's any treasure in there. >> of course you'd think that. >> anyway, we should get to sports. >> yeah. >> august is more than half wway over which means the playoff race is heating up in the mlb. >> it's getting there. here's last night's action from our guys at espn. >> good morning, it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. and this race in the national league west looks like it could go right down to the wire.

>> tight. >> yeah, locked up in a tight one, dodgers/giants. who would have thought? this is the first time since may 10th the dodgers have held sole possession of first place. lee singer, research, google it. adrian gonzalez, if you're not familiar with him, google him and they were doing selfies and everything. i mean, the dodgers are that loose they're taking selfies. justin turner said, i would like to hit a home run and be in another selfie. gonzalez hit two. turner hit one. the dodgers are up big. this highlight is for you. l.a., 7-2. >> what if there's stuff lee has on google that he doesn't want people to know. >> too late now. s-i-n-g-e-r. giants taking on the pirates. andrew mccutcheon off matt cain. two hits in the inning. pirates up, 6-4. bottom nine, buster posey, 6-4-3

double play. eduardo nunez scores, pagan moves and giants down 6-5. runner on for brandon crawford. mccutcheon, ball game. pirates hang on to win it, 6-5. so pittsburgh with its own wild card aspirations. >> yeah. >> a real problem for the giants. >> yeah, giants, it's an even number year so they've already won the world series but it's nice to play up to it. >> that's all we got. back to you. >> so much spirit. all right, up next in "the pulse" he's home with all that new hardware. how michael phelps spent his first day of retirement. and it's the most iconic watering hole in the galaxy, and soon you'll be able to drop by. credit scorecard. (to dog)give it to me. give it. oh, sure! we give it to everyone for free. oh, well that's nice. (to dog) go get it! you can go get it yourself online and see your fico credit score right there. great! (to dog) that's a good boy. thanks?

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♪ time to check "the pulse" and golden girl katie ledecky is back home. >> yeah, she sent out this tweet after arriving at dulles airport outside the nation's capital, of course, giving a shout out to her bethesda, maryland, high school. >> two of america's final five gymnasts also asking a favor of michelle obama. simone biles and aly raisman are hoping that the first lady will ignore a tweet that they sent out of them eating mcdonald's to celebrate the rio performance. aly looks pretty happy. >> they both look happy with it and the price, i think they're all gone already. michael phelps in the meantime, he just can't stay out of the pool. this is the most decorated athlete in olympic history. how he's spending his first day of retirement in the water with his fiancee nicole and, of course, their son boomer. >> get to argue over that. no, i don't want to go in the pool. >> i still think it feels like work once he gets in the pool. a galaxy far, far away coming to hollywood. one of the most memorable sets from "star wars" will be brought to life in a new pop-up bar.

it's not up and running yet but soon you will be able to make ses remember sayses. >> it's being billed as a two-hour immersive experience and get a souvenir pint glass and don't forget to dress up because costumes, without one you would look weird. >> that's the best part. harry potter fans will soon be able to dig deeper into the world of witchcraft and wizardry, j.k. rolling is going back to school releasing a series of short e-books about some of the characters from hogwarts. >> comes on top of the first of three spin-off movies that are set to hit theaters later this year. a sold out play in london and the new book that is based on that play, of course, the e-books will be available as well starting september 6th so you get a sense harry potter is here to stay. >> pretty big. j.k. rolling, pretty busy, not a lot of time on her hands. more news after this. i love that my shop is part of the morning ritual around here.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good morning beings 4:30 club. i am natasha zouves. >> good morning, i am here for reggie aqui. >> drew? >> we are starting off with the fog. a look from the exploritorium camera showing the top of the building cut off. we will plan the day. you have a lot of sunshine and first you have to get rid of the clouds and the coast is bringing a summer spread. upper 50s to mid-90s is the name of the game. the traffic from alexis? >> we got the red memo and doing okay on the roads. no major problems. we are seeing a little bit of haziness mentioned on the golden gate bridge but no fog advisories.

i will have to use the wipers one or twice and a check shows grown traveling condition, a little bit of stop-and-go traffic filling in westbound 205 at 580 through the altamont pass but that is it. we look at a small problem south of the tunnel in less than ten. >> it is breaking overnight, emergency crews are on the scene of a car into a building in san mateo plowing into a fitness store. a few hours ago. officials state driver was not seriously sure. >> families at a local middle score will in shock, a female drama teacher is under arrest for having a relationship with a again-year-old girl. we are joined with tiffany at the san bruno police police department. >> the 40-year-old was engaged in inappropriate behavior with a young girl inside of a

carronades -- car on monday. got been having a relationship is what was determined. she was booked into jail yesterday and has since posted jail but is an english and drama teacher. authorities are not saying in the 15-year-old victim is or was a student. according to her profile she taught in oakland and held a variety of positions involve theater in san francisco. a former student told abc7 that she never expected this. [ inaudible ] >> people are surprised because no one would suspect a teacher. >> prior to her arrest, officers had been monitoring butts staking out her home where she lives with her husband and two small children. the school district has not responded to any of