making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, an inferno in downtown raleigh, north carolina, flames shooting into the air. people running for safety. a crane collapsing amid the chaos. the new details just coming in. no proof. the senate intelligence committee saying there is no evidence president obama tapped president trump's phone. but the white house still defending president trump's claims in a fiery back and forth with reporters. we're live in washington. winter's last stand. a few days until spring. but the bitter cold is sticking around. freezing temperatures in florida and even more snow heading to the northeast. and midflight mishap. a plane loses a propeller. how did this happen? but the bigger mystery, where did it land?

and we do say top of the morning on this st. patrick's day. >> appropriately. >> exactly. kendis o'gibson with you. >> and i'm eva pilgrim in for diane macedo. we begin with breaking news, dramatic scenes overnight in raleigh, north carolina, as a massive fire erupts in the city's downtown. >> the huge flames lighting up the night sky. the fire quickly engulfed the fire-story building which was under construction and unoccupied. take a look at this. so, this is what the apartment complex looked like before the fire. this picture, that picture was taken just days ago, and then it turned to this overnight. all that wood fueling the flames. overnight a raging inferno in raleigh. >> we're not going to be able to control this fire. >> reporter: an apartment complex under construction and unoccupied catching fire then spreading to at least three other buildings as the flames

engulf the construction site. watch as a crane suddenly comes crashing down. >> there's the crane, wow. >> reporter: the fire burning out of control for hours reaching five alarms. one witness describing the scene. >> it's torching -- ooh, i can feel the heat. it's enormous. the flames are, god, 50, 100 yards into the sky. there's black smoke everywhere. >> reporter: the intense flames forcing hundreds of people in nearby buildings to evacuate. >> i looked out, and i saw that everything around me was orange. i had my phone and my keys and that's it. >> it was massive. it looked like the entire block was on fire. i mean, it was much more intense than what you see now. as we got closer we started hearing more explosions. >> reporter: the flames visible for miles. people taking to social media to share their videos. this twitter user saying this was her view as she enjoyed dinner in downtown raleigh. not exactly the candlelight dinner she imagined. the firefighters, by the way, obviously it's so early, haven't

determined a cause but witnesses say that it appeared as if it started on the second floor. and we should point out there were no injuries reported. now to washington where president trump holds important meetings today with the leader of germany. angela merkel was supposed to be at the white house on tuesday, but that was canceled because of the snow. >> you may recall president trump criticized merkel during last year's campaign. they are known to have disagreements on both trade and immigration. merkel's visit comes amid the raging firestorm over the president's wiretapping claims. >> abc's kenneth moton joins us from washington with more. good morning this morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, eva and kendis. bipartisan congressional committee leaders are flat out saying that there's no proof that president obama wiretapped president trump. the white house still not providing evidence or any type of proof in this issue on this allegation, but it says it believes the president will be vindicated. on this st. patrick's day -- >> i really love ireland. >> reporter: -- president trump may need the luck of the irish to defend his unsubstantiated

claim that president obama wiretapped him. >> i've been reading about things. >> reporter: but not from the cia, the fbi or any intelligence agency at the president's disposal. >> i read on i think january 20th a "new york times" article where they were talking about wiretapping. >> reporter: "the new york times" never reported president obama ordered any wiretapping of trump tower. the 45th president adamant on twitter the 44th tapped his phones now says wiretapping meant surveillance. >> does the president still stand by the allegation? >> first of all, he stands by it but, again, you're mischaracterizing what happened today. >> reporter: what happened is the top democrat and republican members of the senate intelligence committee declared we see no indications that trump tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the united states government either before or after election day 2016. the committee says it was briefed by the appropriate authorities. even house speaker paul ryan chimed in. >> no such wiretap existed. we've cleared that up. we've seen no evidence of that. >> reporter: white house spokesman sean spicer not backing down spending nearly

eight minutes reading media reports and conservative commentary. >> let me quote them. >> reporter: one report alleged president obama used british spies to gather information on then president-elect trump. the uk's response, these allegations are complete and utter nonsense. monday will be a big day on capitol hill. the justice department has to hand over any evidence on the president's wiretapping claims and the fbi director is set to testify in front of the house intelligence committee on the russia investigation. eva and kendis. >> and you can bet he'll get questions about a number of different things there on capitol hill. kenneth, thank you. well, another big fight just getting under way in washington. senators on the president's new budget proposal. the white house calls it an america first spending blueprint. >> the $1.15 trillion proposal includes big spending increases on defense, veterans affairs and homeland security. you see the increases there, but there are deep cuts for the epa, the state department, education

and even big bird. >> i put myself in the shoes of that steelworker in ohio, the coal miner, the coal mining family in west virginia, the mother of two in detroit, and i'm saying, okay, i have to go ask these folks for money, and i have to tell them where i'm going to spend it. can i really go to those folks, look them in the eye and say, look, i want to take money from you and i want to give it to the corporation for public broadcasting. >> also on the chopping block an after-school program that feeds underprivileged children. mulvaney says there's no evidence that the program improves students' performance in school. at least one family disagrees, but supporters say the cuts have to come somewhere. >> honestly, if they weren't in the program, they probably wouldn't excel in school as good as they are right now, to be honest with you. this is a program that should not be cut. >> their cutting back on different things kind of hurts, but i would say our national

security is more important. >> yes. >> the president's budget plan received a lukewarm reception on capitol hill. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are saying the proposal is just the opening offer in a long annual negotiation. >> the new bill to replace obamacare has one more obstacle before reaching the full house of representatives. the budget committee has approved the american health care act. now it moves to the rules committee. the measure was one republican vote shy of being stalled, and the gop pushback isn't over. some republican governors have told congressional leaders the plan doesn't work for their states, and at least one republican senator has come out against it. the white house is being called on to provide more details about payments that former national security adviser michael flynn received from russian companies. newly released documents show flynn received more than $67,000 in fees and expenses. elijah cummings, the ranking democrat on the house oversight committee, believes flynn may have broken u.s. and military

law. the u.s. is denying reports this morning that it bombed a mosque in syria. an international monitoring group says dozens of worshippers are dead after the air strike in northern syria. you see the results there. it did not identify the country responsible. both the u.s.-led coalition and russian and syrian aircraft operate in that region. the pentagon says it struck a neighboring building but did not damage the mosque. a horrible story out of new york city. a fire department paramedic and mother of five killed while on duty. police say a man jumped into yadira arroyo's ambulance after she got out to help him. he started to drive away, but arroyo grabbed onto the vehicle and was dragged. the suspect backed up the ambulance, and it ran over her. that man is now in police custody. it is the final full weekday of winter. spring is officially here, monday morning. it doesn't feel like it for

nearly half of the country. take a look at these morning lows, teens in new england, below the freezing mark from new york, down to south carolina, 32 degrees in jacksonville, florida. and another winter storm is brewing. it'll move across the midwest today, and then on saturday it hits the northeast where people are still digging out from the blizzard of this week. another one to four inches expected. >> that does not look happy for the weekend. >> but spring is here soon enough. >> hopefully. still ahead overnight, a home leveled after an explosion. the new video now coming in. plus, magma and ash shooting into the air. the dramatic escape from a volcano eruption. a reporter caught in the middle of it telling her story. and another lucky escape. a man in a store nearly hit by an out-of-control suv.

new this morning, investigators are on the scene of a house explosion outside washington, d.c. the blast completely leveled the single story home. a fire department official called the damage catastrophic. it's too early to know what may have caused it, and the whereabouts of the home's occupants are unknown. overseas now, some terrifying moments for visitors as europe's most active volcano erupts. italy's mt. etna sent hot volcanic rocks and ash spewing through the air. magma hit the snow and caused an explosion of steam. a bbc tv crew was among those making a dramatic escape. the reporter, rebecca morelle, speaking with our terry moran. >> everyone started to run and all the while we're being pelted

with all this material, but we couldn't see anything because it was a whiteout. >> so, there was a moment when you thought you were going to die? >> yeah, there was a huge explosion. we thought that might be it. >> understandably. at least ten people were injured, some with head injuries, but none serious. the mountain continues to spew lava into the air at this hour. well, nearly 40% of colleges are experiencing a drop in applications from international students, and school officials attribute the decrease to the immigration policies of the trump administration. the new survey finds the biggest declines in students from the middle east. there won't be any more stars at netflix in the ratings system, that is. the streaming service is ditching the five-star system for a simpler thumb's up, thumb's down one. now, netflix says the star system feels very yesterday. it also says users are much more likely to give ratings with the simpler system. subscribers will start seeing the thumbs next month. >> i like the variables, though. >> with the stars? >> yeah.

you know how good or how bad it is. >> thumb's up, thumb's down. when we come back, emergency landing. a propeller falls off midflight. how, and where did it land? and the first round of march madness. the big upsets and one team getting their first tournament win ever. i survived a heart at. i'm doing all i can to keep from having another one. and i'm taking brilinta. for people who've been hospitalized for a heart attack. i take brilinta with a baby aspirin. no more than one hundred milligrams as it affects how well it works. brilinta helps keep my platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. brilinta reduced the chance of another heart attack. or dying from one. it worked better than plavix. don't stop taking brilinta without talking to your doctor since stopping it too soon increases your risk of clots in your stent, heart attack, stroke, and even death. brilinta may cause bruising or bleeding more easily, or serious, sometimes fatal bleeding. don't take brilinta if you have bleeding, like stomach ulcers, a history of bleeding in the brain, or severe liver problems. tell your doctor about bleeding,

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but there's so much more to it. here's how benefiber® works. inside us are trillions of good microflora that support digestive health. the prebiotic fiber in benefiber® nourishes them... and what helps them, helps you. clear, taste-free, benefiber®. this is the south lawn at the white house among many landmarks around the world going green today to mark st. patrick's day. dyeing the water is an annual tradition there. >> i love food coloring. it's so great, right? drivers today will get the green light in much of the west and midwest. but watch out for wet roads in the northwest and mountain snow in the cascades. roads may be slippery around the great lakes and wet in the ohio valley and the appalachians. if you're flying, airport delays most likely in detroit and chicago. police in colorado are asking the public to help solve a murder mystery.

two teens, best friends and high school classmates, were found dead on the side of a road. >> police desperately searching for clues and the killer. two heartbroken families seeking answers. officials are on the hunt for the killer of these two colorado teens. >> it was not a murder/suicide. we are investigating this as a double homicide and so we are aggressively, aggressively investigating this case. >> reporter: around 8:45 a.m. sunday, a 911 caller reported driving by two bodiies lying on the shoulder of this road. they were later identified to be 15-year-old derek benjamin greer and 16-year-old natalie partida. this morning, both families speaking out for the first time. >> he was always just so loving, and he was my best friend. >> when she walked into a room, she took your breath away. >> reporter: the sheriff's office is not yet commenting on how the two friends were killed. they are awaiting autopsy results, which could take weeks. the school's principal says that counseling is available to any student who needs help.

we'll have much more later on "gma." a man in washington state is said to be fine following some drastic action when his phone caught fire. the phone was left on the floor of a costco south of seattle and when it started burning, the man took off his pants to avoid being injured. he said the phone was an lg. it's unclear why it went up in flames. no comment from the company about this incident. a regional flight in australia made an emergency landing in sydney after losing a propeller. there were no injuries aboard the plane, but the propeller has not been found, and it will likely be a key piece of the investigation evidence there. it could help explain whether there is a defect in this type of aircraft or whether there was a lapse in maintenance. also caught on camera, a store clerk in georgia just barely avoiding an suv. >> whoa. >> look at that. it came through the front window. police say the woman behind the wheel forgot to put it in park,

then she got back in and hit the gas instead of the brake. the clerk wasn't hurt. neither was the driver but there, as you can see, was a lot of cleaning up to do. so, the first big day of march madness in the books. 64 teams in the tournament now down to 48. >> oh, yeah. the eight night games went according to form except for in the west region. number 11 xavier beat six seed maryland, 76-65. the musketeers face florida state tomorrow. >> the other upset of the day came in the south region, number 12, middle tennessee state, led by as many as 17 before knocking out number 5, minnesota, 81-72. the blue raiders meet butler tomorrow, and the toughest moment came in the west region, vanderbilt's riley lachance put the commodores up by one on northwestern with only 18 seconds left, but then his teammate matthew fisher-davis forgets the team is leading and does a foul. brian mcintosh would make them pay for it with two free throws.

northwestern winning it, its first actually ncaa tournament game, and all that made julia louis-dreyfus very happy. her son chad, a walk-on for northwestern. so, they get to dance another day. >> oh, yeah. up next, "the pulse," the big debate about traffic tickets. should you get a bigger fine for driving slow in the left lane? >> honk, honk, right. and one brave golfer taking care of a very dangerous hazard on the course. i will never wash my hair again. i will never never wash my hair again now, i fuel it new pantene doesn't just wash your hair, it fuels it. with the first pro-v nutrient blend, making every... ...strand stronger don't just wash your hair fuel it fuel your hair. because strong is beautiful. find fast relief behind the counter allergies with nasal congestion? with claritin-d.

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away. more than 700 of the films have now been declassified. scientists hope by analyzing videos, they can learn more about the effects of nuclear explosions. up next, they say diamonds are a girl's best friend. well, this one might be some girl's best friend like forever. >> yeah, besties, bff. that is 706 carats of diamond found in the west african nation of sierra leone. it's that diamond rich country's second largest diamond ever found, and it was discovered by a pastor. >> he turned it over to the president who is having it kept in a bank. they don't know how much it's worth. eventually the stone will be sold at auction. >> sure it's in a bank. it could get more expensive to drive slowly in the fast lane. so, there are three more states that are considering higher fines for drivers who camp out in the passing lane, possibly as much as $250. five have stiffened the penalties in the past few years,

but there's no real evidence that slow drivers are a safety hazard. tell us what you think at atmfans.com. should slow drivers be punished? >> i'm not a fast driver. >> check this out. golfer cody grippal is apparently fearless. oh, yeah, he reached out and touched an eight-foot-long alligator during the first round of the arnold palmer invitational in florida, and the gator quickly scrambled -- >> it came back after him? >> no, went in the water. >> okay. well, that was way too close and personal as he admitted. more news after this. more news after this. opioid-induced constipation. had a bad back injury, my doctor prescribed opioids which helped with the chronic pain, but backed me up big-time. tried prunes, laxatives, still constipated... had to talk to my doctor. she said, "how long you been holding this in?" (laughs) that was my movantik moment. my doctor told me that movantik is specifically designed

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tgif, welcome to friday, march 17, i'm natasha. >> and i'm cornell barnard. reggie and jessica are off today. happy st. patrick's day, everybody. >> you're the only one who is wearing green. thank you for representing. >> is your dress not green? i'm color blind. >> there you go. all a trick of the light. we get a pass. we have green screen problems. >> i have green socks. >> he does. he does have st. patrick's day socks. >> they don't go with what i'm wearing but i have green socks. >> the question, is there green on live doppler 7 right now? >> look at you. and you said you were tired this morning. >> it's 4:27. >> i don't think so. she's doing great. thank you for being here, cornell. let's take a look at what's going on. the sweep is green but as far as any radar returns, absolutely not. here's a look at our east bay hills camera. doesn't the city look gorgeous

this morning? too bad we couldn't wash it in green lights or something. it is cooler like we talked about but look at that, mid to upper 60s around the bay for your lunch. get outside today, one of the nicest days we have moving forward, low to upper 70s at 4:00 and mid 60s at 7:00. how about the commute, alexis? >> lot of green or our traffic maps this morning and that means we are wide open today. no slow spots. i think with our great driving conditions today, too, that and the fact that it's friday and a holiday, we're going to have light volumes so here's a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. little bit of a stack-up in those cash lanes on the far right side but so far, you are cruising along here, shouldn't have any major problems. developing news in the south bay now, all lanes are back open on highway 101 in san jose following last night's freeway shooting. >> a teenager was shot on northbound 101 near story road not far from the 280 and 680

interchange. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield joining us live with more on the investigation. >> reporter: hi, cornell. they opened the highway at about 11:40 last night. the shooting happened just before 7:00 last night. one person was shot on northbound 101 near story road here in san jose. the 17-year-old passenger of that car was shot twice. that passenger was in the black acura. the driver was okay. the chp did interview the driver, trying to figure out why this happened, if this was a targeted shooting or if it was random. the driver told them that the two suspects were two men driving a 2015 white dodge charger with the word "hemi" written on the side of the car. residents tell us they find the shooting very unsettling. >> it's kind of disheartening to see it hit so close to home because i've seen it in other parts of the bay area.

>> reporter: this is a problem the east bay has been dealing with for more than a year. there have been about 80 highway shootings in the bay area in the last year and a half, most of those happening in the east bay. as far as this shooting goes, the victim did survive. he was taken to the hospital. they have not released his condition and they have not said whether this was a targeted or random shooting. reporting live in san jose, amy hollyfield, abc7 news. two napa high school students have been expelled after an investigation into hazing among football players. that means three football players have now been expelled and at least six others could face expulsion in the hazing scandal. abc7 news reporter leslie brinkley has the latest. >> i move for the expulsion of student b. >> reporter: napa board members voted to expel two more students in a closed door session and parents confirmed that was two more football players accused of hazing. >> the punishment does not fit the crime. and it was mishandled from the beginning. >> the