making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, a massive fire tearing through a london high-rise apartment building. flames racing up 24 floors as hundreds of people slept inside. the survival stories and the race to save those trapped and the dramatic video coming in. we're live at the scene. also breaking overnight an american detained in north korea is back in the united states but several questions remain this morning. like why was he suddenly released and why is he in a coma? >> the attorney general grilled on capitol hill defiant and on a mission to clear his name. we're live in washington with the details. and we do say good morning to you, everybody, on this busy

wednesday and start with breaking news. flames engulfing a high-rise apartment building in london. we got word moments ago there are a number of fatalities. >> witnesses said once the fire broke out it covered almost the entire tower within just an hour. that left anyone sleeping inside very little time to get out. >> we give you a live look. the smoldering building can be seen for several miles. a major concern at this minute, the building appears to be leaning to one side in danger of collapsing. abc's molly hunter is on the scene. molly, what's the latest from your vantage point? >> reporter: good morning, kendis. that's right. you see the building right there still smoldering absolutely blackened but there are still flames up there. down on the ground police are actually screaming get back but from where we are we feel that debris and can feel the spray from the firemen's hoses. a raging inferno high above london. overnight incredible images flooding social media.

flames shooting from an apartment complex. >> just like a waterfall on the left-hand side, a fire and flames but now spread to the right of the building, that part there. >> reporter: the fire stretching 27 stories high. flaming debris raining down on the streets below and ash covering everything for more than 100 yards away. this morning, witnesses saying there were signs of people trapped inside. makeshift ropes seen hanging from the windows. british police pushing everyone away from the scene due to fears the building may collapse. this man saying he got out of the building after a neighbor banged on his door and woke him up. >> there was smoke everywhere. there was people downstairs. people screaming after a couple of minutes because people are still sleeping on the higher floors and they didn't have a clue of what was going on. i'm not even sure if half of them got out, and there were people flashing for help. >> reporter: this morning as the

sun rises the horrifying extent of the damage is visible. the building completely charred and still smoldering. now, this is actually as close as we can get to that building. we're hearing bangs and creeks as if that building may actually collapse sometime soon. kendis, diane. >> molly, i know not too long ago you could see someone still alive in the building waving at you. is there any sense of when they'll be able to stabilize the building enough to try to get in there? >> reporter: diane, not any time soon. that's exactly right. we saw live video not from this vantage point of a man inside on the 11th floor. when you look at that, it's extraordinary to think that actually someone is still alive in there but police and the fire brigade are standing by waiting for any opportunity to rescue any survivors. >> we are hearing horrific stories of people jumping from the building. what are some of the other stories that you're hearing there? >> reporter: kendis, i think the thing that sticks out is the

screams. so almost immediately as those flames -- the fire started below, the flames engulfed actually spread rapidly up to the top of the building and residents are talking about the screams of families, of children waving flashlights actually small children being tossed out of low floors to waiting arms below. the tragedy is absolutely unbelievable this morning. >> one of the big things we're hearing how quickly it spread, just an hour. any sense of what caused this? >> reporter: diane, so what residents are telling us, a few things that may have caused that rapid spread and that may have also been the reason why so many people got trapped up above. so if that fire happened in your apartment or on your floor you were told to get out. but if the fire happened in a different part of the building, residents are saying they were told to actually stay in place. now, they blame the rapid spread of flames on this external padding put in in a massive $13

million refurbishment. it was just refurbish the last year and external cladding put in in part for insulation and aesthetic reasons. as soon as that caught fire the entire building caught fire, this he say. >> molly hunter on the scene of that horrific fire in the west of london. 128 units up in flames. there are some fatalities. of course, we'll keep on top of this breaking news story throughout the morning. we want to move on to another story breaking here on the home front, 22-year-old american otto warmbier is back from north korea and in a cincinnati hospital. >> he arrived on a medical flight because he's in a coma. his parents say they were only told last week that he's been in that coma for a year. practically since the start of his prison sentence in north korea. >> warmbier was arrested last year while on a tour for stealing a propaganda poster. he confessed during his march 2016 trial and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.

former nba star dennis rodman is currently visiting north korea but the state department says that had nothing to do with his release. the white house saying president trump thought the attorney general jeff sessions did a very good job as he went before congress to deny any collusion with russia. >> the president is set to deliver a speech at the labor department as he focuses on job training and signs an executive order to boost apprenticeship programs. sources say the president is characterizing the house gop health care bill he supported as, quote, mean and calling for a more generous version of the legislation and the president is also celebrating his 71st birthday. >> happy birthday, mr. president. all this as democrats slammed the attorney general's testimony. abc's gentleman may norman has more. >> reporter: the attorney general under oath and in the hot seat. >> and the suggestion that i participated in any collusion is an appalling and detestable lie. >> reporter: at times sparks flying and things getting heated as senators grilled jeff sessions about his meetings with

russian officials. the attorney general flat out denied any involvement in the russians' efforts to undermine the november election and recalled details of the now infamous oval office meeting when the president asked everyone including the attorney general to leave and kept former fbi director james comey there alone. >> what i do recall is that i did depart. >> reporter: senators asked about the controversial request comey says president trump made allegedly asking him to go easy on former national security adviser michael flynn. >> i believe it was the next day that he said something -- expressed concern about being left alone with the president, but that in itself is not problematic. >> reporter: though sessions recused himself from the russia investigation, he later signed on to recommending the man leading the investigation be fired but tuesday repeatedly refused to answer questions about any conversations he had with the president. >> i believe the american people

have had it with stonewalling. >> i am not stonewalling. i am following the historic policies of the department of justice. >> reporter: and attorney general sessions said the president hadn't exerted executive privilege over his testimony though he still refused to answer questions so the committee chairman asked sessions to find out which unanswered questions the white house is okay with him responding to and then provide answers. kendis and diane. >> sessions is saying he's not invoking executive privilege but sort of saving the president's right to do so in the future if he wants to. that's janai norman live from washington. thanks so much. >> one more note from congress. nearly 200 members are planning to sue president trump over his business dealings. the lawsuit set to be announced later today similar to the one filed monday by attorneys general from maryland and d.c. as first reported by "the washington post," the lawmakers all democrats are alleging that the president violated the constitution's emoluments clause by failing to break with his business empire and accepting

gifts and benefits from foreign leaders. a bill aimed at improving the veterans affair department is heading to the president's desk. he says he is looking forward to signing it. the house overwhelmingly approved the legislation that would make it easier for the v.a. to fire employees. the president promised to get rid of workers who let veterans down after some vets died waiting for appointments. still ahead, oprah answers the question, once and for all, will she run for president. and for trouble for uber. overnight a top board member forced to resign. what he was caught on camera saying that led to the backlash. the breaking news we're following in london. a fire engulfed an apartment tower. new video a

jurors deciding 9 fate of bill cosby got back to deliberations this morning. cosby waved to fans and gave a thumb's up as he left court last night. jurors deciding the sexual assault charges against him have spent about 16 hours over the last two days in deliberations. now, if cosby is found guilty of drugging and assaulting andrea constand, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. a man accused of killing five people in ohio is now under arrest. george brinkman jr. has been charged with murdering a couple and had dated their daughter. he is suspected of killing a longtime friend, susan taylor and her two college-age daughters taken into custody after a nine-hour standoff with police. police say robbery may have been the motive. uber's problems with sexual and other harassment won't seem to go away. travis kalanick announced yesterday he is going on

indefinite leave of absence and eric holdaer's recommendations. at the same board meeting called to accept these changes this exchange took place between directors. >> there's one woman on the board, it's much more likely there will be a second woman on the board. >> what it shows is that it's much more likely to be talking. >> oh, come on david. >> within hours david bonderman co-founder of a top private equity firm apologized and resigned from uber's board. the tsa is testing fingerprint identification technology to replace your boarding pass. the pilot program is considered the next step towards the agency eliminating those paper passes. it's being tested at airports in atlanta and denver. the tsa is determining whether that system is reliable, but the private company clear already uses the fingerprints and iris scans. american airlines canceling plans to reduce legroom on some

of its new planes. it was to reduce the space by an inch to add room for higher priced passengers. but american decided against that change after receiving feedback from customers and employees. legroom on the new 737s will remain at 30 inches. two inmates escape after allegedly killing two prison guards. a massive manhunt under way right now. see the suspect accused of using avocados in an assault. the latest from london, that high-rise up in flames overnight. ♪ the sun'll come out tomorrow... ♪ for people with heart failure, tomorrow is not a given. but entresto is a medicine that helps make more tomorrows possible. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ i love ya, tomorrow in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto helped more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. women who are pregnant must not take entresto.

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refreshing taste of tropicana. coppertone sport versus the sun. coppertone sport stays on strong when you sweat and is strong enough to stop up to 98% of the sun's damaging uv rays. coppertone. because protection matters. we're covering breaking news from london. you're looking at the scorched exterior of a high-rise apartment building that burned overnight. now, fire officials say there are a number of fatalities and the building is now actually leaning, so there are concerns that it could collapse. now, we're learning that residents who lived in that building had expressed concerns about its safety. >> the fast-moving flames raced through the tower which was made

up of some 120 apartments. a community blog post from last fall blamed the landlord for dangerous living conditions. the cause of the fire, of course, is yet to be determined. these were the images that we saw just several hours ago. the fire starting roughly around 12:00 local time. about 7:00 eastern time here in the u.s. but these live images once again, it is still on fire. >> many questions still remaining including the stability of the building and whether anybody alive remains inside. we will continue monitoring this for you. to another developing story, the massive manhunt under way for two dangerous inmates from georgia. there's now a $70,000 reward offered for any information leading to the capture of donnie rowe and rickie dubose. the pair killed two correctional officers on a prison bus yesterday, it is alleged 60 miles outside of atlanta. reports say they may have been spotted, but those reports are proved to be unfounded now. authorities are warning the men

to turn themselves in. >> they need to surrender before we find them. i saw two brutally murdered officers, that's what i saw. i have their blood on my shoes. >> just such a heart-wrenching sound bite from the sheriff. the correctional officers are identified as sergeants christopher monica and curtis blue. authorities say after the killings the suspects carjacked a green honda and both described as armed and dangerous. now to a dramatic scene at a new york city beach where people were seeking relief from scorching temperatures. two sisters were dragged away by a powerful rip current there in the rockaways in queen, new york. one was saved by a cop who dropped his gear and ran into the water to pull her to safety. the other was pulled back to shore by a woman, some surfers also rescued a good samaritan to tried to help the sisters. police are hunting for two avocado attackers near yankee

stadium caught on video firing the fruit at a worker after an argument over a food order. the 21-year-old victim suffered cuts to his face and a broken jaw. imagine that their jail will be extra since it was an avocado attack. that was bad but -- hope they're all all right and caught. up next in "the pulse," madam president, oprah win bring is letting the world know if heel ever run for office. and sidney crosby makes a young fan's day. what the pittsburgh penguin did that left this little boy in tears. i was on the go. i kept on top of things. then the chronic, widespread pain slowed me down. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. he also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. woman: for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function,

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about oprah winfrey shutting down any speculation she would throw her hat in the ring. she told "the hollywood reporter" point blank i will never run for office. >> she has no political experience like the president but says she doesn't know if she could defeat president trump but she's still making it clear that she will never know the answer because she will never try. and next to the penguins. their parade for the stanley cup championship will make its way through the streets of pittsburgh tomorrow but they've already been showing it off. >> a group of players brought the cup onto the field before the pirates game and captain sidney crosby took the mound and delivered a ceremonial first pitch. >> that was a perfect strike, i would say. >> he's multitalented. >> the pirates might sign him up for next season. he's abeen making impression on fans since arriving home after winning the cup. here's one, just listen to this kid. >> i got my t-shirt signed by

sidney crosby. >> why are you crying? >> because it's the best day of my life. >> he looks so sad but really those are tears of joy. >> oh, my god. >> look at him. just wiping away the tears. >> i think crosby may have felt the same way, by the way. pittsburgh officials are expecting about a half a million to attend and the rally. they're also expecting temperatures in the mid-80s so telling people to stay hydrated. not bad parade weather. >> the penguins having their parade today and the warriors are doing theirs on thursday. pretty exciting times this week. many have tried to talk their way out of a parking ticket and many have failed. but a written request for a reprieve paid off for a wisconsin man. >> the man left this note on his car asking officers to take pity on him. he walked home after a night out of drinking and high. lighted his safe choices. >> that was a smart choice. okay, so the note worked.

he received a ticket for zero dollars with the words, pity granted. a facebook post said the officer actually appreciated the safe choice and the sense of humor at the same time. >> is that what it takes? >> i guess that's all it takes. i'll try that on the opposite side of the street parking here in new york city. >> explain that one to the tow truck driver. i think they go straight to the tow. no ticket. >> sorry. especially kendis' car, let's take it. >> far less sympathetic than the cops, as well. we have more news after this.

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♪ >> announcer: good morning, north bay. let's get up and get going. >> it's "abc7 mornings." lisa argen is here for mike nicco. we were talking about working outside yesterday, and that was the good thing, was the weather. >> the weather may be a problem after a day or two. we are talking about heat advisories by the end of the week where temperatures will be approaching 100 degrees inland. that's for the valleys, and elsewhere we are looking at the cool comfortable but milder coast. it's 53 degrees in blackhawk. 59 in pleasanton. a cool 46 up in novato. a few 60s around the bay, but by noontime look at the upper 70s

inland. we are warming up to the mid-80s today. probably the most important day because of the heat will really be kicking up in the days ahead. alexis? the roads off to a good start, too. we're looking at a lot of green at this early hour. i don't have any major issues to kick off the wednesday morning commute here. a live look outside, san mateo bridge, wide open at this early hour, no mass transit issues so far this morning either. we have one minor issue in the central valley and we will talk about that coming up in less than ten. than ten. i am tracking breaking news high-rise, and 50 people hospitalized right now and two dead. you can see the 24-story building still smoldering right now. i want to show you the scene last night from a few short

moments ago. you can see the flames shooting every building of the window and witnesses say they saw people jumping out of the building, trying to get out of the flames. we will bring you updates as soon as we get them. >> such a terrible situation in london. a 6.9 magnitude quake hit guatemala this morning. homes are damaged and there are injuries and we are hearing there have been landslides and many areas are without power. a tsunami warning was not issued and no reports of any deaths in that. switching gears and now on to the golden state warriors. >> last time around we saw about a million people, and this year they say it could go up to 2 million. amy hollyfield is live for us in

oakland. >> reporter: they are working hard to get ready for all of those people, and this is being built south of lake merritt. this is where the rally will be held and players and coaches will give speeches and pose with the trophy, and they are working fast but you can see it taking shape here. and if you are taking b.a.r.t., skip the lake merritt and instead use 19th or 12th of the because crowds. officials are expecting so many people they say you need to choose between the parade or rally, and you won't be able to get to both. >> i can see the parade i can turn on the tv and watch the rally, and they have the music playing and confett