looking good. making news in america this morning, firestorm. the disaster in california taking more lives and burning more homes. >> there were embers everywhere and the wind was just crazy. >> see the new risk this morning. the shocking scenes of devastation and the forces now joining the firefight. new overnight, the president fights back. what he's saying about reports that he's about to fire his chief of staff and what he really meant when he challenged rex tillerson to an i.q. test. bombshell allegations. gwyneth paltrow, angelina jolie and now more women are coming forward against harvey weinstein. >> he returned in nothing but a robe with the front open, and he was buck naked. >> hear the new fallout overnight from the growing sex scandal that brought down one of hollywood's most powerful men. plus, a shocking loss for team usa.

hitting a new low. and mat hadder? the robbery suspect known for switching up his head gear on the run right now. we do say good morning on this wednesday. we're going to start with the historic fire disaster in northern california. the death toll climbing overnight to at least 17. >> hundreds more are unaccounted for as these fires rage around wine country engulfing entire neighborhoods. danya bacchus has the latest from santa rosa, california. good morning, danya. >> reporter: good morning, diane and kendis. just to give you guys a scope of the devastation, around me are signs of the intensity of this fire. house after house is gone. now just charred cars and chimneys on lots that were once homes and this morning that firefight continues. the massive wildfires in california's wine country are

burning out of control stretching firefighters to their limits. >> we have folks on the fire lines starting their third shift right now that have not been relieved. >> reporter: throughout sonoma county entire neighborhoods have been devastated. >> this fire was fast. >> personally i think it'll be one of the worst disasters in california history. >> reporter: at least 2,000 residences and businesses have been destroyed like this winery and this hotel. >> we were awoken to a red glow coming out of the north and had just minutes to actually get out of the house, wake our kids up. >> reporter: crews battling fires in santa rosa were forced to just let homes burn. >> we don't have a lot of water so the water supply is difficult. it's just better to let it burn. >> reporter: nearly 200 people are still unaccounted for as officials warn the death toll could rise. mike rippey's parents married for 75 years died when the fire tore through their home.

>> and it hit so fast, and they just didn't have a chance. my mother had a stroke, and she couldn't move very well at all, and my father certainly never would have left her. >> reporter: in southern california firefighters are finally getting the upper hand, dousing hot spots in the charred remains of homes. as far as a cause for this fire, crews say they are focusing on saving lives first, property second and then containment of those flames saying that cause investigation will come later. diane and kendis. >> they have their hands full with more than a dozen fires in california, danya, thank you. now a new move overnight by u.s. forces. two b-1 bombers flew nighttime missions over the sea of japan escorted by south korean and japanese fighters. the air force calls it the first mission of its kind. this comes a day after reports came to light that suspected north korean hackers were able to steal sensitive military secrets including possible war plans by the u.s. and south korea. two top officers of the "uss john mccain" have been fired.

the navy relieved the commander and the executive officer two months after the ship collided with an oil tanker near singapore. ten sailors died in that crash. the navy calls it preventable saying one officer showed poor judgment, and the other showed poor leadership. . so, the president was back on twitter overnight praising his chief of staff and railing about rumors of his departure. now the tweet follows earlier ones that escalated the president's feud with republican senator bob corker of tennessee and one that took an apparent swipe at the secretary of state. abc's arlette saenz has more from washington. good morning, arlette. >> reporter: hey, good morning, kendis and diane. president trump came out swinging against the media, a top senate republican and his own secretary of state. the relationship between president trump and his secretary of state is under the microscope. the president seemed to knock his top diplomat with a new jab after that report rex tillerson referred to his boss as a moron.

i think it's fake news, the president told "forbes," but he if did that i'll guess we will have to compare i.q. tests and i can tell you who is going to win. the commander is chief is adamant he isn't undercutting his own secretary of state. >> no, i didn't undercut anybody. i don't believe in undercutting people. thank you very much, everybody. >> do you still have confidence in rex tillerson? >> yes. >> reporter: he insists the i.q. test challenge was a joke but he's not laughing about republican senator bob corker who in an interview with "the new york times" said this about the president. >> he doesn't realize that, you know, that we could be heading towards world war iii with the kinds of comments that he's making. >> reporter: the failing "new york times" set little bob corker up by recording his conversation the president tweeted, was made to sound a fool and that's what i'm dealing with. we learned it was, in fact, corker who asked "the times" to record the interview. something else the president is not joking about, his chief of

staff. the president rose to john kelly's defense tweeting the fake news is at it again. this time trying to hurt one of the finest people i know, general john kelly, by saying he will soon be fired. this story is totally made up by the dishonest media. now, it's unclear what report president trump is trying to dispute there. there don't appear to be any reports saying that kelly will be leaving his job any time soon but "vanity fair" did recently say that the relationship between the president and his chief of staff is irrepairable. diane and kendis. >> all right. arlette saenz live from washington for us. arlette, thanks. investigators may have uncovered how the las vegas shooter got all those guns into his hotel room. sources tell abc news the shooter was given access to a service elevator at the mandalay bay hotel which was apparently a perk for high rollers at the casino. now, that perk would have allowed him to carry his luggage to his room bypassing security in the lobby. meanwhile, it was an emotional first home game for the las vegas golden knights hockey team. they honored first responders then held a 58-second moment of silence, one second for each victim of that shooting.

they also withheld advertising along the ice devoting the space instead to messages that read vegas strong. >> now let's take a look at your weather for this wednesday morning. how is this for a contrast? this was monday in denver, the season's first major snowfall. the bison were loving it, but forget all that now, temperatures in the mile high city today could hit nearly 70 degrees. unseasonable warmth also continues in the northeast, midsummerlike readings are expected across the southeast. it'll be mostly in the 60s for the midwest and the mid-50s in the pacific northwest. 55 in seattle and 87 in new orleans and no doubt humid. coming up, more trouble for a major store chain that was once a fixture in shopping malls. also an airbnb nightmare.

renters find a camera in the smoke detector pointed at their bed. that's not the only location where they can be hidden. we'll show you.

somebody help me. a police detective in utah has now been fired after this video shows him arresting a nurse at a hospital for refusing to allow police to draw blood from a car crash victim. that victim was unconscious and the nurse said police did not have a warrant for the blood. a salt lake city police lieutenant has also been demoted. nearly three weeks after hurricane maria slammed puerto rico, the death toll from the storm is rising.

43 deaths are confirmed, but that number could also still rise dramatically because of a looming public health emergency. reports of a dangerous bacterial disease are starting to surface and keep in mind a lot of the island is still without power and water, and fewer than half of puerto rico's medical employees have reported to work since that storm. a stunning new report on childhood obesity finds ten times more children and teenagers are obese today than 40 years ago. the largest global study of its kind finds obesity rates are rising quickest in parts of asia and in low to middle income countries. now, researchers blame an increase in the availability of processed foods. and there's more trouble for sears, this time north of the border. sears canada is closing all of its remaining stores. 12,000 people will lose their jobs. the company has been struggling to compete with online retailers. airbnb is responding to a disturbing story from florida. a couple says they were secretly recorded inside a home that they rented through the site. now, they say a camera was hidden inside a smoke detector

and the camera was looking directly at their bed. police later found two smoke detector cameras. airbnb's policy requires users to disclose any cameras and does not allow them in private areas. security experts warn cameras can easily be hidden inside anything from an alarm clock to light switch, even inside towel hooks in bathrooms. well, police in south florida are hunting for a serial bank robber who appears to be a mass of disguises. he's a suspect in at least four bank robberies wearing a different outfit and hat in each one. now, during one robbery he wore hospital scrubs and a surgical hat. on monday he wore a hat and this plaid shirt. last wednesday he switched things up again with an orange construction vest and another brown hat. >> so he doesn't like his hair very much. >> no, not at all. not at all but apparently he thinks orange is the new black so he changed to a new outfit.

coming up, why people who drink soda are rejoicing in one major city. the commissioner of the nfl takes a new stand in the national anthem protest controversy. but first the bombshell accusations against hollywood mogul harvey weinstein. just as we learned overnight that his wife is now leaving him. just walk right in and pay zero dollars with most insurance. just as we learned overnight that his wife is now leaving him. it's that easy to get your flu shot and make a difference. so swing by your local walgreens today. walgreens. at the corner of happy & healthy. atblue diamond almonds wein our almondmilk.ia-grown and we're proud of that. but the whole "care-and-nurturing" part? that idea... ...we borrowed from the experts. blue diamond almond breeze. the best almonds make the best almondmilk.

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she was 22 years old and weinstein had just cast her in a role that would catapult her career. >> such happiness this brings to all of us. >> reporter: paltrow tells "the new york times" the hollywood summoned her to his hotel suite and placed his hands on her and suggested they head to the bedroom for massages. the actress says she refused and later told her boyfriend, brad pitt, who confronted weinstein. a source tells abc news pitt told him to never touch her again. now she's coming forward saying this way of treating women ends now and more accusations, angelina jolie also tells "the times" she had a bad experience with weinstein in her youth and that his behavior is unacceptable. and now new questions about just how much hollywood knew or heard about weinstein. this joke by seth mcfarland at the 2013 oscar nomination ceremony. >> congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to harvey weinstein. >> reporter: and now possibly more damaging evidence against the former studio chief. >> i'm going to take a shower. you sit there and have a drink.

>> reporter: "the new yorker" magazine obtained this secretly recorded audio from a sting operation by the nypd. weinstein is heard admitting to inappropriately touching an italian model. the audio has been verified by abc news. >> yesterday you touched my breast. >> please, i'm sorry, just come on in. i'm used to that. come on. >> you're used to that? >> yes, come in. >> reporter: this misdemeanor sexual abuse case was never prosecuted. according to the d.a.'s office the audio was insufficient to prove a crime under new york law. ronan farrow wrote "the new yorker" expose. >> there is an evident problem with the understanding of no. >> reporter: weinstein has been fired, and a spokesperson told "the new yorker," quote, any allegations of nonconsensual sex are unequivocally denied by mr. weinstein. the district attorney says if they could have prosecuted weinstein for his conduct back in 2015, they would have, and now they're urging anyone who feels they were victimized by weinstein to contact them.

linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> and one more note, the board of the weinstein company which includes his brother bob has now released a statement saying they are shocked and dismayed by the recently emerged allegations of extreme sexual misconduct and sexual assault by harvey weinstein. these allegations come as an utter surprise to the board. in the meantime, actor matt damon is denying claims that he tried to kill a "new york times" story about weinstein back in 2004. damon says that he is sick to his stomach over the assault allegations. and the nfl is taking on the national anthem protest controversy. team owners will take up the issue at their annual fall meeting next week and could decide on a new policy. now, this comes after league commissioner roger goodell sent a letter to all 32 teams saying, quote, everyone should stand for the national anthem. it's an important moment in our game. goodell did not elaborate on how the league might change the current policy, which states players should stand for the anthem but are not required to. in the meantime, former

coach mike ditka is taking heat for what he said during a radio interview about players protesting racial injustice. ditka said, quoting here, there's been no oppression in the last 100 years that i know of. later when he was asked to address the comment, he told our chicago station on the phone, i'm getting too old for this. i respect the game. i respect our country, and then he hung up. >> and it was a shocker for team usa. >> absolutely. coming up, the reaction pouring in overnight after team usa managed to do something it hasn't done since the '80s. and the secret sauce. protests erupt over mcdonald's special szechuan dipping sauce. if you want some, it'll cost you. needles. essential for vinyl, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate.

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>> yeah, so their fight to reach the world cup ended abruptly last night with a stunning loss to trinidad and tobago. they lost 2-1, and that means they'll be the first u.s. team to miss the world cup since 1986. fans took to twitter to vent. >> trinidad, by the way, ranked 99. so d rob points out the population of iceland is 334,000. he puts the u.s. population at 323 million and says we can't find 11 players to make a squad to qualify for the world cup. iceland in the world cup. >> christine was empathetic saying i now fully understand how the atlanta falcons felt after this year's super bowl? >> oh, too soon. dyllon had to joke about it saying the u.s. probably could have beat trinidad or tobago. definitely not both, together they're just a force. >> the worst part, the score, 2-1 and we had an own goal. >> ah, that was embarrassing. all right.

next to chicago's much maligned soda tax. it has been crushed by a successful taxpayer revolt. >> yeah, cook county officials have voted to repeat the tax on sugary and artificially sweetened drinks. chicago residents were angry over what they considered a bald-faced money grab masquerading as a public health initiative. >> yeah, the tax was about a penny per ounce, so it adds up. >> they want their soda back. >> yes. we'll have a new development in the mcdonald's hot sauce saga or szechuan sauce to be exact. >> we reported about mcdonald's epic fail in trying to provide special edition packets of szechuan dipping sauce. it backfired resulting in mob-like stampedes seriously at stores across the country. now some ebay sellers are capitalizing. >> at least one more packet of the sauce is now up for sale and it can be yours for the bargain price of $5,000. >> what! >> plus 3 bucks for shipping.

and seem people apparently aren't even selling the sauce, they're selling a photo of the sauce. just a printout. highest bidder? no? >> no. a farmer in washington state is now in the record books. joel holland just grew a pumpkin that weighs more than 2,300 pounds. >> wow. it is the heaviest pumpkin ever grown in the u.s. and the second heaviest ever in the world. that great pumpkin earned him $16,000 in a prize money at a competition in california. >> i bet. >> he won the contest seven times before, by the way, but never scored this big.

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the danger far from over in wine country, shifting flames lead to new evacuations and the break firefighters got from calmer winds is over. >> and there were a number of developments overnight while were you sleeping. new evacuations have been issued in sonoma county. here is the latest. 17 people have been confirmed dead. 11 in sonoma county alone. that number, we have been warned, is expected to go up. >> nearly 88,000 acres have burned including the tubbs fire in napa county and it has grown to 28,000. cal fire says almost 700 structures have been destroyed. >> mike warns us the wind could pick up. coverage with what fire crews are facing this morning. mike? it's calm out there now and

will be that way the better part of the day. look what lurks as we head into the afternoon and evening hours. northerly winds that could gust 30 to 50 miles per hour which means if there's any weak trees out there, anything that wasn't shaken loose from its foundation sunday night into monday morning will come down. possible power outages and some of the lines could spark a few fires. you can see the areas in yellow. in the north bay it starts at 5:00 this afternoon. goes to 5:00 tomorrow afternoon. east bay hills it starts at 11:00 this evening through 5:00. guess what corresponds with it, yes, a high fire danger at exactly the same time for exactly the same areas. we'll take a look at your 12-hour day planner and wind gusts up next. >> we are still dealing with a lot of road closures in the north bay due to these fires so we'll take you up on our traffic maps. where you're seeing purple is indicating a full closure between chalk hill road and the sonoma/napa county lane all

lanes in all directions. not too far from there north of calistoga, state route 29 closed between lawley road and western mine road northbound and southbound. you can see a little delay there for folks heading into the calistoga area. we'll check on a few more closures coming up. alexis, thank you. more mandatory evacuations in sonoma county. >> santa rosa police ordered everyone out of the oakmont neighborhood. amy hollyfield has spent quite a bit of time there. amy, i know last evening it got hairy for the residents. >> reporter: this neighborhood is still closed, reggie. you can see the police behind me who are keeping people out. they wanted our i.d.s, our names, keeping track of anyone. i did check in with cal fire to find out what went on last night with the fire regarding oakmont, they are very concerned, anxious for information.

he told me when he left last night the fire was on tail ridge and he's trying to get more information but of course it is difficult especially since it is dark outside so this may be a situation where you get more information in the morning. but, yes, you're looking at video of the oakmont neighborhood. it's mostly a retired community and we did meet some people who were refuse to ing to evacuate. for those who refused we saw police take a picture, a record of who was left in here and writing down their names. they said it was a safety situation as the fire was slowly creeping to the oakmont neighborhood. we will be working to get updates on what happened overnight with the fire. it is very cold here this morning and not windy right now. cal fire very busy overnight trying to track