venezuela, moved to the u.s. at the age of three and had just become an american citizen last year. nicholas dworet. he had just received a swimming scholarship to the university of indianapolis. >> aaron feis was an assistant football coach who jumped in front of the shooter to protect students. >> meadow pollack, jamie gutten berg, cara laugh ran, scott biegel, gina montalto and martin ducay. nikolas cruz is in court in morning and he had ties to a white supremist group called republic of florida. stephanie ramos is in florida. after a long and painful afternoon at florida's marjory stowe man douglas eye school authorities are learning more about nikolas cruz, the expelled former student they say was

armed for war when he attacked the school. >> caused issues that arose here, he was transferred to another school. >> reporter: police say the suspect was armed with an ar-15 style rifle, a fire alarm sounded which allowed students to be targeted out in the open. some terrified students hid in classrooms, not knowing if they would survive. >> we were just like praying and crying. >> reporter: police and s.w.a.t. teams swarming the school grounds. >> does he know where the shooting it? >> we don't know, but we're entering the building. >> reporter: these teens sharing how some teachers helped save their lives, one, mr. beagle, was at the front door of a classroom protecting them. >> he was blocking the door so the door was open all the time. i don't know how we are al >> reporter: at least 17 people lost their lives and more than a dozen are wounded. the victims both students and teachers.

after initially only offering tweets, president trump today addressing the nation. >> yesterday a school filled with innocent children and caring teachers became the scene of terrible violence, hatred and evil. >> reporter: here in parkland the sheriff's department says all of the victims have now been identified and their parents notified. as for the gunman, authorities say nikolas cruz, now faces 17 counts of premedicated murder, in parkland, stephanie ramos, abc 7 news. and we are now hearing from the students who survived this ordeal. they are talking about the rampage, many at first thought the lockdown was a drill and then they started seeing the headlines appear on their phones. one student who shot video while hiding in a hallway says the country cannot get used to these types of shootings. he is demanding action. >> you can say, yes, we're going to do all these things, thoughts

and prayers. what we need more than that is action. please, this is the 18th one this year. that's unacceptable. we're children. you guys like are the adults. work together, come over your politics and get something done. >> it's stunning to hear that young man speak. this is he's saying a time for america to look in the mirror and realize gun violence is a serious issue. we have been down this road so many times with so little change. this morning we're hearing from our bay area elected officials about the specific actions they say they want to try to curtail gun violence this time. abc 7 news reporter matt keller live for us in san jose. matt? >> reporter: reggie, this generation of students has growing up doing active shooter drills inside their classrooms and they've also watched on tv the results of gun violence. today they're asking for their leaders to get something done. shocked, sadness and anger following yesterday's school shooting. more questions than answers and a debate about what to do to

stop gun violence. >> we shouldn't be responding, with he should be preventing. >> reporter: this morning nancy pelosi held a press conference calling on congress to act now to create a select committee on gun violence, allow the centers for disease control to study gun violence and pass expanded background check legislation. >> i have said over and over i'd rather pass gun safety legislation than win the election because people die from this. >> reporter: president trump focused on the mental health of the shooter tweeting earlier neighbors and classmates knew he was a big problem. must always report such instances to authorities again and again. republican house speaker paul ryan says congress passed mental health legislation two years ago that is just now being implemented. >> we do have laws on the books designed to prevent people with mental illnesses from getting firearms, people with criminal % backgrounds from getting firearms. the question is just like the texas instance, are those laws working the right way?

are there loopholes that need to be plugged? >> reporter: at san jose state a generation that grew up with mass school shootings happening across the nation, looking for ways to stop it. >> i think a huge part of it all comes down to mental health and everything, but you see this all over the country, it's not just one specific area. in general we need to look at it from a broad picture. >> screen for people who own guns, once you buy a gun theres no follow-ups. >> i hear, i'm sorry, my condolences but i don't see any action. >> reporter: a gun control grouped called every town for gun safety reports there have been 290 school shootings in the united states since 2013. in the shooting in florida, 18 so far this year. reporting live in san jose, mat keller. >> we have put together pages of resources with teens, mental health and bullying. of course, all of these interconnected on our campuses. it's at abc7news.com. you will find it right now on our front page. abc's david muir is in florida right now, he is going to anchor

world news tonight from parkland starting at 3:30 p.m. and then again we will have it for you at 5:30 p.m. new developments, a hearing was just postponed until next month for the couple accused of killing a 19-year-old and then leaving her to die on tesla road. 19-year-old daniel gross and 25-year-old melissa leonardo went before a judge this morning, the couple is accused of killing lizette cuesta. she was following crawling, suffering from stab wounds early monday morning. her final words helped alameda sheriff's deputies catch the two people suspected of killing her. the mother of one of the suspects spoke to abc news this morning. she said her son worked with the victims and blames her son's girlfriend for cuesta's murder. >> she was the mastermind of it. there was all types of things that were said and done and i didn't put two and two together. if i had, that girl would probably still be alive. >> gross says she has not been

able to speak with her son. she found out about the murder on the news. happening today, a showdown in the senate over daca and border security. congress is rushing to act after president trump ordered the march 5th termination of the program protecting dreamers. the plan would protect nearly 2 million young immigrants from deportation and also give the president billions to build his border with mexico. it's not clear this morning if enough democrats support the measure for it to pass. happening today in the east bay, parents will have an opportunity to ask school officials any questions they have after police arrested a school counselor for child molestation. 56-year-old ricardo rose is on paid administrative leave at the california school for the deaf in fremont. one possible victim has been identified and investigators want to know if there are others. he has worked at that school since 1989. today's parent forum will be held at 12:30 at the school library. the mendocino county sheriff is asking for the public's help

to find a woman possibly abducted by her boyfriend. khadijah britain was seen getting into her boyfriend's sedan friday night. the two were involved in a physical confrontation. britton and her boyfriend negie fallis is not been seen since. victims of the north bay fires have until april to clean up toxic ash heaps and other debris from their lots. the press democrat reports sonoma county and santa rosa officials are trying to make sure all properties burned in the october wildfires are cleaned up by april 9th regardless of who is performing the work. contractors have cleared 62% of those sites, putting the government effort on track to finish in the next two months. officials say about 1,100 other burned properties exist where owners opted to manage the cleanup by hiring private contractors. imagine getting paid $5,000 so you leave your job. it's happening at one major tech

company. plus the reason a senate senator on leave because of sexual harassment accusations is still able to conduct state business. good morning, i'm meteorologist mike nicco. about 2 to 5 degrees above average today, but it does come with a price. the latest drought details are out

it's just my eczema again,t. but it's fine. yeah, it's fine. you ok? eczema. it's fine. hey! hi! aren't you hot? eczema again? it's fine. i saw something the other day. eczema exposed. your eczema could be something called atopic dermatitis, which can be caused by inflammation under your skin. maybe you should ask your doctor? go to eczemaexposed.com

to learn more. my name is jamir dixon and i'm a locafor pg&e.rk fieldman most people in the community recognize the blue trucks as pg&e. my truck is something new... it's an 811 truck. when you call 811, i come out to your house and i mark out our gas lines and our electric lines to make sure that you don't hit them when you're digging. 811 is a free service. i'm passionate about it because every time i go on the street i think about my own kids. they're the reason that i want to protect our community and our environment, and if me driving a that truck means that somebody gets to go home safer, then i'll drive it every day of the week. together, we're building a better california.

such scary stuff. surveillance video showing you a massage therapist in orange county fighting off a gunman. she says he returned after a second appointment, claimed that he had lost his phone. she said that's when he pulled out a gun and began attacking her. this happened in santa ana monday night. the man eventually left after taking some cash. police want to catch him soon because they are afraid he may eventually kill somebody. a state senator on leave because of sexual harassment allegations is facing criticism for introducing 15 bills this week. state senator tony mendoza was pressured to take a leave of absence after he was accused fd sexually harassing three me mail aides. the senate pro tem is dragging his feet to suspend mendoza in order to push his agenda before friday's bill introduction deadline. >> his mere presence in the capital and his activity continuing as state senator when he should be nowhere near in building and not have any activities is a slap in the face to a lot of people that want real reform here in sacramento

and the senate. >> senate senate officials say mendoza is not violating the terms of his leave. they say the bills were cleared with the secretary of the senate. mendoza has denied the allegations against him. new developments surrounding the state assembly member who was a leader of the me too movement last week christina garcia was accused of sexual misconduct. now she's been removed from her position. two men have accused garcia of i'm plopper sexual advances toward them. assembly member and castro valley native susan eggman will serve as interim chair. the san francisco city attorney is demanding uber provide data relative to an investigation about whether it and lyft are obeying state and local us laws. last year dennis herrera issued subpoenas for information in eight categories including miles an hours logged by drivers and also incentives. herrera says uber has refused to disclose its annual reports and

fought the city repeatedly. lyft, however, is now cooperating with herrera's request for the data. parents, if you love mcdonald's or if your kids do, maybe you are about to love them even more. the new way the fast food chain is putting your child's health first. getting paid to quit your job? the reason amazon is shelling out thousands of workers to walk off the job. and a live look now from our camera at sfo. meteorologist mike nico

ross has all the home trends for kitchen, living room and bedroom for a fraction of what you'd pay elsewhere. for the latest home trends, at big savings - you've gotta go to ross. at at&t, we believe in access. the opportunity for everyone to explore a digital world. connecting with the things that matter most. and because nothing keeps us more connected than the internet, we've created access from at&t. california households with at least one resident who receives snap or ssi benefits may qualify for home internet at a discounted rate of $10 a month. no commitment, deposit, or installation fee. visit att.com/accessnow to learn more. they'd tell you to go to ross. because there's so much to choose from. listen to your pets. they're your best friends, so they don't want you to spend more than you have to. if you want to save big on pet accessories,

you gotta go to ross. we have breaking news. florida shooting suspect nikolas cruz was just brought before a judge via teleconference in ft.

lauderdale, florida. the bond hearing was very quick other than confirming his name, cruz did not say anything. the judge told him he has been charged with 17 counts of pre d premeditated murder. he will be held without bond and we don't know yet when the next court day will be. >> now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. let's start with the rainfall deficit. rain season starts october 1st. look how far we are behind, more than 4 1/2 inches in livermore to nearly 11 inches in santa rosa. the latest details from the drought monitor, i put october 3rd that's the closest reading they had to our rain season and now -- and you can see that parts of the bay area we weren't in a drought, now we are abnormally dry, especially solano, sonoma, lake counties. this is severe drought, the orange. you can see it developing and spreading northward towards us, that's what this abnormally dry

winter has done. that's going to continue spreading towards us unless we get a miracle march and more often than that that doesn't happen, that's why it's called miracle march. we have sunshine, we're powered by that today. clear, slightly cooler tonight, not quite as breezy as last night. the breezes will come straight and they are coming from the arctic and will bring a winter chill to our neighborhoods next week. most of us in the mid 50s to near 60 degrees, cooler up north. i wanted to show you this, tucson has had an inch and a quarter of rain the last three days. we don't even have a cloud in the sky on live doppler 7. i overlaid the cloud layer, there's nothing there because it is so dry. that's going to help us reach 59 at half-moon bay, the rest of us 61 in lake port to san jose at 67. a lot of low to mid 60s today. gorgeous view from emeryville this morning. we've got a brighter lunch today than yesterday, 58 to 60, it will be warmer this afternoon,

above average, but a sea breeze at the coast in the mid to upper 60s. this evening we will drop into the 40s by 8:00, all of us in the 40s by midnight. santa cruz this morning, green, green an green, whether you're exercising, out on the bay or at our beaches today. just watch out for the tollen. tonights temperatures low to mid 40s around the coast, the rest of us in the mid to upper 30s. quick forecast for the holiday weekend, it is going to be blustery sunday, not a great day to ski, it will be breezy monday. there's going to be some snowshowers, maybe a couple inches of snow and i'm wondering if the winds will be too breezy to even ski on sunday. we will keep an eye on that. here is a look back at home. you can see on my accuweather seven-day forecast we push near 70 degrees saturday, that same cold front comes through our neighborhoods, makes for a breezy day sunday, a raw day monday with temperatures in the mid 50s and tuesday and wednesday morning all those

plants producing the tollen right now they may freeze, especially in the inland valleys. >> i have an unrelated question for you. >> sure. >> don't you think of cheeseburgers when you think of happy meals? >> yes. >> they go hand in hand. >> that's what i've always thought. >> they are taking them away. mcdonald's saying they're trying to make a healthier happy meal so they are trying to cut calories. by 2022 at least 50% of happy meals will be 600 calories or less. hamburgers and chicken mcnuggets will be on the happy meal menu but the fries will be a smaller portion and the chocolate milk won't be as sweet. mcdonald's has made similar efforts in recent years including offering water and fruit as options. u.s. intelligence chiefs are warning americans from staying away from using phones from china's two leading tech companies. smart phoned manufactured by waway and zte may be compromised. officials investigated both companies and found they are influenced by the chinese

government. both brands are trying to make inroads in the u.s. and are sold by several outlets including best buy and walmart. would you quit your job right now if you were offered $5,000 to walk away? if you work for amazon, you may have that option. the company is reportedly offering employees up to 5 grand for them to resign. this is according to the atlantic. the e-commerce giant is dangling the offer at amazon warehouses and customer service centers across the u.s. amazon says it's a way to encourage unhappy employees to get out of there. here is the catch, you knew there was going to be a catch, the company says if they take the money these employees agree to never work for amazon again. marvel fans, the day is finally here. after the break the record breaking buildup to one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year.

if you want to see this you have to get your tickets now. the anticipation for "black panther" has been record breaking. the wait is over. marvel's superhero movie hits theaters at midnight. ticket pre sales for "black panther" have outpaced every other superhero movie ever made. it also has a near perfect 97%

certified fresh rating on rotten tomatoes before the public has even seen it. the movie set in the fictional african nation of waconda. its already resonating for audiences for what it represents in terms of diversity in hollywood. >> the moral question was to be ones that aren't as easy as black and white, ones that are relevant to today. >> they figured out how to realize the full potential of all its citizens and the women assume their power and it doesn't diminish the man's. >> "black panther" is expected to make up to $150 million just this weekend. a reminder that we are on 24/7 on our abc 7 news app and abc7news.com and today on our website we have posted a link for parents and teens to help them deal with mental health issues. we are talking a lot about this in light of the florida shooting. if you are locking on to abc7news.com from your phone, also make sure you download the abc 7 news app to get breaking

news alerts. then tune in for the latest news and weather right here on our next newscast which is abc 7 news at 4:00. from all of us here at abc 7 news, thanks for joining us today. a special note, abc news is expected to have a special report coming up in just a few minutes at 11:30. the broward county sheriff will be holding a news conference about that deadly school ra

>> to win the $1 million on this show, you gotta have guts. you gotta have brains. and you gotta have nerves of steel. does one of our players today

have the right stuff? we're about to find out. let's play "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] hey, everybody. welcome to the show. you guys ready to play today? [cheers and applause] i know this guy is. let's welcome our first contestant, a piano player from henderson, nevada, tyrone kelley. good afternoon, we're coming to you live from parkland florida, at this hour. we're interrupting regularly scheduled programming to bring you breaking news. authorities before the cameras in parkland t