making news in america this morning, the gun debate intensifies as the florida school shooting survivors face off with u.s. senators and the nra in a tense, sometimes combative town hall. >> it is a weapon of war. the fact that you can't stand with everybody in this building and say that, i'm sorry. >> this morning the positions that could now be changing. what president trump may now support and why the nra opposes raising the minimum age to buy rif rifles. ferry explosion. we hear from a teenager. the new details on the investigation. breaking overnight from the olympics, a dramatic shoot-out as team usa goes for gold in women's hockey and mikaela

shiffrin and lindsey vonn back in action. plus, a new study on the dirtiest place in your kitchen. you'll likely be surprised. >> i'll take five. >> billionaire bill gates plays "price is right" with ellen. his hilarious guesses price of a box of rice. and we do say good morning on this thursday. we begin with the emotional debate over guns in america as the students who lived through the florida school shooting campaign for change. >> they confronted local congressmen, senators and even the nra during a sometimes contentious town hall. that came just hours after students and parents attended a listening session at the white house in which president trump suggested arming teachers and possibly raising the minimum age to buy rifles. >> let's get starting with kenneth moton in washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning.

president trump is promising action after hearing directly from those parkland students and parents here in washington but his supporter, the nra, is mounting strong opposition. the debate over guns is intensifying. >> it doesn't make sense. fix it. should have been one school shooting and we should have fixed it. >> reporter: president trump listened to victims, parents and educators impacted by gun violence a week after an ar-15 was used to kill 17 people at stoneman douglas high school. >> i don't understand why i can go in a store and buy a weapon of war. >> i never got to experience safety and peace. there needs to be significant change in this country. >> reporter: the president asked for solutions, but advocated for men mental institutions and appeared open to arming teachers. >> and do people feel strongly against it? anybody? anybody? strongly against it. all right. look, we can understand both sides and certainly it's

controversial but we'll study that along with many other ideas. >> we cannot be silent. >> reporter: across the nation demonstrations, people in pittsburgh near denver and chicago pushed for tighter gun control measures. in tallahassee, florida, parkland students face-to-face with lawmakers. frustrated over what many called a lack of straight answers. >> what's your personal stance on assault-style weapons like an ar-15? >> yeah, it's a head scratcher where we are so it's going to be -- it's going to be a debate. >> reporter: the nra quick to respond and oppose raising the age from 18 to 21. a spokeswoman citing those who want protection and old enough to vote and fight for this country. >> thank you. as the president met with grieving families a photographer noticed a card that the president was holding. >> it had several notes on it including the question, what can we do to make you feel safe?

and at the bottom, there was a reminder for the president to say, i hear you. from washington back to florida where that emotional and sometimes tense town hall was held just a few miles from last week's school massacre. >> survivors and parents challenged florida's politicians and the nra. the massive town hall quickly turned heated. >> your comments this week and those of our president have been pathetically weak. >> reporter: the father of a girl killed the douglas high school shooting confronted marco rubio. >> look at me and tell me guns were the factor in the hunting of our kids in this school this week. >> the problems that we're facing here today cannot be solved by gun laws alone. and i'm going to tell you what we've done already and i hope -- >> were guns the factor -- >> absolutely, of course they were. >> is the weapon of choice.

>> number one, fred, i absolutely believe that in this country if you are 18 years of age you should not be able to buy a rifle and i will support a law that takes that right away. >> reporter: a teenager who survived the shooting also confronted the florida senator about donations he accepts from the nra. >> can you tell me right now that you will not accept a single donation from the nra in the future? >> the answer is, people buy into my agenda. >> yes or no. >> well, i -- the influence of any group. the influence of these groups cops not from money, the influence comes from the millions of people that agree with the agenda. >> reporter: bill nelson said it was a mistake that no gun legislation was passed when the democrats controlled the house, senate and white house in 2009 and 2010. >> yes, gun legislation under those circumstances should have been considered because there had been a lot of massacres.

>> reporter: the questions then turned to an nra spokeswoman who admitted the system is flawed. >> i don't believe that this insane monster should have ever been able to obtain a firearm, ever. >> reporter: earlier broward county sheriff scott israel said deputies will carry rifles on the school grounds and had harsh wards for the nra. >> i understand you're standing up for the nra and i understand that's what you're supposed to do but you told this group of people that you are standing up for them. you're not standing up for them until you say i want less weapons. >> senator rubio dade he disagrees with arming teachers. we turn to the breaking news overseas. an explosion at a u.s. embassy in eastern europe. authorities in the tiny country of montenegro say a man threw a grenade into the embassy

compound before taking his own life. no americans were injured. the motive for the incident remains unclear, but security has been tightened as a result this morning. tune rat services for the reverend billy graham are set to take place next friday in north carolina. the evangelist died at the age of 99 after a long illness. he spent his life ministering millions of people and offering words of wisdom to 11 u.s. presidents dating back to harry truman. graham will be buried on the grounds of his library next to his wife who died in 2007. the weather and new flood warnings in parts of the midwest and south. crews had to rescue a woman stranded by flash flood near chicago. similar scenes playing out as heavy rain combines with melting snow. meanwhile, in washington, d.c., it's record breaking heat that's causing some of the cherry blossoms to appear about a month early. the current radar shows the storm system that has been hammering states from texas to michigan but here's now a closer

look at your forecast for this thursday. good morning. dangerous mix of wet and icy conditions throughout the northeast including ice throughout pennsylvania, snow throughout portions of new york. chilly air to the north. to the deep south because of the warm air we still have additional thunderstorms rumbling throughout the lower mississippi region with it continuing to be a major with major flooding along the st. joseph river and grand river and more rain to spill over the top of the same area over the weekend. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. coming up, the president of a major u.s. company accused of misconduct. he loses his job. first we hear from an american teenager who had to take cover as that ferry exploded at a popular resort. and golden girls.

a dramatic shoot-out for the u.s.

we're back with that dramatic video of an explosion on board a ferry in mexico just as tourists were getting off in playa del carmen. at least 25 people were injured including some americans. the explosion sent debris flying everywhere. >> there was glass and other metal pieces that flew out, so there was a few scratches and bruises and some stitches and it was just a really loud bang. so we just got down because we were wondering if there was going to be another one or what was going to happen. >> well, the ferry company says it doesn't know exactly what caused the explosion. it says all of its equipment was working properly. >> and authorities say the

disappearance of a 5-year-old boy from kansas is now a criminal investigation as his stepmother faces charges. the fbi joined the search for lucas hernandez last seen at his home in wichita on saturday. his stepmother has been charged with child endangerment. police say she told them lucas went missing while she was taking a nap. a top executive at ford has been ousted from the company because of personal misconduct. raj nair, the president of in order's north american operations was accused of inappropriate behavior. ford is already facing sexual harassment claims from factory workers in chicago. and toys "r" us is planning to close another 200 stores. according to "the wall street journal" a significant portion of the corporate staff may also be laid off. toys "r" us filed for bankruptcy in september faced with mounting debt and growing competition online. snapchat is responding to an uproar over its new design. critics say the redesign makes the app more difficult to use.

1.2 million people have signed a petition opposing it. snapchat is promising to make changes telling critics we hear you. when we come back, the dirtiest place in your kitchen. you might be surprised. the drama in south korea. an overnight shoot-out in hockey was one of the nail biters. highlights next. daughter: uh oh. irreplaceable monkey protection. detergent alone doesn't kill bacteria,

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team usa winning gold, silver and bronze. in a dramatic ending in a nail-biter, the u.s. women's hockey team winning gold for the first time in 20 years. the u.s. ending the canadian women's streak of four consecutive hockey gold medals. the match went into overtime and then as six round shoot-out it was jocelyn lamoureux who made the final shot, the puck going around the goalie on the ice. some of the players crying after their win holding up american flags in a sign, thank you, pyeongchang. canada takes a silver. lindsey vonn went into the slalom portion in the lead but skied off course ending her chances for another olympic medal. mikaela shiffrin was in sixth place after the downhill portion of the event but a great run in the slalom earned her a silver medal. gold medalist jamie anderson adding to her count winning silver in big air snowboard. her top two scores earned her a silver medal.

in the men's city halftime david wise defended his title and overcame falls on his first two runs due to problems with his ski bindings and eventually putting down the highest score of the day, 97.2 earning him tht gold and alex ferrara won the silver. politics making its return to these olympics. north korea has just told the south, it's sending an eight-person delegation to the closing ceremony. the u.s. is sending ivanka trump. unknown if the two sides will meet. >> what an exciting morning there. the medal count now, the top three norway, germany and canada remain the same. >> but look who is in fourth place, team usa moved up a notch now, 21 medals in total, fourth place. >> just a few more days to go in pyeongchang. back at home we turn to the dallas mavericks owner mark cuban hiring an outside lawyer to investigate claims that his team is fostering a toxic work

culture for women. a "sports illustrated" article detailed claims of harassment and abuse in the team's front office. the team also failed to fire an employee who pleaded guilty to domestic assault. a longtime mavericks star says he's disgusted by the news. >> it's tough. it's very disappointing. it's heartbreaking. i'm glad it's all coming out. i was disgusted when i read the article. >> mark cuban is now requiring everyone in the organization to undergo sensitivity training including himself. the nba is also looking into the case. in the meantime, more trouble for cuba. the nba fined him $600,000 for suggesting during an interview that his team should lose the rest of its games. to get a better position in the draft. in medical news federal regulators say doctors can start using a nasal spray to

administer the flew vaccine but not until next flu season. it has been off the u.s. market for two years because it was not effective against the strain of flu that was making most people sick at the time. but now the makers of the vaccine say they have reworked the formula. and a new investigation has found the dirtiest place in your kitchen and it is not where you probably are expecting. it's your kitchen sponge. >> oh, yes. >> researchers found 75% of sponges are contaminated with coliform bacteria making them far dirtier than the kitchen sink or the countertop. get a new sponge every two weeks and microwaving them does not sanitize them, that is a myth. coming up, the new way students can report potential threats at their school. also ahead an important tip before you go to the gym this morning, the one easy thing you can do to maximize your borkout. >> just skip it. and bill gates goes goesry shopping with ellen and shows a

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♪ because i'm happy clap along if you feel like a room ♪ time to check "the pulse" and simple way to turn your exercise routine into a happy experience. pump up the volume. >> new studies show runners who listen to the hit song "happy" get 28% more enjoyment from their workout than those who do it in silence. >> and 72% more annoyed. researchers say music can help you cheat tiredness and rearrange the electrical frequency in your brain. >> yeah. >> it gets me pumped. next up bill gates is not the guy you want helping you on "the price is right." the billionaire made his first appearance on the ellen show where she had a game for him to play. >> he had to guess the prices of

grocery items and hasn't been to a supermarket in years so it didn't go well. >> how much do you think rice-a-roni would be within a dollar. >> $5. >> okay, let's -- >> the audience didn't like that. >> let's see. oh, it's a dollar. what a bargain. >> i'll take five. >> i know. >> totino's pizza rolls. >> i'll go with 22. no, no. 15. 15. >> lower, lower. >> 8. >> all right. let's try it. $8. 8.99. >> so gates started relying heavily on the audience for some help. >> the help they go. in the end he didn't do too bad badly. >> he is worth $80 billion. >> he'd probably be fine payingn $5 for rice-a-roni.

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is it floit friday yet? >> it isn't. thursday, february 22nd. sue hall in and mike nicco starting. let's go straight to doppler 7. tracking light showers this morning across the dunbarton bridge. turning into the possibility of snow as you head up into the santa cruz mountains and into the range around mt. hamilton. there could be slick spots out there. that's the big story for the morning hours. let me show you this. the last time we had a storm impact scale. we've got scattered showers that are going to develop this afternoon with gusty winds and the snow level lower than this morning. down to 2,000 feet. we'll take a look at your accuweather 12-hour planner coming up next. here's suement. >> we'll be monitoring chain controls in the sierra. so far, nothing happening there

yet. we'll keep our eye on it. the san mateo bridge, there is a sheet on the road. we did get weather and rain. slick roads past the scene along the span there as well. we'll come back and take a look at your east bay and east shore commute in a minute. >> sue, thank you. we are tracking a deadly crash involving a truck and camaro with paper plates. amy hollyfield live in bay point this morning. >> reporter: hi, reggie. look at the car. they took out a tree and then crashed near the fence here in this corner lot. but wait until you see what was left of cars. there were two vehicles involved and two people were killed. the pickup truck was turning on to port economy from wharf drive here in bay point when it was hit by the ka >> sounded like a bomb went off

to be honest. >> i thought it was a dream until i heard a man screaming. when i heard the man screaming, i ran over to the window and opened my window and literally, there was two cars there and one completely smashed. >> reporter: happened just before 1:00 this morning. no information has been released about the victims or the investigation into how and why this happened. live in bay point, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. developing news in hayward. investigators are trying to determine what sparked a fire last night near the holy cemetery. it took crews 45 minutes to get the flames under control. there were transients inside the building when the fire bloke out. there are no reports of any injuries. >> it is now 4:30. if you're just joiningu let's get a quick update on your weather and traffic. hi, mike. >> hi, reggie and natasha.

a look at the temperatures at frosty level. danville 34. san ramon. 35. dublin and lafayette at 38. everybody else in the low to mid-40s. take a look at other temperatures. it is freezing cold at santa rosa. napa at 32 degrees. 48 right now, oakland, hayward, san carlos. 43 in san jose. here's a look at the 12-hauer e. hour planner. i jumped ahead. we'll show you the accuweather 12-hour planner coming up. your commute will be fine today except for the scattered showers that are going to be out and about and that snow level down to 2,000 feet. it could cause problems also. we'll look at that coming up next. >> should we bring an umbrella, mike? >> might want to. >> let's look at the east shore freeway. you could see filling in pretty nicely. it's moving at a nice clip towards the macarthur maze and the bay bridge toll plaza. no metering lights yet. we do have roadwork until 5:00. it