people on board batman, the ride in san antonio had to hang on after the roller coaster got stuck. passengers were left dangling 45 minutes. a safety went off that caused the ride to stop. everyone is back down. they are said to be physically okay. >> possibly traumatized. >> absolutely traumatized. kicked off the team in pennsylvania after shocking video showing him assaulting his

fiance. >> it happened two years ago while the venezuelan player played for the corpus christi hooks. he can be seen brutally beating his girlfriend. he was arrested two days later for domestic violence. the case was dropped after his girlfriend, fiance, declined to press charges. the woman billed as the next steve jobs has been charged with fraud. >> her blood testing collapsed under an avalanche of scandals is accused of defrauding investors by lying about the company's technology. the stanford university dropout settled for $500,000, neither admitting nor denying the accusations. if you bought a snuggie on tv and you are not ashamed to admit it, you might be in line for a refund. the blanket with sleeves has agreed to pay more than $7

million to consumers across the country. those checks are finally being issued as they settle misleading advertisements dating back 20 years. checks for 200,000 customers average about 33 bucks each. >> what was the misleading ad? you are going to be a cool kid in a snuggie? you will look great in a snuggie? >> no, they said you get 2 for 1, for $19.95, just pay shipping and handling. it was nearly $8 each blanket so the $19.95 turned into nearly 40 bucks. they said you can't decline the extra shipping and handling. >> you know shipping and handling is a racket. if you sell something on ebay and the shipping is $40. >> it was nearly enough to double the price. not so much buy one get one

free. coming up, a "jeopardy" contestant is fulfilled and he doesn't care. >> after getting his first kiss ever, from katy perry, an "american idol" contestant says thanks, but no thanks.

♪ i kissed a girl and i liked it ♪ >> katy perry is leading us off in "the skinny" for an uncomfortable moment for an "american idol" contestant. >> he's uncomfortable because she kissed him on the lips. he appeared nervously. luke bryan referenced her song with a direct question? >> have you kissed a girl and liked it? >> no, i have never been in a relationship. >> really? >> i can't kiss a girl without being in a relationship. >> come here. >> what, on the cheek? >> he didn't even make the smush

sound. >> he was so nervous. here is the thing, benjamin did not make it through to hollywood after that. he says the kiss threw him off because he had to perform after that whole incident. >> okay. when he was asked about it by "the new york times," he said, i was a tad bit uncomfortable. i wanted to save it for my first relationship. i wanted my first kiss to be special. >> he went on instagram saying he's not complaining about the kiss and does not feel he was sexually harassed by perry, but katy says the performance was a little rushed and i may have sped that up. that may be partially my fault. >> he got to kiss katy perry. >> he's got bragging rights. it's been more than two years since steve harvey

announced the wrong winner. it was miss philippines, but he announced miss columbia. do you think she might hold a grudge? they are actually friends. they reunited and she talked about what the accidental fame has done for her. >> changed my life forever. i got to be in a movie with vin diesel. oh, my god. i have my own sunglasses line. i mean, everything, everything changed. >> let me see it. >> basically, thank you, steve harvey. >> thank you. whatever happened to miss philippines, you don't hear about her anymore. >> i think she did all right. a "jeopardy" contestant getting attention. not for anything that happened on the show. >> paris, a 58-year-old who told alex trebek about his favorite place to go backpacking. nobody brought up why we already know paris. from somewhere.

here it is. >> i'm famous. i'm a tv star. wait till the kids back home hear about this. >> nobody is going to hear about this. >> where are you taking me. i don't want to go -- >> that's right. he played the part of mike "willy wonka and the chocolate factory." >> his last name was tv and shrank himself to be on tv, finally makes it to tv and talks about backpacking. >> makes sense. it wasn't until "jeopardy" fans searched his name. his wife was also a contestant on "jeopardy," winning twice. >> so many fun facts about this guy. i guess he didn't want to mention that, either, because backpacking is fascinating.

>> it's about mike tv. showing no signs of slowing down. check him out. >> pull ups.

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let's get right to it. invigorating. >> so, that's the word? >> is that how you wake yourself up in the morning? >> that was invigorating. >> jack is seen there taking the ice bucket challenge. >> the year was 2014. the charitable challenge was sweeping the nation and jack took one for the team. >> excellent form, jack. >> thank you. looked fantastic that day. >> nice norwegian flag in the background. >> now that he's recovered from hypothermia, i'm cold look k at it. there's a new challenge. >> there is. juju chang has the scoop. >> reporter: remember the ice bucket challenge? more than 17 million people

dumping ice water on their heads, bringing massive attention to als or lou gehrig's disease, raising $220 million. now, another challenge is heating things up. grabbing the attention of celebrities. hoping to, once again, raise money and awareness for the disease. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> reporter: the premise, just eat hot peppers or donate money and challenge others to do the same. >> you get a challenge juju chang. >> reporter: i was nominated by this 23-year-old, who we profiled while doing a story about the ice bucket challenge. it had been less than a year since his diagnosis. what was it like getting that news? >> we never expected to get that, our entire lives, 2-5 years is the average someone lives after being diagnosed with als. >> reporter: it's affected life

for the newlyweds. he says he's determined to fight the disease. so, to celebrate his 23rd birthday, i stepped up to the plate and brought along my "nightline" crew. pick a pepper, the entire gang. pick a pepper. we then nominated my colleague michael strahan. if you decide to take the challenge for yourself, watch out for the seeds. >> i would be so bad at that challenge. >> i love how he was like i got this. >> grateful for the crew. thank you very much. >> i challenge jack. >> no. not happening. not gonna do it. announcer: this is abc's "world news now,"

good morning, i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm diana macedo. here are the top headlines we are following on "world news now." as tens of thousands of students protest gun violence, house lawmakers approve funding for metal detectors, locks and other measures, but no steps to gun control laws. we have details, coming up. the man who oversaw the hillary clinton e-mail investigation for the fbi may be fired this week, days before he retires. andrew mccabe misled investigators reviewing the handling of the campaign issue. united airlines is apologizing for another mishap involving a dog. a family heading from oregon to kansas city discovered their german shepherd was sent to tokyo. listen up, toys "r" us made it official. they have begun to shut down all

735 u.s. stores. now, shoppers are trying to cash in. those are some of the top stories on this thursday, march 15th. announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." we begin this half hour with students across the country saying they have had enough of gun violence in their schools. the senate is considering legislation similar to a bill approved by house lawmakers. the stop school violence act. it has no new gun control provisions. >> meanwhile, we are hearing new 911 calls from the school shooting in parkland, florida as the families of the victims face the accused shooter in danya bacchus has more. >> entered on the defendant's behalf. >> reporter: the alleged killer of 17 students and staff came face-to-face with parents of the

victims. nikolas cruz, in court, formally arraigned on first degree murder and attempted murder charges, keeping his head down. >> people to help. they're going to die. >> i know. i'm sorry you are going through this. i'm here with you, okay. stay on the phone. >> reporter: new, dramatic 911 calls were released by the coral springs police department. the disturbing calls shedding light on the terror students and teachers faced on february 14th. as authorities say nikolas cruz went on a shooting rampage that killed 17 people. >> i'm getting school shooting at stoneman douglas high school. >> please hurry, please hurry. >> reporter: more on what teachers did to protect students. >> i'm in a classroom and the lights off, the doors locked. >> reporter: the panic parents felt as they tried to figure out what is going on. >> what do i do?

>> reporter: the broward county state attorney is seeking the death penalty for nikolas cruz. attorneys say he will plead guilty if the death penalty is off the table. president trump says he helped both candidates in this week's special congressional election. the results in pennsylvania's 18th district are too close for us to call. the president says the democrat is holding a slim lead there because he agreed with the president on so many issues. mr. trump says his campaigning helped the republican keep it close. trump made the xencomments at a fund-raiser. two dozen russian diplomats have a week to pack their bags and get out of britain. it's an action taken by prime minister theresa may. britain took the dispute to the united nations with nikki haley said the trump administration stands behind britain on this.

julia mcfarland has more. >> you are not welcome here. >> reporter: prime minister theresa may's words. 23 russian diplomats, whom the british identified as intelligence officers have a week to leave london. may saying how they will retaliate on the chemical weapons attack. >> the russian state was culpable for the attempted murder of him and his daughter and threatening the lives of others in salisbury, including detective sergeant nick bailey. >> reporter: they will draw up new powers, freeze russian state assets and the royal family will boycott the russian cup. they deny they were involved in the poisoning. the embassy calling the moves unacceptable, unjustified and shortsighted.

provide credible explanation how a soviet-era military grade agent came to be used on british ground. they were expelled by the british government. whether they choose to escalate or swallow the measures, which could have gone further will spend on the allies they can race. abc news, london. back in this country, gunfire inside an alabama hospital ends with two dead, including the suspected gunman. police received a call of shots fired inside a hospital in birmingham. they discovered two victims, as well as the gunman who shot himself. one of the victims died during surgery. the names of the victims and the suspect have not been released. one of the victims was a hospital employee. the deadly bombings in austin, texas prompted tips for nervous residents there. police received 350 calls about

suspicious packages since the first incident on march 2nd. detectives believe the bombings are related. two people have been killed, both were members of prominent african families in austin. police don't have a motive yet. they haven't ruled out the attacks of being an act of terror or hate crime. a trial is under way where the widow of the pulse nightclub shooter is facing charges. she is charged with aiding and abetting her husband. left 49 people dead and 53 wounded. she pleaded not guilty. she faces life in prison, if convicted. also in florida, paramedics rushed to a retirement home in hollywood after six patients felt dizzy and fell ill. a spokesperson said it's likely they all contracted the norovirus. they have all been hospitalized. as they dig out from two

feet of snow, the northeast is bracing for another nor'easter, the fourth in three weeks. >> who's counting? the latest radar shows this is parked over the northeast, spinning cold winds and snow showers from maine to west virginia. as rob tells us, there's another major storm lined up behind this one. >> we have the potential for another nor'easter. this is hanging around, parked over new brunswick. snow showers from maine to west virginia. the cold down to the gulf coast. freeze warnings for the southeast into florida, windchills below freezing. storms coming into the sierra and salt lake. this gets into the plains. severe storms across the south and another storm hits california. we are watching for it to become a potential nor'easter come monday and tuesday. rob marciano, abc news, new york. >> there may be two nor'easters within the next week.

breaking business news overnight. toys "r" us making it official is preparing to close and liquidate all 735 stores across the u.s. 33,000 workers will be unemployed. they have been in business 73 years. in a statement overnight, the ceo said it's a sad day for the company, the kids and families who we have served. many toys "r" us locations are advertising deep discounts on toys. the madness begins in earnest today. the round of 64 gets under way this afternoon. ncaa men's tournament basketball. the men's basketball tournament. >> yes. >> easy for you to say. >> by this time tomorrow, we'll all be out of it. >> probably. >> wednesday night, they had to finish up the first four. texas southern beating north carolina central by 18. the tigers picked up the school's first ever tournament win. they are the only team with a losing record to ever win a game. they started the season 0-13 and

didn't win their first game until new year's day. >> say tlg's a chance. >> yes. day two, the orange held on to beat arizona state, a close game. the sun devils had a chance to win late, but they missed a three-pointer. barack obama had to leave his seat in the white house. he's not giving up his march madness brackets. >> he's gone public, yet again, with his selections. he selected michigan state on the men's side and connecticut, he went out on a limb for the women. he did add this disclaimer on twitter. just because i have more time -- how did he say it? just because i have more time to watch the games, everybody, doesn't mean my picks will be any better. he did correctly pick the north carolina men last season. >> so did i, i just wrote down the wrong unc. i had the right idea. the uconn woman might be worried. last year, he selected the h

huskies and they didn't make the championship game. he might be their bad luck charm. >> jinx. coming up, dementia and women. >> a study about women who exercise and keep fit and their risk of developing dementia, later on. a husband who told a priest he murdered his wife is under arrest with the priest's help. first, a look at today's temperatures.

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a man accused of breaking into cars led police on a high-speed chase through houston, yesterday. at one point, officers tried to stop the man with spike strips. he managed to avoid those. the chase eventually ended when the driver tried to run away on foot. neither the suspect or officers were involved in collisions during the case. a husband has been charged with the shooting death of his wife. >> the husband seemingly confessed his crime to the police. the priest told police. eva pilgrim has the story.

>> reporter: charged with criminal homicide after he made the ultimate confession. they got a tip about a suicidal man, searched this home in a fluent neighborhood outside erie, pennsylvania and found his wife dead inside, shot in the head. investigators said they tracked his cell phone to a nearby cathedral where they found his white mercedes suv and him inside the resurrectry. >> he confessed to killing his wife. >> reporter: the priest, calling 911. police locking down the church. >> we were a little shaken. anytime anything goes on lockdown, you get shaken up. >> reporter: police bringing him out in handcuffs, thankful for the way the priest handled the situation. >> it was heroic, he kept his composure and did a very good job from our perspective and from the perspective of the man upstairs, too. >> reporter: under roman catholic walls, police are

forbidden from contacting police about confessions. he felt it was okay to tell police. eva pilgrim, abc news, new york. >> they are legally protected from having to report this. he said it happened in a resurrectry, not a confessional. he didn't ask for confession. >> they face excommunication if they say what's been said in the confessional. all right. moving on, a health alert about women and dementia. a study out of finland shows women who are highly fit in midlife are nearly 90% less likely to develop dementia decades later. the study couldn't prove that exercise prevents dementia, but high cardiovascular fitness correlates with the disease. an equifax executive is tied to the massive data breach.

they accuse the officer of exercising all his vested ek qui fax options and selling shares just before the company announced the breach. the move netted him nearly $1 million. it potentially affected 147 million americans. samsung will start offering same day repairs on its galax gx phones today. you break, i fix, allowing customers to bring their galaxy phones to any of more than 300 you break, i fix locations across the u.s. they will be able to have their devices repaired on the spot, usually within two hours or less. >> that will come in handy for me. there's a lot of breaking, not a lot of fixing going on. >> with your iphone 4 -- >> it's a 6. it's a 6s, in fact. it has the headphone jack, so i'm holding on to it. >> nine generations later. coming up, do-it-yourself

dermatology. >> how she cured her acne by using four over-the-counter products.

♪ >> so, we all want smooth skin. but, for people who struggle with acne, finding the right cure can be pretty tough and expensive. >> yeah. a teenager is getting a lot of attention for her home remedy of four over-the-counter products that transformed her skin. >> she spent three years trying to beat her breakouts. >> it was under my eyebrows, under my nose, around my lips.

>> reporter: she saw four dermatologists, tried count lsz creams, face washes and prescription medications with no luck. >> when you see her going through that, people making fun of her, it hurts you. >> reporter: the high school senior scoured the internet for answers and created her own acne concoction, using four products, all under 10 bucks, all from target. after three months, she went from this to blemish free. >> i'm doing a skin care remedy because you wanted me to. it takes 10-15 minutes. >> reporter: she cleans with theyers rose. oil free moisturizer and a leaf from an aloe vera plant for scarring. >> it's using for everything, helps acne. helps the redness. >> she posted the zit blaster on social media and became an

internet sensation. >> my phone was blowing up nonstop and still does. i have to use twitter. >> it's not that expensive. you don't have to go through 100-some dollars to go to the dermatologist when you can find something from target for $40. >> reporter: she's six months into a clearer complexion and more confident than ever. >> i used to get them all over my face. >> wow! what a transformation. she has beautiful skin. >> does it work on backne? >> i was love to see you attempt that. >> check. and assist. >> i'm good. i lived that. i'm good. >> where do you come up with this stuff? >> real issues. >> moving on, quickly. coming up, hacking the sounds of your car. pictionling the sem

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even in the quick cycle it's got to be tide ♪ a little toto for "this happened." this dude hacked his car to play "africa." when the doors open, you hear that annoying noise. he had enough. instead, he hacked it to play -- >> that's awesome. that's what he hears when he puts the key in the ignition. >> exactly. >> i love that. >> that is great. so, the version of toto's "africa" plays instead of the annoying bells.

it took him two days to put it together. bravo. >> autocompanies should sell this as an upgrade feature. i would buy that. over to boston, where they have been dealing with a lot of snow. apparently, there's at least one resident enjoying that. meet jason triplet, aka, elsa. this video was shot by someone checking out jason, a 37-year-old attorney, apparently. he was out with friends dressed in drag when this bus or truck got stuck. it's a boston police department vehicle. elsa came out to try to help them free that bus. look at her go. >> all by herself. >> yeah, that's the thing. the restaurant is full of patrons laughing at the whole ordeal. any one of them could have gotten out to help. instead, they watched -- a nice curtesy at the end. the cold never bothered him.

jason says he hopes to use his new stardom to meet adam ripon. >> everybody wants to meet adam ripon. we'll call that dragnet. next to this guy who loves sprite and wanted to work on the sprite account for this pr company. instead of sending a normal cover letter to the pr company, this is what chase did. ♪ with the urgency ♪ i really love the brand and i love ♪ ♪ i'm hoping that these -- >> i remember the kris cross commercial. remember that one? >> no. >> yo, chris. what's that in your hand? it's the s-p-r-i-t-e can. what's your

this morning on worlds news now, taking a stand against gun violence. >> thousands of students walk out of class ahead of a march on washington next week. we are hearing from students in parkland, florida. also breaking overnight, gunfire breaking out inside a hospital. at least two people shot. details just coming in. united airlines is, again, explaining what went wrong with a traveling pet. a dog bound for kansas was put on a plane to japan, instead. this is a day after a dog dying in an overhead bin. the airline is announcing new policies. meet the baby named donald trump. hear why the father decided to name him after the president. the rest of the family isn't having it. i wonder if the real donald trump would like it? it's thursday, march 15th.

announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> cute kid. >> cute kid. as you were mentioning, the dog aimed for kansas and -- >> ended up in japan? >> yeah, not ending up in kansas without the name toto, i hope. >> if he clicks his heels. >> exactly. he might end up getting there. >> we'll have more on united's new travel, up ahead. we are going to start with the biggest student protest in decades. tens of thousands across the country are demanding lawmakers take action against the gun violence. >> 17 people were shot and killed one month ago. >> the students from crestwood high school in dearborn heights michigan gathered in formation spelling out the phrase, #enough. >> in palmetto, florida, students formed this message.

palmetto loves marjory stoneman douglas. here is victor oquendo. >> reporter: a sea of students seizing their moment. at 10:00 a.m., classmates from more than 3,000 schools, walking out in solidarity with the victims of the parkland shooting, saying, when it comes to gun violence, they've had enough. in parkland, they have flooded the football field for 17 minutes for each of the 14 students and three teachers killed. >> what was that like for you? >> give me the chills to see all the student body on the football field. >> reporter: this, playing out as the alleged killer came face-to-face with the parents of the victims. the parents reduced to tears. >> not guilty shall be entered on the defendant's behalf. >> reporter: nikolas cruz sitting with his head bowed. he said he will plead guilty if the death penalty is off the table. this, as we are hearing new chilling 911 recordings from the day of the massacre. students in hushed voices plead for help.

>> i know. i'm really sorry that you're going through this. >> reporter: then a teacher. >> in a classroom, a student was shot, it went through the door. >> the bullet went through the door? >> reporter: the heart wretching memories of that day for the thousands that turned out nationwide. in washington, d.c., the students turned their backs to the white house and sat in silence, telling our david kerley, they should not be living in fear. >> school is a place we should go and feel safe and not fear something might happen. >> reporter: demanding gun reform. >> i'm calling to request you take action. >> parents had wars and we have columbine. >> reporter: there, at columbine, where 13 died, a tribute to the victims. on the west coast, 17 empty school desks.

>> something about the empty desk. it just sort of really hits home. >> reporter: students here in parkland, making a long walk to a memorial, vowing to never forget those they lost. >> this is another step. honestly, this is a statement. we demand change. >> reporter: on wednesday, the house passed the stop school violence act. it does not address gun control. it dedicates half a billion dollars to training school officials and law enforcement officers and adds security equipment. it passed by an overwhelming majority. democrats say it doesn't do enough. victor oquendo, abc news, parkland, florida. >> some students defied warnings and joined the walkout alone. in new jersey, rosa ignored threats of suspension, staging a solo protest. she will accept her punishment without a fight. in wilson, north carolina, justin blackman says he was surprised to find he was the only student at his school to take part. he will not, however, face discipline.

we are learning details about an accidental shooting inside a high school near monterey, california. a teacher who is also reserve police officer accidentally discharged a handgun during a class on gun safety, injuring a 17-year-old student. the gun had been pointed toward the ceiling. the student's parents say he caught the bullet fragments in his neck. the teacher has been placed on administrative leave. two people are dead, including the alleged shooter in alabama hospital. police say the gunman shot two people before shooting himself inside alabama highlands hospital. one of the victims is a hospital employee. they have not said which victim was killed. police are looking into a motive. britain is kicking out two dozen russian diplomats in wake of the poisoning. the prime minister, theresa may, cut high level contacts and promised more action. russia did not need a deadline to explain the use of a special nerve agent.

the white house believes russia was responsible. it comes after nikki haley blasted the russians. >> if we don't take immediate measures to address this now, salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons here. they could be used here in new york or cities of any country that sits on this council. this is a defining moment. >> russia is promising to respond soon to the expulsions which they call crude and hostile. they deny they had anything to do with the attack, calling the accusations fairytales. the number two official at the fbi could be fired days before he retires. andrew mccabe is accused of misleading investigators looking into matters connected to the 2016 presidential campaign. pierre thomas has details. >> reporter: it was andrew

mccabe who was thrust into the national spotlight after trump fired fbi director, james comey. he became the acting director of the fbi. soon asked about a claim by the white house. moral, because of james comey was low. >> is it accurate the rank and file no longer supported him? >> no, sir. that is not accurate. the vast majority of fbi employees enjoyed a deep, positive connection to director comey. >> reporter: for months president trump went after mccabe. there's word, mccabe, four days before retirement could be fired before he retires. the justice department inspector general finding, mccabe allowed fbi officials to speak to a reporter about the clinton foundation probe and misled investigators what asked him about it. those close to mccabe says he denies intentionally misleading anyone. his fate lands in the hands of attorney general jeff sessions. this will determine if he gets

his full pension after a 22 year career with the fbi. the pension at the center of trump's tweets. fbi deputy director, andrew mccabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits. 90 days to go. no final decision has been made. in critical moments, sessions called recommendations of career staff. those officials are recommending mccabe be fires. pierre thomas, abc news, fbi headquarters. president trump's next chief economic adviser will be a familiar face to many in the business world. larry kudlow is a regular on cnbc. he's been a supporter of most of the president's economic policies, but not the tariffs on steel and aluminum. that is the issue that caused the previous economic adviser to quit. turning to the weather. the northeast is bracing for a possible fourth nor'easter in less than three weeks. new england digs out from two feet of snow, a march chill is

stretching down the golf coast. the west, the storms will hit the plains, bringing potentially severe storms to the south by friday afternoon. behind that system, another storm is brewing that could turn into another nor'easter by next week. the nba has king james. in soccer, the title belongs to the argentinian, messi. >> the king made quick work of chelsea in wednesday's champion league match. he scored the fastest goal of his career. a little more than two minutes into the match, he beats the chelsea keeper for a 1-0 lead. >> in the second half, messi added another page to his record book. wow. he scored the 100th goal of his career. he and renaldo, by the way, that dude, are the only players to hit triple digits. 60 seconds. >> he's almost the best player in the world. second best in the world.

that's pretty good. >> second to neymar. >> second to renaldo. >> down goes chelsea. 16 seconds. he's having the best week. he celebrated the birth of his son, as well. >> renaldo still has more goals and voted men's player of the year for the last two years. >> champions league. >> neymar is injured, that's why. >> is that so? coming up, united airlines continued trouble with dogs. >> a family hoping to pick up their german shepherd in kansas was handed a great dane from japan, instead. some call it digital flexing. keeping up appearances online can be really, really pricey. one woman who dug herself into major debt by looking good on the gram. check out our low budget on instagram at abc wnn.

this morning, two navy fire pilots are dead after the jet crashed in south florida.

officials say they suffered a mishap that forced them to eject while approaching key west. the pair was recovered from the water, and later pronounced dead at the hospital. their names have not been released. they were based at a unit in virginia. it is under investigation this morning. from vermont, another rescue operation. >> vermont national guard says six soldiers were evacuated after they were caught in an avalanche near smugglers notch. they were participating in war training. none of them suffered life threatening injuries. united airlines is facing trouble a day after apologizing for the death of a dog on a plane. >> now the company is issuing a new apology after a dog destined for kansas city ended up in japan. linsey davis has more. >> reporter: new woes for united after they put this dog, urgo on a 12-hour flight to japan. she was with her family flying from oregon to kansas city. when she got to cargo to pick up her german shepherd, she was

given a great dane instead. >> probably scared and freaked out and probably hurting because he doesn't have his medicine, either. >> reporter: the dogs were accidentally put in the wrong travel kennels. urgo will fly back first class to kansas. united's apology for this mistake comes after the tragic death of this puppy on a flight from houston to new york on monday. >> he was a member of our family. >> reporter: the family and other passengers demanded the puppy's carry-on case be moved from the seat in front of them to an overhead bin. >> we are like it's a dog, it's a dog. she said it doesn't matter, you have to put it up there. >> reporter: they discovered his body. >> took him out and opened the thing. she got the dog and he was dead. >> reporter: united says their flight attendant did not hear or understand there was a dog in the bag and did not knowingly place it in the overhead bin.

>> reporter: as of april, united airlines says they are going to issue bright colored tags with customers traveling with a pet inside the cabin. that way, when the flight attendant sees the tag, they will know an animal is inside that bag. we heard from united airlines, they have fully refunded the family's plane ticket as well as the pet fees. it's not clear that is going to be enough. linsey davis, abc news, laguardia. >> kansas to japan? >> yes. >> the dog was urgo, not toto. just clarifying. >> thank you. people at home were wondering. coming up, the latest reaction to the news that it's game over for toys "r" us. will the brand now disappear or is there a chance some stores could be saved? >> yeah. first, why a woman created a budget for her social media spending habits, revealing how easy it was to go broke looking good for instagram. that's next. for instra gram. that's next.

♪ ♪

craig david lives. >> he does, indeed. doing it for the gram. a lot of people do, buying things to post a photo on instagram. keeping up can be expensive. >> that, indeed. we met one woman who went thousands of dollars into debt, but managed to look good. ♪ >> reporter: high fashion, high heels and a sky high price tag. >> i need your honest opinion. >> you can't afford them. >> at 21, she moved to the big apple, determined to live the "sex and the city" lifestyle. >> i was enamored. they were the girls shopping a ton. >> reporter: at the time, her internship only paid her a sma travel stipen. >> i also had a retail job, but not catching up to the cost of living. >> that didn't stop her from obsessing over the finer things,

spending way beyond her means keeping up a glamorous persona for her all important followers on instagram. >> it was keeping up, living paycheck to paycheck without a paycheck. >> reporter: champagne dreams on a shoe string? >> exactly. >> reporter: eventually moved back to miami, where she got a job in pr and lived at home with her parents. no rent meant shelling out more money on lavish trips just to post on social media. >> i was like, okay, i want to go somewhere new every month. >> reporter: as her following grew, so did her debt. >> about $10,000. >> reporter: did you have multiple credit cards? >> yeah. that was the issue. i didn't keep up the balance as a whole. >> reporter: that pressure to keep up her online presence, coming at a heavy cost. >> the biggest blowout. the most expensive thing i bought was a

vitton. >> then a wake up call. i can't feel successful if, at the end of the day, i have credit card debt. >> reporter: back in new york, she moved in with a roommate to save on rent, a $35 a week grocery allowance and started renting clothes, instead of buying them. >> you have this rotating closet all the time to be able to still be passionate about style. >> she was able to pay off her $10,000 debt in 14 months. now, she says living within her means is paying off. >> i don't regret the experiences i had, but i regret not waiting to do them when i could actually afford them to enjoy them a little bit more. >> all right. thanks for that. she said it was her sister who called out her spending. >> really? i like how she turned it around. $35 of groceries for the week. >> she should post about the budgeting. a lot of people would want to know about that. >> i do agree. coming up, the toddler named donald trump.

stephen hawking threw a party, but no one showed up. rump. stephen hawking threw a party, but no one showed up.

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try cool mint zantac. no pill relieves heartburn faster. time for the mix. we are going start things off with a father in afghanistan whose having some issues with his family members after naming his son, who is now 18 months old, donald trump. so, the father says he was a fan of the president, he likes his writing, his business, his political work and he hopes the name will bring his son success. but, his relatives are apparently not so happy he didn't go with an islamic name. >> look at all the other names, abdullah, donald trump. >> donald trump did not blend in with the rest. they are not happy about that. he actually moved because of all this. >> oh, wow. >> he says, you know, his son has a lot of donald trump qualities.

he's capable, serious, a good politician and writer. that was about donald trump, not his 18 month old son. he hopes he follows in the president's steps. >> cute baby. now to stephen hawking who we lost yesterday. apparently in 2009, he threw a party, got all dressed up, nobody showed up. it was a party for time travelers. here is the deal. he didn't send out the invitation for the party until the day after the party was held. the party was held on june 28, 2009. he kept waiting at the door, champagne was there, everything was set. >> not even doc or marty? nobody showed up? >> nobody. if you are a true time traveler, you would have seen the invitation after it was held, travel back in time and make it to the party. stephen is like, yep, i give a party for time travelers, but i didn't send out the invitation. i sat there a long time, but no one came.

>> there you go. needed to send a delorean. >> i do that all the time, send them ahead of time and still, nobody shows up. >> nothing to do with time travel. >> not at all. over to a new world record set in california. this is for the longest distance blimp skiing. exactly what it sounds like. blimp skiing. >> was that a thing? >> yeah. a 28-year-old san diego student skied 6.9 miles being towed by a blimp. >> that's a decent clip. >> i didn't know that was a thing. there are other world records attempted with knee boards, wake boards, slalom skiing. the group now has to wait for guinness world records to verify the results. >> wow. >> this goes into the category of how many people are trying this? now to chicago, a dog in snow. dog in snow. yeah. >> need we say more. >> pinot, the french bulldog, determined to dig through.

this morning on "world news now," breaking news. toys "r" us confirmed moments ago it is shutting down. it's the first official word from the company. shoppers say they knew the end was near. we have details ahead. growing tension between russia and the west. britain kicking out nearly two dozen diplomats after a russian spy was poisoned in england. now, a new response from the administration. new this half hour, terrifying moments for roller coaster riders. >> they were stuck nearly an hour in midair. passengers left dangling and we are trying to figure out what went wrong. >> katy perry kissed a boy, but he did not like it. "american idol" surprises the contestant kissing him on the lips, but he wishes she would

have kept her lips to herself. hear why in ""the skinny" this thursday, march 15th. announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> she kissed and he's telling. >> that's true. >> all about it. we are going to start with breaking news, our childhood died overnight. the end of an iconic american retailer, toys "r" us, made it official, it has begun the process of shutting down. generations of children grew up knowing the jingle ♪ i don't want to grow up, i'm a toys "r" us kid ♪ >> two versions of it, probably a few more. >> anyway, the company announced they are set to close and liquidate all 735 u.s. stores, jeopardizing thousands of jobs. >> they were trying to emerge from one of the largest retail bankruptcies. retailers are shopping in while they can. we spoke with some of them.

>> reporter: outside this emeryville toys "r" us, babies "r" us, the writing is on the windows, half off deals. >> i had a call from my parents, hey, toys "r" us is closing, let's by toys. >> reporter: and clothes. >> a baby -- bathing suit for her. shoes. >> reporter: the news catching some off guard. >> i'm a little shocked and surprised. >> reporter: partly because toys "r" us has been in business six decades. today's toys "r" us parents are yesterday's toys "r" us kids. >> i've known it since i was a kid. it's fascinating to see all these huge stores closing. >> reporter: the retailer filed for bankruptcy in september with big box and online competitors taking over. >> i used to work for a private label that sold on amazon, so, i can see why this is happening. >> reporter: customers worry about employees losing their jobs, as many as 33,000. >> a lot of people do. it's sad.

>> reporter: in an e-mail to abc 7 news, a spokesperson for toys "r" us said the retailer had no comment at this time. in emeryville, abc 7 news. >> the chairman and ceo of the company released a statement saying i'm very disappointed with the results, but we no longer have the financial support to continue the company's u.s. operations. the end of an era. >> it is. what happens to geoffrey? i mean -- >> he's hitting the unemployment lines, i guess. >> the doors to unemployment are only eight feet tall. >> he's pretty tall. going to be tough for geoffrey there. >> it is the end of an era, of course. that, breaking overnight. we are going to get to the other big story we are following, the growing tensions between britain and russia. >> the u.s. is agreeing with britain that russia is responsible for the nerve agent attack on a former russian spy. russia says the accusations are

fairytails. >> the kremlin will respond to the strong actions. >> reporter: speaking to a hushed parliament, theresa may spoke with an icy fury. >> we will not tolerate the life of british people and others on british soil from the russian government. >> reporter: a military grade nerve agent developed by russia was used in the attack on a former russian spy and his daughter, a conclusion backed by the u.s. intelligence community. in realuation, may said britain will expel 23 russian diplomats, giving them one week to leave, suspending high level with russia. she added the royal family will boycott the soccer world cup in russia this summer. the biggest here since the cold war and echoing president obama kicking out 35 russian diplomats from the u.s. for russian meddling in the 2016 election. later, dramatic scenes at the u.n. security council. russia in the dark. britain asking the world to

stand with them, u.s. ambassador nikki haley backing the brits urging the world to act. >> if we don't take immediate measures to address this now, salisbury will not be the last place we see chemical weapons used. they could be used here in new york or anywhere that sits on this council. this is a defining moment. >> reporter: president trump told reporters, as soon as we get the facts, if we agree with them, we will condemn russia or whoever. the facts are now in. british and american intelligence agencies agree and the white house has issued a statement saying the u.s. stands in solidarity with its closest ally, the united kingdom and will work together with partners and allies to assure this attack does not happen again. terry moran, abc news, london. back to this country, connor lamb is holding on to a slim lead in the special congressional election in pennsylvania. the president is taking credit.

>> he says the democrat did so well in the usually republican district because he sounded like a republican and said nice things about the president. president trump made the comments at a private fund raising event. they obtained an audio recording. the president said campaigning by him and his children boosted the republican in the race by seven points. there's new details in donald trump's affair with adult film star stormy daniels. new documents suggest a second trump attorney, beyond the president's personal lawyer is involved in that legal battle with daniels. documents show an attorney for the trump organization was involved in getting a restraining order against daniels last month. a long time fbi official may get fired before he retired. former deputy director, andrew mccabe has been a frequent target of attacks by president trump. mccabe misled investigators of the handling of the hillary clinton e-mail probe. mccabe stepped down from his post in january.

if fired, he might lose his pension after more than 20 years at the fbi. newly released e-mail suggest the wife of housing secretary, ben carson had a direct role in the order to purchase that $31,000 dining set for his office. it has some watchdog groups questioning whether carson's family involvement in agency matters. last week on facebook, secretary carson denied requesting the dining set and also said that he asked the department's contract for the new set be canceled. students across the country marked one month since the parkland, florida massacre, staging walkouts and demanding new school safety measures. the protest originated in florida. douglas high school students poured out of classes and paid tribute to their classmates and teachers killed in the rampage. the walkout stretched from coast-to-coast with students insisting they have had enough

of gun violence in their schools. >> we are not going to stop fighting. we are not going to shut up. it's been a month. we are still here. >> we need to hear from people from all over the country and we need to make it a national issue, not just a state issue. >> on capitol hill, lawmakers did approve measure authorizing $500 million for ten years to improve school security, but took no steps to tighten gun control laws. >> as students stage their protest, the man accused of gunning down 17 people appeared in court. he sat with his head down and said nothing. the judge enters a plea of not guilty on his behalf. his attorney there stated, for the record, the suspect would plead guilty and accept life in prison if prosecutors would waive the death penalty, which they have refused to do, at least so far. if you drive a ford fusion or lincoln mkz, leave it in the garage for now. under pressure from federal regulators, ford is recalling

1.4 million fusions and mkzs from 2014-2018, the model years. this is because of the steering wheel. it could actually fall off. ford blames bolts that could loosen over time. the company says it knows of two crashes and one injury caused by the problem. replacement parts aren't expected to be available, at least until may. police are searching for two men who went too far in trying to enjoy the joy of pepsi. >> so, this happened in oklahoma city. it all started innocently enough. a guy walks up to the machine. looks like he's going to get a drink, then walks away. police say, a few minutes later, he and his accomplice came back with a pick-up truck. >> oh. they backed the truck up, shoved the whole machine into the back and you can guess what happens next. took them a while, but eventually, they drove away. police released this video with the following line. this is interesting.

you can say so. they really wanted that soda. >> two fellas thirsty on this thursday. coming up, serious news related to the snuggie. >> if you ever bought one, you have to look at yourself in the mirror. but, you could get a refund. >> hey, there's no shame in cuddling up with your snuggie. >> yeah, we're judging. >> i'm not judging, we're standing proud. in "the skinny," we're burying the hatchet. miss columbia reunites with steve harvey after one of the worst blunders in the universe. see what i did there? >> i see. >> you are watching "world news now." you are watching "world news now."

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people on board batman, the ride in san antonio had to hang on after the roller coaster got stuck. passengers were left dangling 45 minutes. some of them were upside down. six flags says a safety went off that caused the ride to stop. everyone is back down. they are said to be physically okay. >> possibly traumatized. >> absolutely traumatized. a former former former formr player has been kicked off the team in pennsylvania after

shocking video showing him assaulting his fiance. >> it happened two years ago while the venezuelan player played for the corpus christi hooks. he can be seen brutally beating his girlfriend in the stairwell of the stadium. he was arrested two days later for domestic violence. the case was dropped after his girlfriend, fiance, declined to press charges. the woman billed as the next steve jobs has been charged with massive fraud. >> elizabeth holmes whose blood testing collapsed under an avalanche of scandals is accused of defrauding investors by lying about the company's technology. the stanford university dropout settled for $500,000, neither admitting nor denying the accusations. if you bought a snuggie on tv and you are not ashamed to admit it, you might be in line for a refund. the company behind the wildly popular blanket with sleeves, along with other as seen on tv

merchandise, has agreed to pay more than $7 million to consumers across the country. those checks are finally being issued as they settle misleading advertisements dating back 20 years. checks for 200,000 customers average about 33 bucks each. >> what was the misleading ad? you are going to be a cool kid in a snuggie? you will look great in a snuggie? >> no, those would be accurate. no, they apparently said you get 2 for 1, for $1995, just pay shipping and handling. it was nearly $8 each blanket so the $19.95 turned into nearly 40 bucks. they said you can't decline the extra shipping and handling. >> you know shipping and handling is a racket. if you sell something on ebay and the shipping is $40. >> or processing and handling. it was nearly enough to double the price. not so much buy one get one free.

coming up, a "jeopardy" contestant destiny is fulfilled and he doesn't care. >> after getting his first kiss ever, from katy perry, an "american idol" contestant says thanks, but no thanks. "the skinny" is next. perry, an "american idol" contestant says thanks, but no thanks.

♪ i kissed a girl and i liked it ♪ ♪ the taste of her cherry chapstick ♪ >> katy perry is leading us off in "the skinny" for an uncomfortable moment for an "american idol" contestant. >> he's uncomfortable because she kissed him on the lips. the 19-year-old from oklahoma appeared nervously before the judges. suddenly, luke brian referenced her song with a direct question? >> have you kissed a girl and liked it? >> no, i have never been in a relationship. >> really? >> i can't kiss a girl without being in a relationship. >> come here. >> wait, hold on. what, on the cheek? >> he didn't even make the smush sound.

>> he was so nervous. here is the thing, benjamin did not make it through to hollywood after that. he says the kiss threw him off because he had to perform after that whole incident. >> okay. when he was asked about it by "the new york times," he said, i was a tad bit uncomfortable. i wanted to save it for my first relationship. i wanted my first kiss to be special. >> he went on instagram saying he's not complaining about the kiss and does not feel he was sexually harassed by perry, but katy says the performance was a little rushed and i may have sped up your heart beat. that may be partially my fault. >> he got to kiss katy perry. that's very memorable first kiss. >> he's got bragging rights. it's been more than two years since steve harvey announced the wrong winner.

>> the real winner was miss philippines, but steve first announced miss columbia. you would think she might hold a grudge for that one. they are actually friends. this week, they reunited on his show and she talked about what that accidental fame has done for her. >> changed my life forever. i got to be in a movie with vin diesel. oh, my god. i have my own sunglasses line. i mean, everything, everything changed. >> let me see it. >> basically, thank you, steve harvey. >> thank you. whatever happened to miss philippines, you don't hear about her anymore. >> i think she did all right. >> she did okay. a "jeopardy" contestant getting attention. not for anything that happened on the show. >> his name is paris, a 58-year-old from hollywood who told alex trebek about his favorite place to go backpacking. nobody brought up why we already know paris.

from somewhere. here it is. >> i'm famous. i'm a tv star. wait till the kids back home hear about this. >> nobody is going to hear about this. >> where are you taking me. i don't want to go -- >> that's right. he played the part of mike tv in "willy wonka and the chocolate factory." >> let's break this down. this character obsessed with tv, whose last name was tv, shrank himself to be on tv, finally makes it to tv in real life and decides to talk about backpacking. >> makes sense. it wasn't until "jeopardy" fans searched his name. he was discovered to be mike tv. by the way, his wife was also a contestant on "jeopardy," winning twice. >> so many fun facts about this guy. it's amazing. >> i guess he didn't want to mention that, either, because backpacking is fascinating. >> it's about mike tv.

over to sly stallone. he shows no signs of slowing down. check him out. >> pull ups.

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let's get right to it. invigorating. >> so, that's the word? >> is that how you wake yourself up in the morning? >> that was invigorating. >> jack is seen there taking the ice bucket challenge. >> yeah. >> the year was 2014. the charitable challenge was sweeping the nation and jack took one for the team. >> excellent form, jack. >> thank you. looked fantastic that day. >> nice norwegian flag in the background. >> now that he's recovered from hip therm ya, i'm getting cold just looking at it. there's a new challenge. >> there is. juju chang has the scoop. >> reporter: remember the ice bucket challenge? more than 17 million people dumping ice water on their heads, bringing massive

attention to als or lou gehrig's disease, raising $220 million. now, another challenge is heating things up. grabbing the attention of celebrities. hoping to, once again, raise money and awareness for the disease. >> oh, my god. oh, my god. >> reporter: the premise, just eat hot peppers or donate money and challenge others to do the same. >> you get a challenge juju chang. >> reporter: i was nominated by this 23-year-old, who we profiled while doing a story about the ice bucket challenge. it had been less than a year since his diagnosis. what was it like getting that news? >> we never expected to get that, our entire lives, 2-5 years is the average someone lives after being diagnosed with als. >> reporter: it's affected life for the newlyweds.

he says he's determined to fight the disease. so, to celebrate his 23rd birthday, i stepped up to the plate and brought along my "nightline" crew. pick a pepper, the entire gang. pick a pepper. here we go. >> i accept your challenge. >> we then nominated by abc colleague, michael strahan and my friends "gma." we took it up a notch, live. if you decide to take the challenge for yourself, watch out for the seeds. >> i would be so bad at that challenge. >> i love how he was like i got this. >> by the way, i thought there were going to be hot peppers on the set for this. very grateful for the crew. thank you very much. >> i challenge jack. >> no. not happening. not gonna do it. announcer: this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two dec

making news in america this morning, a new twist overnight in the stormy daniels saga as document thes reveal a trump organization lawyer was involved in efforts to keep the adult film star silent about her alleged affair with trump before the election. what it could mean for the president's legal team. hours after students nationwide protested demanding action on gun control -- [ chanting ] -- lawmakers on capitol hill pass a school safety bill. the growing debate about arming teachers after a student is injured when his teacher misfires a gun during a training lesson. united airlines under fire again just a day after a puppy's death inside an overhead bin, the airline mistakenly flies another dog to japan. so what went wrong, and what changes is the airline