making news in america this morning, showdown in syria. president trump promises the missiles are coming as he taunts russia for defending a dictator. this morning, the new preparations under way for a military strike. breaking overnight, steve bannon's plan to stop the russia investigation. the former white house strategy man is offering a new method of attack for president trump to take on robert mueller. just as we learn what agents were looking for when they raided trump lawyer michael cohen's office. the infamous "access hollywood" tape now back in the spotlight. beantown brawl. the red ox/yankees rivalry explodes into violence with punches thrown at a pitcher held in a headlock, all just hours after another major league base-brawl. those stories, plus

the lawsuit that could force david copperfield to reveal his magic tricks. we get the dirt on those fancy hand dryers in public restrooms. are they really the cleaner option? new details on the cruise ship that came smashing into this dock. so what went wrong? a good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with the showdown in syria and the countdown to a u.s. military strike. >> the tensions rising right now. president trump taunted russia warning missiles are coming. the white house says all options are on the table but insists no decisions have been made as of yet. in the meantime, the associated press reports some syrians are now stocking up on food and even preparing underground shelters. >> abc's molly hunter has more on the preparations under way right now. molly, good morning. >> reporter: diane and kendis, good morning. that's right. a russian newspaper this morning is reporting that there are secret negotiations going on that the russians are actually pressing the americans for the targets so they can get their

forces out of the way. this morning, syria is bracing for a possible attack from the u.s. military. a u.s. official says the syrian military is moving into a more defensive posture vacating targets and moving warplanes between its bases. satellite images show russian ships sailing out of a naval base in syria getting in position to warn about and intercept incoming attacks. the preparations come hours after president trump responded to moscow's threat that it would shoot down any missiles fired at its ally, president bashar al assad. president trump tweeting, get ready, russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and smart. you shouldn't be partners with a gas killing animal who kills his people and enjoys it. but the white house insists no decisions have been made yet. >> why is the president telegraphing his military intentions on twitter announcing effectively an attack on twitter? >> again, the president has not laid out a timetable and still leaving a number of other options on the table. >> reporter: syria calls the

u.s. president's threats reckless and a danger to international peace. but president trump promised a forceful response after a suspected chemical attack killed dozens of people in a suburb held by rebels fighting assad. when asked if he had enough evidence to blame assad for the attack, defense secretary james mattis said the u.s. and its allies are still assessing the intelligence. >> we stand ready to provide military options if they're appropriate as the president determined. >> reporter: assad denies carrying out a chemical attack, but the regime has done it before, many times. activists posting this video of a yellow gas canister over the weekend. weapons experts and human rights organizations say the assad regime has used the same yellow gas canisters in previous chlorine gas attacks. the russian military says they're in full control of douma. the town outside damascus where that suspected attack happened. that will make it a lot harder for independent investigators to get in but, guys, it doesn't sound like the u.s. is going to wait that long.

diane, kendis. >> the next 72 hours critical. molly, thank you. today's confirmation hearing for cia director mike pompeo to become secretary of state may be tougher than previously expected. a new report says pompeo failed to disclose business ties with the company owned by the chinese government. mcclatchy newspaper group reports pompeo omitted that on a senate questionnaire so was never asked about it when he was confirmed for the cia. the notorious "access hollywood" tape that nearly cost donald trump the election is back in the spotlight this morning following the fbi raid targeting his lawyer, michael cohen. sources say federal agents were looking for evidence that may include secret deals linked to that tape. in the meantime as the president fumes over the mueller investigation, his former aide steve bannon is reportedly offering up a solution. abc's janai norman has details from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. president trump is largely blaming robert mueller and his investigation for bad blood between the u.s. and russia. and at this point the white house isn't saying whether the president intends to fire him.

overnight "the washington post" reporting ousted white house chief strategist steve bannon is pitching a plan to undercut the russia investigation. according to "the post" the plan would include president trump firing deputy attorney general rod rosenstein, ceasing cooperation with special counsel robert mueller and exerting executive privilege. >> i don't have any personnel announcements. >> reporter: the white house said the president didn't intend to fire mueller or rosenstein but the tone has changed since federal agents raided the home, office and hotel room of michael cohen, president trump's personal lawyer. >> mr. cohen, why do you think they raided your office and hotel room? have you talked to mr. trump about a pardon? >> reporter: sources tell abc news those agents were looking for documents related to this now infamous "access hollywood" tape and discussions cohen had relating to it. >> you know, i'm automatically attracted to beautiful -- i just start kissing them. it's like a magnet. just kiss. and when you're a star they let you do it.

you can do anything. >> whatever you want. >> grab them by the [ bleep ]. >> reporter: abc news learned the search warrant included looking for evidence of potential election violations or secret cash deals. the president calling the raid unthinkable. >> here we are talking about syria, we're talking about a lot of serious things with the greatest fighting force ever and i have this witch-hunt. >> reporter: and right now there's a bipartisan effort under way in congress to protect robert mueller's job. even republican leaders have warned the president directly any move to try to fire mueller would be a mistake. kendis. >> all right, janai norman in d.c., thank you. now to house speaker paul ryan walking away from one of the most powerful jobs in the country. ryan abruptly announced he will not seek re-election saying he wants to spend more time with his family but his impending departure comes as republicans are trying to defend their majorities in the house and senate as the democrats take on what could result in a power shift.

>> ryan's own district in wisconsin could be among those that flip to the democrats. already a record number of retirements all giving democrats possibilities across the map. in the short term the house of representatives becomes even harder to manage, a lame duck speaker who is facing all the political cross currents that happen in the trump era will be even more hard pressed to make sure that the trains run on time. >> ryan gathered at the white house last night with gop leaders including two of his possible successors. you can see him there with majority leader kevin mccarthy and majority whip steve scalise and second and third highest ranking republicans in the house. overseas now, the north african country of algeria is in mourning after the worst aviation disaster in its history. at least 257 people died with a military plane crashed shortly after takeoff.hith a military plane crashed shortly after takeofeith a military plane crashed shortly after takeof whenbith a military plane crashed shortly after takeofwhenbth a military plane crashed shortly after takeofh a military plane crashed shortly after takeof a military plane crashed shortly after takeoff. a military plane crashed shortly after takeoff. most of those on board were soldiers and their family members. it's unclear why the plane went down but some witnesses report seeing flames shooting from an

engine during that takeoff. time now for a look at your weather on this thursday morning. radar shows a major storm churning in the pacific northwest. it's bringing rain from seattle into northern california and some potential snowfall for parts of the sierra nevada. that storm moves into the central u.s. spreading snow from the northern rockies into the northern plains. but temperatures are finally feeling springlike on the east coast, 60 degrees in new york. 75 in d.c. highs in the 70s for the ohio valley today and a balmy 80 in miami. >> whoo-hoo. let's go to miami. coming up, forget guns. the surprising new options for arming teachers. also, a story developing overnight, the bombshell sexual abuse claims made against a rising political star, missouri's governor now facing possible impeachment. and new fallout from this moment when a passenger was dragged off a united airlines flight. why the officer who dragged him is suing.

we're back with the high speed police chase in ohio that ended with a flying car. you can see the car run a stop sign before it goes airborne. he traveled nearly the length of a football field. the car also tore off some treetops before landing in someone's front yard. believe it or not,the driver was not seriously injured. >> insane. pope francis is apologizing for what he calls grave mistakes in judgment during his handling of the sexual abuse cases in chile. the pope has apologized for defending a bishop who was accused of covering up most of that south american country's most notorious predatory priests and the pope blames a lack of,o, quote, true and balanced information. he's inviting abuse victims to rome so he can personally apologize. a school district outside

erie, pennsylvania, is arming its teachers in the wake of the florida school massacre but not with guns. teachers in millcreek township will get miniature 16-inch baseball bats after they're trained on how to respond to school shootings. officials admit the bats are more symbolling than anything. another school district has reportedly equipped classrooms with bucks of rocks to allow teachers and students to use those to fight back. a former airport officer in chicago who was fired over that united airlines dragging incident last year, well, is now suing the airline and the city. james long was one of several officers involved in dragging dr. david dao off that united airlines flight. all of that was to make room for airline employees you'll recall. long says he was not properly trained in the use of force and is now suing for his loss of income as well as punitive damages. uber is about to launch a rental car service. the company's operations will launch in san francisco this month allowing users to

rent someone else's car for as little as an hour. if successful it will expand to other cities. uber also plans to add other transportation options to its app including bikes along with ways to buy tickets for buses and trains. when we come back, why david copperfield may have to reveal the secret behind one of his tricks. also, a dispute at the drive-through leaves a woman to pull a gun. we'll tell you how it ended. and punches are thrown as the bad blood between the yankees and the red sox erupt into chaos. so why accept it from your allergy pills? most pills don't finish the job because they don't relieve nasal congestion. flonase allergy relief is different. flonase relieves sneezing, itchy, watery eyes and a runny nose, plus nasal congestion, which pills don't. flonase helps block 6 key inflammatory substances. most pills only block one. and 6 is greater than 1. start your day with flonase for more complete allergy relief. flonase. this changes everything.

yourat can't face the f ory semiatic music bed ]

hein tto dk there from cuba. th ink?dee company says itu out 're still trying to figure e. injured and the damage t oonlyhe cris> turn to a political >> >> he's already facing a felony charge but now there's a new more damaging claim about an affair with his former stylist. missouri governor

eric greitens started defending 20ffelf even before hoa use >> let's call this what it is, a on the testimony of someone who said under oath that they may b dream. >> reporter: the report comes from a woman's graphic testimony. the governor aving an hadms affair with her before he was elected but denies any violence. >> let me be very clear about this. this is not a witch-hunt.e itha id n thane scandalous report the woman testifies that in 2013 greitens led her to his basement, taped her hands, blindfolded her, ripped open her shirt and pulled down her pants all to which the woman says she did not consent. the accuser says she then heard a picture being taken and greitens allegedly said, don't even tany llauf dotim en mony a going to take these pictures and i'm going to put them everywhere can. the woman admits they had several sexual encounters that f

ac inco married father of two also mire after she told him she was still intimate with her husband during the affair. >> he slaps her in the face. what kind -- with domestic violence the way it is y,dato hn sheltered, how could he possibly do that and say he's a man?ntdicts greitensusio' leen d claistmed it w a csensl afir. >> the fake charges and intoehoods aret n'gog us. >> we just saw a governor that took absolutely no responsibility for anything at all.it was an absolute disgrace. he was absolutely dishonorable resign. s meor f >> reporter: missouri senator claire mccaskill and state's attorney general are calling fot greitens to aig rsession to discuss a possible impeachmt. and that special session would be held next month when

lawmakers would consider what penalties if any greitens should face. actor kevin spacey may soon face criminal charges in los angeles. prosecutors say they're vi a man who accuses spacey of assaulting him in west hollywood back in 1992. spacey is also under investigation for similar accusations in massachusetts and london. well, david copperfield may be forced to reveal the secret behind one of his most popular illusions.thmacians beg su by man who was in the audience of his las vegas show in 2013 and was part of his so-called vanishing crowd trick. you see it there. gavin cox says it was chaos when he was hustled off the stage and into a dark construction zone where he fell and suffered a brain injury. copperfield's lawyer insists the trick has been safely performed for more than 15 years. now to a frightening scene at an atlanta drive-through. several women started fighting outside a chick-fil-a when one of them pulls a gun pointing it directly at another woman's head of the she was later arrested and charged with assault.

still no word on what started that fight. in sports the yankees/red sox rivalry, well, it came very much back to life last night. boston's joe kelly hit tyler austin with a pitch then austin charged the mound. both teams ended up up off the bench. fists were flying. by the end of it all aaron judge of the yankees had the red sox pitcher in a headlock. all rise, indeed. three guys were ejected from the game. the yankees went on to win. >> earlier in the day the rockies/padres, oh, here you go. those are fighting words. blefrns clear. hair flying all over the place. what do they use, vavoom, sassoon these days? five ejections followed when the teams were finally separated. look at that hair. that's some good hair. all right. the nhl playoffs are under way and fans of the las vegas

golden knights were waving their towels as they won their first ever postseason game. winnipeg and pittsburgh also winners last night, 18,000 people in vegas for that. up next in "the pulse," the cleanest way to dry your hands according to a new study. also ahead, location, location, why this burned out house is selling for nearly a million bucks. plus, the true case of monkey see, monkey do. like using glucerna to replace one meal or snack a day. only glucerna has carbsteady... unique blends of slow-release carbs to help manage blood sugar. every meal. every craving. it's the choices you make when managing blood sugar that are the real victories. glucerna. everyday progress. you're probably wondering why thai've just carvedng! a giant wooden tiger. well, the answer is that a real one would maul me.

i've crafted dr. whiskers here as a visual aid to show you that should you visit the lot, carmax associates will not pounce like tigers because people don't like that. come here to buy a car. dr. whiskers won't pounce. nobody will. ♪ i've got a crew ofay? 15 counting on me. i start my shift with mini-wheats. one bowl, i'm good. 10 layers of wheat built to fill me up. is your breakfast built for big days?

light bladder leaks are just part of being a woman. but we can still laugh as long as we want. poise® pads fit your curves better... and stay 5x drier than the leading always period pad... so life with little leaks can just be life. ♪ ♪ time to check "the pulse" on a thursday. we will start with a big fire sale literally. it's under way right now in the heart of silicon valley. >> check out this house in san jose on the market for $799,000. the real estate agent insists that is a bargain pointing out that buying the burned out house and remodeling it would cost less than new homes in the area which cost closer to

1.5 million. >> and does come with a sunroof. next time you're in a public bathroom, you might want to steer cheer of those hand >> dryers. >> a new study finds the dryers are really good at sucking in bacteria from across the bathroom and then blowing it right back onto your hands. >> we're not going to get into the gross details. >> here's the bottom line. if you have paper towels there, use those to dry your hands instead. the next story redefining the term animal house on college campuses. >> more schools are allowing students to bring their dogs and cats into their dorm. "the washington post" was first to report on the rise of pet friendly floors in university housing. >> supporters say it'll help students better adjust to college life. and there's some special moments now between a zoo taper an a gorilla caught on camera at busch gardens in tampa. >> the trainer was working with the gorilla there. park officials say this is how they keep animals mentally and physically active. there's no saying as to what it

did for the trainer herself. >> bolingo mimics his trainer. even doing a handstill against the glass. he got a treat for that. the trainer says moments like that never get old and says he likes lots of different activities so this is one of them. >> nice. way to get it in, bolingo. >> he'll be going to a college dorm room soon. >> that's true. more news. but your shirt says you were at a steakhouse... that's when you know it's half-washed. now from downy fabric conditioner comes downy odor protect with 24-hour odor protection. downy's powerful formula conditions fibers to lock out odors all day. hey, your shirt's making me hungry. ha ha, derek. downy and it's done. non-drowsy claritin 24 hour relief when allergies occur. day after day, after day. because life should have more wishes and less worries.

feel the clarity and live claritin clear. ♪ people are taking steps to fight type 2 diabetes... ...with fitness ...food ...and farxiga, the pill that starts with "f". farxiga, along with diet and exercise, helps lower a1c in adults with type 2 diabetes. it's one pill a day and although it's not a weight-loss drug, it may help you lose weight. do not take if allergic to farxiga. if you experience symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking and seek medical help right away. do not take farxiga if you have severe kidney problems, are on dialysis, or have bladder cancer. tell your doctor right away if you have blood or red color in your urine or pain while you urinate. farxiga can cause serious side effects including dehydration, genital yeast infections in women and men, serious urinary tract infections, low blood sugar, and kidney problems. stop taking farxiga and call your doctor right away if you have signs of ketoacidosis... ...which is serious and may lead to death. fighting type 2 diabetes? ask your doctor about the pill that starts with "f"... ...and visit farxiga.com. if you can't afford your medication,

astrazeneca may be able to help. he gets the best deal on the perfect hotel by using. tripadvisor! that's because tripadvisor lets you start your trip on the right foot... by comparing prices from over 200 booking sites to find the right hotel for you at the lowest price. saving you up to 30%! you'll be bathing in savings! tripadvisor. check the latest reviews and lowest prices. advil liqui-gels minis. breakthrough in pain relief. a mighty small pill with concentrated power that works at liquid speed. you'll ask... what pain? advil liqui-gels minis. >> good morning bay area.

>> good morning, it's thursday april 12th. >> back from a little vacay. all ready to go. and what do we have in store. >> did you guys see the rain yesterday? >> oh, yeah. >> like 10 minutes, wow, well that's overwith and still have a few leftover showers. the morning commute should be dry for the most part but live doppler 7 right now, you'll notice there's lingering showers so it will good-byes take through the morning hours for tous sus to see things clear up. we're looking at a few light showers and pretty good visibility and temperatures in the upper 30s. north bay, 40s around the bay. the winds are going to kick up and a brighter couple of days before a return to the rain. >> good morning, so far so good.

we don't have any major issues and checking out our traffic maps a lot of green at this early hour the only place we're not seeing rain a little bit of red and yellow for the drive down to the central valley. 36 and 25 miles per hour respectively. but no block incidents to talk about so far. it's fairly quite. a few puddles here and there will be a close commute right now. no major issues. mass transit next. >> developing news in the east bay, an apparent freeway shooting early this morning good morning. this is just coming in. we have another highway shooting here in the east bay. let's get right to the video. this is the evidence we have to point to. you can see there is a bullet hole in this car. it's in the driver's side but the passenger door.

this happened on highway 4 near the port chicago off ramp. happened early this morning. police were looking around the area. they shutdown traffic for a little while. they were looking for evid we don't see any evidence that anyone was hurt. no ambulance on the scene but we're still waiting to get details from officers as they're still working this case. this is still very new but an alarming trend here in the east bay and that's why we wanted to point it out and let you know this has happened. the chp has said they have been dealing with about 100 three way shootings here in the east bay and they have yet another one to track. reporting live, abc 7 news. >> those are unbelievable numbers. thank you. an intense high speed chase across the bay area caught on camera. this morning officers still searching for a man accused of stealing a motorcycle.

lead on a chase on westbound highway 80... past richmond and there you see them crossing the bridge into san francisco. eventually losing the suspect near golden gate park. the entire pursuit lasted half an hour. >> 4:30. let's get a quick update on weather and traffic where you live and you're never more than 30 minutes away from your forecast. >> good morning to you. a few scattered showers north here and heading toward highway 1 and these are left over showers from yesterday's weak system. so sunshine will build back into the area starting out in the upper 30s and in the inland valleys with upper 40s elsewhere. winds up to 23 miles per hour by oakland so it