making news in america this morning, severe weather slamming the northeast overnight. a possible tornado tearing through a shopping plaza trapping people and flipping cars while in the west extreme heat and drought are igniting more than 40 wildfires forcing thousands to leave their homes. the concern this morning and how bad the conditions could get. president trump defending the dictator. his controversial new comments about kim jong-un's record on human rights as secretary of state mike pompeo in south korea overnight tries to clear the air about what president trump actually agreed to do. disturbing claims of elder abuse against comic book icon stan lee. this morning the allegations against his business manager and the new restraining order. those stories, plus the growing concern about lasik eye surgery and its side effects.

also, the story behind this photo of a teenager who got her head stuck inside a truck's tailpipe. and the shocking headline about iq scores and the new study claiming we're not as smart as we used to be. good morning, everyone. i'm victor oquendo in for kendis gibson. >> and i'm diane macedo. we begin this morning with severe weather breaking overnight from coast to coast. extreme heat and dry conditions are fueling dozens of wildfires in the west. and in the northeast, crews are assessing the damage this morning after a palm beach tornado. overnight severe storms slamming northeast pennsylvania. >> just a lot of damage. >> reporter: a suspected tornado township tearing apart a mall. it damaged this panera bread and destroyed other businesses including a dick's sporting goods and barnes & noble.

>> so we took a ride down there and the back half of barnes & noble's roof was blown off. the whole entire front of dick's sporting goods was blown off. there was all debris all over the parking lot. >> reporter: witnesses describe a very strong smell of gas. firefighters were clearing the area even asking carolyn blackburn with our station in scranton to evacuate in the middle of a live report. >> here's a look at the eddie bauer outlet along with the men's wearhouse and barnes & noble over there. the eddie bauer out let as far as we can see, the storefront was been completely smashed in and debris all over the place. a very heavy police presence here as well as emergency crews and firefighters. it appears we have to get going. >> reporter: meanwhile, in the west, dry conditions are fueling at least 43 fires across 12 states this morning. one of the most destructive is in colorado where more than 26,000 acres have burned. >> it was a little scary for sure thinking your house is up there hidden in the smoke.

>> reporter: in moab, utah, fire tore through eight homes. the flames spread so quickly, some residents got out only with the clothing on their backs. the fire in wyoming doubled in size in the last 24 hours forcing the closure of a major highway and in nevada campers burning waste might be to blame for a 500-acre fire near lake tahoe. overall more than 3,000 people have been forced from their homes because of these fires and we'll have a closer look at the weather forecast in just a moment. authorities in washington state are piecing together a time line for a series of highway shootings near seattle's airport. four cars were hit by bullets all on the driver's side. no one in the vehicles was injured but police temporarily shut down a road near sea-tac airport and one of its runways as a precaution. both have since re-opened. witnesses inside those cars were stunned. >> i was just about to get off the exit to go back to the office and just heard a loud bang, like io e

bullet hole is through the door bottom part of the door intothe seat somewhere. i think. >> i heard a boom and glass all over my face and i looked and i saw that it went through the passenger side and i realized it was a bullet. >> reporter: overnight police say the shooter remains on the loose. they also say it appears that the shootings were random. secretary of state mike pompeo is making it clear the u.s. will not lift sanctions on north korea until kim jong-un dismantles his nuclear arsenal. pompeo's comments overnight in seoul come hours after president trump declared there is no longer a nuclear threat. and in an interview the president seems to give kim jong-un a pass on his brutal human rights record. abc's janai norman has new details from washington. good morning, janai. >> reporter: diane, good morning. lawmakers are questioning whether president trump gave up too much in exchange for too little. his meeting with kimong-un wrapped up without any specific details about when north korea would destroy its nukes. the secretary of state is setting the record straight. >> we believe that chairman kim

jong-un understands the urgency of the timing of completing this denuclearization. >> reporter: mike pompeo was pushing back on reports by north korean state media that kim jong-un and president trump agreed to a step-by-step process of denuclearization in exchange for sanction relief. >> the sanctions relief cannot take place until such time as we have demonstrated that north korea has been completely denuclearized. >> reporter: the agreement was signed by the two leaders without detailing when or how the north would denuclearize but president trump still conceding to end military exercises with south korea. >> this is not the art of the deal but it seems to be the beginning of the art of concessions. >> reporter: also not clear how the u.s. will verify north korea dismantled and destroyed its nuclear arsenal and whether that's irreversible, but president trump optimistic when speaking with fox news. >> so verification you're confident you can set up -- >> i'm totally confident. and if we can't, we can't have a deal. it has to be verified. >> reporter: despite previously denouncing kim jong-un's human

rights record, president trump now softening his stance. >> he is a killer. he is clearly executing people. >> he's a tough guy. hey, when you take over a country, tough country with tough people and you take it over from your father, i don't care who you are, what you are, how much of an advantage you have, if you can do that at 27 years old, you -- i mean that's 1 in 10,000 that could do that. >> he's still done some really bad things. >> yeah, but so have a lot of other people done some really bad things. i could go through a lot of nations where a lot of bad things were done. >> and during his state of the union address, president trump said no regime has oppressed its people more totally and brutally than north korea but fast forward just five months and, diane, he has continued heaping praise on kim jong-un. >> all right. we will continue to wait on those time lines. janai norman, thank you. abc news has learned that president trump's longtime attorney and fixer michael cohen is likely to cooperate with federal prosecutors. sources say cohen is parting ways with the lawyers representing him in the

investigation into his business dealings. concern over payment of legal fees is believed to be among the reasons. the fbi raided cohen's home and law office in april seizing records that reportedly include documents related to his role in the hush money payment given to stormy daniels. for the first time we're getting a look inside a government shelter for undocumented immigrant children who have been separated from their parents at the southern border. the facility in brownsville, texas, used to be a walmart store. nearly 1500 boys between the ages of 10 and 17 are now being housed there. the boys get three meals a day and have access to video games and basketball courts. abc's tom llamas saw it for himself. >> reporter: basically looks like a dormitory with five beds to each room. the kids are given their space, they're told to make their beds. they have to have a certaitype of haircut. no ponytails. there are a lot of rules to follow but there are also a lot of staffers. i think the number they gave us was one staffer to eight children. they have a medical unit. they have places where they take

care of the kids if they have mental health issues so it's a pretty robust facility. >> and the shelter is nearly at capacity. back in washington house republicans are trying to reach a compromise on immigration with the vote scheduled for next week. one proposal under consideration could prevent the separation of families at the border. time now for a closer look at your weather on this thursday morning. good morning. the same low that stirred up trouble and storms in pennsylvania now lifting up towards maine, half of vermont, new hampshire and the northern tip of new york causing occasional rain. look for a few thunderstorms with the warmth continuing throughout texas and the desert parched conditions. still allowing for wildfires to run rampant but we will have bud to the rescue. bringing with it tropical moisture with showers and thunderstorms and flash flooding and possible drought easing rain. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams.

>>coming up, not so happy about. but first the disturbing claims of elder abuse against comic book icon stan lee. and kim kardashian meets the woman she helped free from prison and reveals what happened the moment she told alice johnson she could finally go home.

than doubles your chance of escape in case of a fire. smoke alarms can provide an early warning if you follow these 3 steps. repalce your smoke alarms every 10 years. if they're old an discolored it's time to replace them. check your batteries regularly. a great time to change them is every spring and fall when you change your clocks. and lastly, check your alarms weekly. replace. change. test. because early warnings help to save lives.

there was -- oh, no. >> a quarter. >> a quarter. babe. >> we're back with an oklahoma sheriff's deputy coming to the rescue. the mother of that little boy flagged down that deputy at a car wash. she thought her son was choking on a piece of candy but it turns out he was choking on a quarter. that deputy knew exactly what to do, letting that little boy cough it up while delivering just a few firm blows to that boy's back. a former penn state university fraternity brother has entered the first guilty

plea in the hazing death of the 19-year-old pledge. ryan burke pleaded guilty to nine charges including hazing in february 2017. freshman tim piazza drank a toxic amount of vodka then suffered fatal injuries in a series of falls. >> mr. burke decided to step forward at his earliest opportunity to acknowledge and accept his responsibility. >> burke will be sentenced next month and could face jail time. 24 other fraternity brothers face charges in the case. a trial for 14 of them is scheduled in august. prosecutors in los angeles are considering whether to charge actor sylvester stallone with sexual assault. they're not releasing any details but a santa monica woman reportedly told police last year that stallone sexually assaulted her in the 1990s. stallone's lawyer strongly denies that claim. also in los angeles, police are investigating reports of elder abuse against marvel comics legend stan lee.

the 95-year-old now has a temporary protective order against his former business manager keya morgan accused of isolating him from family members in order to access his $50 million estate. morgan denies them telling tmz that lee's daughter and her lawyer are conducting a witch-hunt. apple says it's cloitsing the so-called security hole in iphones that law enforcement officials have been exploiting to crack into the devices. the iphone operating system will now cut off all communication through the usb port when the phone hasn't been unlocked for more than an hour. apple says the change is aimed at blocking hackers, not hindering law enforcement. coming up, the new concern about rising sea levels. but first a warning about lasik eye surgery and why the fda is issuing new guidance on the procedure. and later, see the bear who joined along when a boy started jumping for joy. at mccormick, we're obsessed with flavor. it's what drives our relentless search for the finest herbs and spices. it's the reason we partner with sustainable farmers.

and pollinate our vanilla orchids by hand on the day they bloom. it's why we obsess over the balance of savory, sweet and heat in a seasoning mix. but, you don't need to know all that. you just need your food to taste great. which, we promise it will. you finished preparing overhim for college.rs, in 24 hours, you'll send him off thinking you've done everything for his well-being. but meningitis b progresses quickly and can be fatal, sometimes within 24 hours. while meningitis b is uncommon, about 1 in 10 infected will die. like millions of others, your teen may not be vaccinated against meningitis b. meningitis b strikes quickly. be quick to talk to your teen's doctor about a meningitis b vaccine.

your cat can't face the misery of biting fleas alone. advantage ii monthly topical kills fleas through contact so they don't have to bite your cat to die. advantage ii. fight the misery of biting fleas. air wick knows life moves too fast to chase odors. get automatic odor neutralization with air wick pure freshmatic. just load, click and set to forget odors for up to 60 days. now try pure freshmatic free. could clean almost anywhere, all on it's own? (intense music) the shark ion robot maneuvers from floors to carpets. while it spots trouble, it steers around it. this shark cleans, docks, and charges automatically. the shark ion robot. we're back with video of fierce winds in commerce city,

colorado. they were so strong they picked up two port-a-potties sending them flying into the air. one of them soaring dozens of feet. we don't believe anyone was injured during the windstorm but quite a scare. kim kardashian west has finally met the woman that she helped get out of prison. she traveled to northern mississippi to visit alice johnson, even taking some time to teach her about social media and how to use snapchat. during an interview with nbc news, she described the moment she told johnson she would finally be walking out of prison as a free woman. >> and i said, wait, you don't know? and she was like, know what? and i was like, you're going home and screams and cries, and we all just cried on the phone. >> i believe she said you can go home. >> uh-huh. >> that you can go home. >> you can go home. >> you can go home now. are you ready to go home? when she said that, i went into a full-fledged pentecostal holy

dance. i started screaming and jumping. >> johnson began serving a life sentence in 1996 on her first offense for cocaine trafficking until last month when kardashian west pushed president trump to commute her sentence. the brother of the alleged shooter in the parkland, florida, school massacre is on a mission to do something positive. 18-year-old zachary cruz is launching an anti-bullying initiative today saying if kids are friendlier and more understanding it could prevent future school shootings. cruz says his brother wouldn't have been so isolated if he were treated better. >> when i was growing up i wish i wasn't so hard on him and wasn't like so mean and like for no reason at all. i was just, i don't know, i was just ignorant to him. so -- >> you bullied him. >> yeah. >> how so? >> as his brother awaits trial cruz has moved to virginia where he's being mentored by a ceo as

part of his initiative, a 24-hour anti-bullying hotline goes live today. more concern about rising sea levels. scientists have found that the ice in antarctica is melting faster than expected with the melt rate tripling in the last decade. the study published by more than 80 co-authors from around the world says human emission of greenhouse gases may be to blame. turning to health news, the fda is planning to issue some new guidance about the potential risk involved in lasik eye surgery. millions of americans have had the surgery to avoid wearing glasses or contacts. and while supporters of the procedure insist complications are rare, some patients have reported blurred or double vision, dry eye, even permanes,t damage or chronic pain. >> lasik is a highly risky procedure. it takes a normal healthy cornea, damages it permanently. >> the most important aspect about lasik is to make certain a very good doctor performs the evaluation making certain you're a good candidate. >> factors like the thickness of your cornea could determine if

you are a good candidate for the procedure. the fda says the recent study found up to 2% of lasik patients reported having difficulty performing daily activities after the surgery without corrective lenses. in sports the world cup tournament kicks off today in russia. meanwhile here at home this is the best sports highlight of the day. carolina panthers kicker graham gano took a game of kick ball with his kids just a little too seriously. look at that. he sent that ball sailing into the trees. looks like he's in midseason form already. >> yes. >> i mean -- >> his kids. now what do we do? where did the ball go? >> like it wasn't just a little shot. i mean he really sent that one. >> he's not the dad that will let his kids win. they have to learn. >> the hard way. up next in "the pulse," proof that we are not as smart as we used to be. also ahead, how a teenager ended up with her head stuck in the tailpipe of a truck. and later, two babies born within hours of each other. wait till you hear what else they have in common.

then i learn type 2 diabetes puts me at greater risk for heart attack or stroke. can one medicine help treat both blood sugar and cardiovascular risk? i asked my doctor. she told me about non-insulin victoza®. victoza® is not only proven to lower a1c and blood sugar, but for people with type 2 diabetes treating their cardiovascular disease, victoza® is also approved to lower the risk of major cv events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. while not for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. (announcer) victoza® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take victoza® if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza® or any of its ingredients. stop taking victoza® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck or symptoms of a serious allergic reaction such as rash, swelling, difficulty breathing, or swallowing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis.

so stop taking victoza® and call your doctor right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area. tell your doctor your medical history. gallbladder problems have happened in some people. tell your doctor right away if you get symptoms. taking victoza® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. common side effects are nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, indigestion, and constipation. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. change the course of your treatment. ask your doctor about victoza®. feeclaritin and relief fromwsy symptoms caused by over 200 allergens. like those from buddy. because stuffed animals are clearly no substitute for real ones. feel the clarity. and live claritin clear.

♪ ♪ time to check "the pulse" and we begin with a troubling trend. it appears the human race is getting less smart. >> a new study finds iq scores have been falling steadily in recent years peeking with people who were born in the mid-1970s. so the big question now is why? >> but we're not smart enough to know. >> nope. >> some experts blame environmental factors and say we're not reading as much as we used to and others argue change in society have made the iq test outdated. take that. >> probably all pretty good reasons there. so we're not sure if iq played a role in this next story. a teenager in minnesota decided she needed proof her head would fit inside the

oversize exhaust pipe of a truck and unfortunately fitting inside doesn't equate getting back out. fire crews had to use a power saw to free her. she was then cited for underage drinking. >> she really got all the way in there. the good news is after posing with the truck's owner she learned that he is picking up the tab for the repairs and, by the way, that tailpipe hit the big time for a little bit there spending a few hours on display in a local bar. >> the truck's owner says he's just glad she's okay. >> so are we. monkey see, monkey do. well, apparently monkeys aren't the only ones that can play that game. how about this one? see bear, see do. >> favorite video of the morning at the nashville zoo. a 5-year-old boy and his new playmate there, that young bear right behind the glass. >> the boy's dad posted the video. he says the jumping lasted more than ten minutes. nothing like a copycat or a copy bear in this case. >> incredible. so cool. we also have an update, by the way, on a story we were all kind of obsessed with yesterday. that little raccoon. >> yes. it scaled her way to internet

stardom. >> yind ofa spider raccoon, i think. she clung to the side of a 25-story ubs tower in st. paul, minnesota, until eventually animal control came in, put and that apparently was enough to get her to the top. >> by the way, this morning she is safe and sound. she was eventually released to the backyard of some of the suburbs. >> she wasn't so quick to run off, though. she seemed like she wanted to hang out for a little while. >> that's kind of her thing, finds ray spot and hangs out for awhile. >> go, raccoon, go. own way ♪ copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way, with anoro." ♪ go your own way once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. anoro is not for asthma. it contains a type of medicine

that increases risk of death in people with asthma. the risk is unknown in copd. anoro won't replace rescue inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than once a day. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition, high blood pressure, glaucoma, prostate, bladder, or urinary problems. these may worsen with anoro. call your doctor if you have worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling, problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain while taking anoro. ask your doctor about anoro. ♪ go your own way get your first prescription free at anoro.com. get your first prescription free america's favorite cookie ♪ delicious chocolate candy ♪ oreo chocolate candy bars ♪ also available in mint flavor ♪ sometimes, even loving moments... ...don't smell so good. new snuggle plus super fresh boosters has thousands of odor fighters to keep clothes fresh for up to 100 days. share the love, not the stink. let's snuggle!

[ director ] k9 advantix ii kills fleas, not the stink. ticks and musky...toes? through contact. [ director ] cut! not musky toes. mosquitoes - like the bug. riiight. that makes more sense. k9 advantix ii from bayer. wise choice. moms love that land o' frost premium sliced meats have no by-products. [conference phone] baloney! [conference phone] has joined the call. hey baloney here. i thought this was a no by-products call? land o' frost premium. a slice above.

in for a cooling trend. 90s will be very limited today. here is a look at what's going on. you can see clouds clinging to the peninsula coast. some spilling over to the east bayshore line. as we talked about yesterday, that would be the beginning of the end for the heat wave. here is a look at your temperatures. most of us in the 50s this morning. clear lake at 62. brentwood 66 and los gatos 63 degrees. we come back, we'll take a look at your accuweather 12-hour planner and show you how the day will shape up with this cool weather. let's get a check of the morning

commute with alexis. >> good morning. i want to take you down to the south bay. we had a fatal crash overnight on 880. this involved the motorcycle on the northbound side of the interstate just past coleman avenue. we had all lanes shut down. this fully cleared. everything opened up about an hour ago. residual delays cleared quickly, too. a quick check of the bay bridge commute, no delays if you're coming in to san francisco from the east bay and no metering lights yet either. we'll take a look at drive times next. london breed will likely be the first african-american woman to be mayor of san francisco. >> once results are certified, the earliest day she can take office is july 10th. >> reporter: the elections department at city hall has to make this official. mark leno has done the math and has figured out he can't win, so he has congratulated her.

we saw her take to the steps of city hall and called herself the soon-to-be mayor of san francisco. once the results are certified, she will become the city's first african-american woman to be mayor of san francisco. >> we know that there is so much work to do and we have to make the hard decisions to get the job done. my focus will not necessarily be about what happened on the campaign trail. it will be about what san francisco needs. >> reporter: both renault and jane kim forced an alliance asking their voters to vote for them as their first and second choices. kim has also congratulated breed. today breed will have an official celebration press conference at her alma mater, rosa marks elementary school. live in san francisco, amy

hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> breed will not only make history here in san francisco, but nationally as well. when she takes office, she will become the only woman mayor among the 15 largest cities in the u.s. all mayors in those cities are men and all but three are white. >> now to contra costa county, diana beck tin is widening her lead, she stands at 50.49%. she needs a majority of votes to secure a win or else there will be a runoff election. paul graves has 42% of votes. county election staff have about 10,000 ballots left to count. >> if you're just joining us, let's get a quick update on weather and traffic. if the heat has been bothering you, mike says there's relief on the way. >> sea breeze 31 miles per hour in fairfield, gusting to 28 in