making news in america this morning, the horrifying scene on a highway. a bus torn apart. a tractor trailer upside down. the death toll rising overnight. what caused the semi to slam into the bus as we hear from a witness. final farewell. john mccain returning to washington, d.c. after his touching tribute in arizona. >> we shall not see his like again. >> the services being prepared and what the president said about mccain in a new interview after being criticized for his initial response to his death. holiday travel warning. a couple sounding the alarm after they received a bill for thousands of dollars after they already checked out of a hotel. how did it happen? plus, the major change for parents with young kids. the new car seat guidelines from experts.

the menacing monster terrifying a family in their backyard. even professional trappers are stumped how to catch it. and the great debate over work/life balance. should checking emails during your commute be counted as work? good friday morning. i'm maggie rulli in for diane macedo. >> and i'm kendis gibson. the holiday weekend off to a horrifying start. that packed greyhound bus colliding with a tractor trailer. >> investigators in new mexico say the truck crossed the median crashing head-on into the bus packed with passengers killing at least seven people. this morning we're hearing from one of the first people to arrive on the scene of this tragedy. the tragic scene on a new mexico highway. a bus with its front end sheared off. a tractor trailer also torn apart. its cab upside down and debris

scattered all over interstate 40. the bus with 48 passengers on board was heading to phoenix from albuquerque when police say a tire on the semi truck blew causing it to swerve into the path of that bus. >> it looks like it hit a brick wall and it just came to a dead and the front end of the bus was pretty caved in and crushed. >> reporter: christopher jones said the accident happened just ahead of him and jumped into action before police and ambulances could arrive. >> i saw a lot of the people laying on the ground and saw how crushed the bus was, and then i saw the tractor laying upside down, saw the tractor trailer driver sitting on the shoulder and just saw a lot of chaos. >> reporter: jones says he grabbed his medical kit and started helping people. >> there was a range from walking injured to critical injuries to a couple fatalities from what i could tell. >> reporter: he claims emergency crews were on the scene quickly and worked desperately to reach any victims trapped inside.

>> it was really heavy to pull up on the scene and being the worst incident i've ever come across. just a lot of people in pain and hurt and confusion and just wanting help now and just trying to do the best i could to help people. >> and at least ten patients remain in the hospital this morning. the ntsb is on the scene there. turning now to the latest tributes for senator john mccain in his final trip to washington. mccain's casket arrived at joint base andrews last night and today he will lie in state at the u.s. capitol after a memorial service that was filled with laughter and tears. abc's janai norman joins us now live from capitol hill. good morning, janai. >> reporter: maggie, good morning. thousands of people showed up in phoenix to pay their respects to the late senator, and now it's washington's turn to say good-bye to the six-term arizona senator who lived and worked here for more than four decades. senator john mccain arriving in washington for the final time,

his casket carried by a military jet to joint base andrews welcomed with a solemn ceremony by a military honor guard. >> halt. ldi in washington,, thousands lined the streets and highways of phoenix, many waving flags and others clutching campaign signs all honoring mccain who first served in the house of representatives in 1982 before elected to the u.s. senate in 1986 where he served for more than 30 years. and at the church where he worshipped for 25 years -- >> i always thought of john as a brother. we had a hell of a lot of family fights. >> reporter: political opponent, former vice president joe biden, saying he thought of mccain as family praising what he called mccain's ageless code. >> he could not stand the abuse of power. it was always about basic values with john, fairness, honesty, dignity, respect. to paraphrase shakespeare, we

shall not see his like again. >> and there will be a formal ceremony here later this morning honoring mccain and another memorial service planned for tomorrow where former presidents obama and george w. bush are expected to speak. but president trump won't be there after being criticized for his initial response to mccain's death, the president saying the two had strong disagreements but he respects mccain's service to the country. maggie. >> many moving tributes. thank you so much, janai. abc news will bring you live coverage of today's tribute on capitol hill as well as tomorrow's service at the national cathedral. as for the president he says the attorney general, jeff sessions' job is safe at least for now. despite their public feud. but when asked by bloomberg news if he'll keep sessions after the midterm elections, the president declined to comment. he's also making a new claim against the special counsel robert mueller calling his russia investigation illegal. and the president is canceling pay raises for civilian federal workers unless congress reaches a budget deal that he accepts.

he's invoked his emergency authority saying he needs to hold down the growth in federal spending. government workers are supposed to receive a 2% pay raise on january 1st. a producer who recently quit his job at nbc news is accusing the network of blocking the harvey weinstein story before other publications brought the sexual misconduct allegations to light. rich mchugh worked on the story with ronan farrow whose reporting was eventually published by "the new yorker" magazine. mchugh says they were about to interview a woman with a rape allegation against weinstein when nbc executives told them to stand down. he tells abc news those orders came to me from the highest levels of nbc. that was unethical and a massive breach of journalistic integrity. overnight nbc responded saying at the time the story wasn't ready for broadcast because no alleged victims were ready to go on the record and it says the assertion that it tried to kill

the story is an outright lie. the silent sam statue may be gone but protests over the confederate monument are not. people on both sides of the debate clashed at the university of north carolina overnight. opponents moved the statue without permission last week. heavy police presence and pepper spray kept the two groups apart last night. three people were arrested. time now for a look at your weather on this friday morning. good morning. we're watching for severe weather today across iowa and minnesota. high gusting winds and heavy downpours are the main concern. meanwhile, a tropical wave is expected to bring some heavy rain to the southeastern u.s. as we head into early next week and a look at what's in store across the country for labor day weekend. it's going to be steamy in the northeast with showers and storms expected off to the southwest and across the plains. i'm meteorologist julia weiden with your accuweather forecast. well, coming up, important

news for parents. the new car seat guidelines just issued. also ahead, students claiming that harvard university discriminates against asian-americans are getting a big boost in their legal battle. remembering aretha franklin, we're live in detroit with the final preparations for today's

guidelines for car seats are changing. the american academy of pediatrics used to say that children should be in rear-facing seats until they're at least 2 years old, but now the organization says kids should say rear facing until they reach the car seat's maximum height and weight limit. no matter what their age. experts say rear-facing is the safest position for children during a crash.

students suing harvard university over the school's admissions policies have a new ally. the trump administration's justice department. a lawsuit brought by asian-american students claims harvard's affirmative action policy sidelines them in favor of less qualified minorities. harvard denies that claim. the aclu defends harvard saying the justice department is trying to dismantle the progress made in fighting for racial equality. she was born aretha louise franklin 76 years ago but she will forever be remembered as the queen of soul. in just a matter of hours the nation says good-bye to the legendary artist. abc's zachary kiesch is in detroit right now with a preview of today's star-studded funeral. good morning, zach. >> reporter: hey, good morning to you. i'm outside the greater grace temple here in detroit where the city and the world will say their final farewells to the queen of soul. aretha franklin, what an incredible story. the granddaughter of southern

sharecroppers, she was born in a segregated detroit but it didn't stop her. she used her voice and love of people to have a prefound impact on the world. ♪ say a little prayer for you ♪ oh yeah >> reporter: with range and soul, aretha franklin's music made audiences feel. sometimes her words could touch you like a warm blanket and other times the power of her voice would hit you like you were riding shotgun on that highway of love. ♪ we're going riding on the freeway of love ♪ >> reporter: led by some of the most recognizable artists, activists and musician, last night the nation said a little prayer for the legend. then they blew the top off the shane park amphitheater in detroit. a musical tribute, her friends say aretha would have wanted. ♪ r-e-s-p-e-c-t >> she was an icon in the city of detroit and me growing up as a kid we listened to her with my mom and grandmother. >> reporter: despite humble beginnings she was bound for

glory. the seeds of her musical greatness planted in her father's church. she once said, i'm using to the highest degree possible the gift that god gave me to use. thousands of mourners have come to pay their respects. some showed up driving pink cadillacs. >> there were people crying, but what i seen most was respect, and that's something that's like a moniker attached to aretha, respect. >> reporter: lying in her open casket wearing red shoe, he ankles crossed, aretha exudes a mixture of comfort and strength. always regal but never considered herself royalty. stevie wonder, chaka khan. civil rights leaders, the greats are here. today's funeral a final good-bye. aretha franklin passed away august 16th at the age of 76. aretha's final ride will be inside this same vintage hearse that carried civil rights icon rosa parks. kendis, maggie, back to you.

>> and, of course, rosa parks being from the detroit area as well. zachary kiesch in detroit for us, thank you. coming up, the major lawsuit brad pitt's charity is now facing. but first a consumer alert about a hotel scam. how one couple says they were bilked out of thousands of dollars after they checked out. and the new controversy at the u.s. open. did an umpire help one of the players? one of the players? s were made for better things, than psoriatic arthritis. as you and your rheumatologist consider treatments, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. xeljanz xr is a once daily pill for psoriatic arthritis. taken with methotrexate or similar medicines, it can reduce joint pain... ...swelling and significantly improve physical function. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests, and cholesterol levels have happened.

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what might seem like a small cough can be a big bad problem for your grandchildren. babies too young to be vaccinated against whooping cough are the most at risk for severe illness. help prevent this! talk to your doctor or pharmacist today about getting vaccinated against whooping cough. we're back with a holiday travel warning about a hotel scam. >> a nebraska couple was billed thousands of dollars in charges but it happened after they had already checked out. >> i'm so upset and angry, and i feel vulnerable. >> reporter: a hotel hijacking that caused this couple's bill to skyrocket. hayley wells and her husband recently spent four nights in this "w" in chicago. >> a weekend that was supposed to be fun turned into something that i don't even want to think about. it makes me sick.

>> reporter: she says days after arriving home in omaha, nebraska, they received a second bill from the hotel. >> for a total of $6,539 and saying that i was checking out that morning. >> reporter: charges for things like car valets, phone chargers and a lot of room service for three days after wells says she checked out and placed her keys in the drop box. >> they basically told me that i was responsible for all of these charges. and it was because somebody, a name i don't even know, had been added to my reservation. >> reporter: wells says she offered overwhelming evidence to the "w" that shows they were home when the hotel room was being used, including her original checkout bill, lunch receipts from the airport, airplane records, even timestamped surveillance video from their home. >> how does it make you feel the hotel doesn't believe you? >> it makes me extremely upset.

>> reporter: the w chicago lakeshore hotel says we have measures in place to protect guests' data. we have been in touch with the guests directly and are regularing. due to privacy we are unable to comment further. >> this is a fairly common scam. >> reporter: experts say thieves can access your information by grabbing your keys after you check out and adding themselves to your reservation. >> turn the key card saying get a receipt, walk away knowing that at least you have proof that you checked out of the hotel and that any additional charges aren't yours. >> wells says she's filed the police report, and she's disputing the charges with her credit card company. brad pitt's foundation is facing a lawsuit over homes built in new orleans after hurricane katrina. residents have reported illnesses and headaches as well as plumbing and electrical issues. pitt has reportedly asked the foundation to address the issues after hearing about the lawsuit. a legal victory for quarterback colin kaepernick. his collusion case against the nfl is moving forward. kaepernick hasn't played since

2016 when he began protesting police brutality and racial inequality by kneeling during the national anthem. he claims the league and its owners have conspired to keep him off the field. on thursday, an arbitrator ruled the case can continue. a hearing will now be held where nfl owners will have to testify under oath. was this a pep talk? a new controversy at the u.s. open. the australian tennis star nick kyrgios was trailing in the second round when this happened. he appeared to get a little encouragement from the chair umpire. witnesses say the umpire told him, this is not you and urged him to try harder. he went on, by the way, to win the match. the u.s. tennis association is cethat tk.ing the incident.s >> he got through that round but he faces roger federer next, so it's okay. >> good luck. >> it's all right. >> no pep will help there. up next in "the pulse," the debate heating up. should checking your email

part of your workday? and also ahead, the sports car made from a million legos but just how fast can it go? plus, the monster lizard menacing a family. even trappers have no idea how to catch it. ur skin will look. and it can feel like no matter what you do, you're itching all the time. but even though you see and feel your eczema on the surface of your skin, an overly sensitive immune system deep within your skin might actually be causing your eczema. so help heal your skin from within. with dupixent. dupixent is not a steroid, and it continuously treats your eczema even when you can't see it. at 16 weeks, more than 1 in 3 patients saw clear or almost clear skin, and patients saw a significant reduction in itch. do not use if you are allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you have new or worsening eye problems, including eye pain or changes in vision.

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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. ♪ time for your friday "pulse" ahead of this labor day weekend and an appropriate question we're going to start with, how long is your workday? >> ours is still going. well, a new study says checking emails during your commute to and from work should count as time on the clock. british researchers did a study on this, and they found that more than half of people on commuter trains use their smartphones for work activities while traveling. >> that makes sense, so they say if checking email counted as work time, then people might commute at different times of the day

easing the whole rush hour traffic. >> i'm surprised people work on their commuter instead of tinder. >> i'm sure they're doing that as well. the second phone. >> probably both. >> one is the work phone. one is the other one. multitasking. talk about roadblock. a sports car was made out of a million legos. >> yeah, take a look at this. it's very impressive. 90% of this car that you see there is lego pieces, and it's fully operational. the headlights, seats, doors, dashboard. i could go on. nearly everything else is made out of legos. it also includes plastic parts that were 3d printed, but here's the catch, the car has a top speed of 18 miles an hour. it's a lego car. it's impressive. >> but you look so good in it, you know. >> you do. you look cool. >> so, a larger-than-life lizard is creating a stir in florida. >> wildlife officials say it's a monitor lizard. but take a look at that. it's seven feet long and weighs

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good morning, bey. let's get up and get going. >> this is "abc 7 mornings." >> two things. it's friday and the last day of august. >> yeah. and it's the beginning of labor day weekend. >> yes. >> three things. >> more importantly. >> good morning to you. as you can see alexis is in for jessica and natasha. also for herself. >> yeah. >> she's doing everything. >> i'm not doing weather. we have mike nicco for that. thank goodness. >> yeah, sorry, you have to cover that today. >> i think i can do that. you are never more than seven minutes away from it. we started the show at 4:27 and look at the seesaw we've been dealing with, temperatures cool, novato seems to be making the biggest swings in san francisco the last couple days. it's 48 in novato right now. it's 57 in san francisco. we have 60s around concord and hayward and mountain view and san jose and clearlake. here's where we will end up upper 60s around the coast. the 70s around the bay including

san francisco. and the 80s are coming back. 90s also. turn it over to alexis. which hat you wearing now? >> we have the traffic traffic c now. traveling the rio vista bridge, they lifted the draw bridge, letting marine traffic through and that was scheduled to last until 6:00 this morning and has reopened ahead of schedule. if you are traveling state route 12 you won't have any issues getting through the stretch. bay bridge toll plaza also very empty right now. no metering lights yet and we'll see how light it's going to be ahead of this holiday weekend. i think we will have light volumes today. new video into the live desk shows a rollover crash in the south bay involving a possible dui. this is in the southbound direction of highway 17 and unincorporated santa clara county south of los gatos. according to the chp the crash happened shortly after 10:00 last night. the driver was ejected from the car and taken to the hospital

with major injuries but isol marijuana were found on the roadway. chp is investigating whether the driver was under the influence at the time of the crash. developing news, san francisco high school students go back to class this morning after a scary day where they had to hide in their classrooms. >> the scare started after a gun fired inside the school. abc 7 news reporter katie utehs spoke to parents and students. >> we hear a loud bang, look over a hole in the chair, something on the ground. then the teacher gets up, comes over. she then calls the security, everyone comes in. they -- and then we go to our next class and they called a lockdown. >> reporter: per police sources the student ran out, handing something over to three other students. police detained those students and they are the ones seen in sky 7 and ground video from outside the school. they then handed the gun over to police. the student who brought the gun to school managed to run away

fromis mkto t bayview station ts afted for less than two hours. during that time, police scoured the area and parents urgently texted and called students for updates. >> they've been silent. she can't move across the class room to sit next to her best friend. she's stuck in the corner. >> reporter: by 1:00 in the afternoon police gave the all clear and students were reunited with their parents. a middle and elementary school were put on lockdown during the search. we told yesterday about two tourists reported missing. they are just fine and heading home today. a san mateo sheriff's office tweeted emily and her daughter are in good health. the two flew into sfo last weekend with plans to camp along the coast.