more than a making news in america this morning, the fight over brett kavanaugh's nomination to the supreme court takes a new turn overnight as we learn the identity of the sex crimes prosecutor who will question kavanaugh and his accuser at tomorrow's senate hearing. the vote now scheduled, and we hear for the first time why it took so long for kavanaugh's second accuser to come forward. the man once known as america's dad spends his first night behind bars. just how long bill cosby could end up in prison and what his accusers are saying about his sentence. was it enough? an abc news exclusive, the woman shot 12 times during a gunman's rampage inside a cincinnati bank shares her story. >> that's when my brain immediately went toward, i'm

dying. >> how she survived that terrifying ordeal. breaking overnight, a former "dancing with the stars" contestant arrested in california. and later, a girl named florence not happy that she shares her name with a hurricane does something about it. how her efforts have paid off. and we've made it to wednesday, everyone. good morning. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm stephanie ramos in for diane macedo. we begin with the bitter fight over the supreme court. now more contentious than ever with a make-or-break hearing just one day away. >> president trump is asking for prayers for brett kavanaugh after slamming the sexual misconduct allegations against him as a con game, and overnight we learned who the republicans have now hired to question kavanaugh and his accuser tomorrow. she's a sex crimes prosecutor from arizona. abc's lana zak busy overnight following the new details for us from d.c. good morning, lana. >> reporter: good morning to you, kendis and stephanie. busy, indeed. there are a lot of details to get to.

you know, at the same time that chairman grassley was saying how he was trying to depoliticize tomorrow's hearing, president trump went hard on the politics accusing democrats of laughing behind the scenes. president trump has let go of the appearance of detachment tweeting overnight, the democrats are playing a high level con game in their vicious effort to destroy a fine person. pray for brett kavanaugh and his family. the president casting aspersions on the sexual misconduct claims made by dr. christine blasey ford and deborah ramirez. >> they don't believe it themselves. >> reporter: but the lawyer for ramirez who is not yet scheduled to testify tells cnn the republicans are engaged in politics. >> it feels like there's a lot of game playing that's going on right now by the majority of the party. >> reporter: with only gop men on the committee, republicans announced they have hired rachel mitchell, a registered republican prosecutor with sex crimes experience to do their questioning on thursday. >> i think it's really smart of them to get an outside counsel. inadvertently somebody will do something that's insensitive. >> reporter: judiciary chairman chuck grassley writes, the goal

is to depoliticize the process and get to the truth. and a key republican senator warns about prejudging. >> it's very important to take allegations of those who have come forward, to take them seriously. >> reporter: meanwhile, more people are coming forward in support of the accusers. steven kantrowitz disputed kavanaugh's virginal claims on twitter writing, perhaps brett kavanaugh was a virgin for many years after high school, but he claimed otherwise in a conversation with me during our freshman year. and kavanaugh's roommate at yale, james roche, described kavanaugh as a heavy drinker who became belligerent and incoherently drunk. and "usa today" is reporting that blasey ford's team have submitted four testimonies of people that they say corroborate her sexual assault allegations, but, you know, senators are not going to have a lot of time to deliberate. they have scheduled the vote on kavanaugh's confirmation hearing within the committee for the very next day. kendis, stephanie. >> but they do need to schedule those votes three days ahead of

time, which is why they did it for friday. lana, thank you. we are learning more about how kavanaugh is defending himself against the accusations. a source says kavanaugh has turned over his calendars from the summer of 1982, which reportedly do not show any party like the one blasey ford has described. president trump stepped onto the world stage to reject globalism and embrace patriotism in a speech to the united nations general assembly. the president promoted his america first agenda saying the country will never apologize for protecting its citizens. he praised kim jong-un but blasted iran calling on all nations to isolate the regime, and when the president bragged about his accomplishments, world leaders laughed out loud. >> in less than two years, my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration in the history of our country. america -- so true.

didn't expect that reaction, but that's okay. >> despite that admission the president later claimed that those lines in his speech were meant to get laughs. bill cosby's accusers say he's getting what he deserved with his prison sentence for sexual assault. cosby will spend at least three years behind bars before the possibility of parole. his needs will be assessed before it's determined where he'll serve his prison sentence. abc's elizabeth hur has more from the suburbs of philadelphia. >> reporter: bill cosby handcuffed and taken into custody immediately. >> bill. hey. >> reporter: just hours after the defense unsuccessfully argued the 81-year-old is blind, too old and frail for prison. >> in the eyes of this court, he's a convicted felon and shouldn't be given a pass. >> reporter: cosby also denied bail. the judge telling the man once known as america's dad, no one

is above the law saying, i cannot offer special treatment because of who he is or who he was. fallen angels suffer most. >> you are a sinful and disgusting human being, and until your death, you deserve every bit of suffering that jail time and prison might bring to you. >> reporter: after sentencing andrea constand, the victim in this case was seen smiling and hugging former model janice dickinson, one of about a dozen cosby accusers in court to witness what they call justice served. >> i dreamt of this day for 32 years. >> reporter: the judge also ruling that cosby will be classified as a sexually violent predator requiring the former comedian to register as a sex offender and receive counseling for the rest of his life. cosby has always denied any wrongdoing. he declined to comment before and after sentencing. his lawyers say they are appealing. elizabeth hur, abc news,

norristown, pennsylvania. >> and one more note, cosby's first dinner in jail including pudding for dessert. as you know, cosby used to appear in jell-o pudding ads. we could not have gotten any closer to a major disaster. that's what a top safety official said while announcing results of an investigation into this close call at san francisco's airport last year. an air canada flight came within 20 feet of crashing into another plane. officials blame the pilots for mistaking the taxiway for a runway saying they failed to review a warning about a runway closure. crew fatigue was also cited. as a result, the faa has issued new rules on nighttime landings and control tower staffing. >> that really shows how close it was, indeed. well, the federal reserve is expected to raise interest rates this afternoon. the increase will likely be a quarter of a point and would be the third this year alone. analysts fear their announcement could trigger losses on wall street depending on what the fed actually says along with it. time now for a look at your

weather for this wednesday. good morning. downpours for this morning, courtesy of this low pressure system just getting too close for comfort with showers and thunderstorms along the coast of north carolina. localized flash flooding, rough surf, gusty winds, strong rip currents. for the northeast watch out for severe weather from syracuse, new york, pittsburgh to d.c. travel disruptions, power outages, damaging winds, flash flooding. widespread drenching storms throughout the deep south along the gulf coast and by later this week, guess what, snow in montana. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. a former contestant on "dancing with the stars" is under arrest this morning. the details next. also, a major scare for commuters inside a brand-new terminal known as the grand central of the west. the new concern that the building may not hold up. and why is the divorce rate now plummeting?

you gh you might say an all-points bulletin is out in florida for this missing guy. a kangaroo is on the run in florida. his name is storm. he's 5 years old, escaped from a sanctuary near palm beach on monday. animal control officers are asking for the public to call in with any sightings. a college student is recovering after he was shot in the head during a road rage incident near atlanta. neil seiz was heading home from a baseball game when a truck cut him off. authorities say he and the other driver exchanged words, and the truck driver then opened fire. police are still searching for that suspect, but seiz's father is just happy his son is alive. >> he's come through this quite well. he's going to have a bullet

lodged in his neck probably for the rest of his life. we hope that the person that did this is caught. they don't need to do this to somebody else's son. >> that suspect still on the run. ed seiz is pleading with anyone who has information about the shooting to call the police. the boxer and former "dancing with the stars" contestant victor ortiz has been arrested on rape charges in california. the arrest comes just days before his nationally televised fight this sunday. now, bail has been set at $100,000. ortiz was a contestant on "dancing with the stars" in 2013. san francisco's new $2.2 billion bus station is closed until further notice because of structural problems. workers found a crack in a support beam at the transbay transit center. the building opened just last month, and officials say they'll now inspect every steel beam. dunkin' donuts is doing some name dropping. it's dumping donuts from its moniker. starting in january, the chain

will simply be known as dunkin'. the company says the name change recognizes that beverages now drive a major portion of sales. but doughnuts will remain on the menu. >> well, that's good to know. all right, coming up, a police investigation at the home of the singer rihanna. also, our exclusive interview with a woman shot 12 times during a gunman's rampage inside of a bank. what she did to survive. and a new explanation for why so many bees are dying off. and a new explanation for why so many bees are dying off. for why so many bees are dying off. the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet?

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he's momma's boy. >> reporter: maddox ritch is autistic and nonverbal. police say he was with his father and an unidentified adult at this park east of charlotte saturday when the father says the boy ran off and couldn't be found. >> i could see him until a certain point. he got out of my view, and that's whenever i never seen him again. that's the last time i seen him. >> reporter: police say the dad is with the fbi retracing his steps. his son was wearing this orange t-shirt. >> i just want my baby home, please. >> reporter: the search led authorities to this landfill more than nine miles from the park where the child went missing. pictures like this one of police looking through dumpsters have been breaking the hearts of well-wishers across the world. >> i want him to be alive. just be alive. please be alive. >> reporter: searchers on foot have been using loudspeakers and the recorded voices of his parents to call for him. >> it's been hard to sleep. i feel -- i feel guilty because i can go into a house, lay down on the bed and my little boy might be out there in the woods.

>> reporter: investigators here say they're now looking for a jogger and a photographer who were here at the park and may have seen the boy as he was running away. steve osunsami, abc news, gastonia, north carolina. >> hopefully they find little maddox okay. well, a woman shot during a deadly rampage at a cincinnati bank is sharing her survival story. whitney austin works at the bank where the shots were fired september 6th. she was shot 12 times walking through the doors. the gunman had already wounded people inside the bank, but austin says she didn't hear the warnings to stay outside because she was on a conference call. she says she played dead until she saw an officer. >> i'm shouting at him, i have a 5-year-old and a 7-year-old who need their mother. you need to save me. come get me. at that point they were tracking him. they then shoot him down, and then they immediately run up to save me and pull me out. and i don't remember this, but i've since seen video. i actually walked out. i mean certainly i needed

assistance to walk, but, again, there were no bullets that hit my legs. >> reporter: 29-year-old omar perez shot and killed three people before officers killed him. investigators have still not revealed a motive. a new study finds a popular weed killer may be a factor in the declining bee population. researchers say glyphosate destroys the good bacteria in the guts of honey bees making them more vulnerable to infection and death. the author of the study is calling for better guidelines. the soaring price for a new car is causing sales of used cars to skyrocket. right now the average cost of a new car is about $36,000, but for a 3-year-old used car, the price drops to about $22,000. that gap is forcing dealers to sweeten new car deals with more discounts. >> if you're in the market right now and you're looking for a car, if you're looking for immediate savings, buying used is definitely the way to go. you'll easily save 30%, 40%, even upwards of 50%.

>> if you do go that route, if you're buying used, be sure to run the car's vin number to check if it's ever been damaged. police in los angeles are breaking overnight police in los angeles are investigating an apparent burglary at the rihanna's home. neighbors reportedly saw the suspects running from the singer's mansion after the alarm went off. rihanna was not home at the time. it would be the second break-in at her home this year. will smith reached new heights to celebrate his 50th birthday. the former "fresh prince" took a bungee jump out of a helicopter over the grand canyon. look at him go. smith's family and former "fresh prince" co-star was there. they watched him take the plunge. smith called the jump just pure bliss. >> that's one way to describe it. >> wow. very neat. well, coming up next in "the pulse," the baby who stole the show at the u.n. but first a teacher fights back. why she says kids have it way too easy these days. and the story of a girl

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and if moms, we can't wait. ♪ ♪ >> ♪ we're back with "the pulse" on this wednesday and the question, are we too easy on our kids these days? so, you had a teacher in florida who claims she got fired because she refused to give students partial credit for homework even when they didn't do the assignment. >> yes, her name is diane tirado. she claims school policy required her to always give students at least a 50 even for work not completed. after she was fired from teaching the eighth grade, she left this message though for the kids on a whiteboard. mrs. tirado loves you and wishes you the best in life. i've been fired for refusing to give you a 50% for not handing anything in.

>> if you earn something, it has value and that's what i told the kids in my class. i go, when you're in my clarks the grade that you have here, you've earned it. >> mrs. tirado is tough. so, the school district claims that tirado was fired for bad performance, and it denies the grading policy exists even though the policy actually appears in the school handbook. >> tirado said we have a nation of kids that expect to get rewarded just for showing up. the divorce rate, by the way, is finally going down, and millennials are getting the credit. >> divorce rates have dropped 18% in the last decade. researchers say that's because millennials and generation x before them are pickier when it comes to choosing a partner. >> they're also waiting longer to tie the knot allowing them to become more financially stable. >> that makes sense. >> yeah, it does. well, a 4-year-old girl in chicago is taking the charity world by storm after getting some inspiration from her namesake. >> florence didn't like sharing

her name with the hurricane that hit the carolinas this month, so she took action. she started going door to door collecting donations for the families that were forced from their homes in the carolinas, and now donations are pouring in from across the country. oh, look at that. >> nice job. >> so young and yet she was smart enough to do that. the united nations general assembly turned into take your daughter to work day. >> new zealand's prime minister brought her baby girl neve to the assembly. the 3-month-old is believed to be the youngest person ever to attend the gathering. >> and the cutest ever to attend it. attend the gathering. >> and the cutest ever to attend it. gathering. >> and the cutest ever to attend it. and i'm still going for my best even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'm up for that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. so what's next? seeing these guys. don't stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to,

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every great why, needs a great how. this morning's commute into san francisco is shaping up to be a major challenge. just six weeks after opening its doors, the two billion dollar sales force center is closed after workers found a crack in a support beam. >> we will go live to the latest on the closure in a moment. but alexis is tracking the impact on the morning commute. >> i'll have a whole lot more in just a moment. drew, you are looking at the forecast. >> dealing with fog in a lot of spots, along the north bay and the coast. half moon bay, petaluma, san a ta rosa. that's what we're dealing with this wednesday morning.

it is going to be the hottest day we have all week. 80s and 90s away from the case. it is also a spare the air day. haze in the atmosphere. take it easy if you have respiratory issues outside, guys. all right. it could be a nightmare commute in san francisco this morning. the $2 billion sales force transit center is shut down along with surrounding streets. >> a cracked level was found on the third-level bus deck. it led to full closure and evacuation at 4: p.m. during the evening commute. this morning it's unclear when the center could reopen. we want to begin with abc 7 news reporter amy hollyfield and what they are doing right now. amy? >> reporter: hi, jessica. look at the impact outside the transit center. they have parking officersrecti.

fremont and howard is closed. there is caution tape, metal barriers all surrounding this brand-new transit center. the joint powers authority emptied the sales force transit center last night after w irske load-bearing steel beam. commuters trying to catch the bus were surprised to learn that this nearly new $2 billion transit center has a defect. >> didn't they just make this last month? wow, that's crazy. millennium tour. there has to be a problem with these people passing on projects. i'm not sure what's going on. >> reporter: take a look at these photos from the san francisco chronicle showing workers inspecting the area in question. officials say the cracked beam is in the ceiling of the third-level bus deck near

fremont street. it was discovered 10:00 yesterday morning while workers were installing ceiling panels. look at the traffic and the impact out here. yikes! this is fremont street. this will be very confusing for commuters after they come off the bridge and realize they can't go straight on fremont. this is what is greeting them. road closed signs. it should make for a tough, confusing morning all around in the city. live in san francisco, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> we are bracing for the impact. any word until how long before they open the transit center? >> reporter: no word, jessica. it's going to take them days just to inspect the issue and figure out what happened. then they have to come up with a plan on how to address it. this could be the new normal for a while. >> ouch! that's going to be a huge impact. amy, thank you, reporting live from the transit center for