morning america." have a great day. making news in america this morning, fire emergency. the scene described as apocalyptic. tens of thousands of people fleeing their homes in northern california. >> go, go, go, go. >> this firenado in the distance. an entire town nearly destroyed. the latest from the fire zone and the big concern this hour. also right now, the search for answers after the nightclub shooting rampage that left 12 people dead. >> i hope to god nobody else sends me any more prayers. i want gun control. >> for the first time we hear from a man who was there and was grazed by a bullet. what he saw and what we're learning now about the shooter. was it doctored?

the new question surrounding this video tweeted by the press secretary showing a cnn reporter later suspended from the white house accusing him of putting his hands on a young intern. those stories plus disaster at sea. this navy warship on the verge of sinking. also, a major new decision that could restrict where e-cigarettes are sold. and you won't believe where this seven-foot alligator showed up. not sure where that is, but i can tell you where i won't be going. >> absolutely. >> as we say good morning on a friday, i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm marci gonzalez. we begin with a devastating wildfire that's racing through the sierra nevada foothills in northern california. >> flames have leveled dozens of buildings and left tens of thousands of people only minutes to escape their homes. now,avbeinju f.t areas

is in the butte county town of paradise. the entire population of 27,000 people forced from their homes. overnight a fast-moving wildfire in northern california exploding in size driven by winds in excess of 50 miles per hour. the so-called camp fire is burning the equivalent of 80 football fields per minute forcing the evacuation of entire towns. reports of residents rescued from their homes and people abandoning their cars on clogged roads. >> go, go, go, go, ,go. hurry up, people. go. it's getting hot. >> reporter: this man recording his escape in near blackout conditions. dozens evacuated from this hospital where at least one building was consumed by flames after reports that some people were trapped in the hospital's basement. >> we've got four people trapped in the basement. sounds like it's surrounded by fire.

they're safe underneath, but they can't get out. >> reporter: new video this morning showing the out-of-control inferno burning home after home. >> we lost everything, trailers, all our belongings. now we're on grinding rock just trying to save everybody else's stuff. >> reporter: this firenado swirling amid a scorched part of butte county. the fire chief there telling the associated press near 1,000 buildings could be damaged or destroyed in the town of paradise alone. our will carr is there. >> fire crews have been doing everything they can, but they ran into red flag warning conditions throughout the day. that means that these winds were incredibly high. there is low humidity, and there are bone dry conditions out here. this is pretty much a perfect combination for these fire conditions, and this is what you see, this community has burned to the ground. pretty much everything is gone. >> reporter: this picture showing a mcdonald's before the fire and after.

nothing left but the sign. these horses set free but left behind to find their own way out. and in southern california's ventura county, wildfires burned more than 15 square miles and leveled at least one home. flames are still threatening thousands of homes and businesses. evacuations there are under way. and those fires in southern california are not far from thousand oaks where 12 people were brutally gunned down in that nightclub shooting. the community united in prayer overnight to honor the victims. some of them in their 20s or even younger killed enjoying a night of country music along with a sheriff's sergeant who died after confronting the gunman. this attack, by the way, is the 307th mass shooting in the united states this year defined, of course, as a shooting with four or more victims. abc's stephanie ramos has new details on the investigation and the victims. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: kendis, good morning. authorities have been scrubbing

the alleged gunman's past looking for clues as to why he'd open fire killing so many people. police still trying to figure out the motive, but they have learned that he had recently been cleared by mental health specialists after an incident at his home. a community shattered. hundreds coming together to remember the 12 people killed late wednesday when a gunman opened fire inside a packed southern california bar during college night. >> it's a horrific scene in there. there is blood everywhere. >> reporter: we're now getting a look inside as the rampage unfolds. [ gunfire ] watch as the camera shakes, but you can hear that distinct sound. gunshots and then chaos. >> guys, run, go. he's coming out this door. >> reporter: authorities say 28-year-old ian david long, a former marine, walked into the bar with a legally purchased 45 caliber glock handgun and opened fire. >> the subject was at the front shooting at everybody. they think he's still inside the bar. >> reporter: witnesses say the

bar quickly filled with smoke. >> the gunman was throwing smoke grenades. >> reporter: dylan short detailing the horrific moments. >> personally i got grazed, and that was after i had watched him shoot the three people in the front who were all my friends. >> reporter: one of his friends survived the las vegas massacre last year and so did this woman's son. >> my son was in las vegas with a lot of his friends, and he came home. he didn't come home last night and i don't want prayers. i don't want thoughts. i want gun control and i hope to god nobody else sends me any more prayers. i want gun control. >> the suspect was found dead inside the bar. police believe he shot himself. authorities say he used an extended magazine which is illegal in california but that allowed him to fire more than ten bullets at a time. kendis, marci. >> stephanie ramos, thank you. investigators say the shooter may have had ptsd.

>> we spoke to former fbi special agent steve gomez who says the gunman's military training likely played a big role in preparing for this attack. >> when you shoot your weapon, it's very loud, so he's accustomed to that kind of loud noise going off, and so when he goes into this bar, he's able to shoot as many rounds as possible and he's probably not even flinching. he's just going one by one and that's very scary because the people that are inside there, the victims, they are not expecting these shots and they're being hit and now they're trying to figure out what are they doing. he knows what he's doing and that's a very scary situation that they were in. >> that, indeed, and to escape the gunfire, people threw chairs through windows and jumped eight feet to the ground below. turning now to politics, two of the most closely watched u.s. senate races are still undecided this morning. in florida republican rick scotw separated by less than a quarter percentage point.

that's within -- for a recount, that's the range there, but scott is suing election officials in south florida accusing them of mishandling ballots. meanwhile, in the arizona senate race democrat kyrsten sinema has moved into a slight lead over republican martha mcsally. about 400,000 votes still have to be counted. a judge is expected to rule today on a lawsuit over mail-in votes. it does appear that video released by the white house to justify suspending the cnn correspondent may have been doctored. the press secretary sarah sanders tweeted this video showing jim acosta repeatedly questioning the president when an intern tried to take the microphone. their arms briefly touching. sanders accused acosta of placing his hands on the intern. she called the behavior unacceptable, but an independent video expert tells the associated press it appears sanders' video was altered to speed up acosta's arm movement. sanders has not revealed the source of that video. time now though for our check of our weather for this friday morning.

>> good morning. fire danger continues out west. high gusting winds through the afternoon potentially upwards of 50 miles per hour and in the north central region temperatures here are frigid and the winds blustery. it's going to feel like single digits in many spots and dealing with lake-effect snow. several areas seeing one to three inches. that same system going to bring soaking rains to the northeast. i'm meteorologist julia weiden with your accuweather forecast. coming up, the new video of a disaster at sea, which could be a half billion dollar mistake. also, was it a hate crime? new details about the angry protest outside of the home of fox news host tucker carlson. and the notorious drug lord, el chapo, wants permission

we're back with this disaster at sea. a navy warship from norway crashed into an oil tanker and is now in danger of sinking. the warship was returning from nato military exercises. eight people were injured. the norwegian military is now trying to save the ship, but the crew has reportedly been evacuated. the captain of the duck boat that sank in missouri leaving 17 people dead last summer has now been indicted. kenneth mckee is facing criminal negligence and misconduct charges. prosecutors say he never told passengers to put their life jackets on during that violent storm. nine members of the same family were among those who died. well, vandalism at the home of fox news host tucker carlson is being investigated as a

possible hate crime. washington, d.c. police say someone spray painted a symbol of anarchy on carlson's driveway wednesday night. carlson says protesters outside his home were threatening his family. network officials called the incident reprehensible. new details in the search for a 13-year-old kidnapped outside of her north carolina home before school monday. the fbi has now released surveillance video of a man walking near hania aguilar's home before she disappeared and agents want to speak with him. meanwhile, investigators have found the stolen suv believed to have been used in the kidnapping. they're combing through it for clues. a $15,000 reward is offered in the case. some disappointing news for the mexican drug lord known as el chapo. he will not be able to hug his wife at his upcoming trial. a judge denied any contact between the two citing security reasons. now, the judge said that he sympathized but noted other defendants considered high security risks would not be granted the favor, so he would

not make an exception. el chapo has been linked to dozens of murders. well, coming up, a big decision about the future of e-cigarettes. but first president trump's acting attorney general now being linked to a company once called a scam by the government. and later, just how tough ruth bader ginsburg really is. ♪ bader ginsburg really is. i wanted more from my copd medicine... ...that's why i've got the power of 1-2-3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3 ♪ trelegy 1-2-3 trelegy with trelegy and the power of 1-2-3, i'm breathing better. trelegy works 3 ways to... ...open airways,... ...keep them open... ...and reduce inflammation... ...for 24 hours of better breathing. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. trelegy is not for asthma. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia,

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it'll be good to you. for serta's biggest sam's club mattress sale of the year. save $200 on all king mattresses or save $100 on all queens and fulls. from serta america's #1 mattress brand. be serta comfortable. this weekend only at sam's club. [ chanting ] we're back with protests demanding protection for special counsel robert mueller's russia investigation. the protests were sparked by the firing of attorney general jeff sessions. his firing leaves the future of the investigation in doubt. >> that's because the acting attorney general now overseeing the case has heavily criticized the investigation, and now we're learning more about his past. multiple sources tell abc news the acting attorney general matt whitaker will not rekuz himself

from overseeing the russia investigation as it looks into potential coordination between russia and the president's campaign. the president appointed whitaker after the firing of sessions day after the midterm elections. last night house minority leader nancy pelosi criticized the appointment saying whitaker should not be overseeing the investigation because he has not been confirmed by the senate. >> i don't say it's a constitutional crisis quite yet, but it's a perilous time. should the president go to rosenstein or mueller or something like that, it'll be even worse. so, this is a very important moment. >> before joining the trump administration last fall, whitaker made his views on that investigation pretty clear. >> the truth is there was no collusion with the russians and the trump campaign. >> reporter: and here's whitaker on whether the president obstructed justice. >> there is no criminal obstruction of justice charge to be had here. there's just -- the evidence is weak. no reasonable prosecutor would bring a case on what we know right now. >> reporter: whitaker is now the

acting attorney general until a permanent replacement is confirmed. he could be on the job until next summer according to abc's jonathan karl. >> under a law called the vacancies act, whitaker can remain the acting attorney general for up to seven months, and he is running the department at a critical time. abc news has learned that special counsel robert mueller is in the process of writing his final report. >> reporter: as acting attorney general, whitaker would decide whether that final report is made public. the president's short list of candidates for attorney general could come from trump's inner circle. they include whitaker himself, trump's lawyer rudy giuliani and chris christie, now an abc news contributor who ran the trump transition during the campaign. and we've learned more about whitaker's past. he once sat on the board of a florida marketing company, which the ftc called a scam. a major decision about the future of e-cigarette sales. the fda is expected to ban most brands of flavored e-cigarettes from being sold in convenience stores and gas stations. the move is in response to the

surge in vaping among minors. the restrictions could be announced next week. to sports now and thursday night football or a thursday night blow-out as the case was ben roethlisberger throwing five touchdowns as the steelers dominated the carolina panthers. pittsburgh won its fifth consecutive game, 52-21. and here's a nominee for father of the year. a young soccer player shoots and the goalie's dad pushes him to make the save. it happened in the uk. no word if dad got any flack for it or a yellow card. >> yeah, aim sure he heard from theparents, kids on the other team. >> yep. up next in "the pulse," social media sends a big hug to ruth bader ginsburg. >> uh-huh. also, the world's largest cruise ship arrives in the u.s. we'll take you on board. and the guy livingfoot in s. seven-foot alligator in his hot tub. i couldn't catch my breath.

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♪ time to check your friday pulse" starting with an outpouring of support for rudy giuliani. of course, she's recovering those broken ribs. >> the 85-year-old was hospitalized after falling in her office. she is the oldest sitting justice but has no plans to retire any time soon, and who could forget this, she recently invited stephen colbert to join her while working out. >> i don't think paul ryan could do this. ♪ want to feel? want to feel? >> pretty good. >> thanks. can i ask you a question and i want you to give me an honest answer. are you juicing? >> no. >> social media has been lighting up with well wishes for

ginsburg. anna merlin tweeted, if ruth bader ginsburg needs ribs, i have have like dozens of them i'm not using, let's do this. >> and oliver willis tweets gofundme for a 20-foot-thick bubble wrap inside which ruth bader ginsburg will be placed for at least two years. next to kids these days and their digital footprint taking shape before they're born. >> a new study finds before a child becomes a teenager these days, parents have posted an average of 1300 pictures or videos of them online, and that includes their ultrasound. the typical kid now gets their first social media account at age of 11. >> that's amazing. so the study warns parents about sharing their kids' personal information a little too early. all right. next all aboard the world's largest cruise ship. it just arrived in the united states for the first time docking in port canaveral before heading to miami. >> "the symphony of the seas" is 1100 feet long and holds about

9,000 people including 2200 crew members. >> all right, and check this out, the two-story family suite with a slide connecting the floors. the ship also has with robot bartenders. isaac is out of a job. finally a seven-foot alligator found in a hot tub. >> a man was being evicted from his home when the owner of the house found a gator along with two pythons nearby. the tenant assured him the gator was just a big cuddly lizard gentle as a puppy. >> animal control took the gator to a safer place.

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>> we grabbed our animals and some food and clothes and we're out of here. >> making a run for it lies. this morning hundreds of crews from all over northern california are on the fire lines. good morning on this friday, november 9th. that fire is just one of a dozen burning in california right now. we do have live team coverage starting with meteorologist mike nicco. >> the red in paradise and chico. let me show you the high fire danger for the gusty northeast winds. up to 60, 70 miles per hour. it continues for that area. sacramento valley and also for us. again, that's until 7:00 this

morning. another 2 1/2 hours or so. it is likely another red flag warning will be issued for saturday night, into sunday. you would think that's clouds, maybe fog. absolutely not. it is unhealthy for everyone in the north bay, central coast, inland, east bay. >> it is awful. pretty much everyone, as i'm sure you are experiencing here this morning. i want to take you up to road closures due to the campfire. highway 70 to the county line, skyway closed, highway 99 between 149 and 9th street. highway 191 is closed as well. obviously you've got to just follow those evacuation orders and do what's best for your safety there.

we are looking at the bay bridge camera as well. as mike mentioned, you can see all the smoke on the bay bridge. everyone feeling that smoke this morning. >> absolutely. you can feel it hear in the city. also southern california as well. we want to start with the out of control wildfire that's raging in butte county. >> this is the campfire. it is getting dangerously close to chico. very often from video that many are homes. it injured multiple people, including two fires. gavin newsom is asking for a a federal emergency to be declared to federal assistance can be brought in. traveling like the wind. burning everything in its