making news in america this morning, the california wildfires setting new records overnight. now the deadliest on record. but this morning, new stories of hope and survival. the trash collector who rescued a 93-year-old woman. lady gaga helping the red cross and another hero nurse who risked everything for his patients. breaking overnight, is nielsen next? a new report on the president's plan to fire the homeland security secretary as the migrant caravan makes its way to the southern border. prom picture controversy. this photo showing dozens of high school students seemingly giving the nazi salute. what the photographer and students are now saying. plus, alex trebek gets personal revealing a health scare.

doctors said it didn't look good. also, an elephant escapee, the bizarre site on a new york highway. and looking for love? the top five cities for singles. and good tuesday morning, everyone. i'm kendis gibson. >> i'm lynda lopez. we begin with the breaking news overnight, the wildfire disaster in california that is now the deadliest in state's history. >> at least 44 people have been killed. 42 of them have died in the historic fire north of sacramento. president trump has now approved a federal disaster declaration for three counties in that state. more heavy winds are expected this morning as we hear more remarkable stories of survival and heroism. the terror. >> please, dear god, let me get out of this, please, please. >> reporter: the destruction. >> the fire was above us, the s. i meanwee tallsurrndteheason

>> everybody i know lost everything. >> reporter: overnight the wildfires raging in california becoming the deadliest in state history. they're already the most destructive. in the north the death toll for the so-called camp fire now jumping to at least 42 with hundreds missing. in the south -- >> we're on highway 118 here in the simi valley. and just look at all of the smoke here. authorities are trying to put this fire out. right now you can see the helicopter. there is a neighborhood, a neighborhood right underneath here. >> reporter: more than 5,000 firefighters struggling to control multiple blazes. >> there's been a flare-up right here. >> reporter: more heavy winds gusting to 70 miles an hour and tinderbox conditions fueling flames spreading crews thin. >> within the last hour we had two brand-new starts, and obviously it just hits home on the fact that we significant fire weather, and the existing fire is not our only concern. >> reporter: of the quarter

million people forced out of their homes, thousands will return to nothing, but in the midst ofit was trees popping and would just be these big pops, and then things are hitting my car, and i'm just like, no. >> the propane tanks exploding and all around just the giant explosion. >> reporter: new stories of people risking their lives to save strangers. >> we got all the patients out of the hospital and headed down the road. >> reporter: this nurse battling through flames to save patients. his truck surrounded by flames as he drove away. >> it was just constant explosions, and cars are trying to go around on the side and bursting into flames, and people are getting out of their burning cars and running down the middle of the road. >> reporter: a garbage truck driver saving a 93-year-old woman. >> my guardian angel was here. >> reporter: even lady gaga seen here in this tmz video trying to lift spirits at a red cross shelter. >> this is an emergency, but you are not alone. >> well, both major fires were

about 30% contained overnight. officials are looking at the possibility that an electrical malfunction could have sparked the fire in paradise. now to the other story breaking overnight, "the washington post" reports president trump is getting ready to fire homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen. "the post" says the move could come as soon as this week. the president is reportedly unhappy with nielsen's performance on immigration enforcement. the first 100 people from the migrant caravan are expected to reach the u.s. border this weekend. nielsen has been on the job since last december and has reportedly been berated by the president during cabinet meetings. well, one of the most closely watched senate races from the midterm elections has finally been decided. republican martha mcsally has conceded in arizona. meantime, the recounts continue in florida, and as the legal battle gets nastier, a judge has issued a stern, new warning. abc's kenneth moton joins us now with more. good morning, kenneth. >> reporter: good morning, lynda. one week after the votes and the democrats are doing better than they previously thought, but the

battles through this midterm election rage on in a number of key states. this morning the democrats are celebrating a nail-biting victory and another flip. this time in arizona. [ chanting ] democrat kyrsten sinema defeating gop opponent martha mcsally in the race for senate. sinema invoking the name of the state's longtime republican senator, the late john mccain. >> we can do this differently for our country, for our future, for senator mccain and for each other. >> reporter: one week after the midterm election, vote counting continues in several states. in florida a dramatic recount of 8.2 million ballots inches closer to the thursday deadline. [ chanting ] in the governor's race republican ron desantis with a lead over democrat andrew gillum. >> we're simply saying let our votes count. >> reporter: but fewer than 13,000 votes separate democratic senator bill nelson and gop challenger governor rick scott who filed lawsuits alleging

fraud in two democratic leaning counties. monday a florida judge agreed with state officials who say there's no sign of criminal activity. >> i'm urging because of the highly public nature of this case to ramp down the rhetoric. >> reporter: the rhetoric from president trump the loudest. he claimed victory a week ago, but in the house democrats have picked up at least 32 seats, altering the president's agenda ahead of 2020. and the democrats after flipping several governorships and state legislatures are expected to pick up more seats in the house. the president will still have his gop majority in the senate. kendis and lynda. >> kenneth moton, thanks so much. new satellite photos are casting doubt on north carolina's commitment to wind down its nuclear program. researchers say the satellite ks bas r balltimissil. is no long aar threat. a civil rights lawsuit has been filed in the case of a security guard shot by police

inside a bar near chicago. 26-year-old jemel roberson died after an officer opened fire after a separating shooting in the bar. roberson was holding down the suspect at the time. his family says he was wearing a hat with the word security on it, but police still opened fire on him. >> how in the world does the security guard get shot by the police? a young man that was literally just doing his job, and now he's gone. >> that, indeed. the officer who opened fire is on paid leave while state police investigate. a developing story from albuquerque. police say the man who walked into a warehouse where he worked and shot three people has been found dead. the three victims were left in critical condition. no word on a motive for that shooting. all right, time now for us to take a look at your weather for this tuesday morning. good morning. we still have the high fire

danger throughout southern california. it stays cool with a dominant high pressure system still in control of the weather, but gusty winds still kick in for us. for wednesday, look for power outages, extreme fire danger and reduced visibility up towards sacramento as well as throughout southern california but there will be a pattern change but that won't be until next week for marine air to return. watching out for lake-effect snow across the great lakes for tuesday and wednesday and a monster of a storm wednesday going into thursday. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. well, coming up, the first candidate to announce he's running for president in 2020. also ahead, new details about this viral photo showing high school students giving what appears to be a nazi salute. what the photographer is now saying. and later the woman who got so mad at her husband, she blew up her wedding dress.

and i take my job seriously. while i'm busy watching the game, i need your help keeping an eye on the stands. if you see something that doesn't look quite right,

tell a law enforcement official. we all play an important role in protecting our communities, and you can help. if you see something suspicious, say something to local authorities. [ crowd cheering ]

we're ba we're back now with one stuck truck. the driver of this u-haul took a turn in new orleans that was just a little too wide and got jammed under a tree. no word how the driver ended up settling things with u-haul. >> so, about that move, i guess it's off to a rough start there. less than a week after the midterm elections, the first democrat has officially entered the race for the presidency in 2020. west virginia state senator richard ojeda is setting his sights on the white house. he lost his bid to congress last week but said he faired much better in his republican district than hillary clinton did in 2016 and he also says he has a better understanding of average americans. new details about a high school prom photo recently posted online that is now sparking outrage. it appears to show a group of boys in baraboo, wisconsin,

giving the nazi salute. the president of the school board says he's appalled and angered, but there are some questions about the boys' intentions. >> there's some represented in the photo that aren't meaning to do it, and they weren't really sure what was going on but then there's some where they have intent. >> i said to them, okay, boys, you're going to say good-bye to your parents, so wave, and i put my hand up. and i said, now you're looking towards me, wave. all different stages of waving good-bye. so if you want to interpret that way, well, then i guess, go ahead and interpret that way. >> school officials and local police are investigating. well, facebook is blaming a routine test for monday's outage. the site was down in the u.s. and elsewhere for about 40 minutes. that said facebook has not revealed what it was testing at the time. we're looking at our cell phones more now than ever before. a new survey finds americans now check their phones an average of 52 times a day. two-thirds of the people

surveyed said they're trying to cut back on that.ming up, troub news for the keebler elves. and also ahead, an elephant going on the lam in upstate new york. but first, when we come back, the parents of the colorado man who pleaded guilty to killing his wife and their two children speak out for the first time. why they say he is not a monster. his wife and children speaks out for the first time. why they say he is not a monster. but one blows them all out of the water.

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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 see if you're eligible pay no more than $10 a month. we're back with surveillance video of a bus crash in connecticut which authorities say could have been much worse. five people were hurt. none seriously when the bus crashed into a building. it's unclear if the brakes failed. the bus had just come off a highway ramp. tsinton who we adg gamer e first colorn o pleaded guilty to killing his family are speaking out about their son's case. >> chris watts pleaded guilty to murdering his pregnant wife and

their two daughters, but now his parents are questioning why he took a plea deal saying he's not a monster. >> this is my son. he is not a monster. >> reporter: chris watts' parents are standing by their son's story. >> if this actually happened like the -- like they're saying that it did, that he killed them, then what was the trigger? >> reporter: prosecutors near denver charged watts in august with killing his pregnant wife shanann and their two daughters 4-year-old bella and 3-year-old celeste. watts was arrested 24 hours after he had pleaded for the safe return of his family. >> if you're out there, just come back. >> reporter: investigators say chris was having an affair with a co-worker. they say he admitted to killing his wife soon after telling her that he wanted to separate, but chris claimed he strangled shanann after she killed the girls. a story prosecutors never believed. >> frankly a flat out lie has been corrected. the spotlight shines directly

where it wrongs, on him. >> reporter: in a surprise move last week, watts pleaded guilty to killing his wife and the girls allowing him to avoid the death penalty. chris' parents say they're devastated about the deaths of their grandchildren and daughter-in-law but are still not convinced they've heard the full story. >> he's not a sociopath. he's not a psychopath. >> reporter: chris admitted to submerging his daughters in oil tanks and leaving his wife on the property of a company where he used to work, something his parents can't explain. >> i don't understand that either. i mean, i don't understand the reasoning behind any of it. i honestly don't. >> reporter: the couple says they believe chris pleaded guilty to spare them and the rest of the family from a trial. >> i just want him to fight. i want this plea -- i want him to not take this plea deal. i want him to plead not guilty to the children. >> oh, wow. >> and our thanks to the abc stations in denver and raleigh for that interview. chris watts is expected to be sentenced to life in prison next week. t

government is out with its first new fitness guidelines in a decade. they confirm most americans aren't getting the exercise that they need, which is costing the health care system more than $100 billion a year. well, 20% of teens don't get the recommended one hour of daily activity, and the government is now recommending children as young as 3 years old be physically active throughout the day to enhance growth and to drive their parents nuts at night. >> i'm good with that. a bizarre scene in upstate new york. an elephant decided to stretch its legs a bit on a local street. her name is fritha. she packed up her trunk and took a stroll in westtown, ba-dum-dum, in morning county just north of new york city. the 44-year-old elephant escaped from an animal sanctuary sunday night much to the surprise of her owner and police. >> she has an electric fence that keeps her contained and they just, human error, forgot to flip her switch on. and it makes a clicking noise

and elephants are very, very smart and she knows that clicking noise wasn't on. >> i don't know what we would have done if we wouldn't have gotten ahold of the owners. it's not like you can call the local dog warden and come pick up the elephant. >> a worker found fritha, called out her name, and she just followed the worker back home. >> she knows her name. >> yeah. to sports now and all the drama came at the end of the football game. the giants scored the winning touchdown in style there against the 49ers with less than a minute to play. it's the giants' second win of the season. yay, you're screwing up the draft pick by winning now. at this point. the final score was 27-23. all right, well, up next in "the pulse," the best city for single people. also ahead, alex trebek reveals what kind of "jeopardy" contestant annoys him the most. plus, new concerns about the future of the keebler elves. most. and the future of the keeb lush elves.

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[ playing the theme song to "jeopardy" ] any guesses on what we're going to start "the pulse" with? >> that would be "jeopardy." >> that, indeed. we begin with the revealing new interview from alex trebek. the "jeopardy" host sat down with the news website vulture. >> and he says one of the things that bothers him the most is when contestants jump around on the board looking for daily doubles. he says it disrupts the flow of the game when they don't stay with one category. he likes order, but he also got personal in the interview revealing he's been tested for alzheimer's. his doctors were worried about his memory, but they've cleared him. >> on a lighter note this picture of him at home during the interview has many people wondering, is everything in his house beige? >> maybe. >> by the way, props to graphics, and the categories

include famous gibsons and too beige or not too beige. >> livin' la vida lopez. all right, next the future of the keebler elves may be in doubt this morning. it looks like kellogg will be selling its cookie business so it can focus solely on breakfast and frozen foods. >> while the sale would also include famous amos cookies kel leg says it wholeheartedly believes these brands will thrive as part of another company. >> no reaction yet from ernie keebler right there. >> the chief elf. of course. if you're looking for love and you've been looking in all the wrong places, you'll want to look at this list, the best cities for singles. >> number one, atlanta followed by denver, san francisco, portland, oregon and los angeles. the cities were ranked on the cost of a date, the amount of things to do and, of course, the opportunity for quality matches on the dating apps. >> interesting to note. the survey found detroit has the overall highest percentage of single people. road trip to detroit, everybody. who wants to go to detroit? finally a fiery end to a

divorce in texas that was heard 15 miles away. >> uh-huh. >> a woman hit a bull's-eye about 200 yards away setting off that big explosion. >> that was the woman's wedding dress going up in flames. her father and others rigged up a target with 20 pounds of explosives as neighbors wondered what was going on. what did he do wrong? >> i don't know, but the whole family was in on it, which is amazing. >> yeah. she seems like a winner. more news after this. she seems like a winner. more news after this. re news after this.

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good morning. thanks for joining us. mike, there's a lot to talk about with you. >> we'll start with the current conditions so you know whether to grab a heavier coat or lighter one. most of us a degree or two warmer. that still puts us in the 30s and upper 40s. mid-to upper 40s around the bay. and the low to mid-50s. high temperatures on another "spare the air" day. high clouds and smoke will keep our temperatures from 65 to about 70 degrees. a little cooler than yesterday also. we'll take a look at where the air quality is worse right now coming up next. here's alexis. >> good morning, mike. we are starting off with an issue that just rt in the san

jose area northbound 280 just reopened a few minutes fatal collision involving a truck and pedestrian. everything just cleared up. i'm not seeing any resillidual delays. we're not looking at many problems, just a stackup in the cash lane. metering lights should turn on around 5:25. breaking overnight -- firefighters are on the scene of a small grass fire near uc-santa cruz. this video is just into our news room. that fire spread to about two acres or so of trees and brush before firefighters had it surrounded. fire views throughout the bay area on high alert because of the fire danger. speaking of that, more search and rescue crews will head to butte county to try to find the more than 200 people missing in the camp fire. >> officials found the remains e

total number of dead to 42. this is now the deadliest wildfire in state history. butte county sheriff released the names of the three victims. 65-year-old earnest voss of paradise, a san francisco native. hernandez of concal and carl wily of magalia. gord gordon dise died in the fire. the camp fire still growing this morning. cal fire reports it's burnt 117,000 acres. that's 182 square miles. it is only 30% contained. abc7 news reporter laura anthony has more from nearby yuba city. >> reporter: i'm from the yuba

city fairgrounds. these folks just learning if their homes survived. up in the fire zone we found a veteran who had a chance to see his loss up close. >> i've seen combat zones that looked as >> reporter: gary conner has seen, he ps. he and his wife, marilyn,marily, watching their home in ash and debris. >> it's a lot to take in. >> total loss, no doubt about that. we spent the last seven years building this up. no more buildable. >> reporter: their store is more than 7,000 structures des as the death toll rises, it's become the most lethal fire in california history.