good morning. i'm kenneth moton. >> i'm stephanie ram good morning. i'm kenneth moton. >> i'm stephanie ramos in for janai norman. here are some of the top headlines we're following on "world news now." homeland security chief kirstjen nielsen is out of a job after clashing with president trump. sources say the president became increasingly frustrated with nielsen and blamed her for the influx of migrants crossing the border. the u.s. is expected to designate iran's revolutionary guards, its elite military, as a terrorist organization. the announcement could come today. in return iran is threatening to put the u.s. military on its own terror list. we're seeing strong storms overnight in the deep south with severe thunderstorms likely in louisiana and mississippi. the same system has already damaged cars and grounded flights in texas and is moving

east toward the atlantic threatening the southeast and the carolinas. baylor's lady bears held off a furious comeback by notre dame last night to win the women's college basketball national title. it's baylor's third championship and their first since 2012 when they also beat the irish. those are some of our top stories on this monday, april 8th. good morning, everyone. let's get right to it. we begin this half hour with the sudden resignation of homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen, forced out for not doing enough to stop the flow of migrant families crossing the border in record numbers. >> nielsen was the face of the administration's hardline immigration policies like family separation. she was under pressure to be even more aggressive. the president reportedly held nielsen personally responsible for the growing number of asylum seekers from central america.

a source tells abc news she met with the president sunday to discuss a path forward and ended up turning in her resignation. >> and we're getting a lot of reaction from this this morning, a lot of from it capitol hill, a lot of it along party lines. >> yes. >> we're hearing from republicans who are praising nielsen for her work saying she should be proud of the work she did. lindsey graham there, ally of the president, saying that, again, she worked tirelessly to keep our country safe. said she should be proud of her service rendered to the president. >> lots of lawmakers on capitol hill reacting to the news, but also democratic presidential candidates like julian castro one of many, tweeting nielsen has been a willing partner in one of the most cruel and short-sighted immigration agenda in decades, we must defeat donald trump and create a more compassionate immigration system that puts people first. that sentiment being echoed by kamala harris, another presidential candidate, and many others as well. we will most likely be hearing

more about this today. >> as kevin mcaleenan, who was over i.c.e., takes the reins of dhs as acting secretary, so many democrats are wondering who is next? when it comes to kirstjen nielsen, she will forever be linked to children being put in cages, separated from their families, enforcing the trump administration policy there. you've got people like speaker nancy pelosi who says, the president's dangerous and cruel anti-immigrant policies have only worsened humanitarian suffering. she also said that it is deeply alarming the administration official who put children in cages is reportedly resigning because she is not extreme enough for the president's liking. >> right. >> so who's next? will it be an even more hardliner there? >> right, right. they're calling -- they're saying, yeah, the moves that she made were already tough and aggressive and not just. and the president is saying it wasn't tough enough. so exactly, we will see what happens next. >> we will. meanwhile the white house is making it clear that president trump has no intention of

letting democrats get their hands on his tax returns. >> the president's acting chief of staff says it's not going to happen, and he's accusing democrats of pulling a political stunt. s the partis be contmore. rorter: the white ho with a warning for democrats. you will never see the president's tax returns. >> the democrats are demanding that the irs turn over the documents, and that is not going to happen, and they know it. >> to be clear, you believe democrats will never see the president's tax returns? >> oh, no, never. nor should they. >> reporter: for years the president has refused to release his tax returns, claiming an ongoing audit. an argument he repeated this week. >> i'm under audit. when you're under audit, you don't do it. >> reporter: the battle over the president's taxes sparked by the house ways and means chairman calling on the irs to turn over trump's personal and business returns from the past six years, citing an obscure statute that

states the treasury secretary, quote, shall furnish any returns requested by the committee. in their own letter to the treasury, attorneys for the president arguing releasing his return would, quote, set a dangerous precedent. >> this idea that you can use the irs as a political weapon, which is what's happening here, is incorrect. we should not be in a situation where individuals, individual private tax returns, are used for political purposes. >> reporter: at least one republican, senator mitt romney, saying the president should just release his tax returns. but he doesn't think the democrats' strategy is a good one. >> going after his tax returns through a legislative action is moronic. that's not going to happen. >> the president's personal attorney signaling a drawn-out legal battle to come. >> if necessary, we're not at that point yet, if it has to be litigated, it will be litigated. >> reporter: taxes not all the democrats are after. they're calling on the attorney general to release the mueller report. attorney general william barr has promised to make the redacted report available by april 15th. but that's not enough for the chair of the house judiciary committee, jerry nadler.

>> it's not up to the attorney general to decide with respect to that, or with respect to other material that he decides congress can't see. it's not up to him. remember, he is a biased person. >> reporter: tara palmieri, abc news, the white house. >> the house judiciary committee has authorize nadler to subpoena the attorney general, and he's preparing to use it if congress doesn't get the unredacted report. >> democrats say it's crucial that the entire report and underlying evidence be released to the public and they're willing to take the fight to the supreme court if necessary. the president says he's willing to do the same. a family is demanding answers in the death of a 10-year-old girl. >> two weeks ago today, fifth grader are are a raniya wright got into a fight with a classmate at school. two days later she was dead. zachary kiesch has more.

>> reporter: the family of 10-year-old raniya wright breaking their silence, demanding answers for why the 10-year-old died days after a fight in her south carolina school. >> i sent my child to school feeling like she can be protected. while she's not in my care anymore. i want to know everything. and they didn't have no answers for me at all. >> reporter: march 25th, raniya was involved in a fight with another fifth grade girl. raniya's condition so severe, she was unresponsive and in critical condition when she was taken to a charleston hospital, where she died two days later. the other girl has been suspended and police say there was no weapon used in the fight. as memorials grow her family and concerned parents have raised questions about the way the incident was handled and the lack of information officials and the school have released. >> the school failed. they don't want to admit that they failed. they don't want to own up to what's going on right now. but you just can't take everything and sweep it under the rug. talking about a 10-year-old girl. >> reporter: an autopsy has been done but officials say it could take several weeks before they get the results back, leaving

this family increasingly frustrated as they deal with the loss of their little girl. zachary kiesch, abc news, south carolina. >> zachary will have more of that story on gma this morning. stanford university has expelled a female student because of links to the college admission scandal. the school has not released the student's name but says her application included fake sailing credentials followed by a $500,000 contribution to stanford's sailing program. the contribution was made through stanford's former sailing coach who was fired after pleading guilty in the admissions bribery scandal. the motel 6 chain has agreed to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit for sharing guest ioofcials.n with u.s. it was sued for sharing about 80,000 customers' personal information for more than two years. washington state's attorney general says the information led people to be detained or deported. federal officials in oregon say they've broken up a scheme involving trading in fake iphones.

prosecutors say two college students kept sending counterfeits to apple claiming they were not working. apple would send them a genuine iphone as a replacement. the suspects allegedly made more than 1,500 successful claims, costing apple nearly $900,000. some questions surrounding beyonce. has netflix dropped a hint about a new beyonce special? >> it was a big hint, i think. look at that. "homecoming" plastered up there like that. last night this appeared on social media bots with the word "homecoming" and the date april 17th. fans on twitter think that will be the day netflix premieres a special on beyonce's coachella festival performance last year. the look is similar to her own reveal for the event last april. >> that will be exciting. mark your calendars. >> the beehive is buzzing over that one. will she also drop any new music around that? >> right. >> i think not, i think it will just be about coachella, maybe some other things. >> yeah, netflix not giving any more details about it so we'll have to wait and see. >> april 17th.

we got "game of thrones." we got beyonce and netflix. >> you've got a busy night or day on your couch. >> the next few days. coming up, the horrifying moments under the big tent at a circus. the lion tamer viciously attacked during a performance. this morning, why he says he doesn't blame the lion at all. but first, the hunt for a hit-and-run driver caught on camera. the victim just 14 years old is speaking out. hear from her next on "world news now." mattress is dangerously comfortable. i love my leesa. people everywhere love their leesa mattresses. and now, for an even more luxurious sleep experience, meet the sapira sir hybrid mattress combining performance foam technology with individually wrapped pocket springs. enjoy extreme comfort, minimal motion transfer, and incredible edge support. sapira

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that right there is a slow-motion nightmare for allergy sufferers in tennessee. this tree and all its pollen came tumbling down in hixson outside chattanooga. it all came down in a big puff of green dust. just seeing that makes you want to sneeze. >> oh, yeah. >> i love this time of year when it comes to weather changing, getting a little warmer. but these allergies? >> don't want to mess with them, not at all. thankfully no one was around that tree when it fell. in new york city police are searching for a hit-and-run driver. watch this video here. when you see -- watch the cross walk. you can see a 14-year-old girl was crossing the street when she

was all of a sudden struck by that car, a black dodge challenger. >> the car had georgia plates. the girl suffered severe bruising to her torso and legs. she says she tried to avoid the car but couldn't. >> when i turned around, i just see a car just move very fast. then i want to go away but i can't. when i see the video i was like, oh, oh! >> initially the woman who was behind the wheel got out of the car to check on the girl. she reportedly says she was going to pull her car over but got back in and drove off. a circus lion tamer is recovering from a gruesome attack in front of a live audience. >> the big cat was scratching and biting the train sore viciously, it even reportedly left a tooth behind. here's abc's marci gonzalez. >> reporter: this terrifying lion attack captured on camera at a circus in ukraine. you can hear members of the audience screaming as the giant cat pounces on his trainer. in this video posted by p.e.t.a., you see the lion's jaw

clamped onto the 32-year-old trainer's arm, forcing him to the ground. >> two seconds, he is come to me and attack me and catch me. >> reporter: the trainer left covered in gashes and bite marks, saying he had a tooth still stuck in his muscle. incredibly getting back up and moving towards the lion. >> the trainer's life was absolutely in danger. he's very lucky to have survived that. if that lion had gotten the trainer by the neck it probably wouldn't have ended as well as it did. >> reporter: he's already back in the ring with the same lion just one week after the attack. >> it's not the first time i have attack, they have so many times. lions and tigers, for me it's like my sons, like my daughters. >> reporter: he's still recovering from those bites and scratches, admitting most attacks like this are the lion tamer's fault. marci gonzalez, abc news, washington. >> incredible. he got right >>congp, remembering a day that lives on in television infamy.

>> where were you the night "twin peaks" premiered? we're opening up the abc news "vault" straight ahead. you're watching "world news now." g "world news now."

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♪ ♪ oh this brings back some memories. >> does this take you back? >> there are few tv show themes as distinctive and evocative as the music from "twin peaks." >> exactly 29 years ago today, abc premiered a mystery/horror/drama series unlike any other. it would end up attracting a cult following that would last for decades. >> opening up the abc news "vault" as primetime took a closer look at the social phenomenon sparked by "twin peaks." >> reporter: this time last night, 11.5 million americans were watching the show you're seeing now. the season finale of "twin peaks." the aggressively bizarre new abc series.

♪ for anyone who doesn't know, it's an offbeat murder mystery set in a logging town in the pacific northwest. the series opened with the murder of 17-year-old laura palmer. for all those patient viewers, seven weeks of sorting out suspects and sticking with the show was going to pay off last night in the season's big finale. judd rose gets into the "twin peaks" spirit. >> there's a strange new tv show. every time it's on people sit in front of their sets like logs. they record every episode on their vcrs. the next day at work that's all they talk about. diane, sam? it's very mysterious. the body of laura palmer was just the first strange thing to surface. we've seen crying ke a wolf.ls and the lady who talks to her log.

>> one day my log will have something to say about this. >> reporter: but "twin peaks" has also been perhaps the most hypnotic whodunit to ever hit the home screen. >> who killed laura palmer? >> the deceptionist. >> i think leland. >> i think it might have been audrey. >> reporter: the tension was so thick, you could hear the jelly dripping out of a doughnut. and then -- >> well, it's a bummer he got shot. >> reporter: the biggest bummer, they still never told us who dun it. >> make a note of this. "twin peaks" has definitely brought something different to television. for example, it taught us that it can be intriguing and even eerie to focus on inanimate objects that have absolutely nothing to do with anything. ♪

this is tv for the '90s. seductive and surreal. they're still talking about this dream sequence. [ gibberish ] >> reporter: they got that eerie sound by having the dwarf talk backwards, and then playing the tape forwards. i happen to have found a copy of the script, and i know the answer. the person who killed laura palmer is none other than -- >> who killed laura palmer? >> the mystery continues. >> no, it doesn't. spoiler alert, it was her father -- >> don't do it, somebody may want to watch! >> it was her father, leland, wo >>ou did?h as a kid. >> i k

it was crazy, i loved it. that takes me back. >> it was one of the greatest television series of all-time, apparently. all-time, appare apparently.

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♪ when love takes you in everything changes ♪ it as tough reality for so many people who just want to start a family but their attempts are unsuccessful. >> this morning we're meeting a hospital nurse who found that the child who's meant to come into your heart could already be right in front of you. here's abc's tom llamas. >> reporter: 2-year-old gisele smith just glows with happiness and joy. and she should. she now lives in a world full of love. >> yay! >> reporter: far from the world she was born into. weighing less than 2 pounds, she needed a feeding tube and special care. she was in the custody of the state. her birth parents apparently unable to care for her.

and for five months, not a single person visited this baby in the hospital. then a chance encounter changed everything. >> this little girl in the stroller crossed my path. and i said, who is that beautiful little angel? and the nurse says, this is sal. that was a moment where i realized this was meant to be. >> reporter: that's liz smith, director of nursing at franciscan children's hospital in boston. liz had been trying unsuccessfully to start a family of her own. >> i thought, my door to motherhood has closed. >> reporter: liz knew this could be the second chance at a family she and gisele both needed. she took in the baby as her foster daughter, knowing it might not be forever. >> that was hard because there's a lot of unknown. but what i did know is that she deserved every ounce of love i had to give her. >> reporter: then liz got the news that she and gisele had been waiting for. her adoption finalized. liz getting to hear the one word she always hoped for.

>> she calls me mama or mum. >> mama. >> mama, sorry. she calls me mama. >> such sweet words. i know liz has a lot of love to give. so many families have a lot of love to give and they go through adoption and give those children a much-needed home. >> both of them so lucky to have found each other. smith began visiting gisele every single day, and she helped her through cocaine and heroin withdrawal, fed her through a tube 16 hours a day. just even in the hospital, she was dedicated to her. >> and obviously tom mentioned there that the parents were not able to care for her, and it seems like that was the best thing they could have done for her because now she's in this loving home with liz there. and we wish them all the best. that's the news for this half hour. thhe news for this half thhe news for this half ho

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this morning on "world news this morning on "world news now," a stunning staff shakeup. >> homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen is out. the bombshell announcement comes just days after she and president trump visited the border together. what the two are now saying about the sudden departure. also this morning, severe storms are on the move. several states are seeing heavy rain, strong winds, and golf ball-sized hail. accuweather has your forecast. finally free. the american woman held hostage in africa is rescued and now headed home. new details on the race to set her and her tour guide free. the baylor women's basketball team is waking up as national champions for a third time in history.

the thrilling finish and the lady bear getting credit for giving baylor the edge over notre dame. it's monday, april 8th. a big congrats to the lady bears who overcame a big injury, a thriller of a game. good morning, i'm kenneth moton. stephanie ramos holding down the desk here. >> good morning. >> she's back. janai norman will be holding down the anchor desk for "good morning america" later. we'll see her later. it's great to have you. >> thank you, so great to be here. those baylor women, they work so hard. and this is the third national championship. >> third. >> so it was great to see that win last night. >> we will get to that in just a second. i said we're holding it down because there's a lot of big news to get to, including the sudden departure of homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen, stepping down amid growing frustration from president trump over the spike in migrants entering the country. >> in her resignation letter, nielsen said they've implemented historic efforts to defend our borders.

one source tells abc news nielsen believed the president's requests on the border were getting out of hand. and found much of it to be unreasonable. >> nielsen just toured a stretch of the southern border with the president friday, apparently unaware she'd be forced out two days later. abc's tara palmieri has the details. >> reporter: president trump's embattled homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen is out, resigning in a letter, writing, it was time for her to step aside, adding, quote, i hope that the next secretary will have the support of congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure america's borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation's discourse. an administration shakeup coming as the president ratchets up his rhetoric on immigration. >> the asylum program is a scam. our country is full. >> reporter: nielsen's departure on the heels of another change. the president withdrew the nomination of ron vitiello for director of immigrations and customs enforcement. >> ron is a good guy, i know him well, he's done a good job.

we may go a different way, a little tougher. >> reporter: nielsen tasked with stances on immigration, coming under fire for its controversial family separation policy. >> i'd like to thank secretary nielsen for being here. >> reporter: just friday, nielsen traveling with the president to the california/mexico border. >> we have some of our people here, fabulous partners -- >> reporter: the president touring a two-mile strip of 30-foot steel slats. >> it's a great wall and i think it looks fantastic. >> reporter: that trip coming one week after he threatened to close the southern border completely over a surge of migrant crossings. 76,000 migrants were stopped at the border in february. 40,000 of those families. and federal officials estimate the figures for march will be even higher with an estimated 95,000 migrants apprehended. president trump has said he wanted a tougher immigration policy at the border. white house officials say that he became increasingly frustrated with nielsen and blamed her for the surge in

migrants. tara palmieri, abc news, the white house. >> our thanks to tara. and again, this is a sudden and abrupt departure, even though there have been rumblings about her leaving, be on the chopping block at some point. our white house reporter is reporting a source said the president had been holding nielsen personally responsible for the growing number of migrants. also when she went to this meeting at the white house sunday, don't know if she was expecting it but the resignation later came pretty quickly after it came out and the president tweeted about it. >> apparently nielsen had a resignation letter drafted for the past year. so she saw this coming. the past year. >> you're like, i'm just -- this letter's over here, i'm ready to hand it in when it's ready. >> they had a rocky relationship. >> right. >> she saw this coming but i don't think she saw it coming yesterday. >> she had been protected by the former white house chief of staff, john kelly, who was the former dhs secretary. now that he's gone, we knew that soon nielsen would be out. now that has happened.

>> yeah. who takes over now? there's an acting -- his name is kevin mcaleenan, current u.s. customs and border commissioner. he will be the acting secretary. right now the three agencies, the three departments that deal with the border -- defense department, interior, homeland security -- all have acting secretaries. >> they do. >> we'll see how long they last. acting white house chief of staff mick mulvaney says democrats will never see president trump's tax returns. he's dismissing the effort as a political stunt. >> house democrats have given the irs until wednesday to turn over six years of the president's personal and business taxes, basing the request on a rarely used law. mulvaney told fox news the issue was already litigated during the election since trump didn't release his returns and was elected anyway. a lawyer for the president is urging the irs not to turn over the tax information to congress citing privacy rules. turning to weather, severe storms are sweeping through the southern u.s. the intense system is stretching

from the gulf of mexico up to memphis. >> a severe storm swept through the houston area. operations were suspended at the houston airport. an 11-year-old girl was also reportedly injured during a lightning strike about 25 miles east of there. abc's rob marciano has more. >> reporter: millions being bombarded by severe storms in the south. softball-sized hail slamming the houston area, pummeling these cars. this one left without its back window. outside austin, extreme winds leaving behind a trail of destruction. homes and businesses flattened. this happened here at this place. >> reporter: thousands of lightning strikes hitting throughout the weekend. at least one injured when an 11-year-old girl was struck. torrential rain shutting down roads in rockwell, texas.

a driver rescued from this car as it was pulled out from floodwaters. in north dakota, rising water levels there as chunks of ice create ice jams on the red river. along the mississippi river, families evacuating there as the water continues to rise along the iowa/illinois border. rob marciano, abc news, new york. >> some incredible pictures there. accuweather's paul williams has more on the entire forecast. >> good morning, kenneth, stephanie. unfortunately the same storm that caused problems in texas picking a fight throughout the deep south with dangerous thunderstorms. in fact, we're watching for a chance of isolated tornados in mississippi, alabama, georgia, the carolinas, even into portions of arkansas and louisiana. and flooding rains, central throughout maine.ut t owstorm t. heavy showers throughout d.c. and more rain throughout the northwest. but flooding rain along the coastal region. stephanie, kenneth? >> our thanks to paul there. it appears warmer weather brought a spike in gun violence

over the weekend in chicago. police say 24 people were shot during a 30-hour period and three of those victims died from their injuries. several victims were attending a baby shower saturday. about 20 children were outside when police say gunfire erupted. detectives say that shooting appears to be gang related. no arrests have been made. the family of a south carolina girl who died after a fight with a classmate is upset with the handling of the tragedy. authorities still have not determined how 10-year-old raniya wright died, saying it may take weeks. the fifth grader's mother speaking exclusively with abc news frustrated with what she says has been a lack of information. >> i sent my child to school feeling like she can be protected while she's not in my care anymore. i want to know everything. and they didn't have no answers for me at all. >> police say no weapon was used in the fight. the other girl involved has been suspended. authorities in africa are

pursuing those responsible for the kidnapping of an american woman and her driver. kimberly sue endicott and the man are finally free after spending five days in captivity. endicott was on a safari in uganda when she was abducted. a tour company spokesman tells abc news a ransom was paid for the release. it's not clear who paid the money. new fallout involving the boeing 737 max jets. flights will be canceled into early june. the move will impact 90 flights a day through june 5th. meanwhile, boeing is still working on its software fix to repair an issue linked to those two crashes which killed nearly 350 people. on to lighter news. the baylor university lady bears are the new queens of college basketball. their title game matchup against notre dame went down to the wire. >> yes, it did. the irish had a chance to tie the game with just seconds left. but their best player missed the first of two foul shots. >> when baylor put the ball back in play the game was over and

they won 82-81, so close. it's the third championship for the lady bears and the first since 2012. when they also defeated notre dame. tonight march madness comes to an end when a new men's national champ is crowned. >> it's the virginia cavaliers versus the texas tech red raiders. neither school has ever won a men's basketball title before. >> authorities near texas tech's campus will be out in full force trying to stop wild scenes like this after the team beat michigan state saturday night. a car was flipped over and nearly a dozen scooters were burned. >> the weekend's most controversial play came at the end of virginia's win over auburn. the cavaliers getting the call and hitting three consecutive free throws to seal their one-point win. tonight's game should be a good one. we'll have the highlights tomorrow morning on "world news now." >> yes. coming up, prince william as a real-life james bond. how britain's second in line to the throne got a firsthand taste of the life of a spy. first an explosive emergency.

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whoa, check out that smashing entra a new york city bus slamming through the front of a bagel shop. the business had just opened for the day. fortunately no customers were in the shop. the driver suffered minor injuries. police say a car hit the bus, which caused it to swerve into the store. >> crazy. investigators in texas are looking into an explosion and massive fire in the middle of a neighborhood. >> one home burned to the ground. diane macedo has more. >> reporter: tarrant county investigators are searching for the cause of an explosion and fire that left one injured and a home destroyed. the blast occurred about 7:30 p.m. saturday night. the house was more than 6,000 square feet. fire officials say it was being renovated and believed paint fumes somehow ignited a flash fire. the house is also located within an unincorporated gated community that doesn't have fire

hydrants so authorities had to bring in roughly 10,000 gallons of water. >> due to the lack of water, we had to shuttle tankers back and forth. so it takes a little bit more time. but basically the house was a total write-off before the fire department got here because of the amount of fire that was there. >> reporter: two workers were reportedly in the house at the time of the explosion. one of the men was taken to a local hospital for burns to his arm. it appears none of the other homes in the area were damaged. investigators are now combing through the rubble trying to piece this together, but they say they may never know exactly how this fire started. diane macedo, abc news, new york. >> our thanks to our friend diane there. two students at spring break will go home heroes. >> the two were in the surf when they heard a cry for help. the high school juniors saw two kids caught in a rip current. the teens jumped into action despite not having any lifeguard training. >> he kind of went under the water for a little bit. right then i just reacted.

i held the kid up out of the water and i told him, go up. t. when asked if the boys consider themselves heroes, they said not really, anyone would have tried to help in that situation. thank goodness they did. >> yes, we definitely want to call them heroes. coming up in the next half hour, terrifying moments for a seattle couple when a power pole crashed into their suv and the domino effect as a dozen other poles came crashing down. but first, prince williams' tour of duty as a real-life 007 on britain's counterterrorist spy team and his nation's ultra top secret gchq. that's coming up next on "world news now." gchq. that's coming up on "world news now."

when i have an asthma attack... i feel like a fish with no water. learn how to prevent your child's next asthma attack. because even one attack is one too many. ♪ ♪ if you choose to accept this mission, stephanie ramos, nothing gets our hearts racing like the theme from "mission impossible." >> no doubt. at least one heart was racing across the pond as britain's prince william got a firsthand taste of what it's like to be a spy, doing a deep dive with british intelligence. here's abc's david wright.

>> the name is bond. james bond. >> reporter: kensington palace has yet to say how the duke of cambridge takes his martinis. >> shaken, not stirred. >> reporter: but his royal highness has enjoyed an up-close look at her majesty's secret se s, 007 a week at mi5, britain's domestic counterterrorist spy team, and he spent a week at the ultra top secret gchq. >> the suit is the modern gentleman's armor. the kingsman agents are the new knights. >> reporter: no, that's not the kingsmen, which is completely fictional as far as we know. gchq is the equivalent to the nsa, focused on code-breaking and electronic surveillance. it began with the heroes of bletchley park, who cracked the

enigma code during world war ii. these days gchq is so top secret, only friday did officials reveal its old headquarters, a nondescript office block sandwiched between a starbucks and a pub here in london. top secret no more because gchq recently moved to fancy new digs where the future king got a peek at what they do. >> he wants to get even more understanding of how the intelligence services work before he is given the level of briefings that he will be given. >> reporter: the head of gchq said the prince asked some probing questions and demonstrated a clear grasp of the mission. and the prince seemed impressed saying these agencies are full of people from everyday backgrounds doing extraordinary work to keep people safe. david wright, abc news, london. >> so gchq apparently stands for "golden corral headquarters." did you know that? no, it's "government communications headquarters."

they were really impressed with him, said he asked some probing questions that demonstrated a real grasp of the mission. >> the prince for his part said he's impressed by the extraordinary work of british intelligence, keeping people safe. in the meantime, one piece of very top secret british intelligence may have been inadvertently released by serena williams. >> the tennis star may have let slip a royal secret. the sex of william -- it says william and meghan. it's harry and meghan, guys, not william and meghan. william and meghan, that would be a real royal scandal there. >> that's a secret. no, no, no. >> she said it's no secret that serena and the duchess are close friends. but this is what happened when serena was asked about her advice to new moms. >> my friend is pregnant, she's like, oh my kid's going to do this. and i just looked at her and i was like, no, she's not. and i'm like, no, you're not. she started laughing. >> whoa, whoa, whoa.noshs not."

is the pregnant friend really duchess meghan? does she imply she's pregnant with a girl? >> it's a girl. >> it's a girl. .

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welcome to "the mix." welcome to "the mix." hello. guess what we have? empanadas. we know there's a day for everything, right? >> yes. >> today is national empanada day. so we've got a couple here. if you don't know what they are, yes, a little clap for empanadas. they can be baked, fried, all sorts of things inside, chicken, meat, fruit, seafood, a little bit of everything. >> where's my side of kranch, guys for my empanadas, my ketchup-ranch? >> you can try it. >> no, here, there we go. >> what are we doing? >> you're like, whoa. speaking of -- >> i will gladly have them all.

there's a new dance craze in town, kids, and everybody's doing it, it's called the whoa. these kids are a lot cooler doing it. clemson university basketball team there doing a little bit of whoa. apparently this craze -- i think it was popular a few months ago. now it's back in the headlines, on social media. you see they're cranking like they're cranking a wheel? we decided to try it here at "world news now." >> nice. >> let's take a look. my little instructional advice happening here from andre. >> who's in control here? >> andre said to take it out and see if i could do the whoa. >> yeah. kim? >> kim randolph there. >> does kim do the whoa? >> she's like, whoa, no. >> the tractor-trailer whoa. >> the tractor-trailer whoa. our leader ken nealon here, one of our producer/managers. >> does he do it do? ken? >> i'm like, whoa. >> do the whoa, ken. jack's got it.

>> does he do it? i love how everyone just stares at you for like a few minutes. >> he's like what are you doing? >> i'm not doing it, i'm not doing -- i'm going to do it. there's dom. >> another one of our producers here. just -- no, no. so whoa. >> that was great. whoa. >> there you go. you got it. >> no, i don't. all right. all right. do the whoa today. do the whoa, eat some empanadas. all right, on to our next story here. a couple of divers, they got married under water, where else. >> under the sea. ♪ under the sea >> a pair of scuba diving enthusiasts held this underwater wedding ceremony in australia. there you see them diving. and they just hung out under water. >> was her name ariel? is that too easy? >> not ariel. her name is actually casey.

that's good. they probably -- who -- i wonder how long they stay under water this. >> the marriage is already under water.

this morning on "world news now," forced out. homeland security secretary kirstjen nielsen handing in her resignation as the president rails against a sudden spike in immigrant crossings at the southern border. what sparked the abrupt departure. heading home. the american tourist kidnapped in uganda finally rescued. how she was found safe after being held hostage for nearly a week. new this half hour, you're out. the baseball brawl that cleared the benches. >> plus the surprising swarm that had players buzzing in the dugout. n merin find ohit a high mnoteith ondah ♪ take a load off annie take a load for free ♪

>> oh, good morning, everyone. how about this duet here? kenneth moton, stephanie ramos in town. how's it going? >> it's going well. i like how "american idol" is doing things a little differently this year. >> they really are and last night was a good show. can't wait to break that down. i feel every time you're up from d.c. we've got big news. mueller report last time, now this resignation of kirstjen nielsen. >> yeah, we're going to talk about it. >> we are, and we're going to talk about it right now. we begin this half hour with the new details on the resignation of kirstjen nielsen, forced out after just 16 months on the job. >> we're learning this morning nielsen asked to meet with president trump after traveling with him to the southern border last week. now a source tells abc news she had planned to discuss a path forward, but the president had already made up his mind that nielsen was to blame for the sharp increase in migrant crossings. abc's daria albinger has more.

>> reporter: secretary of homeland security kirstjen nielsen is out of a job. president trump making the announcement on twitter saying nielsen will be leaving her position, and i would like to thank her for her service. going on to say that kevin mcaleenan, current customs and border commissioner, will become acting secretary of dhs. in her letter of resignation she writes, i have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside. the latest administration shakeup coming just days after the president withdrew his nomination of ron vitiello for director of immigration and customs enforcement. >> ron's a good guy, i know him well, done a good job. we may just go a different way, a little bit tougher. >> reporter: nielsen had the difficult task of defending the trump administration's zero tolerance policy that led to the separation of more than 2,500 children from their parents as they crossed the border illegally. republican senator lindsey

graham thanking nielsen for her hard work and dedication saying, she worked tirelessly to keep our country safe, and she did her best to deal with a broken immigration and broken congress. there was also criticism. democratic senator richard blumenthal tweeting, secretary nielsen leaves a legacy of separating thousands of families, caging children, denying it happened, we'll be grappling with the damage she's wreaked for decades to come. nielsen's departure comes just two days after she traveled with the president to the california/mexico border. daria albinger, abc news, new york. >> as homeland security transitions to new leadership, the government has revealed it may take two years to identify thousands of migrant children who were separated from their families. we now know families were being separated even before the administration's zero tolerance policy was announced. in a new court filing the government says it plans to use statistical analysis, then manually sift through cases of children apprehended as early as july of 2017.

the chinese woman arrested at mar-a-lago is due in court today for a detention hearing. yujing zhang allegedly lied her way into the presidential retreat in florida. prosecutors say she was carrying four cellphones and a thumb drive that contained malicious software. she faces charges for making false statements and entering a restricted area. now to africa where the hunt is on for the kidnappers of an american woman and her safari driver. >> kimberly sue endicott is heading home from uganda after five days in captivity. >> it was an extensive search involving helicopters and even the fbi. abc's ian pannell reports from the park where endicott was abducted. >> reporter: dramatic developments here at queen elizabeth national park as kimberly sue endicott, the american tourist who was kidnapped, and her driver, jean paul mirenge remezo, were finally rescued. details of their recovery still to be released, but here's what

we know. the news broke almost five days exactly since the pair were kidnapped at gunpoint while out on an evening game drive not far from here, a couple of miles down into the park proper. we know that they were out with an elderly canadian couple. they were stopped by a group of men with guns wearing army fatigues. they took away kimberly sue and jean paul at gunpoint, leaving behind the two elderly canadians who then notified the authorities. this sparked a huge manhunt involving police, army, helicopters, we've seen vehicles moving in and out, also the fbi were actively involved in an attempt to try and recover them. but a spokesman for the tour company has told abc news that a ransom was paid for their release. esn't pay kidnappers for fear of encouraging more hostage-taking. so if money did change hands, that will be of huge concern to the people who live and work r. ian pannell, abc news, queen elizabeth national park, uganda. >> thank you, ian. republican congressman clay higgins of louisiana is among

the people calling on those responsible for a streak of recent church burnings to turn themselves in. members of one congregation held their first service sunday since their church burned down last week. the congregation gathered at a new venue amid beefed-up security. authorities are trying to figure out if that fire and three others that also burned, historically black churches, are connected. three of the fires took place in louisiana's st. landry parish. the fourth was in northern louisiana near the arkansas and texas borders. the south is being hit by severe thunderstorms overnight. the storm system you can see there on radar stretches from the gulf up to memphis to texas. cars in grapeland about 100 miles east of waco were damaged and flooded. accuweather's paul williams is large hail and isolated tornados everywhere you see red. for the northeast, rain upstate new york, boston. a winter storm for maine. heavy thunderstorms for d.c. more rain for the northwest. flooding rain along the coast.

and then throughout the north-central part of the country, more major flooding throughout several rivers. kenneth, stephanie? >> lots of rain in that forecast there. the late former president george h.w. bush will be honored on a stamp this year. >> it will be issued june 12th on what would have been his 95th birthday with a ceremony at his presidential library and museum. the first-cls amp design is based on a 1997 photograph. bush was president from 1989 to 1993 and also served as vice president, a member of congress, and cia chief. he passed away last fall. in sports, sunday's baseball highlights included a brawl and a buzz. >> in pittsburgh, cincinnati's derek dietrich struck a pose after hitting the 62nd homer of

his six-year career. on his next at-bat, the pirates' chris archer fires the pitch behind his back. moments later, as one broadcaster said, things got feisty. five players ended up getting ejected as the fight turned to chaos on the field. pittsburgh ended up winning the game. meanwhile, things were buzzing in anaheim. a swarm of bees, they took over the bullpen during the rangers/angels game. one texas player just swatted them away while he was warming up. you can see that guy there. the towel around his neck. players just creating their own beekeeping gear. it's like, what do you do? they're just around. >> i would make a "beeline" for the dugout, get out of there, i guess. coming up, "the skinny." in "the skinny," the all-star e the field of contestants narrowing down, the "idol" hopefuls got their chance to perform with some of the biggest names in the music industry. first, the couple trapped after a power pole slammed onto their suv. with thousands of volts of electricity buzzing around them, the one thing they did that may have saved their lives. you're watching "world news now." now."

a wwe hall of fame speech turned into a worldw a wwe hall of fame speech turned into a worldwide wrestling moment for the ages. a spectator tackled brett "the hitman" hart as he accepted his award in new york city. hart is okay.

the crowd at brooklyn's barclay's center cheered when another wrestler punched that man. the suspect now faces assault and other charges. >> wow. >> wild scene there. >> he came out of nowhere. we head back to africa for details on the death of a suspected animal poacher. >> officials at kruger national park in south africa say the man was killed by an elephant last week. they found his gun and ammunition. they also claim that most of his body was devoured by lions with only his pants left behind. some of his alleged accomplices alerted his family, who called park officials. the four accomplices had been arrested. they could face charges in >> no comment.e in shgt state i their terrifying story of surviving an electrical pole slamming onto their suv. >> the one pole collapsed, triggered a frightening cascade of more poles falling across more than a mile. here's abc's maggie rulli. >> reporter: the couple trapped in this mangled mess of poles and power lines bruised but thankful to be alive.

>> wires down, about 15 poles down -- >> reporter: tom and linda cook were driving in their seattle neighborhood friday when suddenly they saw a flash. >> i saw the pole start falling to the ground. and i thought, wow. i guess we'll have to find another way out. >> reporter: but that led to a domino effect, with dozens more tumbling down. >> it was so surreal. then it was one after another after another. >> reporter: the couple swerved but the pole landed right in the center of the car, causing the roof to cave in. hhito the lef them t. a od idea,ec epter: the downed spanning a mile, wiping out power to thousands. the couple rushed to a local hospital, home feeling grateful after a close call. >> it wasn't our time. >> yeah. >> reporter: authorities say those utility poles were given a full inspection just a few years ago, but right now they still

have no idea what caused all of them to come crashing down. maggie rulli, abc news, los angeles. >> our thanks to maggie. the cooks did the right thing, they stayed put. those tires were able to ground them. and we're taught that. in the tv news world, you see local news ride around with those live trucks, microwave trucks, they put that steel beam in the air. we were taught in this business, you stay right there. we're taught some other things as well. but that couple really did the right thing. >> they absolutely did. and, i mean, it's an absolute miracle that they were not hurt any more than they were. i mean, that's just -- it's crazy. so thankful to be alive for sure. when we come back, three more contestants booted from "american idol." who made the cut? and the big moments and big winners at last nit'acawards. "t olay regenerist hydrates skin better than creams

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enters its top 20 round. top 20 already. >> top 20, top 20. >> it happened so fast. last night was also the first episode of celebrity duets. ♪ it has to be love love love love love ♪ >> reporter: "idol" hopefuls got to perform with some of the greatest names in the business in the all-star duet round. ♪ we belong to each other >> reporter: pat benatar, neil geraldo, jason mraz, l king, and shaggy. ♪ don't walk away give me another chance ♪ >> reporter: the judges even getting in on the act. judges katy, lionel, and luke sending home three singers last night. kate, sean, and bumbly. moving on to the next round, seven contenders including lacy kay booth. ♪

>> have mercy. >> i don't want to play favorites but -- >> reporter: it looks like the second time around may be the charm for contender layne hardy. ♪ take a load off annie take a load for free ♪ ♪ take a load off annie >> i love that they did this. >> yeah. >> the duets. i hope that's an ongoing thing. it really worked out for them. >> shaggy, though. i would have easily done "it wasn't me." that was my go-to >>itasn't me." night three more contenders will be going home, and they're probably saying, please don't let it be me. >> i don't want it to be me. and the show promises a new twist, america starts to vote next week. next to the other big night for music in las vegas. >> reba. we all know reba. we don't say her last name. reba hosted the academy of

country music awards last night for the 16th time, taking a swipe at the show for failing to nominate a single female artist for the night's biggest honor, entertainer of the year. >> among the night's biggest moments, miranda lambert apparently still shading her ex-husband, blake shelton, nearly four years after their highly publicized divorce. lambert took the stage singing an updated version of her hit "little red wagon" changing the words "i live in oklahoma" to "i got the h-e-double hockey sticks" out of oklahoma. >> sensors will still get you, though. dan and shea who follow their grammy win for tequila with o o the year, single of the year, song the year, which means they took a lot of tequila shots last night, i'm sure, after the award shows. >> celebrating. jason aldean kicked off the festivities with a high-spirited performance before being honored with the dick clark artist of the decade award. >> it was keith urban who won the night's biggest honor, entertainer of the year, as he

thanked his wife, nicole kidman, who clapped for her husband like a human and not like a seal. did she do that before, guys? is that why we're referencing that? okay. >> we're going to have to work that out. >> where is that video? >> was it like this? don't show it. >> we got to remind the folks, right? >> was it like this? >> yeah. i think i remember that now. >> busting out our nicole kidman. >> everybody go look it up. yeah. next, a big night for jennifer lopez. >> social media was thrown into a tizzy over the weekend after doting fiance alex rodriguez shared this video of j. lo on instagram, dancing. there she is, she's in a sports bra, dancing to the opening beat of cardi b's massive hit. "bodack yellow." >> it comes as j. lo dropped her latest hit overnight, the white-hot medicine music video. >> j. lo premiered the video on her page after "the world of dance." it features the star showing off her trademark moves on a moving carousel, it's all beautiful.

she's wearing blinged-out jumpsuits, a white cowboy hat as you saw there, she looks great as always, no surprise. congratulations are in order for don lemon. >> the cnn anchor showed the world how his boyfriend, tim malone, proposed in his ig post. two photos of dog collars around the necks of their pets boomer and barclay saying, daddy, will you marry papa? of course don said yes. >> the couple has been dating for three years, congratulations. >> big congratulations to them. coming up, our "weekend rewind." >> you'rngworld news now." now."

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say my name so my powers will become yours. shazam! >> are you for real? >> say it! >> okay! >> what was definitely for real was "shazam" taking top spot at the box office, $53 million in its opening weekend. >> rounding out this weekend's top three, stephen king's reboot of "pet sematary" taking in $25 million. and our parent company disney's "dumbo" at just over $18 million. >> i saw people walk into the big i-max for dumbo. i went to go to the movies this weekend. what do you think i saw? >> not "dumbo." >> "pet sematary." it was scary! >> oh, really? >> it's got great reviews, we talked about it on "insomniac theater", definitely scary. outside the theaters it was a busy weekend for news headlines. >> there was still room for a bit of comic relief. here now is our "weekend rewind." >> a republican/jewish coalition in las vegas, president trump mocking refugees for appearing

too tough to be persecuted. >> i am very worried that i will be accosted if i am sent back home. no, no, he'll do the accosting. the hunt for a missing 15-year-old louisiana girl came to an end. she's believed to have run off with a 47-year-old man who had become a family friend. >> domeanna spell and disotel found in colorado. the archuletta county sheriff's office alerted by the fbi friday after they say disotel's cellphone pinged nearby. now he is behind bars. brian michael rini, behind bars without bond, accused of impersonating timmothy pitzen, a boy who mysteriously vanished nearly eight years ago. >> when the dna came back we were like, oh my lord. >> he was not timmothy pitzen, instead a 23-year-old convicted criminal who came up with the pitzen story after watching this cable documentary show about the case. new fallout for "fuller

house" actress lori loughlin in the midst of the college admissions scandal. loughlin's daughter olivia jade reportedly blaming her parents for the bad pr. >> olivia is very frustrated with her parents. she would never have gone along with this if she'd known about it. >> we've brought in a consultant who handles sensitivity training. invited a couple of female democratic voters who are undecided. i thought it would be helpful if you met them and i could give you some notes. >> oh my god, you obama's granddaddy! >> i sure as hell am, get in here, whoo! hey, low five, huh? boom, boom, boom! whoa! >> that was not how i wanted that to go. >> jason sudeikis nailed it.

making news in america this

morning -- another member of president trump's cabinet is out. kirstjen nielsen moving on. the new details breaking overnight about the tension between nielsen and the president. hostage released. an american tourist kidnapped in africa is freed after a $500,000 ransom is paid to her chapters. u.s. military's role in the co about what happens next. abc news exclusive. nearly two weeks after a fifty grade student died at this school, her mother now demanding answers. >> whe