a woman g f ofif leles a local trauma center. no word yet on how or when she fell. also in los angeles, a coast guard ship pulling into a port with a massive haul of contraband. >> 2800 pounds of cocaine were seized by the ship's crew which had been patrolling waters off the coast of mexico and central america. authorities say they've also detained a handful of suspected smugglers. estimated street value of the drugs worth upwards of $38 million. as millions of kids settle into their back-to-school routines, many are struggling with emotional stress. >> but a new program is now helping many of those kids ease some of that burden. here's abc's deborah roberts. >> reporter: thousands of schoolkids around the country say they're in a better mood these days thanks to an increasingly popular program getting them to think more about

their feelings. what areorg sureinem g them. >> reporter: mark brackett, director of the yale center for emotional intelligence and author of a new book "permission to feel" says so many of us are burdened by stress and anxiety because we don't talk about our emotions. >> feelings are information. they are important for our decisions. they are important for our relationships, our health, our everyday performance. and when we acknowledge them and use them wisely, great things happen. >> reporter: and he says kids are paying the steepest price. research showing that american teens lead the world in violence, binge drinking, marijuana use, and obesity. with stress levels off the charts. more than half of college students are coping with anxiety. one-third of them depression. when you think about the world, there's a lot of stress. there's a lot of anxiety. and talking about our feelings will help that? >> it will.

because as we say, you have to chool outside chicago has implemented brackett's r.u.l.e.r. program as an integral part of its freshman curriculum. >> r.u.l.e.r. are recognizing emotions in one's self, understanding the causes and consequences, labeling those feelings, learning how to express those feelings, and the top of the hierarchy is regulation skill. >> reporter: the schools use color-coded language to help kids explain their mindset on a given day. red if they're anxious or upset. blue if they're down. yellow means they're happy. >> do you guys want to feel included? >> we want them to say, hey, mrs. parker, i'm red and i'm going to use some of my strategies right now. that's what we're doing here, lowering shame. >> at first it just didn't seem like i would use it every day. every decision i make i use it. >> it helps me be stronger. so now i feel a lot more confident.

>> it let me put myself in someone else's shoes and realize that me being wrong is okay. >> these are just life skills that you need to know. >> reporter: even parents noticing the difference. >> seeing that she can come home and, you know, open up. >> my kids actually now ask me how i'm feeling and what they can do to make my day better. it's just that life learning lesson that they don't get from a book in a classroom. >> this is incredible. it translates to so many aspects of life. love to see the advice those kids had. it's okay for me to be wrong. and other suggestions that can help with that is mindful deep breathing. i love anything that supports mental and emotional health. >> and there's no shame in the mental health game. as you mentioned about how it can impact their lives, really just going into adulthood there, we all know a lot of stresses and just intensify. take care of yourself. coming up, the cast of one of the fall's most hotly anticipated movies dishes on the drama.

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that's my jam. ♪ i just want the want the want the ♪ there's a group of stars hoping their new film takes in a whole lot of deniro. >> adrienne bankert sat down the cast. >> reporter: a star-studded female-led drama where the women flip the script. >> to victims! >> reporter: inspired by true events, "hustlers" is about a group of strippers taking back their power from the men who run the club and their wealthy clients. >> these wall street guys. they stole from everybody. >> reporter: the multi-faceted jennifer lopez who plays the ringleader of the group, ramona, loves that the characters are shown as a family. >> i don't want to be dependant on anybody. on anybody. like ever. >> how important was it to kind of display these positive female relationships in the midst of a very dark anti-hero story? >> for me the women in the story

are very strong. you know, they're very powerful. >> reporter: for these women, learning the ropes or in their case the pole was no easy task. >> you realize there's a baring of soul, vulnerability, also a power and a strength that they have that is really impressive. and it takes a lot of bravery, a lot of courage. >> reporter: with such sensitive subject matter, the cast grew very close. >> i feel like in our society once you hear that type of a profession, whether it's stripping or sex working or anything like that, people, the judgment stops there, they don't get to know people as humans and understand their stories. >> reporter: becoming a fierce family. >> we got to be there for each other and we got to take care of each other and we got to have a good time. we spent hours and hours on the set. you don't want to feel like you're wasting your life, you want to feel like you're living your life. >> i had a blast working with everybody. i was excited to join in the project. i've been a big fan of jennifer since i can remember. >> reporter: hip-hop star cardi

b in her film debut is transparent saying the storyline was familiar and very real. >> cardi, what made you say yes to this role? >> i know that i sing very well. i have danced in the new york city manhattan strip club because there's different type of strip clubs, you know what i'm saying? >> reporter: channeling women from her past to depict her character. >> it's like, oh, man, i'm having flashbacks. because everybody, even my character, like my character reminds me of a girl i used to hang out with, her name is jenny. it was, oh, this is jenny. i'm just going to act like jenny. >> reporter: "riverdale" star lili reinhart in a new kind of role. >> annabel really is the heart. i think in that sense she's the innocence in the most noninnocent sort of way because clearly what they're doing is not innocent or without fault. >> it's like robbing a bank. except you get the keys. >> reporter: while this is like no movie you've ever seen before -- >> that's what i was excited to explore was the humanity of it. we've seen a scene in a strip

club in every single tv show and movie ever. and so few have been told from their perspective. and that really interested me just from a human level. >> front hook. ankle hook. knee hook. carousel. >> we're all hustling. that's the point. that's why the movie in a sense is universal and many people can relate to it. >> in a patriarchal society there's only one position for a woman. but that's a commentary on scarcity. not gender. and i think our relationship in this movie really proved that. because it was all run by women. and it was all women. >> women producers, women director, woman writer, women stars. >> and about their stories. >> women, women, women. >> about mothers, daughters. >> women, women, women. >> reporter: the movie is provocative, raw, and compassionate. "hustlers" is in theaters september 13th. adrienne bankert, abc news, los angeles. wen. for allf . >>isn thamessage, iredible cast of women there. >> i might go see that one.

>> coming up, "insomniac theater." ter." stop struggling to clean tough messes with sprays. try clean freak! it has three times the cleaning power to dissolve kitchen grease on contact. it works great on bathtubs. and even stainless steel. try clean freak from mr. clean. about the colonial penn program. here to tell you if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's.

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time now for our "insomnia time now for our "insomniac theater," previewing two movies opening at the box office this weekend. >> this morning we're starting with the real-life spy thriller. keira knightley stars in "official secrets" based on the real-life story of whistle-blower katherine gunn who leaked a secret memo exposing a spy operation leading up to the iraq war. >> someone has betrayed their government and their country. >> you might need our help. >> if we do not go public, we would be conceding that no one can ever tell the people when their government is lying. >> your marriage could be

interrogated. >> my husband had absolutely nothing to do with this. >> he's a muslim. >> i'm sorry? >> also starring ralph fiennes and matthew goode, "official secrets" is scoring a solid 80% on rotten tomatoes. leah greenblatt writes, it tends to lean a little heavily on the kind of righteous perfectly calibrated indignation that happens much more often in aaron sorkin dramas than in real life. although official secrets may take liberties with the historical record, it's effective as both a drama and a cautionary tale. >> okay, 80% there. next to a supernatural thriller from the producers of "get out." david oyelowo stars in "don't let go" as a grieving uncle who gets a phone call from his niece who'd just been murdered. but she's actually calling him not from beyond, but from the past. >> i -- i don't understand. >> there's a crime that in your time hasn't even happened. your dad's going to die. your mom's going to die.

and so are you. but as long as you're alive, you can change things. >> oh, "don't let go," though, it's scoring only a 50% splat on rotten tomatoes. it is a narrative that is occasionally muddy and ambiguous, this time travel thriller kind of works, just don't think too hard about it. and a suspenseful hybrid of murder mystery and time travel. it seems kind of interesting. >> don't think too hard about it, that's my motto when going to the movies. i just sit there and veg out and like zone out. a friend of mine, she always knows the killer, the whoever, within the first like 20 minutes. >> that's how my mom is with real stories.

this morning on "world news now," breaking overnight, hurricane dorian strengthening into a category 2 storm. >> it is slow moving and gaining a lot of strength, expected to become a major hurricane before making landfall. the window to gather all storm supplies is closing. accuweather standing by live. also this morning, democratic frontrunner, former vice president joe biden, under scrutiny for a story he tells on the campaign trail. the questions about how much of that story biden got right. school bus scare. a mother recording a moment her child was nearly hit by a car as she got off that school bus. the warning she wants all parents to hear this morning. and into the storm. hurricane hunters are keeping close tabs on dorian. but one of their missions just made history. we'll explain why on this friday, august 30th.

good morning, everyone. thank you for join. all eyes on hurricane dorian so that is where we begin. the national hurricane center says it is expected to strengthen into a potentially catastrophic category 4 storm by the time it makes landfall next week. >> one major issue is pinning down dorian's ext track t rests many factors still at play. they also say that 17.6 million americans are on alert and at risk of taking a huge hit from dorian. >> nasa is also tracking dorian. here's the view from the international space station. we'll get to the storm prep in florida in a moment but let's start with the forecast. accuweather meteorologist chris nallan joins us live. chris, thank you for joining us. we often hear those warming waters that have impact on these tropical systems, so what's strengthening dorian right now? >> well, exactly what you were just talking about, kenneth and janai. good morning to you guys.

we are talking about a storm that has strengthened obviously the last few hours, and it will continue to strengthen. as you can see, the storm itself doesn't look so organized but winds are up to 105 miles an hour, pressure at 977 millibars, which is dropping. naturally that means the strength is happening. stronger and more fierce. and with this as you were just mentioning, kenneth, of course with those warmer waters and no land interaction at this point in time, this is going to allow that storm to kind of expand and strengthen and become more organized. and as we roll through the weekend, look at this. potentially here a cat 4 hurricane, a major hurricane that could impact here the east coast of florida early into the week. >> and chris, we know the two most reliable models are completely different. the america gfs has it going north toward jacksonville, the european model has it heading south. why is it so difficult to predict dorian's path right now and which model has been more accurate in the past? >> you know, that's a really good question too.

because those are our two most reliable models. when we talk about the future, it's really hard because we actually have the winds aloft that are kind of guiding this system. some models have it going a little bit further to the coast of florida, others steering it further north. it's all about the timing. some models picking up one direction versus the other because of different winds. and changes in those winds. it's actually too hard to pinpoint exactly which model at this point, to be honest, is more correct or which one has been more correct in the past. but typically we do rely on those and the impact zone like i said is going to be central florida, and that is going to be a concern for central florida and all the southeast to keep a heads up over the next couple of days here. >> we are watching dorian and thinking about the southeast. chris, we know you and accuweather are working hard as you track dorian, so thank you for joining us. we'll check back in with you next half hour. now to florida getting ready. forecasters say coastal areas could get 5 to 15 inches of

rain. that explains why so many people have been picking up sandbags to prepare for that. >> and check out all those cars stopped in the right lane of this miami highway. they're all lined up waiting to pick up last-minute supplies from costco. abc's megan tevrizian is in daytona beach with the latest. >> reporter: hurricane dorian gaining strength over the open waters of the atlantic. forecasters now saying when it makes landfall it could be a catastrophic category 4 and one of the worst storms to hit the east coast of florida in decades. >> this is potentially a catastrophic storm in terms of both wind and surge. >> reporter: florida's governor declaring a state of emergency, telling people the time to prepare is now. >> you should have seven days of food and medicine and water. >> reporter: people loading up on supplies. >> hey, hey, hey, everybody relax. >> reporter: some gas stations so busy they're running out of fuel. >> just getting prepared for the storm. >> just want to protect against what's coming. >> reporter: florida airports securing equipment. the military safeguarding planes.

the coast guard strapping down boats. more than 17 million people, nearly the entire state of florida, in the cone of uncertainty. mass evacuations are likely. >> it's mind boggling, because nobody knows exactly where this storm's going. >> reporter: president trump canceling an upcoming trip to poland, staying in washington to monitor the storm. and the rolling stones rescheduling a concert on saturday in florida to friday so fans can attend before the storm hits. kenneth, janai? >> our thanks to megan. stay with abc news and the abc on the go app. we will keep monitoring dorian as it approaches the u.s. we will have more reports later today on "america this morning" and "good morning america." presidential candidate joe biden is facing new questions about a war story he often tells on the campaign trail. >> the problem is that nearly every detail in the story appears to be false. biden maintains that the essence of the story is true. abc's terry moran has more. >> reporter: for years joe biden has been recounting a story of

american heroism and heartbreak on the front lines, recently telling a crowd in new hampshire how he traveled to afghanistan to pin a silver star on a young navy captain. >> one of his buddies got shot, fell down a ravine about 60 feet. this guy climbed down the ravine, carried this guy up on his back under fire, and the general wanted me to pin the silver star on him. >> reporter: and then a moving moment as biden approached with the medal. >> this is god's truth, my word as a biden. he stood at attention. i went to pin him, he said, sir, i do not want the damn thing. do not put it on me sir, please, sir, do not do that. he died. he died. >> reporter: but "the washington post" dug into the story and determined biden got the time period, the location, the heroic act, the type of medal, the military branch, and the rank of the recipient wrong, as well as his own role in the ceremony. biden seems to have conflated several events. kyle white, the serviceman he describes, an army specialist, not a navy captain, was actually presented with the medal of honor by president obama in washington, d.c.

but the vice president did pin a medal on a different man in a different part of afghanistan for a different act of valor. army staff sergeant jeremiah workman, who tried to rescue a fellow soldier from a burning vehicle. workman telling "the post" he did say to biden then, "i don't want it, he died." workman adds, biden looked him in the eye and said softly "i know you don't." joe biden is responding telling reporters in south carolina where he's campaigning that, quote, the central point of the story is, quote, absolutely accurate, that a young soldier did try to refuse a medal biden was pinning on him. biden trying to make the case there that it's the heartbreak and heroism that matters, not so much the details. terry moran, abc news, washington. >> our thanks to terry there. back to some news breaking overnight. authorities have arrested a 19-year-old new york man for allegedly planning an isis-inspired attack. he allegedly exchanged messages with an undercover agent saying he wanted to commit a knife

attack in queens. authorities say he ordered the weapon through law enforcement and was arrested as he tried to pick it up. the suspect is due in federal court later today. new research on human sexuality has found there's no single gene for sexual orientation. scientists at harvard and m.i.t. found no so-called gauging exists and instead lots of genetic differences influence sexual behavior. the researchers compared the situation to factors determining a person's height in which multiple genetic and environmental factors play roles. three scientists tracking hurricane dorian are making history. >> this is captain kristie twining, commander rebecca waddington, and lieutenant norman. first all three women to pilot the hurricane hunter plane for noaa. >> twining and waddington made history a year ago, they were the first all-female flight crew when they flew a mission to hawaii.

the hunters are collecting data to help forecasters determine where dorian will go. so they are really doing a lot of work that can impact a lot of people. potentially even save lives. and they just so happen to be making history in the process. >> just so happen to be. they've got a lot of experience. and we wish them well as they continue to help make so many people safe and get us the data we need. coming up, why today is the day to dress in your college colors. but first for kids heading back to school, more words of encouragement. writing inspirational quotes on the walls of the boys and girls room appears to be the new thing this year. speaking of back to school, the frightening close call for one little girl as she got off her school bus. a big warning for parents. a big warning for parents.

60% of women wear the wrong size pad, and can experience leaks. you don't have to with always my fit try the next size up and get up to 20% better coverage - day or night because better coverage means better protection always. a power plant went up in smoke in iowa. the coal-fired sutherland generating station outside des moines was imploded yesterday, two years after being shut down. the facility was built in the 1950s. it was replaced by a natural gas facility that provides more than four times the electricity. turning now to a terrifying scene for any parent. a child getting off the school

bus and nearly run over by a passing car. >> it happened to one mother in texas, and this morning she's using her story to remind us all how to keep our kids safe. here's abc's marcus moore. >> reporter: an excited mother waiting for her daughter after her first day riding the bus to and from school in houston. >> there goes malina! >> reporter: the bus' arm swinging out to signal stop to oncoming traffic before this terrifying moment. terrifying moment. >> no, wait, wait, wait, stop! >> reporter: a car appearing to blow right past the sign. seconds before that little girl tried to cross the road. >> it takes 10 seconds to stop so a child can cross the street. >> reporter: harrowing close calls at bus stops across the country -- >> no, no, no! >> reporter: one survey reported six children were killed getting on or off the bus over the course of a school year. this car narrowly missing a 7-year-old as he tried to cross the street to board his bus. this fourth grader nearly hit when a passing car didn't stop.

the mother in the latest video believes her screams telling her daughter to stop likely saved her from serious injury or something worse, and she hopes this is a reminder for all drivers to make sure they stop when they see a bus picking up children. marcus moore, abc news, dallas. >> our thanks to marcus there. i have to admit, i get so angry when i see these videos. it takes nothing to pay attention and to stop. >> well, literally -- >> kids in danger. >> i have goosebumps because that is terrifying video to see. that can happen anywhere. it takes nothing to stop. not only that, you're supposed to. that is literally following the rules. that is what you do when you're driving, especially when you're talking about saving kids. so incredible -- oh, just awful. >> the thing is our team here provided a whole list of safety tips to keep kids safe. but the only thing is to pay attention. >> yes. >> like that's the only tip. >> right. >> it drives me nuts when i see those. obviously we have to talk about it because it's the start of the school year again. but folks, pay attention. it is not worth it.

it takes literally stop and it's seconds. >> wherever you have to go cannot be that important. >> no, not at all. the idea of providing inspirational messages for students in school bathrooms appears to be spreading. >> earlier this week we told you about positive words provided for middle schoolgirls at a school in scranton, pennsylvania. kids in appleton asked for inspiration and their school is delivering. >> our school counselor had done a student perception survey and the kids came back with what they liked about school and what they thought they needed to have spruced up. and interestingly enough they said our gadhafi bathrooms need sprucing up. >> >> so i don't blame them for wanting to us make them more inviting and cool. >> so when the kids head back to school next week the messages will include things like, be the reason someone smiles today, and don't forget to be awesome. teachers say the goal is to help students feel safe, happy, and engaged at school. the teachers say they want them to know they're valued and appreciated.

>> which they are. i like those messages of affirmation there. coming up next half hour, a back to work celebration held for this long-time game show host. >> who is alex trebek? this morning we have an update on his treatment for pancreatic cancer. first as we track hurricane dorian, we're opening up the "abc news vault" to the last time florida was slammed by a cat 5 hurricane. ♪ we switched our detergent to one that's clean. ♪ ♪ and if you make the switch you'll see what we mean. ♪ ♪ tide purclean, because it's made with plants. ♪ ♪ tide purclean, gets stains out his pants. ♪ ♪ tide purclean, it has nothing to hide. ♪ ♪ it's made with plants and ♪ ♪ has the cleaning strength of tide. ♪ the first plant-based detergent with the cleaning power of tide.

hurricane dorian has strengthened into a category 2 storm over open water in the atlantic with 105-mile-per-hour winds. but it's now forecast to strengthen into a dangerous category 4 before possibly hitting florida th >> so we will be watching that, of course. but category 1 winds are up to 95 miles per hour but as we are

watching that we wanted to take a closer look at what the categories mean. a category 1 has winds up to 95 miles an hour. that can knock down trees and power lines. >> category 2 has winds up to 110 and can do damage to roofs and siding on homes. category 3 is major and can rip off roofs and knock out power and water systems for days and weeks. >> a cat 4 can do catastrophic damage, making places unlivable for weeks. dorian could be a category 4 when it hits florida. and the top of the scale is a cat 5. these are rare and destroy most wood frame buildings. 27 years ago south florida was hit by a category 5 storm, hurricane andrew. it destroyed 63,000 homes and killed 65 people. >> so we dug into the "abc news vault." here's ted koppel on "nightline" covering andrew days after that storm hit. >> hurricane andrew's impact sliced into more than concrete, wood, and metal. the brunt of its force swept south florida and cruelly

twisted innumerable lives. as linda found, where once there were thriving communities, there is a growing desperation. >> for many the day started like it always does in a traffic jam on route 1. here gasoline and ice are luxuries. concerns are much more basic. >> this water don't have to be cold. there's a lot of people that don't have water at all. >> reporter: don lee lost everything. for three generations of the lee family, home is the van parked by the side of the road. >> we have our lives left. we're very fortunate. we're very fortunate. >> reporter: this is ground zero and thousands of people do not even have a van to call home. the only refuse they have is the public shelters where officials are quickly becoming overwhelmed by the scope of the disaster. >> we're working on it! >> it's heartbreaking, it really is. you want to reach out and help every one of them individually.

but we can't do that. >> reporter: at the end of route 1, amidst the rubble of a community that no longer exists, reality is setting in. >> i can say that right now we have food, we have water, supplies that we salvaged and kept. so today we don't need anything. tomorrow's going to be a different story. >> reporter: help may be a long time coming. this is linda patillo for "nightline" in homestead, florida. >> a category 5. then i remember the year before i got to orlando to cover, i think it was in 2006 or so, where they just had them back to back to back to back. and florida gets hit so hard and they're used to dealing with -- obviously preparing for storms like this one. >> but still, it will still catch you off guard if you do not prepare. that's why you see food flying off shelves, water, especially the sandbags, as people are preparing. so make sure that you're ready out there. a lot of people getting backup generators in case the power goes out. the governor in florida

suggesting to have seven days' worth of supplies at home. (girl) my mom washes the dishes before she puts them in the dishwasher. so what does the dishwasher do? (vo) cascade platinum does the work for you. prewashing and removing stuck-on foods, the first time. (mom) wow! that's clean! (vo) cascade platinum.

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"the mix." >> mizzou rock, mizzou rock, tigers! >> south carolina! wait. what is happening here? >> i've got the whole getup on. >> did you wear these heels with this getup in college as a freshman? we have got mizzou back here. it is national college colors day. go gamecocks! i am obviously a big carolina fan. i'm sitting here, you're not. i say the real usc. south carolina. so wear your colors today. >> so i went to mizzou. i cannot tell you, i wear these pants all the time still.

this is some of my most comfy gear. kenneth found pictures from back in college. video of him. >> i didn't have any. >> talking about my school spirit. >> i deleted all mine. i wasn't so pretty back then. >> go gamecocks, whoo! >> polka! >> they're back! ♪ scrub that school bus make it shine class begins today at 9 ♪ ♪ that's the back to school polka ♪ ♪ as the school bus pulls away parents yell hip hip hooray ♪ ♪ that's the back to school polka ♪ ♪ mom let me go back to sleep cause school gets me depressed ♪ ♪ sweetie you're the principal so hurry and get dressed ♪ ♪ watch the clock the whole day through time will pass but will you ♪ ♪ that's the back to school polka ♪ how do you deal with unruly children?

>> try to defuse the situation. use psychology on them, try talking to them nice. >> hey! i told you once, i told you many times now, i want you to get off the bus, i want you off the bus right now. >> me? >> off the bus, yes, you. >> so the happy little school bus rolled merrily along. miss drizzle, cried kenneth, that mean janai knocked my books on the floor and took my lunch. miss drizzle, janai explained, kenneth made me fail my test. i asked him where was the declaration of independence signed? and he said on the bottom. ♪ they'll go down in history from an "a" to a "d" ♪ ♪ that's the back to school polka ♪ ♪ do the back to school polka ♪

this >> this morning on "world news now," breaking overnight, hurricane dorian is now a category 2. the storm is strengthening and we're getting a better idea of where it might hit. major events are being moved and people are rushing to prepare. accuweather joins us live. new this morning, president trump's personal assistant is out. hear why the woman who's worked for trump since his transition to the white house had a sudden exit. new this half hour, the tv giant is back. >> host alex trebek finished chemotherapy and is now taping a new season of "jeopardy!." you have to hear his positive outlook on his future. and "scandal" star kerry washington shares her personal phone number with 5 million of her closest friends on twitter. but wait, was it really her number? our "world news now" "skinny" exclusive investigation coming up later this half hour.

it's friday, august 30th. good morning, everyone. thank you for joining us. we begin with hurricane dorian getting closer and stronger and that makes it more likely to produce a life-threatening storm surge along the east coast. >> floridians are making late night runs to pick up bottled water and make sure their vehicles are plenty of gas. >> the red cross says it is mobilizing hundreds of trained volunteers, vehicles, and relief supplies. it has also increased blood supplies in hospitals throughout the southeast. >> preparations are under way at airports, military bases, and nasa's kennedy center to make sure equipment is secured. abc's gio benitez is in miami with more. >> reporter: worried residents are lining up across the entire state of florida, snapping up supplies. outside this lowe's near orlando, before dawn, racing to get generators. and long waits for fuel at this tampa-area costco. this is what we're seeing across

south florida, people preparing for this storm, loading up that plywood to board up their homes. at this miami home depot, we met jose noriega buying 26 sandbags. >> obviously planning for the worst possible, hoping for the best. >> reporter: dorian tore through the u.s. and british virgin islands wednesday. winds gusting above 110 miles per hour. ripping this roof to pieces. and it's getting stronger by the minute. florida's governor telling residents the time to prepare is now. >> you should have seven days of food and medicine and water. >> reporter: with more than 17 million people, nearly the entire state of florida, in the cone of uncertainty, mass evacuations are likely. >> it's mind boggling because nobody knows exactly where this storm's going. >> reporter: hurricane hunters flying inside dorian trying to track the storm's every movement. at kennedy space center, nasa using this crawler to move a 400 foot tall mobile launcher out of harm's way. florida power and light bracing for outages.

some 15,000 transformers on hand, 5,000 crew members standing by. >> we are ready, we're prepared, and we will address all the ash >> reporter: dorian now potentially the strongest hurricane to strike florida's east coast since andrew, a category 5, in 1992. the last category 4, irma in 2017, first making landfall in the florida keys, packing winds of 130 miles per hour. there's no doubt about it that people here in florida are listening to that message from authorities to start preparing right now. it's just so important. that storm may be days away, but preparing now when you can access all of these supplies and gas and water, that's what's really important. i'm gio benitez here in miami for abc news. >> our thanks to gio. two major events have been changed because of dorian, including the rolling stones show. >> it was set to take place tomorrow night at the hard rock stadium in the miami area but has now been moved to tonight at 6:00 p.m.

>> the florida state/boise state football game saturday has been moved to tallahassee at noon. fsu's season opener was originally set to take place in jacksonville. noaa is tracking dorian with its latest satellite technology which was able to capture a different and dramatic image of this storm as the sun was setting last night. >> let's get the forecast right now. accuweather meteorologist chris nallan is standing by with the very latest advisory. >> kenneth and janai, good morning. we're keeping an eye here at the accuweather network. winds at 105 miles per hour here. we're talking about winds really making waves here in the ocean and naturally the pressure has dropped and that is a sign of strengthening over this open water. so little land interaction, warm water temperatures, and less wind shear. so that means overall less disruptions here. so that's going to be fuel to get this storm really ramped up over the next 24 hours, at least the next 12 hours we'll notice strengthening.

you can see the spaghetti plots here kind of giving you an idea where the models are thinking. most models bringing it to central florida here. there's going to be some high impacts. we're talking about late night on sunday into the wee hours of monday morning, we could be talking about a major hurricane impacting the central coast of florida. >> wow, chris. we know that when it comes to these tropical systems, there are a number of concerns. but with this one, for this storm, what's the biggest concern here? are we talking about wind, rain, storm surge, or all of the above there? >> i would say immediately what we're talking about obviously is going to be the storm surge initially. it's going to be picking up all that water along the coastline, so again, those impacts being felt here all across florida. the other aspect of this storm, storm surge obviously, and also the winds. but rain. accuweather local storm max, potentially 2 feet of rain if this storm decides to sit over the florida panhandle and just kind of dump all of that water.

so that's going to be a concern over the next couple of days as well. >> and chris, we know it will be a couple of days before we know exactly where this storm is heading, but central florida certainly a target possibly. so we will be watching that. chris nallan, thank you so much for joining us this morning. in other news, president trump canceled his trip to poland to stay in the u.s. and monitor dorian. >> vice president mike pence is going in his place. the president owns several properties along florida's eastern coast. his resorts mar-a-lago and doral are in the storm's path. the president tweeted a video message saying that dorian looks powerful and could be a monster. >> we're ready. we have the best people in the world ready. and they're going to help you. we're shipping food, we're shipping water. but it may be that you're going to evacuate. we're going to see what happens. be aware and be safe and god bless you. >> all mar-a-lago employees except security have been sent home until the storm passes. the club is closed for the offseason. abc news is tracking dorian around the clock so we'll have more reports later today on

"world news now," "america this morning," and on "gma." there's another staffing shakeup at the white house. president trump's personal assistant has resigned. madeline westerhout has been with trump from the start of his administration. according to reports she resigned after the president learned she shared information about his family and white house operations during an off-the-record dinner with reporters. former defense secretary james mattis has given a new interview. he says he owes the president his silence but not forever. he declined to discuss the president's character with "the atlantic" citing a duty of silence. mattis says it's wrong to endanger the country by attacking the commander in chief, but he also suggested that may soon change. mattis resigned in december after the president announced plans to withdraw troops from syria. the ten participants in the next democratic primary debate are set and so are their podium positions. former vice president joe biden and senator elizabeth warren have center stage.

to biden's right will be senator bernie sanders, mayor pete buttigieg, cory booker, amy klobuchar. to warren's left, fellow senator kamala harris, andrew yang, beto o'rourke, and julian castro. the debate takes place in houston on thursday, september 12th, at 8:00 p.m. eastern right here on abc. the coco gauff train has rolled into the third round of the u.s. open. >> the 15-year-old phenom took a tense three-set match last night in new york. she is the youngest player to win each round at flushing meadows since 1996. the win sets up what's already billed as a must-see tv matchup tomorrow with world number one and defending champion naomi osaka. >> we're rooting for you, coco. she has had a thrilling ride. just so young. >> and it's going to be good to see her play against osaka. coming up, the update on alex trebek's battle with pancreatic cancer. first the wild ride in this hot air balloon that went rogue.

what we're finding out about those unfortunate passengers. later in "the skinny" what kacey musgraves just did that breathed new life into a store in los angeles. in los angeles. i'm alex trebek, here to tell you about the colonial penn program. if you're age 50 to 85, and looking to buy life insurance on a fixed budget, remember the three p's. what are the three p's? the three p's of life insurance on a fixed budget are price, price, and price. a price you can afford, a price that can't increase, and a price that fits your budget. i'm 54. alex, what's my price? you can get coverage for $9.95 a month. i'm 65 and take medications. what's my price? also $9.95 a month. i just turned 80. what's my price? $9.95 a month for you too. if you're age 50 to 85,

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a wind gust is blamed for a hot air balloon fail in austria. it bounced while landing, flipping two people to the ground. one of them tried to hang on and keep the balloon from flying off again. he suffered a broken arm. all three men on board are expected to be okay. free agent nfl lineman ryan russell has come out as the league's first openly bisexual player. >> speaking with espn, russell said he has two goals, returning to the nfl, and living his life openly. injuries have kept him sidelined since the end of the 2017 season. russell said he doesn't want to try out for another team as anything but his full self. turning now to another champ we've all been rooting for over these past five months. >> beating the odds, long-time "jeopardy!" host alex trebek is back at work after finishing his chemotherapy treatment for pancreatic cancer. here is tom llamas. >> reporter: the news first shocked "jeopardy!" fans all

over the country. >> now just like 50,000 other people in the united states each year, this week i was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. >> reporter: trebek vowing to fight on and keep hosting, something he's done since 1984. and showing fans he's back for another season. >> i'd like to welcome you all to the first day of season 36. >> the host of "jeopardy!" alex trebek! >> i've gone through a lot of chemotherapy, and thankfully that is now over. i'm on the mend, and that's all i can hope for right now. >> reporter: and cancer not stopping trebek's work ethic or his sense of humor. >> who i would want to play me if they ever did a biographical film about me? betty white. >> reporter: for "jeopardy!" fans, trebek has kept them updated throughout his treatments, including showing them he's keeping up with his hobbies like working around the house, tweeting these photos of

his remodel job on his wife jean's bathroom. season 36 starting with a party. trebek recently celebrating a birthday on set the only way he knows how. with a question. who is 79? ♪ happy birthday to you >> we have some exciting things coming up and i can't wait to share them with all of you. let me tell you, it's going to be a good year. >> it certainly will be. our thanks to tom llamas for that story. he was back to taping on his birthday, july 22nd. a good way to celebrate. >> it feels right to see him right back where he belongs. >> and that humor, betty white? >> oh, that was funny. we love betty. when we come back, why kerry washington just tweeted out her number, plus i'll share his. and shaq in a smart car. "the skinny" is next. here's her number. k, why kerry washington just tweeted out her number, plus i'll share his. and shaq in a smart car. "the skinny" is next. here's her number.

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♪ skinny just gimme the skinny ♪ skinny just gimme the skinny i'll give it to you. starting with kerry washington

tweeting out a phone number to her 5 million followers. >> she said in a video that it was her phone number. she talked in the video about missing the connection with her fans. >> well, a couple of our producers actually did text that phone number. one of them, he got an auto reply to click on a link that leads to community.com, which is sort of a reddit for celebrity fans. so bottom line here? don't hold your breath for kerry washington to personally text you back, janai, she won't. >> well, fine. >> you're not friends. >> if she won't text you back, kenneth will. 215 -- >> oh! >> they know you're from south carolina. >> that's a philadelphia area code, thank you very much. >> i won't tell you the rest. >> you are a mess. stay tuned to the end of "the skinny" because i will really give you her phone number. people actually already have it. >> i have gotten -- look. look. anyway -- next, if you're a germophobe, especially on an airplane, you are in good company.

>> yeah, this is nicole richie being taped by her pal heidi klum pulling on white rubber gloves and going through a whole lot of sanitizing wipes, prepping her first class seat for takeoff. >> okay, so i thought that only naomi campbell was the nut job. but nein, ms. ritchie is just as [ bleep ]. >> ready to go to work. >> what is wrong with you girls? >> airplanes are germ machines. >> right. >> you can see she left virtually no surface untouched by that sanitizer. >> i'm on it. >> right? i know. wipe it down. >> she is so nasty, in all, nasty. >> look. i do what i can. naomi campbell also made some headlines by wiping down hers -- look, she's got the gloves too. >> look -- >> if you're on a plane often, it's so easy to get sick. otel rooms, they wipe that down, there's a reason to be a germophobe.

>> when the baby was real young we used to do that. next to a celeb who's using her influence as a force for good. >> singer kacey musgraves has racked up quite a collection of awards. six grammys, four country music association awards, and three academy of country music awards. >> racking up the awards. this morning she's produced something much more valuable, a brand-new friend. >> oh! >> yep, that's tom, owner of tom's one-hour photo in l.a.'s korea town. lately business has been slow for tom. >> okay. so enter kacey. she was in the city for a series of shows and needed a one-hour photoshop. because you don't need them til you need them. she was so impressed that she created a fan appreciation account on instagram just for tom. so look at this kacey selected a series of tom's handmade throwback photo drops and posed for her own shoot. these are like the glamor shots.

>> oh, i know you have some glamor shots, right? >> i've got a couple, a couple. none that look that good, though, like tom's. >> maybe you should, as of this morning tom's new ig account has nearly 37,000 followers. >> hopefully that helps business a lot. >> go follow tom. >> everyone has all the pictures on their phones but how often are you printing them out? >> that's a good question. i may have a whole wall of just me. with famous people. pictures in frames. a friend of mine calls it the me-wall. >> wait, like actually printed out? >> yeah. remember i'm a little older than you, janai. >> uh-uh. did you hear him? yeah, like why wouldn't i? you're like those restaurants that people go visit and it's like, look who's stopped by, look who i've taken pictures with. >> just over the years, i want to remember, i want hard copies. >> is that where your picture with me is? >> no. i've deleted that.

>> i was in the diner down the road and there was kenneth's photo, can't get away from the guy. >> yeah, you really can't. >> no. is this real, jack? >> no, it's not. >> oh. >> i love saying philadelphia where i used to get my hair cut, when i had it, they had a signed autographed picture of me on the wall. i think it might be still there. >> when i used to get my hair cut. can't take one of the bald head. >> put on a wig, then, snatch it right off of you, then, how about that. all right, and it's certainly admirable to go small in your effort to go green. >> but certainly there are limits for some of us. >> whoa. >> especially if you happen to be over 7 feet tall. shaquille o'neal hysterically trying to cram himself behind the wheel of one of those itty bitty smart cars roughly the size of a bugaboo. >> a bugaboo? is this destiny's child? the nba legend managed to stuff his body into the driver's seat with both his feet in the driver position. hopefully he managed to get where he needed to go without

incident. >> come for him for coming for the curls. he knows this is all natural. incident. >> come for him for coming for the curls. he knows this is all natural. ok i'll admit. i didn't keep my place as clean as i would like 'cuz i'm way too busy. who's got the time to chase around down dirt, dust and hair? so now, i use heavy duty swiffer sweeper and dusters. for hard-to-reach places, duster makes it easy to clean. it captures dust in one swipe. ha! gotcha! and sweeper heavy duty cloths lock away twice as much dirt and dust. it gets stuff deep in the grooves other tools can miss. y'know what? my place... is a lot cleaner now.

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don't go breaking my heart ♪ ♪ i won't go breaking your heart ♪ elton john and kiki dee wrapped up the summer of our bicentennial, 1976, by topping the charts for a solid month. >> and our hearts are breaking this morning as we wrap up this summer. but what a week it's been. here now our weekly "friday rewind." >> we're going to try to get moving a little bit faster to get out of its way. keep going, keep going! you can see it's chewing up not only that dry brush but those palm trees are acting like kindling. there's a lot of -- whew, there's a lot of oil inside them and they are just exploding. a few minutes ago this was all beautiful, lush jungle, there were toucans flying out when we pulled in. now it's a hellscape.

the experts tell us there's only one thing that can stop them, that's mother nature. >> johnson & johnson says it will appeal a landmark ruling in an opioid liability lawsuit. >> an oklahoma judge ruled the company was largely responsible for the opioid crisis. >> we have proven that johnson & johnson built its billion-dollar brand out of greed and on the backs of pain and suffering. >> look at this reaction, there are people, that guy's wearing an andrew luck jersey, everybody's got their phones out. >> word got out that he'd be retiring from the nfl at the age of 29 and with three years left on his $140 million contract. years of battling constant injuries had taken a physical and mental toll. >> i felt stuck in it. it's taken my joy of this game away. >> carli lloyd is considering taking up a new sport, football. after video went viral of the two-time world cup soccer champion on a football field kicking and nailing a 55-yarder.

>> i had two teams approach me about potentially playing in the fourth preseason game. >> to her credit she wants to wait until 2020, her trainer says, because she actually wants to work at it, practice, get the technique down, and get it right. >> nick jr. has reportedly revealed that the show's host, steve burns, will appear in the premiere. can i sing you my favorite "blue's clues" song? ♪ here's the mail that never fails it makes me want to wag my tail ♪ ♪ when it comes i want to wail mail ♪ >> thank you, jack. >> mail! >> thank you. thank you. >> glad those curls didn't fall off. hey, guys. >> i gave up the wigs. >> you did. >> we're going to put one on you. >> we already have one. >> oh, you guys, it's friday.

breaking news in america this morning, hurricane dorian picking up strength overnight. >> you should have seven days of food and medicine and water. >> the storm now on a collision course with florida on track to be a category 4 storm this holiday weekend. the hurricane's new path. warnings about storm surge and the race to get ready. health officials sounding the alarm after a spike in vaping-related lung illnesses. >> one of the most serious health risks for our children today. >> doctors now calling it a vaping epidemic as the federal government reportedly investigates a popular e-cigarettemaker. >> the shocking video showing an inmate in labor while behind bars. the woman claiming she was forced to give birth alone. >> plus, dale earnhardt jr. opening up about his fiery plane