good morning, america. we are live in new york and george is in houston after that high-stakes democratic debate. >> showdown in houston. overnight the top ten democrats take the stage, clash over health care. >> and if you noticed, nobody's yet said how much it's going to cost the taxpayer. >> guns. >> hell yes, we're going to take your ar-15, your ak-47. >> and president trump. >> he reminds me of that guy in "the wizard of oz" when you pull back the curtain it's a really small dude. >> this false attack -- >> are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago? >> -- draws cries of foul.

>> come on, guys. >> this reminds everybody of what they cannot stand in washington. >> who is pulling away from the pack and how are voters reacting right now? our powerhouse political team breaks it all down live from the debate hall in houston. new tropical threat. florida on alert and the bahamas bracing again for a new storm barrelling north at this hour. ginger is tracking the latest. crash landing. this hot air balloon slamming down near las vegas ejecting the pilot and passengers. the investigation this morning. actress felicity huffman just hours away from sentencing in the college admissions scandal as prosecutors demand the tv star spends time behind bars. patriot act. embattled nfl star antonio brown fights back as he faces those sexual assault allegations. >> stay focused. >> going live from tom brady's gym. and jumping jellyfish. >> oh, no, no, no, no! >> the crazy close call caught

on camera. how it all ends. good morning, america. great to have you wis on this friday morning. whit and amy are hanging out at the desk with me. >> great to be here. >> great to have you here. george is in houston where he moderated the democratic debate last night. see if i can get that out, george. good morning to you, george. great job, by the way. >> good morning, guys. boy, the hall is pretty quiet here right now but those candidates came to play last night. it was a substantive debate. it was fiery. all ten candidates on stage together for the first time. it made, i think, for a real meaty debate and you saw the candidates not afraid to clash with each other. really crystallized the fault lines in the democratic party last night, particularly over that key issue of health care. we'll get into it all tonight, and our mary bruce is still on the stage this morning. good morning, mary. >> reporter: good morning, george. well, the night started with

calls for a united front but that did not last long. the candidates here duking it out over health care, immigration, race and foreign policy, exposing the deep divides within the democratic party. after brief calls for unity the candidates were quick to clash over the top issue for voters. health care. >> and if you notice nobody's yet said how much it's going to cost the taxpayer. >> reporter: front-runner joe biden embracing obamacare and challenging senator elizabeth warren's plan for medicare for all. >> i know that the senator says she's for bernie, well, i'm for barack. >> on medicare for all, costs are going to go up for wealthier individuals and costs are going to go up for giant corporations, but for hardworking families across this country, costs are going to go down. >> reporter: senator bernie sanders also defending his plan. >> every study done shows that medicare for all is the most cost effective approach to

providing health care to every man, woman and child in this country. i who wrote the damn bill if i may say so -- >> reporter: that explanation not enough for senator amy klobuchar. >> and while bernie wrote the bill, i read the bill and on page 8, on page 8 of the bill, it says that we will no longer have private insurance as we know it. >> reporter: but biden's plan also came under attack. former housing secretary julian castro seeming to play the age card. >> they do not have to buy in. >> you just said that two minutes ago. you just said two minutes ago that they would have to buy in. >> if you qualify for medicaid -- >> are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago? >> reporter: but there are questions about whether castro mischaracterized biden's plan, but at times biden did seem out of touch like when he encouraged parents to use technology to keep their children stimulated. >> play the radio, make sure the

television -- excuse me -- make sure you have the record player on anight. >> reporter: the candidates on the wings eager to stand out. entrepreneur andrew yang with a new take on his plan to give a thousand dollars a month to every american. >> my campaign will now give a freedom dividend of $1,000 a month for an entire year to ten american families, someone watching this at home right now. >> it's original. i'll give you that. >> reporter: and on gun violence, former texas congressman beto o'rourke praised for his handling of the el paso shooting doubled down on his call for mandatory gun buybacks. >> hell yes, we're going to take your ar-15, your ak-47. we're not going to allow it to be used against fellow americans anymore. >> reporter: on the issue of race, senator kamala harris facing tough questions on criminal justice reform. >> when you had the power, why didn't you try to effect change then? >> i made a decision that if i was going to have the ability to reform the system i would try to do it from the inside. was i able to get enough done? absolutely not. >> reporter: over and over again

she took on trump. >> you know, he reminds me of that guy in "the wizard of oz," when you pull back the curtain it's a really small dude. >> reporter: biden also forced to defend his record on immigration. pressed on deportations during the obama administration. >> the president did the best thing that was able to be done at the time. >> how about you? >> i'm the vice president of the united states. >> reporter: castro, quick to call out biden. >> he wants to take credit for obama's work but not have to answer to any questions. i mean -- >> reporter: mayor pete buttigieg calling for a cease-fire among the candidates. >> this reminds everybody of what they cannot stand about washington. scoring points against each other. >> now, i may not be the loudest person up here, but i think we've already got that in the white house. houston, we have a problem. >> reporter: now, castro's attack on biden's health care plan may have been one of the most explosive moments here on the stage last night, but it also may have backfired, george.

it does seem that castro got it wrong, that he mischaracterized what biden said earlier in the night. and seeming to go after biden's age, that part of the attack fell a little flat in the room too, george. >> yeah, it didn't appear that biden had forgotten what he said at all. okay, mary. thanks very much. let's bring in our team, chief white house correspondent jon karl, my fellow moderator, linsey davis, rahm emanuel, former mayor of chicago, one of our contributors and, jon, let me begin with you. mary was saying it really does appear after last night that the fault lines in the democratic party are clear, the debate is crystallized. >> clearly. in the beginning of that debate you saw the revenge of the moderates. it was interesting to see basically ganging up on bernie sanders and by extension elizabeth warren and the idea of medicare for all. you saw biden go right there. he was joined in the attack by amy klobuchar and by the others. it was a clear fault line, a clear area of debate. >> how does this debate get solved inside the party? >> the general election. because there's nothing as

unifying as donald trump. and i actually -- while there are divisions they're really not huge divisions. everybody would like to ban assault weapons. everybody would like to expand health care coverage and control costs. it's how you get there, and donald trump will bring the party together because he -- the single most, number one, number, two, number three most important goal for the democratic party, idealogically -- >> they can divide over -- >> 100%. whoever is the nominee, every one of those people on the stage will be giving ratifying confirmation of why they're the right person to lead the battle into beating donald trump because what he has done, i think -- and this is my point is which is the best for the general election? a progressive that either electrifies the base or a person both in tone, tenor and policy policy can expand the party's reach in pennsylvania, in michigan and in wisconsin, and in ohio by default. >> we had an electrified crowd. you heard from a lot of students afterwards. >> yeah. so we talked to them, and, you know, interestingly they seemed really interested in criminal

justice reform. they liked what they heard last night. they wanted to hear more. in particular, they were interested in mass black incarceration and also the decriminalization of marijuana and what it will mean for current drug offenders and they really seemed to like what they heard as far as those issues are concerned from booker and certainly right behind him from o'rourke and buttigieg. >> and, jon, as we take -- as we're about not 24 hours yet, 12 hours out right now, what's the big takeaway? what changed, if anything? >> i think this was essentially a status quo debate. i mean, biden comes out of this, he had his best debate performance of the three. it wasn't a particularly strong debate performance overall. >> he came out fighting. >> but he came out fighting in the top. you know, warren didn't really change the dynamic. she didn't do anything to hurt herself or overtake biden and nobody from the back of the pack had a huge breakthrough moment. i think this leaves the race essentially where it was. >> where does it go next? >> here's what i would -- this is context why it was important.

the first two debates were not good for the democratic party and had a legacy that impacted the north carolina election. at the very moment donald trump is starting to drop. it means more voters are more available and will look around and the democratic party has an obligation. i think this debate did it, to put a better foot forward and bring those voters into the democratic party. this is a key moment because donald trump is weakening, and he knows it. you can see the way he's acting, and i think at this point, i think the candidates will continue to sharpen the debates, but really on health care, i know we contrast and say, these are big divisions. they're really not big divisions in a sense of how you get to a further coverage of health care, how you control costs. the candidates have a chance to sharpen that. i think what goes from here is money, energy. i think the big takeaways, probably not big winners, there were clear losers. >> who? >> i think julian castro hurt himself because he has a point, it got lost about buy-in versus automatic in, and it got lost in

the way he attacked joe biden, and i think that's going to come back and hurt him. >> still got 20 candidates in the race. this is the first time we had 10 on the stage. >> like an agatha christie novel. >> and at what point or is it going to take until iowa until the first votes we start to see a smaller more cohesive -- >> some of the candidates, amy klobuchar, kamala harris, they're not dropping. mayor pete, they're not dropping out because they think joe biden right now is a weak front-runner and they're going to be there in case he falters to be there to catch the football. >> haven't seen a tweet storm from president trump at least yet about the debate. what's the sense of what they were thinking, the trump campaign? >> you saw from trump right before the debate started what he was thinking, and it's exactly what rahm said. he is uneasy. he sees the polls and follows the polls as you know, closer than anyone else, and his pitch to the republicans in baltimore right before the debate started was, you have to vote for me

whether you like me or not because the democrats are going to send us to hell. i mean, it was this stark contrast. so it's going to be, you know, a burn, burn, burn election. >> i don't mean to -- if you think of the first two debates there was a point that the president was a little stable and climbing. right now he's on the descent. that's a huge opportunity for democrats. i think if we can improve -- in that summer as the presidential debates happened, democrats actually went to a net positive, to a net negative. this debate and going forward, we have to improve our contest as a party. forget the individuals, and our image because right now donald trump is really wobbly and voters are peeling off him. this is a unique opportunity to prepare us for the general election. >> his response is democrats are going to destroy the country. i mean it's not a positive. it's -- >> coming from him it's a real insult. >> quite a few debates ahead. thank you all very much. let's go back up to new york. >> hey, george, we know there

are always unscripted and unexpected moments in these types of debates. i'm curious. what surprised you most about last night? >> i was surprised that they came to play so hard at the beginning. i was actually, as we were preparing for the debate, wondering if the democrats, because you heard it in their opening statements, we're united by much more than divides us, and i thought that at times they wouldn't be willing to debate, but what surprised me the most is how they came right out of the box and were willing to play out the differences particularly over health care. >> george, i know we'll hear much more from you in just a bit. >> yes, we will. we'll turn now to that new tropical threat. florida on alert as a system moves towards the bahamas packing tropical storm force winds and heavy rains and ginger has the very latest. good morning, ginger. >> good morning to you, michael. i think most important is to tell you is this is not a storm like dorian because it is much weaker. that does not mean, though, that you can't have major impacts so let's talk about what we're dealing with. it is right now a potential tropical cyclone. it means it's a group of

thunderstorms, a little disorganized but think there's a pretty likely shot this becomes a depression if not a tropical storm through the weekend. that's why there are tropical storm warnings up for the bahamas including grand bahama island and the abacos, most of the survivors are on nassau. that's good news. they shouldn't see too many impacts, but from jupiter to daytona, you're saying, wait a minute. we have a tropical storm watch again? yes, you do and it's coming for you this weekend. the timing, i'll put the track on. yes, they still, the national hurricane center, puts out a track. east of west palm beach saturday afternoon. sunday morning, it's east of the space coast so melbourne, you have to be watching. it gets into the bend from jacksonville to savannah on monday morning. tuesday into wednesday, it is hugging so close to the coast savannah to wilmington the impacts up to four or six inches of rain locally. more than 40-mile-per-hour winds and, of course, we'll talk about the potential for flash flooding. michael. >> thank you. we'll come back to you later on. now let's go to marcus moore who is there in the bahamas bracing for this next storm as

the island struggles to recover from hurricane dorian. good morning, marcus. >> reporter: michael, good morning. some bahamians are admittedly nervous about this tropical system that's expected to dump heavy rain on parts of the bahamas already devastated by hurricane dorian. we have seen those heartbreaking images of the destruction in marsh harbour and the neighboring islands, and we're talking about people who lost their homes and many of them loved ones and now they're facing potentially another potentially dangerous storm. usaid, a group that's been aiding with the recovery effort is helping with hardware kits and plastic sheeting were passed out and the storm could impact the search and recovery efforts on the islands where we know that the death toll at this point is at least 50 people, expected to rise, and the search is on for 1300 people who are missing as the country braces for another storm. michael. >> all right, tough situation there, marcus, thank you very much.

amy. now to the investigation under way into that hot air balloon crash outside las vegas. seven people injured, one seriously, when the balloon slammed down in a remote area ejecting the pilot and the passengers. kayna whitworth is at the hospital where they're all recovering. good morning, kayna. >> reporter: yeah, amy. seven people were brought here to the university medical center and one person had to be air lifted after their hot air balloon sightseeing trip turned near tragedy. right now this morning, three people are still here recovering. this morning, new details on that terrifying hot air balloon ride leaving seven hospitalized. >> the pilot has fallen out of the air balloon. >> reporter: first responders racing to get to the rugged location. the pilot along with four passengers sent flying into the desert terrain after a hard landing. >> it looks ke the balloon landed and dragged for quite a while here. you can kind of see the drag mark. >> reporter: for about a half mile until finally coming to a stop. you can see the balloon there flattened out on the ground.

it's unclear how high the balloon was at the time of the accident, but police say it was landing when the crash happened. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: nightmareish rides in hot air balloons have been captured on camera before. most recently back in june when two people were trapped inside this hot air balloon helpless as it's barreling through a large crowd. >> he was trying to get us back up in the air. then, all of a sudden, we just hit the ground and i flopped out of the front of the basket. >> reporter: that incident luckily only leaving three people including the pilot with minor injuries. so this crash happened in such a remote area that many of the injured actually had to be transported on atvs to the medical rescue vehicles. right now the ntsb and faa are investigating. whit. >> all right, kayna, thanks so much. turning now to an amazing rescue all caught on camera. take a look at this. a woman collapsing while trying to flee her burning house in charlotte, north carolina.

watch this group of neighbors banning together pulling her to safety, getting her to the clear just moments before a massive column of smoke and fire erupts from the house. officials say she was taken to the hospital with serious injuries but amazingly no one else was hurt and they even managed to safely rescue her dog from inside that home. >> wow. incredible. gives you chills. so glad everyone is okay. we're following a lot of other stories this morning. it is judgment day for felicity huffman. will she get time behind bars? and take a look at this new video overnight. patriots star antonio brown live streaming from tom brady's gym. we'll tell you how he's fighting back against sexual assault allegations. but first, going to go back to ginger. >> thank you so much. we had flash flooding from south dakota through the plains but today bay city to toledo needs to be on the lookout for severe storms. let's get the weekend getaways now brought to you by sherwin-williams.

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♪ feels so good ♪ feels so good target run and done. good morning, east bay. this is "abc7 mornings." this is 7:23 and i'm reggie aqui. cable cars will be closed today for maintenance. the cable cars that pull them uphill are being prepared and shuttle buss are going to be offered, but of course, nobody wants a picture with a shuttle bus, so good luck, tourists. and tickets are going on star for concerts with madonna who has three upcoming concerts and oprah is going to visit the chase center. you can purchase the tickets at ticket master and so set your alarm and let me borrow hundreds of dollars, sue. >> no problem, right after i get in line for the oprah tickets.

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risk of heat illness. and poor quality in the east and south bay. this is a look at the accuweather forecast, the heat is going to moderate everywhere but inland.

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yup! using the app. i've been quite vigilant. ahh! easy, easy! but you're in labour... don't mess with my discount! (clearing throat) get a discount up to 30% with drive safe & save. ♪ welcome back to "gma." we all know and love that demi moore movie, "ghost." yeah, demi was awesome. nearly 30 years after that film, the star is opening up in a candid new interview about her life and the lessons she learned from her relationships, her struggle with addiction and motherhood. we have much more on that coming up in our next hour. it's going to be a great interview. >> looking forward to that. that's all coming up in just a bit. first the top headlines we're following right now. a showdown in houston overnight. the top ten democratic candidates sharing the same stage for the first time in the presidential debate, clashing over health care and taking on president trump and front-runner joe biden. also right now, florida is

on alert facing a tropical storm watch, and that threat is heading toward the bahamas where so many are still trying to recover from hurricane dorian. then a brutal end to the panthers game last night losing to the buccaneers, 20-14. panthers quarterback cam newton trending overnight. he spoke out taking the blame saying his performance wasn't good enough. when i said he's trending, it's not from that trendy outfit but that is something to talk about. >> it is a nice outfit. >> any comments? >> i didn't know that was cam newton. love the guy though. great player. now we'll go to judgment day for felicity huffman. the "desperate housewives" star is due in court this afternoon to become the first parent sentenced for a role in the college admissions cheating scandal. eva pilgrim is outside the courtroom in boston with the latest. good morning to you, eva. >> reporter: good morning, michael. it's been almost six months to the day since federal agents stormed into felicity huffman's home, arresting the actress.

in just a matter of hours, she will walk into this courthouse and learn her fate. it's decision day in federal case against actress felicity huffman. the 56-year-old set to be sentenced this afternoon after pleading guilty in the country's largest college admissions scandal admitting to paying $15,000 to have an s.a.t. proctor alter her daughter's scores. prosecutors pushing for a month behind bars telling the judge, huffman's conduct was deliberate and manifestly criminal, neither probation nor confinement in a large home in the hollywood hills with an infinity pool would constitute meaningful punishment or deter others from committing similar crimes but huffman asking the judge instead for probation and community service along with a $20,000 fine. earlier this week huffman penning a passionate letter to the judge claiming her decision was out of desperation to be a good mother, believing that all i was doing was giving my daughter a fair shot.

>> based on her own upbringing where she felt like she didn't necessarily have a lot of support and she was kind of on her own, she wanted to go the extra mile to make sure they had every advantage. >> reporter: huffman receiving support from many of her friends and family who wrote letters to the judge on her behalf. her husband, actor william h. macy, writing to be sure felicity's relationship with her daughters exploded on march 12th and rebuilding that relationship will be a long process. but i also want you to know felicity has raised two amazing young women, adding, it's not clear when or how felicity will resume her acting career, he said. since her arrest, she's received no job offers or auditions. an unknown factor in the judge's decision, who is the victim? probation officials filed a court document saying, no university suffered any financial loss, saying there is no victim of this offense, adding that they question what degree of responsibility lies with the schools and testing agencies for failing to properly

oversee the admissions and testing processes to ensure that they were fair for all students. and a lot of eyes will be watching as she is the first of the parents to be sentenced. potentially setting the tone for what's to come. amy. >> all right, eva pilgrim, thank you. let's bring in our chief legal analyst dan abrams and media expert and managing partner at 10ten media, larry hackett. prosecutors asking for one month in jail. of course, felicity doesn't want that. she wants community service. what do you think will happen? >> you heard the critical question which is what was the victim here? who was the victim? when you're looking at a financial crime -- and that's what this is. i know people want to make this a sort of crime of outrage and it is morally outrageous, but when we're looking at the possible sentence, you look at who was the victim and how much did that person or entity lose? and the problem here is that the universities didn't lose any money. in fact, you can make an argument that they actually made a little money here and there so

i think in the end she'll get no jail time. i don't think anyone should be surprised when that happens because i think anyone else in her position likely would not get time. >> all right, and, larry, huffman was the first group of many parents to plead guilty in this whole scandal. what do you make of the way she has handled this compared to others? >> as best as possible. i think the idea of pleading and saying i'm sorry, i did a terrible thing early on right out of the gate was her only defense. dan is right. i mean, the moral outrage here is enormous, right? it's kind of like moral batting practice that's going on here. everybody has an opinion. the document the prosecutor filed has nothing to do with the law. it's all about taking advantage of the public outrage. that's what she did and did it right. paradoxically if she were to get jail time her rehabilitation would occur faster. >> that makes sense because people think -- >> absolutely. they'll get their pound of flesh. >> in terms of precedence, what does this decision set for the rest? >> if the court determines that there was no financial victim, that's dangerous for prosecutors moving forward. that could lead to a lot better

plea offers going out across the board. we've already seen this happen once in this case in connection with the sailing coach at stanford university. a different set of facts, et cetera, but prosecutors there wanted something like 13 months. he got a day because again the question was this is a financial crime and when you're talking about the sentence, the question of how much did the person or entity lose becomes critical and prosecutors have a really hard time legally -- again, that's not a moral defense. that is a legal analysis of what the sentence may be. >> yeah, i know we're out of time but does she have an acting career going forward? >> obviously. yes. no question about it. i think so, yes. >> dan is surprised. >> i don't think she's going to serve any time. >> two words for you, martha stewart. >> very good. larry, dan, thank you as always. whit, over to you. >> big day in court. we will be watching, amy. thank you to you. to the latest on antonio brown, the embattled nfl star going live on instagram overnight from tom brady's

personal gym, defending himself as he faces those sexual assault allegations. abc's kaylee hartung is here with more on that. kaylee, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. antonio brown not one to typically be quiet in the face of controversy, has been silent in the wake of those serious allegations and now we're hearing from him for the first time and where he is, just as attention grabbing as what he says. as stunning and graphic allegations of rape and sexual assault against antonio brown dominate headlines, the nfl superstar once again using social media to create a narrative of his own. >> no matter what they say, no matter what they hate, somebody still got to go to work. >> reporter: brown going live on instagram suggesting he has the support of his new quarterback as he works out at tom brady's renowned personal training facility. >> it's called tb12. let's get it. >> reporter: brown who is reportedly planning to take the field sunday telling them how he's handling the allegations and backlash. >> stay focused. the devil going to try to bring you down when you get closer to

your goals. the key is, don't let them. >> reporter: brady meanwhile refusing to address the controversy after brown suited up and practiced with the team wednesday. >> things that don't involve me don't involve me. >> in the end zone. antonio brown! >> reporter: one of the most talented and divisive characters in the nfl accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit by brittany taylor, a former college gymnast who began working with the pro bowler as his fitness trainer in 2017. she accuses him of sexually assaulting her on three separate occasions. brown denying the allegations and his attorney saying any sexual interaction with mr. brown was entirely consensual. >> for antonio brown to be the one out there on video, on social media when we're still waiting for the first word from the national football league, that's really very surprising. >> reporter: the media spotlight and scrutiny harsh on brown since his public clash and split with the oakland raiders last week. >> free! >> reporter: before landing a one-year $15 million deal with the patriots. according to espn, the patriots were in the dark about the rape

allegations when they signed the controversial seven-time pro bowler. >> we looked into the situation and we're taking it very seriously all the way through the organization. >> reporter: the nfl now reportedly considering putting brown on the commissioner's exempt list. if that actually happens brown would be ineligible to play or practice but would still get paid. brown is facing a civil lawsuit. there are no criminal charges filed against him and the patriots, they haven't directly addressed whether he'll play on sunday but, guys, all signs are pointing to him suiting up wearing a new number 17 jersey unless the nfl steps in but that investigation has begun. >> that will be interesting to see how the fans react to him on the field as well. kaylee, thank you. >> thank you. coming up next, what made this former cheerleader break down in tears in court? that's up next. that's up next. i've got the por of 1 2 3 medicines with trelegy. the only fda-approved 3-in-1 copd treatment. ♪ trelegy. the power of 1-2-3.

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so just start small... start saving. easily set, track and control your goals right from the chase mobile® app. ♪ ♪ chase. make more of what's yours®. back now with that stunning moment in the courtroom. a former high school cheerleader in ohio breaking down as the jury found her not guilty of murdering her newborn. paula faris is here with the details. good morning, paula. >> reporter: good morning to you, amy. prosecutors say that she killed and buried her unwanted baby in her backyard just a few days after her senior prom because she wanted to maintain her perfect life, but on thursday, a jury acquitted her of murder. >> we the jury in the above captioned case find the defendant brooke skylar richardson not guilty of the offense of aggravated murder, not guilty of involuntary manslaughter. not guilty of child endangerment.

>> reporter: former high school cheerleader brooke skylar richardson is seen here sobbing and shaking after being found not guilty of the most serious charges that she faced. her mother sitting behind her told her she loved her. >> i love you so much. >> reporter: the 20-year-old is accused of killing her newborn baby girl and burying her in her parents' backyard while in high school but richardson claiming the child was stillborn. >> there were people on the jury who believed that notwithstanding that fact that we didn't have the evidence to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt because we could not present medical cause of death. >> reporter: the prosecution claims richardson seen here at her senior prom in 2017 just two days before giving birth did not want to be a teen mom. you can see in this photo her baby bump on display on her prom night just two days before she went into labor at home in the middle of the night without telling anyone. hours after the birth the high schooler texting her mother saying, i'm literally speechless with how happy i am my belly is

back. this video played in court shows the police interview where richardson described the moments after the baby was born. >> did you ever hear her cry or a whimper? were her eyes open or closed? >> closed. >> they were closed? >> reporter: meanwhile, richardson was found guilty of a lesser charge and faces sentencing of up to a year in prison. as for that lesser charge, there is a good chance she'll get probation only because she is a first-time offender. she told no one about the pregnancy. not her parents, not her boyfriend. her family said they couldn't tell because her weight regularly fluctuated. you guys, she had an eating disorder and also claimed she didn't even know she was pregnant until she went to the doctor roughly 11 days before she gave birth. >> a tragic story. >> it is a tragic story all around. >> thank you so much, paula. coming up in our next hour, actress demi moore's candid revelations about her marriages, addiction and motherhood. and up next, the jellyfish,

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♪ talk to me baby welcome back, everybody. now it's time for our "play of the day." it's a stinging surprise in the sea. take a look at this. two friends parasailing before they realize that beautiful blue water, just not the water, hundreds and hundreds of jellyfish. they try to stop. too late. they go in. they splash down.

eddie talked to us about the experience and, quote, i definitely don't like jellyfish so it was kind of my worst nightmare. as we got closer, it was definitely a case of every man for himself. it turns out the other friends took the same ride just minutes before them and didn't tell them there were jellyfish in the water. they didn't want them to chicken out. >> with friends like that. >> who needs enemies, that's right. >> i like how they lifted their feet. like dipping the rear end first is a better move somehow at the end of the day. >> eddie only got stung on the arm. mostly unscathed. >> reason 5,421 why i will never parasail. >> and they will get better friends. a huge live surprise for an incredible teacher who goes above and beyond. you don't want to miss it. you don't want to miss it. stickn you can scan? with the freestyle libre 14 day system just scan the sensor with your reader, iphone or android and manage your diabetes. with the freestyle libre 14 day system, a continuous glucose monitor,

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welcome back to "good morning america." a little friday happiness. who doesn't love a good birthday? kennedy who is 2 loves them so much she does them every day for her dolls. ♪ happy birthday to you >> blow out your candle. >> the doll does it. watch. no, you blow it. >> see. that's talent. just love that. coming up here on "gma," demi moore opening up about her relationships, her struggle with addiction and her life now. plus, we'll show you how to find the perfect jeans for your body this fall. your local news and weather is also coming up next so stay with us. jeans for your jeans for your bo the ross fall fashion event has all the looks for way less... check this out! that's yes for less. get the brands you love and save 20 to 60% off department store prices. at the ross fall fashion event. on now.

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good morning, south bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is "abc7 mornings." i'm reggie aqui from mornings." and we have some heat coming up? >> yes. from 9:00 this morning to 7:00 this evening. and near 90 in san francisco and 100s in the east bay and the south bay and the heat breaks over the weekend and touch of fall showers monday. >> going to 580 now for a look at the almost 8:00 p.m., sorry, a.m. traffic. we have an accident near 580 near estudillo. and slow all of the way from

oakland. and coming up we will meet a teacher who gos above and beyond for her students. you can always find us on the abc news.com and our news app and we are on the air everyday from 4:30 to 7:00 each day. the news continues with "gma." and out of respect, we will let you make the first offer. thirty minutes. thirty minutes? objection! overruled. one hour. sweeten the deal by doing the dishes and i'll consider it. i wouldn't do it. i hate the dishes. one hour with the tablet, you walk the dog and do the dishes. if you insist. congratulations. only xfinity xfi lets you take control of your family's online time. that's simple, easy, awesome. xfinity xfi gives you the speed, coverage and control you need.

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good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. hoton showdown. overnight the top ten democrats take the stage. the candidates clash over health care, guns, president trump. how voters are reacting right now. our powerhouse political team breaks it all down. new this morning, demi moore gets candid. opening up in an extremely personal interview about addiction, past relationships, motherhood and her next chapter. ♪ meet some of the real-life hustlers who inspired the hollywood blockbuster speaking out about how it all went down and hear from one victim they tried to hustle out of more than $100,000. ♪ it's time to get the chains out ♪ the right fit. this morning we're getting down

with denim. how to find the best jeans for your body. our fashion insider sharing her shopping secrets. ♪ new attitude patti labelle is here live. the godmother of soul is cooking up something special just for "gma." ♪ give the world to you the back to school surprise you don't want to miss. one incredible teacher who has made hundreds of students feel like part of her family putting her students first for years and this morning, we're right outside her classroom with a supersize surprise as we say good morning, america. ♪ good morning, america. want to thank you for joining us on this friday morning. we cannot wait to make us all feel great on this friday morning with our special tell t.j. surprise. there he is. >> absolutely. it's going to be a great moment. t.j. holmes is at an elementary

school in west springfield, massachusetts, this morning with a wonderful group of students about to give their teacher the surprise of her life. she has done so much to help so many children in her community and we just can't wait. >> a few people showed up. we're excited to bring that to you. first this morning's top headlines. let's go back to george in houston for all the reaction right now to last night's democratic debate. george, good morning again. >> thanks, amy. quite a night here in houston. this hall was packed here. last night, 3,500 strong. the candidates on the stage came to play. first time we had all the ten top candidates on the stage at the same time and what we really saw was a division, the divisions in the democratic party crystallized and mary bruce has the highlights. >> reporter: jorgeorge, good morning. well, the deep divides within the party were laid bare on this stage last night. the candidates started with call for a united front but that did not last long. the candidates going after each other on health care, immigration, race and foreign policy.

after brief calls for unity, the candidates were quick to clash over the top issue for voters. health care. >> if you notice, nobody has yet said how much it's going to cost the taxpayer. >> reporter: front-runner joe biden embracing obamacare and challenging senator elizabeth warren's plan for medicare for all. >> i know that the senator says she's for bernie, well, i'm for barack. >> on medicare for all costs are going to go up for wealthier individuals and costs are going to go up for giant corporations. but for hardworking families across this country, costs are going to go down. >> reporter: senator bernie sanders also defending his plan. >> every study done shows that medicare for all is the most cost effective approach to providing health care to every man, woman and child in this country. i who wrote the damn bill if i may say so -- >> reporter: biden's plan also came under attack. former housing secretary julian

castro seeming to play the age card. >> they do not have to buy in. >> you just said that. you just said that two minutes ago. you said two minutes ago they would have to buy in. >> if you qualify for -- >> are you forgetting what you said two minutes ago? are you forgetting already what you said just two minutes ago? >> reporter: now, castro's attack against joe biden over health care may have been one of the most explosive moments on the stage last night, but it also may have backfired. it does seem that castro got that wrong, that he mischaracterized what biden said about his plan, george. >> okay, mary. thanks. let's talk about this more now with our senior white house correspondent, cecilia vega for all the reacti. as mary said it was pretty fiery at times. what do you think changed overall? >> i don't know that anything changed for the candidates on the stage. i think the top three who were there when they came out are still there this morning, and the rest of the pack probably remains where they are. i think what changes is for voters. they got to see for the first time all of these candidates on the stage together and the differences are stark. people can go and now start to

decide who they're liking for which positions on which issues. there is a real identity crisis in the democratic party and i think we saw it unfold last night. two very competing visions of this country. joe biden is pitching this as go back to normal and oppose trump era. he's fighting for a return to the soul of america, and you have the other side, the progressives like warren and sanders who really want to change it from within and overhaul the party especially when it comes to health care. voters saw that on stage last night very clear differences there. >> and they saw it in one place for the first time. we know that president trump said he wanted to watch sometime after his rally. we haven't heard too much from him yet. what do you think the campaign is thinking? >> well, they say and our teams have talked to them that they didn't see anybody on that stage who they think could beat donald trump overnight. i'm surprised that we haven't heard from the president especially in realtime. he did do some counter-programming. he was in baltimore while the candidates were on the stage and

didn't hold back there. he was talking to republicans at a retreat. he was bashing in very personal terms elizabeth warren and pete buttigieg, making fun of his height and calling elizabeth warren pocahontas, i'm surprised when it comes to donald trump on the stage, one thing that didn't come up last night, impeachment. nobody talked about it. >> not once. thanks so much. back to new york. >> all right, the field still needs to be narrowed. all right. coming up, demi moore's revealing new interview about her relationships, motherhood and her private struggles. our big back to school surprise for students who can't wait and neither can we. we have got so much more ahead. >> that's me. and shopping for jeans by the way. lori bergamotto has your guide to get the best fit for your body. >> oh, yeah. lara is with a very special guest. >> i can't get close enough to the godmother of soul, everybody, miss patti labelle. [ cheers and applause ] in the house. making us some of her delicious comfort food. you know this woman can cook and you heard it. we have a great audience on this

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[ cheers and applause ] welcome back to "gma." we got to say it is a feel good friday with this wonderful audience. thank you, guys, for being here this morning. [ applause ] we really appreciate it. and next week, next week we have our insta -- instant pot challenge and asked our favorite chefs to make our favorite dishes but do it with an instant

pot. >> i love them. >> i can barely do it with the regular stuff, but, you know, we have that coming up. now we have instant "pop news" with lara spencer. [ cheers and applause ] >> good morning. good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning to our great audience. we begin with three of our favorite ladies teaming up, tiffany haddish, rose byrne and salma hayek will share the screen in "like a boss." tiffany plays best friends with rose running a cosmetic company and built it from the ground up but are in financial trouble and they decide to enlist the help of a beauty titan, salma hayek who makes them an offer that, yeah, may be too good to be true, people. tiffany haddish is also like a boss on the project. not only starring but also execute producing this funny film about the ugly side of the beauty business. "like a boss" hits theaters january 2020 and oh, by the way, you'll see all three of those major stars right here on "gma." [ cheers and applause ] >> yeah, good combo. i love that combo.

>> just love tiffany. she really is like a boss. >> yeah, she is. now to three of music's biggest stars also teaming up for a new song for the upcoming "charlie's angels" reboot, check out this. ar yaw -- ariana grande, miley cyrus, lana del rey, they just dropped their new tune called "don't call me angel" along with a brand-new music video. take a look. ♪ don't call me angel >> oh, yeah, don't call me angel. that video came out, guys, at midnight like as in today and already has more than 5 million views. >> wow. >> i think you'll like it. this time around the angels will be played by kristen stewart, naomi scott and ella linska and elizabeth banks in the pivotal role of bosley. i love that twist. "charlie's angels" hitting

theaters november 15th. so many good movies. [ applause ] >> yes. >> tonight is the night. "downton abbey." >> yes. >> robin is not meeting us there. >> no. maybe it was michael. >> nope. >> nope. but i do want to share with you this finally, so little dog, big stick, no problem. meet bosco, everybody. you can see that bosco, well, he's got a little bit of a logistical situation on his hands or rather in his snout. so you know what they say here you go, dachshunds are smart, no exception. go, bosco, bosco uses logic. >> you can do it. >> to keep his prize intact. [ cheers and applause ] there you go. i have to tell you, though -- i mean, if only my children were that smart. but it seems that this is bosco's thing. there's bosco. that's not the same stick. he has an instagram page, and he

is described as the king of sticks. >> hard to argue with that. >> and a wise little wiener dog, he is. that's "pop news," guys. >> i love that bosco. [ applause ] thank you, lara. and now to our "gma" cover story. demi moore getting candid opening up about her past relationships, traumatic childhood and her struggle with sobriety as she promotes her upcoming memoir "inside out." stephanie ramos is here. stephanie, it looks like demi is not holding back anything. >> reporter: she's not, michael. just before actress demi moore's new memoir is released, she's opening up to her close friend, lena dunham who authors the article about everything from what moore calls a dysfunctional nomadic childhood and how she overcame addiction. she's the actress that defined '90s hollywood. ♪ faithfully >> reporter: starring in some of the most iconic movies of the decade. ♪ >> reporter: and making magazine history posing in front of the camera for one of the most

famous covers of all time and now 28 years later doing it again. the 56-year-old opening up to "harper's bazaar" about "inside out," her upcoming memoir. getting candid about her past relationships, ascent to fame, life's pitfalls and eventu eventual isolation, revealing in her memoir, a time when she stopped one of her mother's suicide attempts when she was just 12 years old writing, something very deep inside me shifted then and it never shifted back. my childhood was over. and she struggled with sobriety herself, first getting sober in her 20s, relapsing in her 40s and regaining that sobriety in her 50s saying, part of being sober is i don't want to miss a moment of life, of that texture, even if that means being in some pain. >> thank you, sir. but i expect a certain amount of pain. >> reporter: the memoir also sharing personal stories on marriage and motherhood. growing up quickly, marrying her

first husband musician freddie moore as a teen and splitting after just a few years. she then married fellow a-lister, bruce willis in 1987 and taking on her biggest role yet, motherhood. moore giving birth to daughters rumer, scout and tallulah and at the height of her career, the highest paid actress in hollywood decided to walk away, saying it was time to be a full time mom and focus on her daughters, quote, my daughters offered an opportunity to start to change the generational pattern, to be able to break the cycles. after a third marriage to ashton kutcher, a miscarriage at the age of 42, and a string of box office hits. the star hasn't missed a beat. her new memoir hits bookshelves september 24th. days before her latest film "corporate animals." >> we need to make this decision as a team and there's no "i" in team. >> we learned so much from her in this piece. moore also talks about her obsession for dolls in the book,

how she carries a stuffed monkey in her purse at all times so she reminds herself not to take life so seriously. she really details her journey, not just the headlines we've seen over the years but everything she says has shifted and molded her into the person she is today. >> so honest. >> she really is in this piece. >> yes, she is. we really have big news for everybody. we have the first television interview with demi moore. in ten days starting monday, september 23th we'll have diane's interview with her. it is revealing and riveting. you don't want to miss it. all right, amy. >> looking forward to that. but now to the real-life story that inspired the highly anticipated movie, i'm seeing it tonight, "hustlers," to swindle men out of hundreds of thousands of dollars at new york city strip clubs. the conspiracy the drug them and then run up huge charges on their credit cards. well, now we are hearing from two of those women and one of their victims. >> what's happening? >> it's the real-life scam. >> are you married? >> uh-huh. >> ah, that sucks.

>> reporter: that inspired a blockbuster. >> the game is rigged and it does not reward people who play by the rules. >> reporter: and now for the first time, we're hearing from one of the ringleaders of the hustle. >> in the movie "hustlers" constance wu is playing the character inspired by my life. >> the character played by jennifer lopez is inspired by samantha barbash, the ringleader. >> reporter: from one of their victims who after three dates thought he was falling in love only to find he was really being taken for a ride. >> there was a message left by american express and said there were excessive charges, close to $100,000. i said, i can't believe you did this to me. you spent all this money on my credit card. she turned immediately red and i told her you're nothing but a thief and a swindler. i don't want to see you or talk to you ever again. >> i was definitely apologetic. i definitely 100% felt bad because i didn't even know his bi was that high until i had found out from scores' manager and from samantha.

>> he thought he had a girlfriend and thought he was in a romance. >> reporter: the tale now given the hollywood treatment with a-list stars like constance wu, jennifer lopez. >> it's a slippery slope. it's easy to kind of go down the wrong path if you let yourself. >> i'm good at that. >> reporter: and cardi b who once worked in new york ci strip clubs and spoke about how a woman could be pushed into a hustle. >> i got so tired of constantly meeting men, touching me, they just make you feel like i don't care -- i don't care. i'm going to hustle you because i know you're trying to hustle my body. that's how i felt like a lot. >> reporter: the scam coming to an end in 2014 after authorities set up a sting using an undercover agent. >> gave him a bump of blow. and he was, like, dead. >> we were afraid he actually -- >> i was moving my leg, shaking, like, hey, i'm okay. >> reporter: the real-life scammers eventually taken into custody. >> the day of my arrest, they

come to my house early in the morning, and i was taken into handcuffs. it's like, oh, my god. the whole world, everybody knows what i did. >> now, both women in the piece took plea deals. no one spent much time in jail but authorities warning scams like this one could still be going on all around the country. men may just be too embarrassed to come forward. the club scores said it had nothing to do with the scam and has never been charged. you can see much more tonight on "20/20" at 10:00 p.m., 9:00 central right here on abc. let's head over to ginger now. yes, let's do a little "gma" moment. how about we go to st. paul, minnesota, and that is where we find, i'm telling you, one of the best baby laughs on record. i get a lot of babies laughing. but listen to this. [ baby laughing ] >> that is tristan. he's going to be 8 months old tomorrow from minnesota. i know i'm going to get more

baby laughs. i love hearing them all because it's the most joyous feeling in the it is time now for our big tell t.j. surprise. t.j. holmes is in an elementary school in west springfield, massachusetts, getting ready to celebrate an inspiring young teacher. she just started at a new school and, t.j., she is in for a huge surprise so let's do this, my

friend. >> reporter: yeah, let's do this. this is a new school year and this is a new school for this teacher. this is her first year here. she just started. well, there's a kind of a heartbreaking set of circumstances that brought her here. she had to leave her old school behind and those students she loved. she had been with so many years but you know what, she still found a way to have an impact on two schools for many, many years to come. she's in this classroom here and as always, stra, she has no idea i'm here. let's do this. jami. hi, jami. i'm t.j. with "good morning america." i'm the guy they send when they want to freak people out on live tv. >> oh, okay. >> we're live on "good morning america." >> all right. >> i need you to get up. kids, gather around the front. everybody come here, it's story time. everybody, come with me. jami, you come, come, come, come, come. i need you to have a seat right there. kid, gather around. we're going to do a little story time here.

sit, sit. >> okay. >> so mr. t.j. is going to tell you a story. and we're going to tell you a story about your teacher, miss witherell. what i need you to do is listen. >> this is family work. we're trying to get to know each other as a family. >> reporter: when you're a student in jami witherell's classroom you're part of a family and in this family there is a lot of love. >> she brings color to your life. i think that's the thing, the sparkle. the glitter. you're just lucky if jami witherell has crossed your path. >> reporter: in a school where most of the students are from low income homes, jami makes it her mission to meet each child's needs no matter what they may be. >> her first year here, she was always knitting in every meeting we were at and she was making a scarf for each child in her classroom. every holiday, she's made sure her children were taken care of in some way, sometimes it's silently in a backpack.

she doesn't just teach academics. she teaches kindness, gratefulness, teaches kids to be thankful. >> reporter: lessons that aren't always easy. last spring after six years teaching at the newton school in greenfield, massachusetts, jami was faced with an impossible decision. leaving the students she loved in greenfield to be closer to her ailing mother. >> when i was having my issues being diagnosed with breast cancer this year, i mean, she went with me to every single appointment. makes me so proud of her and it's bringing tears to my eyes. >> reporter: jami took a job teaching fifth grade at the coburn school and just two weeks into the school year she's already making the same impact on a new group of students. >> i said what do you think about miss witherell. the comment, we already know she loves us. >> all: thank you, miss witherell, you made a difference to us. >> thank you, miss witterell.

♪ i will give the world to you >> all: thank you, miss witherell, we love you. >> wow! [ applause ] >> now, that concludes our story time, kids. so now story time is over. it's time for recess. all of you, come on. we're going outside. jami, you come with me. everybody, come, come, come, kids, come, come, come, come. we're going to make our way outside. surprises in store. stra, we'll see you in a few minutes. >> all right. [ cheers and applause ] they say when you tell t.j., make sure you bring tissues. that's right. t.j. has much more in store for miss witherell when we come back so don't go anywhere. [ applause ] [ applause ]

good morning north bay. let's get up and get going. this is "abc7 mornings." i'm kumasi aaron this morning. if you plan to be in san francisco, you may face some delays getting around town, because events will take place in chase center and oracle park. singer elton john is going to be at the chase center and thehe baseball team is in town. >> and now, let's look at emeryville or the 80 freeway in emeryville and the east shore and it is moving nicely. a little bit jammed up. we will see how it is going to funnel into the bay bridge toll plaza and the metering lights are on and you are stacked back

to the mack arth t

now, your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> heat is one of the big stories. outside of the coast and the mountains, we have a heat advisory starting at 7:00 through 11:00, and so the hours that could increase our risk from heat illness. all right. a look at the air quality and that could be poor also. my accuweather forecast, monday,

60s and 70s and a chance of showers. >> thank you, mike. of course, we will have another abc7 news update in another 30 minutes or so. you can always >> all: thank you, miss withere witherell, you've made a difference. >> all: thank you, miss witherell, we love you. >> there's a lot of love for miss witherell. those students are so thankful for a very special teacher, jami witherell. we just met her a few moments ago. t.j. gave her a big surprise at her school in west springfield, massachusetts. but, t.j., we're not done yet. take it away again. >> now i'll take it away. [ cheers and applause ] miss witherell.

[ cheers and applause ] >> wow. look. we got everybody here. [ cheers and applause ] come on out. come on out. listen, i think you know those folks right there. [ applause ] >> thank you. >> oh. >> be strong. i love you. >> this is her mom that a lot of people saw in the taped piece a short time ago and this -- and, mom, i talked to you a little earlier. you didn't exactly know it was going to go like this but to see these folks come out and the impact your daughter is having,

what's your reaction now? >> i am so proud of her. you know, i really am. i'm just so proud of her. i always knew she would be a teacher. since she was little. that's all she wanted. >> here she is and you're the principal of the current school. school year just started. the impact, give us an idea the impact just in a couple of weeks you can see from her. >> this is what happens, jami, when you plant seeds of kindness. it creates this ripple and it's creating an energy here that we all feel here in our hearts. it's spilling over. we just love that you're here with us. >> they told me -- her kids are used to seeing her cry every day in class for some reason or another. this is just another regular friday. no the a big deal. this is your new school. you're having an impact on now but we would be hard-pressed to be here and not include your old school, because there are some people here who actually do want to thank you as well and they're on that bus right now.

stop it. >> i need you to open the doors and come on out right now. i think you recognize these kids, don't you? [ cheers and applause ] >> oh, my goodness. hi! oh. my family. look at you. you got so tall. look at you. hi, honey. how are you? diego. >> what you're seeing here, folk, what you're seeing. >> hi. >> these are all the students from her previous school. they're still coming. they didn't want -- she didn't want to have to leave that school. she had reasons she did but these are the kids she had.

miss witherell, you haven't caught up with some of these kids in a while. >> oh, everybody grew a foot over the summer. oh, my goodness. caylin, it's so good to see you. >> kids, kid, right here, miss witherell, we're still on live tv. you're having such an impact on two schools as we see now and you are one of the teachers, donors choose, a lot of familiar with. donors choose is where you raise money and get your projects funded. she is in the top 1% of money raisers on donors choose. [ cheers and applause ] impacting schools. >> oh, my goodness. >> but you are going to now be able to raise even more money for your new school because there's something else on that bus. we need you to see and we need you to come on out right now because she is holding now -- >> mrs. palermo.

what! >> that is -- that is -- >> i love you. >> $15,000 that is going to be donated. i want you to hear this, miss witherell. that's 15,000 that will go toward your schl her right at coburn through donors choose but i got one more thing on that bus that i need to come out as well. your old school as well is getting $15,000. [ cheers and applause ] >> oh, my gosh. >> what a present. what a present. >> so, miss witherell, we need to hear from you one final time. your impact on the lives of these kids but your impact is now directly bringing donations to these two schools because of you. you close this out for us and at you do andow the impact for you. and they all came out >> my gosh, i'm just overwhelmed with love which is the best part

about being a teacher is that i get to go to work every day and love all of you so thank you for returning and sharing that love with me. i truly appreciate it. >> thank you so much. it was an absolute pleasure. guys, back to you in the studio but this is a new school year. there are a lot of teachers out there just like miswitherell. we're just starting with her. [ cheers and applause ] >> amazing, amazing. >> that's it from here. >> thank you, t.j. thank you for telling us about that miss witherell. amazing to see the impact teachers have. i think we've all -- >> i love the ripple effect. >> yes, who have really helped us along the way. >> i want to know what else is on that bus too. >> and one more thing. so great job by t.j. and we'll be right back.

welcome back to "gma." now we have a special treat from one of television's biggest comedies celebrating the farewell season. can you believe it of "modern family." take a look. ♪ ♪ circle of life >> we adopted a baby. >> exciting. >> just turn it off. >> i can't turn it off. it's who i am. >> the music. >> oh, yes, the music. >> ha! >> welcome to your nightmare. ha, ha, ha.

>> hey, mr. dumpy. >> we lost our baby in the car and people are judging us. >> tell your wife to relax. >> that's a man. >> really? >> you can watch more of that video on our website, goodmorningamerica.com and the final season of "modern family" premieres right here on abc september 25 you know, i just have one question. what jeans should i wear this fall? lara, please tell me. >> so strange you ask that because it's fashion week here in n yty a all week we've been helping you find the right fit so you can look and feel your best this fall. today it is ginger, you got it, finding the right jeans. we took three ladies with three very different struggles, opnd he's what happened.

straight leg, wide leg, skinny leg, oh, my, when it comes to jeans there's no one style that fits all unless you've got a pair of these. >> scientifically impossible that a pair of pants could fit me. and me >> while the traveling pants are what dreams are made of in reality finding the perfect pair isn't easy. >> there are so many different styles and fabrics and rises and fits. the language surrounding it can intimidate anyone. >> so we put look look style director lori bergamotto on a mission, help three women with three different shapes and sizes find the right fit. first up, veronica. >> i always have material bumping and have to pull up my pants. >> we want to focus on your waist and make sure they fit in your waist. even if they are a little snug on your thighs for right now that's okay. they will start to contour to your body. >> here at the levi's store the options are endless.

>> these are not working for you. there's way too much room here in the waist. i actually really leese. i still think we could do better. >> next up summer. >> it always hugs my thighs then i always have the gap in the waist. >> we took her to the gap to try on their wide range of styles and fits. >> i don't know if they're supposed to be this short. >> i think that these look really great. i do feel like we can do even a little bit better. so i have another pair in mind for you. what do you say? >> let's do it. >> finally natalie. >> the biggest problem is i have to roll up my jeans a lot and then it's expensive to get them hemmed. >> patti options may just be the solution. >> there you go. >> thanks. >> good luck. >> this is not your pair because you can see there's like a lot of wrinkling here. these look good. >> i mean i love the fit. i think that they're a little

long still. >> they are still too long. think there's another even better pair out there for you. >> three different women, dozens of jean but did they find the perfect pair? >> look at all these bags. i call this mission accomplished. >> lori to the rescue. "good housekeeping" style director lori bergamotto with us again. so let's see what you picked. ladies, come on over. [ applause ] come on out here. hi. hi. wow, you guys all look so great. lori, i want to start with natalie. how did it go? >> it went great. >> natalie. >> natalie's problem is she's patti. she's 5'2" and said that she could never find a pair of jeans she didn't have to roll up or get hemmed. ha can be expensive so that's why we picked this from madewell. it's the patti demi cali boot and picked it because it is, of course, patti, right, guys but you should know head's-up to everybody. they don't have the pattis in

store. you have to go online and when something is made in petite, it's not just the length but adjustments everywhere around the waistband, around the rise. the other important thing here, though, if you are petite is to know your inseam which natalie did not know. the inseam length is really important because that will help to determine -- >> how does one find it out. >> couldn't be easier. and this pair is universally flattering on everyone. >> are they comfortable? >> they're really comfortable. >> you have a terrific figure but like really flattering? >> really stretchy too, yeah. >> oh, yay. i love that. [ laughter ] you look great. >> thank you. you look great. >> modified boot cut. >> i like that you didn't even have to cut it yourself >> no, i did not. >> let's move on to summer. >> summer, we love summer. so summer, her issue is that she's really tall and she's also plus and she also said that she has a disproportionate waist to

booty ratio. these are her words so had a hard time finding a pair of j n jeans that addressed all those needs. we found them at the gap. midride curvy skinny jean. what they do is take an inch off the waist and add an inch to the hips which is what a lot of women who have that pesky problem. this is the solution. >> i see her smiling so obviously nothing is being squeezed that shouldn't be. >> no. >> this pair alsoes in tall and plus which you have to go to their website to find. one more thing, turn around. >> yes, summer. [ applause ] >> yoke really flattering. >> i know you hated jeans. how about now? >> i love them. i'm a fan now. >> yes. >> another victory for us. all right. finally, veronica. >> veronica's issue was with the rise. wasn't sure how high she should

go. sagging and bunching. we chose this pair of levi's, the rib cage straight ankle. super go to classic trendy look you'll see how fall. look how high they are. >> they really are. >> your waist looks tiny. >> thank you. >> the bottom of her rib cage just like the jeans say. the other important thing is that they're 99% denim, less stretch, ladies. that will keep them from sagging. >> all right. three great looks. three different women and we love you all. you guys can shop these looks. go to our website for all the info, lori, you've done it again. guess what, next up, the wonderful ms. patti labelle. we're cooking. [ applause ] don't go anywhere.

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so happy to be back with one of our favorites, the godmother of soul, miss patti labelle. we had so much fun with you in

philadelphia. brought the whole show to philly. we were dancing with robin. >> a rainy day. >> who cares. >> you brought the sunshine as you always do. thank you for being here. >> thank you so much. >> i know we're going to cook and you were just saying you could -- you think you could even teach me because i'm challenged. >> i think because it's easy the way i do it. >> i know. >> we're going to talk about that in a sec. i want to talk about your beautiful grandbabies. we have a video, i believe, you're very proud of them on social media. there they are. >> hello, pumpkin. >> listen to this. >> listen, listen. ♪ >> baby sade. >> do they have the gene? >> no. [ laughter ] no, they're talented in their own little way. i don't want them to be in show business. >> you don't no. >> no. >> keep them -- >> safe. >> you've been honest about your love life. >> uh-huh. >> you ready? >> well, i would like to get

married, period. >> we're just putting it out there, america. [ applause ] >> it's not -- it's not that kind of party. i'm not looking, no. it'll happen when it happens. whatever. >> i love that, though. your heart is open. >> yes. >> and the kitchen is open, shall we? let's go. >> let's go. >> let's go heat it up in the kitchen. >> let's do this. >> i love your shoes. >> thank you. >> amy and whit are joining us. >> you look amazing, by the way, mwah. i can't to do all this. >> i see lots of delicious ingredients in meals that make us feel good. >> okay. >> what are we cooking first? >> macaroni and cheese. >> yes. >> i can start, right? can i eat while we talk. >> oh, eat. >> you're going to help me, lara. >> all right. let's do it. >> you'll pour the butter in. melt the butter. >> this is butter, right? >> put the cheeses in. >> all -- >> what kind? >> mozzarella. it's monther ray jack, two kinds of cheddar. >> you like to mix up -- a

variety. >> add the seasoned salt. let me help you. >> as we do that can you tell us about your line? we've had your pies but you're expanding. >> at walmart. walmart are the people. you can go there and i have this new comfort food coming out frozen comfort food. >> it's all about the good life. >> if they don't have it in the store, tell them they better get it. >> okay. >> it's good. >> we need a husband and we need the good life. >> i said if it happens. >> yes. at walmart. these are available. you are making us this mac and cheese. >> what makes yours different from anybody else's? >> because i cook with love. i cook with love and it's not like soul food. it's just comfort good food but love is all about me and i love cooking? >> amy, watch out, honey, it's going in. >> watch her. >> no, not all of it. >> and the magic, the magic happens in the oven. >> that happens in the oven.

>> sprinkle cheese on top. >> no, it comes like that. >> even mine -- like -- >> you didn't do it right but -- you're good. but like i said, these foods with my pies and desserts are all at walmart and i have many -- i have eight new items, frozen comfort food. so you can get what you like. black eyed peas, kal sdmrechlt we tried the mac and cheese. >> do you pop i in the microwave or oven. >> this can go in the microwave but i prefer putting it in the oven. >> yeah. >> when it's thawed out like this, 45 minutes in the oven. when it's frozen you can put it in for 75 and the pans come with it. they don't melt. >> oh, really? that's great. >> all about love. i'm feeling the love right now. >> yes. >> and the secret, i actually make a pretty good chicken pot pie. you use -- is that a biscuit on top. >> it's called chicken and biscuit, not chicken and

dumplings with carrots and green peas and sauteed onions and it's good. >> yeah. >> so what i'm doing for you, i'm making it easy for all of you. you get the dinners then you get the desserts. i love it. >> thank you. >> you need to let them know. >> right. >> you guys can get all of these dishes and more as patti just told her from her good life line at walmart and patti's performing in concerts around the country throughout the fall. you saw it on "gma." it's amazing. just like you. we love you. [ applause ] good morning, america. we'll be right back. we're going to eat.

(music throughout)

our thanks to the one and only patti labelle for these delicious dishes. she's living the good life. >> i've got to say a big congratulations to juanita my hairstylist had a little girl blake. so happy. i'm the godmother. >> congratulations. >> beautiful. >> juanita, we love you. [ applause ]

and out of respect, we will let you make the first offer. thirty minutes. thirty minutes? objection! overruled. one hour. sweeten the deal by doing the dishes and i'll consider it. i wouldn't do it. i hate the dishes. one hour with the tablet, you walk the dog and do the dishes. if you insist. congratulations. only xfinity xfi lets you take control of your family's online time. that's simple, easy, awesome. xfinity xfi gives you the speed, coverage and control you need. manage your wifi network from anywhere when you download the xfi app today.

. good morning, everyone. i'm kumasi aaron with "abc7 mornings." here is mike nicc with the forecast. >> we have seven hours of increased risk of the heat-related illnesses everywhere except for the mountains and along the doechlts coast is near 80 and near 90 in san francisco, and richmond and those are the cooler spots. 90s and 100s inland. we will start to break the heat tomorrow and completely gone sunday and a chance of showers monday. sue? >> we are calming down in a couple of spots, but the there is an accident in castro blocking the slow down, and construction hanging from the san mateo bridge and chp had to do a quick stall to get a chain

hanging over the bridge back over the water. traffic is moving smoothly. >> and it is time for "live with >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, reality superstar kim kardashian west. and let the underwear fun to begin, jonathan andrew, the scott brothers participate in the record breaker week. plus, science bob tries to break a record that involves a lot of eggs, so many eggs. all next on "live!" and now, here are kelly ripa and me, ryan seacres ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪