>> that's what's making news in america this morning.a this mor. right now on "america this morning," the gloves come off in cleveland. >> the question is -- the question is -- >> will you shut up, man? >> the first debate going off the rails. >> i'm asking you. you know, sir, if you want to switch seats, we can do that. >> who won the night? our experts weigh in. shutdownfallout. disn disney laying off thousands amid a new fight to re-open theme parks. the industries hit the hardest as we face a potential second wave of coronavirus. sentencing day. the liquor heiress accused of funding a sex cult prepares to learn her fate which she's now revealing. plus, hitting the bottle. why experts say women are

drinking more. a popular diet trend put to the test. does it really help you lose weight? pardon me? the potty-mouthed parrots getting into trouble at the park. good wednesday morning, everyone. more than a million ballots have already been cast in the presidential election. but for everyone else who hasn't voted yet it's unclear if last night's debate will change any minds. >> many political pundits said it was the worst debate they've ever seen with constant interruptions and arguing. >> the biden campaign claims it set fund-raising records after the debate and said, quote, there was one leader on stage and one liar. >> the trump campaign also declared victory claiming the president had, quote, the greatest debate performance in history. the president tweeted this image overnight suggesting he had to debate both joe biden and the moderator chris wallace. joe biden going head-to-head in

cleveland. >> nothing smart about you. >> hard to get any word in with this clown. >> reporter: going off the rails almost immediately. the president clashing with biden. >> everybody knows he's a liar. i just want to make sure -- >> you are a the liar. >> reporter: and the moderator, chris wallace. >> you have been talking -- >> you made a statement. >> you know, sir, if you want to switch seats, we can do that. >> reporter: the debate quickly turned personal. >> i'm talking about my son beau biden. >> i don't know beau. i know hunter. hunter got thrown out of the military. he was thrown out, dishonorably discharged? that's not true. he wasn't dishonorably discharged. >> for cocaine use. he didn't have a job -- >> reporter: when it came to issues wallace pressed the president on his long-running promise to repeal and replace obamacare. >> you have never in these four years come up with a plan, a comprehensive plan to replace obamacare. >> of course, i have.

>> well, i'll give you an opportunity -- >> i got rid of the individual mandate. >> that's not a comprehensive plan. >> he's been promising a health care care plan since he got elected. he has none like almost everything else he talks about. >> reporter: the candidates at one point disagreed on how many americans have pre-existing conditions. >> there's 100 million people who have pre-existing conditions. >> there aren't 100 million people who have pre-existing conditions. >> reporter: a recent study found between 61 million and 133 million americans have pre-existing conditions. when the debate turned to the covid crisis biden jumped on the president's interview with bob woodward during which trump admitted to minimizing the seriousness of the virus early in the pandemic. >> he's on tape as acknowledging he knew it. he said he didn't tell us or give people a warning because he didn't want to panic the american people. you don't panic. he panicked. >> if we would have listened to you the country would have been left wide open.

millions of people would have died. not 200,000 and 1 person is too much. it's china's fault. >> reporter: the president also claimed a vaccine will be available in weeks and defended his administration's response. >> far fewer people are dying. we've done a great job. >> do you believe for a moment what he's telling you in light of all the lies he's told you about the whole issue relating to covid? >> reporter: the topic turning to the economy where polls show voters have more confidence in trump than biden. >> we had 10.4 million people in a four-month period that we've put back into the workforce. that's a record the likes of which nobody has ever seen before. >> you can't fix the economy until you fix the covid crisis. >> reporter: the president also denying a "new york times" report that he paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017. >> is it true you paid $750 in federal income taxes, each of those two years? >> i paid millions of dollars in taxes. millions of dollars in income

tax. >> reporter: on the issue of race and violent protests in american cities the president claimed suburbs would be threatened if biden was elected. >> our suburbs would be gone and -- >> he wouldn't know a suburb unless he took a wrong turn. >> reporter: refusing to denounce white supremacists and other groups that align with him. >> are you willing to condemn white supremacists and militia groups saying they need to stand down and not add to the violence in a number of these cities as we saw in kenosha and as we've seen in portland? >> sure, i'm willing to do that but i would say almost everything i see is from the left wing, not from the right wing. >> so what are you saying -- >> i'm willing to do anything -- i want to see peace. >> then do it. >> say it. >> do you want -- what do you want to call them? >> white supremacists and right wing militia. >> stand back and stand by, but i'll tell you what, i'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the

left because this is not a right wing -- >> his own fbi director said the threat is -- >> reporter: that moment triggering this reaction from the far right extremist group proud boys posting a t-shirt with a new logo with the president's words, "standing by." >> reporter: making this claim about the sheriff in portland. >> excuse me, portland, the sheriff said i support president trump. >> reporter: mike reese, the sheriff of multnomah county saying i have never supported donald trump and will never support him. in the end the candidates giving their final pitch to voters. >> under this president we become weaker, sicker, poorer, more divided and more violent. >> let me just tell you, joe, i've done more in 47 months, i've done more than you've done in 47 year, joe. >> reporter: "the wall street journal" says that joe biden gave a more forceful performance

than the low expectations that were set for him but said that president trump delivered on several of his attacks. "the new york times" meanwhile said that the president's, quote, volcanic performance was filled with bulldozer-style attacks. kenneth, mona. >> andrew, thank you. it was definitely a debate like none other. we asked rick klein for his thoughts. >> kenneth and mona, this was a chaotic mess of a debate. everything you thought you'd see in terms of laying out policy differences got lost in the name-calling, the insults, the exaggerations, mistruths, half-truths. not a credit to either man on the stages or to the american presidential election at this moment. joe biden knew that he needed to take a the fight to donald trump and he largely did that. you had flashes where he was able to lay out empathy and vision in stark contrast to president trump on covid-19 and the economy. president trump making clear he wants to make this debate all about joe biden, essentially triing to disqualify him. ultimately it will be viewed as a loss by both men.

donald trump, of course, needs to start putting wins on the board given his place in the race but this was not a debate that looked favorably on anyone involved. kenneth and mona. >> our thanks to rick klein. chris christie helped president trump prepare for that debate. we'll get his thoughts coming up in ten minutes. may be hours away from hearing the recordings from the breonna taylor case. a grand juror filed for a motion wanting them public claiming the attorney general misrepresented the deliberations. we turn to the coronavirus. our parent company disney now laying off thousands of workers. theme parks aren't the only businesses suffering under the threat of a potential second wave. here's abc's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning, new trouble for restaurants and theme parks heading into the fall. businesses across the country facing new closures as covid restrictions force limited capacity and outdoor dining. disney now laying off 28,000

workers at its theme parks in california and florida. >> lacking guidelines for re-opening the theme parks, many are now forced into a position where they have to make very difficult decisions. >> reporter: in a statement the chairman of disney parks placing part of the blame on california stating layoffs have been exacerbated by the state's unwillingness to lift restrictions that would allow disneyland to re-open. they're calling for governor newsom to re-open parks. in new york city struggling restaurants are scrambling heading into winter. >> literally if, you know, we didn't have a big outdoor space, we might have been closed already. >> reporter: more than 6,000 bars have closed in the city already. and newly re-opened schools are already at risk for reclosing as the positivity rate ticks up above 3%.

the highest level in the city since june. back here in southern california, los angeles county says elementary schools will re-open on a case-by-case basis saying schools will now apply for waivers to r classrooms, kindergarten through second grade. kenneth, mona. >> megan, thank you. red flag warnings in california expired overnight providing relief for crews fighting the zogg fire. the deadly fire near redding burned 60 square miles and is 0% contained and officials in wine country lifted some restrictions after winds died down. one lost $5 million in wine after a warehouse gutted by flames. time now for a look at your wednesday weather. a wet and messy commute and rain eventually replaced by clearing skies and strong wind gusts. some up to 50 miles per hour. showers are also expected today around the great lakes. the rest of the country will be

mostly dry. checking today's high temperatures, slightlyooler than normal for the midwest but summerlike heat continues on the west coast, 99 in los angeles, 80 in seattle. around 70 from washington to boston. 104 in phoenix. coming up, a popular new diet trend is put to the test. but first one of the richest women in the world prepares to be sentenced in connection with an alleged sex cult. what she's now revealed.

i'm to help california's 19 most vulnerable. over 24,000 homes were destroyed by wildfires in less than two years. too many of those victims are also hit with a sudden tax hike it's wrong. prop 19 limits taxes on wildfire victims and limits taxes on seniors and severely disabled homeowners. join firefighters and emergency responders in voting 'yes' on 19.

♪ i am strong strong, i am invincible,

invisible, i am woman ♪ singer helen reddy best known for her hit "i am woman" has died at age 78. she became a feminist icon in the 1970s. her family says her voice will live on. today is sentencing day for the seagram's liquor heiress accused of financing the so-called sex cult nxivm. clare bronfman pleaded guilty to immigration fraud. prosecutors are asking for five years in prison. investigators say bronfman is still bankrolling nxivm which authorities say recruited women as sex slaves. the woman charged with trying to kidnap joe montana's granddaughter has pleaded not guilty. bail was set at $200,000. she was accused of walking into montana's home and trying to leave with the baby. the suspect's attorney says depression or drugs may be to blame. a new study warns a trendy new diet plan doesn't work. intermittent fasting when you restrict eating to an eight-hour window does not help lose weight they say and instead can lead to muscle loss. the study's author said he

himself stopped following the plan. more women are turning to alcohol since the pandemic. americans are drinking 14% more alcohol this year than they did in 2019 and women are drinking about 17% more. doctors calling it alarming. coming up, a printing mistake affecting absentee ballots. also ahead, our political roundtable on the highs and lows of last night's debate. here's to the duers. to all the people who realize they can du more with less asthma thanks to dupixent, the add-on treatment for specific types of moderate-to-severe asthma. dupixent isn't for sudden breathing problems. it can improve lung function for better breathing in as little as 2 weeks and help prevent severe asthma attacks. hd 8. including anaphylaxis. get help right away if you have rash, shortness of breath, chest pain,

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york are scrambling to fix an error affecting at least 100,000 absentee ballots. voters in brooklyn received ballots with the wrong name and address printed on the return envelope making them invalid. officials say a third party printing contractor is to blame. the next debate between president trump and joe biden will be a town hall format. many voters will be hoping for more substance than last night. we asked our political roundtable to weigh in on the performances starting with former governor chris christie who helped the president prepare. >> it was not as planned. it was hotter than it was planned to be. i think the advice was for the president to be aggressive, but it was hotter than it was planned to be. i think the problems that the president had tonight can potentially be fixed. you know, potentially you can turn that heat down a little bit. i think some of the problems i saw from vice president biden tonight which, quite frankly, the president's interruptions

kind of saved him from at times was not seeming on beam, not seeming on the ball, getting 46 numbers wrong, wandering in midsentence, not being able to finish thoughts. those were all things that have to be of real concern to people because that was some of the concern coming in. >> if you're effective in a debate and leader you have to have many tools in the toolbox and use them and adjust accordingly. you can't have a hammer and keep going at it, which is where i think -- one of the things going into this people are exhausted by donald trump and nothing tonight changed their feeling of that exhaustion. if anything they were like, enough already. i think joe -- i think joe biden had steadier moments when he looked right in the camera and talked about the american people, their family, their future and how to handle covid. what happened, the failure and what we have to do to turn it around. it's hard to be steady. that said he had steady moments and also smiled. at no time did either trump

smile, look at the camera, talk to the american people about their lives, their future. >> i think people took away the tone, the tenor, the food fight. i don't think they're focused on the position. for president trump that's a problem. he needed to make this a choice. he had moments where he did this in the debate but then it devolved again and so it's a status quo situation, the debate, which means he didn't get ahead which is what he needed to do. >> i think this debate was an unmitigated disaster and i think trump's performance has shown me exactly why our country is in the state that we're in right now. the fact we survived to this point with that kind of leadership is amazing. joe biden's challenge was as my grandmother said don't make sense out of foolishness or make a fool out of you. i mean, there was so much foolishness, i don't think there was a way to cut through and have the moments i think he desired at the top. just completely out of control. >> donald trump's a bull in a china shop. well, the bull was let loose in the china shop. the moderator tried as best he could to control it. joe biden tried to fend it off but in the end, when you look at the end of this, donald trump had to convince the american public that four years -- four more years of this is a good thing.

the exact opposite conclusion i think they'll come to after watching that debate. >> big thanks to our political roundtable there. the next head-to-head is the vice presidential debate in salt lake city one week from today. coming up, a big surprise on the golf course. we'll show you the video. one airline's plan to start a food delivery service. nced nog cancer can take away so much. but today there's a combination of two immunotherapies you can take first. one that could mean... a chance to live longer. opdivo plus yervoy is for adults newly diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread and that tests positive for pd-l1 and does not have an abnormal egfr or alk gene. it's the first and only approved chemo-free combination of two immunotherapies that works together in different ways to harness the power of the immune system. opdivo plus yervoy equals a chance for more days. more nights. more beautiful weekends. more ugly sweaters. more big hugs. more small outings. opdivo and yervoy

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lunch and a movie on board a parked airbus 380 and even chat with pilots and try out a flight simulator. >> the airline is launching a food delivery service to enjoy airline food at home. chicken, beef, which one? next some profane parrots. >> they've been ruffling feathers with their filthy language. >> the zoo took in five african gray parrots. they started using foul language in front of visitors. >> so the zoo had to separate them hoping that they'll pick up some more acceptable vocabulary. >> wash out that beak. next an unexpected guest on the golf course. >> an engaged couple was finishing when a deer walked up to the bride-to-be on the green. >> she let the deer smell her hand and sank her putt. the couple feel it me been e spirit of her father wishing them well. an elk shows us what it's

like to be head over heels in love. >> a male elk chasing after a female doesn't notice that fence in the ware and goes head over horns. >> that has to be embarrassing even in the animal kingdom. gets up like nothing ever happened. >> we've beefront of our csh and simparica trio is demonstrated safe for puppies. it's simple: go with simparica trio. this drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including seizures; use with caution in dogs with a history of these disorders. protect him with all your heart. simparica trio. what do i know? i'm just a kid. our generation's too young to vote. i was one year off. kind of gets me mad a little bit. the pressure for my generation to address the climate crisis is growing. we can't ignore the climate. it's really bad. i would say, to the older generation we're living on this planet longer than they will be (hopefully). so please please please please vote for me. i'm daylan... i'm gideon... i'm amelia and i approve this message. ♪

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you're the worst president

america has ever had. >> there is 234nothing smart ab you. >> the big takeaways from the first debate. measuring 6 feet between tables, san francisco officially the first bay area county moving into the orange tier. the rules for restaurants. florida and new video showing fire crews trying to get a handle on the glass fire overnight, the area now upgraded to an evacuation order. it is wednesday, september 30.3. they are going through so much, mike. what does the weather have in store? >> we do need to know because the answers aren't positive unfortunately. good morning, everyone. so let's start off with what we know, the