$10,400. and congratulations. [applause] you are our "jeopardy!" champion again with a 2-day total of... let's do it again tomorrow. we'll see you then. ♪♪ tomorrow, champion ilhana redzovic faces jared watson from greenville, texas, and, from brooklyn, new york, eva thomas. captioned by los angeles distribution and broadcasting, inc. this morning, breaking news, hurricane idalia taking florida gathering strength overnight. >> powerful category four storm with a storm surge up to 15ft in a region of florida that has not

seen a hurricane like this in recorded history. >> we're live on the gulf coast with what to expect in the biggest concerns at this hour. >> also new this morning, severe turbulence hitting a delta airlines flight. several people hospitalized . >> a new plan from the white house to lower prescription drug prices when seniors could finally see some savings. and what critics of the plan are saying. >> plus, the new legal battle over schools notifying parents if their kids come out as transgender. >> breaking his silence bust. murdoch speaking out about his father's double murder conviction, why he believes his dad is innocent. >> and later, a whopper of a lawsuit for burger king. abc news in new york. >> this is america this morning. >> good wednesday morning, everyone. i'm andrew dymburt. >> good morning to you. i'm morgan norwood, in for rhiannon. a busy morning. and we begin with hurricane idalia. growing stronger overnight. it could hit

the florida gulf coast as a category four storm. >> winds could top 130mph. it's expected to make landfall north of cedar key this morning. the warm waters of the gulf are serving as a sort of jet fuel for this hurricane with water temperatures in the 90s. >> and here's a track we're expecting georgia and the carolinas have also declared emergencies. but the big question right now is the storm surge in florida. >> officials warn it will not be survivable in some areas. the storm surge could reach 16ft in the big bend region. and let's take a close look at cedar key. heavy rain and wind already being seen on this webcam. >> now tossing it around. and further south, this is the flooding overnight in gulfport, florida. that's near saint petersburg. we also want to give you a view from saint pete beach as that storm continues to approach. >> abc's em nguyen begins our coverage. she's in tampa. and let's get right to it. what's it like there? yeah andrew, good morning. >> you know, the winds are really starting to pick up here in tampa. and overnight there

was heavy rain across the area and a hurricane of this strength has never made landfall in these parts of florida. there's even a tornado watch in effect for the state until 6 a.m. overnight. people in at least 30 florida counties placed under evacuation orders. coastal residents told to get to higher ground. >> you really got to go now. now's the time in cedar key in florida's so-called big bend region, people rushing to protect their homes and businesses here in cedar key, the businesses are boarded up. >> the sandbags are out here. they will have an absolute evacuation order in place. gas will be off. lights will be off later on this evening. residents say they are worried they won't have anything to come back to. >> those who saw hurricane hermine in 2016 are well aware of the threat of that treacherous storm surge inside this bar at about hip height, there's a mark where hermine came up to, which is something like here. >> and that's a six foot surge. so if we get eight, ten, 12 foot surge, you're talking water is

going to just flood all of these buildings. >> the governor warning people in this part of florida have never seen a storm like idalia. >> you got to go back to the 1800s before you would see a path like this. and so those coastal areas there, you know, have not necessarily been through this before. >> farther south in tampa, officials shoring up critical infrastructure for the second year in a row they've erected this aqua fence around tampa general hospital to hold back any storm surge and to protect the patients inside fort myers beach already flooded. it's the same community devastated by hurricane ian last september. coastal communities are at the highest risk. but inland residents, people as far as georgia and the carolinas also bracing towns in and around gainesville and tallahassee could see destructive winds. >> we could see hurricane force winds as far inland and as far away as savannah. this is now a high speed, high impact hurricane. >> and though idalia wasn't even a hurricane yet, when it slammed cuba, the storm triggered

massive flooding, displacing tens of thousands of people back in florida, 5500 national guardsmen are on alert, ready to assist more than 580 search and rescue personnel while an army of utility workers also on standby. 20,000 are at the ready right now. >> we have about 5000 resources at the villages. we have over a thousand trucks there, several hundred trucks that are right now staged at the tropicana field. and of course, throughout the state of florida, 30,000 more are on the way, some coming in as far away as maine. >> meanwhile, fema is already calling on congress to approve more funding for disaster response, saying its disaster relief fund is running low. we are prioritizing funding for idalia for the maui fires and any other extreme weather events that are coming our way without interruption. >> at least 20 shelters are now open in florida, and the governor says more than 1

million gallons of gas are available if needed. >> now, we're watching out very closely for those life threatening storm surges, which could reach up to 16ft. and it adds, of course, to those increasing flood threats here and across the coastline. andrew morgan and when in tampa for us, stay safe. >> thank you. well, there's already been a tornado reported in highlands county, florida. >> let's head north, because earlier i spoke with ralph thomas. he's the commissioner of wakulla county, florida, which could take a direct hit. commissioner thomas, thanks so much for joining us. tell us about the scope of this storm and how officials are prepping, bracing for impact. >> well, it's probably going to be a category three, category four, possibly when it hits shore. so we've worked hard and we've prepared. and now all we can do is hope and pray and ride it out some of those preparations include evacuation orders. >> tell us about those evacuation efforts. and for those who are not in an evacuation zone or did not leave what they can do to stay safe?

>> yes, sir. what we did is we issued a mandatory evacuation for our coastal area, also low lying areas. and folks that live in mobile homes. and so we greatly encourage people to heed those warnings and get out of here. we're expecting upwards of 11ft of storm surge in our coastal areas. and so, you know, no one wants to endure that. >> ralph thomas, commissioner of wakulla county and crawfordville, florida, we thank you so much for your time, wishing you nothing but the best out there. >> thank you, sir. god bless you. >> well, thanks again. there to commissioner ralph thomas. yeah, natalia is expected to make landfall later this morning. >> with that said, we want to get right to accuweather's kevin corcoran, who is tracking the storm. kevin good morning, andrew and morgan major hurricane idalia making landfall this morning in florida's big bend forecast. >> sustained winds well over 100 miles an hour. then this storm will transition back into a tropical storm, losing a lot of its wind intensity, but still being very powerful as it moves through savannah, georgia, into

tonight. now, cedar key, florida, is north of tampa. it's in florida's big bend. this is where some of the worst impacts will be felt. the wind gusts up to 140 miles an hour, 8 to 12in of rain. the storm surge will be life threatening, 10 to 15ft, folks. and the worst of these conditions are happening now into about noon time today. so idalia's path moving forward through myrtle beach on thursday morning as a tropical storm and then out into areas near bermuda as we head into the weekend. look at the wind forecast, folks. savannah, georgia, could have gusts as high as 100 miles an hour and near landfall. that could be well over 140 miles an hour. and also 8 to 12in of rain from south georgia to florida. back to you. morgan and andrew, this is one serious storm. >> kevin, thank you. and stay with abc news for live coverage of hurricane idalia. and in just a few minutes, we'll hear from a top emergency management official in florida. >> well, 11 people had to be hospitalized after severe turbulence on a delta flight to atlanta. the flight coming from milan, italy, landed safely. 165

people were on board, but none of those injuries considered life threatening. that turbulence, though, hit just as the plane approached atlanta. >> a grad student at the university of north carolina is held without bond, charged with fatally shooting an assistant professor. a source confirms a social media account linked to the suspect included complaints about being overworked and bullying. the victim who served as the suspect's advisor, was a father of two. >> we're getting the first glimpse of paul whelan in three years. rare video shows the marine veteran inside a russian prison. whelan's brother says that he can see his brother's strength and resilience talks to free him have dragged on since his arrest on espionage charges in 2018. >> we turn now to a new plan that president biden says will lower the cost of prescription drugs. now, the idea ignites a legal battle, with critics saying it will stifle innovation . president biden has revealed his plan to lower the cost of ten prescription drugs for

seniors. the president announcing that for the first time ever, medicare will now negotiate drug prices with manufacture. >> today is the start of a new deal for patients. we're big pharma doesn't just get a blank check at your expense. >> here's the list of the ten drugs. everything from xarelto and eliquis to prevent strokes and blood clots to drugs for type two diabetes to for people with kidney disease. also on the list, drugs for heart failure, arthritis, blood cancers and crohn's disease. as many as 9 million seniors take at least one of those drugs. some paying $6,500 out of pocket each year. americans pay more for prescription drugs than any other country in the world. for example, xarelto, one of the drugs on the list, cost three times more in the us than in canada. negotiating drug prices could save medicare. an estimated $98.5 billion over a decade. as for how much seniors will save, the white house says that's yet to be determined. >> we don't know what the negotiated price will be. this is a subject in negotiation, so

we can't tell you the specific amount that people will save. but there will be savings to people both paying out of pocket and also to the medicare program itself. >> critics say this plan will hurt innovation in the pharmaceutical industry and could lead to price controls. seniors won't see any savings until 2026, assuming the plan clears legal hurdles. and coming up, more coverage from florida as hurricane idalia approaches. >> but first, the new legal battle over schools notifying parents if their children come out as transgender. and a shooting inside a major league ballpark. >> how a woman reportedly snuck the gun through security

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this week on gma. >> a shooting during the chicago white sox game friday was reportedly accidental. two women were wounded. espn chicago

reports one of the women snuck the gun into the ballpark after, quote, hiding it in her belly fat. >> now to california and a legal battle over school policy that critics say is outing transgender students. but supporters of that policy say it protects children. the state of california is suing a school district over its policy that requires schools to notify parents if a student asks to use a name or pronoun. different from what's on their birth certificate. >> transgender and gender non-conforming students already face disproportion levels of abuse and harassment and are at great risk of suicide and serious mental health issues. when a school is not supportive and not affirming when it doesn't create a positive, welcoming environment, it is even worse. >> the president of the chino valley school district board says the state is overreaching. >> what this policy does is bring the parent back in the picture. if you have children

who have a higher risk of suicide and depression, why would you want to exit out their parents without deeming that the parents are unfit? >> the school board back in june also passed a rule banning the pride flag from classrooms. but amid the controversy, shaw insists the new policy about parental notification is about children's safety. >> if you don't notify the parents and they're in a dangerous home, ag bonta is willing to send those kids daily back in the house. is he going to be there to protect them, say, if they do find out? >> the attorney general is vowing to fight for the rights of transgender children in. >> i see you. i value you. i will protect you. i will protect your rights, your civil rights, your constitutional rights, your right to be who you are in similar policies have been approved in other school districts which could be affected by this lawsuit. >> a new report warns the country is in danger of running low on groundwater. a new york times investigation found 40% of wells in the us have hit all

time lows in the past decade. the depletion also hurting crops. the report says climate change is one factor. >> coming up, his father was convicted of killing his mother and brother. now, buster murdoch, son of alec murdoch, breaking his silence. >> but first, hurricane dahlia is set to hit florida as a category four storm. this is sanibel island overnight. and we'll hear from a top emergency we'll hear from a top emergency management official next the pandemic may be over, but unfortunately covid-19 isn't going anywhere. in fact, it's still among the top five leading causes of death in the us, right after heart disease and cancer. and covid-19 related er visits are three times higher than the flu. so stay up-to-date with the latest covid-19 vaccines this fall, just like you do with the flu. because you've got no time for 19. stay up-to-date with the latest covid-19 vaccines.

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in the north are being warned about catastrophic damage with 16 foot storm surge. even down in pasco county, just north of tampa. there is signific concern right now. >> we're forecasted to have up to nine feet. that's still very significant. and deadly for many, many homes. if it if we get that high of storm surge, the force of water can also shift homes completely off their foundation. across the street. the power of water is really, really strong. >> president biden has promised governor desantis everything he needs for the storm response. >> we turn now to buster murdock speaking out for the first time since his father was convicted of killing his mother and brother. he says his dad is innocent. here's abc's lionel moise. >> this morning. buster murdock is breaking his silence nearly six months after his father was convicted of murdering his mother, maggie, and his brother , paul. >> did you ever go there and say maybe it's possible that he did

this? >> no, because i think that i hold a very unique perspective that nobody else in that courtroom ever held. and i know the love that i have witnessed. >> the 29 year old speaking with fox news for docu series streaming on fox nation thursday, it took jurors less than three hours to reach a verdict. after 24 days of testimony, including from alec murdock himself. >> take this gun or any gun like it and blow your son's brains out. on june 7th or any day or any time. no i did not. >> the once prominent south carolina attorney called 911 saying he found the bodies of his wife and one of his sons when he got home. but this video from the crime scene before the murders likely sealed his fate. alec murdoch's voice can be heard on the video. he's got a bird in his mouth. trevor murdoch acknowledged it was his voice, but insisted he did not murder them. >> why would the jurors be inclined to go against your dad

? >> because of everything they had the ability to read prior to the trial? i think that people get overwhelmed and i think that they believe everything that they read. and i think it took advantage of a jury pool in a very small town and a very small county in the trial. >> alec murdoch did apologize for defrauding his clients and partners. >> do you ever worry? no. am i like dad? no i do not worry, because i am not a thief. >> i am not a liar. i'm not a manipulate either. in those regards, i am nothing like him. >> alec murdoch was sentenced to life and is appealing his double murder conviction. meanwhile, he's now agreed to plead guilty to stealing millions from his clients and drew morgan, lionel , thank you. >> coming up, a whopper of a lawsuit at burger king plus porch pirates getting even more porch pirates getting even more brazen we never just see the numbers. we see the people. marcus: detroit, it's just changed so much. you can see what it once was.

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bit of sunshine. >> good morning, america. the. time to check the pulse. >> we begin with the late night talk show host joining forces. yeah, they're collaborating on a podcast to benefit hollywood writers and actors who, of course, have been on strike. >> now, that podcast is called strike force five, and it features jimmy kimmel and four other hosts. they've all been sidelined since the writers walked off the job. >> first episode drops today. next burger king is accused of telling a whopper about its whopper. >> uh oh. the chain is facing a class action lawsuit over the size of its signature burger. some customers claim the whopper on the menu board appears 35% larger than what's actually served. >> burger king says it's not required to make the burger look exact. slightly like the picture. >> well, next, so-called porch pirates getting a little more brazen. >> just watch this video from virginia. >> a man calmly walks beside a fedex worker delivering a package. then he suddenly steals the box right out of her hands.

police say doorbell cameras are not discouraging thieves. >> and with that said, they say the best bet is to have your package delivered to a friend or a neighbor if you're not home. well finally, a new trend at weddings. invite your college mascot. wall street journal says some college mascots are earning up to $300 an hour to attend weddings, all to provide the bride and groom with a perfect photo op. we know what your mascot would be. >> that's right, sebastian. the ibis. if i do get married. yes but i don't know. $300 an hour. yeah, that is a steep price to pay. there

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comcast business, powering possibilities. >> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc 7 news. >> we don't need to close any schools. with this figure i was talking about, it is the manager of incompetence. >> strong words from parents about the biggest district in the area. the meeting about san francisco unified budget and how it is dealing with staff shortages. >> a live look at florida where hurricane a dahlia has made impact.