hy my go-to is nurtec odt. for the acute treatment of migraine with or without aura and the preventive treatment of episodic migraine in adults. it's the only migraine medication that helps treat & prevent, all in one. don't take if allergic to nurtec odt. allergic reactions can occur, even days after using. most common side effects were nausea, indigestion, and stomach pain. people depend on me. without a migraine, i can be there for them. talk to your doctor about nurtec odt today. >> gio: good morning, america. search, rescues, and relief more

than a week after hurricane helene came ashore, the massive efforts to help those impacted by the storm. >> we're coming to get you. we're coming to pick up our people that's out there. >> gio: crews hampered by washed-out roads, residents trying to salvage what they can. team coverage of the round the clock efforts amid this growing humanitarian crisis. >> janai: showing their support, president trump with georgia's governor brian kemp by his side despite being at odds in the past as vice president kamala harris looks for union support and gets high praise from a sports legend. >> whit: breaking overnight, israel carries out another round of punishing air strikes in lebanon. its battle with hezbollah intensifying with a warning from iran. live reports from lebanon and israel. >> janai: from passenger to pilot. >> are you with me? >> yes, i am. >> okay, so make sure you add a little bit of power. >> janai: how a passenger on board this small plane was forced to take control when the pilot fell unconscious in

midair. >> whit: playoff fever. high-stakes games in the wnba. the las vegas aces on the verge of elimination, looking to stay alive overnight against the new york liberty while the connecticut sun and minnesota lynx battle for the lead in their series. ♪ and i'll rise up i'll rise like the day ♪ >> gio: and southeast strong. neighbors helping neighbors in helene's aftermath. a 1o-month-old baby rescued by kayak. a man jumping into rushing water to save a woman being carried downstream and a former nascar driver trading in his wheels for wings to help those in need. ♪ in spite of the ache ♪ ♪ i'll rise up and i'll do it a thousand times again ♪ >> whit: and good morning, america. so great to have you with us this morning. as you can see, gio is in the field this morning as we bring you five days of special coverage of the aftermath and the relief efforts following hurricane helene. more than a week now since the

storm cut a path of destruction from florida to tennessee. it's become the deadliest storm to hit the mainland u.s. since katrina in 2005. >> janai: really just stunning numbers. helene's toll in lives this morning, at least 220, and an untold number of people are still missing while rescues of stranded and desperate survivors are still under way. so, gio, as whit said, is leading our coverage from asheville, north carolina. gio, good morning to you. >> reporter: janai and whit, good morning. listen, i got to tell you, just driving through here, we've seen unbelievable devastation very much like a war zone. we are here in the asheville area here, because it is facing one of the longest roads to recovery, but the deaths and damage, they are widespread across half a dozen states. the situation still very much an emergency this morning, as you can imagine, and americans are coming together to help the southeast recover. a thousand u.s. army active duty troops on scene here in north carolina.

hundreds of health care professionals from across the country also right here, and right behind me here, the organization, mercy chefs, has set up to feed this community. we're going to learn much more about them later here on "gma." but let's begin our coverage with abc's morgan norwood about 150 miles east of here. she's in salisbury, north carolina. morgan, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you, gio. yes, you were just talking about all of the relief coming into western north carolina. of course, the military is a huge part of that. we know active duty troops along with thousands of guardsmen from all over the southeast are in the disaster zone. and this morning with that death toll climbing, dozens still unaccounted for, the loss of power, no water, i mean, the situation over in western north carolina is still so dire. this morning, the painstaking recovery and desperate search entering its second week. helene's death toll still climbing. at least 220 people killed, but the number of those unaccounted for improving as crews fan out

in hard to reach areas. buncombe county officials now say 75 remain unaccounted for, down from 200 and promising to keep looking. >> we know these are hard times, but please know we're coming, we're coming to get you. we're coming to pick up our people that's out there. >> reporter: many areas remaining inaccessible. this drone video showing a transportation crew trying to carve a path into the town of chimney rock. here's what the area looked like before. this vibrant amusement park, and now signs it never existed. in the town of swannanoa, this neighborhood nearly gutted one week ago. the floodwater lifting trailers, flooding homes, now debris, furniture, personal belongings lining the streets. >> we were just kind of holding behind that chimney. >> reporter: john trying to salvage what he can after he says the rising floodwater forced him and his family onto the roof where they waited hours before being rescued. he says neither he nor any of

his neighbors have flood insurance. >> this is just not the kind of thing we see in asheville. you know, we've already denied that coverage, and we're working with fema to see whatever they're going to be able to do. >> reporter: as the cleanup continues, a growing need for relief. thousands still without power and water across the storm zone. relief coming in from all points, food, water, and generators. >> we are just so grateful for everything, everything that everyone has sent. >> reporter: active duty troops now on the ground to assist in those relief operations, and in asheville authorities setting up 40 tankers outside of mission hospital restoring much needed running water, and back here in salisbury, in just a few moments i'll be getting on one of the north carolina national guard choppers as they complete a range of missions over in western north carolina. rescue, relief, i mean, this is so critical to the situation there. they're actually getting their briefing right now, and we

should be taking off pretty soon, gio. >> gio: and it's just so critical. morgan, before you go, you've been covering the storm all week long. you're actually from winston-salem. that's just about two hours from here. you had your own scare when you were looking for your mom. how are you doing this morning, morgan? >> reporter: oh, i'm well. mom is doing great. you know, that was so difficult. it was tough not hearing from her, and i just really empathize with all of the families who are going through that fear and that worry, and, you know, gio, this really hits home, because it is home, and it's tough to see your own state reeling and going through this, but as we've been showcasing all week long here on "gma," north carolina, southeast is truly strong, and it's just been heartwarming to see all of the relief and neighbors helping neighbors and coming together during this difficult time. >> gio: and i see the pride on your face with that smile. thank you so much, morgan, for all of your incredible work this week. and we will have much more ahead here from the disaster zone as americans come together to help.

janai? >> janai: and we appreciate you so much for being there, gio. so we will check back in with you in just a little bit. but still reeling from helene's aftermath, a new tropical threat is developing in the gulf. leslie lopez from our station, kabc in los angeles, in for somara this morning and joins us with the details. good morning to you, leslie. >> leslie: good morning. good morning. yes, i just want to put at least people's mind at ease. if you're in the carolinas, we're talking about a new tropical storm that's developing in the gulf of mexico that's developing right now. this will not impact your area. what's happening at this point, we are looking at an 80% chance for development of a new storm system, a named storm system. this is going to be moving out towards the florida peninsula. now, with that we have some news for that area. there's already two to five inches of rain barreling because of a storm system happening over the weekend. now, the next system that moves on through is going to add in -- i mean, it's going to add in a lot of rainfall.

we're talking about ten inches possible into midweek so, we're watching out very closely to see what happens to the florida peninsula over the course of the next seven days. we'll send it back over your way, whit. >> whit: some of those places can't catch a break. leslie, we'll check back in with you soon. we turn now to the race for the white house, and both campaigns sweeping through the battleground states with just a month to go, and former president trump going back to the site of that assassination attempt in july. abc's white house correspondent maryalice parks joins us now from michigan with more. maryalice, good morning. >> reporter: yeah, whit, good morning. with just 31 days to go till election day, vice president kamala harris working overtime to win over the union vote here in michigan. she has shown her strong support that she's already gotten from labor unions. she talked about how when unions are strong, she said america is strong before turning the tables going after trump talking about his recent comments about firing union workers who threatened to go on strike. >> we know what is at stake, and we love our country. we love our country.

[ cheers and applause ] [ crowd chanting, "usa" ] >> reporter: vice president kamala harris with a stirring speech in flint, michigan, overnight, introduced by labor leaders arguing she is the candidate standing with america's union workers. >> and make no mistake, donald trump is no friend of labor. he encouraged automakers to move their plants out of michigan so they could pay their workers less. >> reporter: the biden administration buoyed by a strong jobs report friday. the stock market closing at another record. former president trump asked about the state of the economy by our rachel scott. >> jobs are up. the stock market hit that all-time high. do you acknowledge the economy is improving? >> no, it's not. it's -- inflation is devastating our economy. >> reporter: with just 31 days to go until election day, the former president making stops in north carolina and georgia. both still reeling from hurricane helene, appearing alongside georgia's republican governor, brian kemp, the two rarely seen together after

publicly feuding four years ago. trump bashing him for standing by georgia's 2020 election results. and later today trump returning to butler, pennsylvania, holding a rally at exactly the same venue where he survived an assassination attempt in july joined by his running mate, j.d. vance, and tech giant, elon musk, the biggest names out on the campaign trail in this final stretch. president obama set to hit the trail with harris starting next week after republican liz cheney campaigned by harris' side in wisconsin and back in flint -- >> i come from a middle class family. >> reporter: -- michigan's own magic johnson stumping for harris. the nba legend mentioning her plans on housing and telling me he has known harris for 20 years. >> she will work with republicans, and she will work with independents, and she'll work with people who don't vote for her, so that's what i love about her, as well. >> reporter: now, trump will have increased security there in butler, pennsylvania, bulletproof glass, protective barriers. law enforcement, of course, on high alert. harris is headed to north

carolina to survey the damage there in that state and meet with first responders. gio? >> gio: and, as you mentioned, just 31 days to go with all of this happening. all right, maryalice, thank you so much. we're going to go overseas now and to the growing tensions in the middle east. we have team coverage as israel launches new strikes on beirut overnight. ines de la cuetara is in israel, but let's begin here with abc's patrick reevell who is in lebanon this morning. good morning, patrick. >> reporter: good morning, gio. yeah, there were more israeli air strikes here in beirut overnight. we've been watching smoke rise from them in a distance behind me, but looming over all of this is israel's promised response to iran's barrage of missiles earlier this week and the fear that when that finally comes, it could plunge the middle east deeper into a wider war. overnight, explosions lighting up the sky as israel again struck southern beirut. israel hitting lebanon's capital daily as its war with hezbollah intensifies.

lebanon's health ministry saying more than 2,000 people have now been killed and nearly 10,000 injured, most in just the past two weeks. israel telling more areas in southern lebanon to evacuate. 1.2 million people already displaced. >> it's very hard. >> reporter: this american lebanese citizen evacuated on a flight to istanbul. plumes of smoke visible at lebanon's airport. >> many people are waiting at the airport all day just so they can get their grandparents out, their mom out, or their daughters out. it's completely tragic. >> reporter: as fears of a wider middle east war still grow, the u.s. friday struck yemen, targeting iran-backed houthi rebels. the pentagon saying, the strikes were to prevent houthis targeting shipping. the world bracing for israel's promised response to iran's unprecedented missile attack earlier this week.

iran's supreme leader, ayatollah khomeini, leading friday prayers defiant, telling thousands the strikes were legal and legitimate. questions now whether israel will target iran's oil industry. president biden friday, though, seeming to discourage that. >> i think there are -- if i were in those shoes, i'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields. >> reporter: an israeli attack on iran's oil facilities would send oil prices soaring, and that could have an effect in the u.s. presidential election, but even if israel doesn't choose to attack iran's oil industry, most experts believe israel's response will be severe and that escalation is very likely. gio? >> gio: and all of this could have such an impact. patrick, thank you so much for your reporting, as always. let's go ahead and bring in abc's ines de la cuetara from tel aviv this morning. ines, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, gio. and everybody here on edge waiting to see what israel does

next. the israelis have vowed to retaliate, but it is still unclear what that response will look like. there has been talk of israel potentially going after iran's nuclear facilities potentially targeting its oil industry. we know the u.s. does not support either of those options. unclear whether israel will listen, and there are concerns that strikes on iran's oil industry could cause gas prices to surge around the world. now, we know the israelis here are looking to re-establish deterrents. so, they are looking for symbolic targets that will send a big message to iran, to other bad actors in the region, and as far as timing, we initially thought this would happen quickly. it does appear that the israelis now are taking a little bit more time. it could be because of the jewish new year holiday. it could be that they're still weighing their options. it could also be that they're preparing something more sophisticated and need more time to get ready, but we are now closing in on the one-year anniversary of the october 7th terror attacks. that anniversary now just two days away. the idf engaging with hamas and

gaza, with hezbollah in lebanon, with iran, of course, with the houthis in yemen, and so there are real fears we could be on the brink of an all-out regional war. janai? >> janai: ines, as you said, everyone there in the region and really around the world on edge waiting to see what happens next. ines, thank you. back here at home now and to 46 drama in the air when the pilot of a small plane fell unconscious, a passenger was forced to take control. abc's jaclyn lee joins us with these incredible details. jaclyn, a very scary situation. >> reporter: that's right. good morning, janai. it is really crazy. i mean, imagine being a passenger on a plane. the pilot passes out, and then you have to safely land it. well, that's what happened to one woman, so take a look. >> are you with me? >> yes, i am. >> okay, so make sure you add a little bit of power. >> reporter: this morning a hero passenger safely landing this small plane after its pilot fell unconscious midair. >> you gotta add power. we're going a little too slow. make sure you add power. >> reporter: the plane taking

off from henderson executive airport outside las vegas just before 11:00 a.m. friday, according to data from flight radar 24 heading to hours later diverting to bakersfield when the pilot suffered a medical emergency. >> your altitude is looking good, 5,900 feet. try to stay level at 6. you're in a right-hand turn. continue that right-hand turn. >> reporter: a passenger taking the controls, air traffic controllers helping the woman land the plane. >> we're going to set you up so that as you level off from your turn, you're going to be straight in for bakersfield airport, is that all right? >> okay. >> reporter: the pilot rushed to the hospital. that hero passenger, uninjured, and her unexpected landing leaving the plane without any noticeable damage. just two days earlier, another scare just south of that same airport. this small plane crashing near a highway. firefighters nearby hearing it go down and responding quickly. that pilot, the only one on

board suffering major injuries. and you know you could hear how calm and encouraging that air traffic controller was while trying to instruct that passenger. we reached out to the fire department and sheriff's office overnight about this incident and have not yet heard back. whit? >> whit: wow. quite a story, jaclyn, thank you. now to the economy and wall street celebrating a much better than expected jobs report. abc's alexis christoforous is here now with the details and what this could mean for interest rates. alexis, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. wall street cheered that blockbuster jobs report giving investors confidence about the health of the economy. the dow industrials shot up more than 340 points to close at a record high, and the s&p 500, which is tied to many americans' retirement plans, climbed 219 points. the labor department said the economy added 254,000 jobs last month, significantly more than the 150,000 expected and the largest increase we've seen since march. the unemployment rate ticked down to 4.1%. employers added the most jobs at

bars and restaurants, construction, health care, and government. now, that strong jobs report suggests the u.s. may be headed for that soft landing after all in which inflation returns to normal levels while the economy avoids a recession. it may also slow the pace of rate cuts from the federal reserve. investors are now betting the fed will reduce rates by just a quarter point at november's meeting instead of that half point cut we saw last month. guys? >> janai: aiming for that soft landing. alexis, thank you so much. it is time for another check of the weather. we've got leslie lopez from our l.a. station, kabc, in the building. leslie, you are looking at record heat out there. >> leslie: record heat, i know. it is not letting up. this has been quite the protracted heat wave, and let's take a look at the entire west. death valley got up to 112 degrees, record heat there. another area, phoenix, 108. but look at las vegas. las vegas had the hottest october record, so for the month they reached about 114 degrees. now, over into areas closer to

the west, we're still dealing with that record-breaking heat potentially today and have all of the bubbles around these numbers. many areas could see record breaking heat, 111, palm springs very possible today. that ridge of high pressure is not moving, staying in place locked into the area, and we'll see the potential for more heat coming in next week, so we'll have the opportunity for record highs of 101 over into las vegas.

>> leslie: well, happy saturday. i hope you have a nice weekend. i know there's a lot going on in terms of the weather, but hopefully it gets easier as we get farther into fall. whit and janai, back over your way. >> whit: thank you, leslie. we'll chat in just a bit. now to the wnba playoff, the las vegas aces staying alive overnight in their semifinal series against the new york liberty. abc's ike ejiochi is here with all the highlights and much more, ike. good morning. >> hey, good morning, whit. listen, we know october is widely considered one of the best months for sports, and last night was the perfect example, the wnba delivering two high-stakes playoff games starting off with the new york liberty taking on the las vegas aces, who were on the verge of elimination last night. the two-time defending champs entering the game down 0-2 to the liberty who, get this, no team has ever rallied from an 0-2 deficit to win a best of five playoff series in the wnba post-season history. only phoenix was able to push a game five back in 2018 against seattle.

and vegas, well, guess what, they're looking to buck the trend, taking control of the game in the third quarter with a 16-point run and the liberty failing to score a point over a 7 1/2-minute stretch. the liberty star sabrina ionescu held to four points the whole game, and the aces winning the game, 95-81. meanwhile, the connecticut sun and minnesota lynx facing off in a series tied 1-1 after struggling in the last game, napheesa collier, the league's runner-up for mvp was the momentum setter in this game. her 26 points fueling them over the sun, 90-81. minnesota now taking a 2-1 series lead. the game four in that series will go down sunday evening at 5:00 p.m. eastern over on espn, and the liberty will get another shot at closing out the aces on sunday right here on abc starting at 3:00 p.m. >> whit: excellent. >> janai: maybe that's a game we could go to, guys. >> why not? >> whit: we were just talking about it. >> janai: i know you were, and now i'm like, yeah, let's go. we should go. >> whit: you can organize the carpool. we'll make it happen. ike, thank you so much.

coming up here on "gma," college football week six is happening. desmond howard joins us from the university of berkeley cal. the golden bears taking on miami. >> janai: and our politics rundown. vice president harris and liz cheney campaigning together. how that could influence voters. harris campaigning together. how that could influence voters. where do we start? ] what isn't the economy? yes. [ laughter ] uh, it's -- it's so many thing. right. look, all you really need to know is that progressive can save you money without sacrificing quality coverage. you follow? i'll just look it up. hmm. that went well. looking for a reason to try the new $5 meal deal at mcdonalds? here's one, two, three, four and the price makes 5. that's everything you get with the new $5 meal deal at mcdonald's.

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and orchestrated a pay-to-play scheme that sold out taxpayers to the highest bidder. mark farrell has all the wrong experience for the change we need. because most popular tourist destinations, sfmta is warning people to watch out for a fake qr code while parking at fisherman's wharf. the qr code says phone pay. officials say they found at least five machines with a fraudulent qr sticker, and people can visit the sfmta website to learn how to correctly pay for parking and to look out for qr codes like this. the agency does not know if any visitors were affected by the scam. all right. to weather. now the heat is back and

continues. lisa, what's the latest? >> anywhere from 2 to 10 degrees warmer than yesterday. check it out. beautiful view here. but we're 67. in hayward. will be over 100 today with 90s in san francisco. >> lisa, thank you. and thank you all for joining us.

but most burger places don't even sell tacos. meanwhile, i've got my new bacon-y $3 mummy wrapped monster taco. and two original monster tacos for just 3 bucks. take notes, ronald. oops! i named names. welcome to jack in the box! ♪ helene, helene, helene, ♪ helene, helene, helene, helene, you came in here and

broke us all apart ♪ ♪ helene, helene, helene, helene, but we're all here to mend these broken hearts ♪ >> and that's what i'm doing here. so i really, really wish that we were all together for another reason. >> gio: mending these broken hearts, you are, dolly. welcome back to "gma" on this saturday morning. i'm in asheville, north carolina, this morning, one of the hardest hit areas here by hurricane helene. and as you saw, of course, that was dolly parton doing what she does best, giving her heart, soul, and song to those who need it most. the queen of country announcing that she is donating $1 million of her own personal money to relief efforts. that's in addition to another million dollars that's being donated through her businesses. she is doing so much. and, janai and whit, i can't wait to show you how so many people from across the country are coming together here to help people in need because so many people do need this help. >> whit: yeah, desperately needed help, for sure, gio. thank you. of course, we've been southeast

strong all morning long here. you at home can learn much more about some of the organizations giving back and helping in the aftermath of hurricane helene. you can scan the qr code right there on the screen. >> janai: and gio will have much more on our southeast strong coverage coming up in just a bit. but for now let's take a look at the other big stories we're following on this saturday morning. happening right now, governor kathy hochul saying state police will be deployed to new york city synagogues after multiple bomb threats. the threats so far found to be, quote, not credible, but the city remains on high alert amid the jewish high holy days and monday's anniversary of the october 7th terror attacks in israel. >> whit: also right now, the nfl announcing the number of preseason concussions has hit a record low, going down 24% from last year alone. the league crediting changes to rules, equipment, and other efforts for the drop in injuries. some of the big changes include some players using the guardian cap, as well as top performing helmets.

>> janai: that's some good news. and don't forget to look up in the sky this weekend. this is really cool. the northern lights could light up the skies in some northern u.s. states if the weather conditions are right. experts say the best hours to catch the aurora borealis is between 10:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. who is up that late? >> whit: that's right. >> janai: not me, but good luck. >> whit: you can watch it on television on "gma" the next day so it'll be great. >> janai: there you go. we start with the excitement for week six of college football and espn's "college gameday" coming to you from berkeley, california, my hometown, well, the bay area, as the number eight hurricanes meet the cal golden bears, and back with us, espn football analyst, desmond howard. desmond, good morning to you, my friend. great to see you in the bay area. >> first of all, it's great to be in the bay area. listen, listen, these -- my fans back here, they were so excited to see me on "gma" that they

broke down the barricades at midnight to come here, so we've got to get this show rolling, y'all. >> janai: oh, my gosh. it's literally 4:30 in the morning there, and they are going crazy. okay, desmond, last week, georgia fell short in a thriller against alabama. how can the bulldogs rebound in today's game against auburn after such a tough loss? >> yeah, you're right. that was an instant classic. georgia kind of slept-walked through the first half, but then they came out like gangbusters in the second half. you know, georgia's had a tendency of starting kind of slow this season. they started slow against clemson, and the score was only 6-0 at halftime, but they finished strong. they finished strong last week against alabama, but just not strong enough, because alabama is a great team too. so, i think at this point they understand who they are and what they have. they just got to come out the gates as the georgia bulldogs and not wait until the second half.

>> whit: all right. let's switch over. number four, tennessee, faces off against arkansas tonight. how serious of a contender is tennessee for winning the s.e.c.? >> i tell you what, guys, coming into the 2024 season with all the attention given to georgia and texas and maybe even alabama, i thought that tennessee could be a sleeper team in the s.e.c. they have this quarterback nico iamaleava who is playing fantastic. 6'6", 215 pounds. he can spin all over the field but he's also a pretty good runner too. they have great defense. their front four is probably as good as it gets in the s.e.c. so, i think that tennessee with josh heupel as the head coach, this group is ready to make a run in the s.e.c. don't sleep on the vols. >> whit: quickly, we don't have much time left, desmond. what do you think my cal bears,

how are they going to do here? [ cheers and applause ] >> come on now. you kidding me? stop it. you see this crowd behind me, hey, cal's going to be ready tonight. they have a great defense. i think they're going to give cam ward fits, and plus, guess who is going to be in the house. we're going to have marshawn lynch on "college gameday" as a celebrity picker. yeah, the bears are going to get it done tonight, just keep an eye on them. >> whit: love it. thank you, desmond, as always. you can catch "college gameday" on espn starting at 9:00 eastern and then tune in to number four tennessee volunteers taking on the arkansas razorbacks at 7:30 eastern right here on abc. >> janai: we got to start getting those crowds to, like, chant, g-m-a. >> whit: i'm a cal fan, and they didn't accept my application into the university. but i still remain a fan to this day. >> janai: sounds like they have good taste. all right, time for the weather and leslie lopez. oh, save us. >> leslie: good morning. that is some fanfare right there. i love it. good morning. we have to talk about some changes that are happening right through areas that looks like the plains and northbound.

now, this is a beautiful shot over in colorado. breckenridge, the leaves are changing. it's starting to feel a little bit more like fall. unfortunately, we have this too. this is an area of low pressure, a front moving through the region thanks to a storm system from canada. it's bringing in really gusty wind. 65-mile-per-hour wind gusts are possible. so, unfortunately, that's going to do as it moves off into the michigan peninsula, it's drying out our air mass and bringing in some really gusty weather. that's elevating our fire danger through that region, and so there are high wind alerts, fire >> leslie: well, there you go. i mean, there's a lot happening today. so, we'll keep a close eye.

from fires to flooding to heat. >> janai: a lot. >> whit: all right, leslie, thank you. coming up, our politics rundown. we'll be right back. >> whit: all right, leslie, thank you. coming up, our politics rundown. we'll be right back. grix protec. only shingrix is proven over 90% effective. shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain, redness, and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, tiredness, headache, shivering, fever, and upset stomach. ask your doctor or pharmacist about shingrix today. looking for a reason to try the new $5 meal deal at mcdonalds? here's one, two, three, four and the price makes 5.

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>> janai: welcome back to "gma" and we're getting a closer look at the race for 2020. joining us is abc news white house correspondent maryalice parks and from washington npr, white house correspondent and abc news contributor asma khalid. thank you both for being with us. asma, i want to start with you. the candidate surrogates are out in full force these days. for kamala harris, we just saw her with former republican congresswoman liz cheney by her side. former president obama set to make his way through the midwest for her. on the republican side, donald trump teaming up with georgia's governor brian kemp. do appearances like these have any impact on voters? >> well, i will say i don't think endorsements are one size fits all approach, but of all the endorsements you mentioned, the one that is the most interesting is former congresswoman liz cheney. she appeared with vice president harris this week in wisconsin at a site known as the birthplace of the republican party. really what she creates is this permission structure for other somewhat skeptical republicans to come out and possibly endorse harris. she basically -- her central

message is that this is country over party. she tried to focus on the events of january 6th, and that's what democrats want. they want this election to be a referendum on donald trump, his character and his values rather than a referendum on, say, the biden administration's policies and what the last four years have been. >> whit: maryalice, to you now. we saw the vice presidential candidates face off in that debate. you've been out on the campaign trail since then. what's been the reaction on the road, and do these vp debates really move the needle at all? >> reporter: yeah, i doubt they move the needle. look, the trump/harris debate barely moved the needle. i was in the room during the vice presidential debate, and i do think that vance probably helped stop some of the bleeding that they had had with female voters. before the debate democrats had told me they felt like vance was basically handing them female voters with his comments making fun of women without children. in the debate room, he came across so much more relatable, empathetic, even collegial. we saw this very different side

of vance that helped him out even though he did punt on some republican issues around abortion, child care, gun safety. i'll tell you on the road i have been struck by the grassroots energy at harris' events. her events haven't been huge, but you can't fake that grasp r509 -- grassroots energy. homemade t-shirts, signs, something that obama had and something trump had, something that harris' team feels really good about. they also like the fact that her events have been more diverse, frankly more white, rural, and suburban voters in their crowds. guys. >> janai: interesting points, maryalice, and, asma, we are in the october surprise territory, that being a news event just weeks before the election that can upend a presidential race. i'm sure we can all think of some. anything on your radar? >> i want to say this campaign season we've already seen two assassination attempts and a turnover change at the top of the democratic ticket. so maybe our senses are somewhat dulled to surprise, but there are two things on the horizon i think are unpredictable unknowns and both i will say are out of

the control of either candidate but do pose a risk to someone like vp harris who is a sitting vice president, and that is a potential wider war in the middle east. that could be key in a state like michigan, which has a large arab american population, and then, of course, the impact of hurricane helene. we are already seeing how that's been politicized on the campaign trail. donald trump making some false claims about president biden's initial response there. we know the impact has just been absolutely devastating in some key battleground states like north carolina and georgia, and that's why we're seeing both candidates visiting those states. >> whit: an unprecedented campaign already. it's hard to imagine another twist and turn in all of this. asma and maryalice parks, thank you so much to both of you. we appreciate it. and coming up on "good morning america," we'll go back to gio in asheville, north carolina. our southeast strong series, our special coverage on the help after helene. gio? >> gio: hey there, guys, yeah, of as you can see, the volunteers from mercy chefs have now

arrived to help this hard-hit community with what they need most right now, and that's food and water, and so many are coming together across the southeast. we're going to tell you how you can help no matter where you are. we're southeast strong on "good morning america." please stay with us. can keep coming back. start to break away from uc with tremfya... with rapid relief at 4 weeks. tremfya blocks a key source of inflammation. at one year, many people experienced remission... and some saw 100% visible healing of their intestinal lining. serious allergic reactions and increased risk of infections may occur. before treatment, your doctor should check you for infections and tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms or if you need a vaccine. healing is possible with tremfya. ask your doctor about tremfya today. ♪ this fall, it's all about denim.

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neighbors helping neighbors. sfea and jacob jumping into action grabbing their kayak when they heard that hurricane floodwaters trapped a family on the second floor of their home outside asheville. >> i'll never forget mom's face in that moment. >> reporter: as the family rushed to evacuate, you can see 9-month-old lila being handed out of the window. >> i think all of us did not breathe at that moment until that baby made it to shore. it's a feeling that i can't explain, i think, in any kind of way. >> reporter: thankfully lila and her family are now safe. her mom is grateful. everyday heroes emerging in the wake of helene's wrath. eddie hunter answering the call too. >> there was a quick split second where i thought, do i really want to do this, and i thought, i don't have a choice. >> that's him on the canoe with the yellow life vest racing to rescue 67-year-old leslie worth who was trapped in her home as it was carried downstream. >> we yelled over to leslie, if the house starts moving, you

need to jump out downstream. i had to yell about five times because the river was so loud. >> reporter: leslie in the raging river. eddie jumping out of the canoe, grabbing the back of her life vest. >> i told her, you know, i've got you. i asked her to kick to keep her feet up so they didn't catch on anything below, and i just said, we just got to ride out this fast area. >> reporter: making it back to shore. the pair seen here embracing their loved ones, now bonded for life. they did not hesitate from the ground to the skies. former nascar driver greg biffle also a helicopter pilot. >> i've got people calling me out of everywhere wanting to help and wanting to send their pilot and their helicopter in to help us on the ground. >> reporter: he's flown countless missions over the last week in the remote mountain areas of north carolina like this one. one man catching their attention from the forest below. >> i just caught out of the

corner of my eye the very bottom of this ravine, of this 4,000-foot mountain, the flash of the mirror. >> reporter: biffle making a daring landing delivering desperately needed insulin and baby formula to the man and his family. >> as soon as the sun rises in the morning, we're going to be off the ground and looking for you. >> gio: they will, and even if you aren't here, there are ways for you to help, and all morning long we've had that qr code right there on your screen. just point your phone camera to it, or go straight to our website, goodmorningamerica.com, because i can tell you that these communities here desperately need your help this morning, and we're going to be here helping you understand how you can help all morning long. we'll be right back here on "gma."

i know about 20 of you, and you're rich as hell. we're going to give you tax cuts. i'm not rich as hell. i'm the one that really needs the break, not the people that are already rich and have the money. the 1% don't serve anybody but themselves. so for them to get a tax break, no, that's not cool. kamala harris is going to make billionaires pay their fair share, and she's going to cut taxes for working people like me. i'm buddy, and i'm not rich as hell, and i'm voting for kamala harris. ff pac is responsible for the content of this ad. looking for a reason to try the new $5 meal deal at mcdonalds? here's one, two, three, four and the price makes 5. that's everything you get with the new $5 meal deal at mcdonald's.

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>> gio: and coming up on "gma" >> gio: and coming up on "gma" in our second hour, more on our southeast strong help after helene series, we are

highlighting a group providing meals to hospital workers, patients, and the community. good morning, i'm stephanie sierra. california is spending more than $130 million to help combat the state's homeless crisis. governor gavin newsom announced the funding yesterday. 18 cities and counties across the state will receive funds, including several here in the bay area. contra costa county plans to use $5.7 million to clear an encampment near the city of san pablo. the county will move people off the street into permanent housing. up north, salmon have been spotted in the klamath river for the first time in decades, according to the chronicle. scientists with the nonprofit california trout spotted chinook salmon

using a sonar camera. the salmon were migrating upstream, past where the iron gate dam used to be. this would mark the first time in more than 100 years that salmon have migrated up the river. to weather now and the heat continues. let's check in with lisa. >> okay, stephanie. the final days today, tomorrow of our excessive heat warning and advisories as we jump up anywhere from 2 to 10 degrees today. so we are under the risk of the heat again in san francisco right now it is 69, in hayward. going from the 70s yesterday at the coast to near 90 today, this is santa cruz. upper 50s. it's in the 50s in santa rosa, but still you'll be over 100 degrees today. 65 by the delta. no delta breeze. we're looking at a warmer start to the day, a warmer finish and a spare. the air alert. >> stephanie. all right, lisa, thank you. up next, espn's college game day is here in the bay area. the show comes to uc berkeley for the first time ahead of tonight's game against

miami. j.r. stone is live from cal's campus with a preview. abc seven news

how about coming out here to berkeley? but after experiencing it, it is very evident that this is one of the best cities in this year. >> united states of america. >>