making news in america this thursday morning -- breaking right now. hurricane matthew slamming the bahamas overnight. winds well over 100 miles an hour. tourists at the atlantis resort, hurried into the ballroom. where they're forced to ride out the storm. the scenes there. plus, new video of damage left behind in haiti, as a possib gets under way. and bracing for impact here in the u.s. people from florida to the carolinas are heading out. the mass evacuation as matthew marches closer. we have the latest track. donald trump praises mike pence for his debate performance. taking credit for what he calls a win. and the must-see reaction from first graders when trump makes a surprise visit. and busted. a country's prime minister

good morning, everyone. on what is a very busy thursday morning. i'm kendis gibson. >> and i'm mara schiavocampo, in for diane. we begin with breaking news. hurricane matthew is slamming the bahamas right now. packing winds well over 100 miles per hour. >> and this is just the beginning of it. you see the satellite. the eye of the storm developing overnight on satellite. slowly approaching the islands. this is a live picture that we're getting right now from nassau in the bahamas at this early morning hour. you can see that camera is shaking a little bit there. this is the early stages for the folks. it will be a long early morning hours. it will be a long day ahead for them. forecasters are warning of devastating impacts. that live picture you saw. the high winds whipping palm trees, as well. new video shows the storm's intensity as it came ashore.

leaning palm trees in the fierce winds. hundreds of tourists are riding out the storm at the luxury atlantis resort. all guests have been evacuated to a ballroom there, where they're sleeping overnight on the floor. evacuations and preparations are in full swing from florida to the carolinas. gas stations are running out of fuel. grocery stores are running low on food. matthew's power is creating a nightmare for air travelers. more than 1500 flights have been cancelled already. our coverage begins with abc's maggie rulli. >> reporter: this morning, florida is preparing for this. hurricane matthew, possibly the worst storm to hit the sunshine state in decades. it's already ripped through the caribbean. slamming into haiti. >> translator: everything in my house is wet. i've lost everything. the water took it. >> reporter: leveling towns in cuba. as it makes its way through the bahamas, matthew heads to the u.s.

strengthening over open water. with winds whipping at over 120 miles an hour. florida, georgia, and the carolinas have already declared states of emergency. residents are being forced to choose, evacuate or stock up. more than 1 million are being asked to leave their homes in florida. >> get out now. it could be the decision between life and death. >> reporter: south carolina is is expected to evacuate half a million people. traffic there has been bumper to bumper as residents flee. >> we want you to evacuate. we do not want you to stay. >> reporter: those who do stay are scrambling for supplies, food, and bottled water. >> i've already been to three gas stations that have shut down because they're out of gas. >> we've been waiting about 30, 40 minutes. just getting some plywood. >> we wanted to get batteries, but they're out of batteries. >> reporter: the president warning residents to prepare for the worst. >> if you get an evacuation order, just remember. you can always rebuild. you can always repair property. you cannot restore a life if it is lost.

news, washington. >> we have live pictures from nassau in the bahamas. we see that there are high winds at this moment. not a tremendous amount of rain. earlier in this same live shot, we were seeing sparks from downed power lines. of course, damage to infrastructure is always a big concern with a storm like this. >> absolutely. and, of course, they'll have plenty of downed trees, as well. we want to see where this storm is heading now. and what is next. accuweather's justin povic tracking it all for us. justin? >> kendis and mara, thank you. and good morning to you, as well. matthew remains a powerful hurricane. a major hurricane, potentially becoming stronger as the day wears on. very well defined movement off to the north and to the west. the impacts start later on today. getting out toward miami, northbound later on tonight. west palm beach. potentially from daytona to jacksonville as we get toward friday and friday night. impacts wind-wise. the potential for over

notice the darker shaded purple areas. from interstate 95 out toward the coast. this will bend off to the north as we venture in toward the upcoming weekend. along with heavy rainfall topping eight inches on the florida coast. potentially over a foot toward the south carolina coastline along with a storm surge around daytona beach. upwards of six to ten feet. making its move back to the north and the east. potentially meandering out over the open waters late this weekend. into early next week. it bears watching. the next several days. nd this morning, we're getting a look at some of the devastation caused by matthew in haiti. >> look at this video on the coastal town of jeremie. along the southwest peninsula of that country. the pilot who shot the footage says barely 1% of the homes are still standing. residents are cut off. there are fears those who survived may actually end up starving. aid is set to arrive in haiti today, courtesy of the u.s. military. some supplies were loaded at an

they'll land in haiti this morning after a stop in the grand caymans. the united states has allocated $1.5 million in aid for haiti. more from the storm zone later in this half hour. also this morning, a government contractor is in federal custody. accused of using his top security clearance to steal highly classified information. the fbi raided the maryland home of harold investigators say they found documents and digital data stolen from the national security agency. prosecutors warn some of that is so sensitive, it would cause quote exceptionally grave damage if made public. and sources tell abc news that the fbi believes martin stole critical computer codes that the nsa uses to hack foreign adversaries. turning our focus now to the presidential candidates who are gearing up for the next debate in three days, now that their running mates is have had their turn. donald trump is preparing by

hall in new hampshire tonight. and hillary clinton is off the campaign trail, with no public events scheduled until sunday. she congratulated tim kaine on his debate performance, agreeing with him that mike pence couldn't stand up for trump. >> i thought tim did a great job. every time he tried to push mike pence to defend what donald trump has said and done, pence just bobbed and weaved. tried to get out of the way. because after all, trying to defend donald trump is an impossible task. >> and kaine is claiming victory for the debate. he admits even his wife gave him a hard time for interrupting so often. well, as republicans praise pence for a job well done, he's laughing off reports that trump was jealous of his performance, dismissing the allegations as standard operating procedure with the media. trump complimented pence and promptly took the credit for

>> mike pence did an incredible job. and i'm getting a lot of credit. because that's really my first so-called choice. that was my first hire, as we would say in las vegas. and -- and i'll tell you, he's a good one. he was phenomenal. >> trump went on to call pence's performance, this is a quote, the single most decisive victory in the history of vice presidential debates. >> humble brag. >> yes, indeed. donald trump got a lesson in kids say the darnedest things. >> trump made a surprise visit to first graders in las vegas. just listen to some of the kids' reactions. >> look who is here. >> donald trump. >> mr. trump. >> hi, kids. are they all great students? >> i'm nervous. i'm nervous. i'm nervous. >> nice to meet you. >> hi. >> yeah. they're working hard. >> i want to touch his hair because it's orange. >> does everybody love -- >> i want to touch his hair

well, quite the surprise when trump walked in, one student, as you heard saying out loud, i'm nervous, i'm nervous. >> she wanted to touch trump's hair because it orange. it's not like it's a pet. >> you can't work with kids or animals. >> no, not at all. still ahead, the major announcement from the mall of america about thanksgiving. and passengers on a plane forced to evacuate after a man says his samsung phone caught fire. what the company is saying this morning. plus -- >> the funeral for a 6-year-old school shooting.

may a 6-year-old boy become such a part of our lives that this community shows the rest of the world what hope is all

>> that man just one of hundreds who dressed in superhero costumes for the funeral of jacob hall. the 6-year-old was shot dead outside his school in rural south carolina last week. the minister asked for forgiveness for the 14-year-old boy who is charged with shooting jacob. >> it's a terrible tragedy. a long-time los angeles sheriff's sergeant was killed while responding to a burglary. steve owen, who had been with the department for 29 years, died at the ho shot in the face. his body accompanied by a long procession of police cars. a man on parole was captured after the shooting and is expected to be charged with murder. today, fans of prince can get a look inside the late music icon's kingdom. his paisley park compound near minneapolis opens to tourists for a limited time. photos of some of the exhibits and complex, which also served as his recording studio, have

they include the purple rain room with items from the 1984 movie. prince died in april from a pain medication overdose. well, if you were planning to skip thanksgiving turkey and trimmings with the relatives instead opting for bargain hunting at the mall of america, forget about it. america's largest mall has decided to close on thanksgiving. saying that day is for families. but -- there is a plan "b." don't despair. the country's second largest mall, king of prussia, in pennsylvania, will be open starting at 6:00 p.m. right after you have gotten your food nap in. >> exactly. phew. amazon will be open 24/7. a major step forward in commercial space flight. blue origin, the company owned by amazon's jeff bezos, successfully tested its emergency escape system. you can see the escape capsule detaching from the booster 45 seconds after launching. the parachutes open. the capsule floated right back to earth. blue origin plans to start sending test pilots next year. and then, 2018. >> paying customers. >> paying customers. >> get your checkbook ready.

>> right, you first. >> just let me know how that works out. when we come back, a hospital is under fire. the surprising fee. it really is surprising. you won't believe this for a couple who just had a baby. breaking news out of the bahamas. winds of more than 130 miles an hour as hurricane matthew slams the island right now. an update straight ahead. (announcer vo) when you have type 2 diabetes there's a moment of truth.

better than the leading branded pill, which didn't get me to my goal. lowers my a1c better than the leading branded injectable. the one i used to take. (jim) victoza? lowers blood sugar in three ways. and while it isn't for weight loss, victoza? may help you lose some weight. non-insulin victoza? comes in a pen and is taken once a day. (announcer vo) victoza? is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do not take victoza? if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to victoza? or any of its ingredients. stop taking victoza? and call your doctor right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck or if you develop any allergic symptoms including itching, rash, or difficulty breathing. serious side effects may happen, including pancreatitis.

re pain in your stomach area. tell your doctor your medical history. taking victoza? with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are headache, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting. side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney problems. now's the time for a better moment of proof. ask your doctor about victoza?. this is live picture here in nassau in the bahamas. the eye of the category 3 hurricane matthew is approaching the island chain right now. you can look closely there and you can see those palm trees that are already started to whip up there in the background. and you can also see the waves, as well, picking up slightly. heavy rains already falling in sections of the island chain. we'll keep an eye on this picture as conditions deteriorate in the next 12 hours. we have satellite images of hurricane matthew. by the end of the day, matthew is expected to be near the

e evacuations are well under way in the southeastern united states. states of emergency are in effect in parts of florida and georgia. turning now to other news. a new samsung phone is being blamed for the evacuation of a southwest flight in louisville, kentucky. >> a passenger's galaxy note 7 started smoking in his pocket as he sat on the plane just before takeoff. brian green said it was a new replacement phone he received after the model was recalled. because of overheating batteries. and it was powered down at the time. >> popped. it sizzled, you could say even. i was scared i would have bits of glass in my hand and electronics and what not. >> the plane was quickly evacuated. no one was injured. investigators are looking into the incident which could lead to yet another recall. a hospital bill is going viral after a couple was apparently charged for holding their own baby. ryan grassley and his wife, lydia, posted the bill online because it included an

the fee itemized as skin-to-skin contact. the hospital insists parents do not have to pay to hold their newborns, even though that's what it said, saying the charge was actually for an extra nurse. grassley had no problem with the hospital but he thought the bill was funny. and as a joke, he set up a go-fund-e me page. the goal? 40 bucks. and for the record, there's no fee too much to hold your baby. >> there's no price too much for the epidural. >> that's really priceless. >> that's okay. 10,000 bucks, i'm good with it. another season-ending game for a baseball team. >> here are our guys at espn with the highlights. hi, people watching news. that's neil. i'm kenny. we're going to do some sports. both going with the unbuttoned jacket for a more relaxed feel because we thought we had been

a little stuffy. >> i'm all aired out, man. speaking of airing it out. noah syndergaard. they call him thor. he uses no conditioner, by the way, in that hair. he looked good. a 24-year-old kid. you had two big men. both about 6'5", madison bumgarner, he got it done. he gets syndergaard right there. with two on. ninth inning. this kid, conor gillaspie. you're going who? yeah, conor gillaspie. he that's all the runs that matter. giants are going to get the cubs. they win it, 3-0. mets fans bummed. >> i might have used officious i was in the right neighborhood. it's a pretty good word. it felt good to say it. these are the cavs and magic. lebron james. he's good at basketball. the score was only 9-7. we didn't watch the whole game. we just watched early portions of it to show you lebron doing cool things. got the pass from kev love. >> kev love? >> kev love. >> is that kev mo? >> no.

nba season's coming. lebron had two rebounds. jai a'lai results. diego won the tenth match. >> all right, diego. up next in "the pulse," a prime minister busted playing pokemon go during a debate. and, what long yawns, yes, yawns, say about your brain. why am i so devastatingly handsome, i'm in a fragrance... ...ad, and my sweethearts gone sayonara. this scarf, all that's left to remember. what! she washed this like a month ago! how's a guy supposed to move on!

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pokemon go on her phone. that's erna solberg. she's made no secret of the fact she's a fan. during an official trip to slovakia, she took time out for pokemon. telling reporters she was keen to hatch some of her eggs. i wonder what the reporter's answer was to that? >> yeah, i mean, i guess there are no more pressing problems to deal with. >> maybe they have such an idyllic country. they can take time to do this stuff. just the little things. about something we all do every day without giving it a second thought. yawning. it's contagious. >> so scientists have figured out why we yawn. after looking at countless youtube videos of a variety of animals, they say yawns may be meant to cool down the brain, which uses a lot of energy and can run hot. they found bigger brains mean longer yawns. >> well, the videos show that the weight of the brain and the

layers, it's very technical stuff, those things were reliable predictors of the length of a creature's yawn, regardless of the size of its body or mouth. this explains why your yawns are so long. >> so much longer. >> so much brain in there. >> that's exactly it. so, women who have been tapped to be bridesmaids pretty much need just one qualification. the willingness to shell out for a dress they'll likely never wear. >> unless you're in melissa molinaro's wedding. for that, you'll need these little, tiny body suits and some major moves on the dance floor. yes, girl. >> get it. get it husband. >> love it. a woman after my own heart. you need to make sure you get your college degree. sometimes i call the house, just to hear her voice. (phone ringing) answering machine: hi, leave a message after the beep. (beep) hey mom, this is larry. i just want to let you know that uh, i fulfilled the promise that you held me to. love you. (beep)

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our top stories this morning, a contractor working for the nsa is under arrest after a raid on his suburban maryland house. he's charged with stealing top secret documents from the nsa. u.s. military helicopters bringing aid for haiti today after hurricane matthew roared through that country. at least ten deaths in haiti are being blamed on that storm. matthew continuing its march toward the u.s. the storm is now a category 3 with sustained winds of at least 120 miles an hour. it's expected to intensify today throughout the day. elsewhere across the country, unsettled conditions continue for the pacific northwest. a cold front moves east. over the plains and the great lakes. and in the northeast, expect temperatures near 70. as we mentioned, we have been tracking hurricane matthew as it marches toward the east coast of the u.s. and some of the new numbers from overnight just show how powerful it is. >> yeah, check this out.

web page showing the wind speeds at the airport in the bahamas. that's 107 miles per hour to the northwest with gusts of 131 miles per hour. and here in the states, crews are fanning out throughout north carolina to prepare for potential power outages from the hurricane. workers from as far west as asheville are getting ready for heavy rains expected to hit the state friday when matthew reaches the coast. the red cross also has people in place to help with the emergency response. and the hurricane is also putting a damper on a houston couple's destination wedding. they were planning to take a cruise to exchange vows in the bahamas this week. but their flight to florida has been canceled. >> and i called carnival and see if they can help us out. what we have to do next. and nobody able to tell us anything because they said they haven't cancelled. they haven't made any adjustment.

the couple. the miami airport could still be open tomorrow. the port, rather. if not, they might have to tie the knot right there in houston. >> i'm sure that will be fine. >> it's a downer. the important thing is being safe. and much better that it happens before you get there than getting there with all your friends and family and dealing with a hurricane. >> no, absolutely. want to see hat that live picture is looking like right now in thats. as we mentioned, it will just deteriorate there throughout the day. >> conditions are going to pick up quite a bit. we're seeing the beginning of some wind. we're seeing some sparks flying from downed power lines. we'll keep an eye on it. >> we're tracking it all. especially for "gma." ginger zee is in florida with the latest forecast. and we have reporters stationed in nassau and the bahamas. >> that's what's making news america this morning. hamas. >> that's what's making news

breaking news. the hunt is on to find three armed robbery suspects. if they are caught with -- was there loot worth the trouble? bracing for hurricane matthew. millions of people evacuate. next. a three digit phone call that could save your home if it is on fire. who is paying these firefighters to protect the lives under your roof? we found some bad apples in one town leaving thousands of dollars unpaid. good morning. >> we have to talk about hurricane matthew. >> very concerning with millions of people being evacuated.