making news in america this morning, wave of criticism. controversial comments from ben carson about the shooting at an oregon college. >> i would not just stand there and let them shoot me. i would say, hey, guys -- >> gun control now front and center in the presidential race. carolinas. long after the storm, rising rivers, pressure building behind dams and some residents returning to see what's left. >> mass release. 6,000 federal prisoners soon to be free. why they're being let go. lucky winner. america's newest multi multimillionaire after a powerball jumbo jackpot.

and her plans for the future. and we say good wednesday morning, everyone. we want to get started with the race for president, now very much focused on gun violence. >> that focus follows some controversial comments from republican doctor ben carson. he set off a firestorm by weighing in about last week's deadly attack on a community college in oregon. >> abc's stephanie ramos has the details live. stephanie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, ken list and reena. ben carson is making some bold statements regarding gun rights from arming kindergarten teachers to preferring bodies with bullet holes over gun control. gop presidential contender dr. ben carson with his soft-spoken style is leading in the polls and now topping headlines when it comes to gun control. >> gun control only works for normal law-abiding citizens. >> reporter: when asked how he

sitting in that classroom at the oregon community college he says he'd fight back. >> i would not just stand there and let him shoot me. hey, guy, everybody attack him. he may shoot me but he can't get us all. >> take action. >> reporter: not everyone is laughing. carson is now being called ink sensitive. on fox news last night he said he wasn't judging the victims. >> i want to plant the seed in people's minds so that if this happens again, you know, they don't all get killed. >> reporter: the gop candidate also bashing president obama's plan to visit with victims saying if he were elected he'd be too busy to go. >> i would probably have so many things on my agenda that i'd go to the next one. >> reporter: jeb bush also criticizeds just days after the oregon shooting for his comments. >> look, stuff happens. there's always a crisis and the impulse is always to do something and it's not necessarily the right thing to do. >> reporter: others like donald trump saying new gun laws are not the answer. >> this isn't guns.

>> reporter: on the democratic side, hillary clinton and martin o'malley sticking with their plan for stricter gun laws. gop presidential candidate ben carson is standing by his words and so is the largest association representing federal law enforcement officers. in a newly released statement they say dr. car's comments may seem tactically reckless but they actually have great merit. kendis, reena, back to you. >> quite a debate going on right now in the presidential race. stephanie ramos live for us in washington, thank you. well, the morning's other big story, the overwhelming flood damage in south carolina, so many families losing everything they own as water continues to rise. >> yeah, the historic storm blamed for at least 17 deaths, crews working through the night scrambling to fix a breached canal and more dams could break even though the state capitol saw its first day of dry weather in nearly two weeks, abc's alex perez is there. >> reporter: in south carolina

that could burst under pressure. >> don't let the sunshine fool you. >> reporter: thousand-pound sandbags at the ready. they'll be dropped by these national guard chinook helicopters to stabilize this canal. in columbia, this is what we saw on burwell lane, water lapping at the roofs of homes. robert wise finally back at his house which was underwater. what's it like to come back and shambles? >> it's overwhelming. there's no way to describe it. >> reporter: 11 trillion gallons of water, enough to fill more than 130,000 rose bowls, it's making already swollen rivers overflow long after the rain is gone. at least 17 are dead in these floods. >> i have three children at home. we don't have anything to even flush toilets or take showers. >> reporter: alex perez, abc news, clumolumbia, south carolina. >> the concern is in the southwest. take a look on radar. rain stretching from the mexican border into colorado. strong thunderstorms are expected with this system.

were posted in arizona and new mexico. and take a look at this ominous sight. storm clouds forming outside phoenix, arizona, the line of thunderstorms dropped up to an inch of rain in that state. the storms also brought hail and strong winds, cars and trucks were stranded by the rushing water. it's a race against time in the search for that sunken cargo ship and its black box. 33 crew members were on board the "el faro" that went down during hurricane joaquin. the water miles deep, a container door has been found and only one body so far. investigators want to find the voyage data recorder but its pinger lasts only 30 days. families of those on board not giving up hope but also demanding answers. they've gathered in jacksonville, florida, to get updates from ship's owners and investigators. >> this morning, the united states is taking full responsibility for the bombing of a hospital in afghanistan. 12 doctors without borders staffers and 10 patients were

the top u.s. commander in afghanistan told congress the air strike was requested by afghan troops, but general john campbell says the ultimate responsibility belongs to the u.s. >> the decision to provide air fire was a u.s. decision made within the u.s. chain of command. a hospital was mistakenly struck. we would never intentionally target a protected medical facility. no military in history has done more to avoid harming innocence. we've readily assumed greater risks to our own forces in order to protect noncombatants. >> there are some reports that say the u.s. may have violated its own rules. the pentagon is investigating all of this. meanwhile, campbell is recommending that the u.s. keep more troops in afghanistan than is currently planned. well, an alarming new investigation reveals that criminals have tried to sell nuclear material to isis. the associated press reports

in mall doveoldova. they tried to smuggle blueprints for a dirty bomb to a buyer. that buyer was an informant who claimed he was with isis. no comment from u.s. officials on the claims. there are also questions about how isis obtains its large fleet of toyota pickups and toyota land cruisers. abc news has learned that a u.s. treasury counterterrorism unit is asking the automaker to help determine that. toyota is cooperating and says it is not aware of any of its dealerships violating the company policy not to sell to terrorists. well, still ahead, home heating costs on the decline. how much you could save this winter. and waking up free. for the first time in 25 years a convicted murderer released after new evidence surfaces. plus, surrounded by water in south carolina and going into labor.

two accidents marred the annual balloon fiesta in albuquerque yesterday. one landed on a tractor trailer parked at an intersection. the other knocked out power to 3,000 customers. no injuries. more than 500 balloons are participating in the festival this year. well, the justice department is set to release a record number of prisoners, nearly 6,000 federal inmates will walk free later this month. the largest number ever to be released at one time. most of them are nonviolent drug offenders. it's part of a white house push to reduce the country's overcrowded prison population. a mild winter combined with low oil prices may mean it

your home this winter. heating oil prices are expected to be down 25%, propane, 18% and natural gas down 10%. those who heat their homes with electricity won't save as much. just about 3%. down from last year. a warmer winter is predicted for all regions of the country except the west coast. reena is celebrating. >> i love it when it's warm. >> yes. predictions, we'll see. volkswagen is ready to begin its biggest recall ever. 11 million of those diesel powered cars rigged to cheat on emission tests. it will begin in europe in january. in the u.s., the fix must first be approved by the epa. we're expected to learn more when the head of operations appears before congress tomorrow. i'm a florida girl and like warm weather. when it comes to christmas i also take the neiman-marcus christmas book for $150,000 you can get a motorcycle designed by keanu reeves and take a two-day ride with him. but the ultimate trip, you and

seven friends taking a space capsule nearly 20 miles above earth, price tag, $720,000. i will not be getting you that for christmas. >> i will write you a check. write a check for that. when we come back a walk on the wild side. tourists sent scrambling after a new glass walkway begins to crack. >> plus, big winner, a woman hits the powerball jackpot. what she's saying about her job and boyfriend of 36 years. the way i see it, you have two choices; the easy way or the hard way. you could choose a card that limits where you earn bonus cash back. or, you could make things easier on yourself. that's right, the quicksilver card from capital one. with quicksilver you earn unlimited 1.5% cash back on every purchase, everywhere. so, let's try this again.

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thousands gathered in new york's central park to form a big peace sign. the event was organized by yoko ono, the widow of john lennon who would have turned 75 years old this friday. they tried to set a world record but came a few thousand people sort. highways drenched from west texas into the southern and central rockies. and roads still flooded in the carolinas. it is a great day for the skies weather related at least. some delays possible in phoenix. well, turning now to the second medical emergency in a cockpit in just two day. >> this time a united airlines co-pilot suffering a seizure and passing out yesterday on a flight from houston to san francisco with nearly 200 people on board. he did regain consciousness and was able to walk off the plane there as you can see when it was

diverted to albuquerque. on monday, an american airlines pilot died in the cockpit from an apparent heart attack. now to really a bizarre case involving a former florida school principal who hypnotized students, three families whose children died after hypnosis will be getting $200,000 apiece. two of the students killed themselves and one crashed his vehicle. the former principal was not a licensed hypnotherapist and had been repeatedly told not to hypnotize students. he has since resigned. a new trial ordered for a new york city man who's been behind bars for 25 years. johnny hincapie burst into tears when the judge announced his decision. he was convicted in the high-profile murder of a utah tourist during a robbery. cheers and a hug from his mother greeted hincapie as he walked out of a court free on bail. highly critical of the prosecutor. >> the first thing that they do is just whatever comes in front

of them they want to prosecute and that's wrong. that's not doing justice. and, you know, if you're really going to ascertain information from the beginning to the end you want to do it correctly and thoroughly. >> several witnesses have come forward to say that hincapie was not on the subway platform at the time. okay, so a walk on a glass bridge in china is supposed to be thrilling but not this kind of thrill. the glass began to crack beneath the feet of tourists on the walkway. 3500 feet above the ground, the tourists screamed and fled off the bridge although officials say there was no danger. oh, yeah, sure. only one of the three layers they say cracked and blamed it on someone dropping a stainless steel travel mug. it opened just three weeks ago. >> that's all it took was a stainless steel travel mug. okay. a happy ending for a young mom trapped by the historic flooding in south carolina.

tysheena mcclain went into labor as rising waters surrounded her home. she had to be taken to the hospital by canoe. she made it safely and delivered a healthy baby boy. >> ah. >> i was happy and scared at the same time. >> i can honestly say in 15 years i think that's the first patient i've ever had that came to try depth, youident via canoe. >> they're hoping to travel by car going home. >> so the world series dreams of either the chicago cubs or the pittsburgh pirates will end tonight when they face off in the national league's wild card game. >> the american league is already down to four teams remaining. details from espn. she's nicole. i'm neil. this is the "sportscenter" set in los angeles. nicole is out visiting, where's stan? >> he's still missing. there's no crying in baseball, by the way. you may want to tell that to the yankees. american league wild card game tanaka on the mound for the

yankees, they got a game plan. wait to see what he pitches or swing at the first one like gomez did. second homer of the game. astros up 2-0. keuchel started this one for the astros on three days' rest. dallas keuchel dominant in two regular season starts and kept it going tuesday. six innings of work allowed three hits, zero runs. bottom of the ninth now, 3-0, the score, brian mccann, grounds out and that is it. houston wins 3-0 and the yankees on vacation and the astros are moving on to the adls to play the royals. vacation over for the nba preseason begins. rockets, grizzly, those are the rockets, if you're not familiar with the sport. this is james harden. he has a beard. believes himself to be the best player in the league although he was not named best player in the league. ty lawson, new guy, new guy

rockets. nicole and i, she mentioned, we work on no days rest. >> we still bring good stuff. >> you got that right. >> all right. a woman there today. >> yeah, stan is on vacation. up next in "the pulse," eight wins and counting. the "jeopardy" contestant on quite the streak. owner, tom hanks going the extra mile.at relapsing multiple sclerosis? this is tecfidera. tecfidera is not an injection. it's a pill for relapsing ms that has the power to cut relapses in half. imagine what you could do with fewer relapses. tecfidera may cause serious side effects, such as allergic reactions, pml, which is a rare brain infection that usually leads to death or severe disability, and decreases in your white blood cells. the most common side effects

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most recently as an overnight producer -- supervisor, sorry. notice we said she worked. >> well, i quit automatically. [ laughter ] i was done. >> oh, her high school sweetheart and partner of 36 year s years vaughn avery was at the announcement along with some of their children and grandchildren. will they be getting married sometime soon? >> i said he'd have to sign a prenup now. >> i don't blame her. >> yeah, that'll get any guy to put a ring on it. leach said that she will be buying some land to build houses for her family. >> she took a lump sum payment which after taxes comes out to $140 million. i'd probably do the lump sum too. >> absolutely. give or take a few thousand. okay, so someone else into money these days the current "jeopardy "jeopardy" champ matt jackson. 23 years old, paralegal from washington, d.c. >> incredible knowledge about

most subjects has led to wide margins of victories in his eight wins. though he wins have been worth more than $230,000. >> get this, before going on the show he shut down his facebook account in order to fully concentrate on his preparations and during that time, he also read a book written by "jeopardy" legend and goes for victory number nine tonight. >> i wish that's all it would take for me. >> doing "kwep di" that long. tom hanks paying it forward months after a stranger returned his lost credit card. >> this was cool. hanks found a college student's i.d. in the park and he went on social media mission to get it back to her and tweeted a photo to his 10 million followers showing the i.d. card belongs to lauren from new york's fordham university. >> so far no official response from lauren but a woman claiming to be her roommate tweeted that the i.d. had been returned gentleman. >> how cool is that?

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our top stories, ben carson says he would have fought the gunman during last week's oregon shooting attack in order to save lives. carson says some kindergarten teachers with training should be armed. the deadly hospital strike in afghanistan was requested by afghan troops but it was approved by u.s. forces. the u.s. commander in afghanistan says the u.s. bears the responsibility. south carolina this morning, bracing for more flooding. a day after the historic rains have stopped and after 17 people died. rivers are rising and more dams are on the verge of breaking as residents try to salvage drenched belongings. looking at today's weather showers in south florida. rain for wisconsin, minnesota and the dakotas. heavy downpours from west texas into the rockies. it's become a tradition at the white house each fall michelle obama harvests the fruits and vegetables in the white house kitchen garden that

she started about six years ago. >> and she got some help yesterday from local schoolchildren who got a message in return. abc's serena marshall was there. >> reporter: it's a tough sell. >> quesadillas. >> i like macaroni and cheese. >> reporter: convincing any kid to go for those healthy greens. but first lady michelle obama is at it again. >> you guys ready to pick up >> reporter: wielding a pitchfork and gloves to encourage children to eat healthy. the first lady digging up sweet potatoes while her staff and park rangers responsible for maintaining the garden helped out alongside the local fourth graders. it started in 2009 to encourage her kids to be healthy and eat better. this is the first garden on white house grounds since world war ii and seeds from the vegetables even given as a gift to the pope in 2014. the 1100 square foot garden is planted every spring and harvested twice a year. all with the help of local kids.

after the hard work it's time to prep the food and, of course, eat. >> i think my favorite part of today was eating the food. it was really good. i really liked the salad, oh, and the muffins, awesome. >> reporter: and while the first lady may have convinced 9-year-old evelyn to eat healthy -- >> so, you have a good happy life. you exercise. you'll probably live a longer life. >> reporter: the battle remains for others. >> i'm not so into vegetables, so one of the vegetables i like -- i like corn. >> reporter: one thing that makes this year's harvest different from years past, the google expedition cameras. these 16 gopros creating a 3d virtual reality of the first lady's guard enand taking it into classrooms around the world. serena marshall, abc news, washington. >> very cool initiative. >> yes, sdmrz that's what's making news in america this