making news in america this morning, two u.s. olympians pulled off their flight home. brazilian authorities are now holding them amid questions about whether they were really robbed at gunpoint along with teammate ryan lochte. also breaking now, the monster wildfire tearing across southern california consuming 40 in on neighborhoods. new flooding overnight as severe storms hit the east coast, plus the destruction left behind in the south and midwest. and back in rio, clean sweep. the americans own the 100-meter hurdles as the hoops team loaded with nba stars, they move on, and our golden girl, simone

a good thursday morning to you all. we begin with breaking news overnight. an investigation that may become olympic size. >> so this new video is in overnight showing two american swimmers shortly after they were detained at the airport in rio pulled off their planes moments before takeoff to the u.s. now, brazilian authorities questioning whether they along with gold medalist ryan lochte and another teammate were really robbed at gunpoint. >> there's also this video it shows the swimmers arriving at olympic village around 7:00 sunday morning. that's roughly 2 1/2 hours after they say they were attacked. now, the judge questioned that time gap and also wondered why they seemed so upbeat if they really had just been robbed. >> yeah, that brazilian judge ordered the seizure of lochte's passport, but he is already back in the u.s. we get more now from abc's matt gutman in rio. >> reporter: we've learned from police sources here that those

bentz, have been pulled off a u.s.-bound flight. now, the two men are being questioned by police. their passports have been confiscated. at issue is a story that those two men plus ryan lochte, one of the most decorated swimmers of all time, and feigen told police, they said that coming back from partying early sunday morning they were pulled over by men wearing police uniforms, flashing badges, one of them put a gun to ryan lochte's head, they demanded their money. but after a couple of days of investigating this, police have found that theirts story that they told simply have not added up. they're now investigating them for providing false testimony to the police. the authorities here in brazil have left the door open to prosecuting all four men. matt gutman, abc news, rio. >> those two swimmers detained overnight are expected to give statements to brazilian police today, and we will have much more on "good morning america." also breaking overnight, the massive blue cut fire in southern california now spans

>> hundreds of firefighters are on the scene right now, but have still only managed to contain 4% of it. one bright spot overnight, the northbound lanes of interstate 15, the main route from southern california to las vegas re-opening easing the way for commuters and evacuees. abc's stephanie ramos has more. >> this is nuts. fire on both sides of me. >> reporter: the out-of-control blue cut wildfire is not letting up in southern california. >> it hit hard. it hit fast. it hit with an intensity that we haven't seen. >> reporter: it started as a small brush fire then morphed into this massive blaze burning about 40 square miles. fire crews fighting the flames on the ground and in the air, trying to stop the fire fueled by intense winds from ripping through any more dry brush. abc's rob marciano on the scene. >> you see sky cranes have been dipping into this lake. just moments ago that hillside was on fire. >> hi. >> reporter: at least 82,000

fire officials estimate that up to half aren't budging. >> if i see visible flames and i find it right down the street from me then i'll probably pack up and go. i'm packed up now ready but haven't loaded anything. >> reporter: the better news, the clinton fire is beginning to dwindle. thousands north of san francisco are being allowed to return home. this as 40-year-old damin pashlik is charged with sparking those fires that destroyed nearly 200 homes and other buildings. >> it just caused devastation. >> reporter: ste abc news. to the east coast now where severe storms hit the mid-atlantic region leaving damage and flooding. the roof was blown off of a washington, d.c. apartment building leaving about 60 residents homeless and streets were flooded in baltimore where power was also knocked out to thousands of customers. but in louisiana, the death toll has risen to 13 in that historic epic flooding. 6,000 people spent another night in shelters. that's down from 11,000.

today to review the federal government's response to the disaster. there's now concern that west nile virus will spread due to all the standing water. a newly named storm formed in the atlantic overnight. tropical storm fiona is located a thousand miles west of cape verde islands. it's not expected to make landfall, but we will continue monitoring it. the coast guard is investigating a fire that forced more than 500 people to evacuate a ship off puerto rico. passengers had to exit the ferry on emergency slides. more than 100 people were treated at the scene. 24 were hospitalized. the ship was coming from the dominican republic. mechanics in the engine room reportedly tried to put out the fire themselves for two hours before sounding the alarm. we go to politics now and donald trump is holding a rally in north carolina this evening after shaking up his campaign staff at the highest level naming a ceo and a new campaign manager. trump was ushered into an fbi office in new york for his first intelligence briefing.

that meeting when asked if he trusts u.s. intelligence. >> not so much from the people that have been doing it for our country. i mean, look what's happened over the last ten years. look what's happened over the years. i mean it's been catastrophic. >> well, that comment is likely an example of trump's plan to reject efforts to moderate his tone and instead just be himself. well, hillary clinton pounced on the shake-up in the trump campaign during a rally in cleveland. she told supporters that despite the changes, trump is still the >> there are just 83 days left in this election. i keep track of them, cross them off. and for anyone waiting for donald trump to suddenly become more responsible, remember what a great american, maya angelou

they are, believe them. >> but while clinton continues to lead in the polls, her e-mail controversy is not going away. a judge is expected to decide next week when to release thousands of deleted e-mails from her private server. >> let's get back to the olympics now, shall we. in track and field, a first for team usa. >> the american women swept the 100-meter hurdles. brianna rollins, nia ali and kristi castlin took the gold, silver and bronze. they're the first hurdlers from any country to finish one, two and three in that event. this is also the first time american women have swept any event in olympic history. >> and some fun on the track for usain bolt. the jamaican star was having such a good time during the 200-meter semis that he shared a laugh with one of his opponents. you can see them there. bolt and canadian andre de grasse were grinning at one another as they approached the finish line. both men have qualified for the final. and the u.s. men's basketball team rolled into the semifinals after trailing

they hit a lead of 105-78. kevin durant led the way with 27 points. the americans will play spain on friday. >> okay, so let's see how much we're dominating rio right now. for the second straight day, the u.s. picked up nine overall medals. that raises the americans' total to 93. the u.s. also has 30 golds. china and great britain are tied with 19. >> we're going to have to expand the graph out a little bit if we hit 100. >> and we will. coming up, the details of a tech giant announcing thousands every target store. the company spending millions to ease a specific customer complaint. plus, j.k. rolling said she was done with the boy wizard but not so fast. some new "harry potter" books

is she after our liquid gold? oh, she better not be. our claim runs straight down to the glut'n free stuffin'. there's gold in them thar shells. liquid gold. what i love most about tempur-pedic mattresses is that they contour to your body. it keeps us comfortable and asleep at night. change your sleep, change your life, change to tempur-pedic. learn how you can change your sleep by requesting a free sample of tempur material. call or click today. since the beginning of the time, there has been a quest for out of this world refreshment.

cool! aquafina. for happy bodies. and see ice age: collision course in theaters july 22. every day my challenge is to be in sync with my body, with myself, with my life. it all starts with a healthy routine. that's why i'm taking the activia two week probiotic challenge by enjoying activia yogurt with billions of probiotics every day. because when my routine is in sync, i can face any challenge. so take the activia probiotic challenge! visit activia.com to learn more. take the activia probiotic challenge now.

a grass fire and a wooden trestle made for a bad combination in northern california. this happened in san jose. the thick black smoke from the burning trestle was visible from miles away. a nearby apartment building had to be evacuated. no one was injured. target is making some major changes after implementing a policy that allows transgendered people to use the bathroom of their choice. the retailer says it will spend $20 million to add private single stall bathrooms to its stores. conservative groups had threatened to boycott the retailer over that policy. and cisco systems is laying off 5500 employees this summer. it's the largest manufacturer of networking gear and has struggled as technology changes. remember that attempt, we told you, to add a healthy touch to its happy meals. well, it appears to have backfired already. those brightly colored fitness trackers are no longer part of

the company says it pulled the trackers after getting reports of skin irritations, possibly caused by the band. at&t is joining other wireless carriers in eliminating fees for data overages. starting sunday at&t users can choose a plan which will slow down their data speed when they approach their data limit instead of paying the overage fee. now, verizon announced a similar plan last month. a daredevil from ireland says he's learned his lessons. empty po the guy was brave enough to jump off a very high bridge in south africa and also recorded the whole thing. but he also recorded the part when his phone slid out of his pocket plummeting to the ground. now, that same phone was stolen then recovered in italy earlier this year, so he was pretty lucky the first time he lost it. we're guessing not so much this time. >> it was just destiny for that phone. >> it really wanted to get away from him. >> it just wanted to get away

all right, when we come back severe storms taking a toll on communities across a dozen states. and the video just in of bullets flying at police during a chase. clean food. words you don't often hear. words we at panera live by. because clean food is food as it should be. with no artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, and no colors from artificial sources. we think clean food tastes better, feels better, does better. 100% of our food will be clean by year's end. every bite will be food as it should be.

if your sneezes are a force to be reckoned with... you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec? for powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec? is different than claritin?. because it starts working faster on the first day you take it. try zyrtec?. muddle no more?. i'm so proud of you. you are amazing. ? (wolves howling) when heartburn comes creeping up on you. fight back with relief so smooth and fast. tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue. and neutralizes stomach acid at the source. tum-tum-tum-tum-tums

he wrecked the rec his stellar notebooks will last through june. get back to great. this week sharpie twelve-packs just three dollars. office depot officemax. gear up for school. gear up for great. a major highway in the cincinnati area could be closed for weeks after heavy storms caused part of the roadway to collapse. eyewitnesses said a van on the highway at the time avoided

so no storms in that area this morning, but drivers in the dakotas, minnesota, western wisconsin could see heavy rain and even some hail. and if you're flying you can expect delays in dallas and minneapolis. a police officer was wounded in a wild shoot-out caught on camera in chicago. [ gunfire ] >> the police were chasing a suspected carjacker when that man opened fire. the bullet came through the officer's windshield and grazed the suspect was arrested after losing control of the stolen suv. he's already a convicted felon who was on parole for armed robbery. and a gripping murder trial is under way in south florida after a woman was accused of killing her boyfriend, who is a miami police officer. abc's steve osunsami has the latest. >> reporter: lawyers fighting for her freedom say that tiniko thompson is a victim claiming that her police officer boyfriend was physically abusive

over his gun. >> then the swabs came back positive for tiniko thompson's dna up on his fingernails. >> reporter: before police charged her with second degree murder she told wtvj her boyfriend officer carl patrick put a gun in her face the night he died in may of 2014. >> and i held on, and we struggled because i wasn't going to let go. >> reporter: but prosecutors say it's all a lie saying that for 13 months she pretended she was fight broke out, they say, when he learned the truth. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. the man who climbed trump tower here in new york has been arraigned. 19-year-old steven rigato of virginia used suction cups to scale the tower to the 21st floor. prosecutors say he actually planned and practiced the climb ordering the equipment on amazon and waiting until his parents were away before going to new york city. he entered no plea from a hospital room where he's been undergoing mental evaluation.

that ferris wheel accident in tennessee last week is back home this morning. 6-year-old briley reynolds was released from the hospital wednesday. she suffered a traumatic brain injury from the nearly 40-foot drop. briley, her older sister kayla and a 16-year-old friend were all hurt in the fall. the other two were treated and released from the hospital last week. explorers in the great lakes have made an incredible discovery. they found a ship that sank more than 200 years ago. "the during a fierce storm in 1803. it's the second oldest confirmed shipwreck in the great lakes. >> fascinating find. time now for some sports. >> i was still so focused on the ship. >> that was so cool. >> i was about to say sh, i wonder if there's any treasure in there. >> of course you'd think that. >> anyway, we should get to sports. >> yeah. >> august is more than half wway over which means the playoff race is heating up in the mlb. >> it's getting there. here's last night's action from our guys at espn. >> good morning, it's "sportscenter" from los angeles.

go right down to the wire. >> tight. >> yeah, locked up in a tight one, dodgers/giants. who would have thought? this is the first time since may 10th the dodgers have held sole possession of first place. lee singer, research, google it. adrian gonzalez, if you're not familiar with him, google him and they were doing selfies and everything. i mean, the dodgers are that loose they're taking selfies. justin turner said, i would like to hit a home run and be in another selfie. gonzalez hit two. turner hit one. the dodgers are up big. this highlight is for you. l.a., 7-2. >> what if there's stuff lee has on google that he doesn't want people to know. >> too late now. s-i-n-g-e-r. giants taking on the pirates. andrew mccutcheon off matt cain. two hits in the inning.

bottom nine, buster posey, 6-4-3 double play. eduardo nunez scores, pagan moves and giants down 6-5. runner on for brandon crawford. mccutcheon, ball game. pirates hang on to win it, 6-5. so pittsburgh with its own wild card aspirations. >> yeah. >> a real problem for the giants. >> yeah, giants, it's an even number year so they've already won the world series but it's nice to play up to it. >> that's all we got. back to you. >> so much spirit. all right, up next in "the pulse" he's home with all that new hardware. how michael phelps spent his first day of retirement. and it's the most iconic watering hole in the galaxy, and soon you'll be able to drop by. credit scorecard. (to dog)give it to me. give it. oh, sure! we give it to everyone for free. oh, well that's nice. (to dog) go get it! you can go get it yourself online and see your fico credit score right there. great!

oh, and you can even see how your current card compares to others out there. wow. convenient. ooh. somebody wants a belly rub. what, now? get your credit scorecard at discover.com. free for everyone, even if you're not a customer. (riley) hey guys! what's up? (jessica) so the new recipe of beneful is really excellent. the first ingredient is chicken. (riley) man, this chicken is spectacular! (jessica) i had to start hiding the bag because he would try to put his face in it all day. yeah you love it, don't you? you love it so much! i feel like when he eats beneful, it's protein. it's vegetables. it's grains. i mean, like that sounds like a dinner i'd make for myself, right? (riley) hey it's a big bag. just have some of mine. (vo) try new beneful healthy weight with chicken. now with real chicken as the number one ingredient, healthful. flavorful. beneful. don't let dust and allergens get between you and life's beautiful moments. flonase gives you more complete allergy relief. most allergy pills only control one inflammatory substance. flonase controls 6. and six is greater than one. flonase changes everything.

food. words panera lives by. no artificial flavors, preservatives, sweeteners. no colors from artificial sources. 100% of our food will be clean by year's end. that's food as it should be. ? does your makeup remover take it all off? every kiss-proof, cry-proof, stay-proof look? neutrogena? makeup remover does. it erases 99% of your most stubborn makeup with one towelette. need any more proof than that? neutrogena. you didn't listen to your parents. you ignored every piece of advice. you failed over, and over, and over. and look where it got you.

? time to check "the pulse" and golden girl katie ledecky is back home. >> yeah, she sent out this tweet after arriving at dulles airport outside the nation's capital, of course, giving a shout out to her bethesda, maryland, high school. >> two of america's final five gymnasts also asking a favor of michelle obama. simone biles and aly raisman are hoping that the first lady will ignore a tweet that they sent out of them eating mcdonald's to celebrate the rio performance. al >> they both look happy with it and the price, i think they're all gone already. michael phelps in the meantime, he just can't stay out of the pool. this is the most decorated athlete in olympic history. how he's spending his first day of retirement in the water with his fiancee nicole and, of course, their son boomer. >> get to argue over that. no, i don't want to go in the pool. >> i still think it feels like work once he gets in the pool. a galaxy far, far away coming to hollywood. one of the most memorable sets from "star wars" will be brought

it's not up and running yet but soon you will be able to make ses remember sayses. >> it's being billed as a two-hour immersive experience and get a souvenir pint glass and don't forget to dress up because costumes, without one you would look weird. >> that's the best part. harry potter fans will soon be able to dig deeper into the world of witchcraft and wizardry, j.k. rolling is going back to school releasing a series of some of the characters from hogwarts. >> comes on top of the first of three spin-off movies that are set to hit theaters later this year. a sold out play in london and the new book that is based on that play, of course, the e-books will be available as well starting september 6th so you get a sense harry potter is here to stay. >> pretty big. j.k. rolling, pretty busy, not a lot of time on her hands.

i love that my shop is part of the morning ritual around here. people rely on that first cup and i wouldn't want to mess with that. but when (my) back pain got bad, i couldn't sleep. i had trouble getting there on time. then i found aleve pm. aleve pm is the only one to combine a safe sleep aid plus the 12 hour strength of aleve. for pain relief that can last into the morning. ? look up at a new day...? hey guys! now i'm back. aleve pm for a better am. i'm billy, and i quit smoking with chantix. i had a lot of doubts going in. i was a smoker. hands down, it was, that's who i was. after one week of chantix, i knew i could quit. along with support,

chantix definitely helped reduce my urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be fe-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side-affect is nausea. life as a non-smoker is a whole lot of fun. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. well at least he's wearing shoes. well done champ.

checking our top story, two u.s. olympic swimmers were pulled off their flight home and detained overnight in rio. authorities there are now looking into that claims that they and two other teammates including ryan lochte were robbed at gunpoint. in southern california a part of a major interstate re-opened as crews make progress on the blue cut fire. flames are still, however, threatening several communities. a for the u.s. women in track and field. americans took all three positions on the medal tan in the 100-meter hurdles, the first time any nation has ever swept the event. today's weather headlines, mostly dry in the northeast. storms in the upper midwest. record-breaking heat in the northwest with highs near 100 in portland. gus if i winds in the fire zone. and finally, the countdown is on to the next season of "dancing with the stars." and here's a look at top secret

finalized with the show just weeks away. >> absolutely. but last night in los angeles, several of the show's pros took part in what's called a dance lab. kabc's george pennacchio explains. ? >> reporter: many of the "dancing with the stars" pros are gearing up for season 23 and on wednesday evening some of them were on a different stage giving a mini dance lesson to fans. >> reporter: this dwts dance lab gave the pros and their fans a chance to meet, take pictures. maybe even bond a little. >> it's just amazing to get their advice and perspective on life, dance is more than just getting out there and moving. it's a lifestyle. they're all just amazing people. nice people. >> the show has given me an opportunity to become friends with a lot more people than i would have otherwise become friends with.

amateur ballroom dancing is just a lot of fun and we are having a great time and it's been awesome meeting them today. >> reporter: it's also been awesome for the pros to see young talent join them on stage and cha-cha their hearts out. >> they were wearing the right shoes, the right pants and here to have fun and brought back so many memories when i was a kid doing exactly the same thing. >> reporter: for some fans "dancing with the stars" is now a tradition. >> every monday night we get together, m between commercials we're dancing and we absolutely love it. >> reporter: fans will find out the new roster of "dancing" stars, august 30th. >> the pro cast is very exciting and people will be very happy with what they see. as far as the celebrities go, i'm in the dark. >> reporter: season 23 of "dancing with the stars" kicks off september 12th right here on abc. in los angeles, george pennacchio for abc news. >> cannot wait. >> we don't need that dance lab.

i was watching them. got it. >> is that it? >> ye in the neighborhood this morning, picking up the pieces after days of unrest. coming together today to start healing. and growing concerns about lead in milwaue' supply. the push for water safety happening today and how you can get involved. >> weather watch 12 as we take a live look downtown this morning. a hot and sticky day. we're keeping eyes on conditions as you get ready to make your outdoor plans today. i'm ben wagner. >> and i'm linda davenport, let's begin with your forecast. morning. >> morning, guys. and it's a beautiful start to your morning.