making news in america this morning, two big stories right now. tracking hurricane matthew pounding cuba overnight and leaving behind destruction in haiti. the storm is now setting its sights on florida where people are getting ready. >> this is very serious, and you need to prepare and protect you and your families. >> more than a million people getting ready to evacuate. the lines getting longer at gas stations and grocery stores looking like this, cleaned out. and the running mates hit the stage. mike pence and tim kaine set off on their first debate, and it was filled with quite a few clashes and interruptions. >> you are a donald trump supremist -- >> let me talk about this -- >> senator, i think i'm still on my time.

isn't this a discussion? >> see the moments getting a lot of attention this morning and how the presidential candidates are now reacting. we're live with the details. good morning, everyone. we're going to start this wednesday with hurricane matthew. the powerful storm spinning in the caribbean and prompting action here in the u.s. right now matthew is threatening the bahamas with sustained winds of 125 miles an hour. today those islands will heavy rain and powerful storm surge. >> parts of cuba have received more than a foot of rain. at least 11 deaths are being blamed on matthew but that is expected to rise. >> property the worst of the damage so far is in remote areas of haiti. the heavy rain caused flooding, driving desperately poor residents from whatever was left of their homes. officials say matthew's aftermath is haiti's worst humanitarian crisis since the catastrophic earthquake there in

and there are hurricane warnings posted now for portions of florida's east coast, as well. >> from there all the way up to north carolina. officials have been getting the word out. their message, the storm is on the way and needs to be taken seriously. overnight, preparing for a direct impact. officials sounding the alarm as hurricane matthew puts the u.s. in its bull's-eye. >> this is very serious and you need to prepare and protect you and your families. >> reporter: people from the florida keys to north carolina boarding up their homes and filling up their cars. at this gas station near miami th >> it's kind of mad -- a mad house. >> so i don't have a choice. i got to get a little to get me to the next station. >> reporter: and at this costco station, drivers are waiting in line for more than an hour. this morning this is what grocery stores like like up and down the coast. empty shelves as people stock up on the essentials. >> it's crazy. all the water gone. >> reporter: the governors of four states, florida, georgia and the carolinas declaring states of emergency. >> if you're able to leave and go today, do that. don't take a chance.

carolina. governor nikki haley has closed all schools along the coast and ordered more than 1 million people to get away from the shoreline. >> wherever you are on the coast, we want you to get 100 miles away from that. >> reporter: farmers in north carolina fearful of what matthew could do to their crops. >> it's got the potential to just devastate the crop entirely. the good lord is going to do what he's going to do to us and we're just going to have to keep the faith. >>nd there is still some time to prepare for the hurricane before it begins affecting the southern atlantic coast. >> let's get some details now on what to expect from accuweather's paul williams. good morning, paul. >> good morning to you, as well, diane, kendis. taking a look at all these spaghetti models following what's going to be expected with matthew across the bahamas and right along the east coast. we have a few models indicating

favorable that it's going to hug right along the east coast and while it's marching through the bahamas, flooding rain, damaging winds, dangerous storm surge and power outages specifically for extreme risk areas which include freeport as well as nassau and actually looking for a modal risk right over towards miami. then we're expecting that to ride right along the entire coast friday going into saturday up towards myrtle beach with massive power outages and coastal flooding. diane, kendis. >> all right, paul, thanks. and we turn now to the vice presidential nominees debate stage. >> it was really intense. it was a show down that was intense last night between mike pence and tim kaine. taking on the issues and taking their best shots. abc's maggie rulli joins us now from farmville, virginia, with the highlights. maggie, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and diane. like you said, many were expecting a more mild-mannered conversation between the vice presidents last night at the debate, but what we got was anything but quiet. >> that is absolutely false and you know it. >> it's absolutely true.

>> reporter: elbows flying, insults at the ready. last night turned into a fiery battle. hillary clinton's running mate tim kaine becoming an attack dog forcing republican mike pence to defend donald trump. >> on the economy, there is a fundamental choice for the american electorate. do you want a you're hired president in hillary clinton or a you're fired president in donald trump. >> reporter: pence didn't take the debate and unlike the criticism against his boss last week, trump's number two remained steady. >> i'm hapo completely false. >> reporter: the pair clashing over trump's tacks. >> he used the tax code just the way it's supposed to be used and did it brilliantly. >> how do you know that? we haven't seen his tax returns. >> reporter: and immigration. senator, we have a deportation force, it's called immigrations and customs enforcement. >> reporter: kaine also challenging pence over what he claims to be trump's laundry list of insults. >> i can't imagine how governor pence can defend the insult driven selfish me first style of donald trump. >> reporter: pence ready with a response. >> for you and hillary clinton would know a lot about an insult

candidates sparred on stage over which campaign was more insulting, donald trump was active online retweeting this about kaine's looks. kaine looks like an evil crook out of the "batman" movies and the clinton campaign quickly responding, donald's literally doing it right now. clinton and trump will get the chance to face off again in person at the debate this sunday in st. louis. kendis and diane. >> absolutely, and then they have another one after that. maggie rulli, live for us in farmville, virginia. thank you. >> and like most debates, the selection, the candidates and issues are being discussed on social media, as well. >> yeah, on facebook, most of the posts were about taxes, russia and isis. then on twitter, pence gained 22,000 followers. during the debate kaine gained 15,000 followers and we're also getting a sense of the public's reaction to donald trump's assertion that he is smart for not paying taxes. >> a new poll shows

trump's statement, but 67% say a presidential candidate who doesn't pay taxes is selfish and 61% say it's unpatriotic. this as trump tries to shift the blame over to hillary clinton. >> she complains about how i have used the tax laws of this country to my benefit, then i ask a simple question, why didn't she ever try to change those laws so i couldn't use them? >> first lady michelle obama also weighed in on the issue north carolina. the first lady called on voters to elect someone who would close tax loopholes for the wealthy. >> because not paying taxes for years and years while the rest of us pay our fair share doesn't make you smarter than the rest of us. >> well, the first lady also railed against trump's late night twitter rant against a former miss universe, and she tapped her microphone, an apparent nod to trump's complaints about his mike during

still ahead, more problems for yahoo! after a report says it was scanning e-mails for the government. and rescued at sea. fishermen stranded 25 offshore for hours. how their cooler saved their lives. plus, an armed intruder in a store on the attack. see how the employees jump into action. alright, did you know i was the mommy slam dunk champion? really? yes, really! don't sound so surprised. right, here we go. let's hear the crowd. ahhhh! i go to the right. i go to the left. fake 'em out. mama go up, up, up! she did it. -again? you can't avoid gravity. but unitedhealthcare can help you avoid financial surprises by helping you compare costs and doctor quality ratings. unitedhealthcare

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the dr. scholl's kiosk maps your feet and recommends our custom fit orthotic to stabilize your foundation and relieve lower-back, knee or foot pain from being on your feet. find your nearest kiosk at drscholls.com. also available from dr. scholl's: heavy duty support for lower back pain, lightens the impact of every step. it was an emotional day in a georgia courtroom for a dad accused of deliberately leaving his young son to die in a hot car. justin ross harris cried as his attorney recounted how his 22-month-old died. the defense acknowledged that harris is to blame but insists it was an accident, not a crime.

escape his responsibilities to pursue women he met online. new developments in the investigation into that deadly commuter train crash in new jersey. the data and video recorders are now being analyzed after being recovered from the wreckage. a key question, the speed of the train when it hit the station. the engineer says he was going the speed limit but investigators say it may have been two or three times that. dozens of protesters marched peacefully in charlotte, north carolina, last night marking two weeks since the police shooting ei earlier police released the remaining video of that shooting which sparked two nights of violent protests. the dash cam video shows the final step scott took before he was shot and killed but does not appear to show a weapon. police say scott was armed. his family says he was carrying a book. some stunning news now about a popular e-mail service, yahoo! reportedly scanned customers' incoming messages last year. according to reuters the scans

the fbi or the national security agency. it's not known what information intelligence officials wanted. and google is introducing its pixel and pixel xl smartphones. the company is selling the first phone with the google assistant built in. the pixels are also compatible with google's new daydream virtual reality headsociety. both are available for preorder. when we come back, ben stiller's revelation. he's opening up about his cancer diagnosis and the test that saved his life. and there was some late night drama in baseball's playoffs get off to a wild start. highlights and reaction coming up. smoking with chantix. smoking's a monkey on my back. it was, it was always controlling your time, your actions, your money. it had me. it had me. i would not be a non-smoker today if it wasn't for chantix. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood,

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orming sleep-aid that's not for pain, just for sleep. people say, let's just get a sandwich or something. "or something"? you don't just graduate from medical school, "or something." and we don't just pull smoked chicken, bake fresh foccacia and hand-slice avocado. there's nothing "or something" about it. when cold and flu hold you back try theraflu expressmax, now in new caplets. it's the only cold & flu caplet that has a maximum strength formula theraflu. for a powerful comeback. new expressmax caplets. an update on hurricane matthew. the powerful storm is spinning into the bahamas this morning with sustained winds of 125 miles an hour. a strong storm surge and heavy rain will bring flooding to the bahamas today.

forecast track, states of emergency already posted from florida to the carolinas. coastal evacuation orders are in effect. checking this morning's road conditions, flooding is possible in florida and up the atlantic coast as matthew approaches. wet roads from the southern plains to the upper midwest as well and wet also in the northwest. there will also be some mountain snow in the rockies. if you're flying, airport delays are possible in kansas city and, as you might imagine, miami. a powerful gas explosion rocked a neighborhood in new jersey destroying two homes. >> another building was so badly taken down. dozens of people are now homeless. luckily no one was hurt. fire crews who had been called to the area because of a gas smell had evacuated those residents before the blast. and it's another reminder that when you smell gas, call for help right away. one of the accused hit men facing murder charges in the killing of a florida state professor has reached a plea deal. luis rivera pled guilty to second degree murder and is now cooperating with authorities. prosecutors say his childhood

in 2014. they also contend markel's former in-laws hired the hit men following a bitter divorce. and check out this frightening video. this is from a business outside tulsa, oklahoma. the man in the white t-shirt there rushes in with a knife and starts attacking the employees. he had been there earlier and was threatening to come back and kill them. one employee is knocked to the floor. others join in to try to get away from the man. they manage to get him outside and call police. promoting early detection after revealing that he had battled prostate cancer. stiller who is 50 told howard stern that he was diagnosed two years ago, and he talks about how scared he was when he found out. but stiller says he is now cancer-free and credits a psa test with catching it in time. stiller is trying to spread the word about that test but it is shunned by many doctors as unreliable. four fishermen discovered their cooler wasn't just a drink

well. here they are floating in the waters off florida's gulf coast. they held on to that cooler for, get this, about eight hours after their boat sank sunday morning. the men had no life vests, radio or beacon to send out a distress call. they were spotted more than 20 miles offshore. absolutely amazing there. well now sports and this morning, that means playoff baseball. >> if you like your postseason dramatic, we've got the highlights for you courtesy of espn. good morninger the baseball playoff season is one game old and already it's off to a phenomenal start unless you're an oriole fan. that's where your season ended. edwin encarnacion, an absolute moon shot off ubaldo jiminez who had come in to pitch. three-run shot. the walkoff with zach britton in the pen for the orioles, a move that was a head scratcher to many.

of a pressure-packed game. what was that line for you in that at bat? [ speaking a foreign language ] >> translator: a lot of pressure when i came up but thankfully i was able to relax. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> translator: and i was able to put a good swing on the pitch i was looking for, which was the fastball. what is it like when you're watching that ball sail over the fence knowing that you guys have advanced? [ speaking a foreign language ] >> translator: it's an unbelievable experience and like i always say, thank god because of what i was feeling there. i feel very, very good to help my club win and advance to the next round against texas. >> that's a series that you can hear on espn radio. wednesday the national league wild card game from citi field. bumgarner and syndergaard. sounds pretty good. enjoy your wednesday and enjoy the wild card on espn. >> many people looking forward to that game. >> yes, the texas game. and there were some big

dakota's biggest malls. >> moose on the loose. one left town before animal control arrived. smart moose. the other walked around a mall before being cornered at a mcdonald's. officials have decided to let the 1-year-old bull leave on its own. if he's still around on wednesday, though, they plan to take him away. >> he wanted to do a little shopping, grab a little snack. >> he got the munchies. they are terrifying, though, because they are so much bigger in person than you imagine them to be and apparently they have a bit of a temper on them too. don't want to be in their way. all right. up next in "the pulse," a major oops for one of the political parties declaring a winner before the debate even started. and too good to be true. the diet prosecco hitting shelves. sign us up. >> perfect. i love bread. i love ice cream.

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? >> ? time to check "the pulse" starting with the republicans getting a little ahead of themselves by prematurely declaring the winner of the debate. >> the humble brag before the debate, you might say. the official gop website announced that mike pence was the clear winner more than an hour before the debate started and the site actually listed pence's top debate moments. >> now, the page was taken down but the site later declared pence the winner once again, this time waiting until after the debate. >> all right. so bed, bath & beyond is trying to move away from its coupon program. >> the retailer is testing a new $29 per year loyalty program. those 20% off coupons you get in the mail are apparently costing the company some money. analysts say customers have reached the point where they won't buy anything without a coupon. the beyond plus loyalty program would still allow shoppers to

of course, you have to pay to be part of the loyalty program. >> so, it's all one way of getting you to go into the store there and hook you again. >> yeah, i mean, i do have to say, though, i understand their point because i'm a little reluctant myself to buy things in bed, bath & beyond without the coupon. >> raise the prices up and then -- >> don't get any ideas. kendis. >> finally how about a drink -- how about some prosecco. >> yes, i'm down. >> doesn't everyone love italian sparkling wine on a wednesday morning? >> absolutely. it's always sunday fun day some days. >> 5:00. >> yeah. even better might be skinny prosecco. >> oh. >> so its producers say their diet version of the popular drink has only 67 calories per glass. >> for those counting -- >> which i love that. by the way -- >> by the way, it's less than a banana. around 90 calories. >> uh-huh. >> skinny prosecco is available in a growing number of british stores.

but the takeaway is, prosecco healthier for you than a banana so we should all start our morning off with prosecco. >> but it makes you wonder, if that's 67 calories, how much does a normal glass of prosecco have caloriewise? >> i don't think i want to know that. >> i don't know and then when you add the orange juice in there because you have to for your mimosa. >> why would you contaminate prosecco with orange juice? it just gets in the way. >> it's great. i know what we'll be doing in a half hour. >> more news after this.

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taking a look at our top stories this wednesday, the vice presidential candidates took aim at each other and the top of their tickets as they faced off in a fiery debate. it was a showdown marked by feisty exchanges and repeated interruptions. hurricane matthew is spinning into the bahamas this morning after causing widespread flooding and damage in haiti and cuba. forecasts have the storm running up the u.s. east coast in the and that has preparations for matthew's potential arrival already well under way. long fuel lines, empty shelves seen from florida to the carolinas. states of emergency are posted there, as well. looking at today's weather, there will be storms today from the plains to the great lakes. rain in the northwest along with some mountain snow, cloudy with some rain in florida. clear for the rest of the east coast. well, finally from us, two couples sent packing on last night's "dancing with the

kenny "babyface" edmonds and pro partner allison as he did admit that he made some mistakes in monday night's tango, but he thanked fans for his support. >> this experience is an amazing experience. learning to dance with everyone. the family here is amazing. everyone is just -- i just want to thank everybody, thank all my fans and thank everybody for voting for me. it's been amazing. >> it's such a treat. >> and despite his amazing cirque du so p monday night, it wasn't enough to keep vanilla ice and his partner, witney carson, on the dance floor. ? >> this is a magical experience. i love it. it's great. dancing makes you happy, and this is just a happy experience. i'm honored to be here, and i appreciate all the fans and the people. it's magical, but i appreciate her more than anything. >> it really seemed like he was trying so hard and something that takes him so far out of his comfort zone. >> and doing well.

but the biggest moment of the night actually had nothing really to do with the dancing competition itself and it was a moment no one saw coming. >> yeah, after their steamy contemporary dance to bruno mars' "just the way you are," pro dancer sasha farber had a surprise for his fellow dancer. >> i've wanted to do this for such a long time. i love you so, so much. will you marry me? >> yes. >> ah. >> ah. >> so that's emma slater there. who needs a mirror ball trophy when you can walk off the stage with a diamond engagement ring. >> and that is what is making news in america this morning. >> do stick around for "gma" later today. ick around for "gma

>> right now on "wisn 12 news this morning," a pedestrian is hurt after being hit by a vehicle overnight. the clues police are hoping will lead to whoever was behind the wheel. >> plus, the road to the white house passing through wisconsin. the campaign visits you're invited to today hours after the first and only vice-presidential debate. >> but first, weather watch 12. here's a live look at doppler 12 radar as hurricane matthew moves through the caribbean. we're tracking the storm as it heads towards the u.s. >> good morning and welcome to "wisn 12 news this morning." i'm ben wagner. >> and i'm melinda davenport. it's 4:30 on this wednesday, october 5th. let's start with the local forecast. meteorologist sally severson is in the weather center. good morning, sal. >> good morning, i'm in with