good morning, america. developing now, anxiety in the air. travelers thrown into chaos as the u.s. bans flights to israel after rockets rained down a mile from the airport. a delta flight turned around in midair. michael bloomberg ignores the warning flying overnight there to prove it's safe. >> new details in the growing mystery at the brooklyn bridge. the american flags replaced by these bleached white flags. the massive security breach at one of america's most famous landmarks. how they pulled it off and what was the message they were sending? >> looked at him. just stole all this stuff. >> caught on tape. this vigilante confronts an alleged shoplifter outside walmart. the video going viral right now. how the good samaritan is fighting back on facebook. ♪ the startling moment a pod of giant whales swam right beneath kayaks taking them for a

ride. their cameras rolling the whole time. the real-life whale of a tale. ♪ up in the air and we do say good morning, america. and we are covering several developing stories for you at this hour. these are images that are just coming in of the victims of malaysia airlines flight 17 finally returning home this morning. their families waiting for them in the netherlands after a week of such anger, sadness and emotion and we are there live. an anxious day in the skies. the u.s. banned flights to tel aviv because of that near miss by a rocket causing trouble for travelers and ryan smith is tracking it at jfk international airport here in new york. good morning, ryan. >> reporter: good morning, george. it's been 23 years amid the

first gulf war that flights have been diverted to and from tel aviv. but with the battle raging on between israel and hamas the faa is taking drastic measures. as missiles rained down near the airport in tel aviv, travel woes turned to fear at home. >> i'm very afraid. i'm telling you now i'm very afraid. >> reporter: and throughout the word. >> we don't understand what we're supposed to be doing. everyone is kind of hectic. >> reporter: the root of the chaos here at israel's ben gurion international airport, thousands of passengers now stranded. >> then there was a bomb alarm. the whole airport rushed into the bomb shelters and it was terrifying. >> reporter: after the faa's decision to prevent any american carriers from flying here for at least 24 hours. delta and united saying they will suspend flights indefinitely. one delta flight reversed course midair when the missile made impact diverting instead to paris. >> quite unfortunate that we were literally an hour before

landing in ben gurion, but i respect the decision. >> reporter: half a dozen international airlines voluntarily suspending flights rerouting them away from the region. airlines avoiding travel over areas of conflict for the second time in just one week. this radar image showing the empty skies over ukraine after mh17 was shot down last thursday. >> the faa was caught a little off foot over the weekend and now making up for it and putting very stringent restrictions on the flights. >> reporter: one airline undeterred. israeli airline elderts al and mayor bloomberg made a point to take a flight overnight. >> it's safe and a great place to israel has a right to defend its people. >> reporter: just hours ago secretary of state john kerry arrived in tel aviv from cairo with hopes of achieving a cease-fire agreement in mind. in the meantime, in a phone call

yesterday opening, israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu implored kerry to lift the ban on flights and was told that updated faa guidelines would be released sometime today. robin. >> all right. ryan, thank you very much. now to the latest on malaysian airlines flight 17. the victims finally returning home this morning. nearly a week after the plane was shot out of the sky and abc's terry moran has the very latest from the site where the plane went down. good morning, terry. >> reporter: good morning, robin. this is a quiet crash scene today. no rebels, no investigators, just the wreckage and what many experts believe are still human remains scattered through these fields. there are teams of experts on their way here to see what they can still learn interest this crime scene after it's been looted and tampered with for several days. as you note at least now the victims are making their way home. soldiers salute the victims of flight 17 finally receiving the dignity in death that they've

been denied since the attack that killed them last thursday. 16 bodies aboard the first plane bound for the netherlands. the whole process will take at least three days. today forensic scientists in the netherlands will begin the grim task of identifying the bodies and looking for traces of the many passengers still unaccounted for. >> the investigation will point out which remains will fit to which person. >> reporter: overnight senior u.s. intelligence officials saying they have no direct evidence of russian government involvement but they point to photographs of the wreckage as strong evidence a russian-made sa-11 missile fired from rebel-held territory brought down the plane. the sa-11 explodes before it hits its target sending out fans of hot shrapnel often leaving piercing marks like these found on debris from the plane. meanwhile, europe imposing new sanctions. >> this has gotten completely out of control. >> reporter: but the u.s. ambassador to ukraine, jeffrey

pyatt told us he's concerned they're still arming the rebels there. >> we are very concerned that russia has not pulled back on the flow of heavy weapons, tanks, rocket launchers, other material which we have been seeing coming into eastern ukraine for several weeks now. >> reporter: we can also report that those blackboxes have been delivered to investigators in great britain and they say no signs of damage on them. george. >> that's encouraging. terry, thanks very much. there will be a day of mourning across the netherlands where the victims' bodies are being returned to their loved ones. abc's lama hasan is there. good morning, lama. >> reporter: that's right, good morning to you, george. it is a somber day here today where those two military planes carrying the remains of those victims will be arriving right here at eindhoven airport, the netherlands' second largest airport and, of course, they will be the first of the bodies to arrive. church bells will ring across the country, across the

netherlands. five minutes before those two military planes touch down here. then you'll hear the sound of a trumpet. the trumpet signals the arrival of those two planes and they are to meet them will be their relative, the king and queen of the netherlands and following a minute's silence. the bodies will then be taken, escorted by a police motorcade to a military facility about 65 miles from here which is when the grim process of identifying those bodies, that's when that will be begin. there will be a team of about 40 forensic experts on hand to do that. all of this, george, taking place on a day that's been declared a day of national mourning whereverwhere we look, george, there are flags flying at half-staff to honor those victims. george. >> just a devastating blow to that country. lama, thanks very much. >> a lot of emotions there. back here at home that mystery at the brooklyn bridge. there is the bridge this morning as authorities try to figure out who scaled the world famous landmark and replaced american

flags with white flags. abc's linsey davis is there for us right now with the latest. good morning, linsey. >> reporter: good morning, robin. just to give you a sense talking about 120,000 cars, 4 thu thousand pedestrians, 3100 bikes that cross the brooklyn bridge every day. it has been targeted by terrorists before. and while terrorism has been ruled out in this instance it's raised numerous questions about security. this morning, a serious investigation into how and why two enormous american flags atop the famed brooklyn bridge were swapped for a pair of old glories apparently bleached white. >> we don't take these things lightly or as a joke. >> reporter: take a look at this earth cam video at 3:30 the light illuminating one of the flags flickers out. 12 minutes later the same thing with the other flag, watch again. the flag there one moment, gone the next. at 5:30 a.m., construction workers notice the flag flip-flop. officers soon make their way up

the bridge's main cables and find these aluminum pans secured with zip ties covering those lights. they then replace the white flags folding them into tight triangles following traditional procedure, but the mystery persists. >> that is a matter of concern. i am not particularly happy about the event. >> reporter: police are now looking for five people seen crossing the bridge about 20 minutes before that first light went out. they say whoever pulled off the elaborate breach was able to scale 276 feet, somehow making it past the locked gates that sit atop the steel cables. >> there's some indication of some good deal of preoperational planning, perhaps some indication that they have experience climbing in construction or in bridgework or that they may have actually been up there before. >> reporter: this morning, the nypd has ruled out terrorism as other theories abound. perhaps an elaborate art installation or eye political statement about surrender. brooklyn borough president adams

now offering $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. >> this is the brooklyn bridge and the only person that should be surrendering at this time is the person who's responsible for the desecration of this flag. >> reporter: police are calling it a case of trespassing, malicious mischief and reckless endangerment but could have been far worse. >> it certainly could have been, linsey, thank you. the very least a frightening security breach. to amy with the morning's other top stories. >> robin, good morning. we begin with another massive data breach affecting a well-known retailer. this time, the online ticket site stubhub and hackers broke into 1,000 customer accounts to buy tickets and stretching from new york to russia with several arrests being announced today. here is the key takeaway for anyone who shops online. stubhub says they got the login and password from data already stolen from other websites. that is why it is so important

to have different passwords for different sites and to change them often. also breaking overnight a plane flying to chicago forced to make an emergency landing because a fire indicator light came on shortly after the southwest flight left baltimore. passengers used emergency chutes to evacuate but so far no evidence of any fire. [ gunshots ] listen to that in this suburban neighborhood in south texas. investigators were trying to serve a warrant for a murder suspect when he opened fire and then barricaded himself inside. two officers were wounded before police ultimately shot the suspect. and new confusion over the fate of obamacare after conflicting court rulings. two appeals courts issued opposite rulings tuesday on the legality of an irs rule that allows health coverage bought under the affordable care act to be subsidized. the issue could take more than a year to resolve in the courts. and a deadly lightning

strike on a florida beach. a young man died before emergency crews could arrive. two other victims survived. this season so far, 14 americans have been killed in lightning strikes. well, some kayakers got a little too up close and personal with this pod of whales in argentina. watch as one whale actually swims beneath one of the kayaks briefly lifting the paddler and her boat out of the water. whoo, that's a little scary but the whales eventually swam off. no one was injured. everyone was okay and it was all, of course, as they all happen to be these days caught on camera. finally a sweet gesture from the biggest superstar in sports. this is what lebron james sent his neighbors, a dozen cupcakes, very fancy cupcakes all to say sorry for the swarm of media invading the neighborhood following his recent announcement that he is returning to cleveland. the cupcakes also came with a note apologizing for the chaos and saying he's blessed to have

such understanding neighbors, hint, hint. >> so understanding, thank you. >> right. ahead of time. >> you know you are. >> right. enjoy the treats. >> that is a wonderful gesture. >> the right thing to do. >> that was. all right, amy, thank you. to the fallout from the new york city man who died after an alleged choke hold by police. federal authorities are now closely monitoring the case as the victim, eric garner, will be laid to rest today. abc's ron claiborne has that story. >> reporter: it is this dramatic video now causing some dramatic changes. a suspect arrested and later dying. >> stop. >> reporter: now the new york city police commissioner announcing the retraining of all 35,000 officers in arrest procedures and the use of force. >> there will be a retraining of every member of the new york city police department in the week, months and potential years ahead. >> reporter: the top to bottom review was ordered in the wake of last thursday's incident and the alleged use of a choke hold

to subdue 43-year-old eric garner, suspected of selling illegal cigarettes. >> they are making it clear that a choke hold is a banned procedure. they are also making it clear that we've got to come up with alternatives. >> reporter: this move comes as the fbi and u.s. justice department have begun monitoring the circumstances of garner's arrest and death. already, one officer, this man, has been stripped of his badge and gun and assigned to a desk job. >> come on. >> reporter: now four paramedics who responded to the scene after garner collapsed are suspended without pay by their superiors while reviewing their actions. two police sergeants present at his arrest said that garner did not appear to be in great stress and that his condition did not seem serious. >> i can't breathe. i can't breathe. >> reporter: the father of six died about an hour later. last night a vigil in staten island. later today, garner's funeral.

for "good morning america," i'm ron claiborne, abc news, new york. >> thanks to ron claiborne for that. we have a hurt alert. an alarming spike in cases of a serious illness carried by mosquito called chikungunya, painful virus first picked up in the caribbean but confirmed cases in the u.s. soared over the past week. abc's dr. richard besser here with details. good morning, rich. this is really catching the eye of officials. >> people watching this closely. 28% increase in one week. just last december it arrived in the caribbean. we were talking about a handful of cases. now there are over 400,000 cases in that area and americans are picking it up when they travel. we have the same mosquito here that's causing disease there is there a couple of americans picked it up in florida. what are the symptoms and what can you do? >> the symptoms, headache, fever, muscle ache, tell-tale symptom is joint pain and arthritis. the way to avoid it fight the bite. make sure you use repellant and get rid of free standing water and screens are intact and that will do a lot. >> rich, thanks very much. to lara in the social

square. >> all right, george, here i am in social square. we turn now to a good samaritan fighting back against an alleged shoplifter on facebook and posted this cell phone video you're about to see of an apparent thief in the ago and helped policidentify the suspect. >> just ran this stuff out of walmart right here. stole it. >> reporter: he is the vigilante gone viral. take a look and listen as one man uses his cell phone could catch an alleged shoplifter outside an oklahoma walmart. >> he's taking off right now. >> whatever, dude. >> he took his license plate. it's all right. it's all right. there's the vin number. >> what are you doing here? he's taking it. just stole all this stuff. >> i paid for it. >> yeah, i got his vin number and everything. >> don't, don't. >> anthony, the good samaritan says he was waiting for his

fiancee to check out at this walmart near tulsa sunday night when he saw a man suspiciously looking around the exit then darting out without paying a dime. >> it was very obvious that he was stealing them. none of the items were bagged. >> reporter: anthony refused to go on camera fearing possible retaliation. but he did speak with us by phone. >> i asked him if he had paid for his items and he kind of said, sir, don't worry about that. >> reporter: the video has been shared more than 4,000 times since anthony posted it to facebook and it also captured the attention of police. >> look at him. just stole all this stuff. >> don't, don't. don't. >> i mean, that says it all and this morning they say they have identified the man in the video. that would be police. as well as the woman who was behind the wheel and currently working with walmart in this ongoing investigation. yet another example of the many uses of smartphones. >> uh-huh. >> good play-by-play there too. >> yes, he does. >> now to that severe weather

that's forming. hey there, ginger. >> good morning to you, guys. yeah, smartphones and social media. that's a hit. it's good. not everybody loves it. it's going to work today. if you have warnings coming through on your phones because severe storms possible along the cold front from maine all the way back down into parts of the new jersey area into parts of pennsylvania and then other pockets back off to the west. washington state through montana, another one there in parts of nebraska, wyoming and south dakota. so that's this afternoon and evening. along that front you might see storms in places like memphis. a quick look at how hot it is going to be, excessive heat warning in effect today for phoenix through tomorrow. 114 expected. your local forecast in just 30 seconds. first this morning's stormy cities brought to you by the university of phoenix.

sunshine starting this morning. 76 at reagan national. dewpoint in the upper 60's. .ou will feel the high humidity the hottest day of the week, 90 to 95 degrees. that weas talking about could have a few thunderstorms of our own in the d.c. metro area. lingering storm temperatures in the 60's >> i don't know if you noticed but i don't even need my maps. i'll stand next to amy and we'll look like the outlook for severe weather or summer. >> that's one way to look at it. >> beautiful. >> did you all get -- did you talk about this ahead of time.

>> very beautiful. >> just magic. >> it is beautiful. thank you two. coming up here on "gma," bombshell development in the case of the missing wife of a marine. why police are now looking at her neighbor. also ahead the former prosecutor now going on defense charged in a shocking murder-for-hire plot. did i target a rival attorney? plus we reveal the magic words you can say to stop telemarketers from calling you. secrets from a former insider coming up. no problem this morning. pop superstar ariana grande is here live and wait till you hear what she's revealing. ♪ ♪ ♪

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live from the abc 7 broadcast center, this is an abc 7 news update. >> 7:26 on this wednesday morning. i'm jummy olabanji. we head to jack taylor to check on the wednesday morning commute. jack? >> vdot is busy this morning. 395 northbound causing quite a ruckus if you're headed up to

duke, seminary, king street. you will find a striping project that has gone awry. you have three lanes, four lanes, three lanes. vdot is headed to the scene to evaluating the situation. we have had a problem this morning on route 4 near the suitland parkway. a pickup trick -- a pickup truck -- and a broken down vehicle on the shoulder. top side of the beltway, typical delays 95 to georgia avenue's. all the travel lanes are open. now it is going to get hot. >> really hot, 90's later this afternoon. it is really warm this morning. temperatures starting off in the 70's and the lower 90's expected later today. ahead of a cold front that will trigger some showers and thunderstorms. that is pretty far off to the west. showers and thunderstorms chance is more likely after about 2:00 or 3:00. --peratures stay around

beautiful by friday, sunshine and low humidity. >> thank you. police continue to search for a 15-month-old girl they believe was abducted by her own father. investigators say darryl parker -- darrel keith parker took her from her mother from a metro station. thank you for watching this morning.

♪ all by myself take a look at that. those are the los angeles highways. completely empty except for that one skateboarder. how is this possible? ♪ anymore >> well, the video is going wildly viral. to compare, take a look at what the highways normally look like. you can never move. out there but this is just an incredible thing. how he did it in just a bit. >> celine getting a lot of play. the las vegas airport. l.a.x. right out there in l.a. also this morning a bombshell development in the case of the missing wife of a marine. police searching for clews and now looking at her neighbor. >> also coming up we'll reveal the magic words you can say to stop telemarketers for calling you for good. a former insider is now spilling the secrets. >> taking notes on that one. we have a new study this morning which reveals which diet

plans and pills give you the most bang for your buck. we'll tell you which ones are really worth the money. >> all coming up. we begin with that disappearance of a marine wife vanished more than three weeks ago believed to be heading for 9 joshua tree national park and a search turned up now. they're looking at an ex-marine who lived next door. cecilia vega has the story. >> reporter: this morning new allegations about missing erin corwin, a search warrant revealing police are investigating the possibility that corwin three months pregnant and her neighbor christopher lee were having an affair. investigators now fearing the worst calling the circumstances surrounding her disappearance suspicious. >> we're looking for a crime scene. we're looking for something that's going to give us an indication that something has or has not happened to her. >> reporter: erin, the wife of a marine, has not been seen in nearly a month vanishing from

twentynine palms, california, without a trace and her husband, lance corporal jonathan corwin reported her missing one day after she was seen leaving joshua tree national park and lee says he went hunting in joshua tree the same day but he denied seeing her there. >> at this point we're trying to investigate each and every person that's been an acquaintance with her. >> reporter: lee who was recently honorably discharged initially denied knowing erin well but investigators say corwin's friend told them she might have been pregnant with lee's child and that lee was worried that if his wife discovered erin was pregnant, lee's wife would divorce him and keep him from his child. in the court document police say it is highly likely that erin could have been warmed by an unknown firearm. on july 4th lee was arrested on what police call an unrelated weapons charge for possessing a destructive device. 'reportedly out on bail. police have not named a suspect

or ruled out the possibility that corwin may be voluntarily missing but this morning, wherever she is remains a mystery. for "good morning america," cecilia vega, abc news, los angeles. >> okay, let's bring in dan abrams on this and we just heard cecilia say police say there's not a suspect but seem to be paying a lot of attention to lee. >> no question he's at least a person of interest as they like to call it. bottom line, he is someone they're looking at. look, two key issues they need to resolve, number one, was there a crime? meaning they first virginia to rule out the possibility she left voluntarily. with each day that passes, it seems the authorities become more and more convinced that this was a crime. once they determine that this was a crime and i think that in their minds they already have then the question is who did it and when you're talking about a woman who was newly pregnant and alleged affair, okay, not confirmed but alleged, the authorities are going to be looking at two people and that is, number one, her husband and, number two, the person with whom

she's having the alleged affair and seems that the authorities have begun to rule out the husband although they haven't said that publicly either. >> the fact they've picked up the neighbor on an unrelated weapons charge of some sort mean they know more than they're saying? >> not necessarily. there's no question that that evidence they were able to obtain in connection with the search warrant in this case, but the actual charge, i think, maybe completely unrelated. in some cases you see them charge someone, they want to hold them. in the meantime, in this particular case it seems that in the context of executing the search warrant, they found something else, had to charge him. he's now been released so he's not even being held. i don't think that they view that as connected at this point to the case. but there's still a lot of questions that need to be answered and they want to try to see is it possible that they can link that physical evidence, the shoe print, the footprints, the tire tracks, et cetera, to the two of them in that park. >> okay. dan abrams, thanks very much.

now, guys to another case, a former prosecutor charged with trying to hire a hit man to kill a rival attorney. the alleged motive, payback for a courtroom defeat that had cost him a lot of money. abc's mara schiavocampo is here with that story. >> reporter: good morning. that man clarence bombery is used to being an attorney not a defendant but he not only tried to hire a hit man he even made a deposit. this morning. clarence gomery is waking up on the wrong side of a prison cell, the 59-year-old former michigan prosecutor turned defense attorney now charged with homicide, solicitation of murder. >> the facts of the case are significant and disturbing. >> reporter: his alleged target, chris cook, another attorney he battled with when he was a defendant in a civil case last year. >> i represented a client who was defrauded by mr. gomery in a land purchase. >> reporter: police say he's seen here in better times tried

to hire a hit man to kill cooke, offering him $20,000 plus another thousand to buy a gun but the man he allegedly tried to solicit turned him in. >> i think god intervened to a degree in this matter and i think that also there was a very ethical person that came forward. >> had he not come forward, mr. gomery very well may have found somebody else to carry out his plan and we'd be investigating a murder. >> he has no criminal history at all. he is not a danger to others or himself. >> reporter: his former lawyer argued that the married father and grandfather is not a financial flight risk because he's declared bankruptcy. but the judge wasn't buying it setting bail at $5 million. >> i'm concerned for the safety of the public. i'm concerned for mr. cooke. >> i do believe that the right thing will occur in this case and that the system will do its job. >> reporter: he declared

bankruptcy after that civil judgment against him and pleaded not guilty in this case back in court for a preliminary hearing next week. robin? we'll see what happens. mara, thanks so much. another check of the weather and ginger zee and, mara, look at this. what do we see this, ging? >> that's the question. it's all up to how you see it. i've gota whole lot of answers but last time i looked up in the clouds i saw a dolphin but this looks like a face of some sort. >> mark twain. >> mark twain. >> karl maximum someone said on twitter, as well. >> god. >> and god. >> we've heard them all. we needed that. eddie said she looks like she has a mustache so we've got everything. we thought it was a cool photo to show. here along the west coast, up in the pacific northwest, absolutely need some rain and it has been relatively dry for parts of july. seattle going to get a little bit more. sacramento actually now has had its wettest july since 1980 with

0.2 inches of rain. they don't need a lot to make it the wettest. the less humid air coming into the great l >> you cannot see any clouds out there this morning to find any fun shapes, but maybe later today. warm and muggy, 76 degrees, a lot of humidity. the hottest day of the week -- into the >> all that weather brought to you by walgreens so it's whatever you see in the clouds and apparently i said -- you said sunshine. i said we looked like my maps. denise said we look like ketchup and mustard. >> hot sauce. >> she's color-blind. >> pretty much settles that. looks good. >> thank you. >> coming up we're going to reveal the magic words to stop telemarketers from calling you and why you shouldn't hang up on them. those dirty little secrets at the gym the places you never want to touch when working out. "making healthy choices" f

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all right. we are back now at 7:42 with telemarketers and how can you get them to stop calling you. a former telemarketer is sharing her secret, the simple things you can did to get them to leave you alone. abc's rebecca jarvis has our story. >> reporter: it's all that too familiar nuisance on the other end of the show and even jerry

seinfeld answered their calls. >> give me your home number and i'll call you later. >> we're not allowed to do that. >> i guess you don't want people calling you at home. >> reporter: this morning erica elson is speaking out sharing her secrets in the august issue of "reader's digest" detailing what she used to say to keep callers on the line. >> if you say no three types to everything that they've said then they'll be like, okay, this person is just not having it. i will let them go. >> reporter: so how do you stop those unwanted calls from getting through. she says cutting the cord is simple as long as you know what not to do. tip one, don't just hang up. ignoring a caller slapping down that phone midconversation will land your name right back on the call list. tip two, don't engage the telemarketer in conversation, not even to explain why you're not interested. any conversation opens the door to another sales pitch. and tip three, never tell them to call you back later.

they will. >> even if you say something like i'm in the middle of dinner, that means, oh, i shouldn't call you at 6:00 p.m. so i'll try them in the morning. >> reporter: what should you do? keep calm and say the magic phrase, please add my name to your do not call list and take it a step further and add your name to the national do not call registry. once you're on the list it's illegal for companies to call you. >> there's a fine line between being rude and being too friendly. you just want to remain polite but not reveal personal information. >> you may not know their number but they certainly won't forget yours in the end. for "good morning america," rebecca jarvis, abc news, new york. >> it is, indeed, a fine line, don't be rude, right? if you're on the do not call list and still being contacted by telemarketers, we suggest you go to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! and find out how to turn it off. we will help you, i promise. very frustrating. >> it is. >> the timing is always impeccable. right -- >> right in dinner.

>> if you engage them in dialogue, oh, it just goes on and on, definitive, no, no, no. >> the problem is our kids jump and answer the phone -- >> mommy, it's for you. >> yeah. >> you know it's not really. all right, coming up, everybody, is this the craziest closet in the country. this is insane. it has three floor, it's 3,000 square feet. they're calling it the ultimate she cave. >> that's someone's closet. >> yeah. >> no way. >> i'm moving in. i'm moving. >> oh, yeah. >> yeah. bigger than my apartment right now. and the l.a. freeways like you've never seen them. i love celine. >> i love this song. >> empty except for a lone skateboarder. the magic to making a freeway disappear like that. let that phrase sit with you for a second. unlimited. as in, no limits on your hard-earned cash back.

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♪ all by myself >> this is for you. >> i think it's sweet. sing it. to the social square and that video of l.a. we've been showing you, those freeways so we went to gio benitez to see how the filmmaker made it. >> this is yesterday in l.a. during rush hour traffic. a total nightmare so how did the filmmaker turn this l.a. into this l.a.? check it out. it's the third most traffic congested city in the world. angelino spending a 59 hours a year sitting in the grind but

sites like these, the city of angels as a complete ghost town. it's unheard of but this morning the stunning video called urban isolation has everyone talking after appearing on buzzfeed. just take a look. the walt disney concert hall, empty. an overpass just a a skateboard there and the entrance to i-5, the freeway with the worst traffic in the state, pretty desolate. >> i was thinking how cool if traffic didn't exist. basically kind of making a ghost town out of like. >> reporter: but how did this director pull it off? >> in the video itself, you don't see any cars, but when they're skating on the freeway there actually were cars. >> reporter: he used an editing program to cut out the cars, a slow and teedous process that took hundreds of hours. it looks so peaceful and calm. but cars were actually whizzing by at 80 miles an hour. >> there were definitely some sketchy types shooting some of these shots. >> catchy times indeed.

according to a recent study l.a. is number one in the nation in gridlock. so it's probably faster to get around on that skateboard, robin. >> thank you. appreciate that. oh. ariana grande. >> yes. >> is going to be here live on "gma." >> no problem. >> next hour. >> now here's a good tip from lowe's. want to keep your plants watered while on vacation. use an old wine bottle and fill with water, in goes the cork, drill a little hole and voila. to see more, go to goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! ♪ [ male announcer ] bring your style to life. get 10% off new valspar reserve interior and exterior paint at lowe's.

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>> live from the abc 7 broadcast center, this is an abc 7 news update. now 7:50 six. i'm jummy olabanji. let's see if the commute is getting better out there. especially in northern virginia. jack taylor, how is it looking? >> 395 has been kind of a mess. the overnight striping project may have failed a bit. 395 between duke and king street, a striping project went awry along the left side of the roadway. a lanes are not the same size. it has been a mess getting out of sprinkle. i did five northbound, a crash near 610. slow moving through stafford.

toward the split, the slow spot will be at montrose road. georgetown pike, a crash near it dominion drive has closed. andemperatures in the 70's, later this afternoon we will climb anywhere between 90 and 95 as a slow moving cold front approaches the area. thunderstorms possible after 2:00 or 3:00. tomorrow night is hot, middle 80's. a few scattered thunderstorms possible. a beautiful end of the workweek forecast. >> groundbreaking set today for hotel in international downtown d.c. donald trump and his family will be there. he is spending about $200 million to renovate the old post office pavilion on pennsylvania avenue. we will have a report on the story coming up in a few

minutes. thank you for watching this wednesday morning.

♪ good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m., and are you looking to lose weight right now? we'll tell you which diet plan will give you the biggest bang for your buck? ♪ i'm alive. and clean break. 9 new way more couples are choosing to split amicably avoiding a drawn-out divorce and saving money. plus, what a closet case. is this the ultimate fashion fantasy? 3,000 square feet stacked top to bottom with designer duds. we're taking you inside the doors. ♪ and no problem here. ariana grande is joining us live and wait till you find out why. >> good morning, america. ♪ i want you hoo ho ocho ♪

>> there she is. ariana grande with ryan seacrest doing their thing in social square. they are here live this morning with a very, very big announcement. >> yeah. >> i don't know if i can keep up. >> that's coming up. also this morning, you know on monday we revealed your five dienl ifs in our america's favorite place, all gorgeous all across the country, hold a lot of special meanings for so many and tomorrow the winner. ginger will be live tomorrow to reveal the winning location. first a clue. one of the best ways to see this location is with one of these. >> firefighters. >> firefighters. >> firefighters will get you anywhere. >> i think they're talking about the kayaker. >> getting there. >> george, it's open to interpretation. you see kayaks. i see firefighters. hard to know which to focus on. all right. so the clue, the guys, they're carrying it.

new york city firefighters, that's -- they're here because it is the 20th anniversary of that. it's their calendar. it's all for a very good cause which is what draws me to the story. >> absolutely. >> i am a philanthropist at heart and we'll have more in "pop news" but first i will continue to do my research. >> and while you're doing that, amy is going to bring us the news. good morning, george, good morning, everyone. we begin with breaking news just in from ukraine. two ukrainian fighter jets have been shot down over the eastern part of the country held by pro-russian rebels. not far from where malaysia airlines flight 17 was shot down just this week. the fate of the crews remain unclear and no word how those jets were shot down. also this morning the first bodies of the malaysia crash victims arriving in the netherlands aboard military planes. as those remains arrive, the painful process of identifying the victims will begin. meantime, pressure is mounting on russia to stop the flow of weapons into eastern

ukraine. well, the faa is expected to decide today whether to lift the ban on u.s. flights into israel. flights were stopped tuesday after a rocket fired from gaza landed near the tel aviv airport. overnight a fresh barrage of missiles and shelling had families in gaza scrambling for safety yet again. secretary of state john kerry landed this tel aviv this morning to push for a cease-fire. more than 650 palestinians and at least 31 israelis have now been killed in the conflict. back in this country a frantic scene on a beach in northern california. a man who dug a ten-foot hole in the sand then became trapped in that hole when it collapsed on him, dozens of people tried desperately unable to rescue him in time. new details about this man who was seen riding on the back of a car speeding down a north carolina highway three weeks ago trying to fight his way through that window. well, he is now in custody. he has been arrested after a three-hour standoff with police

following a domestic dispute. bizarre crime scene or crime spree in oregon. vandals are throwing doughnuts at cars and using other pastries to smear vehicles there. they're apparently damaging the paint and making a mess out of lawns and sidewalks. they've been on the run for six weeks now. jelly doughnuts appear to their weapon of choice. finally, how do you know you've had too much rain this summer. well, you know when you can do this. an alabama woman, take a look at this. appears to actually be, well, she can be surfing on her lawn. this is after 3 inches of rain became trapped beneath her sod creating a giant waterbed. thankfully water levels are turning back to normal there but looks like fun. have the kids come out. have a good old time. better than a bouncy house. >> she truly could feel the earth move under her feet. >> but i'm fine. >> very subtle. very subtle.

thank you, amy. thank you. turning now to a new study that can help you shape up for less revealing the best diet programs and pills for your money. abc's news senior medical contributor dr. jennifer ashton is here with us. what was the cost analysis? >> so this is really about who is the biggest loser not just about the number on the scale but about the number in your bank account and how much is this costing and what they looked at is weight lost versus cost, cost per pound lost and then the quality of life. all of these methods were effective. however, the big winners went weight watchers and prescription medication call ed qsymia had te most bang for the buck. >> any type of social network like that, jenny craig, weight watchers works because you have a support system, it's social. you're accountable. nutritionally it makes sense and any time you put those things together you're going to get a good result. again, this was just about cost i do a lot oresearch on angie's list

before i do any projects on my home. i love my contractor, and i am so thankful to angie's list for bringing us together. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. welcome to the corner of and "getting major kudos." just look at you. you're being healthy, even in little ways. that's worth celebrating. that's why walgreens created the first program

that's what you did to me yesterday. >> i know you did. >> i'll get you yet. hey, "pop news" and i want to start by honoring the one and only billy joel. joining the ranks of music royalty, the long island native becomes the next recipient for the gershwin prize. the award is presented by the united states library of congress and the library officials say this was an easy decision calling joel a storyteller of the highest order. past recipients include paul mccartney, stevie wonder and carole king. >> good company. >> yeah. >> great company and just thrilled to share that with you. [ applause ] he is a gift to the music world. in other music news, a tree planted in los angeles in memory of one of the beatles has been killed by beetles. >> oh, no. >> terrible case of irony. the degrees.

hot and sticky already. 90-90 five degrees today. a cold front approaches the area will trigger some storms. a 40% chance of storms. tonight, lingering storms. tomorrow, not as hot. middle 80's. scattered thunderstorms early, then clearing late. >> we are just a hot and steamy show because the "heat index" is next. >> okay, ging. kick off our "heat index" one of the top stories. "time" magazine's website. how do give yourself a boost in the workplace. easy ways to impress your colleagues and your boss. first pick up space. it may sound odd but researchers say an expansive pose can increase your feelings of power. >> i'd be a little careful there. >> yeah. >> excuse me. >> you put your legs across, that's what they said. next it's okay to look a little out of place with what you tear

along, you know, in a way that was really healing to everybody in the family. so that we could move on to our next chapter. >> reporter: still, some experts say it's not for everyone. >> if we have a couple who fight like cats and dogs then i would strongly caution against going the wevorce route. they'll abandon and each hire their own attorney and end up costing them twice as much. >> reporter: more mark, nora and hundreds of past users -- >> i think it would have been drastically different had we gone the traditional route. i'm thankful we didn't. >> reporter: they say they have no remorse for their wevorce. now the irony in all this, the founders of wevorce were husband and wife at one time and went through a divorce and realized it doesn't have to be so painful, so negative ands thatty, so after they were divorced, they could created makeup station.

>> reporter: he she's a former beauty queen and entrepreneur and mother and swears she's worn every shoe you see. >> most every shoe has a signature from the designer. now we're going to make our way up to the third floor where i have hats and furs and things that i don't wear very often. >> reporter: she says she got the idea while throwing fund-raisers at her husband. when she says her female guests constantly insisted on seeing her closet? why not have a closet so big that i can have fund-raisers in the closet. >> now she does just that. but shopping for all those clothes and accessories, she says she leaves that to a personal shopper. >> wonder does she wear all that? >> she said she wore every shoe. >> wow. >> all right. well, that was something. coming up, superstars ryan seacrest and ariana grande here live with a very big announcement. stay with us. from "good morning america." --

company, two superstars right here. ryan seacrest and one of the hottest singers, the hot singer let's sayen 0 the planet, ariana grande. >> oh, thanks. >> here to tell us about the exciting iheartradio festival. so wonderful to have you both here. thank you for making the time and, boy, the lineup. the fourth year. so glad you're going to be a part of it? i'm so excited to be a part of it. >> tell us who will be performing. >> this is the biggest music event of the year for me. because it's a two-night festival in las vegas. starts on friday. the 19th of september. goes through the 20th all day into the night of saturday night and we work all year to put it together. are you ready. going to try to remember as many as i can. taylor swift will be there. one direction will be there. and ed sherron will be, usher, paramour. ariana grande will be there. and this is the first time you've done this festival. >> yes, i'm excited and fairlye? how do you do it each and every

year? this is the fourth one. what makes it special. >> all of the artists come together and do things together that they don't get to do throughout the course of the year. backstage you'll see, you know, artists who don't see each other get a chance to come up with an idea and many time attract a new collaboration will come out of being at the iheartradio festival that will be released a few weeks later so this is the big weekend of the year for us. tickets go on sale, iheartradio.com and i'll be hosting. she'll be singing and enjoying it and recovering sunday. >> party had by all. las vegas, nice place to have it. >> mgm grand in las vegas. >> i know a lot is going on with your family right now and it means a lot that you came in this morning. >> thanks for having me, you guys. >> know that we're thinking of you. >> thank you. >> don't miss the iheartradio music festival coming up september 19th and 20th. yeah. o got ginger outside. t

financially support their families and send their children to school. >> it's been so rewarding and you see it in them. you see it in their faces and their demeanor. >> reporter: kate spade and company hopes this will promote others to do the same and empower communities all across the globe. for "good morning america," bianna golodryga, abc news, new york. >> an incredible initiative and we have some of the items right here from the collection and we should mention they range in price from $22 to $140. the next on purpose collection available in stores and online in august and you can find out much more about the on purpose initiative at goodmorningamerica.com on yahoo! a great way to spend your money and get really cute accessories. >> very bright and kate spady. >> if you buy it, they can keep making them. that's the best part. coming up, we have improve this. great diy tips for walls. groce.

we don't recommend stealing them. please ask. >> please ask the local retailer. >> they'll give them to you. >> they don't want them a lot of types. do ask but these have been transformed as you can see into a wonderful accent wall. tell us about this. >> this is great for outdoors. it's very inexpensive. most of the time it's free and have a living wall. whatever you want. i love the idea of either stacking them, i know you were thinking even a trellis would be a nice idea. >> do this with ivy in and out of it. we use -- this is a great product and look for these in your local home improvement store. indoor/outdoor paint, primer and paint, one stop shopping so to speak and do a wall ifou don't want to go all the way up do a ledge and then put plants on the top so it's a great way to create depth and texture and, again, get these for next to nothing or even for free. >> look how gorgeous it is. it's fun. it's easy, accent walls are cheap and -- >> yep. and paint is easy and fun. what an easy way to candied

walnut and fluff. >> a lot of fluff there. >> almost like a thanksgiving day staple. >> wow. this is -- i need to heat this up a little bit. this will go in the oven. a lot of candied walnuts. >> i might let you win. >> i'll put this on top. >> what is lara making. sweet -- >> my bring it on fry pie. this is apples chopped up with honey and cinnamon and put them into a pie -- >> we have to move on. >> 0 seconds. >> fondue. fondue. >> you better bring it. >> vanilla ice cream and more maple syrup over that and th then -- >> what did you use? >> i thought it was whatever you had in your refrigerator you bring. >> you might have -- >> you're from michigan. >> it is an unusual combination of ingredients. >> time is up. >> we need to taste taste. all right. >> how about this? george -- >> would you like us to taste

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