this morning on "world news now," heartbreak in virginia. the murderers on live tv. a reporter and cameraman. the gunman, a former co-worker who took his own life. the overnight developments live from virginia. frightening flight. the airline jet with mechanical problems so severe, it could have crashed as it was trying to take off. new details from investigators. new this half hour, sniffing outs evidence for police. >> the specially trained dog that helped find hidden computer evidence in the jared fogel investigation. the canine getting attention. later in "the skinny," the drastic decision by former reality tv star josh duggar caught up in scandal after scandal. he's taking his embarrassment in a new direction. it's thursday, august 27th. from abc news, thises it "world news now."

>> good morning to you on this thursday. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm phillip mena. we will begin with the top story of the day, the on air murders of two journalists in virginia. their colleagues going back on the air this morning with heavy hearts. allison parker was a rising star just a few years into her broadcasting career. adam ward a photojournalist. together they were known at their station at the a team. vicki gardener shot while being interviewed, hospitalized and in stable condition. >> police looking into the troubled life of the gunman, vester lee flanagan. they say his shooting spree and what followed was thought out. our coverage begins with jim avila. >> reporter: a live tv interview on local tourism fatally interrupted. [ gunshots ] gunfire. there's no warning, just bullets followed by screams.

after the victims fall, the shooter's image briefly captured on camera before he flees. >> okay, not sure what happened there. >> reporter: the anchor back in the studio is stunned. >> i heard a pow, pow, pow and it did not register that it was gunshots. it probably should have, but you know, she's doing a little feature story at the lake. >> reporter: in the control room, the news photographer's fiance, a producer, watching it unfold. >> our wdbj 7 crew was live in morning at smith mountain lake when shots were fired around 6:45. our general manager and wdbj 7 vice-president jeff marks is here. >> reporter: then this solemn announcement. >> alison and adam died this morning shortly after 6:45 when the shots rang out. >> reporter: the two dead, 24-year-old alison parker, the reporter conducting the interview, and the man behind the camera, 27-year-old adam ward. the woman interviewed, vicki gardener, shot in the back and rushed to the hospital. the shooter on the loose. the police chasing the suspect.

>> we know who the suspect is. we believe it's a disgruntled employee from the tv station. >> reporter: then another surprise. this on social media. a person going by bryce williams tweeting i filmed the shooting, see facebook. the same account also mentioning the victims by name. complaining about their treatment of him at work. that facebook account now deleted. >> vester flanagan, wtoc news. >> bryce williams, a professional name for vester lee flanagan, up until about two years ago, an on-air reporter at had station. >> live in henry county, bryce williams, wdbj 7. >> reporter: management says he was fired after being warned he needed medical attention. minutes after those troubling tweets, virginia state police spotting the suspect's rental car. the suspect refusing to stop. instead running the vehicle off the road and crashing. a trooper approaches the car.

>> she found flanagan suffering from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. flanagan was flown from the scene to innova fairfax hospital where he died at approximately 1:30 p.m. today. >> the surviving victim vickie gardener is now in stable condition. this attack on live unedited tv has had its effect on the audience, too. flowers arriving for the victims all day long. jim avila, abc news, roanoke, virginia. >> just a nightmare there. you never know what's going on in someone's head. >> we noticed a tweet that caught our eye this evening, one from the station, someone at the station saying the photographer's fiancee received her wedding dress the day of this horrific, horrific situation. the father also appearing in an interview on television saying that he is going to focus now, his mission in life will be to close loopholes so crazy people do not get guns. he wants that to be alison's legacy. that community just getting together trying to make sense of what is such a senseless

unbearable act. and happening on live tv. something that's never happened before in recent memory at all really. >> yeah, and he went to great lengths to show everybody his intentions. you know, not only sending that fax here, not only making phone calls here but filming the shooting himself in the first person which is extremely disturbing which we chose not to show here because the last thing we need or the family and the victims -- of the victims just to relive that. >> yes, and stay with abc news as we cover all the developments. look for in-depth reporting on abcnews.com as well as live reports all morning long. we're going to switch gears for a moment and talk about a police officer. he was responding to an emergency call in rural louisiana. he's now dead. henry nelson was shot at the house where three women were stabbed, one of the women was killed. another is in critical condition. the suspect then crashed his car into a convenience store, got

out of the vehicle naked and barricaded himself inside. it's the second louisiana officer killed on duty this week. now to frightening moments on the runway. an airline jet trying to lift off too soon as the pilot struggled for control. abc's neal karlinksky reports. >> reporter: allegiant air flight 436 was on its way from las vegas to peoria, illinois, when the pilots reported a mechanical failure so severe, they were fighting against the plane's controls and had to abruptly abort their takeoff. according to the airline, "it was discovered that the left elevator boost actuator had become disconnected." that's the part of the plane that helps the aircraft climb and descend. translation, the md-83's nose reportedly started rising off the ground, before the plane was going fast enough to fly and despite the crew's attempts to bring the nose back down. so they abruptly aborted takeoff at 138 miles per hour in order to keep the jet on the ground and under control. >> this was not a minor incident.

this was an airplane doing something that the crew didn't want it to do. it could have resulted in a crash. >> reporter: allegiant air says it has conducted a fleet-wide inspection and says all of its planes are safe. the faa is investigating. neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. fire crews in the difficult battle against washington state's wildfires are getting some atmospheric assistance. most of them had to do without support from the air yesterday as heavy smoke kept air tankers and helicopters on ground. but cooler temperatures and rain are expected over the next few days. that means possible progress against the state's largest ever group of fires which has now scorched nearly 440 square miles. florida's preparing for tropical storm erika. residents advised to stock up on food, water and other emergency supplies. erika could hit there as early as monday. caribbean also bracing for the storm. it's approaching puerto rico and the virgin islands today. shelters are opening as schools, airports and casinos are

closing. a dog with a unique talent is being praised for his part in the case against former subway pitchman jared fogle. bear is one of the few canines trained to sniff out electronics, credited with finding the thumb drive hidden in fogel's indiana home, a key piece of evidence. bear is trained to sniff out the chemical component in sim cards, memory sticks and sd cards. >> that dog has found things that very diligent investigators could not find because they were so small and hidden in so many places. >> bear will be starting a new job next week. he will now be working for the police department in seattle. we know california's long drought has caused all sorts of problems. we doubt anyone saw this one coming. >> the van nuys area of la has a rabbit problem on its hands. they're digging up and eating the drought resistant plants homeowners put into the ground to replace their lawns. >> one theory is someone was breeding the bunnies and perhaps

a pregnant one got lost. they kind of multiplied. as rabbits often do. hope owners are virtually helpless to stop it. they keep breeding and breeding and breeding. apparently animal control was called. officials haven't heard back, the folks in this town. >> they're trying desperately to do something about it and no call back, huh? >> no callback. >> the bunnies remain. for now. coming up in "the skinny," they vacationed together, now they're working together. something's up with jennifer lawrence and amy schumer. >> two heavy hitters there. also ahead, a new link between sarcasm and success. could it really pay to have a biting sense of humor? >> but first, a convenient new feature in cars keyless ignitions. the new lawsuit against automakers from people who forget to turn off the engine. the details after our forecast. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" weather, brought to you by colonial penn life insurance. r, brought to you by colonial penn life insurance. >> important message

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look at that. a major headache for denver commuters as a tanker fire shut down miles of interstate 25. the tanker which was hauling jet fuel started a grass fire. state troopers say the tanker melted in half. the driver though was able to escape without injury. and in southern california, a commuter crashed into a fire hydrant turning it into the gusher you see there. the water shot 25 feet into the air. eventually fire crews were able to turn off the hydrant, but it's unclear what caused the car accident. a new study finds we're spending longer than ever stuck in traffic especially people stucking in washington, d.c.,

which tops the list of worst commutes. they spend an average of 82 hours per hour stuck in traffic. commuters in la, san francisco and san jose not far behind. the congestion blamed on lower unemployment and cheaper gas. one of the downsides of cheaper gas i guess. >> how about those keyless ignitions in a lot of cars. they can be a real convenience. >> a new lawsuit claims those ignitions have led to a number of carbon monoxide deaths. here's abc's ryan owens. >> reporter: starting your car without having to grab your keys, a modern convenience that a new lawsuit alleges can also put you at risk. the lawsuit filed in california says 13 deaths and numerous serious injuries have been caused from carbon monoxide poisoning. drivers who took their keyless fob but left their car running, the garage filling with toxic fumes. mary rivera is not part of this suit, but says she nearly died after leaving her car running. >> the ignition didn't turn off. i thought i turned it off, but apparently i didn't. >> reporter: the lawsuit names ten of the biggest car companies. some of their cars do have

warning lights and tones so drivers know the car is still on. but consumer advocates have long argued those warnings should be standardized. further, they say all cars should have emergency shutoff. >> you get out of the car and you leave your little interior lights on, you go away for 15 seconds, it turns them off. why can't you just turn the engine off and avoid these needless deaths? >> reporter: most car companies had no comment on this lawsuit, but ford tells abc news the keyless ignition system has proven to be safe and reliable. and volkswagen which said safety is a top priority. ryan owens, abc news, dallas. that's very serious. unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning according to the centers for disease control kills about 430 people a year. it is scary and they say it's odorless and you don't see it colorless and it just happens. it sounds like you turn the

engine off, it's still running. you would think that you would know. a lot of these engines are much quieter than they have been 10, 15 years ago. >> that's why it's so dangerous. now there are calls to have louder alerts so when you do have the key fob and you do leave by accident the engine running, you're alerted and you're able to turn it off and keep everybody safe. >> yeah. coming up, miley cyrus finds out what the average joe really thinks about her. >> and ed sheeran pranks his fans again and then he doesn't or does he? we'll explain. that's coming up next in "the skinny." "world news now" continues after this from our abc

♪ skinny, so skinny okay. back in "the skinny" this morning, fallen moralist josh duggar. >> he's the highest profile ashley madison user busted in the recent hacking. yesterday in a statement his parents michele and jim bob said their oldest son has checked himself into a long-term treatment center. they did not say what kind of treatment he's seeking but it's likely related to his admitted infidelity and online addictions. >> his parents also noted his wife anna is in counseling, as well. a source close to the family told "people" magazine anna has no intention at this time to leave josh. we wish them all well. and the summer's hottest hollywood friendship appears to have blossomed into a creative collaboration.

jennifer lawrence and amy schumer making a movie together. >> could it be true? the actresses became fast friends after meeting only a couple months ago. they were seen together in martha's vineyard but not just vacationing together, they're also working together. lawrence let thehe news slip during an interview with the "new york times" saying the pair is almost done writing. >> they're such a cool duo. i would look forward to this. lawrence also described also and schumer as "being creatively made for each other." no word yet on what the project is. i'm sure it will be funny though. they're both so smart and beautiful. >> "trainwreck" was hilarious. >> liked it, huh? >> yeah. it was a great movie. you have the biggest star right now, jennifer lawrence and now the biggest comedy star. it's going to be big. let's move along now to miley cyrus on "jimmy kimmel live" last night. i don't know if you caught it. but that's what you missed. look what she was wearing. a very colorful outfit. her accessories were matching

though. >> very nice of you to notice that. not much underneath as i'm sure you also noticed in that sequinned cape-like shawl. those were pasties that covered her nipples. also a more buttoned up look taking to the streets as a reporter asking people while undercover what they thought about miley. >> i think she's starving for attention and that's why she's doing all crazy like that. >> you took the words right out of my mouth. >> what would you say if miley cyrus was your daughter. >> your kids, if they were acting like miley, would you have any thoughts? >> no, i like taylor swift better. >> i like how she has this australian accent and the look is fantastic. you wouldn't know it was her. according to a recent website survey, miley the number one celebrity parents hope their kids do not grow up to be like. >> it's hard to recognize her when she's not dressed up like a chiquita banana.

>> you can see her host the vmas sunday night on mtv. >> that should be entertaining though. finally a follow-up to a story we brought you a couple weeks ago here in "the skinny." superstar singer/songwriter ed sheeran. we heard testifies getting this wild tattoo. >> the new ink job was a giant lion across his chest. sheeran has other interesting tattoos so people didn't really put it past him to do this. yesterday he posted this pic with the lion, suddenly he's gone and the caption was only joking about the lion. that's what he wrote. >> all his fans were questioning the singer's taste and they breathed a sigh of relief because they didn't like the lion. he said he was only joking about joke. >> last night sheeran posted another photo this one with the lion half visible under makeup his caption reveal ago the colorful loip's head was covered for a tv show. apparently the tattoo is real, and i've been wondering do you have any tattoos? >> two of them.

>> you do? >> i do. >> what are they? >> let me get into, is, we're out of time. >> oh. >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, this is an important message. so please, write down the number on your screen. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase. your coverage can never be cancelled as long as you pay your premiums, and your acceptance

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new downy fresh protect ♪ ♪ so this next story so earth shattering, ground breaking, we already aren't even sure we want to share it with you. >> since we're being sarcastic we will. new research suggests a link between sarcasm and creativity. abc's resident wise guy nick watt has the snark. >> reporter: scientists now say that watching "modern family" will actually make you more creative, smarter, why? >> i wasn't the greatest husband the first time around but i'm trying to do better this time and maybe by my third marriage i'll have it down pat.

yeah, that one's going to cost me. >> reporter: it's that sarcasm. >> we discovered when people get exposed po sarcasm either by expressing it or receiving it, they actually become more creative. >> i'm sorry my future timetable doesn't coincide with your fugitive timetable. >> reporter: that flip led to just published research and a weird conclusion. people shown sarcastic cartoons then perform better on a clack cognitive performance test than those who haven't seen the snarky stuff. >> understand it required you in that moment to think flexibility and that flexibility of thought allows you to continue for some period of time to think in a more flexible way which is the foundation of creativity. >> reporter: researchers also advise expressing sarcasm works well with friends but not so well with strangers. >> nice bun. right now she's temporarily smarter and so am i.

>> reporter: professor, this is very important research for mankind. >> i don't even take that comment sarcastically. i'm going to take it sincerely. >> nick watt must be the smartest man at the network then because he's got that sass and sarcasm down pat. >> you have to be smart and creative to be able to pull that stuff off. playing around with language like that and a lot of people -- some people like sarcasm. some people don't. it's hard to translate through text messages, nearly impossible. certain mediums very hard to do. >> maybe smart people are just sarcastic. couldn't that be possibly the issue? >> i don't know. >> no? >> i don't know. >> i'm not good at being sarcast sarcastic. >> don't miss our updates on facebook, wnnfans.com. >> this is abc's "world news now" informing insomniacs for two decades. d news now" informing insomniacs for two decades.

making news in america this morning, a deadly shooting on live tv. a news crew gunned down in front of cameras. overnight, the tributes pouring in. the reporter's father speaking out and new details about the suspect. we're live in virginia with the latest. tracking erika. the caribbean bracing for the storm. likely impact the u.s. soon. determined driver. a man behind the wheel not getting towed without a fight doing whatever he can to keep his car. dynamic duo. taylor swift brings a friend on stage and it nearly broke the internet overnight. good morning, i'm phillip mena. >> and i'm reena ninan.