this morning on "world news now" the unexpected moment at the democratic presidential debate. >> the sparks that flew. the exchange that caught political insiders by surprise. bernie sanders and hillary clinton finding common ground. extended live coverage, straight ahead. deadly violence on the streets of israel. the stabbings and shootings during a so-called day of rage. and who's promising to stop it. family fight. the dispute involving an aunt, her nephew, his enthusiastic hug, and her broken wrist. it went to court, and we have the painful decision. and later, special delivery. the baby girl born at 30,000 feet on a plane flying over the pacific ocean. the big question -- is this child an american? it's wednesday october 14th. >> announcer: from abc news,

this is "world news now." and good morning on this busy wednesday. i'm phillip mena. and gl and i'm reena ninan. it felt like a thinking man's debate last night. it was all about substantive issues. really smart conversations. but you really had to think through a lot of things. there weren't these funny sort of moments necessarily where people were attack each other. but it was really interesting to watch. >> yeah, definitely was not the republican debate. the first chance that we get a chance to see the democrats all vying for the top spot there. all in one spot. >> all in one spot. >> very intriguing. >> five democrats trying to make a run for the white house. hillary clinton and bernie sanders clashed. >> they sure did. it was the first debate. they had several key issues. but that of course did not stop him from coming to her defense and the other three candidates struggling to distinguish themselves. abc's brandi hitt has a recap from las vegas. good morning, barandi. >> reporter: good morning, phillip. good morning, reena. fiery but civil. that's what people are saying about last night's big

democratic debate. we saw hillary clinton and bernie sanders still go after each other on some key policy issues, but the biggest cheers also came during a key moment of support. the first democratic face-off for president heated up instantly over gun control. >> secretary clinton, is bernie sanders tough enough on guns? >> no. not at all. >> reporter: front-runners hillary clinton and bernie sanders going head to head. >> i supported a ban on assault weapons. >> reporter: with lincoln chafee and martin o'malley jumping in. >> the nra gets its way in our congress and we take a back seat. >> i would bring the gun lobby in and say we've got to change this. where can we find common ground? >> reporter: clinton was asked about her record as secretary of state and the deadly attack on the u.s. embassy in benghazi. >> unless you believe the united states should not send diplomats to any place that is dangerous, which i do not, then when we send them forth there is always the potential for danger and

risk. >> reporter: the moderators even brought up republican front-runner donald trump during the debate. >> donald trum. and his billionaire friends under my policies are going to pay a hell of a lot more in taxes. >> reporter: they also took questions from facebook. >> do black lives matter? >> as president of the united states every life in this country matters. >> reporter: but the biggest moment of the night involved clinton's controversial e-mail scandal with her private server. >> i've taken responsibility for it. i did say it was a mistake. >> reporter: and with that she got support from sanders. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> thank you. me too. me too. >> reporter: that was classic bernie sanders. and that moment also got a standing ovation from the crowd. live this morning from the spin room you can see everything's pretty much over here at the debate site. they're kind of cleaning up the spin room now. one potential candidate who was not on stage last night was vice president joe biden. we're expecting to hear if he is going to be running for president later on this week. reporting live here in las

vegas, brandi hitt. phillip and reena, we'll send it back over to you. >> one quick question. what was the reaction to the candidates on social media? >> reporter: you know what, when you look at some of the numbers, bernie sanders did really, really well. right off the top he was the most googled candidate out of them all. clinton was second. and when you look at twitter followers off the top he also gained 28,000 twitter followers toward the beginning of the debate compared to clinton's 10,000 new twitter followers. so he clearly -- maybe people just don't know a lot about him. they certainly got bernie sanders last night. >> sounds like an interesting night. brandi, you were there for the entire day. thank you so much. live in las vegas. thanks again. we continue our coverage now with abc's deputy political director shushana walsh. >> good morning. there were lots of powerful moments in this debate. let's start with the sound bite on the gun control clash. >> secretary clinton, is bernie sanders tough enough on guns?

>> no. not at all. i think that we have to look at the fact that we lose 90 people a day from gun violence. this has gone on too long, and it's time the entire country stood up against the nra. >> what i can tell secretary clinton, that all the shouting in the world is not going to do what i would hope all of us want. >> this was really the face-off of the night. sanders may be the most liberal person in the entire race but not on gun control. and hillary clinton pounced and it was a strong moment for her. >> perhaps the most talked about moment of the night was sanders almost helping clinton on that private e-mail controversy. >> absolutely. it was the buzziest moment. let's listen. >> the american people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails. >> thank you. me too. me too. >> the american people want to know whether we're going to have a democracy or oligarchy as a result of citizens united. enough of the e-mails.

let's talk about the real issues facing america. [ cheers and applause ] >> thank you, bernie. >> now, this moment went absolutely viral, and sanders came out into the spin room afterwards, and he said it was really a spontaneous moment. but you saw him backing her up there. she shook his hands afterwards. and the audience actually rose to their feet. this was really kind of the budsiest moment of the entire debate. >> it was so much fun to watch. and apparently they said it really was spontaneous. >> that's what he says, yeah. >> there were three other guys also that we kind of forget about. lincoln chafee, jim webb, martin o'malley. you kind of hope for these guys there's some breakout moment. how did this debate impact their poll numbers? >> well, you said it, reena. they really needed that breakout moment. last time i was here we were talking about carly fiorina and her breakout moments in the gop debates. martin o'malley really needed that tonight. he wants to be the anti-hillary candidate, the one that bernie sanders is now. and he really did not have that moment tonight. and neither did lincoln chafee

or jim webb. >> and now the conversation switches to the democrat that many wanted to have seen on stage tonight. that's vice president biden. is he any closer to making a decision about running? >> it's really the question hanging over this entire race still. what will joe do? we expect some sort of decision later this week, maybe even next week. but what we do know is by november 6th that is when the filing deadlines start. that's really the last absolute date -- >> three weeks. >> do we know where he was tonight exactly? where was he watching? he must have been watching. >> he was at the vice president's residence. he was watching. but before the debate he actually hosted a high school reunion with some high school pals at the vice president's residence. so you can imagine what they were asking him. >> oh, this seems like a very joe biden thing to do. right? >> absolutely. >> freddie from the block. >> much more fun than hanging out at the debate. >> they were definitely i'm sure weighing in on that big decision. >> you're right, shush.

abc's deputy political director shush p.annah walshe. >> thanks for having me on. >> coming up in our next half hour, more live coverage of the debate from las vegas and donald trump's big announcement. it's your voice your vote on abc. another major headline we're following. federal atf agents are joining the investigation into that kansas city fire in which two firefighters died. the the men were killed when a burning building collapsed, trapping them. investigators say there's nothing suspicious about the fire at least initially, but the atf agents will be able to provide special expertise in the investigation. to the mideast now. secretary of state john kerry says the violence between israelis and palestinians must stop. but israel's prime minister says he'll take a series of aggressive steps to stop at tacks against israeli civilians. abc's alex marquardt is in jerusalem. >> reporter: out of nowhere the white car careens onto the sidewalk, ramming into pedestrians, who go flying. the attacker a palestinian man then gets out of the car and

starts attacking bystanders with a meat cleaver. an israeli security guard rushes up and shoots the attacker, who collapses. but as a crowd gathers he tries to get up again and keep fighting before being taken down. in the end one victim died in what has been one of the most dramatic incidents in two weeks of relentless violence in israel and the palestinian territories. the fear now, that this is no ordinary spike in violence. palestinian anger being fueled by israel's crackdown. responses like a bombing in gaza that left a palestinian mother and her young daughter dead. a cycle threatening to spin out of control and turn into an all-out conflict. israel is now reportedly going to start deploying its army into the streets of jerusalem to protect public transportation and is also considering checkpoints around palestinian neighborhoods. alex marquardt, abc news, jerusalem. a top russian official says the dutch report into the downing of malaysia airlines flight 17 is flawed. that report determined that a

russian-made missile brought the plane down, killing everyone on board. the russian official says it's obvious the biased report was politically motivated. the new report did not determine who fired the missile. investigators are still working on that. well, this isn't good news. here in the u.s. the air traffic controllers union is warning that a chronic shortage of controllers could actually lead to flight delays. union leaders say the faa is to blame for the shortage by not meeting hiring goals in the last few years. the faa says there have been a number of issues including the fact the controller academy was closed for nine months because of the government shutdown and budget cuts. all right. some big baseball games last night. let's hit the highlights now. it is time for sports with reena. >> okay. we start with the cardinals and the cubs from wrigley field in chicago. it was tied at 4 in the sixth when chicago's anthony rizzo hit one deep to the right. then the following inning kyle schwarber, he made it 6-4 cubs with another solo home run.

that set up wild scenes of celebration. the cubs head back to the national league championship series for the first time since 2003. that's a long time, huh? of course you'd bust out the champagne, right? then it was the dodgers and the mets right here in new york. l.a. put three runs on the board in the third. and that was all they would need. pitching ace clayton kershaw gave up just one run and three hits in sen innings of work. the teams meet again in a decisive game 5. that's tomorrow. that'll be in l.a. the winner hosts game 1 of the nlcs on saturday. >> yeah. clayton kershaw. >> that's your boy? >> yeah, he's a heck of a pitcher. this is the first time the cubs have clinched a series at home in the history of their franchise. it was the first time their fans could really party and get into it because it was happening right in front of them. >> what took them so long? >> well, that's the age-old question. people say it's the curse of the goat. the curse of steve bartman, that guy who reached into the playing

field and cursed them and they -- that was the last time they were in the nlcs, 12 years ago. a lot of happy people in chicago today. >> maybe they changed their socks too many times. >> something. but it's working so far. coming up in "the mix," was that santa claus that we saw in the audience in last night's debate? >> so many people buzzing about that one. also ahead, a family dispute involving an aunt, her enthusiastic nephew's hug and a broken wrist. the fight went to court, and this morning there's a winner. and the baby born on an international flight to the u.s. the special delivery and the question is the baby an american? and don't forget, check us out on facebook. wnnfans.com. we're also on twittera @abcwnn. you're watching "world news now." >> important message for residents age 50 to 85. write down this number now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with a rate lock through the colonial penn program. if you are on a fixed income,

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a florida baby not expected to survive is getting a second chance in boston. abigail jones was born with a brain tumor, but even before birth her parents knew that she probably would not survive. but she began to eat and gained weight. so her parents had a second opinion. boston children's hospital doctors said the tumor might not be malignant and operated. and it turned out that it was not cancerous. >> we were telling people, and i mean, people just couldn't believe it. it's just -- what? huh? >> so sweet. her mother says the surgeon said that they got it all and it was almost like when she heard that abigail was reborn again. the baby has already been

discharged from the hospital. what a great recovery story. i love this one. now to a unique case involving a family relative suing an 8-year-old boy after he left to greet her at his birthday party. >> i don't know about this. his overzealous show of affection caused her to break her wrist and now a required has been reached in that case. abc's linsey davis has the story. >> reporter: a one of a kind court case in bridgeport, connecticut. a woman suing an 8-year-old relative for $127,000 for inadvertently breaking her wrist when he went to give her an exuberant hug. jennifer connell, whom the defendant calls auntie jen, arrived for shawn's 8th birthday party when according to court documents he gave her a force'll greeting which she says caused her to fall by knocking her to the ground, resulting in severe personal injuries. the incident happened back in 2011. connell wait two-day years after the fall to take shawn tarella, her cousin's son, now 12 years old, to court.

connell claims the fracture resulted in medical bills totaling more than $113,000. she says she continues to have great pain and discomfort, even testifying "i was at a party recently and it was difficult to hold my hors d'oeuvres plate." after this two-day trial it took the jury less than an hour to come back with its verdict, siding with the boy. yet another fall for the 54-year-old connell, who tried to avoid the media as she left the courthouse, crestfallen and likely in need of a hug. linsey davis, abc news, bridgeport, connecticut. >> in need of a hug? christmas is going to be interesting in that household, right? >> it's going to be really awkward come holiday time. that's right. coming up in our next half hour. gop presidential front-runner donald trump hosting "saturday night live," returning to the same network who broke off ties after controversial comments. and will the other candidates get a shot at the stage? but first, a very special delivery. a baby born in the middle of an

overseas flight. and a very important question. what country will she be a citizen of? you're watching "world news now."

the passenger list on an overseas flight suddenly got a little bit longer. >> an expectant mom was going into labor, giving birth to a beautiful baby girl, but some confusion now over her nationality. here's abc's neal karlinsky. [ applause ] >> reporter: passengers usually reserve applause for the captain after a happy landing. but this too was a happy landing of sorts. >> it's a girl. >> reporter: just look how excited that flight attendant is, holding a brand new baby girl at 30,000 feet, born right in the middle of row 49. amira rajput couldn't believe her eyes. >> they're disinfecting scissors

and, you know, collecting buckets and blankets and whatever things that they can find. >> reporter: the china air flight was headed from taiwan to los angeles. but you can see on radar where it made a huge course change, steering toward alaska for an emergency landing. but will the baby be a u.s. citizen? the law says if you're born within a 12-mile radius of american soil you are. but we don't know yet. in the meantime, just a big thank you for a doctor who happened to be on board a plane that landed with one more passenger than when it started. neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. >> so clearly there's no epidural up in the sky. they gave her a blanket to bite down on. >> oh, no. wow. >> to contain her screams. >> wow. >> and i saw paper towels coming in. you know in first class they give you the nice little hot -- >> the nice hot towel. >> they couldn't find one of those? >> that's a big question. what was -- look at that. >> yeah. >> delivering. see, had i been on that flight, things would have turned out much differently. >> you had your own liquid

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and now it's time for "the mix." this is a little bit of an interesting debate take. remember the last time the gop debate there was that hot guy who sat behind the moderators. you might remember him. social media was buzzing over who this guy was, what was the deal with him. well, now here he is. that was gregory caruso. we find out later he was a young film director. so what are people buzzing about about who was in the crowd this time? santa claus. we don't know whether rudolph brought him over to the debate. we don't know if rudolph was playing in the slot machines. but apparently people were buzzing about how santa claus made it into the crowd. sxwre ma >> he made the list. holidays are coming. he was there to check it twice. >> see who's naughty and nice. who's for gun control and who isn't. >> i like it. the lax dress code there at the

democratic debate. children. you have them. >> yes. >> love them. they can be embarrassing sometimes. we have video of a little boy just trying to help his mom at the store. >> okay. >> hey, mom. you may have forgotten these. >> don't you use these for your butt? >> what? >> don't you use these for your butt? >> what do you mean? >> at the old house, our house, our old house. don't you? >> no. put them back. >> oh. >> why are you trying to play it cool? you know you use those, mom. >> no, i don't. ebony clark is the mother. she posted that to youtube. 6 million hits later. he's so cute, though. he's just trying to help. >> you're right. that's a good point. he's just trying to help. even though you feel embarrassed. aisle 8 of the grocery store. >> that's the way they do it. >> speaking of embarrassing moments caught on camera, take a look at this. this was actually an anchor who

thinks that they are getting skunked by a skunk. you've got to see this one. >> their self-defense mechanism. they spray. so if they get scared, if they feel threatened at all they'll shoot out a spray and can it can shoot about -- >> oh! >> delayed reaction there. >> i know. this was from abc action 3 news in omaha, nebraska. happened on friday. they were trying to play a trick, if you can tell, on the anchor. i thought it was pretty funny. i would have freaked out, too. i think he was in the right. >> funny when they play it on someone else. all right. it is october. there are people now decorating pumpkins, making jack-o'-lanterns. i want to show you a -- look at this. this is art. that is done on a pumpkin. >> wow. >> that is a chicago artist named edward cobril. his expertise is usually in cakes. takes him about six hours, but those are masterpieces. >> okay. more news coming up. that is gorgeous.

this morning on "world news now" -- the democratic debate. the issues that drove the major candidates apart, and where they actually agreed with one another. the political surprises live from las vegas. breaking news. an unresponsive lamar odom rushed from a brothel to a nevada emergency room. the latest developments about the reality tv and former nba star. and new this half hour, a brush with death on a commute to work. >> the giant piece of scrap metal that smashed a woman's windshield. the investigation and the driver's disbelief. and later, donald trump is going to do something he hasn't done in 11 years. his plan to host "saturday night live." we'll look at his last performance in "the skinny" on this wednesday october 14th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now."