making news in america this morning, we are getting our first look at the letter the fbi director sent to his former employees. plus, comey's request for more resources for the russia investigation days before getting fired. the new report this morning about the white house not knowing where comey was when he was fired and why the deputy attorney general threatened to quit after the president's decision. a hiker found alive after nearly a week. how she ended up lost and how a dog kept up her spirits. plus, caught on camera, the dramatic moment a crane comes crashing down. a good thursday morning, i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm kenneth moton in for kendis gibson. we begin with the outrage in

firing of fbi director james comey. >> comey sent a letter to his former colleagues at the fbi last night saying, he is not going to dwell on the president's decision. the justice department is denying reports that comey recently asked for more money and manpower to investigate alleged ties between russia and the trump campaign. and the senate committee looking into possible ties between the campaign and russia has subpoenaed former national security adviser michael flynn. >> president trump is now citing job performance as his motive. abc's janai norman has the latest from washington. good morning to you, janai. >> reporter: kenneth and diane, good morning to both of you. the questions still lingering why was comey fired now? could this be tied to the russia investigation? some lawmakers saying the answers aren't quite adding up. less than 24 hours after firing the man leading the investigation into russian meddling, president trump welcomed russia's ambassador and foreign minister to the white house. trump laughing with the russians in the oval office and then commenting on why he fired fbi

good job, very simply. >> reporter: james comey writing his former fbi colleagues, quote, i'm not going to spend time on the decision or the way it was executed. i hope you won't either. it is done, i will be fine, although i will miss you and the mission deeply. the sudden decision less than a week after the white house said the president had confidence in comey, but now a different story. >> the president had lost again like i said he had lost confidence in director comey and, frankly, he had been considering letting director comey go since the day he was elected. >> reporter: abc news learned days before he was fired he requested more resources from the department of justice for the russia investigation. the white house implying there's nothing left to investigate. >> let's put it behind us. let's move on. >> reporter: but comey's firing only raising more questions. >> obviously when you have a president fire the fbi director when there's an active investigation going on, then questions need to be answered. >> reporter: the white house pinning the sudden

investigation in july of last year. but democrats say it's not that investigation the president is worried about. >> i think it's all about russia. i not about hillary. >> reporter: and democrats are now insisting that a special prosecutor take over the russia investigation, even postponing all senate hearings yesterday to make a point. at least one republican is considering it. kenneth and diane. >> i know, it gets a little confusing. their names are very similar. you're not the first or last. >> thanks, janai. >> janai norman live for us in washington. thanks so much. well, the white house apparently didn't know comey was in california when it delivered his letter to the fbi. >> the president had become agitated that comey seemed too focused on the russia probe and not on stopping leaks. the post also says deputy attorney general rod rosenstein threatened to resign in the wake of the firing as the white house seemed to cast him as the person who proposed comey's dismissal.

congressman jason chaffetz is now calling on the justice department's inspector general to investigate comey's firing and democrats are demanding a special prosecutor. but they say they're not convinced that president trump got rid of comey to derail the investigation into alleged collusion between russia and the trump campaign, but house speaker paul ryan and other gop leaders are defending the president's decision. >> i think the president lost patience and i think people in the justice department lost confidence in director comey himself and i think the president was looking at a situation where you had senior officials losing confidence. >> senate majority leader mitch mcconnell dismissed calls for a special prosecutor saying that would impede the work already in progress. a handful of republicans are questioning the president's timing and demanding an explanation. russian leader vladimir putin is also weighing in on the firing. in his hockey uniform before a special game putin said comey's dismissal will have no eff

russia's relationship with the united states. and he says russia has nothing to do with the whole thing. a controversial monument is coming down this morning in new orleans. the city is removing the statue of confederate president jefferson davis after louisiana judge rejected a last-ditch argument to leave it standing. it's one of three confederate statues slated for removal. a fourth monument was taken down last month. now for a look at the weather. severe storms targeting the midwest and plains right now. you can seen 0 the radar the storms stretching from texas to indiana. the main threats are large hail, strong winds and flash flooding in illinois near peoria. at least one tornado touched down. it's the same area where a twister caused major damage just a few months ago. luckily this tornado was much weaker. the same system spawned at least two tornadoes in oklahoma. this one spotted along a highway in chattanooga.

education secretary betsy devos did not get a warm greeting as she delivered the commencement speech at a historic black school. >> they loudly booed her saying she once made racially insensitive comments about historically black universities. the crowd jeered and turned their backs. >> i am honored to become a wildcat. and it's a real honor and privilege to be with you as we celebrate the be thune cookman university class of 2017. >> finally the university president warned the audience if their behavior continued graduates would be getting their diplomas by mail. why the cost of mailing something could soon go up. survival story. a hiker is

days in the wilderness and the mistakes she admits to making and how she was found. a fired up crowd confronts a congressman. >> oh, we haven't even begun. i'm not done with you yet. i got the mic and i'm not going anywhere. >> how the lawmaker handled difficult questions about the new health care bill.

a new jersey congressman faced nearly five hours of grilling from angry constituents in his first town hall since the health care passed. republican tom mccarter helped resurrect and pass that latest health care bill. but he could barely

room interrupting him with boos. there was one particularly fiery moment when health care worker confronted the congressman about his wife and daughter's pre-existing conditions. >> you have been the single greatest threat to my family in the entire world. what happens if i lose my job? health insurance is a for profit business and is immoral. when i am drowning and you insist that i pay before you will save me. that is immoral, sir. completely. >> the congressman responded by saying he knows the overhaul is still a work in progress. >> i'm not saying this is a perfect solution. the current system isn't perfect either and that's what we're trying to fix. >> it was hardly limited to health care. several people had questions about russia and

comey's firing. vermont's legislature has become the first in the nation to approve a bill legalizing recreational marijuana. the governor is not opposed to it but wants to make sure it answers certain public safety and health questions. other states that have legalized it did it through a referendum. snapchat posted a loss for the first three months of this year. a lot of that related to its ipo in march. and the postal service reporting a big loss, more than $560 million so it's hoping to raise stamp prices by at least one penny which would bring the cost of mailing a letter to 50 cents or more. an illinois homeowner is suing zillo saying its zethimate has undervalued its

tremendous roadblock to the sale of her house. the homeowner is not seeking financial compensation. instead she wants an injunction requiring zillow to remove or modify its assessment of her property. when we come back, new details on the discovery inside a student's book bag. knives, gasoline, even shotgun shells. hear what investigators say he was planning to do at school. caught on camera, a crane comes crashing down. what caused this right here to happen. tradition calls it's "gotcha day!" best day ever love you, dad i love you too, sweetie

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take a look. one of five great sharks seen in the water off long beach, california. some were swimming within 50 yards of the beach. thankfully they didn't come into any contact with humans. time now for a look at this morning's road conditions. the map shows a huge stretch of wet weather creating messy roadways from colorado to the gulf coast and into the northeast. if you're flying airport delays are possible

kansas city and chicago. well, a north carolina teen is awaiting charges after police foiled what they say could have been a violent attack at his school authorities say they found knifes in the student's backpack. along with those, they found fi firecrackers, gasoline, even an alleged hit list with up to a dozen names of other students on it. that's believed that 16-year-old was planning an attack for tuesday morning. north carolina police were tipped off by authorities in canada who learned of the plot from a girl in an internet chat room. authorities in trenton are hoping to peacefully end a day-long standoff. gun shots heard overnight as a man remain barricaded at his home. it started when i opened fire on u.s. marshals who tried to serve a warrant. an innocent bystander was killed in the gunfire. three officers injured. some residents living nearby were forced to evacuate. they spent the night out of their homes. testimony continues today in tulsa in the manslaughter trial

an unarmed black man during a traffic stop. prosecutors say this officer shot terence crutcher while he was obeying commands to raise hi hands. shelby says she thought he was reaching for a weapon. and race had nothing to do with it. a hiker that vanished in the mountains of montana has been found safe and sound. she was rescued and reunited with her family after an ordeal that lasted nearly seven days. mara schiavocampo has more. >> reporter: a remarkable air rescue. a hiker in montana finally found after disappearing for almost a week. >> i can't believe that we were able to get out. >> reporter: 23-year-old madeline connelly was visiting relatives in montana when she guided to head out for a hike with her dog mogie in great bear wilderness. but the experienced hiker and nature enthusiast took a wrong turn. >> like the first night i realized that i was not in the right place. i tho

would be on the same loop of a trail and i would just get out. >> reporter: when connelly didn't come home they launched a massive operation then wednesday the moment they'd all hoped for, connelly and her dog finally spotted rescuers airlifting her out after almost a week in the wild. >> it was just like a huge mistake that i ended up being like seven days in kind of treacherous weather conditions. >> reporter: mara schiavocampo, abc news, new york. >> and we'll have more about that rescue on "good morning america." before we get to this next story we do want to point out the guy involved is expected to recover. >> he rode his motorcycle straight into a truck on a road in -- wow, it burst into flames. the rider was on fire as well until some onlookers came to help him. again, he reportedly did not suffer any life-threatening injuries. >> unbelievable. an investigation is under way in northern italy to find out why this crane suddenly collapsed on

of a railway viaduct. construction workers could only watch in disbelief. amazingly the crane operator was able to jump clear of the crane as it started to tip over. and now for a look at sports, the san antonio spurs can advance in the nba playoffs with a win tonight against houston. >> two teams advanced last night in hockey. highlights from espn. >> good morning, america. stan, neil, hockey. game six. >> a couple of game seven, oilers and ducks in anaheim. if you follow the ducks you know about their struggles in gape seven. i won't bother to repeat it. second period, kessler fighting for possession. he finds andrew cogliano for the goal. first goal of the playoffs. heads to the third period, tied at one. ryan get leff gets it and corey perry misses it wide. nik ritchie from the circle for the goal and that's the game winner and the series

>> capitals never beat the penguins in the playoffs and never would be continued. ovechkin not good. kohl was good. risky and sidney crosby over to rust. rust never sleeps. ovechkin aunable to get that and hornqvist goes five hole on sh midover the shoulder of holt by. the penguins beat the capitals, 2-0. >> from the nba game five eastern conference semifinals, it's the celtics over the wizards so boston up three games to two as that series moves to washington for game six on friday. that's it from here. back to you. >> thanks, guys. well up next in "the pulse," a kayaker paddling for his life with an alligator in hot pursuit. the dog that likes to hang out on the roof. on our facebook page, the rock's surprising comments about a future run for the white house on atmfans.com.

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and contains the best oral decongestant. live claritin clear, with claritin-d. ♪ time to check "the pulse" and looks like the president has turned into a home wrecker of sorts. >> many couples are feuding over president trump. some even ending up in divorce court. the survey found a quarter of americans in relationships say they've argued over politics since trump was elected. more than 20% of americans apparently say they know a couple whose relationship has been negatively impacted by the election. >> you need a strong foundation before you start, you know, with politics. you're going to be on opposite sides of the aisle. >> maybe if you can't disagree about politics and stay married maybe the president gave you a

we have a couple of animal stories to start off. >> starting with a golden reinvestor who lives in austin, texas. >> his name is huckleberry and his owners say his favorite spot to hang out is on the roof. >> roof! >> he even has his own instagram account, huck the roof dog. >> they say huck is on the roof so often they've posted messages telling neighbors not to be alarmed huckleberry, they say is fine and there's nothing wrong with him being up there on the roof. >> loving the roof joke. i want to know how he gets up there. >> s that a great question. >> that's the video i want to see. not him on the roof but climbing up the gutter or whatever it is that he's doing to get there. all right, be careful up there. maybe we should have the music from "jaws" for this last story. ♪ so check this out. a guy in a kayak in alabama just enjoying himself but look behind him. so, that's an alligator following him. >> the man attracted the gator's attention after getting a little too close while the

hanging out in reeds. he claimed he was completely calm through the whole thing. >> i can tell you a lot of emotions i would be feeling if i were kayaking with an alligator chasing me, calm would not be one of them. >> i used to be scared on the jaws ride at disney, parent company of -- >> it's not a real shark. you though that. >> i was scared. >> it's not a real shark. you'll be okay. more news coming up after this.d morning washington. its thursday, may 11th. and get ready for a cold and wet end to the work week. meteorologist eileen whelan has your forecast coming up in just a moment. but first here are some quick headlines. new details about events leading up to the firing of former fbi director james comey. abc news has learned that just days before his dismissal, comey requested additional resources for his investigation into connections between russia and

campaign. president trump says that wasn't a factor in his decision. and that comey was fired becuase he lost the trust of the american people. it's the end of the road for the caps. washington was shut out last night in game seven against the visiting pittsburgh penguins. the final score was 2-0. and with that, the caps are eliminated in the second round of the playoffs for the third year in row. good morning washington. toss to eileen - have the umbrella - waves of rain through saturday - unseasonably cool next 3 days (50s) - drier & warmer for mother's day - 80s make a comeback next week! today: mostly cloudy. scattered showers. cool. highs: winds: e 5-10 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. isolated showers. lows: winds: e 5 mph friday: mostly cloudy. am sho

winds: e 5-10 mph happening right now - urgent searches to find a group of

all the robberies caught on tape. these are very clear images of terrifying moments -- and police are hoping to track down the people behind them. first, this is the scene from grubbs pharmacy on capitol hill on friday... with three suspects barging in -- one waving a gun, while another stands guard. the men -- leaping over the counter and demanding an allergy medication, apparently because it contains codeine. then this -- moments later -- and across town near american university -- two suspects -- barging into a drug store there and demanding the same type of allergy medication. the individuals in this case are believed to be linked to antoher drug store robbery friday in prince george's county as well. no arrests have been made. a surprising piece of technology in kansas is giving many 9-1-1 dispatchers a headache. they say they're getting accidental calls- because of the apple watch! the culprit -- a

the culprit -- a little button on the side of the watch. one woman says it accidentally was pressed- as she was leaning against a shopping cart. others- simply stunned to hear who's on the line. just in that kansas county- there have been 131-thousand mistaken calls last year- including accidental dials and watch mishaps. on your apple watch you can turn off the "hold to auto call" function that causes these auto dials. if you do find yourself making an unintended call, 911 operators say you should stay on the line. if you hang up, they legally have to call you back to make sure you're okay. a golden retriever named "kenna" has a new "leash" on life thanks to the help of one virginia man. born without a foot... she got her first prosthetic at just 8-weeks old. it was made by derrick campana,

dulles airport. he's made them for dogs, cats, horses, goats and even elephants! they take about 3 hours to make, and cost an average of one-thousand dollars. you can watch our full story about him at wjla.com. it's xx and we're just getting started. coming up-- congress is weighing in- after the firing of former fbi director james comey. who democrats want to take over the agency's investigation into russia. plus, it was a rough night for washington sports fans. 2 important games-- 2 big losses. we have the highlights and reaction from both teams, coming up. good morning washington. - have the umbrella - waves of rain through saturday - unseasonably cool next 3 days (50s) - drier & warmer for mother's day

today: mostly cloudy. scattered showers. cool. highs: winds: e 5-10 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. isolated showers. lows: winds: e 5 mph friday: mostly cloudy. am showers, pm rain. highs: winds: e 5-10 mph new fallout in washington over the bombshell news