♪ this morning on "world news now," the president sounding off on the now former fbi director and what led to his firing. plus, a new report on how the president tried to get comey's loyalty right after the election. >> a man suspected of gunning down an arkansas law enforcement officer and killing two women surrenders after a five-hour standoff with police. details of the hostage drama that ensued coming up. also this half hour, the warning posted up and down the southern coast of california. >> after more than two dozen great white sightings this week, people are being warned to enter the water at their own risk. >> the a-list celebrity throwing us some new love. here is a hint. better than sisco, even freddie prince junior. breaking news, a new friend of the show straight ahead in the skinny on this friday, may 12th.

>> from abc news this is "world news now." >> i mean this is big. >> this is huge. >> big. >> huge. you want to stick around for that. >> big time. >> all right. we begin this half hour with a stunning allegation in the aftermath of the firing of fbi director james comey. a new report that president trump allegedly demanded comey's loyalty. >> sources close to comey told the "new york times" he was summoned to the white house for a dinner a week after the inauguration. they say the president asked comey to pledge his loyalty to him, but comey offered his honesty instead. >> the white house is denying the report that comes on the heels of an nbc interview in which the president has a few choice words for comey. >> he is a showboat. he's a grandstander. the fbi has been in turmoil. you know that, i know that, everybody knows that. you take a look at the fbi a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year

it hasn't recovered from that. >> monday you met with the deputy attorney general rod rosenstein. >> right. >> did you ask for a recommendation? >> what i did was i was going to fire comey, my decision. it was not -- >> you had made the decision before they came in the room? >> i was going to fire comey. there's no good time to do it, by the way. but regardless of recommendation, i was going to fire comey. >> let me ask you about your termination letter to mr. comey. you write, i greatly appreciate you informing me on three separate occasions that i am not under investigation. why did you put that in there? >> because he told me that. he told me that. >> he told you that you were not under investigation with regard to the russian investigation. >> i heard it from others. >> i said, if it is possible would you let me know if you're under investigation. he said, you are not under investigation. i know i'm not under investigation. me personally. i'm not talking about campaigns, i'm not talking about anything else. i'm not under investigation. this was set up by the democr

there's no collusion between me and my campaign and the russians. the other thing is the russians did not affect the vote and everybody seems to think that. >> there is an investigation underway though, an fbi investigation. is that a charade? >> i don't know if it is an fbi or if -- there's so many investigations. i don't know if it is an fbi investigation or if it is congress, if it is the senate or house. >> james comey testified there was an fbi investigation. >> yes, but i think they're helping the house and the senate. so you probably have fbi, but you have house, you have senate. >> were you angry with james comey when he went public and said he can't support your unsubstantiated charges of wire tapping, that your predecessor wire tapped you. >> i was surprised he said it but i wasn't angry. there's a big thing going on right now which is spying, and it is -- you can call it anything you want. the unmasking and the spying, and to me that's the big

right now. >> and comey's former deputy contradicted the white house as he made his first public appearance as acting fbi director. >> andrew mccabe testified before the senate intelligence committee after the white house said that comey had been fired in part because he lost the confidence from the fbi agents and other employees. but mccabe said that was not the case. >> is it accurate that the rank and file no longer supported director comey? >> no, sir, that is not accurate. director comey enjoyed broad support within the fbi and still does to this day. >> as to why -- >> meanwhile, deputy attorney general rod rosenstein says he is not quitting. he is also denying reports he threatened to resign after the white house originally pinned the comey firing on him. >> the comb rhee firing has brought about an unlikely meeting of the minds. rosie o'donnell said, fire

now her arch nemesis president trump retweeted that, adding his own message, we finally agree on something, rosie. >> i would love to hear how rosie o'donnell felt seeing she has now agreed with donald trump on something? >> right. all right. see that? anything is possible. >> yes. also check out this artwork from the new yorker. this is the magazine's upcoming cover story on comey's firing. it shows comey as an airline passenger being dragged off a plane by attorney general jeff sessions, disgeesed as a security officer. and if you look closely, you can see the pilot looks a lot like president trump. >> oh, i see that. i wonder how united feels about that. yeah. soon. >> maybe. changing gears here, in arkansas a man suspected of killing a sheriff's deputy and two other people has finally sur render after a five-hour suspect. the deputy was shot during a traffic stop. the suspect barricaded himself in a nearby home where two women were found dead

lieutenant kevin mainhart had ex tense itch experience before joining the sheriff's office. >> he had a great work ethic. he was fair minded and fair with the people he dealt with on a daily basis. he was also a great father and a husband as well as a great friend to all of us in law enforcement and the community. >> the suspect's father says his son had an argument with his girlfriend as was "emotionally disturbed." police in texas released dramatic body cam video showing a man pointing his gun and shooting at the officer. incredibly, the offer was not hurt in that scary confrontation that took place last year. just last week the gunman was convicted of aggravated assault on a peace officer and sentenced to 99 years in prison. strong words from north korea as it makes claims of an assassination plot against kim jong-un. >> the north says the

vo south korea are behind the plan. it apparently called for him to be killed with a biopoison. the north calls it a declaration of war. >> meanwhile, a storm caused damage in central oklahoma yesterday afternoon. a possible tornado touched down in a actuals 'sub esh, homes, trees and power lines damaged. winds as high as 75 miles an hour and large hail on top of it. heavy wind, rain and hail were reported in other parts of the region including another possible tore nailed owe north of oklahoma city. only a few minor injuries reported. and the storm systems will sweep into the northeast this weekend making mother's day a wash out in some areas. heaviest rain is expected along the coast, one to three inches of rain is what forecasters are predicting along with winds up to 40 miles an hour. this is a special one. a college football coach finds a special mother's day gift for the mom of one of his players. >> east carolina head

scottie montgomery paid a visit to tia chapman at her job. her son kiante anderson is a walk on. >> the coach hands her an envelope and tells her it is a mother's day gift. she opens it and sees it is a full scholar ship for her son. yes! >> you get a scholarship. >> just the one, the son. >> here is another twist though. her son didn't know so not only did she get this amazing surprise but then she got to be the one that delivered the news to him. >> over the phone. >> check this out. >> i'm here with coach mo, and some cameras and people, and i just got presented with the best mother's day gift ever. you're on a full scholarship for ecu and your name and number is on this letter! >> so kiante first thanked his coach over the phone and then he got on twitter with this. >> he tweeted "thank you" to his coach there saying, you know, blessingha

i will continue to grind to be the best player i can be for you. >> all right. that amen. that is one way to motivate a young player and to give mom the best mother's day. i'm sure she will remember for a long time. >> great gift. all right. coming up, dozens of sightings and counting, what's behind the rise in great white sharks lurking off california beaches. >> i don't like that story. also, steve harvey's message to his staff going viral. hear what he is telling them to never do. that's coming up ahead in "the skinny." first here is a look at today's forecast. ♪ >> "world news now" weather brought to you by oral b. ♪ ♪ ...they're not all the same. turns out, they're really... ...different. who knew? i had no idea. so, she said look for... ...one that's shaped like a dental tool with a round... ...brush head. go pro with oral-b. oral-b's rounded brush head surrounds each tooth to...

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a horse had to be air lifted after it fell into a 300-foot ravine in los angeles county, helping the 1200 pound horse was difficult. the animal had to be sedated and blindfolded before it could be hoisted by helicopter. neither the horse nor rider were seriously injured. it was a different animal problem in south africa. that, my friends, is a giant python making itself at home. >> oh, my god. >> on a

so players were really surprise willed by this whole situation. >> oh. >> however, an employee says the snake has been hanging out between the 2nd and 8th holes for quite a while. the snake is more than 11 feet long. so in florida we keep seeing gators on the golf course. >> i can't -- >> now we have a python. what's the matter, kenneth? >> i can't see that video. >> you know how candace is terrified of snakes? guess what we found out about kenneth today. >> this show -- >> realized monday's show. >> this show brought out all of my fears. >> monday's show is all snakes. >> this show brought out my woirs fears. >> we have a ghost, right? or just horror movies in general. >> in type of paranormal activity. >> snakes, smiling in selfies, apparently. >> why can't we have some nice, frank the buns. >> we like to haze our anchors. >> animal

you are no exception. we have shark sightings strigerring warning along some of southern california's crowded beaches. >> at least two dozen great white sharks have been spotted this week up. >> reporter: up and down the california coast, dozens of great white shark feet from some of the nation's most popular beaches. >> you are paddle boarding close to 15 great white sharks. >> reporter: using a loud speaker. >> exit the water in a calm manner. >> reporter: sightings from long beach to where a woman nearly lost her life to a shark bite nearly two weeks ago. >> i don't think i will go in again. >> reporter: we join chris lowe on a mission to tag as many as he can. >> i never thought i would see the day where i would see that many in one morning. >> reporter: in one 400 yard stretch we have 20 sightings. >> he's right here! >> reporter: researchers daringly sneaking up on the

scientists believe the ocean has been so unusually warm the past 18 months that the sharks haven't needed to migrate to mexico as they normally would in winter. the good news, these sharks would rather eat stingrays than humans. matt gutman, abc news, long beach. >> by the way, we have timms on how to avoid sharks. >> we do. >> would you like to hear them? >> shark repellent. >> first is my favorite. think like a shark. it means if you see seals and fish and things sharks might want to eat, don't swim there. >> two, avoid looking like a seal. >> i don't know how one does that. >> do not do this in the water. swim in a group or have a partner with you, preferably one that swims slower than you do. >> right. >> don't swim in areas known to be frequented by sharks. that seems obvious. >> try to swim on clear, sunny days. >> because they get confused on foggy days. >> they do. >> and then we have tips on how to save yourself from snakes. oh, we're out of time. got to

can't get to those. >> shark repellent, can i put that on as well? that will help. when we come back, steve harvey has been accused of some divo behavior. >> oh. and we have breaking news. the superstar sending us some love this morning. the skinny is next. ♪ i want you to stay this bright blue forever, that's why you'll stay in this drawer forever. i can't live without you, and that's why i'll never ever wash you. protect your clothes from stretching, fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. fading and fuzz with downy fabric conditioner. it smooths and strengthens fibers to protect clothes from the damage of the wash. so your favorite clothes stay your favorite clothes. downy fabric conditioner.

♪ ♪ skinny. so skinny. all right. it is time for the skinny. >> oh. >> and we start with breaking skinny news. >> this is big, guys. just yesterday right here we told you about dwayne "the rock" johnson pondering a possible run for the white house. >> you remember we tried to mimic his eyebrow move, with a little success. well, this morning we are

"the rock." he apparently has a new best friend. >> who? >> and that best friend. >> is? >> is me. >> diane! >> so that is the rock commenting, eyebrow game strong, d. and we have to thank our viewer greg benson who tweeted a photo of us doing it on the show. i retweeted greg's tweet and the rock himself responded. >> thanks for the welcome, greg, by the way. the rock for some reason, he forgot me in that tweet. >> oh. >> maybe the biceps was mine. >> yeah, that's definitely -- it wasn't -- >> yeah, mine. look. >> it wasn't about my strong eyebrow game. >> there's me right there. >> i have been a fan of his since he was a wrestler, and he was still go by the rock. >> you know what? >> saying things like can you smell la-la-la-la-la. so this is big time. >> it is

>> also anyone who compliments my eyebrows is my friend. thank you, the rock. >> thanks, rock. appreciate it. next, a memo from steve harvey to his staff going viral. >> the daytime talk show host responded to an apparent growing problem of staffers constantly dropping in on him in his dressing room and ambushing him in the hallway. >> the strongly worded memo leaked to a blogger told staffers not to enter his dressing room without an invitation or appointment or they would be removed by security. >> harvey tells "entertainment tonight" he is standing by that memo, though he admits he should have handled it a little differently. >> you know what, that sounds reasonable to me. >> you think? >> yeah. >> you get ambushed by strangers? >> i understand where he's coming from. >> do you have an appointment. >> appointment, what do you mean? >> sorry, ma'am, nothing i can do. >> excuse me. why is there a security guard outside. >> i said i didn't

disturbed. >> disturbed? >> please don't look me in the eye. why are you -- why don't i have the kind of watery want. >> what are you talking about? >> i don't have chocolate covered press zels, are you going to get them? >> am i? >> can you please. canda candace told me i can have anything i want. this is how this place open lates. call my agent. someone call my agent. i can't be bothered right now. >> i'll make an appointment next time. >> two days. >> steve harvey, i get where you're coming from. >> finally big news for fans of "downton abbey." the show is hitting the big scene. >> and the sun is reporting this series, the creator is working on a movie version of the show which could start shooting early as this fall. >> big question, will any of the original cast be involved. we don't know. dame maggie smith might be a definite know, unfortute

show dry already and me andering. she is my favorite. if you want to tweet me, i'll be your friend to o .

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♪ . >> well, from airport brawls to surprise sacking at the fbi it has been a busy week for news headlines. >> and a busy week for late night comedians. here our weekly friday rewind. >> macron at just 39 becomes france's youngest leader since napoleon. it is a rejection of marine le pen. details about the penn state sophomore that died during the alcohol hazing ritual. >> i said we need to call 911, get him in an ambulance. and i'm screaming. i got thrown against the wall. i didn't know what to do after

>> this morning investigators trying to piece together why this engaged doctors were brutally murdered in their two million dollar apartment. police rushing to the scene. >> we just ran in as the shots were being fired. >> after a short gun battle arresting 30-year-old texara. >> another sign of civility disappearing from civil aviation. a flight attendant pleading for security and the captain. >> stop it! >> excuse me. >> reporter: southwest says three passengers were involved before being pulled apart. one arrest in the sunday incident. >> this morning on "world news now," president trump fires fbi director james comey. >> the official reasonings for the firing were outlined in a letter from the deputy attorney general who wrote that comey grossly miss handled the hillary clinton e-mail investigation. >> i think it is all about russia, not hillary. >> it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what it is about. >> why did you fire detectivor comey? >> because he w

good job simply. >> reporter: he first learns he's been fired by seeing the reports on tv. >> james comey, that he has been terminated. >> reporter: he reportedly thinks it is a joke. he's pulled into a private room where the letter is read to him over the phone. one official saying comey was really surprised >> guess comey heard about it right before a recruitment event. he was going to speak at. he was like, hey, well, i'm recruiting. anyone want to be director? just -- just came up, it is -- i just got the e-mail. what? >> comics are having a good time with this one. >> yes, they are. >> a big week past, a big week ahead. sunday is mother's day of course. happy mother's day to our moms. we have emmanuel macron taking over french presidency, more elections in iran. gma concert series. updates on facebook. >> this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for two de

making news in america this morning -- president trump talks about his decision to fire former fbi director james comey. >> he's a show boat. he's a grand stander. >> hear what the president says about asking comey if he's under investigation and the controversy that's now causing. and the possible security breach in the oval office. questions raised about the photographer taking these pictures showing president trump with these officials. a plane evacuated because of a potentially dangerous animal on board. and who caused damage to air force one that cost there are 4 million to fix. and could have caused a mid flight fire.