making news in america this morning, breaking overnight, a massive fire tearing through a london high-rise apartment building. flames racing up 24 floors as hundreds of people slept inside. the survival stories and the race to save those trapped and the dramatic video coming in. we're live at the scene. also breaking overnight an american detained in north korea is back in the united states but several questions remain this morning. like why was he suddenly released and why is he in a coma? >> the attorney general grilled on capitol hill defiant and on a mission to clear his name. we're live in washington with the details. and we do say good morning to you, everybody, on this busy wednesday and srt

flames engulfing a high-rise apartment building in london. we got word moments ago there are a number of fatalities. >> witnesses said once the fire broke out it covered almost the entire tower within just an hour. that left anyone sleeping inside very little time to get out. >> we give you a live look. the smoldering building can be seen for several miles. a major concern at this minute, the building appears to be leaning to one side in danger of collapsing. abc's molly hunter is on the scene. molly, what's the latest from your vantage point? >> reporter: good morning, kendis. that's right. you see the building right there still smoldering absolutely blackened but there are still flames up there. down on the ground police are actually screaming get back but from where we are we feel that debris and can feel the spray from the firemen's hoses. a raging inferno high above london. overnight incredible images flooding social media. flames shooting from an

left-hand side, a fire and flames but now spread to the right of the building, that part there. >> reporter: the fire stretching 27 stories high. flaming debris raining down on the streets below and ash covering everything for more than 100 yards away. this morning, witnesses saying there were signs of people trapped inside. makeshift ropes seen hanging from the windows. british police pushing everyone away from the scene due to fears the building may collapse. this man saying he got out of the building after a neighbor banged on his door and woke him up. >> there was smoke everywhere. there was people downstairs. people screaming after a couple of minutes because people are still sleeping on the higher floors and they didn't have a clue of what was going on. i'm not even sure if half of them got out, and there were people flashing for help. >> reporter: this morning as the sun rises the

of the damage is visible. the building completely charred and still smoldering. now, this is actually as close as we can get to that building. we're hearing bangs and creeks as if that building may actually collapse sometime soon. kendis, diane. >> molly, i know not too long ago you could see someone still alive in the building waving at you. is there any sense of when they'll be able to stabilize the building enough to try to get in there? >> reporter: diane, not any time soon. that's exactly right. we saw live video not from this vantage point of a man inside on the 11th floor. when you look at that, it's extraordinary to think that actually someone is still alive in there but police and the fire brigade are standing by waiting for any opportunity to rescue any survivors. >> we are hearing horrific stories of people jumping from the building. what are some of the other stories that you're hearing there? >> reporter: kendis, i think the thing that sticks out is the

so almost immediately as those flames -- the fire started below, the flames engulfed actually spread rapidly up to the top of the building and residents are talking about the screams of families, of children waving flashlights actually small children being tossed out of low floors to waiting arms below. the tragedy is absolutely unbelievable this morning. >> one of the big things we're hearing how quickly it spread, just an hour. any sense of what caused this? >> reporter: diane, so what residents are telling us, a few things that may have caused that rapid spread and that may have also been the reason why so many people got trapped up above. so if that fire happened in your apartment or on your floor you were told to get out. but if the fire happened in a different part of the building, residents are saying they were told to actually stay in place. now, they blame the rapid spread of flames on this external padding put in in a massive $13

it was just refurbish the last year and external cladding put in in part for insulation and aesthetic reasons. as soon as that caught fire the entire building caught fire, this he say. >> molly hunter on the scene of that horrific fire in the west of london. 128 units up in flames. there are some fatalities. of course, we'll keep on top of this breaking news story throughout the morning. we want to move on to another story breaking here on the home front, 22-year-old american otto warmbier is back from north korea and in a cincinnati hospital. >> he arrived on a medical flight because he's in a coma. his parents say they were only told last week that he's been in that coma for a year. practically since the start of his prison sentence in north korea. >> warmbier was arrested last year while on a tour for stealing a propaganda poster. he confessed during his march 2016 trial and was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor. former nba star dennis rodman is

currently visiting north korea but the state department says that had nothing to do with his release. the white house saying president trump thought the attorney general jeff sessions did a very good job as he went before congress to deny any collusion with russia. >> the president is set to deliver a speech at the labor department as he focuses on job training and signs an executive order to boost apprenticeship programs. sources say the president is characterizing the house gop health care bill he supported as, quote, mean and calling for a more generous version of the legislation and the president is also celebrating his 71st birthday. >> happy birthday, mr. president. all this as democrats slammed the attorney general's testimony. abc's gentleman may norman has more. >> reporter: the attorney general under oath and in the hot seat. >> and the suggestion that i participated in any collusion is an appalling and detestable lie. >> reporter: at times sparks flying and things getting heated as senators grilled jeff sessions about his meetings with ru

the attorney general flat out denied any involvement in the russians' efforts to undermine the november election and recalled details of the now infamous oval office meeting when the president asked everyone including the attorney general to leave and kept former fbi director james comey there alone. >> what i do recall is that i did depart. >> reporter: senators asked about the controversial request comey says president trump made allegedly asking him to go easy on former national security adviser michael flynn. >> i believe it was the next day that he said something -- expressed concern about being left alone with the president, but that in itself is not problematic. >> reporter: though sessions recused himself from the russia investigation, he later signed on to recommending the man leading the investigation be fired but tuesday repeatedly refused to answer questions about any conversations he had with the president. >> i believe the american people have had it with

>> i am not stonewalling. i am following the historic policies of the department of justice. >> reporter: and attorney general sessions said the president hadn't exerted executive privilege over his testimony though he still refused to answer questions so the committee chairman asked sessions to find out which unanswered questions the white house is okay with him responding to and then provide answers. kendis and diane. >> sessions is saying he's not invoking executive privilege but sort of saving the president's right to do so in the future if he wants to. that's janai norman live from washington. thanks so much. >> one more note from congress. nearly 200 members are planning to sue president trump over his business dealings. the lawsuit set to be announced later today similar to the one filed monday by attorneys general from maryland and d.c. as first reported by "the washington post," the lawmakers all democrats are alleging that the president violated the constitution's emoluments clause by failing to break with his business empire and accepting gifts and benefits

leaders. a bill aimed at improving the veterans affair department is heading to the president's desk. he says he is looking forward to signing it. the house overwhelmingly approved the legislation that would make it easier for the v.a. to fire employees. the president promised to get rid of workers who let veterans down after some vets died waiting for appointments. still ahead, oprah answers the question, once and for all, will she run for president. and for trouble for uber. overnight a top board member forced to resign. what he was caught on camera saying that led to the backlash. the breaking news we're following in london. a fire engulfed an apartment tower. new video and details coming in from the scene.

jurors deciding 9 fate of bill cosby got back to deliberations this morning. cosby waved to fans and gave a thumb's up as he left court last night. jurors deciding the sexual assault charges against him have spent about 16 hours over the last two days in deliberations. now, if cosby is found guilty of drugging and assaulting andrea constand, he could spend the rest of his life behind bars. a man accused of killing five people in ohio is now under arrest. george brinkman jr. has been charged with murdering a couple and had dated their daughter. he is suspected of killing a longtime friend, susan taylor and her two college-age daughters taken into custody after a nine-hour standoff with police. police say robbery may have been the motive. uber's problems with sexual and other harassment won't seem to go away. travis kalanick announced yesterday he is going on indefinite leave of absence and er

recommendations. at the same board meeting called to accept these changes this exchange took place between directors. >> there's one woman on the board, it's much more likely there will be a second woman on the board. >> what it shows is that it's much more likely to be talking. >> oh, come on david. >> within hours david bonderman co-founder of a top private equity firm apologized and resigned from uber's board. the tsa is testing fingerprint identification technology to replace your boarding pass. the pilot program is considered the next step towards the agency eliminating those paper passes. it's being tested at airports in atlanta and denver. the tsa is determining whether that system is reliable, but the private company clear already uses the fingerprints and iris scans. american airlines canceling plans to reduce legroom on some of its new planes.

inch to add room for higher priced passengers. but american decided against that change after receiving feedback from customers and employees. legroom on the new 737s will remain at 30 inches. two inmates escape after allegedly killing two prison guards. a massive manhunt under way right now. see the suspect accused of using avocados in an assault. the latest from london, that high-rise up in flames overnight. ♪ the sun'll come out tomorrow... ♪ for people with heart failure, tomorrow is not a given. but entresto is a medicine that helps make more tomorrows possible. ♪ tomorrow, tomorrow... ♪ i love ya, tomorrow in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto helped more people stay alive and out of the hospital than a leading heart failure medicine. men who are pregnant must not take entresto. it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby.

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coppertone sport versus the sun. coppertone sport stays on strong when you sweat and is strong enough to stop up to 98% of the sun's damaging uv rays. coppertone. because protection matters. we're covering breaking news from london. you're looking at the scorched exterior of a high-rise apartment building that burned overnight. now, fire officials say there are a number of fatalities and the building is now actually leaning, so there are concerns that it could collapse. now, we're learning that residents who lived in that building had expressed concerns about its safety. >> the fast-moving flames raced through the tower which was made up of some

a community blog post from last fall blamed the landlord for dangerous living conditions. the cause of the fire, of course, is yet to be determined. these were the images that we saw just several hours ago. the fire starting roughly around 12:00 local time. about 7:00 eastern time here in the u.s. but these live images once again, it is still on fire. >> many questions still remaining including the stability of the building and whether anybody alive remains inside. we will continue monitoring this for you. to another developing story, the massive manhunt under way for two dangerous inmates from georgia. there's now a $70,000 reward offered for any information leading to the capture of donnie rowe and rickie dubose. the pair killed two correctional officers on a prison bus yesterday, it is alleged 60 miles outside of atlanta. reports say they may have been spotted, but those reports are proved to be unfounded now. authorities are warning the men to turn themselves in.

>> they need to surrender before we find them. i saw two brutally murdered officers, that's what i saw. i have their blood on my shoes. >> just such a heart-wrenching sound bite from the sheriff. the correctional officers are identified as sergeants christopher monica and curtis blue. authorities say after the killings the suspects carjacked a green honda and both described as armed and dangerous. now to a dramatic scene at a new york city beach where people were seeking relief from scorching temperatures. two sisters were dragged away by a powerful rip current there in the rockaways in queen, new york. one was saved by a cop who dropped his gear and ran into the water to pull her to safety. the other was pulled back to shore by a woman, some surfers also rescued a good samaritan to tried to help the sisters. police are hunting for two avocado attackers near yankee

the fruit at a worker after an argument over a food order. the 21-year-old victim suffered cuts to his face and a broken jaw. imagine that their jail will be extra since it was an avocado attack. that was bad but -- hope they're all all right and caught. up next in "the pulse," madam president, oprah win bring is letting the world know if heel ever run for office. and sidney crosby makes a young fan's day. what the pittsburgh penguin did that left this little boy in tears. i was on the go. i kept on top of things. then the chronic, widespread pain slowed me down. my doctor said moving more helps ease fibromyalgia pain. he also prescribed lyrica. fibromyalgia is thought to be the result of overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. woman: for some, lyrica can significantly relieve fibromyalgia pain and improve function, so i feel better.

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for my constipation, i switch laxatives.ed stimulant laxatives make your body go by forcefully stimulating the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body to hydrate and soften. unblocking your system naturally. miralax. ♪ time to check "the pulse" starting with one person who has no plans on giving president trump a run in 2020. >> we are talking, of course, about oprah winfrey

throw her hat in the ring. she told "the hollywood reporter" point blank i will never run for office. >> she has no political experience like the president but says she doesn't know if she could defeat president trump but she's still making it clear that she will never know the answer because she will never try. and next to the penguins. their parade for the stanley cup championship will make its way through the streets of pittsburgh tomorrow but they've already been showing it off. >> a group of players brought the cup onto the field before the pirates game and captain sidney crosby took the mound and delivered a ceremonial first pitch. >> that was a perfect strike, i would say. >> he's multitalented. >> the pirates might sign him up for next season. he's abeen making impression on fans since arriving home after winning the cup. here's one, just listen to this kid. >> i got my t-shirt signe

sidney crosby. >> why are you crying? >> because it's the best day of my life. >> he looks so sad but really those are tears of joy. >> oh, my god. >> look at him. just wiping away the tears. >> i think crosby may have felt the same way, by the way. pittsburgh officials are expecting about a half a million to attend and the rally. they're also expecting temperatures in the mid-80s so telling people to stay hydrated. not bad parade weather. >> the penguins having their parade today and the warriors are doing theirs on thursday. pretty exciting times this week. many have tried to talk their way out of a parking ticket and many have failed. but a written request for a reprieve paid off for a wisconsin man. >> the man left this note on his car asking officers to take pity on him. he walked home after a night out of drinking and high. lighted his safe choices. >> that was a smart choice. okay, so the note worked. he received a ticket

dollars with the words, pity granted. a facebook post said the officer actually appreciated the safe choice and the sense of humor at the same time. >> is that what it takes? >> i guess that's all it takes. i'll try that on the opposite side of the street parking here in new york city. >> explain that one to the tow truck driver. i think they go straight to the tow. no ticket. >> sorry. especially kendis' car, let's take it. >>up with good morning washington. after yesterday's hot weather, there is some good news and some bad news coming in today's forecast. thats coming up in a moment-- but first here are some of the top stories we are following this morning. breaking overnight. fatalities now reported after flames rip through a 27-story apartment building in london. at least 50 others rushed to the hospital. firefighters say it's unclear how many people were trapped inside and the cause of the fire is still under investigation. the building is still smoldering righ

concern the building could collapse. we'll have much more on this story.. coming up. the virginia gubernatorial primaries appear all but decided, as the associated press and the r-n-c are both declaring edward gillespie the winner on the gop side. he leads fellow candidate corey stewart by less than 5 thousand votes. stewart has not conceded the race, and may call for a recount. on the democratic side-- lieutenant governor ralph northam won handily, beating out his competitor tom perriello with 56 percent of the vote. good morning washington. toss to eileen - not as hot, but still very humid today - thunderstorms this afternoon - slightly cooler, less humid tomorrow - hot and humid for father's day weekend today: partly cloudy. warm and very humid. thunderstorms likely. highs: 84-88 winds: n to e 5-10 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. patchy fog. lows: 65-69 winds: e 5 mph thursday: mo

slightly less humid. highs: 80-84 winds: se 5-10 mph

the search for who

truck... in maryland city! sky trak 7 -- flew over the scene tuesday afternoon. police tell us that the man - armed with a rifle - held up the crew of a brinks truck. it happened outside the navy federal credit union, in maryland city plaza... on route 198. police are not saying if the thief escaped with any money. but we do know that no one was injured. in the district-- the roads around metro center are back open after this scary scene unfolded yesterday morning. a gyro food truck burst into flames- shutting down the street - just before the busy noon lunch hour. investigators say it looks like the fire is connected to the truck's generators. no one was injured. developing now- a controversial restriction for capitol hill reporters- reversed! tuesday- the senate rules committee issued a statement saying -- it would bar reporters from filming interviews in senate hallways. it cited safety reasons. journalists weren't happy - saying the ban would significantly reduce press access to lawmakers-- many senators tweeted their unhappiness a

hours later- the decision was put on hold. so those hallway conversations will go on... for now. a comic book heroine is now ruling the box office. and here in the district-- the library of congress is showing off it's own comic book pride. a new pop-up exhibit celebrates comic books' impact on literacy, sociology, and pop culture. the exhibit features nearly 100 items from the library's collections, including original artwork for the first appearance of spider-man, batman, and supergirl. the exhibit is open until saturday. it's xx and we're just getting started. breaking news. a towering inferno in london. breaking news. a towering inferno in london. dozens of people hospitalized and residents say some of their neighbors were trapped inside. the latest details.. coming up. good morning washington. - not as hot, but still very

afternoon - slightly cooler, less humid tomorrow - hot and humid for father's day weekend today: partly cloudy. warm and very humid. thunderstorms likely. highs: 84-88 winds: n to e 5-10 mph tonight: mostly cloudy. patchy fog. lows: 65-69 winds: e 5 mph thursday: mostly cloudy to partly sunny. slightly less humid. highs: 80-84 winds: se 5-10 mph