this morning on "world news now," president trump on the defensive and up fire. >> he is standing firm and defending his response to the charlottesville violence, blaming both sides. hear the comments that are causing some outcry and some reaction, even among his own staff. the battle over the confederate monuments intensifying. authorities in north carolina now making a quick arrest following the dramatic toppling of a confederate statue in durham. and the frantic rescue after a kayaker was pinned to a rock from the force of the water. people rushed in to try to rescue him. and outrage over one airline's push to limit the amount of alcohol served. >>

>> yeawe're going to tell you what's behind the proposed drink cap and how flyers might react to this shocking news. it is wednesday, august 16th. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> people thinking about news creating outrage this morning, that is the story we were talking about. >> it is the thing dividing this country, and it's deaf identifying the world right now. >> can you booze on ryan air flights. >> first we're going to start with the emotional reactions to president trump's comments on charlottesville. >> the president is again saying both sides shared blame for the violence there, and that led to some anger from both sides of the political aisle and praise from a former kkk leader. >> and how about this, caption contest, what's the chief of staff thinking right here during the press conference? his body language there reflective of the atmosphere in the lobby of trump's tower, head down. at times his arms

maggie rulli has more on the fallout from those contentious 25 minutes. >> reporter: president trump squares off with reporters inside trump tower. >> excuse me, excuse me. >> reporter: defending his decision to wait 48 hours after the hate-fueled violence in charlottesville before denouncing the white supremacists involved by name. >> i wanted to make sure, unlike most politicians, that what i said was correct. not make a quick statement, and it's a very, very important process to me. and it's a very important statement. as i said on, remember the saturday, we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence. it has no place in america. and then i went on from there. >> reporter: but his daughter, ivanka trump and vice president pence all condemned the rally's racism before he did, even calling out the kkk and neo-nazis. now after

president is back to square one, blaming all sides. >> you look at both sides, i think there's blame on both sides, and i have no doubt about it, and you don't have any doubt about it either, and, and, if you reported it accurately, you would say it. >> reporter: using a new label for the counter protesters. >> what about the alt-left that came charging at the, as you say, the alt-right. that was a horrible, horrible day. wait a minute. i'm not finished. i'm not finished, fake news. that was a horrible day. >> -- same level that -- >> i will tell you something. i watched those very closely, much more closely than you people watched it, and you have, you had a group on one side that was bad, and you had a group on the other side that was also very violent. >> reporter: and defending some who took to the streets in the unite the right rally. >> i've condemned neo-nazis. i've condemned many different groups, but not

people were neo-nazis, believe me. not all of those people were white supremacists, by any stretch. those people were also there because they wanted to protest the taking down of a statue, robert e. lee. >> reporter: on capitol hill, chris murphy tweets he almost threw up reading the president's comment and paul ryan was quick to respond. we must be clear, white supremacy is repulsive. this bigotry is counter to all this country sands for. there can be no moral ambiguity. but from david duke, praise. he thanks the president on twitter for his honesty and courage. and when asked about heather heyer, the woman that was skilled, he says he has not reached out to her family yet but will soon. diane and kendis? >> our thanks there. and the president also addresses the charlottesville statue of confederate general robert e. lee. >> the purpose of the r

statue. city lawmakers voted to take it down citing the confederacy's fight to keep slavery, but the president voiced concerns, asking if some founding fathers could be next. >> george washington was a slave owner. was george washington a slave owner? so will george washington now lose his status? are we going to take down -- excuse me. are we going to take down, are we going to take down statues to george, how about thomas jefferson? what do you think of thomas jefferson? you like'em? he was a major slave owner. are we going to take down his s statue. you know, it's fine. you're change culture, you're changing history. >> a number of places have accelerated taking down confederate statues, meanwhile, the woman accused of bringing down a confederate statue in durham, north carolina has been

she admitted she tied a rope to the statue. and police arrested a man carrying a confederate flag and rifle in front of the controversial robert e. lee monument. he says he was supporting the greatest american that ever lived. and two women injured in the charlottesville car attack are suing the organizers of the unite the right rally. they are seeking $3 million in damages. the suit also names the alleged driver of the vehicle and about two dozen alt-right leaders and organizations. the washingtons were in another vehicle and say they were not taking part in any protests. ochlt t the justice department is asking for information about any one who visited an anti-trump website. it was used to organize protests during the inauguration. the hosting site is fighting it saying it is unconstitutional. a trooper was

today. the victim was asking for the maximum. it was the moment the officer addressed the victim that stunned the courtroom. steve osunsami explains. >> reporter: the former patrolman. seen in this video, gunning down a black driver before he even has a chance to show him his license is apologizing. >> get on the ground! get on the ground! >> reporter: a south carolina judge sentenced 34-year-old shawn gruber to 12 years in prison for the shooting, but he's expected to serve three with good behavior. he faced the man he could have killed. >> you did nothing wrong and i screwed up. plain and simple. i made the biggest mistake of my life. >> reporter: but back in 2014, when he's seen here arresting lavar jones for a seat belt violation after seriously wounding him, he was blaming the victim. >> why did you

>> you dove head first back into your car. >> reporter: he said he wanted to say he's sorry in person for the last three years, but the courts required him to keep away from his victim. steve osunsami, abc news, atlanta. a third man has been charged in connection with the fatal shooting of a missouri police officer, jacob johnson is accused of hindering the prosecution of a felony. gary michael was shot during a traffic stop on august 6. after a two-day manhunt, ian mccarthy was arrested. costco was found to have been selling diamond engagement rings called "tiffany." but tiffany says they had nothing to do with them. costco says it described the name of setting and it will appeal. bill gates is donating another 5% of his

charity. it's his largest single gift to anyone since 2000. the 61-year-old gates is still the world's richest person. and this is a horrible thought. the low-cost irish airline, ryanair is calling for limits on drinks served passengers in airports. >> there are more and more reports of drunken and disruptive behavior on flights. the bbc found a 50% increase in just a year. >> ryanair wants no alcohol served before 10:00 a.m. after that, they propose a limit of two drinks per boarding pass in airport bars and restaurants. there are a lot of airports in the u.s. that will not serve before 8:00 or 9:00 in the morning. >> that's like the middle of the night. we all know happy hour is 5:00 a.m. >> here in new york they won't serve before 8:00 a.m. but you can get on a 6:00 a.m. flight and be

immediately. >> meanwhile, in the scottish airport, 5:00 a.m. coming up, the family overcome by carbon monoxide in their own home. the leak was so bad it sickened first responders called to the scene. we'll tell you what we need to know about carbon monday objection side dangers. and the sold-out cheese festival that ran out of cheese. how can that happen? we're going to find out in the mix. remember to find us on facebook wnn fans.com. you're watching "world news now." i'm only in my 60's. i've got a nice long life ahead. big plans. so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if you're eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. call now and find out

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watch as bystanders come to the rescue of a kayaker in over his head ini alaska. he was participating in the whitewater festival without adequate equipment. the current was too strong to pull him up.

to grab the man and brought him over to the river bank where he was resuscitated. police and bystanders in new york central park rushed to the rescue of a mother and her three children who were trapped under a fallen tree. the large elm tree fell with such force its roots were ripped out of the ground. witnesses say it happened so quickly, no one had time to react. >> me and my wife, we were walking, and like in a couple seconds, we heard a little, tiny crick, like an of, and then the tree just went down. we turned around, about several of us ran toward the tree. and a bunch of us grabbed the branch and like a big branch, we pulled it back. and there was two mothers and a double baby carriage and the two babies got out okay. but the one mother was laid out and unconscious. >> talk about your maternal instincts, the 39-year-

goldman managed to shield her three children, including her one month old. they suffered only scratches and bruises. she's in critical condition with a broken neck. her 2-year-old son had a fractured skull and the one month old just got away with scratches. and the rescue came on the same day another tree fell on a catholic celebration in madeira. at least 13 people were killed, injuring nearly 50 others. authorities are investigate egg wh what trigured that tree collapse. and a father returned home to find his family unconscious. >> police rushed to the scene only to fall victim

here's mara scohauf calm poe. >> reporter: officials say they were discovered moments before it was too late. >> five people unconscious. possible carbon monoxide poisoning. >> reporter: officials telling abc news a father came home to find his wife, two young children and two adult stepchildren in distress. he rushed in to pull them out, too good samaritans joining the rescue. three police officers quickly following suit. but the toxic gas so strong it made the rescuers sick too. >> that level was higher than any norm, i would say normal carbon monoxide incident you would have. >> reporter: firefighters breathing through gas masks detecting co levels 45 times what it usually takes to set off a carbon monoxide detector. two of those remain hospitalized in fair condition. it's unclear whether there were working carbon monoxide

detecters inside the home. flanders, new jersey. >> we are always talking about the importance of smoke detectors. sometimes we forget about carbon monoxide detectors. >> and to think they went in to try to help and boom. >> they end up in the hospital. glad everyone is doing well there. coming up, the incredible video of a grandmother who fights off not one, not two, but three would-be carjackers. >> wow. first, the countdown to the solar eclipse is on, and authorities are now warning people to be careful if they find themselves on the road during the event. you're watching "world news now." i love you, droolius caesar, but sometimes you stink. febreze car vent clip cleans away odors for up to 30 days. because the things you love can stink. ♪ su♪ a cold, a bug, a flu ♪ when school was back in session ♪ ♪ those germs were shared with you ♪ each year kids miss 22 million school days due to illness. but lysol kills 99.9% of cold and flu viruses.

not until august 21st, 2017, will another eclipse be visible from north america 38 years from now. ♪ outta my dreams ♪ and into my car ♪ into my car ♪ get

♪ get in the back seat, baby >> the countdown is on to the total eclipse. we have warnings about presentative glasses. we have a new one. >> you think your commute is bad, imagine the bumper to bumper traffic that a solar eclipse 38 years in the making will cause. here's abc's david kerley. >> reporter: while the spectacular solar eclipse will darken our skies, officials are worried about what will happen on our roads as we. >> reporter: to see the celestial sensation. they're really worried that the darkened sky will become a nightmare. >> the solar e-chris on august 21st could be the biggest driver distraction of the last century. >> reporter: the last time a solar eclipse could be seen from the east to the west coast, nearly 100 years ago. there are now 50 times more cars, and traffic in the eclipse zone could be four times worse than a normal day. officials worry most about the rural

many are taking steps to minimize gridlock. tennessee, limiting lane closures, nebraska restricting drivers with oversize loads, and south carolina is calling up extra state police and first responders. >> we know that tourists are flocking to those areas because the view will simply be better. but we also know that the local infrastructure may not be equipped to deal with the flood of tourists that they may be expecting. >> reporter: the feds are shining a light on youtube. >> whether it's short drive or a long one, please find a safe place to watch the eclipse. >> reporter: worried that drivers may not be prepared. >> eclipse glasses are very good, except for driving. so please don't drive while wearing these and don't have an eclipse in judgment. >> reporter: another tep from officials. don't rely on your daytime running lights. treat this eclipse as if you are driving in the dark in the middle of the night. mcclain, virginia. >> so careful if you're on the road during the

more importantly, gaper delay. >> what's rubbernecking? >>na's wh >> that's when you're driving on the road and you turn your head. >> that's gaper delay. >> who's never heard of rubbernecking?

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♪ it is "mix" team. and this sounds like, it's a cheese festival where you enjoy cheese. you celebrate cheese. you celebrate everything about it. >> yeah! >> and they ran out of cheese. >> wait. >> what? >> yeah, apparently people paid like $48 in advance to enjoy an afternoon of cheese, with endless types of it. most amazing mac and cheese in the world. sounds great, doesn't it? >> and by endless, we mean limited. [ laughter ] >> so they received serious backlash from people. so

cheese fest, please, can i have my money back? that was unbrie-leaveblinable. >> you know people are mad when they have the puns. on to a dad who nailed his job. he's trying to impress his son, right, and they're playing this frisbee game. so dad does the seemingly impossible. this is in frisbee golf. checks the frisbee. wait for it, wait for it. oh! >> i aced it! i aced it! >> dad screams, i aced it. his son? not impressed. >> 433 feet. >> dad's all excited. son couldn't care less. >> i aced it, i aced it. >>

something else. >> we're impressed. >> yes, we are. astronaut jack fisher, he's at the space station. he wanted to know what happened when you blow bubbles in space. so he blew into -- >> oh, wow. >> -- a bottle of soda, i guess. >> that looks messy. >> and that's what it does in space. >> is he okay? [ laughter ] >> he seems to be in a bit of a panic. >> pretty amazing. >> yeah. all right, on to some indiana state troopers who found an unusual way to keep the peace. >> yeah. >> check it out. ♪ the boys are back in town ♪ the boys are back in town ♪ i said, the boys are back in town ♪ >> these are the same guys who did the "summer nights" video last year. it went viral and they were reunited at the state fair. so they had

performance and we are absolutely grateful. >> sing us out, brothers. >> people are hav

this morning on "world news now," president trump doubles down again, saying both sides are to blame for the violence in charlottesville. we have details on the comments and the reaction. tensions running high across the country over confederate monuments. with pressure building for many cities to remove them or take them down. and heavy rain swells rivers and creeks and flooding homes. >> it comes as we follow hurricane gert, now swirling off the coast but still packing enough of a punch to impact the eastern seaboard. and check it out. a diva rink side, cheering on her son.