making news in america this morning, reaction pouring in after president trump's heated exchange with reporters about the violence over the weekend in charlottesville. the president again blaming both sides for the deadly chaos. top members of the republican party are coming out against him. we're live in washington. also, developing, extreme weather. hurricane churning up the atlantic stirring up powerful surf and a series of storms lined up out in the atlantic. we're tracking it all. a survival story from a woman who made it through weeks on her own. living off the land in the woods. we have some details about her ordeal. flying dry. why one airline wants a drinking limit for passengers before they get on board.

we do say good morning, everybody, on this wednesday. president trump's first day in his hometown since taking office ends today and the controversy will follow him out of town. >> the president unexpectedly addressed the violence in charlottesville during a news conference placing blame on both sides. the comments come just a day after the president denounced white supremacy groups. >> it caught the white house staff off guard and people are saying this photo right here, the president's new chief of staff, john kelly looking especially displeased. some say abc's emily rau is live in washington with the details. good morning, emily. >> reporter: good morning, kendis and diane. president trump initially appeared before the press to talk about infrastructure but the topic quickly turned to charlottesville and the president was combative and defiant. >> that was a horrible, horrible day -- wait a

>> reporter: president trump defending his decision to wait two days to condemn the white supremacists in charlottesville by name. >> i didn't wait -- i wanted to make sure unlike most politicians that what i said was correct. not make a quick statement. >> reporter: the president not addressing the fact the first lady, his daughter ivanka trump and the vice president all condemned the racism before he did. but instead seeming to once again spread the blame. >> what about the alt left that came charging at the -- as you say the alt-right. do they have any semblance of guilt? >> reporter: president trump also defending some of the initial protesters who took to the streets in the unite the right rally. >> i've condemned neo-nazis. i've condemned many different groups. but not all of those people were neo-nazis, believe me. >> reaction to the president's latest comments swift. republican speaker of the house paul ryan

clear. white supremacy is repulsive. this bigotry is counter to all the country stands for. there can be no moral ambiguity. >> i watched the press conference and said get your shoes on we're leaving and we came down. >> reporter: hundreds of demonstrators once again gathering at trump tower. [ chanting ] >> reporter: but from the former leader of the kkk, immediate praise. david duke thanking the president on twitter for his honesty and courage. and senator john mccain tweeted about this saying there is no moral equivalency between racist and americans standing up to defy hate and bigotry going on to say the president of the united states should say so and at this point this morning six members have pulled out of the president's council on american manufacturing. diane and kendis. >> that's abc's emily rau in washington. thanks. there were so many headlines from that press conference but one of particular note, the president making no promises about the future of his embattled adviser steve bannon.

bannon and while the president defended and praised bannon saying that he was not a racist, he simply said that we'll see what happens with mr. bannon. >> two women injured in the charlottesville car attack are suing. the sisters are asking for $3 million from the accused driver of the car as well as several white nationalist groups. the women say they were in another vehicle and were not involved in the protest. the president's comments raised fears about the far right groups. >> david duke tweeted his approval of the 20-minute news conference. here's abc's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: the former head of the kkk, david duke, over the weekend tweeting a warning to the president, i would recommend you take a good look in the mirror and remember it was white americans who put you in the presidency, not radical leftists. a new tweet from duke, grateful to the pez for his words. thank you, president trump, for your honesty and courage to tell the truth

and condemn the leftist terrorists in blm/antifa. one white nationalist told us the president helped him. >> he's opened up a door. his movement has. but it's up to us to take the initiative. >> reporter: the fight over confederate statues is a flash point now. in durham, north carolina, crowds tearing down a statue honoring confederate soldiers. >> let me be clear, no one is getting away with what happened. we are pursuing felony charges. >> reporter: there are 700 monments like this throughout the u.s., pressure is building for many cities to move them or take them down. that fight energizing white nationalists who want to stop them. already planning events in the coming weeks. the southern poverty law center reports in the last three years more than 125 new hate groups have formed. >> they're just kind of now coming more to light and coming

the new election of the new administration. >> reporter: eva pilgrim, abc news, charlottesville, virginia. >> you saw that video of that monument in north carolina coming down. well, now a woman may face felony charges after admitting that she helped bring down the confederate statue in durham. 22-year-old taqia thompson said she'd do it again. she was part of the group that toppled it and said confederate statues represent white supremacy. >> president obama's response is the most liked tweet ever. in a message learning to love rather than hate he shared a quote from nelson mandela saying no one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion. >> and so far the tweet has earned 3 million likes. it's also the fifth most retweeted tweet ever. the alabama gop senate race is heading to a september election runoff. senator luther

former alabama chief justice ray moore after neither candidate won a majority in tuesday's special primary election. both are vying to fill the senate seat once held by attorney general jeff sessions. the winner will face doug jones. meanwhile, in utah john curtis won the primary to replace jason chaffetz. chaffetz resigned in may. curtis will face kathy allen and several third party candidates on november 7th. >> let's take a look now at your weather. hurricane gert is tracking to the northeast about halfway between the north carolina coast and bermuda. as it pushes further out to sea, it's not threatening land but its 85-mile-an-hour winds are generating two to seven-foot waves and rip currents along the east coast from the carolinas straight up into new england. in the meantime, multiple tropical waves are lining up across the eastern atlantic and one or more of them could develop into a

the next five days. this as we hit near the height of the hurricane season. still ahead a massive charitable donation from the world's richest man. plus, the reason rudy giuliani found himself in a hospital for some emergency surgery. the former new york mayor recovering this morning. we're closing in on a historic solar eclipse so we'll look at some extra steps emergency services are now taking and warning for everybody else to look out for.

this is the scene in the west african nation of sierra leone where at least 300 people have

mudslides. rescuers have been desperately digging through the debris with their bare hands looking for survivors. at least 700 others are missing. at least 245 have been killed in mudslides and monsoons in southern nepal and bangladesh. >> in portugal the collapse of a towering oak has killed 13 people on the island of madeira. 50 others were injured happened during a gathering outside of church. the tree was more than 20 years old and authorities are investigating why it collapsed. a mother of three suffered a broken neck when a giant tree fell on her and her children in new york central park. the tree's roots were ripped right out of the ground. ann goldman and her two young sons suffered -- she suffered a broken neck. her boys only suffered cuts and bruises. another had a fractured skull. officials

what caused it to fall. 14 states will be in the path of a great american solar eclipse now just five days away. but there's growing warnings coming out of that and the glasses and concern about electronics but the big question now is how to deal with all those people. here's abc's steve osunsami. millions of merging pouring into cities with the best possible view of the eclipse. local police, hospital and emergency medical services are on high alert. >> we're throwing everything at it. >> in some cities they're declaring a state of disaster. a maneuver that allows them to call on the national guard to help direct the masses of people. >> police department in certain areas are overwhelmed and need us to check checkpoints. >> reporter: the red cross has resources in place all along the eclipse zone. >> the 7 million traveling to see the eclipse across 12 states will definitely be going into towns and different areas that are not accustomed to seeing this in

>> reporter: steve osunsami, abc news, blairsville, georgia. bill gates remains the richest person in the world even after giving away another 5% of his fortune. >> pretty impressive. newly disclosed records indicate he gave more than $4.5 billion to the bill and melinda gates foundation. that's his largest single gift to anyone since the turn of the sentry. >> the 61-year-old gates now owns only a little over 1% of microsoft. and when we come back the stunning statement from a former state trooper as he was sentenced for shooting an unarmed black man during a traffic stop. the woman who survived a month in the wild, her story of survival coming up. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. so i asked about tresiba®. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ tresiba® is a once-daily, long-acting insulin that lasts even longer than 24 hours. i need to shave my a1c. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ tresiba® works like my body's insulin.

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and into the ohio valli and roads wet along the gulf coast and most of florida. >> airport delays possible in minneapolis, kansas city and new orleans due to weather. >> a former south carolina trooper was sentenced for shooting a black driver for reaching for his wallet. this captured the attention of the country. >> the victim levar jones was in the courtroom. he asked the judge to sentence sean groubert for 20 years. he addressed jones and the court. >> you did nothing wrong and i screwed up. that's plain and simple. i made the biggest mistake of my life. >> groubert said he wanted to ale poll just for three years but told to stay away from him. he'll serve three years behind bars with good behavior and time served. former new york city mayor rudy giuliani

the hospital after a fall at his home on long island. the 73-year-old told "the new york post." he underwent quadricep knee surgery after his knee gave out. now to a terrifying scene at a california high school after dozens of students were attacked by a swarm of bees. school officials say the bees built a hive inside a classroom at palmdale high school over the summer and became agitated after someone threw an apple at the hive. one person was stung 13 times. three students taken to the hospital. none of them luckily with serious injuries. >> oh, man. now to an incredible story, a missing alabama woman has been found after apparently living off the land in a forest. >> 25-year-old lisa theris was found by the side of a highway about a month after she disappeared. she says she survived by eating moths and berries. she had been with two men facing burglary charges for allegedly breaking into a hunting lodge.

jumped out of their car rather than participate in the burglary. these now home with her family recuperating from her ordeal. we switch gears now and turn to sports. >> highlights from espn. good morning. >> america. >> thank you. she's nicole. i'm neil. ladies first. >> no, actually you get to go first. you have the dodgers. >> no, we're switching it around. >> oh, around. >> ladies first. giancarlo stanton, chicks dig the long ball and stanton does not disappoint. oh, no, six games in a row, in fact. he's homered. that one just happens to be number 44. that's like of the season. there wasn't enough for his team, though. marlins, they lost 9-4 to the giants. best part of the story, stanton's dad was there to see it. >> they didn't put him in a shopping cart afterwards. dodgers/white sox. dodgers going for 50 games over .500 which, i mean, i can't even do that math. th

sox in the bottom of the sixth. cody bellinger scores on the sac. dodgers tie it at 1. they go up 2-1 after a hit. bases loaded on joc pederson and got five with two outs. in the bottom of eighth and win it, 6-1. they're 50 games over .500, which is -- >> they don't have to play a meaningful game until -- like ever. >> they're all meaningful. >> ever. up next in "the pulse," a limit on preflight boozing. well, that's the idea being floated by one carrier. and speaking of drinking, 7-eleven hopes you're ready for a big slurpee. details next in "the pulse." check out our facebook page to see what serena williams is saying about her return to the court after she gives birth to her first child on atmfans.com.

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♪ time to check "the pulse" and a plan to curb drinking in british airports. >> so ryanair is asking airports ban drinking in airport bars before 10:00 a.m. and that passengers be required to show boarding passes to get a drink and only two drinks allowed on each boarding pass. >> what happened to 5:00 somewhere. >> ah. i guess it's just too early and maybe they were getting a few too many drinks. something that obviously they don't do there in the uk but here in new york city, you can't get a drink at the airport bar before 8:00 a.m. >> and i for one am outraged. >> you can get

a drink at 6:00. elvis presley, today marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary singer's death. >> after a groundbreaking career in music and the movies presley died on this day in 1977 from an apparent heart attack. devoted fans from around the world line up at his home in graceland overnight to make the solemn procession past presley's grave. >> it's hard to believe it's been 40 year, but for years they've been able to do this event for free. but this year it's costing them nearly $29 each and many elvis fans aren't happy about it. of course, his ex-wife and his daughter are all part of this celebration of life for elvis that takes place every year. >> all right. well, 7-eleven is expanding bring your own cup day to two days. this friday and saturday. >> in other news, we love 7-eleven, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. participating stores will fill almost any container with the sluee

for $1.50. >> all right. the cup has to be clean, watertight and only one is allowed per person. >> also one more thing for those getting trash cans ready, it has to fit upright through a ten-inch diameter hole. >> if you lean -- look at that. i like the game they're going with. >> a strategy. if iing the square peg in the hole. >> yeah. >> i think we can figure this out. >> does your body -- is your body considered like one of those -- >> can you just put your mouth right to -- let's go call 7-eleven and find out. we got to get to the bottom of thisup with good morning washington. a dense fog advisory is in effect, and it will delay the commute for thousands of people in the area. your forecast is moments away-- but first, a quick look at this morning's top story. and with that--

sets off a firestorm, as he doubles down on his controversial comments about the violence in charlottesville. now criticism is mounting from democrats and republican lawmakers, after president trump defends some of the white nationalists at the heart of the deadly violence. good morning washington. toss to eileen dense fog advisory for the entire area through 9am - foggy early, then sunny, hot & humid - pm storms thursday and friday - seasonable august warmth through early next week - still expecting fair skies for the eclipse - 5 days away today: fog early. becoming mostly sunny. hot and humid. highs: 87-90 winds: nw to s 5 mph tonight: mainly clear to partly cloudy. patchy fog. lows: 72-75 winds: sse 5 mph

sunny. scattered pm thunderstorms. highs: 85-88 winds: s 5 mph happening right now -

see this sketch. they say this is the guy who abducted and sexually assaulted a 5-year-old girl in fairfax county. officers canvassed the area again last night. the little girl- disappearing from a playground sunday night- and

horrific story. she's now in counseling. police- are encouraging anyone with any information to come forward right away. a "7 on your side" health alert: pesticide spraying scheduled to start today in hyattsville. this comes after traces of west nile virus were found in a mosquito, trapped in the area. we posted details about that at wjla dot-com. no human cases of west nile... have been reported- but you're urged to take precautions and avoid bites. in fairfax-- a back to school tradition still bringing smiles to dozens of children in need. of course-- we are talking about "shop with a cop". sheriff's deputies- taking kids to shop for school supplies. 40 children from a shelter in the county were paired up with a law enforcement officer. they each get 250 bucks to spend- all thanks to donations from the community. the children not only get supplies, they get to talk one on one with the people protecting their community. this marks the 25th year of the

we're celebrating back to school' here at abc7. and we want to see your photos! you can send them in by going to wjla.com slash burst. it's xx and we're just getting started. controversial comments from the commander in chief. the president blaming "both sides" for the violence at a white nationalist rally in charlottesville. and those words sparking strong reactions on capitol hill. good morning washington, i'm larry smith. washington, i'm larry smith.

to that in just a moment but first-- major breaking news in baltimore overnight. amid a growing national debate about the future of confederate memorial statues-- crews in baltimore have began removing them from the city while you were sleeping.. this state of roger taney statue was removed overnight. construction crews also removed the robert e. lee and "stonewall" jackson monument at wyman park dell. the statues had become a flashpoint for criticism. baltimore mayor catherine pugh is promising to remove two additional confederate statues. it's unclear when they will come down. we have a crew on the way to baltimore, and will have a live update at the top of the hour. dense fog advisory for the entire area through 9am - foggy early, then sunny, hot & humid - pm storms thursday and friday - seasonable august warmth through early next week - still expecting fair skies for the eclipse - 5 days away today: fog early. becoming mostly sunny. hot and humid. highs: 87-90 winds: nw to s 5 mph tonight: mainly clear to partly cloudy. patchy