making news in america this morning, hurricane irma makes landfall. one of the most powerful storms ever is hitting the caribbean right now. plus, the preparations this morning in florida where gas stations are already running low and mandatory evacuations are under way. overnight, president trump makes a new statement on dismantling the program that protects immigrants who came here as children. the program's fate now up to congress and the backlash, protests are growing and strong words from former president obama. a woman drops her car off at the mechanic only to find him out on a joyride. see what happens when she confronts him. the boston red sox under

apple watches to gain a competitive edge. a good morning to you all. i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm nick watt in for kendis gibson. one of the most powerful atlantic hurricanes ever is speeding towards florida. >> hurricane irma made its first landfall in the caribbean overnight. the category 5 hurricane is expected to hit the u.s. virgin islands later and pass north of puerto rico tonight. >> time lapsed photography sos the ourer bands rolling into the island of st. martin. also in irma's path, tourists and resort workers are riding out the storm in hotel ballrooms there. >> all the forecasts agree that hurricane irma is headed straight for florida but after that there's several paths it could take up the east coast, along the gulf coast or through the middle of the state. but wherever it goes florida is getting ready. abc's janai norman has more.

whipping through the atlantic. hurricane irma a category 5 storm with its eye on the caribbean heading toward the florida peninsula. >> it's a really big storm. they're really taking it serious this time. >> reporter: now one of the pose powerful storms ever recorded over the atlantic ocean. irma's force registering on seismometers. that is still deepening and strengthening with winds topping 185 miles an hour and could bring waves up to 25 feet. >> this is really scary so you have to be prepared as much as possible. >> reporter: governor rick scott preemptively issuing a state of emergency in all of florida's 67 counties. in south florida, gas stations running dry as store shelves are emptying quickly. >> the line to get water goes around the whole supermarket. >> reporter: in miami, the mayor sounding the alarm calling for evacuations ahead of the storm. >> this hurricane is far too powerful, poses far too great a threat for

any longer. >> i'm going to board up the house and head north. >> reporter: in the low-lying keys mandatory evacuations. officials telling tourists to get out as soon as possible. and telling residents not to rely on shelters. >> going to stay with family or friends outside of the evacuation zone is the best choice since shelters only provide for basic needs. >> reporter: janai norman, abc news, washington. >> and cruise lines have also moved ships out of irma's path. >> accuweather's justin povick has the latest forecast. justin, good morning. >> nick and diane, thanks and good morning to you. we continue to very closely follow dangerous hurricane irma, major hurricane here movement off toward the west and the northwest. already had reports of winds gusting over 150 miles per hour toward barbuda and, again, that will cause catastrophic devastating damage and the case as we go throughout the morning toward anguilla and british

talking about impacts here spanning the next several days. this is expected to remain a major hurricane and notice we get toward that friday, saturday, sunday time frame and the concern turns to cuba also the bahamas and southeastern florida. the most likely scenario here is that the system will impact florida in a major way, we're going to talk about extreme surf conditions, more so waves topping 25 feet, the potential for hurricane-force winds and also a dangerous storm surge, again, as this, like i said, makes its move off to the west and northwest the next several days. nick, diane. >> justin, thank you very much. and lurking behind irma is tropical storm jose. it could become a hurricane by tonight but did not expected to threaten the u.s. moving on to the other top stories, president trump is now promising to revisit his decision to end the daca program. he tweeted overnight that congress has six months to legalize it and if that doesn't

>> young immigrants now protected from deportation by the program turned out from coast to coast to rally against the decision that could force them from the only home they've ever known. abc's emily rau has more. >> i have a great heart for the folks we're talking about. a great love for them. >> reporter: president trump insisting he loves the so-called d.r.e.a.m.ers, 800,000 undocumented immigrants brought here as children. >> people think in terms of children but they're really young adult, hopefully now congress will be able to help them and do it properly. >> reporter: but attorney general jeff sessions striking a different tone. >> we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. it's just that simple. >> reporter: even before that announcement, protests popping up from the white house to trump tower, students even staging a walkout in denver as so many now face possible deportation as soon as next march. >> i won't have anywhere to go. because this is my home.

saying the d.r.e.a.m.ers won't be a priority for deportation, however, in this memo obtained by abc news, the trump administration urges members of congress to say d.r.e.a.m.ers should prepare to self-deport saying they should prepare for and arrange their departure from the united states including proactively seeking travel documentation. >> this is congress' job to legislate. it's not the president's job to create law. >> reporter: lawmakers appearing to be up for the challenge. >> we need to act on this or we know the consequences or a countdown clock to deportation. >> congress is going to have to up its game. >> reporter: republican senator lindsey graham went on to say president trump should pitch in asking him to work the phones to help get something done. diane and nick. >> emily, thank you. new this morning vladimir putin has made a call for talks with north korea about its nuclear ambitions. putin said sanctions against north korea are not a solution to the current tension. also nor

that u.s. charge that it's begging for war. u.n. ambassador nikki haley made that accusation against the north after its hydrogen bomb test on sunday. a north korean official called the test a gift package to the u.s. and promised additional tests. >> the u.s. will receive more gift packages from my country. >> reporter: president trump has approved sending more u.s. military hardware to the region tweeting, quote, i'm allowing japan and south korea to buy a substantially increased amount of highly sophisticated military equipment from the united states. and new video shows some of the dozens of wildfires spreading through the western u.s. this is a time-lapse of the f e fires ranging in oregon, nearly 1.5 million acres have burned so far across the west. one of the main problem areas is the columbia river gorge east of portland and borders washington state. a teenager is suspected of starting the fire with

weather. a severe storm brought strong winds and hail to lancaster, pennsylvania. thousands were left without power as trees and power lines were knocked down. some of the trees fell on homes and there were two major house fires, as well. police received 700 calls in just a two-hour period. a cold front meanwhile, is moving through the northeast and midwest today. so high temperatures will only be around 70. dallas and new orleans will reach the mid 0s, salt lake city will see a high of 97 degrees. pretty hot. still ahead, overnight new crash tests suggest a potential safety issue with small trucks. and the mystery amid the cleanup in houston. a mother of two missing a day before harvey hilt so hear why police suspect foul play. plus, the boston red sox

accused of cheating. how league officials say the team used apple watches to help them win. getting your flu shot at walgreens is easier than ever.

hurricane harvey's flooding is being blamed for an estimated $2 billion in auto losses so far. 150,000 claims have already been filed and that number is expected to double. about 20% of texans who have auto insurance don't have policies that cover floods. police in houston are searching for a mother missing for nearly two weeks and likely not because of the storm. police say crystal mcdowell vanished the day before harvey made landfall after heading out to pick up her kids from her ex-husband. police have since found her car but no trace of mcdowell. the desperate search for a houston real estate agent and moth o

just hours before hurricane harvey hit. the night before she was last seen crystal mcdowell posted on facebook, stay safe out there. according to her boyfriend paul hargreaves. this home security video shows her the next morning leaving the house and getting into her car to pick up her kids from her ex-husband who lives just about 20 minutes away. three days later the 38-year-old's black mercedes was found about 13 miles from hargreaves' home in this flooded motel 6 parking lot. >> her family wants her back. her children, she's got a 5-year-old and an 8-year-old. and they need her. >> crystal and steven mcdowell divorced in june. investigators say there were two people in crystal's car when it was recovered but police don't believe they're connected to her disappearance. and harvey is taking a major toll on gas prices. energy department figures show the cost of a gallon

averaging 2.68. the biggest jump was 41 cents per gallon in the lower atlantic region which includes west virginia, virginia and the carolinas. about 20% of u.s. oil refinery capacity was in harvey's path. and new crash tests by the insurance industry suggests that small pickup trucks are falling short on safety. all eight pickups had cabs with two rows of seats but safety was rated good in only four of them. the toyota tacoma was the best performer. you can see the full list on our website at atmfans.com. when we come back a mechanic gets busted after taking a customer's car for a joyride. see what happens when the car owner confronts him. how the zika virus could one day help fight brain cancer.

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the u.s. virgin islands and tonight brush past the most populated areas of puerto rico. now for a look at morning road conditions here in the u.s., roads will be wet all along the east coast and all of florida, there will also be puddles in the rockies and the northwest. if you're flying airport delays expected in charlotte, washington, new york and boston. and we have gotten our first look at the north carolina man who is charged with killing his wife after taking cold medicine. >> 28-year-old matthew phelps has made his first court appearance. that happened yesterday. now phelps didn't enter a plea but a judge told him he could potentially face the death penalty. police say phelps told a 911 operator he fell asleep after taking cold medication and then woke up to find his wife stabbed to death. phelps will be back in court at the end of the month. and a california woman is outraged after a worker at a dealership took her car for a joyride. she caught the man redhanded

after her husband dropped off the limited edition camaro to get serviced, there are only 200 cars like that in the country. she spotted hers at a fast food drive-through and confronted the man behind the wheel. >> i took my car to the dealership so you could change the oil and change the air conditioner. why are you driving my car to get food? why are you doing this? >> you're getting nervous. >> well, why are you nervous? you're not supposed to be getting food. what are you doing? why are you going in reverse? >> the dealership posted an apology saying the technician made a huge mistake and acted against company policy. the owner said she believes incidents like this happen more often than we think. in an odd twist scientists now think the zika virus may help them save lives. researchers in california say zika could be a possible treatment for certain cancers in adults. the virus causes neurological problems in babies by infecting

that same quality may be effective in fighting brain cancers that are caused by stem cell mutations. and we'll know today in the u.s. open women's semifinals will feature only americans. last night venus williams made sure one of those semis will be all red, white and blue. >> the 37-year-old williams needed three sets to defeat petra kvitova. it making her the oldest there since 1994 and will face sloane stephens stephens tomorrow. now some baseball. one game from last night stretched into this morning. the highlights from espn. >> good morning, it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. stan verrett here. neil everett there. you get to go first. >> okay. let's go. let's go to fenway. get me a sam adams. and don't

we'll be here longer. top 11. justin smoak, jackie bradley, out and out. jose bautista out. let's go to the bottom of the 19th. oh. maybe they should just wrestle after so many innings. each team pick a guy. hanley ramirez. mookie betts and red sox win 3-2. it took six hours. >> the red sox lead was 2 1/2 over the yankees when the night started. so boston with a "w." yankees taking on the orals yio. mark trumbo. it's 6-5 now. trumbo's 22nd. bottom nine, same score, runner on first and two outs for manny machado. already hit one home run in the game and there goes the second one. it will end the game. time to

machado with his third walkoff home run of the season. orioles take it, 7-6. >> anchor wrestling. who would you take? the best match-up? >> i don't have time to consider this right now. back to you. >> anchor wrestling match. i feel like we could put up a bit of a fight. up next in "the pulse," madonna opens up about a big challenge when it comes to being a star. and how one man claims his amazon delivery trapped him in his department. don't forget to check out our facebook page where you can watch michael strahan surprise a houston football team after harvey destroyed their high school on atmfans.com. nt of tru. and now with victoza®, a better moment of proof. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill, which didn't get me to my goal. lowers my a1c better than the leading branded injectable.

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in the sports highlights, they're reportedly admitted to being cheaters. >> reports say the team has admitted to stealing signs during games against the yankees and other teams using an apple watch. the watch helped relay signs from a opposing catchers to boston players. >> baseball's commissioner isn't commenting on possible penalties, he says he's confident the team is no longer using the scheme. >> all right. well, madonna is so fed up with fedex she's now venting on twitter. >> the folks at fedex apparently didn't believe madonna was madonna so the superstar tweeted this selfie with the caption, when you've been arguing with fedex all week that you really are madonna and they still won't release your package -- >> a fedex worker responded asking her to dm her delivery details. it's still not clear if she finally received that package or not. >> we've got another delivery issue. a bay area man found himself

>> check out the photo. jessie lawrence says a driver wedged it under his door handle and so tight he couldn't open the door to get out. >> he lives on the fifth floor so climbing out a window apparently wasn't an option and building maintenance eventually set him free. >> he placed that call to building maintenance, i'm -- also to your boss, i'm late for work because a cardboard box has locked me in my apartment. >> his door doesn't open inwards? >> maybe it was so tightright n- bracing for impact. irma just became the worst hurricane to hit the atlantic in recorded history! now florida is preparing for the worst as officials warn this storm is "potentially catastrophic." good morning washington.

- have the umbrella; showers continue - 15-20 cooler today - sunshine returns tomorrow through the weekend - hurricane irma the strongest hurricane in the atlantic basin (still cat. 5 - 185mph winds) today: cloudy and cooler. rain likely. highs: 66-72 winds: nw 5 mph tonight: mostly to partly cloudy and cool. isolated shower. patchy fog. lows: 51-57 winds: wnw 5 mph thursday: partly cloudy. highs: winds: nw 5-15 mph

george's county -- a shooting sending one person to the hospital. police were called to the 66-hundred block of ronald road in capitol heights just about an hour ago. authorities aren't releasing much information right now. but as soon as we hear anything else, we will let you know. protests across the country -- after the white house went ahead with ending "daca". this cuts protections for 800-thousand dreamers' - or undocumented immigrants who came to the u-s as children. the white house claims it's defending the constitution. the other side believes it's an injustice. protestors rallied against the decision in front of representative barbara comstock's office in sterling yesterday. there is a six mo

ends -- giving congress a chance to act. now the agonizing waiting game begins for the hundreds of thousands who rely on daca. new this morning.. a big decision regarding a statue of confederate general stonewall jackson in charlottesville.. the city council voted unanimously last night to move the statue from justice park. but it will remain there while a lawsuit over it and a statue of robert e. lee plays out. both statues were covered with a black tarp, after the death of protester heather heyer during the city's august 12th riots. the tarps have since been removed. happening today -- marchers -- set to make it to d-c -- after coming all the way from charlottesville. the 100-mile march began as a rally against white supremacy after last month's deadly clash, between white nationalists and counter-protester s. it now also includes those against the end of daca.' we'll have coverage of their arrival this morning when we move over to newschannel 8. right now -- a lot of eyes on north korea.

korean diplomat called the country's recent nuclear test a "gift package" - and promised more to come. the white house - now promising to protect american citizens at all costs. the president is also giving the green light to japan and south korea to purchase stronger weapons from the u-s as south korea continues conducting live-fire exercises off the korean coast. the u-s is threatening more severe sanctions against countries that conduct business with north korea. it's xx and we're just getting started. right now -- hurricane irma is barreling towards the coast. people are fleeing florida trying to get out of its path. we are timing it all out -- plus looking at the possible effects it may have on our area. good morning washington. - have the umbrella; showers continue

- 15-20 cooler today - sunshine returns tomorrow through the weekend - hurricane irma the strongest hurricane in the atlantic basin (still cat. 5 - 185mph winds) today: cloudy and cooler. rain likely. highs: 66-72 winds: nw 5 mph tonight: mostly to partly cloudy and cool. isolated shower. patchy fog. lows: 51-57 winds: wnw 5 mph thursday: partly cloudy. highs: winds: nw 5-15 mph