this morning on "world news now," john mccain taking aim at the president and his supporters, with a stern warning, the emotional speech as the long-time senator battles cancer. and president trump is under fire after claiming that past presidents didn't call the families of fallen soldiers. aides for president obama, clinton and george w. bush quickly fired back. and new this half hour, stuck inside a manhole for more than a week. >> we'll meet the man who says he fell down a hole and spent days calling for help. learn what he ate. it was a small world after all. it was small world night on "dancing with the stars."

we saw princesses and pirates, perfect points, a lot of ps, but one couple's dreams of a fairy tale evening went caput. we'll have that in "the skinny" plus a bonus round. all right. it is tuesday, october 17th. from abc news, this is "world news now." we ran out of p words. >> we did. it was a prolific night, perhaps, on the dance floor. >> we'll have more of that coming up. but we'll start things off with the emotional speech by john mccain in the middle of his cancer battle. >> he appeared in philadelphia just a matter of hours ago to accept the liberty medal at the national constitution center. he dplielivered a powerful mess. >> we live in a land made of ideals, not blood an

we are the custodians of those ideals at home and their champion abroad. >> reporter: a warning from senator mccain, in an attack seemingly pointed at the president. mccain blasted the president's brand of nationalism and says the country has a moral obligation to spread the values of the constitution. >> to abandon the ideals that we have advanced around the globe, to refuse the obligations of international leadership, for the sake of some half-baked spurious nationalism cooked up by people who would rather find scapegoats than solve problems -- [cheers and applause]

attachment to any other tired dogma of the past that americans consigned to the ash heap of history. we will not thrive in a world where our leadership and ideals are absent. >> reporter: mccain was introduced at the liberty medal ceremony by joe biden. who reflected on their 40 years of friendship. arizona republican talked about having to carry biden's luggage when he was in the navy. >> i've resented it ever since. >> the maverick's still got it. >> he still does. he's quite feisty. >> the former president, barack obama was among those praising mccain saying he's grateful for his lifetime of service to the country. and president trump is under fire for making a false claim during his news conference alongside mitch mcconnell. >> the president took questions

after declaring that the republican party is unified and his relationship with mcconnell is better than ever. but when asked why he has not yet commented on the service members killed in niger he says he pays respects in ways his predecessors did not. >> most of them didn't make calls. a lot of them didn't make calls. i like to call when it's appropriate, when i think i'm able to do it. they have made the ultimate sacrifice. >> now the president backtracked when pressed saying he wasn't sure if the other presidents made calls to the troops' families. but the press secretary said he wasn't criticizing predecessors but stating a fact. aides for president clinton and bush fired back. saying they did make calls. they also wrote letters a

visited family members. and the wife of newt gingrich has been named as the envoy to the vatican. she has produced a number of documentaries as the head of her husband's production company. north korea has issued an ominous warning saying that nuclear war may break out on the peninsula at any moment. the ambassador says the situation has reached a touch-and-go point. they say the u.s. has subjected their country to a threat. and the russian president has signed a u.n. order triggers economic sanctions against north korea. he did it while a delegation from pyongyang is attending a diplomatic event in russia. one north korean official called the sanction state terrorism, designed to destroy his country. and on the island of malta, mourners have turned out to remember a journalist killed by a car bomb.

53-year-old caruana. she was called "one-woman wikileaks." she exposed the country's links to offshore tax havens through the leaked panama papers. she said shy we was receiving threats. back here at home, the coast guard has suspended the search for a worker missing after an explosion. he was a subcontractor on the oil rig. seven people were injured and four were released from the hospital. an investigation into the cause of the explosion is under way. and about 100 people are still missing in the deadly wildfires in northern california. firefighters say they're making progress against the fires thanks to calmer winds, and thousands of homeowners are heading home after mandatory evacuation orders were lifted. clayton sandell has the details. >> reporter: the staggering death toll added one more when a water tanker drover was killed in a crash. the fi

>> this is day eight for these fires to be raging through napa and sonoma counties. fatigue is a factor. >> reporter: the blazes have already killed 40 other people, carmen berriz and her husband armando jumped into a swimming pool. she died in his arms. >> it is remarkable what my father has endured. >> reporter: flames are still spreading in hard-to-reach areas. these helicopters are critical. because the terrain here is so steep, these narrow canyons it's hard for firefighters to get in. and you can see from the smoke there's a long way to go. the devil winds that created hell on earth are gone for now. of here. >> this fire is still capable of turning on us. >> reporter: many residents with me

back. some reunited with furry survivors. >> oh, thank you! >> reporter: the pets they were forced to leave behind. >> come here, baby. >> reporter: there are still hundreds of people in shelters. and many of them will have nothing to come back to. if you look here, you see the arbitrary nature of the damage this fire caused. in this direction nothing but destroyed homes. as far as the eye can see. but take a look on this side of the very same street. all of these homes completely untouched. clayton sandell, santa rosa, california. >> arbitrary indeed. and those fires are about two hours from where the oakland a's play. and they have stepped up to help a young victim. of the northern california wildfires. >> they lost their home and destroyed a 9-year-old's collection of baseball memorabilia. >> the loss left jaden

so he wrote a letter to his team. >> i love watching a's games. i want to be an a's player. my saddest things were my baseball collision, cards. my 17 jerseys and my ten hats. >> that made it to the a's front office. oakland's president says everyone in the smith family will receive athletics gear and get to meet the team later this week. the team, by the way, says the meeting will also include a few surprises. >> i'm sure he will be completely pimped out with every bit of a's -- >> his letter says that he plays baseball in the back yard every day and has made up games that the a's have won six straight world series. in his version of events that's how it goes down. >> that's perfect. jimmy kimmel's return to the big apple. what he did to surprise people on the streets and the thing that he said that would bring him back to new yo

but first, the man who survived nine days inside a manhole, slurping sewage water to stay alive. hear how he was finally rescued. first, here's a look at today's forecast. "world news now" weather, brought to you by liberator medical.

if you've got a life, you gotta swiffer i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. oughs)!

then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. ♪...from far away. but they only ♪harsee his wrinkles.♪ ... ♪if only harry used some... ♪...bounce, to dry. ♪he would be a less wrinkly, winning guy.♪ you're lucky you're cute. lysol max cover with 2x wider coverage kills 99.9% of bacteria. one more way you've got what it kes to protect.

this was the scene on a highway near new york city as passersby rushed to save a couple who blew a tire, went out of control and crashed into a tanker truck. the tanker truck was loaded with liquid sugar. the couple is recovering from serious injuries. we're getting details on another crash in new york. a driver now facing serious charges. saeid achmed was caught on camera hailing a taxi while his car was still in flames. but even more importantly, inside of that car, his passenger was there. police say achmed was speeding when he lost control of the car and hit a concrete barrier.

they caught up with him at a hospital where he was being treated for burns. his passenger died inside of that vehicle. achmed is facing manslaughter charges. an unbelievable scene there. and for the first time over north america a drone has collided with a passenger plane. the incident took place last week but we're just learning about it as a sky jet passenger plane approached the airport in quebec city, the plane landed safely. no one was injured. the faa says no drones have hit any planes here in the united states at least not yet. a texas man is sharing an incredible survival story after being trapped inside a manhole for nine days. >> jason courtney says he was walking home from work, cut across a grassy area, falling into that open manhole. >> he was unable to move because of a broken ankle. he lost his cell phone in the water. he says he screamed for help for days and in order to stay alive

he resorted to eating ants and at one point he ate a snake. it wasn't until nine days later that a construction crew heard him screaming for help and got him help. >> i didn't want to die in a bunch of sewage water. i want to thank the people that found me. and i very seriously strongly believe that they need to start putting some ladders or something down manholes. >> courtney is recovering in the hospital this morning. he underwent some surgery yesterday. his family says he looks incredibly skinny, but they are so happy to finally know he's okay. >> i'm all for doing everything it takes to survive, but i would not be eating a snake or drinking what he drank. done. >> it was the snake thing. >> the sewer water, yes. snake, don

takes on the big apple. >> so does bill murray, "the skinny's" next. does bill murray, "the skinny's" next. i can breathe again! i can breathe again! vicks sinex... breathe on. not all fish oil supplements provide the same omega-3 power. megared advanced triple absorption is absorbed three times better. so one softgel has more omega-3 power than three standard fish oil pills. megared advanced triple absorption.

♪ skinny

♪ so skinny skinny time. and we are kicking things off with jimmy kimmel on his third trip to the big apple. >> so, you know, he was born in brooklyn. he's setting up shop for a week-long residency here, and he hit the streets with paul schafer of course, hitting the streets with unsuspecting new yorkers. >> and he wants everybody to know he's keeping it real while he's here. >> all of the jokes you will hear tonight were written in small batches by hand on biodegradeable hemp parchment, using natural ink that was made from sustainably-harvested lingonberries. this is artisanal. >> i was going to say, he missed the word artisanal. >> is brooklyn that hipsteresque? >>

>> he gave deejay callie a key. because you know deejay callie supposedly already had the keys. >> does he know you have a key. >> yes, i have a key to the city in belize. everybody's envious of that. i wonder if he gave flavor flav a clock. >> the most exciting interview is when he sits down with david letterman. >> that will be fun. so, is it a shaved david letterman? what version of the beard do we think it will be? >> i think it's going to be full santa claus david letterman. christmas is coming up. he has to prepare. the ballroom was transformed into the happiest place on earth. it was disney night. minnie, mickey, the whole goofy group kicked off the night. the theme was disney through the ages.

starting in the 1920s to the present. >> and dreams do come true for jordan and lindsey. they got the first perfect score of the season with a moana-inspired foxtrot. >> and another highlight, artem keeping the sombrero on his head throughout the jazz number with nikki. >> that's tough. >> really? >> yeah, i mean twirling around and everything with the hat on? a lot of wind resistance going on. >> double-sided tape. >> so the low score of the night went to nick lachey and peta for the bare necessities quickstep, which is not good news considering he was in the bottom two last week. >> yeah, and sadly not every couple got their happy ending as two pairs found themselves in the bottom. sasha and glen, frankie and whitney. >> in the end -- >> who?

all right. well, the ballroom lost a star. finally, to bill murray, speaking of stars and musical performances. bill murray's a renaissance man. he's got many talents, we know this. and he's keeping especially busy. >> he's known as a singer, he's now a singer, performing at carnegie hall. how did he get there? >> practice, practice. >> he made his debut alongside a german cellist. >> so murray's also available to help you share exciting news with your parents. >> i got news for you. you're going to be grandparents. >> we're having a baby. >> how cool is that? >> i like that service. >> the couple sat next to murray at a recent cubs game. and after murray sang "take my out to the ball game", they straight up asked him to make the announcement on their behalf.

>> that's the best baby announcement right there. >> bill murray, a man of the people. >> i'd let him do that, even though i don't have any kids. >> you would lie to your mother? so if you're on medicare or will be soon, you may want more than parts a and b here's why. medicare only covers about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. you might want to consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like any medicare supplement insurance plan, these help pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and, these plans let you choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. you could stay with the doctor or specialist you trust... or go with someone new.

you're not stuck in a network... because there aren't any. so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide and find the aarp medicare supplement plan that works for you. there's a range to choose from, depending on your needs and your budget. rates are competitive. and they're the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. like any of these types of plans, they let you apply whenever you want. there's no enrollment window... no waiting to apply. so call now. remember, medicare supplement plans help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. you'll be able to choose any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. whether you're on medicare now or turning 65 soon,

it's a good time to get your ducks in a row. duck: quack! call to request your free decision guide now. because the time to think about tomorrow is today. that cough doesn't sound so good.

i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. ♪ if i could turn back time ♪ if i could find a way >> sing it, baby. got to love cher. >> uh-huh. >> and we are back with a bonus skinny round and some pretty awesome news. meet the newest member of the mama mia ii cast -- cher. we have information cher has signed on to the sequel called "mama mia, here we go again." >> oh. ♪ mama mia, here we go again >> it's been seven years since she was on the big screen. the last movie she was in was "burlesque" with christina aguilera. as a teaser, she posted this pic

of very sparkly platform boots. >> she will team up with the original cast. no word on who she'll be singing alongside. or if she'll be singing alongside anyone. an executive on the film said cher is their secret weapon. it will spoil the fun to give anything away. >> do they sing the same songs? are there new songs? was there a divorce? what happened? so many questions. so marvel have dropped the first full-length black panther trailer, and so many people are going nuts for this. the video has already wracked up 4 million views. >> we see one of the characters going home. the tiny nation is super high tech and looks like blade runner at times.

>> they are suiting up to take on a new bad guy. >> we are home. >> my son, it is your time. >> show me my respect and bow down. >> you get to decide what kind of king you are going to be. don't freeze. >> i never freeze. >> ooh. >> don't freeze. so he has a brand new panther suit, and so does his nemesis, whose name is eric. >> there's this dream-like sequence that everyone's comparing to "the lion king." when they say all of this is yours. >> people are sharing what they would do, what they would be wearing to see the movie. of course that's eddie murphy in "coming to america." that is what i will be wearing. >> to be loved!

to be loved! >> february 16th. or maybe i should do that for halloween. >> isn't that what you did when

making news in america this morning, an impassioned plea. senator john mccain takes aim at the president and his supporters. >> we live in a land made of ideals. >> hear his warning about the direction the country is taking and the policy he calls half baked. growing backlash. president trump takes heat for his claim about phone calls to fallen soldiers' family. >> if you look at