making news in america this morning, severe weather, tornadoes, hail, snow and lightning, a mixed bag of damaging and threatening storms moving across the country. we are tracking it all. breaking overnight, a military operation backed by americans aimed at isis taking back a key iraqi town. the video just in as the attack gets under way. the alleged major birth control mix-up. more than 100 women on the pill getting pregnant now suing for the cost of raising those kids. and close call. a man walking over train tracks

barreling towards him. good thursday morning to you. we begin with the wild weather tearing across the midwest. blinding rain, powerful twisters and near hurricane-force winds. >> yeah, the chicago area got slammed overnight. this home struck by lightning bolt that ripped apart the walls and the ceiling and take a look. this was the chicago skyline. this is what it looked like overnight. lightning bursting through the clouds hitting at least three skyscrapers. as the storm moves across the great lakes, waves could reach 15 feet. here now with more abc's stephie ramos. >> reporter: a fast-moving major storm sweeping the midwest. >> tornado on the ground. >> reporter: reports of twisters in iowa. >> tornado warnings. >> reporter: national weather service officials say the system began tuesday around utah then moving east into the nation's midsection. in knoxville, iowa, powerful winds and rain packing a punch tearing down trees and ripping through industrial buildings in this town.

nearby, flipping this semi on its side. the driver doing okay. in all, three rollover semi truck wrecks reported wednesday near avoka, iowa. the storm didn't stop there. portions of new mexico, wyoming, colorado, nebraska and kansas saw blizzard-like conditions. some of those same states hit with thunderstorms, as well. >> it's been rough, slow going. 55 mile an hour from kansas city. that's about all i could get. you just want to go, go, go, but you can't. >> reporter: from snow to ice in colorado, frozen roads more like an ice skating rink for drivers. >> he saved it. >> reporter: lighter snow in western kansas, but residents bracing themselves for slower commutes. in northern california, the early dose of winter weather is a good thing. skiers and snowboarders craving for some snow welcoming an early ski season. stephanie ramos, abc news, washington. now, 20 million people are in

the storm zone as the system moves east. >> our coverage continues with accuweather meteorologist cam tran. cam, good morning. >> good morning, reena and kendis. as the storm system moves over the great lakes region, the biggest threat will be those howling winds. we could see wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour near the lakes region. that includes detroit and buffalo while further out we'll see wind gusts of 40 miles per hour, and then those gusty winds will move over the mid-atlantic states as we head into friday. we're also looking at some widespread rainfall for the area on we are looking at the heaviest lakes and it's also going to be quite soggy in the northeast. reena and kendis, back to you. breaking news this morning from iraq. a battle is under way for by isis. power, kurdish fighters have launched a ground offensive on multiple fronts to retake the western iraqi town of sinjar from the militants. the plan is to cut off a major supply line link to major isis strongholds.

overnight lasers directed at pilots over two major cities in new york. news helicopters operated by cbs and nbc stations were the targets of attacks over brooklyn. at least one person was arrested there in that burough. a helicopter for our new york city station wabc was hit with a green laser near newark airport last night. the crew notified police and one suspect was arrested. >> if we can get the cops over here, it would be awesome because we got them. >> the suspect who was taken into custody in brooklyn is a 20-year-old man. he's been charged with reckless endangerment. convictions for pointing lasers at aircraft carry hefty fines as well as prison time. also last night, three planes were hit by lasers while approaching love field in dallas. two were passenger jets. the other was a private business plane, all of them were at altitudes between 3,000 and 4,000 feet.

cases. new details about the deadly crash of a small plane in akron, ohio. surveillance video shows the plane crashing there in the upper left corner. all nine people on board were killed. seven of them were with the florida based real estate company. the plane's cockpit voice recorder has been recovered and is being studied for clues about what went wrong. another pilot who had just landed at a nearby airport reported hearing no distress calls despite being on the same crashed. tensions still grips the main university of missouri campus. just days after the resignation of its president, more students protested. they took place last night as racial tensions simmered but many other students stayed away from campus yesterday due to online threats against black students. two students at other colleges have been arrested for making those threats. turning now to the race for the white house, donald trump under fire for praising president eisenhower's mass deportation plan during tuesday's debate. critics blasted the eisenhower

directive saying mexicans were carted away like livestock and treated so inhumanely, the program prompted a congressional investigation, but trump held up the program as a model for rounding up millions of undocumented immigrants. >> you're going to have a deportation force and you're going to do it humanely. look, we have to do what we have to do. and i did it and other people have done it and in mexico you want to go -- >> trump also failed to mention the official name of the 1950s initiative was "operation wetback," a racially offensive term for mexicans. hillary clinton later firing tracking down and deporting 11 million people is absurd, inhumane and un-american. no, trump. the refugee crisis stretching across europe has hit a grim new milestone. the number of those seeking asylum now tops 1 million people and the crisis getting worse.

risk their lives but many don't make it like those making the dangerous crossing on this wooden boat. it went down off the coast of turkey killing 14 people including 7 children. back here at home the veterans affairs department is facing a new round of criticism. the agency paid more than $142 million in performance bonuses last year despite accusations it provided less than adequate health care to military veterans. president obama says the v.a. is getting a bigger budget and is working hard to solve its problems. still ahead, turkey prices flying high just in time for thanksgiving. and a massive lawsuit involving women on birth control and more than 100 surprise pregnancies. should the drugmaker pay to help raise those children? plus, stuck in a well for several days. the delicate rescue of a

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crews north of los angeles battling this fast-moving brush fire overnight. about 40 acres in a remote area of simi valley have been blackened so far. the fire is about 50% contained. also in california, tense moments at a san francisco hospital after reports of an armed man. police say the suspect was pointing a rifle at a hospital from the roof of a building across the street. when officers arrived at the scene, the suspect then pointed the weapon at them. he was shot and killed. the rifle had apparently been taken in an earlier burglary. in the meantime, a system of tracking airliners by satellite is expected to be in place in the next two years. its creation was motivated by the mysterious disappearance of malaysia airlines flight 370 last year. a deal reached at a u.n. meeting

be tracked by satellite, not just from the ground. current radar based systems leave about 70% of the world's surface uncovered. so it's going to cost a bit more to put that bird on the thanksgiving day table. turkey prices are up 15% to 20% from last year. the avian flu, which wiped out millions of birds, is to blame for the hike. the rest of the thanksgiving menu will be about the same as last year. okay, well, black friday shopping should be a lot safer this year, at least at walmart stores. that's because it's dumping the traditional doorbuster deals that tend to create chaos. instead deeply discounted items will be available online starting at 3:00 a.m. eastern time on thanksgiving day and in stores starting at 6:00 p.m. later that same day. when we come back, a house leveled after an explosion. the surveillance video as it happened and what investigators say is the likely cause. and surprise attack. grabbed by a gator.

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well, the storm that dumped a foot of snow on the rockies is now hammering the midwest. in the form of drenching rain, damaging winds and hail. slick roads are making it tough for drivers to get around parts of minnesota and millions of people are bracing for a day of

okay, let's take a look at the morning road conditions. slippery ride is in store for people in the pacific northwest. wet and windy in the midwest and ohio valley. slick spots in parts of the northeast and across southern florida. if you're flying, airport delays possible in minneapolis, chicago, detroit, philadelphia, new york and boston. well, police in indiana are looking for a gunman who shot and killed a pastor's pregnant wife in an apparent home invasion. davey blackburn returned home from the gym tuesday to find his wife, amanda, shot in the head clinging to life until she died yesterday. the couple's young son was in the home at the time but he was not injured. much more on this coming up. investigators are blaming gas for an explosion that flattened a duplex in northern new jersey killing one person and injuring more than a dozen others. but they're not yet saying whether it came from a natural gas leak and they are looking into whether someone inside the house was illegally tapping into

neighbors say the blast was so powerful, they were knocked off their feet. >> oh, my god, somebody help me, somebody help me. >> i fell like it was my last day. >> reporter: seven additional structures were damaged. three of those will have to be demolished. experts say if you notice an odor like rotten egg, open windows and if needed please call for help. they've started pulling vehicles from the bottom of that huge sink hole trench in mississippi. 14 cars trucks and suv fell right in supplements 23450i9 when a culvert collapsed next to an ihop in meridian. one father said he and his 2-year-old son were just step as way from their car when the disaster unfolded. thankfully no one hurt. this morning fans are sharing their memories of soap star that thabl mar nathaniel mars.

on facebook his mom said he passed away as she held him in her arms. nathanielian marston was only 40 years old. a hundred women have joined a lawsuit over mixed up birth controls. they say the mistake led to more than 100 surprise pregnancies seeks millions in damages. some asking for the total cost of raising a child through adulthood. even the cost of education. the drug company says only one faulty package was sold. a vaccine could one day be available to help lower bad cholesterol. researchers say the vaccine targets a protein in the liver which regulates the amount of cholesterol in the blood. so far it has shown promise in mice and monkeys. millions of americans take statins to lower cholesterol but the drug doesn't work for everyone. a man living near orlando is recovering this morning from being attacked by an alligator. talking about 68-year-old william bashard returning home

after his arm was stitched and bandaged up following the attack. he said it happened while he was pulling weeds outside of his home which sits on a canal. he believes the gator could have pulled him right into the water. >> i department even see the gator at all before and after. i didn't even see it. all i hear is this pressure on my arm and going like this. oh, man. has to be a gator. i don't want to see the gator hurt, you know, he was just trying to get something to eat, i guess. >> that's one way to look at it. wildlife officers caught a seven-foot alligator nearby which they believe is the one involved in the attack. neighbors say it's a first time they've heard of someone being attacked by a gator. >> glad he's okay. a pam family in massachusetts happy to have their bud by back safe and sound. he wound up at the bottom of a 25-foot well late monday. he stayed there overnight and was eventually rescued by firefighters the next day. his safe return, of course, celebrated no other way but with

doggie treats. now his owners are having that old well filled up. a dangerously close call caught on camera in brazil. an elderly man in rio totally oblivious to the oncoming train speeding down the tracks. he makes it safely across as the train barrels by. luckily he's okay. he doesn't even flinch. >> i don't think he noticed it. >> scary to see. >> lucky man. up next in "the pulse," miniature mansion. the dollhouse worth millions. the wingsuit distance record broken.

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it is time to check "the pulse" stories you'll be talking about today. facebook accused of stealing your joy. >> well, a new study found quitting facebook will probably make you happier. researchers in denmark saw positive change in hundreds of people after just weeks without social media. i believe it. they were more enthusiastic, less worried and less stressed. >> okay. researchers say facebook distort distorts our perception of reality and leads up to -- leads us to compare ourselves with others. that's all social media. >> so just unplug.

pretend like it's 1982, america. this might make you happy. one of the country owe most expensive homes. 60,000 square foot oceanfront estate in south florida on the atlantic with two boat docks out back. >> not bad. it has 11 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms and can modeled after the palace of versailles, of course in france. gold columns everywhere. the place had been listed for $139 million but then the owner took it off the market and added a dance club, an imax theater among other amenities and now relisted for $159 million. >> this has kendis gibson written all over it. >> need a small loan. a house slightly on a smaller scale going on public display for the very first time today right here in new york city. take a look. >> it's an elaborate dollhouse measure ing nine feet by six feet weighing 900 pounds. the 29 rooms are filled with

thousands of miniature pieces include oil paintings, fine rugs and elaborate furniture. >> but as you might expect all that luxury comes at a price. the price tag for this dollhouse, $8.5 million. >> wow. and i thought my parents were fancy when i got the barbie dream house for christmas one year. >> barbie dream house was a still. in new york, really. that size, 8.5 millions. that's a steal too. >> you're right. for square footage. >> yeah, exactly. finally a former navy s.e.a.l. who risked his life all to raise awareness and some money. his name is andy stump and he just set a very dangerous new record. >> stump jump out of a plane at more than 36,000 feet wearing a wingsuit and parachute looking like missy elliott there -- can't stand the rain video. he then glided over 18 miles through the air. that by the way is the furthest anyone has ever flown in a wingsuit before touching down. the stunt was helping families of veterans of navy s.e.a.l.s

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breaking right now, a major battle is raging in iraq to retake the northern city of sinjar from isis. thousands of kurdish forces launched the offensive on three fronts with support from u.s. air strikes. federal government is set to announce a proposal today that would ban smoking in all public housing across the country. the move could affect nearly a million households. severe storms zeroing in on the midwest this morning unleashing torrential rain, hail and twisters after dumping snow across the plains, the same system could trigger winds topping 50 miles an hour. aside from the severe weather in the nation's midsection a new storm hits the midwest. rainy and windy in the northeast and scattered showers across south florida. okay, finally, of course, we

massive and minuscule in our "pulse" segment. >> it's a housing phenomenon, living in a micro apartment and wabc's charlene alcott shows us it's catching on. >> reporter: going from a two-bedroom to 295 square feet was quite daunting for evan poll. >> i thought there's no way i could fit nye life into one small room. >> reporter: the struggling independent film producer knew he couldn't be choosy. he had to find a way to make this tiny house a home. >> there's no overconsumption because i just simply don't have the room for it. >> reporter: every item in every square inch means something to him and sparks a memory. >> this chair which i've had forever is solid as a rock. >> reporter: there are approximately 3,000 micro units in new york city. these apartments are created before new york enacted zoning rules requiring no less than 400 square feet back in 1987.

>> the idea was to have this project as a test to see if the city would want to relax those zoning rules in the future. >> reporter: enter new york's first micro apartment building. caramel place. this man says it's not even done yet but 2 of the 55 units are claimed. >> at a decent price in a very desirable neighborhood in manhattan. >> reporter: located at 335 east 27th street in kips bay, the building offers units as small as 260 square feet. >> the room is wide enough that if you have a queen size bed here there are still four, five feet of space. >> reporter: the rent for a unit this size starts at around $2,000 a month and goes up to close to 3,000 for the larger apartments. he says the amenities keep it competitive so can one really be happy living little? >> the way that i live is very humane and i've been able to carry on my life now for four years probably better than i

lived when i was in a larger apartment.