his facebook page says the suspect is now in custody. no word yet on any charges. >> he told me friday night he just had a few bruises and scrapes but nothing big. he's upset the guy wouldn't let him go. frightening. coming up, there's a mystery surrounding richard simmons. everyone wondering where is he now? >> and is he being held hostage as some reports claim? you're watching "world news now." break through your allergies. introducing flonase sensimist. more complete allergy relief in a gentle mist you may not even notice. using unique mistpro technology, new flonase sensimist delivers a gentle mist to help block six key inflammatory substances that cause your symptoms. most allergy pills only block one. and six is greater than one. break through your allergies. new flonase sensimist. ♪

z1we5z zi0z y1we5y yi0y

richmond simmons has been sweating to the oldies for decades now, but it's been years since even his close friends have seen him. >> but now rumors are swirling about where he might be. as nick watt finds out.

>> reporter: richard simmons, e va van ja list, showman, sweating to the oldies for decades. simmons dolled out love, and he dolled out weight loss advice to everyone he met. >> don't eat in the car. that's number one. >> reporter: some shunned famous. simmons embraced it. always accessible and present. then in early 2014 just months after that thanks giving appearance, simmons suddenly vanished behind the walls of his home. fans asked why and conspiracies swirled. >> let's discuss the two main theories at that time. >> reporter: now three years later, simmons still out of the spotlight and his disappearance from public life is the subject

of the number one pod cast, missing richard simmons. >> three years ago to the day richard simmons stopped being richard simmons. i want to find out why. >> i met him in 2012. i wanted to tell his story before this happened. the fact that he disappeared like he did? just kind of made it more urgent. >> reporter: a one time producer for the daily show, one of many who was hooked on the simmons workout, payment friends with the fun-loving fitness fanatic. he's looking for answers. november last year his studio doors closed for good. >> reporter: richard simmons open third down place in 1974. he used to say he opened it because other gyms in los angeles didn't really want overnight people. for simmons all shapes and sizes. everyone welcome. >> reporter: not only did he stop teaching. >> one day he stopped returning my e-mails and phone calls. i thought, that stinks.

that's a drag. then i realized he wasn't calling anybody. or e-mailing anybody. >> reporter: in a phone call to nbc last march he insisted he's fine. >> you haven't seen the last of me. i'll come back and i'll come back strong. >> it was unusual it was only a phone call. and not in person. >> reporter: today simmons' publicist told me we didn't cooperate or collaborate with this pod cast. richard is fine and willingly enjoying while working behind the scenes to help the millions who need his love and assistance. these unfounded attempts to diminish the legacy of this true american treasure are shameful. >> reporter: we love him for his exercise videos and over the top tv appearances. but it's his genuine love, his sincereness that makes him a legend. >> i don't have to work anymore. i don't have to make a phone call anymore. i don't have to do one more leg lift.

this is my passion, and this is my mission. >> reporter: despite his extroverted persona, his personal life has been solitary. >> do i get lonely? >> sure. you're on the road and not home. my dogs and my housekeeper who i live with, i'm attached to them. they're my sturdiness in my life. >> reporter: when was the last time you were in love? >> i don't think i'm in love with the person as much as i'm in love with what i do. no one should feel sorry for richard simmons, because i think i'm one of the most loved people in the world. >> reporter: there's a fascination, but also now a genuine concern. nick was talking about how sincere he is. i've met him a few times. he's always like you see him on tv. full of energy and so nice to everybody in the room. >> i've heard the same thing. and i hope he's okay. >> reporter: richard, this is all out of love. we want to see you again. we miss you. >> has anybody checked the

aisles of the baby gap? maybe he went shopping for new clothes. >> that's a great tank top. nic. 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 about an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. to me, relationships matter. i've been with my doctor for 12 years. now i know i'll be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients.

plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. so don't wait. call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare... and which aarp medicare supplement plan might be best for you. there's a wide range to choose from. we love to travel - and there's so much more to see. so we found a plan that can travel with us. anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an organization serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now - and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience.

so i know how important that is. from surfaces for up to 48 hours. you can pick up the flu it's like having a sick family member in your home. but lysol kills 99.9% of germs including 8 cold and flu viruses. to help protect your home lysol that. cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! some cough medicines only last 4 hours. but just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. they have to be great on the inside and outside. my hygienist said to think of my teeth like an apple. to strengthen both, she said to go pro. go pro with crest pro-health advanced. it strengthens... ...teeth inside, and is better at strengthening the... ...outside than colgate total. best check-up ever. rise above joint discomfort with move free ultra's triple action joint support for improved mobility and flexibility, and 20% better comfort from one tiny, mighty pill...

get move free ultra, and enjoy living well. numb nut. >> reporter: numb nut. >> it's a felt or sheep skin pad placed between a horse's back and the saddle to prevent chafing. can i say it and then you say it? >> numna. >> oh, numna. >> yeah. >> things can get interesting at the national spelling bee there. but at a different spelling bee, things got interesting for a different reason. all due to five-year-old'd it fuller. >> she just beet out 53 other students to win the green county regional spelling bee in oklahoma. did we mention she's five years old? that makes her the youngest

competitor to ever qualify for the national spelling bee. >> look at how tiny she is compared to everybody else. >> like her sign is half her size. wow. so we thought we would put our spelling caps on. >> there's that show are you smarter than a fifth grader in we're going to go down a few levels. are you smarter than a five-year-old. we're going to get a word. i think that the kid spelled correctly and we'll see how quickly we can spell it correctly. >> that's correct. e dit won with this word. your word is janana. >> jananah. >> wow. >> can you use it in a sentence? i'm going to go with a g. gia -- i don't want to go obvious. >> ding. [ buzzer ] . >> that maneans you made a miste

only two letters in. >> janana. >> there it is. >> oh, that's tricky. >> the knowledge acquired through meditation. dan harris would have gotten that correct. i'm ready for my word. >> okay, diane, your word, this is a word used last year, and it is feldonkris. >> feldenkrise? [ buzzer ] . >> it's not even close. that was pitiful. >> quickly. okay. >> last one, gazelshoft. >> what tom brady does every night. >> what is

when you've got an uncontrollable cough, take delsym, the #1 12-hour cough medicine. it helps control the impulse to cough for 12 hours. which means, you're controlling your cough on your morning commute. and later when you're joking with beth... even when most cough medicines stop, delsym is still working. ♪ and when your days' over, your cough is still under control. thanks to the #1 12-hour cough medicine. delsym. the cough controller.

this morning on "world news now," the first look at the overall of the health care system. >> republicans have unveiled their plan to repeal and replace obama care. democrats are mounting the opposition, but some republicans also say it doesn't go far enough. and breaking overnight, tornadoes ripping across parts of the midwest and central plains. baseball sized hail and severe winds causing damage. thousands are now without power. the latest coming up. and later the world war ii attack on our homeland you probably never heard of. hear how the japanese developed a specialized weapon we're still finding in the woods here in the u.s. and all throughout north america. we're kicking off our series with a story stranger than fiction. okay. we've had panda watch, eagle

watch. and we've had -- i guess the apple watch. now there's a giraffe watch. >> everyone is waiting to see when she'll give birth but now humans are trying to get in on the action as well. >> it's tuesday, march 7th. from abc news, this is "world news now." every now and then we do a story that i think will be the strangest one we've covered, and then we up it. >> and then comes another one. >> we're going to have more on a giraffe watch coming up. we'll start the half hour with republicans rolling out their replacement for obama care. >> the battle is expected to be bitter with democrats lined up in opposition. but there are some republicans who don't like their party's proposal either. they say it doesn't go far enough with one michigan republican calling it obama care

2.0. more from mary bruce on the hill. >> reporter: republicans ran on a promise to get rid of obama care, and now we're learning how they plan to do it. here it is. the house republican bill just released, and the white house has hinted the president will support it. now, here's what the bill does. it would immediately eliminate the mandate, repeal the subsidies over three years. instead it creates tax credits to help americans buy insurance. and it limits federal funding for medicaid. here's what it doesn't change. coverage cannot be denied based on preexisting conditions, but there are big questions that remain. democrats aside, republicans in the house and senate have voiced serious concerns about many of the proposals. the question is if this is enough to get them on board, and how would this affect the millions currently covered by obama care. the answer won't come out until the budget committee releases

information on this. >> i don't know if there's a proposal that will make everybody happy. for the republicans that are unhappy, one is senator rand paul. he said he doesn't want to see revisions. he wants the whole thing repealed. he wants a clean start. he called this obama care light. >> it might still be dead on arrival at the senate once it gets there. you mentioned rand paul, and there are four republican senators from michigan, ohio, alaska and west virginia who have expressed concerns over the house version. so we'll see what sort of welcoming it gets. president trump issued a revised travel ban hoping to avoid the legal challenges that derailed the original one. the order will temporarily block citizens from six predominantly muslim countries. iraq is no longer on the list. there's also a four month freeze on all refugees and it skrabs language that would give priority to religious minorities like christians. the roll out was announced by the secretary of state homeland

security and the attorney general. like every nation, the united states has a right to control who enters our country, and to keep out those who would do us harm. >> the new travel ban takes effect next week. it addresses some of the constitutional issues raised in response to the first one. but legal experts say there's still room for new lawsuits. meanwhile, jeff sessions, you saw him there, has officially clarified his testimony from his confirmation hearing. sessions defended his initial response in a three-page filing. he insisted he gave honest answers under oath, explaining he did not recall any discussions regarding the presidential campaign when he spoke twice with the russian ambassador to the united states. breaking overnight, a search and rescue operation underway after a tornado tore through a missouri city. >> shocking images showing homes damages. this is east of kansas city. the fire chief in oak grove, a

town nearby in missouri says 10 to 15 people are injured but none serious. there were also tornado warnings posted in iowa, illinois, and arkansas overnight. it's believed at least one tornado touched down near minneapolis. the earliest on record in that state. pieces of housing were wrapped around trees. that's something straight line winds don't do. and we're hearing sense moments that happened over the week on a u.s. navy ship off the coast of iran. the u.s. official says the navy ship was traveling when several attack vessels bore down on it forcing it to change direction. the incident is being called unsafe and unprofessional, but it's fairly common for small iranian boats to harass u.s. boats in that region. an anti-missile system is being launched to south korea. it comes one day after a test

launch of ballistic missiles. defense officials stress that timing of the equipment's arrival is not at all related to the latest missile launches. a look at a dramatic video of a california highway patrol officer saving a young girl's life. this happened over the weekend. the 14-year-old girl climbed over a railing on an overpass. the officer spoke with the teen for nearly 20 minutes and then pulled her back. the girl was taken to the hospital for evaluation. police in south florida are trying to find that guy. he's one of two men caught on video dumping tar on a home outside fort lauderdale. it happened in september but the sheriffs made the video public now. the homeowner believes one of the tar tossers did work on his roof. and he and the roofer were involved in a lawsuit. the tar caused about $3,000 in damage. >> did he run out of eggs? >> i guess he might have.

luckily he didn't have any feathers. >> tar? >> man. >> all right. coming up -- that's one way to settle a lawsuit. >> or start a new one. >> diane has a new series. >> what? >> it's great. this is amazing. >> it is called stranger than fiction, and we'll be profiling the little known stories that are too bizarre to make up. like the time the japanese developed specialized weapons to attack the u.s. homeland during world war ii, even claimed a few lives. we'll tell you all about it and why it was kept so secret and why you might want to watch your step. >> it's all true. first, a strange reason an nba game had to be called off. unseasonably warm weather forcing a different kind of icing of the competition. don't forget to check out the behind the scene pics on instagram. you're watching "world news now." (achoo!) did you know

you can pick up cold & flu viruses from things in your home for up to 48 hours? it's like having a sick family member that you didn't even know was there. and we all know what happens when one family member gets sick. but lysol spray and lysol wipes kill 99.9% of germs including 8 common cold & flu viruses to help protect your home. this cold and flu season help keep your home happy and healthy and lysol that. cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! some cough medicines only last 4 hours. but just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this.

new pantene doesn't just wash i wiyour hair, it fuels it.gain. making every strand stronger. so tangles don't stand a chance. because strong is beautiful. rise above joint discomfort with move free ultra's triple action joint support for improved mobility and flexibility, and 20% better comfort from one tiny, mighty pill... get move free ultra, and enjoy living well.

clearasil rapid action begins working fast for clearly visible results in as little as 12 hours. wow! but what other teen problems can it fix fast? maybe it can quickly give this teen a thicker mustache? doesn't look like it. will clearasil act fast to help this teen concentrate on his math test? darn. can it help... nope. no. so let's be clear: clearasil works fast on teen acne, not so much on other teen things.

orders due to a fast moving wildfire in north eastern colorado. three homes and another building have been destroyed. the wildfire has consumed 30,000 acres. but it is about 90% contained. and strong winds are fanning wildfires all along the kansas, oklahoma border prompting

evacuations of several communities. some farm building have been destroyed also. three monuments, a source of racial tension in new orleans will be removed. >> judges have green lighted the removal of statutes, including a likeness of robert e lee. they will be stored until they can find a more appropriate place to display them. the legal fight over the confederate battle emblem on the mississippi state flag is heading back to court. the flag has been in news since 1894 causing division. opponents say it's a reminder of slavery and segregation. supporters say it represents history and heritage. >> portland plans to put panhandlers to work. they're about to launch a program that would pay them $10.68 for a public works project. they say one of the reasons they can't find work is their criminal records. another problem? their health. >> they are facing the obstacles

of mental health issues and substance abuse issues. they're stuck. >> portland's program begins at the end of the done. there was one in albuquerque, and it runs two days a week. >> slippery conditions caused by ice. nothing new in minnesota, but it is an issue if you want to play basketball. the nba cancels last night's game between portland and minnesota because the court was too slick. temperatures in the 60s caused the ice surface arouunder the c to melt. that caused too much humidity in the arena. >> the court was sweating. >> it was, i guess. portland is going to have to make it there another time. runners in texas could miss out on the boston marathon because of bad directions. the lead motorcycle made a wrong turn that cut nearly a mile off

the course. now runners are worried their times to qualify for the boston marathon will be tossed out. the officials hope they'll be allowed to submit adjusted times. >> i like that strategy, though. i'm going to run the marathon, but i'm going to take a short t shortcut. i have to tell you, if i'm taking a shortcut during a marathon, it's longer than a mile. it's going to shave off, like, 22 miles. >> it's going to be straight to the bars. >> skip the finish line all together. coming up, ie sas sins from world war ii. >> you probably never heard this story until now. this is a brand new series called stranger than fiction. you'll have to see it to believe it. stay with us. you're watching "world news now." , but i really... ...need a sick day. dads don't take sick days. dads take dayquil severe: the... ...non-drowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, stuffy... ...head, no sick days medicine. from surfaces for up to 48 hours. you can pick up the flu it's like having a sick family member in your home.

but lysol kills 99.9% of germs including 8 cold and flu viruses. to help protect your home lysol that.