making news in america this morning, jared kushner's security clearance downgraded. the president's son-in-law and senior adviser loses his access to top secret information and this morning, new allegations that countries including china have tried to manipulate him. taxpayer outrage over the budget for decorating hud secretary ben carson's office, the $31,000 dining set and a staffer who claimed she told $5,000 won't even buy a decent chair. back to school this morning at stoneman douglas high. the new details on who will greet the students before classes resume today and the remarkable show of support and love from people across the country and around the world in the wake of the shooting. also this morning, amazon pays a billion dollars for a smart doorbell. a court decides whether this

iconic nike logo of michael jordan copied this picture. see if you agree with the ruling. i don't know. it looks pretty close as we say good morning on this hump day. we're going to start with the president's son-in-law and senior adviser denied access to the country's deepest secrets. >> jared kushner is no longer operating with the top secret security clearance that allowed him to view the highly classified intelligence and tara palmeri joins us from washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the president's son-in-law has been denied access to the country's top secrets setting off speculation that his white house days may be numbered. the president's top adviser and son-in-law jared kushner was stripped of the highest level security clearance. >> my name is jared kushner. >> reporter: kushner whose portfolio includes middle east peace and mexico will no longer

have access to top secret intelligence. >> every day i come to work with enthusiasm and excitement for what can be. >> reporter: he had been working on interim top level security clearance since the inauguration. this status gave him access to classified documents like the president's daily intelligence brief and the fbi review has been delayed for 15 months. the president can overrule the fbi and dlants security clearances but he left the decision up to his chief of staff. >> i will let general kelly make that decision and he's going to do what is right for the country and i have no doubt he'll make the right decision. >> reporter: a spokesperson for kushner said no concerns were raised about his application. as general kelly said the new clearance policy will not affect his ability to continue to do the very important work he has been assigned by the president. on capitol hill tuesday, kushner ignored questions. overnight "the washington post" is reporting that four countries

including the united arab emirate, china, mexico and russia discussed ways to exploit him because of his lack of foreign policy experience. mexico denied this. abc news learned that hr. mcmaster was concerned that he was contacting foreign officials without contacting the national security council. >> others were downgraded as well in the white house. thank you. and over at the white house communications director hope hicks reportedly is acknowledging telling white lies as part of her job. but sources tell "the new york times" that hicks insists she didn't lie about anything related to the russia investigation. she was grilled by the house intelligence committee for eight hours yesterday but refused to answer questions go her time with the trump administration. democrats are now calling for hicks to be subpoenaed. the director of the national security agency is calling for stronger u.s. response to deter russia from interfering in the upcoming elections and spreading misinformation.

mike rogers who also heads the u.s. cybercommand says he believes vladimir putin will continue to meddle because he hasn't been punished enough. and rogers says more could be done here in the u.s. >> are we strong enough and smart enough that we can keep them from doing this again? >> yes. >> the next question she asked me are we doing that right now? >> we're taking steps but we're probably not doing enough. >> okay. so she wants to know and i want to know why the hell not. >> rogers says president trump has not expanded the nsa's authority to take on russia's cyberoperations and rogers says no one from the administration has asked him to take additional steps. an emotional day in parkland, florida, as classes resume at stoneman douglas high school. one survivor there says going back to school is like getting in a plane crash and being forced to get back on that same plane. officials are hoping new

initiatives will help that healing begin. this morning, a difficult return for students at stoneman douglas high school. >> i don't think anyone is physically prepared or mentally prepared to actually walk into those red gates. >> reporter: a modified schedule starts today. two weeks after a former student opened fire killing 17 people. >> i don't know if i'm going back to school yet. to that school particularly. i want to finish obviously but i don't know if i want to go back to stoneman douglas yet. >> reporter: the freshman building where the shooting happened will stay closed and all off-duty broushd county law enforcement officials will be there to greet the students. the school's principal tweeted there's no need for backpacks. come ready to start the healing process and reclaim the nest. investigators were also continuing to retrace the steps of the suspected shooter. reports say he had as many as 180 rounds left when he dropped his rifle and we're learning in 2016 teachers at stoneman douglas wanted him transferred to an alternative school that

provided mental health services but he refused it because he was 18. the officer who captured the suspect was honored at an event on tuesday. officer michael leonard was reluctant to call himself a hero and got emotional talking about that day. >> when you come against evil like that and you have children at home that are about that age, it's very close to my heart and it was difficult but i'm so honored that i was able to be a part and do my part and take this killer into custody. >> reporter: it's not just americans showing support for the students in parkland, scientists all the way down in antarctica posted this message, marjory stoneman douglas our love for you is so strong it reached the south pole. governor rick scott is proposing a $500 million school safety plan that calls for increased police presence at all public schools along with metal detectors, bulletproof glass, steel doors and upgraded locks. three people are recovering

after a letter with a mysterious powder was opened near the pentagon. 11 people felt sick after the incident. they're not confirming reports that the symptoms including burning hands and a nosebleed. no word on the source of the letter. it's now being tested. turning now to the weather in parts of the midwest and south are bracing for more flooding with rain in the forecast again today and tomorrow. flood alerts have been issued from texas to kentucky. the ohio river is expected to remain above flood stage through this week. let's take a look -- a closer look at your local forecast for this wednesday. good morning. bracing for damaging storms wednesday going into wednesday night. complicating travel along i-40 through memo, little rock and along i-20 close to dallas, isolated tornadoes, not only are we concerned about that but flash flooding and river flooding throughout tennessee and the tennessee valley region and watching out for urban and

flash flooding and travel disruptions into the upper mississippi valley region including chicago over towards detroit and to the west watching out for two to four feet of snow in om areas. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams. coming up, taxpayer outrage after $31,000 were spent on a table and chairs for an office in washington. also ahead, the deal that ended a massive teacher strike over pay and benefits. up next the company that got rejected on "shark tank" now sold for just a billion dollars with a "b."

introducing the doorbot. the first ever video doorbell built for the smartphone. >> it's not an internet play. it's a consumer device.

>> i just don't think it's for me. >> instead of worth 7 million could be worth 80 million, 90 million. i just don't see the progression and for that reason i'm out. >> oops. that's a clip from abc's "shark tank" in 2013 when the sharks rejected the product called the doorbot. a rejection they probably regret made about now. that doorbot would eventually be renamed ring and now amazon is buying the company for $1 billion. ring uses wi-fi to allow users to see who is at the door and speak with those visitors. it'll play a key role as amazon expands into home security. the "shark tank" investors could have bought a 10% stake in the company for just about $700,000 but they didn't see the growth potential. >> wow. big mistake. all right, this one didn't cost a billion dollars but ben carson is in hot water for a big purchase. his department paid $31,000 for a custom dining room set for carson's office. the purchase came just after hud paid more than a thousand dollars to repair the old

furniture. a senior hud official claims she was demoted for refusing to violate federal law by spending more than $5,000 on redecorating. she says she was told $5,000 won't even buy a decent chair. a hud spokesman tells "the new york times" secretary carson did not know about the furniture purchase beforehand but does not intend to return it. a four-day teachers trike that closed public schools in west virginia will come to an end tomorrow morning. that strike impacting nearly 300,000 students across the state for nearly a week. teachers were promised a 5% raise next year. the average teacher's salary in west virginia is about $45,000 compared to $58,000 nationwide. authorities now say it could be late may until parts of puerto rico get their power back which would be eight months after hurricane maria. meanwhile, puerto rico's governor is demanding help from congress after he says the u.s. treasury reduced a loan for hurricane relief from about $5 billion to 2 billion without

explanation. okay, so this is cool. one of the world's most iconic brands of scotch whiskey is embracing its feminine side. johnnie walker is putting a woman on its black label. the limited edition jane walker will hit the shelves in march coinciding with women's history month in hopes of attracting more women customers. >> i like jane's outfit. >> it looks really, really cool. they should do it long term. dolly parton's gift 20 years in the making. more schools try to ban backpacks while sales of a bulletproof bag are surging. what it costs. students scrambling to safety after a bus crash after the driver's trial gets under way. allergies with sinus congestion and pressure? you won't find relief here. go to the pharmacy counter for powerful claritin-d... while the leading allergy spray only relieves six symptoms,

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looks for bomb vests. the testing conducted at penn station here in new york not far from where a would-be terrorist was injured when his suicide vest exploded prematurely. the machines are able to screen people without stopping them but officials say the technology needs more development before it's installed. experts at the united nations are now accusing north korea of helping syria produce chemical weapons and say north korea is shipping equipment to the assad regime and in some cases even supplies technicians. syria's use of chemical weapons is driving them into refugee camps off the coast of greece. abc's ian pannell traveled to one of those camps where families are basically stranded. they can't get into europe and can't go home. >> reporter: among those stuck here this 14-year-old and five of his siblings along with a pregnant mother they escaped syria but in the chaos, losing touch with their dad. home is now a third of a dirty tent where they all live, sleep and play. and beyond the tents

overcrowding. boiling over into violence. that was a fight just over food. this shows how tense and difficult things are here. it ends up in a brawl in a dirty street. >> as bad as the conditions are in that camp, more people keep arriving because the conditions in syria are even worse. back here at home a former school bus driver in tennessee heads back to court facing vehicular homicide charges for a crash that killed six children. new video shows survivors of the crash crawling through the shattered windshield to escape the bus. prosecutors say the driver was going 20 miles an hour over the speed limit and was on his phone when he crashed. he's pleading not guilty. more schools across the country are bans backpacks in the wake of the florida scoot shooting. districts this florida, illinois and ohio have made the move to make their students try to feel safe. kids at one school are carrying books in laundry baskets so they're not considered a threat. in the meantime, a company

in texas is reporting a surge in sales of armor that can make students' backpacks bulletproof. the shields cost from 150 to $500 and can protect against any shooting threat. nba star dwyane wade has played some inspiring basketball last night. he hit the game-winning shot against philadelphia. it was his first game since dedicating the rest of the season to the florida school shooting victim joaquin oliver who was buried in wade a jersey. he was wearing his name on his sneakers during the game last night. country music legend dolly parton celebrating the sagivingf her 100 millionth book. she's been sending books to kids across the globe for more than 20 years. she was inspired by her dad who never went to school and couldn't read or write.

the kids now call her the book lady. >> i never thought about being the book lady, the painted lady, yes. but that just goes to show you can't judge a book by looking at the cover, right? >> the 100 millionth book was parton's own called "coats of many colors". she said the only book her family had growing up was the bible. she now reads 52ing boos a year. >> dolly parton, look at her go. up next in "the pulse" another hit tv show from th the '90s is possibly getting a reboot. also ahead, toilet paper panic. yeah, we'll tell you where prices are surging amid a shortage. plus, how similar are these two pictures? the famous air jordan logo is now at the center of a legal battle. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease.

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♪ now this is a story all about how my life got turned upside down and i'd like to take a minute ♪ time to get to "the pulse" starting with the possible new character from west philadelphia born and raised. >> tmz reports the playground -- okay, so tmz reports that the company that owns "the fresh prince of bel-air" is working on a reboot. it could be a fresh princess that moves to california. no word on if will smith will be a part of it but smith recently said that he would like to play uncle phil in a reboot and we found someone to play the role of the princess. let's take a look at this clip. >> i got one little fight and my momma got scared and said you're moving with your uncle ♪ >> show her singing. ♪ if anything i would say this cat was revving no forget it home to bel air ♪ >> wow. you guys dug through the

archives for that one. >> wow. >> that's got to be more than ten years old that video. >> i bet when they started it they didn't know you would go on for the whole theme song. >> i stopped then they said, well, keep going so, okay. well in that case -- >> their 1-800 commercial. >> ten years later i still know all the words. ♪ i whistled for a cab. nike won a long-running legal battle over its iconic michael jordan logo. >> here's the original taken in 19 4. the photographer claimed that nike violated his copyright. >> this is nike's jump man logo which was used in the marketing of billions of dollars of sneakers and merchandise. >> an appeals court said nike's version was obviously inspired by the original but the court ruled there was no wrongdoing because there are significantly different elms including the position of jordan's legs, the ball is also in a different hand. >> also michael jordan and not. >> that too. the story of a haunted house

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>> ♪ >> good morning, i'm matt o'donnell. wednesday morning. 4:27 a.m. we're following breaking news right now. it appears that a standoff in burlington county new jersey has just ended. we are live at the scene to tell you what is happening now. fire tragedy in west philadelphia claims the life of a resident. and she wants to have a child. she already has two jobs and yet she is going to the streets to ask people for money to help make her dream of becoming a mom a reality. also looking out for rain later this week. looking out for the roads to see if there are any problems early on at this hour. "action news" is next. >> ♪ northeast. two years ago the oscars so white 'stache tag brought attention to their lack of diversi diversity. >> a lot of progress but some say it's not enough.

here's abc's marci gonzalez. >> i'm here at the academy awards. otherwise known as the white people's choice awards. >> reporter: the glaring lack of racial diversity among the 2015 and 2016 academy award nominees sparking awareness and some change carrying into this year's nominations. >> for achievement in directing. >> reporter: in that category mexican director guillermo del toro considered a favorite to win. and jordan peele is nominated for directing and writing "get out." >> this kind of recognition goes bigger than me. it goes bigger than us. i had that when i was a kid. whoopi goldberg won for best supporting actress. >> reporter: nominated for best supporting actress this year octavia spencer and mary j. blige up for original song. denzel washington and daniel kaluuya nominated for best actor. among the nominees for original

screenplay, than jani and dee rees the first black woman to get an oscar nod for writing. >> cause for reflection as it's much for celebration. >> reporter: studying diversity asking the same while there has been some progress hollywood still has a long way to go. >> in 2016 out of 100 films, 25 didn't have a single african-american or black character on screen. not one that spoke. over 40 didn't feature asian-american cashes and over 50 didn't feature latino characters. we need to tell stories that represent all of humanity. >> reporter: marci gonzalez, abc news, los angeles. >> we can only hope that will make a difference that you have the likes of "black panther" which is nearing a billion dollars. that will make many of these studios say, yeah, it could make money, a black movie. as you see the dolby theatre in hollywood. >> a lot of preparation under

. >> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program with matt o'donnell, tamala edwards, karen rogers and meteorologist, david murphy. >> ♪ >> good morning everyone, it's 4:30 a.m. on this wednesday february 28th. >> we're following breaking news. gunfire this morning inside of a south jersey home leads to a standoff with police. we're live near that scene. >> flames quickly tear through a west philadelphia home killing the person inside. >> a pennsylvania basketball player's act of kindness caught on camera is inspiring millions of people. >> february about to come to a close. what is at hand with weather and traffic david and karen? >> well, a dry start. we're still tracking that rain, though. >> february going out like a lamb. march going to give us a little bit