making news in america this morning, new turmoil at the white house. the president's longest serving adviser, hope hicks, resigns one day after reportedly admitting she told white lies for the president. we have new details about her exit. overnight, senior adviser jared kushner back in the spotlight for loans his business may have received. and attorney general jeff sessions fights back after another presidential insult seen here gathering with his top deputies at the justice department. we have the latest from washington. president trump shocks members of his own party with his comments on gun control. >> take the guns first, go through due process second. >> what the nra is now saying this morning. plus, walmart taking new action on gun sales and we take you to the church holding a gun commitment ceremony. also this morning, weight

loss fraud. the $250 million scam agents say they've uncovered and the famous surgeons at the center of it. plus, the new problem at kentucky fried chicken. no gravy. a good thursday morning to you all. we begin with the new turmoil in the white house. one of president trump's most loyal aides is resighing. >> the unexpected exit of communications director hope hicks is the latest in a long list of departures from the administration. you see the names there. well, this as senior adviser jared kushner is once again under fire because of loans his business reportedly received. abc's tara palmeri is following several angles from d.c., good morning, tara. >> reporter: good morning. she is the aide who knows president trump best and her resignation is another blow to the morale in the white house.

less than 4 hours after testifying on capitol hill about the russia probe hope hicks resigned. the white house said it's just a coincidence stepping down after admitting during a nine-hour testimony she often tells white lies for the president. at 29 she's one of his closest aides but rarely heard and works behind the scenes to calm the president and craft his image. >> now, hope hicks is a tremendously talented person. she started off with us right from day one. >> reporter: as the fourth communications director to step down, she adds to the growing list of aides who have resigned in little more than a year. in a tearful good-bye to her colleagues she says she's done with washington. hicks faced criticism for helping to craft a statement in support of rob porter when he faced domestic abuse allegations despite beast romantically involved with him and involved in writing a misleading statement about don junior's

meeting with the russians at trump tower and jared kushner is back in the spotlight after losing his top security clearance this week. he had been usen an interim one while the fbi reviewed his complicated financial dealings and contacts with foreigners. overnight "the new york times" reporting that kushner company secured multimillion dollar loans with banks. his spokesperson denied he had a role in securing these loans. unlike many of the other white house staffers, hope hicks is like family to the president. she started working for the family before the campaign on ivanka trump's jewelry line. now her resignation comes at a very difficult time for the white house as they're trying to build morale. reporting from washington, back to you, diane and kendis. >> tara palmeri, thank you. attorney general jeff sessions is fighting back after being publicly criticized once again by president trump. the president tweeted at sessions' handling of surveillance abuse allegations that the fbi has been, quote, disgraceful. sessions then released a statement defending himself

saying as long as i am attorney general i will continue to discharge my duties with inte integrity and honor. these pictures lead to speculation there was a show of solidarity. robert mueller is looking into whether the president tried to fire sessions last summer and whether that could be part of a pattern of attempted obstruction of justice. one source tells "the post," the president privately referred to sessions as the cartoon character mr. magoo. the other big news this morning is the reaction coming in from across the country to president trump's latest comments on gun control. >> yeah, the nra wasted no time fighting back against something the president said about assault-style rifles. president trump shocking lawmakers in this bipartisan meeting calling for wide-ranging gun control measures. >> you're afraid of the nra, right?

>> reporter: the president taking positions that put him at odds with the nra and republicans. he seemed to embrace connecticut democrat chris murphy's call for background checks for all gun purchases. >> we can't get a gun. there's nothing else like that where it works, people want it and we can't do it. >> you have a different president now. >> listen -- >> you went through a lot of presidents and didn't get it done. you have a different president and different attitude. >> reporter: the president disagreeing with his own vice president saying in some cases law enforcement should take weapons from someone identified as a possible threat even if it violates due process rights. >> allow due process so no one's rights are trampled but the ability to go to court and collect not only firearms but any weapons in the possession. >> or take the firearms and then go to court. a lot of times by the time you go to court it takes so long to go to court to get the due process procedures, i like

taking them early. >> reporter: the nra quickly reacting to that strongly disagreeing with the president. >> the nra is going to protect due process, an approach we are going to hold to. due process must be respected. >> reporter: trump bringing up another idea that the nra firmly opposes raising the minimum age to buy assault-style rifles like the ar-15 used in the parkland shooting. >> i will give serious thought to it. it doesn't have to make sense i have to wait till 21 to get a handgun but can get this weapon at 18. >> the people affected, it's not the 19-year-old gangbanger in chicago and it is not the people who are mentally unfit and dangerous to themselves and other, the people that it's going to affect are the 19-year-old law-abuying american who wants to go and deer hunt or the person who maybe wants to do a gun competition. >> reporter: this comes as two major retailers announce new restrictions on gun sales.

walmart says it will stop gun and ammunition sales to anyone under 21 and dick's sporting goods says it'll no longer sell assault-style rife answer also ban the sale of all guns to anyone under 21. but near scranton, pennsylvania, a very different sentiment. worshippers gathering at this church clutching their ar-15s drinking holy wine and blessing their weapons in what's called a commitment ceremony celebrating the second amendment. >> going to express our gratitude for the second amendment and we can protect ourselves. >> okay, so there's another image that got our attention, this one from the white house that shows california senator dianne feinstein right there celebrating when the president appeared to support her ban on assault-style rifles, whether his support will continue or lead to any changes is anyone's guess. today the white house is outlining ten priorities to tackle the issue that include arming certain teachers performing the fbi -- reforming the fbi and expanding access to

mental health programs. the weather is making news headlines this morning. much of the northeast is bracing for a powerful coastal storm tomorrow but first people from texas to kentucky are getting hit with more rain and more potential flooding. chicago could see snow for the morning commute and northern california is gearing up for the biggest storm yet and now let's take a closer look at your forecast for this thursday. good morning, the nasty nor'easter cranked up yesterday t continuing today creating 18 inches of snow locally and heavy downpours throughout the northeast and in the southeast along i-85 for raleigh, charlotte, down towards atlanta with isolated flooding and damaging winds and then to the west, right along the california and nevada line, four to eight feet of snow above 6,000 feet. significant problems and rain there, as well. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul williams.

coming up, the perfume some are calling genius. the price tag, just ahead. first a warning for women who use car services like lyft and uber after police arrest a suspected rapist. the unusual object that tore a hole through a roof

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we're back to show you a demolition job that went off without a hitch. two giant coal smokestakes on the canadian side of lake erie came crashing down. ontario stopped using coal for power generation four years ago. no buses to block the view either. >> we got a clear one. police reminding people who use apps like uber and lyft to

be on alert after they arrested an alleged rapist. this man would reportedly drive up to women who appeared drunk and then ask if they had ordered a ride. if convicted he faces up to 300 years in prison. police are urging riders to confirm the license plate before you get into any car. federal immigration agents are blasting the mayor of oakland for warning residents about planned immigration sweeps. i.c.e. agents arrested more than 150 people in the country illegally. this week alone. many of whom they say had prior convictions for assault and crimes against children. still i.c.e. says more than 00 criminals eluded capture because of the mayor's warning. the justice department is now looking into possible obstruction of justice charges against her. the teachers strike in west virginia may not be settled after all. schools were supposed to re-open today after a deal was announced to give teachers a 5% raise but last night, the announcement came that all public schools

will be closed today with some teachers saying the pay deal isn't good enough. >> it'll be the sixth day. a new perfume is about to hit the market but you can smell like albert einstein. it'll cost you, though. one of his leather jacks was bought by levi's two years ago and they say it still had einstein's smell on it. so they've had that smell re-created in a perfume. they say it has hints of pipe tobacco and other aromas. a bottle comes with a new levi's jack and costs $1200. >> does it come with a new i.q. or s.a.t. store? >> no, you don't become a genius just by using i. when we come back a $250 million weight loss scam. the new allegations in just this morning. also ahead, ryan seacrest responding to sexual harassment accusations and what it could mean for his role at the oscars. 12 patients involved in a rare organ transplant meet for the first time. whoa... (on baby monitor) we've got a situation here.

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the world's largest music streaming service will soon begin trading on the new york stock exchange. 71 million paying subscribers spotify estimated to be at $19 billion but still hasn't turned a profit. last year they lost $1.5 billion. the fate of a bus driver blamed for the deaths of six children in tennessee is now in the hands of a jury. christopher walken took the stand in his own defense. he denied being on the phone at the time of the crash. he testified that another bus had drifted into his lane and he had to veer off the road to avoid it. >> i'm thinking, you know, either there's going to be a collision or i can get out of the way so i chose to get out of the way. >> now, walker also disputed claims that he was driving 20 miles per hour over the speed limit there in chattanooga. two famous weight loss surgeons in beverly hills charged in a fraud scheme.

the doctors behind 1-800-get-thin who performed lap band operations are accused of falsifying exams to justify surgeries and cheat insurance companies and patients out of $250 million. the federal investigation took more than five years and five reported deaths at clinics affiliated with the doctors have led to separate lawsuits. now to the sexual harassment allegations against ryan seacrest. he continues to deny the claims made by a former stylist. but he's hosting the oscar red carpet show for the e! network and in light of me too and time's up movements some publicists are considering steering their clients away from doing an interview with e! on the red carpet. earlier he issued a statement saying he was recused of any wrongdoing. the network said it found insufficient evidence in this particular case. the ceo of the olympic committee has resigned citing health problems. scott blackman has been facing

criticism for weeks for his handling of the whole larry nassar sexual abuse scandal. well, many of nassar's victims blame the olympic committee for waiting too long to address them. they announced a series of initiatives to protect athletes from abuse. a life raft made a crash landing through the roof of a house in miami. the uninflated raft fell off the top of a military helicopter crashing into the bedroom. the woman sleeping inside suffered some minor injuries. her landlord says it's a pretty shocking way to wake up. >> and i heard the impact, boom, big impact. and i heard her screaming. i thought something wrong. i said, i went by and she said, look, take a look. >> look, take a look. >> the helicopter had just finished a training mission, investigators are trying to figure out how that raft came loose. >> luckily it wasn't worse. the buzz out of hollywood this morning is all about the next wonder woman movie. reports say kristen wiig is the

top choice to play the villain. it is set to take place in the cold war during the '80s. her first role in a comic book superhero movie. up next in "the pulse," first the chicken, now kfc is running out of something else. the man who too much to drink and ended up taking a very expensive uber ride. plus, where some employees are taking part in mandatory workouts at work. hi, i'm bob harper, and i recently had a heart attack. it changed my life. but i'm a survivor. after my heart attack, my doctor prescribed brilinta. it's for people who have been hospitalized for a heart attack. brilinta is taken with a low-dose aspirin. no more than 100 milligrams as it affects how well brilinta works. brilinta helps keep platelets from sticking together and forming a clot. in a clinical study, brilinta worked better than plavix. brilinta reduced the chance of having another heart attack...

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getting over a whole chicken supply shortage that forced hundreds of restaurants to close. and now the problem is no gravy. >> yep. kfc is blaming its current gravy shortage on distribution challenges with its new delivery partner. now, the lack of gravy has now forced many kfcs to offer a limited menu. >> at least they got the chicken. >> yeah, exactly. >> there you go. >> might be a little dry. >> it's not kfg. there's unusual victims, you might say, of a social media crackdown in china. >> the censorship comes after they abolished term limits allowing the president to stay in office. here are some of the words and phrase that is were banned from china's version of twitter. 10,000 years. that's china's way of saying long live. >> also banned, disagree, lifelong and shameless. >> huh, and the government is also pulling these pictures that compare the president to winnie the pooh.

he's often been compared to the cartoon character by critics. i could see the resemblance. >> i guess he doesn't like that comparison. >> yep. but now they're saying he can stay on forever and saying the whole china -- one china policy refers to just one leader policy. it's a joke. here at home uber passenger pegged a high price for nodding off on the way home. >> kenny bachmann was drinking with friends when this happened. >> he blacked out in the uber and woke up two hours later still in the car halfway back home towards his home where his parents are in new jersey. that trip ended up costing him more than $1600. >> whoops. >> he tried to contest it but uber is like, oop, that's what's in there. >> here's the map. at least he got home safe. if you're dragging your feet getting to the gym you could lose your job if you work in sweden. >> okay. ♪

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>> good morning, everyone, i'm matt o'donnell, it is thursday, first day of march. south jersey school district has introduced to have armed guards in schools. new this morning a bucks county realtor is heading to jail after scamming hundreds of thousands of dollars from her clients. a coastal storm is heading our way, meteorologist david murphy is tracking its path, rain and high winds and snow it will bring. yes, march coming in as a lion, those stories next on "action news." of the west, southern california will be wet. there's some snow in the great

lakes and northern new england and heavy rain from louisiana up to massachusetts tomorrow. finally from us this half hour some emotional meetings in chicago. >> 12 people all involved in a major kidney donation transplant swap and now they've all met for the first time. >> reporter: here's megan hickey of our chicago station. >> reporter: 19-year-old phillip comeli wanted to give his friend the life-saving gift of a kidney but unfortunately he wasn't a match. >> we've gotten many calls but always been turned down. it's always been no. >> reporter: tough news for 21-year-old flaherty waiting for six years on kidney dialysis until he and his family got the call they'd been dreaming of. >> for this to be happening now is amazing and a lot of words i wish could come out. >> reporter: kimberly cooper, a complete stranger was a match. and in return phillip was paired with a match of his own, 59-year-old clotilde ruiz and

the chain continued from there. >> i didn't know it was going to be this large but amen to that. >> reporter: with the help of a computer algorithm, three sets of friend, aunt, uncle and second cousins not matches for their loved one found out they were matches for other patients in the pool. >> i think it speaks to the power of living donation that it can really create access to transplant that could otherwise be difficult. >> reporter: the six pairs went through hours of simultaneous surgeries late last week and six healthy patients met their angel donors. >> looking at her and just holding her hand it was remarkable to think my kidney in inside of her and i hope she takes it and runs with it. >> reporter: donors like cooper say they don't receive an award but hope it inspires others to donate too. >> to know you're going to be saving a life, you don't need a cape for that. >> amazing what a reaction they

all set >> good morning it is 4:30 a.m., thursday, march 1. >> breaking this morning a fire injuries two people and damaged damages homes in south jersey. a local police department hans to have retired officers serve as armed guards at schools. a coast storm brings snow, rains, powerful winds and a lion to start the month of march. >> let's fiend out about the roar with david murphy and karen rogers has traffic. >> reporter: we are talking