abc's janai norman has the latest from d.c. good morning, janai. >> reporter: diane and kendis, good morning to both of you. this morning, there is still lots of confusion over how those separated children will be reunited with their parents, and over the weekend president trump taking to twitter to call the american immigration system a mockery. the ongoing battle at the border. >> we need people that can help us. we want a merit-based immigration system. we need safety at the border and we need the wall. the wall is going to happen. >> reporter: the crisis, more than 2,000 kids taken from their parents in just over a month. [ chanting ] spread out across the country unclear how they'll be reconnected. the president blaming democrats and suggesting undocumented immigrants should be immediately deported and denied due process tweeting, we cannot allow all of these people to invade our country. when somebody comes in, we must immediately with no judges or court cases bring them back from where they came. >> we need a wall. we ne

abc's janai norman has the latest now from washington. good morning, janai. >> reporter: hey, guys, good morning. that report criticizes two major decisions comey made regarding that hillary clinton email investigation including his october surprise that even clinton herself believes cost her the election. the former fbi director coming under fire again. james comey facing backlash from the blistering report by the justice department's inspector general. the 500-page report calls out comey first for his july 26th news conference criticizing hillary clinton but clearing her of any charges. >> there is evidence that they were extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive highly classified information. >> reporter: the report called the move extraordinary and insubordinate saying it violated long-standing department practice and protocol. it also criticizes comey's october surprise announcing the clinton probe was re-opened just 11 days before the election only to later announce no new findings. >> i always thought it would be close

victor and diane. >> janai norman for us in d.c., thank you, janai. >>> california, nevada and arizona are under extreme heat warnings today. those conditions are fueling several fires. one near carson city, nevada, has forced some evacuations and in neighboring utah, eight homes have been destroyed in moab. a fire also threatened homes near beverly hills. officials say that one was started by a landscaper's weed whacker. now let's take a look at the forecast for this wednesday. >>> good morning. bud, a category 1, creating rough seas and rip currents over the warm water will drop in strength as he moves over cooler water but will bring an impact throughout the southwest by friday going into saturday, but the problem is right now the heat is building throughout the desert southwest keeping it dry, keeping it very warm throughout the south central part of the country as well. isolated thunderstorms throughout the lower mississippi valley region and we'll stay hot in the center part of the country as we go into the latter portion of the workweek. i'm accuweather meteorologist paul willia

diane and kendis. >> all right, interesting, janai norman from d.c., thanks, janai. >>> the adult film star stormy daniels has filed a lawsuit against her former attorney accusing him of secretly colluding with president trump's lawyer, michael cohen. daniels claims keith davidson was a puppet for the president conspiring with cohen to get her to appear on fox news and deny an affair with trump. the interview never tack place but her current attorney says there are text messages that prove there was an exchange between davidson and cohen as they tried to schedule that fox interview. >>> a justice department watchdog is criticizing former fbi director james comey saying he defied authority when he was running the bureau. now, that's according to the draft of an upcoming report from the inspector general that criticized comey's decision to announce the re-opening of the hillary clinton e-mail investigation 11 days before the election. sources say the draft also reveals a senior justice department official had urged comey not to make that announcement saying it would violate policy. the d

abc's janai norman has the latest for us. good morning, janai. >> reporter: guys, good morning. this is a series of interesting claims we're hearing from president trump's legal team and they seem to almost preempt any conclusion the special counsel may reach throughout the investigation. president trump's legal team is making the case -- >> can you not indict a sitting president. >> reporter: lead attorney rudy giuliani with a shocking suggestion and hair-raising hypothetical telling "the huffington post" in no case can he be subpoenaed or indicted. if he shot james comey, he'd be impeached the next day. impeach him and then you can do whatever you want to do to him. in making the claim that even if the president were found guilty of a crime, he has the power to pardon. >> do you and the president's attorneys believe the president has the power to pardon himself? >> he's not but he probably does. >> reporter: but giuliani says the political ramifications would be too great for the president to pardon himself. all this as president trump's legal team responds to a 20-page leaked

abc's janai norman has the latest from washington. good morning, janai. >> reporter: guys, good morning and happy friday. so with growing concerns of a trade war, tensions are already high between the u.s. and close allies and now at least one is threatening to isolate the u.s. trump versus trudeau. >> i don't think, you know, descending into insults is right for the way canada engages with the world. >> reporter: it's not uncommon for the president to call out enemies on twitter, but it's not every day he's criticizing the leader of one of our closest allies by name writing prime minister trudeau is being so indignant bringing up the relationship that the u.s. and canada had over the many years and all sorts of things but he doesn't bring up the fact that they charge us up to 300% on dairy hurting our farmers, killing our agriculture. the diplomatic spat between leaders of neighboring countries heating up merely hours before meeting face-to-face. leaders of the group of seven risch nations or the g7 already anticipated to clash over

abc's janai norman has new details from washington. good morning, janai. >> reporter: diane, good morning. lawmakers are questioning whether president trump gave up too much in exchange for too little. his meeting with kimong-un wrapped up without any specific details about when north korea would destroy its nukes. the secretary of state is setting the record straight. >> we believe that chairman kim jong-un understands the urgency of the timing of completing this denuclearization. >> reporter: mike pompeo was pushing back on reports by north korean state media that kim jong-un and president trump agreed to a step-by-step process of denuclearization in exchange for sanction relief. >> the sanctions relief cannot take place until such time as we have demonstrated that north korea has been completely denuclearized. >> reporter: the agreement was signed by the two leaders without detailing when or how the north would denuclearize but president trump still conceding to end military exercises with south korea. >> this is not the art of the

abc's janai norman is joining us from washington. janai, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. so, a number of players had been backing out of this ceremony over the president's comments about nfl players and the national anthem. so as he's done before when players didn't plan to attend, the president disinvited the whole team. instead of being stood up, president trump is backing out. he disinvited the philadelphia eagles from visiting the white house today after reports fewer than ten players planned to attend the ceremony celebrating their super bowl victory. >> just to cancel it all i think was unfair, unjust. >> reporter: the president tweeting, unfortunately only a small number of players decided to come, and we canceled the event. staying in the locker room for the playing of our national anthem is as disrespectful to our country as kneeling. sorry. former eagles wide receiver torrey smith who was on the winning team last season tweeted it's a cowardly act to cancel the celebration because the majority of the people don't want to see you. to make it about the anthem was

abc's janai norman has the latest from there, from d.c.d morning, janai. >> reporter: kendis, good morning. it was a very big day. the biggest primary day of the year as you said and democrats especially are keeping a close eye on the outcomes in california as those could have big implications for the midterm elections. the stakes are high and the competition stiff. >> if democrats are going to take back the house, they need to see the blue wave start right here in california. >> reporter: on tuesday voters picked nominees for senate seats, governor and a number of key congressional races that could determine whether democrats regain control of the house come november. at the center of the action is california. the state's jungle primary system allows the top two candidates to advance to november regardless of party creating a unique challenge for the 47 candidates running across three battleground districts. >> that means if you have ten good democrats and only two solid republicans, the democrats eat their own vote away, and you're stuck

in annapolis, maryland, janai norman, abc7 news. >> janai, thank you very much. a gofundme site is raising money to pay for family expenses. and sadly funerals. staff will be consulted before any money is spent. find a lichk on our website, abc7news.com. >> happening now, a grass fire broke out along the benicia vallejo border tonight shutting down all lanes of 580. lisa is live with the very latest. lisa? >> reporter: kristen, right now eastbound lanes are open so traffic is moving normally, but as you can see behind me, westbound, fire trucks are still in the roadways. that means one lane is still closed. >>> fire crews rushed to benicia state park where a fire started in a eucalyptus grove and burned fast. it burned 7 acres before reaching eastbound interstate 780. the wind carried the fire to the median and then across all westbound lanes and burned another acre nearby. benicia fire called for back up which arrived from five different agencies. travis air force base brought in water because water was nowhere near this fire which was starting to threaten struc

. >> here's janay norman with today's new developments. >> reporter: president trump rallying his base in minnesota firm in his stance on immigration. >> democrats don't care about the impact of uncontrolled migration. >> reporter: earlier today with the stroke of a pen doing exactly what he said he couldn't do. >> we're signing an executive order. we're going to keep the families together. >> reporter: a complete 180 from just five days before. >> wait, wait, you can't do it through an executive order. >> reporter: contradicting the administration's previous insistence. >> congress alone can fix it. >> reporter: the president signing the executive order making changes to his own zero tolerance immigration policy 75 days after the crack down began. facing bipartisan backlash over the sound and images of migrant children in cages. and news of babies held in facilities called tender age shelters. >> you're really, really pathetically weak, the country's going to be overrun with mill yobz of people. if you're strong, then you don't have any heart. >> reporter: the order ending the policy

. >> democrats and republicans are calling for an end to this white house abc news reporter janai norman is in washington. >> reporter: a little girl, one of some 2000 kids separated from their parents, undocumented immigrants seeking asylum arrested, detained in cages behind metal fences. a recording first obtained by pro publica captures the desperation. >> the president should not be using these kids as leverage to get a border wall or whatever he's trying to do. it's obscene. >> reporter: the president is standing firm. >> the united states will not be a migrant camp and it will not be a refugee holding facility. won't be. >> reporter: falsely blaming democrats, yet defending his own policy. a policy the president himself could end as it was launched and is enforced by his administration. >> what exactly image of this country you want? >> the image is an immigration system that secures our borders and up holds our humanitarian ideals. congress needs to fix it. >> reporter: among the growing opposition, all four living former first ladies, roselyn carter, hillary clinton joining laura

abc's janai norman has the details from d.c. good morning. >> reporter: guys, good morning to both of you. so, president trump was in south carolina last night campaigning for a governor candidate there, but this was more like a campaign event for himself, and he used the immigration uproar to rally his own supporters. president trump stumping in south carolina and taking on the american immigration system he previously called a mockery. >> so, if a person comes into our country, steps one foot, they take their name, they bring them to court, then then release them, they go into the country. you never see them again. it's the craziest thing i've ever seen. >> reporter: one day after suggesting undocumented immigrants should be denied due process tweeting, we cannot allow all of these people to invade our country. when somebody comes in, we must immediately with no judges or court cases bring them back from where they came. in a fiery speech, defending what critics have deemed as illegal and unconstitutional. >> i don't want judg

janai norman, abc news, annapolis, maryland. >>> a man who says he works at the "capitol gazette" sent this tweet out. i can tell you this, we are putting out a damn paper tomorrow. >>> next, a look at newly-released video of a suspect's car. >>> and an ucla study finds evidence of racism among ridesharing. the research and reactions are coming up at 6:30. >>> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel, parts of the bay area facing critica >>> breaking news. jahi mcmath who was declared brain dead from complications from a surgery five years ago has been declared dead. her parents fought to keep her on a feeding tube. they found treatment for her in new jersey. she was 18 years old. >>> a warning from cal trans and drivers, you may experience traffic delays and hear the sound of gunfire along highway 4 because crews are testing a new shot spotter system, part of a larger effort to curb gun violence on freeways. >> this is going to help us deter any future gun violence. >> reporter: the highway patrol will be closing stretches of highway 4 to test shot spotter technology. it's being installed alon

abc's janai norman has more. >> we ask that you join us now in observing a reflective moment of silence. >> candlelight vigils in annapolis honoring the five victims who went to work thursday but never made it home at the "capital gazette." the faces of those victims on the front page of the gazette, staff resilient, determined to cover the story involving their own. >> several shots have been fired. >> the suspect, jerald ramos, behind bars without bond. prosecutors saying he planned the attack, armed with a 12 gauge shotgun, barricading the back door to the news room. >> there was one victim that had attempted to escape through the back door and was shot. >> the focus now for so many on those victims. wen did i winters, a special publication editor who described herself as a proud navy money. gerald fischman worked for the gazette for over 25 years as did john mcnamara. sales associate rebecca smith had just started at the paper and columnist and assistant director rob haasen remembered by many as a mentor. >> honoring those five victims who this time were coworkers and friends. janai

abc news reporter janai norman has more. >> we ask that you join us now in obseving a reflective moment of silence. >> candlelight vigils in annapolis honoring the five victims who went to work thursday but never made it home at the "capital gazette." the faces of those victims on the front page of the gazette, staff resilient, determined to cover the story involving their own. >> several shots have been fired. the suspect, jared ramos, behind bars without bond. prosecutors saying he planned the attack, armed with a 12 gauge shotgun, barricading the back door to the news room. >> there was one victim that had attempted to escape through the back door and was shot. >> the focus now for so many on those victims. wendi winters, a special publication editor who described herself as a proud navy money. gerald fischman worked for the gazette for over 25 years as did john mcnamara. sales associate rebecca smith had just started at the paper and edz toeditor and columnist b hiaasen remembered by many as a mentor. >> honoring those five victims who this time were coworkers and friends. janai nor

abc's janay norman is in washington. >> reporte reporter: the ongoin at the border. >> we need people that can help us. we want a merit-based immigration system. we need safety at the border. we need the wall. the wall is going to happen. >> reporter: the crisis, more than 2,000 kids taken from their parents in just over a month. spread out across the country, unclear how they'll be reconnected. the president blaming democrats and suggesting undocumented immigrants should be immediately deported and denied due process. tweeting, we cannot allow all these people to en vaed our country. when somebody comes in, we must immediately with no judges or court cases bring them back from where they came. the department of homeland security now saying more than 500 children are already back with their parents, but still over 2,000 remain separated. as the immigration debate reaches a flash point, the pentagon is agreeing to build temporary migrant camps on two unspecified u.s. military bases. in washington, lawmakers are facing an uphill battle as they're set to vote on immigration reform. >> co

here is janai norman with more. >> reporter: the first lady's trip to a texas shelter for migrant children, wanting to see for herself how those children are being treated. >> and i'd also like to ask you how i can help to these children to reunite with their families as quickly as possible. >> reporter: during her two hours in texas, the first lady asking workers at the facility numerous questions. >> those children, how many times they speak with their relatives, their families per week for example? >> well, the children are allowed to communicate with their family twice a week. they get a ten-minute phone call. >> reporter: her visit meant to send a message of compassion. but photos of the first lady wearing a $39 zara jacket with the words on the back "i really don't care, do you", mrs. trump fully aware of the cameras, the eyes of the world watching, but as if to prove a point, she wore it again after she landed back in washington. her spokeswoman saying it's a jacket, there's no hidden message. after today's important visit to texas, i hope this isn't what the media is going to choos

gentleman any janai norman has more. >> reporter: sweeping changes could be coming to the supreme courty kennedy announcing his retirement after three decades on the nation's highest court. >> he felt confident in me to make the right choice and carry on his great legacy. we have to pick one that's going to be there for 40 years, 45 years. >> reporter: a conservative not afraid to side with liberals, serving as a key vote on monumental decisions, he co-authored the key opinion on roe versus wade. upheld of a nirm affirmative action. and he championed the civil rights of gay and lesbian americans. in his 2015 ruling, kennedy wrote, they ask for equal dignity in the eyes of the law. the constitution grants them that right. replacing him is bound to be a battle in the senate where republicans have a one-seat majority, hoping to confirm a nominee before midterms. >> it's imperative that the president's nominee be considered fairly and not subjected to personal attacks. >> reporter: but it was mcconnell who blocked a vote on president obama's nominee, merrick garland, until after the 2016 el

. >> we begin with janai norman. >> reporter: good morning.ts against the "capital gazette" as early as thursday. he was armed with a shotgun when he showed up and opened fire in the newsroom, killing five people, all who worked for the newspaper. gunman opening fire inside the newsroom. >> several shots have been fired. possible shotgun. at least ten shots heard. >> reporter: multiple law enforcement agencies rushing to the scene. police there within 60 seconds of the first calls for help. >> all units limit your transmissions. do we have any kind of intel on our shooter? >> white male with ponytail. >> reporter: phil davis, a reporter for the newspaper on twitter with chilling descriptions of his newsroom turned shooting scene. tweeting gunman shot through the glass door to the office. don't want to declare anyone dead but it's bad and writing there is nothing more terrifying than hearing multiple people get shot while you're under your desk and then hear the gunman reload. >> first victim's name is wendi winters. second victim is rebecca sm

this is his policy he could change. >> janai norman where it's been a busy 24 hours. agents come into contact with. >> marcus moore is in texas. they came into contact with what's called a stash house. >> reporter: we are in laredo, texas where they have apprehended eight men they say are a larger group of people seen crossing into the u.s. from mexico and they have canvassing the neighborhood, looking for other people they say crossing illegally, and you may be able to hear that helicopter. that's a national guard helicopter helping them in this search. we spent the entire day with u.s. border patrol agents as they work along the u.s./mexico border. this part of the border is incredibly active with people, migrants trying to bring their families here and also drug traffickers, trying to move narcotics into the u.s. and so this is a very active area, and this is just an example, just a glimpse of what they deal with from day to day. in addition to that, we saw them when they raided a suspected stash house. they found seven men they say were from mexico who had just cr

janai norman has more. >> reporter: president trump rallying his base in minnesota.nce on immigration. >> democrats don't care about the impact of uncontrolled migration. >> reporter: earlier, with the stroke of a pen, doing exactly what he said he couldn't do. >> we're signing an executive order. we're going to keep the families together. >> reporter: a complete 180 from just five days before. >> wait, wait, you can't do it through executive order. >> reporter: contradicting the administration's previous insistence. >> congress alone can fix it. >> reporter: the president signing the executive order, making changes to his own zero tolerance policy. he received bipartisan backlash over the sound and images of children held in cages and babies held in facilities called tender age shelters. >> if you're really, really pathetically weak, the country's going to be overrun with millions of people. and if you're strong then you don't have any heart. >> reporter: the executive order ending the policy of separating migrant families at the border. but the zero tolerance polic