stephanie ramos. abc news, charlottesville, virginia. 113-year tradition continued today in norristown. local italian americans played tribute to our lady of perpet/x04 can annual health believed to have ended a plague that hit sicily more than 500 years ago. included a special mass at holy savior church and a procession throughout streets and plenty of food, music and fun. >>> fire fighters in lower marion hit the streets this morning out collecting donations to support the muscular dystrophy association. it's a cause championed by the international association of fire fighters for more than 60 years now. to date the union has raised more than $585 million for the mda. >>> the new hope autoshow returned to bucks county this weekend. dozens of perfectly polished and well-maintained classic cars on dismay at new hope high school. this year, along with showing off their wheels, organizers raised money for scholarships and for the fox chase cancer center. >>> and tonight, the jazz on the avenue music fest had a lot of people dancing in the

some mixed messages there. >> stephanie ramos following these massive demonstrations. stephanie, thank you. >>> next to another major story we have been following, a second police officer has just died after a shooting in florida. officer matthew baxter on the left, killed last night, and sergeant richard "sam" howard. suk quming to his wounds last this afternoon. the suspect in that case is now under arrest. and there were four more officers shot in two other incidents in florida and pennsylvania. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, police in central florida in mourning as they investigate what led to the violent deaths of two officers. >> a regional two trauma alert. >> reporter: kissimmee officer matthew baxter, a father of four, the first on the scene, checking out a suspicious persons call in an area known for drug activity. sergeant richard "sam" howard responding to baxter's call. a suspect opened fire and both officers were gunned down. baxter dying friday night, howard succumbed to his injuries saturday. the chief calling them the epitome of what

stephanie ramos has more. >> dueling protests making for an intense day on the streets of boston with police working desperately to not have their city turn into a repeat of what happened in charlottesville. nearly 40,000 people converging across the city to try and stop this much smaller free speech rally. many feared white nationalists would show up despite denials from the organizers. the rally featured would you please peaker from the so-called alt-right movement started at noon on the bus. things grew tense and at times violent as the group was leaving. this man chafed out of the park running towards police as crowds chant. police rushing in with batons and make sure shift. >> that' to fight bigot and hate for the most part here today. >> when the president sent out his first tweet when he you would condemning bigotry and hate. stephanie ramos, abc news, boston. >>> there were no confrontations in mountain view where people gathered in support of diversity and equality. organizers postponed aral in support of a fired engineer because of what they called terrorist threats, but sti

stephanie ramos, abc news, washington. >>> they are riding for a cause. the journey of a group of bay area firefighters are going on to help kids in need. >>> plus -- ♪ if your love's so strong ♪ i don't want you ♪ reason why >> giving it the best they got. meet some bay area people trying out for the return of "american idol." >>> and i'm meteorologist drew tuma. right now we is clear skies. the clouds will come back for us tomorrow morning. another look >>> "american idol" is coming back and you could be its next star. the show held auditions in the bay area. lisa harrington talked to people going for a golden ticket ♪ you want to swing from the chandelier ♪ ♪ i hold you closer to my chest ♪ ♪ space baby >> reporter: could one of these young singers be the next superstar? thousands of people all chasing the same dream packed london square sunday. the line for "american idol" open audition stretched down the street and around the block. >> getting to have this opportunity is once in a lifetime for anybody here. ♪ he got >> reporter: sky was one of the fi

abc news reporter stephanie ramos is in boston tonight. >> a sea of people and police in boston. a line of protesters there to march against hate and racism stretching two miles long. the crowds descending on boston common one week after the violence in charlottesville. that's where one woman died and dozens more injured after a car plowed into a crowd of demonstrators allegedly driven by a white nationalist. >> after last saturday i cannot be silent anymore. >> i like what i saw. this is democracy. this is what we're supposed to be doing. >> in boston an estimated 40,000 people showed up protesting a free speech event that included speakers with ties to extremist views. security was tight. no weapons allowed. roads blocked. but the rally broke up early avoiding the violent confrontation seen in other parts of the country. >> that's what we were hoping for, an overwhelming crowd of peaceful people. free speech but not hate speech. >> i was glad to see the crowd was very small. >> counter protesters here in boston only seen in some small scuffles with police. the debate over racis

stephanie ramos, abc news, washington. >>> they are riding for a cause. the journey of a group of bay area firefighters are going on to help kids in need. >>> plus -- ♪ if your love's so strong ♪ i don't want you ♪ reason why >> giving it the best they got. meet some bay area people trying out for the return of "american idol." >>> and i'm meteorologist drew tuma. right now we is clear skies. the clouds will come back for us tomorrow morning. another (woman) there's a moment of truth.etes, and now with victoza®, a better moment of proof. victoza® lowers my a1c and blood sugar better than the leading branded pill, which didn't get me to my goal. lowers my a1c better than the leading branded injectable. the one i used to take. victoza® lowers blood sugar in three ways. and while it isn't for weight loss, victoza® may help you lose some weight. non-insulin victoza® comes in a pen and is taken once a day. (announcer) victoza® is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes and is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. do no

smart.s >> and stephanie ramos joins us live now from boston. stephanie, the president sending out several tweets throughout the day on the situation there in boston. >> reporter: that's right. when the president sent out his first tweet, when he called the protesters here in boston anti-police agitators. that's when boston mayor responded, today, the city stood for peace and love. the president tweeted again with a different tone protesting a more unifying tone. some mixed messages there. >> stephanie, thank you. >>> next to another major story we have been following. a second police officer has just died after a shooting in florida. officer matthew baxter on the left, killed last night, and sergeant richard "sam" howard. the suspect in that case is now under arrest. and there were four more officers shot in two other incidents in florida and pennsylvania. here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, police in central florida in mourning as they investigate what led to the violent deaths of two officers. >> a regional two trauma alert. >>

abc's stephanie ramos in salisbury, maryland tonight. >> reporter: tonight, torrential storms inundating the houston area the morning commute bombarded by up to 8 inches of rain. drivers abandoning their cars, a father and his two sons stuck in this suv. people nearby pushing and pulling the family to safety. >> gotta help him out. you see a guy stranded with his kids, go get him outta there. >> reporter: dangerous weather now extending across the gulf to the east coast. where an ef-1 tornado winds up to 105 miles per hour struck salisbury, maryland monday. terrifying surveillance video showing debris landing in a parking lot. a car going airborne and another vehicle tumbling into the street. the twister, at times more than a football field wide. the front porch sheared off this house. residents say it all happened so fast. >> i mean we didn't have time to form an emotion. there was no time for fear, there was no time for anything. >> reporter: david, the national weather service says there were no significant injuries reported, but that ef-1 tornado that destroyed this building behind m

stephanie ramos now from the scene of the car ramming. virginia governor has asked that the white nationalists go home and stay out of here. >> reporter: that's right, tom. we have not seen any organized groups. it seems most people have heeded that warning from the governor. so many people gathering here to where the car rammed into those people. this is where there to there is a growing makeshift memorial. people leaving candles, balloons to honor those who lost their life. >> stechny, thank you. >>> let's turn now to the president facing backlash for his response to all the violence, refusing to specifically condemn the hatred. indiana stead chasing many, many sides. and a white house official clarpfying the president's statement using words he have has yet to say in public. >> reporter: today the white house struggled to stem the outrage over president trump's equivocal response to charlottesville. >> we condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides. on many sides. >> repo

abc's stephanie ramos starts us off. >> reporter: tonight, that desperate search for three marines missing at sea. u.s. military aircraft and boats scouring the water off the east coast of australia. the marine unit was on board an osprey for a routine practice flight when it hit the water, the crash happening at 4:00 p.m. local time. crews managing to rescue 23 of the 26 marines. >> the fact that 23 of the 26 personnel have already been recovered tells me the that initial impact to the water was controlled enough that obviously they were able to survive. >> reporter: the osprey belongs to a unit based out of okinawa, japan, which had just wrapped exercises with the australian military. tonight, with that search for the missing marines now going on for more than 16 hours, new scrutiny on the osprey and its spotty safety record. the aircraft is a hybrid, it flies like an airplane, but lands like a helicopter. >> there are so many things that can occur in that landing phase. the bottom line is landing an aircraft aboard a ship is very demanding. >> reporter: in january, three u.s. soldiers w

stephanie ramos now from the scene of the car ramming. virginia governor has asked that the white nationalists go home and stay out of here. are they listening to him? >> reporter: it seems arizona they are, tom. we have ent seen anything organized groups here in charlottesville. for the moment, people are heeding the warning from the governor. so many people coming here to where the car rammed into the people. this is where there is a growing makeshift memorial. people stopping by, singing to honor those who lost their lives. tom? >> we just saw someone put flowers behind you. thanks so much. >>> let's turn now to the president facing backlash for his response to all the violence, refusing to specifically condemn the hatred unleashed by the white supremacists. instead chasing many, many sides. and a white house official clarifying the president's statement using words he have has yet to say in public. here is david wright. >> reporter: today the white house struggled to stem the outrage over president trump's equivocal response to charlo

stephanie ramos explains exactly what happened. stephanie: a sea of people and police in boston. line of protesters there to march against hate and racism stretching two miles long. the crowd the sending on boston commons one week after the violence in charlottesville. that is where one w and dozens more injured after a car plowed into a crowd of demonstrators, allegedly driven by a white nationalists. >> after last saturday i cannot be silent anymore. >> i wanted to confront them head on. >> this is democracy, this is what we are supposed to be doing. stephanie: in boston, an estimated 40,000 people showed up. counter protesting a free speech event.- a free speech , but thee blocked rally broke up early, avoiding the violent confrontation scene in other parts of the country. >> that is what we were hoping for, and overwhelming crowd of peaceful people. see was ground -- proud to that the crowd was far. stephanie: the debate over racism is raging in cities across the country. many sparking as many governors statue of robert eva lee, which had been vandalized a few days ago. the u

stephanie ramos, abc news, boston. >>> american idol is coming to abc. and some of those who think they have the chops to become the next singin sensation are lining up in oakland to audition. abc 7 news reporter alisa harrington joins us live from jack london square with details on some of the talent. good morning. >> reporter: the american idol bus is traveling all over the country, looking for the next singing superstar. today, it is in jack london square. what you're looking at are some of the hopefuls. they're auditioning in front of producers today, the celebrity judges are not here. what is happening is they're auditioning in front of producers. if they make it through this round, then they will audition for the celebrity judges including katy perry on a future date. there is a huge turnout here in oakland. you can see that the line actually wraps all the way around jack london square. a few hundred, maybe more than a thousand people here. a lot of folks have brought their guitars, some singing original songs and a lot of people do think that ther

stephanie ramos with the latest. >> reporter: the first images of the crash.es rescued after their aircraft went down during a routine practice flight. overnight, investigators suspending the search for three service members missing at sea. now calling it a recovery mission. the marines likely did not survive. their aircraft hit the water around 4:00 p.m. local time saturday. u.s. military aircraft scoured the water for hours, crew s managing to rescue 23 of the 26 marines on board. >> it is unfortunate, but it is a fact of life in military aviation that those mishaps are going to occur. >> reporter: these accidents have happened before. in january of this year, three u.s. soldiers were hurt in an osprey hard landing in yemen. and in 2015, an osprey crashed during a military exercise in hawaii. images show it erupted in a ball of fire. two marines killed. >> it is a difficult environment to operate in and train for. but it is absolutely required for us to be prepared for combat. >> reporter: this is the second military plane to crash in less than a month. 15 m

here's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: as new images emerge of the crash survivors. the pentagon telling abc news on its final approach, it crashed into the waters. investigators suspending the search and rescue operation for three missing service members, calling it a recovery mission. the osprey fli, during its development, 23 people died among those missing tonight, 26-year-old first lieutenant benjamin cross. his brother tells us he joined the marines because he loved challenges, and loved to fly. >> he would sacrifice himself in a minute to make sure his fellow service members were safe. >> reporter: pentagon officials tell us it could be months before the data recorder are recovered, along with the missing marines. tom? >> thank you. >>> now to a shocking kidnap ov overseas. the suspected abductor behind bars. here's jennifer eccleston. >> reporter: tonight, italian police investigating a bizarre kidnapping case involving a british model allegedly drugged, bound and stuffed inside a suitcase. 20-year-old chloe ayling telling italian broadcaster rai that she was

abc's stephanie ramos reports. >> reporter: friends and family of the young woman killed in the crashells abc news she died standing up for what she believed in. >> our son's in there, all people of color. >> reporter: heather heyer was a paralegal. working a second job as a waitress. her mother says she was proud of her daughter. >> heather was a strong person who always defended what she believed in. >> reporter: heyer's final facebook post coming days after the president's election. writing if you're not outraged, you're not paying attention. >> heather's life was not about hate. and this young man who ran my daughter down mistakenly believed that hate would change the world. >> reporter: and the virginia state police marching in mourning. two of their own killed in a helicopter crash responding to the violence, jay cullen and berke bates. >> he was a warm, loving, dad, a supporting dad. and he will be dearly missed. >> reporter: some caught in the shuffle lucky to be alive. this 19-year-old counter protester tells us she didn't have time to run from the speeding car. >> the moment

here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: a major american college campus transformed into a battlefield. 10:00 friday night, hundreds of white nationalists storming the university of virginia, protesting plans to remove a statue of confederate general robert e. lee. >> blood and soil! >> reporter: torches in hand, chants flooding the air. >> you will not replace us. >> reporter: images showing the march spiraling out of control. so-called alt-right demonstrators clashing with counterprotesters. some swinging torches. police dispersing the crowds, calling it an unlawful assembly. several people injured and one person arrested, led away in handcuffs. some in the crowd reportedly hit in the face with pepper spray. the overnight violence spilling into this morning when marchgoers and counterprotesters clash again, hours before the unite to right march was even set to begin. just after 10:30 a.m., the crowd growing in size. new reports of injuries coming in. local and state police in riot gear, responding in force. but the violence escalating. fights erupting between marchgoers and counterpr

. >> and stephanie ramos is live from outside the pentagon with an update. you have an update. what they're searching for right now? >> tom, that's right. right now rescuers are searching of signs of life. they are also looking for the data recorder of the air craft that could provide as to why the air skraft went down. tom? >> stephanie, thank you. >>> also breaking tonight, the american airlines flight rocked by extreme turbulence. at least ten passengers and crew tossed arnold the cabin. the plane flying from greece to philadelphia getting ready to land. abc's eva the details at this hour. >> reporter: tonight, extreme turbulence tossing passengers arnd at least ten people taken to the hospital. 299 people were on board american airlines flight 759 traveling from athens, greece, to philadelphia when it hit rough air. passengers tweeting, no warning at all. plane lurched through the air. honestly terrifying. this picture is showing the ceiling covered we drinks. >> the babies are crying, hitting the ceilings. >> reporter: the crew reported severe puturbulence over the atlanti

. >> and that was stephanie ramos with the report. 905. in florida one police officer is dead and three others injured after two separate shootings that took place last night. officer matthew baxter was shot an killed after a possible ambush in kissimmee. three shots were fired and police are searching for a 4th suspect. >>> two other officers were injured in a shootout in jacksonville when they encountered a high powered rifle. the suspect did not survive. >>> in pennsylvania two state troopers are in the hospital in fayette county. it's not clear what led to the shooting. here's what we know so far. both troupes were shot, one was taken to the -- both troopers were shot, one was taken to the hospital by helicopter. the suspect in the case is dead. there will be a press conference later this morning we'll keep you posted. >>> we continue to follow the latest on the white house shakeup. president trump is beginning the weekend without steve bannon, the latest of the top advisors to be forced out. the announcement came days after president

. >> the three were among 23 passengers onboard a controversial osprey aircraft abc's stephanie ramoss in washington. stephanie, good morning. >> right now investigators are trying to find anything they can from the aircraft that crashed, especially the data recorder. that could tell investigators why this aircraft went down. this morning the first images of the crash survivors at the hospital. the marines rescued after their aircraft went down during a routine practice flight off the east coast of australia. overnight investigators suspending the search for three service members missing at sea, calling it a recovery mission. the marines likely did not survive. their aircraft hit the water around 4:00 p.m. local time saturday. u.s. military aircraft and ships scoured the water for hours. crews managing to rescue 23 of the 26 marines onboard. >> it is unfortunate but it is a fact of life in military aviation those mishaps occur. >> these accidents have happened before. in january of this year three u.s. soldiers were hurt in an osprey hard landing in yemen and in 2015 an osprey crashed

a 20-year-old man from ohio hasr stephanie ramos is in charlottesville with the latest on the victimsnie. >> reporter: matt and paula, good morning. this is where all of the protests started yesterday.aris. that's where the confederate statue stands, the reason why many people were marching. this morning, local police are standing guard as the state mourns two troopers who lost their lives. more than a dozen people injured and three dead. including two virginia state troopers who died when their helicopter plummeted into a fiery crash. >> helicopter down. >> fire in the woods. have all units stand by. >> reporter: lieutenant h. jay cullen and trooper/pilot berke m.m. bates. had been patrolling the violent clashes which ended in the deadly vehicle attack. law enforcement responding to the chopper crash shaken and visibly upset. >> please, people, call 911. >> reporter: this morning, some of the badly injured in the car crash are speaking out. >> i saw the car and then a half second later, it hit me in my left leg. i fell on the hood. and then the car stopped and backed up. and i fell o

abc's stephanie ramos is there in salisbury for us. opped but take a look at the destruction. those song storms left behind this in salisbury, maryland. sheets of metal dangling from what's left of the roof, cinder blocks and debris scattered across the ground. some are hanging from part of the building's frame. now, this is all likely the work of a tornado. the violent winds sending vehicles flying, damaging homes and crumbling buildings. security footage even showing one car flipping across a parking lot. now, thankfully no injuries have been reported just yet but the mayor tells me it will take some time for families and businesses to recover from this damage. now, the national weather service says they're going to check out this area today and if it is indeed a tornado that made its way through here, it touched down for the stretch of about two miles. george, back over to you. >> stephanie, thanks very much. >>> the other top story, two new polls out showing president trump losing support among his republican base. chief white house

abc's stephanie ramos is on the scene in salisbury for us. ning, stephanie. >> reporter: robin, good morning. the intense winds caused a path of destruction here in salisbury blasting a hole through this building here leaving cinder blocks and debris scattered on the ground, and the storms aren't over yet. lightning, fires and floods. >> ooh, ooh. >> reporter: in maryland, a possible tornado touching down. >> it sounded like bulls running across the roof. >> reporter: the violent winds sending vehicles flying. damaging homes and crumbling buildings. security footage even showing one car flipping across a parking lot. plus, a large storm system triggering emergency flash flood warnings in houston this morning, torrential downpours dumping up to 6 inches of rain. >> the water just like submerged our car. >> reporter: a similar scene in san antonio, up to a half foot of rain falling fast. rescue crews saving drivers trapped in rising floodwaters. >> it's just about going over the hood. >> reporter: and dangerous lightning strikes sparked numerous

stephanie ramos was right there. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: paula, dan, good morning. the free speech rally demonstrators were totally outnumbered by counterprotesters. the police commissioner tells me his department was ready for this. people who showed up to counterprotests were passionate. few were rowdy. similar scenes played out across the country. across the country, tensions running high as protesters and police swarmed the streets. >> tonight's rally protest has concluded. at this time, you are being asked to leave. >> reporter: in dallas, people gathering against white supremacy. police on the scene in riot gear and on horseback. [ chanting ] >> this is is what democracy looks like. >> reporter: in atlanta, thousands of people marching in an anti-hate demonstration. >> let's tear down hate. love will conquer hate. >> reporter: while in memphis, hundreds gathering to call on the removal of a confederate statue. [ chanting ] >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> hands up. >> don't shoot. >> reporter: and in boston, at least 40,000 people streaming through the streets.

officials are bracing for a weekend of demonstrations like this and stephanie ramos is right there in charlottesville for us. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: paula and matt, good morning. this is where that unite the right valley took place behind me. hundreds of people gathered on the university of virginia's campus and some breaking out in fight. overnight, a dramatic keen as white nationalis torches -- [ chanting [ chanting ] >> reporter: -- and echoing chants flooded this campus calling back to second gre gray forms of intimidation, these images. several injured and one person arrested. led away in handcuffs as hundreds of alt-right activists clashed with counterprotesters. police calling it an unlawful assembly dispersing the crowds after fights broke out between the two. some being hit in the face with pepper spray. many overnight condemning the event and the mayor there calling it racist and init will rant writing everyone has a right under the first amendment to express their opinion peaceably so here's mine. he said in a payment on by this unsanctioned and despicable di

abc's stephanie ramos joins us from boston with more about all of the plans, good morning to you, stephanieula and dan, good morning. all week the mayor has told people to stay away from the boston common today where thousands of people are expected to show up with marching in opposition. security is expected to be tight across boston today as the city preps for a free speech rally. >> keep the groups separated and that will be done using both human beings as well as fences and other devices. >> reporter: city officials approved a permit earlier this week for the rally organized by the boston free speech collision but the city says rules are in place. no weapons, flagpoles or sticks will be allowed and roads are blocked. >> we think it's going to be a large group and it will probably increase. we have numbers upwards of, you know, in the thousands. >> reporter: john metler tells dan harris this is not to address white nationalist ideas but rather the first amendment and admits however, there may be troublemakers in the crowd. >> what we want to try to do is get people talking to each other

abc's stephanie ramos is right there in charlottesville for us. od morning to you, stephanie. >> reporter: paula and matt, good morning. this is where that unite the right rally took place behind me. hundreds of people gathered on the university of virginia's campus chanting and some in the crowds breaking out into fights. >>> overnight, a dramatic scene as white nationalists carrying torches -- [ chanting "blood and soil" ] >> reporter: -- and echoing chants flooded this major american college campus. [ chanting ] the images calling back to segregation era forms of intimidation. [ chanting "you will not replace us" ] >> reporter: several injured and one person arrested led away in handcuffs as hundreds of alt-right activists demonstrating at the university of virginia clashed with counterprotesters. police calling it an unlawful assembly dispersing the crowds after fights break out between the two sides. some protesters reportedly being hit in the face with pepper spray. many overnight condemning the event. the mayor of charlottesville calling it

. >> reporter: stephanie ramos, abc news, charlottesville, virginia. >> the mayor of lexington, kentuckyays he wants two confederate monuments removed after the violence in charlottesville. he said i will ask the city council to the monuments to key confederate figures who fought for the south during the civil war. >>> turning now to the showdown between america and north korea. james mattis and rex tillerson have written a joint op-ed, laying out what they call peaceful pressure to halt the ballistic missile tests. and they're not the only ones trying to soften president trump's message. abc's martha rad aatz has more. >> reporter: the trip has been long planned, but the timing critical, coming as two nuclear nations are trading threats. north korea saying it soon plans to send four missiles off the waters off guam. president trump responding that the u.s. is locked and loaded. despite the tough rhetoric, the aren't closer to war. >> we aren't closer to war than we were a week ago but we are closer than a decade ago. >> no intelligence would indicate that we're in that place today. >> r