whit? >> sam, we know you'll be tracking it. thank you. >>> now, to the shocking blast shattering the quiet of a minnesota neighborhood. that home exploding into splitters. the moment captured on surveillance video. rescuers searching through the wreckage for the injured. here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, investigators in st. paul, minnesota, working to pinpoint what triggered this massive home explosion captured on surveillance video. >> house explosion, payne and preble. start fire and medics. >> reporter: the powerful blast leveling the house. debris everywhere. >> checking -- and payne, looking for victims. >> reporter: first responders looking for possible victims. >> reports of somebody trapped in debris at 600 payne. >> reporter: teams rescuing one man who was inside the home. his feet sticking out of the rubble. he was rushed to the hospital. windows of nearby houses shattered. >> we're going to start taping off this block, keeping people out of here. >> reporter: the e

. >> good morning, whit. it has been a rough week with this very slow-moving front but yesterday finally getting an upper level push of energy to kick it off to the east producing yet another line of damaging storms. this morning, extreme weather striking the east coast. killing two people in baltimore. gusting winds and heavy rain causing a building to partially collapse at this amazon facility. also in maryland, strong winds doing damage to the roof of this t.j. maxx store, and overnight in pennsylvania torrential rains causing flash flooding. cars submerged in high waters prompting rescues like this. an elderly woman helped from her stranded car and this couple from a flooded park. severetos riing thugrida, four the bay area bringing damaging winds that toppled trees and knocked out power. >> right there look at it. it's right there. >> a resident near tampa capturing this video of a tornado spinning nearby a parking lot. debris flying in all directions. more dramatic cell phone video of a fast-moving twis

whit. >> all right, ginger, thanks so much. my family is visiting from california and they're like, what have you done? temperatures in the teens. >> at least they're going back to warmer weather. >> i think so, very soon. >>> let's move on now to the new details that we're learning about the last days of that american missionary who was murdered on a remote indian island, the 26-year-old dying at the hands of natives who were armed with bows and arrows and authorities are trying to determine if there is a way to recover his body. abc's linsey davis is here with more. linsey, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, paula. it is illegal to go within five nautical miles of this island because the natives are known for aggressive behavior against outsiders. john chau, an american missionary, told friends he was drawn there to spread the word of god. this morning, new details are emerging about the final days of john chau, the american missionary believed to have been killed by an endangered tribe on a remote island in the

whit?tara, thank you so much. >>> now to a closer look at the state of the races. that new abc news/"washington post" poll also showing a narrower lead for democratic house candidates and on the senate side, the gop is working with a strong hand. abc's chief national affairs correspondent tom llamas is in our elections studio with the key races to watch. tom, good morning. >> reporter: whit, good morning to you and the gang over there. on election night night, we'll be tracking more than 500 races across the country. all the house races, 35 in the senate and 36 races for governor. let's start in the house. this is the current makeup for the house. when you look at the board, you look at the country, you see there's a lot of red. these are all republican held districts. they're the party in power. out of all of these races, we isolated more than a hundred. we believe that the competitive races on election night in the house. so many of these are red. you can see clusters in the northeast, ne

whit? >> incredible. james longman, thanks so much. to that life-saving catch. one mother dropping her baby from a burning building into a stranger's strong arms. many other good samaritans also rushing to save their neighbors from the devastating flames, abc's linsey davis has the story. >> reporter: this is the breathtaking moment a complete stranger helped save a little girl from a burning building. watch again, that's 1-year-old kirsten thomas, her mother shuntara putting her faith in byron campbell, a complete stranger, to catch her baby girl from a terrifying three-story drop. >> it was just terrifying. >> so she finally trusted me and she dropped the baby and i caught the baby. caught the baby with a curl. just like catching a football. >> reporter: he's not the only superhero samaritan who was there. this group jumping in to help police aid countless others escape the dangerous fire at a dallas apartment complex wednesday morning. >> we got a lot of fire on the third floor. >> reporter: police body camera video shows the franti

here's why i'm against anything extreme like that, whit.ysical behaviors. when you do anything extreme, it violates what i call the three ss for any good living plan. which is it needs to be safe. it needs to be simple. and it needs to be sustainable. most of these extreme things are not sustainable. they can be unsafe. just go for the moderation. >> got it. all right. this one is definitely my problem and for many others. not just thanksgiving, but that it launches a six-week season of feasting, snacking, drinking, you name it. how do we manage all the temptation over that time? >> well, look. i think that's appropriate, right? because it is a long period of time. some basics, watch the consption of sweets. you want to watch the alcohol consumption. those are empty calories. and when you're eating more, you want to be more active. keep those things in mind. drop the guilt. drop the pressure and remember what these holidays are about, you know, i think you'll be fine. that's my medical and nutritional advice. >> fantastic. dr. ashton, don't

>> whit johnson in the key state of florida tonight. whit, thank you. >>> and across this country, many democratic senators are trying to keep their jobs, keep their senate seats in states president trump won. abc's deborah roberts tonight in missouri. will claire mccaskill hold on with a challenge from josh hawley? president trump in missouri later tonight. >> reporter: david, president trump won missouri by 19 points, and now democrat claire mccaskill is fighting tooth and nail here to hang onto her senate seat. the two-term senator's message to voters here in trump country? she's not one of those, quote "crazy democrats," and on issues like immigration, she'll work with the president. >> i support whatever the president needs to make sure the border is not overwhelmed. >> reporter: but to her republican opponent josh hawley, mccaskill just another washington liberal. >> it's time to say to claire mccaskill, you are fired. >> reporter: mccaskill's counting on one issue to save her seat -- health care. >> josh hawley will always protec

>> whit johnson tonight. thank you, whit. >>> when we come back, the developing headline involving a young american teacher, just in, missing in mexico. what his family is now saying tonight. authorities have yet to confirm this. >>> and remembering an actor and country music legend for more than two decades, the star of "hee-haw." we'll be right back. and saying, "really?" so capital one is building something completely new. l fes. thpeleere to help you, not sell you. and savings and checking accounts with no fees or minimums. because that's how it should be. you can open one from right here or anywhere seouy, 5 minute.. th ibaing reimagined. and i'm still going for my best even though i live with a higher risk of stroke due to afib not caused by a heart valve problem. so if there's a better treatment than warfarin, i'm up for that. eliquis. eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. so what's n

>> whit johnson. whit, thank you. >>> and from ohio tonight, the investigation into the death of a freshman at ohio university. he was found understaresponsive apartment, late to his fraternity. here's abc's paula faris tonight. >> reporter: authorities tonight investigating a mysterious death at ohio university. after collin wiant, an 18-year-old freshman, was found unresponsive in this off-campus apartment on monday. the university confirming that residence was an unofficial annex of the fraternity sigma pi, where wiant recently pledged. in response, the university ordered the fraternity to cease and desist all activities and turn over all records, after receiving information that the fraternity "has engaged in conduct that puts the health and safety of your members at risk." athens police tell abc news they don't suspect foul play at this point. the national sigma pi fraternity says they're advising members to cooperate fully with the investigation. is and david, while an investigation into wiant's

whit asked ian pannell about this.o you think this news will force the president to take tougher action against the crown prince? >> well, that's really an open question and i don't know the answer to that. as you recall, remember when all the things came out about the russians interfering in the election and donald trump continued to say he didn't know if it was, he didn't know if he believed it, that putin had told him that he wasn't involved in it, so i don't know if donald trump will take that tact. he would be better off in saying i have the intelligence, we have the information. we're now assured that the crown prince was involved in this and he should therefore take some action, some forceful action. not only because of that but also because of what's going on in the humanitarian crisis in yemen in the civil war that the saudis are backing and we're selling weapons to. i think the president ought to step forward but as history shows, that he's willing to forgive the people that are his friends. >> finally i want

it's whit. >> w-h-i-t it says in the teleprompter. take two.her. >> it was harmonious. >>> it is a thanksgiving tradition back on the rails, turkey, football and now deal hunting. >> dan is struggling today. >> i'm having a rough morning, whit. sorry about that. love ya. >> love you back. >> this has become america's shopping holiday. if you want to get involved you need a strategy. let's bring in our ace shopping expert, becky worley. this is your busy time of year, becky, so, you got a plan for us? >> i have a plan for you cumulative in stereo people back there. it starts with a list. you want to do it just like santa. make a list and check it twice. this is my first tipd making yog list in the amazon app or on their website. you want to search the item you want. choose the dropdown menu and add it to the wish list. that way you can use this list as a reference to shop all the ads from other competitors, but you can see realtime price updates from amazon. here's a secret. they don't always advertise their prices, but they aggressively discoun

abc's whit johnson with the details. >> reporter: it was the good samaritan story that captivated theing almost too good to be true, and authorities now saying it was. >> i was driving down 95 and ran out of gas, so i pulled over onto the side of the road. >> reporter: kate mcclure stranded on the outskirts of philadelphia when homeless veteran johnny bobbitt jr. came to her rescue spending his last $20 to buy her gas. >> you know, she needed the help. and she took the help. >> reporter: the gofundme page and the story of bobbitt's selflessness went viral. the couple's original goal of $10,000 quickly ballooned to more than 400,000. >> the entire campaign was predicated on a lie. >> reporter: authorities say all three of them were in on the elaborate hoax. >> d'amico, mcclure and bobbitt conspired to pass off a fake feel good story that would compel donors to contribute to their cause. and it worked. >> the amount of money at stake is why the crime got elevated to the level that it's at. >> reporter: as the money poured in, mcclure and d'amico stipulated the funds would go to buy bobb

kendis and marci, back to you. >> our thanks to whit johnson there in florida. and the incumbent democrats have been defeated in several hotly contested senate races, but they picked up a key senate seat in the west. jacky rosen defeated republican dean heller in a hard fought battle in nevada. >> in tennessee republican marsha blackburn beat former democratic governor phil bredesen to keep the seat in gop hands. she'll become tennessee's first female senator. and texas senator ted cruz managed to hang on to his seat with a narrow victory fending off a fierce challenge from democrat congressman beto o'rourke. abc's paula faris has more from el paso. >> reporter: hi, kendis and marci. well, congressman beto o'rourke gave senator cruz a run for his money. this was a close race. he was trying to become the first democrat elected to that seat since 1988, but it didn't happen. you know, at the end of the day their personality and their policies just couldn't be any more different. ted cruz, his platform was jobs, security and freedom and beto o'rourke's platform was

whit johnson, abc news, mount holly, new jersey. >> our thanks to whit. >>> a federal lawsuit charges let three professors create an animal house-like culture in their department. >> seven women are suing the ivy league school for $70 million. they say science professors groped students, invited them to hot tub parties. all three left dartmouth this year. >>> breaking overnight, news that wikileaks founder julian assange could soon be prosecuted by the u.s. assange has been hold up in the ecuadorian embassy in london since 2012. >> "the wall street journal" reports that the justice department is preparing a case against assange and prosecutors are increasingly optimistic he will be tried in a u.s. courtroom. we learned about the possible case from a filing submitted in federal court in which, get this, prosecutors accidentally disclosed assange's name not once but twice. an attorney for assange tells abc news it is inexplicable that assange would be charged without prior notice. >>> and four of the most highly trained members of the american military, including navy s.e.a.l.s are now

now president trump has his rory cohn, presumably, his matt whit consider. is it possible whitaker could shield from public view his own obstruction of the mueller probe? >> so the way the regulations are set up that govern robert mueller's appointment the attorney general only is required three different stages to make any kind of disclosure of what interactions he's had with the special counsel. first when he appoint the special counsel. second, if he fires the special counsel and third upon the conclusion of the special counsel's investigation. at that point he would be required to describe any instances he had made, he had had with mueller, where he overruled mueller or he curtailed mueller or he stopped mueller from moving forward, but only once mueller's investigation is complete and mueller has submitted his report. months or possibly years from now. >> meaning that if he does anything up to short of firing him, if he says to mueller, you can't go into donald trump's finances? you have to limit your inquiry into these areas. congress wouldn't know abo

>> i'm waiting. >> it's really good. >> whit likes it. >>> i want to say something serious.e veterans, including the veterans on our staff and relatives who have served all to protect our freedom. we want to thank you all for the sacrifices you made. we honor you today. we think of you always. one of those faces you see is joe dane who is our nearing 90 wardrobe manager. >> 91. >> he's amazing. >> have a great sunday. >> thank you all. >> god bless america on this sunday. >> have a great su >> god bless america on this sunday. all. >> god bless america on this sunday. >>> good morning. happening today, the san francisco giants community fund will set brcelebrate the junior awards. there will be an at&t park. >>> the annual veterans day obsero observance will be held. that starts at 10:30 this morning. >>> the uss hornet will host activities for several occasions. the museum is celebrating veterans day and the 20th anniversary as a national and state historic landmark. there will be exhibits and presentations starting at 10:00. all thee eve these events happe today. >>> it lo

like just give us everything, whit. >> thank you, adrienne. we'll see you tomorrow. abc 7 morning. >> all news. >> all morning. >> good morning, everyone. i'm chris nice. process. we have to wait until monday for details about an officer shooting in san jose. it started at 10:00 in the morning when officers were called by a woman saying a man had a gun and wasn't letting her inside. the man fired at officers when they got there. officers fired back. but he barricaded himself inside prompting a 10.5 hour standoff. officers were finally able to take the man into custody before jourt last night. he had one gunshot wound and expected to be okay. however it's unclear if the wound is from an officers's shot. the police chief will provide an update monday ncht happening today's in san francisco, the fair month hotel life size ginger bread house opens up this the from last year. this year's creation will welcome visitors beginning at 10:30 this morning. the house is 25 feet high, 35 feet wide and features a private dining space. a 23-foot christmas shea and champagne bar and

>> absolutely, robin, and whit nailed it. a dynamic storm with a fast-moving low and ever-changing conditions for 23 states now under advisories of either winter advisories or flood watches and we begin with what happened in st. louis. over four inches of snow fell there overnight and big-time accidents and slide-outs there and in indianapolis you're under an ice storm warning. look at this. roll down the window and there is another window, boom, full of ice and you have to break that just to see out the window. cincinnati also, they're scraping the ice off the windshields there. so looking for bright colors on the map. it's never a good thing. snow and sleet in philly and new york eventually by the evening rush here along i-95. we'll see a fair amount of snow, at least a start and coastal lows take over and we'll change to rain but a fair amount of snow in the inland areas there. locally over 8 inches and for the middle of november that is just way too much white on the map, my friend. >> any time there is snow it's always t

so there is some other area he go to rely on if, if whit taker wasn't the obstacle. >> i have to sayller -- go ahead, jim. >> i said like we saw in fast and furious when they asserted executive privilege, eric holder, about his conversations with president obama at that point in time. you'll see this play out in the courts whether they go to congress or not. should the president refuse to testify or the president refuse to answer further questions, you're going to see that play out. >> yeah, but robert mueller would have to choose to have that fight. i don't know if we've got an indication. do we have an indication that mueller wants this kind of public fight? >> no, and, in fact, maybe the opposite. he is willing to compromise and have even written questions in lieu of the expected oral testimony, this is in and of itself a compromise he didn't have to make. you do see he is malleable in some way. we whether he is manipulable, i don't know. >> one of the swing votes could be a guy that the president has been fighting with today, chooef justice of the united states, john roberts. gre

thank you so much, whit. >>> now to that amazon backlash. online retail giant facing growing questions about splitting their headquarters between new york and the d.c. area after hosting a nationwide competition. abc's rebecca jarvis has the latest.wing or az's decision to move its two new headquarters to new york city and arlington, virginia. amazon says the hq2 project will include a $5 billion investment, creating as many as 50,000 high-paying jobs split between the two cities. >> it's a great day for new york city. it's an extraordinary day for queens. >> reporter: but not everyone is celebrating. >> we don't like to lose. this does not make us happy. >> reporter: critics say the yearlong competition between 238 cities was just a ploy by amazon to get its hands on a treasure trove of powerful information and that data including transportation, real estate and workforce development plans for cities across the country. >> will it be used in the future to target customers? >> this is a perplexing question because we're talking about ti grol

tight races and whit johnson is at a polling station in tallahassee.r: george, good morning to you. the polls are open. people are lining up, casting their ballots. voters in florida in the two big races have a clear choice, to either promote or reject the trump agenda. tallahassee mayor andrew gillum backed by president obama, former president obama, and bernie sanders, is the true progressive in the race. if elected, gillum would be the first black governor in the state of florida. his opponent, republican ron desantis is all in on trump, practically hand-picked by the president. in a campaign ad the former congressman used toy blocks to build trump's wall with his daughter. the race for governor has been ugly from the start with accusations of racism hurled at desantis and accusations of corruption hurled at gillum. the other big race we're following is in senate. bill nelson facing a tough challenge from republican governor rick scott who's maintained president trump's support despite their key differences on several issues. now, recent polls here

>> he will be reporting to whit kerr. under the regs that apply, he will have to socialize with the department of justice in a substantial decisions pr acknowledgmentles he wants to take. so if there is charging digs he wants to make that he hasn't communicated to the department, that will have to go to whitaker. if there are litigation decision to condition test through the courts,ests to avoid contempt citation like mr. stone's associate, that will have to be socialized with the department of justice. when a report is transmitted to the department, how is that going to be resolved? who will decide whether the report whole or in part goes to congress or is made public in whole or in part. all those things we cared critically about. now all roads point to mr. whitaker and how he will handle that. >> you laid it out. with your extraordinary experience, i appreciate you giving us some insights on "the beat." >> thank you. good to be with you. coming up, we turn to congressman jerry nadler, he would be the chairman of the ju

good morning, whit. >> reporter: michael, good morning to you.s was one of the largest and most publicized companywide protests of the me too era. a scene repeating around the world as hundreds of employees in each individual office walked off the job, speaking out against sexual harassment and demanding change. from new york -- [ chanting ] -- to california, london, singapore, a sea of employees in different time zones blasting their own company. >> they are being harassed when they walk in the front door. >> reporter: carrying signs like time's up, tech and not okay, google. a global walkout against the tech giant's alleged handling of sexual misconduct allegations. >> i need to make sure that there are safe places that i can feel comfortable to have mentorship, sponsorship, and we need your help. >> reporter: the walkout coming just one week after "the new york times" reported there was a $90 million severance package for andy rubin, the creator of android mobile software. the report says the 2014 payout came after google concluded a sexual mi

marci, good morning. >> reporter: whit, eva, good morning.mentioned just how close that far was. we can smell the smoke still here at the scene. you can see it's still blocked off as investigators now focus on piecing together second by second how this tragedy unfolded. this morning investigators reviewing evidence they say is giving them new, disturbing insight into the mind of a mass shooter. [ gunfire ] sources say the gunman who killed 12 people here at the borderline bar and grill in southern california wednesday night paused between gunshots to text or post on social media. at 11:24 p.m. just minutes after shooting employees at the front door, he reportedly wrote, i just thought life is boring, so why not. investigators say they believe foement had arrid and egan waited by the front door, immediately shooting sergeant rob helus when he walked in. a friend who served with the gunman in the marines says he may have suffered from ptsd. >> something changed in those years of being in the marines as far as i could tell. >> reporter: one of t

whit johnson is in mount holly, new jersey with the story.whit. >> reporter: george, good morning to you. this was the inspiring story that america wanted to believe, but prosecutors say it was greed that unraveled a web of lies. this morning, stunning new details in the heartwarming tale of paying it forward that authorities now say was a total lie. >> the paying it forward story that drove this fund-raiser might seem too good to be true. unfortunately, it was. >> reporter: in a comprehensive press conference thursday, prosecutors say homeless veteran johnny bobbitt did not meet kate mcclure on the side of a highway instead alleging they and mark d'amico actually met at a casino and concocted an elaborate get rich quick scheme to rip off thousands of generous americans, even staging this photo of themselves at a gas station. >> she did not run out of gas on an i-95 off-ramp and he did not spend his last $20 to help her. rather, d'amico, mcclure and bobbitt conspired to pass off a fake feel-good story that would compel donors to contribute to

put a lot of capital in investigations of his finances, of the security clearance process in theus whitr why the d.o.j. didn't defend the a.c.a., the health re bill in court. and then they will also probably focus on infrastructre and otreas where they can work with the president. but they're not going to go whole hog into impeachment. d i think that is kind of a representative --eal thing in terms of the legislative prioritys that reelects what's going on in the democratic party as a whole. they need to figure who they are. the answer for the subus i the00 the answer is be your own person say yeou'll work with white house and with trump. that didn't work so well for claire mccaskill and joe donnelly. i guess it worked well for joe mancin. you can say that mccaskill and donnelly ran to the center and abandoned their base. they have to figure out how to campaign as one party in two years' time. robert: mark, what about the ite house? of course, sessions is the news this week. are we expecting moreeptures inside the cabinet maybe chief of staff john kelly. >> well, kelly has stayed he wil

to the extent that trump' family is directly implicated, that is likely causing the whits a lot of anxiety at this time. laura: but of course the president is saying that michaea cohen is aand he has admitted lying to congress, so doesn't that weaken his legal credibility? it is kind of hard to keep who is lyinwhen and where they are lying straight. if you untangle it, the position of the wte house, even though michael cohen is lying about the trump moscow deal today, trump's answer to the ecial counsel's written questions -- remember, he was allowed to ovide written answers to specific questions about collusion, not about obstruction, but aut potential collusion leading up to the presidential election. giuliani has stated that his answers in those writtentu questions ly line up with what michael cohen said. however, trump today is saying he is a liar. it ikind of hard to understa what exactly he is lying about, if you follow that. it's confusing. laura: caroline, thanks so much bringing clarity to it, though. wellall this news broke as president trump was preparing to leave for a gatherin

he'll now have to clear all major decisions with matt whit acr. >> it mea that matt whitaker will oversee bob mueller's dovestigation. if mueller needs tomething or seek additional authority or ge permissio to charge, mueller has to go through whitaker w >> reporter:taker has authority to fire mueller, but only for cause such as misconduct. no word tonight on rosenstein's future. was on the job today, attending a previously scheduled white house meeting. pete williams, nbc news, washington. >>> democrats are warning of dire t consequences i trump administration tries to stop or slow down the russia probe. chuck schumer says it could spark a constitutional crisis. any attorney general, whether this one or another one, should not b able to interfere with the mueller investigation in any way. >> at least two gop senators tweeted support for allowing the special counsel iestigation to continue. senator lamar alexander said any attorney general nominee who would stop the pro would not get confirmed. senator susan collins says robert mueller's work should continue without interference. >>> prot

to his left is whit stillman whose first feature, metropolitan earned the best first film award fromk critics circle and an academy award nomination for best screenplay. and his most recent film is barcelona. i happen to have been born in france and i've spent some time in europe. i've noticed that the french have a term for hollywood movies, "le happy end"--

here is whit johnson. >> reporter: tonight, the woman accused of an epic lie to scam thousands of american now wants everyone to believe she too was duped. >> kate is being used and being set up to continue to be the face of this and to continue to do what she was trying to do, which is help a homeless veteran. >> reporter: the attorney representing kate mcclure says it was her boyfriend at the time, mark d'amico, and johnny bobbitt who pushed the alleged scheme, telling a viral tale about bobbit, a homeless veteran, offering kate his last $20 when she ran out of gas. but less than an hour after their go fund me page went live, prosecutors say mcclure texted a friend admitting it was fake. writing, "okay, so wait, the gas part is completely made up. but the guy isn't. i had to make something up to make people feel bad." >> on kate's part it was puffing. it was exaggeration, trying to help this veteran. >> reporter: david, mcclure's attorney says she and d'amico are no longer together. lawyers representing her alleged co-conspirators declined to comment. david? >>. >> a breaking headline. s

here's abc's whit johnson. >> killed folks who was helping us. >> reporter: tonight, dramatic new video showing the moments after an illinois security guard was gunned down by police. >> he didn't have to do that, bro. he had ten seconds to think before he shot that -- >> reporter: a gathering crowd shouting at officers, as they give jemel roberson cpr before he died from multiple gunshot wounds. roberson, a bouncer at a bar, was pinning down a shooting suspect when he was shot by a white officer arriving on the scene. a preliminary report by state police says he was wearing no markings identifying him as a security guard and that an officer gave him multiple verbal d warninlice. >> we all yelled, "he's a security, he's a security." and without any -- giving any thought, they shot him. the vest says security as well. nit, the midlothian police department is calling this a tragic case of blue on blue friend >>> and from athens, ohio, tonight, the new investigation at this hour into the death of a freshman at ohio university. he was found unresponsive at an apartment linked to his fratern

abc's whit johnson is in tallahassee. >> reporter: the most recent polls out in florida show both democrats with a slight lead, but it's all about turnout, and the party that wins florida gets an influential advantage looking ahead to 2020. >> in georgia the closely watched race for governor has been plagued by allegations of voter suppression and racism. democrat stacey abrams could become the first black female governor in u.s. history. republican brian kemp who is also the secretary of state running the elections has launched an investigation accusing state democrats of hacking into voter registrations without citing any evidence. abc's steve osunsami reporting even after the ballots are counted tonight, this race may not be over. >> reporter: someone has to get to 50% of the vote, and there is a libertarian candidate in this race, a third candidate. if no one wins, a simple majority in this very tight race, then a runoff election will be scheduled for december. >> meanwhile in missouri another crucial race to determine control of the u.s. senate. polls show incumbent claire mccaskill ho

good morning to you, whit. >> reporter: yes, good morning. yes, despite the razor-thin margins, the crucial important swing state of florida still delivering big victories for the republicans and specifically to president donald trump and his agenda. the man who will be governor here, republican congressman ron desantis, rode the trump wave all the way to victory. the president essentially hand picked desantis early on in the primary process. now, the progressive candidate, tallahassee mayor andrew gillum, actually surprised his supporters by conceding the race before many of the major networks were projecting a winner. now, in that senate battle you mentioned, republican governor rick scott declared victory over three-term democrat bill nelson. that race also too close for abc news and others to call, less than a 1% margin. nelson did not officially concede the race overnight, but a spokesperson acknowledged they didn't get the results they wanted and said nelson would make a full statement sometime today. if those results hold, florida woul

. >> reporter: abc's whit johnson is outside a polling place in tallahassee. >> you voting for gillum, you're also voting against president trump? >> absolutely. i couldn't be more adamant about that. >> reporter: but steps away, connie jokisch, who came to vote straight from her overnight shift as a nurse, there to support one man -- the president. >> my brother-in-law has a job he hasn't had in three years, my brother has a job he hadn't had in five years. you know, they're happy. you know, this wouldn't have happened without trump, i don't think. >> reporter: in georgia tonight, stacey abrams looking to make history by becoming the nation's first female african-american governor. she is counting on high turnout among black voters like tyler cummings, who spoke to our steve osunsami. >> what does it mean if stacey abrams wins tonight? >> honestly, it means a lot to me, being an african-american individual, just to have someone being in the office that is african-american, as a woman. >> reporter: abrams' republican opponent, brian kemp, has donald trump on his side. abrams had oprah

said that if mueller investigates the president's finances, the investigation could look like a mere whit hunt. that said, mueller's not someone to buckle to pressure. he'll end this investigation when he sees fit. some of my sources are hoping mueller will wrap up by the end of the year, with more indictments potentially coming sooner, possibly in weeks or days. david? >> pierre thomas, thank you. >>> as we said, jeff sessions' ucial midterm election.r the president very happy with the senate, picking up seats there. democrats he campaigned against defeated. but in the house, the democrats taking back control, and today, a combative news conference from the president, during which the president said that he's willing to work with the democrats, but if they investigate him, it would all, quote, grind to a halt. mary bruce back on the hill tonight. >> reporter: even though republicans lost the house, president trump today declared the midterm elections another big win. >> i'll be honest, i thought it was a very close to complete victory. >> reporter: in his feisty news conference, the pres

"world news tonight" with whit johnson is next. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm cheryl jennings.istian and all of us here, and larry beil, thanks for inviting us into your homes. >> the next newscast is at 6:00. connect 24/7 at abc7news.com. >>> tonight, black friday frenzy. an estimated 116 million americans shopping for deals today, but the chaos at times, spinning out of control. customers tearing clothes off shelves, fighting over items in the isles. and in one mall, tragedy. shoppers ducking. deadly gunfire. >>> treacherous travel. the bus flipping on icy roads. the marching band scrambling to escape. nearly 50 students taken to the hospital. and the new storm we're watching, as millions of americans get ready to venture home on the busiest travel day of the year. >>> climate change alarm. the stunning new government report from 13 federal agencies warning that climate change will soon take a catastrophic toll on the united states, crippling the economy and endangering lives,

someone else who may be disappointed, max whit lock, couldn't add to his haul.id his rue tyne and —— routine and he said he clipped the pommel. the score he finished was the same as the chinese and on the tie—break rule it meant he dropped into second. he will be disappointed, but once he goes home, he will look back on this year and be pleased to still come away with that silver. it is incredible, he has won a major medal all the way since about 2012 to be winning six yea rs since about 2012 to be winning six years on the run is insane. thank you again forjoining us. i have to say it is not over yet. tomorrow, the finals continue with the men's quality and the horizontal bars final. coveraging on bbc two. making the headlines: manchester city's kevin du bruyne has been ruled out for around six weeks after injuring ligaments in his left knee in last night's league cup win over fulham. the belgian midfielder has already spent two months on the sidelines this season, and last night was just his second start since returning from injury. wayne rooney missed a penalt

. >> the department is being run by a man named matter whit he is promising that he will lead a fair department. he's only beenn a number of hou hours. >> he has been a v critic of special counsel robert mueller's russia investigation. now, matthew whitaker is in charge of overseeing it. appointed acting attorney general after jeff sessions resigned at the president's request. >> i am disappointed -- >> reporter: sessions fell out of favor t with presidemp after recusing himself from the russia investigation. >> it is not a coinciden that he was picked. he was a conservative commentator on cable news whe he suggested this strategy to limit mueller's >> that attorney general doesn't fire bob mueller but he reduces the budget so low that his investigation grinds to a halt. >> he has demonstrated a pretty clea conflict o interest. >> the white house pushing back. >> you're asking if he's recused, i'm asking why would he be recused? >> today from washington to mes square sayingmueller's investigation might be protected. >> kellyanne conway may not see a need for him to recuse but her hus

that is a legitimate concern especially in light of very unusual nature of the appointment of matt white seen the commentary that's been pro-trump and anti-mueller. >> talk about this unusual appointment. the question is how long can he will left there in. >> he can be left there for up to 210 days with wiggle room in the nomination is still pending. if the strategy is going to have him interfere with the mueller i ve -- investigation. mueller has handed off his investigation to separate u.s. attorney's office which have prosecuted michael cohen who stoo stood in open court and said out loud that he conspired with the president in committing a crime. that would not go away. that criminal investigation would remain even if mueller and his team all evaporated tomorrow. >> the husband of the president's counsel kelly anne conway co-write an op-ed that called it unconstitutional and illegal. is that right. can his appointment be overturned? >> it's arguable. someone would have to file a lawsuit to challenge it. the argument is the constitution requires that presidential appointees be confir

i'm fredricka whit field. we begin with breaking news.alifornia are growing rapidly. take a look at the pictures of the latest area of ventura

i'm fredricka whit field. we begin with breaking news. wildfires across california are growing rapidly. take a look at the pictures of the latest area of ventura county to get hit by the woolsey fire. you can see flame creeping up the hillside there. it is one of three wildfires raging across the state. they are trying to keep it from jumping the fence and threatening the homes there. this just in. the death toll now stands at 25, more than 100 others reported missing. nearly 300,000 californians forced to pack up and flee. our teams are across the state this afternoon following all of the latest development. let's begin in northern california. nick va lelencia is in the city paradise where the devastation is heart breaking. nick? >> this is known as the camp fire burned 109,000 acres. this may sound like a lot, but it was not what was anticipated by those who were fighting the fire. there is a red flag warping in effect with 50 mile per hour wind gusts, making conditions ripe for fire to spread. this is one of the mare thoroughfares out

matthew whitaker, maryland's attorney general just filed papers asking a federal judge to replace whit consider with rod rosenstein saying his appointment violates the joint sessions act. whitaker took over as the prz fir -- president fired jeff sessions. let's get a better explanation of all of this. gene rossi is with us, a former federal prosecutor. welcome. >> thanks for having me. >> maryland is saying that whitaker's appointment isn't legal and that rosenstein should be the acting a.g. you tell me what grounds does maryland even have here? >> very simple. there's a lawsuit or a motion that will be filed in eastern district of missouri in a federal case by a former colleague of mine raising the same issue. here's the issue -- under the appointments clause in the united states constitution, principal officers such as the attorney general have to be appointed and approved in a certain way. and mr. whitaker, acting attorney general whitaker, his appointment has clearly violated the appointments clause and kellyanne conway's husband, george, hit the nail on the head. it violates the c

now i don't have to choose. t from crest 3d whit whitening therapy collection with new spearmint andpermint oil. it gently whitens, plus it has a fortifying formula to protect your enamel. crest.healthy, bes for life. ood night's sleep.h gets in the way of a that's when he needs vicks vaporub. proven cough medicine. with hours of vapors, so hec. vicks vaporub. goodnight coughs. >>> imagine being outside all day in the cold likdait's been without a warm coat. that's the situation for many people in o community. news4's elissa molett reports on the annual coat w drive that kicked off today. >> reporter: what's better than giving this time of year? i know we can dig in our closets, find something we are not using very much and give it to somebody else who might. this is why we are kicking off thehare the warmth coat drive. talk about why you guys are involved and how people. an he >> well, we are involved because we are all about helping people in the community. we are a local community bank. we have 25 convenient locations. so great for people throughout northern virginia,thhroughout m

questions about matt whit ter to the president. philipp was asking himular questions.sident attacked abby, suggesting her questions were stupid. fred? >> we remember. boris sanchez. thank you so much. president trump leaving the door open for new staff changes. we will talk about that with our panel, next. (whispers) with the capital one venture card... you'll earn unlimited double miles on every purchase, every day... not just "airline purchases". think about all the double miles you could be earning... (loud) holy moley that's a lot of miles!!! shhhhh! ♪ what's in your wallet? shhhhh! i just got my ancestrydna results: 74% italian. and i found out that i'm from the big toe of that sexy italian boot! calabria. it even shows the migration path from south italia all the way to exotico new jersey! so this holiday season it's ancestrydna per tutti! order your kit now at ancestry.com >> in a new interview with fox news, president trump hinted that more staff and cabinet members could be leaving the administration soon and gave warm reviews for chief of staff john kelly. th

alex whit has been tracking the story since it broke very early this morning.he latest? >> yes, mika, indeed. it's been a harrowing six hours since this all went down at the borderline bar & grill in thousand oaks northern colorado about 40 miles north of downtown slaevenlths you mentioned that sheriffs deputy that gave his life. ron helus a 30-year veteran of the ventura county police department. we seen sheriff jeff dean. he spoke with the "today" show and gave a time line. take a listen. >> we received 911 calls of gunshots firing at the borderline bar & grill. the sergeant and our patrol officer decided they had to go in right away. as they began to make entry, sergeant helus was shot multiple times by a patrol officer helus, they backed out. additional units could get here. those additional officers made entry. that's when the suspect was found deceased and the 11 additional victims were found inside. >> now, this was all a part of a college country night at the borderline bar & grim. a very, very popular event with college students. there are a number of

whit ter the president found an ally. who questioned the scope of the investigation. i asked him last year why trump wouldn't say he would fire mueller. >> it's dangerous politically. legally there are certainly a way for that to happen. >> you don't think it's dangerous legally it's not obstruction? unless you it goes my way i'm going to fire you. >> no. i don't think that's obstruction. we keep using that term. >> whittaker also previously questioned the scope of the special counsel investigation saying examining the trump family finances would be would raise serious concerns that the special counsel investigation was a mere witch hunt. witch hunt. sound familiar? lots to discuss. executive producer of show time the circus on sunday night. also cnn global affairs analyst. susan glasser. good evening everyone. >> before we get started. about jeff sessions. matthew whittaker and the president held a press conference for 26 minutes. lashing out at everyone. who challenges him including the media and everyone he disagrees with. here it is. >> you are a rude, terrible pe

kendis and marci, back to you. >> our thanks to whit johnson there in florida. been defeated in several hotly contested senate races, but they picked up a key senate seat in the west. jacky rosen defeated republican dean heller in a hard fought battle in nevada. >> in tennessee republican marsha blackburn beat former democratic governor phil bredesen to keep the seat in gop hands. she'll become tennessee's first female senator. and texas senator ted cruz managed to hang on to his seat with a narrow victory fending off a fierce challenge from democrat congressman beto o'rourke. abc's paula faris has more from el paso. >> reporter: hi, kendis and marci. well, congressman beto o'rourke gave senator cruz a run for his money. this was a close race. he was trying to become the first democrat elected to that seat since 1988, but it didn't happen. you know, at the end of the day their personality and their policies just couldn't be any more different. ted cruz, his platform was jobs, security and freedom and beto o'rourke's platform was health care, unity, it was dreame