The race for 2020. The democratic frontrunner and the scrutiny. Former Vice President joe biden on his gaffes, asked by stephen colbert, are you going nuts . His response. News tonight about actor kevin hart. The crash leaving him badly injured. Tonight, the 911 calls from the scene and from his home. The Young Country singer who has died in a car accident, posting not long before the crash. The new and alarming vaping news tonight. A new death and the separate headline, a possible ingredient in vaping now being looked at. And america strong tonight. Its something we do every year here. Just try not to smile. Good evening and its great to have you with us here on a very busy thursday night. And we have weather emergencies on both coasts as we come on the air tonight. The wildfire burning out of control, now near homes. And, of course, Hurricane Dorian pounding the east coast. It took days to get here and its now slamming the u. S. Multiple reports of tornadoes touching down. The eye wall now just 45 miles from myrtle beach. It could make landfall in north carolinas outer banks. Something were watching into the night. The storm spawning those twisters. This one near wilmington, north carolina. Homes in Brunswick County ripped apart. Hundreds of thousands without power tonight. Winds lashing the shore, nearly 100 miles an hour and pushing the flood waters right into the streets of charleston. The new threats as we head into this evening and into tomorrow morning. We have the track here, and Abcs Steve Osunsami leading us off from charleston. Reporter Hurricane Dorian is bringing tragedy to the carolina coast, destroying their homes is with tornadoes and frightening them with waterspouts. Which way is it going . Reporter near myrtle beach, families who rode out the storm had to run from the twisters just after sunrise. Someone drove this jeep up onto the beach, and the storm is taking it away, too. The high winds tore the siding off these apartment buildings. The people inside worried for their lives. All of a sudden, the windows broke loose. Everything was swirling in our bedroom. Reporter this is what the storm left of this Mobile Home Park in emerald isle, north carolina. Amazingly, no one was hurt. The winds left hundreds of thousands of people without power, when trees came down over power lines. Charleston was hit hard. Were seeing this all over town, trees that couldnt withstand these high winds came crashing down. Sometimes over power lines. A giant tree came crashing this morning onto the bed of this 7yearold boy. We were all sleeping downstairs as precaution for this reason, we do it during every storm. Reporter Patrick Murray and his daughter millie say it was a rough night. It was a little scary, in the middle of the night, it started to pick up and the shutters were banging. Reporter just down the street from our hotel is the reason we lost power. This dangerous power line dangling in flood waters, lighting up the street. And Steve Osunsami with us live tonight from charleston. Steve, we can see that tree down there right behind you. This storm has knocked out power. And hundreds of these trees all over the city . Reporter thats right, david. Hundreds of these trees fell overnight. I want you to take a close look at this tree. If you get a good look at it, youll realize it is a massive oak tree, many times my size. It fell in the middle of the night, frightening homeowners here. It was brought down by the high winds. Wind gusts were between 60 and 70 miles an hour. And luckily, no one here was hurt. David . That scene says it all. Steve, thank you. Lets get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee. Shes tracking it from myrtle beach, south carolina, tonight. Ginger . Reporter yeah, gusty winds here, near 64 Miles Per Hour. And we are starting to see dorian pass us here at myrtle beach. It is racing up the coast now at 10 Miles Per Hour to the northeast and a tornado watch has now been extended all the way to norfolk and virginia beach. That has been one of the major issues, as you mentioned. Those tornadoes coming with those ripping winds offshore. But watch as this track could take two landfalls in the next 12 hours, david. Watch that category 2 storm go out into the ocean, but it will still have impacts, as far north as nantucket. Lets time it out for you, by tomorrow morning, you could see near morehead city, out in the outer banks there, you could end up seeing one of the landfalls, then, over the outer banks, nags head, all need to be on the lookout. Surge in the area of four to seven feet. Nantucket by saturday morning could see gusts to 60, still from dorian. All right, potentially two landfalls. Well be watching it with you. Ginger, our thanks to you again tonight. And in the bahamas, the death toll rising and the new fear at this hour that that toll could grow much higher. The staggering damage seen from the air tonight and the fear of what they might find under all of that debris there. The u. S. Coast guard ferrying the injured to get medical help, as that death toll begins its staggering climb. And abcs Victor Oquendo traveling with one aid group to freeport, grand bahama, tonight. Reporter tonight, the desperate search for the missing. The whereabouts of hundreds unknown. Officials fear the death toll could be staggering. Coast guard helicopters fanning out across the northern bahamas, some landing on remote islands for the first time. Most of their homes completely gone. This area in abaco, you cant even see the ground. Today, we flew with trinity air ambulance to grand bahama with supplies collected by our miami station, wplg. Were about to land in one of the hardesthit areas in the bahamas, freeport. Our pilot tells us there is no working tower, so, the u. S. Navy is actually coordinating all flights in and out from a nearby ship. Leaving the airport, a maze of debris. Planes in wrong places. Nearby, we met geno daniels, the first floor of his home submerged by storm surge. Water just poured in and at that point, everything was awash after that. Reporter but he tells us, he plans on rebuilding. Still hard to see all which youve been accumulating and bidding up over the years just completely washed away. Reporter david, this is whats left of a terminal at the grand Bahama International airport in freeport. It is a vital lifeline to the island and they have just now resumed some makeshift operations, but the recovery here is going to take a long time. David . Victor oquendo with us tonight. Victor, thank you. To the other major story unfolding right now. A dangerous wildfire burning out of control in southern california, threatening homes now, forcing evacuations. And abcs Kayna Whitworth with the images coming in right now. Reporter tonight, a fastmoving wildfire burning dangerously close to homes in riverside county, near the city of murietta, about 80 miles east of los angeles. More than 500 firefighters tonight battling the blaze, an allout assault by air and on the ground. Flames scorching 2,000 acres since yesterday, ripping through these hills overnight. Homeowners frantically working to save their homes. Just depends on how the winds going to if it changes direction, then, you know, a lot can change quickly. So, thats always a concern. Reporter tonight, 1,200 residents have been evacuated. This driver documenting her harrowing escape. Its scary. Weve packed up. Waiting to see if were going to get evacuated or not. Reporter officials closing schools and urging residents in the area to avoid breathing the air. Its thick tonight with smoke and ash. Lets go live to Kayna Whitworth. And kayna, as we go back to those pictures now, we know these firefighters are up against some very tough conditions, as we go into the night. Reporter yeah, david, as you can see, this is the first time this year that weve seen these high winds accompanied by such high heat. Firefighters are actually telling us these are the most extreme weather conditions theyve seen all season. David . Kayna whitworth with the pictures coming in from california. Thank you. Overseas, and from the philippines tonight, an American Mother is charged with Human Trafficking, accused of trying to smuggle a 6dayold baby home to the united states, after reportedly trying to buy the baby online, connecting with the babys mother on the internet. Officials releasing this airport surveillance tonight, showing her carrying the baby through security, but she was stopped at the gate. And heres Abcs Paula Faris tonight. Reporter police say this is video of an American Woman trying to smuggle an infant out of the philippines. Watch again, as she pulls the baby, just 6 days old, out of that sling and walks through the metal detector at manilas international airport. Jennifer talbot, who has been living in utah, was arrested and charged with Human Trafficking. Here she is, handcuffed, being paraded by prosecutors in front of local media. At times, wiping away tears. According to local reports, she met the babys biological mother on the internet. Its unclear if any money was exchanged. At the airport, police say, she successfully cleared the immigration counter with the newborn concealed, but as she was boarding a Delta Airlines flight back to the united states, she was asked by Airline Personnel about her oversized sling and wasnt able to produce travel documents for the baby. There was really an intention to conceal and to sneak out the baby. Reporter talbot does have other children. She has asked the u. S. Embassy for help, because if convicted, she faces a possible life sentence in the philippines. The babys biological parents also face Human Trafficking charges and the mother telling investigators, david, she just wanted to give her baby up for adoption. But that baby is safe in the hands of a local government tonight. A lot of questions about this. All right, paula, thank you. Next, to the case that made national headlines. The missing mother of five in connecticut, her estranged husband arrested for a second time yesterday, and tonight, his girlfriend under arrest. The new charges and the new surveillance tonight. Heres abcs whit johnson. Reporter tonight, a second round of arrests connected to the case of missing mother of five, jennifer dulos. Anything about the new charge . Reporter Michelle Troconis turning herself into connecticut police, charged with tampering or fabricating evidence. This after her boyfriend, fotis dulos, jennifers estranged husband, was taken into custody yesterday. Its an exhausting fight. I love my children. Thats about it. Reporter according to an arrest warrant, complete with a timestamped string of surveillance images, police say troconis lied to them about potential alibis. Events which troconis was forced to admit during questioning had never happened. Jennifer, last seen may 24th, dropping her kids off at school. That morning, Police Believe dulos was lying in wait at her home. A Security Camera capturing jennifers chevy suburban leaving. Detectives alleging dulos was behind the wheel, possibly carrying her body. Investigators also accusing dulos of later driving a coworkers red toyota tacoma. They say lab results matched a bloodlike substance found on the seats to jennifers dna. Theres not much here that we hadnt heard before and i question the wisdom of these charges at this late day. Reporter dulos and troconis pleaded not guilty to previous charges. Tonight, both are out on bail again, wearing ankle monitors. David . All right, whit johnson. Thank you. And now, to the boat engulfed in flames in the middle of the night. 34 trapped below deck. They did not survive. As weve been reporting, investigators have been interviewing the crew. And tonight, weve learned some of what they have described. Abcs will carr in Santa Barbara again tonight. Reporter tonight, as dive teams are pulling parts of the conception out of the water, were now hearing the harrowing tale told by the surviving crew members. One tells the ntsb he was sleeping on the boats main deck, heard a loud noise and realized the galley was engulfed by a massive fire. The crew tells investigators they then desperately tried to get to the 34 sleeping passengers below deck. Could not get into the double doors, because it was overcome by flames. They then went to the front of the vessel and tried to fete in get into the windows. At some point, because of heat, smoke and fire, they had to jump off the boat. Reporter while investigators try to figure out the cause of the fire, ntsb board member Jennifer Homendy just toured a similar boat owned by the same company and tried to escape through the bunk rooms emergency hatch. In order for me to really get at it, i had to kind of twist around and then push it out. Reporter would you feel comfortable sleeping in that bunk room . I think i would have concerns. Reporter there are only two ways out of that room, through the emergency hatch or up a staircase. They both led to the same place, though, the galley, which was on fire. Tonight, the ntsb says thats concerning, as well. David . Will carr with us again tonight. Will, thank you. Now, to the verdict for two member charged in a deadly fire in oakland, california, that made national headlines. One man acquitted, a hung jury for the other. 36 people died in the fire during a party at the socalled ghost ship warehouse in december 2016. The jury was unable to reach a verdict for derick almena, who held the lease on the building, and they found his associate, max harris, not guilty. We turn now to the deadly Mass Shootings in this country and the fallout. A growing list of retailers asking customers not to openly carry guns into their stores. After walmart and kroger announced that change in policy, today, pharmacy giants walgreens and cvs, as well as wegmans supermarkets, following the move. Now, the race for 2020 tonight. Former Vice President joe biden, the democratic frontrunner, and that means, of course, growing scrutiny. Tonight, biden on his own gaffes. Stephen colbert during late night asking biden, are you going nuts . How biden answered. Heres mary bruce. Reporter after a string of misstatements, the selfproclaimed gaffe machine went on Late Night Television and tried to laugh off the scrutiny. In the last few weeks, youve confused New Hampshire for vermont, said Bobby Kennedy and mlk were assassinated in the late 70s. Assured us, im not going nuts. Followup question are you going nuts . Look, the reason i came on the jimmy kimmel show is because im not. I mean, i im not. Reporter pressed again, joe biden downplayed his missteps. Any gaffe that i have made, and ive made gaffes, like every politician i know has, have been not about a substantive issue. Reporter and he pushed back on a Washington Post report that hes been telling inaccurate stories out on the campaign trail, saying its the message that matters, not the details. Im not sure thats relevant, but i dont you know, i dont get wrong things like, you know, there is we should lock kids up in cages at the border. Reporter the early frontrunner joking that hes already considering his running mate. Have you asked Michelle Obama for advice . Only to be my Vice President. Im only joking michelle, im joking. Reporter now, biden is arguing that his gaffes are largely trivial, but he is also facing a lot of criticism for saying recently that, quote, the details are irrelevant, in terms of decisionmaking. David . Mary bruce live in washington. Mary, thank you. There is still much more ahead on world news tonight this thursday. News about actor kevin hart tonight. The latest on his condition coming in. And the car crash leaving him badly injured. Tonight, the 911 calls from the scene and from his home in the hours afterward. The new and alarming vaping news tonight. A new death. And the separate headline involving vaping. A possible ingredient now being looked at. And the Young Country singer who has died in a car accident, posting on social media not long before the crash. A lot more news ahead tonight. So much more than i could have imagined. My grandfather was born in a shack in pennsylvania, his father was a miner, they were immigrants from italy and somewhere along the way that man changed his name and transformed himself into a successful midcentury american man. He had a whole life that i didnt know anything about. He was just my beloved grandpa. Bring your Family History to life like never before. Get started for free at ancestry. Com bring your Family History to life like never before. Oh, wow. You two are going to have such a great trip. Yeah, have fun thanks to you, we will. Aw, stop. This is why voya helps reach todays goals. All while helping you to and through retirement. Um, you guys are just going for a week, right . Yeah thats right. Can you help with these . Oh. Um, were more of the plan, invest and protect kind of help. Sorry, little paws, so. But have fun send a postcard voya. Helping you to and through retirement. Too many people a restless nights sleep. Theres a better choice. Aleve pm. The only one to combine a safe sleep aid and the 12hour painrelieving strength of aleve. That dares to last into the morning. So you feel refreshed. Aleve pm. Theres a better choice. But dad, youve got allstate. With accident forgiveness they guarantee your rates wont go up just because of an accident. Smart kid. Indeed. Are you in good hands . Eh, not enough fiber. Chocolate would be good. Snacking should be sweet and simple. The delicious taste of glucerna gives you the sweetness you crave while helping you manage your blood sugar. Glucerna. Everyday progress we turn next tonight to the 911 calls after the crash involving actor and comedian kevin hart. He was badly injured and went into surgery. Heres abcs adrienne bankert. You guys okay in there . Reporter tonight, in newlyreleased 911 calls, a witness describes the scene in the moments following kevin harts car crash. The roof is crushed and the car is pretty totaled. The doors smashed in. Reporter investigators say harts friend, jared black, was driving when he lost control of the comedians classic car, rolling and crashing off mulholland drive in calabasas. Black and his fiancee, for a time, reportedly trapped inside. Now, its a good thing this drop wasnt more steep. Kevin harts car landing at the bottom of this embankment, crashing through this fence and dropping about 10 to 20 feet. Hart managed to return to his home nearby, where the Highway Patrol says a woman soon called for help, describing his injuries. You see anything broken . Something on his back is pulling out onto his spine and im not sure. Reporter both black and hart suffering serious back injuries. Kevin hart later undergoing major surgery. Police have ruled out alcohol and there have been no charges. And hart is expected to be released from the hospital very soon. Though its reported hell require weeks of intensive physical therapy. However, he is expected to make a full recovery. David . All right, adrienne bankert, thank you. When we come back, the Major University fined 4. 5 million for not protecting its students. And the Young Country music singer who has died in a crash shortly after posting on social media. Well be back. Ive always been faand 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 theres a better treatment than warfarin. I want that too. Eliquis. Eliquis is proven to reduce stroke risk better than warfarin. Plus has significantly less major bleeding than warfarin. Eliquis is fdaapproved and has both. Whats next . Reeling in a nice one. Dont stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. 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And a key ingredient possibly linked to many of those vaping illnesses. Health officials in new york are now focusing on the chemical vitamin e acetate, the compound found in more than a dozen samples of vaping patients. They say its used in cannabis products, not nicotine pods. More study is needed. Michigan State University has been fined a record amount tonight. The u. S. Department of education ordering the school to pay 4. 5 million for mishandling the larry nassar sex abuse scandal and not properly responding to complaints. Nassar, the team doctor for usa gymnastics, sentenced to 125 years in prison. A Young Country music singer has died. Police say Kylie Rae Harris was killed in a threecar crash in northern new mexico. A 16yearold driver was also killed. The singer had posted an emotional video on instagram two hours before the crash, remembering driving with her late father as a child. When we come back here on the broadcast tonight, its become a tradition around here, and they always make us smile. S. The way you triumph over adversity. And live your lives. Thats why we redesigned humira. We wanted to make the experience better for you. Now theres less pain immediately following injection. Weve reduced the size of the needle and removed the citrate buffers. And it has the same effectiveness you know and trust. Re a little change can make a big difference. Humira can lower your ability to fight infections. Serious and sometimes fatal infections, including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened, as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. Tell your doctor if youve been to areas where certain fungal infections are common and if youve had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flulike symptoms or sores. Dont start humira if you have an infection. 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Its big that looks at a sunroof and wonders why it cant just be most of the roof. Its big thats better because we built it that way. The spacious, 121 cubic feet of cargo space ford expedition. Finally tonight, america strong. The children on their first day of school. So many young faces, theyre still smiling and waving after their first day of school. Meet frances. Did you go to school today, frances . Yes. Reporter you did . First day. Reporter first day . How was it . Good. Reporter she tells me shes in kindergarten. How was kindergarten . Good. Reporter yeah . What was the best part about it . Ah its like all fun. Reporter all fun . Yeah. Reporter thats a pretty good start. Yeah. Reporter yeah. And andrea. She told us what grade. In sixth. Reporter sixth grade now . How did that happen so fast . I dont know. Reporter you dont know . Where did the time go . Flying. Reporter flying. I know. Were all getting older, arent we . Uhhuh. Reporter she said no butterflies. Instead, keep calm and hug your mom. This little guy is in second grade. Whats your name . Alex. Reporter alex. How was the first day . First day it was average. Reporter just a little average . Yeah. Reporter what was average about it . Just an average day. Reporter just average. Alexander ray, they call him rayray, and he is serious. Howd it go . Not bad. Reporter not bad . What was the best thing about first grade . Ah play dough. Reporter the play dough . The play dough, and a high five. And by the way, he does smile. Youre a very serious interview, ray. Theres ariel. What do you think the best part of this years going to be . Finishing it. Reporter that sounds about right. We hear you. And third grader nicholas. I was a little nervous because everyones going back to school and i saw your face, i thought maybe you were a little down today. But youre not, youre fine, right . I see that smile in there. He tried to stay in character. Which takes us back to alex, who told us something else. Were you worried at all . Ah no. Reporter no . I was very happy. Reporter why . Because i never had bad days in school. Reporter never a bad day. Cant beat that. Never a bad day at school. We hope that for every child. Im david muir. See you tomo announcer now from abc7, live breaking news. Years after the fire following months of testimony and weeks of deliberations, today the jury in oaklands ghost ship trial delivered a split decision. The jury was hung, unable to reach a verdict for defendant derick almena. Max harris was acquitted on both counts. One for each person who died, the families who once shared grief now share another emotion. Were just deeply disappointed and i have no words to be honest. Absolutely im dispointed. Its just the process of justice, i guess. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Im ama daetz. And im dan ashley. Its been almost three years now since an oakland warehouse turned into an inferno, killing three dozen people who had attended a music concert just a few weeks before christmas. Since then it has been a maze of legal wrangling including a trial that saw a number of jurors replaced and today the verdict. Abc7 News ReporterLaura Anthony begins our team coverage. Laura, you have been on this trial since the very beginning. Reporter hi, dan. This day began with uncertainty. Uncertainty about whether the jury would reach a verdict today, whether deliberations would have to go into next week. There were jurors who had vacations scheduled. But just before noon we learned there was a verdict. What we didnt know is that it was a split decision. At 2 00, the defendants were brought into the courtroom. Max harris had a bright yellow tie on, a dark suit. Derick almena, a dark sport coat with a sweater. Both men looking somber. There was a lot of tension, a lot of nervousness inside the courtroom. By my count, 36 members, family members of the victims were in the courtroom. Some of them started crying before the judge and the clerk even go to the verdicts. But once they were read, the first one was max harris. Took 12 minutes to read 36 counts of not guilty. Heres what the attorneys said after. This isnt a time for us to talk about the