urgent health alert. cases spiking of that mystery illness that could start like a cold and end in paralysis. dozens now confirmed in more than 20 states and doctors baffled. the warning this morning. nationwide search. hundreds of tips pouring in for that missing 13-year-old girl whose parents were found dead in their home. the unusual 911 call raising questions and what her family is saying now. life after "roseanne." the conner family returned to tv last night without their famous mom. >> roseanne od'd on opioids. >> the reaction to how they're moving on and roseanne's fiery response this morning. ♪ and do you want to be a megamillionaire? overnight, no big winner. now the prize soaring to a record $868 million, but, wait. why you may want to think twice before you get rid of last night's ticket. ♪ breaking news. cecilia vega. >> some breaking news for our viewers in the west. melania trump's plane was forced to turn around on the way to philadelphia. due to mechanical issues. reporters onboard say there was smoke and the smell of something burning. possibly from a malfunctioning comms unit on board. sources say first lady is fine. the plane has now landed back at joints base andrews. the first lady was heading to philadelphia as part of her bebest campaign. we're told a second plane is being readied the trip is expected to move forward. george, back to you guys in the studio. everyone is here. everyone on the crew is at work this morning. that can only mean one thing. >> it's not too late. the reason you want to hang on to those mega millions tickets even if you didn't get the jackpot because nine of them are worth at least a million dollars which means you may have to go to work but you can sashay a little bit. >> a little late. >> i'm not going to throw it away. >> i'm not going to quit work either. >> we have more on that coming up. but first, we begin with the state of emergency in texas. deadly flooding hitting the south causing rivers to rise to record levels. that rushing water washing away bridges and parts of homes. clayton sandell is there in texas for us, has the very latest. good morning, clayton. >> reporter: you can see just how quickly conditions change. when we were here a few hours ago this was a raging river. in fact, you can see up there where the water line was, way up there but now the water is gone and you can see all the destruction behind this wall. this home and many like it are a total loss. this morning, a disaster declaration for central texas. near-record floods triggering evacuations and rescues. the llano river, west of austin, rising nearly 26 feet in hours. too much for this bridge near kingsland, texas. the brute force of the rushing water crushing the bridge under the rapids. >> right here you can see where the water came to. >> reporter: gerald hudson lives along the colorado river. it's already destroyed his neighbor's home. >> i didn't think it would get this high. >> reporter: now he's nervously watching water lapping at his own back door. >> the way these waves are going, you know, surf's up. >> reporter: views that normally look like this, now look like this. schools are closed. cars stuck. raging floodwaters carrying debris over the top of swollen dams. >> is that a deck? that looks like a deck that's just gone over. wow. >> reporter: officials say a body was found in floodwaters, possibly the last of four victims swept away last week, when floodwaters overtook an rv park. the good news is the water levels are dropping here but the ground is so saturated that any more rain could trigger another flooding emergency. robin. >> thank you. now to that deepening crisis over the missing "washington post" columnist who appears to have been murdered inside the consulate citing mounting evidence that it was tied to the saudi regime but president trump is emphasizing the saudi denial saying they're innocent until proven guilty. ian pannell has more. >> reporter: good morning, george, from the saudi consulate in istanbul which is now at the center of what looks increasingly like a possible murder mystery and certainly a global diplomatic crisis involving saudi arabia, turkey and the united states. president trump has expressed more than one opinion on this, but the question still remains, will there be a proper investigation and will we get any clear answers? this morning, will president trump respond to the alleged murder of "washington post" writer jamal khashoggi? overnight, trump telling fox business -- >> it depends whether or not the king or the crown prince knew about it in my opinion. number one, what happened but whether or not they knew about it. if they knew about it, that would be bad. >> reporter: trump also comparing the situation to sexual assault allegations made against supreme court justice brett kavanaugh telling the associated press, you're guilty until proven innocent. i don't like that. but one major difference, evidence. "the post" columnist seen entering the saudi consulate but he hasn't been seen since and as a vocal critic of the crown prince he had many enemies in saudi. this morning, trump's top diplomat mike pompeo was on the ground in turkey meeting with the country's foreign minister and president. this after a photo-op with king salman and a meeting with the saudi crown prince. turkish authorities are accusing the saudis of murdering khashoggi in the saudi consulate in istanbul, something the royal family denies. >> strong and old allies. so, we face our challenges together. >> reporter: this morning, according to a report from "the new york times," at least 9 of 15 suspects identified by turkish authorities worked for the saudi security services, military or other government ministries. nearly two weeks after the journalist's disappearance turkish investigators searched the consulate for nine hours. but just hours before a cleaning crew seen here entered the consulate ahead of the investigative team's arrival. on tuesday, the turkish president said investigators were searching for toxic materials suggesting the consulate could have been recently painted. according to the ap, investigators found certain evidence khashoggi was killed there. but sources telling abc there are no conclusions so far. turkish officials giving "the washington post" scans of passports, members of an alleged hit squad. according to "the wall street journal" this morning, turkish officials have shared evidence of a gruesome audio recording with the united states and saudi arabia that reportedly indicates how khashoggi was killed in the office of the saudi consul general. on the recording a voice can be allegedly heard recommending other people present listen to some music while he dismembered mr. khashoggi's body. so the detective work continues here this morning. abc sources confirming that attempts to get into the consul general's house were rebuffed by the saudis yesterday. they're going to try again today. we've also just heard that investigators went to the home the fiancee of mr. khashoggi, collected dna samples. the question is, will they be able to match it against anything found here? >> let's bring in jon karl for more on all this and, jon, we just saw how the evidence is mounting that the saudis were behind this but the president has been emphasizing the saudi denials, apparently taking arm sales off the table, but is under pressure to take some action. >> reporter: well, george, he did say there would be severe punishment. those were his words if it turned out the saudis did this. but he has made it clear he doesn't want to jeopardize arm sales. he's made it clear he doesn't like the idea of sanctions so it's unclear what the white house would do. i would look for the action, though, to come from congress. we hear members of congress both parties talking about sanctions and also about ending u.s. support for the saudi war in yemen. >> the president also defending himself against the idea that his possible investments from saudi arabia in the past may have something to do with his stance. >> reporter: yes, as a matter of fact, he said he has no financial ties to saudi arabia right now. as you know, though, the president has had in the past very deep financial ties to the saudis going back to 1991 when he was in financial trouble and they bought his yacht. >> and, jon, the president on this media blitz heading into the midterms giving a series of interviews as we've seen taking off on all his perceived adversaries. he's taken on the fed chair, elizabeth warren. calling stormy daniels "horseface." >> he's taken more questions than he has during any previous time period of his presidency. all over the map going after his enemies, going after his enemies harsh and also, george, in an interview with the ap, making it clear if the republicans were to lose the house, that he would not be to blame. he was asked directly, would you bear any responsibility, and his answer was a simple no. >> even as the elections are becoming nationalized. jon karl, thanks very much. michael. >> thank you, george. now to that nationwide search for a missing 13-year-old whose parents were found dead in their wisconsin home. hundreds of tips are pouring in and abc's alex perez is in barron, wisconsin, with the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: hey, good morning, michael. authorities say in a mysterious disappearance cases like this one, every second counts. they have about 150 law enforcement members working this case around the clock. this morning, the search for 13-year-old jayme closs intensifying. the fbi and local investigators now looking into more than 200 tips to try and locate the missing teen. >> we are running a 24/7 operation, a 24/7 command post we have teams ready to respond when a tip comes in. >> reporter: leads have been pouring in from across the country, including someone who said they spotted the 13-year-old in this vehicle with two men nearly 2,000 miles away in miami. officials now saying that sighting is not credible. jayme was last seen at a family gathering sunday. hours later, at about 1:00 a.m., a puzzling call from inside jayme's home to 911. >> did it sound like somebody needed help? did it sound like there was danger? what made the red flags go off? >> well, any 911 call across the nation, law enforcement follows up on. there was some kind of commotion on that tape and so we went and responded as we normally do to any 911 call and that's when we discovered two deceased people when we arrived on scene. >> reporter: when police responded to their house in rural wisconsin, jayme's parents found dead inside. the teenager vanished. investigators revealing few details about the crime scene but saying they recovered bullet casings inside. jayme's emotional family this morning holding on to hope she will soon be back home. >> tell us a little about her and why you want people to care about what's going on. >> jayme is the sweetest little girl. she wouldn't hurt a soul. >> reporter: and authorities say they've interviewed jayme's classmates and her friends. they're hoping someone will hold the key information they'll need to crack this case. michael. >> all right, thank you so much, alex. george. now to that urgent health alert about the mysterious illness called afm. it often starts like a common cold then leads to paralysis and the cdc is out with new numbers confirming 62 cases across 22 states. most of them involving children. abc's eva pilgrim is here with the details. good morning, eva. >> reporter: good morning. the scariest part is how little we know about it. the cdc calling it a mystery, but what we do know, it is paralyzing and seems to be targeting young children. 4-year-old camden carr from virginia has been in the hospital for weeks. his parents say it started as a sinus infection but quickly escalated leaving him barely able to speak or move. >> i can't tell you how he feels and how he's hurting or anything. so it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: camden is fighting acute flaccid myelitis, or afm, a rare illness with polio-like symptoms that primarily strikes children. after spikes in 2014 and 2016, the cdc says we could be seeing a similar outbreak. this illness affects less than 1 in a million but it's serious so the cdc is urging parents to look for any sudden weakness in the arms or legs. >> despite lots of investigation by cdc and its partners, we don't know where afm comes from and we don't know what is causing it. >> reporter: 7-month-old zoe buiter was diagnosed with afm three weeks ago. even though she is doing better doctors haven't said whether she is expected to make a full recovery. >> she's a lot more mobile. a lot more active. still, no strength in her arm. we do see a little movement in her fingers sometimes. >> reporter: so far this year, 127 patients are under investigation. 62 confirmed cases in 22 states. the average age, 4 years old like camden, whose parents hope his story will help other families. >> your kid could just have a cold, but make sure of it. >> reporter: and so many questions still this morning. doctors don't know where it's coming from, how it's transferred or the reason for this recent uptick and at this point there is no cure. there's not even a treatment for it. the way they diagnose it is by process of elimination so a lot of parents waiting and worried. >> all you can do is really do the normal things to prevent against illness. >> exactly. >> eva, thanks very much. now to that massive mega millions jackpot. no one took home the grand prize as we told you last night. the pot is soaring to a record $868 million for friday's drawing. gio benitez is on the beat again. he's here with us with more. >> reporter: good morning. an unbelievable jackpot right there and we do know right now that there are at least nine $1 million winners from last night's drawing, so check those tickets right away but this was the 24th time in a row, believe it or not, that there was no jackpot winner. still no winner for the record-breaking mega millions lottery but the good news, the jackpot is now even bigger. >> see if i can make you a millionaire. >> reporter: come friday you could win an astounding $868 million. >> give me the winning ticket. >> reporter: now the odds might be daunting, 1 in 302 million, but that hasn't stopped people out there from doing anything they can to increase their odds. >> i'm excited and hope i got the winning lottery numbers. >> reporter: hitting up lucky locations, stores that sold winning tickets before. >> this is going to be my first time getting a ticket from the bluebird, the famous bluebird, so hopefully first timer's luck. >> reporter: bluebird liquor has a history of producing lottery winners selling four winning tickets over a million dollars. >> come on, bluebird. come on, you can do it. >> reporter: then there's ernie's liquors in san jose, california, millionaires are made here, a ticket for $522 million sold in july. >> lucky one. >> yep, this is it. >> reporter: keeping the dream alive and trying their luck once again. and people will be trying and the games continue tonight with the powerball, $345 million jackpot right there. if you take the lump sum that's $199 million and it may not be the 868 but, listen, it's not chump change. >> i know, when we think about the people who have won a million, ah, why are we like doing that? >> and one of those people, it's about 5 million because they got one of those multipliers. >> good for them. >> thank you, gio. we'll be playing tonight. and now to a tense moment during the major league baseball playoffs last night. take a look at this. this is dodgers pitcher rich hill. he got a little frustrated after he gave up the lead and that's how he reacted by taking it out on a bucket of candy. the announcers saying happy halloween but it all worked out. the dodgers beat the brewers with this 13th inning walkoff and now the series is tied at 2-2. so you know what, make sure the candy -- if you didn't know the candy was there now you do. >> did you ever have a moment like that? >> no comment. >> they kept the candy away from him. back to rob. i don't know. low blood sugar, you might need that. frost and freeze warnings and advisories for a few states. another reinforcing cold front coming through tonight. tomorrow morning across the i-95 corridor will feel like close to freezing. ithaca, new york, 22 degrees. 10 degrees in saranac lake. this is the coldest air of the season. coming up, life after "roseanne." "the conners" made a big debut last night without the famous tv mom. we have the fiery reaction from roseanne barr overnight. and that woman trying to stop a man from entering his apartment building telling her side of the story. r side of the story. story. fact: some of your favorite foods stain teeth. unlike ordinary whitening toothpaste, colgate optic white has hydrogen peroxide that goes below the tooth's surface for a smile that's 4 shades visibly whiter! colgate optic white. whitening that works. advil liqui-gels minis. breakthrough in pain relief. a mighty small pill with concentrated power that works at liquid speed. you'll ask... what pain? advil liqui-gels minis. around here, nobody evreally? it i didn't do it so when i heard they added ultra oxi to the cleaning power of tide, i knew it was just what we needed so now we can undo all the tough stains that nobody did dad? i didn't do it it's got to be tide what does it take to work that's a great question. if you'd stop in a monsoon to help someone change a tire, save a whale that had beached itself... you're gonna be ok big guy. push! lend a hand in an old-timey barn raising... you got it, jebediah! and if the middle school dance group was down one member and you'd step in and lead them all the way to glory... yes! then carmax is for you, because helping people is what our people are all about. i can do more to lower my a1c. because my body can still make its own insulin. i take trulicity once a week to activate my body to release its own insulin, like it's supposed to. trulicity is not insulin. it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen. and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is an injection to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. don't use it as the first medicine to treat diabetes, or if you have type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. don't take trulicity if you or your family have medullary thyroid cancer, you're allergic to trulicity, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2. stop trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, a lump or swelling in your neck or severe stomach pain. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin increases your low blood sugar risk. common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and decreased appetite. these can lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. to help lower my a1c i choose trulicity to activate my within. ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> and good morning. i'm alexis smith from abc 7 mornings. san francisco police are investigating an officer-involved shooting near aquatic park. the shooting involved a u.s. park police officer. one person was transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. another person was detained. investigators have not said what led up to the shooting or whether it appeared to be a justified officer-involved shooting. now let's get over to sue for a quick check of the roads. >> good morning, alexis. good morning, everyone. we've got a couple of hot spots. let's take a look back to oakland. we have an overturned blocking the two left lanes, westbound 580 before golf links. and as you can see, traffic is stacked up well into san leandro and back to the castro valley "y," as a matter of fact. and an earlier accident south 101 after penngrove has something very slow in now your accuweather forecast with mike nicco. >> hey, when you step outside, you're going to notice, it's a little bit milder. we've got 42 at the napa airport, about 54 in san francisco, 56 in mountain view. that's because we had a cloud deck roll over and some fog. look at the reduction in visibility, down to a quarter mile or less at times, from santa rosa up towards windsor. in fact, you can see the clouds over the san mateo bridge right now. so that's our only issue, as far as weather goes with your commute today. here's a look at what's going on away from the coast in san francisco, temperatures above average through saturday. alexis? >> thanks, mike. coming up on "gma," life after "roseanne," how the conners wrote the star off the series and what roseanne is saying about it. we'll have another update in about 30 minutes and always on our abc 7 news app and abc7news.com. join us each weekday morning this is not a screensaver.game. this is the destruction of a cancer cell by the body's own immune system, thanks to medicine that didn't exist until now. and today can save your life. ♪ ♪ take awith lindorunwind a milk chocolate shell with a smooth, melting center from the lindt master chocolatiers lindor only from lindt (burke) seen it, covered it. we know a thing or two because we've seen a thing or two. ♪ we are farmers. bum-pa-dum, bum-bum-bum-bum ♪ meghan and i would like to meghan and i would like to thank you for inviting us today. the rain was a gift. welcome back to "gma." nothing like giving a speech in torrential rain. but don't worry, prince harry, he had duchess meghan there by his side. the royals are in dubbo, australia, meeting with giant crowds. we're going to tell you the special homemade gift meghan gave away to one family there, all coming up in our next hour. >> they are an adorable couple. >> absolutely. >> no doubt about it. that's coming up. but first, the top headlines we're following right now. the south bracing for more flooding as we've been reporting after those downpours in texas. a state of emergency has been declared there, and the death toll is rising in the aftermath of hurricane michael. now up to 26. and usa gymnastics president mary bono is stepping down just four days into her job as interim president after simone biles criticized her for a tweet taking on nike after that colin kaepernick ad. gold medalist aly raisman also critical of bono for being associated with a law firm that advised larry nassar during the sexual abuse scandal. and canada has now become the second and largest country to legalize recreational marijuana. more than 100 stores are open nationwide. and take a look at this. remember chubs, the giant gator that went viral. the giant gator known was chubs making an appearance at the golf course in florida. 15 feet long. >> that's a big one. >> went viral in 2016. decided to go for another little stroll on the course. >> as long as he's moving slowly. >> exactly. we'll begin now with the return of "the conners," the roseanne spin-off premiered revealing her character died of an overdose from opioids. reaction coming in including from roseanne herself. adrienne bankert here with that. >> reporter: it was an emotional ride on television in spite of the controversy and the leading character's death. it was a chance for viewers and critics to see, could the show go on? >> i know roseanne would want me to step in and watch over the family. >> reporter: "the conners" addressing life after roseanne within seconds of the show's return to primetime. >> no. she's already dead so carry on. >> reporter: revealing how the famous matriarch would be written off the series. >> roseanne od'd on opioids. >> reporter: an overdose of prescription meds following knee surgery. >> she must have taken the pills right before bed and with her health issues it was enough to stop her breathing. >> wait, what? mom overdosed? >> it doesn't make any sense. >> reporter: the premiere shows a family laughing to keep from crying. >> i just want to make sure that you're okay. >> it hurts. >> i know, hon. it's going to hurt for quite a while. >> no, corn holders in my shoulder. >> yeah, sorry. >> reporter: sara gilbert and john goodman say it's been extremely emotional in real life, speaking here on "gma." >> the first week was really weird, yeah, it was like there was a death in the family. we really missed her a whole lot. ♪ >> reporter: online some viewers missed roseanne, many cheering on the show's multitalented cast as better than ever without her. applauding the powerful conversations around loss and drug use, one writes, if you've ever loved someone addicted to opioids, among other things, this episode of "the conners" is hitting you square in the heart. others questioning the decision tweeting, i think the worst possible scenario was having roseanne die and from opioids. such a terrible way to remove her, #theconners. overnight roseanne barr tweets, i ain't dead. in the statement, says in part, while we wish the best for the cast and production crew of the conner, we regret that abc chose to cancel roseanne by killing off her character. there was a lot of acclaim all around for the performances of goodman and laurie metcalf. you think about how long that they've all known each other and loved each other, this was not an easy show. >> not at all. a lot of reaction online also about the whole subject of grieving. >> yeah, absolutely. it seems as though a lot of people could relate to laughing in the midst of mourning. i mean, it seems like laughter is very good medicine. >> adrienne, thanks very much. and three of the show's stars, lecy goranson, michael fischman and maya lynne robinson will join us in our next hour. now to new developments now in that confrontation that's going viral showing a woman refusing to let a neighbor into their apartment building in st. louis. now we're hearing her side of the story for the first time. abc's linsey davis is here with that. good morning, linsey. >> reporter: good morning to you, michael. the woman dubbed by social media users as "key fob kelly" doesn't think she's done anything wrong. in fact, she's doubling down, standing by her actions friday night. her defense, she says she was just following the rules set forth by the building. this morning, the woman social media has dubbed key fob kelly in this now viral video is speaking out. >> please move, ma'am. >> i can't. do you live here? >> reporter: hilary mueller defending her actions telling fox 2 now she was merely trying to follow the condo's guidelines for residents. >> if you want to come into my building -- >> it's not your building. you're not the owner. >> my only intent was to follow the direction that i had been given by our condo association board members repeatedly and that is to never allow access to any individual that you do not know. >> reporter: mueller says d'arreion toles was trying to enter the building as she had the door cracked open while she was taking her dog for a walk. >> i do not think that i did anything wrong. i upheld the ask of me to its fullest extent. the direction from the condo association is so repeated that if you don't know the person, you do not let them in. >> reporter: mueller then followed him to his apartment where toles used his key to open his apartment door. >> you just followed me all the way to my door. >> as a -- >> you see my key is in the door. >> reporter: the video went viral. as for the accusations of racism, these are claims that mueller vehemently denies. >> that is absolutely false and heartbreaking and those are words that truly cut deep. >> reporter: abc news did reach out for a copy of the condo association guidelines. we were provided this response from the president of the association saying, my attorney has advised me not to make any statements or share any documents at this time, but what's still outstanding is that she still got on the elevator, still followed him down the hallway to his apartment. >> she said she felt uncomfortable, that's the last thing you could have imagined -- >> she could have just left him at the front door. he could have opened it himself with his key fob. >> living in new york, we do see signs like that in our apartment buildings and parking garages and stuff like that but why didn't she just close the door and let him use his little key. >> that's what remains unknown. >> this is how she handled it. nothing today, you got no -- >> i'm dry. fresh out. >> okay. thank you, linsey, as always. coming up, an abc news exclusive. a young woman killed by her husband, he blamed cough medicine for the murder. ready to juvéderm it? 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( ♪ ) juvéderm it. talk to your doctor about the juvéderm collection of fillers. introducing the new capital one savor card. earn 4% cash back on dining and 4% on entertainment. now when you go out, you cash in. what's in your wallet? unlike ordinary toothpaste, colgate total fights bacteria on teeth, tongue, cheeks and gums for 12 hours. so you're totally ready for that big moment. colgate total. be totally ready for life. take us downtown, waze. waze integration- seamlessly connecting the world inside with the world outside. making life a little easier. ♪ the new well-connected 2019 lincoln mkc. we've hadfor a long time.is in san francisco and half-measures haven't fixed it. homelessness doesn't just hurt homeless people. it hurts all of us. that's why we're all voting "yes" on c. the plan is paid for by corporations that just got a massive tax break. it's time for them to give back by helping all of us to fix our homeless crisis. with more affordable housing... expanded mental-health services... clean restrooms and safe shelters. vote "yes" on c. it helps all of us. we're back now with that abc news exclusive. a young woman killed by her husband. he blamed cough medicine for the murder. now her family is speaking out for the first time and paula faris sat down with them and joins us now with this. looking forward to hearing from them. good morning, paula. >> good morning, robin. it is such a sad story. the family says they noticed a difference in him. he stopped spending time with them and he became withdrawn and depressed. they worried that he might do something to himself. they never considered he may take her life. but this morning, they're saying he fooled them all and they believe he was planning to kill her all along. >> reporter: raw and heartbroken -- >> i miss her. i wish i could hold her. >> reporter: the family of lauren phelps speaking out for the first time since her brutal murder last september. >> i have blood all over me and there's a bloody knife on the bed and i think i did it. i can't believe i did this. >> reporter: that's matthew phelps, lauren's husband, who made the 911 call. earlier this month he pled guilty in court looking much different with long hair and full beard, admitting to brutally stabbing her and blaming it all on cold medicine. >> what medicine did you take? >> i took coricidin. i know it can make you feel good so a lot of times i can't sleep at night. >> he blamed it on cough medicine. did you ever buy that? >> no. >> never. >> he planned the whole thing from the get-go in my opinion right from day one to the end. >> reporter: the family says the marriage of ten months was troubled with financial issues and lauren was the victim of emotional and verbal abuse. they believe lauren, who was a youth group leader at church, had had enough and was ready to leave him. >> so you think that she told him she was done? >> uh-huh. i think that he made a decision that day that lauren was not going to leave him, even if that meant he had to kill her. >> reporter: matthew stabbed her over 120 times. lauren's mom describing the exchange with police when they knocked on her door in the middle of the night. >> i turned around. i said, did matt kill her? and they asked me, why would you ask that? i said, i don't know. i just know. i just know. they told us that he had killed her and that he had stabbed her. >> the police called him a monster. and we're talking about homicide detectives who see homicides every day. >> she was laying on her stomach in the floor. he was sitting on her back stabbing her. he -- >> he tortured her. >> he tortured her. >> reporter: matthew will spend the rest of his life in prison without parole. in the courtroom he stood up and he faced you and he apologized. >> i am sorry that i took away lauren's life. >> will you ever be able to forgive him? >> no, never. i'll take him to my grave and i'll still hate him. >> what would you tell lauren right now? >> i miss her and i love her. >> i'm sorry i let you down. i should have seen it. all i can tell her, i'm sorry i let you down, but i ain't going to let the rest of them down, not no more. >> and the dad said last time he saw his daughter alive she was nervous and she seemed a mess. he regrets to this day not asking her what was going on and he hopes that in lauren's memory others that are in abusive relationships will come forward and those around them will ask questions. the mom says she never talked to her children about domestic abuse and she wishes she would have. >> they can't blame themselves. they can't blame themselves like that, but it's good that they're getting this message out. it's so important to say you've got to -- yes, the person being abused needs to speak out but those around them need to ask the questions. >> and take actions. >> no family should suffer what that family has gone through, though. >> great job, paula. thank you. coming up, we'll switch gears to some good news. we have a former student's life-saving surprise for a beloved teacher that you don't want to miss. we'll be right back. and merry christmas to yooouuu! before he was mean, he was a lonely boy. but it's never too late to feel christmas joy. that's not gonna happen. ♪ ho ho ho max, today we're gonna steal christmas. ♪ ho-a, ho-a ho, santa's hoping to meet ♪ prepare to have your little dummy mind blown. poof! the grinch. rated pg. seven days in the future, but i'to be exact.uture. and the car you put on hold at carmax.com is still being held for you, free of charge. in answer to all your other questions: yes, no... and that's still illegal. ♪ carmax music sting the doctor just for a shot. with neulasta onpro patients get their day back... to be with family, or just to sleep in. strong chemo can put you at risk of serious infection. in a key study neulasta reduced the risk of infection from 17% to 1%, a 94% decrease. neulasta onpro is designed to deliver neulasta the day after chemo and is used by most patients today. neulasta is for certain cancer patients receiving strong chemotherapy. do not take neulasta if you're allergic to it or neupogen (filgrastim). an incomplete dose could increase infection risk. ruptured spleen, sometimes fatal as well as serious lung problems, allergic reactions, kidney injuries and capillary leak syndrome have occurred. report abdominal or shoulder tip pain, trouble breathing or allergic reactions to your doctor right away. in patients with sickle cell disorders, serious, sometimes fatal crises can occur. the most common side effect is bone and muscle ache. ask your doctor about neulasta onpro. pay no more than $5 per dose with copay card. ♪ how to save a life very fitting song right there. "how to save a life." back with a former student who is paying it forward giving a life-saving gift to a teacher her high school and lara is here with more on this big surprise. >> so happy to be here to share this with you. this is one of those stories where social media is used as a force of good and it has a special place in my heart. you're about to understand why because all of it was thankfully caught on tape. >> and i'm giving you my kidney. >> reporter: an emotional moment as a former high school teacher gets the surprise of a lifetime, a kidney donation from a former student at his school. >> thank you. cool. >> reporter: 63-year-old george labecki in desperate need of a kidney transplant, the odds of finding a donor under 20%. >> my kidneys are bad. they've been bad since ever. i was born with bad kidneys. >> reporter: turning to social media to find a match and that's where 34-year-old lindsay wenrich comes in. >> i saw it and i responded to it and i just felt compelled to go get tested to see if i could help. >> reporter: wenrich is a former student at cedar cliff high school where labecki used to teach. she remembered how much the former teacher loved penn state. so she dressed up as the school's mascot, the nittany lion, and showed up at his door with a gift of a lifetime. >> and i'm giving you my kidney. >> truly a beautiful thing. she did it because she wanted to make a difference. >> surprise! >> geez. >> thank you. cool. >> she was never even in labecki's class. she saw that post on facebook. she said she felt compelled to help. and what makes me know that she is an even kinder soul, she put on that penn state mascot costume for george to cheer him up. she is a huge osu buckeye fan. so you know she really, really wanted to cheer him up. not an easy thing to do. you understand what i'm talking about, psu, osu fans. >> we are penn state. >> we are so grateful for stories like that. >> thank you -- are you okay? your voice -- >> i am. i have allergies. i'm working my sexy voice today. >> brenda vaccaro. >> yes. coming up, we're going to go down under. the duke and duchess and the sweet message prince harry had about his wife. come on back. going to go down under. the duke and duchess and the sweet message prince harry had about his wife. come on back. stop right there. ♪ don't go breakiwhat!?heart. here. eat a snickers®. you always lose your edge when you're hungry. better? better. ♪ yo, i said gimme the track... ♪ you're not you when you're hungry. snickers® fact: some of your favorite foods stain teeth. unlike ordinary whitening toothpaste, colgate optic white has hydrogen peroxide that goes below the tooth's surface for a smile that's 4 shades visibly whiter! colgate optic white. whitening that works. with the roomba robot vacuum. only roomba uses 2 multi-surface rubber brushes to clean all your floors. and with patented dirt detect technology, roomba finds dirt throughout your home. if it's not from irobot, it's not a roomba. ask sherwin-williams during the four-day super sale and bring color home. from october 19th to the 22nd, get 40% off paints and stains. visit your neighborhood sherwin-williams store today. but allstate actually helps you drive safely... with drivewise. it lets you know when you go too fast... ...and brake too hard. with feedback to help you drive safer. giving you the power to actually lower your cost. unfortunately, it can't do anything about that. now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? a 50% chance isn't good enough when it comes to your kid's nutrition. 1 out of 2 kids don't get enough calcium, vitamin d, and potassium. make sure your kid isn't one of them. one simple way? 3 servings of real milk a day. serve real milk at mealtime. a basin opening this weekend. more snow on minutes can mean the difference between life and death. proposition 11 saves lives by ensuring medical care is not delayed in an emergency. proposition 11 establishes into law the longstanding industry practice of paying emts and paramedics to remain on-call during breaks and requires they receive fema level training and active shooters and natural disasters. vote yes on 11 to ensure 911 emergency care is there when you or your love one need it. "good morning america" is sponsored by milk life. help nourish your child's potential with milk's balanced nutrition. nutrition. ld's potential with milk's balanced nutrition. good morning. i'm alexis smith from abc 7 mornings. meteorologist mike nicco has the forecast. hey, mike. >> the fog already starting to fade. no delays at sfo. at the beaches, cloudy a little bit longer, and there are some bigger waves, but nothing too dangerous. i wanted to let you know in case you're heading that way, it will be a little bit more rough than normal. mid- to upper 60s there in san francisco. low to mid-70s around the bay and low 70s to upper 80s inland through at least saturday. sue? >> busy roads coming up on 8:00 this morning. we've got a couple of accidents to highlight for you. one is leaving daly city. this is southbound 280 near westborough. it's a motorcycle down in one of the lanes there with injuries involved. and southbound 880 near "a" street, right lane is blocked with an accident there. alexis? >> yeah, that does not look good. and coming up on "gma," the royals down under. prince harry and duchess meghan greeted by loving fans. another abc 7 news update in about 30 minutes and always on our abc 7 news app and abc7news.com. join us for abc 7 mornings weekdays from 4:30 to good morning, america. it's 8:00 a.m. brack breaking us news for our viewers in west. air scare. a plane carrying melania trump forced to turn around. smoke reported onborder. reporters on the flight given wet towels to hold over their faces. the latest right now. health alert. it's breast cancer awareness month and we're turning the focus to men diagnosed with the disease. the issues they face, the symptoms to watch out for. dr. ashton is here with what you need to know. ♪ hooked on a feeling a little rain won't stop the duke and duchess as the royal couple heads to a small town down under. the moment harry met little luke who wanted to play with his beard. his public words about his wife. we are live from australia. and do you dream of leaving work earlier than you ever planned for a life of leisure? inside the new f.i.r.e. movement, financial independence retire early. how to adjust your spending and start creating big savings. you'll meet the people who have done it and we'll give you the tips and tools to start it yourself. are you ready for junior? dale earnhardt is live in times square, the secret diary he kept for years while he was racing and life off the track right now. junior nation, get ready. and he's here to say -- >> good morning, america. >> good morning, america. i'm cecilia vega. breaking news for our viewers this the west. first lady melania trump's plane was just forced to turn away on the way to philadelphia this morning. the white house said it was due to a minor mechanical issue onboard. the smell of something burning possibly from a malfunctioning comms unit that overheated. reporters were given wet towels to cover their faces. the white house says the first lady is fine. she was heading to philadelphia as part of her be best campaign. she boarded a second plane and the trip appears to be back on. we have a lot of headlines to get to right now starting with the deadly floods down south. a state of emergency declared in texas where rivers rose more than 25 feet in just hours. so let's go back to clayton sandell there on the ground for us. good morning again, clayton. >> reporter: hey, good morning, robin. you can just see how powerful the floodwaters can be. this wall pushed out, this door completely broken off of its frame. if you see where the dry wall came down here, that is where the water level was. and now everything has been washed out of this house, replaced by giant piles of debris. this morning, a disaster declaration for central texas, near-record floods triggering evacuations and rescues. officials say a body was found in floodwaters, possibly the last of four victims swept away last week when floodwaters overtook an rv park. the llano river, west of austin, rising nearly 26 feet in just a few hours. too much for this bridge near kingsland, texas. the brute force of the rushing water crushing the bridge under the rapids. views that normally look like this now look like this. schools are closed. cars stuck. raging floodwaters carrying debris over the top of swollen dams. >> is that a deck? that looks like a deck that's just gone over. wow. >> right here you can see where the water came to. >> reporter: gerald hudson lives along the colorado river. it's already destroyed his neighbor's home. >> i didn't think it would get this high. >> reporter: now he's nervously watching water lapping at his own back door. >> the way these waves are going, you know, surf's up. >> reporter: the rain is slowing down but now the reservoir and lakes are filling up. officials have to open the floodgates to relieve some of the pressure. robin. >> sounds good, all right, clayton, thank you. george? now to the deepening crisis over the "washington post" columnist who appears to have been murdered inside the saudi consulate in istanbul. turkish officials are citing mounting evidence that the killing of jamal khashoggi is tied to the saudi regime, but president trump emphasizing the saudi denial saying they are innocent until proven guilty. let's go back to ian pannell in istanbul with the latest. good morning, ian. >> reporter: yeah, good morning, george. from the saudi consulate in istanbul which is now at the center of what looks like both a murder mystery and major diplomatic crisis involving the saudis, the turks and washington, "the post" columnist was seen entering the saudi consulate october 2nd but hasn't been seen. indicates how khashoggi was killed in the saudi consul. recordings with the united states and saudi arabia that reportedly -- and i'm quoting -- indicates how khashoggi was killed in the office of the saudi consul general. coming up more on harry and meghan's whirlwind visit to australia. what meghan wore, you know, she's all about fashion that was designed by her close friend serena williams. >> really? okay. and a face of breast cancer you don't normally see. how men are affected. we'll talk about how it is for them when they are diagnosed with breast cancer and the issues they face. lara, what you got upstairs? >> hello, robin, "the conners" are back right here. lecy goranson, michael fischman, maya lynne robinson, all with us this morning after last night's big premiere. plus, we have a great audience as you just heard. we'll be right back on "good morning america." don't go anywhere. don't go anywhere. started using gain flings, ever since 'y their laundry smells more amazing than ever. 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[laughing] (dad vo) we got the biggest subaru to help bring our family together. i'm just resting my eyes. (dad vo) even though we're generations apart. what a day. i just love those kids. (avo) presenting the all-new three-row subaru ascent. wave to grandma, everybody. (avo) love is now bigger than ever. where are mom and dad? 'saved money on motorcycle insurance with geico! goin' up the country. love mom and dad' i'm takin' a nap. dude, you just woke up! ♪ ♪ i'm goin' up the country, baby don't you wanna go? ♪ ♪ i'm goin' up the country, baby don't you wanna go? ♪ geico motorcycle, great rates for great rides. ♪ we welcome you back to "gma." this great audience and a good-looking audience too. [ applause ] i tell you. happy hump day, everybody. hump day and tomorrow you know what that means, tory johnson is going to be here. great "deals & steals." [ cheers and applause ] don't want to miss that and we don't want to miss "pop news" right now with lara. >> no, you do not. [ applause ] a lot going on. we'll begin with a lady who is a regular now, lady gaga, forget "a star is born" how about a star is engaged, everybody. lady gaga, speaking at "elle" magazine's 25th annual women in hollywood celebration on monday, surprising the room when she ended her emotional speech by thanking her fiance, christian. that would be christian carino, her agent who she began dating in january 2017. an insider telling "people" magazine christian's a good, grounding force for gaga and he understands her career. she is in a great place now. that is the quote. gaga making headlines for her fashion choice at the event stepping out in a wildly oversized marc jacobs pantsuit explaining that, after trying on gown after gown she decided on the suit because, quote, i wanted to take the power back. i wear the pants. yes, she does. those were some big pants. and the jacket. girl, work it. also in "pop news" this morning, idris elba, one of our favorites, is set to channel his inner felines. yes, i said felines. the "avengers" star is the next cat lover in final negotiations to join the film adaptation of the legendary musical "cats" and elba will join a star-studded cast that includes jennifer hudson, ian mckellen, james corden, and as we reported first, taylor swift. [ applause ] a big deal. this is elba's second feline role. who knew he voiced shere khan in 2016's "the jungle book." "cats" will saunter in theaters december 20th, 2019. [ applause ] >> did you hear the whoop when you showed his picture? >> i agree. that's worth a whoop. >> she couldn't even help herself. she tried to keep it in. >> always worth a whoop. the latest development in the breakup of ariana grande. >> the latest development -- >> yes, i know. why are we all so sad about this? ariana and pete broke up, they split earlier this week after a four-month engagement and grande made her first public appearance without the engagement ring, everybody. and about that ring, "entertainment tonight" is reporting that the 25-year-old singer has returned the three-carat pear-shaped stunner valued at $93,000. i wonder who values that. it was just on her finger. but she will, we hear, keep the pet pig she had recently adopted with pete. listen, all the freshest news right here. a rep for grande says it was a mutual decision to break up. the pair felt the timing just wasn't right. it happened quickly. heartbroken ariana will be staying off social media for the time being to mend and heal and write some new music. [ applause ] [ laughter ] >> let it breathe. speaking of pigs -- [ laughter ] >> what a segue way. >> well, wait. >> oh, the pig, okay. >> there was a little too much separation. >> okay. >> speaking of pigs like ariana's, a california police department is learning the power of doritos. using them to solve an unusual problem luring a runaway pig back home, the san bernardino county sheriff's department responding to a call of a roaming pig and decided he had to use what resource he had on hand. a bag of doritos. the department writing on its website of their success, from crime fighting to safely securing a pig, we do it all. and we thank you, san bernardino police department. [ applause ] i try. you know, it's like a symphony. george, it all has to flow together. >> it does. >> thank you. >> great job. now, speaking of pigs -- no, i'm joking. now to our "gma" cover story, it's about the royals who are on tour, meghan and harry, enjoying a packed day in dubbo, australia, meeting with children, and the duchess delivering a special homemade gift and abc's james longman is traveling with the royals and has the latest. how are you doing, james? good morning. >> reporter: i'm doing good, michael, good morning. today meghan and harry were out in the countryside. thousands of people coming from miles around to see them. we got caught in a massive rainstorm and that just made things more fun. a big deal for a small town today. [ chanting ] meghan and harry hitting rural australia on the second day of their tour, straight off the plane in the town of dubbo and into the arms of 5-year-old luke vincent who has down syndrome. playing with harry's beard before a big hug for mum-to-be meghan. echoes of his mother, princess diana, the people's princess. as crowds greet the beloved couple -- >> funny, they have to walk the line between being celebrities in their own right but yet representatives of the queen. >> yeah, they did a good job. it's a fine line between doing royal duties and being seen as sort of that hollywood couple which they are. >> reporter: meghan in a jacket by close friend serena williams, the tennis ace acknowledging the shout-out on instagram. this morning, in a nod to her australian hosts, meghan in a pair of outland jean using the markle sparkle for a brand which empowers women breaking free from the sex trade. and today it was her turn to give a gift, baking banana bread for the woodley farming family. the mum-to-be sharing she's feeling pretty well so far but running on adrenaline. but then the rain. a relief for this drought-hit area. >> meghan and i would like to thank you, dubbo, for inviting us here today and for sharing your stories. and the rain was a gift. >> reporter: their teamwork on display. meghan holding an umbrella for her prince. >> that's all. i got my wife. >> reporter: a message of hope. >> but you need to know part of being strong and tough is having the courage to ask for help when you need it. you must not silently suffer. you are all in this together. >> reporter: a reminder of harry's own struggles after his mother's death and his campaign for mental health. >> if i may speak personally, we are all in this together because asking for help was one of the best decisions that i ever made. >> reporter: later at a school meghan meeting girls solo. but all protocol forgotten as the heavens opened. total mayhem. the rain has ruined the day but not really because people are loving being so close to the royal couple. >> how was it? did you enjoy that? >> all: yes. >> you were waiting for ages in the rain. are you okay? you're all soaked. >> reporter: for the young girls, the duchess a symbol of female empowerment. and tomorrow, we're all off to melbourne and all kinds of fun stuff is planned. michael. >> seem to bring excitement everywhere they go. thank you so much, james. now over to rob. >> good morning, guys. we have some pictures we want to share with you for our "gma" moment. here you go, this is roscoe the hedgehog. that's right, out of raleigh, north carolina, taking his bath. apparently hedgehogs like warm water and this is like one of those drink koozies that float so it fits him perfectly. if you do use the sink you're going to want to disinfect it. according to hedgehogheadquarters.com. you should never leave a hedgehog unattended, so let's give it up to our crack research staff. [ applause ] it's well known that october is breast cancer awareness month but what you may not know is that it's male breast cancer awareness week. the numbers for women are staggering. more than 266,000 expected to be diagnosed this year. though not as common, men are also diagnosed with breast cancer and face issues of their own. >> reporter: these are the pictures of breast cancer thrivers from across the globe. a small group of men whose stories are hardly ever heard. >> i am so sorry. what is he doing here? >> men get breast cancer too. it is a real thing. >> reporter: abc's new series "a million little things" hitting the subject head on, tugging at our heartstrings with a story of a man who's in remission from breast cancer. >> the all-clear screening i got this week just gives me permission to hold my breath for another three months. >> it makes men seem more vulnerable, which they are. >> reporter: breast cancer thriver brett miller opening up, showing us his scars. he was only 17 years old when he noticed a lump behind his right nipple. after seven years of doctors dismissing it as puberty, he then took a mammogram which revealed he had breast cancer at just 24. >> i come through the door. it says women's clinic. there are other men in there but they're in there with their significant other. so i go back to take my shirt off, put on the pink gown. it was uncomfortable and awkward. >> reporter: a mastectomy and four rounds of chemotherapy later miller is cancer-free. but the road to recovery wasn't easy. according to the american cancer society, 1 in 844 men will have breast cancer in their lifetime compared to a 1 in 8 chance for women. >> i wanted no other men to be alone when they hear the words you have breast cancer because that's essentially how i felt. >> reporter: so miller co-founded the male breast cancer coalition which offers support to more than 300 men and their families. >> we're talking an average of six to seven men a day right now. >> it doesn't feel like i'm alone anymore because i have so many other brothers with me in this fight. >> he certainly does and so glad that he is doing well. let's bring in our chief medical correspondent, dr. jennifer ashton. i'm so glad we're talking about this. >> me too, robin. >> what are the similarities and differences? >> well, let me be clear, if you have breasts which obviously is men and women, you need to know the signs and symptoms. that's the most important thing. when we talk about breast cancer, we're talking about things like a palpable lump or mass, skin changes, a dimpling of the skin or nipple discharge and/or a change in the nipple. that can happen in men or women. the good thing if you will with men is that their breast tissue is much less so they can usually pick this up, you know, pretty easily. they can feel it. >> and self-exam which we're always stressing and you're going to show us a demonstration here. >> yeah, now, listen, this is not for the patient to determine but in general in medicine and surgery when we feel a firm and fixed mass it doesn't roll around under your skin. that's a little suspicious for a malignancy. when we feel something that rolls around, it's maybe a little compressible, that's less concerning, but i want to be clear, anything you feel in your breast, whether you have an x chromosome or y chromosome, you get that checked out. >> it's helpful to know the difference because i did regular self-exams and when i felt that, i went immediately to the doctor. i actually moved up my appointment because i knew that it was different like that. what are the chances of survival? >> well, listen, like women the chances of survival for male breast cancer is determined by the stage, the grade, whether lymph nodes are involved. the bad thing about male breast cancer, robin, is that even though it might be easier for them to pick that up and we're talking about, you know, about 2500 men a year in this country, they might feel it sooner but because the anatomy is closer together in a man, it's actually generally picked up at a more advanced stage because, again, there's not that much space between the nipple and the ducts and then the lymph nodes. >> are there more risks? >> there are risk factors for men. when we talk about male breast cancer, genetic mutations. brca, men carry that too and increases the risk of breast cancer, pancreatic and prostate cancer. age, same thing as for women. exposure to estrogen whether that's by medication or obesity, if you have a history of breast cancer or male breast cancer in the family, other medical conditions and obesity, these risk factors are common so men need to know about it. >> we heard in the piece with brett he had this lump. doctors kept saying, oh, no, no, it's something else. as women we face this when it comes to heart ailments. >> absolutely. >> why in your profession is -- >> robin, you're talking about something so important now in medicine. it's gender inequality issues, there are diseases, like depression, heart disease that differ in their presentation for a man versus a woman. then there are things with a lot of similarities, breast cancer for example. but what men face here in terms of actually a gender stigma is wrong just as it's wrong when women face it so when we talk about this, we want men and the circle around them to know we see you, we hear you, you deserve to be treated appropriately and just think about the awareness. it's true. [ applause ] the awareness campaign for breast cancer has been amazing but, robin, the color is pink. this should have no color and that's what we're doing here. >> recently went through it with my big brother. was with him over the weekend. he celebrated his 70th. he had a tumor that was recently removed. thankfully didn't spread and was in his breast and he's going to be okay so i'm so very happy. so very happy about that. whoo! [ applause ] coming up, dale earnhardt jr. is here. he's going to be live. coming up, dale earnhardt jr. is here. he's going to be live. g ma 830 good morning, north bay. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> and good morning. it's 8:27. i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. san francisco police are investigating an officer-involved shooting near aquatic park. that shooting involved a u.s. park police officer. one person transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. another person was detained. investigators have not said what led up to the shooting. we're going to take a look at your morning commute right now with sue hall. >> bumper to bumper, regg, through walnut creek. look at those brake lights southbound on 680. there's an accident blocking a lane of traffic there. expect to have big delays there. and we still have delays leaving daly city south on 280. this is near westborough, motorcycle down and still lots of slow traffic. >> thanks, sue. hey, good morning. thought we'd start with current conditions. a lot of low to mid-50s out there, with the fog fading, except for right around santa rosa up towards windsor. that will be around for another hour or so. otherwise, look for sunshine and warmer temperatures this afternoon. in fact, we'll be above average, away from the coast in san francisco, all the way through saturday. get back -- it gets back to average starting sunday. reggie? >> thanks, mike. another abc 7 news update in about 30 minutes and always on our news app and abc7news.com. it's really important that everyone has equal access to good health care. >> get them off the street and be safe. >> women's rights are the big ones for me. >> first amendment, to be able to say what's on your mind without having any real restriction. >> we fought for this country. i mean i feel like there shouldn't be any homeless vets. >> welcome back to "gma." those are all folks around the country who are sharing what's inspiring them to vote in the upcoming midterm elections. we want you to tell us about the issues that matter most as part of our why it matters initiative. just go to goodmorningamerica.com/midterms to send us your video and you may see it right here on "gma" because your voice and your vote matter. [ applause ] yes. and now to our next guest. he is one of the most famous names in racing. 'part of a nascar dynasty that stretches over 40 years. now you have the new book "racing to the finish: my story." get excited. dale earnhardt jr. is here. [ applause ] good to see you, man. >> hey, how are you? >> have a seat. [ applause ] >> wow. great audience. >> well, it's a great audience when you have somebody they love. they get excited for it, man. so we're so excited for you to be here. we're going to get straight to your book because you retired from racing due to complications from more than 20 concussions and you kept a diary, all the details of it but you only put it in a diary. you didn't share how bad you were feeling with your family, with your wife, with your friends, so why do you want to talk about it now? >> yes, so, i got injured in 2012, that wasn't the first concussion but that was the most serious one and i went and got help. i went to the university of pittsburgh medical center and they're connected to the steelers and penguins and dr. mickey collins was the doctor that i saw. so he helps me and gets me well, gets me back on the racetrack and i go back to the track and i started, you know, winning again, won the daytona 500 and won about seven races in a couple of years and everything is great. i started crashing again and just sudden symptoms were coming back after these crashes and they were getting more and more pronounced with each crash and i was trying to handle it myself instead of going -- you know, i thought that i learned what i needed to from mickey the first trip that i could handle the rest and if i got in another crash i knew how to manage it. and to help myself understand how i was progressing through the week if i had a crash and had symptoms i would take -- i would write a diary and, you know, how i felt after the wreck, how i felt that night, all the next day for several days and so that helped me kind of understand the progress of the symptoms and if they were getting better or worse. and i started making a habit of this and ended up accumulating about 12 concussions in a very short period of time and so i ended up -- you know, it got to a point to where i couldn't stand up. i couldn't turn my head without falling over and my eyes were not working right, focusing and tracking an object, a bird flying across the sky or anything like that. i couldn't lock on things and i was having a real, real problem and it got so bad i finally said, i can't drive. i got to stop. i can't operate a race car much less drive to the grocery store and i got that, you know, that's when i had to come clean and share my journal that i was keeping with my family and say, hey, i've been going through all this stuff. i've been documenting it. i need to go back to mickey in pittsburgh and get help for this. i had gotten so far down the rabbit hole it took us six months to get it fixed and get back so i missed the whole half of the 2016 season. >> i read somewhere where you had talked about retirement but no one believed that you would retire, so but for you when you finally did make that announcement when you were on that stage and saying, i am done, how did you feel about that? >> i was relieved because i knew i didn't have what it took physically to keep going through that process. as a race car driver you're going to be in accidents, some that aren't in your control and some that are. d i knew that i was putting myself in real danger by continuing that career long term. i had one more year left on my contract, so when i was sick in 2016 i'm really sick and i'm telling mickey, i want to quit and he's like i think that's a good decision. let's quit. if you want to do that, let's quit. he was more concerned with just helping me become normal again and get my life back but i knew when i got well i would forget about how i felt when i was sick and want to race again, right. and i did. so i got well and i'm like, mickey, i want to race. i want to go back to the racetrack and finish this final season on my terms and he said with everything you went through i don't have a problem with that either. i don't think you need to shut it down and so we went and raced in 2017 and had a great time doing it and was able to close the book on my career my own way and i was completely comfortable with that decision, still am today. >> you closed the book on racing but you opened the book to fatherhood. congratulations. ila, 6 months old, man. [ applause ] so what kind of dad are you? >> oh, you know, i don't know how to put it into words. >> you change diapers? >> yeah. of course. >> there you go. >> i mean, i -- you know, obviously she's on my mind every second of the day. i tell you this, i tell you, the best thing for me, might be different for all dads, best thing about fatherhood is being able to be the one that goes in there in the morning and wakes her up because when ila wakes up in the morning she wakes up and starts talking to herself and cooing and all those things so i hear her on the monitor and she's in there and she'll still there and do that for a long time and i look at amy and i'm like, can i go get her? can i go -- [ laughter ] amy is like, yes. because whether it's me or amy, when you look in that crib she just smiles because she's like, i know you. i'm so glad to see you, right. and so i want to do it. and amy wants to do it too so we have to sort of -- we have to sort of trade off who gets to do it each day and it's the greatest thing. i go to bed every night with that anticipation of waking up to get her. >> the greatest, the greatest joy. >> the greatest thing. >> we know halloween is coming up and we don't know what ila is going to be for halloween but we do have a suggestion here at "gma." we have a "gma," "good morning america" onesie with your racing number on the back. for ila, man and, dale, thank you. thank you so much. always good to see you. always good to see you. dale jr.'s book "racing to the finish" is available right now and everyone here in our audience, you're going home with a copy, yes. [ applause ] and coming up, the stars of "the conners" are here after last night's big debut. we'll be right back. we are back with more from the conner family. as you know the "roseanne" spin-off premiered without roseanne and revealed what happened to her character. let's take a look. >> dan, can i talk to you for a minute? i just got a call from a friend in the coroner's office. the autopsy found that it wasn't a heart attack. roseanne od'd on opioids. >> that was some tough news. we have three cast members here now, lecy goranson, michael fischman, maya lynne robinson, welcome to you guys. thanks for coming in. [ applause ] you know roseanne didn't seem to like last night's episode. she said -- here's what she said exactly. she put 0 out a statement where she said it lent an unnecessary grim and more bid dimension to an otherwise happy family show. you've been there from the start. it's always dealt with tough subject. >> yeah, and we really miss roseanne and love her very much, you know, and her spirit is still very much with us, so we understand that she's hurting right now and she's in pain and, you know, she's always with us, so hopefully we can see her and kind of, you know, remedy some of this at some point in time, i hope. >> what's it been like to go back without roseanne? >> well, it was strange at first. it definitely had a different feel. but what we really have tried to do as a group is collectively lean on each other and kind of come together because we really felt the legacy of this show deserved to be continued and that there were a lot more stories to tell. >> and there clearly are a lot more stories. you're new. >> i am. >> you're new to the cast. what do you think -- what is it that you want to do now with this show? >> why they get the easier questions? you know what, i want to create the change that i want to see in the world which is unity and diversity and i think having the opportunity to play an interracial couple with a biracial child and both being military active duty and retired, i think we'll have some opportunities to do that? you're showing the real america. >> uh-huh. >> yeah, we are. we are. we always have, i think. >> and the tone of the way she passed away was related to last season and i think you listen to our producers, they really wanted to take a real crisis that's happening in our country and find a way to give voice to that, to give people -- >> it is a real crisis if i know the reaction to that is going to be different for different people but what we've always tried to do is tackle big topics and be very honest about them. >> my parents called me last night. my dad said we watched the show. it's really good and my mom said, it's funny. and i thought that's so great. you know, because it really was. it really was. >> that's one of the things we were talking about in our last hour. i think people appreciate the mix of something tough but a lot of laughter as well. was it tough to come back? >> well, it's tough to transition. i think coming back is probably the easiest part of it. as we get back together and start working we have this beautiful group of production people and this amazing writing staff that kind of sets the tone for us and then there's so much talent in our cast and then we add somebody wonderful like maya lynne and get this wonderful joy so it's a fun place to work. we really like what we do and have a passion for it. >> how about a sneak peek of next week's. take it away. >> hey, deej, i bought the "mamma mia" sound of track. want to listen. >> sco, yes. >> okay, great, i wanted to talk to you in private. >> what's up? >> pierce brosnan is a much better singer than he gets credit for. >> oh, boy. [ applause ] so maya lynne your husband is a "mamma mia" fan. what else do we learn. >> you'll see a much more playful side of d.j. having a wife to play off of. that's going to be something -- >> put him in line. >> yeah. >> but we are looking forward to it. thanks for coming back, guys. you all can see a new episode of "the conners" tuesday at 8:00 eastern right here on abc. let's go to rob. [ applause ] >> all right, george, there is a chill in the air, autumn may be winter coming. check out this picture out of killington, vermont. blowing snow out there. they'll open november 17th. maybe earlier, certainly by thanksgiving. freeze watches and warnings up for a dozen states and cold shot coming in. it will feel like 22. below freezing in new york city and if you don't like that, well, head west because we are continuing to be warm with a record high yesterday in seattle, it'll be 76 degrees in portland. warm sunshine so we try to make everybody this weather report sponsored by subaru. coming up how to retire by 40. that should make everybody happy t too. from the start, the c-class was ahead of its time. [ indistinct radio chatter ] still, we never stopped making it stronger. faster. smarter. because to be the best, is to never ever stop making it better. introducing the new c-class. visit your local mercedes-benz dealer for exclusive offers. well, yes they're pancakes but they're more than pancakes. they're a pancake experience. introducing the new craft pancake lineup from denny's. we are back now with the secret to retiring young and you don't have to win the megamillions to do it. with a little creative financial planning you can leave your job earlier than you ever thought possible, spend more time with your family and with us here at "gma." rebecca jarvis is here to tell us how it works. >> that's the best part, good morning, robin. yes, it sounds too good to be true but more and more people are joining the f.i.r.e. movement. that's financial independence retire early and if you've ever thought this job is making me miserable or googled how do i retire now, listen up. one really stressful day at work in 2012 and just like that, karl jensen decided to change his life. >> the thought i had that day there's no way i can continue to do this for the next 20 years of my life, 25 years of my life. this is just unacceptable. >> reporter: so he googled how to retire early and armed with the strategy, he told his wife mindy that he wanted to quit his job who surprised him when she said -- >> do it. quit. >> reporter: so in march of 2017 karl gave notice after 15 years at his company, but he wasn't exactly quitting. he was 43 and retiring. how did he and his wife do it? it's a trend called the f.i.r.e. movement. financial independence retire early. it all comes down to what you can save. >> you're really analyzing your budget down to the penny and making sure that you can put away sometimes 50, 60, 70% of your income and you're living very lean. >> reporter: to get to retirement they moved into a more modest home, maxed out that retirement savings, reduced expenses and saved a big portion of their income over the next five years until they were worth about $1.2 million. >> once we started tracking our spending we found a lot of places we could cut that really didn't hurt. we're giving up, you know, fancy clothes. i don't care. i work from home three days a week. i don't have the latest technology on my phone but i also don't care. i need google maps and texting. >> that one looks good. >> reporter: in retirement the couple and their two daughters would live on about $40,000 a year generated from investments. american di keeps a part-time job adding to that nest egg and what are they doing now? >> the greatest gift you can give your children is your time and i'm so appreciative i get to do that. >> that's better than having a new car. or a new iphone. >> well said. well said. okay, rebecca, so how exactly does this work? >> so there are two different p methods. the jensens are practicing the lean f.i.r.e. method. living frugally. they've sold their home, they've moved into something more affordable and they are really cost cutting. couponing. the other method is the f.a.t. method. you're investing and being more aggressive. that has a lot of risks. both have some risk in them because you can save all the money in the world but not be prepared for an unforeseen circumstance and there's a chance that you would have to go back to work. in the case of the jensens mindy is, would go part time still. >> show of hands, who would want to do this? who thinks they could do this by a show of hands? >> okay. >> a couple people. >> you're being honest. one is over here, no. >> but here's what i think. we were just talking about this when we were watching the story. it's not what you make. it's what you save. so the good news here is everybody can do some form of this in terms of how they spend the money that they have. now we do have a few members of our audience who think that they might be able to do something like this. frances is from kansas city. you said you'd give up your online shopping. >> shopping. >> that's a lot of online shopping, frances. >> ooh. i try. [ laughter ] my best but it's so easy to do. you can just wake up, look at your phone and scroll through and there it is. >> you don't even realize how much you're spending. >> then you can go online outlets too so you can get stuff for a dollar. $3, sale method. >> that's a whole new segment. >> thank you so much. jamie from hoboken, you'd top die out and grow some of your food. >> my grandmother taught us how to grow our own food when i was growing up so i ate from my garden from both my grandparents actually so it's a very cost effective way of surviving. >> i think it's -- >> i think it could help. we spend a lot on designing ain lot of food waste when you dine out. >> dawn came in today. she didn't realize but she's kind of practicing her own f.i.r.e. method. she just sold her home and is saving a lot of money on it. >> i am. i am and this is brand-new in one month ago i decided to sell my home. that was in florida in the gulf of mexico and move to tennessee, a little more modest home. $9,000 of property taxes savings annually. state with no income tax. >> right. >> so, i'm looking forward. i'm looking forward to retiring early, taking some of those savings. >> thank you so much, dawn. there are ways to save, just be prepared to take that part-time work if you practice it. >> especially if you need health insurance. >> exactly, so important. >> okay. thank you as well. rebecca, we'll be right back. [ applause ] minutes can mean the difference between life and death. proposition 11 saves lives by ensuring medical care is not delayed in an emergency. proposition 11 establishes into law the longstanding industry practice of paying emts and paramedics to remain on-call during breaks and requires they receive fema level training and active shooters and natural disasters. vote yes on 11 to ensure 911 emergency care is there when you or your love one need it. >> announcer: tuesday on "gma," elle king is lighting up your morning. ♪ shame shame >> announcer: when she performs on "gma." "good morning america" is sponsored by geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. well, we hope you got your day off to a great start and we appreciate you being here with us. >> jumped right over the hump. have a great day, everyone. [ applause ] california's public schools rank 44th in the nation. 44th. i'm marshall tuck, i'm a public-school parent, and i know we can do better. in the public schools i led, we got more funding into our classrooms, supported our teachers, and we raised graduation rates by 60%. that's why president obama's education secretary endorses me. we've done it before. now, let's do it for every public-school student in california. i'm marshall tuck. i'm running for state superintendent. good morning, bay area. let's get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. >> happy wednesday morning to you. it's 8:59. i'm reggie aqui from abc 7 mornings. mike nicco joins us with a look at your forecast. >> thanks, reggie. let's start by looking at the golden gate bridge. you can see the fog already starting to fade. there'll be a little bit of sunshine at the coast, but there's going to be larger than normal waves there, also, so be careful. a little breezy, especially as close you are to the golden gate. why not do some jayard work now. mid- to upper 60s, low to mid-70s around the bay and upper 70s to low 80s inland. my accuweather seven-day forecast, it's going to stay this way through saturday. sue? >> still slow and go through walnut creek. we had an accident southbound on 680. that's been cleared out of lanes, but you're still finding some slow and go traffic through concord down towards the walnut creek interchange. and we have slow traffic on 580 and 880 through the oakland area, earlier accident's the problem. >> all right. thanks. time now for "li >> announcer: it's "live with kelly and ryan!" today, from "the connors," john goodman. and star of the new film "the hate u give," amandla stenberg. plus, to members of our studio audience will run the inflatable obstacle course as we continue "live"'s pump it up week. all next on "live!" ♪ [cheers and applause] and now, here are kelly ripa and ryan seacrest! [cheers and applause] ♪ [cheers and applause] >> kelly: you look good.