we do say good thursday morning, everyone. we're going to start with that deadly tragedy at a state fair. >> a thrill ride was operating seemingly as normal when suddenly it malfunctioned breaking apart midair. we're freezing the video because it's actually too disturbing to show from here. >> now, officials conducted what's called a standard inspection just hours before the deadly accident. overnight a trip to the ohio state fair going horribly wrong. watch as the ride called the fire ball swings and spins in the air, then suddenly it breaks apart midair. the rest of this video too graphic to show. riders tossed onto the concrete below. >> multiple passengers were ejected at high speed with high energy many feet, at least 20 or 30, if not more, into the air. >> reporter: several people rushed to the hospital. victims ranging from their early teens to their 60s. an 18-year-old pronounced dead there on the scene. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: it happened on the opening day of the fair. organizers say the ride passed inspection just hours before the accident. the ohio governor ordering the rides at the fair shut down until additional safety inspections can be done. >> it's kind of hard to imagine that you have family that goes to a state fair, and those calls come that there was a terrible accident, a terrible tragedy, and somebody you love was involved. >> the fairgrounds in columbus will re-open this morning with safety checks being done on all rides. a similar ride at the orange county fair in southern california was immediately shut down overnight after the incident in ohio. that ride was also reinspected. president trump's surprise announcement via twitter declaring a ban on transgender people in the military is reverberating from the pentagon to capitol hill to the streets. >> well, critics are blasting the move calling it a turn-about from the campaign when donald trump promised to protect gay, lesbian and transgender rights. >> san francisco city hall was lit in purple overnight, and protesters gathered in cities across the country to express their outrage. abc's emily rau has the details. >> reporter: a chorus of outraged protesters echoing nationwide. [ chanting "trump is a liar" ] >> reporter: the about-face in policy coming in a series of early morning tweets. president trump declaring the u.s. will not accept or allow transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the u.s. military. >> i want to be fair, and the best way to do this is have a hearing, not a tweet. >> reporter: the new policy and how it was announced quickly criticized by democrats and republicans alike. >> it is a cruel and arbitrary decision designed to humiliate transgender americans. >> reporter: and the white house not giving many answers about what's next. >> what happens to transgender service members now? are they immediately thrown out of the military? >> that's something that the department of defense and the white house will have to work together as implementation takes place and is done so lawfully. >> reporter: the pentagon estimates there are roughly 2,500 active duty transgender service members, a group whose rights candidate trump promised to protect. >> i will do everything in my power to protect our lgbtq citizens. ♪ by the dawn's early light >> reporter: the transgender sister of jackie evancho who sang at president trump's inauguration speaking out. >> us transgender folk can fight just as well as any other american. >> reporter: and while the policy does appeal to some in his conservative base -- >> i really don't think that's where transgender belongs. >> reporter: -- the fate of thousands of american service members now filled with uncertainty. president trump did successfully change the conversation with this series of tweets, but now instead of answering questions about russia, the white house is having to address what critics call a matter of human rights. diane and kendis. >> that's emily rau live from washington for us. thanks, emily. and the president cited what he called the tremendous medical costs associated with transgender service members. >> but here's a look at some of the numbers. "the military times" newspaper reports that the pentagon spends about $8 million a year on health care for transgender troops. now, get this, in comparison it spends 10 times as much, $84 million, just on erectile dysfunction medication for service members, $41 million alone on viagra. the president didn't seem to want to comment in person at least about his transgender ban. >> that was very clear during an american legion event in the rose garden when our own arlette saenz posed a question. >> mr. president, how did you decide your policy on transgender people in the military? >> you go ahead. yeah. she's very rude. >> arlette never did get an answer from the president. we're guessing from his reaction she probably won't any time soon. >> she got the silent treatment for a little bit. and president trump is reportedly considering replacing attorney general jeff sessions while congress is on vacation next month. sources tell "the washington post" the president has spoken to advisers about the possibility of a recess appointment to sidestep senate confirmation, but he's been warned not to fire sessions. the president attacked sessions on twitter again yesterday. meanwhile, sessions attended a meeting at the white house, but aides say he did not see the president. press secretary sarah sanders says the president still wants the attorney general to do his job. and as speculation intensifies about sessions' fate, secretary of state rex tillerson is shooting down rumors about his own future. when asked about reports that he might resign, tillerson insists he's not going anywhere, and he said he has a good relationship with the president. one more note from washington. republicans are running out of options following the failure of two health care measures. so far the senate has rejected a repeal and replace bill and also a repeal only plan with a two-year delay to come up with something new. they may now consider a so-called skinny repeal. that plan would roll back parts of obamacare like the mandate that all americans have insurance and leave the rest intact. it could drive up premiums, though, and leave 15 million more americans uninsured. now for a look at your weather. heavy rainfall caused severe flooding outside birmingham, alabama. as much as 3 inches of rain fell in an hour. cars were washed away out of parking lots, and employees of a bowling alley had to be rescued by boat. the city manager says storm sewers were overwhelmed by the volume of water. high temperatures in that part of the deep south will reach the 90s today. it'll be a little cooler to the east, hotter to the west. temperatures will only reach the 80s in the midwest and northeast and 70s and 80s along the west coast. still ahead right here, get ready for more changes at the airport when it comes to your electronics. and overnight justin bieber behind the wheel of a vehicle that allegedly hit a member of the paparazzi. the new video and what police are saying next. plus, the murder mystery at sea. a woman found dead on a cruise ship, the investigation underway as the victim is identified overnight. residents of the foothills north of burbank, california, are back in their homes this morning after a brush fire scare. hikers at a nature center had also been told to clear out. the ten-acre wildwood fire was quickly brought under control after it erupted near the police academy. and the california teen who live streamed a deadly car crash where her sister died has pleaded not guilty to six felony counts against her. obdulia sanchez is accused of driving drunk with two 14-year-olds in the car. one of them her sister who died in the crash. prosecutors say the video which shows her taking her hands off the steering wheel and saying, she killed her own sister, will be a key piece of evidence in the case. police in mississippi are trying to figure out why officers went to the wrong house and then killed a man. ismael lopez was shot by police in the town of south haven. they had been searching for a domestic violence suspect when officers went to lopez's house which is across the street from the suspect's home. police say lopez pointed a gun at officers when they arrived and ignored orders to drop it. a major change coming to the minneapolis police department after the deadly shooting of justine damond. starting this weekend, officers will be required to have the cameras rolling on all calls and traffic stops. damond, the bride-to-be, was killed by police responding to a 911 call. the officer's body cameras were not on. the tsa is implementing a new electronics policy at airports. it forces passengers to remove all electronic devices larger than a cell phone from their carry-on bags. that means tablets and other devices must go in their own bin for inspection. the tsa says the new rule should not increase security lines because the increased number of devices being screened means fewer bags will need secondary inspections. okay, you may want to mark next wednesday on your calendar if you want work, at least if you want to work for amazon. the e-commerce giant is looking to fill 50,000 jobs. most of them full time. so amazon is holding a massive job fair at a dozen locations across the country. the company promises thousands of candidates will know if they have gotten the job before they leave the fair. >> not bad. when we come back, a new alarming trend. hear why doctors are issuing a warning about global infertility in men. plus, caught on camera, one brave officer facing down an alligator. how this plays out. copd makes it hard to breathe. so to breathe better, i go with anoro. ♪go your own way copd tries to say, "go this way." i say, "i'll go my own way" with anoro. ♪go your own way once-daily anoro contains two medicines called bronchodilators, that work together to significantly improve lung function all day and all night. anoro is not for asthma . it contains a type of medicine that increases risk of death in 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...really brought my mouth... ...to the next level. so we know new york city firefighters are among the bravest and proof here they are among the strongest as well. the firefighters moving a small car partially onto a sidewalk. you see they had to make room so their rig could fit down the street, so four firefighters lifted that 2,000-pound car. problem solved. checking today's weather, expect some rain in the ohio valley and around the great lakes. we also expect wet roads in parts of the northeast, the south central plains and the southwest, as well as the rockies. >> and guess what, we do not expect any weather-related airport delays. >> wow. >> yep. justin bieber was involved in a car crash overnight that sent a photographer to the hospital. >> bieber was leaving a church service in beverly hills when he apparently accidentally ran into one of the photographers taking his picture. the singer stayed at the scene speaking with the injured man and police before driving off in his truck. the photographer suffered a leg injury, but he's expected to be okay. police say no one was cited or arrested. the fbi has a suspect in custody in the death of a woman who died while on board a cruise ship near alaska. >> the ship was diverted to juneau while investigators tried to figure out what went wrong. the fbi is investigating a suspicious death on board alaskan cruise liner the "emerald princess." princess cruise lines reports a 39-year-old woman from utah who abc has identified as kristy manzanares died following some kind of domestic dispute. >> they just said security breach, security breach. we could tell by the sound of his voice that it was something really scary and really serious. >> reporter: some witnesses tell abc news that around 9:00 p.m. tuesday they heard a woman near a balcony screaming for her life and at one point a man threatening to jump overboard before security officers on board detained the suspect. one passenger says a member of her family saw the victim's young daughter moments after the incident describing her as hysterical. and the fbi and u.s. attorney's office plan to hold a news conference later today to announce charges. new research finds an alarming trend. male fertility has dropped by more than half over the past 40 years. an international team looked at data from nearly 200 studies in developed countries, and they say this may also be a problem in less developed countries, but there's not enough information on that as yet. now, the study didn't look into the causes. others have blamed chemicals, stress and obesity. legendary music producer quincy jones has won a legal battle against michael jackson's estate. jones was awarded $9.4 million in the case stemming from the music he produced for three projects including jackson's concert film "this is it." in a statement jones said the suit was about the legacy of his work with jackson. jackson's side plans to appeal. time now for some sports including a little craziness in baseball. >> yeah, we get the highlights of that and a good night for u.s. soccer fans. here's our guy at espn. good morning. it's "sportscenter" from los angeles. i'm stan verrett. all right. let's start with baseball. rangers and marlins, this was a crazy game, not only because the marlins scored 22 runs but check this out, the umpire told adrian beltre to get in the on deck circle and beltre obliges by moving the on deck circle to where he wanted to be. the umpire didn't like it and tossed beltre from the game. rangers manager jeff banister didn't agree with the call, probably didn't agree with the outcome here. the marlins put 22 on him. they won by 12. gold cup final. u.s. men's national soccer team taking on jamaica. we'll pick it up 45th minute, usa on a free kick. jamaica's second string keeper in goal after blake got hurt, and jozy altidore beats him. bruce arena, the u.s. coach looking for his third gold cup championship. gyasi zardes went across jordan morris. made a bad defensive play to let jamaica score earlier. redeems himself with that goal and team usa able to win that one and win the gold cup over jamaica. next up for them, more world cup qualifying against costa rica on september 1st. that's it from here. back to you. >> the jamaicans were so good for a little while the u.s. team was saying jamaican me crazy. >> every time. every time. up next, the baby boom in one american city -- i'm trying to hope it sticks at one point, not quite -- nine months after something amazing happened. and behind apple's earbuds. wait until you hear what the designer had in mind when making them. and on our facebook page see a group of veterans getting a special surprise from steph curry. how cool is this? that's on atmfans.com. 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it was as simple as that. ♪ do yno, not really. head & shoulders? i knew that not the one you think you know the tri action formula cleans removing up to 100% of flakes protects and even moisturizes for sofia vergara hair ♪ your thursday morning "pulse" starting with one brave police officer in south florida. >> that's right. he was answering a call, and when he arrived, this is what he found at the scene. alfredo vargas did not want to wait for animal control when he found a gator at someone's door. so with his body camera rolling, he took care of the problem himself. >> vargas first made clicking noises to soothe the alligator. he does look pretty calm there and then he put his jacket over its head later and released it back into the wild and it turns out that before he became a cop, he had taken lessons in handling alligators. >> apparently he even knows how to wrestle them. >> oh, okay. >> if this whole cop thing doesn't work out, there's that. >> based on the graphic we might need to handle that one back there. >> that's a big guy. >> that is huge. next up what some in chicago are calling a cubs inspired baby boom. >> so you may recall last year's world series when the cubs ended their long championship drought by beating the indians. well, in fact, wednesday marked exactly 38 weeks since the cubs clinched the series. well, now hospitals in the windy city are reporting a serious spike in births. >> some newborns and their parents even have had pictures taken with the world series trophy. it seems while the cubs were celebrating, plenty of their fans were, well, also celebrating. >> i think they were celebrating in their own way. some of the popular names have been ivy, there was a wrigley, an addison for one of the streets there in wrigleyville. >> wrigley, that's cute. your apple ear buds have a touch of the dark side in them. >> so the tech giant's chief designer says the buds' look was inspired by "star wars" stormtroopers. i think i kind of see the resemblance. he tells "the wall street journal" he even passed that secret along to director j.j. abrams. >> interestingly, the movie's costume designer told "vanity fair" that apple inspired the stormtroopers' look in the film. >> wow. >> so, look at that. >> that's very "inception." very meta. >> the "star wars" movies are just one giant -- >> apple commercial. all right. more news after this. minds, no. she also builds her own fighting robots. destroy. but when it comes to mortgages, she's less confident. fortunately for sarah, there's rocket mortgage by quicken loans. it's simple, so she can understand the details and be sure she's getting the right mortgage. apply simply. understand fully. mortgage confidently. i'm lumy bargain detergent shifcouldn't keep up.ter. so, i switched to tide pods. they're super concentrated, so i get a better clean. number one trusted. number one awarded. it's got to be tide when i was 14 years old. so i really navigate the world by touch. when dove 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let me get you out the door in case you have to leave and give you the temperatures, from 52 at novato to 60 in danville. brentwood at 66 degrees. we'll take look at the day planner because we have a heat wave coming for just about all of us. here's alexis. >> we're starting off with one collision on westbound highway 4 as you travel between, oh, the pittsburg and bay point areas before you get to bailey road. we had a vehicle that said they were trying to miss a vehicle, they lost control, hit the right barrier and bounced back in the roadway. it sounds like they hit one other vehicle. we have the two center lanes blocked. we may have injuries too. plus, we'll look at drive times in less than ten. >> thank you. this morning, public outrage continues to grow over pretd trump's announcement that transgender people are banned from serving in the military. >> members of the lgbtq community tell abc news they're in shock. >> we know our love is greater than that hate. >> the transgender ban drew hundreds of protesters to harvey milk plaza. they want to insure trans rights are human rights. >> president trump announced the new policy on twitter. it drew criticism from democrats and republicans on capitol hill. still, some are praising the president. southern california congressman duncan hunter said it was the, quote, absolute right decision. the pentagon estimates there are roughly 2500 active service members on duty. >> one of the men charged in oakland's ghost ship fire is making a bid for freedom. he wants to reduce or eliminate the $1 million bail he's held on. he faces 36 counts of involuntary manslaughter, one for each person killed in the inferno. almena rented the warehouse and illegally converted it to apartment spaces. harris rented it too. his supporters say he's being used as a scapegoat. >> also happening today, the california public utilities commission is holding two public hearings to get feedback about pg&e's rate increase over the next three years. in may, the cpuc authorized the utility's rate hike request. it will collect more than $1.5 billion from customers. now, state regulators are trying to determine how much customers will pay and the schedule for when those rate increases will take effect. today's meetings are being held in oakland at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the harris building on clay street. >> happening now, voluntary evacuations are still in place for people living in mt. occam in eldoregardo county after a 150 acre wildfire broke out. mandatory evacuations were lifted last night. the flames ignited yesterday afternoon. firefighters relied heavily on an aggressive air attack to battle flames. the fire is now 15% contained. >> if you're just joining us, let's get a quick update on weather and traffic. >> hi, everybody. as promised, we'll look at your 12-hour day planner, after we