derailed after alerting pharmaceutical companies about the unusually large shipments of opioids. t-mobile and sprint are planning to announce a merger as they gear up for what could turn into challenging anti-trust negotiations with the government. the merger could create the nation's third-largest mobile business behind verizon and at&t. those are some of our top stories on this monday, october 16th. good morning to you. we begin this half hour with firefighters finally turning a corner in the battle against california's deadliest wildfires. >> fire officials in northern california say they've made tremendous progress. with a little help from a shift in the weather. right now 15 large fires are still burning and even as thousands of residents are allowed to return home, many others remain missing. the death toll has already climbed to at least 40. abc's linzie janis has more from santa rosa. >> reporter: flames in every direction. incinerating this house. just two blocks from the nearest fire station in sonoma county. but it couldn't be saved. the fire moving too fast. burning more buildings this weekend in what is now the deadliest wildfire disaster in california history. >> they're soldiers in a war and our enemy this fire. >> reporter: it's critical crews getting a break from the wind. it's a chance for firefighters to take the upper hand. >> we're going to [ bleep ] die, dude, we got to get out of here! >> reporter: the fires burning for an eighth day. this video showing mike and his roommate escaping those first flames. >> my eyes are burning but we've still got oxygen we're not dead yet. >> reporter: harrowing moments from the night the firestorms first ripped through santa rosa. this police officer desperately trying to get people out. flames inches from his car. 75,000 people still unable to go home. at least 40 dead more than 150 more missing, and 15 fires still raging. >> this is how firefighters achieve containment. they just brought a bull dozer down here to get rid of the fire's fuel. now they're going to put it out with their hoses. officials using everything they have. planes helicopters, and over 11,000 firefighters. so far 5,700 homes and businesses deinvoiced. but destroyed. among the devastation, a glimmer of hope. the weavers' beloved dog izzy who they thought was lost. >> she came bounding out. elation, tears, happiness. >> reporter: surprising the family when they needed it most. officials say they will soon have a plan to get some residents back to their homes by as you can see, some people will be coming back to neighborhoods like this one totally devastated by the fires. at least they will be able to come back take a look at the damage for themselves perhaps even salvage a few items. diane and kendis authorities are asking everybody to hang in there just a little bit long onner. they are optimistic they're turning a corner in the battle against these fires. >> bad indeed. the situation is improving a little bit, thank you. a long-simmering territorial dispute is threatening to spark all-out civil war inside iraq. stayed media there reporting government troops are attempting to recapture kurdish-held oil fields year kirkuk. iraqi forces abandoned those sites three years ago as they fled isis. this would be the first military force by baghdad in response to an independence vote last month by the kurds who are located in northern iraq. to south korea now and the u.s. they are conducting joint military drills this morning. the week-long exercises are in the waters around the korean peninsula. it comes amid escalating tensions with north korea. 40 warships are involved in the drills including the "uss ronald reagan." in the meantime the secretary of state says the u.s. remains committed to resolving the conflict with the north. rex tillerson saying the diplomatic efforts will continue until the first bombs drop. army sergeant bowe bergdahl is expected to enter a guilty plea at his court-martial later this morning. he'd been held for five years by the taliban after deserting his post in afghanistan. at least two soldiers were seriously injured while trying to find him. now in a tv interview obtained exclusively by abc news bergdahl says inflammatory comments by president trump during the campaign have made it impossible for him to get a fair trial. he's now saying he wants to fight back against what he calls the false reports that he was a traitor. nbc's brian ross will bring us a full interview later this morning on "good morning america." austria appears set to take a turn to the political right. preliminary results from sunday's elections, their foreign minister sebastian kurz's party ahead. he's 31 years old and would become the world's youngest leader in europe. kurz's center right group is followed by the right wing freedom party. both campaigned on becoming tougher on immigration. president trump has a big day of meetings ahead, sitting down with his cabinet before hosting senate majority leader mitch mcconnell. >> he's looking ahead to tax reform and facing reports about tensions with his secretary of state. here's abc's chuck sivertsen. >> reporter: president trump again taking part in one of his favorite weekend activities golfing. the commander in chief hitting the links sunday at trump national golf club in virginia with none other than senator rand paul. earlier in the day the president took to twitter bashing "the new york times" for a recent article criticizing his lack of accomplishments. that article highlighting his decertification of the iran nuclear deal and failure to repeal and replace obamacare. one of those lawmakers who helped defeat the measure, senator susan collins of maine. when asked about the president's other big-ticket item tax reform, which begins with the senate passing a budget she appeared more optimistic. >> we haven't had an overhaul of the tax code since 1986. i don't think there's a single american who thinks that the tax code is fair. >> reporter: meanwhile, secretary of state rex tillerson going on the record with cnn about reportedly calling the president a moron during a meeting at the pentagon. >> is it true? did you call him a moron? >> jake as i indicated earlier when i was asked about that i'm not going to deal with that kind of petty stuff. i mean this is a town that seems to relish gossip rumor, innuendo, and they feed on it they feed on one another in a very destructive way. >> reporter: the secretary of state also discussed north korea, saying the president has made it clear he wants the situation resolved diplomatically adding he is not looking to go to war. chuck sivertsen, abc news new york. attorney general jeff sessions has dispatched a federal hate crimes lawyer to iowa to help prosecute a man charged with killing a transgender teenager. the attorney general's pledge to aggressively prosecute acts of violence against transgender people are being met with skepticism from lgbt advocates. they point out his recent steps regarding rights of transgender people in the workplace and in america's schools. a woman who accused president trump of sexually assaulting her a decade ago has subpoenaed his campaign. she's a former contestant from "the apprentice" who said trump touched her inappropriately. she wants his campaign to turn over all documents relating to her and any of the president's accusers. he has denied any wrongdoing. "hustler" publisher larry flynt is offering quite a sum, $10 million for dirt on the president. flint took out a full-page ad in sunday's "washington post" offering the sizable reward for information that could lead to president trump's impeachment. it's not the first time the clinton supporter has made such an offer to take down a politician. in 2012 he offered $1 million for mitt romney's tax returns. the literary world mourning the loss of one of its most influential writers. two-time pulitzer prize-winning poet and lear kiss richard wilbur being remembered. considered a leading formal its. wilbur was the master of old-fashioned meter and language. he produced nine volumes of poetry a number of children's books, and even wrote lyrics for broadway. richard wilbur was 96 years old. a wild scene for drivers on a michigan highway, take a look. >> newly released dash cam video showing a shoot-out between police and a suspect. cops say the man was suspected of driving a stolen car. he opened fire before running out of ammunition and surrendering. police said they later discovered the man was wanted for allegedly murdering his mother in alabama. mixing up doughnut glaze for meth has cost the city of orlando more than $37,000. >> what? >> yeah that's a settlement amount going to daniel rushing, you saw there who was arrested in 2015 after officers mistook krispy kreme remnants for drugs. the case led to more than 700 officers being retrained in using field tests. rushing is still hoping to have his record expunged. >> have you tasted krispy kreme doughnuts? they are very addictive. >> yes. that's a whole other level of addiction that we're talking. all right, a cross between a "star wars" battle scene and a race between giant fireflies took place in europe over the weekend. >> take a look at the drone racing competition in romania. it's called the racing caves. the annual competition is held in salt mines in the northern part of the country. >> it's considered the pinnacle of the drone champions league and was broadcast live in germany for those planning their drone schedule, the season finale is in december in berlin. >> it is quite captivating. especially the pov like that. insane. coming up a schoolgirl gets her head stuck in between two walls. we'll check out how rescuers finally got her free. how colin kaepernick is calling out the owners of the nfl in a new grievance filed with the league. we'll have the latest in national anthem controversy. you're watching "world news now." ring a bell? then you have to try always discreet. i didn't think protection this thin could work. but the super absorbent core turns liquid to gel. for incredible protection... ...that's surprisingly thin. so it's out of sight... ...and out of mind. always discreet. for bladder leaks. also in liners. an elderly texas couple is recovering after being stranded in the utah desert for six days. couple says they got lost when their gps malfunctioned. they tried to find help but lost track of each other and became dehydrated. the pair was barely alive when they were found by rescuers who spotted the s.o.s. sign. dramatic rescue in china. a 6-year-old girl got her head stuck in between walls. it happened during the school lunch break. the girl was crying and yelling while her mother held on to her body. firefighters used abrasive papers to kind of sand the wall and also applied oil to the wall. the girl was eventually freed and not injured at all. you can see the reaction there. the reunion with her mother. >> i'm going to go ahead and guess the school's going to fill that gap between the walls and probably more children will not be joining her. >> absolutely. back in this country, colin kaepernick took a knee to fight racial injustice, and now he's taking on the nfl to try to work again. >> the former san francisco 49er says the league is conspiring against him to keep him unemployed. here's abc's ron claiborne. >> reporter: the nfl rocked former 49ers quarterback colin kaepernick accusing the team owners of colluding to keep him off the field. he claims the reason his taking a knee protest during the national anthem against police mistreatment of african-americans. those protests reigniting last month when president trump lashed out at nfl players who joined in. >> wouldn't you love to see one of these nfl owners, when somebody disrespects our flag to say, get that son of a [ bleep ] off the field right now? out, he's fired. >> reporter: while players united behind kaepernick he has remained silent and unemployed since last season. the number of players taking a knee has declined each week but seven 49ers players knelt again. he's filing a demand for arbitration alleging "multiple nfl head coaches and general managers stated that they wanted to sign mr. kaepernick only to mysteriously go silent with no explanation and no contract offer made to mr. kaepernick." representing kaepernick high-powered l.a. attorney mark geragos, a celebrity lawyer whose client list includes michael jackson and convicted murderer scott peterson. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. coming up with amazon and now walmart making online shopping easier than ever could we be seeing the end of the mall? >> you're watching "world news now." ♪ ♪ with so many of us doing more and more shopping online our local malls are taking quite a hit. in fact, a recent study found that 25% of american malls will close in the next five years. our consumer expert vera gibbons has been tracking this trend on nonepoliticalnews.com and joins us with more details. alarming trend. many jobs are involved there. of course you can go to a mall and see many of them empty but how do you know if a mall is dead? >> well the malls -- some of them are dying. the malls anchored by the likes of jcpenney and seers, those are the ones in biggest danger. the malls that are reinventing themselves are in pretty good shape. >> you say reinventing themselves. american malls aren't necessarily dead? >> no they're just mixing things up trying different strategies. so the name of the game experiences. you've got given notwithstanding paltrow going into nordstroms offering her thing there. so there's a sense of discovery and people seem to like that. you've got food. that's a very popular thing going into some of these spaces that are now vacant. you've got high-end sushi joints nobu going into a spat once occupied by saks at the houston mall, crazy. grows are wegmans in a spot once taken by jcpenney are you've got food halls, beer houses billiards, all sorts of interesting things. >> there are a couple of popular malls in atlanta phipps and lennox. fireworks on fourth of july. new year's they drop a peach from the buildings. what sort of specifics are other malls doing? >> they're doing exactly that type of thing. because they can't possibly compete with amazon. so they have to go beyond the traditional shopping experience and offer those things like the fireworks, like the go cart rides. things you can't possibly get unless you physically get in the car and drive to a mall. so some malls are actually thriving. they put the money in they're restructuring, doing very well. the grove mall is one that everybody -- >> the grove in los angeles. >> everybody loves that one. king of prussia mall people love that one. >> just outside of philadelphia. >> they like morton's steak house. dining is a big seller. >> mall of america in minnesota, which is more of an experience than just shopping. where they have several different things. is it working? the strategy? >> it is working in some cases. the ones that are in danger as i say, they don't have the financial wherewithal to restructure. it's an expensive proposition. they may try everything they can to try to change things up a bit but still not actually survive. so unfortunately, those middle to lower-end malls are really in danger of going dark. >> as we saw. 25%. would it really make a difference if tiffany or w. gibson came back and did mall tours? ♪ i think we're alone ♪ >> very good. thank you so much. we can only hope they go well. a lot of jobs on the line. you're watch "world news now"." i'm all about my bed. this mattress is dangerously comfortable. when i get in, i literally say "ahhh." america loves the leesa mattress. we have more 5 star customer reviews than any other mattress of its kind. this bed hugs my body. i'm now a morning person. hello, bed of my dreams. discover how leesa's innovative design provides an extraordinary sleep experience. then place your order. we'll ship your leesa mattress right to your door, so you can enjoy a risk free trial at home. i love my leesa. today is gunna be great. sleep on it for up to 100 nights and love it, or you'll get a full refund. returns are free and easy. now you can experience the leesa difference before you buy at any west elm. or go to buyleesa.com and get $100 off. and free shipping too. you need this bed. these birds once affected by oil are heading back home. thanks to dawn rescue workers only trust dawn because it's tough on grease yet gentle. i am home, i am home, i am home i'm joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. try digestive advantage. it is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it surivies a hundred times better than the leading probiotic. get the digestive advantage. okay so it is time for "this happened" with some of the more interesting stories from the weekend that we kind of saw. >> yes, we start with a difficulty when you're reporting out in the field, you're doing a breaking news story, every now and then you get a photo bomber that comes into the shot and ruins everything or in this case makes the magic happen. take a look. >> i'm scott mattis live where there's been spottings of a cougar. and that's not it, that looks like a house cat. >> so the guy is reporting on this cougar-spotting that apparently happened in this area. and directly into the center of the shot walks this little guy. the best part is the lower third of the screen you can see as the camera zooms in. >> the graphic at the bottom. >> "large cat spotted." then they zoom in. and -- yeah. >> that's not a large cat at all. >> everyone had a good time with it. >> yeah. the cat got its 15 seconds, i'd say, of fame. >> a lot of attitude on that cat by the way too. >> the cat was just like -- >> here i am. >> this is my space. >> what's up? >> what up? there's no cougars around here. all right, so there you have it. >> by the way, they say that that cat? not the cougar in case you didn't pick up on that part. >> there was another interesting sighting over in china. actually sightings of many. take a look at this. not one -- >> cuteness. >> not two, three, four five -- you actually have 36 baby pandas. >> what? >> put on display bit china conservation and research center who put on the 36 giant baby pandas. are they giant if they're baby pan pandas? the only reason they did it by the way was just for publicity and for the public enjoyment. >> they say they could have introduced the babies one by one but they decided -- >> all together. >> throw it all there, let everybody have a big panda party -- it was pandemonium! you might say. >> designer would have loved it. >> you know those fidget spinner things? >> yeah. >> they spin them around. you think they're stupid then once you start playing with them they're so addictive. what do you think happens when you use one of those bad boys in space? >> oh. >> we now have video that shows us. check it out. >> okay, so it just kind of floats. >> and then it spins. >> on its own. >> you got to see what happens when an astronaut grabs hold of the fidget spinner. >> oh, he spins too. >> yes! >> important message for women and men ages 50 to 85. please write down this toll-free number now. right now, in areas like yours, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with a rate lock through the colonial penn program. if you're on a fixed income or concerned about rising prices, learn about affordable whole life insurance with a lifetime rate lock that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. if you did not receive your information or if you misplaced it call this number now and we'll rush it to you. your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. please stand by to learn more. >> i'm alex trebek and the announcement you just heard is for a popular and affordable life insurance plan with a rate lock guarantee. that means your rate is locked in for life and can never increase. did you get your free information kit in the mail? 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his answer finally his answer ahead. plus the crisis in puerto rico nearly a month after hurricane maria, 85 of the island still without power. we'll look at how much longer residents will have to wait and how a college student from pennsylvania is helping to bring aid to the island. stop me if you've heard this one before. a horse checks into a hotel, and well -- no joke -- that actually happened. we'll find out why this horse owner tested the limits of the term "pet-friendly" and whether the hotel bed frames are stable enough. >> ah well played. >> lots of jokes on this monday, october 16th. >> is it still monkeying around on the bed if it's a horse? >> wow. we've got so many of these awesome jokes for you. i can only hope that our two viewers will survive to watch the actual story. >> all right. we'll move on to the news shall we this. >> yeah, we'll get to that. >> we do have the breaking news from louisiana, that oil rig explosion near new orleans. >> the rig burning for hours near lake pontchartrain near new orleans clearly visible for miles across that huge lake. >> so that explosion heard and felt several miles away. and this is what it looked like. incredible close-up images here bright orange flames lighting up the nighttime sky. at least seven people have been hurt in the blast. one person is still missing. the coast guard searching right now for any sign of that person in the water. now some of that oil actually may be spilling into the lake. the coast guard is also testing the water quality. >> cleaning chemicals on the surface of the platform may have caused the blast but the official investigation will get under way once the fire is out. we'll turn our focus now to the devastating wildfires in california. finally starting to slow down after claiming at least 40 lives. >> the deadliest and most destructive fire disaster in state history is still menacing wine country. winds are finally dying down giving firefighters a chance to try to gain control. thousands of residents got the all-clear to return home but evacuation orders are still in place for many others. 5,700 homes have burned and hundreds of people are still unaccounted for. abc's maggie ruly has the latest from santa rosa. >> reporter: after a week of heartbreaking destruction and harrowing escapes. >> my eyes are burning too, dude but we still got oxygen we're not dead yet. >> reporter: finally fines things are starting to turn a corner. >> i'd use the term cautious optimism. we're starting to get a lead on many of these fires. >> reporter: firefighters battling with everything they've got managed to increase containment numbers on every major fire and authorities are allowing at least 25,000 people to return home. >> over the next 24 hours, you will see a lot of repopulation plans coming out. >> reporter: but firefighters warn we are not out of the woods yet. >> for example, this fire here up on the hill is uncontained. >> many homes and vineyards here in sonoma remain dangerously close to active wildfires. ash is falling on us here in this vineyard and there is thick smoke in the air and that is why authorities did not want to let people home to this neighborhood. for those who can come back home many find nothing but ashes. >> the house is gone. i haven't seen it. i saw my next door neighbor's picture, our whole street's gone. >> reporter: as bob's house bumped he went to work opening the grocery stores he manages in the area and feeding first responders for free. >> it's our job to take care of our community, and we do what we can. we've got the stores open. this is my family here. these are my people. >> reporter: finding home in each other when there isn't one to go back to. >> we should mention the weather is starting to cooperate for the 11,000 firefighters who are out there trying to put out those flames. >> finally. in addition to the winds dying down a new system moving into the area is bringing much-needed rain to the fire zone. that's hopefully coming by the end of the week. >> what a week it has been for so many people out there in california. >> bone-dry conditions and high winds, a terrible recipe for something like this. we move on right now. the secretary of state rex tillerson is brushing aside reports that he is at odds with the president. insisting their relationship is solid. >> tillerson says he can still effectively lead american diplomacy despite allegations he's being undermined by the president. during a cnn interview he repeatedly refused to confirm or deny a report he called president trump a moron. >> you've dismissed the question as petty, but this is literally one of the most important relationships in the world, the one between you and president trump. is it true? did you call him a moron? >> jake as i indicated earlier, i was asked about that i'm not going to deal with that kind of petty stuff. i mean this is a town that seems to relish gossip rumor, innuendo. and they feed on it they feed on one another in a very destructive way. i don't work that way. >> tillerson also responded to senator bob corker's comment that he was publicly calls traited by the public. he joked that he's fully intact. some republicans are criticizing president trump's latest moves to dismantle parts of obamacare. senator susan collins of maine says she's very disappointed in the president's actions and she's calling on him to support a bipartisan effort to protect against rising health insurance premiums. last week the president stopped subsidy payments that helped low-income americans. his executive order allows people to buy cheap or more basic plans but could weaken coverage or raise preepts for those with pre-existing conditions. a massive search under way in missouri for two inmates considered armed and dangerous. they escaped sunday from county jail in carruthersville in southeastern missouri. police say they climbed through an air duct to reach a supply room and pried the doors open to escape. carter is facing first degree murder charges. they were last seen on surveillance cameras heading towards the mississippi river. overseas nearly 300 people are dead after a truck bombing in somalia. it's the deadliest single attack in the country's history. and that death toll is expected to rise. hospitals are overwhelmed with hundreds of people injured. turkey and kenya have offered to send in medical aid. the government is blaming the terror group al shabaab for the attack but so far the group is not claiming responsibility. the u.s. is among many international voices condemning the attack. in afghanistan authorities say they have stopped a massive suicide bombing attempt in kabul. over the weekend police arrested the driver of a truck carrying three tons of explosives. he ignored orders to stop at a security checkpoint near a university so police shot the driver then they found the explosives were hidden under boxes of tomatoes. nearly a month after hurricane maria made landfall puerto rico is facing a growing humanitarian crisis. many december plant residents are now making plans to leave for the u.s. mainland. abc's victor okenda is in san juan. >> reporter: some in puerto rico facing a critical choice. life lick this and try to survive or leave the island. 85% of still without power and may not get it back until close to christmas. residents inland facing a bigger crisis. the feeling they're cut off. this was the main bridge that connected the town of st. lorenzo to the rest of puerto rico washed away by hurricane maria. some take a more extreme approach to ferry people to the other side. we met car help santos at the collapsed bridge. she says it nearly cost her mother her life. your mother had a stroke. how long did it take to get her to the hospital? >> 2 1/2 hours. >> how long would it take if the bridge was up? >> 20 minutes. >> reporter: we went to her home less than five minutes from the bridge, and met her mother, now recovering. santos says she just lost her job in san juan because her commute became four hours long. like so many other puerto ricans santos feels like she's at the end of the road. if you could, would you pack everything and leave? >> i would like to. >> where would you want to go? >> florida, new york whatever. >> reporter: experts say some 200,000 puerto ricans may leave the island for the mainland over the next year because of hurricane maria and economic hardships. carmen santos says she'll be one of them. victor okendo abc news san juan puerto rico. an enterprising college student in pittsburgh is spearheading her own effort to help puerto rico. 22-year-old rosanna quernira at carnegie medical son is on her second trip to a privately chartered plane bringing 2,000 pounds of food supplies and medicine medicine. she used a krout founding site to raise more than $84,000. >> what did you do when you were in school? >> definitely a slacker by comparison. now to the story that refuses to go away. >> yeah a michigan woman who got her hands on some of that mcdonald's sichuan sauce has managed to parlay that into a car. last week crowds of fans stormed stores from coast to coast demanding the limited edition sauce after it was featured in an episode of the show. >> so 23-year-old graphic designer rachel marie of michigan managed to be one of the lucky few that did get a sauce packet. >> rather than eat it marie found someone willing to trade his 2000 volkswagen golf for it. a car for a packet of sauce. >> amazing. they interviewed the guy. he didn't want to give his name not sure why. he just guideified the trade by saying, i needed me some frigging sauce. >> i guess it wasn't an emergency. >> needed the sauce. >> by the way, mcdonald's will bring back the sauce they say in the winter more than for just a day. >> okay. >> all of this and come like january you'll be able to have all the sichuan sauce you want. >> does he get the car back then? >> i don't think so. the world's most useless airport that gets only one flight a week. highlights from around the nfl, including some bad news for one of the league's top players. the growing investigation into harvey weinstein's past. could he now face criminal charges? the question many are wondering. you're watching "world news now." hey honey, how was practice? good. must've been hot out there today, huh? yeah. yeah. why don't you go put that stuff in the laundry room right now? ok. do your athletes bring home big odors? tide sport is super concentrated to beat even... ...the toughest stains and odors. hey, buddy! hey. woo! somebody ran laps. yup the new tide sport collection. it's got to be tide. i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. (coughs) ah! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. if you have medicare parts a and b and want more coverage. guess what? you could apply for a medicare supplement insurance plan whenever you want. no enrollment window. no waiting to apply. that means now may be a great time to shop for an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. medicare doesn't cover everything. and like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, these help cover some of what medicare doesn't pay. so don't wait. call now to request your free decision guide. it could help you find the aarp medicare supplement plan that works for you. these types of plans have no networks, so you get to choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. rates are competitive, and they're the only plans of their kind endorsed by aarp. remember - these plans let you apply all year round. so call today. because now's the perfect time to learn more. go long. your toilet is germ-ridden with mineral buildup. clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach is no match against limescale. but lysol power toilet bowl cleaner has 10x more cleaning power against limescale. so switch to lysol. what it takes to protect. the sexual abuse scandal surrounding harvey weinstein is widening as new accuser come forward including a british soap opera star. >> the scandal is turning into a criminal investigation on both sides of the atlantic. >> reporter: new startling rape accusations that could lead to criminal charges for harvey weinstein. now british soap opera star lizette anthony going public reporting to police weinstein raped her in her west london home in the late 1980s telling the "london sunday times" she was left feeling disgusted and embarrassed. abc news learning two more women have now come forward. british police investigating five sexual assault allegations. the list of women accusing weinstein of harassment or sexual assault now surpassing 35. >> i don't want this to be swept under the carpet. and it doesn't feel good and we're better than that. >> reporter: weinstein in a previous statement to "the new yorker" has denied any allegations of nonconsensus wall sex. >> i'm not doing okay. i'm trying. i got to get help guys. you know what we all make mistakes. second chance i hope. >> reporter: hollywood ignoring that plea. the academy voting to expel the movie mogul from the oscar club. >> there's no way in hell harvey weinstein's being invited to the oscars this year or any year in the conceivable future. he's gone. >> reporter: the academy writing that they hope to send a message that the air of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexual predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over. but the group still includes disparaged names like roman polanski who pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old, and bill cosby, who denies accusations about drugging women and sexual misconduct. and a battle between the weinstein brothers. cofounder bob weinstein says he's spoken to his brother twice since the scandal broke telling "the hollywood reporter" his brother doesn't have an ounce of remorse for what he has done. some of these new rape ac sayings from london go back more than 20 years. but there's no statute ofmitations so w face s. eva pilgrim, abc news, new york. coming up next half hour the new images of that family now safe after five years as taliban hostages. but first, check out this jets touchdown. wait. it's actually not a touchdown. we're going to tell you what happened next on "world news now." the ball's hit well. martin is on the run. this is way back. and it is gone! it is a walkoff home run for justin turner! >> justin turner with the walkoff home run. he looks kind of like the characters from "game of thrones." there he it and that dodger fan with a great grab. the defendant world champions are now hoping they can hold off the dodgers as the series moves to chicago tomorrow night. look at the fan right there, nice grab. >> whoo! karma may be against the cubbies. 29 years to the day after this walkoff blast by l.a.'s kirk gibson in the 1988 world series. the dodgers went on to sweep oakland in that one. >> ah, yes. legendary moment. >> enjoy it for the moment at least. tonight it's the american league turn and the series shifts to the bronx. >> yes, it does. the yankees are trying to climb out of another two-game playoff hole against houston. they lost saturday 2-1. jose altuve scored the winning run in the ninth after gary sanchez dropped a throw at home play at the plate. >> oh man. >> yeah. sad moment. >> not for houston. >> shh! >> first pitch is just after 8:00 eastern time. >> oh! shameful. >> the nationals -- >> they're not in it anymore. >> too soon. that burned. it's way too soon for that. football now, the initiator of the take a knee protest has filed a grievance against the nfl. >> colin kaepernick says he's a victim of collusion. former 49er has been unemployed since opting out of his contract in march. some owners have implied fan reaction to kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem to highlight racial inequality caused concerns about signing him. >> last month president trump said players who kneel during the anthem should be fired. in a statement kaepernick's lawyer said peaceful protest should not be punished. coming into sunday night, kaepernick's former club was benefit threeone of three winless teams in the nfl. now there are two. >> the new york giants pulled off a stunner, they beat the broncos 23-10 in denver for their first win of what has been a very difficult season. >> it's been a rough season. jen ris jenkins had the big play he returned an interception 43 yards. look at that. >> going, gone. >> yeah. giants were listed as 212-point underdog heading into the game. so there you it. >> his nickname is the jackrabbit and he proved why. >> he kind of looked at it. the giants cotenants at metlife stadium in new jersey where on the day's most controversial play. so yes, the jets were down 10 to new england when it looked like austin 7 fairian jenkins scored. upon further review it was ruled he didn't have control of the ball when he fell out of bounds in the end zone. >> oh, so close. >> the jets lost the points the ball the game their dignity. >> oh probably a little bit of pride. >> yeah. >> the green bay packers lost their game and their all-pro quarterback, aaron rodgers suffered a broken right collarbone when he was slammed to the turf in minnesota. he could miss the rest of the season. rodgers missed seven weeks with a broken left collarbone four years ago. >> we also saw the first harvard to harvard touchdown pass in nfl history. buccaneers ryan spector, class of 2005 connected with cameron b brate, class of 2014 one of six catches for brate on the day when they played arizona. coming up we'll show you the most useless airport in the world. >> all right, "the mix" is next. he's a nascar champion who's faced thousands of drivers. she's a world-class swimmer who's stared down the best in her sport. but for both of them, the most challenging opponent was... pe blood clots in my lung. it was really scary. a dvt in my leg. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. my doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®... to help keep me protected. xarelto® is a latest-generation blood thinner... ...that's proven to treat and reduce the risk of dvt and pe blood clots from happening again. in clinical studies, almost 98% of patients on xarelto® did not experience another dvt or pe. here's how xarelto works. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least six blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective... ...targeting just one critical factor, interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor as this may increase risk of blood clots. while taking, you may bruise more easily or take longer for bleeding to stop. it may increase your risk of bleeding if you take certain medicines. xarelto® can cause serious and in rare cases, fatal bleeding. get help right away for unexpected bleeding, unusual bruising, or tingling. if you've had spinal anesthesia, watch for back pain or any nerve or muscle-related signs or symptoms. do not take xarelto® if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. ...to help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. talk to your doctor about xarelto®. there's more to know. your toilet is germ-ridden with mineral buildup. clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach is no match against limescale. but lysol power toilet bowl cleaner has 10x more cleaning power against limescale. so switch to lysol. what it takes to protect. are you taking the tissue test? yep, and my teeth are yellow. time for whitestrips. crest glamorous white whitestrips are the only ada-accepted whitening strips proven to be safe and effective. and they whiten 25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. i had this chest cold, but my medicine kept wearing off. (coughs) ah! i missed you! then i discovered mucinex. one pill lasts 12 hours,and i'm good. why take 4-hour medicine? one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. why do the best things in life create so much mess! tackle it all with finish® quantum. even on the toughest messes you get an unbeatable clean. and now get 25% more loads then cascade® platinum™ switch to finish® quantum. i'm joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. try digestive advantage. it is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it surivies a hundred times better than the leading probiotic. get the digestive advantage. your monday "mix" starting with that so-called useless airport. i actually think it's a very useful airport. >> it is if you live there. >> exactly. so there it is. that is history in the making. a plane making a landing there in st. helena from south africa. this is the one weekly flight to this airport. so you ask, where in helena is st. helena? we'll show you. so there it is, of course. out in the middle of nowhere. >> oh. oh yeah. >> 1,200 miles west of angola. off africa. >> hence the need for a flight. >> 4,500 people live on that island. they've been waiting for an airport for 90 years and they finally got an airport. they spent nearly $400 million to try to get it all together. >> wow. >> now these people can get off the island they say they have never felt so emotional in all their lives. >> congratulations, st. helena. i wonder what happens to the airport staff. do they only come in once a week? >> they're hanging out waiting for that one flight. >> every time it comes in yay, here it comes, we're ready! >> just imagine the flight delays. flight delays last days not hours. >> pretty cool stuff. some more cool stuff. let's head over to kentucky shall we? which is in georgetown kentucky. a woman came across this super 8 motel, she noticed it was pet friendly she asked, what if i wanted to bring my horse in? to her surprise the woman at the counter said i wouldn't mind that. so they went ahead and shot this video of the horse checking in hanging out in the hotel room, watching tv. >> monkeying around. >> she said the whole point was to show how docile horses can actually be with the right training. her horses are very well trained. she's considered the canadian horse whisperer. shouldn't people to know no the horse did not stay at the hotel. after they shot the video the horses went to a kentucky stable where they were spending the night. a cute little video that lots of people are enjoying everybody's welcome at that super 8. >> now we have a new joke. so a horse walks into a hotel. >> uh-huh, and the person at the desk goes, why the long face? >> you took awhile for that one. >> i tried. >> okay. >> tip the veal tray a waitress. or it's the other way around. this couple's reaction to a dog who crashed their wedding, just won the internet. take a look. so there they are, kind of hanging out. >> cute. >> this is in brazil. and this dog -- >> aww. >> steps or sits on their veil. >> the veil how cute. >> they track down the dog, actually. and ended up adopting it that's this morning on "world news now," tense talks set for today at the white house. mitch mcconnell is meeting with the president just days after the president's former chief strategist vowed war with republican leaders. and what the secretary of state said when asked if he called the president a moron. inside the inferno with crews still battling the deadly california fires. we're now seeing how two trapped friends escaped the fire all around the the ne family held captive for five years by the taliban. >> a canadian man, his american wife, and their three children born in captivity are speaking out. hear the new claims of what they endured and how the children are adjusting. and later in "the skinny," the science of sequels. "the empire strikes back" makes the list of the best movie sequels ever. what about the worst? we're breaking them down in "the skinny" on this monday, october 16th. good morning to you on this monday. we're going to start with the president who is coming face-to-face with the man he blames for the failure to repeal and replace obamacare. >> the president is holding a full cabinet meeting this afternoon before sitting down for lunch with senate majority leader mitch mcconnell to talk about the gop agenda. this comes just as the senate is set to hold a vote on the budget which is key to passing tax reform. >> in the meantime the secretary of state is still not owning up to calling the president a moron. steve bannon is setting the stage for a contentious political battle.ore from abc's david wright. >> reporter: the president's former chief strategist appears to be gearing up for all-out political war. >> this is not my war. >> reporter: steve bannon told trump loyalists at the values voters summit, it's open season on politicians of either party who stand in trump's way. >> right now it's a season of war against a gop establishment. >> reporter: bannon's old boss appears to have different ideas. this weekend, trump played friendly rounds of golf with key members of the gop establishment. republican senators who have challenged the administration on health care reform and other issues. rand paul. >> he's a better golfer than i am. we had a good time. >> reporter: and lindsey graham. graham pushed back at bannon. >> he's a symptom of the problem. bannon can't beat us if we're successful. >> reporter: on the sunday shows, secretary of state rex tillerson had to answer some sharp gop establishment. from republican bob corker, chair of the senate foreign relations committee, who told "the washington post" trump is castrating his secretary of state. >> i checked, i'm fully intact. >> reporter: tillerson was asked repeatedly to address a reportedly salty quote of his own. >> is it true, did you call him a moron? >> reporter: the secretary of state would not give a yes or no answer. >> i'm not going to dignify the question. i call the president mr. president. these are obstructive games of this town, they're not helpful to anyone. and so my position on it is, i'm not playing. >> reporter: on monday, the senate majority leader will be here at the white house for lunch. his first meeting with the president since the senate failed to pass that latest version of the obamacare repeal. and since then, president trump has had some withering criticism of mcconnell's leadership. but now, despite steve bannon, president trump appears to be ready to make nice. david wright, abc news, the white house. overseas, clashes are breaking out in northern iraq between two u.s. allies in the war against isis. iraqi state television is reporting iraqi forces are moving in to recapture kurdish-held oil fields military base near the city of kirkuk. iraqi forces abandoned those sites in 2014 as they fled isis. a kurdish referendum for independence last month has inflamed tensions possibly setting the stage for a brand-new civil war within iraq. right now ireland is bracing for a direct hit from a powerful storm that was once a hurricane. forecasters warn what's left of ophelia will be dangerous with violent and destructive hurricane-force wind gusts. all schools on the island are closed today. drivers and cyclists are being told to stay off t on coastal areas. firefighters are finally getting a handle on those historic wildfires in northern california, now burning for more than a week. >> the death toll has climbed to at least 40 and they're not out of the woods yet. more residents were allowed back into their neighborhoods. but they're finding more than 5,000 homes reduced to ashes. we're getting dramatic video of rescues and narrow escapes when the fires erupted with little notice. >> an officer's body cam was rolling as he saved a disabled woman, and there's heartstopping footage of two roommates gasping for air as they escape the flames and finally make to it safety just in time. >> oh my god, we can't -- oh my god, dude. you're going to have to cut to the left. >> open the gate! open the gate! >> i can't breathe! >> we're going to [ muted ] die dude, we've got to get out of here! >> let it blow by let it blow by. >> i've got to breathe, dude. >> you'll be all right. we got this. >> you don't think we should just charge? i think it would be easier on that side. >> yeah we're good, let's go. it's going to be hard to breathe, dude. >> that was michael vine and layton smith as they escaped with their dogs. how amazing was that. they say there was just enough time to grab flashlights and a few things. they lost everything in the fire including their car. but as michael put it he's just happy to be alive. you can see the embers flying through the air there, hitting them in the face as they tried to escape. >> it's a good thing they didn't have to grab more stuff, they say they got out just in the nick of time. the cascade fire is still burning. >> yeah. so the good news is rain unless the forecast later this week and the winds are easing a little bit. the high fire danger is still in effect. >> let's check in with accuweather meteorologist paul williams. >> good morning, diane, kendis. we're expecting it to stay warm throughout california and this high pressure system simply isn't helping things out at all. in fact a clockwise rotation associated with it will increase and enhance the drying-out effect of all the winds. very gusty winds will continue. not as bad as yesterday but bad enough with a decrease in humidity and an increase in fire danger. it is going to continue to stay very warm along the coast as well. diane, kendis? >> we'll keep an eye on the situation there, thank you. this morning improvement for one of the las vegas shooting victims. 27-year-old tina frost woke up from a coma on friday night. a family member says she took three steps to a chair and three steps back to bed. tina was shot in the head. doctors had said her chances of survival were very slim. last night she was transferred closer to her home in baltimore. her doctor is hopeful tina will be able to talk. a man who parachuted into normandy on d-day has jumped into the record books of a southern sky dying business. >> 95-year-old army veteran norwood thomas took the plunge in suffolk, virginia, outside of norfolk. his helpers say he's the oldest person to skydive at their facility. >> sunday's leap was from 14,000 feet. when he landed in france with 18,000 paratroopers as a 22-year-old, the drop was about 400 feet. he's moving up in the world, quite literally. >> he's improved. not bad. he looks great. >> still got it. coming up, james corden's jokes that went over like a lead balloon. >> hear what the late-night host said about harvey weinstein that earned some jeers from the crowd and a lot of backlash online. his apology, next. >> and take this on. ♪ take this on ♪ >> the '80s smash hit, ah-ha has a new version. so we want to see -- ♪ take on me ♪ >> if you al. you're watching "world news now." happy anniversary dinner darlin' i'm messing up every dish, pot, and plate... ...to show my love. ta-da! all this devotion only calls for a it of dawn ultra. so concentrated, just one bottle has the grease cleaning power of three... ...bottles of this other liquid. a drop of dawn and grease is gone. try using dawn beyond the sink. i'm joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. try digestive advantage. it is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it surivies a hundred times better than the leading probiotic. get the digestive advantage. your toilet is germ-ridden with mineral buildup. clorox toilet bowl cleaner with bleach is no match against limescale. but lysol power toilet bowl cleaner has 10x more cleaning power against limescale. so switch to lysol. what it takes to protect. that cough doesn't sound so good. take mucinex dm. i'll text you in 4 hours when your cough returns. one pill lasts 12 hours, so... looks like i'm good all night! why take 4-hour cough medicine? just one mucinex lasts 12 hours. let's end this. i love you, couch. you give us comfort. and we give you bare feet, backsweat, and gordo's... everything. i love you, but sometimes you stink. soft surfaces trap odors. febreze fabric refresher cleans them away for good. because the things you love the most can stink. and plug in febreze to keep your whole room fresh for up to 45 days. breathe happy with febreze. breaking breaking overnight, seven people have been injured and one person is missing after an oil rig explosion in lake pontchartrain near new orleans. crews are still on the scene searching for that missing person. witnesses say they heard a big boom and their houses shook after that explosion. a family who was held hostage for five years by a terror group in afghanistan is sharing new details of their captivity. >> canadian joshua boyles says his american wife kaitlin was raped and one of their children murdered. here's abc's marci gonzalez. >> reporter: laying surrounded by toys peeking out from a sliding door, some of the simple joys of freedom for the boyle family. in canada tonight, days after their release from captivity in afghanistan, the three children who have spent their entire lives as taliban hostages now enjoying the embrace of their grandparents. their father saying 4-year-old jonah just explored the idea of a closet. for the youngest, 5-month-old maida, the discovery that there are other women in the world. >> it will be of incredible importance to my family that we are able to build a secure sanctuary. >> reporter: building that security after five years of torment. joshua boyle and his wife, american kaitlin coleman, kidnapped in 2012 while on what they called a hiking vacation in afghanistan. she was seven months pregnant at the time. >> i am prisoner of the taliban. >> reporter: boyle saying while in captivity, coleman was raped and one of their children killed. >> the stupidity and the evil of the haqqani networks, kidnapping of a pilgrim and his heavily pregnant wife, eclipsed only by the stupidity and evil of authorizing the murder of my infant daughter, marta doyle. >> reporter: the family rescued by pakistan's military wednesday, slowly settling into their peaceful new life. >> marci, thank you. incredible story. we move on to the harvey weinstein scandal. a british soap opera star is the latest to accuse the hollywood producer of rape. >> now a late-night host is apologizing for a series of jokes about weinstein. james corden made the jokes at a gala over the weekend in los angeles. >> it's so beautiful, harvey weinstein has already asked tonight up to his hotel to give him his massage. it has been weird this week, hasn't it, watching harvey weinstein in hot water. ask any of the women who watched him take the bath, it's weird watching harvey weinstein in hot water. >> but not everyone thought that joke was funny, especially two of weinstein's accusers who took to twitter to issue a scathing rebuke. >> corden issued an apology on twitter saying, "to be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter. i was not trying to make light of harvey's inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims. i'm truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention." coming up, when we come back, we're breaking down the best and the worst movie sequels of all-time. >> "the skinny" is next. he skinny" is next. .gotta rinse that. nope. no way. nada. really? 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"why so serious?" >> better than "the return"? >> so much better. >> taking the top spot, not a surprise to many, "the godfather part 2," michael corleone expanding his family business. >> "i'm going to make you an offer you can't refuse." i don't think it's from that one necessarily. >> "i try to get out. they keep pulling me back in." >> that's pretty good. >> that's not "the godfather." >> let's get to the worst ones, shall we? "jaws: the revenge" comes in at number three, where the brody family believe they're being targeted by another shark in search of revenge. >> it's personal. >> because -- sharks, they do that. >> this time it's personal. second worst, "son of the mask." it has "the mask" from jim carrey's 1994 hit but that's where the similarities end. >> that looks totally normal. >> yeah. >> the honor, the best worst sequel of all-time goes to -- "super babies." "baby geniuses 2." a media mogul is trying to crack the baby talk code in this one and the babies have to stop him. amazing that one didn't do better. >> amazing. did "leonard part 6" make the list and does it count because it was the first, it just said "leonard part 6"? >> no, i think it has to be a number 2. >> it actually does, literally. breaking news from the world of "game of thrones." before you get excited thinking that we have spoilers for the final season, we don't. 21-year-old sophie turner and her fiance jonas. >> you heard that right, fiance. the 28-year-old pop singer posted this pic to instagram yesterday with the caption, "she said yes." >> what? she already has two failed marriages under her belt but that doesn't seem to bother jo at all. >> we're talking about therian and ramsay? >> yes, yes. >> i hope this one goes better than those two did. >> we're hoping as well. that was not a great marriage. >> kit harington, who plays jon snow, is also engaged. maybe we'll have a big "game of thrones" combo wedding. they weren't the only ones making news in hollywood this weekend. here's our celebrity edition of "did you know?" first up, zac efron revealed over the weekend he was chased and nearly attacked by a grizzly bear. he was apparently hiking with his brother when t charged. he and his chiseled body emerged unscathed. >> whew. >> very happy to report. >> some crazy news. michael jordan telling "aficionado" magazine he actually smokes six cigars every day. >> he must have lovely breath. check out britney spears by the way, she's getting in touch with her artistic side. we've got mozart playing in the background as she posts this video saying, sometimes you just gotta play. she's a painter. >> there's artwork there? >> who knew? >> i wasn't seeing the artwork. >> no? >> no. >> it's right on the canvas. >> oh, okay. finally, do you remember the '80s song "take on me"? ♪ da da da da da da ♪ >> by ah-ha. diane's refresher. >> i thought i had it covered but fine, we can listen to it. >> the band is back. >> they are performing an acoustic version for mtv's "unplugged." and it's getting mixed reviews. ♪ take on me ♪ ♪ take me up ♪ >> i like it. >> i'm done with it. >> you know what they're missing, me in the background. ♪ da da da da da da ♪ da da da ♪ so when i found out medicare doesn't pay all my medical expenses, i looked at my options. then i got a medicare supplement insurance plan. 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"happy death day." sounds like a comedy. >> i don't know how i feel about a movie called "happy death day" being number one. >> i'll take my niece and nephews. >> a baltimore choir has everybody talking this morning after the director posts their practice to facebook, calling it imperfectly perfect. >> take a look, here's abc's gloria riviera. ♪ i'll rise up i'll rise unafraid ♪ >> reporter: these are the boys and girls from baltimore's cardinal shand school choir. ♪ even in rehearsal, they sing their hearts out. ♪ hard to breathe ♪ >> our purpose i think is to make people happy. when we sing songs. and you know, just our voices getting that out to so many people. >> reporter: sensing something special, choir director kenyata hardison shared the song "rise up" by andra day on facebook live. ♪ i'll rise up ♪ >> reporter: millions agreed. ♪ i'll rise unafraid ♪ >> everyone really thought it -- calling in like y'all are famous, i said what? like y'all are viral. >> reporter: the children's promise to rise up unafraid touching so many finding hope in their young, sure voices. >> it touched me where it gave me hope. it gave me the strength that i needed to keep on fighting. >> it reminded me of how important it is to keep on singing even when things get bad. and you inspire me and you moved me and you made me happy. >> reporter: when it came time to take the stage for real -- ♪ i'll rise up ♪ >> reporter: the kids knew their performance. ♪ i'll rise up ♪ >> reporter: for millions who had a sneak peek at rehearsal, they'vady hit ♪ i'll rise up ♪ ♪ i'll rise up ♪ >> reporter: gloria riviera, abc news, washington. >> that gave me goosebumps. >> goosebumps, chills. >> yeah, chills. >>retweeted "the washington post" article about the group, saying they are absolutely great. >> so cool. >> should people of calling for her to do a duet with them not a duet, but together with andra day. >> i bet the kids would be down for that. >> don't miss your updates on facebook at wnnfans.com. making news in america this morning, an oil rig explosion near new orleans bursting into flames. the blast felt for miles. >> we have several still conducting a search and rescue mission. >> several workers injured and there's new concerns this morning about leaking oil. breaking overnight, new turmoil in iraq. government forces launching a new assault in the oil rich north. u.s. officials speaking out amid concerns about a civil war. colin kaepernick fights back in a national anthem protest controversy. this morning his new legal battle claiming nfl team owners are colluding against him. plus a season in jeopardy. >> rodgers is hurt. >> one of the nfl's top stars sidelined.