making news in america this morning, president trump holding a campaign-style rally overnight. his message to the crowd as new details emerge that the russia probe is intensifying. the attorney general will address intelligence leaks today after classified conversations with the president were released. hear what those transcripts say as a senior senator reacts after the president called her state a drug-infested den. new this morning, dramatic video just released. an american airlines wide body jet on fire. and back on the gridiron, the nfl preseason is here. see the highlights as the countdown to the regular season gets under way.

a good friday morning. we begin with president trump slamming the russia investigation as he prepares to take his first vacation since taking office. >> the president leaves this afternoon for a 17-day stay at his luxury golf club in new jersey. this morning jeff sessions holding a news conference to discuss his crackdown on the leaks plaguing the administration. >> and special counsel robert mueller has convened a grand jury in washington taking the investigation into russian election meddling to a new level. the president is blasting the probe telling supporters in west virginia that it's a total fabrication. abc's maggie rulli joins us with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: diane and kendis, good morning. president trump may be leaving washington, d.c. for a few weeks but his possible involvement with russia will certainly remain front and center right here in d.c. >> we didn't win because of russia. we won because of you.

>> reporter: surrounded by thousands of supporters in his campaign rally in west virginia, president trump can't seem to escape russia. >> the russia story is a total fabrication. it's just an excuse for the greatest loss in the history of american politics. that's all it is. >> reporter: but in washington, all signs point to the ongoing investigation into russian election meddling only ramping up. "the wall street journal" first reported an abc news confirms that a grand jury has been secretly working for weeks in d.c. suggesting a new elevated phase in special counsel robert mueller's investigation into whether president trump or any of his associates colluded with the kremlin. the president's personal lawyer on fox insists there's still no indication the president is a target. >> we have no reason to believe that the president's under investigation here. >> reporter: the white house says they're, quote, fully committed to cooperating with the special counsel but the president has also been

to discredit mueller here on fox news in june. >> i can say the people hired are all hillary clinton supporters. some of them worked for hillary clinton. i mean, the whole thing is ridiculous if you want to know the truth. >> reporter: leaving two senators to introduce bills protecting the special counsel's independence and make it harder for trump to ever fire mueller. also at that rally last night president trump kept promising a big announcement. it came from west virginia's governor jim justice who declared he's switching parties and is now a republican. diane and kendis. >> all right, that's maggie rulli live from washington. thanks, maggie. now despite claims that new white house chief of staff john kelly would be cracking down on leaks of transcripts of president trump's calls with world leaders, they are now public. >> appear in "the washington post" and shed light on the blunt and sometimes tense conversations. abc's cecilia vega has the details. >> reporter: classified documents reveal the true nature of president trump's phone calls with world leaders in the

"the washington post" published leaked transcripts of two contentious conversations. the first with mexican president pena nieto, all about that wall. >> and who is going to pay for the wall? >> reporter: but on the phone the mexican president is firm calling the idea to pay for the wall completely unacceptable. president trump responded, the fact is we are both in a little bit of a political bind because i have to have mexico pay for the wall. i have to. i have been talking about it for a two-year period. still, pena nieto insists mexico will not pay so president trump implores. you cannot say that to the press. the press is going to go with that and i cannot live with that. in their conversation, president trump complains drugs are flowing across the border into the u.s. adding i won new hampshire because new hampshire is a drug-infested den. new hampshire senator maggie haan

comments disgusting. >> what an outrageous state for him to make. >> reporter: the transcripts leaked also show just how bad things got between president trump and australia's prime minister malcolm turnbull. on the phone the president furious about inheriting an obama era deal to accept more than 1200 refugees from australia telling the prime minister, this is going to kill me. i am the world's greatest person that does not want to let people into the country. he says the deal will make him look terrible like a weak and ineffective leader and a dope. cecilia vega, abc news, washington. speaking of australia two men there have been charged with an isis directed terror plot to bring down an airliner. they tried to smuggle a device into a flight july 15th on. tihad. they were unable to get it through on check-in because it was too heavy. the men were arrested along with two others in raids across sydney. back in the u.s. severe storms

northeast right now dumped heavy rain and hail across chicago and forced the early closure and evacuation of the first night of the lollapalooza music performance. the rain, you saw there, had people leaving grant park and leaving a sea of people on the city's michigan avenue. now for a closer look at your weather. severe storms also slammed phoenix, arizona, with monsoon rain, strong winds and triggering flash floods across the city. the storms knocked out power to at least 23,000 customers and delayed flights into and out of phoenix's sky harbor airport. and as the pacific northwest sweats through for day of historic heat wave, a bit of relief on the way but still temperatures over the next couple of days will remain up to 20 degrees above normal.

the recipients of this year's kennedy center honors have been announced. >> they say president trump and the first lady will both attend the gala and host the pregala reception at the white house in december. but some of this year's honorees are vocal trump critics including gloria estefan, l.l. cool j and television producer norman lear. now, lear says he is boycotting the white house reception. still ahead, the dueling jumbo jackpots this weekend. two lotteries worth more than half a billion dollars. plus, a college professor accused of murder now on the run. what investigators are saying about the victim and his connection to the professor. a teenager learns her fate after urging her boyfriend to commit suicide. hear text messages. the move by the judge during sentencing that surprised everyone in court.

we're getting our first look at the moment an american airlines 767 caught fire during takeoff at o'hare airport last fall. after a fan disc broke apart and severed a fuel line, one passenger suffered serious injuries and 19 others had only minor injuries. firefighters in dubai have a massive fire at one of the world's tallest buildings finally under control. authorities say everyone was evacuated from the 86-story tower. no injuries reported. but there were plumes of smoke billowing into the air as the burning debris fell to the ground. no word yet on how that fire started but this is the second fire to hit that same skyscraper in just two years. the power is back on in north carolina's outer banks. tourists are being allowed to return to two popular vacation spots later today. a massive power outage

islands a week ago a construction crew accidentally knocked out the power. the outage devastated businesses because it came at the peak of the tourist season. a young british researcher hailed as a hero just a few months ago for averting a global cyberattack has been arrested for cybercrimes of his own. federal authorities say 22-year-old marcus hutchins developed malware designed to collect bank account passwords then sold it on a russian cybercrime forum. he was arrested in las vegas after attending a hacker conference. "variety" reporting hbo's hacking problem is far from over saying it received an e-mail from the hackers threatening to leak more unaired episodes of shows like "game of thrones" on sunday. the "hollywood reporter" said it got a similar e-mail from the hackers saying they still have full access to their e-mails and will release them. on wednesday hbo's chief said the hieber attack did not breach the network's entire e-mail system.

big dream could lead to two incredibly massive payouts this weekend. tonight's mega millions jackpot is worth a whopping $323 million. among the ten largest in the history of the game. >> or you might want to try your luck at winning powerball. that drawing for tomorrow night has climbed to at least $286 million. >> decisions, decisions. >> both. when we come back 200 train passengers trapped after floodwaters damaged the tracks. we'll show you some video coming in. nfl football, it is back. all the highlights from the hall of fame game. sara, could you come in here. yep, coming. oh wow, what kind of underwear are those? they're breathable underwear from fruit of the loom. [gasp] what are those? guys... they're breathable underwear from fruit of the loom. yes, they have these tiny holes to let the air through, can you help me? wa wa weewoo look at those.

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by a helicopter. that same flash flooding trapped about 00 people on a metrolink commuter train. floodwaters eroded part of the tracks in front and behind the train. one passenger said she could feel the train leaning. look how close it came to the tracks. eventually returned to the station and tracks are being repaired right now but at least two trains on that route are canceled this morning. and today flooding hazards will blanket a third of 9 phrase from the deep south into new england and roads wet along the gulf coast in parts of the midwez with more flooding across the southwest. flying, airport delays are possible in new orleans and detroit. a judge in massachusetts has sentenced the young woman at the center of the landmark case involving text messages and the suicide of her teen boyfriend. >> michelle carter gets 15 months in jail for exchanging text messages and encouraging her boyfriend to kill himself. the judge also orders that she ca

case that he calls a tragedy for both families. >> a shocking decision in a massachusetts courtroom. 20-year-old michelle carter sentenced to 15 months in jail for her role in the death of her boyfriend, conrad roy. >> and i am satisfied that she was mindful of the actions. >> reporter: found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in june, her weapon, text messages urging 18-year-old roy to take his life through carbon monoxide poisoning inside his pickup truck. >> she manipulated and deceived his family. >> reporter: in a surprise turn the judge granting the request for carter to remain free while the state court of appeals determines whether to reverse the siekz. >> the conviction may be reversible but the time spent in prison is not. >> reporter: for roy's family it brings more anguish. >> she spent three years in the courtroom for what, to watch her walk away? >> you'll more from the victim's family members coming up on "good morning america." investigators in illinois say they are closing in on a northwestern university professor a

accused of stabbing a man to death. police say professor wyndham lathem is on the run with andrew warren, a staffer at the university of oxford. they say officers discovered the body of the victim last week at an apartment belonging to lathem dead from stab wounds. >> in north carolina, a suspect is on the run and you might be able to say that she pulled out the big gun. she was caught on surveillance video armed with a rifle. nearly as big as she is. she robbed a sprint store. employees say she held the gun to a store clerk's head and demanded yell phones before walking out. police say no one was injured. well time now for sports including highlights from the nfl's hall of fame game. >> here are our guys at espn with the highlights. go ahead, larry. >> i thought you said you were starting. >> i'm doing the first highlight. just say good morning, america. >> i will. >> no, this is live. we're doing this. we're keeping this. yes, we are. this is how it goes, larry. it's the hall of fame game. jerry jones

hall. tony romo in the broadcast booth. williams, utah state. that's the first since the touchdown that beat the falcons important. kellen moore to rico gathers who is the former basketball player at baylor trying to make the cowboys roster. dallas wins, the score really doesn't matter. >> i'll say good morning to everybody now then. yankees and indians. first start before being acquired. zimmer scores. clint frazier airmails the throw. corey kluber dealing. a complete game, three-hitter, struck out 11. indians win it, 5-1. >> michelle wie leading the british open for the ladies. you know what i wanted to win, the lottery, yeah.

>> well, two big tickets for him to buy this weekend. at wrigley field all the entertainment was happening in the bullpen. >> so during a rain delay, the pitchers for the cubs and diamondbacks engaged in competitive antics. one put a uniform on upside down and cubs shot back by fishing. >> you can see it there. >> and then it was time for the bobsled competition. >> this is beautiful. four men bobsled going down there they go. wee! >> my favorite was actually when the diamondbacks did a little bowling. this is the bowling. >> watch as the pins fall. >> they went for the 7-10 split. it's really tough sometimes. more fun in the bullpen please. up next in "the pulse," could a change be coming to dunkin' donuts? why things are looking a little different at the chain. and mystery solved.

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eteners. you'll go from "mmm" to "wow." ♪ time to check "the pulse" starting with another american favorite that may join the ranks of madonna, cher and rihanna. >> dunkin' donuts, considering dropping the second half of its name and going simply by dunkin'. it will be tested at a new location in pasadena, california, and several other stores. >> the idea to get people to think of the stores there as more of a place to get coffee rather than focusing on the doughnuts. a final decision on the name change is expected next year. >> it has nothing to do with the singing abilities of anybody in the dunkin' donuts. >> i don't think so. >> beyonce.

enjoying summer, autumn is coming and fall's favorite flavor pumpkin spice is already back on the shelves so pumpkin spice cheerios available in some stores. >> coffee-mate pumpkin spice creamer is making an early return and retailers keep moving it up because it generates lots of cash because pumpkin anything is delicious in they'll start it in april next year. proof that boeing engineers have a sense of humaner. >> during a test flight in week a 787 dreamliner did this. can you see it right there? it was flown on a route that created an outline of the plane itself. >> boeing tweeted out an image of the flight path. the path covered 22 states. very detailed. even got the engines in there. >> yeah. finally a mystery at sea. finally been solved. >> whew. this uninhabited tiny mermaid

of mexico 180 miles south of louisiana. well, now the coast guard says it apparently came from the parakeet hotel, where he, key west, florida. >> of course. so officials say this was the apparent path. >> i don't think any officials are actually saying that. >> this is the coast guard came up with this path. swept away during a recent tropical storm and blown about 100 mile as cross the gulf. there were no mermaids on board, though. >> what does one use a mermaid shack for. >> it's key west. >> to store your mermaids. >> exactly. >> all right, more news after gd happy friday. this is august 4th, and you have almost made it to the weekend. a little rain last night-- but are the storm clouds really gone? your weekend stormwatch forecast is just moments away.. but first here is a quick look at some of the morning's top stories. a new chapter in the trump-russia investigation. according to the wall street journal-- special

jury. and cnn reports that it has already issued subpoenas. president trump has called the whole investigation a witch hunt- but-- the white house says it's committed to cooperating with the special counsel. one of the world's tallest buildings burst into flames overnight in dubai. fire crews say there were able to extinguish the fire inside the 84-story "torch tower" after about two hours. but not before the flames engulfed 30 to 40 residences and a parking deck. no one was hurt. good morning washington. toss to vj chance afternoon isolated t-storms. better chance scattered tonight last hot day around 90 for a while amazingly nice weekend. like fall chance monday showers today: mostly

the day partly sunny late afternoon chance isolated strong-severe thunderstorms hot & humid highs: 87-91 tonight: showers likely, 50% isolated strong thunderstorms gusts 25-30 lows 68-72 saturday: delightful with mostly sunny sky lowering humidity highs: 84-87

more about a deadly explosion at a school in minneapolis. federal invstigators say workers may have been trying to move a gas meter, when the blast tore through minnehaha academy. two school employees were killed. another remains in

the n-t-s-b is examining whether the gas was properly turned off, and if that may have contributed to the blast. developing now-- police investigating a quadruple shooting in northeast. it happened at an exxon gas station at the intersection of 18th street and monroe street-- just before 9 o-clock last night. police tell abc-7 three gunman approached another group of men and opened fire. 4 people were shot, and one person died. anoyone with any information on the shooting is asked to contact police. well today we were supposed to hear from former white house communications director anthony scaramucci. but-- there has been a change of plans. we will not be hearing from the mooch... he's canceled his scheduled online event. scaramucci says he's focusing on family and his work in the private sector. he was fired this week- less than 2 weeks after taking the job. a 7 on your side health alert. a new report may

you drink selection at your next happy hour. the report is about a popular drink called the "moscow mule". it is traditionally served in a copper mug but that could be a poisonous mix! some experts say mixing copper with the acidic cocktail could make you sick. iowa just adopted a state law that bans moscow mules from being served in those mugs. if you don't want to give up that drink-- you can order drinks in mugs lined with other metals or stainless steel. it's xx and we're just getting started. it's xx and we're just getting started. next on good morning washington -- a new chapter this morning -- in the trump-russia saga. the president might be headed on vacation -- but he might face a big headache when he gets back

jury. good morning washington. chance afternoon isolated t-storms. better chance scattered tonight last hot day around 90 for a while amazingly nice weekend. like fall chance monday showers today: mostly