making news in america this morning -- cancer diagnosis. a new fight for jimmy carter. the former president undergoing treatment for the deadly disease. we're live in washington with the details. massive explosion. rocking an entire town in china. felt from miles away. leveling everything nearby. bob woodruff is there as the blast zone still smolders this morning. survival story. his jet ski breaking down. a teenager forced to cling to a buoy for an entire night. the coast guard's extensive search paying off just in time. a scare overnight for concertgoers. as a ceiling comes crashing down. the new video just in.

good thursday morning, everyone. i'm reena ninan. >> i'm phillip mena. there's new reaction overnight to that revelation from former president jimmy carter that he's battling cancer. >> well wishes pouring in from around the world. the former president set to begin treatment in atlanta soon. we begin with abc's kenneth moton. >> reporter: former president jimmy carter is in atlanta this morning preparing himself for a battle against cancer. the 90-year-old shared with the world in a statement yesterday recent liver surgery revealed he has cancer that is now in other parts of his body. >> cancer from many different parts of the body can show up in the liver. doctors will work to figure out where did this come from? >> reporter: the prognosis is not clear. we learned in a tweet from vice president joe biden that president carter is upbeat and optimistic. the vp sending prayers, along with president obama. who spoke with president carter last night, saying in a statement, jimmy, you're as resilient as they come.

along with the rest of america, we're rooting for you. it was just in july when president carter sat down with george stephanopoulos and talked about slowing down. >> i know that in a few years, since i'm -- i'll be 91 in october, that my travel capability and my vigor -- physical vigor is going to die down. >> reporter: the statesman has been one of the most active former presidents in history. he only served one term after a defeat by ronald reagan in the midst of the iranian hostage crisis. the georgia native has spent the past 30 years using the carter center to cross the globe with a mission of waging peace, fighting disease, and building hope. president carter known for optimism and faith lost his parents and siblings to cancer. the 39th president hopes to release more details about his condition next week. reena and phillip, we're all sending our thoughts and prayers to the former president. >> absolutely. >> kenneth moton live in washington. kenneth, thank you. turning to the devastating explosions in china.

a burned-out warehouse still smoldering this morning as the death toll climbs. >> powerful back-to-back blasts ripped through a storage terminal filled with hazardous materials sending up massive fireballs. leaving buildings flattened or up in flames. at least 44 people killed, more than 550 injured. windows and doors blew out miles away. >> 1,000 firefighters rushed in to bring the fire under control. this morning, at least 12 of them are among the dead. many more remain on the scene as smoke still rises more than 12 hours later. abc's bob woodruff is in china with the latest. >> reporter: the mushroom cloud eating up the night sky. hundreds injured. many still missing. the horror beginning just before 11:00 p.m. a fire at a warehouse storing hazardous materials. in the port city. within 15 minutes, firefighters respond. but the worst is yet to come. 11:30 p.m. two explosions. one after the other. >> my whole building shook. i thought it was an earthquake. so i just kind of woke up in a panic.

looked out the window, and the sky was red. >> reporter: miles away, people watched from their windows. seconds later, the force of the blast sweeping them off their feet. scientists say it packed the power of 21 tons of tnt. and could be felt more than six miles away. this man captured on surveillance video moments before the front of the building caves in. in the streets, dazed residents using blankets to cover their mouths, clutching their children. hospitals soon flooded with victims. as first responders canvassed burning neighborhoods looking for signs of life. these explosions were so powerful that weather satellites were able to see them from space. and on the ground, everyone within miles from the disaster is being evacuated just in case the danger is not over. bob woodruff, abc news, beijing. >> we'll have much more from bob coming up later on "good morning

america." now we turn to the 2016 presidential race. the latest poll of iowa voters shows both front-runners strongly in the lead. >> among the republicans, donald trump ahead at 22%. the number two candidate, dr. ben carson, eight points behind. with scott walker, ted cruz, and carly fiorina rounding out the top five. hillary clinton has a firm lead, among iowa democrats, 50% of the voters. bernie sanders, 31%. and joe biden, who has not announced he's running, has 12%. rand paul is taking on donald trump in a new attack ad. the ad uses old statements from trump in which he praises democrats and left-leaning policies. in one, he praises hillary clinton as a terrific woman. then there's this. ♪ >> in many cases, i probably identify more as a democrat. i've been around for a long time. and it just seems that -- the economy does better under the democrats than the republicans. >> the paul campaign said that

ad would run in iowa and new hampshire throughout the weekend. >> well, as you might imagine, it didn't take trump very long to strike back. he released a lengthy statement saying that like ronald reagan, his position has evolved over time. he said he feels sorry for the people of kentucky who are being used by paul in a hopeless attempt at the white house. then he spoke to cnn. >> he's failing in the polls. he's pa thetic on military. i actually think he's a far better doctor than he is a senator. he's a mess. there's no question about it. >> trump attacked paul's golf game, saying he can easily beat paul on the golf course and will even more easily beat him in politics. well, some tense moments for jeb bush during a town hall meeting in las vegas. he was asked a question about racial equality. after his response, about 20 members of the audience stood up and began chanting "black lives matter." as bush exited the auditorium. activists avil yated with the

same group interrupted a bernie sanders event last weekend. one more campaign note. hillary clinton's private e-mail server has reportedly been turned over to the fbi. the clinton campaign has been trying to reassure supporters that there is no ongoing criminal investigation into her use of the private server while she was secretary of state. u.s. warplanes have carried out the first strikes against isis in syria. after taking off from a base in southern turkey during the night. six f-16s arrived from italy over the weekend. in the past, the u.s. has used only unmanned drones to hit isis targets in syria. the pentagon will not reveal specifics about the missions. new concerns about the toxic waste from a colorado gold mine. that they could pose health problems for years to come. the toxins that pluted the animas river are beginning to dissipate. experts warn when the river bottom is stirred up, the con tam gnats will flow downstream into the water supply.

those states affected could soon announce legal action. a judge at a federal hearing about deflategate has made one thing clear. he wants the whole thing settled without a legal battle. patriots quarterback tom brady and nfl commissioner roger goodell were at the hearing here in new york yesterday. neither spoke in court as attorneys from both sides answered tough questions from the judge. he asked about the nfl's evidence and about why brady destroyed his cell phone. both sides are scheduled to be back in court next wednesday. coming up, why gas prices are surging in only one part of the country. and ceiling collapse. a late-night concert coming to an abrupt end. the new details just coming in. plus 12 hours at sea. a harrowing night for a teenager clinging to a buoy after getting stranded.

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well, breaking overnight. that frightening scene. a ceiling collapse at the famed first avenue nightclub in minneapolis. officials say there were about 1,000 fans listening to a canadian metal band when the ceiling section suddenly fell and water started pouring in. everyone was evacuated. three people went to the hospital. a-listers like tina turner and prince have all performed on that very stage. drivers across the midwest are dealing with a sudden surge in prices at the gas pump. that surge is being blamed on a bp refinery in indiana operating at less than half of its usual capacity. that means stations have to get their gas from farther away, which costs more. those costs are being passed along to drivers. earlier this week, in chicago, gas prices jumped 30 cents a gallon overnight. if you're looking to get the most from your home investment, buy a home near a trader joe's market.

a new study found that homeowners sharing a zip code with a trader joe's saw their property values increase 40%. that's compared to 34% appreciation for those who bought near a whole foods store. the breakfast of champions is branching out. wheatties is introducing a new beer. general mills teamed up with a minneapolis brewer to make hefe wheaties. made from wheat just like the brew hefeweisen. the beer will be sold for a limited time and only in minnesota. no word if famous athletes will grace the cans. when we come back, three would-be robbers running scared. what did they see causing them to scatter? forget deflategate. now there's sketch gate. a courtroom drawing of tom brady going viral.

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a medical helicopter almost hit by a drone. >> the crew with a patient on board was about two miles from the airport when the drone appeared in the flight path. the pilot was forced to make an evasive maneuver to dodge the drone, which came directly at them. >> what was the altitude? >> eye level with us. about 1,000 feet. passed off our left side. only about 20 feet or so. >> the drone flew right under the rotor. no one was injured. drone sightings are on the rise. the faa has received 650 reports from pilots since the start of the year. traffic is slowly beginning to flow again along the new jersey turnpike. after two big rigs collided last night, igniting a huge fire. fire crews had a tough time because one of the trucks was loaded with paper, sending flames and black smoke into the air. it was visible for miles. both drivers came away with no major injuries. a new jersey teen is telling an amazing story of survival after he spent an entire night

stranded at sea. dylan gowan set out on a wave runner from new york to new jersey, less than 20 miles. along the way it broke down. he hung on as long as he could. them swam to a buoy where he stayed for the next nine hours. at dawn, he started swimming. and that is when help arrived. >> the helicopter. i heard it flying overhead. and they were all around me. it was a four-mile swim. i hopped in the water and started swimming. i saw a united states coast guard boat heading right for me. i smiled. i was happy. it was the most amazing feeling in the world. >> gowan suffered a bit of hypothermia. and dehydration. and this experience should come in handy for him because he is an emergency medical responder and a junior firefighter. a couple stories involving robbery suspects. we should warn you, the first one is violent. we see two suspects running down a street in new mexico. then, they're struck by a car being driven by an 18-year-old

who had allegedly just robbed at a nearby park. the suspects were fine. they and two others have been charged with robbery. the teen behind the wheel is likely to face charges as well for using the car as a weapon. and this from kansas city. three suspects knocked down a door and barge into an apartment. they start looking for stuff to steal. little did they know the guy who lives there, he's over 6'0" and has advanced martial arts skills. one of the suspects encounters the guy, shouts, then all three head for the door. they got away. they're still at large. golf's final major of the year, the pga championship, gets under way this morning in wisconsin. jordan spieth trying to make it 3 out of 4 wins at majors this season. >> now we get all our baseball highlights from our guys at espn. good morning, everybody. i'm neil. he's stan. this is the "sportscenter" desk in los angeles. this is actually the real "sportscenter" desk. >> big baseball moment on wednesday.

especially for the mariners. hisashi iwakuma. facing some hot orioles hitters. he gets machado and parra. he takes a no-hitter into the eight. gets joseph to ground into a 6-4-3 inning-ending double play. so he's one inning away from a no-hitter. can you feel the tension building here? >> anytime i do this segment, i'm tense. >> one out to go. parra at the plate. and -- that would do it. iwakuma getting mobbed by his teammates. mariners win it, 3-0. first no-hitter for seattle since felix hernandez did it a few years ago. let's go to wrigley. cubs are there. ryan braun's there. that must mean the brewers are there. anthony rizzo. watching this. if you're a cubs fan, be glad that the guy with the baby wasn't there. he probably would have grabbed that before rizzo could. they reviewed it. the under the tarp rule. he's out. oh, that ball gets by miguel montero. braun comes in to score. brewers down to the final strike. we go extras.

montero says, let's not talk about that. let's talk about this. leading off. walkoff! cubs, 3-2. >> also, the blue jays won their tenth in a row. they've taken over first in the a.l. east after the yankees lost wednesday. >> and also -- oh, we're out of time. up next in "the pulse." the courtroom sketch of tom brady. what the artist is saying. about the backlash and the internet memes. going viral. a real-life thumper and bambi. real-life thumper and bambi. th. ...and kid - in all of us. ♪ nutritious wheat for the adult you've grown into. and delicious sweet for the kid you'll never outgrow... feed your inner kidult... ...with frosted mini-wheats® and now you could win up to a hundred dollars when you buy any specially marked kellogg's cereal.

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take a look at this one. brady as e.t. this there you see it. >> that's my favorite. how about in the famous scream painting? >> and the quarterback as michael jackson in the "thriller" video. >> hadn't seen that one yet. the artist says she's not sure what the big deal is but said to tell tom brady, quote, i'm sorry. >> and no word from tom brady on how he feels. >> he's got bigger fish to fry right now than that. the sketch artist is getting hated on from all over just for doing her job. if you're an airline passenger who has trouble staying awake for the pre-flight video safety checks, check this out from air new zealand. ♪ this right here a seat belt sign so buckle up if it's should chime ♪ ♪ belts sit low across your hips you know it fits when it clicks ♪ ♪ keep it on throughout the flight ♪ >> you know it fits when it clicks. >> that's one way to get you the

pay attention. the airline is teaming up with actor rip torn along with new england rugby's team for this men in black safety video. >> some say it could have the opposite effect, tempting passengers to jump out of the seats and dance. >> i think anything to make people pay attention more, the better. all right, everyone is familiar with bambi and thumper. they've been around since 1942. that animated classic "bambi" from our parent company, disney. >> and here's the real thing. a fawn and rabbit seen hanging out together in colorado. there's a bit of freaking out going on. it's clear, neither of them appears to want to end the fun. >> you figure at some point, one of them would take off. nay never do. that's not the case. they kept there, kept hanging out. seemingly having a fantastic time with each other. there it is. new reality show. >> and it could be. was shot at the ymca in colorado. but i wonder. you're right. they could have a reality show. >> that's the pilot. there goes all the papers. >> for some of you, your local news is next. for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after

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i said "don't eat me now." the apartment building where the fire was. when things like this happen, i think you find a new perspective on life. hi. red cross put us in a hotel so we were able to stay together. we're strong and, if we overcame that or if we can overcome that, we can overcome anything, so. [ sniffle ]

you can see how hazy it is at the golden gate bridge so a little fuzzy there. more clouds this morning. 56 to 62 clouds pull back from the coast. 66 at the coast. 76 inland. by 4:00, 68 to 82. our last comfortable day. i'll have an update on the heat wave coming up. here's the first check of the

morning commute. >> so far, so great. a peek right now at the bay bridge tolls. a few cars are waiting to pay in the cash. the rest of the fast trackers. 12 months across the water. i-80 westbound from albany to the maze, four minutes. freemont to san jose, 14 minutes. 280 northbound from 101 to cupertino it is 11 minutes. oakland streets and freeways are finally calm this morning after an intense night in which a protest against a fatal police shooting got out of control. a crowd of about 50 protesters brought traffic on interstate 980 to a standstill. w when chp officers got there protesters moved to the street shutting down two 27th street offramps. the mnearby starbucks was damagd

by protesters. this video shows the store near 12th and clay streets. front window is smashed. glass is all over the ground there. the protests stemmed from a fatal police shooting that took place earlier in the day. abc explains how the tense situation played out on oakland streets. >> reporter: oakland polic chased the armed robbery suspect from of t69th after and international boulevard to this intersection at 27th and mlk. police say the driver crashed into a car, jumped out and ran while carrying this loaded handgun. he tried to car jack a vehicle, then ran off before three officers opened fire on him. police say he did not fire his weapon at them. >> a 9 millimeter handgun was reported stolen. it was found next to him at the scene. >> reporter: at least one officer used a tourniquet like this to help the wounded suspect who died at the hospital. >> after the suspect was shot, they immediately