headline. trump gains momentum in florida. that remains the focus of this weeks washington journal, taking a look at different battleground states. we take a look today coming up here with florida, a swing state. we will talk about that with guess from florida. your phone calls and questions and comments for them. let's go to thomas in atlanta. good morning to you. $5.15 an hour is the minimum wage and georgia -- in georgia. caller: that is ugly. the minimum wage should be wage. way in the world somebody can make it off of $7.25. there are people like donald trump who don't want the wages lifted up because he has jobs overseas where he only pays people three dollars or four dollars an hour. he is a hypocrite. i don't see how any of these poor, white people can vote for donald trump, because he is not going to do anything to help him -- help them. he is a con man. he is not going to do anything. when you think when he becomes resident, he is going to take a pay cut? you think he is going to have jobs brought back to america? he is a liar. he is going to keep paying those people thre

." >>> breaking news. hurricane matthew slams florida, bringing life-threatening conditions to the sunshine state. >>> good morning from the studio 57 newsroom at cbs news headquarters here in new york. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. >>> this morning, hurricane matthew is pounding the florida coast with a potentially deadly mix of wind and rain that is expected to last most of the day. moved closer to the u.s. it is now a category three storm with sustained winds 120 miles per hour. hurricane force winds extend 60 miles from its center. matthew is expected to remain a dangerous storm as it heads north and will be near or over the georgia and south carolina coast tomorrow. at least 330 people are reported dead in three caribbean nations, most in haiti. more than 200,000 florida residents have already lost powe declared in florida, georgia, and south carolina. the wind and rain picked up near port st. lucie overnight but the potential storm surge is the main concern. dangerous storm surge could raise water levels by 11 feet in some coastal areas and producing devastating flooding.

down on florida. you are looking live at florida. the deadly storm makes its way up the east coast killing 300 in haiti and devastating the caribbean. georgia, florida, north carolina under a state of emergency. with winds up to 120 miles per hour, more than 250,000 people are already without power in florida. a number only expected to grow with the potential of storm surges up to ten feet. >> florida governor, rick scott issuing a dire warn thag this is no joke. >> if you are in an evacuation zone, get out. this is not something you should take a chance with. time is running out. leave. there are no excuses. evacuate, evacuate, evacuate. >> you have to leave. there's going to be 20 feet of water in your house. it's scary. >> right now, the storm is a category 3 hovering near florida. >> we have live team cover achbage from florida to georgia. >> we talk about this cat 3, that's sustained winds of 120 miles per hour and gusts more than that. >> you have to remember to put it in perspective, katrina when it made land fall was a category 3. you can't just measure the storm by a categ

, the path to shifting focus to florida really changed just within the 48-72 hours. >> much better to error on the side of caution than not tell get out. >> absolutely. it's going to affect a lot of people in its path, disrupting transportation across the country already, talking about amtr amtrak and greyhound busses. >> airlines cancelled 1800 flights nationwide. >> just today. >> meaning planes may not be available for trips in other parts of the country. we have more now on that from eva pilgrim. >> reporter: the grinding air travel to a halt causing a ripple effect through the country. >> we're complacent, and this is not turning. >> the one day we planned to leave, there's a hurricane. >> reporter: mid-morning, the ft. lauderdale airport shut down since katrina 11 years ago, a rare move. at 1:00 p.m., all flights in and out of miami stopped. orlando international away from the coast stopped commercial flights, nearly 4,000 flights busy florida skies clearing out. >> our original flight was canc cancelled. >> reporter: visiting from oklahoma now driving away from the storm and

florida's coast. >> it's here. it's absolutely here and it is a monster. >>> overnight, pounding rain, 120-mile-per-hour and the power outages spreading. >> this morning our team in the storm zone. >> the storm surge is where i am on the coast of florida, expected to be six to ten feet or more. >> we're still getting that powerful wind and rain. >> a steady stream of people fleeing the coast and grocery store supplies running low. >> i saw two guys fighting at a gas station yesterday. actually throwing punches. every move. the assault under way and preparations for what's still to come. >> good friday morning, everyone. i'm kendis gibson. >>> and i'm mara schiavocampo in for diane macedo. we begin with breaking news. hurricane matthew continues to pound the coast and the effects of the storm being felt throughout the state. >> some scenes for you. here'sha behind the wheel of a police cruiser. this is near port st. lucie in the heart of the hurricane zone. officers trying to keep the area safe, but they're barely able to see what's outside their window there. the powerful storm forced mill

lashing florida's coastline. hurricane matthew may very soon slam ashore somewhere along florida's fliatlantic coast, or just as bad, it may skirt the coastli coastline, feeding off the ocean's energy before leaving to the north. >> at least 11 million people are under hurricane warnings and more than 210,000 businesses and homes are without power. the storm is blasting the coast with sustained wins of up to 120-miles-per-hour with the pounding surf ten inches or more of rainfall and a storm surge up to 11 feet. there's potential for devastating flooding, billions of dollars in damage, and of course loss of life. cnn reporters are ready to bring you the very latest from conditions up and down the coast. we want to start in palm bay, florida, with michael holmes. michael holmes, what are the conditions like there now? >> reporter: i can tell you, john, in the last hour or hour and a half they have worsened considerably. driving rain, torrential rain gusts have been enough to move our position. we've had to shift our position and we're still two, maybe three hours away from the worst

straight for the east coast of florida, good morning, to you, welcome to happening now. i'm john scott. jenna: hi, everybody, i'm jenna lee. packing winds of 125 miles per hour. the storm is forecast to strike florida tonight as the powerful category 4 before tracking north. here is a live look right now from the miami beach area. matthew is the most powerful atlantic storm in nearly a decade and millions are bracing for impact, boarding ep homes, businesses, georgia and much of south carolina. store shelves are bare. thousands are checked into shelters and the spoppulation of florida has grown more than 2 million people since the last major hurricane in october 2005. 11 years ago this month, we are going to talk a little bit about that. florida rick scott joins us on the phone. governor, we appreciate your time. we know that you are busy in the state of florida and we appreciate the time talking to national audience. for many in florida this is the first major hurricane. what's your biggest concern right now? >> well, that's my biggest concern that people don't know. my biggest concer

biggest mass evacuation ever several states tonight. powerful bands lashing florida right now, and what's coming this evening. millions warned they could lose power. already more than 100 dead in matthew's wake, rooftops ripped off. tonight, we're tracking the storm hour by hour. our team of meteorologists and reporters right here in the storm zone. a special edition of "world news >>> and good evening to you as we come on the air from jacksonville, florida tonight. we are in the cross hairs here of hurricane matthews. families are being warned of winds up to 125 miles an hour in the coming hours. at this hour, 12 million americans are now under a hurricane warning, as matthew gets closer and closer to the u.s. coastline. take a look at the images coming in as we begin tonight. it is now a category 4. from hollywood, florida, the president obama today declaring a state of emergency. this is how the storm looked as it blasted through the bahamas just hours ago on its way toward the u.s. we have a team there tonight. mandatory evacuations under way here at home. florida's governor issuing a

morning. yeah, florida already feeling the impact of hurricane matthew as it barrels towards the coast. he's the winds, 13 hurricane. you can see the winds picking up here now, but it is expecting to get so much worse as people here hunker down to weather this storm. matthew headed straight for florida, the brutal rain and winds as the hurricane charges towards the coast. the weather service says matthew will be devastating, potentially unlike any hurricane in the modern era. >> unfortunately, this is going to kill people. >> reporter: already, it has. matthew taking the lives of more than 100 people as it swept through haiti. the death toll there skyr skyrocketing as flood waters recede. in the bahamas, the shore battered by damaging waves, rain and wind ripping vegetation, and the vacations of 3,000 tourists unable to escape. with the hurricane then headed for florida, residents thursday stores are boarded up, and their shelves bare. a fight to get fuel. >> i saw two guys fighting at a gas station yesterday. yeah, it looked -- actually throwing punches. >> reporter: 1.5 million peopl

concerned, but not taking it lightly. >> talk about a hundred thousand people roughly in florida without power at this point, you're in an inlet there off the coast, but have you got a sense whether or not that area has gone without some power? >> reporter: i can tell you that we are operating on a generator, and we have been taking hits to the power for hours now with it going out inter mitt endly. absolutely feeling that right now. right now, we're good. it's late and the area around me has lights, so we have not lost know, as you mentioned, thousands of people already have, and concern is as many as 3 million people would be without power as the storm hits, so that's absolutely one of the big threats in addition to the cause of the power, the downed power lines, seeing footage of the power lines going down and look and sounds like fireworks. that's the fireworks the storm is bringing at this point, leaving people without power and with a threat. you know, the governor yesterday night mentioning that people really need to stay away from the standing water and away from power li

florida senate race, marco rubio and patrick murphy debate social security, the health care law, the supreme court middle east policy and community police relations among other items. state and national polls since the 10th of this month, if senator rubio and average lead of about three points. bf 25 newsa wp special presentation. live from the campus of broward .ollege, this is decision 2016 made possible by the financial support of leadership florida, the press association, aarp, the claude deborah foundation, florida realtors, the league of southeastern credit unions and affiliates, and the children's movement of florida. here is your moderator, todd mcdermott. welcome.vening and to our national audience on c-span. our panelists tonight, neil brown editor and as president for the tampa bay times, patricia am a writer for the miami herald. and the rules are quite simple tonight, each candidate has 90 seconds to answer a question at all rebuttals and follow-ups are 30 second responses. me.moderator, that is by coin toss, congressman murphy has the opening statement. congressman murp

florida's coast. >> it's here. it's absolutely here and it is a monster. >>> overnight, pounding rain, 120-mile-per-hour winds. and the >> this morning our team in the storm zone. >> the storm surge is where i am on the coast of florida, expected to be six to ten feet or more. >> we're still getting that powerful wind and rain. >> a steady stream of people fleeing the coast and grocery store supplies running low. >> i saw two guys fighting at a gas station yesterday. actually throwing punches. >> we're tracking the storm's preparations for what's still to come. >>> good friday morning. i'm kendis. >> i'm and mara schiavocampo. >>> the effects of the storm being felt throughout the state. >> here's what it looked like from behind the wheel o lucy in the heart of the hurricane zone. officers trying to keep the area safe but they're barely able to see what's outside their window there. the powerful storm forced millions to evacuate along the southeast coast. florida, georgia, south carolina are all under states of emergency. >>> we have team coverage with abc's ginger zee standing by in melbo

the base coast of florida. it is bearing towards florida's east coast at this hour. we are tracking it live. the massive category four storm right now. governor rick scott is telling people in evacuation zones to get out now. earlier, he had stronger language saying this storm will kill you. devastating to catastrophic winds that called cause severe damage. >> matthew killed one, at least to 114 people. our team is up and down the coast, we are in the michelle obama ma-- bahamas. >> lets begin with dylan dreyer. >> lets talk about the storm track and where it is headed exactly. you heard the government mentioning martin county and people needs to be aware. >> it is not like it is trending further to the east. it is trending closer and closer to florida this tire sbientire . we have a chance of seeing category four storm. there is nothing that's going to break this storm apart. >> making it a category four hurricane in city only 205 miles southeast of west palm beach florida. >> watch as it gets closer to melbourne florida. that's the soerntcenter of the . if it makes direct land fal

beach, florida. thank you to for that report. we still have special coverage on "the lead" with jake tapper right now. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com >>> thanks, brianna. this storm will kill you, that's the direct warning from the governor of florida. "the lead" starts right now. a wall of water approaching, hurricane matthew now a rare and extremely powerful category 4 storm. and the path it's taking could wreck the u.s. coastline for hundreds of miles. 12 million people under hurricane warning as the state of florida prepares for a direct hit and faces what could be its biggest evacuation in history. clos and politics, practice in prime-time. debate prep typically behind closed doors. we'll all see how donald trump handles the warm-up to his rematch with hillary clinton. welcome to "the lead," i'm jake tapper. we'll start with breaking news, hurricane matthew a monster category 4 storm, its outer bandzs hitting florida. this hurricane picked up steam after sweeping over the caribbean, killing more than 108 people in haiti alone. now more than 26 million americans are i

, everyone. >> at this hour, the eye of hurricane matthew is growing dangerously closer to florida's east coast t. monster storm may have waned to a category 3, but it is still the strongest storm to hit the eastern seaboard in over a decades. officials damage of historic am proportions. thousands have chose on the risk their lives by hunkering down at home. just last night, florida sheriff william schneider gave this grave warning. >> people seem to not getting and are not leaving. i have already checked. i don't say this to be theatrical. you know me. i don't lean to bravado. body bags? are you prepared for mass casualty, because people do not leave, we get 140-mile-per-hour whipped gusts in some of our mobile home facility, we are going to have fatalities. >> it's prompted the close of nasa's kennedy space center and even the happiest place on earth, walt disney world closing its doors for the fourth time in history. right now a state of emergency is in effect under president 3500 national garld members are active throughout the state. but there is only so much that can be done at

orlando will intensify the next few hours. matthew is expected to slam florida all day with hurricane force winds and then turn towards georgia. the state joined florida in ordering mandatory evacuations, reversing a lane of traffic on this highway yesterday to accommodate the exodus. south carolina did the same as this beach bar stayed open for >> we are closed after tonight. we should be good after that. >> reporter: matthew is expected to move out to sea this weekend. the last category three storm to hit the u.s. was wilma back in 2005 and it killed five people. >> marlie hall in orlando, thank you so much, marlie. even veteran forecasters don't recall a hurricane like matthew that took aim at so many heavily populated areas. scott pelley talked about the power and the perils of this storm with director of the national hurricane center rick knaab. >> i can't remember a hurricane on a track like this. >> i cannot either, one that has already impacted haiti and eastern cuba and is impacting the bahamas. so many different land areas. >> reporter: it seems, though, with this track righ

>>> breaking news tonight, life-threatening danger here on the florida coast. millions are bracing for disaster. a category 4 monster closing in. >> this storm will kill you. time is running out. >> late today, increasingly urgent pleas for residents who are refusing to leave. get out, evacuate before it's too late. tonight forecasters warning of widespread devastation. an unprecedented system threatening to wreak havoc for 60 straight hours up the eastern seaboard. states of emergency and mass evacuations all the way to the carolinas. tonight we're with families who are ignoring warnings to evacuate, with those who have fled. our team is in place. we have extensive coverage. al roker with the very latest storm track. "nightly news" from now. >> this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt, reporting tonight from melbourne, florida. >>> good evening from it to our viewers in the west from the central florida coast, where we are just hours away from a direct hit by what officials are calling an unprecedented, even historic hurricane. matthew, which has already killed over a hundred p

than one million people in florida are being urged to leave their homes this morning as matthew makes his way toward the state. thanks for joining us on this thursday morning, everybody. i'm sarah french. >> christa: and i'm christa delcamp. florida is one of four states under state of emergency as we speak. searching for higher ground. gas stations are packed as people scramble to fuel up. a new advisory just came out in the past few minutes. chris, tell us more? >> chris: winds 125mph. it has picked up strength. it looks better on the satellite picture. in the last few frames you can see the eye-popping back out as it traverses some of the islands in the bahamas. it may go just to the east of nassau here in the bahamas in powerful, very dangerous storm with deepening pressure as it does approach the coastline of florida. so wouldn't be surprised to see it pick up some more strength and once again become a category four hurricane. that's the forecast from the national hurricane center later tonight into tomorrow as it does close in on the florida coastline and then does that lo

florida, georgia, and the carolinas. it's the most powerful storm to threaten the region in more than a decade after killing well over 100 people by some counts at least 300 across the caribbean. the combination of whipping winds, torrential rains and a vicious storm surge had officials warning for the worst. >> this storm will kill you. time is running out. >> storm surges are going to go much further inland than people realize. >> this is like none of those. >> i'm not saying this to be theatrical. i asked do you have body bags? if people do not leave and we get 140-mile-per-hour wind gusts in some of our mobile home places, we're going to have fatalities. >> this is like no storm in the record books. we're concerned about people staying in areas under major evacuation orders. >> thousands of people took that advice and made for safer ground but others decided to stay to ride out the storm and hope matthew weakens as it comes ashore. good morning. it's friday, october 7th. welcome to msnbc's continuing coverage of hurricane matthew. with us, white house correspondent for "the huffin

going to happen in florida from matthew. all that coming up as the eyeopener continues. >> hurricane matthew expected to regain strength after plowing through the bahamas. there's a threat in store for the southern united states right now. >> a methuen high school student accused of taking part in a disturbing trend involving clowns. the prank getting police involved. >> maximum age for people -- a study saying there's a limit to how long on the eye for this thursday morning. >> you're watching wcvb boston's news leader. good morning. this is newscenter 5 eyeopener. >> hurricane matthew over the bahamas right now. it's headed for florida, georgia, the carolinas. more than two million people are under evacuation orders as the storm moves, increasing a little i'm randy price. >> i'm emily riemer. mike is in for cindy. >> national hurricane center came up with an update about a minute ago. the winds were 115 miles per hour. they have moved to 125 miles per hour. still keeping it as a category three. moving to the northwest now at about 12 miles per hour as it moves through

hurricane matthew as he bears along the east coast of florida. thema >> dana: the eye headed toward >> despite repeated calls to evacuate and predicks of devastating storm surge. >> you are close, you could be in the storm surge and waves over your roof. >> some people say they are staying put. >> we're all scared. we think we're going to be ok but nobody knows. >> we had a technical issue but coverage and the today show has a team of reporters in place. >> tom: we have report of an accident at 95 king boulevard. that's reported on the off ramp. i think we spotted it. looks like they may have just pulled it off into a parking lot. the freeway we're just getting a little busier as we start to get >> jeff: for the most part accident free on this friday. this is the radar imagery out of matthew. sustained winds 120. we're seeing ate approaching daytona beach or offshore. looks like some of that eye wall may be coming on shorere eight to 12 inches of rain in addition to the wind. this is something we'll continue to track throughout the morning. hereby at home we're looking at beautiful

of abc news and walt disney world. also in florida, the space coast and its kennedy space center is closed for business and tours. years ago to protect its precious space equipment and damage, but there are concerns about matthew's powerful winds. a $1.2 billion satellite housed at the space center ahead of a november launch. ironically, it's revolutionizing weather forecasting. you know the storm is bad when waffle houses put up those closed signs. >> what? >> i don't even know if i ever seen a closed sign on a waffle house. the 24-hour restaurant where you can get a waffle and greasy hash browns and smothered and covered in grits for kendis. it is known for being open during the worst of storms. restaurants up and down i-95, especially in florida, are closed. it's so rare for waffle house to shut down, fema uses any closures of the restaurant as an unofficial indicator of just how bad conditions are. it's called the waffle house index. >> it sounds like a joke, but >> i'm from the south. and i know waffle houses are open at all times. i have friends who work there and they're open

the people in florida that are been cancelled across the country, so it's a nationwide impact and will impact tomorrow, ft. lauderdale, international airport took the rare step of completely shutting down for the first time since hurricane katrina in 2005 and not reopening until later this morning. miemgz and palm beach international plan to remain open, but commercial flights have temporarily come to a stop. >> and for those traveling by train, amtrak suspended servi ships rerouted to avoid the storm. among the other concerns for those in the storm zone is the possibility of price gouging. inflated prices in a time of great need. >> can you believe it? there are defenses in place to connect against gouging. joining us with the details, kendis, good morning. >> good morning. reports coming in that gouging is in effect. we know that florida, georgia, south carolina, and participants of north carolina are under price gouging laws, and rules are in effect. there's a key for those riding out thele storm, food, water, ie, gas, hotel rooms, and attorneys general and those southeastern s

, but at its peak, packed winds of 130 miles an hour as it approached florida, georgia, and the carolinas. >> it's the most powerful storm in over a decade after killing well over 100 people and by some accounts at least 300 across the caribbean. whipping winds, torrential rain, and a vicious storm surge had governors and law enforcement, the white house, and our friends at the weather channel warning of the worst. >> if you need to evacuate and you haven't, evacuate. the storm will kill you. time is running out. >> storm surges are going to go much further inland than people realize. >> currents and the ocean and the surge, if people do foolish things, there could be loss of life and that's what we do not want to happen. >> we need to take this situation seriously. it is not something where we should jeopardize anyone's life simply because we don't want to heed the warnings. >> there are those who doubt the intensity or severity of this storm, they need only look at the images that are coming back from haiti. >> this group many of us have dealt with storms in the past, charlie,

. southeastern coast. i'm michael holmes near melbourne in florida. >> it's 11:00 here in los angeles fl i'm john vause. we'd like to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. if it makes land fall, officials say hurricane matthew will be the strongest storm to hit the area in more than 100 years. powerful winds and rain have been lashing parts of florida. emergency officials in one county say it's too dangerous to rescue anyone who may need help. today florida's governor was urging millions to evacuate. >> we are starting to see the impacts, and it's a monster. again, our number one priority is protecting every life in this state. so, again, if you need to evacuate and you haven't, evacuate. this storm will kill you. time is running out we don't have that much time left. >> that was earlier in the day n. many parts it is now too late to leave. so far close to 200,000 people have lost electricity. matthew has already devastated parts of caribbean, killing hundreds of people in haiti alone. here's a closer look at the area under direct threat. more than 26 million people

florida skies clearing out. >> our original flight was cancelled. >> reporter: the holbrooke family visiting florida from oklahoma now driving away from the storm and hoping to find another way out. >> we are actually going to clearwater and then driving to the tampa airport tomorrow to fly out. >> reporter: meanwhile in jacksonville, some of the final flights on the east coast of florida taking off. but the ticket counters are postally empty. jacksonville airport officials do not plan to close the airport even i ensure stranded travelers have a place to stay. eva pilgrim, abc news, jacksonville, florida. >> yeah. so between wednesday and saturday, some 3,700 flights canceled so far. and more to come, no doubt. obviously, it's impacting the race for the white house, as well. it's actually forcing both candidates to cancel events and close offices in the critical swing state of florida. >> both candidates are pulling their punches on tv ads until the threat is over tweeting out their next debate. here is abc each tom llamas. >> reporter: in battleground florida hillary clinton and do

, category three downgraded from a 4, and florida is being hit hard and the eye as you can see is still off the coast and that is the pattern all morning long and overnight the all the big question: will the eye actually reach land? right now strong winds and rain are pummeling the state and we will give you a look at the county where minor damage on the dock or pier. trees and power lines are only part of the devastation. all the affects of mathew are unlike any hurricane in decades and some places could be uninhabitable for weeks other months. >> the best way to save director life in storm subject is do not be this. if you are worried about how long this will event will last and can you get back focus on the fact if you evacuate you are alive. then you can come back to whatever happens. >> orders are in place for more than three million people. and 300,000 people do tut have power this morning. >> drew tuma is tracking the latest all week. drew, what are the winds we are see? >> along coast the winds are directly gusting over 60 miles per hour. look at this image, from daytona b

the east coast of florida tomorrow also the georgia and south carolina coast line and then back in a circle, it would weaken throughout the weekend and early next week. warnings posted in florida and georgia and south carolina coastline and tropical storm watch along the north carolina coastline.e. this projection model shows the wall of the storm near daytona category three- tangibly category far as it moves up to the georgia and south carolina coastline with potential of rainfall between five and 12 plus inchesit as it continues t storm path over the next 48 hours. those are asked to evacuate in the area, that's a list of date , and, also our hometown folk as coming up a few minutes.n >> the impact is felt here. >> lots of lives to florida have been canceled and for many it was a run to get out of barry gibb for airports closed, as roosevelt leftwich joins us fro hopkins airport. >> has been a day of headaches, vacation plans, looking at the big board of hopkins there is a flightlaer canceled to fort lauderdale also fly to miami canceled and the frontier flight to orlando also canc

lisa hughes. people do not have much time to get ready or get out because this could hit florida on friday. we have this new video. they raced into the eye of the storm. we want to get to chief eric it looks like matthew may get stronger as it approaches. >> that is a kwrn here. this is the latest -- that is a concern here. this is the latest picture. it was battling off that land interaction today with haiti and cuba. seeing that eye trying to pop out again. the satellite presentation is bert. that is concerning for the -- better. that is concerning for the bahamas and jamaica. it's moving to the north ws at at ten miles per hour. it's set to hit the entire east coast of florida. there's a tropical storm warning farther inland. here's a look at the track into the overnight and tomorrow morning. the eye is expected to go over nassau in the bahamas towards tomorrow morning. a serious situation there. then as we head towards the afternoon and evening the eye is offshore of miami. coast all the way up of florida. so that is nearly a worst case scenario to the course of late thursday an

talk with florida's governor. >> people in georgia, and south carolina, brace for a storm surge that could bring record flooding. we're on an island that hasn't faced a hurricane like this in more than 100 years. >>> plus donald trump and hillary clinton getting ready for a big rematch. we'll show you how they're preparing for sunday's town hall debate. >> we begin this morning with a look at today's eye opener. >> [ bleep ] >> wind is really blowing hard. >> i'm not sure what the miles per hour are. >> i'm not going to lie. i'm scared. >> hurricane matthew pummels the east coast. >> we have seen hurricane force winds alone the coast. the worst effects are still likely to come. >> i talked to my detective captain and i asked him, do you have body bags? are you prepared for mass casualties? >> as florida's governor has warned repeatedly, this storm will kill you. it will kill your children. it willl and everyone you know who wants to mess with it. >> hillary clinton was off the campaign trail today prepping for sunday's debate. >> do you really think that hillary clinton is debate pre

election night like no other. >> florida pulled back into the undecided column. >> this phrase in my head kept repeating itself -- too close to call. >> launching a war for the white house. >> the campaign chairman says to you -- >> you better get people scrambling for a recount. that was the holy hit moment. >> we were going to hold florida unless they sent in federal troops. >> 36 days of political combat at the highest levels. >> the worst 36 days of my life. >> it was awful. >> in the end, the supreme court had the last word. >> if you were a screenwriter, they would fire you for the story. >> could it happen again? >> there's flow question it could happen again. >> bush v. gore, the endless election. [ cheers ] >> we want gore! we want gore! we want gore! >> it's after 3:00 in the morning on november 8th, 2000. the war memorial in nashville, tennessee. vice president al gore is inside getting ready to publicly concede the presidential election to george w. bush. >> it was total chaos as we were trying to get into the war memorial, pouring rain. the vice president and lieberma

space coast. keep in mind, this whole eastern edge of florida is coastal. now, we do anticipate the storm is continuing to skirt parallel to the coast. over the land to make a landfall. it continues to be a category 3. it is moving up, likely decreasing to a 2 and then to a 1 off the ghost of georgia and the carolinas. travel to the southeast is difficult for much of the weekend as we look at flooding rains. >> millions of people evacuated from florida's coast in recent days. >> others are huin the storm moves in. matthew weakened to a category three storm overnight. but there are still powerful winds and storm surges. let's check in with abc news' lauren lyster in volusia county, florida. >> hurricane matthew barreling towards florida the brutal conditions intensifying as the eye of the storm taunts coastal cities. overnight, violent winds along above 70 miles per hour in some places. the storm bringing the look and sound of fireworks in the form of downed power lines, thousands facing outages, officials fearing up to three million may end up in the dark. the national weather servi

meisha is off today. >> the airports are a mess in florida. amtrak a mess, we'll keep an eye on, that but around here, it is okay. >> if you are trying to travel out of the region it seems is where the problem comes up. when the sun comes up, sun glare will be an issue, but so let's turn the focus right away what's going on in the tropics. yes, you have not only got matthew, you have also got now hurricane nicole. thankfully not expected to be any kind of direct threat to even bermuda although just off the south of that, however, this tells you that the atmosphere is ripe for tropical development. two hurricanes out there right now, matthew obviously the one though that we turn our focus to when it comes to major impact, and storm surge out of this, not to mention heavy rainfall amounts, damaging winds speeds. this is a very big deal, the storm system, and a lot of times because we've gone about a decade without any kind of major hit like this in the southeast, specifically to florida, you can get complacent, so i'm really glad to see the officials are trying to get the word out

nearly 300 deaths in haiti. >> hurricane matthew is growing dangerously closer to florida's coast. the monster storm may have waned to a category 2, but it's the strongest storm to hit the eastern seaboard in over a decade. officials fearing historical damage. 2 million are under evacuation orders but thousands have decided to risk their lives. the sheriff gave this grave stand. they are leaving. i have already checked. i'm not saying this to be theatrical. you know me. i talked to my detective captain earlier today and i asked him, do you have body bags? are you prepared for mass casualties because if people do not leave and we get 140-mile-an-hour wind gusts in some of our mobile homeplaces, we are going to have fatalities. >> in just a matter of hours matthew is expected to it's closed nasa's kennedy space center. even the happiest place on earth, walt disney world closing the doors for the fourth time in its 45 year history. 3500 national guard members are active throughout the state. only so much that quarterback done at this time. over 300,000 florida residents are without p

hurricane matthew. it's still a strong category 3 hurricane. the eye is off the coast of florida it will come close to areas like daytona beach before it heads up the coast. we may not see landfall, but heavy rain and storms coming in along the coast and big problems for florida. i'll have the the track of the hurricane coming up in a couple of minutes. >> reporter: we have a couple of accidents coming in north coventry chester county at catfish lane. montgomery county we have an accident cheltenham, cheltenham avenue at wingn street. we have a touch of fog, but not a big deal. i-95 southbound looking live approaching cottman, traffic is moving nicely, easy 1 minute ride from -- 13 minute ride from woodhaven to the vine. we have a downed tree in doylestown at alms house road add dirty lane. stick to bristol road. >> hurricane matt that you is push -- matthew is pushing up the coast of florida. >> there are power outages, even though the storm has weakened to a category 3. the storm is swirling along the central coastal area. buildings have been built to withstand the force. it's the mass

the call side o florida with windsds that far away from the storm eye. you can see how the eye wall is moving in and out i think that there is potentially could make landfan , at times, along the eastern seaboard of florida before moving onto georgia and then slightly weakens to a category threeee were to come b still significant surge in georgia and the carolinas with many areast nd receiving between five and 12 inches of rainfall concern over storm surge and high tides for the east coast. will be effective starting details on this and our northeast ohio forecast in a fe minutes. the impact of matthew is felt. >> flights and amount of florid have been canceled for many people they were rushing to get out of the state before they close down the airport saysys roosevelt leftwich is more from hopkins a tough day for travel on the east coast and across th nation as thousands of flights canceled. there were scheduled to come back to cleveland today but therere planning flight was alm canceled even though hurricane matthew was still hundreds of miles away there was concern over high winds.

monster storm battering florida right now. the dangerous winds, blinding rain, downed power lines. the storm sparking fires. this home completely destroyed. more than a million people plunged into darkness. the hurricane blasting florida. a possible hit on georgia and south carolina next. the life threatening storm surge. waves smashing right into homes. >> so please evacuate even if it's to a shelter. >>> tonight, we fly you right into the eye of the storm with the hurricane hunters. inside the cockpit. their new warning tonight for millions in florida, georgia, and the carolinas. >>> and the other breaking story tonight. explosive new audio discovered of donald trump. what he says about women. yourself. trump already responding. a special edition of "world news tonight" starts now. >> announcer: from abc news, this is a special edition of "world news tonight" with david muir. reporting tonight from the hurricane zone in florida. >> good evening, as we come on the air tonight from jacksonville, florida. hurricane matthew is churning right off the coast as we begin and right here behin

along the coast of florida. that should come as no surprise that is what the models have been saying and what the forecast has been showing, so that should not make any change. this is let's say it goes more to the west than the bay area. that is not the forecast i don't believe it will be the forecast but it is better safe than story in case matthew decides to misbehave and go now we have got a lot to talk about. this is a look at what is going on with the storm, clearly it is trained to get better organized backup to winds of 120 miles per hour, this is what you want to see, this is the forecast track. winds of 130 through the bahamas, this is a close-up version this track goes over the cape which is exactly what the models have this track is going to bring significant damage to the east coast of florida, probably damage on like they have seen in a long time and maybe ever from jacksonville to saint augustine. this is the real deal. if you have anyone in the path of this storm from melbourne to jacksonville, northern florida, it is going to be an ugly situation. in 30 years

approaches the eastern shores of florida. >> you need to leave now. so if you're in an evacuation zone, get out. >> pelley: waters are rising. the wind is how lon four states order evacuations gee, i live right by water, so i'm leaving. >> pelley: streets and airports empty out. shelters are filling up as the storm that left more than 100 dead in the caribbean approacheses the southeastern united states, forecasters make a dire prediction. >> this could be not only a very expensive hurricane, but a very deadly hurricane. reporting tonight from west palm beach, florida. well, as you can see, the southeast is threatened tonight by the most powerful hurricane in more than a decade. matthew is about 100 miles offshore. it's expected to make landfall overnight, just north of here, on the space coast of florida, near cape canaveral. it is a huge hurricane. 120 miles wide, and its strong, sustained winds up to 140 miles an hour. more than two million coastal residents have florida to the carolinas have been ordered to evacuate. nearly 3,000 are in shelters in florida alone. president obama has dec

entering the bahamas, so it is getting closer to florida right now and we expect it in the next 24 to 48 hours. winds are sustained 120 miles an hour towards the center of this storm. so it has weakened again. here is the most updated track from the national hurricane center, it could strengthen back to a category 4, at this point it would continue on a path toward florida and anywhere in this cone is fair game for the center of this to travel. if it stays offshore, it will strengthen. but if it makes landfall, it would be bad news for florida. as a very strong hurricane, a major hurricane, then we see a very sharp turn as it gets closer to south carolina, a turn out to sea, which is what if you were watching yesterday afternoon what the european model was suggesting. there you see it now leaving more of north carolina out of the cone so we're going to see it turning out to sea. we are fairly clear as we go into your weekend aside from some rain saturday, not related to matthew. but florida is bracing for a lot of rain, very strong wind, they have a hurricane warning up for much of the e

florida governor rick scott is getting ready to address the media. elizabeth gardner is in our weather center, our hurricane center getting ready to detail the strength of the storm. >> absolutely. it's a category 4 storm and elizabeth, tell us how bad is it expected to be in florida? >>> it will be bad in florida, most certainly. a category 4 storm making landfall in the next 12 hours or so, and we'll take a look that here. it's definitely not looking good for folks there. you know, conditions won't be as bad for us. we'll have impacts here and we'll talk more on that coming up. 8:00, the new advisory in from the national hurricane center, not much changed but in the 11:00 advisory we'll have a new hours. and this time yesterday it took the dramatic turn and made the curve instead of coming up the coast of north carolina. that hasn't changed. each successive track they put out brings us farther in time and we are seeing the loop deloop bringing it back to florida and the bahamas next week. the storm, affecting florida a big way. this will be a very, very dangerous storm for fo