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We start here with the weather. Southern California on alert this morning for heavy rain, flash flooding, and damaging surf as the remnants of tropical storm Rachel move through Southern California and into the Southwest. ABC's Jacqueline Lee, you see her there. She's standing by in San Diego with the latest. We're going to get to her in just a moment. The widespread cleanup, we got to talk about this. and power restoration efforts now underway across the southeast after Hurricane Isaas tore through the region, leaving hundreds of thousands without power and spawning multiple reported tornadoes across Georgia and South Carolina.
Meteorologist Leslie Lopez is in hard hit Pensacola, Florida with the latest. Hey Leslie, that's right. And I just want to show you this giant tree that came down here in Pensacola and scenes like this up and down the area. This is why we're seeing so many power outages. Look at the line that has been taken down because of this. And if you follow me over in this direction, you are looking at a car underneath this. So, we are very concerned with how long this cleanup is going to take. This morning, the remnants of Hurricane Isa spreading heavy rain and strong winds as it moves east, leaving at least four dead and hundreds of thousands without power. The storm making landfall Friday night and bringing flooding, lashing winds, and
heavy rain from Alabama to Florida. A tornado seen on Saturday over land near the highway outside Savannah, Georgia. Those winds downing a number of trees. Two deaths reported in Alabama. One occurring after this tree fell onto a Birmingham home. Door broken. Oh my god. And this family in Gulf Breeze left physically holding their door in place after 90 plus mileph wind gust tore off the frame. Get the dogs. Get the dogs up somewhere. More than half a million customers along the Gulf Coast still without power this morning. Almost all of the outages in Florida's panhandle. Residents now working to clean up the debris. Jamie
Mitch and her daughter were inside their home when the storm tore through Gulf breeze ripping off the roof of their house. It sounded like a freight train. It was so loud I can't even. The sound is almost unescribable. We surveyed some of the damage left behind in parts of Alabama and Pensacola, Florida. Right here in Pensacola, what we've been noticing is that there's quite a bit of damage. A lot of fences that have just been ripped apart by the wind, but also rooftops and a couple construction sites that just look like they're probably going to have to start all over again in some of these areas.
Now, I do want to track where post-tropical storm east is headed. We are looking at that storm system moving into the Carolinas along with Virginia, bringing with it plenty of alerts. It'll eventually get towards the northeast, but today we are talking about flood watches from Myrtle Beach all the way up to Hatteris. We also have that moving into areas of Charlottesville and down all over into Greenville. Wind advisories, 50 mph wind gust also possible for parts of West Virginia. And then we're going to move you through the forecast showing you that most of this rainfall is going to shift out towards the north and bring with it an opportunity for still a lot of instability. It could mean tornadoes for Richmond all the way out towards
Raleigh. And that is the concern as we're heading into today. Now, where is the rest of that rain moving towards? It's getting out towards the northeast up to Massachusetts by the time we're heading into Monday, but we're seeing some widespread 1 to two inches of rainfall anywhere from Rono up to Boston and pockets of two to four inches of rainfall. Heading you out towards the west coast very quickly. We want to show you some of these alerts. We do have high wind warnings and flood watches along with coastal flood alerts. So, concerns remain there as well, Gio. Yeah, I is clearly not done yet, but we are going to talk now about what's happening there on the coast there. Uh
Leslie, thank you so much. We're going to turn to more on that tropical storm Rachel whipping up the surf and causing flooding. ABC's Jacqueline Lee along the boardwalk there at Mission Beach in San Diego with more. And clearly, Jacqueline, we're seeing a lot of rain there. That's right, Gio. And actually, we are seeing tons of these sandbags up and down the coast here in San Diego with the remnants of Rachel moving on shore over Baja California overnight. As you can see, we're really feeling the wind and the rain has been on and off over the last few hours. Now, again, flooding is of major concern over in Newport Beach. It was flooding even before Rachel got here. Take a look at this footage. You can see people paddle
boarding and fishing in the middle of the road. The city declaring an emergency, closing the peers and the beaches. And over in Long Beach, those waves really pounding the waterfront. It damaged a boardwalk. It damaged several homes. Some people forced to evacuate. Many concerned about beach erosion. Now, when it comes to that dangerous surf, forecasters warning we could see waves up to 7 feet. High tide, rip currents are a major threat. Now, the remnants of Rachel moving north through Southern California, and we'll see that continue moving through Arizona and Utah over the next few days. Rannon.
All right, thank you so much, Jacqueline Lee. We'll keep watching that. Right now, let's turn to President Trump's deal with Russia to increase diesel fuel supplies, but some experts say it's really unlikely to have much effect on prices. But now, the president is lashing out at Ukraine's leader. ABC's Marcus Moore joins us now with the latest. Marcus, good morning to you. Break this down for us. Well, Rihanna, good morning. The rhetoric between President Trump and Ukraine Zalinsky is growing increasingly tense as the world reacts to President Trump's announcement that he made that deal with Russia's Vladimir Putin.
This morning, President Trump's stunning announcement, a deal reached to lift Russian oil sanctions and important new supply amid spiking prices in the United States. That is a big deal. That is massive amounts of oil coming into our country and I want to thank President Putin to be honest with you. Trump claiming the agreement will see Russia release 800,000 tons of oil in the next two months and now demanding Ukraine stop strikes on Russian energy infrastructure. We said you can do whatever you want to Russia. Don't hit the refineries because that's a world problem that's caused. Ukrainian President Votimir Zalinski sharply criticizing the decision, calling it a gift to Vladimir Putin that
could embolden his war efforts. This coming as nearly 100 Ukrainian civilians have been killed in just the past week. With Russia wrapping up strikes on civilian targets. On Saturday, Zalinsky writing on X today. Russia expressed its thanks for the lifting of sanctions on diesel exports by dropping five glide bombs on residential buildings in Zaparisia. Trump now escalating the standoff, calling for Ukraine to get new leadership, saying Zalinsky has not done enough to end the war. I suggest they get a new leader who can make a deal because he could have made many deals that for some reason he never does. In reality, doubts remain about whether Russia will be able to fulfill its promise to deliver the diesel.
And this morning, some members of Congress are saying they will move to force a vote on legislation that would block the purchase of that Russian oil. This morning, they're pointing out that the deal may violate a 2022 law that ban the purchase of Russian oil without first getting congressional approval. Gio. Okay, Marcus, thank you so much. And we're going to stay on diesel because the price of diesel in the US remains high this morning, but it is down from the record set last month.
ABC's Morgan Norwood is here now with the latest on that number that we're all watching, the cost of fuel. Morgan, good morning. Good morning to you, Gio. And so many Americans are feeling it. So, let's take a look at where things stand this morning. For regular gas, the national average is about $4.34 a gallon. That is slightly down from last week, but it's still a$126 more than this time last year. So, let's turn to diesel now. about $6.25 a gallon. That's nearly double on what drivers paid a year ago, though prices have come down from their midepptember peak. And let's talk about why all of
this matters. Diesel fuel of course fuels the trucks that transport everything from groceries to furniture. So when those costs go up, businesses can pass them along to consumers, you and I. So increasing diesel supply could help ease some of that pressure. Inflation also remains a top concern. And a key report is due out this week as the Fed weighs its next move on interest rates. The bottom line here, fuel prices, they are easing, but families are still paying more beyond the pump. Brianna, yeah, I'm definitely feeling it, Morgan. Thank you so much for that update. So, inflation and fuel costs, we just mentioned they're really weighing heavily on voters minds with just three weeks and a day to go before the midterm
elections. President Trump on the campaign trail again this weekend and ABC's Steven Portoy joins us now with more on that. Good morning, Stephen. Hey, good morning to you, Rian. With just over 3 weeks to go until the midterms, yesterday, President Trump was in a ruby red district in Tennessee, a state he won by nearly 30 points two years ago. It's just the latest example of the president traveling to traditional GOP strongholds. Efforts to generate enthusiasm among his base, as polls show Republicans lagging behind Democrats when it comes to eagerness to vote. A survey from the Pew Research Center this past week shows more than
six in 10 supporters of Democratic candidates say they're extremely motivated to vote, while fewer, 46% of GOP backers say the same. Now, that Pew poll put the president's approval rating at a low for his second term, with more than twothirds of voters, 68% saying they disapprove of his performance. That same survey had Democrats eight points ahead of Republicans in the nationwide vote for the House. There'll be key debates in Senate races this week in Georgia, Iowa, and Maine. And the president will continue traveling to states he won in 2024, Ohio tomorrow, Alaska on Tuesday, Arizona, and Montana on Wednesday. Gio.
Okay, the countdown is very much on, Stephen. Thank you so much for your reporting. Let's go ahead and bring in ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Carl, who's going to be hosting this week later here on ABC. John, it's good to see you. So, we just mentioned it. 23 days until the midterm elections. You've told us about some Republican candidates trying to find some distance from the president. So, how do they do it without alienating the base? I mean, this is the challenge, Gio, because if these Republican candidates are going to win, they need the core base of the Republican party, which means MAGA Republicans to turn out. One of the biggest dangers they face is disalen, you know, alienation among
these MAGA voters, staying home. They can't let that happen. At the same time, Trump is, as you saw in those are, you know, numbers from Steve Portoi, uh, growing in growing unpopularity even in Republican areas. So, they need to find distance from the handling of the economy, from an unpopular war, but they can't attack Trump personally. They still need Trump's support and more importantly, the votes of Trump supporters. You know, John, let's talk about that other story that we've been following here, Trump's agreement with Russia on diesel fuel. So, what kind of fallout are we likely to see there?
Well, uh, Gio, I mean, it's a it was a stunning agreement. You know, the US has sanctions against Russia. It's been illegal to buy fuel from Russia since shortly after uh the Russian invasion in 2022 when Congress passed a law prohibiting it. So when the president came out and announced this, it was seen by many, certainly by President Zalinski uh of Ukraine as a lifeline uh to Russia, something that would give money to the Russian war machine. And then President Trump yesterday uh came out and responded to that criticism by saying, you know, Ukraine needs a new president. It's time for a new president. So this morning on this week, we have an exclusive interview uh with President Zilinski where you will hear
him for the first time respond to those comments from President Trump. All right, a lot to talk there, talk through there. Jonathan Carl, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Tune in to this week later here on ABC. John interviews Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalinsky about President Trump's calls for his replacement. Plus, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Kansas Democratic Senate nominee Adam Hamilton on the critical home stretch to the midterms. Rion. All right, thanks Gio. We are turning now to helping you get ready for the start of flu season, which looks like it's starting earlier than usual this year. So, joining us to talk about that is ABC News medical correspondent Dr.
Daren Sutton. Welcome, doc. Good morning. So, you and I got our flu shots live on Good Morning America, so we're protected. But a lot of we're hearing that the flu season is starting earlier than normal. So what does that tell us if anything about the severity of it this year? Well, there are signs, Ron, that it's starting earlier. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's going to be a more severe season across the United States. CDC analysis shows that flu activity remains relatively low. Specifically, when you look across, for example, the New York state, uh, Midwestern towns and states and counties, but across in the West Coast, we're seeing a rise in the rate of transmission. Now, as a reminder in
terms of what we're up against, last year we saw at least 51 million illnesses, at least 700,000 hospitalizations, and more importantly, at least 1 million emergency room visits. And as an ER doctor who's also been a patient, I can tell you that the emergency room is expensive. It is disrupted, but more importantly, it is often preventable. And getting a flu vaccination can reduce your risk of needing the emergency room by nearly half in some populations. So, thinking about prevention now is so important to prevent and protect your family from needing a hospital later. Okay. So, let's talk about if you do have a cough or congestion or someone you love does, you know, you always have that question.
Is it a cold? Is it RSV? Is it the flu? What should we look for and when should we go to the doctor or even the ER? You know, it can be difficult to tell the difference because many of these viruses share the same symptoms. Uh sometimes only getting a test is really the only way that you can be certain, but when you're getting the flu or when you're getting a cold, sometimes how quickly it starts can help give you a sign. If you've had the flu and you remember it, sometimes the flu you can feel normal in the morning and completely miserable in the afternoon. Shortness of breath, fatigue, fever, bodyaches. Now, COVID can look like the flu. It can also look like a common cold, which typically starts with
congestion, sore throat, and progresses. RSV renan is so important, and I know you're a mom. And so, for moms, especially of young infants, RSV can be especially dangerous. It can lead to a problem called bronchilitis or inflammation of the small airways. So for moms of young infants and dads, it's important to know what respiratory distress looks like. Belly breathing, nasal flaring, even pauses in breathing. Those are red flags that you need medical attention quickly. And quickly for mothers to be who are watching and wondering if the flu vaccine is safe for them. What would you say?
It is. And decades of research support the safety of flu vaccinations during pregnancy. As a reminder, pregnancy increases your risk of respiratory infections. Pregnant moms face nearly twice the risk of a hospitalization. But the encouraging news is that flu vaccinations can reduce your risk of needing the emergency room and needing the hospital by nearly 40%. And more importantly, Rian, that risk extends to young infants. And that's particularly important because you can't get vaccinated until after 6 months. So choosing to get vaccinated during pregnancy is an opportunity to protect two people with one decision. Talk to your doctor and ask them the simple question, how do I reduce my risk? And you're protecting your baby as well.
Thank you so much, Dr. Daring. Okay, should we have some fun now? Let's do it. There's so much going on, but let's talk college football. our week six roundup. ABC's Alex Pashchet is here with all the highlights. Hey, what a day. What a night. Did you guys see some of these games last night? Big upsets. Fourth quarter comebacks. And guys, we are going to have a new number one team in the country. That's another high snap this morning. All eyes on college football with a potential new top dog in the rankings.
AN EXPLOSIVE PLAY TO THE ALABAMA 20. FIRST, the tides turning in the SEC. Number six Alabama at home against the second ranked Georgia Bulldogs. Both teams undefeated coming into this match. Georgia taking an early 100-0 lead with a 20-yard touchdown pass to LONDON HUMPHREY. TOUCHDOWN THE DOGS. BUT THE CRIMSON Tide come storming back in the second quarter with a 22 yd touchdown pass to Marshall Pritchette. Touchdown to Marshall Pritchette. Alabama attempting another comeback with three and a half minutes left in the game. But a controversial no call of defensive pass interference would help seal the game for Georgia. Georgia
holding on to beat Alabama 2017. At the Cotton Bowl, the Red River rivalry between OU and Texas. The Longhorns and star quarterback Arch Manning trying to remain unblenmished as the number one team in the country. Picking up the action IN THE FOURTH QUARTER. THE TOUCHDOWN. BOYD Devant punching it through from two yards out to tie things up at 17. Manning battling back with this 15yd touchdown pass to Germaine BISHOP JR. And with two minutes left in the game, Texas has a chance to go ahead with a FIELD GOAL. NO GOOD. And that was all Oklahoma needed. The Sooners getting a chance at a field goal of their own. AND THE KICK IS GOOD.
Knocking off number one Texas 2724. And out of the Big 10, watch this sensational one-handed catch from Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith. Reaches back. My goodness, you see the Ohio State, they're ooz and a and out west, number 21 UCLA on the road against the 13th ranked Oregon Ducks. The Bruins running back Wayne Knight scoring two touchdowns, one on the ground, one receiving. UCLA holds on to upset the Ducks 17 to 15 the final there. And what a finish in Kentucky against 10th ranked LSU. The Tigers scored a touchdown in overtime, but
Kentucky answered right back. Then instead of playing for the tie, the Wildcats went for the two-point conversion and the win, stunning LSU 3534. Well, and guys, we have to go back to Oklahoma for a second because this is the first time that they have beaten a number one team since 2007, and they have never beaten a top ranked Texas team. Gio, I know you knew this. Yeah, Gio has been on the edge of his seat. Thank you so much. Lot to watch there.
