He heeion, s the nba postponi and overnight athletes in other leagues also walking out. What happens next. Pence in. The Vice President s message to america at the Republican National convention making his case for four more years. This as the Trump Administration comes under scrutiny accused of pressuring the cdc to change coronavirus testing guidelines. Dr. Anthony fauci not signing off. The new details this morning. Good thursday morning, everyone. Catastrophic, thats the word authorities are using to describe the storm surge pounding the gulf coast right now. Hurricane laura made landfall around 1 00 a. M. Eastern standard time as a strong category 4 storm packing winds up to 150 Miles Per Hour. One of the strongest storms to ever make landfall in the united states. This video overnight from lake charles, the power of the storm on full display as it made landfall as the eye wall came ashore in nearby cameron, louisiana. And now the hurricane is lashing parts of texas. This video taken a short time ago in beaumont. We begin our coverage with meteorologist greg dutra who is tracking the very latest for us. Good morning, grepg. Good morning, mona. Were getting a new view of the landfall which happened at 1 00 in the morning. This is from noaa. You can see the city lights off to the west, thats houston. The outer rain bands making it there but again houston just a glancing blow. This came onshore as a category 4 storm with 150 Miles Per Hour worth of wind right there in cameron, almost the same spot that rro c maximum wind gusts but do take this with an enormous grain of salt. Lake charles recorded 132 Miles Per Hour then promptly went offline after that. 68 Miles Per Hour in deritter and de quincy. Its going to be a while before we get official highest wind gusts out of this. And taking a look at the track. It is still a major hurricane but i expect it to get downgraded soon to a category 2. Should be a category 1, barely hurricane strength by 1 00 this afternoon. Then it gets absorbed in the general flow grabbed by the jet stream rather and ejected out over the Atlantic Ocean here within the next couple of days. But still some wide reaching consequences of this even into the afternoon and evening hours. Well send it back to you. Greg, thank you. There are reports of major damage to buildings in downtown lake charles. Lets check in now with rob marciano on the ground there live in lake charles. Good morning, rob. Good morning, guys. The wind shifted such that we could get ourselves outside and the door of the hotel into this overhang which we showed you earlier this morning being just littered with all sorts of dangerous debris. A lot of glass, a lot of tile. Right now a lot of wind. All the debris on the ground since the winds have shifted just zambonid off to the other side of this parking lot. Look at these wins rip across this vestibule. Unbelievable. Then above us, thankfully not directly under us, theres some sheet metal, obviously were not going to go stand out in that but this is an amazing view of just how ferocious these winds are here on the back side of this storm. So weve already had the eye go through. We had very little in the way we didnt have any rain but the winds did not calm down but we are definitely getting the back side which can be worse than the front. The complete shift in the wind, this is also pushing water up on the back side of the hotel where the river is and the ship canal. We are no doubt getting a massive surge of water now that the winds have switched suddenly and southwesterly and means the water will get into the lake and that lake water will get into lake charles proper, the town, and i fear for whats happening there right now, guys. You can see how powerful the back side of this now category 3 storm coming onshore with 150mileanhour winds. Can you imagine what that was like on the coast . Unbelievable force of mother nature. Rob, youve been out there for hours. How has the scene progressed as youve been there . We see the sustained winds and what kind of damage can that do to an area when you have 100 plusmileanhour winds for hours . Thats the problem. Its the duration, isnt it . So, you know, if you get one gust like that for a couple seconds its not going to do a whole lot. When you get that constant wind against the structure, i dont care what it is, its going to take its toll and weve seen that on this hotel which is well built. I mean its about 15 years old maybe and built like a fortress and parts of the outside of this hotel have been sheared off. You can imagine if thats whats going on here, whats happening in more Residential Properties that are older, may not be built as well. Its just amazing the amount of structural damage that can happen with just the wind and then we have that water damage as well with the force of the water with this wind that will be coming up now that weve had the wind shift and were in for it now. Halfway through but now its a whole different side of the storm were experiencing and its not going to be done for quite some time. Going to be a long day. Just incredible, ferocious wins we see there, rob. And we know that a lot of people stayed there sheltered in place and so we are thinking about them as well. Rob, stay safe. We know the storm as you can see is slamming southwest louisiana right now. Joining us on the phone is mike steele from louisiana Emergency Preparedness department. Whats the late sfleft some of the initial reports mainly dealing with Power Outages, some parishes are reported at least 80 Power Outages, maybe even higher at this point. Its pretty remarkable to watch the storm come in. Category 1 conditions all the way up through the shreveport area and so theres a lot of concern on the coast but then theres a lot of concern as this thing pushes further inland because its going to take such a wide path just to cross the state. Right now theres were kind of watching the records as they come in, watching a lot of the media reports on, you know, theres only so much you can do until sunrise or until conditions get safe enough where crews and everything can kind of get into some of these areas and so right now were just kind of holding our breath and trying to figure out what were facing exactly. And, mike, as you said it seems that theres not much that you can do until then. What do you think rescue efforts will look like when you are finally able to get to those people that are in need . So there were a lot of moves made over the last couple of days, we have three state agencies that are involved with search and rescue along with some teams that have been brought in from out of state. Theres been some federal search and rescue assets brought into the state, all those things are here. We just cant put them in harms way, you know, until the conditions allow for them to get in and that activity, you know, will mostly be based on how much people heeded the evacuation orders. Hopefully there wont be a big need for search and rescue if most people got out as they were instructed to do. But, again, you know, we have to wait, you know, until we get through the impact to begin those prague. Mike steele with louisianas Emergency Preparedness department. We appreciate your time and we are also getting reports of buildings destroyed along the louisiana coast. Video from a hotel in lake charles shows a building flattened by the powerful winds as hurricane laura moved through the state moments ago. No word if anyone was injured here, of course. We wont get a good look at the damage until the sun comes up. 306,000 people without power in louisiana and texas 75,000. And lets turn to new orleans. Abcs Victor Oquendo is on the ground there where it remains quiet. Victor, tell us what theyre expecting. Reporter well, kenneth, we are right along lake pontchartrain definitely kicking up some waves. New orleans was prepared for the worst and checked all the pumps. They were working. The worst of it is in lake charles. In many cases First Responders are now using new orleans as a staging area and the trick for them will be getting from here to the west to lake charles. The main highway there i10 shut down. Were talking about 120 miles of that highway. A lot of lowlying areas along the way prone to flooding so wont be so easy to get there. Wont know the scope until the morning but can tell you the entire National Guard here in louisiana, its been activated. That has not happened since hurricane isaac in 2012. Other agencies ready to respond as well. Kenneth and mona, we will wait to see how bad the damage is here statewide with sunrise and send it back to you. Thank you. We appreciate it. Coming up we take you to kenosha, wisconsin. Theres growing fallout after the Police Shooting of jacob blake including new details about the officer who shot blake and more sports teams boycotting in protest over the shooting. The new details next. Back now wit back now in the scene in kenosha. Major developments as the sports world unites in protest. Investigators are also naming that officer. It comes as more pro athletes take a stand. This morning, the Wisconsin Department of justice identifying the Police Officer who shot jacob blake. The incident sparking deadly protests and now bringing the sports world to a halt. Milwaukee bucks did not come out for warmups. Reporter the states attorney general saying officer Rusten Sheskey fired his Service Weapon into blakes back seven times. The shooting officer, kenosha Police OfficerRusten Sheskey, has been a Law Enforcement officer with the Kenosha Police department for seven years. Reporter authorities also revealing officers were called to the scene sunday when a woman said her boyfriend, quote, was present and was not supposed to be on the premises adding when they tried to arrest blake, a taser was not successful. Mr. Blake walked around his vehicle, opened the drivers side door and leaned forward. While holding on to mr. Blakes shirt, officer Rusten Sheskey fired his Service Weapon seven times. Officer sheskey fired the weapon into mr. Blakes back. No other officer fired their weapon. Reporter according to investigators, blake told officers he had a knife, which Authorities Say they later found on the floor of his suv. Although its unclear if officer sheskey knew about the knife at the time of the shooting. According to the familys attorney, blake was breaking up a fight when police arrived. This morning, he remains hospitalized and his family says it will be a miracle if he ever walks again. The first thing he did when he looked at me was cry and then begin to say, im sorry about all this. He says, because i dont want a burden on anybody, and i dont think im going to walk again, mom. Reporter sheskey and the other officers involved in the shooting are on administrative leave pending an investigation. The shooting sparked days of nationwide protests, some of them turning violent. 17yearold Kyle Rittenhouse is under arrest in connection with the deadly shooting of two people following a night of unrest in kenosha tuesday. Abc news confirming overnight that rittenhouse is the person seen in this graphic video where hes running from a crowd. Rittenhouse falls and then appears to begin shooting. Law enforcement officials tell abc news that social media accounts associated with the name Kyle Rittenhouse are part of the investigation and that the accounts have now been deactivated. In the meantime, the shooting is now threatening the nba season. The League Postponed all playoff games last night after the Milwaukee Bucks refused to play protesting against blakes shooting in kenosha just 40 miles from their home court. But it took the bucks to lead the forefront, giannis and the coach budenholzer and those guys, it took great courage. The only problem i have, i wish they gave the Orlando Magic a headsup because they were on the Court Getting ready for the game. Reporter during a late name meeting with players and coaches in the nba bubble in orlando, the lakers and clippers voted to end the season. Every other team voted to play. In major league baseball, three games were postponed last night including the Milwaukee Brewers game, and sports broadcaster kenny smith walking off the set live on air. As a black man, as a former player, i think its best for me to support the players and just not be here tonight. The nba has not said when the playoffs will continue. Again, hurricane laura has been downgraded to a category 3 storm. Next well talk to the Lieutenant Governor of louisiana about the conditions there. Make sure to stay with us. Stay with us. Thats very common to have a gum Health Concern as well. You know, i talk to dentists every day, and theyre able to recommend sensodyne sensitivity gum. Its really good dentistry to be able to recommend one product that can address two conditions. To be able to recommend one product [ heavy breathing ] breathe more freely with congpowerful claritind. You . Claritind improves nasal airflow two times more than the leading allergy spray at hour one. 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S. 500,000 people without power. 500,000 Power Outages have been reported. Abcs Megan Tevrizian has more from the storm zone. Reporter this morning hurricane laura making landfall. The rain has started to come down pretty fiercely. You can just hear the storm above me. I mean, its just intense. Reporter 911 might not work due to wind damage. The storm slamming the gulf coast bringing heavy rain and howling winds with lake charles, louisiana, right in the bullseye. More than 100,000 already without power as the coastline is battered by powerful wind gusts and sheets of rain. Im protected by this building right now, but once i step out, as you can see, it is a much different story, and going out even farther is just too dangerous. Thats when you have to worry about things like projectiles flying through the air. Buildings gutted as the eye passes over. Debris flying everywhere. This reporter in texas almost hit by a falling power line. The sabine river oh, thats not good. Just when you think you may have gone through the worst of it, you can see another really strong blast come through with lots of rain, lots of wind. Reporter and now new concerns about the nations oil supply. Beaumont is home to 55 of National Strategic oil reserves. There are some of the biggest refineries in the country here. Most of the countrys jet fuel is here. So as the sheriff told me here, earlier if this area gets impacted, the entire country is going to feel it. Reporter earlier in the day laura upgraded to a catastrophic event rapidly intensifying as it barreled towards the gulf. Near lafayette, louisiana, one Sheriffs Department writing on facebook, if you choose to stay and we cant get you, write your name, address, Social Security number and next of kin and put it in a ziploc bag in your pocket. This hurricane laura is going to be catastrophic for the areas that it hits hardest. Reporter overnight officials in lake charles say that they are already getting calls for help, but theres no way to get to them. Its just too dangerous to send firefighters and Police Officers out into this. For abc news, im Megan Tevrizian. Our thanks to Megan Tevrizian for that report. Coming up, night three of the Republican National convention. Thats coming up next. T. Tech when youve got. Safelite can come to you. Tech and youll get a text when were on our way. Tech just leave your keys on the dash and well replace your windshield with safe, nocontact service. Tech schedule at safelite. Com. Singers safelite repair, safelite replace. Try new natures bounty stress comfort. Three unique gummies for your unique needs. Find peace. Boost mood. Sleep well. Stress comfort comes naturally, only from natures bounty heres to the duers. To all the people who realize they can du more with less asthma thanks to dupixent, the addon treatment for specific types of moderatetosevere asthma. 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Vice president mike pence wrapped up night three sending a clear message about law and order in the streets of america. The violence must stop, whether in minneapolis, portland or kenosha. Too many heroes have died defending our freedom to see Americans Strike each other down. We will have law and order on the streets of this country for every american of every race and creed and color. The Biden Campaign is focusing on counterprogramming and vastly outspending the Trump Campaign on tv ads. More news next. More news next. For skin as alive as you are. Dont settle for silver gold bond champion your skin it makes lipton green tea better. And these lemons better. Which makes this taste better. You definitely need the sun for that. And that. With antioxidant vitamin c and 50 fewer calories. Choose lipton green tea today. Thousands of women with metastatic Breast Cancer, which is Breast Cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, are living in the moment and taking ibrance. 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Common side effects include low red blood cell and low platelet counts, infections, tiredness, nausea, sore mouth, abnormalities in liver blood tests, diarrhea, hair thinning or loss, vomiting, rash, and loss of appetite. Be in your moment. Ask your doctor about ibrance. Making news right now, the shooting of jacob blake by police in wisconsin reverberating across the country. A mostly peaceful protest in oakland takes a violent turn. And firefighters making steady progress against three major wildfires burning across the bay area. National guard troops will join in that fight today. And hurricane laura slams the gulf coast overnight in southwestern louisiana. People waking up to ferocious winds, flooding and Power Outages. Good morning, it is thursday, august 27. A lot of news to get to, but first checking in with mike nicco. I know that you have been looking at laura and also what is going on here. I heenery posi good morning. Couldnt have more eye dealiide conditions. It is a juicier atmosphere this morning. Expect more drizzle when you step outside. I had to use the windshield wipers almost nonstop as i was crossing the bay bridge this morning. Unfortunately still unhealthy air quality. Always you he as you head up to san rafael, some coworkers are talking about how nasty it is up there and northward, it gets cleaner. So murky sunshine today. Temperatures pretty close to average if not a little below from the mid to upper 60s half moon bay, richmond. Low to upper 70s around the bay and 80s inland. Oakland police made several arrests after protests against the shooting of a black machi b turned fire. Amy hollyfield is joining us live with the latest. Reporter we have video to show you what happened on the streets of oakland last night. This is in response to the shooting of jacob blake in wisconsin. Windows were broken, some fires were set. And some objects were thrown at Police Officers. There were no reports of officer injuries. Oakland police were active on twitter expressing support for the right to protest but asking crowds to keep it safe and peaceful. We spoke with a supporter of the defund the Police Movement by zoom and she said the videos of Police Shooting black men are terribly upsetting and that change needs to happen. I dont know what is worse, watching these videos or watching nothing change as a result of them. We have covid, we have the fires, and people are still showing up and putting their feet to the streets and making their voices heard. Reporter late in the night Police Reported the Alameda County courthouse was vandalized and set the on fire. They asked people to avoid the area. B. A. R. T. Closed its 19th street station downtown in response to what was going on. Protesters say that they want to see the police in wisconsin who shot blake arrested and held accountable. Oakland police say they made several arrests last night. Live in the newsroom, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. And more out of wisconsin on that,ght protests have been largely peaceful. Hundreds participated in a nonviolent rally through the streets of kenosha. There were no tear gas or rubber bull 4re9 ets fired by police. National guard troops were on the ground. The officer shooting blake seven times is identified, 31yearold officer Rusten Sheskey. He has been on the can knaeeen e