this morning on "world news now," hurricane joaquin gaining strength hour by hour. >> the latest storm path and the areas already flooded on high alert. the state of emergency already in effect, and new details from accuweather. secret service scandal, agents accused of retaliating against a congressman who is investigating the secret service. the details emerging overnight. >> was hillary clinton's personal account hacked by the russians? new revel layings about spam and the e-mails kept secret. >> later a health alert to parents. should your kids be turning to high protein diets to get fit in the advice you need to hear on this thursday, october 1st. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning.

i'm reena ninan. >> i'm kendis gibson. we're just discussing daylight savings and when is that comes about. because we are here, october 1st already. >> you know, it's still hurricane season which people kind of forget. >> it is. and the prime of hurricane season is september 10th. we're only straight into the middle of this right now. and, of course, that is our top story. the severe weather that is sweeping the eastern u.s. >> we're talking about hurricane joaquin passing close to the bahamas overnight. the islands could get as much as 20 inches of rain. the forecast right now has the hurricane hitting north carolina sunday afternoon. washington, d.c. likely on monday. >> but the eastern u.s. is already soggy. our coverage begins right now with gio benitez. >> reporter: parts of the northeast underwater. >> about 30, 35 on the highway. that's it. portland, maine -- getting hammered! >> reporter: in portland, maine, roads looking more like rivers. >> this is where i work. >> reporter: this airport parking garage completely flooded.

perhaps most frightening, this daycare. 23 kids age 4 and younger inside when water came rushing in from the drains. >> in a matter of ten minutes, we were completely underwater with a couple of inches. >> reporter: the children quickly moved upstairs, all safe tonight. in massachusetts, this woman carried from her car to the back of this waiting pickup. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: it's been a hellish up and down the east coast. in frederick, maryland, hundreds of thousands of gallons of water are being pumped out of the ymca. >> it could be days and weeks before we're back up and running at 100%. >> reporter: virginia's governor already declaring a state of emergency. meanwhile, just as the jersey shore is getting back to normal, a coastal flood watch issued. the threat of hurricane joaquin churning in the caribbean. since sandy, homeowners have been raising their homes, hoping to avoid any future flooding. >> it's not cheap. >> reporter: any hurricane threat here causes people to worry. sandy was so traumatic for this community. >> well, yeah, that's the problem. you know, when you go through something like that, you know,

it's like the kid who touches the stove. it's hot. you don't want to ever touch it again. >> reporter: and take a look at this. we are right next to the iconic seaside heights boardwalk, destroyed during sandy. they are taking precautions here, building this giant wall of sand to block all that water from coming across. gio benitez, abc news, the jersey shore. >> from the jersey shore down to the carolinas, millions are on storm watch. >> our coverage continues now with accuweather meteorologist justin povick. good morning. >> thanks and good morning to you. a whole lot has changed with regards to joaquin. this system has rapidly intensified all throughout the overnight. we'll continue to see this intensifying throughout the daytime, as well wilcould take it to extremely dangerous levels. movement off to the west and southwest going to make a big bend off to the north. that window becoming very close

over the weekend. >> the secret service is confronted with a new embarrassment. a report finds several agents accessed an old job application of utah congressman jason chafe fets who was investigating the service. they found assistant director suggested leaking embarrassing information to retaliate against chaffetz. the congressman says the wrongdoing could go far beyond him. >> we have a deep seeded cultural problem in the secret service. if they're doing it mo they're doing it to how many other people. >> the agents could face criminal charges under the u.s. privacy act. the director issued an apology last night as did the homeland security secretary, as well. a major escalation in syria. russia conducted air strikes there and top defense officials say it appears u.s.-backed rebels were the target. john kerry says that would cause "grave concern." russia claims isis as the target but there are no isis fighters

where the bombs hit. kerry and the russian foreign minister could meet as early as today in order to prevent an accidental clash between the u.s.-led coles and russian forces. that's obviously a big concern for the pentagon. >> it does appear that they were in areas where there probably were not sisal forces and that is precisely one of the problems with this whole approach. >> activists inside syria say the russian air strikes killed dozens of civilians, some of them children. >> donald trump hoing no love for syrian regulars taken in by the u.s. he said if elected he would send them backing to syria over worries some might be isis fighters in disguise. >> hackers linked to russia tried to access hillary clinton's account while she was secretary of state at least five times according to newly released e-mails. the messages came in the form of

speeding tickets from new york state. clinton's campaign tells abc news she received spam just like millions of other americans. republicans say it shows how vulnerable her server was. here's abc's cecilia vega. >> reporter: more than 6,000 new e-mails from hillary clinton's private account made public. but now, hundreds of those e-mails stored on her home server when she was secretary of state deemed so sensitive they've been marked classified. the house committee that brought the e-mail controversy to light back in the spotlight once again. the republican congressman hoping to replace speaker john boehner suggesting on fox news that the bipartisan investigation into benghazi is behind clinton's sagging poll numbers. >> everybody thought hillary clinton was unbeatable, right? but we put together a benghazi special committee. a select committee. what are her numbers today? her numbers are dropping. why? because she's untrustable. but no one would have known any of that had happened had we

not -- >> i agree. i give you credit for that. >> reporter: hillary clinton firing back on msnbc. >> when i hear a statement like that, which demonstrates unequivocally that this was always meant to be a partisan, political exercise, i feel like it does a grave disservice. >> reporter: but now, her secret weapon, former president bill clinton, taking on a new, more public role in her campaign. and on cnn, defending how she's handling the e-mail controversy. >> i think she looks great. i think she did a great job. and i think she's been doing a good job answering these questions now. >> reporter: by clinton out of the shadows and now center stage. he'll be fund-raising for his wife this weekend. it's not just the money. he took on donald trump in those public comebts. >> the next wall donald trump builds may need to be a fire wall. hackers breached the data at seven of his hotels for more than a year ending this past

june. crooks gained access to payment card information at seven trump hotel collection locations in new york, chicago, some in honolulu, las vegas, toronto and miami. the hotel operation says there's no evidence the data was ever used. speaking of new requirements for credit cards kick in today but few of us are ready. stores must be able to read the hi-tech chips in newer cards or be responsible for any fraudulent charges. only about 40% of americans have the new emv cards. only a fourth of merchants are ready for the new system. the new card readers will still work with the old magnetic strip cards. >> i'm not going to name the grocery store that was not able to use my oo my magnetic chip. >> october if you, today is the day for it. >> as holiday shopping season goes into higher gear, target is starting a price war. starting today the retailer expanding price matching policy

from five competitors to 23 including members only operations like costco and sams club. target including its website prices in the guarantee and expanding the price match period to within 14 days of purchase. i love my sales. and i always listen to rebecca jarvis's reports what the best apps are. >> i'm sure your husband doesn't love the sales either. >> he doesn't love when the credit card goes. >> this is serious business and kind of scary and freaky. the state of kansas is taking the idea of being prepared to a whole new level. >> governor sam brownback yesterday signing a proclamation making october zombie preparedness month. how did she get that zipper on her face? >> is that the first lady? >> no, not the first lady, no. actually, this event we should say is yep. >> the whole thing wasn't a joke. it was meant to encourage residents 0 prepare for natural

disaster appearance other emergencies but brownback couldn't help himself admitting he had talked with his son about how to deal with a zombie apocalypse. i know we're making fun and obviously that was not the first lady of kansas but it's a serious thing. the cdc has done then before with much success where they had a zombie campaign with posters. they said it actually got them a new audience by doing this. >> what is going and with that guy right behind you there? bk. >> oh, lord. >> sorry. >> this is not zombie preparedness in the newsroom for this month. >> not a tease for the walking dead. >> coming up, you're invited to dress up in shabby old formal wear and crash a wedding. >> also ahead from special shakes to plenty of b mags. kids who are bulking up by turning to high protein diets. advice for parents in in today's health alert. >> and a $30 million problem involving mysterious ambulance

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new mucinex sinus-max liquid gels. dissolves fast to unleash max strength medicine. start the relief. ditch the misery. let's end this. a very solemn ceremony yesterday on capitol hill honoring dozens of firefighters who were killed in the line of duty over the last two years. each of their families received a flag that was flown over the capitol building. 87 firefighters were honored. they also will be remembered at

events this coming weekend. in the meantime, players from opposing excuse were among those paying tribute to the new jersey high school football player who died after collapsing on the field last week. they came to evan murray's wake yesterday in their jerseys. and were welcomed by his teammates. murray died from internal bleeding after his spleen ruptured. his funeral is today. five fraternity members at the university of alabama are now facing hazing charges. all of them are 20 and 21-year-olds, members of the schools phi gamma delta chapter. allegations are they forced pledges to stand in buckets of ice. the students could also be disciplined by the school. medicare is promising a crackdown on ambulance companies after investigators uncovered $30 million worth of suspicious rides. >> in most cases they found no proof that the patients were brought to a hospital even received medical care and taxpayers ended up footing the bill. david's kerly explains.

>> >> reporter: medicare pays for the ambulance rides for patients to see their doctors if there's a medical need, say they can't walk. but look at this undercover video. a patient climbing into an ambulance. or this. a stop, so a patient can get takeout food. investigators found more. >> we suspect also that some ambulance providers are billing when they are not actually giving rides. >> reporter: that's why you call them mystery rides. >> that is why we call them mystery rides. we don't know if they actually happened. >> reporter: those same investigators dug into just the first six months of records in 2012, and found $30 million billed for ambulances, and no record that the patient actually saw a doctor. another $24 million paid out for patients who didn't qualify for an ambulance ride. >> it's like a glorified taxi service. >> reporter: we rode with special'gs in philadelphia late last year who are trying to put ambulance company owners and even some patients in prison. but philly, houston are still trouble spots, and investigators now say los angeles and new york should be added to that list.

david kerley, abc news, washington. >> interesting things there. many of those tabs range from a few dollars to tens of thousands of dollars into for one ambulance ride. >> exactly. >> i had no idea this was even going on in major cities across america. >> taking medicare for a ride. coming up in our next half hour. close calls in the sky. the growing threat of drones interfering with airplanes. we've heard of some of the near near misses about but now officials are taking action. >> and is there such a thing as too much protein when it comes to children? you're watching "world news now." "world news now" c

♪ >> what do you bulk up on? a lot of duts love protein. i like egg whites with a lot of cheese. what's weird is a lot of the kids are doing this, loading up on protein. >> besides getting it naturally from food, they're actually looking to supplement. but could it be doing some harm to their health? here's abc's becky worley. >> reporter: conley smith is committed.

>> my goals in gymnastics are to get to the olympics get a gold medal. >> reporter: for this 13-year-old success means practice, fitness and surprising awareness for a teenager, nutrition. >> it's very important for me to have a lot of protein to last all four hours and not injure myself and stay active. >> reporter: on top of his steak, vegetables, yogurts, conley opts for a protein shake every day. she's not alone. all over the web you'll find images of boys bulking up and many cite kroo protein shakes. >> after the gym we'll make some protein shakes. >> reporter: mag-montoya is a dietician who works with teen boys. >> they want to be big and ripped like they see the guys in the magazines. they want to impress the girls and be on par for each other. >> reporter: the recommended dietary allowance of protein is only 52 grams per day, even less for teen girls. she cites instances where the powders can be helpful like for

extreme athletes about you. >> too much protein can be hard on the body, on your kidneys especially, the liver and it can be dehydrating. >> reporter: instead of powders and supplements she recommends real food like this shake, walnuts, greek yogurt, some juice and berries. i tried it out on my little musselman. verdict, thumbs up and a milk moustache. >> wow, no protein powder needed here. he's a little young for that, but hey, you got to start somewhere. >> what a cutie. her son is adorable. >> about he can can i worely for us. the kids that young bulking up seems way too soon. but i understand in this society. >> you know a thing or two about bulking up too. >> yes. >> we couldn't resist. this is one of our favorite pictures. >> seriously, no lie here, it's a true photo. >> that was a selfie you took in the gym overlooking the mount

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time now for "the mix" and there's a couple in florida getting married on october 10th, and you know, there's been people crashing weddings, they're saying bring it. take a look at the couple. he's a sheriff's deputy down in florida. they put out an invite on their facebook saying wedding crashers are welcome. they say dress up in your old bridesmaid dresses, funky tuxedos and other wedding finery and you're welcome to be there. >> wow. >> they're expecting up to 1600 people. you pay for your own food and drinks. ey say just come on. >> wait, so they say the 1600 people but are they their friends or wedding crashers? >> no, these are 1600 wedding crashers that people will just say come, party with us.

they haven't invited people to the honeymoon yet. >> i would hope not. i'm obsessed with this. i don't want to show up to a wedding and not eat. >> you pay for the food. you pay for it in the end anyway with the gift. >> you've got to bring a gift. cannot show up without a gift, crashers. you know the ucf football team had a kind of rough year. the 2014 fiesta bowl didn't go so well. this year they've lost twice in a devastating manner and lost their season opener by one point. when the field goal was blocked. anyway, it's been a rough year for them. i'm not going to go into the details. there's a bar in orlando, florida, that's offering free beers till the team wins. it's called the basement, it's about 15 miles from the school. they say that you know, their business has gone down because there's been an 0-4 start to the season. they said anybody who comes by and the team doesn't win, you

get to drink. until they win. >> okay. big deal considering ibor city. >> in tampa. >> those beers. so lease this new fad going on that started by one of my favorite groups 21 pilots. it's called cell phone pinching. where you dangle your cell phone over like the corner of an edge and hope that it doesn't like go away. i'm not living that dangerous. but so this is it. you dangle it over an edge of all these places. it's supposed to be a thrill you're going to drop your $600 phone. >> because your whole life is on that phone. >> i did it inadvertently. i was facetiming and trying to show the view. this is what happened to my phone. it flew 34 stories and survived. >> it looks just fine. 34 stories? >> 34 stories and su

this morning on "world news now," on alert. hurricane joaquin grows stronger in the atlantic and could head for areas already pounded by flooding downpours. the new storm track overnight. military might, russia launching air strikes in syria is the putin government really fighting isis? new questions emerging. >> new this hour, an eye popping and unpleasant surprise in a toy box. >> one man says she ordered a gift for her son from toys "r" us and she says real ammunition was inside the box. >> later in the skinny, the legal battle for caitlyn jenner after a terrible accident on a california highway, is she in the clear? it's thursday, october 1st. from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning on this thursday. i'm reena ninan.