tonight on "nightline," terror attack. a gunman kills at least 80 people in a shooting spree at a summer camp for teens, as a massive bomb shatters a european capital. it's a horrific, apparently coordinated attack, and we are on the scene in norway. heat dome. it is cooking outside. literally. as mother nature drops an atmospheric lid on more than 100 million americans and lets us simmer and stew. so how dangerous is it out there? and how can you stay safe? and, behind barbie. she's the doll with the key to the american heart. the best friend that changes with each generation. but once upon a time, barbie was

just the dream of one dad for his daughter. >> announcer: from the global resources of abc news, with terry moran, cynthia mcfadden and bill weir in new york city, this is "nightline," july 22nd, 2011. good evening, i'm bill weir. and we begin tonight with breaking news from the normally placid nation of norway, where police now say at least 80 people were killed in a shooting spree at a youth camp for that country's ruling labour party. that horrific assault came as a car bomb outside a government building shattered downtown oslo, the norwegian capital, killing at least seven more. tonight police say they have a suspect in custody, the man they believe to be responsible for both attacks. and in oslo tonight, here's abc's miguel marquez. >> reporter: it was a day of unspeakable horror and loss. people here still trying to make sense of it all. late tonight, the police said that 80 people at the summer

camp were killed. the police have not released the name of the man they arrested, but norwegian media say it's this man. it all started around 3:30 on a quiet friday aftereron in oslo, the capital of norway. explosions from a car bomb rocked several government buildings including the offices of the prime minister, killing at least seven people and injuring dozens more. what's eerie in this aftermath video is the silence. the bubued-out wreckage of a car all that remained of what appeared to be the vehicle carrying the bomb. this blast was so powerful, it blew out windows and damaged buildings throughout central oslo. we're several hundred yards from where the blast actually took place, and even beyond here there is damage. the main government building had nearly all of its windows shattered. fire could be seen through other brbren windows. the streets were carpeted with glass and debris. >> i heard a big boom and i just

ran out of the cafe, because from the sound of it then this is something out of the extraordinary. and we ran to the corner and it was like arriving to a war scene from some kind of movie. it was everything in that part of the governmental building area. everything was blown out. corners of buildings, everything was out. it was fire and smoke. all the glass was shattered on the ground. cars standing there on its side. there were dead people, one legs blown off. >> reporter: sidewalks turned into makeshift emergency rooms. everyone in oslo warned to stay away from downtown. twtwhours later, on an island 25 miles away, a nightmare of a different kind. a man dressed as a police officer opened fire at a camp p for children of the ruling labour party. witnesses say that a man who appeared to be doing a security check related to the earlier

bombing in oslo entered the camp and identified himself as a police officer before opening firere jorgen benone was at the camp. "the gunman was dressed as a policeman," he says. "he tried to show us that he was here to help. tried to lure us, said come here. people started jumping through the windows and ran everywhere in all directions. most ran to the water and tried to hide." images on television showed people swimming from the island. most of the kids at the camp were 15 or 16 years old. the prime minister was scheduled to visit tomorrow. tonight, the norwegian police are saying the shootings at the camp are connected to the earlier bombing in a coordinated attack. and one suspect has been arrested for both attacks. >> are you looking for more suspects? >> the police are working very hard on this issue, of course, and investigating all possibilities. >> reporter: pictures of the

bloody attacks rattled the population here. it's a country not used to such violence within its own borders. it's an open, relatively unsecured city. most government buildings in lo are unprotected. >> norway is a peaceful country. it's a country where the prime mininier will walk through the streets from his office building to the parliament, which is four or five blocks away. that is going to change. >> reporter: regardless of the origins of the attack, oslo has been left shattered. their peaceful streets now a scene more fitting to a setting of a war zone. the media here in norway is reporting that this individual is part of a far right group, perhaps a neo-nazi. he is in police custody, and they are questioning the suspect, trying to determine an exact motive. bill? >> miguel marquez in oslo tonight. thanks to you. and we want to get some more gripping eyewitness testimony. adrian precong was one of the organizers of norway's labour party was there on utoya island

and joins us via telephone tonight. i understanand that the campers were coming to grips with news of the bombing in oslo. you went to buy some chocolates at one of the shops at the top of the island. then when and how did you realize the horror that was unfolding below? >> when my working colleagues started running up the hill because of the shots being taken and when i saw them run as fast as they could toward me, i suddenly realize d when i felt the bang from the machine gun. so i started running as fast as i could. and so did the rest of the camp. >> how was the gunman acting? and what sort of weapons was he wielding? >> he was extremely calm. he was wearing one pistol, one

gugu and one machine gun. an m-16, i believe it was. >> and how did you get away? >> when we heard the bullet pass our ears, we ran as fast as we could down to the shore, and everybody just jumped into the water and started swimming. >> i understand your clothes were weighted down by the water. you turned back. and did you actually come face to face with the gunman? >> yeah. when i tried to grab onto the shore, because i was exhausted, he looked me in the eyes while he was trying to shoot the people who did swim further. and he pointed the gun at me. i yelled to him, "no, please, no," and he -- i it seemed likee considered my idea for 10, 15 seconds and he turned away and he started shooting again at the peopleleere swimming, and then he took away and left.

>> well, norway is heavy on the hearts and minds of americans tonight. our deepest condolences for the loss of your friends. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. we will have much more on this tragedy in norway on abcnews.com as new details emerge. and just ahead, it is certainly hot in this country. we don't have to tell you that. but our man john berman did have to tell some people today to slow down and chill. ♪

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breeze, a lake and a cold beer. because chances are you spent some of your day hot. really hot. even dangerously hot. meteorologists tell us the combination of cloudless skies, a high angled sun and high pressure system are forming a so-called heat dome, and cooking inside, more than a third of the american population. including abc's john berman. >> reporter: unprecedented, unhealthy and downright unbearable. the heat today, for more than 140 million americans, in a giant sweaty swath of america. outside boston, which hit 103 today, they brought in snow to tamp down the heat. in new york, after days of 90-plus, it cracked 104. and in newark, new jersey today, 108 degrees. it has never been hotter in recorded history.

that's hot. hot and hard to handle for the power grid. power usage shattered records in 14 states, including new york, where con-ed broke the previous record by 1:00 p.m. urban ovens grab the heat and won't let go. >> because you've got all of this trapped heat built into the steel and asphalt and concrete of the city and just holding that heat. that heats up the buildings, heats up the people, heats up the sidewalks and the streets. and all the air conditioning has to overcome thth additional heat. >> reporter: officials pleaded with customers to conserve whatever energy they could, as scattered thousands lost power. make no mistake. if this feels like it's worse than usual, it is. this is hot. >> this is the hottest day in 34 years in new york city. so, since july in the '70s when we hit 104. so, we hit 104 in new york city today. >> reporter: lee goldberg, chief meteorologist at wabc in new york, has been watching this heat tidal wave attack the u.s. for more than a week.

>> you know, it was born out in the southwest, and then it just spread throughout the entire country. so it just stays. it breeds ititlf. >> reporter: and it is deadly. >> it just gets hotter and hotter with each passing day. >> reporter: dr. neil flomenbaum is chair of emergency medicine at new york presbyterian hospital weil cornel medical center. he says it isn't just the strength but the length of the heat wave that's the problem. >> the longer the heat remains over 90 degrees, the more people will end up in emergency departments or worse. >> reporter: our bodies simply can't process this weather. if your body temperature rises above 100.4 degrees, you could suffer from heat exhaustion, nausea, headaches, confusion. above 104 degrees, you're at risk of heat stroke, seizures, heart failure and loss of consciousness. and this time one of the real changers isn't just the daytime sun but the relentless lack of relief at night. >> all the pavement, all the

concrete, it just holds into the heat so you have the sultry nights. >> you just never get a chance to cool off at any point in the 24 hours. >> reporter: heading into today, july had seen 98 all-time overnight highs around the country. studies have shown that night after night of excessive heat can double the risk of death for the elderly and young children. some tips to stay cool at night if that air conditioning isn't working? remember to hydrate, even if it means waking up and drinking water. take a cold shower or bath. maybe even put your sheets in the freezer before bed. about the last thing you want to do, day or night, is this. exercise can be deadly. >> it's about as dumb as you can get. it's tempting fate. it just is very, very self-destructive. >> reporter: a few years ago i tried to demonstrate what happens to your body when you exercise in steamy weather.

i just took about a two-mile run in new york's 90 degree weather, and in less than 20 minutes my temperature rose to 100.2 degrees. very close to the risk level for heat exhaustion. today was even hotter. but still, we saw people out there and tried to warn them. it's really hot. >> yes. >> reporter: it's dangerously hot. >> allegedly, yeah. >> reporter: no, no, it really is. >> yes. >> reporter: it's really hot out. >> yeah. there's -- yeah, so? it's hot, so you shouldn't go outside? >> reporter: yeah, yeah. that's what they're saying. >> you're outside. >> reporter: i'm sweating my brains out here. >> you're being self-destructive as well. >> reporter: that's because it's my job. they're making me. no joke, this is not a day to be outside, not a night to take lightly, and not a heat wave to be forgotten. i'm john berman for "nightline" in new york. (announcer) no matter what life throws at you,

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a man who helped shape countless modern women died today at age 95. you may not know his name, elliott handler, but you undoubtedly know his creation, the barbie doll. that plastic totem of girlish innocence and shifting american values. with the passing of the mattel toys founder, abc's david wrwrht takes a look at what he gave us in tonight's "sign of the times." ♪ barbie, you're beautiful ♪ i'm a barbie girl >> reporter: she's an american icon, beloved by little girls the world over. >> i like to dress them up in different clothes. >> i usually likikdoing their hair and dressing them up. >> well, it's totally embarrassing but i'm attached to it. >> reporter: but barbie was named after a real girl. barbara segal, daughter of elliott handler and his wife, ruth. the couple also had a son named ken. mother and daughter spoke with abc news when barbie, the doll, turned 40. >> i didn't know they were

naming a doll after me untilil suddenly the doll was out and named. i really didn't like it at the beginning because i couldn't adjust to it. people were running up to me and asking for autographs and i couldn't understand why. >> reporter: barbie turned out to be the ultimate career girl. >> here's gold medal barbie. >> reporter: olympic athlete many times over. ♪ go for the gold a teacher. ♪ one plus two ♪ teacher barbie says >> try it again. >> reporter: an astronaut. and a rock star. she's even run for president ice. 125 careers and counting. ♪ barbie's into making her patients feel good ♪ still, barbie has always managed to indulge her feminine side. ♪ she's into changing fast ♪ for a date with dr. ken >> i think it's a man's fantasy fed to little girls. >> reportete barbie does have her detractors. among them, supermodel lauren hutton.

>> what do you mean a man's fantasy fed to little girls? >> i come from a business of small, long bones. no one, not even the great giselle bundchen, has bones like that. >> reporter: some insist barbie was originally inspired by a german sex doll from the 1950s. a prostitute named lily. but in america barbie has always been the icon of wholesome beauty. >> wow! she's real like me! >> reporter: regular marsha brady. >> suddenly she's a new living barbie. >> reporter: and her tall blond good looks have influenced the image of american beauty. >> barbie is definitely the first supermodel. if you look at the models that were used back in the 1950s, all models were 5'2", they were very, very curvy and voluptuous. >> reporter: in 1959 this 11 1/2-inch doll changed everything. >> all of a sudden models were, you know, 5'11", 6 feet, they had very, very long legs. you know, that whole claudia

schiffer look was dictated by people that played with barbies. >> reporter: barbie has been tough on her rivals, most recently taking the popular bratz dolls to court for copyright infringement. barbie lost. >> you know these dolls have been fighting? but the people who own these dolls have been having a big fight in court. and now barbie has to pay bratz a lot of money. do you know how much? guess. >> $25,000. >> more. >> really? >> reporter: little girls don't think any less of her. >> 84 million's a drop in the bucket for barbie. >> reporter: they know there's only one barbie. >> now, crucial question. which one do you like best? >> barbie. >> you? >> barbie. >> unanimous. >> reporter: i'm david wright for "nightline" in los angeles. >> thanks to david. and thank you for watching abc news.