and have a great day, everyone. making news in america this morning, another day of blistering heat. as half of the country continues to bake, hundreds of thousands are dealing with no water. crime and culpability. attorney general eric holder attacked the stand your ground law in the wake of the george zimmerman acquittal. and mystery man. this american woke up in a hotel room knowing nothing about himself. and that's not the strangest part of the story. and whale of a tale here. a fisherman comes to the rescue while at sea. and it's captured on camera. good wednesday morning,

everybody. i'm rob nelson, sitting in for john muller. >> today's our last day with rob. we're excited to have you. thanks for coming back to join the family. >> it's always good to be back. >> i'm diana perez. millions of americans are fatsing another day of dangerous heat. temperatures up to ten degrees hotter than usual. >> and the misery is only compounded for thousands living in suburban washington, d.c. that's because their water is now shut off. our coverage begins, now, with abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: millions of americans wake up again today in blistering heat. >> it's like we're in an oven. like burning. >> reporter: nearly half the country is baking, with temperatures soaring well into the 90s. the heat and humidity making it feel like triple digits. and it's forecast to last all week. >> what makes this heat wave so uncomfortable is not only the temperatures during the day, well in the 90s. but at night, in fact, new york city, philadelphia, washington, d.c., will be hard-pressed to fall below 80 degrees.

>> reporter: in new york, emergency services are standing by to assist residents as the city endures its longest stretch of extreme heat in more than a decade. >> they're in a hot, crowded subway. and they will literally drop. i haven't been drinking. i was rushing around. >> reporter: outside washington, d.c., as many as 200,000 people are battling the heat without running water. the main pipe that supplies the prince georges county, maryland, area, was about to burst. and residents will be without water until sunday. >> i can't imagine what it would be like without water. >> reporter: bottled water flew off the shelves. residents got creative. >> i'm ready to fill my bathtubs up. i felled about four pots. >> we have flavored waters. but just plain water, all sold out. >> reporter: not everyone's miserable. >> i like the heat. i'm from mississippi. >> reporter: as for those people outside washington without tap water, even the water company

admits it could be a tough few days. firefighters, hospitals and other services say they have contingency plans. diana? rob? >> good to hear a few days ahead. good to see my friend, tahman bradley, down in washington. good to see you again. thanks for that report. and that heat wave is expected to last through the entire weekend, unfortunately. >> our coverage continues now with accuweather meteorologist andrew baglini. >> good morning, diana and rob. unfortunately the dangerous heat wave continuing once again today. not only today, over the next couple of days. no real relief coming until the weekend. temperature-wise, getting into the mid-90s for washington, d.c., philadelphia, new york. 90s all the way over into pittsburgh and detroit. but when you factor in the humidity, it's going to feel like it's in the triple digits all across the region. the worst areas along the i-95 corridor, from the nation's capital to boston. diana and rob, back to you. now, to more fallout from the george zimmerman acquittal.

four jurors are distancing themselves from the comments made by b-37. that juror said that trayvon martin bore some of the responsibility for what happened that night. and here's a portion of the game released by the four jurors. we ask you to remember that we are not public officials. and we did not invite this type of attention into our lives. we want to point out that the opinions of juror b-37 expressed on the anderson cooper show were her own and not in any way representative of the jurors below. eric holder said tuesday it's time to question laws that expand self-defense, such as florida's stand your ground law, in the wake of the george zimmerman acquittal. >> it's time to strengthen our collective resolve to combat gun violence. but also time to combat violence involving or directed toward our children so we can prevent future tragedies. it's time to question laws that senselessly expand the concept

of self-defense and so dangerous in our neighborhoods. >> holder went on to say that the stand your ground laws are contributing to more violence than they prevent. a ferocious wildfire that damaged several homes is bill blazing through southern california this morning. the fire has scorched now more than 9,000 acres and forced evacuations about 50 miles south of palm springs. more than 2,000 firefighters are facing 100-foot flames in dry, rugged terrain. and that fire is 10% contained. fugitive intelligence leaker edward snowden has applied for temporary asylum in russia. but there's a condition. the former nsa contractor has agreed to stop harming the u.s. by releasing more intelligence secrets. that's according to his lawyer. snowden has been living in moscow's airport for weeks. he fled the u.s. for fear of persecution and claims he faces torture or even death if he returns. cuban foreign ministry officials say weapons found on a north korean ship were obsolete.

slated to be repaired and returned to cuba. that north korean ship was seized in panama, carrying weapons that included two anti-aircraft missile systems and two jet fighters, hitten under sacks of sugar. sanctions imposed by the u.n. bar north korea from imparting such weapons. today ends a deal of a showdown over filibuster rules. harry reid had threatened to change the required vote for filibuster from 60 to 61, and that would have made it impossible for the republican minority to block president obama's nominees. they are going to move forward with several stalled nominations. and former vice president dick cheney's daughter, liz, says she will challenge wyoming's senior senator. she is going up against mike enzi, saying it's time for a new generation of leaders in washington. it won't be easy for cheney. the moderate enzi won the last

election by a landslide, with more than 75% of the vote. south africans continue to pay tribute to nelson mandela as they prepare to celebrate his 90th birthday tomorrow. hundreds of schoolchildren showed up at his home in johannesburg to sing to his family. mandela's wife came out to thank them for their well-wishes, saying the song melted her heart. 95. long and incredible life. there's a new list of the highest-paid actors out. and who is bringing in the big buck? the person at the top of the list you might not expect. >> we're jealous of all of them, nonetheless. and new information in the death of "glee" star, cory monteith. we know what drug likely played a role in the young actor's death. the buzz online overnight is all about the "rolling stone" newest edition. and now the boston bomber is portrayed on it.

welcome back, everybody. a new report shows that fewer people are upgrading their smartphones. analysts at ubs say the number of people who upgraded their device last year was down 9% from the year before. they say the slowing pace of innovation is to blame. and they point out that the slowdown is big trouble for apple, at&t and others, as they try to keep up the pace of revenue growth. anyone hitting the road for the summer vacation knows gas prices are soaring right now. they spiked 15 cents in just 1 week. and now, aaa is out with some troubling predictions. it says, the days of the national pump price below $3 is probably a thing of the past. and ford has a new plan to

improve fuel economy for tens of thousands of its hybrid customers. the company is offering to recalibrate the control systems on 77,000 hybrid vehicles from the current model year. it's an answer to some customer complaints that the cars aren't getting the 47 miles per gallon that ford ads had promised. get ready to get jealous. "forbes" magazine is out with its annual list of hollywood's highest-paid actors. coming in at number one is the star of the "iron man" franchise. no surprise here. robert downey jr. guess what. he made an estimated $75 million in earnings. wow is right. "forbes" calls him, quote, a hit machine. following downey jr., is channing tatum, one of your favorites, at $60 million. and hugh jackman is third with a paltry $55 million. >> call me, channing. and finally for the first time in over 20 years, there is a new variety of spaghetti-os hitting selves.

they're called cheeseburger-os. executives at campbell's soup says cheeseburgers are one of the nation's favorite foods. making cheeseburger-os, it just seemed like something in a needed to be done. you look like you're just ready to get into a can right now. you like cheeseburgers, just get a cheeseburger. how about that? we'll try to compose ourselves here. when we come back -- >> rescue at sea. when a fisherman spotted a whale, he jumped in the water, armed with a knife and a camera. and an american man wakes up in a hotel room having no idea who he is. and speaking a different language. this morning, the new clue that's giving investigators an idea of who this mystery man might be.

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now, for a look at morning road conditions. heavy rains and floosh flooding could make for treacherous travel in oklahoma and texas. thunderstorms threaten parts of new mexico. and if you're flying, airport delays are possible in houston and in phoenix. well, "rolling stone" is catching lots of heat for the cover of its august issue. >> it features boston bombing suspect dzhokhar tsaranev. looksing a lot like a teen heartthrob. >> outraged readers are threatening to cancel their subscription. and now, to the autopsy result in the tragic death of "glee" star cory monteith. >> the coroner has confirmed what many suspected. just months after he got out of rehab, drugs claimed the life of the 31-year-old heartthrob.

abc's lana zak has the details. >> reporter: we know the sad truth about how cory monteith from "glee" died. alone in his hotel room. >> that cause of death was a mix of drug toxicity. and it involves heroin, primarily, and also alcohol. >> reporter: doctors say a large dose of heroin and alcohol mixed together, can slow breathing to the point that it kills. policed a ruled out foul play saturday when they found the body of the 31-year-old actor, after he failed to check out of his vancouver hotel room on time. >> there's absolutely nothing, no evidence suggests anything other than the most sad and tragic accident. >> reporter: monteith had just completed a stint in rehab earlier this year. >> cory monteith. >> reporter: in an interview on "inside the actor's studio" he made no secret of his past. >> i didn't like going to school very much. >> were alcohol and drugs a problem? >> yes, absolutely.

>> reporter: he borrowed from his past for his last movie role in "mechanic." the sudden death casts a shadow over the hit show, "glee," which was gearing up for another season. >> it's not yet clear how and if they're going to address his death. >> reporter: a difficult time for the show and its fans, grieving for a star who died far too young. ♪ faithfully >> reporter: lana zak, abc news, new york. police in palm springs have new clues in the mystery of an amnesia victim who woke up speaking swede ir. they were able to find his sister. he suffers from a condition triggered by physical or emotional trauma that can last for several months. >> it's certainly unusual when he began talking to them and he started speaking in another language. and we tried to ask them what

happened to them, where they were, who their friends and family are. and they have no idea whatsoever. >> the victim in this case has a social worker who says he doesn't remember his son or his two ex-wives. >> a strange story. wow. now, to a truly amazing story. this happened late last week off the coast of virginia beach. that's where a couple of guys fishing for tuna and came across an endangered white whale tangled in fishing trap. >> it was struggling to swim. one of the fishermen decided to help. he grabbed a big knife and a small camera and went for it. back on dry land, the whale seemed to help him come to the rescue. >> as he was passing and we came face-to-face, and his eye comes into the frame, he slowed down. and it was crazy. i know it sounds corny, but it seemed like he stopped for that reason. >> he says he made one cut and that was enough to set the whale free. after that, the animal swam to

the surface for a breath, waved his tail and swam off. experts say this one went well but don't try it. >> wave a nice good-bye to them. thank you, friends. time for sports. the all-star game turned into an emotional going away party for one of the game's greats. >> here's our friends over at espn. >> the all-star game, the final all-star game for mariano rivera. he made it worth his while. >> he did. he was the brightest star of them all in queens. here he comes. number 42, the final walk in an all-star game for the great mariano rivera. both dugouts showing their appreciation. he pitched a one, two, three eighth. the american league won the all-star game and will have home field in the world series. and he was named the mvp of the game. >> when i was crossing the field, i got to the mound. listening, first of all, the -- and then, the stadium.

it was amazing. i will never forget that. the united states wrap up gold cup group play against costa rica in baumy hartford. they get it to the class player that is landon donovan. puts it on a platter for shea. usa has won for the first time in team history. next up, el salvador. the espys are on tonight at espn. jon hamm is your host. please watch. >> thanks, guys. coming up next is "the pulse." stevie wounder says no thanks to florida. why the famous singer is steering clear of the sunshine state. and burning down the aisle. the amazing wedding shoot that captured a pretty crazy moment.

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♪ isn't she precious less than one minute old ♪ welcome back, everyone. time to check "the pulse," these are the stories you're going to be talking about today, beginning with a boycott by stevie wonder. the legendary singer/song writer says he will not perform in florida or any other states or anywhere in the world where the controversial stand your ground laws are in place. wonder believes justice was not served in the death of trayvon martin. and says the boycott is how he plans to make his voice heard. and now, to a growing trend. a dramatic finale for that dress that most women get to wear only once. >> the bizarre trash the dress ritual is catching on, as women come up with some creative ways to destroy their wedding gowns

as an artistic expression. but this woman in israel took it to an entirely new level, letting her dress go up in flames while she was wearing it. >> what could go wrong? >> as you see, the fire was quickly extinguished. but not before the photographer captured her smiling with the inferno streaming down her back. why are women destroying their dresses? usually a wedding dress is very expensive. >> unless i'm about to get a divorce, i'm going to keep my wedding dress. >> yeah. i didn't know that was a new trend. >> i don't know about that one. can a fake arrest lead to a happy marriage? >> a man in canada went to propose to his girlfriend in a memorable way. so, he had her pulled over by his brother, who is a police officer. she was told she owed $2,000 in fines and faced 30 days behind bars. >> and as she sat there crying in the back of the patrol car, the officer offered her a plea

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>> abc7 news starts right now with breaking news. >> the breaking news is in the south bay where a police officer has been injured and a dog killed in an incident involving a paroleee. matt? >> you can see the road is closed at north 3rd and eat -- east empire street with 17 police officers and police cars are on the scene. several people are talking with police. they were here to do a parole search and encountered a pit bull at the front door. they told the owner to put thing do away and the dog bit the officer. the injured hospital was taken to the hospital to be treated and the paroleee is in custody and the dog was killed.

we will bring you the latest on abc7 news. >> matt, thank you. now the weather. mike is under the weather so leyla gulen is double double duty. >> good morning, everyone. we have warmer conditions. by the weekend we will see hot temperatures. we went from zero to 60. we will see areas of patchy fog this morning and a cloud layer with an early burn off. at noon you see the burn off with temperatures warming to 72 inland and 66 around the bay. by 4:00 p.m., 90-degree temperatures. it will be sweltering inland and 76 around the bay and 62 along the coast. tonight, clouds and fog return but it turns warmer by tomorrow. we will have the seven-day

forecast in a little bit but right now we have clear conditions other than construction as we get to it, we will head over to 580 where we have this project in the westbound direction which travels out of livermore into pleasanton and we have top speeds over the altamont pass. we have this project on the eastbound side of the bay bridge on lower deck between anchorage and the metering lights. that will get pick the up around 6:00 a.m. this morning. we are starting to see a few extra tail lights in the westbound direction. as we go to the toll plaza can you see the cash-paying lanes are loaded up. >> we move to oakland now where protests again the verdict in the george zimmerman trial are not over but they are getting less violent. police were out. they held back and the only assaults were