making news in america this morning, more oppressive heat for much of the country. and today, expected to be the hottest one yet. but relief is not far away. plus, hundreds forced to flee. a raging wildfire continues to burn. new information, this morning, about the size and number of homes in its path. and no easy target. a 96-year-old woman stands her ground. >> i said, you can have all of the tootie rolls you want. but you are not opening that cash register. >> unwilling to be a victim. how she stood up to a would-be robber. and the prank that caused the street to suddenly fill up with suds.

and good thursday morning. it's going to be another scorcher. the monster heat dome that's stalled over the ohio valley. and it's not through anytime soon. >> it isn't. more than 130 million americans are enduring this oppressive heat. a lot of 90s on the map today. and another just in the heat. abc's tahman bradley on the danger of the heat wave that lasts so long. >> reporter: the blistering heat continues. temperatures today will once again soar into the mid-90s from new england, to the mid-atlantic to the midwest. the scorching weather is already taking a toll. in chicago, hospital emergency rooms are seeing a rise in heat-related illnesses. >> they're going to explode. it's so hot. >> i'd rather have beer sitting in the air conditioning. >> reporter: in new york, this intern at an outdoor news conference passed out. doctors say a heat wave like this one is especially dangerous because the extreme temperatures day after day, never allow a person to cool down.

it affects the heart, blood pressure, and the brain. that's why in harrisburg, pennsylvania, people are spreading the word about heat stroke among children. a kid's body can heat up three-times to five-times faster than an adult. >> take your hand, if it's hot for you. it's too hot for your child to play. >> reporter: in raleigh, north carolina, they're handing out free fans to children and the elderly. and even trying to keep pets cool. >> they're overheated, you need to get them to a vet right away. >> reporter: across the west, drought has increased the fire danger. this year's fire season is a full two months longer than a year ago. in california, thousands in the path of a mountain fire have been ordered to evacuate. the inferno has scorched more than 14,000 acres. >> the fire you're seeing right now is what we'd typically be seeing in august and september. >> reporter: officials worry that this fire season could be the deadliest in history. tahman bradley, abc news,

washington. the big question, is there any relief in sight in. >> accuweather meteorologist andrew baglini joins us now with the forecast. good morning, andrew. >> reporter: good morning, john and diana. the heat, once again a problem today. it's going to get worse before it gets better this weekend. heat advisories from the i-95 corridor all across the midwest into south dakota. a lot of people really feeling it. temperature-wise, in the 90s again today. it's going to feel like the triple-digits when you factor in the humidity, especially along the i-95 corridor. relief coming on saturday. but strong thunderstorms, as well. more on the fire in california. hot, dry weather in the west is proving a major challenge for fire crews. more evacuations were ordered ahead of this fire, burning not far from palm springs. more than 4,000 homes are threatened by the fire that's now only 15% contained. residents are ready to go at a moment's notice. >> we've had fires but nothing like this.

not at all. >> it's -- i don't live so close. but for friends and family, they're all getting packed up and ready to evacuate. >> so far, seven homes and several buildings have been destroyed by the fire. the texas governor signs that controversial new abortion bill into law later today. after intense debate, the law will ban abortions after 20 weeks and require all abortions be performed in surgical centers. it would require doctors that perform abortions having privileges aed a nearby hospital. president obama is beginning a push to the cost of savings of his signature health care law. touting $500,000 in rebates that will go out this summer. roughly 8 million americans will receive rebates. on capitol hill, house republicans voted to delay parts of the health care law from going into effect. but it has no chance of passage in the senate. birthday wishes are pouring in from around the world for nelson mandela.

the ailing icon is spending his 95th birthday in the hospital. it's nelson mandela international day. and people are been urged to mark this day with community service. reena ninan are in pretoria. >> reporter: people have come here from all over the world to pretoria hospital, where nelson mandela remains on his 95th birthday, to pay their respects to the man who helped bring down apartheid. >> thank you for all you have done. >> reporter: south africans have been asked to celebrate mandela's life by offering 67 minutes of their time, to do charity projects or community service. 67 is the number of years mandela served his country through public service, prison and politics. mandela remains in critical but stable condition. family members tell abc news, even from his hospital bed, he is galvanized by the well-wishes. ♪ >> reporter: they are impressed how he continues to remain as a man in charge of his destiny. south african president jacob zuma's office is also in touch with mandela's doctors. the family will host a lunch at the hospital today and sing

"happy birthday." ♪ how old are you i'm 95 years old ♪ >> reporter: even president obama released a statement, saying his family was deeply moved by the recent visit to mandela's former prison cell on robin island. and will forever draw strength and inspiration from his extraordinary example of moral courage, kindness and humility. today also marks the 15th wedding anniversary for nelson mandela and his third wife, who he married when he turned 80 years old. friends and family say it's her unrelenting love and support that's helped carry mandela through the last few years of his life. john and diana? >> thank you. there's new hope that stalled middle east peace talks could soon resume. on a visit to jordan, secretary of state john kerry won the support for the arab league for his ideas aimed at restarting israeli/palestinian negotiations. now, kerry did not publicly share the details of his presentation. but he's staying in amman an

extra day in case there's more work to be done. an alternate juror in the george zimmerman trial speaking out. the juror in the shadow told a tv station in orlando that he agrees with the verdict. he said zimmerman's injuries were the most convincing piece of evidence in the trial. he also believed it was zimmerman and not trayvon martin heard screaming in the help during the 911 call. and trayvon martin's parents are breaking their silence this morning. they're coming up live on "good morning america" for the very first interview since zimmerman was found not guilty of killing their son. it was an emotional moment last night as our good friend and colleague robin roberts was honored with the arthur ashe courage award. a vibrant-looking robin accepted the award from king james during a ceremony in l.a. she kept viewers involved during her battle for two serious illnesses. and she looked back at her start at espn. >> i want to be the best sports journalist that i could be. i draw strength from you.

you give me the courage to face down any challenge. and know that when fears -- when fear knocks, to let faith answer the door. >> robin thanked her fans, colleagues, doctors and nurses for their e-mails, tweets and encouragement along her long journey. but especially her sister, sallie-ann, who provided the life-saving bone marrow. a big breakthrough in washington. the late-night news that hopeful college students have been waiting for. and the cover story that's heating up. "rolling stone" defends its decision to feature the accused boston bomber as stores announce they will not carry that magazine. a near-100-year-old woman putting up a night and standing up to robbers.

welcome back. some good news for college students returning to campus next month. a bipartisan group of senators has reached a tentative deal to lock in lower interest rates through the year 2015. future rate hikes will likely be linked to financial markets, which means they could climb in the following years after that. the limits will be put in place on how high those rates could go. and jpmorgan chase is in talks, saying it is settling charges that it manipulated prices. the deal could put costs about $500 million. jpmorgan chase recorded $6.5 billion quarterly profit last week. it's likely to be an interesting scene at the headquarters of dell computers in texas. shareholders are gathering there for a vote on founder michael

dell's plan to take the company private. supporters say the over $24 billion buyout gives dell a better chance to reinvest in itself. but some big investors say that this price tag actually undervalues the company. and a weight loss contest in dubai includes a unique incentive. they're offering a gram of gold for every 2.2 pounds that they lose. that's worth about $25. and the three people who shed the most weight will get $9,000 in gold coins. the final weigh-in is august 16th. head over to dubai. >> i love that idea. that's motivation for you. hooters is introducing a redesign of its iconic owl logo. it's the latest move by the chain to modernize its image. the new hootie, looks a little leaner than his predecessor. it will be on the tank tops between now and october. who is watching? >> it's the owl, right?

>> exactly. when we come back, relations about athletes. why they're more likely to be at risk for skin cancer. and talk about athletes. the story behind what could be the best all in of all-time. [ female announcer ] today we're at a salon to see how people react to getting a shampoo without water. ♪ how does that feel? [ female announcer ] you can't clean your hair without water, so why clean your bum that way? freshen up with cottonelle toilet paper and cleansing cloths... now in a new dispenser. and cleansing cloths...

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the searing heat is especially hard to take if you're covered in fur. the animals at the detroit zoo are beating the heat with the help of giant ice pops, chilled watermelon and taking it easy in the shade and along the water. in milwaukee, backup generators powering the courthouse after a devastating fire there. but the generators are not keeping up. the temperature inside that courthouse, approaching 90 degrees. cooling station is set up for workers and visitors. ambulances are on stand-by. now, for a look at road conditions.

wet roads along the border with canada and southern texas. >> and if you're flying, you can expect delays in miami this morning. and minneapolis, later on today. "rolling stone" magazine on the defensive this morning as outrage mounts over this month's cover shot of dzhokhar tsaranev. >> stores are not selling this magazine and readers are being urged to boycott it altogether. here's dan harris. >> reporter: dzhokhar tsaranev is being greeted in boston with a hot blast of anger. >> why the heck are you going to put an alleged bomber? and they're playing like he's a rock star. >> putting this guy on the cover, you're giving him what he wants. what he wants is fame. >> reporter: this is rock's most coveted cover. ♪ will get you when you get your picture on the cover of the "rolling stone" ♪ >> reporter: memorialized by the band dr. hook and the medicine

show. and honored by people going be i just one name. elvis, madonna, bono, john and yoko. and now, a 19-year-old alleged terrorist. the young man seen in this chilling picture, looming near 8-year-old martin richard who lost his life. and the norden brothers who each lost a leg. >> why would they publicize a guy who destroyed people's lives? it doesn't make sense to me. >> reporter: that anger echoed by friends of m.i.t. police officer sean collier, allegedly murdered by the brothers tsaranev. >> i was appalled. i was appalled they would treat him as a celebrity. as a star. >> reporter: "rolling stone" is defending the cover. saying the fact that dzhokhar tsaranev is young and the age of our readers, makes it all the more important to us to examine the complexities of this issue. the article is a sober affair, exploring how dzhokhar turned

into a, quote, monster. but you can't find it in cvs or walgreens who won't sell it. the mayor of boston said, the survivors of the boston attacks deserve "rolling stone" covers. but i no longer feel "rolling stone" deserves them. more than a year after the "casta concordia" crashed, its captain is on trial. his lawyers contends that the captain slipped and fell into that lifeboat. he could face up to 20 years if convicted. ariel castro in a cleveland courtroom with the charges of kidnapping and raping three women. the high-profile case is set to go to trial early next month. skin cancer specialists just released an astonishing study about athletes and sunscreen. >> doctors at stanford and duke studied athletes and 40%

admitted they never used sunscreen. 75% said they used it fewer than three times a week. athletes get ul va violet rays. that's why a university program is pushing the athletes to use sunscreen daily. now, to a woman who is pushing 100. but she's not letting anyone push her around. margaretta wolf faced down a masked robber at the wisconsin store she's owned for more than 50 years. he demanded money. when he pulled out a knife, she was undeterred. >> walked in the back of the store. and i said i'm not walking no place. i'm standing right here because i said i'm not opening up that cash register. and that's it. i'm not opening it. i said, you can have all the tootsie rolls you want. but i'm not opening that cash register. >> you can have all the tootsie rolls you want. she told the men she could press a button and have police there in seconds.

once the robber noticed the security camera with its little red light on, he took off. >> that's the quote of the di day. you can have all of the tootsie rolls you want. but not the money. now, "the play of the day." look at this. the seven-man alley-oop into a tiny fisher-price net in the backyard pool. >> they did it in exactly 60 seconds. there's an eighth member to their team who recorded the feat and then posted it on twitter. we can watch it over and over and over again. >> that's really awesome. >> seven guys, six seconds, one tiny basketball hoop. >> and props to the camera man. he got it all. he didn't blow it. >> one more. and in. >> totally great. yeah. tremendous. >> that's great. up next, "the pulse." for a brief moment, an american was the richest man in the world, all because of a huge mistake by paypal. there are women who sacrifice so much. not giving a thought to their own satisfaction.

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♪ go on take the money and run ♪ ♪ go on take the money and run ♪ welcome in, everyone. it's time to check "the pulse," stories we know you're going to be talking about all day long. we begin with sudden windfall, and then miscore chun. a man discovered he had a $17 million balance. >> now, the richest man in the world. gill gates has $72 billion. when reynolds checked the next time, his balance was back to zero. and all a computer glitch. >> oh, that hurts. $92 quadrillion down the drain. this brutal heat, people are

doing whatever they can to stay cool. look at this man in new york. that's an air conditioner unit out of the window of his car. >> we're not sure how he manages to power the whole thing. maybe it's hooked up to the cigarette lighter. maybe it's hooked up to somebody else's apartment. it's probably his apartment anyway. and a prank got way out of control in florida. but the culprit managed to make a clean getaway. >> clean getaway, for sure. some thought it would be fun to put a bottle of dish soap. the bubbles got so high it spilled into the streets. and drivers had to swerve to avoid the suds. >> in addition to creating slippery driving, hazardous conditions, it will cost hundreds of dollars to drain, scrub and repair the mountain. and not to mention the sudsy mess it left behind on the grass. >> can't be good. are we going to see more of

these things? is this just the tip of the iceberg? >> it always happens. for some of you, the local news is next. >> everyone else, we'll be right news is next. >> everyone else, we'll be right back. re going to sleep. it progressed from there to burning... to like 1,000 bees that were just stinging my feet. [ female announcer ] it's known that diabetes damages nerves. lyrica is fda approved to treat diabetic nerve pain. lyrica is not for everyone. it may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. or swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or skin sores from diabetes. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. having less pain is -- it's a wonderful feeling. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. it's specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain.

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>> abc7 news starts right now with breaking news. >> 4:28 on this thursday morning. the breaking news is in oakland where police are vetting a quadruple shooting, a grandmother and three grandchild. one is dead. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield is on the scene in the lower diamond district. amy? >> good morning, kristen, we are on wilson avenue. the father told us that the killer came to the door of this apartment where the family was inside and started shooting and his seven-year-old daughter was killed. a four-year-old boy and another seven-year-old girl were also shot as was a grandmother. police are still trying to figure out how everyone is related but they do believe they

are alled, possibly she is the grandmother of all the children. the grandmother is in stable condition as the four-year-old and seven-year-old are also but police say as far as their investigation, as far as getsing close to making an arrest, it is not looking good. >> at this point there is no lead as far as the motive, any suspect, vehicle leads, nothing of that sort. >> this happened at 11:15 last night. police came to the area where the shots fired activation system alerted them and they got calls. they do not know if there was more than one shooter or one person acting alone. they are putting a plea out to anyone who knows anything to help them out and call police so

they can find the killer. >> amy, thank you. now the weather forecast on this thursday. mike? >> good morning, everyone, we have cloud cover. it is not extensive as yesterday or as thick so we will see faster sunshine today and warmer trim with cloud cover over the bay bridge. we the have 81 and 95 in the east bay, and 70 to 81 in the bay and low-to-upper 60's from the coast into san francisco. leyla gulen? >> we have lots of construction projects and well start off in the east bay at 5 area eastbound between greenville road to flynn road where we have the drainage work until 9:00 a.m. headed along the westbound direction over the altamont