making news in america this morning, remaining defiant amid a sex scandal, anthony weiner still on his quest to lead the nation's largest city. as the latest woman comes forward soon possibly. railcars split in half and piled one on top of the other. the train tragedy in spain gets even worse as the death toll continues to rise over the night. also, rookie to the rescue. an nfl player saves a family from a burning car. why he likely made it to the scene just in time. and dancing queen. a young girl gets some face time during a newscast and shows off her moves. and a good thursday morning to you.

we're going to begin with the tawdry case of the new york city mayoral candidate, anthony weiner. >> there's news that we could learn the identity of the woman who weiner was sexting with today, as the former congressman refuses to bow out of the race to lead the country's biggest city. that was the reaction that greeted anthony weiner last night at a meeting about public housing. it was the final event of the first day of campaigning since admitting to sexting with women, even after resigning from congress two years ago. >> these things are behind me now. it's ended now. it's behind me. >> reporter: we could learn who one of the women was today. the owner of website who published weiner's alleged interactions with a young woman, tells politico she is planning to go public soon. possibly as soon as today. the woman tells the political website, she never doubted the man who went by the name carlos danger was anyone other than weiner. she claims in addition to

sexting, they engaged frequently in phone sex. and weiner always called her from a private number. weiner's mayoral opponents are cranking up the pressure on him. >> the people of the city are calling for you to withdraw. you're distracting. >> if you want to play to the cameras. i'm having a serious conversation about issues. that's what these good people came to hear. let's honor their being here. >> reporter: noticeably absent from weiner's side, was his wife, huma abedin. she hasn't been seen since tuesday, when she stood by weiner's side as he talked about the latest scandal. we should learn if this is weighing on weiner's standing today. the first poll since the scandal broke is going to be released this afternoon. efforts to move nsa leaker edward snowden out of diplomatic limbo have failed. a lawyer said that snowden's application for asylum is winding its way through the notorious russian bureaucracy. and the u.s. wants him returned. abc's kristin fisher is joining us from washington with more. good morning, kristin. >> reporter: good morning, diana. all eyes are again on the moscow airport this morning, if the world waits to see if today will be the day that edward snowden

gets out. fugitive edward snowden is still stuck in a holding pattern at the moscow airport. as russian authorities continue to review his request for temporary asylum. his legal advisers said that snowden, quote, intends to stay in russia. and he's taking steps to learn the language. yesterday, snowden received a russian copy of "crime and punishment" and a fresh change of clothes, his first in over a month. all this amid news that the nsa leaker had been granted a temporary visa, allowing him to leave the airport. >> any move that would allow snowden to leave the airport would be deeply disappointing. >> reporter: but those reports turned out to be false. just another twist in snowden's attempt to escape espionage charges in the u.s. snowden was last seen two weeks ago in a meeting with human rights activists inside the airport. since then, public opinion here in the u.s. has changed drastically. a new abc news/"washington post"

poll found that more than half of americans think he should be charged with a crime. that's up ten points since last month. as for the surveillance program he revealed, a majority of americans don't have a problem with it. 57% said it's more important for the government to look into possible terrorist threats than protect citizens' privacy. the house defeated a plan on wednesday that would have limited the nsa's secret electronic surveillance program. that means the nsa can continue collecting phone records from millions of americans. diana? >> kristin fisher, in washington for us this morning. thank you. overseas to a developing story and a terrible scene in northwestern spain. 77 people were killed when a passenger train derailed. more than 100 people were injured. many of the victims were christian pilgrims on their way to annual religious festivals. the crash happened about an hour before sunset. the train emerged from a tunnel and derailed on the curb, sending cars flying off the track. federal investigators will be heading to maryland to look into last week's crash that sent a car off the chesapeake bay bridge. there's new video of the driver

clinging to a rock piling after that plunge of 40 feet. officials want the ntsb to check the bridge's restraint system to see if it meets federal standards or if those standards are adequate. in the gulf of mexico, crews are working to contain that out-of-control fire on a natural gas rig. it erupted after a well blowout about 55 miles off the coast of louisiana. the fireball has consumed so much of the rig it's partially collapsed. and experts say it will burn until the leak can be capped. plans are under way to begin digging a relief well. that could begin as early as today. president obama has nominated caroline kennedy to be the next u.s. ambassador to japan. kennedy is a lawyer, the best-selling author and daughter of president kennedy. she is being rewarded for her 2008 endorsement that helped put president obama in the white house. kennedy has no expertise in japan. but her family ties and close relationship with the president are seen as a major asset. pope francis has a busy day ahead in rio de janeiro and that has security officials concerned.

so far, the pontiff has said his first public mass. he visited shrines and met with drug addicts. he bolts from his handlers and shakes hands and kisses babies. today, the government says it will deploy extra ships along that famed copacabana beach when the pope addresses hundreds of thousands of young catholics. well, he has waited a couple of days but now the world's most famous baby has what all newborns need and have, a name. new parents william and kate have named their first child george alexander louis. third in line to the british throne will be formally known as his royal highness prince george of cambridge. the name is rooted in british tradition. there's been six british kings named george, including queen elizabeth's own father. >> kind of like the alexander part. nice touch. >> i do, too. officials say tropical storm dorian is churning across the eastern atlantic. >> it is off the coast of africa, packing winds up to 50 miles per hour. for now, it's not threatening any populated areas. if it states on his course westward, it could be north of puerto rico by monday.

time for weather on the mainland. a beautiful day in the southwest, northeast, and northern-most parts of the midwest, with sunny, dry and cooler conditions. it will be stormy in the great lakes into arizona. and along the gulf coast, and the mid-atlantic. >> the heat is on across the south with the mercury topping 100 degrees in some areas. 70s in the northeastern quadrants and mid to high 80s elsewhere. delivery dilemma. big changes for the postal service, now one step closer to becoming law. and a woman made famous for being a footwear fanatic is found dead. we're learning more about the man under arrest and the connection he has to the victim. also, a new look for former president george h.w. bush, all for a very good reason.

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broadcasters come through -- se fails. today, with more ways than ever to experience the moments that transform our lives, americans still choose broadcast television and radio more than all other media combined. television and radio are still the most trusted sources for news and entertainment, and our web and social sites are among the most visited sites in our daily lives. when important moments happen, both big and small, we're the first informers to history. we are the pioneers, the innovators, the local broadcasters of radio and television.

congress has offered a lifeline to cash-strapped college students. the senate ended a week's long standoff last night, reversing a bill that doubled student loan rates. the legislation goes to the house. if passed and signed by the president, it will keep rates low for 7 million students who head to college this fall. parents getting all students ready for school will find supplies going up this year more than 7%. the bank that conducts the annual price survey says there is no single reason for the climbing costs. the post office is now one step closer to ending door-to-door delivery. that would force millions to get curbside mailboxes or cluster mailboxes. a house committee has approved the proposal. and it now goes to the full house. shares of facebook are soaring. the world's biggest social network blew away earnings estimates yesterday, sending the stock up 20% after yesterday's close. facebook use is also soaring,

especially on mobile devices. here's something that will make you sound smart. adding i iodine to u.s. salt made us smarter apparently. we gained 15 i.q. points after the addition of iodine became mandatory in 1924. >> i'm going to grab a gob of t>r:ujááuáqáyto grab a gob of >> see? i'm obviously missing a couple of i.q. points because i wanted to chug salt. and you're going to chug iodine. >> just a couple of drops. or it would send us to the hospital and bad things. >> we'll be smart. when we come back, everyone likes happy hour, even large animals. wait until you see the burly visitor that walked into a bar. and something that most golfers can only dream of. and he did it more than once. and blindsided on the baseball field. the parachuter picks the wrong place to land. how about on a player?

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♪ that's no teddy bear. it's a 300-plus-pound black bear walking into a bar in the rocky mountains in colorado. this happened in the town of estes park. the bear had been doing some dumpster diving out back. and wanted to stroll inside. he needed a drink. the strange thing here, though, is none of the patrons even noticed. >> i have a hunch i'd notice. >> i want what they're drinking. >> me, too. no bears in the morning commute forecast that we know of. wet roads, though, across much of minnesota and northern wisconsin. also, across sections of nebraska and kansas. >> a better outlook if you're flying. airport delays are possible in only two major cities today, minneapolis and denver. back to the news. crime and punishment. a california woman who gained game for her footwear has been found murdered. >> and now, her ex-boyfriend has been charged with the crime.

here's kabc's rob mcmillan. >> reporter: just looking at this house from the outside, you can tell the person who lived here was a big fan of shoes. in fact, 58-year-old darlene flynn was recently featured on the tlc show "my collection obsession." >> i have 14,999 shoe-related items. >> reporter: also featured on the show, flynn's boyfriend, 29-year-old justin smith. >> that's all she talks about when she gets up in the morning. shoes, shoes, shoes. >> reporter: but flynn and smith are in the news for a different reason, murder. flynn was found dead in her own swimming pool the other day. and now, it's her boyfriend, the same one featured on the show with her, who is under arrest. >> she was the world record shoe holder or something. collection of shoes. she was really into shoes. >> reporter: neighbor steven danford says he knew not all was right with the couple next doors. >> i'd hear her yelling. they'd be fighting or something.

and every couple months or so, he would be fighting with her. he would take off. and come back a couple hours later. and they just did not get along real well, it seemed like. but he kept coming back. >> reporter: on monday, though, one neighbor called police because of all the yelling. when they arrived, they found flynn's body in the backyard and found justin smith, shirtless, running away from the scene. he's now under arrest. >> i've been here 25 years. and this is a really quiet neighborhood. there's eight houses. there's been 8 houses for 20-plus years. so, this kind of stuff doesn't happen out here. so, yeah. real sad. >> reporter: this is rob mcmillan for abc news. as former nfl star aaron hernandez sits in jail, new documents in his murder case could be released today. during yesterday's court appearan appearance, the judge granted the prosecution's request for a month-long hearing delay. hernandez is under arrest for

the killing of odin lloyd. coach bill belichick responded to the allegations for the first time. saying he feels personally disappointed and hurt. we're learning about the horrible motorcycle crash that involved a football player at florida state university. it happened in tallahassee in may. a video taken on a bus. watch the car pull out. and the player on the motorcycle is going to slam into it. he slid about 100 feet. his injuries, though, described as nonlife-threatening. o'leary is the grandson of legendary golfer jack nicklaus. look at this skydiving stunt at a summer league baseball game ended a player's season. that skydiver struck the 20-year-old in the face. he suffered a concussion. doctors and coaches decided it's best for him to sit out for a little while. a tennessee titan rookie headed to training camp turned into a hero along the way. tig willard and another driver managed to pull a mother, three children and their dog from a burning vehicle. about two minutes later, that car exploded. willard did not hesitate to consider the danger before he

sprang into action. >> at the time, it wasn't scaring me like, i figured i had to do it. but afterwards, i realized how dangerous and how scary it really was. >> willard now refused to take any credit. saying he just happened to be in the right place at the right time. instead, he says he wants to give all of the glory to god. >> character matters. he's on the team. >> come on, titans. for much of the night and early morning, a braves pitcher was a trending topic on twitter. >> here are our friends at espn to explain why. >> good morning. welcome to our "sportscenter" studios here in los angeles. along with jay harris, i'm stan verrett. the braves have had plenty of injuries to deal with this season. b.j. upton's been hurt. freddie freeman. jason heyward. now, a really big one. >> tim hudson. add his name to the list. here's what happened. tim hudson and the braves taking on the mets. bottom eight, a scary moment. eric young grounds to first. hudson covering first. freddie freeman tosses to hudson, who is covering first. hudson makes the play.

but is accidentally stepped on by young. oh, my goodness. obvious pain. look at it again. his foot's on the bag. young trying to get to the bag. and that's what happens. a fractured ankle. hudson would be carted off. braves got the win. hudson got the win. 8-2. out for the year. gold cup semifinals. united states taking on honduras. team usa, up 2-1. goodson, into the box. alejandro to donovan. donovan, a pair of goals in this game. he has five in the tournament. team usa moving on to the gold cup final. the americans will take on panama on sunday for the championship. >> all right. he's stan verrett. i'm jay harris. good morning, america. that's your "sportscenter" update. now, we have an amazing turn of events on the golf course near chicago. that's why this is our "play of the day." >> incredible. it involved a 65-year-old golfer named paul dombrowski. earlier this week, he had not

one but two holes in one in the same round of golf. >> the first one came on the course's par 3 3rd hole. and it didn't take very long for the second one. the second one was a 5th hole, also a par 3. he said afterwards, he was feeling so lucky, he bought himself some lottery tickets. >> astronomical. i don't know if that's been done in the history of golf. >> i want him to buy me some lottery tickets. >> yeah. no kidding. two holes in one. >> oh. it's like popular these days. go out there and play a round. coming up next in "the pulse," a new jaw-dropping look. you might see something different on the beach this year. it's not a onesie. and it's not a bikini. i can't figure out what it is. >> are you going to model it? negative on that one? and what could be the best video bomb performance by a future dance star ever. check her out. john, it's over. don't punish yourself, it's my fault. of course it's your fault and i'm not punishing myself.

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welcome into "the pulse," the stories you'll be talking about today. our first one could bring a tear to your eye. >> eat's a great one. former president george h.w. bush. usually has a healthy head of hair. he decided to go bald. and he did it to show solidarity with the 2-year-old boy sitting on his lap. >> his name is patrick. he's the son of a secret service agent who is undergoing chemotherapy for leukemia. jaw-dropping getup may soon be turning heads at a beach near you. >> an edgy fashion designer has created the sharkini. hoping it will be all of the rage in the sand and surf this summer. the teeth cutout is designed to showcase your killer abs, if you have them. and it fits like a glove. >> you would wear one of those, right? >> why not?

>> looks good. >> of course it does. you're a guy. it has specific measurements. you should rock one of those, too. >> i'll rock a sharkini. it will cost you about 100 bucks. and your tan lines will make for a conversation piece. even at her tender age, this little girl has mastered video bombing. check her out. awesome dance moves. here she comes. >> wait for it. >> there she is. the background of a chicago reporter's live shot. >> she really is good. the impromptu performance lit up the twitterverse. and the reporter responded to it in a good way. and she hoped that next time it would be mayor rahm emanuel throwing some moves. >> why would you want anybody to come in the background and dancing. >> she has an invitation to come here and dance for us. >> i'm going to dance behind you. for some of you, local news is next. >> for everyone else, we're coming right back with news, we

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>> live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. good morning, i am here for eric thomas, i am matt keller. >> interesting weather today? >> actually, i was driving here and i saw the moon. usually i see fog in the morning but not this morning. >> different from yesterday. our meteorologist, mike nicco? >> good morning. live doppler 7 hd showing it is dry again. in could be drizzle along the coast because the clouds are low. the embarcadero center from the roof camera, we are talking about warm to hot weather inland from the mid-80's in the north bay to near 100 in the east bay valley. it will be mild to warm around the bay from 70 at south san francisco to 86 in san jose. the coast into san francisco

would be around 62 to 68. cool to very comfortable. how comfortable is the commute? leyla gulen? "quite." we have areas of construction in the east bay into oakland. along northbound 880 between 23rd to embarcadero we will see three lanes blocked. that will last until 5:00 a.m. slow for the cone zone. the bay bridge toll plaza shows not much is happening. we have clear conditions. from oakland and emeryville to san francisco there are just a few cars this early. more in a little bit. kristen? >> crews are busy finishing repairs after a gas leak forced evacuation of homes and bits for hours in contra costa county. abc7 news reporter amy hollyfield has the latest. >> i have good news if you live

here: this crew is wrapping up. they have been working all night to try and get danville boulevard re-opened at stone valley road. they will be able to do that in the hour. they have to lay some asphalt. at 10:30 in the morning a mud crew hit half inch gas line accidentally. with gas leaking officials had to evacuate businesses and homes the company did not know the pipe was there because the markings were not visible. >> we had markings located from pg&e that there was a pipe but not this pipe. >> there are so many pipes underground and theth moves and there are changes with the subdivisions so markings are not always