making news in america this morning -- growing pressure. the obama administration says a chemical weapons attack did kill hundreds of people in syria, as the u.s. moves closer to military action. we're live in washington with the latest. gaining ground. firefighters finally making progress on a massive wildfire burning near yosemite national park. but the concern is far from over. subway scare. an elderly man gets his foot stuck in a train door and goes on a terrifying ride. and caught off guard. what question puzzled the beauty pageant contestant, prompting this response -- >> and believing when you see, it's perfect.

good tuesday morning, everyone. we begin with the growing crisis in syria and what is increasingly appearing to be an imminent u.s. strike against the assad regime. >> it comes after u.n. weapons inspectors visited the apparent site of a chemical attack last week. and now, this morning, the strongest words yet from a u.s. official. abc's devin dwyer has the latest from washington. good morning, devin. >> reporter: good morning. the strong words from secretary of state john kerry, who called the apparent use of chemical weapons in syria, a, quote, moral obscenity. >> with our own eyes, we have, all of us, become witnesses. >> reporter: witnesses to an alleged atrocity in syria. a clear declaration by the secretary of state, signaling u.s. military action could be imminent. >> there must be accountability for those who would use the world's most heinous weapons against the world's most vulnerable people. >> reporter: u.s. officials say it's undeniable that syria's president, bashar al assad, used a chemical weapon against civilians. even as u.n. investigators have

only just begun to gather evidence. yesterday, the u.n. team wearing helmets and bulletproof vests, interviewed survivors of the attack. officials said it was productive, despite coming under sniper fire. >> they did go back to the area. they were able to get some samples and conclude some work. >> reporter: that work continues today, as russia warns the u.s. not to go around the u.n. and strike syria. they're backing president assad and his denials of using chemical weapons. >> anyone who can claim that an attack of this staggering scale could be contrived or fabricated, needs to check their conscience and their own moral compass. >> reporter: the u.s. has canceled planned meetings with russian officials this week over their stance on syria. there's growing consensus of a military response, even without u.n. approval. >> they have to establish a degree of credibility and deterrence, not only for syria but for the broader region.

>> reporter: now, white house officials say president obama has not made a decision on a military strike. and could still decide another course. diana and john? >> devin, do we have any indication of if there is military action, when that might happen? >> reporter: if president obama decides on a military strike, officials say it would come in days or weeks, not months. president obama is scheduled to go to a summit in russia next week. it's unlikely he would launch an attack while out of the country. we also know another clue could come on a timeline the british government is set to decide to recall parliament for a vote on a military action. john? diana? >> a decision as the world watches. thank you, from washington, this morning. a lot of rattled nerves in northern nevada, as an earthquake hit the reno area last night. the 4.2 magnitude quake, a few miles from sun valley. but the shaking could be felt in northern california, as well. there was reports of broken glass and fallen pictures. but no serious damage or injuries. and farther south,

firefighters are making progress against what's called the rim fire, burning out of control outside of yosemite national park. astronaut karen neiburg sent this image of smoke wafting from the fire via twitter. the rim fire has grown to 230-square miles, roughly the size of chicago. crews now have it 20% contained. but it still threatens thousands of homes. >> it's going up and down the canyons. we don't know where it's coming up. and we don't know from day to day which community is threatened. a little spooky. a little spooky. >> meantime, ash from the rim fire is raining down on the reservoir that supplies san francisco with its prime source of water. utility officials are scrambling to send more water down that pipeline before it's contaminated. george zimmerman plans to ask the state of florida to pay $200,000 to $300,000 worth of his legal fees. the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed trayvon martin is

entitled to be recouping some of the legal fees that he incurred. it covers travel expenses, expert witnesses and even some photocopying. everything else, the biggest expense, his lawyers fees, are not covered. convicted murder jodi arias will not be sentenced just yet. the judge overseeing the case postponed the date for the sentencing phase retrial until september 17th. arias admitted to killing her ex-boyfriend. but she claimed throughout her trial it was in self-defense. a lawyer for penn state tells abc news that the school has reached legal settlements with all but six of the men who sued during the jerry sandusky case. 25 of the 31 men who claimed they were abused by sandusky have reached deals totalling millions of dollars. among those who settled was sandusky's adopted son and nearly all of the other individuals who testified against sandusky at his trial. a second teenager is due in court today in connection with the beating death of an 88-year-old world war ii veteran in spokane. 16-year-old kenan adams kinard was arrested

on murder and robbery allegations. 16-year-old demetrius glenn is facing the same charges. he turned himself in last thursday, the same day the victim died of his injuries. they will be tried as adults. the pennsylvania girl whose case spurred a national debate about organ donations is going home from the hospital today. 10-year-old sarah murnaghan had two double-lung transplants this summer. her parents challenged the transplant rules and they won. her recovery will focus on building her muscle strength so she won't have to rely on a breathing tube. now, to the weather. and the big headline this morning is the late summer heatwave that's baking the middle of the country. school is already under way across the region. and the kids can thank the high temperatures for the early dismissal. the heat and lack of air conditioning has school districts planning another early end to the day today. there you have your maps. and it's all hazy, hot and humid weather across the midwest and the plains. the rockies and part of the southwest will see some storms today. there will also be rain in the northeast.

florida, texas and the northwest. >> seattle will get to 72. portland will reach 79 degrees. phoenix goes back over the 100-degree mark. 90s through the center of the country. 85 in new york. 80 degrees in boston. new this morning, we're hearing former president gerald ford for the first time ever about the 1975 assassination attempt against him. it happened in sacramento, while ford was shaking hands near the california statehouse. ford testified behind closed doors. and his testimony was used in the case against the would-be assassin, lynnette squeaky fromme. he talked about seeing a gun in the crowd. >> the weapon was large. it covered all or most of her hand, as far as i could see. and i only saw it instantaneously because almost automatically, one of the secret

service agents lunged, grabbed the hand and the weapon. >> ford's testimony was released yesterday but a federal court. the gun never fired. she was convicted and served 30 years in prison. something new at the golden arches. wait until you hear what mcdonald's is going to add to the menu. also, the greatest woman beats man match in sports history. but was it all a setup? this morning, the explosive report claiming the battle of the sexes match is a fraud. an nba player posts a picture of a new tattoo on social media. but there's something very wrong with his ink.

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stocks will start the day today below the 15,000 mark. spooked yesterday by the growing crisis in syria and talk of possible u.s. intervention. stocks reversing their gains in the final hour of trading yesterday, slipping 64 points to finish at 14,946. the dow is on track for its biggest monthly loss since may of last year. starting on monday, it will be a lot easier to share photos on facebook. facebook is rolling out what it calls shared photo albums, a new feature that will allow friends to contribute directly to your photo albums. it will be handy for sharing photos of special events, like weddings or reunions that you've all been to. cadillac having a new face to the company. recently showing off their 2015 concept car. what do you think, diana? looks cool, right? it includes a wider emblem. there's no wall on the logo.

cadillac has changed the emblem about 40 times in the 111-year history. mcdonald's adding something new to the menu. chicken wings. mighty wings, they will be called. they will be breaded and seasoned on the bone. wings are among the fastest growing fast food items. mcdonald's hopes to cut into the profits of chicken chains like pope popeye's and kfc. mighty wings will be sold through november. >> the mcmighty wing. i'll try it. why not? when we come back, harmful or helpful? a product aimed at helping people quit smoking is under the microscope after a report claims the gadget itself can cause cancer. also, tiny hero. and tiny hero. a young boy is being rewarded for his quick thinking during a crisis of saving another child's life.

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country and in texas. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in detroit, salt lake city and las vegas. now, to a stunning allegation this morning about a legendary tennis match that captivated the country 40 years ago. >> the faceoff between billie jean king and bobby rigs was billed as the battle of the sexes. now, there's word that rigs may have thrown the match. guy owe benitez has more. >> reporter: it was dubbed the battle of the sexes. september 20th, 1973. one of the top tennis players ever, bobby rigs, came out of retirement, to challenge one of the world's greatest female players, billie jean king, and lost. now, in an espn "outside the lines" exclusive, this man tells what he kept secret for 40 years. hal shaw said months before the match, he overheard two mob bosses saying rigs owed the mob

a gambling debt of more than $100,000. >> they brought up the name of bobby rigs. that he will make it look and appear that he's trying his best. but billie jean king is just overwhelming him. >> reporter: billie jean king calls the story ridiculous. >> i would bet my life that he never had that conversation. >> actually, billie, he did. >> reporter: espn sat down with rigs' son, larry. >> is it possible they talked to him about doing it? possible. >> reporter: we'll never be able to ask riggs himself. he died in 1995. gio benitez, abc news, new york. big honor for a british boy visiting orlando. enjoying hero status after saving the life of a little girl that almost drowned. he pulled the girl to the surface where two bystanders performed cpr. >> really amazed that she's

still alive. we were just playing. and she was just under water. and it was really weird. >> ethan got another reward. the hotel is sending him and his entire family to disney world. how about that? a 78-year-old man in moscow saved himself from a train in the city subway system. closed circuit video shows him trying to board the train. the doors close on him. and he waits patiently for the doors to reopen. and they don't. the train takes off. it drags him along the platform. he managed to free himself before the train left the station. the train in every did stop. >> frightening scene. now, to a health alert this morning for those trying to quit smoking using electronic cigarettes. a drench study has found that ecigarettes contain cancer-causing cigarettes. the report comes after the french government banned the cigarettes from public places. about a month left in the

regular season of major league baseball. and there's one team that every, single fan out there is talking about. >> here's stan and neil at espn. >> good morning, america. welcome to the "sportscenter" set in los angeles. i'm neil everett. he's stan verrett. >> and everybody in los angeles is talking about the dodgers. everybody in baseball is talking about the dodgers. zach greinke and clayton kershaw playing, can you top this? greinke, 4.96. ask junior lake, jake arrieta or junior lake again. he struck out nine against the cubs. two earned runs. yasiel puig. dodger highlight not complete without his nightly feat. 13th home run of the season. hanley ramirez went deep. the dodgers win it, 6-2. yankees have another star back in their lineup. derek jeter, returning, as the yankees face the blue jays. alex rodriguez came back. couple weeks ago for the yankees.

that's off dickey. solo home run. edwin encarnacion, off of hughes. ichiro is there but can't make the catch. the blue jays win it, 5-2. that was rodriguez's first extra base hit after getting hit by ryan dempster. >> that's excellent information out of you. >> which is what i bring. back to you. >> nothing but excellence. a top pro tennis player finding humor in dire circumstances. that's what makes this video our "play of the day." >> this happened yesterday. at the u.s. open. and serena williams was destroying her first-round opponent. things were going so bad for francessca schiavone, she just needed a hug. she sought a hug out from the unsuspecting ball boy. give me a hug. that's really funny. >> that's not just a hug. that's a shoulder -- >> she lost, by the way. 6-0, 6-1. she needed a hug.

two hands, buddy. >> she rests her head on her shoulder. she needed a moment to recompose herself to go back and lose that. coming up next, quite possibly the world's biggest tipper. plus, miley cyrus is tweeting after her much talked-about vma performance. and another beauty pageant talked-about vma performance. and another beauty pageant with a cringe-worthy answer. obi. ♪ ♪ the only thing we have to fear is... fear itself. ♪ ♪ apply cold therapy in the first 24 hours. but not just any cold. i only use new thermacare® cold wraps. targettemp technology delivers a consistent, therapeutic cold

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all right. time to check "the pulse." pop culture starting with an update on that freaky dance between miley cyrus and robin thicke. >> the viewers on sunday night's mtv video music awards are still stunned. miley tweeting positive quotes from the "rolling stone."

and now, tmz is reporting that thicke is not in the dog house with his wife. >> she was okay with thicke twerking and jerking with the pop singing. moving on to the newest long distinguished line of funny answers by beauty pageant contestants. >> this happened at the philippines miss usa pageant. was asked which of the five senses she would prefer to have if she could only have one and why. listen. >> out of all of the senses, seeing, is really -- would be wonderful because -- thank you. thank you so much. >> that's painful. did you get all that one? anyway, ladies and gentlemen, she's from heyward, california. >> she's a practical nurse

graduate. and she didn't want to sing at that pageant. an anonymous big spender may actually be someone we all know. >> the mystery man ran up a $214 tab and left the bartender a $5,000 tip. now, "the daily mail" says that big tipper is none other than british billionaire sir richard branson. rumor has it branson was in town to plan a conference. >> $1,000 each was left on small checks at a bar golf course. so far, no comment from branson. >> to have that much money. >> throw it around. and finally, remember the spelling hint, i before e except after c. we remember that one. here's an example of someone not remembering it. >> that's a new tattoo on the hand of larry sanders. it was supposed to read receive. but it's been misspelled. good thing sanders just inked a $44 million contract with the

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>> abc7 news starts now. abc7 news begins with breakings news. firefighters knock down a two-alarm fire that break out in oakland at 50th avenue near international boulevard. the flames could be seen shooting through the roof the two-story home. cries put out the fire in half an hour. no word on a cause. no word open injuries. >> i am katie marzullo here for kristen sze. mike nicco is here with the weather. >> good news this morning. cloud cover not so extensive as yesterday. drizzle is hard to find but along the coast. the fog could form in the north bay valley. whether should not be a big

factor. we will breakdown what will happen this afternoon. first by looking off sutro tower, a beautifully clear sky with haze out there, and with the marine layer this morning. we do not have a "spare the air" day. the first forecast this afternoon, inland from 82 in the north bay to 91 warm sunshine in the east bay valley and breezy an the bay this afternoon, 70 to 81 and at the coast into san francisco, a lot of sunshine at 62 to 68. how about the morning commute? leyla gulen? >> good morning, everyone, in the east bay we have construction that will block all lanes westbound 80. you will find construction crews until about 5:00 this morning. right now we are looking at clear conditions with detours in place and you can make it over to the bay bridge. right now the bay bridge is light moving over to the toll and into san francisco. the nimitz and 580 toward

emeryville is looking clear. now a look at the san mateo bridge and traveling along westbound direction from hayward to foster city is not a problem. we have some folks over at the high-rise but everyone is moving at top speeds. >> we have developing news from danville where there was a deadly accident involving three teens before 9:00 last night. police say three teens were in the car. one died at the scene. the other two were taken to the hospital. their identities are not released. we are working to get more information on the story and kira klapper arrived on the scene and will have the latest in a few minutes. >> new developments in the massive wildfire near yosemite national park. officials are gaining ground on the blaze. officials say the rim fire continues to grow in size but containment numbers are up. the fire has burned 160,000 acres sin it break out ten days ago and now 20