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tv   ABC World News  ABC  July 26, 2015 5:30pm-6:01pm PDT

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us at 5:00. see you at 6:00. welcome to "world news tonight." lost at sea. two 14-year-old boys setting out on a fishing trip. vanishing hours later. the pleas from their desperate families, and the massive search to locate them. tonight, the disturbing find. plan to kill. the journal belonging to the movie shooter gunman. details of his sinister plan inside. as families prepare to say good-bye to the two young women whose lives he took. up in flames. the fast-moving fire at a las vegas hotel. 14 stories high. a rooftop pool turned into an inferno. new details from the high-rise firefight. highway danger. the giant automaker and the record fine. the safety violations involving 11 million vehicles. millions of them are still on the road. are you driving one?
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and, what a tip! the waitress who picked up the tab for two firefighters after their battle with a massive blaze. and what they did for her after her random act of kindness. good evening, thanks for joining us on this sunday. i'm tom llamas. we start in florida, two families holding out hope after their sons disappeared. the two 14-year-olds set out on a fishing trip on friday. their fishing boat, equipped with a single engine. their families joined by nfl great joe namath on the search. late today, the coast guard finding something miles away, in the middle of the ocean. kendis gibson with the story. >> reporter: tonight, an ominous clue in the search for two missing florida teenagers. the coast guard confirming a boat discovered overturned and damaged 67 miles off the coast of central florida, is the same single engine vessel the teens
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set out on two days ago. but no signs still of austin stephanos and perry cohen. >> it's unimaginable for any parent to have to be faced with not knowing where your child is. >> reporter: the 14-year-olds left their home in jupiter, florida, friday morning to go fishing in a nearby inlet. but by midday the duo was text messaging friends, and posting on snapchat, saying they were heading to the bahamas. at least 75 miles away. they have no gps aboard their boat. >> we will do anything to get our children back. >> reporter: the boys last spotted buying $110 of fuel at this marina. their panicked parents calling authorities. joined today by friend and neighbor, hall-of-famer joe namath, who has helped the family, raising a $100,000 reward for their safe return. local boaters on the lookout. today's discovery, more than 150 miles north of where the boys departed, consistent with the gulf stream currents. the coast guard search area now spanning more than 25,000 square miles with boats and aircraft. that search planned to go through the night.
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it's a race against time to find these boys. at one point, the families had their own planes and boats searching for the pair. tom? >> so many volunteers trying to help out as well. thank you. and in louisiana tonight, the families of those two women killed at a movie theater are preparing to say good-bye. their funerals take place tomorrow morning. and today, prayers at places of worship there in lafayette and across the country. but we're learning that the gunman kept a journal. in it chilling clues about what he wanted to do. ryan owen in louisiana for us again tonight. >> reporter: he planned it, and even wrote it down. that's the conclusion police have come to after reading the journals of john rusty houser. >> he made comments he was coming, it was written down, the time, everything. 7:15. >> in that journal?
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>> in that journal. >> reporter: detectives found those journals along with wigs and glasses, disguises inside his motel 6 room. he had been living there most of this month. and also revealing he visited several local movie theaters before settling on this one, perhaps because they don't have security on thursday nights like on the weekends. >> need you out to the grand theater, an active shooter out there. >> reporter: police say he parked his car right next to the emergency exit. hoping to make a quick getaway. but officers got there so fast he ran back in and took one more life -- his own. houser had a long history of mental illness. his own family had him committed. despite that, he was able to legally buy a gun at an alabama pawnshop. >> we must choose life when others have chosen death. >> reporter: at sunday services in this deeply religious community, prayers for the nine injured and the two killed,
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jillian johnson and maycie breaux. >> please pray for us and jillian's family, the other victims who were shot. >> reporter: the funerals, tomorrow. meanwhile tonight, only two shooting victims remain in the hospital. and both are in good condition. tom? >> thank you. and next to the battle against wildfires. california in the cross hairs tonight. overall, 24 burning in five states, take a look at that. the fires near sacramento forcing families out of their homes. leaving hundreds of others on edge. here's clayton sandell. >> reporter: tonight, an air war. planes and helicopters knocking back flames in hard-to-reach terrain. 45 miles northeast of sacramento, they're burning so hot, you can see them from space. >> we're hitting it with
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everything we have. >> reporter: firefighters working to protect 200 structures. hundreds told to evacuate their homes. >> we decided to get home, load up the camper. this was always going to be our getaway. >> reporter: it's already been a bad fire season. 5.6 million acres this year so far, compared to just 1.6 million at this time last year. how hot are these flames burning? >> it's about 1,000 degrees celsius, or 1,800 degrees fahrenheit. >> reporter: at the federal fire science lab in montana, they study how fires spread, but they warn stopping the fires is getting tougher. more homes are built in fire zone. and more flames are being put out before they naturally burn off. dry trees and bush that can build up. >> longer, more intense monster fires. >> fires that do the kind of damage, it's very difficult to recover from. >> reporter: and the fire in california, still burning out of control. firefighters say tomorrow, strong winds could push the
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flames closer to homes. tom? >> thank you. and in las vegas tonight, investigators searching for clues on a rooftop fire at a hotel. guests rushing away from this fire that sent black smoke across this famous skyline. tonight, new details from the frightening moments after the fire broke out and the battle to contain it. alex perez is there. >> reporter: tonight, new images of that fast-moving fire that destroyed part of the pool deck at the trendy cosmopolitan hotel on the vegas strip. you can see the flames as firefighters worked to contain it. >> unbelievable. unbelievable. >> reporter: plumes of dark smoke filled the sky within minutes. helping fuel the blaze, artificial palm trees and cabanas. >> the artificial material is what made this fire dangerous. it's very toxic. >> reporter: just after noon saturday, a small fire quickly became a towering inferno. kristen reynolds, one of a few hundred people on the deck. she says hotel staff quickly directed everyone to the stairs.
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the crowd scrambling 14 stories to safety on the ground. >> i remember hearing people screaming as we turned to run to the exit. we could feel the fire behind us. >> it is so bad. >> reporter: the images a frightening reminder of the blaze that killed 85 at the mgm grand in 1980. >> fire swept through the lower floors of the mgm grand. >> reporter: this time, no serious injuries. authorities crediting sweeping changes made since then, including mandatory sprinkler systems. in less than 24 hours, the pool is open, and the huge burn area is behind this wall. authorities now working to pinpoint what exactly triggered all this. and investigators tonight say they have narrowed down the origin of the fire to a ten square foot area they are now analyzing for clues. tom? >> thank you. and two are dead after a boating accident near baltimore. it happened near the francis scott key bridge at 3:00 a.m. in the morning. it hit that structure in front of the bridge, there to direct water traffic.
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the boat towed back to shore, six injured, the bodies of two women recovered from the water. next, to fiat chrysler, agreeing to a million-dollar fine. also agreeing to make repairs to millions of vehicles. the department of transportation revealing what led to this massive fine. here's david kerley. >> reporter: the government had to go to the expense of these crash tests, because fiat chrysler refused to share its data. one of nearly two dozen recalls. 11 million cars. the government says chrysler botched. some jeeps, dodges, chrysler cars still on the road with bad axles, ignition switches, electrical problems. fixes that didn't work. consumers not notified. inconsistent, insufficient, and inaccurate information given to the government and consumers. >> there's no way to defend what fiat chrysler was doing. and whether it's a matter of
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commission or omission the reality is that consumers were not protected in this situation. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview, secretary foxx tells us he is slapping the biggest civil fine ever on a car maker. $70 million in cash. $20 million to fix the problems. and if fiat chrysler doesn't perform, it could face another $15 million. potentially, a $105 million fine. was fiat chrysler just a bad actor when it comes to recalls? >> well, this is a good example of how not to do a recall. >> reporter: fiat chrysler says, "we accept the resulting consequences with renewed resolve" to improve how it handles recalls. as part of this record agreement, the car company may have to buy back more than 500,000 cars. david kerley, abc news, washington. let's turn to politics now. donald trump, still ahead of the pack. his tough talk and brash manner
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clearly winning fans. the big question now, can it last? a new poll making it clear, a lot of people hope it does. here's devin dwyer. >> reporter: tonight, donald trump's tough talk appears to be doing the trick. 52% of republican voters in a new national poll hope the billionaire businessman stays in the race. this, despite outrage over his recent ridicule of immigrants and former p.o.w. john mccain. >> he is basically selling fear and prejudice. >> reporter: the test for trump -- can he sustain the surge? four years ago, it was texas governor rick perry leading the field of gop candidates. a month later, businessman herman cain, catapulting to the front of the pack. both eventually dropped out. mitt romney becoming the nominee. >> thank you, everybody. >> reporter: for now, trump will be center stage at next week's first primary debate. but he's already trying to keep expectations low. >> i'm not a debater. i never did that before. i don't know if i'm going to be good. i don't know. i have no idea. i've never done it before. >> reporter: trump's 15 republican rivals are duking it out for one of just nine spots on the debate stage.
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some resorting to unusual behavior. like senator lindsey graham, whose cell phone destruction video went viral. >> the only way you can get into that debate is to do something outrageous. donald trump has set the bar of outrageousness. >> reporter: trump's message and tone have tapped into a deep dissatisfaction among many republican voters. but in the same new poll out tonight, many say they think trump is not likely to win the nomination. tom? >> devin, thank you. and tonight, president obama is in ethiopia. the second stop in his historic trip to africa. earlier today, he was welcomed to kenya as a native son, and the president returned the affection, but also had some constructive criticism as well. linsey davis is traveling with the president. >> reporter: after a rousing welcome by his half sister auma -- >> my brother, your brother, our son barack hussein obama. >> reporter: president obama's speech was half homecoming, half best practices for progress. >> i am proud to be the first american president to come to
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kenya. of course, i'm the first kenyan-american to be president of the united states. >> reporter: his message today to 4,500 kenyans, that kenya is at a crossroads of peril and promise. saying, in order to make more progress it needs a more transparent democracy, to change the culture of corruption and start empowering women and girls. >> imagine if you have a team and you don't let half of the team play. that's stupid. >> reporter: while he also talked about the fight against terrorism and the need to treat everyone equally, despite who they worship or who they love, the visit wasn't all business. as if a presidential rite of passage, at last night's state dinner, president obama showed off his dance moves to the music of sauti sol. similar to his predecessors who have busted a move to african music in the past. here in ethiopia, the second part of the trip, human rights is expected to be a major talking point.
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president obama is also the first sitting u.s. president to visit this country as well. tom? >> thank you. still ahead, the battle brewing over a starbucks parking space. one man who says he is protecting it from people who aren't disabled. so why is he the one in trouble? and later, the frightening scene at this small amusement park. several kids injured. it happens more than you may think. those stories, coming up.
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>> reporter: rob rowen used to go to his local starbucks in st. petersburg, florida, almost daily. but tonight, he's not allowed back there or at any starbucks location ever again. the mammoth coffee chain sending him this letter earlier this month, expelling him, and accusing him of threatening the well-being of other customers. >> the big threat i made was, i will embarrass you in front of everybody if you don't move your car. >> reporter: rowen says all he did was confront drivers who were illegally parking in the accessible spot. >> what about the well-being of the person who's handicapped who can't use that parking space? >> reporter: rowen says he's standing up for people with disabilities like his son in-law who has muscular dystrophy. he says most people he asked, moved their cars. but one woman got so angry she called the cops on him. >> i said go right ahead, and she does. the next thing you know, she's got a ticket and i'm driving away. >> reporter: it's not just rowen who's fired up. police in lafayette, indiana, were recently forced to apologize after this photo of one of its squad cars in a reserved spot sparked outrage
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online. some are even blowing the whistle using a smartphone app that lets you report violators to the authorities. rowen says he just isn't prepared to stand by and say nothing. >> i would like for starbucks to wake up and smell the coffee. we all need to stand up for those who can't. >> reporter: a representative from starbucks says they're speaking with him to try to resolve the matter. and that they're also trying to improve the parking situation at that starbucks location. >> thank you. coming up, the mystery lion on the loose. why some are saying she's not alone. as she lurks around one town tonight. our "instant index," up next. chance for you to be your best self. with over 800 skincare awards worldwide, we're devoted to creating the most advanced skincare products. we want you to turn every head
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thankfully, the injuries are not life-threatening. while smaller rides like these often seem harmless, one study found that they contribute to more than 4,400 injuries to u.s. children each year. now, to an update on the lion hunt in milwaukee. new sightings of the mystery cat that's lurking in the streets there. now police say the lioness may have been spotted with a cub at her side this weekend. now we're hearing that first 911 call from a witness. >> i'm calling to report the possible sighting of a young lion. i'm not joking, and i'm not crazy. >> they are still searching for the wildcat tonight, taking all reports very seriously. and while that lion eludes police, this little tough guy isn't afraid at all. the tiny owl, not moving one feather, standing its ground in a face-off with a colorado sheriff's deputy, who even tried to sweet-talk the curious creature. >> hi. hi. what's up? >> after winning a staredown that lasted several minutes, the owl got bored and flew off.
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when we come back, what one waitress wrote on this bill. a simple act of kindness. find out what happened next that had her stunned. a pay it forward story you won't want to miss. what happened next that had her stunned. a pay it forward story you won't want to miss. introducing otezla apremilast. otezla is not an injection or a cream. it's a pill that treats plaque psoriasis differently. some people who took otezla saw 75% clearer skin after 4 months. and otezla's prescribing information has no requirement for routine lab monitoring. don't take otezla if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. otezla may increase the risk of depression. tell your doctor if you have a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or if these feelings develop. some people taking otezla reported weight loss. your doctor should monitor your weight and may stop treatment. side effects may include diarrhea nausea, upper respiratory tract infection, and headache.
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finally tonight, a heart warming reminder of the power of one good deed. it all started with a waitress helping two exhausted firefighters. but when they got the bill, they went beyond the call of duty. here's john donvan. >> reporter: it was only a few days ago that these two guys were just liz woodward's customers. she's a waitress here in new jersey, where at 5:00 in the morning on thursday, those two guys walked in.
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>> as they walked in, they had said, i need the biggest cup of coffee that you have. as soon as they said that, i knew they had had a day. >> reporter: they sure had. one of them, paul hullings, a volunteer firefighter, had just spent hours fighting this one at a new jersey warehouse. he and fellow volunteer fireman tim young were exhausted when they stopped in for an early breakfast. >> so, we were done with breakfast and she hands me the bill and then, we had no bill. >> reporter: instead, this note -- "your breakfast is on me today. thank you for all you do serving others." the guys were flabbergasted. >> here's this waitress working the midnight shift, who knows how much tips she actually made that night. and she's thrown in her money for just a couple of regular guys. >> reporter: so they put it on facebook. it gets a lot of attention. and that's when they find out some of liz's own story. >> here's this waitress doing something so nice for us when she is the one who needs the help. >> reporter: because she's been trying to raise money for a specialized van for her dad, a quadriplegic, and wasn't even
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halfway there. but then the two firefighters posted about her. suddenly, there's close to $60,000 pledged. this is liz when she found that out. >> it's because of you guys. the fact that it's reached different states, different cities, different -- it has spread across the world. and, i'm at a loss for words, a loss for words. >> reporter: all for the price of breakfast, that started as a thank you. john donvan, abc news. >> more than $60,000 raised, she deserves it. we thank john for that story. "gma" first thing in the morning, david muir will be back tomorrow night. i'm tom llamas. good night.
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next at 6:00, a wild chase near sfo brings highway traffic to a stop and then ends with an officer opening fire. a police sergeant killed in the line of duty, honored today with the game he loved. record temperatures could be broken. abc7 news at 6:00 starts now. good evening, i'm katie marzullo. a carjacking suspect is recovering in the hospital tonight after being shot by san francisco police. the incident happened this morning near sfo on the san bruno avenue exit offramp from highway 101. cornell bernard is live with details. >> reporter: the suspect is in stable condition. the officer who fired has been placed on paid leave during the investigation. began with a foot chase and series of failed carjackings here on san bruno avenue and at
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one point the suspect asking police to shoot him. >> he had a backpack in his left hand and apparently his other hand was obscured. >> reporter: police chief says the carjacking suspect shot by one of his officers was unarmed but still posed a threat. >> it began when the man crashed this white toyota on south airport boulevard. the car was storage rom at the long--term parking branch and belongs to a woman running the marathon. a witness saw the driver leaving the accident scene carrying a backpack. a police officer tried to stop him. >> when he officer asked the suspect to place the back tach down the suspect ran. >> he ran west on san bruno avenue, where police say he attempted to carjack the driver of a red honda. officers ordered the driver to stop the driver is threatened. he can hear the original suspect telling the driver to drive. the driver refuses. the suspect

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