making news in america this morning, breaking news, north korea claims its first successful launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile. the trump administration is reacting to the increasing tension overnight as the president prepares for a major international meeting. we're live in washington. and breaking overnight a budget stalemate is broken allowing everyone to go back to new jersey's beaches. governor chris christie making no apologies for his controversial time on the sand. and get ready for some extreme conditions for your independence day. heavy storms are expected across the southern plains while some are still hitting the slopes. we have your forecast ahead. and from coast to coast, the fireworks are ready for launch. we'll look ahead to the big displays honoring the nation's 241st birthday.

a good tuesday morning and a happy fourth of july to you all. i'm diane macedo. >> and i'm nick watt. we begin with another provocative act by north korea just days before a major meeting of world leaders. just hours ago north korea launched its tenth missile this year, but this one is a bit different. it could be capable of reaching alaska. abc's emily rau joins us now from washington with the latest. emily, good morning. what do we know so far? >> reporter: good morning, diane and nick. well, u.s. officials say this missile did not pose a threat to north america at any time but this is a big step. north korea claiming this as its first intercontinental ballistic missile potentially pushing closer to the goal of reaching american soil. [ speaking a foreign language ] >> reporter: the latest missile launch from north korea, an act of defiance from dictator kim jong-un. president trump tweeting, does

this guy have anything better to do with his life then going on to suggest china could take action and, quote, end this nonsense once and for all. speaking to reporters in tokyo, japanese prime minister shinzo abe said he hopes to work with president trump and south korean president moon to increase pressure on north korea. and a former pentagon official weighing in on the timing of the launch with abc news radio. >> one of the reasons they're probably doing it now is that the south korean leader met with president trump last week and former president obama is in south korea. so they're trying to send a message. >> reporter: at the u.n. on monday a representative of china said his country wants to de-escalate the situation. >> currently tension is high. sooner or later it will get out of control and the consequences would be disastrous. >> reporter: president trump will be meeting with the leaders of china and japan later this week at the g20 summit. now keep in mind this all coming just weeks after an american

college student died after sustaining unknown injuries while in north korean custody. diane and nick. >> both sure to be topics of discussion as the president meets with world leaders at the g20 summit, emily, thanks. and president trump is making some phone calls ahead of his trip speaking with the leaders of france, germany and italy. the president returned from his new jersey golf club to celebrate the fourth of july at the white house. top aides insist he has no specific agenda for his meeting with russian president vladimir putin at the g20 summit in germany. but the kremlin said putin will demand the return of two diplomatic compounds in the u.s. seized before president obama left office. and overseas, u.s. backed iraqi forces appear to be on the brink of a major victory over isis. just days away from taking back the city of mosul, but some militants are digging in fighting to the death. female suicide bombers are now being strategically placed among fleeing civilians. many of those fleeing are so malnourished and wounded that

they need to be carried to safety. and french authorities say they stopped a potential assassination plot against president emmanuel macron. a 23-year-old man said to be a far right nationalist was arrested last week. investigators say the attack was set to take place on bastille day when macron was scheduled to be with president trump. the suspect also reportedly planned to target blacks, jews, arabs and homosexuals. a fiery bus crash in southern germany has left 18 people dead. the driver as well as 17 passengers between the ages of 66 and 81 were killed. dozens of other passengers on the bus were also injured. investigators say the bus crashed into the back of a truck that slowed down due to a traffic jam. and new jersey governor chris christie has signed a new budget ending a government shutdown that closed state beaches and ignited a firestorm. a newspaper snapped these photos of christie and his family relaxing on a beach that he had closed to the public during the budget standoff.

christie brushed aside criticism as he announced the beaches are re-opening today. he said he doesn't care about political optics and will not apologize for spending time with his wife and kids. a chicago family is trying to recover from a holiday weekend boating tragedy. police say james hammond drowned while trying to save his 11-year-old nephew. the child fell out of a motorboat and into lake michigan yesterday afternoon. hammond jumped in but wasn't wearing a life vest. the child was saved but his uncle was recovered unresponsive. >> you could see the little boy bobbing in the water with his life jacket on just barely -- you could barely see him. they got out so fast and swooped him out. >> one young man fell out of the boat, and they came back and dropped him off and went back and the girl said there's somebody else. they thought there was only three. they turned back around and went and got the other person. >> the 11-year-old and two other children in the boat are okay. and boston police are so far

not charging the driver of a taxicab that plowed into a group of other taxi drivers waiting outside logan airport. ten of those drivers were injured. they had been taking a break in a special area set aside for them. officials believe the 56-year-old driver hit the gas instead of the brake. other cabbies say the man is quiet and friendly. he doesn't have a record of other violations. terrorism is not suspected. now for a look at your independence day weather. good morning. hope you're enjoying this independence day. for the forecast, scattered showers and thunderstorms rumbling throughout the tennessee valley region and leaning into the southeast down towards florida. also heavy downpours likely throughout oklahoma as well as arkansas reaching into missouri all the way up towards minneapolis and the dangerous heat persists throughout the desert southwest and throughout the west as a whole. we'll have temperatures in triple digits in montana as well as idaho and the fire concerns still a big concern throughout the day. i'm meteorologist paul williams with your forecast.

and spacex is surely hoping for some good weather today to launch a communications satellite tonight. >> last night the countdown for launching the falcon 9 rocket was again aborted just 10 seconds before liftoff. the same thing happened the night before. it may be a computer glitch rather than an actual mechanical problem. >> i wonder if they tried restarting the computer. works every time. >> funny. and around the country, fireworks producers are getting ready to launch some smaller rockets tonight. the biggest show is in new york where macy's will launch 40,000 fireworks lasting 25 minutes. big celebrations are also planned in washington, atlanta, san francisco and several other major cities. still ahead, an emotional outpouring for a missing grad student as her accused kidnapper appears in court. also, a wet landing for a group of people in a hot air balloon. their dip into a pond was actually the least of their concerns.

and venus williams breaks down at wimbledon speaking for the first time about the deadly traffic accident she is accused of causing. mom was diagnosed with alzheimer's at 58 years old. for me, it was heart-wrenching. bea: it takes a toll on everyone. i mean, it's a depressing disease to watch unfold before your eyes. you just don't see -- the person's soul is, like, gone. lisa: this disease just ravages a family. it changes your life. the magnitude of it is indescribable. art: now is the moment. if we work together, we can stop this epidemic. grace: contact brightfocus and learn more.

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all right, folks, we're going to get a little wet. sorry about that. >> getting a little wet was the least of the worries for the people on board that sightseeing balloon because it went down in central florida in a pond that was filled with alligators. all 17 passengers including three 8-year-old children did make it to shore safely. the sightseeing company released a statement saying in part, we know this has not been the fantastic experience we were looking for. and the man accused of kidnapping a chinese grad

student will be back in court tomorrow for a bond hearing. yingying zhang has been missing for almost a month. officials don't believe she is still alive. the alleged kidnapper, brendt christensen, was in federal court yesterday watched by dozens of members of the university of illinois community. >> everybody is stunned. i've gotten many, many e-mails from graduate students and faculty expressing disbelief. >> he's been charged with kidnapping and, if convicted, the penalty is up to life in prison. >> christensen was seen at a vigil last week for zhang. he reportedly was already under surveillance at that point. his attorney says the public has not heard the whole story and people should keep an open mind. a gunman is dead after trying to hijack a helicopter. police say he arrived at a small airport in portland, oregon, and ordered a flight instructor and student to get out of the chopper, but officers arrived before he could take off. he then tried to run away but after a confrontation with

police was shot by an officer. he later died of his wounds. it's not known why he wanted to steal that helicopter. and houston police were forced to confront a naked man armed with a pesticide sprayer. the man sprayed the officers in the face then even slapped one of them. the officers then tased the man and arrested him and those officers are now being praised for their restraint. that man's court appointed attorney says his client was obviously not rational. and a north charleston, south carolina, mall emptied out quickly after gunfire erupted last night. two men had apparently gotten into an argument inside a store. there was some damage but no injuries. the two men have not been found. when we come back, tiger woods issues a new statement about receiving some help dealing with pain medications. we have his progress report straight ahead. and some fun facts about the fourth of july. it's not all about fireworks. ic. we are survivors. we are survivors.

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a wildfire in western nevada has closed a section of interstate 80 overnight. officials say there's heavy smoke and poor visibility which we can see there in the video. the earthstone fire is currently at 3,000 acres. earlier evacuation orders, however, have been canceled. and that should be the only problem for drivers in the west this morning. but in the midwest watch out for flooding. roads will also be wet in the tennessee valley, the carolinas, florida and the appalachians. if you're flying, airport delays are likely in charlotte. venus williams has reached the second round at wimbledon for the fourth straight year but winning her sixth all england singles crown may be the furthest thing from her mind. >> an off-court tragedy left her in tears yesterday. abc's james longman has more. >> reporter: venus williams overcome. after leaving the wimbledon tour in victory on monday, breaking down at a post-match press conference when asked about how she's coping in the aftermath of that deadly car accident last

month that killed 78-year-old jerome barson. >> i have no idea what tomorrow will bring. there are really no words to describe like how devastating and -- yeah, i am completely speechless, and it's just -- yeah, i mean, i'm just -- >> reporter: this marks the first time williams has spoken publicly about the crash. the police report stating williams was at fault for violating the right of way of the barsons' vehicle. james longman, abc news, london. and just two weeks after announcing he would seek professional help with prescription drug use, tiger woods now says he has completed that program. >> woods announced on twitter that he recently completed a private intensive program. he admitted to problems managing medications for back pain and insomnia. the issue came to a head in may when he was arrested for driving under the influence. and nba finals mvp kevin durant is taking a pay cut most of us could only dream about.

espn is reporting that durant will agree to a 2-year, $53 million deal with the golden state warriors. he could have earned nearly $32 million next season alone but taking the discounted rate allows the warriors to keep other members of their championship team. >> how generous of him. >> what a guy. and there's some major league baseball games all day long on this fourth of july. >> and we get some highlights from some of last night's action now from the guys over at espn. good morning, america. good morning, utica. another beautiful day in utica today. >> gorgeous. >> perfect. we begin with baseball highlights. you were probably in bed when this game ended. >> and you know what, you missed maybe the most dustin pedroia play of dustin pedroia's career. this is what necessitated it. mike napoli off craig kimbrel, game-tying home run. next pitch, carlos gomez will

check swing. here is pedroia backing up the play, and they get gomez at first. look at him falling down. just the presence of mind to even be there backing up the play and then the incredible athleticism to get him at first. fast forward to the 11th. andrew benintendi got all of that one or enough of it anyway. red sox in dramatic fashion win it in 11, 7-5. nba summer league game last night, markelle fultz of the 76ers, they're playing this game in utah. fultz, 17 points in 22 minutes. jason tatum had 21 points, 11 in the fourth quarter, and the celtics win. >> happy fourth of july, everybody. enjoy the day. for john buccigross, i'm kevin connors, good morning, america. >> thanks, boys. now a bit of christmas in july. some people in california are ditching the beaches and barbecues to hit the slopes this independence day. >> yep, skiers and snowboarders are out in droves at a resort in squaw valley. it's hot enough there to wear t-shirts, shorts, even bikinis

but heavy snow from the winter still hasn't completely melted. it's not a scene you see very often. tank tops and skis at the same time. >> i like it, though. i like it. up next in "the pulse," our love affair with eating contests. a celebration of america. hot dogs and hamburgers coming up. and a big anniversary for a major achievement by nasa, 20 years to the day since landing on mars. and on our facebook page, the extraordinary lengths one hospital went to so its youngest patients could celebrate the holiday. that's on atmfans.com. that's on atmfans.com. he spent decades fighting to give families a second chance. but to help others, they first had to protect themselves. i have afib. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®...

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the contestants weighed in yesterday ahead of today's big showdown. >> the favorite, joey "jaws" chestnut, tipped the scales at 221 pounds. chestnut says most people think of competitive eating as just sitting down for a big meal but that's not how he goes about it. >> i kind of model my training similar to a marathon runner and i slowly build up to eating more and more hot dogs, train my body to tolerate it and push it to an extreme limit, so i attack the contest with -- like it's a sport, like i'm really making my body work for me. >> too bad he is an athlete. >> joey, you're not an athlete. you're not a marathon runner. i'm not buying it. i love what you do. come on, mate, enough. >> i think i know a few other people who would disagree with you also. yesterday's z burger annual independence day burger eating championship in washington, d.c. went down, and we have a winner. >> molly schuyler took the top spot there. the mother of four won the

competition for the third time eating 21 burgers in 10 minutes. >> athlete. >> athlete. >> yeah. >> marathon runner. not marathon runners. >> she trained hard for that one. all right. a more sophisticated story now. today is actually a very special fourth of july because it's also the 20th anniversary of the arrival of pathfinder on mars. >> pretty cool stuff. there were some big cheers at nasa's jet propulsion laboratory when they learned that that lander had successfully made it and it made quite an entrance, i might add. >> pathfinder bounced onto the martian surface then opened to release its sojourner rover which conducted numerous experiments before they went silent. the lander and rover sent back more than 17,000 pictures from the surface of mars. >> still sounds like an amazing accomplishment today. i wonder how they felt about it 20 years ago. >> yeah, unreal. >> big deal. finally, some fun fourth of july fun facts, shall we? did you know that only john hancock actually signed the declaration of independence on

july 4th of 1776? all the others signed later. >> okay. >> thanks, procrastinators. >> and there's going to be plenty of stars and stripes today. >> really? >> right there. >> all right. >> i think this is fitting, you in the stars and stripes and me looking kind of old and british in a gray suit. i think it works. anyway, there were 13 stars on that original flag in a circle so that the colonies would all appear equal. >> all right, and we'll also consume approximately 150 million hot dogs today. >> whoo-hoo. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened.

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♪ gn morning, south bay,y, les get up and get going. >> this is abc 7 mornings. . good morning and happy fourth of july to you. we're all here except for jess kwa she's celebrating elsewhere. hope you're doing well and hope that you're ready for a good forecast for. >> for the most part, yes. unfortunate lit closer you are to san francisco the more likely you're going to have fog in your fireworks works. we'll talk about that. let's talk about what to expect right now as you step out there. some thicker fog around santa rosa and panta luma but now you're up to four and 3 miles respectively but it could have moved away from our reporting stagsz. look how cloudy it is the gray and white. temperatures in the mid-50s to low 60s. at noon, some 80s inland already, 60s and seftd around theboy boy, and then you can see

the clouds hug the coast at 4:00 starting to make roads inland by about 7:00. temperatures in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. we'll talk more about how that cloud cover could affect your fireworks watching in just a minute. alexis. >> good morning, and ask as you can imagine there are not many folks on the road this morning. we've got green pretty much all wait around, a little bit of fog up in the north bay but we might just mention but that's pretty much it. i think this is how it's going to be the entire morning commute. quick check of the golden gate bridge we do have some fog this morning. it's not nearly as dense as it was 24 hours ago, so that should not be a major factor either if you're one of the few heading in to work today. we'll fake a look at really light drive times in less than ten. breaking news out of contra costa county. a house fire left four people without a place to live. it started around 4:20 this

morning on shelly place near glen view road. two pets were in the house when residents started to smell smoke. they were able to get everyone out safely and no one was hurt. fireworks were not to the blame. police are searching for a person who left a trail of blood after being shot during a possible robbery. a shooting happened just about 8:30 last night. this is new video of a scene at a valero gas station on 11th and the hillcrest. they found one swrikt who is being treated, a trafl blood was found running from the station west of hillcrest. no victim was found. we do have a call into antioch police and we're waiting to hear back from them for more information. the alameda county fair is promising amazing fireworks tonight, but don't get there after 6:00 p.m. they're closing the gates way before the show to make sure a wave of people don't inundate the fairgrounds at the last minute. abc 7 news reporter tiffany wilson is live in pleasanton for us.

>> reporter: hi there. happy fourth of july to you. as you mentioned, tonight it is all about red white and boom here at the almadeya county fair. if you want to see those fireworks first hand you do have to get here early, like 3.5 hours before the show begins. all parking and admission gates will close at 6:00. that's to help reduce traffic and prevent crowds of people from arriving right before the show. it took some families nearly two hours just to leave the fairgrounds last year. >> by the time the fireworks start, there's a lot of people. so we actually try to get out of here before the crowd starts to build. >> this year to sfleent same sort of backup, the pleasanton police department has partnered woerj agencies to create a traffic plan to help cars leave the fairgrounds right after the fireworks show. traffic exiting the fairgrounds will be directed along specific routes to the freeways based upon which gate you leave so you want to check that out before you enter. the fireworks start