killing anyone. but some people think it does. good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> i'm kristen sze. abc 7 news reporter laura noh bay. s the story from the >> the original intention of the domain was information technology purposes. >> it's a websit that started adds one thing. meaning hirt-hie us, a hit, as web hit, men, the group of us. >> reporter: and turned into quite another. >> these are e-mailed solicitations from -- >> he origi origi origi origi oi over the years some inquiries have been frightening, even criminal. >> there were a few that were soliciting to have others harmed. >> reporter: in one e-mail under services requested, a man from los angeles writes, kill two people i hate, and take the car keys and deliver the car to me. some even offer suggested

methods, guns, bombs, anything or way to rem themf th solicitor seemed serious, he will start a dialogue and ask if th would like a field operative to contact them. >> the rest is history. that's when i pass it on to my network of over 17,985 field operatives in the u.s. >> who are? >> law enforcement. it he claims he's w investigators to save more than 100ke lives in the u.s., and as far away as canadand a indonesia. and though the website is not the moneymaker he hoped it would be, he says rent-a-hitman.com has provided him with plenty in return. >> if i didn't get the e-mail, somebody else might have and the results could have been completely different. lives could have been lost. >> reporter: in novato, lauraon san jose's independent police auditor has been on the job less than a year and critics are already calling for his

resignation, a video surfaced that opens h accusations of impartiality. david louie has the video and reaction to it. >> reporter: our camera was rolling when a protest rally was held two weeks ago over the death of 18-year-old anthony nunez. the incident happened two years ago. >> coming for you, you murdered anthony nunez in front of his home. >> the san jose police officers association is angry that independent police auditor did not warn them of the threat. a photo was taken of him with the group before the protest. >> he does not care that he puts officers in harm's way. it is time for him to go before he destroys the credibility of the office of the independent police auditor, and important and violation institution. he says he didn't stay for the anti-police protest and didn't hear the threat. he did spend a few minutes with them before the protest march and rally began.

>> this is a group of people who feel like they're not being heard. i wanted them to know that i hear them. i went to observe, and listen to their message. and then i left, very quickly. >> the police officers association says he should step down. chief eddie garcia isn't going that far, but is concerned that it's unfair to officers. >> i'm not going to speculate atoccurred. i'm going to continue to fight for men and women when they're right. >> he appears to havetos the confidence -- who told abc 7 news credibility depends on impartiality. i am concerned that mr. zisser's judgment undermines that. he says he won't resign. thunderstorms with gusty winds are causing concern for crews battling a stubborn wildfire near yosemite we've been following for you. crews are making little progress against the ferguson fire which forced evacuations in the el

portal trailer court area, latest totals show the fire is 7% contained and has burned more than 23,000 acres. to put the size of the fire in perspective, it's burned nearly 36 square miles, bigger than the city of concord. time lapse video of the smoke from the ferguson fire that is blanketing yosemite. but despite all the smoke the park is still open. highway 140 into yosemite is still closed, however, if you or someone you know is heading to tahoe this weekend, a little bit closer, there will be smoke from this fire and others. abc 7 news meteorologist say patel is here with a look. sandhya? that smoke on the satellite picture is pretty obvious and it's heading in the direction out of the fire, heading towards the tahoe area. we're watching that smoke moving north at times. that's why you're seeing views like this. this is at 8,000 foot level, yosemite, where it is very smokey. this is a lower elevation, smokey conditions and air

quality is suffering. an air quality alert remains in effect. unhealthful air due to the ferguson fire if you're heading to yosemite or to tahoe, be prepared for the smokey skies, and yes, there are thunderstorms developing east of the yosemite area, south of the tahoe are back with a kblecomplete look ae forecast coming up. a man suspected of robbing five area banks since june may be dead. he robbed a bank in santa barbara county today, a short time later, deputies found a man matching the description of the bandit dead from a single gunshot wound in a nail salon bafrm. he w -- bathroom. the bandit was wanted in connection with two robberies in the east bay, three in cupertino, along with robberies in southern california and near sacramento. san francisco police say auto break-ins are down 20% compared

to last year, and targeting crime trends has helped. earlier this week a jury convicted two men of stealing from parked cars at the safeway on monterey boulevard. the arrest came during an operation when police specifically focused on the store's parking lot in january. district attorney george gas conn believes one arrest can help solve many more crimes. the majority of the car burglaries in the city are being committed by a small group of people, doing this for profit, very, very efficient in the way they're doing business. what we're trying to do is when we're putting the cases together, rather than look at a single break-in or two, we're trying to identify multiples. >> one of the men convicted acted as a getaway driver. a jury convicted a woman of felony animal cruelty charges for dropping a tiny dog to its death. this man broke into a car inside

a garage in february, and a dog was inside the car, he dropped the dog from the garage's seventh floor to the street below. he's still in jail and will be sentenced next month. a restaurant near uc berkeley campus permanently lost its license to sell alcohol. police and state agents claim cafe durant repeatedly sold alcohol to people under the age of 21. it's already had its liquor license suspended twice and was fined. alameda county fire department battalion chief is home recovering with his family after being bitten in the face by a pit bull following a house fire. you're looking at a picture taken before he was badly hurt last thursday. the family has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support and get well wishes. the dog lunged at him and bit his face while he spoke to a person after a house fire in

unincorporated san leandro last saturday. the royals are coming, maybe. meghan markle and prince harry are reportedly traveling to california with a stop in san francisco next year. the two are said to be particularly interested in meeting with tech leaders here. abc 7 news reporter lyanne melendez is live in downtown san francisco. what are you hearing? >> reporter: what i want to know is do we all have of courtesy? not sure about that. this will be the couple's first official royal visit outside of the uc, other countries, of course, will be involved in that visit. but california was a must. remember, she was born and raised here in california. this morning on gma the news of the royal visit to the san francisco bay area was reported by "us weekly". >> we know they want to meet with ceos and female tech entrepreneurs in silicon valley

to raise awareness to the royal foundation and see if they can really start working more closely with them. >> reporter: it's not clear who will orchestrate the visit, but we know meghan markle is good friends with serena williams whose husband is the co-founder of reddit. >> they represent tradition within the royal family. but we've seen they're both incredible disrupters, and a perfect fit for the silicon valley. >> they want to sit down with female entrepreneurs, to encourage them in the industry. >> i would definitely imagine that sheryl sandberg, any female entrepreneurs. >> karina cabrera bell -- working moms of color with the support they need to take on leadership positions, especially in the tech industry. according to forbes magazine, women occupy roughly 11% of

executive positions in the silicon valley. >> we need help more than ever. the reality is, is that technology is one of the most important sectors right now. and we need to have more women at the table. >> reporter: charlotte schultz is the chief of protocol of san francisco and the state of california. >> all the royal family have been here, prince charles, camilla and so forth. and so we are ready for royals to come here. and so we're very happy and we'll be ready. >> reporter: we'll be ready. now, markle will spend private time in california to visit family members. now, kate middleton and prince william visited califora back in 2011. i think you'll remember that. now, they did not come to san francisco. they just stopped in los angeles. and as we all know, that doesn't count. i'm live in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> we shall see.

we'll get our banners. battling it out at at&t park. >> baseball diamonds, not a rugby environment. >> forget baseball for now, it's time for rugby, people flogging to see the first rugby world cup. some are calling it notes of nuclear, how radioactivity is ending up in california wine. robin williams' personal belongings headed to the auction block. i'm michael finney with free beverages (sound of footsteps) (sound of car door opening) (car door closes) (sound of engine starting) ♪ ♪

(sound of footsteps) (sound of car door opening) (car door closes) (sound of engine starting) ♪ ♪ rugby is growing big time in san francisco, play began in the rugby world cup sevens this morning. an international event, and wayne freedman is getting a good sense of what it's all about.

>> reporter: they tell us you have not lived until you've consumed a beer while wearing horns on your head, and drinking from one. what did that come out of? >> from an ox. >> reporter: if you seek the subtle nuances of international relations, at&t park would be a good place to visit. who is that? >> i'm sorry, i don't know. >> reporter: here come the international rugby sevens fans. we would love to be able to show you up close how the rugby sevens world cup changed the layout of this historic baseball stadium, but due to contractual restrictions the aerial sky 7 view will have to do. >> there's no planning, we just hit each other. >> reporter: and then you go to counseling? >> then we go to the pub. >> reporter: or what passes for one in america where they say our beer is weak, even when consumed from one of those ox horns. they do kind of like our garlic

fries, but our sausages, barely worth discussing. >> a special south african sausage. >> reporter: do they have that here? >> no. >> we do have sausage here. >> not the good ones. >> reporter: at least there are the games, even if we can't show them to you. as for the costumes, the united nations has nothing on at&t this weekend. if the kilt fits, wear it. are those comfortable? >> absolutely. >> depends on whether it's too hot. >> reporter: you know the next question, right? >> do we wear something underneath it? i knew that was coming. >> i'm not going to show you, but no, i don't. >> that was wayne freedman reporting. a study says radioactive particles from the nuclear disaster are being found in some napa valley wines, elevated levels of cezium, the wineries

were not named. the researchers believe the particles came from the nuclear power plant devastated by 2011's earthquake and tsunami. ingesting this can result in an elevated risk for cancer. but the researchers say the levels in the wines tested won't pose a health hazard. it's pictures like these of trash piled up around lake merritt spurring the city into action. the mayor tweeted out today that the public works department is going to increase the number of crews and extend the number of hours to clean up the garage. they will now stay open until 8:00 p.m. on saturdays and sundays to try to make the park trash free. some of robin williams' most treasured possessions are going to be auctioned off this fall. the sale will include a robe worn by daniel rad cliff in harry potter, as well as

williams' star from the hollywood walk of fame. his sculptures and artwork being auctioned off. a portion of the proceeds will benefit organizations including the juliard school. he died by suicide at his home in 2014. a youth program just wanted second national award for helping -- avoid what educators call the summer slide. they were in the park where aim high students competed for their favorite countries as part of a cultural olympics day. aim high provides summer enrichment programs at sites across northern california and enables students to stay sharp academically during summer vacation. stents of color and o bring lrg their counterparts. >> aim high began in 1986. it's the only program to win the

national summer learning tour award twice. the total of 150 organizations competed for the award. >> fantastic. here's an intriguing question, could playing video games help your child with their weight? a new study tests that question. abc news reporter kenneth moton has more. >> reporter: they're associated with sitting on the couch in front of a screen. could one form of video games be a secret weapon against obesity in children? researchers tracked the physical activity of a group of kids with obesity for one week, they then gave them gaming consoles with games that involve movement to play. half of the children were also assigned to a game squad, a th, at the end of the sick months. the kids who had a game squad lost weight, lowered their blood pressure and their level of bad cholesterol. as many parents predicted, the children who weren't being

encouraged lost interest in a few weeks. kids need adults this their squad if they're going to keep up healthy habits. >> more excuses for kids to play, right? how do you know it's summer in the bay area? look out the window and see carl the frog, no, the fog, here's what it looked like today in san francisco, berkeley and santa cruz. the summer cooling system is really visible in all the shots, especially san francisco. let's get to sandhya patel with the weekend fog forecast. >> i had a pet frog named carl. >> nobody calls carl the frog. we're going to have that fog sticking around, carl will be with us all weekend long, check out live doppler 7, the fog is with us right along the coastline and will be pushing across the bay later on tonight. we're watching thunderstorms once again in the sierra nevada. luckily the thunderstorms are bringing rain.

but, of course, if there is any dry lightning, that could trigger more fires, the last thing we need to hear. if you're heading up to tahoe, those thunderstorms are going to continue this upcoming weekend chances both saturday and sunday in south lake tahoe. be aware of that especially if you have any outdoor plans, low 80s in the afternoon, low 50s in the morning hours. right now, show you a picture that is a live picture, in a second here, but i want to show you the dew points first. the monsoon flow has been making its way up to the bay area in the form of high clouds, and when it does do that, we're noticing that the measure of the moisture in the air, the dew points have come up. in the low to mid-60s, it's feeling a little muggy out there. especially in mountain view, 64 degrees. live look from san jose camera, a shark tank basking in the sun right now. oakland, 71 degrees. really pleasant in gilroy, san jose in the mid-80s. good place to be is santa cruz, some people are just enjoying a mix of sun and low clouds.

santa rosa, 77 degrees in the 80s from fairfield to livermore, highs in the mid-60s to the mid-90s inland. and here's the south beach camera as we look towards sutro tower. wide range of temperatures from coast to inland. here's a look at what's going to happen. the fog will expand in the overnight hours going into tomorrow morning, we'll also have high clouds. you can download the accuweather app and you can keep track of your temperatures anytime you want. they'll start out on the mild side inland tomorrow, low to mid-60s, still humid in the morning, mid-50s to the upper 50s along the coast and bay where you will find the fog. drier air, not as sticky in the south bay, 85 cupertino. 90 degrees in l-- clouds and breezy conditions. downtown san francisco 69 degrees. north bay, 60s to 90s. that heat is going to ease up

around mendocino and lake countys. 84 in santa rosa. east bay, sunshine and milder weather. 74 in oakland. 84 in fremont. here's a look at the accuweather seven-day forecast, 30 degree spread from coast to inland over the weekend, and very little change for the workweek, minor ups and downs expected in the accuweather seven-day forecast. so we'll go with our typical summer pattern, from the 60s to 90s. dan and kristen? >> sandhya, thanks so much. will all right, from hot ho flowers, finney's friday free stuff. the secret recording of the president, the bombshell headline breaking today, the deadly tragedy in the water, 17 people killed, nine members of the same family. and just in, new tornadoes tonight, storm watches right now across several states. we're next. >> david, thank you.

see you then. new at 6:00, the campaign now under way to find the solution to the bay area's traffic mess. you could win a big prize if you have a good idea. you know when you're at ross and that cute dress gets even cuter? yes. or when you can say yes... to both? sure. or when you find that brand at that price? are you kidding me? yeah. that's yes for less. and that's what ross always has in store. whoa. (sighs) yes... oh, yeah. get your yes for less

at the ross grand opening on saturday in south santa rosa.

a russian fisherman on the black sea captured a massive waterspout approaching the ship. the fisherman said he could even see a second waterspout in the distance. >> his ship was damaged, but he was still able to sail back to port. but incredible video there. glad he's okay. we definitely have the friday feeling, right, because it is time for finney's friday free stuff. >> i thought it was because i said carl the frog. friday feeling. free stuff, carl the no, not really. check out some orchids. this is really phenomenal. let me show you this video. this is the orchid san francisco.com, you'll get free

tickets, the giveaway is only $5 value. the san francisco orchids in the park show is july 21st and 22nd from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. the san francisco county fair building, the hall of flowers, i stumbled into this thing by accident one time. i was in the park hiking and messing around. it's gorgeous. really, go. it's really cool. you do not have to love orchids. >> something to see. >> it is really stunning. totally cool. >> and -- >> to keep you awake, peets, check this out. it's absolutely fabulous, it is cold peet's, the first 300 of you will receive a coupon you can redeem at any grocery location. here's the thing i find pretty cool about this. i checked the calorie count, and it's only 100 to 130 calories. which i think is pretty darren good for a treat

good. right here, let me show you how to get it, go onto our website, look for the finney's friday free stuff, hook you up with both items. >> thanks, michael. moving on, why would someone pole vault from an electric skateboard? see it next. >> not a rhetorical question. first, we want to thank nan for this picture of crane creek park. look at the gorgeous colors there. share your pictures with us with the hashtag abc 7 now. >> you may see it on air or

i'm ama daetz, coming up on abc 7 news at 6:00, finding a solution to staggering rent prices. we'll show you one new idea that's generating buzz. but there's a big hurdle standing in the way. also, looking for answers at tesla tonight. the old school approach, the new wave automaker is now using to attract buyers.

from "7 on your side," the bay area man whose life was thrown into chaos after he tried to give back money that wasn't his. all that plus much more coming up in a half hour on abc 7 news at 6:00, dan, kristen. >> ama, thanks, see you then. tonight, your eyes are not deceiving you. that's a man on an electric skateboard about to vault. >> scott simpson showed this video of a french skate vaulter in germany on his twitter page. >> he broke the world record for highest vault from a skateboard. did you know there was a record? >> nope. >> he made it 6.17 meters, over 20 feet, one centimeter hire than the old record. >> france's world cup victory gave him wings for this insane launch. what do you think? >> next game sport. that's cool. >> does it give him more speed and propels him higher? >> something to do. i'm kristen sze. >> i'm dan ashley.

we appreciate your time. see you again at 6:00. tonight, the secret recording of the president. the bombshell headline today, president trump's former personal attorney, michael cohen, recorded their conversation just two months before the election as the two discussed a payment. the owner of "the national enquirer," and former "playboy" model, karen mcdougal. who claimed she had an affair with the president. the fbi seizing the recording during a raid of cohen's office and home, and tonight, the president did not know he was being recorded. the deadly tragedy on the water. tonight, the death toll rising. 17 people killed when a duck boat sinks during a violent storm. and there are reports of nine members of the same family were killed, ages 1 to 70. what we have now learned. as we come on the air this friday night, there are new twisters, and this evening, 40 million americans on alert right now.