happening now in america this morning, life-threatening heat. a potentially record-breaking summer scorcher on the way. 170 million americans, more than half the country, under heat alerts. several children at this camp sent to the hospital. just how hot it will get and how doctors, power companies and police are bracing for the worst. breaking news, at least a dozen people are feared dead as fire rips through this animation studio. was the fire deliberately set? the new rallying cry in the race for 2020. [ chanting "send her back" ] the crowd chanting send her back as president trump escalates his attacks on a minority congresswoman he says unfairly criticized the united states.

area 51 bracing for an invasion. the social media campaign the air force does not find funny. the new warning and -- >> our phones have been ringing off the hook. >> -- how a small nevada town is trying to prepare. plus, bizarre new deals about accused sex trafficker jeffrey epstein and the polo shirts he refused to wear more than once. and later the promise of free beer for life if you can find a bar hidden in the woods. good thursday morning, everyone. thanks for joining us. we begin with that oppressive summer heat that's already gripping more than half the country. >> forecasters say the dangerous hot, humid conditions will break records and will likely last through the weekend. watches and warnings have already been issued in at least 28 states and the heat index or real feel conditions will be well into the triple digits. >> abc's mona kosar abdi begins our coverage from washington,

where, mona, you guys are feeling the heat down there. >> we sure are, janai and kenneth. temperatures right here in the nation's capital already soaring. experts say the combination of sunshine, high temperatures and humidity can prove life-threatening in the coming days with children and the elderl this morning, a dangerous and widespread heat wave spreading across much of the united states leaving more than 170 million people exposed to the hottest weather of the summer. new york, philadelphia and the nation's capital already under a heat emergency. >> new york city hasn't seen a 100-degree temperature since 2012. i really think we'll get close this weekend. >> reporter: meteorologists calling for d.c.'s feels like temperatures to feel almost as hot as death valley, and in the upper midwest milwaukee's mayor getting the word out about cooling stations. >> we're very, very concerned about people with physical challenges. we're concerned about the elderly. we're concerned about children. >> reporter: meanwhile, emergency rooms are on alert bracing for an influx of heat-related emergencies. >> the heat is really something

that is -- can suffocate you you could develop some symptoms especially if you don't have a plan. >> reporter: the heat and humidity already taking its toll on some summer campers in newington where seven children were brought to the hospital because of dehydration and heat exhaustion. >> it's very important to hydrate your children two hours before they go to an event. >> reporter: the conditions particularly dangerous for outdoor workers. and although their work must go on, john weidel of superior roofing in chicago says they still try to take every precaution they can. >> we let the guys take as many breaks as possible, myself included. make sure we have plenty of water with us up there. >> reporter: again, extreme heat can pose serious safety concerns so it's important that you stay hydrated. experts actually say if you're feeling thirsty, you're already dehydrated. also, you need to find a local cooling station. a good idea is a public library o ecaybe an indoor mall and rlilen as well since both, again, are particularly vulnerable, janai and kenneth.

>> good information. people have to stay vigilant in this heat. mona, thank you. and we're following breaking news overseas. at least 20 people are presumed dead after fire spread through this animation studio in kyoto, japan. officials say a man burst into the building, set the fire and used some kind of liquid to fume the flames. dozens of other people are injured or missing, possibly trapped in the building. the suspect is in custody. there was no immediate word on a possible motive. now to president trump's stepping up his attacks on four minority congresswomen after saying they should go back to their countries. last night he held his first campaign rally since the firestorm over his racist tweets and he focused on one congresswoman who was born in somalia prompting the crowd to start chanting send her back. at his campaign rally, president trump stepping up his attacks

four democratic congressweapon. >> representative ilhan omar -- [ chanting "send her back" ] >> reporter: the crowd breaking into a chant of send her back referring to minnesota congresswoman ilhan omar, an american citizen who emigrated from somalia as a child. it comes just three days after the president's racist tweet calling on the four lawmakers to go back to the countries they originally came from, even though omar is the only one of the four not born in the united states. >> if they don't love it, tell them to leave it. and now watch, i'll go back tonight. oh, sir, that was so controversial. sir. no, i'm just saying it's their choice. they can come back when they want. but, you know, they don't love our country. >> reporter: overnight omar responded by invoking maya angelou tweeting, you may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still like air i'll rise. but trump supporters at the

rally told our terry moran the president's tweet was about patriotism and not race-baiting. >> do you think what he said was racist? >> no, i think he would have said the same thing about them if they were white or any other color. >> go back to your own country. >> yeah. he was referring to their beliefs, not their color. >> reporter: meanwhile back on capitol hill, the house has rejected a texas democrat's effort to impeach the president. leading democrats say they're waiting to hear former special counsel robert mueller's testimony first before deciding to take any action. mueller will answer questions from lawmakers about his investigation into the trump campaign and russian meddling in the election. and one other development from washington, the house has voted to hold the attorney general and the commerce secretary in criminal contempt of congress for blocking an investigation into the census. commerce secretary wilbur ross called it silly political theater. a judge is expected to

decide today whether to grant bail to financier jeffrey epstein as he awaits trial on sex trafficking charges. new details are emerging about epstein's secret life on his private island in the caribbean. a former contractor tells abc news he saw groups of teen girls constantly visiting the island without supervision. he also says epstein had peculiar habits like keeping stacks of brand-new white polo shirts wearing them only once and then giving them to housekeepers to use as rags. also new video has surfaced showing donald trump and epstein partying with cheerleaders in 1992. the president recently said, he wasn't a big fan of jeffrey epstein. prosecutors in massachusetts have dropped the groping case against actor kevin spacey who is accused of getting an 18-year-old man drunk at a bar. the case unraveled after the accuser refused to testify about a missing phone. the defense said the phone contains information that could prove spacey is innocent. spacey is still facing other allegations of misconduct, but no other criminal charges have been filed. thousands of protesters

demanding the resignation of puerto rico's governor faced off with police overnight. pop stars including ricky martin had joined the march to the governor's residence protesting government corruption. that's when police say demonstrators set off fireworks. officers deployed tear gas to clear the streets. abc's victor oquendo is there. >> reporter: we're in the middle of this march from the capitol to the governor's mansion. you can hear them chanting, calling for the governor to resign. everyone we heard from says the same thing. they say they do not trust the government. >> protests have been mostly paceful, but as a precaution more cruise ships are changing their routes. >> we told you it's going to be hot, but now let's get a closer look at your weather forecast for this thursday morning. >> good morning. another dangerously hot and humid day on tap across the plains into the midwest with high temperatures pushing 100 degrees in spots. once you factor the humidity

real feel temperatures upwards of 110 degrees. even though it won't be as hot in the northeast, still lots of humidity. we'll need to watch out for a couple of spotty thunderstorms with heavy downpours as well and even across the northern tier from the great lakes into the upper plains. a couple of spotty storms possible as well. i'm accuweather meteorologist adam del rosso. coming up, the new plan to teach all children about mental health in school. also ahead, the dramatic video of people trying to save this group of whales that got stranded on a georgia beach. the latest on efforts to rescue them. and this house was on the market for only $10. so why didn't anyone buy it?

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good samaritans on the beach rushed in to save them. three whales died but officials say their human helpers likely saved dozens of others. at last check the whales were six miles from shore heading for deeper waters. >> good work there. well, congress is hearing from family members of people killed in those two recent boeing 737 crashes. they're demanding changes in the faa procedure that allows company employees to inspect planes as they're built. a canadian man who lost his wife and three kids in the crash in ethiopia claims boeing has been negligent. >> if boeing's wrongful conduct continues, another plane will dive to the ground killing me, you or your children. it is you who must be the leaders in this fight. >> the victim's relative also wants pilots to be retrained on the new flight control software that was activated in both crashes. florida's top education official says a new effort to

address mental illness in the classroom is a life saver. public school students will now be required to have at least five hours of mental health instruction beginning in the sixth grade. the new requirement will help kids identify symptoms of mental illness and teach them to help others who may be struggling. encouraging news in the opioid crisis. drug overdose deaths dropped by 5% last year. the first drop since the 1990s but experts remain cautious saying the government data is only preliminary. the russian company behind that new faceapp is trying to ease concerns about privacy. app users upload their pictures then make themselves look older or younger. some lawmakers are calling for the fbi to investigate how the app collects data and the democratic national committee is urging presidential candidates not to use it. the app's russian parent company says user data is never transferred to russia and the company insists the app cannot access the other photos on your phone. a house hunting bargain in

new jersey slipped through everyone's fingers. the 4,000-square-foot home in montclair built in 1906 was listed for only 10 bucks, but the buyer would have had to move the house from the property and pay a hefty price for relocation. that's because of a previous deal with the developer, so now the house has just been demolished. >> and you know montclair is a nice area. just saying. coming up, the brazen way aa hungry bear broke into a house. also ahead, a man wrongfully convicted of murder is finally free after 23 years. his surprising message to the public. but first a new warning from the military as a massive crowd allegedly plans to storm area 51 searching for alien life. diab- why think about your heart? lower a1c helps, but type 2 diabetes still increases my risk of a fatal cardiovascular event. and that's why there's jardiance- the first type 2 diabetes pill that offers a lifesaving cardiovascular benefit for adults who also have known heart disease. it can significantly reduce my risk of dying

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>> yeah. meanwhile, a woman in lake tahoe kept the camera rolling as a bear tried to break into her cabin. it managed to stick its nose through an open window. a police officer later scared it away. >> those bears. well, next to a facebook event getting the attention of the u.s. military. more than a million people have now signed up to storm area 51, the top secret base in nevada that some say is home to alien secrets. >> many people are calling the facebook event the biggest joke in the galaxy. but the town near the base and the u.s. air force are not laughing. this morning, a tiny town in the dusty desert preparing for invasion. >> i hope there's not that many people that are saying they're going to be here. >> reporter: people all over the world are asking about rachel, nevada, a 15-minute drive from area 51. >> our phones have been ringing off the hook. >> reporter: there's a restaurant, one bar and the only hotel called little a'le'inn has only 13 rooms. >> is a full size bed okay for

the two of you? >> reporter: now the town with a population of only 56 is buzzing. >> a million said they were interested and another million said that they were coming. >> reporter: it all started nearly a month ago when someone organized an event on facebook inviting people to storm area 51 on september 20th to, quote, see them aliens adding if enough people turn up, there won't be enough guards to stop everyone from getting in. the base is considered a fortress of government secrets. the gag seen as a joke at first has attracted real world enthusiasts with 1.5 million people signing up. the event getting more attention this week when rapper lil nas x posted a meme with an alien and released an animated music video featuring area 51. ♪ yeah, i'm gonna take my holster to the old town road, i'm going to ride till i can't no more ♪ >> reporter: but the air force is not seeing the funny side issuing a new warning that the military is ready to protect america and its assets.

>> why can't it be possible? >> reporter: no one knows how many people will show up september 20th. for the residents of rachel, a town full of believers, all they can do is wait. >> all we can do is what we can do. nothing more, nothing less. the plan has been traced back to three anonymous facebook pages. the air force says it discourages anyone coming to ang area where armed forces are trained. a man who spent two decades in prison for a crime he did not commit will finally be free. christopher tapp was exonerated in the 1996 rape and murder of an idaho teenager after new dna testing showed he did not match the evidence from the crime scene. now another man has been charged with the murder and tapp is looking forward to a second chance at life. >> it's a new life, a new beginning, a new world for me and i'm just going to enjoy it every day. but i will still continue doing what i've been doing, going to work and living the

life i should have been living for the last 22 1/2 years. >> so much positivity and optimism. tapp had a message for the public after all these years. he says he hopes no one ever forgets angie dodge, the victim in the case. don't go looking for a manhole in berkeley, california, and you're not going to find any other firemen or any other gender pronoun names. they've all been formally eliminated from the city code. that means manholes will now be called maintenance holes, firemen or women will be firefighters, and manpower will be referred to as human effort. it will cost about $600 to make the changes to the city code. >> and we're no longer calling it history either. herstory. >> sheroic. up next in "the pulse," how you can get free beer for life. also ahead, the controversy over a possible change coming to instagram. plus, the german shepherd becoming an internet star. u quit slow turkey. along with support, chantix is proven to help you quit. with chantix you can keep smoking at first

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♪ it's time to check "the pulse," and we begin wit the co tests of a new feature that will hide the number of likes to everyone but the poster. the idea is to reduce feelings about low self-esteem and inadequacy, especially in young people. >> a recent british study found that instagram is the most hurtful social networking app for young people's mental health. >> and let's get some likes to this one right here behind us, though. >> i don't even think i like this one, guys. >> i like it. so next a great way to explore nature and win yourself free beer for life. >> all right, anheuser-busch has announced a promotion for busch light saying it will build a pop-up bar in a national forest somewhere in the united states on saturday. >> the person who finds the bar will win free busch light beer for the rest of their life. i'm not going to shade busch

light. i'm not going to do it. i'm not going to do it. so from free beer to ice cold beer, a boy in utah is reminding everyone to read the fine print. >> the 11-year-old held a sign reading ice cold beer for sale. the stand caught the attention of neighbors and police, but if you look closely the word root is written very small above the beer. >> good marketing. one officer called the marketing ploy brilliant and said the boy's business is booming. >> but does he have a permit? just asking. >> all right. finally the german shepherd that's become an internet star. >> joe corsi posted the video on -- this is good -- on facebook. a motion detector on his security camera picked up something. the camera turns to see what it is. oh. >> hey, sasha. >> hey. >> yep, that's corsi's german shepherd sasha curiously staring into the camera. >> thinking, wait, who's on duty here? is it you? is it me. >> what is this all all

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home instead senior care. to us, it's personal. making news this morning. a tax on uber and lyft rides a step closer to the november ballot in san francisco. the goal, to help cut traffic congestion. in squlap pan, 30 people are dead in an arson attack. the target, an animation studio. democrat tom steyer making his first visit since launching his presidential campaign. good morning. welcome. it is thursday, july 18. >> 4:27. meteorologist has a look at your d day. >> you'll notice a little difference, a cooler breeze but you won't feel it this morning. temperatures in the mid 50s to

mid 60s. it's during the afternoon hours where the 90s are just about wiped off the map save ukiah at 92. mid to upper 80s in the east bay valleys. low to mid 70s around half moon bay, san francisco and richmond more in the 60s. so far so good for the morning commute. we're in the seeing major problems. just checking on our usual slow spots, the only two we normally have at 4:28 in the morning. cash lanes at the bay bridge toll plaza, a stakeup on either side. metering lights we should have an hour to go before they flip those on. yesterday it was about 5:21. expecting the same today. slowly filling getting out of the tracy area, 32 miles an lour on westbound 205 and 57 miles an hour on 580. those volumes picking up, but that's about it. new developments on a proposed uber and lyft tax. san francisco voters will decide if they want to

eired >> supporters say the money is needed to fight congestion. nbc 7's jobina fortson is live at sf rte good morning. sometimes it feels like your uber or lyft from the airport to the destination is pricey enough. what do you think about an additional tax on top of that? it's looking like a real possibility. you may see it on the november ball ballot. san francisco supervisor aaron pes kin introduced the proposal t. board of supervisors budget and finance committee approved the tax and the full board is expected to vote next week to put it on the november 5th ballot. the main reason for the surcharge is to cut down on traffic congestion. uber and lyft are supporting the measure, too. it would add 1.5% to shared rides and a quarter percent on all other wieds in san francisco. all electric cars would have a

1.5% surcharge for the first five years. the money would fund transportation and safety improvements. if you look at my phone here, i tried to domylfits right now $3 from the airport to the station right now. with the surcharge it would add an extra dollar to that total price. if this all goes through, it will be in ef fact by 2020. live in sfo jobina fortson, abc 7 news. >> a dollar is still a dollar. >> it's true. it's 4:30 in the morning. if you're just getting ovjoinino us, let's get over to meteorologist mike nicco. >> the winds have picked up through the delta. fairfield 31, coming out of concord 21. stronger sea breeze out there. more cloudiness. i actually ran into a little drizzle in san francisco.