happening now in "america this morning," the life-threatening heat wave sweeping the country is just warming up. it could feel like 116 degrees in chicago. nearly 200 million americans on alert. the biggest concern and new figures showing how historic the heat has become. welcomed home. [ chanting "welcome home, ilham" ] >> the congresswoman at the center of president trump's controversial comments fights back in front of her crowd while the president claims he tried to stop that racist chant during his rally. [ chanting "send her back" ] >> 50 years ago --

>> that's one small step for man. >> this morning we speak one-on-one with apollo 11's flight director about the near disaster that day. what worried him most. plus new video overnight, a man climbing down this high-rise fleeing a fire. a once in a lifetime opportunity, the rare sighting of what could be the biggest great white shark in the world. and middle seat makeover. the worst seat on the plane is finally getting an upgrade. good friday morning, everyone. thank you for joining us as we head into a steamy weekend. 175 million americans under weather alerts right now as a heat wave warms up for the weekend. >> today the feel like temperature in half the country will be 100 degrees. look at some of these pictures. triple digits all the way from nebraska to new york. >> but forecasters say it's the duration of this extreme heat that is the biggest concern. this morning the summer scorcher turning downright dangerous.

triple digits are expected today from the rockies to the east coast. forecasters calling it the worst heat in years. they say these conditions will last through sunday with 87 million americans living in cities that could hit record highs. >> hartford, connecticut, or washington, d.c., places that have not seen 100 plus degrees in three years. philadelphia and new york, it's been seven years. i think all four plus dozens of others are going to see that century mark this weekend. >> reporter: organizers canceled this weekend's triathlon in new york city because of the heat and after last weekend's big blackout in the big apple, the power company is insisting the power grid will hold up. >> we've got over 4,000 crew members on the ground ready to respond to outages as they occur. >> reporter: in chicago a heat index of 116 degrees is possible. commuter trains are being ordered to slow down. >> the oppressive heat will even make it harder to get around. the metro trains moving along

these lines will more slower these steel tracks expand creating problems. >> reporter: it comes as noaa releases new data showing last month was the warmest june on record for the planet and nine of the ten warmest junes on record have come since 2010. and in phoenix an air conditioner repairman has been found dead in the attic of a home. his death is believed to be heat related. so stay cool out there and we'll have a closer look at today's forecast in less than five minutes. now to president trump looking to distance himself from the ugly thing that played out at his latest campaign rally. the president said he was not happy with the chants of send her back aimed at congresswoman ilhan omar. the president claims he tried to stop the crowd, but the video shows otherwise. meanwhile, congresswoman omar is fighting back after returning to her home district. abc's mona kosar abdi has the latest. good morning, mona. >> reporter: good morning, kenneth. as the fallout continues over the president's tweets

telling four congresswomen of color to go back to countries they originally came from, the president is defending his words while distancing himself from a chant that mirrored his language. this morning, president trump trying to distance himself from a chant that erupted at his last campaign rally directed at congresswoman ilhan omar. >> i was not happy with it. i disagree with it but, again, i didn't say -- i didn't say that. they did. >> reporter: this was the moment wednesday night when the crowd began repeating, quote, send her back as trump criticized omar. >> omar has a history of launching vicious anti-semitic screeds. [ chanting "send her back" ] >> reporter: the chant playing out for 13 seconds. the president telling abc news he tried to stop it. >> i didn't like that they did it and i started speaking very quickly. >> reporter: but as you can see as the crowd grew louder, the president paused, looked around and didn't continue his speech until it died down. [ chanting "send her back" ]

>> reporter: as the president repudiated his supporters' behavior he fell short of saying he would stop them going forward. >> well, these are people that love our country. i want them to keep loving our country. >> reporter: meanwhile, supporters of omar expressing solidarity as the lawmaker returned to her home state of minnesota. >> it is really great to be home. [ applause ] >> reporter: and offering this message to her constituents. >> i know there are a lot of people that are trying to distract us now, but i want you all to know that we are not going to let them. >> reporter: and many gop lawmakers also publicly condemned the chant without denouncing the president. house minority leader unfair to hold the president accountable for the words of his supporters. >> quite a week in washington. mona, thank you. new tensions between the u.s. and iran after an american warship destroyed an iranian drone. president trump says the "uss boxer" took defensive action when the drone approached and

ignored calls to stand down. it happened in the strait of hormuz, the vital oil passageway where a u.s. drone was shot down by iran last month nearly leading to a military strike. in japan investigators are trying to figure out why a man burst into an animation production studio screaming you die before setting the building on fire killing 38 people. they say he did not work for the studio. it's japan's worst mass killing in decades. back in this country a man made a death-defying climb and climbed 145 stories down. the fire apparently started in the trash chute filling the halls with smoke. four residents and three officers suffered smoke inhalation and heat exhaustion. a close call for students heading home from summer camp in san antonio. flames engulfed that bus. more than 40 children were on board as it started to shake. the driver got everyone off when they started to smell smoke and burning rubber.

>> we moved about 100 yards away from the bus, and as soon as we got there and we were safe like the fire just like engulfed the bus. >> thank goodness they're all okay. church officials say the fire started in the engine. as promised time now for a look at your hot weather forecast for this friday morning. >> and a good morning to you once again. definitely drink plenty of water today. the heat is on. we have excessive heat watches around the new york city area across pennsylvania and back to the west as well. the heat wave continues with triple-digit heat. last time we hit it five years ago. boston, new york, philly and baltimore. it's been a while so the heat is certainly building and, of course, we always watch the real feel numbers. what it actually feels like when you step outside. drink plenty of water as it could feel like 110. for accuweather, i'm meteorologist chris nallan.

coming up, a makeover for the middle seat. the worst airplane seat gets an upgrade. but first missing in the mojave desert. the growing mystery surrounding a woman's disappearance after hiking with her husband. later the message in a bottom that's been found after 50 hmm. [cell phone beeps] hey! [police whistle blows]

[horns honking] woman: hey! [bicycle bell rings] turn here. there. excuse me. uh. uh. [indistinct announcement on p.a. system] so, same time next week? well, of course. announcer: put away a few bucks. feel like a million bucks. for free tips to help you save, go to ♪ feed the pig

these roller coaster riders near washington, d.c. spent more than two hours on this ride late thursday. that coaster got stuck near the top of the tracks at six flags, maryland. crews eventually rescued everyone, but no word yet on why that ride stalled. a bizarre accident near chicago sent one child to the hospital. the boy was hit in the head by debris that crashed down after two rides collided.

he reportedly suffered a head injury. no one on the rides was hurt. state officials are investigating. in arizona a man who wife vanished one week ago while hiking in the mojave desert says he is desperate to find her. her husband robert says after he stopped to take a picture, she was gone. he also says police told him he is a suspect in her disappearance but he denies playing any role. >> we always tell each other before we go to bed at night how much we love each other, so whoever has her, please release her. no questions asked. >> robert thomas says he believes she may have been picked up and driven away. police say so far they found no evidence of foul play. water service has been restored to the city of ft. lauderdale, florida, after a massive water main break.

the break left the entire city without water for much of the day thursday. a subcontractor hit a pipe that supplies water to a treatment plant cutting off the city's water supply. a temporary fix is expected to hold until that pipe is replaced. a boil water notice remains in effect. the friendly skies may be getting friendier for passengers who hate getting stuck in the dreaded middle seat. they may soon have a more comfortable option. the faa has just approved a new design that staggers the seats with the middle seat position slightly behind and slightly lower than the aisle and window seats. the start-up company behind the design says this configuration offers more room to spread out. at least one airplane reportedly plans to install the new seats on 50 planes. no word which airline. middle seat, not bad now. >> this is brilliant especially when people are encroaching in your space. >> i know. >> i'm already in the middle. give me some arm room. coming up, a massive marijuana bust. nearly 15 tons of it. also, it's one of the most controversial plays in sports history.

now a lawsuit over the rams/saints no call play is moving forward. one-on-one with apollo's flight director. he tells us how close the moon mission came to disaster 50 years ago today. ♪ being lost ain't never really been my style. ♪ but i told ya... yo, jer! we gotta get to the show. ♪ i was looking for a sign. get on the bus. ♪ i need something to believe in. ♪ throw my hands up to the ceiling. ♪ oh sky won't you give me a sign. ♪ tell me will the world one day ever be mine? jeep wrangler. freedom to do it all. cake in the conference room! showing 'em you're ready... to be your own boss. that's the beauty of your smile.

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are the most at risk for severe illness. help prevent this! talk to your doctor or pharmacist today about getting vaccinated against whooping cough. we're back with the new images of the moon to celebrate tomorrow's 50th anniversary of the apollo 11 landing. >> nasa released these images which have been digitally stitched together from the photos the astronauts took on the moon's surface. meanwhile, we're getting a whole new perspective of just what happened that day. abc's david kerley sat down with apollo 11's flight director. >> he described the moments of joy that nearly turned into a disaster. >> reporter: we're marking 50 years since the remarkable achievement of landing a man on the moon and the story of, houston, mission control. this is the desk of the flight director, and for many of the missions, it was gene kranz who could sit here and look up at these projection screens as man was landing on the moon.

>> we're stay for t-1. >> reporter: gene kranz was one of the apollo flight directors, one of the leaders in the room. kranz was on duty for the lunar landing. he is the one who had the final go, no go decision. >> okay, all flight controllers, go, no go for landing. retro. go. >> guidance. >> go. >> control. >> go. >> reporter: but it didn't go as planned. >> our final training run, we exercised those alarms, and i always go back and think what we would have done if we would have seen those for the first time. >> reporter: alarms dealt with but another alarming problem. the planned landing site was covered in huge boulders, so neil armstrong started flying manually. that means he's burning the limited precious fuel. >> 30 seconds. >> i think many americans sometime in their life have driven when the gas gauge in the car reads empty. that was the condition that we were on.

>> the eagle has landed. >> at the instant of landing the people in the viewing room started cheering, stomping their feet, applauding, right on down the line. >> touchdown. override off. >> okay, keep the chatter down in this room. >> -- for all mankind. >> reporter: 50 years later what did landing the man on the moon and bringing him back safely mean for the country and the world and for gene kranz? >> it really demonstrated the power of free and open society. >> reporter: gene kranz who used his experience on apollo 11 during apollo 13 when an oxygen tank exploded and there was worry of getting the crew back. as kranz told his team at the time, failure is not an option. >> stay with abc news and our streaming live channel for coverage of all the events marking 50 years since the apollo 11 mission. some heated moments on capitol hill as lawmakers discussed the crisis on the southern border. they demanded answers from the

secretary of homeland security about conditions at migrant detention centers, especially the treatment of young children. >> you feel like you're doing a great job, right? is that what you're saying? >> we're doing our level best in a very challenging -- >> what does that mean? what does that mean when a child is sitting in their own feces, can't take a shower. come on, man. what's that about? none of us would have our children in that position. they are human beings. >> a lot of emotion there from congressman elijah cummings who said the united states is the greatest country in the world and, quote, we can do better. deputies in southern california have seized nearly 15 tons of marijuana that was being grown illegally and arrested more than two dozen people and also confiscated 37 guns including rifles, handguns and a shotgun. investigators say these crops tend to be environmental hazards because the growers use illegal chemicals. turning to sport, the legal

battle over that noncall during january's nfl game is far from over. a louisiana judge says a lawsuit over the missed pass interference call during the saints/rams game can proceed. four people are suing the nfl for fraud. the lead plaintiff who is a lawyer wants to know if the officials were disciplined. the plaintiffs want $75,000 in damage, which would go to charity and the city of new orleans probably wants more than that. >> you still upset, sis? >> me? look, i'm good. >> i remember you were railing about it when it happened. >> you know. up next in "the pulse," what may be the biggest great white shark in the world. >> also, a father's inspiration. we'll visit a police department with four officers from the same family. but first '80s nostalgia kicks into high gear with the new trailer for the "top gun" sequel. (announcer) people with type 2 diabetes are excited about the potential of once-weekly ozempic®.

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yes, time to check "the pulse" starting with a need for speed. >> we're getting our first look at the highly anticipated "top gun" sequel. tom cruise showed up at the san diego comic-con and unveiled the trailer for "top gun:maverick." it is set 34 years after the first film. >> the plouffe involves cruise's maverick character as an elite flight instructor. >> you should be at least a two-star admiral by now yet here you are, captain. why is that? >> it's one of life's mysteries, sir. >> that trailer gives some clues about the movie. maverick is now a captain, and at one point maverick appears to be flying something other than

the iconic f-18 fighter jet. >> the movie hits theaters next year. >> and tom cruise still looks very young. >> off, tom. now to a special moment for some real life gun-toting heroes all with the same name. >> greenwich, connecticut, police officer michael o'connor went on patrol with his three sons for the first time all officers in the same police department and dad is retiring after 35 years on the job. >> he says he's proud his boys followed in his footsteps and they joked about a family mix-up. >> i got a check dropped off in mike jr.'s mailbox for me and because it didn't say senior, he cashed it. so he almost made 150 bucks. >> i'll pay it back. >> still haven't gotten it yet. >> yeah, dad says he tries not to worry about his sons and just tells them to be careful. he says if the department ever needs him again, hll four of them from the same

family. >> they got service from him and some good looks there. good for them. all rieeblue. >> it's the largest known great white ever documented spotted off the coast of hawaii by divers and marine biologists following tiger sharks when they spotted deep blue. >> the shark is about 20 feet long and weighs 2 1/2 tons. it was last seen near mexico in 2013. finally 50 years have passed since one boy's message in a bottle began its journey. >> this week the response finally arrived. >> finally? >> finally. paul gilmore was 13 when he wrote a note and threw it into the indian ocean. >> a 9-year-old in australia found it and threw it back in the water the same day but gilmore hasn't been told yet. >> that's because he's away on a cruise. >> oh. >> wow. >> on a cruise on the water. and what did his message say? >> fascinating. >> don't go on that cruise. >> i don't think that was quite it. >> well, that's pretty cool. i want to throw a message into the ocean. >> and what would yours say? >> it would say free the curls. >> and i would'titter,

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bryan. making news right now at 4:27, a new development in the battle over a navigation center for the homeless in san francisco. opponents suffering a setback in court. an east bay city votes to close one of its fire stations. some neighbors say that move puts them in danger. president trump now saying he wasn't happy with the crowd chanting "send her back." democrats pointing to the video saying he didn't do anything to stop it. can't forget about the giants. they beat the mets in a game that went 16 innings. >> six in a row. well done. good morning on this friday, july 19th. >> feel bad for the people that had to leave early because of b.a.r.t. this game went past when b.a.r.t. runs i think. >> yeah, it went very late. >> or just had to go to bed.

>> that, too. >> those who stayed, they were rewarded. >> congratulations. we'll have the forecast for our seven-game giants winning streak coming up. right now mid 50s to pretty much low 60s. 63 in haywood for the warm spot. 60 in ukiah. this is our coolest day moving forward. mid 60s, coast into san francisco. low to upper 70s around the bay. 80s in the east bay valleys. we'll show you the weekend forecast coming up next. good morning, mike. starting off quiet at the bay bridge toll plaza. a little bit of a backup in the cash lanes on either side. no metering lights. hopefully we can make it a few mines later since it's friday and right in the middle of summer. we do have one problem in the city. chp.ng to sort this one out with

it sounds like we have two crashes, southbound 101 around the grand avenue off-ramp. i believe we may have a lane blocked and possibly one lane of the mainline. i'm not seeing any delays in the area. one happened around 4:00 a.m., the other around 2:30. they're in cleanup mode right now. breaking news in the south bay. >> it centered around an apartment complex on north temple drive and calaveras. jobina fortson is live near the scene. >> reporter: good morning. we just spoke with police officers not long al go. they told us they responded to a call around 11:30 last night of a man assaulting a woman in the 1600 block of calaveras boulevard which is the street that intersects this roadway we're on right now which is north temple drive. this apartment you're looking into right here does belong to the suspect. police tell us that when they arrived, the suspect entered his apartment and would not leave.

the officers also tell us that he assaulted a woman with a knife. when they tried to get information from him while he was inside his apartment, he would not leave. he refused to come out. a s.w.a.t. team was called out here. officers evacuated the entire building. the suspect was described as having a large knife on him. so they believe that at the time he was dangerous. the s.w.a.t. team used flash bangs and finally were able to enter the apartment and get the suspect out without any sort of problems. he was placed under arrest. at this point police have not confirmed what kind of charges he is facing. they do say the woman involved in this case is going to be okay. she has non-life-threatening injuries. live in milpitas, jobina fortson, abc 7 news. here is a look at weather and traffic this morning. >> hi everybody. here is a look at our winds. delta breeze kicking