right now on "america this morning," the investigation into the july 4th parade shooting near chicago revealing new details about how the suspect was able to buy guns despite his troubled past. what his father is now saying about why he sponsored his son's gun permit. also, the alleged july 4th mass shooting plot foiled in virginia. what police are saying about the two suspects in the country illegally. wnba star brittney griner's trial resumes in russia this morning hours after this rally held by her team and fans. why a call from the white house to griner's wife is causing controversy. cashing in, from airline pilots to lifeguards, the big pay raises being offered to workers who are in demand. caught on camera, a worker seen dangling from a construction crane high above toronto.

>> oh, my god. hang on. hang on. >> what authorities are saying about this video. a developing story, the new bombshell report concerning elon musk. and later a boy in a kayak gets a whale of a surprise. his mom watching from shore. what happened next? good thursday morning, everyone. we begin with the investigation into the july 4th parade shooting near chicago. we're learning more about how the suspect was able to buy several guns despite his troubled past. >> his father is now in the spotlight after signing his son's application for a gun permit. the local police chief said last night that he wishes more had been done after police responded to the suspect's home back in 2019. >> they've now released an image of the gun they say was in his car monday as he considered carrying out the second attack

in neighboring wisconsin. >> abc's derricke dennis is following the latest developments. >> reporter: this morning authorities say the father of the highland park massacre suspect could face criminal charges for the role he played in helping his son buy multiple guns including the weapon used to carry out the july 4th attack. >> there is ongoing criminal prosecution and criminal investigation, issues of culpability, liability, who may have responsibility. >> reporter: illinois law requires a permit to buy firearms or ammunition. the suspect's father sponsored the application for his son's permit in 2020 just months after police responded to his home where he was allegedly threatening to, quote, kill everyone. police confiscated knives during that call but returned them. the father saying they were his. less than six months later, state officials approved the suspect's gun permit application because they say he had a sponsor, his father. in a statement the illinois state police saying at the time

of the application review in january of 2020, there was insufficient basis to establish a clear and present danger. >> would we have hoped and wished there would be more we could do, absolutely. but when you get called to a house, you know, and the circumstances that were presented, you have limitations to what you can do. >> reporter: an attorney for the suspect's parents saying in a statement, we can all look back and say what could we have done differently or what warning signs did we miss, and none of us know exactly what is going on with our children all of the time. on wednesday the suspect appeared virtually in court and was denied bail. prosecutors say he confessed to the attack. >> his statement was voluntary. he went into details about what he had done. he admitted to what he had done. >> reporter: authorities also revealing after the massacre, the suspect drove to madison, wisconsin, where he came across another july 4th celebration. police say armed with this firearm found in his car along with 60 rounds of ammunition, he

considered another attack. >> we don't have information to suggest he planned on driving to madison initially to commit another attack. we do believe that he was driving around following the first attack and saw the celebration. >> did something deter him from attacking, or did he appear to make a decision himself to not attack? >> indications are he hadn't put enough thought and research into it. >> reporter: we're learning more about the 2-year-old orphaned after his parents were killed in the attack. lauren silva, a complete stranger, was the one who found the boy in a pool of his father's blood and rushed him to safety. >> he had blood on his legs. he had a sock that was fully covered in blood that i wanted off of him. he just kept saying is mama, dada okay? and it was hard to look at him in the face and say, it's going to be okay when i didn't know if it was. >> reporter: police say the motive for this attack remains unclear. they're trying to determine why the number 47 was of special interest to the suspect.

it's associated with certain music. experts say it also appears in neofascist ideology, and the inverse of 47 is 7/4, the date of the attack. derricke dennis, abc news, new york. >> derricke, thank you. >> the suspect's father tells "the new york post" he spoke with his son the night before the shooting and says they discussed the mass shooting in denmark on sunday and his son said that people who carry out mass shootings only do it to provoke gun control supporters. the father also said he sponsored his son's gun permit thinking he would only use the guns for target practice. meanwhile police in richmond, virginia, say they foiled a july 4th mass shooting thanks to an anonymous tip. they say their investigation led to an apartment where they found two assault-style rifles, a pistol and 200 rounds of ammunition. two suspects are in custody. both are in the u.s. illegally. police say one of them has been deported several times but was able to re-enter the u.s. authorities have not revealed a motive.

>> there is no telling how many lives this hero citizen made, i mean, how many lives this hero citizen saved from one phone call. one phone call saved numerous lives on the fourth of july. >> see something, say something. virginia's governor called the tipster a hero. wnba star brittney griner's drug trial resumes in russia this morning. she's been held in russia since february. and now the white house is facing criticism after president biden called griner's wife. the criticism is coming from the family of another american held in russia who says they've never received such a phone call. abc's em nguyen has the latest. em, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, mona. the white house says president biden told griner's wife they're working to secure her release. it comes as more groups pressure the white house to take action. [ crowd chanting ] >> reporter: last night a rally for brittney griner held by the team she's led for nearly a decade. >> brittney griner, bg. >> reporter: the phoenix

mercury, their fans and griner's family making it clear brittney is not alone. estly can't rest she's home. >> president biden, please help bring bg home. >> reporter: day two of the wnba star's trial gets under way this morning in moscow. just days after the white house received a handwritten letter griner wrote to president biden. reading in part, i'm terrified i might be here forever. the president and vice president yesterday called griner's wife directly. the white house saying, the president called cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure brittney's release. as soon as possible. >> let's make sure this administration knows they have our support to do whatever is necessary and that we are not going to ever be quiet until she's home safely. >> reporter: but the family of paul whelan, an american detained in russia since 2018, is slamming the president saying he's never called them. whelan's sister tweeting, still looking for that press release saying president biden has

spoken to anyone in our family about paul whelan wrongfully detained in russia for 3 1/2 years. more than 1,000 black women leaders also wrote to president biden urging him to make a deal to bring griner home. she could face ten years in prison if convicted of carrying vape cartridges with cannabis oil through a russian airport. mona. >> em, thank you. a major story breaking overseas in the uk. british prime minister boris johnson is now expected to pres. he's been under pressure for how he handled a government official's misconduct scandal. more than 40 of his government ministers have quit in recent days and urged him to step down. downing street says johnson will be making a statement to the british people today. he is expected to stay on until a successor is elected. former president trump's white house counsel has agreed

to testify before the january 6t committee. pat cipollone will appear tomorrow for a videotaped interview behind closed doors. witnesses said cipollone repeatedly warned trump against efforts to overturn the election and was at the white house as the capitol riot unfolded. >> our committee is certain that donald trump does not want mr. cipollone to testify here. but we think the american people deserve to hear from mr. cipollone personally. >> cipollone's testimony may be limited because of attorney/client privilege. a major development in the fight against covid-19. the fda is now allowing pharmacists to prescribe the covid antiviral pill paxlovid. it previously was available only with a prescription from doctors, nurses or some other medical professionals. time now for a look at your thursday weather. more than 50,000 homes and businesses near cincinnati were without power overnight after at least one tornado was observed. significant damage was left behind. roofs torn off and trees down. several injuries were reported. more severe storms are in today's forecast from the mid-atlantic through the midwest

and out to the northern plains and rockies. checking today's high temperatures, heat alerts up in 14 states from texas to the carolinas. still in the 70s along the west coast. 108 in phoenix. 89 in miami. coming up, the star of a popular series on netflix is sentenced in a child porn case. but first the frightening scene, a worker is left dangling from a crane high above toronto. and later the bombshell report involving elon musk and his two youngest children.

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this was the scene over toronto. a construction worker dangling from a crane. local official are reviewing this video as part of the investigation. a spokesperson for the construction company said the worker's hand got caught in the line after hooking up a load. they say he was lowered to safety and was not seriously injured. >> incredible. back in this country, another skating assessment of the police response to the uvalde school massacre. according to a new report from state officials, an officer with a rifle spotted the gunman before he entered the school. instead of firing, the officer asked a supervisor for permission to shoot. the supervisor either didn't hear or responded too late. the gunman entered the building. 19 children and two teachers were later killed as police waited in the hallway. >> the former star of the netflix series cheer has been sentenced for sex crime. he's been sentenced to 12 years in prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a teen, among other charges. american airlines is paying

for a put aer glitch over the july 4th weekend. technical problems removed pilots from more than 12,000 flights this month. the airline says it will pay them triple pay to cover the shifts. meanwhile, united airlines says the flight issues we've been seeing won't be ending any time soon. they blame the air traffic control system. >> the faa is responsible for some of the troubles this summer and then airlines themselves probably overscheduled what they could fly. >> meanwhile, british airways is now cutting more than 10,000 flights from its schedule due to staffing issues. airline pilots have been getting pay raises and now life guards are getting a raise, too. there is such a shortage in new york city that life guards are being offered more than $19 an hour. that's a raise of more than 20%. half the lifeguard positions are vacant. coming up, the new image showing how severe the western

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just before a severe storm hit sioux falls. winds up to 90 miles per hour caused the widespread damage. elon musk is back in the headlines. a report that the father of twins. the twins were born late last year. the mother reportedly worked for the tech firm neuro link. abc news has not independently verified the report. musk has seven other children. we have dramatic video this morning of two separate rescues. in one case, a man trapped in his burning car. in the other, a woman hit by a bus. >> reporter: this morning, two dramatic rescues from situations that seem nearly impossible to survive. the first in stamford, connecticut. a 28-year-old woman trapped underneath this bus. >> the driver just came out screaming. people in the bus screaming. >> reporter: police say as the woman crossed the street, the bus driver hit her, rolling over her body, pinning her

underneath. horrified witnesses tried to calm her down. >> it was horrible. we didn't know if she would make it. >> reporter: the woman was conscious and speaking with firefighters who arrived minutes hear, and knew the only way to help was to lift the 27,000 pound bus, using high pressure airbags. >> lifting up! >> reporter: something they routinely train for. >> we only lifted that bus a couple inches. she got her arms out from underneath her. >> reporter: firefighters were able to pull the woman out. she suffered only minor injuries. not far away, in ridgefield park, new jersey -- a man trapped in his burning car as officers rushed to help. >> time definitely wasn't on our side. >> reporter: with flames coming from the hood, officers said they knew at any second the entire car could explode. so they bashed in the windows to pull him out. >> i was able to get a good grasp on his hands. and just gave him a good yank. >> reporter: the driver said his car's electrical system failed.

causing the car to catch fire and trapping him inside while smoke filled the interior. he spoke later off camera about the experience. >> i was so nervous. i was more concerned with getting out and getting away from that car. >> reporter: as for the woman stuck under the bus, she was trapped for 16 minutes before they got her out. the bus driver was ticketed for failing to stop for a pedestrian. mona? andrew? >> thank you. coming up, the bob dylan recording that could be worth more than $1 million. also, a boy in a kayak gets a whale of

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>> how many people will bid on one of his iconic song? the answer will no longer be blowing in the wind. the only recording is going up for august at christie's. expected to bring in as much as $1.2 million. >> it was recorded last year. it was the first time he sang the song in studio since the original in 1962. incredible! next, the shocking new way to stick to a diet. just use chopsticks. japan these researchers say the experimental electric shock utensils have a weak current that can increase the perceived saltiness in foods. >> they found those who used them ate 30% less salt. next, more grub for members but only if you're a prime member. >> teaming one grub hub. membership will be free for one

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>> building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news.

reggie: new details and the deadly parade shooting. prosecutors say he consider taking out a second attack on the same day. >> for us, they look like heroes, they are our heroes. kumasi: family and friends in morning. three best friends drowned while trying to save a child in the sacramento river. how they are being remembered. reggie: covid cases in the bay area searching again. what experts are saying about the increases kate -- increase of cases. first we took on the weather withdrew. drew: today is a lower humidity day, that is good news. we try comfortable conditions as we head through the day ahead. live doppler 7, we have fog out there. it is not too terrible. what we will find is we will see cooler conditions later on this morning. here's live doppler 7 along with headlights right now. there you can see the cloud cover along the coast line. patchy fog around the bay area. it is a cooler morning compared