your television coma here are some of the top morning. more than 12,000 people have been ordered out of their homes because northern california's largest wildfire is raging out of control. over the weekend, the rocky fire more than doubled in size. how firefighters are battling the flames. a pair of explosions shook two church congregations in new mexico during sunday's services. investigators haven't said how the two blasts are linked. the jury in the colorado movie theater resuper z-deliberations this morning in the sentencing phase, whether the death penalty should be considered for james holmes convicted of killing 12 people. danger in the skies. another drone sighting dangerously close to an airline filled with passengers.

the airline said it was 30 feet away as he was landing last airport. those are some of our stories on this monday it, august 3rd. from abc news, this is "world news now" with t.j. holmes and reena ninan. >> we start this half hour with those devastating wildfires in california. >> the largest fire doubled in aggressive effort. abc's clayton sandell is there. >> reporter: firefighters are working day and night in close hand to hand combat against the rocky fire raging north of sacramento. 2,000 firefighters are trying to stop it. it's already chewed 50,000 acres, destroying at least 24 homes, threatening thousands more. the u.s. military called up two more c-130 firefighting planes from colorado sending them to california where they'll join large dc-10 tank percent right there is a dc-10. he's coming in.

he's going to drop fire retardant. this plane can carry 12,000 gallons of retardant at once. there it goes. the terrain here is bone dry. and lightning isn't helping since thursday, 13/,000 lightning strikes sparking more than 250 new fires. >> we have seen a couple spot fires and those pretty much escalated and got pretty big and took off both sides of the mountain. >> doomsday is what it looked like prosecutor than 12,000 people evacuated from their homes. david is temporarily camping in an rv with his pets. >> keep an eye when they give us the okay. >> reporter: firefighters are mourning one of their own. forest service firefighter david rhule 3 years old lost his life in northern california as he surveyed the fire zone and crews on the rocky fire in california are hoping they will get a break from the weather in the next coup of days. clayton sandell, abc news, lake county, california. they're hoping the chicago

area for a break from yesterday's severe thunderstorms. strong winds knocked down a tent at a music festival. one man was kid and more than a dozen injured. a few miles away, the dome collapsed. but there were no injuries and the lalapalooza music festival downtown had to be can haved till the storms blew over. this storm was in the northeast michigan area, knocked down trees and caused some damage but no injuries are rorred. severe storms could tlent the northeast today. accuweather's molly cochran is tracking the extreme weather. good morning. >> thanks, t.j. andreen reena. for monday the threat for strong to severe thunderstorms. it's out ahead of a cold front. i-95 not going to turn wet till monday night, but it is going to be a steamy monday. that severe weather threat includes syracuse and pittsburgh where flooding downpours and

damaging winds are some pain main impacts. across northern california, wildfires continue to burn. not the best of news monday. some gusty winds will return. back to you. >> thank you so much. we expect to learn new details today about the president's plan to tackle climate change, the most aggressive order requires the nation's existing plants to cut emissions by about a third in 15 years and places heavy emphasis on renewable energy sources. pour companies are expected to quickly challenge the plan in court. breaking news overnight. our first xwlims of hillary clinton's first tv add set to begin running tomorrow in iowa and new hampshire. it features her late mother dorothy. she may be facing a new democratic challenger, one with plenty of white house experience. >> the question facing joe biden or not to run. he's advisors telling abc news biden's political team is ramping up, clear signs that he's considering jumping in the race for the white house. >> how are you?

>> reporter: his chief of staff quietly talking to his supporters and democratic donors. in the past, biden's been clear. he's interested. >> yes. there's a chance. but i haven't made my mind up about that. >> reporter: one thing weighing on his decision. >> my father, my hero, joe bide. >> and his son beau who zydied of cancer two months ago. "new york times" reporting on his deathbed beau had a mission, he tried to make his father promise to run. biden's a tested campaigner. >> so give me a break. this would be his third run at the white house. but from his touchy-feely side to his blunt straight talk, biden is also a master of the foe paw. a biden run could complicate things for president obama, forcing him to choose between his number two and his form are secretary of state. taking sides. >> not only have i run my last last election but i am not in the business of prognosticating

future elections. >> reporter: no decision has been made yet. biden says he plans to make up his mind by the end of the summer. mary bruce, abc news, the white house. again a look at most of the republican be presidential candidates during a forum tonight in new hampshire. unlike the debate on thursday, this forum is open to all candidates who want to take part. donald trump has declined. >> a teenage girl wounded during an attack at a gay pride parade in jerusalem has died. the 16-year-old was stabbed last week by an extremist. five others were also injured. the suspect described as an ultraorthodox jush man who carried out a similar attack ten years ago. he was just released from prison last month in relation to that previous attack. malaysia investigators are hoping to find more aircraft debris after confirming the wing flap that an washed ashore is from a boeing 777. the part called a flaperon was being analyzed this week by experts in france trying to determine if it came from the

missing flight 3 0 and how it may have broken off. so far no other wreckage has been lynched to the plane including a metal object found on the shores of the island turned out to be a ladder. >> another close call between a drone and passenger jet in the nation's billion dollarsest why air space. the pilot spotted a drone about 30 feet away while landing at jfk airport last night. it was the third drone sighting near the airport since friday. the faa has lunch launched a campaign warning people from airports. and police in memphis, tennessee are trying to track down a cop killer warning he's armed and dangerous. they're looking for a man 29-year-old tremaine wilbourn. they say he was a passenger in a car pulled over by 33-year-old officer sean bolton. he allegedly struggled with the officer before shooting him multiple times. the mayor of memphis says the shooting highlights the dangers of police work and the easy access to guns. the death toll from an

outbreak of legionnaires disease here in new york city has risen to four. public health investigators look closely at fival cooing towers an as a possible source. here now abc's aditi roy. >> reporter: a growing outbreak of legionnaires disease in new york has left four dead, dozens sickened and a community on edge. and now one of the city's top health officials is warning people who live or work near the area where the latest outbreak started could be at risk. >> i was about to wait one more day to go to the hospital, and if i would have waited that one more day, i don't think i would have been here right now. >> reporter: the news comes at a time when legionnaires cases have spiked across the country in recent years. the bacteria is spread by beneath breathing in a contaminated vapor from an air-conditioner or shower. city officials have linked the outbreak to city cooling towers and they have all since been cleaned. >> it is safe to drink tap water because the disease is an airborne be disseminated condition. however, if you work in an

environment with an air conditioning unit or you're in quarters where there's a cooling system and you feel sick, it's important to pay attention to that. >> reporter: new york health officials are warning there may be even more cases that pop up this week from this latest outbreak. aditi roy, abc news, new york. it was an unusual place for an emergency landing. a coast coward helicopter ended up on a golf course in new york city. the crew was checking on an oil spill in the harbor when they smelled smoke. some of the chopper's equipment stopped working. it was a faulty alternator. a crew of four was on board and no injuries. alternator. it's hard this monday morning to say. i'm glad everything was okay with that one. >> they just wanted to get a round you have golf in. >> brought their clubs? >> alternator. no, everybody's fine on board, of course. another odd scene taking place in the usually congested streets of mexico city. some of those streets were taken over by formula one race cars. >> some of the cars from the

ferrari team showed off for thousands of fans. the whole event said to promote an upcoming formula one race. >> that race on sunday november 1st hasn't been an event in mexico city since the early 1990s. >> and the race that will be run is called the mexican grand prix. it first ran in 1962 and the last run was before this coming november. it was in 1992. coming up, more sports with reena. another victory for a triple crown winner to a wild scene on the racetrack. also ahead, they don't look like cops but they are. they're disguising themselves to crack down on a dangerous problem. >> first the robot that hitchhiked its way across canada becoming a social media sensation about human kindness. just days after it crossed into the u.s., yeah, that happened. you're watching "world news now."

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the way to whiten. this is one 82-year-old you might not want to mess with. reba shook thought her dog climbed in her bed. instead it was an inextruder. shook fought back, chased him out of her bedroom. she says she scratched him. and used some bad words. next morning, she bought a gun. we don't know where the intruder might be this morning. >> wow, that's kind of scary, snuck into bed with you. >> my goodness, she thought it was the dog, not paying attention to what's happening. philadelphia the city of brotherly love, gave us rocky, the cheese steak. >> this is also the place where stan ta claus was petted with snowballs at an eagles game. we report now an unfortunate end to a social media sensation called hit bot.

>> somehow it came to me and i'm part of this journey for this crazy robot. >> reporter: this is one of the last images of the hitchhiking robot that's become an international celebrity, a canadian experiment that tests the kind any and curiosity of strangers gone horribly wrong just two weeks into its cross-country trip. >> this is supposed to be philadelphia, the city of brotherly love. it's not robot love. >> we just picked up the robot. >> jesse wellens and always testy were the last known people to have seen hitch bot intact. theyabled across it at the art museum and posted their adventures online. >> we drove it around for a while. i tweeted out to our fans that follow me on youtube and stuff. if anyone wants to take it to its next destination. >> the two left it on a bench saturday morning hoping someone would take it to washington, d.c. but hours later, hitch bot was found headless, electronics stolen and arms ripped off. >> why you want to do that?

what did he do to anybody? >> reporter: this is where hitch bot's body was found in old city. this after the social experiment made its way through canada, germany and netherlands and just last week, new york city. new york, new york city. it went to new york city. but now it's here in philadelphia that it gets destroyed. >> i'm reallyup set. >> in the hitch bot posed for photos at radio city music in new york. the only thing more tattered han hitch bot is philly's reputation. >> somebody put a lot of work into that robot and a lot of money. it's been all over the world. welcome to philly, let us kill you. >> don't hitchhike in philadelphia i guess. >> reporter: police aren't investigating this because no police report has been filed. the canadian researchers say they want to focus on the good that hitch bot did and not the vandalism. folks here in philadelphia, they are intent on finding out who did this to hitch bot.

jeff chair co, abc news, philadelphia. >> chef cherry comakes a good point. on the hitch bot's website they say we encourage hitch bot's friends and family to do the same, remember the good times. >> the picture right there is absurd. >> decapitateing a robot. >> maybe it had an accident. maybe somebody hit it. you don't expect to see something like that out. maybe there's an explanation for it. it's possible. >> i'll give you the benefit of the night. >> i'm trying to give philadelphia the benefit of the doubt. come up, a crackdown on distracted drivers. >> how police officers are changing out of their uniforms and into disguises to catch motorists paying more attention to their text messages than the road. that's next on "world news now."

"world news now"tt0w!to$h9! %4@-41$ tt0w!to$h9! el@->6h tt0w!to$h9! ed@-84, tt0w!to$h9% )8h-xjp tt0w!to$h9% kzh-e%, tt0w!to$h9% n-h-0l tt0w!to$h9% 0ph-.+8 tt0w!to$h9% s"h->yx tt0w!to$h9% ueh-=;( tt0w!to$h9% 7hh-!9\ oh, boy, this is something interesting. catching drivers in the act of paying more attention to their smartphones than the demands of

the road is a challenge for police. >> so what are the police doing? getting creative changing out of their very noticeable uniform into disguises. here's abc's ron claiborne. >> in marietta, georgia, a construction worker wanders between cars at a stoplight. what they don't realize he's actually a police officer of looking for people text in their cars and he found plenty. >> the lexus, black female driver texting >>. >> we can actually get close enough and get into the cars and look down into them and see what people are nexting and what they're doing on their phones. >> reporter: it's a novel way to attack a growing problem, each year more than 3,000 people are killed and over 420,000 injured in in distracted driver accidents. >> impairment is still a problem but this texting is killing just as many people as drunk drivers. >> in stanford, connecticut, this officer dressed up in a survey's hat and helped nab 85

drivers in just one day. and in sbard, california, it would have been easy to miss these plainly clothed officers even though their signs explain exactly why they're there. creative ways to try to catch people doing what experts say is as dangerous as driving drunk. dwt. driving while texting. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. you feel passionate about the story. >> passionate? no. somebody's going to raise the question about what you can and can't do as an officer in terms of getting up on -- you're disguising yourself, not announcing it. they're looking into your car and seeing what you're doing and not announcings you're a police officer. that's going to raise so questions wow. >> yep. >> part of the california highway patrols. we're chps. >> apparently i was wear makeup that day. fis and neck not matching >> we're still part of the "world news now" police department. >> you know what, that works for you. that little getup.

>> that look? you like it? what does that say about you? talk about me, talk about you. >> important message for residents age 50 to 85. write down this number now. right now, people are receiving this free information kit for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with a rate lock through the colonial penn program. if you are on a fixed income, learn about affordable whole life insurance that guarantees your rate can never increase for any reason. if you did not receive your information, call this number now. your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. stand by to learn more. >> i'm alex trebek, here to tell you about a popular life insurance plan with a rate lock that locks in your rate for life so it can never increase. did you get your free information kit? if not, please call this number now. this affordable plan through the colonial penn program has coverage options for just $9.95 a month. your rate is locked in

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and i enjoy it. feel the difference with k-y ultragel. best graphic "world news now" has ever produced. >> our graphics department doesn't disappoint. >> you asked for it, no, you didn't ask for it. you demanded. once again it's time for sports with reena. another win for american pharaoh. >> his first race since earning horse racing immortality. he didn't disappoint. he came out of the final turn and aced down the stretch to take the haskill invitational in new jersey. the jockey said the win was pretty easy. the big question now, when will pharaoh race next? you know, a lot of these win the triple crown, they hang it up. you know what, it's over. endorsements, it's the big, you know, reading moment of their

lives really but we know his final pep race will likely be the end of october. looking forward to that. >> it's kind of surprising actually. you're right. they go into retirement. have a good time. might be an easy day for american pharaoh but it was a tough one for nascar pit crew members, three of them were at the wrong place, wrong time when driver brad kaz lou ski ca imin too quick. all three of them were fine. he took the blame for the accident saying he felt guilty for his team about it. it was hard for him. he recovered enough to finish second in the race and he said if it wasn't for the pit road. >> few, he thought he could have won. there's always next year. well, the nba, had its first exhibition in africa over the weekend. it was in south africa. a team of world all-stars taking on a team of players from africa or with african heritage. loudest cheer cheers were for

the nba legends dick mutombo and ha olajuwon. did i nail the names. >> we knew who you were talking about. >> they put on a great show. the world team won by four points. they all look really nicely dressed, too. okay. finally brazilian fighters is now probably thinking she's made a mistake take on ronda rousey's father's suicide. rousy needed 34 seconds to knock her out on saturday night in rio. quick fights are the norm forrousy. her previous three bantam weight. that's a very fancy word. bantam weight title defenses lasted just 96 seconds combined note to future opponents, don't anger ron danrousy. >> i wanted to get this on pay per view. her fights end so quickly, 34 seconds it was over. >> you can't go for popcorn at

>> that's always a this morning on "world news now," church blast. new safety questions after two houses of worship in one city are rocked by explosions. overnight developments as the feds move in. extreme conditions from a deadly storm hitting festivals in the chicago area. to the explosive danger for firefighters in northern california. accuweather with the latest for us. on the lookout for more clues after a boeing triple 7 part washed up on shore. what investigators are revealing about malaysia airlines flight 370. and reaching out. the baseball player who made it to the major leagues at age 19 wants young people to share his dream come true. >> it makes them think that they have an opportunity to play in the big leagues one day. that's the ultimate goal.

bryce hopper's other wish to take his washington nationals to the world series. it's monday, august 3rd. from abc news, this is "world news now" with t.j. holmes and reena ninan. well, we start now the with investigators in new mexico looking for clues after two. s went off outside la cruise ses services. >> as federal investigators move in today, worshipers describe the moments of terror and confusion after the blast. kayna whitworth has the details. >> reporter: the fbi investigating two terrifying explosions at churches in new mexico into it sounded like something fell off and shattered the glass in the back. >> reporter: 8:00 a.m. an explosion in a mailbox outside cavalry baptist church. parishioners left with their ears ringing. 8:30 a.m., just as worshipers were receiving communion, another explosion shattering the glass front doors at hole if i cross church in las cruces.

squad. >> reporter: that bomb exploding entrance. police escorted everyone out. >> all i've sudden, they need i was like what happened. >> reporter: instead of sunday school, she spent her morning making the signet letting everyone know services were cancelled. nobody was injured but after the deadly attack in south carolina in june many left wondering where they can truly be safe. kayna whitworth, los angeles. >> there are dozens of wildfires raging in northern california. the larkest the rocky fire more than doubled in size to 54,000 acres. it's destroyed at least two dozen hopes and many other buildings. more than 12,000 people have been ordered to evakate. >> we had seen a couple spot fires. those pretty up escalated and got big and took off the side of the mountain. like. the rocky fires still only 5% contained. there are 9,000 neithers in california and fires burning in

oregon and washington. those fires being fueled by strong winds, severe weather also being blamed for a man's death in the chicago area when a tent collapsed at 59 a community festival. more than a dozen people were also injured. a few miles away on the other side of the airport, an indoor sports venue collapsed. no one inside, no injuries. the lala palooza music festival was can the are evacuated for a short time. strong winds forced the closure of the mackinaw bridge which connected in michigan's upper peninsula to the rest of the state. the gusts knocked over at least one camper. also tornadoes last evening in eastern michigan and iowa are posing a threat to the northeast later today. let's check in with accuweather's molly cochran now. good morning. >> thanks, t.j. and reena. for monday we do have the threat for severe storms across the northeast. the i-95, it is going to be a hot and steamy afternoon.

that severe threat does include syracuse and near pittsburgh where flooding downpours and damaging winds will be some of the main impacts. meanwhile across northern california, we continue to have wildfires burn. not the great news coming in for monday. we have dry thunderstorms in place and some additional gusty winds. t.j. and reena, back to you. thank you. we expect to learn new details about president's obama sweeping plan on climate change. the most aggressive of regulations requires the nation's existing power plants to cut emissions by one-third in 15 years. the plan also places heavy emphasis on renewable energy sources. power companies expected to quickly challenge the plan in court. and on capitol hill today, showdown over funding planned parenthood. a republican-led effort to cut funding for the organization is expected to fail. it was started after a series of videos which focused attention on planned parenthood's practice of providing fetal tissue to researchers.

planned parenthood says it has broken no laws. an intense manhunt wade for a gunman who shot and killed a police officer during a track stop in memphis. the suspect identified as 29-year-old tremaine wilbourn was a passenger in the car that was pulled over by officer sean bolton. police say bolton had interrupted a drug deal. he was confronted by the shooter, got into a physical struggle and was shot multiple times. >> this again evidences the fact that can there are so many guns on our streets in the wrong hands at any given minute in a 24-hour day, they're dealing with folks who have no rules of engagement. the driver fled the scene, later turned himself in. he was released without being charged. bolton was 33 years owed. he is the third memphis officer fatally shot in the past four years. it's happened again, another dangerous close call between a

drone and a passenger jet in the country's busiest air space. sources tell abc news that the pilot of a shuttle america flight spotted a drone about 30 feet wie while landing last night. it was the third drone sighting near the airport since friday. the faa is warning people operating drones to stay away from airports. malaysian officials say the flap found on the island in the indian ocean is from a boeing triple 7. investigates are in france are hoping to find a conclusive link to the missing plane this week. searchers scouring the area where debris washed ashore getting only false alarms. here's abc's alex marquardt. >> reporter: new excitement over this piece of metallic debris. immediate speculation, another piece of mh-370 had been found. but officials soon poured code water on discovery saying it was just part of a ladder, not the doomed boeing triple 7. >> we have to be very careful

because now that we've found one piece, there's going to be a lot of junk floating around the india ocean that looks like a piece of the triple 7. >> reporter: the false alarm days after a triple 7 wing was found here or reunion island, transported to southern france for analysis at a military lab. >> we are not aware of any other instance where this is component has been lost from a triple 7 aircraft. >> reporter: every square inch could offer revelation. even the barnacles which could give a better idea where the plane went down. >> every piece will hopefully give us some clues. it's only going to tell us what happened when the airplane hit the water. >> why the plane went down and what happened before it hit the water may only be answered if the black boxes are ever found. in the meantime, the analysis of that piece of wing is due to begin in france on wednesday. alex marquardt, abc news on reunion island. surprise a fort lauderdale

beach in south florida, a rocket debris from the european union satellite galileo washed up behind a hotel. today. several satellites have been launched from a space port in northern south america. image. moon. this was just taken. we're going to zoom in. the tiny spec you're seeing is station. as it passed by, scott kelly got a surprise. he got a tweet from the president of the united states saying hey, do you ever look out the window and just freak out? kelly's response is a gem. i don't freak out about anything, mr. president, except getting a twitter question from you. >> we said, mr. kelly. well said. >> very good. >> that's a good tweet. here on earth, a great weekend in san diegoing to hit the beach, enjoy waves and dozens of dogs did just that. >> 50 dogs participated the tenth annual tenth annual dog

surfing competition. the big event was sponsored by who else, petco. >> uh-huh. the dogs competed against others about the same size. maybe the best part about it all went for charity. all the proceeds went to the san diego humane society. >> how does that work. >> the little leash that's attached to the surfboard, i think it's called the dog leash. >> are you asking me that? >> it's both a tell and an ask. i believe it is called a dog leash. isn't that kind of interesting? >> you want me to agree with that? i'm not getting on board. we've got "the mix" coming your way. a daring cyclist who moves 'from the dirt track into the water. also ahead, the baseball star who made it to the majorern leagues at age 19 reaching out to young people. his personal message and his professional goals. >> first new developments about the lion killed by a minnesota dentist and the new crackdown now in africa.

>> find us on facebook, wnnfans.com and also on twitter abcwnn. you're watching "world news now." without any hesitation without any doubt from the very beginning you're the one your baby trusts most so it's comforting to know you can wrap them in the softness and protection of pampers swaddlers the only diaper trusted to be the #1 choice of hospitals wishing you love, sleep and play. pampers lysol disinfectant spray kills 99.9% of bacteria on more than just the trashcan. it's the "pungent gym bag stink" neutralizer. and the "prevent mold and mildew on the shower curtain for up to 7 days" spray. it's also the "odor causing bacteria" fighter. and even the "athlete's foot fungus" killer.

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resolve. a carpet that welcomes you. and try resolve for amazing stain removal the first time. nine pedestrians struck on a sidewalk in jersey city, new jersey last night after a chain reaction crash. eyewitnesss said a minivan was out of control and struck another vehicle. the second vehicle went up on the sidewalk where the pedestrians were standing. the minivan driver tried to flee

the scene but was apprehended. the government of zimbabwe claims a second american doctor illegally killed a lion. >> they say dr. jan seski from pittsburgh shot a lion with a bow and arrow on land where it was not allowed after a weekend of confusion over the fate of another high profile lion. here now abc's phillip mena. >> reporter: a new image of jericho, cecil the lion's companion released. international outrage erupting after the zimbabwe conservation task force claimed the lion was illegally shot and killed by a hunter. the group apologizing for what they say was a case of mistaken identity. the news comes as zimbabwe's government announced a second american is wanted in connection with another illegal lion killing in april. that investigation is ongoing as is the country's pursuit of dr. walter palmer, the minnesota dentist wanted for killing its most famous lion cecil. now more details about that

infamous hunt last month. dr. palmer's hunting guide telling a british newspaper the hunt went wrong from the beginning saying they never cecil was shot. while dr. palmer hasn't been seen, his representative did voluntarily reach out to u.s. fish and wildlife investigators. the agency acknowledging his cooperation. in the wake of cecil's killing, these images saturday night of endangered species illuminating the empire state building. >> zimbabwe's government announcing that the hunting of all lions, leopards and the problem is their conservation efforts rely heavily on the high priced hunting fees. now they'll have to rely on public donations to help keep them afloat. abc news, new york. >> we haven't heard from dr. seski. apparently there's a hunting website that says he's also

it's -- >> it's getting a lot of attention now. you hear about the hunting and i guess it's bringing it to light now and maybe we'll pay more attention and maybe some good will come of what's taking place now. hunting >> very good point. coming up, bikers beware. the suv slamming right into a cyclist and speeding away but the biker's helmet camera catching it all. the new way to keep bikers safe in our next half hour senator baseball's youngest superstar working to inspire future players. bryce harper of the nationals is now reaching out. you're watching "world news

now." bryce harper having a breakout season for his washington nationals. the outfeeder is the youngest player in the national league. >> harper is a top performer for his age or any age for that matter. he wants other young people to love the support as much as he does. jonathan carl has his story. >> reporter: and harper to right field. he's the hottest hitter in baseball. >> upper deck. >> reporter: have aga year any ballplayer would dream of, all at an age when most are still in the minor leagues. you're having a hell of a season. >> i'm trying. i think's a team we're having a great year. team. >> reporter: he was just 16 years old when he was christened baseball's chosen one on the cover of "sports illustrated." >> they asked you what your

goals were, you said to be in the hall of fame but be considered the greatest baseball player who lived. where does that kind of confidence come from for a 16-year-old? >> if you don't have the goal to be the best, what's the point of playing? i want to be the best i can so i can help my team win. >> reporter: rookie of the year with his old school hustle and power at the plate. now 22, larper is having a breakout season rivaling some of the best in major league history. >> you already have more home runs than any year previously. it seems like it's clicking. >> biggest hinge is i was just being healthy. the past couple years i have freak incidents. 2013, i ran into the wall, banged my knee. 2014, i banged up my thumb and i was out for two months both of those times. the main goal this year was trying to stay healthy and play smart. >> reporter: you're not going to turn it down. >> i'm still going to play that way every single day.

if that's something that's going into the stands. >> reporter: he's gone into the stands in a different way going viral with this selfie he shot with a fan's phone last month. he reached over the fence to one of his youngest fans in spring training. his on field play has given him present i of fans at nationals park. >> who is your favorite player. >> bryce harper. >> while baseball's overau attend, is thriving, its fans are now odor than any other major fort and into your young people are picking up a glove to play the game. the nationals hope to change that. the people's youth academy provides after school education and baseball instruction with a field of dreams facility in one of washington's toughest neighborhoods. >> these kids are able to go over there and get away from whatever they're going through and you know enjoy the game of baseball. >> reporter: this year, every washington little league team is the nationals. the team has outfitted nearly 5,000 little leaguers with their very own gnats uniforms.

>> wear the nationals colors and uniforms makes them think they have an opportunity to play in the big leagues one day. that's the ultimate goal. >> reporter: it's been ten years since baseball returned to the nation's capital and harper hopes this is the year the team brings home a world series title. the first in washington since 1924. >> i want to, you know, win a world series. i want that more than anything in this world and i want to bring back that to d.c. >> reporter: let's get my daughter anna over here for a selfie. jonathan carl, abc news. >> anna is gorgeous. absolutely gorgeous. our jon karl there, apparently espn the magazine polled about 117 different players and they believe that the nationals have a 30% chance, a very good chance of winning the i was going to say super bowl about you. >> i'm not going to help you right now. okay. >> whoo, sports with reena coming up later.

did you see that? oh. >> it's monday morning, guys. >> like the world cup only different. >> it's monday morning, please? >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, this is an important message. so please, write down the number on your screen. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase. your coverage can never be cancelled as long as you pay

your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and gift. both are free, with no obligation. don't wait, call this number now. it's not always as easy for me as it is for him... it's easy for me cause look at her. aw... so we use k-y ultragel. it enhances my body's natural moisture so i can get into the swing of it a bit quicker. and when i know she's feeling like that, it makes me feel like we're both... when she enjoys it, we enjoy it even more.

and i enjoy it. feel the difference with k-y ultragel. so when my husband started getting better dental checkups than me, i decided to go pro... with crest pro-health advanced. my mouth is getting healthier. my teeth are getting stronger. this crest toothpaste is superior great checkup. while there are some home disasters you can't avoid, there is one you can. septic system breakdowns effect over one million households in the u.s. each year. septic back-ups can cost about $13,000 in expense. thankfully there's rid-x. rid-x costs less than $7. and the advanced natural bacteria generates powerful enzymes which accelerate the waste digestion. use rid-x once a month, and help save yourself from disaster.

rid-x. #1 in septic maintenance. time for the mix". we start with a stunt bike rider, but we're going to show you his latest stunt with his bike and it does not involve hills, dirt, or anything like that on land. >> okay. >> the picture is pretty incredible. if you just see this guy, it appears that he is riding his bike across the water. now, how is this possible? it's actually not necessarily possible. but that's a cool picture. but what he's doing, this 34-year-old is a stunt driver from australia, robby madison. he retrofitted his bike. he put it on a float. had to have special inflatable air bag installed on the bag. will he to learn how to ride and balance on the water. it took skill but it looks as cool as anything, like he is

riding the bike across the water. >> i'm so glad clarified that. for a second i thought he was trying to oneup jesus. >> jesus is laughing at that. you need inflatable air bags. >> i did it without anything. we're going to move on now to fee may beat boxer. >> okay. >> impressive. here's a woman that takes the cake. take a look. this is kayla mulotti, named the world female beat box champion of 2015. take a listen. sncht [ boat boxing. >> this has gotten mo are than 150,000 views. she won the competition at the end of may. the girl's got skills. >> you better have a face mask on going to dinner with this sister. >> the spit factor could be' problem. you're right. >> i did not know that was a

beat boxing champion. >> you thinking of entering next year? >> can you messenger practicing this? >> it seems like a good warmup before the show. >> good job. very good. >> but she is the beat boxing. >> she's the queen. i got one more here for you. some people have a struggle getting out of bed in the morning. this will solve your problem. this guy invented a bed that look at this, it ejects you. look at it. you don't have a choice. it literally taus you out of bed. >> i don't know about this one. >> you don't like this? this is a british inventor. horns go off. you don't have a choice. you will get out of bed. when i first heard about this, i thought it was used for something else, if you will, if somebody overstays their welcome. >> that might be a good use. so i was thrown off a little bit. >> part of the issue there. >> so use it for whatever you need it for.

>> i will now," killer storms slamming the chicago area and moving east today. new pictures of tornados hitting and the storm track from accuweather. memphis manhunt. new developments and the search for a suspect after a police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty. what investigators are uncovering and the mayor's message for everyone. fighting back, bicyclists sharing the road with distracted drivers. the life-threatening crashes and how cyclists are taking action. >> and later in "the skinny," a big test for tom cruise starring in the fifth "mission: impossible" movie. he's still among hollywood's biggest draws. it's monday, august 3rd. from abc news, this is "world news now" with t.j. holmes and reena ninan.

and good monday morning. our top story this half hour, the extreme weather in the midwest. a number of tornadoes touched down in iowa last evening. this one, take a look at it, it's in crescent west of des moines, iowa. >> yeah, another one was spotted in eastern michigan. where a round of storms rolled through. as abc's rob martian knows reports, storms put a tragic end to summer celebrations all around chicago. >> reporter: a chaotic scene at 9 prairie fest about 25 miles northwest of chicago. >> it was just hail and rain and just unbelievable wind. >> reporter: one person was killed and more than a dozen injured after a tent blew away with people inside. victims carried out on stretchers taken to nearby hospitals. high winds, rain and hail sending debris flying. >> all of a sudden, you could see the rip in the dome, and it just kind of blew down. >> reporter: witnesses say the tarp landed on several people and rescuers had to cut holes to get them out. it was the festival's final day.

police say those in attendance were in their 20s, 30s and 40s. the storm also briefly shutting down the popular music festival lala palooza in chicago's grant park. rob marciano, abc news, new york. >> the storm system is on the move this morning posings a threat to big cities in the northeast. >> coverage continues with accuweather with molly cochran. >> thanks. the threat for severe storms does exist for the northeast monday. i-95 not getting in on the action until monday night. so it's a pretty dry afternoon but just steamy and a little bit uncomfortable. the threat for those severe storms exists from syracuse to pittsburgh, flooding downpours, damaging winds and isolated hail, some of the main impacts. across northern california, we continue to have some wildfires burn. red flag warnings are in effect. unfortunately, not the best of news coming in monday. some breezy conditions and some dry thunderstorms, again not looking like great conditions

for monday. drenching thunderstorms continue across florida. t.j. and reena, back to you. >> thank you so much. we talked about the fires now. she was mentioning, more than two dozen of him in northern california, plus others in oregon and washington. the biggest the rocky fire 100 miles north of san francisco. within five hours this weekend, it doubled in size to 54,000 acres. more than 12,000 people have been told to leave their homes. two dozen homes have been destroyed. the governor of new mexico calls whoever set off two bombs at churches in her state cowards and says they will be caught. the blasts one during sunday's service in a baptist church and a catholic church about four miles apart. they caused only minor damage but the services came to an abrupt halt. >> walk up to the altar and all of a sudden, everyone out of the church i'm like, what happened? what did we miss while we were -- lots was happening >> the fbi, the atf and homeland

security are joining in the search for clues. though there has been no link to a terror attack. a sober reminder this morning of a danger police officers across the country face on the job every single day. a young officer shot and killed in memphis, tennessee over the weekend. police say he interrupted a drug deal that would have only resulted in a misdemeanor citation and fine. instead the gunman took his life and is now on the run. here now abc's richard cantu. >> reporter: a city in mourning after a traffic stop turned deadly. a memphis police officer shot and killed late saturday by a driver he pulled over. that officer, sean bolton, a former marine who served in iraq. police say he was shot multiple times in a working class area in the southeast part of the city. >> the driver of the vehicle later turned himself in to police and has since been released without charge. the passenger of the vehicle who is believed to be the

29-year-old tremaine wilbourn. wilbourn is still at large and a warrant for first degree murder has been issued for his arrest. >> reporter: bolton's sister issued a statement causing the act senseless saying, "my brother's life was just beginning only for it to end in a tragedy. there's enough evil in this world and he fought it to the end of his life." the mayor of memphis saying bolton's death speaks volumes of the danger of police work. >> this again evidences the fact that there are so many guns on our streets in the wrong hands. >> reporter: sean bolton was the third member of the memphis police department killed in less than five years. he was just 33 years old. richard cantu, abc news, new york. the jury in the colorado movie theater shootings resumes deliberations this morning. the jurors are considering whether there are sufficient reasons to exempt convicted killer james holmes from the death penalty. his attorneys argued that he was

mentally ill when he kills 12 people and wounded 70 others three years ago. but the jury already rejected his not guilty by reason of insanity defense. jersey city, new jersey, nine pedestrianses were struck on a sidewalk after a chain reaction crash. eyewitnesss said a minivan went out of control when it struck another vehicle. that vehicle went up on the sidewalk where the pedestrians were standing. the minivan driver tried to flee the scene but was apprehended. analysts in france are poised to analyze the wing flap. a twisted piece of metal was found yesterday on the same remote french island where the plane part washed ashore, but it was not from an aircraft. it turned out to be a ladder. officials in malaysia seeking help to search for more debris that may help investigators. >> every piece of the airplane that we can find will hopefully give us some clues. it's only going to tell us what happened when the airplane hit the water. >> experts say we may never know

why the plane went down unless the black boxes are found. public health investigators in new york are trying to reassure residents after a fourth person has zyed is of legionnaires disease. five cooling towers in the south bronx have been cited as a possible source of the contamination. at least 65 people have been sick. daniel tejada just spent nearly a month in icu. >> i was about to wait one more day to go to the hospital and if id have waited that one more day, i don't think i would have been here right now. >> the bronx borough president is calling for cooling towers to be subject to regular inspection just as elevators are. the seattle boss who famously gave his employees huge raises now struggling financially. just a few months ago, dan price made big headlines when he slashed his own salary to boost the pay of his 120 employees to at least $70,000 a year. now price admits he's having a hard type making ends meet. he's lost several big clients at his company gravity. some employees have quit and he's been forced to rent out his home.

this is the first chance at "world news now" to say a special but belated happy birthday to a special lady by the name of agnes fenton of inglewood, new jersey. >> on saturday she turned 110 years owed. she tried to play down her big day saying it was just another day but clearly that is not the case. >> one of her secrets to such a long life, i'm curious about this part, she's giving it away. that's one of the secrets. she's enjoying beer and whiskey every day she says. she is a miller high life and check this out, she likes johnny walker blue label. blue label. she does not mess around. >> that absolutely is. so i will pay the extra cost today and go get the blue. >> going to up your game. >> oh, yeah. live to 110, yes. >> i just saw in the notes it says agnes also thanks god every day for allowing her to live a long life.

>> okay, i'll get that in there, too. thank the lord, okay. let's do it. all right. happy birthday to you, agnes. coming up in "the skinny," this is some great news for any dr. dre fan out there. any music fan. dr. dre doing something he has not done now in 16 years. >> also ahead, bicyclists sharing the road with distracted drivers. the close calls and accidents they face, now using technology to take action. the pilot of a private plane who's a real guardian angel helping children who need so much. asking for little in return though. you're watching "world news now." "world news now" weather brought to you by febreze noticeables. "world news now" weather brought to you febreze noticeables. hid smelly objects all over each villa and plugged in febreze. then real people were asked to stay for a long weekend. would they smell anything? the room itself was like [sniff] ahhh.

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all right. take a look here. this officer you never know what the job's going to bring sometimes, right? this officer's being very careful in approaching that animal. if you can't tell what that is it, that's a skunk. that's a baby skunk that has a yogurt container on its head. he's trying to help the little guy out. the skunk's going round and around. he's letting the thing do what he wants to do. okay. out of there. going to go. the department has some fun with this. luckily baby skunks can't spray like adults. this officer clearly did not know that. he helped the little guy out and then got the heck out of there. that's okay. we've got to make sure we get to the little scurry at the end. >> that was the best part. >> that's all right. >> maybe we'll show that later. it's the latest safety accessory for the serious cyclist.

the helmet camera can be a valuable piece of evidence after an accident or even a close call. >> that can help prevent future accidents, as well. abc's lindsay janice with this story. >> reporter: watch this cyclist helmet camera as it captures a frightening collision. the biker slamming on his brakes. this suv knocking him down, the driver then taking off. >> i was -- i was really angry at the guy. hey, i could have been seriously injured. >> reporter: luckily tripp volpe suffered only minor injuries. his camera also appears to show the driver holding his phone. thanks to that footage, the driver who later turned himself in now facing potential charges. >> if you're driving, don't look at your phone, please. you'll kill somebody. >> like volpe is, more and more cyclists are turning to helmet cameras because they say some drivers don't understand that cyclists have the same rights at any other vehicle on the road. recent numbers show nearly 50,000 cyclists are hurt every year in accidents with cars.

hundreds of them fatal. >> you're calling it protection. how is it protection? >> it's evidence. if you get hit by a car, it's he said, she said. with this, there's no contest. >> reporter: the driver of this pickup truck in legal trouble after this standoff caught on camera. watch as the cyclist makes a rude gesture. the driver getting angry and blocking his path, then cutting off the cyclist. that driver johnny mcintosh then getting out and allegedly mcintosh pleading not guilty. linzie janis, abc news, new york. >> for $200 you can buy a helmet cam to keep with you. >> a lot of people do it for safety but a lot of people do it for recreation. they want to see what they can catch, looking around, making there's another use for it, as >> safety, absolutely. coming up, a major announcement from the dr. dre and surprise news about the cast of "ghostbusters."

>> the box office challenge from tom cruise in "mission: impossible." "the skinny" is next. "world news now" continues

after this from our abc skinny, so skinny and topping "the skinny" this morning, "mission impossible" topping the box office. "rogue nation" opened big this weekend, taking in $56 million domestically and $116 million worldwide. that's the second highest debut in the series. >> fans keep coming back for more of tom cruise and his crazy stunts. this time the movie's opening scene shows cruise hanging onto the side of a cargo plane as it takes off. >> we were talking about this while the movie was being made. it's gotten a lot of attention. so now the internet having a lot

of fun with this showing cruise hanging on to a lot of things, here to donald trump's hair. also hanging onto the couch during that infamous moment, you know, with oprah. and then he is on stage with kanye west trying to wrestle kanye off stage during that confrontation with taylor swift. that seems like so long ago now, doesn't it? >> it sure does. >> how about we move to the "ghostbusters"? that movie is rebooting and also filming in boston. so the folks at tufts children hospital put giant signs in the window saying who you going to call. look who answered. kate mckinnen, melissa mccarthy, kristen wiig, and leslie jones, the stars of the all female comedy. >> they're in full costume and they're carrying their ghost exterpnating weapons. really? is that what we call them? ghost exterminating weapons? they greeted the patients and their families. took a lot of pictures. since laughter is the best medicine, probably did a little healing, as well. the movie comes out next july. >> are you going to watch it? >> i cannot wait to see this. especially because of the cast.

i'm just such a fan of the original movies. to see a reboot, love it. well, rapper dr. dre will release a new album on friday, his first in 16 years, maybe his last. it will include collaborations with eminem, former nwa band mate ice cube and his fellow rappers kendrick lamar as well as snoop dogg. the album will drop one week before the biopic "straight out of compton" opens. dre says he was so inspired by the movie that he started to record again. on twitter he called it his "grand finale. he's developing the beats headphones, other audio equipment. apple bought that for more than $3 billion. his net worth thought to be about $700 million at this point. man, he's come a long way from compton. >> sure has. he's been such a big businessman. but do you think is that why he hasn't released an album? >> he's been busy doing other stuff. he really has. >> building an empire pretty much. >> he's produced a lot of stuff. kendrick lamar is hot on scene

right now. he has been the mentor to lamar, eminem, as well. he's been a busy man. >> look forward to that and stephen colbert takes over as host of the "late show" next month. a big question everybody is wondering about, will he host as himself or his character like the talk show host he portrayed in the colbert report. >> the first promos to the show are out. no answer to that question yet. right? >> i'll talk about the news, tell jokes and have fascinating conversations with celebrities, athletes, musicians, and of course, politicians. wow. you do a great mitt romney. >> i am mitt romney. >> that's it. stay in character. >> okay. colbert from the colbert report, we'll have to wait and see what happens there. a lot of people anticipating what's going to happen here. >> i bet' be good regardless. >> he's been very respectful. low pro phi, let dave letterman

do his thing and get all those accolades. now he's coming on the scene. coming up, the real guardian angels. stick around. we'll explain.ound. we'll explain. >> i'm alex trebek. if you're age 50 to 85, this is an important message. so please, write down the number on your screen. the lock i want to talk to you about isn't the one on your door. it's a rate lock for your life insurance that guarantees your rate can never go up at any time, for any reason. but be careful. many policies you see do not have one, but you can get a lifetime rate lock through the colonial penn program. call this number to learn more. this plan was designed with a rate lock for people on a fixed income who want affordable life insurance that's simple to get. coverage options for just $9.95 a month, less than 35 cents a day. act now and your rate will be locked in for life. it will never increase. your coverage can never be cancelled as long as you pay

your premiums, and your acceptance is guaranteed, with no health questions. you cannot be turned down because of your health. call for your information kit and gift. both are free, with no obligation. don't wait, call this number now.

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...and fortify weak spots. use together for 2 times stronger enamel. crest 3d white. and finally this half hour, friendship forged in the cabin of a small plane. a pilot offering to fly a little boy in need of a life saving medical trip. >> the little boy offering friendship to his real life guardian angel. abc's john donvan with the story. >> reporter: here is brayton martin's life on the ground, which frankly because a lot of

it has been spent in the hospital, has been kind of hard. but then there's his life up in the clouds. and up there, well, brayton soars. here's why, the man at the controls a one-time stranger to brayton but now a friend for life named craig groff. >> i love him. what can you say? there's a connection. >> reporter: this goes back six years to when a very little brayton was first diagnosed with a rare blood disease and needed to get to the far off hospital that is one of the few places that can treat it, and an organization called angel flight east volunteered to fly him. >> i got to see him when he was, you know, he was just a baby. tubes coming out of him. just broke your heart. >> reporter: six years go by. a lot of flights back and forth. a lot. and a bond grew. based in part in the being up in the air which was about the only good thing about making the journey. >> he gives brayton his own headset and brayton's learned when he can talk, he learns how

air traffic control works. >> reporter: there's another thing going on here. craig doing this for brayton saved his family thousands of not to mention it's helped to keep him alive. there were times craig actually slept overnight near the hospital so he could make the return trip without burning a lot more fuel. today brayton is in remission, a bit of a walking miracle. oh, and he's got plans for his future. >> i want to be a pilot. >> reporter: yeah, well, he's got a good teacher for that as well as a friend. john donvan, abc news. oh, and brayton's next trip is to cincinnati in about six months' time. >> that's a great program that's been around for a while. we don't always see how the relationships form at the end. fantastic story. >> don't miss our updates on facebook wnnfans.com. >> more from us here at abc. stick around. this is abc's "world news now," informing insomniacs for