>> alex perez with us tonight, as well. thank you, alex. >>> and we are just back from houston tonight, where we broadcast in the apollo 11 mission control last night. i heard from so many of you at home about what we saw in that room. it was 50 years ago today apollo 11 lifted off on the way to that historic walk on the moon. and tonight, right here, what we did not know. right down to those famous words from neil armstrong. it was 50 years ago this morning, 9:32 eastern, neil armstrong, buzz aldrin, michael collins taking off at kennedy space center in florida. >> i can see her rising now. >> reporter: 76 hours and 240,000 miles later, they entered into the lunar orbit. it was the next day armstrong opens the hatch five hours ahead of schedule. 10:56 p.m. on july 20, armstrong steps off ladder and steps foot on the moon. but that famous quote, was it really what americans heard? >> that's one small step for man. one giant leap for mankind. >> reporter: he later said it was difficult to hear what he actually planned to say

>> alex perez, thank you. >>> we'll turn next to a video going rival tonight. the tense moments between a black couple and a white contractor. when he showed up to their home flying a giant confederate flag on his suv, they turned him away. why they now say this is a teachable moment. here's abc's marcus moore. >> reporter: tonight, this video going viral, sparking conversation about free speech versus free will. >> hi, you know what, i do apologize. i know you've come from a very long way. but we're going to use someone else. >> reporter: allison and zeke brown's doorbell camera capturing their exchange with the contractor they hired to repair a golf cart at their atlanta home. >> she's upset with the flag. >> no, i'm beyond upset with the flag. >> reporter: the issue, this confederate flag waving in the back of the contractor's truck. >> every time, you know, you see that flag it just -- it actually stems fear. >> you never know what a person is willing to do, especially if they are promoting their hate in such a very vivid way. >> reporter: in the video, the

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >>> presidential candidate pete buttigieg confronted racism on the campaigne exchange in iowa. a man in the audience suggested blac were fau for police shootings and high crime rates prompting buttigieg to cut him off. >> the fact that a black person is four times as likely as a white person to be incarcerated for the exact same crime is evidence that there's racism. sir, when black people and white people are treated the same by the criminal justice system, it will be easier for white people and black people to live in this country, and it will be easier for law enforcement to do their job, but racism has no place in american politics or in america. >> buttigieg, the mayor of south bend, indiana, has been under fire since a black resident was shot and killed by a white police officer last month. >>> a follow-up now on a story we brought you earlier this week. a 70-year-old runner accused of cheating in the los angeles marathon has been found dead. frank meza has set a record for his age group, but images from the race appear him taking a shortcut and he was

alex perez. the heat wave is just getting started. it will's get to ginger zee tonight. she is tracking it all. ginger? >> reporter: good evening to you, david. we start, hartford, connecticut, washington, d.c., places that have not seen 100 plus v plus degrees in three years. philadelphia, new york city. it's been seven years. i think they are going to see the century mark this weekend. look at the map there, a ridge of high pressure. the jet stream that acts as a fence to keep the cool air. it's so far north. look at lincoln, tomorrow afternoon, 110. des moines, chicago, 107. the core of the hot air slides east and by saturday, it settles n richmond virginia, 112, it feels like, the heat index in new york city and philadelphia will approach 110. the lows could be the warmest we have seen in years, if not records. >> ginger, thank you. let's keep an eye on our neighbors throughout this. amid the blistering heat, the major scare at a chemical plant. a fire ignites in the northeast and leading to a chlorine spill. they are told to turn off their air conditionering. linsey

>> alex perez leading us off tonight. great advice, alex. let's get right to chief meteorologist ginger zee, tracking this all. and ginger, you were telling us this will last for days? >> reporter: days. and cumulative heat is when it becomes dangerous, david. so, new york city hasn't seen a 100-degree temperature since 2012. i really think we'll get close this weekend, if not get right to that century mark. so, let's look at the map, because tonight, we've got an imminent threat. that's severe thunderstorms. damaging winds in excess of 70 miles per hour, anywhere from wilmington, delaware, up through, say, hartford, connecticut, and even parts of the cape. see damaging winds and flash flooding, one to two-inch rainfall rates per hour. not just for the quad cities, but here in the northeast. very heavy rains going into tonight. let's focus on that heat. really the core of it tomorrow, st. louis, can kansas city feeling like 108. but saturday, i think we could break records from wilmington, delaware, up to worcester, massachusetts. the overni

here's abc's alex perez with the body cam tonight. >> hold the light. hold the light. >> reporter: the harrowing rescue captured on police body cam video. >> don't let go. >> reporter: watch as brave officers in des moines, iowa, capsizing. using a rope, you can hear the officers struggling to hold on. >> get your head up! give me some room. don't pull me! give me some. >> reporter: the man and woman in the turbulent waters near a dam desperately yelling for help until police arrived. >> raft upside down and people stuck under the raft. >> hey, hey, hey, stop, stop, she's under. stop! >> reporter: you can see the powerful current at the officer's feet. after a few nerve-wracking minutes -- >> get her, get her, get her. >> reporter: the officers finally pulling them out of the water. david, a good samaritan was trying to help before officers survived. thankfully, those two people are okay. as for the officers involved, they dried off and went right back to work that night. david? >> alex perez, thank you. >>> now, to the race for 2020 tonight, and a rema

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, a horrifying scene police say may have been a copycat crime. ritchie german jr. is accused by police of killing four people and may have been imitating the high-profile abduction last year of teenager jayme closs by shooting his way into the family home of one woman he may have intended on kidnapping. >> kind of similar in nature. in the closs investigation, the door was breached, a shotgun was used. mr. closs was shot, mrs. closs was shot. >> reporter: authorities say german killed three of his own family members at their home in lafayette, wisconsin, before heading to the home of the woman, shooting and injuring her parents and killing her before killing himself. police say this may have been a failed kidnapping attempt. >> there's some items that we found in the vehicle. the way the vehicle was left and running. >> reporter: last october, just 40 miles away, jayme closs was abducted from her parents' home. closs eventually escaped her abductor, who was sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping her and murdering her parents. david, in

>> alex perez leading us off tonight. great advice, alex. let's get to ginger zee, tracking this all. and you were telling us this will last for days? >> reporter: days. and cumulative heat is when it becomes dangerous, david. so, new york city hasn't seen a 100-degree temperature since 2012. i really think we'll get close this weekend, if not get right to that century mark. let's look at the map. tonight, we've got an imminent threat. that's severe thunderstorms. damaging winds anywhere from wilmington, delaware, up there you, say, hartford, connecticut. see damaging wch rainfall rates per hour. very heavy rains going into tonight. let's focus on that heat. really the core of it tomorrow, st. louis, kansas city. saturday, i think we could break records from wilmington, delaware, up to worcester, massachusetts. the overnight temperatures will stay in the 70s or 80s. >> ginger zee, thank you. >>> in the meantime, to other news tonight. there were major developments involving actor kevin spacey and those accusations against him by a young man

abc's alex perez is there from baton rouge where they could see up to 2 feet of rain. . >> reporter: good morning, eva. the torrential rains and floods of 2016 are still fresh on the minds of a lot of people here in baton rouge. i want you to take a look behind me here. you can see this tree. the wind is already picking up here. this is the mississippi river. a lot of people here have spent the week sandbagging, trying to do whatever they can to protect their homes. they are bracing as you said, for about 2 feet of rain, and the problem here is going to be the same problem across the state this weekend, that this storm is going to linger and like rivers. they are anxious. they remember their homes being destroyed. they are ready forarry to move er a right, f >>rlr isor american red cross. >> thank you for joining us this morning. if you could start with kind of what you guys are doing now in advance of the storm. >> well, one of the first things that we're doing is really encouraging everyone to heed those evacuation warnings to make sure they have taken steps to prepar

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> our thanks to alex.showing the last month was the hottest june on record for the planet. nine of the ten warmest junes have happened since 2010. so dangerous heat out there. and several big cities, including philadelphia, boston, and new york, have declared heat emergencies and that's forcing the cancelation of several outdoor events including the new york city triathlon. >> accuweather meteorologist chris nallan joins us now with details. >> kenneth and janai, we're talking about widespread heat here. chicago, indianapolis, des moines, iowa, then of course the big cities here. the excessive heat watches that continue as we roll into your friday. but take a look at this. the last day of 100-degree heat for boston, new york, philly, baltimore. we're talking about at least five years ago. and of course we're going to be flirting with the triple digits. and the real-feels. factor in that heat, humidity, plus we're talking about real-feel numbers anywhere from 105 to 110 from d.c. through philly, just outsid

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> wow. just incredible details there. our thanks to alex. >>> san francisco plans to spend $600,000 to scrub a painting of george washington. >> the 83-year-old mural at george washington high school has been criticized as racist for its depiction of black and native american people. >> those opposing the decision say it's censorship. the schoolboard doesn't plan to paint over the mural until the fall. that could be delayed by a lawsuit. >>> a sculpture of king tut's head sold at a london auction for $6 million. the sale is controversial with egypt claiming that the 3,000-year-old relic was stolen. christie's, which conducted the auction, disputes that claim. egypt's child king reigned from the age of 9 until his death at the age of 19. no word yet on who shelled out all that money for that purchase. >>> fresh controversy surrounding america's youngest tennis phenom. >> we've been telling you about 15-year-old coco gauff, who's cleaning up the competition at wimbledon, perhaps a little too well. ahead in our next half hou

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> just some incredible details. i actually covered a story in philadelphia when someone threw a bottle over an overpass and it shattered actually a co-worker's back window. we did a story on it. the force of it. we've seen other stories where people have been killed or really injured from this. the fact that obviously in this case the judge really came down hard on these young men for going on snapchat, going on social media, and seeming to have no remorse at all here. >> right. because yes, what they may have thought at the time was an innocent -- >> harmless fun. >> then finding out the damage of it, and that judge citing the laughing about it even after knowing that a man's life was taken. >>> now to video of a getaway in miami. >> a lone horse was spotted galloping through downtown yesterday near the county courthouse. the horse is part of the miami police department. the officer who was supposed to be riding it was thrown after the horse slipped. both horse and rider are okay. >> good thing they're okay. and i

abc's alex perez has those details. >> reporter: police announcing an arrest in the murder of belovedleader sadie roberts joseph. >> we received so many phone calls from the community when they learned it was miss sadie. >> reporter: ron jermaine bell, a convicted sex offender, has been charged with first degree murder. >> we believe ron bell was a tenant in one of her rent houses. we believe that he was behind several months on his rent. >> reporter: the 75-year-old's body was found friday stuffed in the trunk of her car. in addition to creating the city's black history museum, roberts joseph spent decades working to educate people. a shattered community and her daughter vowing to protect her legacy. >> for those who were and are angry, live a better life. give of yourself to your community. to make the whole better. >> reporter: the suspect has not yet entered a plea. investigators do not believe she was the victim of a hate crime or targeted because of her activism. alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> and hats off to law enforcement down there who worked very quickly to identify a su

here is alex perez. >> reporter: the horrifying scene police say may have been a copycat crime. ritchie german jr. is accused by police of killing four people and may have been imitating the high-profile abduction last year of teenager jayme closs by shooting his way into the family home of one woman he may have intended on kidnapping. >> kind of similar in nature in the closs investigation. the door was breached. a shotgun was used. mr. closs was shot, mrs. closs was shot. >> reporter: authorities say german killed three of his own family members at their home in lafayette, wisconsin, before heading to the home of the woman, shooting and injuring her parents and killing her before killing himself. police say this may have been a failed kidnapping attempt. >> there's some items that we found in the vehicle, the way the vehicle was left and running -- >> reporter: last october, just 40 miles away, jayme closs was abducted from her parents' home. closs eventually escaped, her abductor sentenced to life in prison for kidnapping her and murdering her parents. investigators are now r

alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> good reminders there from alex. factor that's going to make this heat wave especially brutal is forecasters say temperatures won't be cooling down much after dark. >> accuweather meteorologist adam del rosso joins us now with details. >> good morning. another hot and humid day across the plains into the midwest. dangerous heat with high temperatures near 100. you factor in the humidity, accuweather real-feel temperatures in those darkest spots of red upwards of 110. into the northeast, not as hot, still very humid. watch out for spotty, heavy downpours. a couple of storms possible from the great lakes into the northern plains as well. some of those storms could have some heavy downpours and gusty winds as well. >> all right, thank you, adam. >>> turning to president trump reveling in his attacks on four congresswomen of color, calling them out one by one. >> the president took aim at the freshmen lawmakers at a rally last night in greenville, north carolina. as he slammed representative ilhan omar the crowd booed an

. >> reporter: to the west, our alex perez is directly in the storm's path. >> here near morgan city, you can see residents are taking no chances already filling up sandbags. we're here near the central coast of louisiana. this could be right in barry's bull's-eye. >> reporter: and tonight, conditions deteriorating by the hour. in new orleans, residents are being urged to shelter in place. tourists are pulling out of town. ever been through a hurricane? >> yes, hugo. i'm from charleston. >> reporter: so you don't want to stick around for this one. >> oh, no. they tell you to evacuate, you >> reporter: store fronts in the erboard up fothfirst men hist l e city's floodtes are closed.'ve never seen them clos off the river. >> reporter: the governor is confident the levees will hold back the mississippi river, at least in new orleans. >> our state is better prepared, but that comes with a caveat. you never know what mother nature is going to serve until she has served it. >> that's for sure. rob has the new timing and track of the storm, set to make landfall overnight? >> reporter: that's

here's abc's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, a michigan judge ruling four teens accused of throwing rocks from an overpass, killing a driver below, will be tried as adults. >> the proposal for juvenile sentencing is rejected. >> reporter: saying they allegedly showed no remorse, citing their snapchats in his decision. >> 51 times, "lol," "lmao or o "ha "haha" appear in the messages, and after it was learned that they had killed somebody. >> reporter: it was back in 2017. kenneth white, a father of four, was on i-75 on his way home from work when a six-pound rock struck his vehicle. >> this is the size of the rock that took kenny's life. >> reporter: a fifth, older teen is already being tried as an adult. david, the teens now have until august 20th to decide if they will accept a plea deal as adults or go to trial. david? >> alex, thank you. >>> when we come back tonight, wildfires in the arctic. the satellite images you have to see. >>> and the police officer wounded in that deadly shootout at a drug clinic. we do have news coming in on his condition tonight. the index is next. ♪ li

alex perez is there. >> the vicious wind creating some big problems. this massive tree came crashing down into the middle of the street end onto this power line and snapping this utility pole just like a twig. and the window of concern here, far from over. the rain and the wind will persist here in baton rouge through the night. >> reporter: flooding killed 13 here in 2016, a tragedy still fresh in people's memory. >> not looking forward to it, but the main talk is just praying that it won't be as bad as they're forecasting, as far as the river flood stage. >> all right, and tonight rob marciano right there in some of that flooding. he joins us live. rob, where's the most danger heading into the night? >> reporter: well, i tell you what, tom, the next two days are going to be worse than the last two days, and right here in louisiana, really across the northern gulf coast is the worst. this storm surge. look at this. we have businesses that are inundated. this is the lake. look at the big breakers off this lake. about a five, six-foot storm surge. and w

here's alex perez. >> reporter: tonight, authorities in baton rouge, louisiana, on the hunt for whoever killed the beloved founder of the african-american history museum here. sadie roberts-joseph was a local icon. her murder sending shock waves through this community. >> this particular crime on this particular individual left me empty. >> reporter: the prominent community leader's body was found friday, stuffed in the trunk of this white car about three miles from her home. authorities investigating the case as a homicide. officers, who often worked side by side with her on projects, stunned. >> she's special. she's touched so many in this community over the years. a true public servant. >> reporter: the 75-year-old spent decades raising awareness of african-american history and the civil rights movement, a passion she often talked about. >> to embrace our history, to learn about our past. >> reporter: roberts-joseph had visited with her sister earlier in the day but her sibling says nothing seemed unusual. authorities have a team of detectives working on the case. but no arrests have

alex perez, abc news, baton rouge, louisiana. >> our thanks to alex there. such a big loss for this community. all eyes are on this investigation. people are demanding answers. i just feel for the family. i feel for that community. i feel for the culture that she helped enrich and showcase by making sure there was a museum, making sure people in that community were taken care of, people of color. she founded the nonprofit organization, community against drugs and violence. this is a woman who cared for her community. to be taken away like this is just devastating. >> and they say every year she organized the juneteenth celebration, worked with police there, obviously did a lot for that community. stunning not only is she gone, but to be found in the trunk of a car, obviously lots of questions. we'll be following that story hoping we get some answers soon. >>> coming up, peter jennings reports on the new york blackout of 1977. >> we're opening the "abc news vault" next. heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea. ♪ausea, (vo) try new pepto liquicaps for

. >> actually alex perez is going to talk about going back to i switched to geico and saved hundreds. that's a win. but it's not the only reason i switched. geico's a company i can trust, with over 75 years of great savings and service. ♪ now that's a win-win. switch to geico. it's a win-win. three-quarters of the country getting heat. plling all the moisture and heat up from the gulf of mexico. from salt lake city and phoenix eastward up near minneapolis, well over 100. the heat spreads up the east coast friday and stays locked in all weekend. these are the temperatures, but it's going to feel ten to 15 degrees warmer because of the humidity. >> it seems ridiculous how hot it's going to be. >>> united airlines is buying used planes to keep up with their flights. the chicago-based carrier signed an agreement to buy 19 used boeing 737 700s. the planes are expected to be delivered in september. like other fleets, united is forced to cancel flights because of the grounded boeing 737 max aircraft. >>> well, this is much better than just meou alines engers traling to this eksan ego comic-c

. >>> let's go further inland to abc's alex perez who is in baton rouge where major flooding is a concernex, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, eva. it's been a soggy 24 hours here in baton rouge, the on again, off again rain has essentially not stopped since it started. the storm has already toppled trees and toppled utility poles. a lot of people have spent the last day stuck in their homes following that directive from authorities to shelter in place. and here's the bad news, we're not in the clear just yet. this storm is not over, it's lingering, and flooding is still a major, big, big concern here. we'll have to follow this storm, watch it closely for at least the next 24 hours. eva. >> all right, thanks, alex. >>> we'll have more on barry in just a few minutes including a live report from morgan city. >>> we're going to turn now, though, to a story that affected many of us here in new york city. a huge power outage in new york city. the blackout cut ac in the middle of a sweltering city. trapped people in elevators. created huge traffic jams and even cut short a j. lo con

alex perez has the latest. >> reporter: this morning authorities searching for answers after the body-year-old sadie roberts-joseph, a beloved member of the baton rouge community, was discovered on friday stuffed in the trunk of this white car just miles from her home. her family shattered. her niece desperate for answers. >> we are devastated. we're devastated that someone has actually killed her and put her in the trunk of her own car. >> reporter: seen speaking here o h tlen of our past. >> reporter: roberts-joseph was a civil rights activist who founded the african-american history museum in baton rouge. police digging for answers. >> why would somebody do something like this to her? >> you know, we don't know. that's what we're trying to figure out. my detectives have been working overtime and we do know there was a time when she was last seen, and a time when she was -- when the body was discovered and we're working on that time frame and focusing in on what happened between that time. >> reporter: baton rouge mayor sharon weston broome devastated. >> i have no idea why someone

abc's alex perez is starting us off. he's there in chicago where it will feel like 100 degrees today. 116 by tomorrow, alex? good morning. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, robin. it is going be ho the oppressive heat is making getting around harder. the metro trains that run along these lines will be moving slower because the excessive heat makes those steel tracks expand, creating problems. it's going to be a rough few days for a big part of the country. this morning, the heat is on as millions prepare to suffer through what could be the most dangerous heat wave in years. temperatures rising into triple digits, already causing roads to crack open in kansas. and hospitalizing seven children in connecticut, all of them suffering from dehydration and heat exhaustion at a summer camp carnival. some areas in the northeast bracing for temps to feel almost as hot as death valley. >> it is too hot to be standing here. >> reporter: in the upper midwest milwaukee setting up cooling stations. here in chicago, in 1995 a heat wave ki