thank you, pierre thomas. we'll have every breaking development on abcnews.com. >>> we move on to the monsoon conditions slamming the west in the country. ferocious lightning striking a middle school student on the football field. brandi hitt is there tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the threat of more severe weather slamming the west. from flash flood warnings to lightning. an idaho woman claiming she was struck while filming a storm. take a look again. >> i screamed. my phone flew out of my hand and i really wasn't sure what happened. >> reporter: this map, also showing more than 500 lightning strikes today in southern california alone. temporarily shutting down beaches. and in new mexico, more severe weather. >> there's a kid just struck by lightning playing football. >> reporter: three children and their football coach injured by lightning during practice. one teen hospitalized in critical condition. also tonight, a clearer picture of the destruction following the raging floods and harrowing rescues in arizo

abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas, has been talking to his sources all day. >> reporter: today, bank of america admitted to massive fraud. fraud that cost thousands of americans their homes. >> bank of america, merrill lynch, and countryside, each engaged in pervasive schemes to defraud financial institutions and other investors. >> reporter: the junk loans were packaged as good investments. when they failed, it led to a tsunami of bankrupters and foreclosures. igniting the great recession. >> it's like going to your neighborhood grocery store, to buy milk that's advertised as fresh, only to discover that store employees, they knew the milk that you were buying had been left out on a loading dock, unrefrigerated. >> reporter: today's record, nearly $17 billion settle, includes $7 billion in relief for underwater homeowners. it's one of several big payouts by the big banks for past seasons. many of the ceos, including the ceos of countrywide and jpmorgan chase, were hauled before congress for accountability. >> do you understand this is a little for my constituents to tak

abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas has that.t are intelligence exferts saying about that? > reporter: today, fbi and homeland security officials sent a bulletin to police across the country, warning to look out for isis sympathizers here. we already know more than 100 americans have gone to iraq and syria to link with terrorists. sources say there's clearly a pool of people in the u.s. that identify with these foreign radicals. officials are tracking the people they know have gone overseas. today's bulletin targets sympathizers in the shadows that may not be known to police. no specific threat has been identified, but they're wild cards that may act with no warning. >> on the story again tonight, pierre thomas and jonathan karl. >>> now, to israel, where a 4-year-old boy was killed in a mortar attack near the border with gaza. the first israeli death since fighting resumed earlier this week. so many palestinian children have died, but this is the first israeli child killed in the current conflict. >>> and to the ukraine. rising

abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas has this abc news exclusive. >> reporter: rhea backes says a drug dealer fed her husband's addiction to powerful painkillers, a drug dealer in a white coat -- an m.d. >> he knows, as a doctor, that that could have killed him. and he didn't care. >> reporter: she is talking about dr. norman werther. dr. werther may look the part of the kindly doctor, but here he is on surveillance video committing a crime. >> what's your pain level without the medicine? >> reporter: federal investigators say the exam is just a sham. it takes only four minutes before he prescribes a painkiller to an undercover informant. >> it's a little blue pill which is called oxycodone. >> reporter: dr. werther is part of what federal investigators say is a serious and growing problem -- doctors who go to the dark side, prescribing highly addictive painkillers for profit. >> he gave up his medical license for drug dealing. >> reporter: and werther is hardly the only dirty doctor. this doctor was caught on undercover cameras writing prescriptions to phony patients out o

thank you, pierre thomas. >>> and now, we turn to a new sports headline tonight. baseball's greatest hitter with an emotional plea for a new chance. 25 years ago, pete rose was banned for life, accused of betting on baseball. now, he's saying, it's finally time to forgive. what do you think? as abc's clayton sandell brings the debate tonight. >> reporter: he was charlie hustle, racking up more games, at-bats, and, of course, hits, than anyone in history. >> left center field. there it is. that's number 4,192. >> reporter: but the man once destined for the hall of fame, was banned for life in 1989, accused of not just betting on the game, but as a manager, on his own team. >> uh-oh. oh, boy. >> they better grab pete. >> reporter: now, a new baseball commissioner is taking office. and pete rose is renewing his plea. >> get over it. >> reporter: telling espn's jeremy schaap his quarter-century-long punishment is enough. >> you broke the cardinal rule. >> i did. >> how could someone who loved the game so much -- >> that's a good question. we all make mistakes. and i m

here's pierre thomas with our "closer look." [ chanting ] >> all: don't shoot!>> reporter: ferguson, missouri. images of anger. tension. as the minority community faces off with a police department they don't trust. black residents say the protests over the fatal police shooting of michael brown was the culmination of frustrations that had been building like a ticking time bomb. >> we've been getting harassed so much, we're tired of it. >> reporter: stark numbers hinted at what many could see coming. the population? 67% african-american. the police force, of 53 officers, only 3 are black. last year, black citizens accounted for 86% of vehicle stops. and 83% of arrests. the imer white co locking up black folks. the feds had no choice to step in. view of programs that pvide military-grade equipment to police.torney gsoer aommisi nryatiopes en outual >> reporter: in this case mistrust over a shooting where the facts still aren't clear. was brown shot six times by a police man because he was attacking the officer? or was it an execution? excessive force? you promise

abc's senior justice correspondent pierre thomas joining us from washington. pierre has a legitimate threat been made. >> reporter: no specific threat has been identified but they're concerned that they have sympathizers here in the u.s., so-called lone wolves. more than 100 americans have gone to join forces with radicals in iraq and syria. my sources believe that this proves there's clearly a pool of people here in the u.s. who identify with these foreign fighters and that could be dangerous. >> you mentioned those lone wolves and what is the biggest concern about that group? >> reporter: these are people the government may not have identified who could just be watching the events unfold from iraq and not be officially tied to isis at all. they could come out of nowhere. paula. >> all right, pierre thomas, thank you for that report this morn. >> such a scary threat. other news developing overnight and we turn to mr. ron claiborne. good morning, sir. >> good morning to you, mr. dan harris. paula faris and sara haines, good morning, everyone. we start with an o

please welcome pierre thomas. [applause] >> hello, everyone. thank you so much for coming to the national association of black journalists conference. this year, focusing on equipping members for the shifts taking place in newsrooms across the country. you can look forward to some great panels, workshops, and seminars including today's session, government and the media. and seminars including today's session, government and the media. we will we will address some of the challenges facing our industry specifically actions by the government, which appear to infringe on the truly free press. journalists subpoenaed to reveal sources, the justice department looking at months of records from the ap, the white house restricting access to many presidential events. ouse restricting access from presidential events. how do we operate going forward? challenges that stress the heart of what we do. today, we have some of the nation's top journalists here to discuss the challenges. they have confronted these issues first hand. we will have time for questions

pierre thomas, abc news, chicago. >> 25 years in jail. they say he was 73. a lifetime sentence for him. >> good they're cracking down on this. >>> coming up, in case you missed it, yesterday was national watermelon day. but we, of course, are celebrating it today in a most unusual way, with watermelon pickle and crispy pork. that's up next in our "insomniac kitchen." >>> ahead in our next half hour, a special honor for our abc news colleague, michael strahan, a game-changer on and off the field. he's now been enshrined along with the very greatest in pro football. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" ♪ watermelon watermelon ♪ i love you love watermelon >> who doesn't love watermelon? particularly this time of the year. in the teeth of the dog days of summer. >> it is the dog days of summer. in honor of national watermelon day, which was actually yesterday, we're checking out a most unusual way to enjoy this sweet and juicy treat. abc's tina trinh has "insomniac kitch kitchen." >> reporter: we're in the west village at fatty crab t

reporters covering the nancy youssef, national security correspondent from mcclatchy newspapers, pierre thomas, senior justice correspondent for abc news, and amy walter, national editor of the cook political report. award-winning reporting and analysis covering history as it happens. live from our nation's capital, this is "washington week with gwen ifill." corporate funding for "washington week" is provided y -- >> we asked people a question, how much money do you think you'll need when you retire? then we gave each person a ribbon to show how many years that amount might last. >> trying to put it a little further. >> got me to 07 years old. i will have to rethink this thing. >> it's hard to imagine how much we need for a retirement that could last 30 years or more. so maybe we need to approach things differently if we want to be ready for a longer etirement. >> additional corporate funding for "washington week" is provided by brigham and women's hospital. additional funding is provided by the annenberg foundation, the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to pbs stations

please welcome pierre thomas. [applause] national association of black journalists conference.his year, focusing on equipping members for the shifts taking place in newsrooms across the country. you can look forward to some great panels, workshops, and seminars including today's session, government and the media. we will address some of the challenges facing our industry specifically actions by the government, which appear to infringe on the truly free press. journalists subpoenaed to reveal sources, the justice department looking at months of records from the ap, the white house restricting access from to many presidential events. how do we operate going forward? fundamental challenges that stretch to the heart of what we do. today, we have some of the nation's top journalists here to discuss the challenges. they have confronted these issues first hand. we will have time for questions from the audience, but first i would like to introduce our illustrious panel. first, we have steve adler. he is the editor-in-chief of reuters news. before joining reuters, he was editor-in-chief

abc's pierre thomas has more. >> reporter: ferguson, missouri, images of anger, tension, as a minority community faces off with a police department it clearly does not trust. a showdown with officers looking like soldiers. black residents say the protest over the fatal police shooting of michael brown was the culmination of frustrations that had been building like a ticking time bomb. >> we have been getting harass sewed much. we are tired of it. >> reporter: stark numbers hinted at what many could see coming. ferguson's population, 67% african-american. as for the police force, of its 53 officers, three are black. last year black citizens accounted for 86% of vehicle stops. nearly 93% of arrests in ferguson. the imagery, white cops locking up black folks. questions of race and policing so intense the fed had no choice but to step in. the white house ordering the review of programs that provide military grade equipment to police. and the attorney general taking the rare step of coming to ferguson at a moment of crisis, promising an independent investigation. >> the national outsky we h

du bois session is pierre thomas, 2012 journalist of the year and senior justice correspondent for abc news. he joined in 2000 and reports for several programs including world news, "good morning

here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: bank of america admitted to massive fraud.rica, merrill lynch and countrywide each engaged in evasive schemes to defraud financial snuments and investors. >> reporter: junk loans packaged as good investments which led to tsunami of bank recession and foreclosures. >> it's like going to your neighborhood grocery store to buy milk advertised as fresh only to discover store employees knew the milk you were buying had been left out on a loading dock unrefrigerated. >> reporter: record nearly $17 billion settlement includes $7 billion in relief for underwater homeowners. one of several big payouts by the big banks for past sins. many bank executives, including the ceos of countrywide and jpmorgan chase were hauled before congress for accountability. >> you understand this is a little difficult for most of my constituents to take? >> i think the entire industry shares some of that responsibility. >> reporter: one bank executive, countrywide ceo, is facing the threat of a federal lawsuit. once again, no criminal charges were filed ag

pierre thomas on how we prevent another ferguson. >>> plus, a celebration four decades in the making. why the white house beat won't be the same. >> back to you, gentlemen, up in the booth. >> announcer: from abc news, "this week" with george stephanopoulos begins now.

let's start off with abc senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, martha. threat level severe. likelihood of a terror attack? high. that's the blunt british assessment. in great britain, signs of stepped up police principals. hard evidence that the islamic radicals are a direct threat to the uk, the u.s., indeed all of the west. >> this is not some foreign conflict thousands of miles from home we can hope to ignore. >> reporter: according to u.s. intelligence, an estimated 12,000 foreign fighters center gone to syria. more than a hundred from america, but more than a thousand from europe. >> you're not dealing just with isil. you're dealing with other al qaeda-linked franchises in syria and potentially iraq. that's the reason for the threat level change. >> reporter: american intelligence sources say they identified no specific plot. but british authorities are likely responding to chatter from radicals in syria and iraq talking about targeting england. radicals whose travel documents give them easy access to

pierre thomas, abc news, new york. >> political deja vu last night in chicago where former gop runningmates, mitt romney and paul ryan shared a stage again. the first time the two republicans have made a joint public appearance since the 2012 race. ryan says it is time for romney to run for president again. romney said, ryan would make a good president himself. they were in chicago. so he could interview ryan about his new book. >> testimony continues in the corruption trial of the virginia former governor. the court is hearing firsthand about his marital frob lems, bob mcconnell and his wife. david kerley reports. >> virginia governor bob mcdonnell. >> he appeared the politician with convincing, talked about as a possible presidential candidate. behind the portrait of bob mcdonnell was the emotional wreckage of a troubled dissolving marriage. she would yell at me, the former virginia governor told jurors at his corruption trial. accused of working with his wife off to trade access for luxury gifts and cash. that's why the troubled marriage is keep to mcdonald's defense. that things got so

senior justice correspondent pierre thomas has this abc news exclusive. >> reporter: rhea bachus saidrug dealer fed her husband's addiction to powerful painkillers, a drug dealer in a white coat, an m.d. >> he knows as a doctor that could have killed him and he didn't care. >> reporter: she's talking about dr. norman werther. he may look the part of a kindly doctor but here he is on surveillance video committing a crime. >> what's your pain level without the medicine? >> reporter: federal investigators say the exam is just a sham. it only takes four minutes before he prescribes an undercover informant a painkiller. >> it's oxycodone -- >> reporter: dr. werther is part of what federal investigators say is a serious and growing problem. doctors who go to the dark side, prescribing highly addictive painkillers for profit. >> he gave up his medical license for drug dealing. >> reporter: and werther is hardly the only dirty doctor. this doctor was caught on undercover cameras writing prescriptions to phoney patients out of a rented hotel room, drugs on demand. at least 300 doctors or pharm

abc's chief justice correspondent pierre thomas is tracking it from washington.d morning. >> reporter: good morning, george. today one of the nation's biggest banks has been hacked and this morning the fbi and the secret service are investigating. law enforcement sources tell abc news federal agents are investigating a potential major breach of j.p. morgan chase's computers and those of at least one other major financial institution. investigators are trying to determine whether sensitive customer account information is among what was compromised. company and government officials declined to offer specifics but last night the fbi released a statement saying it and the secret service were working to determine the scope of recently reported cyberattacks against several financial institutions. one official told abc news that when a bank the size of j.p. morgan chase is targeted, it's not just considered a financial crime but also potentially a national security matter. investigators will look to see whether organized crime rings were involved and whether the attack

pierre garcon will not play. neither will fill thomas or ryan clark. we'll have all the story lines coming up from fedex field a little later today starting at 5:00. for now, though, have a great day. glp. >>> if you're driving to fedex field for tonight's game, don't let the traffic drive you crazy. metro and game day organizers are trying to make things easier for fans. event organizers are paying to keep the trains going an hour longer tonight. metro says riders should enter the morgan boulevard or largo town center stations by 12:20 a.m. to make sure they catch the last trains. all other metro station entrances will close at their normal times, but riders will be able to exit all stations during th5k=bfat take hour of service. >>> just a little further up the road, the ravens will host the 49ers at m&t bank staum tonight for their preseason game, the first one of the season. the game will pit coaches and brothers jim and john harbaugh against one another and it's a repeat of super bowl xlvii. this is also an opportunity for joe flacco and company