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tv   ABC World News Tonight With David Muir  ABC  July 2, 2018 5:30pm-6:00pm PDT

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tonight, the miracle in the cave. the moment a boy's soccer team is found alive, ten days after vanishing inside a maze of dark tunnels. >> we've just got the news that the boys have been found. >> families rejoicing. but now, the new race against time to rescue those children. cohen's warning shot. the president's former personal attorney and fixer breaking his silence in an abc news exclusive. telling george stephanopoulos his first loyalty is now to his family. after once saying he would take a bullet for the president. the deadly vacation horror. a tour boat exploding off the bahamas.cer losing her legs in the blast. and new details tonight about the woman who did not survive. extreme heat wave. the summer scorcher now turning deadly. the daring prison break.
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a notorious gangster busts out with the help of armed commandos and a stolen helicopter. tonight, the nationwide manhunt. and meet the new king of l.a. lebron james says good-bye, cleveland -- hello, hollywood. and good evening. it's great to have you with us on a busy monday night. i'm tom llamas, in for david. and we begin tonight with breaking news. the miracle rescue. the ten-day ordeal playing out in front of the world. 12 young boys and their soccer coach found alive in a flooded cave in thailand. remarkable images coming in. >> we're coming. it's okay. >> it's okay. >> many people are coming. >> that right there is the moment rescuers finally reached the group huddled in the dark cave, sitting at the water's edge. divers navigating narrow passages and muddy water, promising more help is on the way. emotional family members camped out at the scene, excited beyond
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belief after learning everyone is alive. rescuers now faced with the difficult task of getting the boys safely out and back to their families. abc's james longman is in thailand at the cave site to lead us off. >> reporter: the pictures the world was holding its breath for. >> how many of you? >> 13. >> 13? >> yes. >> brilliant. >> reporter: and the voices they'd waited to hear. >> thank you! >> reporter: 12 school boys, aged 11 to 16, and their soccer coach, found alive tonight on their tenth day in a flooded thai cave. >> we are coming. it's okay. >> it's okay. >> many people are coming. >> many, many, people. >> we are the first. many people coming. >> reporter: rescue flashlights breaking their long darkness. the boys with no idea how long they'd been underground. >> what day is it? >> monday. >> okay, one week -- and monday. you have been here ten days. ten days. you are very strong. very strong. >> reporter: strong in spirit,
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but physically, they're weak. some are able to stand, though. "thank you, thank you," the boys repeat. outside, the word spread quickly. we've just got the news that the boys have been found. it's incredible news. thailand's prayers have paid off. their parents had sat waiting at the cave entrance for days. tonight, they're overjoyed. the u.s. playing a part in what locals are already calling a miracle. a strong international team on the ground here. the boys and their coach went into the cave last saturday, a fun excursion gone badly wrong. sudden heavy rain causing flash floods. rescue divers battling powerful currents, narrow rock and muddy waters. now that the search is over, the complicated rescue mission begins. >> we're all going to come together to figure out what the best possible solution is. and kind of be able to get the kids out as safely and as quickly as possible. >> reporter: the next steps will not be easy. they're two miles inside. one plan could be to stretcher them out along the water, but
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with large parts of the cave still submerged, it's not clear if they'd have to swim out. a second option, experts tell us, keeping them supplied until another entrance to the cave can be drilled. the water levels, stable for now, but with rain forecast, it's still a race against time. >> we're trying to find a way to get them out, because right now the water's really low and -- >> reporter: so, you've got to do it before the rain comes. yeah. >> time is of the essence. and james longman joins us now from outside that cave in northern thailand. james, we've reported they were there for ten days. how did those boys manage to survive for so long? >> well, tom, experts tell us, they managed to survive because of the sheer heat in that cave. about 100 degrees inside. which means they didn't have to worry about hypothermia. also, they were able to drink, because of fresh water seeping through cracks in the rock. >> incredible, the heat actually saved them. and james, i understand a doctor was part of that dive team and is now treating them inside the cave? >> reporter: that's right. the medic is a trained scuba diver, and he is now spending
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the night with the group inside, tending to their needs, making sure that they can build up their strength, because it is a long trek to get back out of that cave tonight. tom? >> such an incredible moment there. james, thank you to you and your team for your reporting. now to the abc news exclusive, george stephanopoulos one-on-one with president trump's former long-time personal attorney, michael cohen. the president's so-called fixer, who once said, "i will do anything to protect mr. trump," now telling george he will put country and family first. cohen under intense pressure since the fbi raided his home and his office, perhaps signaling his willingness to cooperate with federal prosecutors. here's abc's chief news anchor george stephanopoulos. >> reporter: he is the lawyer and fixer who once vowed he'd take a bullet for his most famous client. >> i will do anything to protect mr. trump. i'm obviously very loyal and very dedicated to mr. trump. >> reporter: but when i sat down with michael cohen in new york this weekend, it was clear something has changed. federal prosecutors are breathing down his neck, and when i asked cohen what he'll do if they offer him leniency in return for information on
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president trump, he was emphatic. "my wife, my daughter and my son have my first loyalty," he said. "and they always will. i put family and country first." three times i pressed him, and three times his answer was the same. "family first." >> mr. president, is michael cohen going to flip, sir? will michael cohen flip? >> thank you very much. >> reporter: in the oval office today, president trump ignored questions. in the past, he predicted cohen won't turn against him, tweeting, "most people will flip if the government lets them out of trouble. sorry, i don't see michael doing that." but now cohen is sending a clear signal to the president, prosecutors and the country. "i will not be a punching bag as part of anyone's defense strategy," he told me. "i am not a villain of this story, and i will not allow others to try to depict me that way." cohen is under investigation by the u.s. attorney for the southern district of new york for possible bank and wire fraud. prosecutors are digging into his $130,000 hush payment to porn
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star stormy daniels. the president claimed to know nothing about it. >> you have to ask michael cohen. michael's my attorney, and you'll have to ask michael. >> reporter: and in the past, cohen insisted he acted on his own initiative. but now, when i asked if the president directed him to pay off the porn star, cohen hedged, telling me, "i want to answer. one day i will answer. but for now, i can't comment further on advice of my counsel." in april, fbi agents raided cohen's home and office, seizing documents and more than a dozen phones and electronic devices. >> i just heard that they broke into the office of one of my personal attorneys, a good man, and it's a disgraceful situation. >> reporter: but cohen told me he doesn't agree with "those who demonize or vilify the fbi," adding, "the agents were respectful, courteous and professional. i thanked them for their service and as they left, we shook hands." cohen also refused to criticize
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special counsel robert mueller's investigation into russian meddling and possible collusion with the trump campaign. >> it's a witch hunt. that's all it is. it's a total witch hunt. the entire thing has been a witch hunt. >> reporter: cohen told me, "i don't like the term witch hunt." and he had tough words about that infamous trump tower meeting when don jr., jared kushner and paul manafort sat down with a russian lawyer they were told had dirt on hillary clinton. cohen calls the meeting "a mistake," an "example of poor judgment." but when i asked him if donald trump knew about the meeting in advance, cohen would only tell me this -- "i can't comment under advice of my counsel." >> and george joins us now in studio. george, a very telling interview there. but the big question tonight, why is michael cohen speaking out? is he trying to send a message? >> reporter: oh, definitely. that's part of it, strategic. sending a message, as i said, to prosecutors, to the president and to the country, but tom, i also think it's deeply personal for michael cohen. he's been taking a lot of hits out there from allies of president trump, in the press, in the public. he wanted to tell his story. he wanted to send a signal that
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he's becoming his own man and ultimately, wants to work for what he calls resolution to this matter. >> now, we do want to mention, michael cohen has not been charged with anything, but he has changed his lawyer, which is very significant. >> reporter: for two reasons. number one, who that lawyer is. guy petrillo. a veteran of the southern district of new york. he was the head of the criminal division there, so, he knows these prosecutors well. secondly, and this is very, very significant. when guy petrillo formally comes onboard, that will mark the end of the joint defense agreement that michael cohen's lawyers have had with president trump and his attorneys and their allies' attorneys, to share information, to share strategy. once he comes onboard, that agreement is going to be over. that means the sides could be in a much mored a ver ed adversari position. >> george stephanopoulos with that exclusive interview tonight. george, thank you. next tonight, news about that deadly boat explosion in the bahamas. american tourists onboard. investigators looking into what caused the blast that killed a mother and injured at least nine other people. one of the victims, a daer
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losing her legs while on a family vacation. here's abc's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, officials in the bahamas investigating what caused e enneur boat to explode, leaving behind this torched heap of metal. this, as we learn more about the american mother killed onboard. 39-year-old maleka jackson and her husband celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary when that boat suddenly ignited. >> my heart broke. my prayer was that, lord, i just pray she didn't suffer. >> reporter: ten americans and two bahamian crew members were onboard. at least nine seriously injured. some airlifted to florida for treatment. stephanie schaffer, a 22-year-old dancer from vermont, losing both legs, now in a medically induced coma. her mother with several broken bones. >> doctor, doctor! >> reporter: cell phone video from a nearby boat capturing the panic, as passengers desperately tried to escape the inferno. these men jumping into the water, climbing aboard that burning vessel in a frantic rush
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to help. tom, the company that operates that boat tells abc news it won't comment, as the investigation is ongoing. tom? >> erielle reshef for us. erielle, thank you. we're also tracking tonight the extreme heat wave gripping most of the country. heat alerts for 60 million americans. temperatures feeling like they're in the triple digits from north carolina all the way to maine. at least one death blamed on the dangerous heat. here's abc's gio benitez. >> reporter: tonight, that dangerous heat wave with no relief in sight. in washington, d.c. today, it felt like 108 degrees. baltimore? 111. at least one death already blamed on the heat. mt. sinai hospital in new york city preparing for more heat-related illness. so, what should people watch out for? >> so, i mean, you should watch out for symptoms of excessive sweating, lightheadedness, dizziness. >> reporter: firefighters in pennsylvania warning parents to avoid hot playgrounds. >> we're at about 140 degrees on the asphalt. >> reporter: that extreme heat bucking highways from minnesota to ohio.
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to open this bridge in chicago, they had to cool it down after steel beams expanded in the heat. and tom, tonight, as a precaution, amtrak is slowing down the speed of its trains from north carolina to baltimore in case the heat damages those tracks. tom? >> gio, thank you. let's get right to abc chief meteorologist ginger zee. she's along the george washington bridge. and ginger, this heat is not letting up. >> reporter: tom, the sweltering heat goes all the way to burlington, vermont, where they broke a record today at 97. look at these heat advisories, from caribou, maine, down to windsor, north carolina. the numbers don't go anywhere the next couple of days. the heat indices, 104, washington, d.c., 102, little rock. and then by wednesday, the numbers just soar. 101, des moines. the feels like in memphis, 102. this slides east even more and that means new york city, for example, would be close to a seven-day stretch of 90-plus, if we do that, it will be a one in 33-year event. tom? >> all right, we'll track that. ginger, thank you. now, to the supreme court
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showdown. president trump promising one week from today he will announce his nominee to succeed retiring justice anthony kennedy. the president revealing he interviewed four potential nominees today and plans to meet with two or three more before making his decision. abc's kyra phillips is at the white house tonight. >> reporter: president trump tonight ramping up his search for a supreme court nominee. >> i interviewed and met with four potential justices of our great supreme court. they are outstanding people and they are really incredible people. >> reporter: the president says he'll meet with two or three other candidates. he's predicting a vicious confirmation battle. and abortion now at the center of the fight. >> without this basic right, women can't be free. >> reporter: during the campaign, the president promised to appoint justices who would overturn roe versus wade. >> it will happen automatically, in my opinion, because i am putting pro-life justices on the court. >> reporter: he's not saying that now.
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>> are you going to ask your nominees beforehand how they might vote on roe versus wade? >> well, that's a big one, and probably not. they're all saying don't do that, you don't do that, you shouldn't do that. but i'm putting conservative people on. >> reporter: today, the white house refusing to say whether the president wants roe versus wade overturned. is the president still committed to appointing pro-life judges? >> he's not going to talk to judges about specific cases. he's looking for individuals that have the right intellect, the right temperament, and that will uphold the constitution. >> reporter: now, during the campaign, the president said very directly, "i am pro-life and i will be appointing pro-life judges." tonight, he's just not going that far. he wants his nominee confirmed and he's not going to give his opponents any new ammunition. tom? >> kyra phillips for us at the white house tonight. kyra, thank you. and one more headline out of the white house. president trump today speaking
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with mexico's president-elect, andres manuel lopez obrador, the leftist leader and trump critic. president trump says they talked for about 30 minutes, discussing border security, nafta and a possible new trade deal. he believes they will have a, quote, good relationship. amlo wrote a book titled "oye trump," spanish for "listen up, trump." and there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this monday. the daring prison break. a notorious gangster, busting out, flying to freedom in a hijacked helicopter. now, the nationwide manhunt. plus, the fourth of july terror plot foiled. the suspect, you see him there, allegedly wanted to help bomb a city crowd on independence day. how the fbi closed in. and a man overboard. the cruise ship employee lost at sea, and the moment, watch closely, a second cruise ship spotted him nearly 24 hours later. stay with us. later. stay with us.
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helicopter. abc's eva pilgrim reporting tonight from paris. >> reporter: tonight, a massive manhunt for 46-year-old redoine faid. the french gangster, serving a 25-year sentence for murder, now on the run after this breathtaking helicopter escape from this prison south of paris. three accomplices in masks hijacked the helicopter, using guns to force the pilot to fly to the jail. they flew it here and hovered between that yellow and the red building, it's a pretty small space to hover. two of the men jumped out, setting off smoke bombs, before breaking into the visitors room where faid was meeting with his brother, whisking him away. the chopper later found burnt. the men last seen switching cars, heading north. but investigators say they've ditched that car tonight. this isn't faid's first prison break. in 2013, he escaped by blowing up doors with dynamite, using four guards as human shields. the notorious french gangster telling a magazine he took his
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criminal inspiration from hollywood, like michael mann's 1995 movie "heat," watching scenes hundreds of times, studying them. authorities think drones were used to scout the area a few months ago. tonight, about 3,000 french policemen are searching for faid. tom? >> the manhunt under way. all right, eva, thank you. and when we come back, the tragic update in a stabbing spree that targeted a child's birthday party. and the suspect in court late today, now facing a murder charge after a 3-year-old victim died. murder th us. charge after a 3-year-old victim died. stay with us. stay with us. stay with us. thritis, month after month, the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. humira can help stop the clock. prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections,
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attack the independence day parade and fireworks in cleveland thwarted by the fbi. demetrius pitts is facing one count of attempting to provide material support to al qaeda. he allegedly told an undercover agent that he wanted to help scope a cleveland location for a holiday attack. security is stepped up across the country for the fourth. and dramatic new details after a cruise ship employee vanished overboard. a 33-year-old crew member from a norwegian cruise ship went missing saturday. on sunday, a crew member on a carnival ship spotted him in the water, 20 miles north of cuba. the captain turning the boat around and sending a rescue team. the unidentified man, who survived nearly 24 hours at sea, is being treated at a mexico hospital. and when we come back, the king has a new court. his big hollywood entrance, and what it could mean for la la land. stay with us. you're turning onto the street when you barely clip a passing car. minor accident - no big deal, right?
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finally tonight, good-bye, cleveland -- hello, l.a. the king has a new court. here's paula faris. >> reporter: after tracking his every move from land and air, l.a. rolling out the red carpet for king james. >> lebron james! lebron james! >> reporter: four years and 154 million bucks is quite the welcome package. lebron already owns two homes and a production company in tinseltown. >> lebron, welcome to los angeles. >> reporter: and he's not just the king of the court. he's also the king of commerce. lebron expected to have a $400 million impact on the city of angels and bring 3,000 jobs. similar to his economic impact in both miami and cleveland, where businesses near the arenas
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saw employment go up 23%. >> james up and under, throws it off the backboard! >> reporter: lebron leaves cleveland with a championship, and if it's all too much for cavaliers fans to stomach, tums offering free heartburn relief to fans at cleveland's first home game next season. where they will once again start their post-lebron era. paula faris, abc news, new york. >> we thank paula for that story. and thank you for watching on this monday night. i'm tom llamas. i hope to see you right back here tomorrow. for david and all of us here, night.ght.
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tonight we're live in moraga where people had to suddenly evacuate as fire approached their homes. we're live in napa currently as well with the biggest active fire currently burning in california. the flow is beginning to improve the bay area air quality. i'll have a closer look coming up. plus, the plot allegedly hatched by this terrorist suspect, who may have had his eyes on san francisco. >> live where you live, this is abc 7 news. >> this is the largest fire burning in california right now, and it's our neighbors whose homes are being threatened by it. good evening. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm dion lim in for ama daetz. the fire has burned nearly 45,000 acres, roughly 70 square miles, about the size of fremont. >> sky 7 is live over the western edge of the fire at the northern end of lake berryessa. this blaze has spread smoke across the entire bay area. no doubt you noticed that.
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at last check it was just under 3% contained and evacuations were mandatory for some areas around highway 128. >> our sky map technology showing us where the fire is in relation to knoxville road, a main artery into the north end of lake berryessa. >> the fire has burned a strip of land in between lake berryessa and highway 16, mostly in yolo, but also in napa county as well. >> snap pa county is where we find abc 7 reporter laura anthony live for us tonight with the very latest on the firefight. laura? >> hi, dion. firefighters ramped up the air attack here in the last couple hours. we've seen these helicopters pretty much nonstop, dropping water on the hillside behind me. those who have businesses at lake berryessa down the road are hoping these crews can get a handle on this fire enough to salvage at least part of the fourth of july holiday.