fire conditions in the west are worsening this week,

increasing the chances of more wildfires. the region is already a tinderbox with 90 large blazes raging in 12 states. at least 35 of those fires started this weekend due to lightning strikes. now, to the travel nightmare for fliers with airlines cancelling hundreds of flights. some spirit airlines customers have been stranded for days as the florida-based budget carrier struggles to restore service. abc's megan tevrizian has more. >> reporter: chaos at airports across the country as hundreds of flights were cancelled monday. leaving passengers stranded. from cleveland -- >> this has been the worst weekend ever. it's been a disaster. >> reporter: to philadelphia -- >> something must have happened with spirit. all hell broke loose. >> reporter: to orlando -- >> we're stuck here. look at the people that are waiting. >> reporter: spirit airlines cancelling nearly 300 flights, hed ights, blaming stfiens cancel flights to get crews and

planes in the right places. >> four hours in line. >> in line for four hours? >> just to get our cancellation. >> reporter: frustrated passengers forced to wait in long lines to reschedule. >> the line was out the door, down the road, and three-times, four-times bigger than this. >> reporter: many passengers claiming they received no explanation or warning. in some instances, flights were canceled right before boarding. >> as we were waiting to go down the gate to the flight, they, i guess, cancelled flight on us. >> reporter: american airlines cancelling flights monday, 420 of them, saying bad weather in dallas forced a repositioning of planes and crews. it comes as major airlines vow to hire thousands of workers to. customer service also a challenge. some travelers have reported wait times of more than six hours to speak to someone on the phone. the number of americans flying

continues to soar. the tsa screened a record number of people sunday, the highest number since the pandemic started. andrew? mona? >> megan, thank you. and as you mentioned, i mean, the employers can't keep up with the shortae of employees and also the demand for people just wanting to travel and get back outside. >> i traveled this weekend. i got lucky. didn't have to wait for hours. you are seeing it more at airports, as travel demand increases. >> exactly. coming up, kathy griffin opens up about her excruciating transformation. what the comedienne is saying about her addiction to painkillers. a life-or-death mental health crisis and now a stunning canister diagnosis. a message of hope for her fans. later, "this happened." the intrepid praying mantis that took himself out to the ball game. you're watching "world news now."

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♪ comedienne kathy griffin has made a name for herself, by pushing the envelope up to the line but often over it. >> but now, four years after the trump mask scandal that nearly ended her career, griffin is sharing startling revelations about addiction, mental health and now a cancer diagnosis. here's abc's juju chang. >> reporter: turning the things you're not supposed to say into comedy put griffin on the map. she toured the world performing standup. >> i have been very open about what i call my dental work. you know, i'm not going to lie to you about that. i have staples in my head right now. >> reporter: in 2017, many would say she crossed a line, after tmz published a photo of her holding a mask of president trump covered in ketchup. >> outrage from all sides after the video of kathy griffin.

>> kathy griffin, that image. >> nobody wants to see this. it wasn't funny. didn't work. >> reporter: the backlash was swift. tour canceled. endorsements pulled. friends walked away. >> emotionally, that was the most painful. to have so many friends to this day haven't called. i would like to think i would not behave that way. i think it's sad that many americans were quiet at a time like during my photo, when it probably would have been okay to take a stand. >> reporter: after her world tour, the darkness became overwhelming. back home in los angeles, her addiction to prescription pills spun out of control. how did that happen? >> i have to be honest. it really kicked into high gear when the trump thing happened. prior to then, i'm going to say, i was, like, dallying with a pill addiction in a way that wasn't good. but then, after that happened, i just thought, who cares? >> reporter: so, bring us to the dark night when you decide that's it, i'm checking out.

>> i took about 100 pills. i fell down two flights of stairs. i'm no spring chicken, 59. i don't remember any of it. i then went back to bed. then i looked at my body. i could see i had lacerations and bruises and stuff and i was like, oh, i didn't do it enough. took a bunch more pills. fell down again. this time, on, like, a marble floor. and then, that time, when i came to, even then, i was like, okay. this isn't good. >> reporter: from there, kathy began one of her biggest battles, recovery. >> the detox was nasty. i mean, it was months. >> reporter: griffin said it was roughly a year since she kicked her addiction to prescription pills. ironically, sobriety helped her find a terrifying diagnosis. >> there's no more oxy or

vike vicoden. do i have arthritis? my joints are hurting. so, i went and i had a bunch of tests. and the doctor said, we picked up a mass on your lung. and they did a needle biopsy. i found out that it's cancer, lung cancer, though i never smoked. i like to be the exception to the rule. >> reporter: exactly. my god. >> i'm special. >> reporter: griffin had half of her lung surgically removed. and she's taking it all with her sense of humor. what does the next chapter look like, post-surgery? >> the beauty is, i don't worry about that as much anymore. not to sound cocky. i think at this stage of the game, people know who i am. and i think it's okay for me to go, i'm going to see what comes in. i'm not going to chase it like i used to. >> our thanks to juju chang. she said that sobriety essentially saved her life because, again, she was in tune with her body and went to seek help. as far as her cancer diagnosis, because they detected it so early, she does not need chemo

or radiation at this time. >> and griffin is optimistic she will survive. >> sending her thoughts and prayers. coming up, the mirage you have to see to believe. and while new york has its pizza rat, britain now has its own big mac rat. planned carefully for our rehawe needed a way to supplement our income. if you have one hundred thousand dollars or more of life insurance you may qualify to sell your policy. don't cancel or let your policy lapse without finding out what it's worth. visit conventrydirect.com to find out if you policy qualifies. or call the number on your screen. coventry direct, redefining insurance.

all right. time, now, for "this happened!" we're starting with the mysterious mirage making me want to clean my glasses to see if this is real in coastal alaska. >> yeah, this happened. glacier bay showed a distant shoreline appearing to warp. the optical occurred when cool air is trapped beneath the cold layer of warm air. >> yeah, you see it, there it's kind of an alien action moving across the water. it's actually thermal inversion that causes the atmosphere to

bend, bending light, much like a lens. and it sometimes makes us see things that aren't really there. next, to a small washington nationals fan getting 15 minutes of fame. >> this happened during last night's game against the padres. center fielder victor robles was seen unknowingly sporting a praying mantis on his cap for the final innings of the game. >> it followed robles, where it had the best seat in the house. >> unfortunately for robles and his six-legged companion, the nationals ended up losing 7-5. and right after the game, the praying mantis was traded to the dodgers. >> oh, no one told him, no one. and next, move over pizza rat because britain is saying forget about it. >> a truck driver across the pond stuck in busy highway traffic started recording when "this happened." >> being dubbed the big mac rat. unlikeyo's pizza rat

dragging the slice down the stairs, this guy was weaving through oncoming traffic with his snack. he can't be stopped. >> without missing a beat, big mac rat drags his spoils to the side of the road and disappears by a nearby bush. >> we can only assume he is lovin' it. where are the fries, mona? >> i know we said this happened in the u.k. but it's not a coincidence that the u.k. just lifted its travel restrictions to american residents. so -- i think that is a new york city rat that is just a tourist. and by the way, too, a great ape with a great sense of style. >> this happened at a zoo in indonesia, after one woman accidentally dropped her sunglasses into an enclosure. >>put them on himself for a bold, new look. >> i can see it. a clip of the newly minted fashion icon has amassed over 9 million likes on tiktok in the

day. it has been up since the day. >> look at all those people taking pictures of her. she's like, don't look at me. she is giving you celebrity in

today on "live," today, from "the suicide squad," idris elba. and from the new series, "turner & hooch," josh peck. a special preview of the new york auto show. and katie lowes joins ryan as the cohost. all next on "live!" and now, here are ryan seacrest and katie lowes! [applause] >> katie: hi, ryan seacrest! >> ryan: it is so good to see you. >> katie: hi! >> ryan: it is monday,

august 2nd. in for kelly is katie lowes.