So we all know the importance of getting a good nights sleep. For many people mr. Sandman pays a visit after they pop a sleeping pill. This morning a new study sounding another alarm about the danger of overreliance on sleeping pills and their long term use. Abcs linsey davis has more. Reporter it appears we are a nation of insomniacs with a tendency to pop pills desperate for shut eye. A cdc report indicates 9 million americans admit to taking a sleep drug in the past 30 days. A lot of times people dont try other method first before medications. Reporter in fact america filled 60 million prescriptions for sleeping pills last year alone. We are among the most sleep medicated countries in the word. We are a 24 hour a day country. We are always on demand. Reporter evidence of the widespread use is prevalent on face book where people post cant fall asleep. Taking my ambien. Lights out yall. And ambien, i got to agree that i have a love hate thing with you. Im talking to a doctor about getting off of you. You have people that come to you and say i want to get off of this. All the time. The majority of the patients i see. Reporter not being able to sleep can be a curse, affecting a persons ability to function. Research shows sleep aid do work, allowing us to catch much needed zs. Is a druginduced sleep just as good as falling asleep the oldfashioned way. A lot of people feel it is real sleep. A lot of people dont feel the sleep quality is good. Reporter the doctor points out only a limited number of studies looked at long term effects of chronic use. That is something people dont lose sleep over as they. Pop another pill. Linsey davis, abc news, new york. I have been tempted on this shift. Tempted. Had a hard time adjusting. Once you go there. It is hard to come back. I finally adjusted. Took me a while. What sleeping pills. Yes. Lucky for you. If you are on a sleeping pill think about quitting. Dont do it cold turkey. It can be lifethreatening. Go to your doctor and talk step down program to get off of it. Tells how you how powerful the pills are. Thats true. Go backstage at broadways hottest show. The rare look at the brain child of cyndi lauper, a look at the characters of the m powering, heart warming musical. Really looks like a good one, doesnt it . Yeah. Ahead in our next halfhour, debilitating injuries on the football field. A major settlement for the nfl and questions about the league doing enough, did they do enough . Well discuss it. You are watching world news now. Announcer world news now continues after this from our abc stations. Too small. Too soft. Too tasty. [ both laugh ] [ male announcer ] introducing progressos new creamy alfredo soup. Inspired by perfection. [ female announcer ] at 100 calories, not all food choices add up. Some are giant. Some not so giant. When managing your weight, bigger is always better. Ho ho ho green giant one of the tunes from kinky boots the musical stole the show at the tony award and will soon open outside new york. We got special access back stage, and we are joined now with an inside look. Good morning. John, diana. Good morning. This was a fun assignment, the hottest broadway show of the year with six tonys, best musical, best actor, best score. Music by cyndi lauper. Every night it is a sold out show with lines circling the block. I wanted to find out what was behind its huge success. Yeah yeah reporter the most talked about show on broadway, kinky boots, setting record with tunes from pop music mind of cyndi lauper. A new beginning lets rock n roll reporter kinky boots about far more than fabulous footwear. The story of how lola the drag queen meets charlie the small town shoe factory owner the together they save the factory from closing its doors. Billy porter plays lola. I think it masquerades a show about a drag queen, and it is a bromance between friends who have daddy issues. One just happens to wear a dress. Reporter kinky boots about fining your passion and also about acceptance. A nice message about allowing people to be different, allowing people to be who they are and allowing yourself to be who you are as well. Reporter then there are the costumes, boots and wigs as we saw backstage. We are a welloiled machine back here. Traffic on stage, a choreography and traffic offstage as well. Reporter since opening on broadway in april, the show awarded with the best musical tony award also won a loyal following. Its harvey fierstein. I mean, really. Cyndi lauper. Forget about it. The audience is quiet at the end. By the end, we always have them. I have never had that before. It is touching people and reaching people in a way that as an artist you only dream of. And you only hope that you can be able to be a part of something that does that. Whats it like to dance in the highest of highheeled boots eight times a week. There is lots of icing. Lots of massaging. You know, i mean its the gig. Its not painfree. What i get to be a part of, supersedes whatever thing that is. That is high energy. High energy show. I want to see it. You did. What did you think . I loved it. You have got to see it. I highly recommend for any one coming to new york, lives in the area. So much fun. Dance out of the theater. It would be like hairspray. I got dragged to that. Thought it well be a long night. End of the night i loved it. This is great. Looks like it has the vibe. Any chance it will open in other cities . Yes, going on a national tour, vegas, september 2014. Watch it if we are not in new york. Road trip to vegas. Tons of buzz. Tons of buzz. Hottest show of the year. Everyone is loving it. Fantastic. Thank you very much. Abcs Genevieve Shaw brown. Well be back with more world news now. Not anymore. What . My silve isnt good enough for you . Have have you seen it . Yes, i have seen it, and it looks you gotta look better. Ladies, breathe. Cascade kitchen counselor here. Its not your silverware. Its likely your detergent. See, over time, cascade platinums triple cleaning formula delivers brilliant shine finish gel cant beat. It even helps keep your dishwasher sparkling. Find something, mother . No. [ counselor ] cascade platinum is cascades best. Makes an epic journey throughr pines, wildflowers, and aspens. No. And is matched only by our journey to capture its scent. Crafted by expert perfumers for your home, air wick mountain woodlands and crisp air is part of our limited Edition National park collection. Airwick. The craft of fragrance. Time for the mix. You know elaborate type kisses, proposals, i tend to be over them. I like them i like this one. Beautiful. A work of art. These are adrenaline junkies, kim and kelly, theyre from vancouver. Is that not the most gorgeous picture. Wanted to do a wedding lap. Got married at the water ski dock. She wiped out on the first lap. Went in the water. 1,600 dress and all. Got back on their skis. A wipeout. Made it the second time around. Is that just most gorgeous picture. Great picture. Everything looks great. I love the picture. That one though. That is frameable. Doesnt get any better. 30 second to tell you the next one. I dont need that much time. A cat doing a cool trick. Hes on a set of stairs. He decide i dont want to go the conventional way. I will do my own thing. Watch me do my own thing. Here he goes. Thank gosh for the carpeted stairs. Otherwise wouldnt be able to do that. Then goes back conventional way. Why not . Boom. Cool cat. Different breed of cat. Time for the polka. Yes. Politics and foreign wars all the weather all the scores thats the world news polka tapes that roll in way too slow stuff you saw on koppels show thats the world news polka its late at night youre wide awake and youre not wearing pants so grab your world news now mug and everybody dance have some fun be a pal every anchor guy and gal do the world news polka everybody thats the world news polka insomniacs only thats the world news polka who cares what the bosses think theyre a goofy crew no clue. And if your neighbors call the cops heres all you have to do move when they yell its half past three tell them hey its news to me thats the world news polka they make us work the graveyard shift thats why we go for broke so why not tune in abc and join our little joke hahaha. Five whole days every week were here with a tongue in cheek and the world news polka not lip synched its the world news da da da da polka this is why i joined the guard. I couldnt believe it. I just saved a life. Somebody from my hometown. Announcer be there for your community, at nationalguard. Com. This morning on world news now president s push. The white house builds its case to punish syria with or without help from major allies. The giant setback as the opposition raises red flags. Family secrets. The wife of George Zimmerman who went on trial for the Trayvon Martin shooting death. Reveal their hideout and her fears during the controversial case. Nfl hit the money the Pro Football League must pay injured players who were hurt on the field. And never fully recovered. Critics ask, is it enough. In the skinny, the moment fergie will never forget. The new guy in the singers life who is changing everything. Its friday, august 30th. Announcer from abc news, this is world news now with john muller and diana perez. Good morning, everybody. We are going to begin this halfhour with the latest on syria. If president obama decides to take action against the assad regime he may be on his own. The British Parliament voted against taking military action. It was a major defeat for Prime MinisterDavid Cameron who Still Believes syria deserves a tough response. Cameron says he will respect the will of the parliament. Now team of United Nations chemical weapons experts is expected to leave syria tomorrow. They will be reporting back to the United NationsSecurity Council with initial results of their investigation into whether syria used poison filled weapons on civilians earlier this month. Despite the set backs, president obama is hoping to convince lawmakers syria must face some consequences. Abcs jim avila has the latest from the white house. Reporter the president behind closed doors meeting with members of his National Security team. And already labeled the unhappy warrior by time magazine. Promising any military action will be limited and tailored. His spokesman emphasizing to a war weary American People the u. S. Is not planning an allout attack on syria or military attempt to topple bashar al assad. What we are talking about here is something that is very discreet and limited. Reporter the white house making the case Syrian Chemical Weapons threaten turkey, jordan and israel, our military bases and embassies in the middle east and to the world in general because allowing their use by syria only encourages dictators and terrorists. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says he agrees but wants more consultation with congress before the president acts. This is as serious as it gets. You are going to engage the u. S. Military. There are consequences for doing that and also consequences for not doing it. Reporter aides to president obama say with or without britain the United States will respond to syrias use of chemical weapons. And if they have to do it alone, militarily, they will. Jim avila, abc news, the white house. Our coverage of the crisis in syria does not end here, well get more live updates later on america this morning and good morning america. Plea deal in the works for a utah beauty queen accused of tossing bombs around a suburb. In salt lake city. 18yearold kendra gill appeared in court yesterday along with her Three Friends theyre facing the same charges. Her attorney claims they were just pulling a prank on friend saying they thought it would be funny to make a big boom. No one was hurt, but theyre facing 15 years in prison. George zimmerman keeping a low profile. His wife stepping out of the shadows and opening up about what life has been like since her husband shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Heres abcs gio benitez. Reporter George Zimmermans wife shellie remembers enduring one of the most explosive trials ever. We lived in a 20foot trailer in the woods. Scared every night that some one was going to find us. And that it would be horrific. Reporter in an exclusive interview with Investigative ReporterChristie Oconnor who is writing a book on the trial she says she wasnt home the night george shot 17yearold Trayvon Martin. I was staying at my fathers house. We had gotten into an argument the night before. And i left. Reporter then in july when zimmerman was acquitted. George zimmerman, not guilty. The deputies were so afraid of people shooting into the windows of the courthouse that they were pushing up, us up against the wall, so that we couldnt be seen by the people outside. Thinking at any second my life could be over. Reporter earlier this week, shellie was back in the same courtroom where she stood by her husband pleading guilty to perjury. Noticeably absent, George Zimmerman. Reporter what is your future with george . I dont know. Of course i want to have children and stay married. With george . Thats something im going to have to think about. Reporter is he a very changed man . From the guy you fell in love with and married . Yes. Reporter in what ways . Im not going to answer that right now. Gio benitez, abc news, new york. San diegos disgraced mayor officially leaving office today. Bob filner steps down amid embarrassing Sexual Harassment allegations from a string of women many detailing his tawdry remarks and inappropriate touching. Filner, a former congressman, caused himself an innocent victim of a lynch mob. Some accusers are holding a News Conference today to celebrate his departure. The irs announced samesex couples who are legally married can file joint federal tax returns even if they live in states that do not recognize samesex marriages. Treasury secretary jack lew says the new ruling means married samesex couples can move freely around the country knowing their federal filing status will not change. American airlines and u. S. Airways head back to court in their fight to merge into the Worlds Largest airline. Carriers are trying to get a judge to set an earlier date for the governments lawsuit against the merger. Yesterday a bankruptcy judge held off on approving the american reorganization plan and set a new hearing next month. While dealing with travel issues, did we mention Labor Day Holiday weekend getting under way. Aaa saying more than 34 million americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this weekend. That is a 4. 2 increase over last year. The highest number since the recession. Travelers are apparently feeling more confident thanks to lower gas prices and improving economy. Ps. Yes . Labor day became an official National Holiday in 1894 after a railroad strike. Really . Nifty little fact there. Yes it is. Do i have any more . Gas prices 3. 61. Cheating, 20 cents cheaper than last year. Cheaper. Cheaper. Get on the road. Well be traveling 50 miles. We live more than 50 miles from the studio. So its just driving home for us. Just to get home. Its 50 miles. Put us in the category. Here is the weather. We start the unofficial last weekend of the summer. Strong storms again today for the midwest. And around the great lakes. Thunderstorms in the southeast and flooding downpours in the southwest. With the heat wave in the middle of the country that one continues. 97, omaha, colorado springs. It will be much cooler, 96 in kc. Dallas, brutal 105. 102 in phoenix. 76, boston. 80 sounding nice in new york. All right. May be the unofficial end of summer. But may as well have been middle of winter for the furry friends. Take a look at them. Theyre pandas at the san diego zoo. What they were doing yesterday. Treated to a special snow day. 100 big bucks, or big blocks rather. Were used to create 30,000 pound of snow. You can see the fun that the pandas were having in it. Sure they felt right at home. Look at the little guy. Apparently the zookeepers, the zoo says it was all possible thanks to generous donations, contributed all the money they needed to buy the ice. Oh, this should happen more often. No doubt they were excited. The zookeepers said they were making a noise, vocalization, a bleet. Keepers say, bleeting is curiosity or excitement. They were bleeting. The mama panda was tossing baby panda. Look, made a little snowball. Nice. Thats cute. Awesome. Coming up a major hollywood heartbreak. Veteran tough guy actor in the middle of a breakup. Toughest injuries on the football field and the nfl players who never fully recover. The leagues big financial settlement and what it means for the sport. You are watching world news now. Announcer world news now weather brought to you by United Health care. Announcer world news now weather brought to you by United Health care. I looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. [ male announcer ] if youre eligible for medicare, you may know it only covers about 80 of your part b medical expenses. The rest is up to you. Call now and find out about an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Like all standardized Medicare Supplement plans, it helps pick up some of what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you thousands in outofpocket costs. To me, relationships matter. Ive been with my doctor for 12 years. Now i know ill be able to stick with him. [ male announcer ] with these types of plans, youll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients. Plus, there are no networks, and you never need a referral to see a specialist. So dont wait. Call now and request this free decision guide to help you better understand medicare. And which aarp Medicare Supplement plan might be best for you. Theres a wide range to choose from. We love to travel and theres so much more to see. So we found a plan that can travel with us. Anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you thousands a year in outofpocket costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. So just days away from the start of football season. The nfl is making headlines this morning. Big time. The League Reached a major settlement, 765 million to settle more than 4,500 lawsuits from former players suffering from debilitating concussions. But is it enough money . Heres abcs dan harris. Reporter the nfl settlement removes for now an issue that could have threatened the very existence of pro football. Americas secular religion. And will also bring immediate medical and Financial Relief for former players dealing with injuries they believe are the results of onfield conditions. Former players like the running back kevin turner, a 44yearold, hobbled by als. You can get on with training your problem and not worrying about having the money. Reporter look at this video. According to espn sports science, big blows like this can be the equivalent of taking a sledgehammer to the head. More than 4,500 former players sued the nfl as well as the families of players like junior seau, who committed suicide and later found to have a brain disease, cte, linked to concussions. There were allegations that the nfl deliberately covered up the risk, from players like legendary quarterback, jim mcmahon whose girlfriend now has to program his home address into the gps in his car so he doesnt get lost. They knew about it. And they didnt tell us. You know, its just like flat out lying to you. Looking in the face lying to you. Reporter in your Court Filings you wrote, the nfl glorified the head collisions, to lead to head trauma and orchestrated a Disinformation Campaign to conceal the resulting brain injuries. Right. Reporter by settling have you let them off the hook . No, unless some body thinks paying 760 million is letting somebody off the hook. Then, by that definition, yeah. We didnt. Reporter critics say the settlement is too small but will bring immediate relief for the leagues 19,000 former players every one of whom will be eligible for a medical exam. Those with Cognitive Impairment will get further testing and treatment. Those with serious illnesses will get up to 5 million. We should say there is nothing in the settlement that will require the nfl to make any safety changes to reduce concussions. When the season kicks off next week it will be business as usual. Dan harris, abc news, new york. The nfl rakes in 10 billion a year. So thats, some people, saying the word chump change. Basically considered a victory for the nfl. And also, they didnt have to admit any wrongdoing in this as well. A lot of people saying, the nfl got away with it. They won. They have to pay, but they won. Truly the root of the problem, the admission there is a problem. That is the only way that change will come about. They have made some changes too. Cant lead with your head on a lot of tackles. Made the game a bit safer. One of the biggest things it is going to keep changing. They know like an 800pound gorilla. A lot of talk, kickoffs, the play most get concussions. Collisions. Run the fastest, down the field before impact. There probably wont be kickoff returns. Before long. In five years starting from the 20 yard line. Kickoff will be dead. Really . A lot of people are saying that. That is really going to change the way the game looks and the way the game is played. For a lot of fans they may not be happy. For a lot of people who are realizing this is a problem. I am not happy about losing the kickoff. The players that you love are actually able to live into their adulthood and have. Coming of age. Yes, we will all start to realize it. Coming up, yet another scandalous scene for robin thicke. 20 years and laughing, celebrating a milestone with a latenight funny guy. Thats coming up next in the skinny. Skinny so skinny welcome into the skinny, everyone. We have lots of baby announcements to kick off the skinny. So lets get started with fergie had who are son with josh duhamel. They named the baby axl jack, a really nice name. Axl jack. Axl jack. Like a pop culture super guy, right . He is an actor. In all the really popular movies. She is a rock star. A rock stars name. No doubt. Yeah. Jamie lynn sigler and fiance welcomed their son. No information on the babys name or weight or anything else. Just a rep for the sopranos actress. Mother and baby are doing great. There you have it. Congratulations to them. Beautiful. Lets talk about this one, really interesting. Blurred lines wont go away. The vmas. This is juicy mr. Thicke, robin thicke, after the vmas, getting a picture taken. Making the round on twitter. Me and the hot blond. Yeah, im good. Take a look at the reflection, behind him, a reflection. Look where his hand is. Now, it appears and i stress the word appears. That his hand is up the back of the blonds very short skirt. You decide. Thats what it looks like when you take a look at the reflection. Believed to be taken at the meat packing club, 1oak. Anyways. You know what . I dont know that his wife really cares about what miley did to him on stage or what he was doing to that blond. That might be different. Thats a performance. Not sure what the other one is. But the day after, a couple days later we saw them frolicking them on the beach. The couple frolicking on the beach. We saw pictures of the couple frolicking on the beach. I am assuming she is not all that disturbed by the pictures. Let them work that one out in private. All right. Moving on to funny stuff. David letterman is celebrating his 20 years on the late show on cbs. And the funny guy, there he is. He never disappoints. And as usual brought another funny guy on to celebrate this milestone. This time it was bill murray. Take a listen. This ought to be good. My heart has now taken flight. Thank you, dave. You know, i love you audience, i love you. But i dont have time tonight. Because im only here for one reason oh, thats very special. Haha. So there he is as liberace. The show went on bill murray doing his thing. Being hilarious. Letterman funny. Where did they come up with the idea . Bill, you want to come in. Yeah, i will dress up as liberace. Another picture of him leaving the studio, he has a black eye, busted part of his face. Nothing happened to bill murray. It was just part of the thing. He doesnt have to do anything. Just show up. Both are hilarious. Dead pan in the camera and start laughing. Congratulations. Clint eastwood and his wife after 17 years theyre going their separate ways. Some things arent meant to be. And us magazine. Clint eastwood, 83, separated from dina eastwood, 17 years of marriage. Dina confirms to us weekly. Former tv news reporter. She is 48. He is 83. She and eastwood remain close. They have been living separately for some time. Married back in 1996. One daughter together. 16yearold morgan. Eastwood is dad to seven other kids. Though he has been married one other time. Uhhuh. Yeah, 17 years. I know you know what . We were talking about this yesterday. Another hollywood great, Michael Douglas rumors are separating from his wife of i dont know how many years, catherine zetajones, something in the hollywood water . Going to have to go who is going to go against clint eastwood. I want my money. I want it now. He will bring a chair and talk to the chair. Hell always be remembered for the chair. Did all that great stuff but the chair will never go away. Dirty hairy, whats that . The guy with the chair . Thats the guy with the chair. The guy with the thats the guy wi he chai thursday never looking back its friday im in love and we here at world news now are also in love with our weekly friday rewind. We are in fact. In case you missed it, a look back at headlines from syria to inspirational address from 1963 and a scandalous performance just this past week. There is no doubt who is responsible for this heinous use of chemical weapons in syria. The syrian regime. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, killing of women and children, innocent bystanders, by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. The world is a better place when the United States takes leadership. This is time for us to do this the i hope we will do it soon. When it comes, you are ready to go look that . We are ready to go like that. Because they marched america became more free and more fair, not just for africanamericans but for women and latinos, asians and native americans, for catholics, jews and muslims, for gays, for americans with disabilities, america changed for you and for me. They were fleeced. They were taken convinced by persuasive motivational speakers, and videos of trump. They didnt get any secrets. Mentorship, they didnt get anything. Rigs assured them he would make it look and appear he was trying his best. But Billie Jean King was just overwhelming him. She got what she wanted. This wasnt a slip. A moment that was well rehearsed. Well planned and well talked about for the last two days. His personality and who he is just outweighs his injuries by so much that you just sort of forget about it after a while. Beautiful pictures. We would like to remind our viewers about our brand new online segment called in case you missed it we understand you cant always be with us live on television. We are including best world news now, and most embarrassing, world news now moments just for you. Check it out on the facebook page. Wnnfans. Com. You should always try to join us live, right . Absolutely. While you are visiting our page, wed like to see what you have been up to this summer. Send us wild, wacky, fun, email at wnnfans. Com. First name, city and state. And you may just show up on world news now next week. You have time. Because there is this last unofficial end of summer weekend. Get out there, have some fun. Go to the beach like john. Might have to bring a picture from the beach. Wed like that. Share your pictures with us. We might share them on the air. There you have i good morning. Im diana perez. Im john muller. Here are some of the top headlines were following this morning on world news now. President obama still pushing to punish syria. Despite the fact that britain opted out. Deciding not to take military action. Well take you live to the mideast for an update in the moment. George zimmermans wife talking about living in fear after the shooting of Trayvon Martin. Shellie zimmerman said they faced Death Threats and lived in a tiny trailer in the woods. She also indicated her marriage is in trouble. San diegos embattled mayor out of a job by 5 00 p. M. This afternoon. Bob filner will step down he faces a flurry of Sexual Harassment allegations and lawsuits from a string of women. At the u. S. Open, 17yearold american, Victoria Duval failed to recapture the form that saw her win a grand slam match on tuesday. She lost in straight sets to a woman from slovakia. Those are just some of our stories on this friday, august 30th. Announcer from abc news, this is world news now with john muller and diana perez. All right, we begin this halfhour with the crisis in syria. President obama has an uphill battle trying to convince law makers that syria used chemical weapons against civilians and syrias actions threaten u. S. Interests. That battle is tougher now that Britains Parliament voted against military intervention. A major defeat for Prime MinisterDavid Cameron who believes the assad regime deserves punishment. It is about the largescale use of chemical weapons and our response to a war crime. I think the president should get buyin from members of congress. And he need buyin from the American People. President obamas case could be bolstered by the findings of inspectors. The u. N. Team expected to leave syria tomorrow with initial results of their investigation into whether syria did actually use poison filled weapons and that was on civilians earlier this month. With the political debate, president obama is leading the push to punish syria. Lets get the latest from our Jerusalem Bureau where abcs molly hunter standing by live. Good morning, molly. Good morning, john. Tell us the reaction to britains decision and the u. N. Weapons inspectors . Last nights vote was a big deal for the international community, a big deal for washington. But for syria and its neighbors it may not actually change the outcome here. Now, administration and state Department Officials have said repeatedly, that while they want to consult with their International Allies they would like to make decisions with their International Allies. We know International Consensus hasnt necessarily dictated u. S. Action in the past. Now, at this point it is very hard to imagine the u. S. Not going in and striking syria in some form, in coming days. But the uk has also said that theyre waiting for that report from the u. N. Weapons inspectors. You mention theyre coming out tomorrow. Ban kimoon, secretarygeneral of the u. N. Said his team needed four days. Today the last day. We could get results as early as tomorrow. But, john, what tomorrow also means as soon as the u. N. Weapons inspectors are out of syria that opens up the window for the strike. Now, molly, if the u. S. Acts, syria has said very strongly that it will react. Is the general public there in is the gon . Ral public there in absolutely. So, israeli officials are we are. Their thinking is that the u. S. Would give israel a heads up if they went in. Israeli officials generally expect one of three options. We could see, no response. We could see a direct response from assad. Or we could see a response from one of assads proxies or in the region like hezbollah and lebanon. Now which response, which option assad chooses will largely depend on how threatened he feels by that urike they are ready. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said repeatedly all week, that theyre for any scenario. And at this point, israelis are not panicking. There is no mass hysteria on the ground. Good to hear. Abcs molly hunter live in jerusalem. T. Syrias president insists his country will defend itself against any and all western military strikes. The same man who was educated in in same man who was educated in whats changed . Heres abcs terry moran. Reporter in damascus while u. N. Inspectors made another of their grisly round, wearing gas few miles away, president bashar assad was shown on syrian Tv Addressing his troops. Still defiant. Still looking very president ial. He was once a man who just wanted to be an eye doctor. Who told diane sawyer in 2007 he was a man of peace. We are against violence in general. And we always denounce violence in general. We dont believe in violence. Reporter assad is an accidental dictator, a young doctor in london when his older brother died in a car crash, making bashar, next in line to rule syria after his father died. He met his chic wife asma in london. She of chanel suits and Christian Louboutin shoes and ogeser rose they seemed so modern. People talked of a damascus spring when he came to power they have an instagram account, recently, posting pictures of asma at a soup kitchen. He likes to drive his own car, but now he and his family are mostly hunkered down. Even his own mother has left the country. As he wages his merciless war. He is a changed man for sure. Those who know bashar assad say one reason is the past two years of grinding desperate civil war. He is fighting for his power. He is fighting for viva and they say, he has become the ruthless dictator he wasnt meant to be like his father. Terry moran, abc news, beirut. People across new orleans still trying to move forward after marking a somber anniversaht ye hurricane katrina. Mayor Mitch Landrieu laying a wreath there at the memorial yesterday during a ceremony to honor 100 unidentified victims of the storm among 1,800 that were killed when katrina devastated the area in 2005. Dallas couple eagerly waiting initially not expected to survive. Jenni and dave ezells sons were born seven weeks ago joined at the chest sharing a liver and doctors were able to separate them in a ninehour surgery so they can each live on their own. Their parents understandably are overjo its the most wonderful feeling. I am just so happy that theyre here. And that theyre alive and thriving. Its the best feeling in the world for a mom. Nine hours is a long surgery. Theyre brave little guys. The twins are still facing even more surgeries. Two of them. Its not clear when they will be able to leave the hospital. Mom is planning their first Birthday Party. Love that story. All right, nfl high lights later. First the leagues massive legal settlement with thousands of former players, several members of the hall of fame accusing the league of concealing danger of concussions. The league agreed to pay 765 million to provide medical benefits and injury compensation. They knew about it and they didnt tell us. There was just no focus on the most important part of your body. Which is your brain. Now that money will pay for medical, Safety Research and cover players legal expenses. The settlement means the nfl wont have to reveal what it knew and when about head injuries. One calls it hush money. Growing lawsuits has maker of tylenol starting to put warnings on its bottles in an effort to curb overdoses. Heres what the warning will say, contains acetaminophen, it will say always read the label. It will appear on tylenol in october and other bottles. Too much acetaminophen could lead to sudden liver failure. Frightening moments in china, a little boy got stuck between two walls. The 4yearold looking at something between the walls he fell in and became lodged. Firefighters had to break through the wall, removing brick to make a hole big enough to free the child. His relieved parents couldnt wait to hold him. New yorkers have become used to subway delays but not for this reason. Two train lines were held up for two days, yesterday, after two tiny kittens were spotted on the tracks. The transit workers in brooklyn searched for the cats. Thousands of people waited for the subway to hurry up and get going again. How did that sit with you . I left. A waste of money. They could have been doing something else. Waste of money. Thats mta for you. Just quickly, two hours, not two days obviously. Transit workers cut off power tried to use food to coax kittens out. They were finally found and removed by the workers two hours later. Cute fellows. Cutie pies. Now weather with College Football flare. Strong storms in the midwest could cause problems for the umass fans going to wisconsin for tomorrows game against the badgers. Same deal for temple supporters heading to south bend to watch their team get beat, according to jack, by notre dame. Storms in atlanta trouble for alabama Virginia Tech folks coming to town. Temperaturewise, lsu fans, how does 105 degrees in dallas sound . Sound hot to me for your arrival ahead of the game against tcu. And in boston, villanova fans heading to take on bc. Theres pleasant readings. Big milestone this weekend for harley davidson. And all of those who can appreciate a good hog. The company celebrating its 110th birthday. Check out this extra long time line bike. Helping to mark the occasion. Shows off every v twin motor from the harley factory in Chronological Order and has a series of handle bars built over the years. It will be in the Harley Museum in milwaukee. But can it ride . How many engines does it have . Better be able to ride. Trying to think. I dont think so. Talk about it. Harley davidson. You are a guy. I would like to have a harley someday. Get a feeling that is one fantasy that will never come true. Mid life crisis. I am past that. 50s. I have permission. Talk to annabelle. Work wife says yes. Coming up a movie for men and young women. In insomniac theater, the documentary featuring the biggest boy band act in the decades for the girls. And the actionpack ed race car movie, selena gomez. For the guys. Building morale and a Baseball Team one hard luck story at a time. Well take you to the ballpark for our favorite story of the day. Youre watching world news now. I can play center field announcer world news now weather brought to you by charmin. U by charmin. It. Well, they dont call it relieving yourself for nothing. I guess i enjoy the peace and quiet. Sometimes, i like to bring a book. Well, come to think of it, i do enjoy texting on the toilet. It is five minutes of me time. Maybe i do enjoy going to the bathroom. And you know what . The bath tissue makes all the difference. [ female announcer ] we all go. Why not enjoy the go with charmin . Im gonna grab some charmin and go right now. scuse me. Which comes out on top . We brought real people to the texas desert to find out. Its just nice. Very crisp. Cool and fresh. Thats what i was thinking fresh. Thats exactly what i was thinking. Yeah. Fresh. Fresh. Like i could definitely wrap myself in it. Odors are no match for the febreze car vent clip. Another way febreze helps you breathe happy. Put me in coach im ready to play today look at me i can be center field were you center field . I played first base and pitcher. Im lefthanded. There we go. We turn to the story, empty lot, bag of soft balls and spark of an idea. This is no ordinary field of dreams. The story of one man taking a game of softball changing lives. It is our favorite story of the day. Here is abcs clayton sandel. Reporter riding around his neighborhood. My father once lived in that house there. Reporter joe carobello became alarmed at the number of Homeless People in denver many living next to empty baseball parks. That gave carobello, a Real Estate Developer an idea. Using his unique calling card, softballs marked with the time and date, carobello hit the street hoping to recruit enough players for the weekly game. You like to play ball. We have all the equipment. Reporter like the movie field of dreams. If you build it he will come. Reporter if joe built it would they come . Slowly word spread. To places like the parking garage where Rose Henderson lives alone after lose herring losing her job six months ago. I just pray that things will change. Now every tuesday, she joins dozens of players on joes field. [ indiscernible ] reporter to play. For each player the game means something different. Ricky gesic, a former marine find time out from the struggle of the street. When you feel like the world has landed on top of your head. Just having somebody encourage you for one quick minute can turn that road around. Reporter for third baseman, sean thomas the game means getting back on his feet. Joe is helping him find a job. I appreciate it, joe. They have a lot of openings. Reporter for rose it is about belonging. I am part of a team, a part of society again. I love it. Reporter on joe carobellos diamond in the rough. That a boy, mitch reporter clayton sandel, abc news, denver. It just takes one person with a brilliant idea. Sometimes that is so brilliant. The kind of thing that cities across america should start adopting. A wonderful way. To bring people together. Good for the soul. Good for us. We should get out there. Sunny lawson field theyre playing on. Newly restored. Where my favorite writer in the whole world where jack kerouac watched, and talked about it in the book on the road. Did you write that . I did not. I saw that. I mentioned jack kerouac. Must say something. About jack kerouac. A cool story. Cool tidbit. Next, well get into football. Nfl teams were practicing. College kids were playing for real. An ending that will be hard to top. Breathing becomes a struggle. Copd is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. You may have heard of it as chronic bronchitis or emphysema. Over time, you feel like youre breathing through a straw. Its the 4th leading cause of death in the u. S. , and it took my grandmother. If youre over 35 and have ever smoked, you could be at risk. The good news is, you can improve your symptoms. Im danica patrick, and i drive4copd. Join the movement at drive4copd. Com. Take our screening questionnaire today, and talk to your doctor. Lets get right into it. Welcome back, everyone. We looked ahead to College Football games earlier in the weather forecast. Time now for the highlights. We start with nfls final preseason games. The buccaneers redskins. Washington got a big play from chris thompson. Returned the punt 69 yards. Here he goes for the touchdown. The skins finished their preseason undefeated after a 3012 win there. Biggest news off the quarterback, Robert Griffin iii, cleared to play in the first game against the eagles. Jets hosted the eagles. The top two quarterbacks, smith and sanchez on the sideline. Opened the door for chris simms, son of former nfl great, phil simms. All he did was throw 33 completions. For 285 yards. Thats nothing. Jets win, 2720. They still dont know who their starting quarterback is. All kind of goofy if simms got the nod. Patriots giants. The big question, tim tebow, will he make the patriots roster. Made a decent case, throwing one, two touchdown passes. In the first quarter. Patriots come back from behind to win 2820. Nfl teams have until 6 00 p. M. Eastern to cut the roster to 53 men. Tebow threw a ball . Yes, he did. Ole miss vanderbilt game. Vandy had taken the lead with 1 30 left. 34yard touchdown pass to a kid, steven shue. When the rebels got the ball back. Jeff scott, 75 yard. Winning td. Ole miss wins. 3935. The teams combined for 915 yard in total offense. He could go all the way nice the battle of the carolinas, North Carolina south carolina. The gamecocks were in control early, using a couple of long touchdown passes in the first quarter. Got control of the game. South carolina strolling the rest of the way. Putting down the tar heels. 2710. Very nice. Excited for football season, do you and ducis watch . Ducis has to work, a sports guy. The answer, no. I lose my husband. Sit on the couch. Velveeta dip . Not at all. We are rooting for the eagles. This year. How dare you. I know. Im a new york fan. Cant root for the eagles. I know. Thats our archrival. Get you rooting against the eagles so they dont make it to the super bowl so my husband is home with me. To bowl so my husband is home wit makes an epic journey throughr pines, wildflowers, and aspens. And is matched only by our journey to capture its scent. Crafted by expert perfumers for your home, air wick mountain woodlands and crisp air is part of our limited Edition National park collection. Airwick. The craft of fragrance. As a kid, i made a list of all the places i wanted to visit. Im still not gonna make it to mars, but, thanks to hotwires incredibly low travel prices, i can afford to cross more things off my list. This year alone, we went to the top of the statue of liberty and still saved enough to go to texas, to a real dude ranch. Hotwire checks the competitions rates every day so they can guarantee their low prices, so we got our fourstar hotels for half price. Next up, hollywood men hotwire, hotwire. Com. Man save big on car rentals too, from 11. 95 a day. It is friday and time for our weekly insomniac theater. A preview of our two picks for opening weekend. This morning we start with one direction this is us. An intimate allaccess look to life on the road for the latest hot boy group. Directed by documentary filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, from Humble Beginnings to global sensation. Rock and pop we were always very vocal. We couldnt follow the boy band stereotypes. Choreographed routines. Everything is the same. Here we go harry, come on the movie is the top selling ticket on fandango, 98 are of the ticket buyers are female. The film is scoring 65 on rotten tomato. Bill gibron from film racket beyond the hype there is an interesting story here, and luckily, Morgan Spurlock found it. No love lost for the film writer, feature length reality show massacre rating as a documentary, topnotch craft, low down whitewash. Ouch. Ouchyouchy. Switching to a film for the guys. Girlfriend go to one direction, getaway ethan hawke, a burned out race car driver, do or die, mission, his wife kidnapped, only ally, hacker, selena gomez. Chockful of fast cars, pretty women, guns, loads of explosions. Just hold the wheel for a second i need you ready go you get the idea. And getaway. Scores only 2 though on rotten tomatoes. It was hard to find any reviewer who disagreed. Mary houlihan, after a while it becomes mind numbing. How many chase scenes and car crashes can one person take. A rare positive review out of toronto. Director Courtney Solomon makes sure the pace never flags, holding our attention with complex multicamera coverage. Things are blowing up in basically every scene. I think so. My husband is big on shoot people up, blow up some cars, tell me some jokes along the way. Didnt seem like they were joking around. Not a lot of character development. I dont think so. Fill in the blanks on the charac this morning on world news now international showdown. The Obama Administration considers military action against syria. A key ally bows out. It is about the largescale use of chemical weapons and our response to a war crime. What the political blow means to u. S. Plans to punish syria. Bitter battle. Fast food workers protest again demanding better wages and benefits. We will be able to pay our bills. And we will be able to have food, and be able to save money for a change. What the big franchise is saying, how this whole thing could end up costing you. Behind the scenes of kinky boots and tunes with cyndi lauper, more than a show about fashionable footwear. We will go backstage on this friday, august 30th. Announcer from abc news this is world news now with john muller and diana perez. Happy friday, everyone. Tgif. Friday. Going anywhere fun . Just to the jersey shore, where i have my house. Kind of like getting away. Go to the beach one, two days. Barbecue. Do all the things i look to do. Yourself . Nothing. Planning a Birthday Party. Focused, focused on the Birthday Party. Got a couple of weeks. No relaxing. Making signs. Getting Birthday Party up and running for my 1yearold. Your 1yearold. Thats fun. Thats fun. Good for you. Happy friday to all of you out there. President obama has been busy. Behind the scenes trying to convince lawmaker that syrias use of chemical weapons is a threat to u. S. Interests. But the president is not only facing skepticism. Here at home. And he lost significant support overseas. Tahman bradley from washington with the very latest details. Good morning. Reporter diana, john, good morning. President obamas effort to build support for a possible military strike against syria has hit a road block. The u. S. May attack syria without one of its most reliable allies, british Prime MinisterDavid Cameron argued an attack against Bashar Al Assads regime is justified on humanitarian grounds. It is about the large scale use of chemical weapons and our response to a war crime. Reporter in a stunning development, the British Parliament decided it will not support any military action in syria. Word came as the Obama Administration was briefing congressional leaders by phone the white house says president obama is willing to go at it alone, he is behind closed doors meeting with his National Security team. Nisrelin team. The public any stri wod reporter the president says action may be needed because Syrian Chemical Weapons threaten u. S. National security. Some members of congress the president m to in from members of congres reporter to build public support the Obama Administration will release a comprehensive intelligence report. Meanwhile a u. N. Team in syria gathering evidence ofl saturda diana, john. This morning the u. S. Military is ready to go. The Obama Administration made clear the president could act without u. N. Authorization. Tahman. Thank you. It wasnt a chemical weapon but conventional bomb that tore apart a school in northern syria. Aftermath horrific. Witnesses saw a fighter jet drop the bomb. Hearing the explosion as it landed on the School Playground leaded on the School Playground many burns on their body. Signs that a military strike on syria may not happen have sent prices of oil down. After climbing 5 in august, Oil Prices Fell below 110 a barrel last month. Syria isnt a big oil Producer Markets have been concerned about supply disruptions. Nearby as a itar intervention. Protesters against any type of intervention in syria gathered at fedza i1 o they want to see more evidence civns. Civns. They hit the picket lines coast they say they can barely cover their bills. We get more now fr z reporter an order from the peoplew mak ros cow mak hundreds of protesters in more than 50 cities walking off their jobs at fast food chains and on to picket lines demanding to be paid 15 an hour. More than double the federal minimum wage of 7. 25. At 15, would make a world of difference the we will be able to pay our bills. Be able to save money. Reporter protesters claim a typical fast food cashier or cook brings home less than 19,000 a year. That is 1,000 below the federal poverty line for a family of three. I am hard working. Been working there a long time. 8. 75. Its not nufr enough. Mcdonalds released a statement saying the company aim to offer competitive pay and benefits to our employees. Their statement along with one from burger king point out many restaurants are franchises making wages up to individual owners and not the corporations. The National Restaurant association tells abc news, the fact is only 5 of restaurant employees earn the minimum wage. Those that do are predominantly working part time and half are teenagers. But many protestors say theyre adults trying to make end meet. They will continue this fight until their pay makes that possible. Even if it means higher costs at the drive through. John, diana. Marci, thank you for the report. It brings us to our facebook question of the day we want to know would you pay more for fast food if workers got pay raises. Hundreds of you have weighed in at wnn fans. Com. Thank you. A woman and her family are suing an Ohio Hospital after an accident that nearly cost her life. 24yearold sarah fudaz supposed to get a kidney from her younger brother the perfect donor. A nurse at university of Toledo Medical Center inadvertently threw out his kidney. Sarah had to wait three months to get the transplant. In another state. The kidney is a poorer match. The hospital admits the error but denying negligence. A growing number of lawsuits has the maker of tylenol starting to put warnings on bottles to curb overdoses. Heres what the new warning will say. Quote, contains acetaminophen. Always read the label. It will appear on extra strength tylenol in october and other bottles in the next few months. Too much of it can lead to sudden liver failure. Marijuana advocate approving the move. By the Obama Administration not to interfere with new laws in washington and colorado states. That permits the limited use of cannabis. It will require states keep pot away from children. The black market and federal property. For now people in washington and colorado can use pot and they can get licensed to grow it. The attorney general basically gave me two fundamental messages today. Number one, the federal government would not act to preempt the implementation. Of the voter approved initiative in the state of washington regarding marijuana. It could set the stage for states to legalize marijuana. Alaska is considering a vote next year and several more states plan a similar vote in 2016. It could lead states, on the fence to say we can do this now its very controversial. You have a state says this is legal. Then federal agents come in, raiding places that are growing it. And growing it legally in the state. Facing federal charges not facing state charges but they werent really doing anything illegal in the eyes of the state so then the appeals process starts and thats got to cost a boatload of money. Has to be consistency legal or not legal right . One or the other. Everybody get on the same bandwagon here. No doubt about it. Baseballs regular season enters the final month a study ranks beer prices in major league stadiums. It find red sox fans paying the most. 60 cents per ounce at fenway park. Saint Louis Cardinals are second. Charging fans, 56 cents an ounce. Toronto blue jays at 52 cents. The l. A. Angels charge the least. 28 cents an ounce. Road trip to the angels. Im buying all right. Were sure they were drinking high priced beer at the u. S. Open. Heres what they were watching. First, serena williams. Most part made it look easy. Beating her opponent from kazakhstan. Williams didnt lose a game in the second set. Which only lasted 27 minutes. She was restrained afterward saying she played okay. Played okay. Didnt go well for Victoria Duval, the grand slam matches to tuesday. Cinderella story. Couldnt recapture. She lost to a woman from slovakia. Admitted she couldnt quite get herself going during the match. Graciously said she had a great experience and will be back. She had this cinderella amazing night. So young. She will take this now. Next time she comes back wont be as intimidated. You cant buy that experience. To have the experience at her age. Is wonderful. If she doesnt come back. Sure she will. If she doesnt come back. A great experience under your belt. Yep. Coming up a splashy wedding for a bride and groom, thriving on adrenaline. Popping pills to get sleep. Warnings about insomniacs getting hooked. New important information, especially at this hour. You are watching world news now. Announcer world news now weather brought to you by consumer cellular. To you by er cellular. So we all know the importance of getting a good nights sleep. For many people mr. Sandman pays a visit after they pop a sleeping pill. This morning a new study sounding another alarm about the danger of overreliance on sleeping pills and their long term use. Abcs linsey davis has more. Reporter it appears we are a nation of insomniacs with a tendency to pop pills desperate for shut eye. A cdc report indicates 9 million americans admit to taking a sleep drug in the past 30 days. A lot of times people dont try other methods first before going straight to medications. Reporter in fact america filled 60 million prescriptions for sleeping pills last year alone. We are among the most sleep medicated countries in the world. We are a 24 hour a day country. We are always on demand. Reporter evidence of the widespread use is prevalent on facebook where people post comments like cant fall asleep. Taking my ambien. Lights out yall. And ambien, i got to agree that i have a love hate thing with you. Im talking to a doctor about getting off of you. You have people that come to you and say i want to get off of this. All the time. The majority of the patients i see. Reporter not being able to sleep can be a curse, affecting a persons ability to function. Research shows sleep aid do work, allowing us to catch much needed zs. Is a druginduced sleep just as good as falling asleep the oldfashioned way. A lot of people feel it is real sleep. A lot of people dont feel the sleep quality is good. Reporter the doctor points out only a limited number of studies looked at the longterm effects of chronic use. That is something people dont lose sleep over as they. Pop another pill. Linsey davis, abc news, new york. I have been tempted on this shift. Tempted. Had a hard time adjusting. Once you go there. It is hard to come back. I finally adjusted. Took me a while. Without sleeping pills. Yes. Lucky for you. If you are on a sleeping pill think about quitting. Dont do it cold turkey. It can be lifethreatening. Go to your doctor and talk step down program to get off of it. Tells how you how powerful the pills are. Thats true. Coming up go backstage at broadways hottest show. The rare look at the brain child of cyndi lauper, a look at the characters of the m empowering and heartwarming musical. Really looks like a good one, doesnt it . Yeah. Ahead in our next halfhour, debilitating injuries on the football field. A major settlement for the nfl and questions about the league doing enough, did they do enough . Well discuss it. You are watching world news now. Announcer world news now continues after this from our abc stations. One of the tunes from kinky boots the musical stole the show at the tony award and will soon open outside new york. We got special access back stage, and we are joined now with an inside look. Good morning. John, diana. Good morning. This was a fun assignment, the hottest broadway show of the year with six tonys, best musical, best actor, best score. Music by cyndi lauper. Every night it is a sold out show with lines circling the block. I wanted to find out what was behind its huge success. Yeah yeah reporter the most talked about show on broadway, kinky boots, setting record with tunes from pop music mind of cyndi lauper. A new beginning, my gears are spinning, lets rocknroll reporter kinky boots about far more than fabulous footwear. The story of how lola the drag queen meets charlie the small town shoe factory owner the together they save the factory from closing its doors. Billy porter plays lola. I think it masquerades a show about a drag queen, and it is a bromance between friends who happen to have daddy issues. One just happens to wear a dress. Reporter kinky boots about fining your passion and also about acceptance. A nice message about allowing people to be different, allowing people to be who they are and allowing yourself to be who you are as well. Reporter then there are the costumes, boots and wigs as we saw backstage. We are a welloiled machine back here. Traffic on stage, a choreography and traffic offstage as well. Reporter since opening on broadway in april, the show awarded with the best musical tony award also won a loyal following. Its harvey fierstein. I mean, really. Cyndi lauper. Forget about it. The audience is quiet at the beginning. By the end, we always have them. I have never had that before. It is touching people and reaching people in a way that as an artist you only dream of. And you only hope that you can be able to be a part of something that does that. Whats it like to dance in the highest of highheeled boots eight times a week. There is lots of icing. Lots of massaging. You know, i mean its the gig. Its not painfree. What i get to be a part of, supersedes whatever thing that is. That is high energy. High energy show. I want to see it. You did. What did you think . I loved it. You have got to see it. I highly recommend for any one coming to new york, lives in the area. So much fun. Dance out of the theater. It would be like hairspray. I got dragged to that. Thought it well be a long night. End of the night i loved it. This is great. Looks like it has the vibe. Any chance it will open in other cities . Yes, going on a national tour, vegas, september 2014. Watch it if we are not in new york. Road trip to vegas. Tons of buzz. Tons of buzz. Hottest show of the year. Everyone is loving it. Fantastic. Thank you very much. Abcs Genevieve Shaw brown. Well be back with more world news now. World news now. Not anymore. What . My silve isnt good enough for you . Have have you seen it . Yes, i have seen it, and it looks you gotta look better. Ladies, breathe. Cascade kitchen counselor here. Its not your silverware. Its likely your detergent. See, over time, cascade platinums triple cleaning formula delivers brilliant shine finish gel cant beat. It even helps keep your dishwasher sparkling. Find something, mother . No. [ counselor ] cascade platinum is cascades best. Makes an epic journey throughr pines, wildflowers, and aspens. No. And is matched only by our journey to capture its scent. Crafted by expert perfumers for your home, air wick mountain woodlands and crisp air is part of our limited Edition National park collection. Airwick. The craft of fragrance. Time for the mix. You know elaborate type kisses, proposals, i tend to be over them. I like them i like this one. Its so beautiful. A work of art. These are adrenaline junkies, kim and kelly, theyre from vancouver. Is that not the most gorgeous picture. They decided they wanted to do a wedding lap. Got married at the water ski club, on the dock anyway. She wiped out on the first lap. Went in the water. 1,600 dress and all. Got back on their skis. That a wipeout. Made it the second time around. Is that just most gorgeous picture. Great picture. Everything looks great. I love the picture. That one though. That is frameable. Doesnt get any better. Weve got 30 seconds to tell you the next one. I dont need that much time. A cat doing a cool trick. Hes on a set of stairs. He decide i dont want to go the conventional way. I will do my own thing. Watch me do my own thing. Here he goes. Thank gosh for the carpeted stairs. Otherwise wouldnt be able to do that. Then goes back conventional way. Why not . Boom. Cool cat. Different breed of cat. Time for the polka. Yes. Politics and foreign wars all the weather all the scores thats the world news polka tapes that roll in way too slow stuff you saw on koppels show thats the world news polka its late at night youre wide awake and youre not wearing pants so grab your world news now mug and everybody dance have some fun be a pal every anchor guy and gal do the world news polka everybody thats the world news polka insomniacs only thats the world news polka who cares what the bosses think theyre a goofy crew no clue. And if your neighbors call the cops heres all you have to do move when they yell its half past three tell them hey its news to me thats the world news polka they make us work the graveyard shift thats why we go for broke so why not tune in abc and join our little joke hahaha. Five whole days every week were here with a tongue in cheek and the world news polka not lip synched its the world news da da da da polka this morning on world news this morning on world news now president s push. The white house builds its case to punish syria with or without help from major allies. The giant setback as the opposition raises red flags. Family secrets. The wife of George Zimmerman who went on trial for the Trayvon Martin shooting death. Reveal their hideout and her fears during the controversial case. Nfl hit the money the Pro Football League must pay injured players who were hurt on the field. And never fully recovered. Critics ask, is it enough. In the skinny, the moment fergie will never forget. The new guy in the singers life who is changing everything. Its friday, august 30th. Announcer from abc news, this is world news now with john muller and diana perez. Good morning, everybody. We are going to begin this halfhour with the latest on syria. If president obama decides to take action against the assad regime he may be on his own. The British Parliament voted against taking military action. It was a major defeat for Prime MinisterDavid Cameron who Still Believes syria deserves a tough response. Cameron says he will respect the will of the parliament. Now team of United Nations chemical weapons experts is expected to leave syria tomorrow. They will be reporting back to the United NationsSecurity Council with initial results of their investigation into whether syria used poison filled weapons on civilians earlier this month. Despite the set backs, president obama is hoping to convince lawmakers syria must face some consequences. Abcs jim avila has the latest from the white house. Reporter the president behind closed doors meeting with members of his National Security team. And already labeled the unhappy warrior by time magazine. Promising any military action will be limited and tailored. His spokesman emphasizing to a war weary American People the u. S. Is not planning an allout attack on syria or military attempt to topple bashar al assad. What we are talking about here is something that is very discreet and limited. Reporter the white house making the case Syrian Chemical Weapons threaten turkey, jordan and israel, our military bases and embassies in the middle east and to the world in general because allowing their use by syria only encourages dictators and terrorists. The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says he agrees but wants more consultation with congress before the president acts. This is as serious as it gets. You are going to engage the u. S. Military. There are consequences for doing that and also consequences for not doing it. Reporter aides to president obama say with or without britain the United States will respond to syrias use of chemical weapons. And if they have to do it alone, militarily, they will. Jim avila, abc news, the white house. Our coverage of the crisis in syria does not end here, well get more live updates later on america this morning and good morning america. Plea deal in the works for a utah beauty queen accused of tossing bombs around a suburb. In salt lake city. 18yearold kendra gill appeared in court yesterday along with her Three Friends theyre facing the same charges. Her attorney claims they were just pulling a prank on friend saying they thought it would be funny to make a big boom. No one was hurt, but theyre facing 15 years in prison. George zimmerman keeping a low profile. His wife stepping out of the shadows and opening up about what life has been like since her husband shot and killed Trayvon Martin. Heres abcs gio benitez. Reporter George Zimmermans wife shellie remembers enduring one of the most explosive trials ever. We lived in a 20foot trailer in the woods. Scared every night that some one was going to find us. And that it would be horrific. Reporter in an exclusive interview with Investigative ReporterChristie Oconnor who is writing a book on the trial she says she wasnt home the night george shot 17yearold Trayvon Martin. I was staying at my fathers house. We had gotten into an argument the night before. And i left. Reporter then in july when zimmerman was acquitted. George zimmerman, not guilty. The deputies were so afraid of people shooting into the windows of the courthouse that they were pushing up, us up against the wall, so that we couldnt be seen by the people outside. Thinking at any second my life could be over. Reporter earlier this week, shellie was back in the same courtroom where she stood by her husband pleading guilty to perjury. Noticeably absent, George Zimmerman. Reporter what is your future with george . I dont know. Of course i want to have children and stay married. With george . Thats something im going to have to think about. Reporter is he a very changed man . From the guy you fell in love with and married . Yes. Reporter in what ways . Im not going to answer that right now. Gio benitez, abc news, new york. San diegos disgraced mayor officially leaving office today. Bob filner steps down amid embarrassing Sexual Harassment allegations from a string of women many detailing his tawdry remarks and inappropriate touching. Filner, a former congressman, caused himself an innocent victim of a lynch mob. Some accusers are holding a News Conference today to celebrate his departure. The irs announced samesex couples who are legally married can file joint federal tax returns even if they live in states that do not recognize samesex marriages. Treasury secretary jack lew says the new ruling means married samesex couples can move freely around the country knowing their federal filing status will not change. American airlines and u. S. Airways head back to court in their fight to merge into the Worlds Largest airline. Carriers are trying to get a judge to set an earlier date for the governments lawsuit against the merger. Yesterday a bankruptcy judge held off on approving the american reorganization plan and set a new hearing next month. While dealing with travel issues, did we mention Labor Day Holiday weekend getting under way. Aaa saying more than 34 million americans will travel at least 50 miles from home this weekend. That is a 4. 2 increase over last year. The highest number since the recession. Travelers are apparently feeling more confident thanks to lower gas prices and improving economy. Ps. Yes . Labor day became an official National Holiday in 1894 after a railroad strike. Really . Nifty little fact there. Yes it is. Do i have any more . Gas prices 3. 61. Cheating, 20 cents cheaper than last year. Cheaper. Cheaper. Get on the road. Well be traveling 50 miles. We live more than 50 miles from the studio. So its just driving home for us. Just to get home. Its 50 miles. Put us in the category. Here is the weather. We start the unofficial last weekend of the summer. Strong storms again today for the midwest. And around the great lakes. Thunderstorms in the southeast and flooding downpours in the southwest. With the heat wave in the middle of the country that one continues. 97, omaha, colorado springs. It will be much cooler, 96 in kc. Dallas, brutal 105. 102 in phoenix. 76, boston. 80 sounding nice in new york. All right. May be the unofficial end of summer. But may as well have been middle of winter for the furry friends. Take a look at them. Theyre pandas at the san diego zoo. This is what they were doing yesterday. Treated to a special snow day in their enclosure. 100 big bucks, or big blocks rather. Were used to create 30,000 pound of snow. You can see the fun that the pandas were having in it. Sure they felt right at home. Look at the little guy. Apparently the zookeepers, the zoo says it was all possible thanks to generous donations, contributed all the money they needed to buy the ice. Oh, this should happen more often. No doubt they were excited. The zookeepers said they were making a noise, vocalization, a bleet. Keepers say, bleeting is curiosity or excitement. They were bleeting. The mama panda was tossing baby panda. Look, made a little snowball. Nice. Thats cute. Awesome. Coming up a major hollywood heartbreak. Veteran tough guy actor in the middle of a breakup. Toughest injuries on the football field and the nfl players who never fully recover. The leagues big financial settlement and what it means for the sport. You are watching world news now. Announcer world news now weather brought to you by United Health care. Announcer world news now weather brought to you by United Health care. I looked at my options. Then i got a Medicare Supplement insurance plan. 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So we found a plan that can travel with us. Anywhere in the country. [ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you thousands a year in outofpocket costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. So just days away from the start of football season. The nfl is making headlines this morning. Big time. The League Reached a major settlement, 765 million to settle more than 4,500 lawsuits from former players suffering from debilitating concussions. But is it enough money . Heres abcs dan harris. Reporter the nfl settlement removes for now an issue that could have threatened the very existence of pro football. Americas secular religion. And will also bring immediate medical and Financial Relief for former players dealing with injuries they believe are the results of onfield conditions. Former players like the running back kevin turner, a 44yearold, hobbled by als. You can get on with training your problem and not worrying about having the money. Reporter look at this video. According to espn sports science, big blows like this can be the equivalent of taking a sledgehammer to the head. More than 4,500 former players sued the nfl as well as the families of players like junior seau, who committed suicide and later found to have a brain disease, cte, linked to concussions. There were allegations that the nfl deliberately covered up the risk, from players like legendary quarterback, jim mcmahon whose girlfriend now has to program his home address into the gps in his car so he doesnt get lost. They knew about it. And they didnt tell us. You know, its just like flat out lying to you. Looking in the face lying to you. Reporter in your Court Filings you wrote, the nfl glorified the head collisions, to lead to head trauma and orchestrated a Disinformation Campaign to conceal the resulting brain injuries. Right. Reporter by settling have you let them off the hook . No, unless some body thinks paying 760 million is letting somebody off the hook. Then, by that definition, yeah. We didnt. Reporter critics say the settlement is too small but will bring immediate relief for the leagues 19,000 former players every one of whom will be eligible for a medical exam. Those with Cognitive Impairment will get further testing and treatment. Those with serious illnesses will get up to 5 million. We should say there is nothing in the settlement that will require the nfl to make any safety changes to reduce concussions. When the season kicks off next week it will be business as usual. Dan harris, abc news, new york. The nfl rakes in 10 billion a year. So thats, some people, saying the word chump change. Basically considered a victory for the nfl. And also, they didnt have to admit any wrongdoing in this as well. A lot of people saying, the nfl got away with it. They won. They have to pay, but they won. Truly the root of the problem, the admission there is a problem. That is the only way that change will come about. They have made some changes too. Cant lead with your head on a lot of tackles. Made the game a bit safer. One of the biggest things it is going to keep changing. They know like an 800pound gorilla. A lot of talk, kickoffs, the play most get concussions. Collisions. Run the fastest, down the field before impact. There probably wont be kickoff returns. Before long. In five years starting from the 20 yard line. Kickoff will be dead. Really . A lot of people are saying that. That is really going to change the way the game looks and the way the game is played. For a lot of fans they may not be happy. For a lot of people who are realizing this is a problem. I am not happy about losing the kickoff. The players that you love are actually able to live into their adulthood and have. Coming of age. Yes, we will all start to realize it. Coming up, yet another scandalous scene for robin thicke. 20 years and laughing, celebrating a milestone with a latenight funny guy. Thats coming up next in the skinny. Announcer world news now continues after this from our abc stations. Skinny so skinny skinny so skinny welcome into the skinny, everyone. We have lots of baby announcements to kick off the skinny. So lets get started with fergie had who are son with josh duhamel. They named the baby axl jack, a really nice name. Axl jack. Axl jack. Like a pop culture super guy, right . He is an actor. In all the really popular movies. She is a rock star. A rock stars name. No doubt. Yeah. Jamie lynn sigler and fiance welcomed their son. No information on the babys name or weight or anything else. Just a rep for the sopranos actress. Mother and baby are doing great. There you have it. Congratulations to them. Beautiful. Lets talk about this one, really interesting. Blurred lines wont go away. The vmas. This is juicy mr. Thicke, robin thicke, after the vmas, getting a picture taken. Making the round on twitter. Me and the hot blond. Yeah, im good. Take a look at the reflection, behind him, a reflection. Look where his hand is. Now, it appears and i stress the word appears. That his hand is up the back of the blonds very short skirt. You decide. Thats what it looks like when you take a look at the reflection. Believed to be taken at the meat packing club, 1oak. Anyways. You know what . I dont know that his wife really cares about what miley did to him on stage or what he was doing to that blond. That might be different. Thats a performance. Right. Not sure what the other one is. But the day after, a couple days later we saw them frolicking on the beach. The couple frolicking on the beach. I am assuming she is not all that disturbed by the pictures. Let them work that one out in private. All right. Moving on to funny stuff. David letterman is celebrating his 20 years on the late show on cbs. And the funny guy, there he is. He never disappoints. And as usual brought another funny guy on to celebrate this milestone. This time it was bill murray. Take a listen. This ought to be good. My heart has now taken flight. Thank you, dave. You know, i love you audience, i love you. But i dont have time tonight. Because im only here for one reason oh, thats very special. Haha. So there he is as liberace. The show went on bill murray doing his thing. Being hilarious. Letterman obviously also very funny. Where did they come up with the idea . Bill, you want to come in. Yeah, i will dress up as liberace. Another picture of him leaving the studio, he has a black eye, busted part of his face. Nothing happened to bill murray. It was just part of the thing. He doesnt have to do anything. Just show up. Both are hilarious. Dead pan in the camera and start laughing. Congratulations. This is sad. Clint eastwood and his wife after 17 years theyre going their separate ways. Some things arent meant to be. And us magazine. Clint eastwood, 83, separated from dina eastwood, 17 years of marriage. Shes his second wife. Dina confirms to us weekly. Former tv news reporter. She is 48. He is 83. She and eastwood remain close. They have been living separately for some time. Married back in 1996. One daughter together. 16yearold morgan. Eastwood is dad to seven other kids. Though he has been married one other time. Uhhuh. Yeah, 17 years. I know you know what . We were talking about this yesterday. Another hollywood great, Michael Douglas rumors are separating from his wife of i dont know how many years, catherine zetajones, something in the hollywood water . Going to have to go who is going to go against clint eastwood. I want my money. I want it now. He will bring a chair and talk to the chair. Hell always be remembered for the chair. Youre right. Did all that great stuff but the chair will never go away. Dirty hairy, whats that . The guy with the chair . Thats the guy with the chair. The guy with the thats the guy wi he chai thursday never looking back its friday im in love and we here at world news now are also in love with our weekly friday rewind. We are in fact. In case you missed it, a look back at headlines from syria to inspirational address from 1963 and a scandalous performance just this past week. There is no doubt who is responsible for this heinous use of chemical weapons in syria. The syrian regime. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, killing of women and children, innocent bystanders, by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. The world is a better place when the United States takes leadership. This is time for us to do this the i hope we will do it soon. When it comes, you are ready to go look that . We are ready to go like that. Because they marched america became more free and more fair, not just for africanamericans but for women and latinos, asians and native americans, for catholics, jews and muslims, for gays, for americans with disabilities, america changed for you and for me. They were fleeced. They were taken convinced by persuasive motivational speakers, and videos of trump. They didnt get any secrets. Mentorship, they didnt get anything. Rigs assured them he would make it look and appear he was trying his best. But Billie Jean King was just overwhelming him. She got what she wanted. This wasnt a slip. A moment that was well rehearsed. Well planned and well talked about for the last two days. His personality and who he is just outweighs his injuries by so much that you just sort of forget about it after a while. Beautiful pictures. We would like to remind our viewers about our brand new online segment called in case you missed it we understand you cant always be with us live on television. We are including best world news now, and most embarrassing, world news now moments just for you. Check it out on the facebook page. Wnnfans. Com. You should always try to join us live, right . Absolutely. While you are visiting our ped ewha send us wild, wacky, fun, summer photos. Email at wnnfans. Com. First name, city and state. And you may just show up on world news noe you have because there is this last unoffie su for colon cancer . Get tested i dont have any symptoms. [female announcer] of cancers affecting both men and women, Colorectal Cancer is the 2nd leading Cancer Killer in the United States. And it doesnt always cause symptoms, especially early on. But im only 53. Im too young. [announcer] screening is recommended for men and women beginning at 50. But no one in my family had colon cancer. It doesnt run in my family. [announcer] most Colorectal Cancers occur in people with no Family History of the disease. But. That test. [announcer] there are several kinds of screening tests for Colorectal Cancer. Talk to your doctor about which one is right for you. Ive been screened. And it turned out i had polyps. And the doctor removed them before they had a chance to turn into cancer [announcer] no buts about it. This is one cancer you can prevent if youre 50 or older, talk to your doctor and get screened for Colorectal Cancer. Screening saves lives live from the kgotv Broadcast Center this is abc7 news. It 4 00 a. M. On friday. We are starting early because of the bay bridge closure as we did yesterday. What you see tells the story. 9 bay bridge is without commuter traffic for a second morning but not without activity. Crews are working around the clock to get the span ready to open. Matt chemicaller has the latest. Matt . It is 4 00 a. M. And the work continues 24 hours a day. This is the toll plaza they are working so they can put in a new drainage system. The approach from the toll plaza