being victimized. it's an abc news exclusive. it's monday, august 4th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, i'm reena ninan. >> i'm devin dwyer. we hope you had a good weekend. thanks for joining us. hope you had a good weekend. >> i did. i took your advice. you gave me a steak recipe. what you didn't warn me, it was a flank steak. i got the prime -- what do you call it? >> the london broil. >> the london broil. and i asked them to slice it up. the guy looked at me like i was crazy. you're not supposed to slice up london broil. you cook it all in a big chunk. >> how'd it taste? >> i don't eat it but my father-in-law stepped in. i'm vegetarian. that's what happens when a vegetarian cooks london broil. >> i'm glad it turned out well, though. >> you want to get to news. people aren't here for my london broil, is that what you're saying? >> don't ask her about the recipe. a lot of news to talk about especially out in the west where there is some wild weather today. at least three mudslides sent mud pouring through parts of san bernardino county east of los angeles. the walls of debris, some 12 to 15 feet high and 75 feet wide. >> 1,500 residents of one community are cut off, dozens at a campground had to be rescued. and moved to a shelter. at least one structure has been destroyed and several other damaged. as much as 2 inches of rain an hour has been falling in the area and also triggering flash floods. >> elsewhere in california it's a very different story. the state in a prolonged drought. perfect conditions for those wildfires. >> as we hear from abc's neal karlinsky, there are six major blazes, five of which are growing rapidly. >> reporter: an all-out battle against the elements in drought-plagued california, a state of emergency after lightning triggered new wildfires. dangerous bolts across the northwest. this man in seattle struck by lightning as he tried to capture the storm on his camera. >> oh! >> reporter: in washington state, firefighters are finally getting the upper hand against a fire that has burned eight homes and forced the evacuation of hundreds. >> with this fresh back here, this barn is very hard to defend. >> reporter: firefighters warned joan windsor her home was threatened for the second time. >> over there was just a wall of smoke just being blown this way. and it was fast. >> reporter: and it's not just fires out west. powerful flash floods have turned streets into raging rivers in albuquerque and phoenix. the record-breaking rainfall also flooding dozens of homes in new mexico. and it's not over. at least six states are now under a flash flood watch. neal karlinsky, abc news, seattle. the water crisis in toledo, ohio, entering its third day with people unable to use their tap water. everyone in the city was warned not to drink the water early saturday. people were forced to use bottled water to wash their dishes, even brush their teeth. tests reveal the presence of a toxin in the water supply. it might come from algae on lake erie but the mayor says experts still aren't sure. >> we're running more tests. i'm going to err on the side of caution rather than err on the side of risk. >> today we have not seen any severe illnesses, have not been notified of any severe toxicity from this in humans right now. >> researchers largely blame the algae bloom on manure and chemical fertilizers from farms that wash into the lake, along with sewage treatment plants. the second american missionary stricken with ebola is expected to be thrown to the u.s. form for treatment. family members say nancy writebol is in good spirits despite her diagnosis. her fellow missionary is now being treated at a georgia hospital. abc's marci gonzalez reports from atlanta. >> reporter: the first ebola patient ever in the u.s. now in treatment here in atlanta. dr. kent brantly being cared for at emory university hospital, his room isolated, his doctors covered head to toe like this. the director of the cdc saying everything possible is being done to keep the disease from spreading from here and from west africa, where it's already killed more than 700 people. adding that americans shouldn't be worried. >> it's understandable that with a deadly disease, people are concerned. but the plain truth is that we can stop ebola. we know how to control it. >> reporter: dr. brantly's wife and siblings visiting the hospital this weekend but only allowed to see and talk to him through a glass partition. >> i know he was feeling a little bit better and i'm hopeful for that. >> reporter: there's a lot of optimism about his recovery, especially after seeing him walk from the ambulance into the hospital. now on the same plane that brought brantly here from liberia is heading back to get his colleague nancy writebol. also stricken with ebola while treating people with the virus. doctors saying, while there is no cure, this is the best place to treat their symptoms, giving brantly and writebol the best chance of recovery. she's expected to arrive here at emory hospital by tuesday afternoon. marci gonzalez, abc news, atlanta. israel has announced a seven-hour humanitarian cease-fire this morning following yesterday's deadly attack on a u.n. shelter in gaza. the u.n. chief called the israeli air strike that killed ten palestinians a, quote, criminal act. there was also rare u.s. condemnation. the state department saying it was appalled by what it called disgraceful shelling. the attack took place as israeli troops began pulling out of gaza after destroying most of the hamas tunnels. international investigators in ukraine are making progress in the debris field where malaysian air flight 17 was shot down last month. a team got a chance to search a new area of the wide crash site over the weekend, finding more human remains and belongings from passengers. the investigation was initially hampered on saturday when fighting broke out between ukrainian troops and pro-russian fighters. a plane crash in a residential upstate new york neighborhood has claimed the lives of two people. the pilot and passenger were killed when the single-engine cessna hit the top of a tree and nosedived into the front yard of a home in saratoga springs. the plane came to rest up on the lawn upside down. the homeowner says she's grateful her grandkids were not playing in the yard. a new mexico woman is facing serious charges after police say she tried to storm the cockpit of an american airlines jet flying from dallas to boston. the plane was forced to land in nashville. it's just the latest in a string of scares involving out-of-control passengers. here's abc's gloria riviera. >> reporter: for the third time in recent weeks a passenger causing chaos on a commercial flight. american airlines 2214 was flying from dallas to boston when a female passenger had to be physically restrained. the plane diverted to nashville. passengers told police she ran towards the cockpit and attacked a flight attendant. she's now facing assault charges. just last week a canadian s.w.a.t. team stormed aboard sunwing flight 772 in toronto. after a 25-year-old male passenger was accused of threatening the aircraft, two f-16 fighter jets escorted the plane out of u.s. air space. on a flight in june a daughter begged her father to calm down after he lashed out at the crew. >> dad, stop it! >> reporter: he had to be handcuffed and pinned down to his seat. the plane made an emergency landing in detroit. in 2013 there were at least 8,000 incidents of passenger disruptions. passengers on that american airlines flight eventually landed safely in boston at 3:00 a.m. and now a large airline industry group is pushing for new regulations that would allow them to more closely monitor passenger behavior starting at check-in. gloria riviera, abc news, washington. after years of concern, researchers now say that video games may actually be good for your kids but only in moderation. a new british study found children who spent one to three hours a day playing video games tend to be better adjusted. as expected, though, too much video game time was bad for mental and social health. surprisingly, kids who played too middle were linked to poor social behavior. >> i was never addicted to video games much. i remember my first video game, i played classic nintendo, super mario brothers duck hunt. but i didn't get hooked. >> but you said your brother did? >> my brother did and is much more socially well adjusted compared to this right here. that explains -- >> i don't buy that. i like the little footnote at the bottom of this. it says the research was conducted on kids in the uk so results may be different for american kids. >> a lot of asterisks there, right? with an aching back, tiger woods now has a couple of days to decide whether he's going to play at this coming weekend's pga championship. he says he, quote, jarred his back yesterday on the second hole of the tournament in ohio. woods played seven more holes before withdrawing from the tournament. he of course had surgery in late march to alleviate a pinched nerve in his back. he's also only played a handful of tournaments since then. and the nfl slate of preseason games is officially under way. it started last night in canton, ohio, with the hall of fame game between the giants and the bills. >> both teams' starters saw only limited action. it was their first preseason game. giants quarterback eli manning played only three series and e.j. manuel of the bills played just two. >> the giants were down in the fourth quarter when they struck on a 73-yard touchdown pass. by the way, they won this one 17-13. >> football season in the air. >> that's right. coming up in "the mix," restaurant discounts for people who pray before they eat. >> speaking of eating, we're celebrating national watermelon day with a special treat. pickled watermelon paired with pork. salty-sweet combination from the insomniac kitchen coming up on "world news now." ♪ catch all the drips spit out the pits ♪ ♪ lick your lips watermelon ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by lifelock. [ male announcer ] meet mary. she loves to shop online with her debit card. and so does bill, an identity thief who stole mary's identity, took over her bank accounts, and stole her hard earned money. unfortunately, millions of americans just like you learn all it may take is a little misplaced information to wreak havoc on your life. this is identity theft, and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock has the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. if mary had lifelock's bank account alerts, she may have been notified in time to help stop the damage. lifelock's credit notification service is on the job 24/7. as soon as they detect a threat to your identity within their network, they will alert you helping protect you before damage can be done to your identity. lifelock has the most comprehensive identify theft protection available, helping guard your social security number, your money, your credit, even the equity in your home. my years as a prosecutor taught me that we all need to protect ourselves from crime, in today's world that includes identity theft. it's a serious problem. we all have to protect ourselves. [ male announcer ] while identity theft can't be completely stopped, no one works harder to help protect you than lifelock. you even get a $1 million service guarantee. that's security no one can beat. you have so much to protect and nothing to lose when you call lifelock right now and get 60 days of identity theft protection risk free. that's right. 60 days risk free! use promo code: notme. order now, and get this document shredder to help keep sensitive documents out of the wrong hands... a $29 value, free! don't wait until you become the next victim! call the number on your screen for 60 days of lifelock identity theft protection risk free and get a document shredder free. use promo code: notme. call the number on your screen now. sometimes come out with spots? well, those spots are actually leftover food or detergent residue. can we help prevent this? yes, use finish jet dry. it goes in your dishwasher's dispenser to help eliminate spots and residues. wow, what a difference! you just can'tider a 4-star know the name?p to 60% off, just no name? until you book. um... yeah, i'd do that! ♪ deterghow about... both? n skin or tough on stains. new tide pods free and gentle free of dyes and perfumes with a deep clean. pop in the best of both worlds. the heavy lifters.ers. just for men does more than get rid of gray, your facial hair looks fuller, thicker, the best beard ever. after all, you're not just a champion of saturday afternoons.... you're a champion of facial hair. just for men mustache and beard. federal investigators are uncovering a serious problem across the country that appears to be getting worse. >> they're called dirty doctors accused of crossing the line from healing to the dark side of dealing. senior justice correspondent pierre thomas has this abc news exclusive. >> reporter: rhea bachus said a drug dealer fed her husband's addiction to powerful painkillers, a drug dealer in a white coat, an m.d. >> he knows as a doctor that that could have killed him, and he didn't care. >> reporter: she's talking about dr. norman werther. he may look the part of a kindly doctor, but here he is on surveillance video committing a crime. >> what's your pain level without the medicine? >> reporter: federal investigators say the exam is just a sham. it only takes four minutes before he prescribes an undercover informant a painkiller. >> it's called oxycodone -- >> reporter: dr. werther is part of what federal investigators say is a serious and growing problem. doctors who go to the dark side, prescribing highly addictive painkillers for profit. >> he gave up his medical license for drug dealing. >> reporter: and werther is hardly the only dirty doctor. this doctor was caught on undercover cameras writing prescriptions to phoney patients out of a rented motel room, drugs on demand. >> police! open the door! >> reporter: at least 300 doctors or pharmacists have been convicted of medicare fraud in the past three years, including about 100 who were busted for illegally writing painkiller prescriptions. >> it's mipnd-boggling. they start seeing the cash, they start buying large homes, new vehicles. mostly it's greed. >> reporter: and greed is apparently what motivated dr. werther. he was convicted of participating in a drug ring involving six philadelphia-area gangs who brought him fake patients, paid him kickbacks to prescribe painkillers, then resold the drugs on the street. rhea bachus says her husband nate went to dr. werther to wean himself off painkillers. instead she said the doctor stoked his addiction to collect money for doctor visits. >> what he was giving him was an insane amount. >> reporter: at only age 27, nate overdosed. dr. werther was convicted of contributing to his death. pierre thomas, abc news, chicago. >> 25 years in jail. they say he was 73. so likely a lifetime sentence for him. >> good they're cracking down on this. coming up, in case you missed it, yesterday was national watermelon day. but we, of course, are celebrating it today in a most unusual way, with watermelon pickle and crispy pork. that's up next in our "insomniac kitchen." ahead in our next half hour, a special honor for our abc news colleague, michael strahan, a game-changer on and off the field. he's now been enshrined along with the very greatest in pro football. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" ♪ watermelon watermelon ♪ i love you love watermelon >> who doesn't love watermelon? particularly this time of the year. in the teeth of the dog days of summer. >> it is the dog days of summer. in honor of national watermelon day, which was actually yesterday, we're checking out a most unusual way to enjoy this sweet and juicy treat. abc's tina trinh has "insomniac kitch kitchen." >> reporter: we're in the west village at fatty crab to try a new twist on a summer staple. it's watermelon with pork. we're in the very cozy kitchen of fatty crab with chef anna grezel who's going to show us how to make -- >> pork and watermelon. >> reporter: two things i wouldn't normally think would go together. >> the great thing about it is the sweetness from the plain watermelon and the pickle, the tartness from the actual watermelon rind, helps cut through the fat a little bit. we're going to take all the rind off. so you're left with your clean piece of watermelon rind. >> reporter: this is cool. never thought to eat this part of the watermelon. >> it's almost like a really fresh cucumber almost. >> reporter: yeah, that's what it is. >> next we have to make the pickling liquid for the watermelon rind. we are going to start with dry thai chiles. i'm going to toast them for a quick second. next ginger, lime zest. that goes straight in. next is red onion. sugar in the raw. and then all we're left with are our liquids for the pickling. so pretty much all we're doing is japanese vinegar, lime juice and water. this is going to go straight onto heat. bring this to a boil. then we'll kill the heat, let it sit just a little bit. don't let it cool off completely. and you are just going to pour it straight over your watermelon rind. >> reporter: you want to let it sit? >> you kind of want to let it at least sit overnight. let's make the brine for our pork belly. lime juice again. and black vinegar. sweet soy. and then dark soy sauce. just want to whisk it up a little bit. we are going to put this on our plain pork belly. it needs to brine for two days. after two days, you're going to cook it. >> reporter: how hot are we doing it? >> anywhere from 300 to 325. we wrap it extremely tightly in plastic wrap, once it's cooled off and then we press it. >> reporter: oh, look at that! >> watermelon goes straight down and then we're ready for the pork now. we're going to put sesame seeds on top and you're done. >> all right. >> now we get to try it. >> yes, go for it. >> thanks to tina trinh for that. if you are in new york city, definitely stop by fatty crab. haven't been there. but it's on hudson street in the west side. >> what do you think? >> never had asian watermelon. that's really good. >> is it good? yes? >> spicy, actually. >> did you know that watermelon is actually a vegetable? >> did not know that. >> in china and japan it's actually considered a good hostess gift. >> here's another fun fact. i didn't know, because i thought it was mostly water, that it actually has nutritional value. it's got fiber, vitamins a and c, potassium. this is the pork part, i'm going to give this a taste. >> you are? okay. wow, he's so adventurous. >> salty to go with the sweet, good stuff. >> you approve. >> try it at home. >> try it at home. th her debit . and so does bill, an identity thief who stole mary's identity, took over her bank accounts, and stole her hard earned money. unfortunately, millions of americans just like you learn all it may take is a little misplaced information to wreak havoc on your life. this is identity theft, and no one helps stop it better than lifelock. lifelock has the most comprehensive identity theft protection available. if mary had lifelock's bank account alerts, she may have been notified in time to help stop the damage. lifelock's credit notification service is on the job 24/7. as soon as they detect a threat to your identity within their network, they will alert you helping protect you before damage can be done to your identity. lifelock has the most comprehensive identify theft protection available, helping guard your social security number, your money, your credit, even the equity in your home. my years as a prosecutor taught me that we all need to protect ourselves from crime, in today's world that includes identity theft. it's a serious problem. we all have to protect ourselves. [ male announcer ] while identity theft can't be completely stopped, no one works harder to help protect you than lifelock. you even get a $1 million service guarantee. that's security no one can beat. you have so much to protect and nothing to lose when you call lifelock right now and get 60 days of identity theft protection risk free. that's right. 60 days risk free! use promo code: notme. order now, and get this document shredder to help keep sensitive documents out of the wrong hands... a $29 value, free! don't wait until you become the next victim! call the number on your screen for 60 days of lifelock identity theft protection risk free and get a document shredder free. use promo code: notme. call the number on your screen now. unwind with tide, downy, and bounce. when you're awake and can't sleep an ounce, the sweet dreams collection is so relaxing, so you can tuck in and turn off after a day oh so taxing. tide, downy, and bounce. official products of the national sleep foundation. something happens when you giveair.r hair... you get a natural look without the gray. only just for men has airactiv. the only technology that uses oxygen in the air to get rid of gray while leaving the natural variations in your hair. no ammonia. no peroxide. no overcoloring. just air... just you... and the look you want. just for men. sometimes come out with spots? well, those spots are actually leftover food or detergent residue. can we help prevent this? yes, use finish jet dry. it goes in your dishwasher's dispenser to help eliminate spots and residues. wow, what a difference! now it's time for "the mix." there's a south carolina man who is homeless. he was actually in prison on drug charges. comes out, has no family, no home. but apparently he can really belt out a tune. take a listen. ♪ my head's under water but i'm breathing fine ♪ ♪ you're crazy in i'm out of my mind ♪ >> that's john legend's "all of me," belting it out, more than 300,000 people have clicked on youtube to watch this singing sensation. >> he's really good. >> he is, isn't he? he was the same man who also was singing in mcdonald's for big macs, if you remember that story. >> okay, okay. good for him. brings new meaning to singing for your meal. up next, speaking of singing, this family -- if you like to sing while you're on a road trip, this family has come up with a new way of singing. they're actually doing it with sign language, take a look. ♪ you're the one that i want ♪ whoo whoo whoo >> an american sign language interpreter and her husband on the road there. they are signing to some "grease" music. 540,000 clicks on youtube. a lot of the fans saying this is great for the deaf community to show that you can have fun on a road trip. although watch when he takes both hands off the wheel. >> did he really? >> got to be careful. >> oh, no. it's still entertaining. it's a great video. i wish -- maybe i would learn sign language through music videos. >> fun times on a road trip. >> another way to pick it up. i love water guns and apparently so does the entire country of south korea. >> this is awesome. >> take a look at this video. it is their annual epic water gunfight. it's an annual water gun festival in south korea. >> take your aggression out on your neighbor, look at that. >> your neighbor and a total stranger. apparently it's totally okay. there were also numerous fire engines on hand to spray cold water on people on a hot day. kind of cool. >> i was pretty good with a super soaker back in the day, it was a lot of fun. >> were you? i believe it. >> get a shower as well. finally, i love this story. this is another reminder that it sometimes pays to pray. take a look here. this is a couple -- rather, a restaurant, winston-salem, north carolina, giving a 15% praying discount if you pray in public before your meal. there it is on the receipt. this receipt coming from a woman who was traveling on business to the restaurant, mary's gourmet diner. she said grace before the food came out and later the waitress came over and said to her that the restaurant offered 15% discounts to people who pray before. and the owner of the restaurant says it's less about religion and more about being grateful. there we go. we all need a reminder. >> it's like a gratitude prayer. >> a gratitude prayer, showing in public that you can be grateful for the food they provide you. >> please don't tell the bean-count this morning on "world news now," taking action. the american doctor infected with ebola evacuated from africa. his prognosis as another american is about to be rescued. toxic water. the crisis for nearly 500,000 people banned from drinking their tap water. new developments overnight as the dangers are uncovered. racetrack mystery. ten horses dead at one track. and several jockeys injured. the frightening situation and the intense investigation. and kennedy wedding. the "curb your enthusiasm" actress who married robert f. kennedy jr. the high-profile event and who brought them together in "the skinny" this monday, august 4th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good monday morning to you, i'm reena ninan. >> i'm devin dwyer. a lot of news to get to this morning. starting off with this ebola scare that's now coming to the u.s. here. a new report out overnight finds 826 people have died from the virus now. and there's been a surge in cases in liberia and sierra leone. >> and the american doctor suffering from ebola is now being treated at an atlanta hospital. his fellow missionary is expected to arrive tomorrow. here's abc's dr. richard besser. >> reporter: the only ebola patient ever on american soil waits to see if his body will fight off the deadly virus. dr. kent brantly in this biocontainment suit stepped off the ambulance under his own power. much to everyone's surprise. >> to see him walk, which hadn't even occurred to me, was just unbelievable. >> reporter: brantly has also seen and spoken to his wife, using a phone through a plate glass window. >> in the process of designing this unit, allowed for a lot of face-to-face contact through a plate glass window, together with a communication system so that they will be as close as one to two inches from each other. >> reporter: amber brantly said she came out grinning ear to ear and is very optimistic about his recovery. she says he's improving. but he will remain isolated until he's no longer contagious. >> if the patient walks into our unit and they're stable, most people feel they're contagious for about two to three weeks. >> reporter: the hospital staff here is now getting ready for another ebola patient. nancy writebol, brantly's colleague. just a short time ago the same plane that brought brantly back to the u.s. took off on a return trip to africa. it is expected to bring writebol back here to atlanta on tuesday. we learned brantly received a dose of experimental anti-serum before leaving liberia. but the outbreak has led to the question, why aren't there approved drugs to treat or vaccines to prevent this deadly disease? there's been progress but human trials have barely begun. >> it would be very helpful, especially to protect health care workers. but even in the best case it's a long way away and it's uncertain. >> reporter: when the evacuation plane arrives in liberia, the doctors are going to need to quickly determine whether nancy writebol is stable enough for travel the hope is she can make the trip here to emory. if so, she could arrive here as early as tuesday. dr. richard besser, abc news, atlanta. >> there's been a lot of concern that there are americans involved, that's why the u.s. has been so focused on this. but now there's word over the next 30 days they're going to be sending several extra u.s. health workers to help deal with the more than 800 deaths in three african countries. >> one of the biggest areas of concern are those major international air hubs. one of those being london's gatwick airport where a lot of these flights from africa transit, passengers getting off there. there's a report overnight of a woman on a gambia flight, she's from sierra leone, one of the places hit by ebola, she collapsed and died after getting off the plane, had a fever, was seen vomiting. they're still running the tests to see if she had ebola but there's a lot of concern there. moving on now to some extreme weather here at home just east of los angeles rare august storms making a mess of mountain areas. at least three huge mudslides have stranded residents and campers. many roads are closed and some vehicles have been washed away by the walls of mud, some reported as high as 12 to 15 feet, 75 feet wide. at least one building has been destroyed and several others have been damaged. elsewhere in san bernardino county, the heavy rain has triggered flash floods. at least one person died when a vehicle was swept away. another resident climbed a tree there to escape the raging water. others took shelter in a general store, unable to leave the area. for the north, the problem is wildfires. there are six major blazes burning in central and far northern california. five of them grew rapidly this weekend prompting the evacuation of residents, vacationers and others. some homes have been destroyed, several of the fires were started by dry lightning. and over the weekend, the governor declared a state of emergency. >> tough conditions out there. here's a look at your monday forecast. the heavy rain is moving over nevada and utah today. storms in the great lakes region and the entire southern coast from the gulf all the way up to washington and all of florida. >> portland, oregon, will reach the low 90s. los angeles only about 80. in the 90s from kansas city down to dallas. chicago and detroit will be in the mid-80s. new york and miami will both have highs around 84 degrees. well, hundreds of thousands of residents in toledo, ohio, are facing another day without tap water. they were ordered to stay away from the water over the weekend after tests showed it was toxic. here's abc's richard cantu. >> reporter: cheers greet the arrival of new water supplies in a city that only has toxic water. >> it's been awful. it's been horrible. >> reporter: since the water emergency was declared on saturday, toledo's 400,000 residents have been served notice -- stop drinking water, don't shower, and don't let pets come near tap water. the mayor is not really sure when the city's water supply will be safe again. >> we're running more tests. i'm going to err on the side of caution rather than err on the side of risk. >> reporter: what set off this disaster, a large bloom of algae, visible from space, that turned lake erie at toledo's water intake into a toxic slush. the toxins causing liver and nervous system damage and triggering vomiting and numbness. so far, toledo is weathering the toxic storm. >> to date we have not seen any severe illnesses, have not been notified of any severe toxicity from this in humans right now. >> reporter: but life without water is a constant struggle. restaurants and schools are closed. no water for cooking. >> right now i'm grilling on the porch right here with my grill. >> reporter: setting aside the little water there is for everyday things we take for granted. >> brushing teeth, we use one bottle of water, everybody. we share it. >> reporter: there's no end in sight. richard cantu, abc news, new york. now to a developing story from the pacific northwest. a mother is in custody charged with the murder of her 2-year-old daughter. 40-year-old jessica smith was arrested following a weekend-long hunt. her infant daughter isabella was found dead in a hotel room friday morning. smith's teenage daughter was also found there with life-threatening injuries. she's now listed in stable condition. and investigators in new jersey are working to determine what caused an explosion at a plant that produces food flavoring ingredients. there's a large vat of eggnog that blew up causing serious damage to the plant. luckily only two workers suffered minor injuries. officials say it was a new eggnog recipe that was being used when the explosion took place. well, israel facing growing international condemnation after the latest air strike on a u.n. school serving as shelter for thousands of palestinians. ten people were killed in the attack, which was harshly criticized by the u.s. as disgraceful. the u.n. used even stronger words calling it, quote, a moral outrage and criminal act. as troops began to withdraw from gaza, israel has announced a seven-hour humanitarian cease-fire. meanwhile, israel is facing allegations that it spied on secretary of state john kerry. during last year's failed mideast peace talks. sources tell a german news magazine that israel eavesdropped on kerry's phone calls as he struggled to broker a deal. and israel reportedly used the information from the calls in its own negotiations. now to a lingering question. a mystery really in a suburb of los angeles. what kind of mysterious animal is lurking out there? >> here's what officials are going by right now. the surveillance video you see, it shows what looks like a big cat strolling across a driveway during the overnight hours last week. so, what is it exactly and where did it come from? >> experts say it's definitely not a cougar or a mountain lion. but some claim it appears to be an african lion that may have been someone's pet that escaped. >> it was last spotted apparently last tuesday and police are on high alert. i would not like to be a person living in the area. >> no. i think they should put out a cup of fancy feast in one of those crystal goblets. >> the crystal goblet is what would do it. >> the ding of the bell. see if it comes by for a taste. >> i love it. the bell and the crystal goblet. call the police right now, dev. >> that's right. coming up in "the skinny, who are you going to call? a casting surprise about the upcoming "ghostbusters 3." >> excited about that one. and later, our colleague michael strahan joining an elite of group of football's best. his inspiring message as he was inducted into the hall of fame. you're watching "world news now." >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by dawn ultra. you up for the challenge suds-maker? i'm gonna need more than that to get through the rest of these dishes. i want more suds! dawn? you won't last. a drop of dawn ultra has active suds that stay stronger longer, so you can clean 2 times more greasy dishes to get the job done. you're full of suds after all. now drop and give me twenty spaghetti bowls! dawn does more. so it's not a chore. a deepening mystery at a historic racetrack in california where ten horses have died so far this season. >> investigators are looking at everything from the turf they're running on to whether they're being pushed too hard. but so far, they're stumped. >> it's spooking enough horse owners to move their races to other tracks. abc's brandi hitt has the latest. >> reporter: a deadly mystery at del mar, southern california's premiere racetrack. ten horses have died in the first three weeks of the summer season, including a 3-year-old thoroughbred who collapsed this weekend from a heart attack in the final seconds of a race. other horses have been put down after injuries. this racetrack camera capturing one horse tumbling on del mar's brand new $6 million grass turf. >> it was very sad. i watched. they put the tarps up and euthanized the horse right there on the field. i was done. >> reporter: several jockeys have also been injured and some nervous owners are pulling their horses off the grass track. >> for the last few years, the breeding of thoroughbred race horses have been more about speed than stamina. so you probably have overall a little more fragile a horse than you have had in the past. >> reporter: the turf course is now shut down as track officials try to soften it with water. >> in your expert opinion, is this track safe? >> yes. i believe so. >> reporter: del mar also has a synthetic track that is supposed to be safer and soft other a horse's delicate legs, but three horses have also died on that track. it's unclear whether any of these deaths are connected or simply a coincidence. but racing watchers say they do mean a public relations nightmare for the racetrack. >> if you're bringing your kids to the track, you certainly don't want to see the trauma and the horror of a horse dying or being put to death out on the racetrack in front of you. >> reporter: del mar plans on reopening the turf course next weekend. and the stakes are high, because all eyes will be on this racetrack when it hosts the breeders' cup in 2017. brandi hitt, abc news, del mar, california. >> such a mystery, they have no idea. i was actually stunned to hear that on average three race horses die each day at the nation's 97 racetracks. >> seems like a really high number every day. although at this particular course, as brandi said, about ten horses so far this year. it's a huge number. i thought jeannine edwards had a great point. when you go to watch a horse race, you really don't want to see a horse die and have to be euthanized right there on the track, especially if you have kids. this course has a lot of history. where the famous seabiscuit race was held in 1938. so we hope they figure out what's wrong with the turf there. when we come back, cheryl hines can barely "curb her enthusiasm "now that she's officially become a kennedy. beyonce breaks her silence over that infamous elevator incident. wait till you hear what she has to say. that's coming up in "the skinny." >> announcer: "world news now" continues after this from our abc stations. ♪ skinny so skinny ♪ time for "the skinny." topping our headlines this morning, the kennedy family has a brand-new member. "curb your enthusiasm" actor cheryl hines married robert kennedy jr. this weekend. on cape cod. the wedding took place at the home of the groom's mother, ethel kennedy, in hyannisport. >> the happy couple credits "curb your enthusiasm" and "seinfeld" creator larry david for bringing them together. he introduced them two years in a row at separate ski resorts. they were both married at the time. >> congratulations to them. next, beyonce dropped a surprise on all of us this weekend, releasing a new remix of her song "flawless." >> the sneak attack remix featuring nicki minaj features a line from the queen bee addressing that infamous fight, you see it there between jay z and sister solange on that elevator at the standard hotel. ♪ i woke up like this i woke up like this flawless ♪ ♪ ladies i woke up like this ♪ i woke up like this ♪ flawless >> unfortunately we can't play you the line about the elevator because it was laced with vulgarities and the song does not directly address the persistent rumors of beyonce and jay z heading for divorce. >> so many people buzzing about this, whether it's a p.r. ploy, whether this is actually real. the mystery continues. >> people want to know about the elevator, they want to know about the divorce. >> they do, a lot to watch there indeed. next we're hearing new details about this one, i'm excited about, the new "ghostbusters" movie. it appears the reboot may feature all-female leads. >> "variety" magazine reports it will strictly be a "ghostbusters 3," or a sequel to the old '80s movie, and we may see some familiar faces like dan aykroyd and bill murray. >> there's still no director yet for the film but on the short list, "bridesmaids" director paul feig. and to a blockbuster that's already in theaters and setting new records. >> superheroes to the rescue, saving both the galaxy and the box office. "guardians of the galaxy" starring unlikely superhero chris pratt, get this, it's already raked in $94 million. >> take those headphones off! >> drop it, now! >> hey, yeah, go, man. no problem. no problem at all. >> who are you? >> starlord. >> who? >> i'm starlord, man. legendary outlaw? "guardians of the galaxy" is the third highest opening of the year and the best ever for a nonsequel. it was produced by marvel and disney, our parent company of abc news. >> it's getting rave reviews. big weekend for it. of course, it went up against "get on up," the new james brown movie. >> i want to see that one. >> which looks very good. a lot of summer films to check out. now we'll check out our celebrity birthdays on this monday. >> that's right. blowing out the candles today, president obama. the birthday boy in chief turned 53 years old. >> actor billy bob thornton is 59 today. >> "cowboys and aliens" actress abigail spencer turned 33. >> and "dancing with the stars" kym johnson is 38. happy birthday one and all. coming up, what's even better than a birthday? >> how about a hall of fame induction. michael strahan taking his place this weekend among legends of pro football. coming up next. you're watching abc "world news now." something happens when you giveair.r hair... you get a natural look without the gray. only just for men has airactiv. the only technology that uses oxygen in the air to get rid of gray while leaving the natural variations in your hair. no ammonia. no peroxide. no overcoloring. just air... just you... and the look you want. just for men. you get used to food odors you think it smells fine, but your guests think it smells like this... 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[ male announcer ] don't wait. call today to request your free decision guide and find the aarp medicare supplement plan to go the distance with you. go long. ♪ living in the hall of fame ♪ living in the hall of fame ♪ know your name ♪ living on the walls of the hall of fame ♪ >> a big hall of fame weekend this weekend in canton, ohio. >> that's because the nfl kicked off its preseason last night with the hall of fame game between the giants and the bills. the giants were down in the fourth quarter when they struck on a 73-yard touchdown pass to actually win the game 17-13. >> and off the field, scoring the touchdown of his life, our very own michael strahan. here's abc's ryan smith. >> reporter: his trademark humor and grin on full display. michael strahan took his rightful place among football greats this weekend enshrined into the nfl hall of fame. >> allthis is not tv michael, this is football michael. >> reporter: one of the best defensive players of his generation, an unlikely football star. >> and my life is improbable. i am an absolutely improbable hall of famer. >> reporter: a self-proclaimed husky kid, the super bowl champ coming clean on how he got in shape. >> i ain't lying, marcus allen, i got jane fonda tapes. and i was high-kicking and side-kicking -- >> reporter: ever the gracious man, thanking everyone from his father for his drive -- >> he's the most amazing, amazing man. and more so than any of that, one hell of a father. >> reporter: -- to his mother for her love. >> i'm not ashamed to say that i'm a mama's boy. >> reporter: and the coaches and players who inspired him. >> you made me a better man, coach coughlin. >> reporter: even a shout-out to his abc family. >> my tv wife kelly ripa. to the one and only robin roberts. robin, thank you for coming out here to support me. >> reporter: but the football player now turned tv host and "good morning america" anchor talked about his greatest role. >> the most important title i'm really most proud of is michael strahan, your father. >> reporter: the message for his kids? >> anything is absolutely possible. >> reporter: living proof you've got to dream big. just like mike. ryan smith, abc news, new york. >> my favorite part was that he still has a jane fonda video workout. >> you know, good for him. hats off to michael. he has been -- there you are. >> there's me and michael. >> you were with him on broadway on one of his charity nights, look at that hair. >> little did you know, we spent a lot of time together and he works on my hair. >> hats off to him. he did your hair but he also does charity work with kids with various medical conditions. we salute him here on "world news now" and wish him all the best and glad he's in the hall of fame. >> and you can catch him on "gma." >> that's right. >> if you can't get enough of him. >> tune in later this morning. >> announcer: this is "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades. is "world news now," informing insomniacs for two decades. [female narrator] foods rich in folic acid like white bread and leafy greens can help prevent some birth defects before you even know you're pregnant. that's what's making news in america this morning. breaking news in america this morning. flash floods causing mudslides in southern california, some several feet deep. the drank that theic -- dramatic new video just in and the rescue efforts. ebola emergency. surges in the deadly virus overseas, and the timetable for the second infected person to arrive in the u.s. a city to a standstill with no drinkable tap water. an update from the mayor and new concerns about the problem spreading. and beached boat, dramatic moment caught on camera after a guy's yacht comes untied. good monday morning to you, thanks for joining us.