Deadly fireworks explosions. More than a dozen killed in backtoback blasts, including police and firefighters pluse rks stunt gone horribly wrong. The mother that took on that c carjacker. The crook taking off with her and good evening. Its great to have you with us on a busy thursday night. Im tom llamas, in for david. Tonight, we begin with that breaking news. The epa chief, scott pruitt, has resi resigned. President trump stood by pruitt as he relentlessly rolled back environmental regulations, carrying out the president s agenda. But claims of legal and ethical violations mounted, about that 43,000 phone booth, first class travel, 24 7 security and his use of his staff and his position for his personal benefit. The balance finally tipped, and tonight, the president has accepted his resignation. Shuffling his cabinet one more time. Abcs chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl starts us off at the white house. Reporter he was front at center at the white house fourth of july picnic just yesterday, but now, scott pruitt, one of the most embattled cabinet secretaries ever, is gone. In his tweet announcing pruitts resignation as the head of the Environmental Protection agency, the president said, within the agency, scott has done an outstanding job, and i will always be thankful to him for this. But pruitts tenure has been beset by scandal after scandal, including a story abc news broke earlier this year about pruitt renting an apartment on capitol hill for just 50 a night from the wife of a lobbyist. It was like an airbnb situation. You only pay for the nights you spent there. Exactly right. But thats a sweetheart deal. Reporter alltold, pruitt was facing at least 12 separate investigations by multiple government agencies, and was repeatedly accused of using his position for personal benefit. He installed a 43,000 soundproof phone booth in his government office. He routinely took first class flights. Spent more than 36,000 for a flight aboard a military jet. He tweeted out photos of himself making pasta and enjoying prosciutto on a trip to a conference in italy. He reached out to the ceo of chickfila, trying to secure a franchise for his wife. My wife is an entrepreneur herself. I love, she loves, we chickfila and its one of the best in the country. Reporter he used his government staff to perform personal tasks, finding him an apartment, restaurant reservations and even trying to get him a used mattress from the Trump International hotel. He also personally intervened to secure two of his most loyal staffers lucrative raises over the objections of the white house. Uitt foring vironmental r he expressed irritation at the scandals last month. Im not happy about certain things, but hes done a fantastic job running the epa which is very overriding. But i am not happy about. Reporter alltold, 170 members of congress, many of them republicans, had called for pruitts resignation. As republican senator joni ernst put it, he is about as swampy as you get here in washington. Just a short while ago, the president on air force one said it was entirely Scott Pruitts decision to resign. He did so because he did not want to be a distraction. And tom, the president called pruitt a, quote, terrific guy. And jon, besides the news about scott pruitt, were monitoring news surrounding the supreme court, and the president getting closer to a decision and a nominee, plus a primetime address . Reporter the interviews are done. White house Officials Say that th there are three leading conditions. Brett kavanaugh, amy coney barrett, raymond kethledge. And the announcement will be in a primetime address on monday at 9 00 eastern time. Tom . Primetime on monday. Jon, thank you. Next, to thailand. And the race to free the Young Soccer Team trapped in a cave with monsoon rains fast approaching. A new look at the massive effort underground. A team of divers entering the cave. Workers drilling through rock, opening up narrow passages and laying drainage pipes. They are desperate to lower the water level and free the boys before the rain can flood the cave again. Abcs James Longman on the scene again for us tonight. Reporter with monsoon rains closing in, the race is on. Tsc. Laying pipes, constructing a dam to divert water. And that dam could make a crucial difference. Officials say it will remove drastically more water than the pumps alone. The goal, reduce the water level inside to give those trapped boys a chance to escape. New images tonight showing the progress. Areas in front of the cave, previously only accessible by divers, now passable on foot. But part of that treacherous 2. 9mile maze includes chambers filled to the ceiling with water, narrow tunnels teams will work to expand. Right now, diving is the only way out. But Officials Say that option is off the table for the boys. The fear they could panic, the danger, too great. Look how rough the current is. This professional fighting to hold onto a guide rope. The latest plan, when the water recedes, float the boys out onebyone with life jackets. One official telling me, the rescue can begin once the water falls below neck level in the submerged caves. At the surface, ambulances and paramedics run drills, ready to treat the boys when they emerge. But they must work quickly. That heavy rain could begin in the next 24 hours. Five to more than eight inches forecast in the region. The water in the cave is going to fill up, okay . And its going to be hard for the navy s. E. A. L. To try to get the kids out. Reporter we traveled to a cave about 15 minutes from where the boys are trapped to get a look at what they face. As you go further in, thats where you start to see water like this. And look, it gets very, very high. Youve got jagged rock face, murky water. It gets worse, as we move deeper into the cave. This just gets narrower and narrower. And just imagine this, but full of water. Its cold, its damp, it smells, i mean, these kids being here for so long in these conditions, its kind of unimaginable. At the camp, exhausted divers going back and forth in shifts. Six hours in, six hours out, this one says. A grueling effort to save those boys. A 12hour trip in total, those diver s truly relentless. James longman joins us now from outside that cave. And james, we heard in your report about that forecast, more rain coming. And the risk of that cave flooding again . Reporter yes, tom. Remember, these boys got stuck in that cave because of flash flooding in the first place. So, authorities here are watching the weather closely. Anymore water in that cave is very dangerous. It could destroy the progress theyve made and threaten those boys still sitting on that muddy bank. Tom . So many will be monitoring that incoming weather there in thailand. James, thank you. Back here at home, and were tracking our own weather. Heat alerts in 20 states at this hour, from maine to california. Temperatures rising in the west, where dozens of wildfires are now burning. The newest, near aspen, colorado, ballooning in the past 24 hours. More neighborhoods evacuated this morning. And across the region, thousands of people have been forced from their homes. Abcs Clayton Sandell is in the fire zone in colorado tonight. Reporter tonight, the western fire threat is growing, flames darting through smoky skies over colorado toward hundreds of homes. Flames are like 300 feet tall. Reporter the Lake Christine fire, north of aspen, sparked tuesday by people shooting at an outdoor gun range, exploding in the last 24 hours to over 4,900 acres and still growing. Flames closing in on this market. Nearly 500 homes are threatened here, three destroyed. One of those belonging to volunteer firefighter cleve williams. His sisterinlaw lives nearby. Her home survived, but she and her family had only ten minutes to escape. I grabbed some of my scrapbooks that i have, my baby books from when my kids were little. Reporter in southern colorado, the spring fire is now the thirdlargest blaze in state history, torching an area larger than atlanta and manhattan combined, destroying more than 100 thhomes. 2,000 still threatened. Its frustrating not knowing if were going to have anything left. Reporter in california, a fire three times the size of San Francisco still raging in napa and yolo counties. New evacuations forcing people from their homes. You can see the waterdropping helicopters are very busy here. Two people have been charged with arson in this fire. Right now, at this hour, it is 0 contained. Tom . Clayton, thank you. I want to bring in abcs chief meteorologist ginger zee at the George Washington bridge tonight. And ginger, this heat is not going away, and now theres a tropical system brewing in the atlantic . Reporter and tom, were still talking intense heat and humidity. Caribou, maine, the hottest theyve been in five years. Those heat advisories stretch to arkansas. In the southwest, the heat is going to be explosive for the wildfires. 118, palm springs. Thats the hottest of the season. And then, we go to the atlantic. Tropical storm beryl has formed. It will be a hurricane briefly over the weekend. Tom . We will stay on top of that storm. Ginger, thank you. Next, we turn to the migrant families separated at the southern border. The government still facing a courtordered deadline to reunite all the children with their parents, but with that deadline approaching, we are now learning there may be even more families separated. Abcs marcus moore is in ft. Worth, texas, tonight. Reporter as cameras capture those family reunions, the hhs secretary is revealing under 3,000 separated children remain in the governments care. That number considerably higher than the roughly 2,000 previously report eed by hhs. Secretary alex azar revealing the new numbers today during a call with reporters, describing this situation as unprecedented. And promising the resulting renunciations will be as compassionate a process as it possibly can be. The administration grappling with the courtmandated deadline requiring families to be reunited by july 26th. But tonight, there are questions just how exactly it will be done. Meantime, President Trump steadfast with his stance on combating illegal border crossings. In a series of tweets this morning, writing, when people with or without children enter our country, they must be told to leave. Tell the people out, and they must leave, just as they would if they were standing on your front lawn. And tonight, there are 11 unaccompanied Migrant Children being cared for at this Church Facility here in ft. Worth, texas. The hhs secretary says they will use dna screening to determine family relationships and reunite all of those separated families. Tom . Dna screening. All right, marcus, thank you. Next, to another deadlines a midnight tonight. The u. S. Will impose tariffs on 34 billion worth of chinese imports and china will do the same. That means american businesses and shoppers will pay more to buy chinese machinery, auto parts and medical both countries say a second mysterious poisoning in england. A british couple now confirmed to have been sickened by the same nerve agent that nearly killed a former russian spy and his daughter. A tiny amount can be deadly. Tonight, the entire area on edge, as investigators, you see them there, look for where the couple might have been poisoned. Abcs eva pilgrim is on the scene tonight. Reporter tonight, the growing mystery. Counterterrorism investigators trying to zero in on how two british nationals were poisoned with the deadly nerve agent novichok. New Surveillance Footage showing one of them appearing healthy less than 24 hours before she and another man were rushed to a hospital. This is the second unprecedented incident. It will raise a huge level of public concern and anxiety. Reporter this Quiet Community now holding its breath. Weve been all evacuated. Literally i had a knock on my door saying, youve got to pack your bag. Reporter officials retracing the steps of dawn sturgess and charlie rowley, identified by friends in media. Locations in amesbury and seven miles away in salisbury, england, shut down. This park cordoned off near where former russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter yulia were seen just before they collapsed from the same type of poison in march. The police, i know, will be no stone unturned. Reporter police saying they have yet to officially tie the two cases together. We have sort of the murder weapon. We have the location. But what we dont have is any of the suspects and how all of those parts came together. Reporter tonight, the british couple in critical condition, being treated at the by the same doctors who successfully saved the skripals life. Now, Authorities Say the risk to the public is low, but they are telling people who visited their cordoned off areas to wash their clothes. Tom . Eva pilgrim for us tonight, thank you. And there is still much more ahead on world news tonight this thursday. The deadl two explosions backtoback. Police and firefighters among more than a dozen killed. Plus, the mother taking on an alleged carjacker driving off with her children in the backseat. What she says she was forced to do. And the july 4th protester in court. The climber who scaled the statue of liberty. Her surprising message to the police who arrested her. Stay with us. Ested her. Ested her. Stay with us. But does psorias ever get in the way . Embrace the chance of 100 clear skin with taltz. Up to 90 of those with moderate to severe psoriasis had a significant improvement of their psoriasis plaques. Most people were still clearer after one year. With taltz, 4 out of 10 even achieved completely clear skin. Dont use if youre allergic to taltz. Before starting, you should be checked for tuberculosis. Taltz may increase risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. Tell your doctor if you have an infection, symptoms, or received a vaccine or plan to. Inflammatory bowel disease can happen with taltz, including worsening of symptoms. 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For the love of hot dogs. wienermobile horn next tonight, the july 4th protester in court here in new york. Prosecutors charging her with trespassing and Disorderly Conduct for climbing the statue of liberty, forcing thousands to evacuate on one of its busiest days of the year. Heres abcs whit johnson. Reporter tonight, federal charges for the woman at the center of this dramatic fourth of july take down. 44yearold Patricia Okoumou climbing the statue of liberty, toying with police for nearly four hours. When we got her and she couldnt go any further. Reporter officers finally securing her, using a safety harness, ropes and a ladder to take her into custody. Okoumou was part a Group Protesting President Trumps immigration policy, but says she made a spur of the moment decision to climb the iconic statue. When they go low, we go high and i went as high as i could. Reporter but prosecutors say her actions put lives in danger. The nypd diverting resources. Theyre not letting the boat land. Reporter authorities forced to evacuate thousands of frustrated tourists from liberty island. We planned it and everything on the fourth of july on purpose, so, im very upset. Reporter tonight, okoumou actually thanked the u. S. Park Police Officers involved in her arrest. Shes pleaded not guilty to the multiple charges against her. Tom . Whit johnson for us tonight. Whit, thank you. When we come back, the mother confronting the alleged carjacker, shooting him as he drove off with her children in the backseat. Well have more. And the massive tree with five trunks crashing into a single home. The tree brought down after standing for hundreds of years. What happened here . Stay with us. Appened here . Appened here . Stay with us. Ade for better this than psoriatic arthritis. As you and your rheumatologist consider treatments, ask if xeljanz xr is right for you. Xeljanz xr is a oncedaily pill for psoriatic arthritis. 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And we start with that deadly fireworks explosion north of mexico city. 19 People Killed in backtoback blasts at a fireworks facility. The first explosion driving First Responders to the scene. And then that second blast killing four firefighters and two Police Officers. At least 40 people were also injured. And here at home, the fireworks scare in lakeland, florida. Police say a man was seriously hurt when a mortarstyle firework exploded in his hand. You see it happen right there. He suffered injuries on his arm and his chest, waiting for it to go off. We head to dallas now, and to a mother taking down an alleged carjacker. Police say the suspect stole her suv from a gas station, her two kids were in the backseat. She jumped into the passenger side, pulled a gun from the glove box, shooting him in the head when he refused to stop. The vehicle crashed into a pole. The suspect in serious condition tonight. The children were not hurt. And the massive tree cra crashing onto a home in taa. The tree so huge, it had five trunks, brought down after storms rolled through on the fourth of july. No one was home at the time, thankfully. The tree was one of the oldest in all of tampa. And when we come back, the little girl and her new dance partner. The story behind this incredible moment. Its america strong, and you dont want to miss it. Stay with us. Stay with us. Theres little rest for a single dad, and back pain made it hard to sleep and get up on time. Then i found aleve pm. The only one to combine a safe sleep aid, plus the 12 hour pain relieving strength of aleve. Im back. Aleve pm for a better am. Metastatic Breast Cancer is relentless, but im relentless too. Mbc doesnt take a day off, and neither will i. And i treat my mbc with new everyday verzenio the only one of its kind that can be taken every day. 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It happened so quickly, so beautifully, to bring her a smile. Reporter saoria suffers from spina bifida. She is wheelchair bound. Officer fernadnez says he looked at her and she reminded him of his own daughter, and his sister, who is also in a wheelchair. There was a moment when my hand was about to get loose off of her hand, and she just reached over to me, she didnt want to let go. Reporter they danced for two songs. Officer fernandez promised keep in touch, and when he actually contacted saoria and her mom to invite them out to dinner, mom couldnt help but cry. You would think that youre actually bringing a smile to this little girl, but she brought joy to me at the moment. I mean, she brought joy and there was something that i cant describe with words. Brought a lot of joy to us, as well. We salute officer fernandez and saoria for being america. This has been a beast. Nothing quite like this one ever. Fire continues to rage in napa, and yolo counties, the new evacuations, ask that massive fire now one of the largest in california history. Good afternoon, thanks for joining us. Im larry biel. Im kristen sze. The county fire has burned 86,000 akers, 134 square miles. More than 3,400 firefighters are on the front lines and they expect their job to get harder with hotter and dryer conditions expected in the coming days. Theyre also working in steep terrain on the fires northern edge. Give you a closer look at where the fire is burning. See how massive this thing is, along the border of yolo and napa counties. There are more than just numbers to this fire. For more on that, we go to abc News Reporter reporter wayne friedman, joining us live from the yolo county fairgrounds, which is a staging zone, wayne. Reporter it is, indeed, with 31 1 2 miles, roughly 31 1 2 miles from the front of the fire. And yet, what happens here, theres direct importance to what happens out there. Here is a part of stopping wildfires you dont often see, a place where there are more fire trucks lined up than you can count, a small city serving firefighters, home for now. They need a place to shower, a place to sleep, they have to have food and medical care at times. Hence the tent, the food. People directing people to what they need. They get 24 hours off. You know that tattered feeling. It happens to california firefighters every summer. Were probably not going to be home much. Mike from marin county, or from oakland,
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