This monday night. New confusion over aspirin and heart attacks. Should you be taking an aspirin a day to cut down on risk after all . Dr. Ashton is standing by to clear the confusion tonight. And the former pediatrician sentenced this evening, Authorities Say he targeted more than two dozen children. What the judge decided and what it now means for that doctor. Good evening. And its great to have you with us here to start another week. And we begin tonight with that developing scene near houston at this hour. The toxic Chemical Plant fire burning out of control. The images coming in all day here. A plume of smoke stretching for 20 miles toward houston tonight. Six tanks erupting in flames in deer park. Firefighters are crying to keep that fire from spreading tonight. Authorities are closely monitoring the air quality. Families had initially been told to shelter in place, nearby schools closed. And whats now been detected in the air, miles away. Abcs Marci Gonzalez from houston tonight. Reporter tonight, this massive fire burning out of control, sending plumes of toxic chemicals into the air near houston. The flames erupting at the deer park Chemical Plant now for more than 24 hours. That black smoke visible for miles. It is a very dangerous and active event thats occurring. And is still going on. Reporter six large tanks filled with components used to make gasoline, nail polish remover and glue now burning, prompting nearby schools to close. Residents for a time told to shelter in place, to keep their windows closed and air conditioning off. Officials monitoring the air quality, finding low levels of particulate matter and a volatile organic compound as far as six miles from the facility. Officials saying for now there is no immediate risk, but some environmental groups believe otherwise. Im very concerned. This is not just an air quality problem, this is also a Public Safety issue. Reporter so far, no injuries reported. Tonight, fire crews on the scene using foam, trying to keep the flames from spreading. We should all pray that this comes to a very safe conclusion, sooner than not, to where theres no life lost. So, lets get right to Marci Gonzalez tonight. Shes live outside that plant. And marci, there is word this evening from authorities who we just saw there speaking moments ago, they expect this blaze will continue for several days now . Reporter yeah, thats right, david. Officials here say this fire will likely just have to burn out on its own, which could take a couple of days. And right now, the wind is carrying that smoke straight towards houston, where they are keeping a very close eye on this situation tonight. David . Marci gonzalez leading us off tonight. Marci, thank you. And now, to the other story unfolding at this hour. The emergency rescues, amid deadly flooding now across several states tonight. At least three dead. Families are being rescued from their rooftops. Heavy rain and floods washing away highways in spencer, nebraska. Towns cut off by the floods. And thats just one community, one example tonight. Those helicopters airlifting those families to safety. We have the pictures. And now a new threat tonight of rain moving in yet again. Abcs gio benitez from nebraska. Reporter tonight, roads and bridges washed out. Dams and levees destroyed. Thousands of families forced to evacuate amid the worst flooding to hit parts of the heartland in decades. There goes the mormon canal bridge, it just washed out. Reporter hundreds rescued already, including four people from this nebraska home surrounded by water. Animals trapped, too. Dogs saved from this iowa home. Back in nebraska, military Officials Say onethird of Offutt Air Force base was heavily flooded. Offutt is home to strategic command, which oversees Americas Nuclear forces. West of omaha, the Elkhorn River rising ten feet above flood stage. Record snow and cold followed by a rapid warmup made water levels rise so much in rivers like the Elkhorn River, that days later, some neighborhoods are still under water. In northwest missouri, residents in craig filling sandbags, bracing for the water coming their way. We will do anything we can to keep this town dry. Reporter the waters now claiming at least three lives in the region. Lets get to gio benitez. We can see that floodedout home there behind you. Youre live in waterloo, nebraska, tonight, and officials there are telling you just about every single road in and out of that town is damaged tonight, gio . Reporter thats right, david. In fact, you can only get to this town behind me by airboat. And you see that house right there, its actually been moved off its foundation. And now, officials are worried about rain in the region tomorrow. David . Were thinking about all those families tonight. Gio, our thanks to you. In the meantime, now to the Major Development tonight in the deadly plane crash that grounded boeing 737 max jets across the world, here in the u. S. , as well. Investigators say tonight the black boxes confirm, quote, clear similarities between the two air disasters involving that new boeing max 8, their newest and fastestselling jet. Abcs david kerley tonight on what weve now learned. Reporter tonight, it is french investigators confirming at least some of the data from this ethiopian crash is similar to the lion air boeing 737 max crash less than five months earlier. The angle of the two jets, on their wild up and down ride before crashing, is similar, but that data, after being extracted from the black boxes in france, was taken back to ethiopia, with that countrys transport minister saying it could be 30 days before more is known. You cant fix the airplane until you know what the issue is. We need the data to know what to fix. Reporter the question was an antistall Safety System, a factor in the first crash, also involved in the second crash . That safety feature forces the nose down. Pilots didnt know about the system before that first crash. And tonight, questions being raised about how boeings Safety System was certified by the faa. They need to question and evaluate all the manufacturers claims and perhaps that wasnt done as rigorously as it should have been. Reporter in a statement, boeing says the max was certified in accordance with faa requirements, and the faa says there was no pressure to speed up the certification of the 737 max. Abc news filed a freedom of information act request with the faa about the certification of the 737 max back in middecember. Weve not heard back from the faa. David . All right, but we know youll stay on it. David kerley, our thanks again to you tonight. And now to President Trump this evening, who spent much of his weekend tweeting. More than 50 tweets. Among the president s targets, senator john mccain, who passed away nearly seven months ago. Mccains daughter, meghan mccain, defending her father today, and abcs senior White House Correspondent cecilia vega tonight. Reporter President Trump is no stranger to bashing john mccain. Hes a war hero because he was captured. I like people who werent captured. Reporter but this latest attack in that weekend tweet storm comes nearly seven months after the senators death from brain cancer. A blow so low even the president s own allies jumped to mccains defense. Over the weekend, the president accused mccain of spreading the fake and totally discredited dossier, a reference to that 2016 document outlining salacious accusations about the trump team and russia. Just hours before the tweet, the dossier mentioned on fox news. On sunday, the president still going, falsely tweeting, quote, so it was indeed john mccain that sent the fake dossier to the fbi and media hoping to have it printed before the election. The truth is, mccain did turn over the dossier to the fbi, but it happened after the election, and theres no evidence he leaked it to the media. Today on the view, his daughter, meghan mccain, firing back. He spends his weekend obsessing over great men. Reporter defending her father. My father was his kryptonite in life and his kryptonite in death. When my father was alive, up until adulthood, we would spend our time together cooking, hiking, fishing, really celebrating life, and i think its because he almost died. And i just thought, your life is spent on your weekends not with your family, not with your friends, but obsessing obsessing over great men you could never live up to. That tells you everything you needed to know about his pathetic life. I genuinely feel bad for his family. I cant imagine having a father that does this on the weekends. Cecilia vega with us live tonight from the white house. And cecilia, the president also on twitter has been taking aim at his potential democratic opponents. And we have news on a couple of them tonight. First, beto orourke, as you know, cecilia, news that he raised more than 6 million in his first 24 hours of his campaign, more than any other candidate. But there was also news involving former Vice President joe biden, making news with something he said this weekend, that sort of very telling slip of sorts about a campaign to come . Lets listen. Criticized by the new left. Im the most progressing record of anybody running for the anybody who would run. I didnt mean the most progressive of Anyone Running was what he said at first, cecilia. Sure sounds like hes running. Reporter yeah, david, its really sounding like its not a question of if, but when. Sources close to biden tell our team that hes not 100 there yet. He hasnt quite made up his mind, but if and when he does make this announcement, were looking at still a couple weeks away. Biden has already caught the attention of President Trump, from right here inside the white house today, david, the president called biden a low i. Q. Individual on twitter. Here we go. Cecilia, thank you. Overseas tonight, authorities around the world on high alert tonight after new zealand already and now the possible terror scare in the netherlands. A gunman opening fire on a train during rush hour, killing at least three people in the dutch town of utrecht. Authorities launching an intense manhunt at this hour. The government raising the Terror Threat level. And abcs senior Foreign Correspondent ian pannell reporting in. Reporter in the middle of the morning, 10 49 a. M. , gunfire erupting on a dutch commuter tram, raising immediate fears this could be a new zealandstyle terror attack. The gunman wielding an automatic weapon, killing three and wounding five more. Then fleeing the scene. Heavily armed Counterterrorism Police descend in force. Authorities releasing these surveillance imams from just four minutes before the shooting spree, identifying the suspect as 37yearold gokman tanis from turkey. For a while, the Terror Threat level in utrecht was raised to its highest level. Neighborhoods locked down. Police moving doortodoor in search of the suspect. Then, authorities announcing an arrest. But the motive, still a mystery. We are investigating all possibilities. So, that means possible terrorist motives, but also other possible personal motives. Reporter well, david, a second man is also in custody, suspected in being involved in that incident. Meanwhile, a prime suspect now being questioned about why he opened fire on this spot earlier today. David . Ian pannell with us tonight. Ian, thank you. And of course, all of this playing out as new zealand deals with the horror of its worst terrorist attack ever, the attack in christchurch. Vigils held for the 50 People Killed by that gunman at two mosques, just three miles apart. Well, what that suspect did in court. And tonight now, the new fear, the joint intelligence bulletin right here in the u. S. , warning that al qaeda and isis are calling on muslims to retaliate around the world by launching their own attacks. Abcs will carr, again tonight from new zealand. Reporter tonight, authorities worried about copycat attacks, while raw emotion continues to pump through the heart of new zealand. The alleged gunman, accused of killing 50 people, a selfproclaimed racist, his face blurred per local law, seen flashing a hand sign linked to white power in court. The mayor of christchurch in disbelief. Did you ever imagine that an attack like this would play out in your city . No, no. Nothing could be further from my mind. You know, there has always been an underbelly. Reporter gun owners already voluntarily turning in their weapons. New zealands Prime Minister calling for stronger gun laws, while embracing heartbroken residents. Within ten days of this horrific act of terrorism, we will have announced reforms which will, i believe, make our communities safer. Reporter stories of survival now surging through this city, including the father who shielded his toddler, an american citizen, from gunfire. Will carr with us live again tonight from new zealand. And will, i wanted to go back to that joint intelligence bulletin you reported on, it comes from u. S. Law enforcement, the fbi, dhs among them, warning of potential copycat attacks around the world now . Reporter thats right, david. As people here continue to mourn, authorities in both the United States and here in new zealand say there is a real concern about copycats. It comes as both isis and al qaeda are calling for retaliation, so Law Enforcement across the world on high alert tonight. David . Will carr, our thanks to you again tonight. And back here at home now, and to news this evening about a deadly casino robbery in las vegas that played out this weekend. In fact, tonight, new surveillance images have just been released. Police say the armed suspect demanded money from the poker cage at the belliago and then a gunfight erupts with the officers as he tries to escape the vegas strip. Heres abcs clayton sandell. Reporter tonight, a violent Las Vegas Casino shootout seen from surveillance cameras. Police say it started friday night. The suspect, michael cohen, armed with a gun, demanding money from a belliago cashier. Cohen entered the bellagio poker room and robbed the casino cage at gunpoint. Cohen fled with cash and casino chips he stole from the cage and exited through the north doors into the valet area. Reporter as cohen was running out of the casino, so was his luck. He tries carjacking a driver, but is spotted by these officers, already there on another call. As they confront him, he opens fire, hitting one officer. Police return fire. Cohen is hit and dies at a hospital. Were going to transport an officer. Reporter that officer shot in the chest was saved by his bulletproof vest. Police also saying tonight they believe cohen is same suspect who robbed the same casino back in 2017. That crime unsolved until now. David . Clayton sandell with us tonight. Clayton, thank you. Here in new york city tonight, there are new developments in the murder of a reputed mob boss on Staten Island. The suspected killer making his First Court Appearance in new jersey today, flashing messages scrawled on his hand there. Hes accused of luring francesco cali out of his home by ramming a car backwards into another car to get him out of the house. Heres abcs linsey davis. Reporter some of the first images tonight of the 24yearold police say murdered an alleged mobster. Is it true youre waving your right to extradition . Yes, sir. Reporter Anthony Comello appearing today in a new jersey courtroom with the words maga forever scribbled on his palm. Comello is accused of murdering reputed gambino family crime boss Francesco Frankie boy cali. Police say comello shot the 53yearold purported godfather after allegedly smashing into calis parked car outside his Staten Island home. Confirmed, male shot. Get a rush on a bus. Reporter just moments before the murder, the two men were reportedly spotted on grainy surveillance talking and shaking hands. Police say they later tracked comellos phone to the crime scene and discovered his fingerprints on calis bloodstained suv. Sources say investigators believe he was dating calis female relative when cali reportedly told him to stop seeing her. This is the first time a reputed mob boss has been killed in new york city in more than 30 years. But police say they dont believe that this is mob related. David . All right, linsey davis tonight. Linsey, thank you. There is still much more ahead on world news tonight this monday. The pediatrician just sentenced tonight. Authorities say he targeted more than two dozen children. But what that judge decided and what it means for the doctor. The Major Medical headline tonight. New confusion over aspirin as and heart attacks. Bottom line, should you be taking an aspirin a day to cut down on your risk or not . Dr. Ashton standing by with the answer tonight. And why so many people are flocking to one american town. In fact, authorities tonight saying they cannot handle the, quote, disneylandsized crowds. They are asking people to change their dates. Well tell you where this is playing out. A lot more news ahead. S ahead. Mbers tell only half the story . At t. 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And jen, you and i both know, there are a lot of people watching the news tonight who have been taking that daily dose of aspirin to try to reduce heart attack or stroke. But for folks who are 70 or older, this is a major reversal. Reporter oh, its big news, david, in the world of cardiology. The new guidelines say if you are 70 and older, you should not take an aspirin to prevent a first heart attack or stroke, because the risk of bleeding is thought to be better than any potential benefit. But if youve had the stroke before or a heart attack before, you should keep going . Reporter absolutely. These new guidelines do not apply to people who have already had a heart attack or stroke, they should not stop their aspirin. And what about the age group, say from 40 to 70, if theyve been taking a daily dose of aspirin, what do you do there . Reporter thats where its a little tricky. If youre between 40 and 70, and you are at high risk for heart disease, but low risk for bleeding, it might be an option, so, you should talk to your doctor. All right, dr. Jen ashton, trying to clear up the confusion tonight. We always appreciate it. When we come back here on a monday night, the pediatrician just sentenced. Authorities say he targeted two dozen children. What the judge has now decided. And there were so many opinions over this story, that push on the bridge, should the friend be punished . What happened in court today . The index is next. T. Ix can help you quit slow turkey. G with support, tix is provenhelp you quit. With chantix you can keep smoking at first and ease into quitting so when the day arrives, youll be more ready to kiss cigarettes goodbye. When you try to quit smoking, with or without chantix. You may have nicotine withdrawal symptoms. 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Portapotty. Danger on the road, find out whats led to a spike in collisions along a south bay highway and whats being done to prevent more of them. Live where you live, this is abc 7 news. Thats a beautiful that really is. New optimism in oakland tonight, a new project opens this evening to help with one of the bay areas biggest issues. Good evening, thank you for joining us. Im dan ashley. And im dion lim. Here at abc 7, we are committed to building a better bay area, which means we look for solutions to some of the big issues that affect where you live including homelessness. Thats exactly right. Oakland is about to debut its latest efforts to satisfy the needs of residents both those with homes and those without. Tonight people who live in their cars will have a new safe place to park and sleep. Its the parking lot of the Williams Chapel baptist church. This is the first of four safe parking sites scheduled to open at churches in the east bay. 5,600 people are homeless in alameda county, and more than half of them are living in oakland, according to the latest census. Leslie brinkley joins us live to show what a difference this can make. Reporter this could make a big difference. Now, there are the homeless living on the streets, and then there are the homeless living on the edge and managing to stay in their vehicles, and thats whos being targeted, five churches in oakland are basically opening up their parking lots to specifically College Students and homeless families who are living out of their vehicles. Now, there are going to be no drugs and alcohol tolerated in these parking lots. A lot of strict rules will be enforced on checking in at