Good evening. Thank you for joining us. David muir is off tonight. Im byron pitts. We begin with americas new mission in iraq. One that president obama warned today would be, quote, a longterm project. And just tonight, the pentagon announcing four new air strikes. Earlier today we saw these images of the first u. S. Strikes on terror targets in northern iraq. Missiles taking out militants and their weapons before. Meanwhile, parachuting to earth, from u. S. Cargo planes, huge bundles of food and water. For humanitarian aid for refugees stranded on a mountaintop. Today the refugees are on the move again. Looking to escape the violence. We have team coverage. We begin with abc white house correspondent, jonathan karl, traveling with the president. Jon . Reporter good evening. The president arrived in Marthas Vineyard this afternoon. He already played a round of golf but has also spoken to the leaders of germany, france, and britain. His attention focused thousands of miles away on the military operation in iraq. As 500pound bombs dropped from f18 fighter jets and missiles fired from predator drones, pummeled terrorist targets in northern iraq, president obama bluntly acknowledged there is no clear end date on this military operation. I dont think well solve this problem in weeks. I think this is going to take some time. The Iraqi Security forces, in order to mount an offensive, and be able to operate effectively with the support of populations in the sunni areas, will have to revamp. Get resupplied, have a clear strategy. Reporter although the president reaffirmed his promise not to send Ground Troops because we should have learned a lesson from our long and immensely costly incursion in iraq. Reporter he described a Broader Mission for u. S. Air strikes than he did just two days ago, when he said the sole objectives were to protect americans, especially 150 americans serving in the northern iraqi city of erbil, and prevent a genocide of a Minority Group surrounded on a mountaintop by a terror group known as isil. Today, he described something more. We have to make sure isil is not engaging in actions that could cripple a country permanently. Reporter of immediate concern, the terrorists have taken control of iraqs largest dam which not only supplies electricity to some 1. 5 million iraqis, but if destroyed, could send a tsunami of water all of the way from mosul, from the north, to baghdad, even threatening the u. S. Embassy. The president said hes keeping congressional leaders informed of military operations over iraq but he said he doesnt need to go to congress to ask for additional money for air strikes. Jonathan karl, thank you. I want bring in abcs Global Affairs correspondent, martha raddatz, who was just in iraq a month ago. What is the concern here . Reporter the crisis can be mitigated in the next few weeks but it is not going away. What if isil regroups and moves toward baghdad . You have to ramp up the air strikes again. The goal of protecting americans is not going to end as long as americans are in iraq, and they have to be there to make sure terrorists dont establish a safe haven, and the humanitarian crisis is ongoing until you get those people off that mountain and into a safer place. That will be complicated and dangerous and take time, byron. Martha, what is the bottom line here . Reporter the bottom line, were back in iraq in a significant way, and to sustain what president obama said he wants to sustain, it will keep us involved and on alert there for the foreseeable future. Martha raddatz in washington. Thank you, martha. Martha will have the latest on the growing crisis in iraq tomorrow when she hosts this week. In hawaii some trouble in paradise. Tropical storm eselle brought massive waves. Clayton san dell has more from hawaii tonight. Reporter the Tropical Storm that brought massive waves, more than a foot of rain, and powerful winds is gone. But for nearly 10,000 people on hawaiis big island, the misery is just beginning. This is a huge hassle. I have three kids. Reporter today on the highway, with cars trying to get to the Police Station where they were handing out cases of water and ice. Hundreds waited in a line that stretched for hours, and susan lay was at the end of it. We have food spoiling in the refrigerator and freezer. Lack of drinking water. Bob and his family normally use an electric pump. Without electricity, no pump, no water. Reporter and the second storm, hurricane julio will probably miss, in coming days, the islands could see dangerous riptides and high surf. You can see the problem. Iselle took out all of the trees and then the power poles. Thousand are still without electricity and the Power Company says it could be days or even longer before the lights are back on. Byron . Clayton, thank you. A meteorologist from our miami affiliate joins us now, julie durda. What can hawaii expect from the hurricane julio . No Significant Impact will afact the hawaiian island. This is impressive. Hurricane julio is moving over the pacific. It is north of the island chain with winds around 75 miles per hour, regardless the system wont impact the hawaiian islands. Very happen to say. Terrific. Now to the mainland. Fires in the west. This dramatic video from oregon, firefighters wipe out flames. More than 700 homes are in danger. Julie, what does it look like out there. More bad news for them. The Pacific Northwest will stay hot and dry. This expanding heat wave will continue from Northern California towards oregon and washington. We are expecting wind gusts up to 40 miles per hour. You can see red flag warnings as well as fire weather watches in effect. The rains will not be getting in any time soon. Temperatures running anywhere between 10 to 15 degrees above average. What about the storms in the south . I wish we could take the rain from the south and take it to the northwest. This morning, you see shower and thunderstorm activity and will continue through the weekend. Were expecting heavy rain across the carolinas. Areas of flooding, travel problems. By sunday evening, were estimating anywhere between 2 to 4 inches of rain. Flooding will be a huge concern for them. Meteorologist, julie durda from miami. Thank you. Next to a sports headline that could mean big changes for College Athletes. Ncaa insists student athletes are amateurs and could not be paid. Now a federal judge ruled they should be paid for use of their names or images. Abcs Ron Claiborne explains. Reporter ed obannon was the star of the ucla team and won the ncaa championship in 1995. Years later after a brief pro career, he happened to see his image as a College Player on a video game. I hadnt been compensated or told i was going to be on a video game. Reporter in 2009 he filed a lawsuit demanding colleges compensate student athletes. Friday, a federal court agreed ruling the court finds that the challenged ncaa rules unreasonably restrain trade. This has always been about the rights of College Athletes. Present, past and future. Reporter the decision sent shock waves through the world of College Sports where schools make hundreds of millions of dollars a year from football and basketball and Television Rights and marketing, while players make nothing. This decision puts an end to amateurism. Amateurism is now dead. End zone. Reporter under the ruling, starting in 2016, College Football and basketball players will be entitled to a minimum of 5,000, for each year they play. Which they can access only after they leave college. This ruling doesnt specifically Pay College Athletes for their play, it specifically pays College Athletes potentially for their name and likeness associated with tv broadcasts, and video games. Reporter in a statement, the ncaa said, we disagree with the courts decision that ncaa rules violated antitrust laws. We are reviewing the full decision. And ironically, ed obannon and 19 other former College Athletes who joined this lawsuit, they will get nothing. They gave up their right to damages by choosing to have their case heard by a judge not a jury nothing for ed obannon and the other plaintiffs. Ron claiborne, thank you. You can see more of that interview with ed obannon tomorrow morning on Good Morning America and this week. Next to florida, where a 9yearold by encountered a nasty alligator. The alligator nibbled on him and the boy took action. Linzie janis with the story. Reporter tonight 9yearold james barnie, jr. Is alive and well, thanks to his quick thinking and incredible bravery. I was scared. I didnt know what to do. I immediately hit it and it let go a little. So i got it open and i got a little space of clearance, to where i could let go, and i slid myself out. Reporter james had been riding his bike with friends in st. Cloud, florida, thursday afternoon when he decided to take a dip in this lake, in an area off limits to swimmers and known for its gators. At first i thought someone was playing with me. I didnt know what happened. Reporter this is the roughly 9foot long, 400pound alligator that bit james three times and swiped him with his claws. My friend got bit by an alligator. We were swimming and just sitting up here and we heard him screaming. Reporter james is being treated for 30 bite marks. All over his body. They pulled out a tooth and showed it to me, and i said, oh, i want to put it on a necklace so i can tell all my friends. Reporter wildlife Officials Say more than 1. 3 alligators roam florida waters. The reptile that pounced on james, still on the loose. Doctors say if james wounds dont become infected he should be able to go home sunday. What a story hell have to tell when he goes back to school. Amen, amen. Linzie janis, thank you. We move on now to an anniversary. It was 40 years ago today that Richard Nixon walked out of the white house for the very last time. The only u. S. President to resign his office. Now were hearing his personal recollection from the final moments to an interview he gave to a former aide. Heres abcs senior washington correspondent, jeff zeleny. Reporter Richard Nixons famous last words from the oval office. I have never been a quitter. To leave office before my term is completed is abhorrent to every instinct in my body. But as president , i must put the interests of america first. Reporter we know what happens next, but for the first time in a generation, we hear it in his own voice. All of the family was gathered in the west hall, and then suddenly they all got up and came around and surrounded me, sort of a huddle, sort of a family embrace. Saying nothing. And saying everything. Reporter he recalls how that day, august 9th, 1974, unfolded. And how he said his goodbyes to those around him. Spoke from the heart. Told them that they must not allow what happened to me to discourage them. Reporter and then, time to go. I kind of raised my hand. I didnt know whether it was a salute or a wave. But that was it. As the helicopter began to rise, i heard mrs. Nixon, who was sitting in the seat next to us, speaking to no one in particular, but to everyone, and she said, its so sad. Its so sad. Reporter sad for a president. Sad for a nation. Jeff zeleny, abc news, washington. Still ahead, when lightning strikes, the storm that injured eight people, even though they were indoors. How you can stay safe when the skies start rumbling. And the boy and the butterfly, watching nature unfold. But the butterfly was watching him, too. Wait until you see what happens next. Veggies youre cool. Reworking the menu. Mayo, corn dogs. You are so out of here ahh. The complete balanced nutrition of great tasting ensure. 24 vitamins and minerals. 9 grams of protein. With 30 less sugars than before. Ensure, your 1 dr. Recommended brand now introduces ensure active. Muscle health. Clear protein drink and high protein. Targeted nutrition to feed your active life. Ensure. Take life in. When i had my first migraine, i was lucky. That sounds crazy, i know. But my mom got migraines, so she knew this would help. Excedrin migraine starts to relieve my pain in 30 minutes. Plus, sensitivity to light and sound, even nausea. Excedrin migraine works. 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A storm sends 7 construction workers near the city ducking for cover. But even inside this unfinished home, they were still hit. Three hospitalized. Had headaches. One of the guys feet was burning. The other guy had pretty good burns on his hands. Reporter also near atlanta, it happened to 7yearold Sebastian Cedeno and his mother this summer. They thought they were protected, watching a Lightning Storm from inside near a window. Were standing at the bay win doerks and then all of a sudden we hear this big whoosh. It blew both of us back. Both of our hands went to our ears, and all i could see was my son on the ground and his his foot was smoking. Reporter the vast majority of lightning strikes are outside like this one on a field or this one on a country road. But lightning is unpredictable. It could strike anywhere. It is still safest to get inside during a storm, but once there, stay off your computer. And away from anything thats plugged into wiring that could conduct electricity. Stay out of the kitchen and bathroom because water is also a conductor. You dont want to be taking a shower and you dont want to be washing dishes. Reporter and stay near the center of the room as far as possible from doors and windows. A few precautions to avoid a shock this summer. Bazi kanani, abc news, washington. Coming up, another supermoon on the rise, but this is expected to outshine them all. Why its being called the extra supermoon. Our instant index is up next. And the best move of all . Having the right partner at my side. Its so much better that way. [ male announcer ] have the right partner at your side. Consider an aarp Medicare Supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. Go long. Insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. When i had my first migraine, i was lucky. That sounds crazy, i know. But my mom got migraines, so she knew this would help. Excedrin migraine starts to relieve my pain in 30 minutes. 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Hes evolved over the years and is even sending out selfies these days and blogging but as abcs brandi hitt tells us, his message remains the same. Surprise reporter today, smokey the bear is turning 70. And still going strong. Smokey just gave me a bear hug. Reporter as a symbol of wildfire prevention. I already posted it. Smokey the bear reporter coming a long way since 1944 when he was so forest fis could be protecte while Fire Fighters served abroad. From handdrawn posters to serious, and sometimes scary, television ads. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Reporter always delivering his trade. Mark line. Only you can prevent forest fires. Reporter and people listened. Research showing 96 percent of americans recognize smokey right up there with santa claus and mickey mouse and hes become a more modern bear, posting his first selfie on facebook. Even Pharrell Williams making a fashion statement with his signature hat. Still determined to save the forest, smokey is willing to douse his own birthday cake with water. Now, showing a softer side at 70 with a big bear hug. Brandi hitt, abc news, los angeles. All right. Gma, first thing in the morning, followed by this week. Ill see you right back here tomorrow night. Have a good evening. Good night. Next at 6 00, homes threatened by a fire in these bay. Why investigators believe it could have started illegally. A shot at the world series. Another Bay Area Team fighting for a chance to get into the Biggest LittleLeague Tournament on earth. Booming sounds of outside lands invade the streets around it. How neighbors are responding, including some who welcome the music. Abc7 news at 6 00 starts now. Good evening and thank you for joining us, im ama daetz. Tonight investigators are trying to determine if fire started in pittsburg today was caused by illegal fireworks. Firefighters were called in just after 2 30 this afternoon. When they arrived flames were closing in on an Apartment Building and high voltage power lines. Firefighters got the fire under control. A fence was damaged and a resident twisted his ankle while trying to put out the fire. Witnesses said there were explosive sounds before the fire started. Fire investigators say it did not appear to come from the power lines or transformers so theyre looking for signs of fireworks. The pittsburg fire joins the list of several fires burping in california. The lodge fire is growing after sending eight firefighters to the hospital. Those firefighters, plus five more inmatefirefighters who were burned, were airlifted to the burn center at uc davis last night. The santa clara fingerprints are happen with their families. Theyre seeing extreme fire behavior because of the brought. Larger fuels, the trees and brush are dead. Theyre try, and theyre burning, and theyre creating very large releases of energy which caused that extreme