Anchoring world news on monday. A surprise revelation from the white house in the battle against the brutal terror group isis. While president obama said some air strikes in iraq have been effective, he told america that theres not yet a solid strategy in place to fight the militants in syria. Abcs Martha Raddatz in washington tonight. Martha . Reporter amy, this is an imminent threat to every interest we have, the group the secretary of state vows will be crushed. Yet today, president obamas language bore no resemblance to that of his cabinet secretarys. He made clear that, whatever the threat, u. S. Military action in syria is not happening any time soon. Just days after authorizing u. S. Surveillance flights over syria to identify possible isis targets, the president is now taking a step back. Well, first of all, i want to make sure everybodys clear on what were doing now, because it is limited. The options that im asking for, from the joint chiefs, focuses primarily on making sure that isil is not overrunning iraq. Reporter no talk of containing isis. As he has said in the past, which would truly involve military action in syria. The primary focus, now, said the president is just protecting americans and infrastructure in iraq. With a surprising acknowledgment that as of now, there are no concrete plans yet to take down isis in the region. The suggestion seems to have been that were about to go full scale on an elaborate strategy for defeating isil. And i dont want to put the cart before the horse, we dont have a strategy yet. Reporter it was back in january that we saw an astonishing increase in violence in iraq, fallujah had fallen. And concerns that isis would sweep through the north and thats exactly what happened. Mosul falling back in june. The iraqi army collapsing. Isis is one of the richest terrorist groups. Generating millions of dollars a month for more than 10,000 fighters. Unlike traditional al qaeda, it is a real army, fighting for territory, not just terror. The president s cautious language today could also be an attempt to signal congress he will not launch air strikes in syria without consultations. Hell need their help. Amy. Martha, thank you. And now to the other Major Development overseas, russia accused of launching a fullscale invasion of ukraine, the ukraine government saying that russian tanks and troops have moved across the southeastern border. President obama saying that russia can no longer hide the fact that theyre actively supporting russian separatists in that country. Reporter plumes of smoke, as shells rain down. Ukraines leaders are clear tonight this is a russian invasion. Russian military boots are on ukrainian ground. Reporter Ukrainian Forces today lost control of a border town, and nato says at least a thousand russian soldiers are inside the country fighting alongside and supporting prorussian separatists. But today, the kremlin was in full denial mode. This satellite imagery, though, is hard to dispute. Nato claims it shows Russian Artillery and troops moving inside ukraine. Whats clear is that there is now a war in europe. It has escalated far beyond those fiery protests we witnessed on the streets of kiev earlier this year. What happens here is they light a molotov cocktail, throw it in the direction of the police, and then scurry back for protection. Those protestors wanted closer ties with europe, but Vladimir Putin never wanted any of that, and he is serious. Russia already annexed crimea back in march, and if rebel forces push further west, russia might secure a strategically important land corridor all the way to the black sea. Up until a few hours ago, the u. S. And allies had struggled to find a united voice, to confront putin directly over ukraine. Russia has to stop lying. The cost of inaction is unacceptable. Reporter today, perhaps, is a turning point. Hamish macdonald, abc news, london. Back here at home, those two monster storms are churning out at sea off both coasts. Massive waves and powerful rip currents are battering shorelines with some beaches now forced to close as the Labor Day Weekend approaches. Abcs nick watt shows us the dangers caused by two storms. Hundreds of miles from land. Reporter the biggest southern swells since 1996 continue to pound the california coast. The iconic lifeguard station at Sycamore Cove north of l. A. Is no more, ripped from the cliffside by the waves. Its like watching a friend go down in the water. Reporter wednesday was dubbed big wednesday. L. A. County lifeguards rescued 172 people. Today, theyre pulling towers back from the water just in case, cleaning up the beaches and patrolling the waves. Slightly smaller thursday . Slightly smaller. But weve still got really big waves, strong currents. Usually when the swell drops it looks more inviting, but we still have really big rip tides. Reporter foolhardy surfers are back in. Waves kicked up by Tropical Storm marie 800 miles offshore. I wanted to make the drop, but it didnt work out that well at all. Reporter in malibu, the famous pier still closed with damaged pilings. In long beach, makeshift coastal defenses are holding. Meanwhile, on the east coast, red flag warnings in new jersey. Beaches from new york to rhode island closed. Hurricane cristobal will likely pass down the coast tonight and those beaches will probably open tomorrow in time for the holiday weekend. Amy, the surf is subsiding but l. A. County lifeguards say they are getting all hands on deck for this holiday weekend. Because the waves are still big and the weather is great and the crowds will be enormous. Amy . All right, nick watt in malibu, california, thank you. Making new waves of their own today the nfl with sweeping new changes to its policy against domestic violence, after the public outcry over the twogame suspension of Baltimore Ravens star ray rice caught on video dragging his wife at an Atlantic City casino. The league has set down harsh new rules. A sixgame suspension for the first offense. And a lifetime ban after the second. It doesnt apply just to players but to all nfl personnel including owners. Now to a growing problem in the skies, for the second time this week, a passenger jet forced to land because of a midair fight in the cabin. Once again, the battle over seat space and a Flight Attendant caught in the middle. Abcs david kerley tells us this time it took air marshals to break it up. Reporter this second air rage incident over reclining seats is now a federal case. Last night, on the American Airlines jet from miami to paris, a man fought with a passenger seated in front of him. He says because his legs hurt from diabetes. A Flight Attendant tried to calm the man who reportedly became even more irate. Thats when air marshals broke their cover. The flight was diverted to boston. This, just days after a man on a united flight used these knee defenders to keep the seat in front of him from reclining. The woman in front was not happy, threw a cup of water in his face, leading to that flight being diverted too. And a month ago, it was a toronto s. W. A. T. Team bursting onto a jet to take off an unruly passenger. Whats going on . Travelers today are more stressed than theyve ever been before. When you finally do get to your seat, theres just less room than youve had in the past. Reporter last nights case, somewhat unique, because air marshals jumped in. The expert marksmen and highly trained air marshals work undercover. As i learned at their training center, their job is to take out a terrorist threat. But when it comes to an unruly passenger rather than a terrorist, the marshals onboard have to make the call. We are tasked with protecting the flight deck, the flight crew, the passengers and then ourselves. Reporter as planes become more packed, Flight Attendants say they have noticed an increase in number of incidents involving unruly passengers and airlines have plans to pack even more of us into their jet liners. Amy. All right, david kerley, thank you. And now to a possible new weapon against the ebola outbreak, for the first time a new vaccine being put to a crucial human test. Today staggering new numbers in west africa, more than 3,000 confirmed cases, the disease blamed for at least 1,552 deaths. Health officials worry that the epidemic could sicken up to 20,000 people. Abcs chief medical editor, dr. Richard besser, is back in the hot zone. Reporter in liberia, the airport is on high alert. Health workers taking the temperatures of every departing passenger. Are you okay . The cdc director on the ground here, monitoring the outbreak. If we dont stop it here, were going to be dealing with it for years around the world. But we can still stop it. Reporter in the capital, quarantines are in place. We traveled to west point, a vast slum of 75,000 people. This is a part of the city that has been quarantined, its the poorest part of the city, its where theres has been the most ebola. Violence has been escalating here as access to food and water has diminished. Abc has been reporting since the crisis began. In some places, just a piece of rope marks the boundary of the quarantine zone. In others, iron gates. In this compound for seven days . Yes. Reporter eight days . Why . Its a quarantine. Reporter its like youre in prison . We met steven, a tailor, from west point. How many people have you lost from ebola . I have lost three person now. Reporter what is the solution . How will ebola end . I dont see ebola ending now. The best solution now, i think, for me, to let me out. Give me a way out. Reporter a call that the International Medical community is just starting to hear. It strikes me how much work its going to take to get this thing under control. A vaccine would be wonderful. Right now the virus clearly is winning. But there are signs that the International Community is gearing up for a fight. Amy . Abcs dr. Richard besser in the hot zone tonight, thank you. And turning now to a Health Crisis for one of americas most ironic and prolific comediennes, joan rivers, rushed to a manhattan hospital. Shes now listed in critical condition. Abcs linsey davis with the latest. Reporter joan rivers. The emmywinning, tonynominated funnywoman and Fashion Authority is in a New York Hospital tonight in critical condition, after she stopped breathing during throat surgery. The legendary comedienne rushed there this morning, in an ambulance, after going in cardiac arrest. No word on what that throat surgery was for. Joans daughter Melissa Rivers rushing to her mothers side. Just last year, rivers documented a health scare for her reality show, revealing that a persistent cough led doctors to find a spot on an xray. Were not going to be sad about this. Were going to do jokes. Thats how i deal with things. Reporter eager to laugh through her pain, rivers is constantly in motion. And at 81, shes shown no signs of slowing down. Just take a look at her upcoming schedule, 26 appearances between now and november 22nd, living up to her promise that she will never retire. You never retire. Never. Never. Ill go anywhere. Ill get on any plane. To do any part of this the writing, the directing, the acting, the standup. Editing. I love editing. So, this is it. Reporter she told our david muir that living life on stage is just what she does. Im proud. Im swimming upstream. Look at me, im 75 years old. I dont know where its gone. If you dont do what you want to do, youre a fool. Reporter tonight, a serious turn for the woman who made a name for herself by making us all laugh. Somebody told me, every laugh is like a small vacation for someone. Every time you laugh you have given someone a small vacation. Reporter amy, joan rivers is here at mount sinai hospital, tonight, a hospital spokesperson saying that her family would like to thank everyone for their outpouring of love and support. And our thoughts are with the rivers family. Linsey, thank you. Still ahead on world news that frightening scene. S. W. A. T. Team storming into an Office Complex, the hoax that had them rushing through the door. And busted. The scam this panda was apparently running that got her into so much trouble with her trainer. Hatch it into a 100 realain we take a chicken. L egg. And thats what goes into our 100 real tasty treats. 100 real simple ingredients dogs love. Purina waggintrain. Real dogs. Real treats. [ male announcer ] thats why theres ocuvite to help replenish key eye nutrients. Ocuvite has a unique formula not found in your multivitamin to help protect your eye health. Ocuvite. Help protect your eye health. Ocuvite. Denturthan real teeth. Erent theyre about ten times softer and have surface pores where bacteria can multiply. Polident kills 99. 99 of odorcausing bacteria and helps dissolve stains. For a cleaner, fresher, brighter denture everyday. [music] jackies heart attack didnt come with a warning. Today her doctor has her on a bayer aspirin regimen to help reduce the risk of another one. If youve had a heart attack be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. Next tonight, the elaborate hoax that had a s. W. A. T. Team storming an Office Complex in colorado, these potentially deadly pranks are apparently on the rise. Heres abcs clayton sandell. Reporter tonight, u. S. Secret Service Agents have joined the hunt for whoever triggered this get your hands up reporter a police s. W. A. T. Team bursting into the littleton, colorado, office where Jordon Mathewson was playing a live video game with other players watching. The caller stated that he had just shot multiple people. Reporter but police say that 911 call was a hoax. Its called s. W. A. T. ing, made by someone using software to disguise their phone number, identity and location, triggering s. W. A. T. Teams that swarm in on innocent people. Some say they have even had mild atta heart attacks. First it was hollywood. Bieber, seacrest and cyrus have been victims. But s. W. A. T. ing is spreading. Seatlle in june i shot my dad with a licensed ar15 reporter a few days ago near orlando i shot my mom reporter now he says what happened to him is part of a new trend. They really like the anonymity of being online and being able to get away with stuff. Reporter the fbi estimates there are roughly 400 s. W. A. T. ing calls every year. It is a situation thats causing departments who are already strapped financially to spend thousands of dollars every time they have one of these s. W. A. T. Callouts. Reporter the consequences serious. A man recently convicted in a texas s. W. A. T. ing case facing five years behind bars. Investigators warning that what starts as a prank could send you to prison. Clayton sandell, abc news, denver. And up next panda scam. What this adorable panda, apparently did to trick her handlers into giving her special treats. Its our instant index. My name is michael, im 55 years old and i have diabetic nerve pain. The pain was terrible. My feet hurt so bad. It felt like hot pins and needles coming from the inside out of my skin. When i did go see the doctor, and he prescribed lyrica. It helped me. [ male announcer ] its known that diabetes damages nerves. Lyrica is fdaapproved to treat diabetic nerve pain. Lyrica is not for everyone. It may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. Tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior. Or, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, changes in eyesight, including blurry vision, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling or skin sores from diabetes. Common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. Dont drink alcohol while taking lyrica. Dont drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. Those who have had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. Having reduced pain is great and im grateful for it. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. Its specific treatment for diabetic nerve pain. Ugh. Heartburn. Did someone say burn . Try alka seltzer reliefchews. They work just as fast and are proven to taste better than tums smoothies assorted fruit. Mmm. Amazing. Yeah, i get that a lot. Alka seltzer heartburn reliefchews. Enjoy the relief. Man [ laughs ] those look like baby steps now. But they were some pretty good moves. 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. Spressure points on my tired, achy feet. I had no clue i was putting this kind of stress on my feet. I have flat feet. I found this out at the free dr. Scholls foot mapping center. In less than two minutes, i got my foot map and my custom number. Im a 440. Im a 210. 340. That number matched the dr. Scholls custom fit orthotic inserts with just the right support to help relieve stress on my feet. Im a believer. Go to drscholls. Com for locations and save 10 our instant index tonight. The big wedding announcement tabloids had been waiting to hear. Today, hollywood supercouple brad pitt and Angelina Jolie announced they were secretly married in france last weekend. The private ceremony held at their estate, all six of their children taking part. After nine years together and an end to the wedding questions. If you need confirmation, today pitt was spotted wearing his new wedding ring on the set of his latest movie. Next, the mystery in the sky above pennsylvania, has some people believing in ufos. Take a look at this. A woman in harrisburg broke out her camera phone, when she saw these strange lights flying overhead. First she thought it was a plane, but it didnt seem to move and started changing colors. She called police and even they were baffled. Skeptics call it a hoax, but for her and others, seeing is believing. And you wont believe what youre seeing with this panda in china. According to china state news agency, handlers were thrilled when she started showing signs of pregnancy, but it turns out she may have been faking it. The clever bear apparently scammed her handlers into giving her more attention. A single room with airconditioning. Smart bear. Up next doggie howser, how mans best friend is making friends in this hospital. We serve our food panera ion real plates, places. With real silverware and real bowls. Just like you would at home. And we have comfy seats youd want to sit in and fireplaces youd want to sit by. But a place is just a place. Until people come in and turn it into. A home of their own. Which they do, every single day. Panera bread. Has a new easytoswallow coating. So the nutrients for your eyes, heart and brain go down easier. For a limited time, get your fourdollar coupon at centrum. Com. Hatch it into a 100 realain we take a chicken. L egg. And thats what goes into our 100 real tasty treats. 100 real simple ingredients dogs love. Purina waggintrain. Real dogs. Real treats. Doctors have been prescribingdecade, nexium to patients just like you. For many, prescription nexium helps heal acidrelated erosions in the lining of the esophagus. There is risk of bone fracture and low magnesium levels. Side effects may include headache, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. If you have persistent diarrhea, contact your doctor right away. Other serious stomach conditions may exist. Avoid if you take clopidogrel. Nexium 40 mg is only available by prescription. Talk to your doctor. For free home delivery, enroll in nexium direct today. Finally tonight, its been shown that pets inside hospitals can do wonders to boost the spirits of patients, but they may also be the perfect prescription for doctors and nurses, as well. Heres abcs ron claiborne. Reporter for these workers in philadelphia, lunchtime is puppy time. Instead of grabbing a sandwich or a cup of coffee, they spend the time cuddling canines and caressing kittens. Where is this . At the hospital of the university of pennsylvania. Like any other big city medical center, a place where the tension, the drama, the intensity of life and death are the norm. Healthcare is incredibly stressful, from the medical intensive care to the emergency to the newborn nursery. Its stressful. Reporter this e. R. Nurse found she could only unwind when she got home to her bulldog, annabella, and that gave her an idea. Why not help her stressed coworkers by bringing pets to them where they work . So she recruited the local spca to bring puppies and kittens to the hospital for the workers to play with. Its a great break in the middle of the day. Reporter its called the pet a Pooch Program the cats dont seem to mind. Ive had people say to me, i walked in here with the worst headache and i instantly feel better. And then they go out and they provide even better care for their patients. Reporter some of the hospital workers end up adopting the pets, which is what veteran e. R. Nurse Joyce Finnegan did. The minute i saw him i had to get him. Hes mine. Thats my dog. Reporter but for most of the workers, a few minutes with a playful or sleepy pup is just the prescription. A little caring for those who care for us. Ron claiborne, abc news, philadelphia. Im smiling just watching that. And thank you for watching. Were always here at abcnews. Com. Nightline later. Well see you back here tomorrow as well as good morning america, bright and early tomorrow morning. Good night. A california man who has been spreading the aids virus and bragging about it. A bay area victim shares hi story. Team coverage from napa. Many families have had Water Service restored and others are watching theirs go down the drain. People have been ignoring red tags on quakedamaged homes there is not much officials can do about it. A teacher is in hot water for expressing frustrations and stronglyworded tweets. We begin tonight with breaking news a wildfire burning in Santa Clara County off highway 52 east of gilroy. Youre looking at live pictures from sky seven hd. This started as a car fire this afternoon. The fire spread to the dry grass and brush. Crews stopped before it progressed the fire burned on both sides of the freeway. This is catg major back up on the connector between Santa Clara Valley and i 5, joining the gilroy, hollister area. Chp is letting eastbound lanes by when it is safe. The fire burned 80 acres and crews appear to be getting the upper hand and well keep you posted during this newscast. Good evening, everyone, im larry beil. Shocking allegations against a fresno man who may have infected other men with hiv intentionally. Prosecutors are building a case against thomas guerra. They believe there are perhaps two dozen victims. Were live with the latest. Leanne . He goes by the name ashton chavez, hes 29 years old, pleading not guilty to a misdemeanor charge, but now has been scheduled to return to court after prosecutors have come up with additional charges. This is a