and, cha-ching. amazon prime day is nearly here. tonight, the tips to cash in on what some are calling christmas in july. good evening. thanks for joining us on this sunday. i'm tom llamas. we begin with the developing headline involving the president's campaign team and a meeting with a lawyer tied to the kremlin before the election. late today, donald trump jr. releasing a statement, revealing he was led to believe the attorney had information helpful to the president. that information was about alleged connections between russia, the dnc, and hillary clinton. that leads to the question, were some in the campaign willing to accept russian help? this statement comes as president trump is back from the g-20, and on twitter, claiming he strongly pushed back against russia during their face to face. and proposing a partnership on cyber security that has some in his own party outraged. gloria riviera is at the white house. >> reporter: tonight, abc news learning why president trump's inner circle met with a russian lawyer. i was asked to have a meeting by an acquaintance, donald jr. saying in a statement. who i was told may have information helpful to the campaign. donald jr. agreeing to the meeting. asking jared kushner and paul manafort to join him. the meeting taking place in june, 2016. two weeks after donald trump clinched his party's nomination. don jr. says he wasn't told the name of the russian lawyer in advance, and when they met, she stated that individuals from russia were supporting mrs. clinton. but he maintains no details were provided. and the conversation quickly turned to russian adoptions and policy. when he realized the claims of potentially helpful information were a pretext, he ended the meeting. tonight, president trump's outside legal team saying the president did not attend the meeting, and was not aware of it. tonight, president trump back at white house. >> mr. president, are you satisfied with putin's answers on election meddling? >> reporter: facing questions about what happened behind closed doors in that high-stakes face to face. "i strongly pressed president putin twice about russian meddling in our election," the president tweeting today. "he vehemently denied it." trump says the two then talked about working together to fight cyber threats. "putin and i discussed forming an impenetrable alliance." tonight, backlash even from members of president trump's own party about teaming up with the very man the u.s. intelligence community said ordered the hacking. senator marco rubio tweeting it would be akin to partnering with assad on a chemical weapons unit. >> when it comes to russia, he's got a blind spot. to forgive and forget, it's to empower putin. >> reporter: in a live press conference saturday, putin giving his own account of what happened. saying president trump accepted his denial of any russian interference. tonight, the white house reacting with mixed messages. >> it's not true. the president absolutely did not believe the denial of president putin. >> does president trump agree with president putin, does he accept the denials? >> george, everybody is focused on that. why should he answer that question directly? he's made it very clear how he feels. >> gloria, let's get back to the statement from don jr. it appears from the initial reporting, some of the campaign were willing to accept help from the russians. >> reporter: that's right. this late-breaking news first coming to light from the "new york times." don jr. in own statement, saying he was willing to meet with someone with information helpful to the campaign. this is the earliest known meeting between trump's inner circle and someone with ties to the kremlin in the midst of the campaign. >> gloria, thank you so much. next we want to turn to the big fires out west. the effort to knock down dozens of raging wildfires. this whittier fire seen from the ground. in video showing just one of the aerial assaults, as temperatures soar to triple digits. and thousands forced to evacuate. marci gonzalez reports tonight from the fire line. >> reporter: fast-moving flames jumping the highway as thousands of people try to outrun raging wildfires across the west. an all-out assault against the california infernos. the blaze in santa barbara county surrounding this summer camp. nearly 80 campers evacuated. some in tears. >> come on, girls. >> reporter: this neighboring camp, destroyed. steel beams, leveled homes, and shells of vehicles lining the path as michael lopez made his way back. >> i'm going to go see if my house is still here. >> reporter: his hope, crushed. >> we've been here for 12 years and this is all that's left. >> reporter: finding little more than smoldering rubble at the home he shared with his fiance. the director of this camp. >> it was 56 years. >> reporter: more than a dozen other buildings at this camp, also destroyed, including the cabins. the charred bunk beds left behind just a day before 100 boy scouts were set to arrive here. just north in santa maria, flames spreading out of control. a wall of flames engulfing this hillside north of sacramento. this time lapse video showing how fast the fire is growing. >> i'm wondering what's going to be there when i try to go home. >> reporter: firefighters saving this american flag, as flames close in on this home. about 5,000 firefighters battling the blaze. and they may have a very long fight ahead of them. some experts saying this could be one of the worst fire seasons ever here. tom? >> marci, thank you. for more on the heat fueling the fires in the west, let's go to rob marciano. hi, rob. >> reporter: the heat starting to wane a little bit. but any chance for rain into the fire zone will bring a chance for lightning. but here's the advisories out west. the ridge keeping the heat over the mountains. 108 in vegas. but the next three days, the core of the heat slides further to the east. even in california, you're still in the 90s. vegas, phoenix, over 100 for the next three days. severe weather tonight from minneapolis to chicago, and overnight to tomorrow morning in chicago, could have rough weather. and the threat tomorrow is between chicago and indianapolis. as the summertime thunderstorms continue to press to the east. tom? >> rob, thanks so much. we want to turn to some news overseas. a milestone in iraq, where u.s.-backed iraqi forces are declaring victory over isis in mosul. iraq's prime minister arriving to personally mark the end of a campaign to reclaim the city. but it still faces a humanitarian crisis, with isis likely to regroup and strike again. here's ian pannell. >> reporter: tonight, a major victory against isis. the men who've bravely led this battle planting the flag in the name of iraq and its people. reclaiming mosul from isis. it's a victory, but at what cost? there's been little to cheer here for so long, that soldiers and civilians took to the streets to celebrate. today, the prime minister came to mosul to declare the city liberated, congratulating troops for what he called a big victory. but the battle still isn't quite done here. some isis fighters remain, holding out to the end. endless bombing by the u.s.-led coalition, aimed at isis, has destroyed much of the old city. thousands have died, many more injured. held as human shields. prisoners, starved in their own homes. hard to imagine that anas is 14 years old. his mother told me he used to be strong but he hasn't had food or water for ages. ali was searching for his family. their home was hit in an air strike weeks ago. he says he last spoke to his brother on the phone when he was trapped under the rubble, but then he stopped answering. so tonight, a celebration for iraq. but a city that will never forgive or forget what isis did here. now, all guns point westwards crucially to raqqa, syria. the de facto capital for isis. there, u.s.-backed forces are already making headway against the militants. a long, hot and violent summer lies ahead. tom? >> ian, thank you. a new round of saber rattling between the united states and north korea. north korea accusing u.s. of pushing the risk of nuclear war to a tipping point. this, after a show of force in response to kim jong-un's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile. and a coroner telling abc news 22-year-old bakari henderson died after suffering severe head injuries during a bar fight on a greek isle. already at least eight arrests. and now friends and family are speaking out. here's kenneth moton. >> reporter: tonight, friends of the young american beaten to death in greece say these men are the ones who started the fight. 22-year-old bakari henderson, a recent university of arizona grad on vacation with college friends including daniel brown on the island of zakynthos. >> completely minding their own business. they were all facing each other. speaking to no one. >> reporter: brown says it was a night out when two serbian tourists picked a fight in this bar. investigators saying at least eight men jumped henderson. the attack over in seconds. his friends started cpr. henderson was rushed to the hospital. >> the woman walked out and said, bakari. i ran up to her and spoke in greek. yeah, that's my friend. what's going on? and she just, with a blank stare, just said, he's dead. and then we collapsed on the floor. >> reporter: a bar bouncer, bartender and six serbian tourists arrested. a lawyer for one of the suspects saying his client didn't have homicidal intent and is devastated. henderson's childhood friends back home in austin say he just wanted to see the world. >> bakari was not one to act aggressively like that. he was always the one who was the peace maker. >> reporter: the coroner told us henderson was repeatedly hit in the head and had no defensive wounds. tonight, henderson's family is working to bring their son home. tom? >> kenneth, thank you. now to the international tug of war over baby charlie. an infant on life support in london, whose parents are asking him to be moved for treatment, possibly to a hospital here in new york. today, they delivered a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures to the hospital. here's jennifer eccleston. >> reporter: tonight, this little boy in the middle of an international legal battle. his parents vowing to keep their son charlie alive and on life support. >> if he's still fighting, we're still fighting. >> reporter: handing over a petition with more than 350,000 signatures to their son's london hospital, urging doctors to allow charlie to receive experimental treatment in the united states. >> we feel that it should be our right as parents to decide to give him a chance at life. >> reporter: the 11-month-old can't move or breathe on his own because of a rare genetic disease. british doctors and four courts agreed treatment would prolong charlie's suffering, but late friday, an unexpected twist. charlie's doctors asked for a new hearing after hospitals in rome and new york offered new, experimental treatment options. >> there is nothing to lose. he deserves a chance. >> reporter: that chance drawing support from pope francis, and president trump. and tonight, two republican congressmen, brad wenstrup and trent franks, said they'll introduce a bill to make charlie a permanent resident in the u.s. so he can get treatments that could save his life. back here in london, baby charlie remains in this hospital tonight. and tomorrow, a judge will reconsider whether he can undergo that experimental treatment. tom? >> jennifer, thank you. now to the survivor of an alligator attack speaking to abc news. how he freed himself from the jaws of the giant gator and lived to tell about it. here's erielle reshef. >> reporter: tonight, a florida man speaking from his hospital bed about the heart-stopping encounter with an alligator that turned into a daring escape. >> when he initially attacked me and shook his head, i mean, he moved my whole body with him. >> reporter: doing his job of 30 years, diving for golf balls, when the alligator attacked. >> a man was in the water diving for golf balls, needless to say he was bit by a nine-foot alligator. >> reporter: but the 51-year-old thinking fast. >> he rolled, so i played dead and rolled with him. and then the thought came to me to start punching him. >> reporter: lahodik wrestling the massive reptile and wriggling free. but not before it tore into his arm. >> it was almost like a semi parked on my forearm. >> reporter: gator attacks, a rare but dangerous threat. in may a 10-year-old florida girl attacked while swimming in a lake, managing to free herself by putting her fingers in its nose. tom, in both cases, wildlife experts say the victims did the right thing. going after a gator's eyes or nose is the best way to get it to let go. lahodik recovering in the icu with hundreds of stitches in his arm. tom? >> erielle, thank you. and still ahead on "world news tonight" this sunday, the dangerous hit and run. knocking a cyclist right off the road. the prestigious school official under arrest tonight. plus, the major blaze igniting a power outage. near triple-digit temps adding to that misery. plus, the best tips to cash in on the upcoming online shopping frenzy. a kind of christmas in july. we have all the tips. stay with us. each year sarah climbs 58,070 steps. that's the height of mount everest. because each day she chooses to take the stairs. at work, at home... even on the escalator. that can be hard on her lower body, so now she does it with dr. scholl's orthotics clinically proven to relieve and prevent foot, knee or lower back pain, by reducing the shock and stress that travel up her body with every step she takes. so keep on climbing, sarah. you're killing it. dr. scholl's. born to move. essential for him, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have 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be an amazon prime customer to get the deals. what are the best deals going to be? >> if you're in the market for a good deal, you probably want to look at electronics. amazon prime has been stocking up on televisions. >> reporter: amazon rolls out thousands of one day only limited time deals. everything from speakers and printers to sparkling water and gummy bears at a discount. the good news for shoppers, this big sale is also pushing other retailers like walmart, target, and kohl's to up the ante. >> expect to see them start rolling out things similar to amazon prime prior to black friday. >> reporter: not every discount posted is going to be a steal, but you can use a cost comparison app to check how good a deal you're really getting. tom? >> eva, thank you. coming up next right here, summertime and the living is easy. unless you're one of millions of commuters trying to make it through what's being called the summer of hell. we'll explain. and the surprising arrest in this dangerous hit and run caught on camera. the man accused of leaving the scene after knocking down that cyclist. even for a nurse, it's complicated... and it puts me at higher risk of stroke. that would be devastating. i had to learn all i could to help protect myself. once i got the facts, my doctor and i chose xarelto®. xarelto®... to help keep me protected. once-daily xarelto®, a latest-generation blood thinner... ...significantly lowers the risk of stroke in people with afib not caused by a heart valve problem. it has similar effectiveness to warfarin. xarelto® works differently. warfarin interferes with at least 6 blood-clotting factors. xarelto® is selective, targeting just one critical factor interacting with less of your body's natural blood-clotting function. for afib patients well-managed on warfarin, there is limited information on how xarelto® compares in reducing the risk of stroke. don't stop taking xarelto® without talking to your doctor, as this may increase risk of 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about a quarter of the tracks for key renovations at new york city's penn station through september 1st. a move expected to hobble the busiest transit hub in the western hemisphere. commuters bracing for what's been coined "the summer of hell." coming back, the comeback story on this sunday. wisdom from an american warrior. what he credits with helping him his legs, and one of his arms. stay with us. tech: when you schedule with safelite autoglass, you get a text when we're on our way. you can see exactly when we'll arrive. i'm micah with safelite. customer: thanks for coming, it's right over here. tech: giving you a few more minutes for what matters most. take care. kids singing: safelite® repair, safelite® replace. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ wise man, i'm nervous about affecting my good credit score. i see you've planted an uncertainty tree. chop that thing down. the clarity you seek... lies within the creditwise app from capital one. creditwise helps you protect your credit. and it's completely free 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feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't 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. now i have less diabetic nerve pain. and i love grooming the next generation. ask your doctor about lyrica. finally tonight, the comeback. the marine who nearly didn't make it back from the battlefield and the woman who changed his life by challenging him. for mike nicholson, summertime is a tough time of year. >> it's generally a little rougher because that was the time we were deployed in afghanistan, and a lot of guys got hit. >> reporter: including mike. >> i got hit by a 40-pound ied in afghanistan. took both legs and my left arm. >> reporter: his new body, and the life that came with it brought a lot of anger and depression. mike says he started drinking. but then he met his wife, and they married and started a family. she had a challenge for him, what if he tried exercising again. >> i mean, i'll give it a shot. find out that you're going to be a lot happier in life. >> reporter: that was the start of his comeback. this weekend he gave his all in the military's wounded warrior games, celebrating those hurt defending america. mike has won gold and silver medals for track. and competes in wheelchair basketball. and maybe most amazing of all, swimming. >> i love swimming, and i found out once i got in the water i still could swim pretty well. >> reporter: also at the games, mike celebrated his "alive day," the day he was wounded. now it's filled with competition and reflection. >> feeling you are having a tough day, getting out here and getting a little sweat going and some physical exertion, i think it's the best medicine. >> so tonight, we salute mike nicholson's comeback, and thank him for his service. we thank you for watching. i'm tom llamas in new york. david muir is right back here tomorrow. have a great evening. here's a sneak peek at tonight's "afv." we know you're gonna love it. [ laughter ] son of a... oh, my god! man: good catch. [ cheers and applause ] welcome to "america's funniest home videos." and now here he is -- the host of our show -- alfonso ribeiro! [ cheers and applause ] yes! hello! hello!