breaking news in the middle east, early morning air strikes under way between israel and hamas with a proposed cease-fire all but dead is there any end this sight? live in the region with the latest. flash floods. torrential rain causing dangerous conditions across the country, even forcing students to evacuate a university campus. and close call. a race car driver loses control flying across the lane giving his competitor a near-death experience. late night laughs. jon stewart does his best to have hillary clinton reveal whether she's running for president. >> do you like commuting to work or do you like a home office? good wednesday morning to

you. breaking news in the middle east. >> israel and hamas resumed attacks and sirens have been heard in tel aviv followed by loud thuds. >> video taken earlier shows explosion and smoke billowing from buildings in gaza. abc's alex marquardt on this story from the beginning joins us live now from gaza city with the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, guys. well, overnight israel stepped up its air strike s targeting te homes of islamic jihad as those groups continued firing rockets into israel warning sirens warning across the south and central part of the country including tell asleeve where we understand the anti-missile shield iron dome intercepted several of those rockets. this comes after that cease-fire yesterday failed. it had been proposed by egypt. agreed to by israel but rejected out of hand by hamas. and as a result prime minister benjamin netanyahu said he had

no choice but to expand operations. just before midnight the israeli military sending out to more than 100,000 people in gaza a recorded call and text messages telling them to evacuate their homes before 8:00 a.m. this morning. that was just three hours ago, that begs the question of whether a ground operation is on the way. tens of thousands of israeli troops still massed along the border between gaza and israel. the death toll here rising climbing to more than 200 today with around 1500 wounded. yesterday israel saw its first casualty, a man who was hit by a mortar on that border and so, of course, this fighting this morning continuing unabating. neither side showing any side of letting up. >> what were the terms of the cease-fire agreement you're hearing on the ground that hamas didn't seem to like? >> well, from the beginning hamas laid out its conditions for a cease-fire. none of which were addressed in that proposal yesterday. the biggest conditions were the lifting of the siege around

gaza, hamas and the residents here accuse israel of blockading gaza and hamas demanding the release of over 50 prisoners who had been recently arrested by israel in the west bank. none of that was addressed in that cease-fire proposal and that's why they rejected it right away. >> thank you very much. abc's alex marquardt live in gaza, thanks, alex. stay with abc news for all the developments on the crisis in the middle east. you can always get the very latest on abcnews.com. the other big story this morning, heavy rain causing flash flooding for many parts of the country. >> the radar finally beginning to quiet down following days of severe storms. overnight students were forced to evacuate a university campus as the floodwaters kept coming. violent downpours triggering dangerous floods. students sing and band together at brigham young university

using buckets to bail out buildings. nearly two inches of rain in the area caused water to rise rapidly. pictures posted on social media overnight show students wading through hip deep water where flooding forced many to evacuate. in pennsylvania, flash flooding caught a 12-year-old girl off guard sweeping her way in a drainage pipe for nearly half a mile. >> yelling for help. please help me. >> firefighters pulled her to safety eventually. >> somebody pinch me, i'm still alive. i'm here. >> reporter: heavy rains in ohio caused accidents like this for a family near cincinnati. their car hydroplaning, hitting a pole and falling into a ditch before washing away. >> he was screaming at that his wife drowned and she was screaming the same thing my husband and baby drowned so pretty happy reunion when we got them both together. >> in maine the cleanup begins after damaging winds uprooted trees like this crashing down on a couple's home as they sat

inside. >> huge crash and i saw the living room ceiling come down. >> scary stuff and as those storms start to taper off let's take a look at what's in store for today. >> accuweather meteorologist jim dickey has more on the cold front moving east. good morning to you, jim. >> keying it unseasonably cool across the nation's midsection. many spots in the 40s and 50s challenging record lows. the jet stream drives southward and the nation's midsection raging northward, a seesaw effect. out across the west keeps it unseasonably mild into the 90s in washington. a couple nosing into the triple digits today. reena and devin back to you. >> hot and dry conditions are perfect for wildfires. northern california's bully fire as it's called has consumed more than 8,000 acres and destroyed 18 buildings. some residents have been told to evacuate. officials say the bully fire is only 20% contained.

and in idaho, there are 20 fires burning in the boise national forest. there is an evacuation order for 60 hopes and firefighters are working in tough and rough terrain and worry the biggest fires will get bigger before they can get a handle on them. >> some scary moments for shoppers at an upscale mall in las vegas. gunfire erupted in the food court in a gang-related shooting. the victim shot in the neck and later checked in a hospital. the gunman got away as some precaution stores locked their doors until the danger passed. a prime minister nents journalist has been released after being briefly detained by the border patrol. jose antonio vargas who lived and worked in the u.s. legally for years was arrested in mcallen, texas, after his release vargas thanked those who stood by him and asked this question how do we define

america? >> president obama got a rare chance to drive a car even if it was only a virtual trip. he used a visit to an automotive research facility rather to push for new technology that will allow cars to talk to each other and prevent accidents. it was the first time mr. obama has been behind the wheel in six years and he said it made him a little queasy. >> a little queasy. it's only been seven years. six years. coming up, chocolate lovers, listen up, why america's number one candymaker is raising prices for the first time in years. >> quite a health scare. over 200 swimmers get sick. from what? now the cdc is taking action. baseball's best battle it out. the highlight from the all-star game and derek jeter's final bow.

there are new questions this morning for general motors about those defective ignition switches. "the new york times" reports the automaker knew more about what caused some of the fatal crashes than it told the government agencies. the defect linked to at least 13 deaths and hundreds of injuries because the engines would suddenly shut off. >> well, your next airline flight is going to cost more. thanks to congress. the september 11 security fee is going up. anywhere from half a dollar to $22 depending on your ticket but it isn't going towards security but help reduce the federal deficit. both the airlines and travelers are upset. the new fee structure goes into effect monday. two bitter rivals from the early days of personal computers are now partners. apple and ibm are working together to create simple to use business apps.

they're also hoping to expand the use of iphones and ipads in the business world. ibm no longer makes computers. this news may be hard to swallow. hershey is raising prices. the cost of cocoa is soaring but prices for milk and nuts are also up. it's the first increase for the country's biggest candymaker in three years and it's likely to lead to price hikes by competitors. but instead of chocolate how about cappuccino flavored potato chips. you heard that right. one of four new flavors from lay's this summer. the others are ched dear bacon mac cheese and wasabi ginger. customers can vote on which flavor they like best. whoever suggested the winning flavor gets a million dollars. >> wasabi this hour. >> cappuccino chips. not sure about that. when we come back, trapped in a car with temperatures soaring past 100 degrees. a man is saved by a very

unlikely hear row. a near-death experience for drivers in a car race. stay with us. to pitch in for an industrial-sized smoker. before earning 1% cash back everywhere, every time. and 2% back at the grocery store. even before he got 3% back on gas. all with no hoops to jump through. norm used his bankamericard cash rewards credit card to enter the bbq masters invitational.

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when your favorite food starts a fight, fight back fast, with tums. heartburn relief that neutralizes acid on contact. and goes to work in seconds. ♪ tum, tum tum tum... tums! thunderstorms that slammed the east coast made a mess of the evening commute in north carolina. the raleigh-durham area was hit with 4 inches accompanied by lightning and 50-mile-an-hour winds. in addition to the flooding there were extensive flight delays. now for a look at morning conditions. lingering rain may flood streets in the northeast. scattered thunderstorms drenched highways from texas to florida. a slick ride around the great lakes and plains. windy with heavy downpours and dust storms for drivers in the southwest. >> it looks like a great day for flying. some good news, weather-related airport delays are expected only in charlotte. a popular vacation spot just west of seattle is closed this morning and it may not re-open in time for the weekend. >> investigators from the cdc will be at horseshoe lake county

park today taking water samples after hundreds of people came down with a violent mystery bug. so far health officials have ruled out e. coli and say the culprit is likely a form of norovirus. for the first time we're hearing from the georgia mom whose 22-month-old son was found dead in a hot car. as her husband faces a murder charge, she has been criticized for not showing enough emotion. a statement released by her attorney says she mourns cooper's death deeply in her own private way. she takes comfort from a strong faith in god but the loss is still overwhelming. it kept her from returning to work. a little tennessee boy is a superhero after he helped save an elderly man trapped in a hot car. bob king suffers from severe medical conditions and couldn't manage to unlock the car as he sat in his car in that church parking lot. he got the attention of the 3-year-old keith williams who happened to be walking by. keith ran to get his pastor who actually opened the door.

>> he was hot. he was locked in the car. >> i am very impressed and proud he would know what to do. >> very thankful, because, you know, i don't know how long it had been. i would say it probably been another 20 minutes sitting in there if he hadn't notified somebody. >> temperatures were well into the 90s and sun was beating down so hard they were lucky keith knew how to get help. snakes on a plane is a popular movie because we know it's not real but make in the office was real for our colleagues in the abc station in huntsville. they found a rattlesnake coiled up in the sales office. you saw it slithering away and went through that hole in the wall. well, check out this close call at an ohio racetrack caught on camera. a driver wes allen was recording and avoided to avoid the mess

himself. look at that. slammed and flew over him just barely missing his head. that's the wheel there, amazing. everybody came away without any serious injuries. >> well, time for sports. derek jeter takes his final all-star bow. >> here with that and the game's highlights are our friends at espn. >> good morning, america. welcome inside "sportscenter." i'm john buccigross. derek jeter played in his final all-star game and was a big factor in the american league's victory. check out the highlights. jeter got plenty of ovations and there it is, bottom of the first, his first at bat, takes that adam wainwright fastball and later score on a mike trout triple. and the american league took an early 1-0 lead and jeter scored the first run of the game. next at bat, bloop single to right. that would be it. 2-2 for that run scored and top of the fourth they replaced

jeter in the field with alexi ramirez. his parents and nephew in his dad's arms. mom and dad have always been a big part of derek jeter's success. mike trout was the all-star game mvp. tripled to bring home jeter. he doubled to bring home derek norris there. he won that corvette right behind him and that nice silver bat which he can't use in the bigs. the saints and jimmy graham agree to a contract extension. a source familiar with the deal tells adam schefter the deal was four years, 4 million, and makes him the highest paid tight end. for more news, highlights and analysis check out a live "sportscenter" on espn at 9:00 a.m. >> thanks, guys. up next in "the pulse," the customer service call that nearly everyone can relate to. it's going viral. plus late night laughs with hillary clinton. what the former first lady told jon stewart about a presidential run in 2016.

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i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. [ female announcer ] ask your doctor about lyrica today. ♪ top of "the pulse," late night tv appearance for hillary clinton that's got people talking. j.p. stuart opened up the show telling his audience clinton would publicly and definitive declare her candidacy which drew huge applause from the crowd. >> that proved not to be true but got interesting when he gave her an aptitude test asking what kind of office she'd like. >> you know, i've spent so many years commuting, i'd kind of prefer a home office. that's where i wrote my book. >> do you you have a favorite s for that office? would you like that office --

would you like to have corners or not have to corners? i don't know. >> you know, i think that the world is so complicated, the fewer corners that you can have are better. >> boy, there's a hand. so is that her way of saying she's running for the white house? jon stewart seemed to think so saying she's just declared her candidacy. >> there aren't that many offices out there with no corners. >> i think he might be on to something and really got her to spill some bean. >> creative way of asking that question asked a million times. >> that must be the most creative way. >> we will designate it so. anyone who dealt with a cable customer can relate to what we're about to talk about here. >> incredible. tech journalist ryan block was on the phone with a comcast agent trying to cancel his service when he ran into, shall we say, some resistance. it got so bad he started recording the call halfway through and posted it online. >> okay. we'd like to disconnect.

we'd like to disconnect. >> so why is it you don't want this? help me understand why you don't want faster internet. >> help me understand why you can't disconnect us. >> i'm figuring it out what it is about our service you're not liking and -- >> this -- this phone call is a really actually amazing representative example of why i don't want to stay with comcast. >> that went on for 20 minutes and comcast says it's embarrassed by the rep's behavior and insists it's not consistent with how its agents are trained. >> we've all been there and comcast says it will be contacting ryan block personally to apologize. i think i've had like three instances with the cable company trying to disconnect. >> it is impossible. >> yeah. >> to get the service, change the service. >> i just stopped ordering cable. netflix, right? possibly. well, tragedy averted in alaska thanks to a skilled pilot with lightning fast reflexes. >> he was bringing his sea plane in for a landing when he almost

hit something in the water. look closely. that's something right there is tually a humpback whale swimming just beneath the surface but the pilot pulled up just in the nick of time. >> incredible pictures and narrowly missed the whale just as its cleared its blow hole. the pilot didn't even notice the whale. he was just reacting to the commotion from the shore. >> look at that. right through the mist. those planes, have you ever been on one of those. >> i refuse to fly small little jets like that. >> they are reckoning. i can't imagine it coming on a whale. for some of, your local news is next. >> for everyone else we'll be back with a twist on this year's new york city fire department calendar and it's a good one. [male vo] inside this bag is 150 years

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>> ♪ >> good morning, i'm tamala edwards. it's wednesday, july 16th and we've got some changes coming up in your okay weather forecast. storm tracker 6 double scan showing the showers moving out of the region right now. meteorologist karen rogers has details on the cooler temperatures that will be moving in. developing overnight, police are about to serve a search war rant as they question a person of interest in the killing of a local college student. monitoring developments out of the middle east where rocket attacks have continued overnight. new details on that next up on "actionstormy in the northwest. and finally this morning a first for the new york fire department's annual fund-raising calendar. >> the calendar of heroes has always featured hard body male fighters until now.

wabc's reporter kimberly richardson has the details. >> wow, that one is the sweet chocolate. >> reporter: they -- >> you made me blush. >> reporter: you made me blush. are the lucky 13 in the new fdny hero of calendars. >> he just wants to blush but he's the macho man. >> reporter: she, that's right, she is the first woman ever to appear in the calendar. de in. ay is physical march fitting since that's women's history month. she dreamed of becoming a firefighter after one visited her class in elementary school. all this attention. >> nervous but not embarrassed. not embarrassed. if this inspires more women to come on the job and this, you know, helps raise money for the fdny organization, then it's worth it. >> reporter: walter is her number one fan. >> it's my time to shine. it's your time, baby. >> reporter: okay. back to business. >> they saved the best for last. there he is. >> there he is.

>> reporter: daniela's boyfriend, a true gift, mr. december, john killian, the cover model. >> joe. >> reporter: lovely. telling me how tough it is to get in shape for this spread and tried to get one by me. >> for sure. i was newly singled so stayed in shape -- >> reporter: whoa, whoa, whoa, what was that? >> i'm newly single. >> hmm. >> about eight month, nine months. >> reporter: he's not alone. >> raise your hand if you're single. >> reporter: after all it is my journalistic responsibility to give you all of the facts. >> my first i was a little nervous but it's starting to grow on me right now. >> newly single. i bet not for very long. >> that's right, attention ladies. i hear those calendars are for sale online. good for that woman. 1 of 43 firefighters. that's what's making news in america this morning. thanks for watching.

>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with matt o'donnell, tamala edwards, karen rogers and meteorologist, david murphy. >> ♪ >> good morning. we're on several developing stories on this wednesday july 16th. philadelphia police could be close to filing charges in the philadelphia police could be was found in a duffle bag. >> ceasefire talks break down leading to more violence in the mideast. residents in gaza are told to flee as israel launches more air straiks overnight. >> after two days of severe storms things are expected to shake out for the better today. meteorologist karen rogers will have the details. >> good morning, it is 4:30 on this wednesday morning. karen roger