address the nation. breaking news as we come on the air. the leader off al qaeda killed n a drone strike. the white house says the president is coming before the cameras to announce ayman al zawahiri has been killed. the successor to blosama bin laden. the new comes nearly 21 years after 9/11. late word coming in at this hour. martha raddatz and cecilia vega standing by. also tonight, catastrophic flooding. the death toll rising to at least 37 in kentucky. the governor warning that number could climb even higher. hundreds of people still unaccounted for. dramatic video is emerging of rescues in the rising water. residents brace for more heavy

rain. the massive wildfire burning out of control in northern california. the fire is now the state's largest fire this year. more than 55,000 acres burned. more than 100 structures destroyed. at least two people killed, apparently trying to escape the flames. matt gutman on the fire line. ginger zee tonight on the red flag warnings in the west and the new flood watch for eastern kentucky. flood wing possible in same are monkeypox spreading in the u.s. more than 5,200 cases reported. new york city and illinois declaring public health emergencies today and the cdc warning for children 8 and under. despite growing threats from china. house speaker nancy pelosi is expected to visit taiwan during her trip to asia this week. what the white house is now saying. nfl quarterback deshaun watson suspended six games following dozens of allegations

of sexual misconduct and after watson agreed to settle 23 of 24 cases against him. and paying tribute to two trail blazers on the basketball court and the big screen, influencing generations. good evening everyone. thank you so much for joining us on this monday. i'm linsey davis, in for david. we begin tonight with breaking news. the leader of al qaeda killed in a u.s. air strike in kabul. president biden is about to address the nation. theal qaeda leader, one of the world's most wanted terrorists, with was the successor to osama bin laden. sources say he was killed in a counterterrorism operation over the weekend after evading the u.s. for two decades. the news comes 11 months after the last american troops withdrew from afghanistan. cecilia vega is standing by at

the white house. abc's chief global affairs correspondent martha raddatz leads us off. >> reporter: he has been in hiding for more than 20 years, one of the world's most wanted terrorists. but tonight, sources tell abc news that the united states finally caught up with ayman al zawahiri, killing the al qaeda leader in a weekend drone strike in afghanistan. an administration official calling it a "kick seszful counterterrorism operation," adding "there were no civilian casualties." zawahiri was osama bin laden's number two, and a key strategist behind al qaeda's most vicious attacks against america. the assault on american soldiers in somalia in 1993. the bombing of the u.s. embassies in kenya and the suicide bombing on "the uss cole" in yemen. and on september 11th, 2001, the plot that destroyed the world trade center, left a gaping hole

in the pentagon, and claimed nearly 3,000 lives. president george w. bush vowing to bring the terrorists to justice. >> i can hear you. the rest of the world hears you. and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon. >> reporter: a decade later, the next president announcing u.s. special forces had killed their number one target. >> after a firefight, they killed osama bin laden, and took custody of his body. >> reporter: but zawahiri remained elusive, hiding out in the border region between afghanistan and pakistan. >> fascinating just how he managed to evade authorities. martha raddatz joins us now live from washington. and martha, it turns out he wasn't in a cave in the mountains when he was killed, he was right in the center of kabul. >> reporter: linsey, right in the center of kabul. and in one of its wealthiest neighbors. it was the first strike in

afghanistan since he pulled out u.s. forces last year when the taliban took over, which may have emboldened zahwa lee, but the cia stayed after him and it was a cia drone that took him out. linsey? >> martha, thank you. we know president biden is planning to address the nation tonight, as martha just pointed out. he was right there in the situation room, more than a decade ago when american special foshss took out osama bin laden. abc's cecilia vega joins us now. and cecilia tonight's announcement certainly a long time coming. >> reporter: a long time coming, linsey. biden is the fourth american president who has tried to capture him. this is one of the biggest terrorist takedowns since bin laden. he's been on the fbi's list of most wanted terrorists around the globe. but the timing of this tonight, linsey, is worth noting. this time last year, president biden was pulling troops out of afghanistan. at the time, the white house faced push-back for saying it would continue to be able to

hunt down and track terrorists down in afghanistan after american troops were gorn. linsey, they have shown tonight that is still a possibility. >> all right, cecilia vega from the white house for us. we move on now to the catastrophic flooding in kentucky. the death toll rose again today, with hundreds of people still missing in the flooding. and rain is once again targeting the flood zone in the eastern part of the state. much of which has been under water since last week. at least 37 people are dead, hundreds of people still unaccounted for. governor andy bashir is warning residents more flooding might be on the way. abc's eva pilgrim reports in from kentucky. >> reporter: tonight, the death toll rising to at least 37 in the catastrophic kentucky floods. four siblings among them, their parents clinging to a tree while also trying to hold onto their children as flood waters rapidly rose. but the brothers and sisters ranging from 2 to 8 years old swept away, their parents survived. rescuers desperately searching for survivors five days after

the flooding. >> there are hundreds of unaccounted for people. minimum. and we just -- we just don't have a firm grasp on that. i wish we did. >> reporter: the kentucky national guard saying 400 people have been rescued by helicopter. tonight, new stories emerging of the sheer heroism, neighbors helping neighbors. the amburgy family in whitesburg posting an urgent call for help on social media. family members, including their 9 8-year-old grandmother mae, trapped inside their home, surrounded by rising floodwaters. >> i was afraid, obviously, for my brother, my grandmother, and my uncle. >> reporter: jd griffin rushing to rescue the family in shoulder high, fast-moving water as helpless neighbors watched in horror. >> when he's in the house, he's in there two minutes what seemed like for two hours. i thought that he'd already died. so he emerges out and it creeps his way down to the front door. >> reporter: family members say they all 12,000 still without power, as

some more rain falling in the area. we made the journey to neon, the town flooded for a second time today. going through multiple mudslides to find a downtown completely decimated. the loss to these communities in eastern kentucky hitting people hard. the damage around here is pretty bad. >> it looks like a war zone around here. we need the most help you've ever seen in your life. >> a massive effort nose there. eva is right in the thick of the flood zone in kentucky. and you visited several hard-hit communities today. what are the people telling you? >> reporter: linsey, just what that man just said, they need help. they know this is going to be a long recovery. one man telling me that this -- the infrastructure is so old, they can't similarly replace it, so, it could be months, not weeks, before some of these communities have basic things like running water again. linsey? >> eva, thank you. from massive flooding to the destructive wildfire in northern california, the mckinnie fire is

now the largest fire in the state this year. more than 55,000 acres destroyed, at least two people killed, apparently while trying to escape the flames. nearly 2,000 people have been forced to evacuate. and more evacuations could come at any moment. here's abc's chief national correspondent matt gutman. >> reporter: firefighters at california's biggest fire so far this year battling freak weather. walls of flames. and a slab of smoke thousands of feet thick. the mckinney fire exploding from a few hundred acres on friday to more than 53,000 acres tonight. so far, at least 100 structures destroyed. this chimney, the only thing left standing at this home. the fire blasting through the klamath national forest like a flame thrower. just outside the community of klamath river, at least two people killed. >> fire was everywhere. it was so scary. >> reporter: today, we traveled to that area with sherry marchetti perrault, who lost everything and fears her

uncle john cogan may also be among the dead. >> my uncle was sitting right there in that chair, i think, and he's no longer there. >> reporter: have you heard from your uncle since? >> no, no. he had to have died. he had to have died. he was right there. >> reporter: sherry said they had to leave everything behind as the flames raced towards them. officials say they don't typically see this kind of supercharged weather until later in the season. nearby mount shasta seeing an all-time record high of 106 degrees on friday, the day the fire broke out. mount shasta also a victim of the megadrought creating tinderbox conditions and leaving less water for firefighters to battle the flames. >> are you okay? >> reporter: back in the community, one of the things sherry thought she lost was patches. but on saturday, patches was discovered by a photographer near a burnt-out home. tonight, patches is reunited with his family. >> at least a few happy endings to report there. matt gutman is live from the scene tonight.

and matt, as firefighters battle the flames, what are you learning about the investigation into the cause? >> reporter: investigators have just said, linsey, that they have determined that lightning was not a cause of this fire, which means it's much more likely that it was human-caused, by an errant spark or downed power lines, but just to go back to that woman sherry, just moments ago, linsey, they discovered what they believe to be the remains of her uncle john. >> matt, thank you. we're also tracking severe storms tonight and that new flood watch issued for eastern kentucky. more red flag warnings in the west and record heat moving across the country. let's get right to ginger zee. what do you know about it, ginger? >> reporter: yeah, linsey, just west of cincinnati, there's a tornado warning right now. another one in west virginia. we've already seen wind gusts upwards of 70 miles per hour in fishers, indiana. look at that map. severe thunderstorm watches up

from southern indiana through louisville and southern ohio. i think we'll see that march east and with the damaging wind tlut, then comes heavy rain. in the place we do not need it. one to two inch rainfall per hour rates in eastern kentucky. by tomorrow morning, those should lift. i want to point out that out west, monsoon moisture adding up, so, much of nevada into death valley into a flood watch. red flag warnings with all of the uncontain ed wildfires. and then that heat building with heat advisories from oklahoma up to the twin cities, this coming off houston, tampa, memphis, among many cities that have already started with the hottest summer on record. linsey? >> from the flames to the flooding to the heat, people cannot get a break. ginger, thank you. next tonight, nfl quarterback deshaun watson suspended for six games following dozens of allegations of sexual misconduct. he agreed to settle 23 of 24 lawsuits against him, but denies

doing anything wrong. the league wanted him suspended for at least the entire season. here'saeal.ced sion, nfshn bac on the field practicing. cleveland browns fans cheering him on. watson sidelined for six games following accusations of sexual misconduct and violating the league's personal conduct policy. the allegations contained in at least 24 civil lawsuits where he was accused of sexual assault and inappropriate conduct during massage sessions. all but one have been settled out of court. with no admission of wrongdoing. around the same time, watson's former team, the houston texans, settled 30 lawsuits regarding claims of his misconduct. disciplinary officer sue l. robinson, a former federal judge, stating watson "used his status as an nfl player as a pretext to engage in a premeditated pattern of predatory behavior toward

multiple women." the nfl's investigation conducted by two former prosecutors. the decision finding "mr. watson engaged in sexual saugs as defined by the nfl against the four therapists identified in the report. mr. watson violated the policy in this regard." the nfl initially asked for an open-ended suspension of at least a year and a fine of at least $5 million. today, the nfl stating, "the league is reviewing judge robinson's imposition of a six-game suspension and will make a determination on next steps." watson and the players association have agreed to this suspension and they are urging the nfl to do the same. the league now has three days to make their decision. do they agree or will they appeal this suspension? linsey? >> mireya, thank you. news tonight about the monkeypox outbreak spreading across the country.

nearly 5,200 cases reported. the biden administration is now under growing pressure to declare a national health energy. new york city and illinois both took their own action today. here's abc's stephanie ramos. >> reporter: tonight, the state of illinois joining san francisco and new york city in declaring a public health emergency over monkeypox. with cases climbing and low vaccine supply, officials are pushing for quick access to more vaccines. >> i think we still have a chance to slow this thing down if we can get shots into arms as quickly as possible and to do so in the most equitable way possible. >> reporter: new york city now the epicenter of the outbreak with a quarter of the country's 5,200 cases. tonight, there is mounting pressure on the iden administration to declare a national public health emergency. >> with excellent data, with excellent contact tracing, with great cause investigation, and with widespread access to vaccine, we might be still

to get in front of this. but the window is closing >> reporter: so far infections have been mainly among men who have sex with other men, but experts stress the outbreak could have started anywhere. >> anyone out there can get infected as the virus can spread from that close contact including kin to skin contact. >> reporter: at least two more children have bun infected in indiana. a total of four now in the u.s. and while symptoms usually go away, the cdc warns that those at risk of developing more serious illness include kids under the age of 8, and people with compromised immune systems. >> stephanie ramos joins us live. stephanie, some experts are also concerned about the spread of monkeypox on college campuses at this point? >> reporter: exactly, linsey. this virus is able to spread efficiently through very dense social networks, like on college campuses. for now, the cdc says to prevent infection, people should avoid close skin to skin contact with people who appear to have a rash

that looks like monkeypox. also, don't share things like utensils or towels, and wash your hands often. linsey? >> we've heard that before. all right, stephanie, our thanks to you. now, to rising tensions over house speaker nancy pelosi's trip to asia. despite growing threats from china, she could well visit taiwan tomorrow, if she does, china says it will take strong counter measures to defend their sovereignty. let's go back to cecilia vega at the white house. and cecilia, the biden administration clearly taking these threats very seriously. >> reporter: yeah, they really are, linsey. in addition to the rhetoric that you're hearing from beijing tonight, the white house is isuing a stark warning, saying that china could fire missiles around taiwan, potentially even breaching air space and waters in the region. they say this type of military provocation could go well beyond what we have seen from beijing in the past. look, you'll remember, president biden made it clear, he said the military did not think it was a good idea for pelosi to take this trip. but tonight, the white house is making it crystal clear, saying

that if she does indeed go through with this trip, it is the administration's possibility to ensure she can travel safely and securely. >> baited breath there, we are waiting for that. cecilia once again. when we come back, the longest sentence yet for a january 6th rioter. and could prices at the pump soon be going back up? soon be going back up? those details ahead. about breztri. breztri gives you better breathing, symptom improvement, and helps prevent flare-ups. br scue i have a heart condition... ...or high blood pressure before taking it. don't take breztri more than prescribed. breztri may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia, and osteoporosis. call your doctor if worsened breathing, chest pain, mouth or tongue swelling,... ...problems urinating, vision changes, or eye pain occur. if you have copd, ask your doctor about breztri. kids, one year they want all dinosaurs stuff the next, camels. - llamas. - llamas. so save money shopping back to school on amazon.

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poured in for bill russell and nichelle nichols, an actress who broke barriers. her family saying her light, like the ancient galaxies, now being seen for the first time, will remain for us and future generations to enjoy. both stars shined brightly. in november of 1968, as lieutenant on the "star trek" fran franchise, she shared what's believed to be the first international kiss on tv. just six months before, bill russell, the first black coach in nba history, led the boston celtics to take the championship, just one of 11 titles he won during his 13-year playing career. >> this is your nasa. >> reporter: nichols partnered with nasa to recruit some of the first female and minority astronauts. russell was always reaching for the stars. not content with just winning on the court. he was a champion, too, in the struggle for civil rights. >> he marched with king. he stood by ali.

when a restaurant he fused to serve the black celtics, he refused to play in the scheduled game. >> reporter: while russell marched with martin luther king. nick comes said it was king who talked her onto staying on "star trek." >> he said, we will be seen as we should be seen every day. >> reporter: and in the end, russell and nichols both served as teachers. russell was 88, nicholsnichols,. thank you for watching, as we mentioned, a bbc news will have live coverage of president biden's address to the nation at 7:30 eastern. i'm lynne see davis. good night. and building a betty

area moving forward findingbetty solutions. this is abc 7 news. cloudy muggy cool with some spotty rain and even boats of lightning pretty rare. we'll have a look at how long this unusual weather mix will last here in the bay area. good afternoon. thanks for joining us. i'm larry beale, and i'm liz croyds live images from across the bay area show most spots under a blanket of clouds with some very spotty rain right now abc 7 news media. religious mike nico tracking all this unsettled weather. are we in for more rain here mike? yeah a little bit. it'll be spotty as it has been most of the day. hi everybody. happy afternoon to you. be foggest not really. no, it came in much differently today first. it started around 6:45 with this clap of thunder. they're off the coast of marin county and then about an hour and a half later. we had a thunderstorm or at least a bolts of lightning hit near middleton and this is where sit right now some light to moderate rain trying to fall on just about the entire peninsula down into the south bay. there's still a little bit of

drier at the surfaces taking some of the wetness out of this rain, but we're still seeing some green and yellow even up across the north bay if you're trying to ride on 101 it could come down heavy enough that you use the windshield wipers once or twice and it could thing. the streets could get a little slippery. now when i'm looking at is what's down to our south see those bolt delightings right above the weather forecast banner those are heading our way and they'll continue to rotate around that low out over the coast and that is what is going to make these move to the north anticipate as we head into the overnight hours. it'll remain mild and humid and there's one more chance of showers tomorrow. i'll show you that coming up larry. all right, mike. see you in a few minutes developing news now it is the largest wildfire burning in the state and now it has become deadly the so-called mckinney fire burning near the oregon border in the klamath national forest. it's blamed day for at least two deaths abc 7 news reporter zach fuentes live with an update on how long the fight ahead will go for fire crews zach.