Transcripts For KGO ABC News Good Morning America 20100826

Should two children born out of wedlock get 500,000 a month, from one of americas richest men . Its now in the hands of the jury. We go inside the court fight for a billionaires fortune. And good morning, everyone. George is off, still on vacation. Happy to have david muir back with us this morning. Happy to be back. Weve been tracking the protest just downtown from here. But when it turns to this, its really troubling. And there was concern that Something Like this could happen. The alleged hate crime comes amidst the very intense debate over the pro posed Muslim Center near ground zero. Police say he got in the cab, asked if he was muslim and stabbed him repeatedly. What made him do it . We have an interview with the cab driver this morning. Were following this dramatic election, still playing out in alaska, two mornings later. The senior senator in a tight race with a Tea Party Candidate. Shes saying its not over until its over. Senator Lisa Murkowski banking on absentee ballots. In what could be the biggest upset in the republican battle. This morning, the math. How many of the ballots have to be hers to pull this out. Something like 60 to do that. We begin with the two storms growing in the atlantic. One expected to become a category 3 hurricane later today. You know sam is tracking it. Good morning, robin and david. The first is the strong system, danielle, a category 2 hurricane. Looks like now weve had 24 hours to watch it. 24 hours more. 80 of the forecast models will steer this away from the u. S. Close to bermuda. A few models are allowing it to weaken and make the turn. We feel like it will stay strong at this point and curve away from the u. S. But the most interesting thing in the morning is, its been a quiet hurricane season. When we put the circle of suspicion on danielle, earl, and we have another one coming off the african coastline, theres three systems. We could have three tropical systems before were done with this weekend to watch. And it looks like the path on earl would take it a little further south. By some time next week, well be watching it carefully. For now, very,vere. Well be tracking t wit d ew Michael Bloomberg will meet with the cab driver who police say was stabbed by a knifewielding passenger out of hatred for muslims. The mayor is concerned keeping tensions under control here, given the controversy over the planned mosque at ground zero. Jeremy hubbard is in Lower Manhattan with the latest. Good morning reporter good morning, david. This is where the meeting will take place. The cabbie, by the way, has driven a cab for 15 years. He says he loves it in this city. Ramadan and islam and screamed and pulled o kni from the backseat of the cab, cab driver ahmed sharif was slashed five times. He started yelling. This is checkpoint. This is checkpoint [ bleep ]. I have to put you down. Reporter the brutal attack, apparently the result of him answering yes to one question. Are you muslim . I said, yes. Then he said something. Reporter and he said a greeting that means peace. But the passenger had no peaceful intent. Please, do not kill me. Im very hard worker. I work very hard. Reporter this morning, his alleged attacker, 21yearold michael enright, is facing a charge of attempted murder. His arrest, for of all things a hate crime, stuns everyone who knows him. I dont think he has hatred or animosity towards islam or muslims in general. Reporter an amateur filmmaker and honor student, and recently returned from afghanistan, where he was embedded with marines, on a volunteer trip, filming a documentary about front line troops for his senior thesis. He also volunteers for a collegiate churchaffiliated group, dedicated to promoting peace and understanding. Now, a city and nation are left wondering if this was, as police say, an alcoholfueled organization or has the rhetoric around the mosque at ground zero created a heightened fear and prejudice against muslims. Tensions ran high last week over proposed rallies of the center. In california, this mosque was hit by a brick. In gainesville, florida, a church is planning on marking september 11th by burning the koran. And in tennessee, neighbors have been overly hostile about construction thats just begun on a 52,000squarefoot megamosque. As for the incident with the cabbie, were learning more about the suspect. Police say enright had a personal diary with him, filled with pretty strong antimuslim comments. And also, an empty bottle of scotch in his bag. This morning, new york mayor Michael Bloomberg says hes convinced it does not have any direct relation to the building of the mosque. Later today, the mayor will meet with the cabbie and his family. Now, to politics. Theyre still counting votes in alaska this morning, in that tooclosetocall primary for senate. Senator Lisa Murkowski was expected to win easily on tuesday. But sarah palins Tea Party Candidate surged out of nowhere. And now, murkowski is counting on absentee ballots to prevent what could be the biggest upset so far this political year. Jonathan karl has more from washington. Reporter good morning, robin. Sarah palin is calling it a miracle on ice. But it is not over yet in alaska. Could we be witnessing a Tea Party Takeover of the Republican Party . Joe miller appears to be on the verge of becoming the latest Tea Party Candidate to topple an incumbent senator. But the votesg counted. And the gop establishment is digin i it a ye there are thousands of absentees that have yet to come in. Reporter senator Lisa Murkowski is a republican power player. Part of the gop leadership in washington. And the daughter of a former senator and governor of alaska. She is trailing miller by about 1,700 votes. And there are still 7,000 absentee ballots to be counted. Murkowski would have to win about 60 of them to retake the lead. The stakes are high for republicans nationally. Tea Party Candidates have already emerged as the republicans of choice in senate races from florida and kentucky, to nevada and colorado and elsewhere. Most of them defeating candidates favored by the republican establishment. Voters may be more open to an unconventional candidate in a year where they truly dislike the status quo. Reporter the democratic nominee in alaska is so obscure, that on abcs topline yesterday, the National Democratic Party Spokesman did not know his name. Are you going to do something to help your candidate in alaska . He has 4,000 in the bank right now. Whats his name, by the way . Well, our candidate in alaska. Whats his name . Well, his name wow. Wow. Reporter for the record, david, his name is scott mcadams. He is the mayor of sitka, alaska, population a little less than 9,000. All right. Tracking it all, jon karl. On capitol hill, thanks. Were going to continue with politics and another major headline this morning for republicans. The former head of the Republican National committee, former Campaign Manager for george bushs successl jake, good morning. Reporter good morning, david. Manaasnt just the Campaign Political Director Committee for george w. Bush, who pushed opposition for gay rights. But ken mehlman, today, is the nations most prominent, openlygay republican. Ken mehlman was running the bush campaign, when the president was pushing a constitutional amendment againssame marriag the president believes that marriage in this country ought to be between a man and a woman. Reporter some of the campaign strateg wasd in boosting turnout though antigay marriage referenda in key sta with flyers such as this, in which the Republican National committee suggested democrats wanted to allow men to mar now, mehlman says hes gay. And supports samesex marriage. It has obviously been a long, occasionally awkward journey for the former rnc chair. Do you believe homosexuality is a choice . I dont know the answer to that question. Reporter in a ph interview, mehlman told me i was at the rnc,i haome interview, mehlman told me i was at the rnc,i haome i hadnt accepted it. My family and my friends found out about this in the last several months. In 2005, i wrote a story about mike rogers, a gay activist who outed closeted gay republicans. Who had targeted mehlman, who denied being gay. Rogers, today, says mehlman has a lot of apologizing to do. The architecture of the homophobia we saw in 2004, in the bush reelection campaign, which he was the general manager of. Reporter mehlman told me, my own view is thats not what decided the 2004 election. I understand where people are coming from. Does he regret being part of that campaign in any way . No, mehlman said. What i regret is the fact i had not come to terms with this part of my life. Therefore, i was not able to do what i was able to do in other areas, and work for a more inclusive, and broader party. David, mehlman is now supportive of samesex marriage. But he cautioned activists saying, quote, its a mistake to assume that those who disagree on the right to marry issue, are motivated by bigoted feelings. A lot of friends i have who feel differently on that issue, are motivated by heartfelt belief. I look forward to trying to persuade them on my own views. But i think its a mistake to question their motives. We appreciate it. We want to bring in ed gillespie, the former head of the Republican National committee. He joins us from long island, new jersey, this morning. Good morning. Thanks for having me on, david. I know youre good friends with ken. You go way back in your work with the Republican Party with him. And he shared this with you a couple of week back. Im curious what you said back to him. Ken was my friend ten years ago. Hes my friend today. And if im lucky, hell be my friend ten years from now. And i accepted his decision. And we agreed to disagree on the issue of samesex marriage. But, you know, proponents of samesex marriage in the Republican Party have gained an effective advocate. I dont think the party should abandon its position that marriage remain between one man and one woman. But ken and i can respectfully disagree on that. Youll be one of the friends who agrees to disagree, as he alluded to there. But i wanted to point out a quote here. One thing he says he regrets is, i cant change the fact that i wasnt in this place personally when i was in politics. And i genuinely regret that. I could have worked agai constitutional amenshed we did check the republican par. Lets put this up on thescre it says, we call for a constitutional amendment that fully protects marriage as a union of a man and a woman, so that judges cannot make other arrangements equivalent to it. When you take the statements from ken mehlman, and even Vice President cheney, who changed his view in recent weeks, saying he believes it should still be up to the states but that gays should have a shot at marriage. Do you think the Republican Party should take a second look at this . I believe its a tenet of my faith. And i believe were best suited to have in our society, marriage being one man and one woman. Theres advocates inside the party. You mentioned Vice President cheney, now, ken, and others who will advocate that it be reconsidered. Theres democrats, like president obama, who share my perspective on this issue. There is a debate going on in the country, and states, where states are sanctioning gay marriage. You know, inside the party, as well. That debates ongoing. And people have views. I think kens point is a good one. I accept ken. Hes my friend. I accept his point of view on this very heartfelt issue in a lot of ways. And he accepts mine. And i think that civil discourse is very important. And you know the inner workings better than anyone. Im curious, had ken come to terms with this, as he puts it, at an earlier time, when he was influential in the white house with the president. Do you think he could have influenced the president , in looking back . Theres no doubt, that kens an influential person and effective advocate for policies and positions that he believes. But i dont believe that, at that time, or this time, the Republican Party platform would change on the issue. Weve had courts injecting themselves into this decisionmaking process, into the political process, in a way i think is generally unhealthy for unelected judges to make decisions about whether or not government should sanction gay marriage or not. I think its best left to the political and policy debate. And i think the president , in 2004, in response to the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision, made the right decision, to call for constitutional amendment because of the full faith and credit clause of the constitution. A samesex couple married in massachusetts and moves to my home state of virginia, could conceivably, virginians could be compelled to recognize that. I think there is a constitutional issue here. And i think president bush was right to adopt that position. I think the Republican Party is right to keep it as part of the platform. Ken mehlmans friend, ed gillespie, who plans to continue to be his friend, obviously. Thanks for weighing in. Honestly on the debate this morning. We sure do appreciate it. Thanks for having me. Were going to turn to juju chang who is following late developments out of iraq this morning. Good morning, everyone. We begin with another deadly attack by insurgents in iraq. Six members of a Government Allied militia were killed in an ambush north of baghdad today. It follows coordinated attacks wednesday across 13 iraqi cities, leaving dozens dead. This is the bloodiest month in iraq for police and soldiers there in two years. Another devastating blow to the people in pakistan. Floodwaters broke through a levee overnight, threatening three towns that were previously untouched by the monthlong floods. 800,000 people are still completely cut off by the high water. The pentagon says foreign spies pulled off the most serious breach of its computer networks. Investigators believe hackers put a flash drive in a military laptop in 2008. That unleashed a malicious code that spread, undetected, on to the Central Command network. And a hopeful economic sign this morning. A key report just released shows a sharp decrease in firsttime jobless claims for the first time in weeks. The number remains much higher than it would in a healthy economy. Now, wrong place, wrong time, far sports reporter. During a live broadcast in a pregame warmup see . A soccer ball flies across the field. You can see, clocks her in the back of the head. That ball was going 100 miles an hour, thank you very much. But its okay. Shes fine. And the player came over and apologized. I hope so. Exactly. This is Live Television when that happened. And she recovered her dignity. I think they should come up with a penalty for hitting a sideline reporter. Do they work that into the sports contract when youre on the sidelines like that . I used to worry about that all the time. Thats like hazard duty. What are the chances . Ive got your back here this morning. Thank you. Whats up with the glas i like that. Good look. Someone forgot her contacts this morning. Ju can you see the sun is out, can you see that with the glasses on . I wore my sunny dress for the occasion. Absolutely. Its about time. If everybody you know breaks out in song in the northeast out in song in the northeast hresgoin that impulse of lowssur tha jus ther a while, is pullig wad its dragging in high pesst its not on but gorgeous temperatures. 75 in burlington. 82 in new york. 88 in washington, d. C. 82 in boston. This setsup fe weekend. And well take a quick look at the heavy rain. The only bad weather on the map, in the southeast, where in some cases you get two to three inches of rain. It is the nicest weather map weve had in months now, robin. It certainly is. Thank you, sam. Tiger woods is speaking out about his divorce on the same day that his nowexwife broke her silence. Woods, whose golf game has crumbled along with their marriage, said the split was a lot more difficult than he let on. And john berman tells us. Reporter the day after declaring, ive been through hell in people magazine, Elin Nordegren was seen in this radaronline video near her home. 1,000 miles away in new jersey, her nowexhusband declared i wish her the best in everything. You know, its a sad time in our lives. Reporter their divorce was just finalized monday. But tiger admitted, it has been weighing on him all summer. It was a lot more difficult than i was letting on. Reporter difficult on his mind and golf. This is going to come up well short. Reporter woods has never gone a full year without winning a tournament. That is where he is headed now. His drives have been crooked. His putts, off course. And his heart, just not in it. If you watched tiger woods over the course of the season, theres certainly times when he looks like he wants no part of being on the golf course at all. A few tournaments like that, yeah. Most of the summer was like that. Reporter woods said it was the pressure of all the questions, the paperwork of the divorce. But now that its all behind him, the question is, is there a sense of relief . I dont think thats the word. I think its more sadness. I dont think you ever go into a marriage looking to get divorced. I think he needs a win. He needs a win pretty soon. And he doesnt have many chances the rest of the season. Reporter maybe the finality of it all will be just what it takes to turn this season around. At least on the course. For good morning america, john berman, abc news, new york. And well find out shortly if hes able to turn it around. In fact, he just teed off about ten minutes ago, at the tournament in jersey. Right across the river. Coming up here, the billionaire dad accused of being a deadbeat. But his children have already received 9 million. Are they being greedy . You decide. Stain groups targets all the majr like proteins, carbohydrates and oils. Its enzymes and cleaning agents tackle a full range of stains. Youll never look at stains the same way again. For a more powerful clean, try new wisk. Fight stains with science. Its laughs over a coastal soup and grilled shrimp salad. Catching up over woodgrilled shrimp and chicken. And with lunches starting at just 6. 99. Its an hour you wouldnt trade for anything. Theyre ovenbaked flatbread crisps. With the tastes of sea salt and olive oil. Or sprinkled with italian herbs. Townhouse flatbread crisps. Theyre perfect for snack time, party time, any time. New townhouse flatbread crisps. The everyday cracker with the speciallycrafted taste. We continue to follow a developing news story in san jose where fire crews say a gas line has ruptured at the scene of a large house fire. It destroyed a home on del monte place. This was the scene from sky 7. The woman to lives there told abc 7 she was walking a dog when she heard an explosion at her house. Her other two dogs were killed in the fire. No people were hurt. Two adjacent homes were damaged. Another fire about two miles away also gutted a home on rockdale drive. Firefighters say recent staff cuts added to the delay in getting from rockdale to del monte. Lets get an update on the commute. Megan, you could see those fires from 280. Absolutely. You can see the smoke from 280 and its causing a delay heading northbound through the downtown san jose area. Heres a live camera shot of the threealarm fire burning at del monte place and lynn oaks drive. Lets go to maps and see how its affecting traffic. We have speeds below 40 mph as you approach the scene of the fire, and that is because of the smoke blowing on to the freeway. Elsewhere at the bay bridge toll plaza, metering lights are on. A backup right to the west grand overcrososososososososososososos a live look at sfo and no flight arrival delays. Lets talk about the temperatures and how much cooler than yesterday. All of us in the mmmm. You dont love me anymore do you billy . What . I didnt buy this cereal to sweet talk your taste buds its for my heart health. So i cant have any . If you can deprive me of what can help lower my cholesterol. And live with yourself. Right. Mmm, i worry about your mother. Cry herself to sleep every night over my arteries, but have yourself a bowl. Good speech dad. [ whimper ] [ male announcer ] honey nut cheerios tastes great and its whole grain oats can help lower cholesterol. Bee happy. Bee healthy. 2 coffees for my brother and me please. Thanks. Got it. [dueling banjos up and under] hold this. Getting cash back on your debit card changes everything. Got it. Introducing the chase realcash debit card. Got it. Up to 3 cash back on things you buy every day, automatically. Got it [cell phone rings] excuse me. Got it. The new chase realcash debit card. This isnt over. Chase what matters. There youre alone i promise you somebodys missing you needing you thinking that you hug the moon thats country star, Julie Roberts, singing a song of hope for the people of nashville, tennessee. Its part of our road to recovery journey this week. And this morning, were going to be in nashville, four months after the massive blooding there. At her home, in beliveau, outside of nashville, was partially destroyed. Were going to broadcast from my home in pass christian. And bob woodruff will be in new orleans for us. A special broadcast tomorrow. Nashville, today, on this friday eve. Good morning, america. Im robin roberts. And Julie Roberts sang our theme song. Good to go, right . Good to go, a few years back. And george has a couple of days off. Well see him next week. Also ahead this half hour, the new battle in the bedroom. What are you talking about, willis . This is what im talking about. One in four couples actually sleep in separate beds. I thought it was lucy and desi that did that. It can help in several ways. Well tell you why. Were going to begin with one of the biggest and most controversial in recent weeks Child Support cases. The jury out this morning, with 100 million hanging in the balance. The suit of donald bren, who is being sued by his children for nearly 100 million in Child Support. Mike von fremd is outside the courthouse where it will be decided. Mike . Reporter good morning, david. When the jury hears closing arguments this morning, they may have trouble keeping track of all the zeros. This case involves big money and two children who claim theyre entitled to their biological fathers millions. Donald bren is number 16 on forbes exclusive list of richest people. To give you perspective, oprah is all the way down at 141. The real estate tycoon lives on a private island off new port beach. And though he keeps company with powerful friends, 78yearold bren is a deeply private man. But hes been thrust into the spotlight by two out of wedlock children he fathered in the 1980s. The issue is whether the jury perceives these kids as greedy, little snots. Or kids entitled to live a lifestyle consistent of that of their father. Reporter bren was the father of former girlfriend jennifer golds children, he agreed to Child Support, estimated to be worth 9 million. But the children want more than 130 million. Saying they deserve 400,000 a month, retroactive to their birth. Under california law, these kids have a right to live a life commensurate to that of their father. Reporter gold says bren promised to take care of their children forever. And produced what she called love notes as evidence of their relationship. But theyre hardly sentimental. Jennifer, the enclosed check is for you to pick out your birthday suit. Love and kisses. Happy valentines day. You see, i really do care in my own way. Love, donald. In court, bren said, we werent married. We werent a family. I never told her i loved her. To sit in a courtroom, face his children, and say, i dont love your mother. And frankly, i didnt really want to have you. So, thats the tension thats created in that courtroom. Reporter when donald bren took the stand again later, he said, i feel for the two children. But i believe i have provided for them. The jury is scheduled to begin deliberations later today, to determine if those two children are entitled to millions more. David . All right, mike. Thanks so much. Were going to be joined now by former prosecutor, robin sax. Shes in los angeles to talk more about the case. Good morning to you. Good morning, david. You heard the legal analysts say, are these greedy, little snots . Or do they deserve some 130 million . Im curious what your take is on this. Thats the big question. Thats the question that the jury will have to answer. Were here in Orange County dealing with this case. And what may feel what may feel like huge amounts of money in one part of the country, may not be a lot of money here. Although, looking at this, you would think they had ample amount of support to live the lifestyle. Theyve been to college. They had all of their needs and wants taken care of. Its not like theyre living in destitute. If you need 130 million to survive in any county in this country, thats a lot of money. Im curious, in addition to the 9 billion theyve received, do they have a case here . The question we have to take away the money and the amounts of money. In the state of california, it is really a formula that goes into a computer that determines what Child Support is or should be. But the key to this case is there was a prior agreement that was held up to be a valid agreement. So, you would think that because that agreement was entered into by the mother of these children, that that would remain valid. So, the question of greed really seems apparent because now theyre coming back after the fact, after theyre adults, wanting more cash. We saw donald bren in court, writing notes. He claims he never loved her. But as tina turner said, whats love got to do with it . Not only does it have nothing to do with it legally. But it has nothing to do with the contractual area. This isnt a spousal support case. The key that these letters were likely allowed to be used in court, is he seemed not to be credible. And they probably were able to use it as impeachment. When he made the comments in court, i never loved her, we never had a family. You know, there was no relationship there. Then, the letters came in, as a source of impeachment saying, you cannot be trusted. You cant be believed. But love has nothing to do with it. And that was probably the limiting instruction that the judge gave. I guess lastly, robin, as we go. 16th richest man in america. We see how much higher he is than oprah, to put it in perspective. Are you surprised he didnt settle out of court . You would think so. Theres so many different motivations that go into a case. You would think that given not only the amount of wealth, his age, and the publicity he doesnt like that he would have run from any sort of trial. But there are probably a lot of issues at play. Including the fact that he is now married. He has a 7yearold now. And he may be motivated by saving face with his current wife. All right. I know a lot of people at home will want to weigh in on this debate. They can, online. Robin, we appreciate your insight. Thank you. Robin, you and i have always loved sammie. But we dont have 130 million for you. Sorry. So much to comment on that story. Like, really . Theres that many rich people in Orange County . I had no idea. And secondly, if you have kids im weighing in now. And secondly, if you have kids im weighing in now. Theyre your kids. Who else im sorry. Lets get to the boards. One or two things going on that we have to talk about. Thats the west coast. Were back at the west coast. Look at the waves over the last couple of days. This is a powerful system in the Southern Hemisphere that these waves have traveled the pacific and have been pounding california for a couple of days now. One more day, the high wave warning should end by midnight. L. A. Drops down into the 70s. Seattle, in the 60s. San francisco, in the 60s, as well. All of that brutal heat kind of backs off. We get beautiful temperatures in the northeast, as well. Into the 80s. 88 in washington. 82 in new york. 82 in boston, as well. And it is nice in the middle of the country. Theres some widelyscatt and all that weather was brought the to you by the amazon kindle. David . Sammy, tell us how you really feel. Coming up here on gma, robin continues her series, the rod to recovery this morning. This morning, she heads to nashville. It might looks good on the outside. 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This week, we have been traveling the road to recovery, with people who have been displaced by disasters. Tomorrow, well report live from the gulf coast, looking at where things stand five years after hurricane katrina. But today, we look at what might be called the forgotten disaster, the deadly nashville floods. The city was drowning in may. But other news, the bp oil spill, the times square bomb square, dominated the headlines. Four months later, tennesseans are still rebuilding their homes and their lives. So, i went to music city to see how theyre doing. You better be careful what you do reporter sweet sounds can still be heard in downtown nashville. Debris is littered all over the streets. Reporter but on may 1st, the music skipped a beat. We have to pray people are out of those cars. Reporter sudden floodwaters rushed into the streets, destroying everything in its path. The raging water claimed the lives of 24 people statewide. Its all right. Reporter and left thousands with nowhere to call home. Are you okay . Yeah. Grab your clothes. Reporter after staying with friends right after the flood, the chatman family moved into this hotel room four weeks ago. The Cumberland River surrounds their subdivision. It left them trapped in a flood facement. They had to get to safety. Pictures and important stuff we have to use every day. When they started screaming, we knew for sure. It rushed this way first because it found the weak spot. And so, the rush of water hit our houses first. Reporter do you see that . Theyre saying, you couldnt even see the back board from here. Can you imagine all of this being rushing water. Now, four months later, the chapmans are moving back in their home. Excited, but with the reality they are starting from scratch. The financial strain of having to rebuy everything again. Thats the hard part. And when you dont have insurance for the contents, thats a big burden, you know, on a young family, struggling, as it is. This is where we come in. Reporter on the other side of town, a similar story of flood survival. From one of nashvilles treasured voices. God help me keep me moving somehow reporter country star, Julie Roberts, is restoring her home after the may flood wiped out her entire first floor. The rising waters were so high, she, her family and four dogs, had to be rescued by boat from the front door. When we realized we couldnt get out, we walked up the stairs. And you can see where the water kind of came to the stairs. Reporter yeah. Right there. Reporter that had to be frightening. It was scary. We could look down and see the chaos down here. The living room. And the lights were flashing on and off. So, we knew that heres where the rescue boat came. Reporter julie did not have flood insurance. She had been told she was no longer in a flood plain and didnt need it. She, too, is on the road to recovery, thanks to neighbors and the help of strangers. I had so many people in here i had never met before in my life. Just cleaning out debris. And going through things that could maybe be saved. And it was a true blessing. Reporter sounds of recovery are also playing at the historic grand ole opry, at Gaylord Opryland resort. At one point, the water was ten feet deep in some parts of the hotel. The damage so bad, the company laid off more than 1,700 hotel employees. Its been bad for a lot of the businesses that rely on our business. Its because of the buses we bring in every weekend, to see the grand ole opry, are no longer coming in. Reporter Company Officials hope the reopening of the openry changes all of that. And you can feel the excitement of the Hotel Workers who are getting their jobs back. It feels good. Ive been waiting for this moment, since the flood. Im back home. Im back home. Everything is all coming together. Reporter and so, just like lyrics to a good country song, the people of nashville have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, determined to stand on two feet again, with a few helping hands. Think youre alone i promise you somebodys missing you needing you thinking that you have the blues i know right now youre feeling like no one loves you somebody does and we love you, nashville. And our thanks to our great abc station there, wkrn, to help us with a lot with the story. And also, united way. They have something called the dream centers. And they helped connect us with the chapman family. You know what . When i turned into their subdivision, there was a Salvation Army truck that was there. And it was the same truck in a was down in mississippi after hurricane katrina. So, Salvation Army, united way. That truck right there. The same faces. And they remember you . And i remembered them. Its amazing. One of the things were talking about this morning is the image of the wood at the grand ole opry. It was under inches of water. And now, its back. You think of the artists that were on that stage, they would be smiling now. Including brad paisley who was there yesterday. Thats fantastic. Tomorrow, well be live on the mississippi gulf coast. Bob will be in new orleans. Five years after hurricane katrina. Going home. Well be back. Stay twice. Earn a free night two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these Choice Hotels can earn you a free night only when you book at choicehotels. Com. So i couldnt always do what i wanted to do. But five minutes ago, i took symbicort, and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. So, today, ive noticed a significant difference in my breathing. And im doing more of what i want to do. So were clear it doesnt replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. My doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. It should not be taken more than twice a day. Symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. Tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high Blood Pressure before taking it. My copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. Now i take symbicort, and its significantly improves my lung function, starting within five minutes. Symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing. Now more of my wanttos are candos. As your doctor about symbicort today. I got my first prescription free. Call or go online to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. Equals chilis 20 dinner for two. Share an app, like our texas cheese fries. Then choose two entrees from 14 chilis favorites, like our new sweet smoky chicken crispers. The 20 dinner for two, only at chilis. Got the mirrors all adjusted . You can see everything ok . Just stay off the freeways, all right . I dont want you going out on those yet. And leave your phone in your purse, i dont want you texting. Daddy. Ok ok, here you go. Be careful. Thanks dad. And call mebut not while youre driving. We knew this day was coming. Thats why we bought a subaru. We were cracking up trying to remember how far back this went. I love lucy, they were the first couple that slept in separate beds. You couldnt at that time on television. Heavens, no. Rob and laura didnt sleep together. The munsters, were told, they started the trend. They were humans. The brady bunch, they slept in the same bed. But turns out, were going back to lucy and desi. What was the secret all along . It could be the secret to saving a good nights sleep. And marriage, for that matter. More Youthful Skin from day 1. A dramatic transformation by day 14. Anew regimen starter kits. From avon. Find the one for your age. Its a limited time offer. So call 1800foravon now to find a representative today. To finish what you started today. For the aches and sleeplessness in between, theres new motrin pm. No other medicine, not even advil pm, is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. New motrin pm. Is more effective for pain and sleeplessness. Have you tried honey bunches of oats yet . Every spoonful is a little different. Mmm. They got three kinds of flakes. This is delicious. Its the perfect combination of sweet and crispy. I love it. This is so good. This is great. The magics in the mix. When i really liked to be outside, i did not like suffering from nasal allergy symptoms like congestion. But nasonex relief may i say. Beeutiful prescription nasonex is proven to help relieve indoor and outdoor nasal allergy symptoms like congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. announcer side effects were generally mild and included headache. Viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds and coughing. Ask your doctor about symptom relief with nasonex. And save up to 15 off your refills. Go to nasonex. Com for details, terms and conditions. In this. One day, ill park this in a spot reserved for me. Its got 26,000 miles on it now, but im gonna take it to a thousand million. [ male announcer ] when you own a certified preowned mercedesbenz, chances are theyll own it one day, too. Which is why it undergoes such a rigorous inspection to meet our uncompromising standards. One day, im gonna drive this to vegas. [ male announcer ] hurry in to your authorized mercedesbenz dealer for 1. 99 financing during our certified preowned sales event through august 31st. Residents of Redwood Shores are warned not to come in contact with the lagoon after a sewage spill last night. A 14 inch main failed sending sewage flooding into the garages at the Lighthouse Cove community. Officials are opening up the ground over the sewer line to determine if the main ruptured or if the valve failed. Water quality samples are being tested and the lagoon will be analyzed until deemed to be safe again. Definitely cooling down. Check with mike. Dramatic. The free air conditioning is back. The sea breeze is here and its going to stay through the weekend. Check out temperatures from 10 degrees cooler in San Francisco from 64 to 23 degrees cooler in santa rosa and 80. Mid to upper 70s around the bay, low 80s south bay and mid to upper 80s the east bay valleys. Comfortable tonight with temperatures in the 50s most areas and 10 to 15 degrees cooler by saturday. Megan. We have a live look at a threealarm structure fire burning in san jose at that del monte place and lynn oaks drive. The smoke from this fire is visible from 280. Lets go to maps so we can take a look how its affecting traffic. 280 heading northbound between 101 and 85. Traffic is jammed. The drive time there is 25 minutes. Kristen. Megan, thanks a lot. The news. Berber carpet. It was a whole bowl of stew. Nooo. Why . I could have saved this one. I could have saved this one. Call 1800steemer i couldnt sleep at all last night we do say good morning, america. Here with david because george is having a little vacation time. And as we told people yesterday, it is air force week. Theyre back out in force in times square. And an f16 . An f16 command alpha. Its a recruiting asset. We have the monster trucks. And we have an Orange County chopper here on the streets, as well. Robin and i came out and said, we need to straighten our tie. And stand a little yeah. You guys look good. Thank you for all that you do. We salute you all. We were playing tossing and turning. Thats right. Were finding out that theres more and more couples that are tossing and turning. But theyre not in the same bed when they do it. One in four couples sleep in separate rooms. Separate rooms. Yes. In fact, we have a couple we will show you with three master bedrooms. One for him. One for her. Who gets the third . I do share one. I do believe they have children. They do share one. So, were going to talk about what is behind this phenomenon. Is it actually keeping couples together . Also, were talking about pets and the mythbusting we need to do. Chocolate for your pets. Not supposed to give your dog chocolate. Is that true or is it not . I have always thought that it was not the truth. But americas favorite vet, dr. Marty becker, is here, with little mythbusting. Look at that little fella. You can see it shaking a little bit. Juju chang is upstairs with the latest news. No puppy dogs, though. Good morning, everyone. We begin with the brutal attack of a muslim cab driver in new york, as tensions smolder over plans to build an Islamic Center near ground zero. The cabby, ahmed sharif was slashed five times after the passenger asked him if he was a muslim and he answered yes. 21yearold college student, michael enright, has been charged with attempted murder. Kyron hormans stepmother has made a rare public appearance. Attending her divorce hearing at the county courthouse. Terri horman has been the focus of an investigation into kyrons disappearance. He was last seen in early june. Chilean Officials Say they will soon be dispensing antidepressants to the 33 men trapped in an underground mine. Thats because the miners are just learning how long the rescue operation will take. Jeffrey kofman is at the mine in chile. Reporter now, they know, the 33 miners trapped underground here, have now been told that rescue may not come quickly. They may have to wait 90 days or more to be brought to the surface. That was confirmed to abc news by chiles minister of health, who says a natural Leadership Structure has emerged underground, with a spiritual leader, medical leader and group leader. Those are encouraging signs for psychologists, who say this has become an unintended massive psychologist experiment in Group Survival and group dynamics. Rescue efforts are moving ahead. The giant drill thats meant to bore a hole down to free the miners is in place. It will begin work on saturday. They dont know how long it will take because the ground here is so fragile. For good morning america, jeffrey kofman, abc news, copiapo, chile. In other news, crocodile dundee star paul hogan e is stuck in australia this morning. Banned from leaving until he pays a disputed tax bill. He just arrived in sydney last week, to attend his mothers funeral, when he was served with an order. The Australian Government says, hogan owes taxes on 37 million on undeclared income, a claim he denies. Eggs from farms affected by the nationwide salmonella recall could still end up on a table near you. Eggs laid by the potentially infected chickens are being pasturized to kill bacteria. Then, they will be put in products like mayonnaise and ice cream. Lets check in with diane sawyer. She has a fascinating interview on tap tonight for world news. Diane . A good thursday morning to you, juju. Tonight on world news, she is so amazing. Truly, one of the most astonishing spirits ive ever encountered. The First American to undergo a face transplant. We sat down with her a year ago. She has completed her final surgery. How does she look now . See her tonight on world news. Were all riveted. And finally, a new way to knock back a few cold ones, or should we say hot ones . The menu at this years texas state fair includes deepfried beer. I said beer. It looks like ravioli. Its pretzelfilled pockets of beer. And were told the beer doesnt lose its potency because its not fried long enough. So, if you want to try it, you will be carded. Sam, you would be carded, right . I want to try it. I want to try the fried beer. Would you try it with me . No. Not even close. But there is a nonalcoholic version, with fried lemonade. Eww. Eww . Come on, juju. No way. Everybody say good morning to juju. Even though fried lemonade i dont know. You know the air force has taken over times square. And folks whose birthday is it . Our little nephew, Conner Michael phagan. In charlotte, north carolina. Hes sound asleep. He is not sound asleep. Really . Hes not asleep . Hes up. The tivo is running. Ready. And the big ns. I first put them all together. But its just one n for nebraska. One n each. Lets get to the boards. And we start with a live shot out of d. C. D. C. Is part of the gorgeous weather pattern thats all up and down the east coast. We deserve it after four days of a massive impact of low pressure there, as it pulls away. Look at the numbers that come in after it. Even through the weekend. Friday, 79 degrees. Cool. Saturdays at 85. Gorgeous in new york city. Gorgeous in washington. Boston, youre in for it, as well. Most of if the country is dry and beautiful. Just a few showers in the dese this is hanging out. Out. Is the proper im sorry, s is the proper at rest. Right . This is t rest. Right . Yes, sir. All right. Am i right . Yes, maam. Im just learning that. David . Well have to retailor, the uit, though, if you stand like that. Thats true. Sammy, thanks. Simple question for you. How did you sleep last night . It turns out, its not as simple as it seems. This week, the wall street journal collin bonds explores what a couples sleeping habits reveals about the state of their relationship. Bianna golodryga with what everybody will talk about. Reporter youve heard your erybody willer about their sleeping arrangement. A partner who is a light sleeper. Americ a partner who snores or steals the covers. Its no wonder, one in four american couples have separate bedrooms. But the answer you want to know for all of your relationships, is this somet is its something you should do . Rse . S it making it worse . While relationships may start out like a bed of roses, what out like a hat ens on that bed, can quickly turn a relationship into a war of them. Bad relationships can be the same in the bedroom as they are same everywhere else. The cover and pillow hog. You have somebody who hogs all the pillows, they probably all they probablygs, as well. G other ter thats just one of ter thats just bedroom habits, edroomhe snorer. T the snoring at first was a ag problem. Reporter or the battle reporter between the night owl and the early riser. Early used tod to go to bed around 9 00 and wake up at 4 30. Reporter and, of course, that feeling of too hot versus s o cold. Bev likes a warm bed, a soft bed. Bev likes a t like to be nice and cool at night. Reporter artist pablo salmon and his wife, beverly, have been married for 35 years. Beverly, havtexas home is recorated with his work and has an unusual feature you wont work. Mnd in most master bedrooms. Two beds, one for him, and one one for and plus, another bed, for those special moments. And the times here is so much spec herer. Its improved our marriage so its our marriag reporter of course, there mu s a timeme when having two beds seemed typical, at least on tvs i love lucy, and dick van dic. Well, there were people who everybo twin beds. On television, everybody slept nt tin beds. It wasnt that way across america. Reporter family therapist, reporter amily real, says separating aould only be a last resort. Night. Ind macy, the warmth, ending your day together every tght. These are important things that shouldnt be sacrificed unless you have to. Reporter onal sleep according to the National Sleep foundation, one in four american couples sleep couples sle tely. Re separate beds the answer . Think you you really do lose a lot of intimacy, a lot of intimacy, amfort. Ort. If theres any way to make a compromise, my vote is to make ake compromise. Even if its just putting your foot over to touch the ur foot over. I think the contact is important. Her husban reporter valorie scherrs a night owl. Her husband, greg, is an early are retired both are retired in southern california. California theyll be married 25 years next month. And the scherrs say, to get in bed, valorie joins him in bed, even if its just until he falls asleep. I think you have to give a ittle bit more sometimes. I think were all about ourselves in this society. This society. O think that ure a a couple. And remember that youre a couple. An maybe re remember what brought you together to begin with. Reporter one thing she couldnt stand, gregs snoring. Ring. Finally had to tape him, i alking from the farthest point in the house, eventually to the bedroom, to convince him that he onvince himy snoring. I was floored that thats thatshe had to deal with every night. Reporter reporter greg and valorie valleya sleep apnea machine to probe his problem. No solutioreceived a number of year s from couples who say they have no solution other than to sleep apart. I this one from michigan. My wife and i havent slept in the same bed for about a year and a half. I cant help but feel that sleeping separately has distanced our relationship. Real says to replace that lost intimacy, try a good night ritual. Inti i think you should try to end i think youther, even though ther, ein separate bedrooms. Separate bedroom cuddling before you go off to bed is probably a ereat idea. To bedove the woman. He said she recorded from the woman. Side of the house. D from the you could hear on house. Her side of the house. Ter you could the people on shoutout boards have been weighing in. Reporter oh, they have been weighing in. We want to read some of the emails sent in. Hedst, cindy in texas. She wrote, two months ago, i had enough and banished my husband to the guest bedroom. Now, i can finally get a good ights sleep. My eightight dogs are easier to sleep with than him. Th thanwanted to go to tammy in tammy in she said, please tell me how to she said, pl stop my husband from snoring because that battle has lasted lr our married life. Its taken to the point where i have actually contemplated plugging his nose so he wakes up and quickly act like im asleep. And qui so, you dont want to resort to that. We spoke to an expert who gave who ge tips. And she said one of the one of the things to remember is apart. Ep facing apart. Youre not facing each other. One person does actually kick, youre not going to injure yourself. Going to injurur bed is a place to sleep. An its not a place to watch tv and to sleep. Pad and have magazines and other clutter around. Other clutt you want it as neat as simple as assible. What is this to your left here . Reporter im actually not a reporter. Im im also somebody who suffered this problem, as well. We have different sleeping patterns at home. Pa to be to stay up late. Peter likes to go to sleep early. Th the way to work it out, we bought this wireless headset. Headke to watch television. Watch on. Turn it on. I can watch my show. He can sleep. And we can stay in the same bed. And you look great with those on. Se reporter 50 bucks, too. Much cheaper than another bed. I like the wife that says, i contemplated plugging his nose. Ill bet a lot of people have actually tried that. Ably othersery much. Its a fun and hot debate, too. Appreciate it. Thank you itsou want to weigh in, go to abcnews. Com gma. Apprecia tell us about your situation. Youll find expert advice on our gma. Ite. Ation. Next, americas frustration index. How do they really feel about next, esident . As as frustration index. How do they really feel about the president . Im your genie. Youre wishing for a deliciously, nutritious fiber cereal. I am. Well, you dont want that one. New kelloggs fiber plus cereal®. The delicious taste of berries, plus yogurty clusters, plus 40 of your daily fiber. Plus wait for it. Antioxidants so, two more wishes. Mmmm. Maybe later, then. [ female announcer ] new kelloggs fiber plus cereal®. Positively delicious. Stay twice. Earn a free night two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these Choice Hotels can earn you a free night only when you book at choicehotels. Com. Can earn you a free night no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but its just the beginning of our work. Im iris cross. Bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. My job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. That means working with communities. We have 19 centers in 4 states. Weve made over 120,000 claims payments, more than 375 million. Weve committed 20 billion to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. Well keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. I was born in new orleans. My family still lives here. Bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal. Until we make this right. Hebrew national hot dogs are made with butcher quality cuts of 100 percent pure kosher beef. People say theyre so good maybe its time they were called something new. They are the royalty of hot dogs, i call them queen elizabeefs hebrew national. The better than a hot dog hot dog. Your frizz revolution stars now. New frizzease smooth start. The only shampoo and conditioner with frizz mending complex. Transforms frizz by repairing it. To restore hairs natural defense gainst frizz. For 100 flawless, frizzfree style frizzease smooth start. And now, to the latest in our series on americas frustration index, where we take the temperature of americas voters, heading into the midterm election. The index stands at 67, higher than in 1994, when republicans took back control of congress. Political contributor, matthew dowd, who is also a columnist for the National Journal has been digging around the country. You know whats going on in the minds of voters. A whole lot of frustration going on. This time, i visited my home state of michigan, where i grew up with ten brothers and sister. And we focused on how people feel about president obama. And what hes doing or not doing feeds their frustration. Last month in detroit, president obama tried to regain his momentum. We are back on our feet. We are on the move. Reporter but in nearby, brighton, michigan, where i grew up, thats a tough sell. Just ask julia, who manages prosecute Properties Like this. I had it on the market last fall. Reporter its been on the market 12 months now. Reporter they voted for president obama in 2008. But what do the neighbors think of him now . I want a show of hands. My hope was he was smart enough. He would surround himself with the people that would work with him to make a better country. Reporter has he met your expectations . I think he has met my expectations. I think what bothers me more now is the fact that hes been in office a year, and he can do no right. Weve had several tea party rallies. And i see the signs saying, we want to take back our country. And im thinking, take it back from whom . Take it back from what . I was hopeful, as terri said, that he would surround himself with good people. But its not coming quick enough. We have the stimulus money out there. And yet, you still you dont see it being spent the right way or how you would want to see it spent. I voted for him, probably, the last president. The last president i really voted for was president reagan. Reporter like you marked it harder then . Thats right. I wanted change. Reporter how do you feel today . Im ready for a third party. Yes. Reporter what about the president s efforts to win back support for himself and democrats . Like appearing on the view, a first for a president . I wish he would not have gone on the view. I think barack obama is so concerned with making everybody happy, that sometimes he loses sight of just push it through, get it through, forget everybody else. Just do it. I couldnt have said it better. He tries to appease. And momentum stops. Reporter the grades they give the president . At. B minus. C. C minus. Reporter not great. But you hear from a political pro. I want to see more town hall environments. When he does go out and touch a community, i want to see the action plan after that visit. Stay focused. Maybe dont try to fix everything. Maybe fix a couple things, so we can feel some pride in ourselves and the good things that are happening. And the good things that are happening. Matthew, you grew up in that area of michigan. 1 of 11. 1 of 11. Do you think thats a true indication of a reflection of what the rest of the country is thinking . I think their faces may not look like everywhere else in the country. But their frustration is pretty reflective of whats going on in the country when you Wander Around and go to different places. The president s Approval Rating nearing an alltime low for him. And people are eager to see whats going to happen in the midterm election, if one has to do with the other and the results well see in november. If you look back at 2006, president bushs Approval Rating was terrible. And democrats took back the house of representatives. You look back in 2002, president bushs Approval Rating was sty skooihigh, and the republicans gained eight seats. Look at 1994, president clintons rating, not good. Republicans take back the house of representatives. Approval rating of a president is very predictive of whats going to happen in a midterm. Is it realistic to think that things could have turned around the way that everybody wants them to. I dont think its realistic that we have a trilliondollar economy that things will be developed over time. But people want something. They want to see the light at the end of the tunnel. But they dont see it yet. The end of the tunnel. But they dont see it yet. Want some benchmarks. Exactly. Exactly. Matthew, well keep you on the road. Matthew, well keep you on i saw a gap in the market for a fresh culinary brand for food. And launched behindtheburner. Com. We create and broadcast content and then distribute it across tv, the web and via mobile. I even use the web to get paid. With acceptpay from American Express open, we now invoice advertisers and receive payments digitally. And i get paid on average three weeks faster. Booming is never looking for a check in the mail. Because its already in my email. Time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze. My eyes water. But now zyrtec®, the fastest 24hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. Zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. A fantastic opportunity to get 0 apr financing on every new 2010 cadillac model. 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For a more powerful clean, try new wisk. Clear. Well continue to follow a developing news story in san jose where fire crews say a gas line has ruptured at the scene of a large house fire. It destroyed a home on del monte place. The woman who lives there told abc 7 she was walking a dog when she heard an explosion at her house. Her other two dogs died in the fire. No people were hurt. Two adjacent homes were damaged. Now, another fire about two miles away also gutted a home on rockdale drive. Firefighters say recent staff cuts added to the delay in getting from rockdale to del monte. All right. Lets check with megan now for the latest on traffic. Good morning. We have a few slow spots. The first one in san rafael, 101 heading southbound. The dive time from 37 to 580 about 20 minutes. More than double the normal drive time there. Walnut creek its slow as you make your way southbound on 680. Expect delays all the way into the ceremony valley. Along the east shore freeway, interstate 80 westbound, its crowded. The dive time from the yard necessary bridge to the maze, 30 [ female announcer ] mission presents wellrounded family meals for 10. All it takes is a few ingredients and Delicious Mission flour tortillas. For budgetfriendly recipes go to missionmenus. Com. Mission. Tasty tortillas. Fresh ideas. Oprah tvs big stars go back to their first jobs. Miss paula deen is rolling in a different kind of dough. Do you trust me with your money . Oprarararararararararararararara its a wild, wild whisper blowing in the wind they are so hot right now. Its the group, lady antebellum. If you havent heard of them, you must be under a rock or something. Come on down to central park tomorrow. Well have quite a show. Were expecting a huge crowd and some beautiful weather for it. We say good morning, america. And im david muir, along with robin roberts, in for george. Hell be back first thing next week. You were asking the folks of the air force, can you show emotion . Theyre so very. What was your response when i said that . Absolutely. You said something else. He so said something else. That was the clean version of it. Great to have you in the studio with us. Coming up this morning, the hospitals of the future, robots roaming the halls. I dont know if i want a robot. Your delivery has arrived. Hmm. Very smooth. And 3d technology that will change the face of the hospital. Well get to the bottom. Do you hear the whimpering over there . We have some health tips for your fourlegged friends. Is chocolate really bad for your little doggy . Americas vet, dr. Marty becker i dont know why im talking like this is here to do mythbusting on pet dangers. All that ahead. Is that the soundtrack . Or is that the little one . Whats the little ones name, marty . Romeo. Romeo. Romeo and pringle. Can they be adopted . They can. Humane society of new york. They get along. First, sam champion has just one thing. Just one thing. Hey, robin and david, and marty, romeo. Biochar, has been in rolling stone. Tim callahan, v. P. Of rechar, a company that makes it. It is something you can mix with your soil at the time you fertilize. Fall is a good time to do it. It will hold the nutrients and hold the water in the soil, right . Exactly right. Biochar is a big deal. Biochar is a winwin situation. You take a waste product, like the woodchips here. Andbiochar. You lock in carbon that would be emitted through the process of rotting. And carbon is one of those things that we hear about that contributes to global warming. And we blame it on what we make. But sometimes it happens naturally. In Something Like woodchips, you can curb the amount of carbon released there, by turning it into biochar. Exactly right. And when you mix it in, it holds the soil. And nutrients . Exactly. It holds nutrients, water better than ordinary soil. And its a great host for microbial activity, essential for plant growth. Ive read about it. It is everywhere, sir. And if you want to know more on what biochar is, you can sprinkle it on your lawn. 200 more . Up to 200 improvement in your plant growth. Thats amazing that something this simple can do it. Well link you to it on our website. All of our just one things are in one, convenient location. Go to gma or my head. It will bobble. And you find all of our just one things. Tim, thank you for bringing us b biochar. Lets get to the boards. Want to show you one or two things on this thursday. Most of the nation is gorgeous. Theres some showers that will pop up in the southwest today. And some temperatures that are warm. Look at this. San antonio at 94 degrees. Memphis at 87. Theres some heat in there. Not the tripledigit heat. Even new england, who has been locked in bad weather all week long, gets into a better patt n and all that weather was brought to you by adt security systems. Robin . Okay, there, sam. Thank you. In this mornings americas health, we take you to the cutting edge in medicine, technology thats pushing hospitals headlong into the future of medical care, from hand scans to robots in the operating room. And juju is back with that. I grew up loving star trek. Its a guilty secret on my part. But im amazed how much scifi readers dreamed up decades ago is becoming standard today. We had robots, computers and scanning equipment, to make diagnosis better and faster and lifesaving surgery more accurate. There are few things more traumatic than being hospitalized. But from coasttocoast, medical centers are upgrading to the latest technology. And the future might be here sooner than you think. In california, El Camino Hospital calls itself the first smart hospital. The Newest Technology meets you almost at the front door. A Biometric Registration system, using palm scan, capturing a patients unique vein pattern, which is linked to their medical file. Extra security that helps prevent dangerous medical errors or identity theft. My coffees an eyeopener. Reporter the hospitals robots arent quite as sophisticated as the jetsons. Your delivery has arrived. Reporter theyre like hardworking file cabinets on wheels, delivering supplies and lab specimens. Doing the work of four people. Enterprise here. Reporter the hospital is also boldly using their version of star treklike communicators. This is kate. Can i help you. Reporter no more jarring announcements or beepers. It provides a direct connection to doctors and nurses. Hi. Reporter Critical Care rooms come with advanced beds with builtin translation of 22 different languages. For example, if we had a russianspeaking patient here, i could ask them, where do you feel pain . And i can hit the button here. Reporter across the country, new yorks Presbyterian Hospital is the first in the country to get 3d images of a patient inside the operating room, during an operation, with this. A stateoftheart Imaging System called zigo. Combining the way we hang the table and the way we angle the machine itself we can almost get reporter any angle of the brain. What kinds of surgery can this be used for . Right now, were using it for vascular neurosurgery. Were looking at using it for tumor surgery. And looking at spine surgery. Reporter for the first time, neurosurgeons performing brain surgery, can find out almost instai instantaneously if their operation was a success. Wow. Thats cool. This is a gamechanger. Before, if the surgeon needed imaging, the patient may stay under anesthesia, move to radiology, and then back to the o. R. If more needed to be done. This is a Seismic Shift in bringing into the o. R. Exactly. Its safer. Its less time under anesthesia. This allows us to get a threedimensional images of the vascul vascularcure of the brain. Reporter you seem excite by the technology. Its cool. To have the equipment that allows us to study the brain while we work on the brain and not injure people is incredible. Reporter hightech advancements we all hope never to need. But can make a world of difference if we do. Its true, i look like the lunch lady. The california hospital, El Camino Hospital, is smack in the middle of silicon valley. My mother had heart surgery there last year. They have great people there, not just robots. Besides that, they have infectionresistant bedside computers. And new beds with builtin translators with 22 languages. It speaks russian. It speaks korean. And your mom is doing well . Shes great. Thanks for asking. Live long and prosper. Next, pet myths. u u u uatatatat were headed up to oregon to visit my parents. The riveras are taking their first family vacation. [ dad ] hey, do you guys want to see the largest artichoke ever grown . [ kids ] artichoke artichoke they needed some tools to help them keep track of their spending along the way. Wells fargo checking with mobile banking lets them check their balance wherever they happen to be. The widest one or the tallest one . The closest. The closest. Well, if you got the 4wheel drive, you could go down this road here. [ mom ] i think were lost. [ dad ] its ok. Well find some other big vegetable. [ male announcer ] wells fargo. With you when life is mobile. Romeo, oh, romeo. Thats his name. And he wears it well. Have you ever opened up your email, found a message screaming, this is not a myth . Its a story about a scam or a dangerous product. Pet owners get loads of them. Horror stories that can befall your pet and be dangerous around the house. A lot of it is not true. Americas favorite veterinarian and our favorite, dr. Marty becker is back to do mythbusting. We were talking about chocolate. The notion, dont give chocolate to your pet. Im a licensed veterinarian. Last week, a patient had a chocolate shchip cookie. A tenpound dog has to eat three ounces, thats a large chocolate bar. A 100pound dog could have to eat two pounds. The darker the chocolate, the smaller the dog, the worse the problem. But not the risk people think it is. All right. Next, they are all over the place. The myths about the wetjet and what it can do. Febreze and wetjet. Get it on their paws. They lick it off, it could cause kissny problems. Some people said there was antifreezelike substances in this product. The aspca tested it. No problem on either product. No problem whatsoever . No problem whatsoever. He just yawned. Hes just a little over it. The next thing, this is something i heard since i was a kid. Poinsettias at christmastime. Every year it comes out. They cause nothing more than a little stomach irritation at the worst. Theyre kept on the list. And were going to talk about something thats a big danger. Its not poinsettias. And certain foods. A lot of rounds on the internet about certain products to stay away from. But you say you cant believe everything you read. Pet foods, there was a pet food recall. There was a supplier that had melamine that was toxic. They are perfectly safe. What you need to do, though when you feed your pet, wash your hands. After youre done playing with the pet, wash your hands. Dont mix human bowls and pet bowls together. Dont wash them in the same sink. Okay. Heres where we make the transition. If you havent heard about this, you should. This is where you have to listen up. This is really where you see danger. First of all, people think frying pans. How is this going to do anything . Nonstick pans, at a certain temperature, they release a chemical. You dont know what temperature it is. Its not a problem for dogs or cats. Its a problem for birds. If you have birds, dont have them in the kitchen or near the kitchen. And dont have nonstick pans in your house, period. Not to dogs or cats . Not to dogs or cats. But lethal to birds. And lilies. Who knew . Dont they smell good . For cats especially. We have a saying, lilies are lethal. The easter lilies and the lilies outside. The cats are attracted to the smell. Theyll eat a little of the leaves. Causes kidney failure. Dont have them around if you have kids. Lilies are lethal. Easy enough. Next up, what do you have . It looks like ive taken the contents out of my aunt theresas purse. She loves sugarfree gum. Xylitol is lethal. One stick of gum for a cat or dog is lethal. It causes a drop in blood sugar. Dogs like this can smell out termites and mold and bugs. They have a great sniffer. Dont have anything with xylitol around pets. And lastly . Lastly, flea and tick control products. The number two category after human medications for animal poison control, these are safe as directed. People will take a dog product and use it on a cat. Theyll take a large dog product and split it up. Talk to your veterinarian about what product is best for your pet and you will be fine. All right. And the real stars of the segment, romeo and pringle. Theyre both up for adoption. We want to thank the Humane Society of new york for bringing them both. And romeo wont get much bigger. And pringle . They will get bigger. You can adopt them. Abcnews. Com gma. Coming up next on good morning america, got sportsmanship. Them. Eis no todays edition of americas family, i love that music. We look at sportsmanship. A new survey of Young Athletes show disturbing attitudes toward fair play. 79 surveyed do not think sportsmanship is important. 81 say they would rather win than play fairly. Skip bayless, host of espns first take, is looking at the athletes creed, something to instill sportsmanship. He joins us from the headquarters of espn, in bristol, connecticut. A lot of the figures disturbed you. What is this about trashtalking, skip . Champion athleticwear helped me to write this athletes creed, which is a belief system, designed to help us reclaim what we used to cherish about playing sports. And in so doing, i became aware of the statistics you just mentioned. 86 surveyed. 1,500 athletes, aged 18 to 30. 86 said trash talk is now on the rise. And all these stats astonish me and made me very sad, robin. This is very dear to my heart. I feel a little complicit. I feel a little guiltier. Every day on my sports debate show, we talk about and mostly criticize, taunting, trashtalking, cheating in sports. But in so doing, do we glorify it by paying so much attention to it . I think the answer to that is a big yes. We have to look at ourselves. Youre right. Youre being honest about that, skip. 73 believe its only cheating if you get caught. Just astonishing to me. And weve gone through this era of steroids in baseball. And i dont know whether Roger Clemens is guilty or not. I know that a whole lot of people assume that he is guilty. And i guess were going to find that out in a court of law. But we have a whole generation of parents, im assuming, who put Roger Clemens on the highest mountain, the highest pedestal, a john wayne of that generation sports fans. Now, the kids look to their parents. And this burden falls foremost on them. And the kids say, mommy and daddy love Roger Clemens. But even he resorted to using performanceenhancing drug, or we believe. Thats where it starts. As kids go back to school, now, robin, it seems incumbent upon the parents to establish first of this. How can they establish a new theme here . How can you teach kids to compete with all your heart and soul, but to respect the game . To respect your opponent . To respect the coaches, and certainly the officials, the referees, the umpires who govern your game . Thats a good way of defining what sportsmanship should be for our game. The Little League world series. I love seeing this. Theyre highfiving each other. Congratulating one another. There are bright spots were seeing, skip. There are, robin. Im with you. I love to watch the Little League world series, if for nothing else, to watch them shake hands after the game. It looks genuine. It looks like they played their hearts out, but they still respected their opponents because it was their opponent that gave them the chance to succeed on this international stage. Good for them. And i hope that sets a resounding, positive example for todays kids. And you think drew brees is another fine example for our young kids, too. I do. A guy who obviously plays his heart out, as sort of an overachiever, if you will. A guy knocked around, dumped by san diego. And barely landed a job with new orleans. But drew has always respected the game. Respects his opponents. I think derek jeter does that. I think tim duncan in the nba has won four rings and three finals mvps and two regular season mvps, robin. But he always respected the game and his opponents to the point that we dismiss him as kind of a boring superstar. Hes not a lebron, who, by the way, has been known to chest beat and pose after shots and sort of rub it in and taunt his opponents. You bring up so many excellent points. And a lot of things for us to think about, especially as children are heading back to school. Always good to spend a little time with you, skip. Thank you, robin. Give my best to everybody there, on the mothership, back there at espn. And you can read the athletes creed. Go to our website, abcnews. Com gma. And well be right back. Hands touch some germy stuff. And those germs can end up on your soap pump. Fact your soap pump can harbor hundreds of bacteria. Introducing the new lysol notouch hand soap system. It senses hands and dispenses soap that kills 99. 9 of bacteria to help stop the spread of germs. Plus, its enriched with moisturizing ingredients. All to help keep your hands healthy. The lysol notouch hand soap system. Never touch a germy soap pump again. Juju, the menfolk, they are getting a little nurturing. They really are. Pringle. Thats pringle. I think the message board and the phone calls are going to start right after this show. They can be adopted. They say the cat and the dog arent going to get much bigger. I love it. Its the chihuahua. Sams made a Love Connection over there. Tomorrow morning well be on the gulf coast, and in new orleans. And lady antebellum. Have a great day, everyone. Advantage topical solution treats dogs. barking but destroys fleas. So ask your veterinarian for advantage, the flea specialist for gentle, but effective, flea control. Just a few simple ingredients and greattasting Mission Flour tortillas make fabulous chicken fajitas, warm and yummy breakfast burritos and seriously tasty tacos. Youll find these budgetminded recipes and more ways to save at missionmenus. Com. Great meals start with Delicious Mission flour tortillas. Mission. Tasty tortillas. Fresh ideas. This morning Oakland Police are investigating the shooting death of a 13yearold boy who was about to start high school. It happened last night around 9 30 at bancroft and 67 avenue. Our media partner the oakland tribune reports the victim has been identified as jamar clark. He was a champion sprinter and relay team runner. The shooter killed clark then ran off with his wallet but investigators have not confirmed that. Police have not released descriptions. This is the 56th homicide of the year. Bigtime cooling trend. Free a. C. Back. 10 degrees cooler in after on the low end 64. Santa rosa 23 degrees cooler, around 80. Oakland at 70. Mid to upper 70s throughout the bay, low 80s the south bay and mid to upper 80s in the east bay valleys. Comfortable tonight with temperatures 50s and 60s and another 10 to 15 degrees cooler by the time saturday rolls around. Megan. Good morning. Expect delays commuting on southbound 680 through Contra Costa County this morning. Traffic is heavy as you make your way into the san ramon valley. Head 101 heading southbound. Drive time from 37 to 580 about 20 minutes. We have a crash northbound 101. The left la i