this? what's their plan to turn things around? as the republican challengers turn up the heat. tv tragedy. "the real housewives" emotional premiere. after losing one of their own, did the show push russell armstrong over the edge? what really happened when the cameras stopped rolling in beverly hills? ballroom boycott? when your eyes are smiling... you're smiling. this morning, chaz bono is taking on his critics, live. and when they're laughing... why he says america needs to see him dance. you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. good morning, everyone. ask your eyecare professional welcome back from labor day. which transitions lenses are right for you. welcome to our new downstairs studio. we didn't move far. we came down. >> did you know that we were on, josh? you're sitting with the back over there. >> if you don't move, they'll accept you as one of their own. >> anyway, josh. you've got the audience. >> hi, everybody. >> hey. >> that's wonderful. we finally made it to broadway. >> absolutely. and josh will give us a tour in just a little bit. but we have a lot of news to get to first, including those monster fires burning in texas and california. in texas, almost 500 homes destroyed now. firefighters trying to put out massive blazes. that land is so parched in texas. now, those blazes in california, too. miles of dry land on fire. we're live on the front lines. >> we certainly are. and we also have an amazing story, george. a 12-year-old's remarkable comeback after being pulled underwater after a dangerous millbrae could be the next city to put it's safety in the riptide for almost 20 minutes. remember this? his church group was on the hands of the santa clara county beach praying for him. one young girl risked her own sheriff's office. millbrae does not have the life to help rescue him. $410,000 it needs to pay for a now, he and his parents will fully staffed police force. share their story. city council has voted in favor of asking the san mateo county it's a "gma" exclusive. sheriff's office for a policing >> it is a miracle. >> it is. proposal. mike is here with the forecast. but first, let's get to that >> temperatures nearly 10-15 severe weather we've been watching. flood watches and warnings from maine to mississippi. degrees warmer than yesterday. dozen of tornadoes have touched down since the weekend. the south, hit hard again overnight. abc's steve osunsami is in canton, georgia, with the latest on all this. good morning, steve. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the tornadoes came like boxcars on a railroad. one after another. this neighborhood was hit twice. the high winds tore a humongous hole in the side of this business. they make church pews here. this place was left in shambles. these violent storms struck hundreds of families here, whose homes were flattened, cut in half by giant trees. roofs and walls shredded like paper. >> it sounded like a long thunder. then, it was over. >> reporter: this father grabbed his kids. then, told them to hold on tight. >> i was in the room with my kids. we start to see the wind. >> reporter: richard darby says it felt like a huge crane was crushing his house. >> one piece. we can fix all this up later. as long as we have our life, is all that matters. >> reporter: the storm is deadly. a man in mississippi drowned while trying to cross a creek. and in alabama, authorities have called off the search for a missing swimmer. just outside atlanta, police are still searching for a 29-year-old who was swept into the fast-moving creek by high winds. today, they plan to drag the river, searching for his body. this is a combination of tropical storm lee, and a cold front from the north. and it's still throwing punches. spawning tornadoes in georgia, florida and north carolina. and raining down 15 inches in some places. in chattanooga, drivers had to be pulled from their cars. in jackson, mississippi, homes were flooded. and firefighters had to carry women and children to safety. >> we've been pretty busy all morning, making sure that the residents were safe. >> reporter: much of this region remains under a flash flood watch this morning. robin and george? >> okay, steve. thanks very much. boy, there is no relief in sight. sam is with us now. whole east coast in for a soaking. >> yeah, take a look at the graphic here. there's 20 states in flood watches or warnings out of this system. it's all the tropical moisture. by the way, if i look a little unusual now, it's because i'm working with my left hand. i just want to say, i never -- this is the first time. anything can happen right now. as we watch all this moisture kind of move up in this, we'll notice the heaviest rain from the carolinas, all the way to pennsylvania. that's four to five inches of additional rain. the real problem comes when you get into western new york state also into pennsylvania here. that's the area that was flooding last week. they're so saturated, that they rain will pop the flooding right back up. we think the passaic and other rivers will be up by midweek. this is a two-day system here. this could be 8 to 12 inches of rain in the areas in red. quick look at katia. this is the one storm in the atlantic that is a category 4. we were very concerned about. right now, the hurricane center has it at 400 miles friday and saturday of the east coast. but we'll watch that carefully. >> it looks like it's pushing out east. >> going to make a turn here. at 7:30, we'll explain why it makes a turn. and texas is where they could really use some of that rain. wildfires burning up parts of the lone star state. abc's ryan owens is on the front lines in bastrop county, texas. and, ryan, firefighters really have their work cut out for them, don't they? >> reporter: good morning, robin. they really do. this should be a pivotal day for firefighters. it's much cooler today. there are no winds. all good news for those crews who may begin to get control, because, right now, they have none. even by texas standards, this wildfire is enormous. a wall of smoke and flames, 16 miles long, 4 miles wide. one official calls the blaze a monster. it's forced 5,000 people to evacuate and devoured nearly 500 homes. >> our house is completely gone. >> reporter: one of those belonged to dan hugo and his family. this veteran returned from war a month ago. this morning, this is what he had to come home to. >> i did a year in afghanistan. just got home. and here we are. >> reporter: his family spent most of labor day at this shelter, one of five now home to hundreds and their pets. everybody says it's the not knowing that's the worst part. can you talk about that a little bit? >> well -- >> it's nerve-racking because you don't know if you have a home to go home to or not. >> reporter: texas governor, rick perry, cut short a presidential campaign appearance in south carolina to fly home. >> i have seen a number of big fires in my life. this one is as -- this is as mean-looking as i've ever seen. >> reporter: and it's not just this blaze, about 30 miles east of austin. roughly 35 other fires are actively burning across this drought-stricken state. and the only way to fight some of them is from the air. so many texans pray tropical storm lee would bring rain here. instead, only gusty winds that made this state's most active fire season ever that much worse. >> it's petrifying. it's just like a bad movie, really. >> reporter: just how bad has the fire season here been? listen to this, since december, the state has lost 3.5 million acres to fires. that is roughly the size of the state of connecticut. robin? >> they're having a tough time this summer. all right, ryan. thanks so much. we're going to turn to politics now, robin. a brand-new abc news/"washington post" poll, that has some of the most dismal numbers yet for president obama. a majority of americans, 53%, disapprove of the job he's doing as president. that's the worst rate of his presidency. even more americans, 62%, think the president's doing a bad job on the economy, of course. are you worse off now than you were four years ago? one in three americans now they say are worse off financially since president obama took office in 2009. this all adds up to 77% of americans saying the country is headed on the wrong track. no president has ever been re-elected with that high of a wrong track number. let's bring in our team. jake tapper at the white house, and jon karl in columbia, south carolina. jon, let me begin with you. because the news is not good for the gop. 68% of americans disapprove of the job the republicans in congress are doing. one question all of the candidates face, how do they separate themselves from that mess in washington? >> reporter: that's a great question. but as this race kicks into high gear, george, in light of those numbers for the president, republicans are more confident than ever that obama can be beaten. at a conservative forum in south carolina, the republican candidates took turns hammering president obama. >> i don't think i've ever seen an administration that's gone further afield of the constitution. >> this current administration is stealing from generations yet unborn. >> what would you change about our foreign policy? >> a lot. first, i'd have one. >> reporter: new front-runner, rick perry, skips the forum, racing back to texas to deal with the wildfires. but not before getting in a few shots on his rivals, especially mitt romney. >> there's one in particular that's created jobs all over the world. but while he was the governor of massachusetts, he didn't create very many jobs. >> reporter: perry's record on jobs in texas and his hard-line tea party rhetoric, have helped zoom him to the top of the polls. but perry is a former democrat, who is facing new scrutiny of his record, going all the way back to 1988, when he co-chaired al gore's presidential campaign. >> i just don't understand how someone can call themselves a reagan conservative when he wasn't for reagan or for the conservative movement at the time that reagan was there. >> reporter: with the actual candidates in south carolina, sarah palin wrapped up a four-day swing through iowa and new hampshire. it seemed designed to keep people guessing. >> we need people with a proven record of reform and who are willing to take on the tough challenges. to run into danger, if you will, not run away from it. >> i appreciate your encouragement. i do. >> reporter: no decision, yet, from palin. but in a message to supporters, she said, we'll see you again soon. late yesterday, there was a shakeup at the struggling campaign of michele bachmann. her campaign manager, long-time gop operative, ed rollins, is out. he's going to stay as an adviser to the campaign. but he told "the washington post" yesterday, quote, the perry/romney race is the story. >> jon, big news today from mitt romney. he's going to release his jobs plan, a 59-point plan? >> reporter: yeah. they're saying this is going to be an incredibly detailed plan. 160 pages or so. it's going to center on things like corporate tax breaks, cutting regulations and getting tougher with china on trade. but this is the centerpiece of the romney campaign. probably the most important day yet for him. >> okay, thanks. let's bring in jake tapper right now. the president has his jobs speech on thursday, jake. we got a preview of his political stump speech yesterday, kicking off the political campaign season on labor day. >> that's right. he spoke to the detroit labor council. he gave an impassioned defense of labor unions. and he talked about the jobs plan he'll present to the country on thursday. saying that he will present plans for job creation that both parties can get behind and support. and then, he challenged republicans, saying the time for games is over. >> we're going to see if we got some straight shooters in congress. we're going to see if congressional republicans will put country before party. show us what you got. >> reporter: and the idea here, george, is the president is trying to present himself as a nonpartisan leader, above the fray, challenging an obstructionist republican congress. that's his pitch. >> will that be enough? the brutal poll numbers in our poll this morning, difficult if not impossible, for an incumbent to win with numbers like these. what do they have to do to turn this around? >> reporter: two parts. first of all, it will be obama versus the republican congress. and i don't think you'll see a lot of cooperation from the republican congress, for whatever president obama proposes on thursday. that's going to, in their hopes, elevate him, show him above the fray. and then second, if you go deeper into the poll numbers, you'll see the american people still do not hold president obama primarily responsible for the economic crisis. and the white house hopes there is room to talk about the republican nominee as somebody who will propose plans that caused this crisis to begin with. >> okay, jake tapper. thanks very much. and on the heels of all that, we turn to the economy, george. world markets took a beating on monday. u.s. markets were closed for labor day, as you know. but a lot of people watching closely today, to see how markets here react. abc's bianna golodryga has been tracking the latest on this. what do you see so far? >> reporter: it's a new month with the same problems. investors are coming back from the summer break, facing the same issues they face going into their summer. let's talk about the jobs report friday. zero jobs were added to the economy. that increases concerns that the global economy could go into a second recession. japan's down 2.2% overnight. europe is down a little bit. but of course, they took a beating yesterday. there's real concerns about another recession in europe. the debt woes still haven't been addressed there. there's rumors of a possible bank failure could be imminent. and markets are tightening, that has economists worried we could see a 2008 financial crisis happen again. but what happens in europe, can affect us here in the u.s. >> we know that all-too well. what are investors looking for here? >> reporter: they're really looking for policymakers to step up, in europe and in the u.s. they wanted something more, i believe, out of ben bernanke, than just keeping interest rates at zero. they want something big from the president. and something feasible that can pass. >> we'll see what happens this week. let's turn now to josh elliott, for the other top stories. >> away we go. we're going to begin today with new questions about the whereabouts of moammar gadhafi. namely, has he fled libya altogether? a caravan of soldiers was seen crossing the desert into the neighboring country of niger. it's unclear if they were defecting troops or if gadhafi was with him. a spokesperson insists that gadhafi remains in libya. meanwhile, thousands of rebels are gathering outside his few, remaining strongholds, preparing an all-out attack. the white house says the capture of a man dubbed al qaeda's foreign minister, shows the relationship between the cia and pakistan is healthy once again. younis al mauritani was in allegedly in charge of plots of economic targets in the united states. a tense and bizarre hostage situation in australia this morning. he smashed a window, taunted police before holding up a wig, worn by australian judges and lawyers. he was finally arrested 12 hours later when police broke into the building. thankfully, his daughter was not hurt. meanwhile, back in this country, the man who runs the postal service heads to capitol hill today, hat in hand. he's asking congress to approve changes in how your mail is delivered. the post office is in such deep debt, it can't make its pension fund payment this month. so, to save money, it wants to stop saturday mail delivery, close more offices and scale back retiree health payments. finally, we can all breathe a bit easier this morning. wait until you see what's been caught. it's this guy. a 21-foot crocodile, who has been terrorizing a village in the philippines. it may be the biggest croc ever caught in the wild. i don't know who is going to argue at this point. it took 100 people to drag him out of the creek. it's because he weighs a ton, literally. they needed a crane to haul him on that truck. the bad news is, they think there's an even bigger one out there. >> come on. >> do they really? >> they do. and i'll tell you what, if they catch that in my backyard, i'm working from home, inside. >> where is he going? >> it's an ecotourism park. he's going to be the centerpiece of it. they'd rather take the threat and make some money off of it. that's a two-story building with teeth. >> wow. >> it's not good. it's not good. >> were there lots of missing villagers? i don't know. are they like, we can't find bob. i don't know. hi, everybody. we're standing here in front of the numbers. this will be some very good news. from oklahoma city, into dallas, notice the number drop here. they are not triple-digits. it's not 100. it's 82 in oklahoma city. it's 85 in dallas. san antonio still coming in with 91 degrees. st. louis about 73. much cooler, much more pleasant air dropping into that area. here's where the heat holds on. palm springs, 102. l.a. at 91 degrees. a lot of warmth in the southwest. that's going to hold for a couple of days. we also draw your attention to the eastern seaboard, where the big thunderstorms are rolling in the carolinas to pennsylvania today. that's heavy rain in areas that are flooded and just don't need it. >> all of america's weather in the next half hour. you guys are great on television. in the old set, i had to watch you on a monitor. but now you're so much better in person. >> bring it here. cocome here, buddy. >> there you go. >> aw. >> i was going to say, he's easy to talk to. check this out, novak djokovic, number one player in the world at the u.s. open. he was checking out the superfan in the stands during his fourth round. there he is. cameron hughes. >> a superfan. >> that was not enough for djokovic. after the match, djokovic did a little happy dance of his own. ♪ i love new york. and novak djokovic -- that's not enough for him, huh? >> he won. he has every reason to dance. >> novak djokovic loves that spotlight. >> he loves it all. >> that's one of us. coming up on "gma," what really happened on "the real housewives"? reality show turned into a real-life tragedy. after terrifying calls, she speaks out this morning. s morning. g calls, she speaks out this mornin a living, breathing intelligence that's helping people rethink how they live. ♪ in here, video games are not confined to screens. ♪ excuse me, hi. my grandfather lived in this village. 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[ male announcer ] in here, friends leave you messages written in the air. that's it right there. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's the at&t network... a network of possibilities... and what's possible in here is almost impossible to say. ♪ ♪ exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. fresher less processed foods introducing freshpet vital recipes so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. ♪ [people caughing] the state supreme court will hear oral arguments on whether the back, of proposition 8 have the legal stand to go pursue an appeal. a federal judge ruled the ban was unconstitutional. governor and state attorney general have refused to appeal so the california supreme court must decide whether the backers of the initiative can represent the people of california in federal court. here is a look at the traffic. >> an accident in san francisco has 17th street between roosevelt and look at the bay bridge toll plaza, traffic is backed up well into the foot of the maze. >> when we come back, mike will >> when we come back, mike will ???????????????? when your eyes are smiling... >> when we come back, mike will ???????????????? you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. good morning, looking southbound from sutro tower, flight arrival delays but the fog should be short-lived. 49 in oakland, 48 in novato. thicker fog around santa rosa, visibility is down quarter to half a mile. check out the heat this afternoon. san francisco, 70 but low to mid-80s around the bayshore, upper 80s to low 90s in the east bay valleys. warmest day tomorrow. thank you very much. the news continues now with switching to progressive could mean hundreds more in your wallet year after year. feed me! saving you money -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. you know, for better or worse, this is about as real as reality tv gets. that's taylor armstrong, right there. her husband, russell armstrong, killed himself, which was all part of "the real housewives of beverly hill" and last night, on the premiere, the cast actually sat down and addressed the suicide. we'll have a lot more on that coming up. we say good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> i'm robin roberts. would they reedit part of the show. >> we'll show that. a new twist for amanda knox. she's back in court. but this time, the prosecution is under fire. the forensics of her case under scrutiny right now. are these the details that could spell freedom for amanda knox? and chaz bono is taking on all of the backlash for him being on "dancing with the stars." he's going to answer critics this morning. first, let's get right to the new season of "the real housewives of beverlyhills," kicking off last night. viewers waited to see how the cast would handle the shocking death of estranged husband of one of the stars. and andrea canning is here to talk about the big premiere. >> reporter: this felt like a real reality show for once. so many of the shows get acued of being sort of scripted. this was very raw. the first several minutes of the show was taped on august 29th and dealt directly with the suicide of taylor armstrong's estranged husband, russell. the housewives could be seen sitting together, sharing their emotional reactions to the tragedy. the rest of the show were scenes shot six months ago, but were reedited, to deal with the suicide. >> she needs us more than ever. >> reporter: an emotional and uncharacteristically somber introduction to reality tv's most-anticipated season premiere. "the real housewives of beverly hills" cast, gathered at adrienne maloof's home last week to discuss the suicide of armstrong. >> there's so many men who their wives leave them and they don't kill themselveses. you can't feel responsible for that. nobody can. it was his choice. >> i've gone from, you know, feeling really sad to, at times, i felt very angry. you knkn, wanting him to think it's a very selfish act. >> reporter: armstrong did not leave a note. but members of the show speculated financial difficulties may have led to his suicide. >> i think in the town where we live in, where your financial status is so important, that there's this need to keep up this front of what you have. >> reporter: last night's controversial episode aired on bravo just three weeks after taylor armstrong's estranged husband took his life. >> they think it's the right decision to continue on with the show. but to make some changes in the edit room. and that means to edit out a lot russell's appearances. >> reporter: last season, millions watch the couple's marriage unravel. >> i feel so disconnected. and i think it's so busy in his mind, worrying about the bills. >> reporter: taylor armstrong did not appear in the premiere's introduction. but was involved in one of the show's most tense moments, filmed before russell's passing. >> we're so deep into psychotherapy, i'm sick of myself. >> if i had to go to see a therapist to make my marriage better, i would feel week. >> can i stop crying? >> that is telling us that they're not going to cut out every, single part of this story. >> reporter: the show's producers have said that russell won't be seen in t t first few episodes that have been edited. but taylor's story will continue to unfold throughout the season. obviously, a very fragile woman. >> andrea, thanks so much. we turn, now, to the amanda knox trial. the forensic and dna evidence that could hold the key to her freedom was front and center today. elizabeth vargas who has been covering t t story since the beginning is here now. you're seeing the defense of it. >> absolutely. this week, the minuscule dna evidence used to convict amanda knox, after a blistering critique of the evidence and how the police handled the crime scene. the star witness was in court to defend herself and to keep knox behind bars. but after nearly four years, this could be amanda knox's last month in prison. amanda knox have been transformed from the hopeful 20-year-old who arrived in this medieval city to study italian, to a peal and fragile-looking veteran of the italian court. >> i'm know that amanda's glad it started back up. and the independent experts have really pointed out some very serious errors in the original investigation. >> reporter: amanda listened as police forensic investigator took the stand. she insisted proper procedures were followed in collecting and analyzing the dna so crucial in convicting knox and her then-boyfriend raffaele sollecito. her work was attacked earlier when two independent court-appointed experts gave their review of the evidence. they lambasted the evidence collection, severely undermining the prosecution's case. >> those two experts have conclusively determineddhat the evidence was likely compromised, likely contaminated. and that the testing that has actually employed on the alleged dna fell below internationally accepted standards. >> reporter: the experts said the knife said to be the murder weapon contained too small a sample of amanda's dna even to be retested and should never have been introduced as evidence. as for the bra clasp of the victim, believed to have sollecito's dna, it seemed to reveal her badling mishandling crucial piece of evidence. >> she came on. and she did her thing. and she taped herself doing all these crazy things. she had contaminated evidence. >> reporter: there were times when people in the court started laughing as they watched the videotape of her handling of the crime scene. laughing, like in shock. >> laughing like, boy, did you mess up. >> reporter: the forensic evidence of the scene points to one man, rudy guede. now, will the latest round of witnesses finally free amanda knox? >> there's been a change in italy. the revelation of how completely unfounded much of the evidence was. how completely contaminated much of the evidence was, has altered public opinion. i still think almost everybody was complicit in this guilty verdict. they all, basically, crucified an innocent person. >> reporter: the debate over that crucial dna evidence will continue this week, as a decision is expected b b the en of this month. that could finally set amanda knox free. the court will decide whether to overturn her conviction. >> but then, the prosecutors could do it again. >> in italy,he prosecution can appeal a second time. if they decide she's acquitted and they don't like the verdict, they can say we want another shot at this. >> elizabeth, thanks very much. let'ss get some weather fro sam. >> good morning, everyone. let's talk about katia. we could be looking at a very powerful hurricane, making its way right to the u.s. but if it weren't for lee. here's that flooding rain that's inland. and this low is dragging up. watch what happens with the jet stream here. the jet stream would normally be here. but you ve a long line with a powerful cold front. that's going to edge katia back to the ocean. we think it's going to make a turn and come very close, within 100 miles of the u.s. coastline. but not make an impact. if it weren't for all the flooding from lee, it would have made a direct impact there. here's the cold front moving through. cooler temperatures in new england. you're going to be in the 60s in new york, all the way into boston. very fall-like weather. out on the west coast is where >> and all of that weather was brought to you by ensure. george? >> thank you, sam. and coming up, we have the story of a tv model afraid for her life. now, she's speaking out about the stalker who is tracking her every move. 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[ male announcer ] the simple joy of a delicious breakfast. she's in a really good mood... ♪ [ cheers and applause ] "good morning america" rolls on from our times square studio in new york. now, a face on tv who says she fears for her life, from a stalker that is tracking her every move. abc's abbie boudreau has the latest and joins us this morning from los angeles. good morning, abbie. >> reporter: good morning, robin. claudia jordan says nothing will ever be the same after an obsessed fan began threatening her. now, she says all she wants is her life back. she's a former barker's beauty on "the price is right." she is a model and actress. she has appeared on "celebrity apprentice." now a new reality. she says an obsessed stalker is turning her life upside down. are you afraid for your life? >> i'm very afraid for my life. >> reporter: she claims he was arrested and is now in jail. jordan says she met the man at an event last year. >> he came to me. he had a suit on. he seemed, you know, like a clean-cut guy. >> reporter: she says he told her they shared a mutual friend. so, she gave him her phone number. but she never called him back. about two weeks ago, he became aggressive. >> he made mention of my blood. and the aroma a my blood drawing him to me. an he can't help himself. >> reporter: this is a voicemail, she says he left on her cell phone. >> you want to go to [ bleep ] to police. write a check for $25,000 and i'll leave you the [ bleep ] alone. >> i feel he is capable of really hurting me. >> reporter: she says he wrote her about 70 or 80 text messages in 2 weeks. claudia, you can run but you can't hide. you have to come to god at some point. >> i have a knife, a butcher knife, underneath my mattress. that's really no way to live. >> there's 3.5 million individuals over the age of 18 stalked in the united states. it's a huge problem. >> reporter: security expert, brad garrett, says celebrities are even more at risk. this video from april, shows when paris hilton came face-to-face with her stalker, the kind of encounter jordan never wants to experience. >> he basically threatened to rape me or kill me. so, i have to take it seriously. >> reporter: this is changing your whole life. >> yeah. it is. >> reporter: we did reach out to the l.a. county sheriff's department. they had no comment regarding this investigation. and, robin, claudia says her alleged stalker may be out of jail as early as tomorrow. she says, i hope i'm doing everything that i can to protect myself. but she's not sure she can do enough. >> and millions of people going through this all across the country. abbie, thank you. thanks so much. coming up, chaz bono speaking out live. firing back at his critics who say he should not be on "dancing with the stars" this season. ♪ [ gertrude ] you do look good. 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[ male announcer ] each of these photos was taken by someone on the first morning of their retirement. it's the first of more than 6,000 sunrises the average retiree will see. ♪ as we're living longer than ever before, prudential's challenge is to help everyone have the retirement income they'l'lneed to enjoy every one of their days. ♪ prudential. bring your challenges. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. you may have noticed something different about the set today. not that we're so close on the couch. >> hey. my feet is touch the ground. i'm happy about that. >> yay. >> we're down, ground floor, of times square. if you will allow me, i'm going to do my best christopher walken. if you look over here, we have a kitchen. you know, i always want to whip up a souffle mid segment seven. ongoing. it's actually hot. excuse me. on my way. have stuff going on here. this, of course, the touch-screen. get a little jam on. i have my drum set going. and this is like christopher walken. come with me, people. and we're out. [ cheers and applause ] look up here. we have a new smart screen. and a new ticker. you're going to see up on the big board. and then, my people. [ cheers ] look at it. it's the cross section of the world. chaz bono, the ballroom bustout is coming up. ok -- i've got ground turkey, i've got bell peppers so he'd plug it into the recipe builder and it just pulls up tons of recipe options. laura's very competitive, whenever i was beating her in weight loss numbers -- i always was winning in percentage. i am a little competitive. together we lost 162 pounds. i don't know if you've noticed, but look at this guy. [ female announcer ] join now and get one month free. hurry, offer ends september 17th. weight watchers online. finally, losing weight clicks. weight watchers online. and, just like toddlers, puppies need food mamadeor them. that's why there's purina puppy chow... with allllhe essential nutrients your growing puppy needs. purina puppy chow. when your eyes are smiling... you're smiling. and when they're laughing... you're laughing. be kind to your eyes... with transitions lenses. transitions adapt to changing light so you see your whole day comfortably... and conveniently while protecting your eyes from the sun. ask your eyecare professional which transitions lenses are right for you. survivors of the san bruno natural gas explosion are set to announce their support this morning for passage of a state pipeline safety bill by this friday's one-year anniversary. the measure would require pg&e to install remote shut-off valves along high pop playing areas and prevent the utility from passing along any fines imposed by regulators to rate payers. forecast now. >> we probably have another three hours of low clouds. big spread from 70 in san francisco to low to mid 90s in the east bay valleys. even warmer tomorrow. >> slow and go ride as you make your approach to golden gate bridge. an accident has the right lane blocked near the north towl in the southbound zblex news continues now with "good morning america." [ cheers and applause ] the crowd right outside is lolong it. and i think it's faiaito say ththere's never be this much controversy on "dancing with the stars," before the season began. >> that is saying something. >> that is saying something. we're talking about chaz bono, his pick to be on "dancing with the stars." it's lit up online. creating all kinds of buzz. he's smiling now. he's going to join us live to take on the ballroom backlash. >> cher isn't -- sent some lively tweets. looking forward to hearing from chaz again. you play a mean drum. we're going to have country music star, jake owen. >> as you should. >> it's a big morning for country music. the cma nominations come out. you're going to see them live right here. and we have young country stars joining us for the big reveal. we have the band perry. and that man right there, jake owen. >> i love it. looks good. sounds good. also, could this be the ultimate comeback kid? a 12-year-old who escaped a deadly riptide, after being almost getting lost at sea. a 12-year-old girl racing to rescue him. now, he is sharing his amazing recovery in a "gma" exclusive. >> amazing. went under water. this is an incredible story. josh, let's have some news -- >> we're going to begin. >> sam has to go over there. >> go over there. nearly half of the country under a flood watch or warning this morning, as sam well knows, from louisiana to maine. violent tornadoes striking the deep south overnight. three in the atlanta area alone. and at least three people have been swept away in flash floods triggered by tropical storm lee. in a moment, sam will have more on where the storm is headed now. meanwhile, people in central texas have the opposite problem. it's too dry. more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed by wildfire in the last week alone. 600 destroyed by one burn burning southeast of austin this morning. and in southern california, at least three wildfires are burning there. one sparked by a small plane crash, has destroyed a dozen homes. turning to the economy now, americans by a 2-1 margin, say president obama's economic policies have done more harm than good. that's result of a new abc news/"washington post" poll, showing a majority of americans disapprove of president obama's job performance. republicans in congress, well, they aren't fairing any better. at least not in the court of public opinion. 68% of americans are unhappy with the job that they are doing. meanwhile, republican presidential hopeful, mitt romney, is unveiling his economic plan today. he wants to lower the corporate tax rate and eliminate capital gains taxes for the middle class. and that florida teenager who duped hospital workers and patients into thinking he was a physician's assistant has been released from jail. but his fate is in the air this morning as he heads to court to face felony charges. here's more, now, from abc's matt gutman. >> reporter: he spent days seeing patients. faking his way into a hospital e.r. a wannabe doogie howser, say police. >> i come in here, an emergency, expecting a qualified physician. and i get a 16-year-old kid. >> reporter: but matthew scheidt faces five felony charges. the question is, why did he do it? >> this is beyond any imagination. >> reporter: but his grandfather, thomas scheidt, tells abc news, there might be something in matthew's past that led to this elaborate hoax. his grandmother was a nurse. >> he might have done a little playing around with my wife as an r.n. >> reporter: he says matthew recently dropped out of high school, and that he has a history of lying. >> he ain't right upstairs. he needs some psychiatric help. >> reporter: now, the court will have to decide what happens to matthew next. >> throw him intoo prison withot the help first, you might as well take him out and shoot him. >> reporter: for "good morning america," matt gutman, abc news. finally, i have to conscientiously object to this. it's a tough hititor a cheerleader in south carolina. what does she expect? she's on the sidelines of a football game. and this guy hits her. and he knocks her down. he is trying to hold her up. this happens a half-dozen times, roberts, during every football game? in related news, orange juice comes from oranges. i mean, you know? keep one eye on the field. simone gray, not seriously hurt at all. she does say, though, she definitely expects an apology from the player. we'll all hold o o breath for that one. >> it's obvious he tried to -- >> he tried to hold her up. a little out of control. >> what does she need the apology for? >> i don't know, george. i i ve a lot of news to get to. i'll work on that in the next hour. let's get some pop news from lara. >> here we go. let's get to our "poponews heat index." come on. new studio. let's hit it. we begin with this today. rachel zoe is coming on the show. we need a little fashion history lesson to get us up to speed. it is a look at 100 years of style in 100 seconds. this ad for a london shopping center has gone viral. in it, a couple boogied their way through a century worth of looks, spanning from 1911 to 2011. prim and proper. they somehow even managed to make the '80s look not completely horrible. very cool, right? never seen an ad so cool. next up, guess who is coming to vegas? party-loving prince harry. and it wasn't even his idea. yeah. his recent trip to croatia was play time. but vegas is part of his military duty, sort of. reportedly in the helicopter training the prince is doing here in the u.s., it is tradition for the pilots to spend 48 hours in sin city. you know, we know how the royal family does appreciate tradition. so, you can understand that. >> vegas may be a military euphemism. >> yes. i have to go on military assignment. and remember planking? people posting pictures of themselves laying flat with their arms at their sides? planking is so first half of 2011. now, the new thing is batmanning. it requires hanging upside down. the idea comes for the -- the brain trust ofofurdue university students batmanning all over campus. please note, if you participate in this trend -- a reminder, josh, if you fail, you fall on your head. >> if i try batmanning, i'm going to kill myself. we won't be trying that on television. >> it's a law of gravity. finally, we want to congratulate harbor, the dog from colorado. he has the longest ears on dogs. call him the dumbo of the doug world. his ears span 13 1/2 inches on the right. 12 1/2 inches on the right. his ears are the same size when harper was a puppy. it gives new meaning to the phrase, here, boy. thank you very much. >> that's horrible. >> that just melted your heart right there. now, we have to find sam. >> sammy? here, boy. here, boy. >> just check the windows. let's turn around and show you from here. this is so much better for the audience. i wanted you to say -- big good morning, everybody. we are actually protected here. the old way, we used to have to stand outside. now, we have something over us here. even the showers don't bother us. hi, how are you guys? >> hi. >> where are you from? >> el paso, texas. >> you look at me like you don't know. are you okay? >> yeah. el paso, texas. >> and your name? >> amanda. >> you know him? >> i picked him up along the way. >> joe. >> gave you a little cover here. good view of the show. let's get to the boards. one or two things going on we want to tell you about. we're going to start with pictures of pdd. both of these areas are getting good amount of showers, all the way up the eastern seaboard. and philadelphia will get pounded with rain over the next couple of days this week. watch -- wait. you have to wait. no, now he's leaving. all right. sorry. josh just came out to visit us. that's the weather around the nation. >> there are lots of secrets about our new set. nice to see you, josh. back to lara. >> stay here. you're such a ham. all right. here's a look at what's ahead on the "gma morning menu." coming up, chaz bono, live. taking on the critics who want him out of the ballroom and off "dancing with the stars." also, superstylist, rachel zoe is here, with the scoop on her new show. and she is rounding up the fall's hottest looks. and the cma award nominations are just ahead. will taylor swift get a cmcmnod? you'll find out, when we announce them live, only on "gma." get a cma nod? you'll find out, when we announce them live, only on "gma." do you have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation, or afib, that's not caused by a heart valve problem? are you taking warfarin to reduce your risk of stroke caused by a clot? you should know about pradaxa. an important study showed that pradaxa 150mg reduced stroke risk 35% more than warfarin. and with pradaxa, there's no need for those regular blood tests. pradaxa is progress. pradaxa can cause serious, sometimes fatal, bleeding. don't take pradaxa if you have abnormal bleeding, and seek immediate medical care for unexpected signs of bleeding like unusual bruising. pradaxa may increase your bleeding risk if you're 75 or older, have kidney problems or a bleeding condition, like stomach ulcers. or if you take aspirin products, nsaids, or blood thinners. tell your doctor about all medicines you take, any planned medical or dental procedures, and don't stop taking pradaxa without your doctors approval, hd 3. upset, or burning. if you have afib not caused by a heart valve problem, ask your doctor if pradaxa can reduce your risk of a stroke. for more information or help paying for pradaxa, visit pradaxa.com. fresher less processed foods introducing freshpet recipes so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ male announcer ] but with pizza hut's tuscani tuesday, we have you covered! dinner made easy? 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[ cheers and applause ] big crowd out here in t tes square, for our first day in the new studio. we're going to turn, now, to the controversy stirred up by chaz bono being on "dancing with the stars." an online campaign to boycott dancing say it's just wrong to showcase the issue. we're live with chaz himself. but first, a look back at the debate so far. >> chaz bono. >> reporter: the buzz over chaz bono's choice as dancing's first transgender competitor, overshadowed by outraged outcry online from the american family association. >> we will not be able to watch the show with chaz on there. this is going to be very confusing for children and should not be included in their cast. >> reporter: with his dancing partner, lacey schwimmer, at his side, chaz addressed the furor. >> i'm glad i'm doing this. >> reporter: chaz's mother, cher, defended her son, on twitter to her thousands of followers. i support him no matter what he chooses to do, cher tweeted. later, bet vast majority will love chaz on dtws. and conrad green is having viewers to bring an open mind. >> one of the great strengths of our show is your ability to have preconceived ideas about people. but when you see them on the show, you might end uppith different opinions about them. and chaz bono joins us live from los angeles. thanks for getting up early this morning, chaz. >> thanks for having me. >> are you surprised by all this? >> you know, to be honest, i really haven't been paying that much attention to it. i'm really kind of just focused on dancing and enjoying everything that's happening. and i think everybody else -- it's a much biggerreal to everybody else than it is to me. >> you have tremendous powers of focus. i congratulate you on that. in that piece right there, you said that america needs to see this. what does america need to see? >> well, i mean, you know, that i'm just a regular guy. that these ideas of children shouldn't watch me. i'm going to be confusing. all this stuff, it's crazy. and for all of the, you know, kids and teens out there with gender disforya, i think it's going to have a real positive impact. i know w wn i was growing up, if i had seen somebody like me on a show like this, it would have made all the difference in the world in my life. >> how do you respond to the campaign by the one million moms? i want to read part of their boycott e-mail. they say we feel abc needs to be politically correct. abc has pushed the line, pushing the lbgt agenda, into what some families would consider safe entertainment. you say it might have made the difference to you, when you were young. but what about this idea that maybe it's too much, too soon, for a lot of kids to handle? >> i'm going to be dancing. i'm not going to be up there talking about anything other than dancing. you know, and people who don't have gender disforya aren't going to catch it by watching me dance on television. >> how is the dancing going? i heard you lost five pounds in the first six rehearsals? >> yeah, i have. i think i'm down like eight pounds now. it's a lot of fun. it's a lot of hard work. it's very challenging. but i've been enjoying it. >> what's your best dance so far? >> well, we're working on our first dance right now. so, we worked on two dances. but we're working on our first dance right now. and yeah. it's going really well. >> that's good to hear. look forward to having lacey join you in the future. wanted to talk about your mom, cher. she's been outspoken. you have spoken about the difficulty she had early on with you coming out on all this. but, boy. she is taking on the critics right now. she says, as a culture, we don't understand transgender. but imagine, you wake tomorrow, a different sex. try and feel it. leave my child alone. that must have made you feel good. >> it does. i mean, i really appreciate it. and she's -- you know, she's just been amazing. >> where is this coming from? >> from being a mom. you know? nothing to get a mom onboard than, you know, talking badly about their kid. >> you think there's any chance she can join you on the show at some point? >> you know, we'll see. i hope to see her there. >> it would be great to see. we're looking forward to seeing you dance. i know you have a couple more weeks before the premiere. >> two more weeks, yes. >> what's the biggest thing you have to work on? >> probably just, like, my stamina. i've been pretty good betting the steps down. so, i think it's just stamina, getting that up, going into it. >> and you say you just want to come out there and dance. and we're looking forward to seeing you dance. what do you say to the critics who say you are very self-consciously promoting some kind of political agenda? >> i tell them to watch the show and -- you know. decide after that. >> it's not going to happen? >> that i'm going to be pushing -- it's a dancing show. you know? i mean, look. i've gone on many talk shows and talked about transgender issues. and did the documentary. wrote a book. but actually, on this show, i'm just going to be dancing. >> and what's your prediction? who is going to be the toughest one to beat? >> you know, it's really hard to tell. we've been talking about that a lot. there's -- this season, it's really hard to see a front runner or who's going to be good and who's not? i think i'm really not going to know until that first night, along with everybody else. >> we're looking forward to seeing you dance. that first night is september 19th. "dancing with the stars" premiere at 8:00, 7:00 central. thank you, chaz, very much. >> thanks for having me. now, to a "gma" exclusive. a 12-year-old's amazing survival story. dragged underwater by a deadly riptide. then, a rescue. he's recovering now. and abc's neal karlinsky sat down with dale and his family. >> hand it to your dad. good job. >> reporter: for 12-year-old dale ostrander's family, what we're seeing is nothing short of a miracle. >> all right. yay. od job. >> reporter: because dale, running through yet another grueling day of therapy, was dead on a beach, less than a month earlier. no pulse, not breathing, nothing. today, he's walking, dressing himself, and learning to talk all over again. >> okay, dale. ready? we're going to count together. one. try and say -- one. >> two. >> two, good. >> three. >> very good. >> you can't get your mind around being dead for 20 minutes, 15, 20 minutes. and coming back. how do you get your mind around that? >> reporter: you feel like this is a miracle. >> absolutely. >> reporter: it was such an ordinary day, that afternoon last month, when dale went to the beach with his church group. his mother still remembers sending him off. >> he showed me a heart right before we go somewhere. so, i dropped him off. he did the heart. and i showed it back to him. >> reporter: but the currents were strong that day. and as dale waded in just a little, powerful riptide tugged his feet out from under him. >> dale was yelling, help, help, help. someone help me. >> reporter: 12-year-old nicole kissle, was fighting the waves when she ignored her own father's pleas to come ashore and went after dale. >> i grabbed the board. and several waves hit us. and he had absolutely told me that, we can make it. come on. let's go now. >> reporter: another wave toppled them both. and she lost him. while dale's friends prayed on the beach, rescue teams hit the powerful surf. >> he was fully clothed, wearing dark clothes. the ocean was dark. a tremendous amount of kelp. there was hope when we were seeing dark spots in the water. >> i told my rescue swimmer, he's right here. >> reporter: doug knutzen and eddie mendez are the men in that photo. >> he fell limp. he's a small boy. were certain we had had a fatality. >> reporter: still, they never gave up hope. >> two breaths. chest compressions, 130 a minute. >> reporter: was it the cold 56-degree water? the cpr? or something else? >> everyone was rooting for him. >> reporter: he doesn't speak much yet. but don't let that fool you. >> can you spell hear? h-e-a-r. high-five. >> excellent. good job. >> reporter: do you think he understands everything that we're saying? >> he understands everything. he hears everything. >> he gets frustrated because he can't communicate what he does hear and understand. it's frustrating. it's there. he has memory. he remembers his dog, peanut. >> reporter: doctors say his progress is remarkable. they look at this as a miracle. >> he's surprised a lot of people. he's m ming significant progress. where we're going to go from here, we don't know. >> reporter: he's begun to write aa little. i'm not hungry, in here in his notebook. and he knows what he wants. you want to get out of this hospital and go home? >> yes. >> reporter: i heard that. >> reporte his parents say they see signs of his old self coming back every day. perhaps none more powerful than the heart symbol he made his mom before heading to the beach. >> my guy. >> that's it. >> reporter: whatever he goes from here, dale's parents say their prayers have already been answered. for "good morning america," neal karlinsky, abc news, washington. we have superstar stylist, rachel zoe, coming up. being a mom, with a brand-new baby, to launching a fashion line. she'll talk to lara. we have the cma award nominations coming up, live, too. california supreme court is set to hear arguments this morning on whether the sponsors of proposition 8 have the right to appeal the federal ruling that found the ban on o gay marriage unconstitutional. if the supreme court rules that prop 8 backers don't have the right to appeal, that could pave the way for same-sex marriages to resume in california f the court allows the appeal the case will move forward and will likely make its way to the u.s. supreme court. we have an accident, southbound 101 as you are approaching the waldo tunnel. chp running some traffic trying to clear that. it's sl slow as you make your way to the waldo tunnel. metering lights are still on and traffic is backed up into the maze. >> when we come back, mike has welcome back. dealing with flight arrival delays. heal in novato and the rest of us in the 50s until you get to san jose. check out the heat in the east bay valleys. mid 90s there. mid to upper 80s in the north bay. upper 80s to low 90s in the south bay. san francisco 70, half moon bay 66. tomorrow will be warmer today and tin degrees cool are by the weekend. ♪ hey, baby i was hoping ♪ ♪ maybe you feel like taking a drive ♪ ♪ i can take you on a trip to heaven ♪ ♪ and have you back by tonight ♪ that was jake owen, one of country music's hottest perforormers. he's right in there. he's in. we're out. we love this brand-new studio. to be able to o come in and out like that. but the cma award nominations will be revealed live. and the band perry, they're right over here, too. they're one of the htest acts, as well. big morning for country music. >> what a morning. we're going have on thursday morning. one republic is joining us for the biggest, biggest ever "your three words." >> we're going all the way around the country, live. alall the way to afghanistan, live. you'll have to tune in thursday morning, frankly, to see if we can pull it off. >> i think we can do it. >> yes, we can. >> trying to think of three words. yes, we can. >> nice. >> thank you very much. who's turn? is it me? i thought i didn't have anything to say hello. i'm going to interview rachel zoe, celebrity stylist. just the most fashionable gal. you should see what she is wearing today. in fact, i have to go. you guys finish up. she is a trend-setter, in both her clothing line. >> i just had a single cuff. >> reporter: and those catchy comments. >> you look bananas. shutt down. >> reporter: today, stylist to the stars, rachel zoe, is as famous as those she dresses. her looks can be seen all over hollywood. kate hudson, cameron diaz. anne hathaway and demi moore. >> image is everything, after talent. i think people just want to see the fairy tale. >> reporter: despite her celebrity connections, it's her hit reality show, "the rachel zoe project," that put rachel on the radar. >> i'm the one that's pregnant and working my [ bleep ] off. >> you need to let people do their jobs. >> i do. >> oh, my god. >> you look bananas. >> reporter: a new season and another w project, her son, skylar morrison. >> i can't talk about it without getting -- it's everything. >> reporter: today, rachel balances her two loves, motherhood and fashion. >> with my husband by my side, and now skylar, my son, i feel anything is possible. and joining us in the studio right now to talk more about the two loves in her life, celebrity stylist, rachel zoe. thanks for being here. >> thanks for having me. >> this new studio's pretty stylish, right? >> i'm amazed. >> i love all of the expressions. one word can sound so cool from you. >> i don't know about that. i have no control over the things that fly out of my mouth. >> that's what makes you really special and one of a kind and authentic. i think that's what we see in your clothing, in your shows, in the way you parent. your beautiful baby, congratulations. >> i just love him so much. >> i asked rachehow he was off-camera, and yoyosaid -- what did you say? >> i can't get over him. i just can't. we were jetlagged last night. he was rolling around and laughing and making funny baby noises at 1:00 in the morning. and i was like, it's time to go to bed. >> what a different life. i know you from our l.a. d days. >> yes. >> and gorgeous celebrities. >> yeah. >> would you rather be with him than at the a-list parties? >> oh, my god. you know what? i think i'm always going to love those elements of my job. but at this point in my life, every free moment i have, is about my son. roger anani were shopping last night for him for like baby stuff. and we're pushing the carts around. we're like, oh, my god. this is now our new york trip. >> i can only imagine what skylar's closet must look like. >> pretty fun. >> i'll bet. i was asking you also about your beautiful outfit. >> oh. >> this is from our new collection. >> it is. this is for the resort collection. i'll be showing spring monday e 12th, here in new york, which is pretty big. and i'm scared as ever. >> really? even at this stage? >> being a designer is still new for me. so, i think i'll continue to be nervous and scared for a while. >> your line, i love this description. it's an uptown chic meets downtown cool. parisian elegance. >> it's about how you wear it and who you are. i think that you can take four or five different women with the same pieces. and they will be styled completely differently. and that's kind of the idea of the collection is that it really appeals to all women. if you're conservative, if your uptowny girl. if you're that downtown, cool hipster girl. more el gapt, kind of parisian. it's something for everybody. it's how you wear it. wear it with confidence, however you wear it. that's great advice. qvc, affordable versions of the fabulous look. >> and i will be relaunching on friday, september 9th. live from new york, actually. >> and the bravo show? >> yes. back on tonight. >> unbelievable. the audience wants to know. give me three must-have pieces for fall. for all of us mere mortals? >> i'm going to say you must have a black leather jacket. some size, shape, form. i'm going to say some kind of boot. either an ankle boot or an over-the-knee boot or mid-calve. >> leather jacket, boots. got it. >> i'm going to say a cape. i'm really into the cape. >> wow. >> and then we can batman. like belted capes.an. get lost in it. and you don't fly away. >> there you have it. rachel zoe. thank you for your tips. happy to hear about skylar. i cannotait to meet him. you'll meet him as you watch rachel grow and show a lot. "the rachel zoe project" premieres tonight on bravo. congratulations. >> thank you. now, we go to sam for the weather. >> hey, lara. back outside, figugung out how the new studio works in times square. this way, folks are able to see the whole show. you can hang out. watch the whole show. there's a certain coffee company that's right down there. we can g get a cup of coffee an stand here. enjoy the show. let's get to the boards. one or two things you should know about it. it's tuesday. here's our twitter pictures. we took you behind the scenes of the new location. the new weather board. right in front of the window at times square. there's robin and george doing some work. that's on our twitter facebook page. we'll show you this morning. here's where those flood watches and warnings are on the eastern seaboard. this was lee, the tropical system that sat in the gulf for most of the holiday weekend. now, it spreads flooding rain up the eastern seaboard. and it's not good news for new york state and into vermont and those areas in new jersey, that saw so much rain a week ago. you'll notice the southwest, as the cool air squeezes in the midda, you're 68 >> all that weather was brought to you by folger's coffee. lara? >> sam is about two feet from me. and i cannot hear r him. coming up on "good morning america," stay with us. only on "good morning america," the live, cma nominations are next. america," stay with us. only on "good morning america," the live, cma nominations are a it is a big morning for untry music. and with me is jake owen. and you'll realize when he sings for us a little bit, why he's barefoot and has the jeans on her. congratulations on the success of that huge single. we're going to walk and talk. this is our brand-new studio. we're here on the floor level. shall we walk outstse? we have people that are waiting. we'll be back inside for a little music. but we have the cma award nominations, that are coming out. and who do we find her, jake? >> the band perry. good to see you guys. all right. >> you never know who is going to be here in times square. reid, you're all the way -- >> they switched us. >> ty do it all the time. >> tell us about the nominations, right? >> yes. >> we're going to have jake go first. >> all right. >> the nominations for vocal group of the year. >> here we go. and the nominees for vocal group of the year are -- drum roll. the e band perry. lady antebellum. yes. little big town. all right. rascal flatts. and zac brown band. >> congratulations on the nominations. >> thank you. >> that's cool. all right. let's keep the nominations going, reid. >> male vocalist of the year. the nominees are, jason aldean. kenny chesney. >> you guys know him. >> oh, yeah. >> brad paisley. there you go. blake shelton. our tour buddy. and our soon-to-be tour buddy, keith urban. >> my goodness. >> shall we continue? >> please, please. >> and the nominees for female vocalist of the year are -- miss sara evans. miranda lambert. martina mcbride. >> again. >> taylor swift. and carrie underwood. >> that is a tough category. >> stiff competition there. >> new artist of the year? >> new artist of the year. >> okay. >> nominees for new artist of the year are -- the band perry. mr. luke bryan. eric church. yeah, man. thompson square. congratulations to thompson square. and my labelmaking buddy, mr. chris young. >> i heard him recently. he's good. >> he's awesome. >> bring it on home. >> here we are. >> bring it on home. what is it for? >> these are the nominees for entertainer of the year. we have mr. jason aldean. >> well-deserved. >> brad paisley. blake shelton. taylor swift. and keith urban. >> yeah. >> you know, i saw you in nashville. you were opening for keith urban. >> he's an awesome guy. you're going to enjoy your time out there. >> we're headed up to canada with him. we're going to pick up where jake left off and have a good time. >> some people -- i know you all are siblings. >> we are. >> your mom's here. >> she is. she is in hair and makeup a little bit. >> it has to be a great comfort having family on stage with you guys. >> been doing it for 13 years. >> they can't get rid of me. i can be on my worst behavior. and he can't do anything about me. >> no. and who are the big influences for you guys? >> artist-wise, our dad is a rock 'n' roll lover. we grew up with him listening the rolling stones. and our mother was a loretta lynn fan. we listened to country music. >> you were just performing last night -- >> syracuse, new york. last night, state fair. i got to play with jefferson starship. which was pretty awesome. >> i know kenny chesney is a big influence for you, too. >> he's a great guy. he's been a great influence. he's helped me out a lot. >> you have the number one song and album coming up. we're going to hear from you in a moment. congratulations on your two nominations. people are finding out, waking up, to hear this out. >> thank you. >> we're going to have you back to perform for us, too. you can see the cma awards right here on abc. it's coming up november 9th, 8:00, 7:00 central. carrie underwood and brad paisley are going to host it again for us. that's coming up. josh owen, singing live for us, when we come back. i ate breakfast and got heartburn, third day this week. so i took my heartburn pill and some antacids. we're having mexican tonight, so another pill then? unless we eat later, then pill later? if i get a snack now, pill now? skip the snack, pill later... late dinner, pill now? aghh i've got heartburn in my head. [ male announcer ] stop the madness of treating frequent heartburn. it's simple with prilosec otc. one pill a day. twenty-four hours. zero heartburn. no heartburn in the first place. great. we're out. we're inside. it's so easy to do. and it's great to have jake owen back witith us. congratulations, because debuting number one on the country song -- "barefoot blue jean nights." it's been like an anthem. now, the album will debut at number one. >> it's been an awesome summer. i'll never forget it, for r sure. >> something you dream about, right? >> it's like an ace in the hole. the summertime anthem is pretty cool. >> i love how you do this. when i saw you in nashville, opening for keith, you got it going on, you and the boys. so, are you all ready to hear it? >> come on. >> "barefoot blue jean night," mr. jake owen. >> let's do it. come on. ♪ full moon s shinin' bright edge of the water ♪ ♪ we were feelin' all right back down a country road ♪ ♪ the girls are always hot and the beer is ice cold ♪ ♪ cadillac horns on the hood my buddy, frankie, had ♪ ♪ his dad hook us up good girls smiled when we rode by ♪ ♪ they'd hop in the back and we'd cruise to the riverside ♪ ♪ whoa, never gonna grow up whoa, never gonna slow down ♪ ♪ whoa, we were shinin' like lighters in the dark ♪ ♪ in the middle of a rock show whoa, we were doin' it right ♪ ♪ whoa, we were comin' alive whoa, we were caught up ♪ ♪ in a southern summer barefoot blue jean night ♪ ♪ blue eyes and auburn hair sittn' lookin' pretty ♪ ♪ by the fire in a lawn chair new to town, new to me ♪ ♪ her ruby red lips were sippin' on sweet tea ♪ ♪ shot me a look like a shootin' star ♪ ♪ so, i grabbed a beer and my ole guitar ♪ ♪ then we sat around till the break of dawn ♪ ♪ howlin' and singin' to our favorite songs ♪ ♪ whoa, never gonna grow up whoa, never gonna slow down ♪ ♪ whoa, we were shinin' like lighters in the dark ♪ ♪ in the middle of a rock showw whoa, we were doin' it right ♪ ♪ whoa, we were comin' alale whoa, we were caught up ♪ ♪ in a southern summer barefoot blue jean night ♪ ♪ whoa, never gonna grow up never gonna slow down ♪ ♪ we were shinin' like lighters in the dark ♪ ♪ in the middle of a rock show whoa, we were doin' it right ♪ ♪ whoa, we were comin' alive whoa, we were caught up ♪ ♪ in a southern summer barefoot blue jean night ♪ ♪ barefoot blue jean night barefoot blue jean night ♪ ♪ barefoot blue jean night barefoot blue jean night ♪ ♪ we were caught up in a southern summer ♪ ♪ barefoot blue jean night [ cheers and applause ] membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency. with endless possibilities. we don't want to know. a great way to kick off our new studio, with jake owen. number one, man. and the band perry, two cma nominations. >> happy news for our "gma" family. brett levy and his wife, jamie, had a little boy adrian levy. and josephine's a big sister right now. that is great. >> i love this family photo right now. >> going to get a lot bigger tomorrow. the kardashian sisters are here. >> have a great day, everybody. >> happy anniversary, mom and dad.