abuse but the protestors are demanding more. they chanted "netta is not dead, it is the regime that's dead." >> health care reform will be an issue house lawmakers take home with tem as they are likely leaving washington for their august recess today. democrats spent most of yesterday trying to maintain the support of liberal members. they are opposing a cost cutting deal struck this week with more conservative democrats. no bill will be voted on by a senate committee before that chamber recess which starts a week from today. >> this morning a massachusetts woman linked to the murder of an expectant mother is being held on 2ed million bail. police say they found 35-year-old julie cory with a 4 pound baby girl on wednesday in new hampshire. adam sexton are our manchester, new hampshire station reports. >> reporter: julie cory invoked her right to remain silent. acting on a tip, investigators fond her at a homeless shelter in plymouth with a newborn baby girl police believe was cut out of its mother's womb. >> this is a complex investigation. >> reporter: the 35-year-old corey was a neighbor of 23-year-old darlene haynes, who was found dead in her worcester apartment on monday. haynes was eight months pregnant but the child was missing from her body. >> this has been one of the most horrific ordeals that our family has ever had to deal with. >> reporter: police say corey fled to new hampshire with the baby but they won't tell us if they consider her a suspect in haynes' death. workers at the shelter where she stopped say nothing about the infant seemed out of the ordinary. >> as far as i could tell and that is at a glance the baby appeared comfortable, healthy. >> reporter: the child, being referred to for now as jane doe spent wednesday night and most of thursday at the hospital in good condition. a spokesperson describes her as a typical newborn with a cute nose >> she'seen charming our ob nurses all day. >> reporter: her apparent health belies the potentially gruesome aspect of her birth. >> it's not things i'm comfortable talking about right now. >> reporter: while he would not elaborate, the worcester county district attorney did say it is remarkable this baby is still alive. for abc news, adam sexton in manchester, new hampshire. >> the government's balance dollar cash for clunker program is so popular that the cash has run out. the white house says it is working on putting more money in possibly from the tarp fund. the clunk are program offered up to $4,500 for drivers to turn in their old goes guzzlers. until november.posed to last >> a little more successful than they anticipated. >> it's going to be stormy today from the northeast into ohio and tennessee valley with thunderstorms, flooding, hail and a chance of isolated reseve weather also from northv texas to nebraska today and scattered showers from montana to michigan. >> slightly cooler but still hot in t pa sick northwest, 92 in pore land, 85 in seattle. phoenix hits 110, sacramento 89. mostly in the 80s for midwest. it's 82 in new york are 85 in baltimore. >> they have that big running of the bulls? >> sure. >> apparently it's over but they didn't get the memo in idaho. >> a bull broke loose from its pa pasturp and took a stroll. it is massive. it came within ten feet of a couple of mothers picnicking with their kids. >> t bull was eventually tranquilized. thankfully nobody, including the bull, was hurt. man, i wouldn't want to mess -- i wouldn't want to corner a 2,500 pound bull. it would be like messing with me. you just don't want to do that. >> that's exactly the comparison i was thinking of. >> i thought so. >> that's what we say about you when you're not up here. >> that's right. >> watch out for the bull. >> you mess with the bull, you get the horns. >> we'll be right back. ♪ imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your mobility and your life. one medicare benefit that, with private insurance, may entitle you to pay little to 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than normal, confusion, agitation and hallucinations may occur. don't take it with alcohol... ast may increase these behaviors. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath, swelling of your tongue r throat may occur... side effects may include next-day drowsiness, dizziness, and headache. in patients with depression, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide ma occur. if you experience any of these behaviors or reactions... contact your doctor mmedialy. wake up ready for your day-- ask your healthcare provider for 2-layer ambien cr. >> well, before the shuttle "endeavour" heads home, there is one more interesting little experiment to complete. the japanese astronaut on board will have his high tech underwear examined. he has been wearing it for a month and in case you were wondering, it is designed to remain odor free. the shuttle should touchdown in flororida before noon weather permitting after its 16-day mission to the international station. don't say it. stop. >> i won't. i'm sure it's a good place for a stick up right about now. we'll be hearing much more about those underwear. >> an important family matter finally settled over michael jackson's death. >> carla wohl reports. >> reporter: the agreement fulfills michael jackson's wishes, giving h mother katherine sole permanent custody of his children. debbie rowe, the biological mother of the two oldest, prince and paris, would retain her lel parental rights and get visitation, the frequency to be determined by a child psychologist who rowe and jackson would both pay for. no other money would chang hands. >> it gives stability to the t reconstitute their lives after the loss of their father and get on with their lives and try to normalize their lives as much as possible. >> reporter: in a stament, jackson's attorneys say weta we automobile united in our goals to do what is best formichael's wonderful children and both mrs. jackson and debbie rowe were on the exact same page. a judge is expected to sign off on the agreement monday. the autopsy report is also expected next week. abc news has learned it will list the anesthetic diprivan and the pain killer demerol as contributing factors in jackson's death. dr. conrad murray has reportedly admitted continue to injecting diprivan to help him sleep. >> it could have been wb needles were place for the diprivan. >> reporter: the jackson family has been shown an advance copy of the autopsy report. katherine jackson's attorneys will be back in court next week as she continues her apparent quest to be named co--executor of her son's estate. >> thanks so much for that. now we have a little bit more clarity about what's going to happen to those kids. looks like mom, katherine, is going to have them. >> it sounds like what michael wanted from the original will. so many questions about who is going to rear them if anything happens to her. >> and debbie rowe will is some role now and apparently in the past she hasn't. >> when we return, outrage in the third world over hazardous waste. >> the dangerous trash shipped overseas and how it's posing a publ >> it is a bomb shell of a memo written by a senior american military adviser in baghdad. he says it is time for the u.s. forces to get out of iraq. >> the memo is getting worldwide attention. here's t.j. winick. >> reporter: according to a memo written by a senior american military adviser in baghdad, iraqi forces are now capable of protecting their own country and it is time for the thaos declare victory and go home. >> we are taking all the measures to take all the control. the united states is helping us in arming and providing us with equipment. >> reporter: the memo written by colonel timothy reese comes at a delicate time, when american forces are shifting to more of an advisory role as iraqi troops take the lead. the united states currently has about 10,000 soldiers in iraq. the plan has been for most of those troops to remain n after national iraqi elections in january. but u.s. secretary gates said a combat of troops may be brought home early. >> we have a number of important milestones to achieve, including a fair elections, succeeding of a new government and a draw down in 2010. >> reporter: the iraqi government welcomed the news saying its security forces are working toward the sames goal but are still in need of more arms and training. >> i think speeding up eequipping our forces will speed up the withdrawal for the united states army. >> reporter: at the same time the pentagon believes the disagreements between the arabs and kurds remain serious and the american advisory role is ill very important. t.j. winick, abc news, washington. >> you probably don't think about your old television set or computer equipment after you've got i don't know rid it have. >> it's really hazardous waste that could end up far away from your hometown land fill posing a serious public health threat. ron claiborne reports from the african nation of ghana. >> reporter: after day after school, use yef comes here to scavage. he ekes out a living salvaging metal from discarded computers and television in the capital city. how long have you been doing this? >> every day. >> reporter: for a long time? how old are you? >> i'm 12 years old. >> reporter: the children earn about a dollar a day, enough for a meal. sometimes they set fire to unleash what they need to sell. >> it releases a toxic fumes. >> my friend got so sick. >> how. >> reporter: where does all this e-waste come from? much of it from the united states. >> washington? >> reporter: property of the u.s. army. property of the united states government. state of connecticut mental health facility. >> even the environmental protection agency. for almost every country in the world it, is illegal to send this kind of electronic waste to another country. but not the u.s. the u.s. is one of three nations that did not ratify the treaty banning the exportation of this kind of e-waste. recyclers shipwaste overseas because the u.s. has strict regulations of exposing of electronics domestically, plus it's far cheaper. according to a 2008 report by the government accountability office, harmful e-waste throws virtually unrestricted from the thaos foreign countries. >> it said the epa and federal government was doing little orring in on regulation of e-waste. >> reporter: today the epa told abc news it is more aggressively enforcing the laws on the books. as long as electronic waste keeps coming here, these children will keep coming here. >> really sad to see. you saw that toxic smoke billowing up and these kids walking through, it sort of working through it as if there's no harm at all. they don't realize the danger. >> it's also sad you have people from poorer communities coming in, trying to get anything that salvageable. >> morning papers up next. get a life. i'm trying. acne...even when it's mild... is a medical condition. huh? medical...as in doctor ? ohhhhhh. and that's how tyler came to his senses, sort of, and learned about once-a-day prescription epiduo gel. if you're not getting the results you want, ask your doctor about epiduo: two of the most doctor-prescribed acne-fightg ingredients in one gel medication. a product you can't get in the acne aisle. dryness, redness, peeling, stinging, burning or itching may occur. don't use irritating products when using epiduo. overexposure to sun, sunlamps, extreme wind or cold may increase the risk for irritation. go to truthaboutzits.com and learn how to pay no more than $20 for your epiduo prescription. awesome! to learn more about epiduo gel talk to your doctor, >> announcer: "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> working hard. oh, it's paper type. and the polka is a minute and a half away. get ready for that. >> so this first one, cute or gross, i don't know. so we'll just stay on it for a very short -- >> sounds like the general criteria we use for papers. >> you decide, cute or gross. >> oh, wow. oh, that's sad. >> i didn't think about sad. i only had cute or gross. it a two-headed calf down in the country of columbia. the owner thinks it's really cute. it sadly can't support its own weight because the heads are so heavy. >> that's terrible! >> let's get off this. it's a friday, it's festive. we don't need to look at two-headed cavs. >> that was sad. jeremy, you fancy yourself as being hip. >> i'm hip, yes. >> tell me if you know what -- this is from the newest slang dictionary. it's out soon. what's an awkward turtle? >> oh, gosh, i don't know. it sounds vulgar. >> it's a moment that becomes cringeworthy. and i know you know this one. what's a muffin top? >> i've got one of those. when the skin pours over the waistline. >> basically they took what kids said. >> do they have polka in the dictionary i wonder? >> no. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> strapped for cash. the government's program that allows you to trade in that clunker for cash is running on empty. >> then talking it out. the candid conversation on race relations between the president, a police sergeant and a professor. >> and you could become the next world record breaker. >> records need to be quantifiable and breakable. it's friday, july 31st. >> announcer: from abnews, there is "world news now." what was he doing? >> it's a one-handed cp. he's trying to set the record for the most one-handed clap. >> it's no, sir as easy as it looks. i'm sure you look very cool doing this. good evening, we've finally made it to another friday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm jeremy hubbard. the government's cash for clunkers program is so popular, it apparently has already run out of cash after less than a week. >> the government set aside $1 billion for the program. about 2300 vehicles have been purchased as of late wednesday to the tune of $96 million. now the white house is scrambling to figure out how to come up with more cash and it's creating a big headache for dealers. here's brad wheelis. >> reporter: on car lots around the nation, thousands of old gas guzzling vehicles now sit waiting to head to the junk yard. in just six days more than 19,000 cars had been purchased through the cash for clunkers program, the government's plan to jump start the auto industry by paying cash for old cars and trucks >> i got $4,500 for this vehicle towards the purchase of a new f-150. >> reporter: the idea was simple, trade in an old car on the purchase of a new one and get up to $4,500 in rebates. many dealers say they simply couldn't handle the demand. the national automobile dealers association says each of the 2,000 dealers participating averaged 13 clunker deals. >> there's a feeding frenzy. >> reporter: that frenzy had eaten through $850 million of the $1 billion set aside for the program. compounding the problem, thousands of sales already made but not reported yet due to paperwork delays. >> i just got my first one submitted today, which took me about five hours. >> the department of transportation is shutting down the program for now while it seeks more money. >> i wish they'd given us $5 or $10 billion. we'd sell a lot of cars. >> reporter: senator charles schumer of new york called the program too successful. adding it should continue but perhaps with a tune-up. auto dealers meanwhile have their own worries. they want to make sure every dealer is reimbursed for deals already made. brad wheelis, abc news, los angeles. >> the most talked about happy hour in white house history is finally over. as promised, president obama sat down with cambridge police sergeant james crowley, harvard professor henry louis gates and vice president biden for beers. the meeting appeared amiable bu. afterwards sergeant crowley spoke to reporters. >> this is a positive step in moving forward as opposed to reliving the events of the past couple of weeks. >> the two men said they plato meet again, next time out of the national media spotlight. professor gates issued a statement saying it incumbent upon seranowt melecry and me to utilize the great opportunity that fate has given us to foster great sympathy among the american public for the daily perils of policing on one hand and for the genuine fears of racial profiling on the other hand. >> so with last night's get together, the teachable moment president obama had hoped for. was anything learned in the two weeks since that story began? as steve osunsami reports, it depends on who you ask. >> reporter: on talk radio in boston, some callers refused to accept that there is some take away, some national lesson on race that came from the arrest of professor gates. >> the teachable moment was lost when the professor's mother didn't teach him the lesson thlt every responsible parent teaches their kid. that is if you have an issue with a cop, it's yes, sir, no, sir and you keep your damn mouth shut. >> reporter: but at this black barber shop in atlanta, there was a different take. >> the big lesson, the man who has the badge has the power. that's the big lesson. >> the lesson learned is just do what the officers ask to you do and you live to see another day. >> reporter: both the president and attorney general have suggested the country could use more conversations about race and the gates incident brings that. >> this i think presents us with that opportunity and i hope the nation takes advantage of it. >> reporter: but the dialogue hasn't always been polite or pretty. in boston a police officer took sides in an e-mail, referred to gates as a monkey and was fired. >> the one thing we've learned is black folks and white folks in america still can look at the same incident and come away with entirely different impressions. >> reporter: on television host glen beck said the president only sided with the black professor because of his deep seeded hatred of white americans. >> this guy is i believe a racist. >> reporter: there is little agreement on whether the incident was truly a national lesson. >> i don't think there was much of a teachable moment in what happened in cambridge. i think there's a teachable moment in how we all rcted to it. >> americans of all colors wanted to avoid talking about race after barack obama won. we like to think maybe we've moved beyond race but it's still there. >> reporter: but the meeting at the white house certainly had a lot more meaning than a few guys sharing a beer. >> president obama has announced his first medal of freedom recipient. 16 people will receive the award next month. among them massachusetts senator ted kennedy, who of course is battling brain cancer. also on the list is sandra day o'connor and civil rights leader reverend joseplowery. the presidential medal of freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. >> boston red sox slugger david ortiz has confirmed tests showed he used steroids six years ago. the new york times reported both ortiz and his former teammate manny ramirez tested positive. ortiz said he was surprised to learn the results of the test and vowed to learn what triggered the positive response. >> time for your friday forecast. thunderstorms, severe weather and flooding from the northethas into the ohio and tennessee valleys today. stmy from north text as to -- north texas to nebraska. >>st cooling down a bit in the northwest but still hot. 92 in portland, 85 in seattle. low 80s in chicago, indianapolis and st. louis. 91 in miami, dallas and new orleans. >> well, they were once on the brink of extinction, now they're causing quite a flutter. >> reporter: the endangered blue butterfly is making a big comeback thanks to a preserve on on the edge of l.a.x. airport. there is plenty of sea cliff buck wheat, which is the only plant they'll eat. >> the population had dipped to only about 500 in the med 70s. now they say it's been 50 and 70,000.ut>> bea ulifut ty' buteaiful but so is their food. that is pretty, too. >> lots of people out there >> we'll be right back. ♪ i'm like a bird, i want to fly >> a stubbor >> a stubborn chemical fire north of houston is finally burning itself out after threatening the city of bryan, texas. investigators say a welder's torch probably sparked the fire. the plant produces ammonium nitrate. that's an explosive. after ten hours most evacuation orders were lifted. some residents will wake up in shelters this morning. >> we are learning new details about the woman accused of mutilating, killing and stealing a pregnant woman's baby right from her womb in new england. >> doctors say the baby should survive while police and prosecutors investigate a difficult case. linsey davis reports. >> reporter: julie corey, the woman accused of cutting a baby girl from another woman's womb was arraigned today. the 35-year-old is being held on $2 million bail after police charged her with kidnapping. >> she kept the baby alive and if she hadn't, we'd probably -- we'd all be looking at far different circumstances. >> reporter: 23-year-old darlene haynes planned to call her new baby sheila marie. she never had a chance to do that. >> it was the best case scenario out of this tragedy, that we have the child. >> reporter: the baby wasn't due for another month but police say she was cut out and stolen from her slain mother's womb. her mother was found mutilated in a closet in her worcester apartment. >> i cannot believe this is happening. it's not real. really just bizarre, bizarre. >> reporter: police searched local hospitals knowing the baby would need urgent medical attention to survive but they learned from one of the suspect's friends that the baby wasn't in a hospital but a shelter. on wednesday, 35-year-old julie corey of worcester, massachusetts was arrested in plymouth, new hampshire. >> some friends became a little concerned about how she got home so early after just giving birth. >> many of her acquaintances watched the news and realized that there was a woman who was killed and missing their child. >> reporter: corey is described as an acquaintance of haynes. so far the police have charged her with kidnapping. the question now, will she be charged with murdeder? as far as the newborn, police say the baby girl is in good condition at a new hampshire hospital. linsey davis, abc news. >> it truly is just such a bizarre and horrifying case. right now the family of julie corey has stepped forwd and said they were getting suspicious early on bus the baby had a ribbon instead of the clamp you traditionally have on the umbilical cord. and they said she was breast feeding the baby under a blanket yet there was a bottle very close by. there were a lot of mixed signals. >> apparently it was during the autopsy that they were able to figure out the victim was eight months pregnant. they also said she had blunt head trauma that was the cause of death. sadly this is not even the first time something like this has happened. i remember near kansas city when i lived near there, a similar story happened there, too. very bizarre. >> it makes it no less horrific to hear the details, to think someone was capable of doing that to a pregnant woman. >> still ahead, the allenges every hour inside america's busiest emergency room. >> a rare look inside this frantic trauma center. d to se lives and why it is so crowded in the first place. you're watching "world news now." you're watching "world news now." >> as congress battles over health care reform proposals, trauma center doctors are fighting to save lives. >> costs of running 24-hour emergency rooms are rising while demand is skyrocketing. ryan owens got a rare look inside condition of inside houston's trauma center. we warn you, some of these scenes are graphic. >> there was a back seat passenger -- >> reporter: it's just before midnight saturday night. in the busiest trauma center in the united states, this is primetime. patients are already stacked up in the hall when two young boys are wheeled in. >> they were both ejected. >> reporter: the boys, age 2 and 5, were found lying on the side of a houston street. they'd been thrown from this car when it slammed into a tree. >> it's okay. >> reporter: the 5-year-old may not make it. he's bleeding from the head. the 2-year-old's injuries aren't as bad but you wouldn't know it from his scream. do you ever get used to it when it's kids? >> no. i have a 2-year-old daughter. there are times i call her at 2 in the morning and wake her up to make sure my daughter is okay. >> reporter: houston has five million people. it has just two level one trauma centers. that's the place you need to go when you're critically injured. most cities this size have five or six such trauma season terse. -- centers. the american college of surgeons says you should have one for every million in population. here it's not even close. you have eight emergency bays like this. >> there are many days if you're not on a ventilator, you don't get to be a in resuscitation room. everything else is managed in the hallway outside. >> reporter: why is this trauma center so overloaded? much can be blamed on hurricane ike. the storm dealt a devastating blow to galveston. galveston was home to this area's third level one trauma center. ike devastat it and nearly a year later it's still closed. almost immediately trauma admissions at memorial herman texas medical center shot up 30%. life flight, the air ambulance service, now flies to and from galveston on a daily basis. we were along for one ride as life flight picked up this assault victim. this time last year he was an ambulance ride away from galveston trauma center. today it's a far longer helicopter ride up to houston. remarkably, it's the only trauma center in houston with a helipad. from as far as 150 miles away, the choppers all land here 24 hours a day. on the one saturday we visited, life flight alone landed 30 times. this trauma center gets so packed it often goes on what's called diversion. that means it just can't handle anymore patients. when we met this trauma surgeon, he said this place had been on diversion for the last 28 hours. >> it really is a public health crisis in houston. when we're this busy and we then go on diversion, when we're full like we are right now, people spend 24 hours in the emergency center waiting to for an icu bed, mortality in houston goes up. >> reporter: just because there's no place to put them. >> there as no place for really sick people to go. >> reporter: colonel holcomb was in the army before he started in the hospital. 13 days before ike hit. he said since then the trauma center is on diversion between 25 and 40% of the time. with so many patients in need, why aren't more trauma centers opening? you might have guessed by now -- it's money. a trauma center deals in life and death and there's no time to ask for an insurance card and trauma is expensive. >> trauma does not pay as well as cardiac care. so you're a ceo of a smaller hospital, you have the opportunity to get into you want to take care of trauma patients or heart attack patients. and thcfos will tell you the heart attack patients are a much better bet to keep the operation of the hospital up and running. >> reporter: nobody's running to get into the trauma business? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: still, these doctors and nurses will tell you it's rewarding work and they do manage miracles on a near daily basis. remember those two young boys ejected from the car? one is home, one is expected to leave the hospital soon. but at the country's busiest trauma center, there isn't much time to celebrate. there is, it seems, always someone in need headed their way and too often not a place to put them. take it from those who know emergencies, america's fourth largest city is in one. i'm ryan owens for "nightline" in houston. >> interesting to hear that one doctor say that he had come from the army because it seemed like there were a lot of similarities there. that emergency room almost looked like a field hospital in a war zone. it's so busy, there so many people coming in. also interesting to hear them say trauma patients don't pay as well as heart attack victims. >> he mentioned air ambulances can do as many as 30 runs in a given night, which is really a tremendous number. they're saying now the hospital raised about 40 million two years ago. now they have six helicopters. keep in mind they're bringing in paentss faaway as western louisiana. >> they have to have airplanes to do that now, too. >> coming up, an easy way to set a world record. a world record. >> finally this half hour, >> finally this half hour, becoming the world's fastest or strongest is made easier thanks to a couple guys and their online idea. >> you can become a world >> you can become world record holder and get that acclaim as long as you use your imagination. here's john berman. >> and go! >> reporter: this is history. the most one-handed claps ever in 30 seconds. >> and stop! >> reporter: this is unprecedented. the world's largest tooth pick beard. >> 2,222. >> reporter: and this -- ♪ well, hello, dolly >> reporter: the world's fastest rendition of "hello dolly" on a moving piano, all documented, certified world records. according to the universal record database. >> one of our goals is a dream that someday everybody on earth will be able to own a world record and be the best at something. >> reporter: dan roman and cory henderson launched the web site in november asking for submissions anywhere from anyone around the world. the only real rule? >> records need to be quantifiable and breakable. >> reporter: they now list more than 1,000 records. this is the world's loudest pop rocks chorus. while some records may seem frivolous, this is more than a freak show. >> the boost of self-esteem that they have of being able to walk away and say like, man, i own a world record i think is a really powerful force. >> reporter: that force was on display during one of their live record nights. in something as obscure as the world's largest balloon squeak. >> there's some kind of competition. there's some kind of winning, animal spirit. >> reporter: jake bronstein sent a dual record forhe world's longest whisper chain and the longest whisper chain that's also a wedding proposal. yes, in it record book anybody can be special, even if you aren't the world's fastest or strongest man, you might just be the man -- >> john berman, abc news, new york -- >> reporter: with the most news sign-offs in 30 seconds. >> but if you were watching world news last night, you know abc radio's aaron katerski apparently beat john berman moments late >> who had the original that set the bar at 18? >> i'm not sure. >> what world record did we break? >> if everybody's a world record holder, it sort of takes away the allure, doesn't it? >> not for me. >> we'll set the world record for world's longest anchor pause with totalilen >> beer diplomacy. the president be the professor and the police sergeant kicking back a few brews while talking about race relations. >> the teachable lesson here is that black folks and white folks still see things differently. >> then the dangerous chemical that forced an entire town to evacuate. >> and a feline, his 11-mile journey and the friends he makes along the way. it's friday, july 31st. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." >> i'm excited to hear about that story, one of many we have coming up for you on this friday. >> it was fun tracking that line. >> yes, i'll bet it was. all right. good morning. i'm jeremy hubbard. >> and i'm vinita nair. it was probably the most closely watched round of drinks in the world. the president, the vice president, the police sergeant and the professor sharing a cold one. >> was it just four guys having a beer or what the president called a teachable moment. viviana hurtado joins us from washington with the details. >> reporter: good morning. president obama said he was fascined by everyone's fascination with what he scald -- called just folks having a drink after a long day. the president joined the men at the center of an inflamed racial debate for a beer. cambridge police sergeant james crowley arrested henley lou it's gates, jr. for disorderly conduct at his own home. he said of this the beginning of talks between the two. >> i think you had two gentlemen agree to disagree on a particular issue. i don't think that we spent too much time dwelling on the past. >> reporter: moving on is also what the president wants. crowley' arrest of gates made headlines for days but mr. obama's comments that cambridge police acted stupidly touched off a media frenzy. before meeting the president said the hype had drown out the opportunity for self-reflection and the acknowledgement of different views. >> you lose sight of just the fact this these are people involved, including myself, all of whom are imperfect. >> reporter: no one expects the complicated u.s. history of race relations to be solid over cold brews but with the president's involvement, some observers say it could slightly narrow the racial divide. >> the teachable lesson here is that black folks and whi folks still see things differently in america because of their experiences. >> reporter: in a statement after the meeting, professor gates said he and sergeant crowley need to use this incident to inform americans about the dangers the police face and minorities fears of being racially profiled. >> another issue facing the white house today, the cash for clunkers program is so popular it is already running out of money. a billion dollars has been set aside as of late wednesday about 23,000 vehicles have been purchased to the tune of $96 million. now dealers are worried that the sales they've already made won't go through. >> there's probably a pretty good chance that somebody's going to be left holding the bag. >> the white house is promising that all valid transactions made under the program will be honored and they are locking for more money to keep cash for clunkers going, possibly from the tarp fund. >> all the major mkets across asia traded higher, fueled perhaps by the ongoing stock surge on wall street. the dow closed up 84 points yesterday. it's at its highest level in nearly nine months. with one trading session left this month, investors are a day away from locking up the market's best july in 20 years. the rally has been fueled by better than expected corporate earnings. >> the boston red sox slugger david ortiz has joined his former teammate manny ramirez this right in the middle of baseball steroid scandal. ortiz confirms tests show he used steroids six years ago but ortiz said he's surprised to learn about the test and is vowing to get to the bottom of that whole thing. sean kelly of our boston station reports. >> reporter: david ortiz's name is on a list of players who tested positive for performance enhancing substances in 2003. >> he's a cheater. he's one of the cheaters i love the most and we all do as red sox fans. he's our cheater. >> reporter: at big papi's new restaurant, it gave only a few fans a bitter taste. >> ja, i am a little bit uneasy about that. >> i don't think he's done anything. i think he's a gentleman and he wouldn't do that. >> reporter: plus he gave fans reassurance during spring training that he's always been clean. >> i know that i'm going to miss respect my family, the game, the fans and everybody and i don't want to be facing that situation. >> reporter: but here he is on the same list as alex rodriguez, not that red sox nation would put the two in the same category. >> i've never seen a-rod in boston children's or new york's children's hospital serving the little kids when they're sick. ortiz goes there. >> i was a little upset to hear about it. he's such a role model to so many people. example to all the kids.ood >> reporter: he's still a hero to holly's son. >> he's still a hero. he pretty much saved the game today. >> that was sean kelly reporting from wcvb. >> michael jackson's children will be raised by his mother. that is the the result of a custody deal between jackson's mother and his ex-wife. the agreement between katherine jackson and debbie rowe avoids the bat al over the two oldest children. rowe won't receive any money from the deal. she will be allowed to visit the children under supervision of a child psychologist. >> okay. here is a look at your weather. it's going to be a rainy one from new england to tennessee today with a chance of hail and gusty winds in places like new york, philadelphia, cincinnati and naville. severe weather in the central plains today. scattered showers from the rockies to the great lakes. >> 80 in detroit and minneapol and 85 in omaha. 80s from boston to atlanta. seattle dips below 90 for the time since sunday. boise claims to 96. phoenix is the hot spot at 1. >> finally a cool down in seattle. >> i think also for phoenix. bit. >> teens and tweens are getting all revved up this week. >> they are taking part in the qualifying run for the soap box derby national championship set for this weekend. the stock cars can go up to 35 miles an hour once they pick up speed from the top of a hill. there's no motor course. they rely completely on gravity. >> those cars are just one loose wheel away from being our lead story. >> oh, don't say that! >> you got to be careful on those things. make sure the nuts and bolts -- >> thank you, depressing. we'll be right back. ♪ i'm a soap box racer in the derby, the gravy on top of the turkey ♪ , the gravy on top of the turkey ♪ (announcer) sleep is your body's strongest ally. it can lift your mood, help rebuild muscle... and improve your concentration. tylenol pm works with your body to ease the aches and .pains that keep you awake, and helps you fall asleep .in a non-habit forming way. because the .better you sleep,, the better you feel. assistance getting around their homes. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at 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didn't pay a penny out of pocket for my power chair. the scooter store got me back out in the world again. talk to. there is a medicare benefit that may qualify you for a new power chair or scooter at little to no cost to you. >> a few families in bryan, texas will wake up this morning a shelter because of an explosive situation a hundred miles north of houston. >> a plant that processes a volatile chemical went up in flames. in our american landscape, we have coverage of the fire and evacuations that followed from our houston station ktrk. >> announcer: this is 13 eyewitness news tonight. >> we didn't have any intentions of having to rent a hotel for the night but here we are. >> a chemical fire in bryan is still smoldering nearly 10 hours after igniting today. tonight many residents are still out of their homes and it may be a while before this thing is completely out. the fire department is not even fighting the fire tonight. they've gone home for the night. good evening, i'm dave ward. >> sky hd was the first to bring you these pictures of the warehouse fire. at one point most all of the city of bryan was under a mandatory evacuation order, though that order is scaled back tonight. >> we have live team coverage of the fire. those who evacuated and the chemical that is burning. we start off live in bryan. gene? >> reporter: you can see behind me there is activity out here tonight but a majority of crews are taking a break for the evening. we're told they'll resume tomorrow at 7:00 in the morning. crews say the fire is still smoldering but not out of control. as for that evaction of about a quarter to a two-mile radius around the fire, that remains in effect overnight. we're learning how dangerous this fire was. >> as flames ripped through the warehouse spewing dangerous chemicals, just one home away, this woman watched in horror. the 89-year-old was trapped in her house for six hours without transportation and without power. >> it had been bothering me. >> reporter: it started bothering you, the smoke? >> because i didn't know what was going on. i was just there. >> reporter: the warehouse fire began just after noon. authorities suspect it started from a spark from a welder, releasing ammonium nitrate and forcing a major evacuation. firefighters unable to get close to the fire because of the danger. >> our goal is to get to the fire, get water on the fire as qukly as possible. in this situation water is not our friend. >> reporter: agencies from across the state were called in to assess the situation. the environmental protection agency ordered a fly over the fire to test the air quality. >> providing that data to the unified command to make decisions about their evacuation. >> reporter: by early evening, the fire seemed to be under control. >> it appears the fire burned itself out. >> reporter: some residents were allowed back in. it was at the same time firefighters learned hall was stuck in her home and rushed to get her out. >> christine is live outside reid arena where some of the people sought shelter after leaving their homes. christine? >> reporter: at the height of the evacuation today, there were about a thousand people here at reid arena. that number has been scaled back to around 20 tonight and they've been keeping families informed by distributing maps like this one to let them know when they can go home. but hundreds more are also filling local hotels tonight. it was far too close for comfort for ray jones at his home. >> the biggest pile of smoke i ever seen in my life. it was pitch black dark. you could hear it burning. >> reporter: the father focused on getting his children away from the fire. then he had to make a trip to the hospital to be checked out. he was one of hundreds seeking a cool shelter at reid arena. at hotels across college station -- >> i'm sorry, we don't have anymore rooms available. >> reporter: there was no more room. >> it's been a stressful afternoon, let me tell you. >> reporter: jennifer and her husband had to leave work and get the kids from day care. >> i have an 11-year-old and i have a-year-old. i'm going to think about them first and then we'll go from there. >> reporter: bennie moore's attention was on her grandchildren. >> you don't want to mess with a chemical. >> reporter: as for the 20 families here at reid arena, the red cross said it is working on finding a place for them to stay tonight. >> ammonium nitrate that was involved in that fire is a common chemical. some of you may handle it pretty often. we take a look at it. >> reporter: we've always probably used this stuff. it's one of the biggest ingredients in lawn fertilizers. under the right condition, it is incredibly dangerous and potentially harmful to all of us. it is usually a powder and cannot catch fire on its own but ammonium nitrate can explode and this afternoon at the el dorado chemical company it likely did. that brown smoke is what you get when the chemical burns. >> this compound can be very dangerous in certain situations. >> houston's fire department's captain michael bird tells us the chemical is everywhere but once it starts burning, it creates toxic smoke which irritates people's eyes, nose and throat. >> it's a respiratory irritant, skin irritant. you don't want to injest it. it can be poisonous in certain situations. >> according to the company's web site, the company offers from its bryan location.izers there are likely several other chemicals in this build and that caused potential hazard for firefighters. the most serious danger, the sheer power of this stuff. >> a look at our coverage from the american landscape in houston. that's the very substance that was used to bring down the murrah federal building in oklahoma city back in 1995. so in the wrong hands and wrong conditions, this is very powerful, potent stuff. certainly explains why they had such a quick response. >> the company involved that makes the fertilizer processed at this plant is issuing a huge apology to the community. certainly like 70,000 people had to be evacuated. there was also a soft ball tournament, a big soft ball tournament at a & m. that's why the rooms were all gone. >> that apology probably falling on deaf ears. >> president obama has announced his first medal of freedom recipients. 16 people will receive the award next month. among them massachusetts senator ted kennedy, battling brain cancer. >> the presidential medal of freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. well served for all of them. >> when we return, who is in trouble for nosing around looking for a scoop about a superstar couple. >> and the celebrity photographer in serious money ne trouble. stay tuned. the "skinny" on this friday up next. ♪ skinny, so skinny >> you know my dvr was set ghni m i're yours wm as, too. >>'t henn avrsee sit. i hope you're not going to ruin it. >> i'll try not to. we're talking about the real hoe wis veof atlanta. the ladiesres back being including a new one. her na i--,s wait wano, what is her name? her last nate is burris, candy burris. she's a record producer. but of course the cat fights started right out of the bag. listen to the promo. >> she said i had a rap sheet. >> she said things about greg, said things about you. >> i heard you were talking about me. >> she called you a crack whore. >> mimi has already started picking fights with the new one, calling her ghetto. >> i at least appreciate a e nstyse sasof h cleot nnghath a sense of style has not changed at all. >> you saw kim. she was meeting with her psychic. that's a little tease. don't want to give away too much from the first episode. we are as always looking forward to this installment. >> you can bet we'll be talking much more about those ladies. >> as the cat fights roll out. >> annie liebovitz, a photographer who reportedly makes about 2 llion just from vogue, she's in a lot of financial trouble. apparently she took out a $24 million loan from art capital group. under the agreement of this loan, they were more or less going to be able to sell her photographs, her home in greenwich village and another home in another part of new york as a financial restructuring opinion now she's saying i took the money but i don't agree. she doesn't want to do any of it so she's being sued over that $24 million loan. but you have to wonder, she's making 2 million at vogue and taking out a $24 million loan, what is going on with all this money? >> what happened? how can she get in that position? there's always some talk she's going to have to liquidate some of these very famous pictures she took. >> she did the cover of bruce springsteen's "born in the usa" and the picture of demi moore p. >> very famous photrapher. talked in the tease about these u unlikely suspects getti arrested for snoong o on a celelebrit it's the pololice cefefs in oho. basically they're accused of trying to steal some tabloid information sarah jessica parker's surrogate mom, personl stuff and selling it to the tabloids. they've beenen arrested for tha. these two ohio police chiefs were arrested. >> what is that on h her head? >> i don't know. it not pertinent to the story. >> i can't even n listen. she's got a plalantomoming out e top of h head. >> those chis ve b bee arreeded a a thehe fas pice should takake her into custod >> hd t to believe it t was polc claef. >> veryin likely >> here are some stories to watch today on abc news: new commerce department figures could indicate if the federal stimulus plan is helping the economy. the first of three major reports will be released today tracking the economy from april to june. >> legally married same-sex couples will be counted in next year's census for the first time as spouses. the census bureau announces its new policy today. >> and the "endeavour" returns today after a 16-day stay at the international space station. >> if you're a mass transit commuter, you probably think nothing about showing up right at the right moment to start your day. >> reporter: it had been a mystery for months. almost every day susan's cat would leave the house and return about an hour later until a local bus driver told her he'd regularly been giving the cat a ride. his favorite seat is at the front. he says kasper has been a regular for months but so far he hasn't been charged the fare. >> he just gets on a vehicle and wants to nice comfy spot to sit and goes for a ride. >> reporter: he gets on al cool park road bus stop near his home. his 11-mile journey takes his past h.m.s. drake to the center of plymouth and back again. his owner was surprised to discover what he was up to and was at first a little concerned. >> rather scared than anything should he get off at the wrong stop or a driver kick him off and he'd end up getting lost and run over. now i've learned they all look after him very well. >> reporter: not only that is correct as a regular traveler of a certain age, the bus company says kasper is eligible for a bus puss. >> aw, kitty cat. >> it's a good way to spend one of the nine lives, isn't it? >> the pus on the bus. >> stop saying that word. >> one more analyst story to leave you with this half hour. it's something you don't see every day. >> it's a baby aardvark born this month at the omaha zoo. a special program helped zoo keepers make this delivery extra special. >> i'm not sure i'd want to see one.