suggest his party could face what president bush once called a good thumping. the president did have high praise for several republicans. lincoln, eisenhower, reagan. they all had one thing in common -- all of them were dead. vinita and rob? fewer people are dying on the nation's highways. last year's death toll dropping to the lowest level since 1950. the transportation department says that traffic deaths fell 9.7% from 2008 to 2009. that's down nearly 34,000. the decline is being attributed to not only seat belts but also safer cars, as well as tougher drunk driving laws. top officials in detroit are defending their handling of a series of fires in the city. residents complain it took firefighters 90 minutes to respond in some cases. about 85 structures were burned in the fires which were apparently sparked by gusty winds and downed power lines. with that, here is your thursday forecast. oklahoma, missouri, and arkansas face much of the drenching rain and flooding that battered texas yesterday. hail, 80-mile-an-hour winds and possible tornados in the dakotas and montana. showers in the pacific northwest and northern new england. >> 70s in the northeast and 90s across the gulf coast. 60s in the twin cities, chicago and detroit. 62 in seattle. 72 in salt lake city. and 68 in billings. well, they walk upright, they're said to be smarter than monkeys, and they've been popping up at yellowstone national park like never before. >> yellowstone has had more than 2.5 million visitors this summer alone. that puts the park on track to top its 2009 attendance, a record 3.3 million for all 12 months. >> the spike in visitors is being attributed to the weak economy. yellowstone officials say vacationers can easily tailor their trip to fit their wallet. >> if you still haven't gotten a summer trip in and you want to go someplace, go to yellowstone. >> not a bad trip at all. go someplace, go to yellowstone. >> not a bad trip at all. more after this. 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because making you mobile is our mission. we'llwork wit your doctor. we'll work with medicare and lçur private insurance. we'll even service your scooter anywhere in the country. call the sco÷"er store today. tropical storm hermine has left its mark on texas after making landfall. flood overran parts of dallas with water featuring five feet in areas. >> small tornados were spotted leaving at least one person injured. here now is "american landscape" coverage from wfaa in dallas. >> reporter: a tornado on the ground in downtown dallas. warning sirens. a sight not seen in years. >> whoa, there we go, transformer fire right there. >> reporter: we watched as multiple funnel clouds touched down in north texas. >> i heard that train sound. it's a roar. and i was running, hoping that it wouldn't catch me and pick me up. >> reporter: but before the storm, and before the twisters -- >> up to here, to my knees, i guess, in the house. >> reporter: it was buckets of rain that drenched the area, leaving cars under water, drivers stranded, and a ladder as the only way out for dozens of people. from floods to tornados, it was a day of weather many won't soon forget. good evening, everyone. i'm gloria compose. >> thanks for joining us for the news 8 update. this is what caused a lot of the damage in dallas county tonight. you can clearly see a tornado on the ground. this is northwest of downtown dallas. a rare urban sight. a funnel cloud spitting up debris. >> tornado warnings started in dallas county just after 5:00. we spotted funnel clouds starting to form near ferris. tonight we know there was damage there and in segerville, highland park, and lindsay and cook county. no reports of deaths from tonight's storm. >> before tornados started dropping down in north texas, we had record rainfall. one man died in the floods in johnson county. rushing water from a creek swept his truck off of county road 607. rescuers found james wright's body about 1:00 this afternoon. firefighters say they heard him screaming but they couldn't get to him in time. firefighters in arlington were busy this afternoon helping people escape from the rising water there. we watched person after person climb across a ladder at the willows at shady valley apartments. even a man with a baby strapped to his chest managed to get out okay, as cars were floating away. the water rose up to eight feet outside those apartments today. tonight, many people who live there cannot go back inside. channel 8 is live in arlington with their story. >> reporter: fire officials estimate most of than 100 people alone at this complex have been left homeless by these floodwaters. they severe damaged 14 buildings here. more than 100 apartments. and just a few hours ago, for the first time, many of these residents -- a lot of them had to be rescued out of here -- got their first chance to go back inside to try to salvage what they could. >> i lost everything, including my bed. i mean, it's just -- total disaster. >> reporter: there wasn't much to gather. meredith holman's home is a mess. her carpets are still muddy, her things are ruined. she only had enough time to get her pets and get out. >> it's all gone. we all worked hard for this. you know? i don't -- i've been almost crying all day. >> reporter: arlington emergency workers rescued more than 90 people at the complex, including 30 who scaled across a ladder above the driving eight-foot current below. less than a mile away, floodwaters tore through this arlington home. >> when the kitchen door gave, it was like a dam breaking. just -- the water was completely -- just -- it was just gushing right in. >> reporter: this man sliced his finger trying to carry 91-year-old winnie macgyver out of her house as the waters rose above four feet. the city of arlington tells us they have set up a shelter to try to assist those who have been displaced here. they do tell us a number of people are staying with their friends and family at this time. and it's likely to be quite a while, possibly up to weeks, before many of those residents could even consider moving back into here. that's the latest live in arlington tonight. >> again, that was coverage from wfaa in dallas. my parents are from dallas. >> you're a native there from that town. >> i am. they're somewhat close to this. they didn't say any of our area was affected. i think the frightening thing was forecasters predicted a lot less rain. it sort of just surprised everyone. the forecasters had no idea it would fall, like a foot of rain as quickly as it did. when it falls that fast the earth can't absorb the water. >> it's crazy. we've seen so much of this. not only in dallas but the midwest. this year we've seen so many imimages like this. mother nature's been tough this summer for sure. coming up next, self-help guru deepak chopra's latest book. >> why h the 9/11 anniversary this saturday, as well as the controversial koran-burning ceremony. >> it hasn't stopped self-help guru deepak chopra from writing a book about the prophet mohammad. he spoke about it with our dan harris. >> reporter: as the country is embroiled in debates over the burning of the koran and the building of an islamic community center near ground zero, deepak chopra, who's best-known for books about alternative medicine and the mysteries of the cosmos, is releasing a novel about the life of the prophet mohammad. >> this is a sensitive topic to tackle. >> it is. >> reporter: even the cover of the book -- simply titled "muhammad" is making people nervous. >> it's considered blasphemy to have any picture -- >> portrait, yes. >> the cover of the book, for example? >> the cover is a silhouette of an arab figure in the desert seen from a distance. it's up to you to decide. >> book sellers were nervous about that. >> yes, we got a call from barnes & noble to say it would be reconsidered, the cover. >> reporter: barnes & noble has good reason for concern, given the riots that broke out when a danish cartoonist depicted the prophet. but it's what's inside of chopra's book that may touch some nerves. especially in the current climate. he tells the story of muhammad, a middle-aged arab merchant who quite suddenly becomes god's messenger then spreads the faith through inspiration and also warfare. >> he strikes me as the most like us. we are full of contradictions. we are full of paradox. he's a warrior prophet. which is not, you know -- you have warrior prophets in the old testame testament, by the way. in fact, you know, when moses asked god to kill the egyptian children instead of the jews, he's not being any different. >> one of the characters in the book is a jewish scribe. a man who is basically assigned the task of following the prophet around and writing down the things he said. can you talk a little about it? >> the jewish scribe is one of the few imagined characters in the book. >> did you mean to intimate that jews could have had a hand in writing the koran? >> i have wondered about that. it's unnatural to wonder about that. >> but it is provocative. >> yeah, i've been careful not to say it in my book. >> you as a nonbeliever, are you worried that people who are devout believers are going to be angry with you? >> and if i was really concerned about that i wouldn't have written the book. i wrote the book after a lot of thought. i wrote the book with deep respect for my muslim friends. >> are you at all concerned that somebody could issue a fatwa for you? that could call for you to be assassinated? >> my family's concerned. my kids are concerned. if that happens, i'll deal with it. and i'll also, if necessary, apologize to those who are offended. because that was not the intention. >> reporter: he says his intention was not to offend, but instead, to educate. and indeed, some liberal muslims are praising his books. >> there is this raging debate in the country over whether it's appropriate to build an islamic community center near ground zero. what is your thought on all of this stuff that's simmering in the culture right now? >> we should not get drawn into medic melodrama or miss tear. we should know the facts. the center is also going to have a memorial for the victims of 9/11. a place for reflection. a place to have interfaith dialogue. it's the kind of thing we should be encouraging. it's the kind of thing that could have us see another side of islam. >> reporter: chopra says his hope is that at a time when passions are running high over islam, he can help create a dialogue. in this environment, which is a little bit toxic, are you worried you could give aid and comfort and ammunition to those who disagree -- >> we'll see what happens. but to live in denial is the worst thing you can do. >> it should be fascinating how this book plays out with the big mosque debate here near ground zero in new york, with the koran-burning controversy in florida. should be fascinating to see how that book, if that ignites or defuses the debate at all. >> it's coming out september 21st. he has done other books on the founding of world religions. one is called "buddha," one is called "jesus." he is well-versed when it comes to humanizing religious founders. "world news now" delivers your morning papers. >> time for your morning papers. even though jeremy has left the show i do hear from him from time to time. >> cool. >> it as rare day he actually send is us a paper and says this is something that has to be in the segment. that's what happened here. you have to give him credit. did happened in kansas city. basically someone goes into a gas station and tries to pull off a robbery. the clerk pulls out a gun, fires it twice, nothing exciting. >> no one's hurt. >> a photographer in kansas city has this very interesting interview with a woman and she basically keeps talking about how she keeps backing it up. so someone has taken that sound and made it -- sort of like weird music video with over 1 million hits on youtube. it's pretty hilarious, take a look. ♪ i'm backing i'm backing i'm backing ♪ ♪ oh my god my god my god ♪ >> who dubbed this? >> i will promise you this, we've heard it, they're also warning it will get stuck in your head and that woman will be with you until it's time to go to bed. >> they take these tv interviews, they turn it into videos, that's wild stuff. we always talk about food and dieting here on the show. this actually is a diet everybody could get into. professionals at k-state in their human nutrition department, he is on a junk food diet the next 30 days. it piece to the end of this month. he's trying to prove junk food has nutritional value to it and all the healthy stuff out there may not be as healthy as everyone thinks he is. he's on a total binge, all this junk food for 30 days. after that, another binge on all the health stuff. whole grains and lean proteins and vegetables and all this. he wants to prove it's a matter of a balanced diet, that too much of one thing -- all the healthy stuff or all the awful stuff -- it's not 100% good or bad, it really is a mix of things. he's just like bingeing out the next 30 days. wouldn't that be a great diet? >> i don't think they could get a medical evaluation after each? >> it's a purely academic thing, not a study or anything, just to see and share with his students as a lesson. >> the takeaway, if he doesn't keel over -- >> that's the lesson. he doesn't think junk food is >> that's the lesson. he doesn't think junk food is that bad for you. ♪ [male announcer] to the men and women of the united states armed forces, the uso delivers the joys and comforts of home. even out here. find out how you can help at uso.org getting personal about tax cuts. >> when mr. boehner was here in cleveland, he attacked us. there were no new policies from mr. boehner. >> the president takes on the top republican in the house. as that wildfire burns around boulder, colorado, we meet a family that's lost their home and now have to start over. and, dollar value. >> i get a little bit of everything here. that's a spoon off the "lose taken yeah." patriots super bowl ring. >> we'll spend some time with the world's most famous pawn brokers on this thursday, september 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> pawn shops are right now are a reflection of the economy. >> people need the cash. i can't believe people are pawning their super bowl ring, that's crazy. >> they're saying a lot of that is reflected in the fact that they have a ton of tools used for repairing homes. because so many people were flipping homes, now they're not doing home repairs. it is interesting to see that story and meet that family you may recognize from the history channel. >> show is pretty popular too. >> good morning and thanks for being with us on this thursday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. good morning, everybody. it is getting personal for the president, fighting to keep democrats in pow over capitol hill mr. obama has taken aim at a top republican. >> the fighting words were over tax cuts and the future of the economy. john hendren is joining us now from washington with more on this political battle. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the white house says the president chose cleveland as the site of his speech because it was there a few weeks ago house republican leader john boehner attacked the obama economic program. when the president got to cleveland he fired back. it was more election season address than economic talk. >> it's still fear versus hope. the past versus the future. it's still a choice between sliding backwards and moving forward. that's what this election's about. that's the choice that you will face in november. >> reporter: if that sounds familiar, maybe it's because he sounded those same themes in his presidential campaign. >> unity instead of division, hope instead of fear. >> reporter: the president has fielded repeated broadsides from the house republican leader. >> until this uncertainty and spinning's under control, i don't think these are going to have much impact. >> reporter: in cleveland, mr. obama fired back, naming john boehner eight times. >> there were no new policies from mr. boehner. mr. boehner and his allies. when mr. boehner was here in cleveland, he attacked us. mr. boehner and the republicans in congress said no. >> reporter: one major standoff centers on the bush tax cuts which are about to expire at the end of the year. the president wants to extend them for everyone who earns $200,000 a year, or $250,000 for families. boehner or republicans want to extend them for the wealthy. in an exclusive interview with abc's george stephanopoulos the president had this to say -- >> my challenge and the challenge of every democratic candidate who's out there is just making sure that people understand there's a choice here. >> reporter: republican senate leader mitch mcconnell gave an instant review of the president's address, calling it more government, more debt, and more taxes. vinita and rob? >> and you just saw a bit of president obama's interview with geog stephanopoulos. the resgeorge's interview an exclusive that you can check out only on "good morning america." despite outrage from the pol and religious leaders,ld florida pastor terry jones says p not backing down from that plan bur the koran on september 11th. pastor jones is even drawing criticism from sarah palin. on her facebook page palin is calling jones' plan "an unnecessary provocation." pastor jones insists he has plenty of support. >> we got a phone call from a retired special force green beret, delta force. it was his opinion that the people that are on the field, the special forces, he told us, are 100% behind us. >> a new abc news poll reveals some disturbing results. 26% of americans admit feeling some prejudice against muslims. only 54% see islam as a peaceful religion. and 31% believe mainstream islam encourages violence against nonmuslims. in other news now, critics are blasting the new bp report on the gulf oil spill. the british oil giant takes some responsibility for that disaster but it also lays much of the blame on its partners, transocean and halliburton. experts say the report is a preview though of bp's likely legal strategy as it faces billions of dollars in lawsuits. bb says it has already spent $8 billion on the spill. the wildfires still burning near boulder, colorado, are now the most destructive in state history. at least 135 homes have been burned to the ground and several others have been damaged by the fire. thousands of residents are spending another night away from home. but many could return in the morning. russell hathorne of our drn affiliate followed one couple who learned their home was among those destroyed. >> reporter: it's back to basics. >> okay, grab another comb for him. >> reporter: the newars make a run through target to pick up the bare essentials. >> you forget about all the stuff you have and all the stuff you don't have. and then you have to also remember, no place to put it. >> reporter: less than 48 hours after losing everything, tom and anna are piecing their lives back together. >> you have to make lists. it's overwhelming. you forget. >> reporter: working out of their van, making stops at the bank, and multiple runs to target. >> address change. already been to the post office. >> reporter: the nuwars knew their home was gone. this was them monday shortly after watching it go up. >> i'm thinking, i've got to get out of here, we've got to go now. >> reporter: victims of an enormously powerful fire, they are now beneficiaries of an outpouring. at breakfast, a waiter delivered this message. >> joe just bought you breakfast. who? jo, she's sitting over there, she's worked with the fire department. >> reporter: their morning errands ended with this reunion. tom's sister caroline came down from leadville just to be here. >> how do you measure all the losses and what do you need the most and what do you do first? >> it's overwhelming. >> that report from kmgh. tropical storm hermine has broken up for good but its remnants are creating chaos in north texas. >> that includes a series of confirmed tornados that touched down in the dallas area. twisters slammed into buildings, knocking walls down, even tearing roofs away. a truck driver was injured when flying debris hit his cab. >> those leftovers from hermine have created a soggy mess across texas. at least two people were killed when flash floods swept across the state. >> the water rose so fast, firefighters had to come to the rescue of trap the residents at an apartment complex in arlington. the sudden deluge snapped trees and carried off cars before the rain started moving out. >> this season we've seen amazing images of floods across the nation almost. >> that's mother nature. rain and flooding will spread to eastern oklahoma, missouri and arkansas. montana to the dakotas. showers across the northern pacific and pacific northwest. and light rain from upstate new york to northern new england. >> the northeast cools down significantly with highs in the 70s from boston to baltimore. just 60s from detroit to fargo. 72 in salt lake city. 87 in albuquerque. their names may make you think big but they are anything but. >> this is the aww story of the morning. these two giant panda cubs only weigh 5 ounces each. they're the newest residents of the madrid zoo. born two days ago they're so new the vets don't even know their gender yet. the hairless pink twins conceived through artificial insemination are the first pandas born at that zoo in nearly 30 years. >> in addition to the bottle mama bear is also nursing those cubs. as for papa, he remains aloof and is staying away from the babies, which is part of panda custom. in defense of the dad, that's because the moms don't want them to crush the babies. dad, 330 pounds. they say, stay away. >> that's very wise. wise concern. papa panda was a rolling stone. more after this. ♪ bah, bah-bah, bah, bah, bah, bah, bah-bah-bah ♪ [ female announcer ] scope outlast. it's about time for a mouthwash that lasts even longer. lasts up to 5 times longer. what will you outlast? 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[ male announcer ] remove # soap scum, kill bacteria, and leave febreze freshness with mr. clean disinfecting bathroom cleaner. welcome back, everybody. as most of us know dr. oz is one of the most respected doctors on tv. giving medical advice to millions on his talk show. >> yesterday he wasn't giving advice as much as he was giving a warning. speaking out for the first time about his colonoscopy. here's dr. richard besser with more. >> reporter: this week my friend dr. mehmet oz did something. he made his own diagnosis. >> i was lying there half-dazed. all of a sudden i look at the screen and realized, my goodness, that's a precancerous polyp, what's that doing there? >> reporter: an intestinal polyp as collection of cells that may develop into colon cancer over time. keep in mind dr. oz is famously healthy. preaching healthy living in his books and on the television show. he's 50. the recommended age for getting a colonoscopy. but oz admits he would have waited a decade if not for his tv show. he spoke with gma's robin roberts about it. >> it's so arrogant and i feel so humbled, almost ashamed even, that this whole process happened and i procrastinated like a lot of guys do. >> reporter: colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers, second only to lung cancer. but one of the most preventible and detectable. that is because it's a slow-growing cancer that can take decades to fully develop, which allows doctors the rare opportunity in cancer to see early changes in cells before they are truly deadly and remove them. but 22 million people in the recommended screening group -- everyone ages 50 to 75 -- do not get tested. if they did, it's estimated that as many as 25,000 lives a year would be saved. >> so we'll take the message to everyone here and you too, robin. you can do all the right things and you're dealt cards that sometimes aren't the ones you expected. >> reporter: for most people colon cancer screenings should begin at age 50. however, if you have a family history or medical conditions like inflammatory bowel disease, it should be done earlier, so talk to your doctor. >> the scary part, there's a guy who literally is the model of health. careered as the model of health. even hoe is not immune. no matter what we do. always try to be healthy and take care of yourself but always something even when you live that life. >> i always think of katie couric. i think for so many people it was 8-opening, to see someone do that on-air. it was the first time a lot of us in the american public realized, this is something we should be getting done. >> someone famous gets it. >> that's something i'll never do on-air. >> thank you, that puts me at ease. coming up next, how one person's junk is another man's ticket to fame and fortune. >> we go behind the scenes of times are tough thesedays so many americans are doing what they can to earn a few extra bucks. sometimes that means turning to pawn shops. >> and there is no bigger pawn shop than the one featured on the hit tv series "pawn stars" on the history channel. here now is brian rooney. >> it's got rust? >> a little bit of rust around the back window. >> reporter: we met rick harrison in a las vegas subdivision, kicking the tires on a 1962 cadillac fleetwood he was considering buying. the owner sees a big payday. >> i think it's got to be worth -- after it's fixed up, about $15,000. i'd like to get between $5,000 and $8,000 out of it. >> reporter: if there's a flaw, he'll find it. >> baby blue velour ain't going to sell. >> reporter: the whole negotiation happens under the scrutiny of television cameras. >> i'm rick harrison and this is my pawn shop. >> reporter: rick harrison runs the famed gold and silver pawn shop on las vegas boulevard. his shop and family are the focus of one of the top-rated shows on cable television. the history channel's "pawn stars." he's not just some guy running a seedy pawn shop. he's a star. they buy people's gold rings, artwork, antique guns, or loan money on items put up for collateral. what's called a pawn. and who knew. the workings of a pawn shop could be so entertaining. >> i have something that you might be interested in. >> i have a flask. not just any flask. >> reporter: central casting couldn't have found these guys. that's rick's son corey. sharp but still learning. >> i could offer you 100 bucks. >> reporter: his father richard, known as the old man, is the crusty founder. >> you're fighting the economy right now. >> reporter: their employee chumley is the foil. >> how's it going? >> fine. >> i have an ansel adams print i'd like you to take a look at. >> sure. >> from the addams family? >> not really. a different addams family. >> reporter: he is a master negotiator. >> i would pay you half that. >> they're all original signed. >> i'll give you 50 bucks for it. >> reporter: these are guys who know how to sell a one dollar bill for $10. bizarre stuff comes in the door. dueling pistols to world war ii kit for training soldiers to japanese land mines. the man in the photograph found in the archives of a california newspaper. >> photographing yosemite by ansel adams. >> i'm amazed at the number of things that you are familiar with. >> i'm really not cool. i'm a bookworm. i mean, i read for hours every night. get a little bit of everything here. that's a spoon off the lusitania. >> patriots super bowl ring? broncos super bowl ring? >> reporter: look around the shop and you can see objects they bought on previous shows. the framed flag that flew on the moon. >> i paid $4,000 for that. >> you're listing it for $10,000. >> because this is a pawn shop and nobody is going to pay me what i'm asking, they never do. >> reporter: when it's 100 degrees outside there's a line of fans waiting to get in. although it is a pawn shop you're not likely to see anyone pawn is the family jewelry on television. people are shy about that. but the back rooms are filled with pawns. computers, golf clubs -- >> motorcycles, that's another great item that we have. things like before the recession here, everybody that refinanced their house went out and bought a harley. >> reporter: it's a mirror of the economy. >> all the construction pretty much stopped here in this town. and i ended up -- i've got storage rooms, storage lockers, filled with construction tools right now. i couldn't give them away if i wanted to. >> reporter: their rate of default on loans has doubled from 10% to 20%, a sign people are hurting. the old man says it's bad out there. >> the family's not doing good. i don't care what statistics they kick out there. it's going to take another five, ten years for us to come back. >> reporter: but it's still good for the pawn stars. the shop has nearly quadrupled its staff. >> we figure we'd do a reality show, we'd get one, two years out of it. we go back to being a pawn shop. it ain't working that way. >> do you like it? >> like i say, be careful what you wish for. at times i want to kick them all out of here and go back to like it was. >> reporter: that won't happen soon. the harrisons are prospering with the art of the deal. >> how much you want for it? >> looking to get $500. >> dollars? >> yep. >> $250. >> final offer? >> final offer. >> reporter: back out there in the desert, rick is letting the owner of that cadillac bake a little in the sun. however this comes out, you can bet it's going to put a dent in the owner's expectations. and just make the pawn stars a little more popular. this is brian rooney in las vegas. >> as you saw there, some folks actually pawn their super bowl rings. but of course, speaking of super bowl, of course the saints super bowl champions open up their season tonight. you'll be seeing this a lot during the next four months. he's black and gold, fleur-de-lis symbol of the city, the fleur-de-lis tie, the who dat nation rises again tonight. 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answer to one of life's greatest riddles. how can men impress women on the dance floor? >> that's right. scientists hatch discovered exactly what moves can break a guy with the ladies. nick watt breaks it all down. >> reporter: presley. travolta. hammer. any man who can cut the rug will get attention from the ladies. look at swayze and "dirty dancing." some english scientists finally figured out why. >> a bad dancer is someone who engages in very rigid, stereotypical movements. good dancers are guys who are making lots of very movements. >> reporter: they made 19 dudes dance for their cameras. and 37 heterosexual women rated their grooves. named their favorite dance body part. >> movement of the head, of the neck, and the upper body that seemed to signify a good dancer. >> apparently good dancers demonstrate something called functional vie ability, which means that you've got good core strength, you're muscular, you're healthy. and it means, i suppose, you're capable of having kids and raising them. you see it in nature. vulgar displays prove verticality. >> we think that exactly the same thing's happening in humans. >> reporter: down in the dance studio, they say confidence is actually the key. >> that's the basics of it. if you think you're the bomb you're okay. you put that swagger and confidence and it's cool. >> does it matter if a guy can dance? >> most of the time yeah. >> what does that mean, most of the time? does that manner you've gone out with some bad dancers? >> yes. >> reporter: so there's hope for all you guys out there with two left foot. and another thing. >> you've got the moves. >> reporter: nick watt, abc news, london. >> as a guy can dance, is that impressive to you? >> to me that's never been -- my husband cannot dance to save his life and i married him. >> so it's not a do or could i thing for you? >> maybe we should be asking you, are you a good dancer? >> it depends on what time of night it is. >> it's like most men have the sway. >> the little two-step, bounce around. >> same two accidents with a little twist. chubby checker: hi, i'm chubby checker. a new twist in the law makes it easier than ever to save on your medicare prescription drug plan costs. so what are you waiting for? go to www.socialsecurity.gov and apply for extra help. it's easier than learning the twist. out of control. that suburb wildfire near boulder, colorado, is still roaring. but our reporter has already seen some of the aftermath. >> i'm standing in what is left of a burned-out fire station. communication breakdown on the battlefield in afghanistan. >> we are fine, we have no problems here. >> what's not being understood could put american lives in jeopardy. and, a matter of size. hey, guys, your pants may actually be bigger than you think. it's thursday, september 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> size does matter. >> when it comes to pant size is what he meant. >> oh, yeah, yeah. interesting story. >> to clarify. >> we should clarify that. the pant size may not be what you think. like a 34 may be like a 36. very interesting story. >> it's funny, because women, we've been playing this game with ourselves for a long time. i like to live in a world where i'm a size 2. >> get out of here. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. you don't have to laugh that loud, willis. the wildfire burning near boulder, colorado, is still spreading this morning and now covers about ten square miles as fire crews battle for containment. >> at least 135 homes have gone up in flames and thousands of residents are still evacuated. clayton sandell now reports from boulder. >> reporter: in the air and on the ground, the fight continues. we had our first look inside the fire zone and found a land of charred destruction. authorities worry there may be victims among this rubble. four residents are still missing. >> many of those are people that didn't evacuate. >> reporter: to give you an idea how fast this fire moved, i'm standing in what is left of a burned-out fire station. the fire truck never even made it out. when the blaze started, radio calls captured firefighters' fears that this was something big. >> we have a fully involved fire. i have trees torching. get gold hill fire out now. >> reporter: still, on the eastern edge of this fire, we found ann and sandy butterfield ignoring evacuation orders to defend their home. >> i don't think that this is a smart thing to do for everyone. and it may not be a smart thing for us to do. >> reporter: they are packed and ready to escape, knowing this fire is still out of control. clayton sandell, abc news, boulder. tropical storm hermine is leaving quite a mess in its wake. it has sparked several confirmed tornados touching down in and around dallas. funnel clouds swirled into buildings and power cables sending sparks and debris into the air. a truck driver suffered minor injuries when a twister slammed his rig into a warehouse. at least four buildings were damaged. the punishing rain left behind by hermine took an even bigger toll on the state of texas. flash floods left at least two people dead as heavy downpours washed away cars and even uprooted some trees. many people had to be rescued from their homes, including residents of a dallas-area apartment complex. the growing outrage over a florida pastor's plan to burn the koran on september 11th is spanning across religious and political parameters. >> even sarah palin is weighing in. on her facebook page, palin warns pastor terry jones' plan will feed the fire of caustic rhetoric. t.j. winick is in washington with the very latest. hi, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. whether it's coordinated or uncoordinated, the u.s. government certainly continues to put pressure on the pastor, warning him that his actions could endanger americans around the globe. florida pastor terry jones says he'll go forward with his koran-burning ceremony despite criticism from u.s. leaders that it will put american troops abroad in danger, and despite fbi concerns that muslim extremists might attack the event. >> as of this time, we have no intention of canceling. >> reporter: for the second time in 24 hours, secretary of state hillary clinton condemned the demonstration, planned to be held at the dove world outreach center. >> it's regrettable that a pastor in gainesville, florida, with a church of no more than 50 people can make this outrageous and distressful, disgraceful plan and get the world's attention. >> reporter: the burning of the muslim holy book would be the latest demonstration targeting muslims nationwide. much of it a reaction to the planned islamic community center and mosque two blocks from ground zero. on cnn's "larry king live," the imam of the planned center, feisal abdul rauf, said moving the site of the community center and mosque would mean giving in to extremists. >> if we move from that location the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse. >> reporter: house minority leader john boehner links the two issues saying he is against both. >> to pastor jones and those who want to build a mosque, just because you have a right to do something in america does not mean it is the right thing to do. >> reporter: pastor jones says he has received over 100 death threats since announcing his september 11th event, and he is now carrying a .40 caliber handgun. rob and vinita? in what is seen as a major victory for the obama administration, a federal appeals court has thrown out a lawsuit challenging a controversial post-9/11 cia program. the program flew terror suspects to secret prisons overseas. five suspects have claimed they were flown to other countries and tortured. the court cited national security risks saying a lawsuit might expose secret government information. the case is expected to wind up in the supreme court. the political rhetoric on both sides is heating up over the issue of taxes. the president insists that tax cuts for the wealthiest americans should be cut off. republicans though say this is the worst time to raise taxes on anyone. and what about the effect on small business? we asked our john karl for a fact check. >> reporter: republicans claim raising taxes on those earning more than $200,000 a year would hurt small businesses. are they right? well, drew greenblat has a wire basket company in baltimore that employs 30 people. he says raising the top rates would cost his company $20,000 to $40,000 next year. >> this is going to pull cash out of our company so we're going to have less money to invest. >> reporter: he gets hit because his company's profits exceed $200,000 and are declared on his personal tax return. he's not alone. wayne pinard owns a commercial printing company in boston that employs 95 people. if these tax rates go up, how much does that cost you next year? >> probably in the area of $120,000. >> how many jobs will that mean you may have to lose out of your company? >> it would mean a minimum of two, up to probably four. >> reporter: but democrats say only a tiny fraction of small businesses would be affected. that's true. according to the tax policy center, which says only 2.5% of small businesses would see their taxes go up. so, 2.5% affected. we asked the center for tax policy how many that is. their answer, 894,000 small businesses would see their taxes go up. a small percentage, but a large number of small businesses. jonathan karl, abc news, washington. here's a look at your weather. just showers for texas. heavier rain and flash flooding across eastern oklahoma, missouri and arkansas. severe storms with a chance of tornados east of billings to bismarck. showers stretching from seattle and portland. >> 67 in boise. 79 in sacramento. 94 in phoenix. 79 in omaha. 73 in kansas city. 90s from dallas to atlanta. just 72 here in new york. 75 in baltimore. well, now to the tennis team who are calling themselves the indo-pak express. rohan bopanna of india and aisam-ul-haq qureshi of pakistan are going to the men's doubles finals at the u.s. open. >> they've been playing together on and off since about 2003. but this is their best showing ever at a grand slam event. cheering them on were delegations from both the indian and pakistani embassies. friday they will take on the world's number one men's doubles team. >> such an impressive story considering one's from pakistan and one's from india and we all know the history there. >> absolutely. >> we'll be back with more "world news now." . on the battlefields of afghanistan, a soldier's greatest tool can be a translator. literally, they're the lifeline of communications. >> so why is a former employee of a company that supplies translators to the u.s. saying most translators aren't doing their jobs? brian ross investigates. >> reporter: a u.s. army unit from the 173rd airborne, on patrol in afghanistan, trying to track the source of a taliban rocket attack. the mission will end in a complete failure to communicate because of one member of the team. its translator, the man on the right. a british journalist caught it all on tape. 2008, as the patrol sergeant adams uses his translator, who asks a village elder about the taliban. >> all right. asked him how it's been here. >> reporter: but the translator tells the sergeant the exact opposite thing. >> we are fine, we have no problems here. >> reporter: sergeant genevieve chase says there are plenty of good translators, but still, too many bad ones. >> people who claim to speak the language don't, and when things get a little bit complicated, they're not able to communicate effectively with the locals and get the information that we need. >> reporter: most of the army's afghan translators, although not the one on the british tape, are recruited by one u.s. company called mission essential personnel based in columbus, ohio, and suburban washington. the company runs tv ads to recruit translators. under an army contract worth up to $1.4 billion. >> if you or someone you know speaks -- >> reporter: the more they recruit, the more they make. the company has received outstanding performance ratings from the government and its ceo testified in july the company has been hugely successful in finding enough qualified translators. but a former quality control official at the company, paul funk, says mep's claim of success has been based on fraud and cheating. >> i determined that someone, and i didn't know at that time, was changing the grades from blanks or zeros to passing grades. >> reporter: in a lawsuit filed last year, but unsealed only recently, funk alleges the company has systematically defrauded taxpayers and included what he says was a company list of translators who were passed even though they failed to get the required score of 4 on the 1 through 5 language test. 3 should mean failure under the army contract. but funk says that did not happen. >> they were deployed. >> reporter: the company says funk resigned after questions about financial improprieties involving not him but his office. funk says he was pushed out of the company when he tried to blow the whistle on what he calls the cheating. >> i brought this to the attention of everybody and eventually i was forced out. >> reporter: the company says funk's lawsuit is without merit and should be dismissed. but says it cannot comment on funk's specific allegations because of the pending court case. the buildup of u.s. troops in afghanistan has meant even more afghan interpreters are required. interpreters who can do better than the one caught on this tape, which mep says it uses as an example of what not to do. here the village elder actually says the taliban are not far away, and that he would like to cooperate with the u.s. but it is very dangerous. none of that is translated to the army patrol. and then everything falls apart. when the translator seems to just make up an answer to a critical question. >> i asked him, he says one year ago. >> oh for [ bleep ]'s sake, are you kidding me? he's full of [ bleep ] first of all. one week ago we took four rockets from a hilltop 800 meters from here. they didn't see that, didn't hear it? >> reporter: the army patrol leaves with each side angry at the other. never realizg what was lost in translation. >> i asked him something, he gives me wrong answer. >> [ bleep ]. i hate this town. >> reporter: brian ross, abc news, new york. some lighter news when we come back in "the skinny." welcome back, everybody. update now on one of your favorite people in the world, vinita. no comment from her. snooki from "the jersey shore." she had her day in court yesterday. apparently remember back in july there was some incident where she was on the beach there in seaside, apparently way too much to drink, annoying people on the beach, got busted by the cops, was pulled into court yesterday. the judge slapped her with a $500 fine, also some community service. also kind of gave her a little bit of a tongue-lashing as well. take a listen. >> i have concerns about how much of this episode was scripted. only you can determine if it's worth trading your dignity for a paycheck. >> it was not scripted, sir. >> you seem to be acting like a lindsay lohan wannabe in this matter. >> whoa. lindsay lohan wannabe. >> i certainly like that judge quite a bit. >> yeah, he was not even too kind to her. she apologized, said it wouldn't happen again, said it wasn't scripted, she will pay her fine and do her community service. and that is for snooki, who once said she was too pretty to be in jail. >> i have nothing against the girl, i just still am just fascinated by how all of these kids have risen to such fame. they have such a cult following if you watch the show or read anything about them. i've heard people say watching them live this sort of lifestyle makes us all envious because they act out on every impulse. whether it be drinking, whether it be -- >> a lot of folks -- i mean, everybody in their young days has their party days. i'm sure if there was a camera on people who were in college, they'd catch some stuff. these kids just happen to have a tv contract. >> and they are smiling all the way to the bank, all of them. >> hey, "situation," $5 million this year. >> i think anyone who follows howard stern, and i do, i listen to him quite a bit. he has cried wolf several times before when it comes to renegotiations for his contract. the latest one might actually be true. he's saying he might leave sirius, the satellite radio, and instead do something like an internet podcast. if you look at the numbers it kind of makes sense. we've all heard that $100 million salary quoted. keep in mind, that covers not only his salary but all of the show's expenses. and basically the way it works is he works four days a week, 39 weeks a year, he makes $100 million. he says, i'm 56, maybe i want to work a little bit less. the math in terms of this podcast, which should essentially be an iphone app you could download, it would be $5 a month, which means his take-home could be $60 million a year. as far as the ceo of sirius is saying they say they want stern to re-up, they want him there. but the last quote from him, this is late last week, he said it's probably not going to happen. so i think a lot of people -- >> he's going to say? >> no, it's probably not going to happen, the resigning of the contract after five . he's not starving there. >> i think a lot of people are thinking that's what ants they're saying, if you want cut back onurs e go >> which makes sense, either way otion.ch makes sense, either way that does happen. wow, howard stern, all right. in case you're wondering who's going to replace larry king on cnn, larry announced he's stepping down a few months ago, probably leaving the show in december. now piers morgan will be filling in for larry. that's the word now officially from cnn, that mr. morgan will be stepping in to take larry king's spot on his weekly show. speculated for months, no big surprise here. you'll expect to see him early 2011. he will be there's one of the new stars of cnn. >> we have to show you this 'regto or yto show you this thi fromzin. 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[ female announcer ] swiffer gives cleaning a fresh new meaning. on hard to wash fabrics. for all the things you can't wash, freshen it with febreze. febreze eliminates odors and leaves a light fresh scent. whoa. it's a breath of fresh air. here are some stories to watch today on abc news. crews will be back in the hills around boulder, colorado, where that raging wildfire is only 10% contained. a new report says the reason americans are not doing too well eating our fruits and vegetables. that's despite major efforts to get people eating better. the new nfl season starts tonight as the super bowl champion saints take on the vikings. it's a rematch of last year's nfc title matchup. if you watch regularly you might remember our back to school fashion shoot a few weeks ago. our own producer jack was sporting quite the tight outfit. after, he said those skinny jeans may have been a little too tight. >> looking sexy there, jack. he may have been on to something though. in an expose of sorts one magazine has learned the pants men are wearing might be lying to them. >> reporter: call it the tight truth. "esquire" magazine has discovered a secret technique used in the pants-making industry. it's called vanity sizing. in essence, what you think your waist size is in your favorite pair of slacks in many cases is a big, fat lie. for example, the clothing mega chain h&m size 36 dress pants actually measure out to 37 inches. calvin klein's 36 inch pants are 38 1/2 inches. and the gap leaves a gap in their measurements too. their 36 inch pants are missing an entire 3 inches. and the worst waistline offender? old navy. their 36 inch dress pants come up 5 inches light, with an accurate measurement of 41 inches. so we took to the streets to see if men had ever been suspicious of all this vanity sizing. >> you know, it makes you think like you've worked so hard to lose weight and to be fit and they're telling you the wrong size. >> i'm hurt. i'm hurt. i mean, i honestly don't know. i think i would just try it on. >> well, i noticed that from one brand to another it's different. from one store to another it's different. >> they tell me i'm 31, it fits and it works, i'm 31. they tell me 32 and it fits and it works i'm fine with that too. >> reporter: these waist size white lies are no laughing matter. a report recently published in "the archives of internal medicine" show men with waist sizes of 47 inches or bigger have a greater risk of dying from a health-related issue. if you think your pants measure 42 to 47 inches you might want to take a tape measure with you the next time you go shopping. >> that is fascinating. i'd rather be lied to, i'm fine. 34, sure. >> i just have to say that is why i wear these jeans, god bless vanity sizing, i love it. why i wear these jeans, god bless vanity sizing, i love it. i stand by it. when someone gives blood, when a hand reaches out, that moment when heartbreak turns to hope, you're there through the american red cross. down the street, across the country, around the world, you help save the day, every day. your support truly matters. you can help today. visit redcross.org.
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