him of rape. >> and now, cesar laurean, faces life in prison without the possibility of patrol, of a north carolina jury found him guilty of first-degree murder. steven portnoy reports. >> reporter: it took jurors a mere three hours to find former marine, caesar laurean, guilty of first-degree murder, in the 2003 death of his former colleague, lance corporal lauterbach. >> in the north carolina department of correction, for the remainder of his natural life. a sentence of life imprisonment without parole. >> reporter: lauterbach was eight months along, when laurean, who feared his professional life would be destroyed, lured her to his home. he confronted her, hit her on the head with a crowbar. and buried her remains in a fire pit in his backyard. blood was found throughout laurean's garage and a crowbar he gave to a marine buddy was lauterbaches. he con conducted a ruse, making it appear as if she was alive. he eventually fled his home and was on the run until police arrested him months later in mexico. defense attorneys tried to paint lauterbach as a troubled, distraught, young woman. but the judge limited testimony about her credibility. jurors never heard from the defendant nor his wife. >> this case has been a tragedy from beginning to end. >> reporter: dna tests eventually proved that laurean was not the father of lauterbach's unborn child. >> maria will always be my hero. >> reporter: steven portnoy, abc news. >> the military said this morning there are now less than 50,000 u.s. troops in iraq. that's the lowest troop level there since the 2003 invasion. and it comes exactly a week before president obama's deadline for the end of combat operations. the american forces remaining there will concentrate on training iraqis and helping with counterterrorism. former president jimmy carter leaves today for north korea. he's going to win the freedom of an american man who is in prison there. that man who is a teacher from boston, was arrested in january for entering the country illegally and was sentenced to hard labor. he apparently survived a suicide attempt last month. carter is expected to return with him on thursday. 9 americans were among the 14 passengers of a small plane that crashed in nepal. bad weather forced the plane to turn back to katmandu. it is unlikely any of the people onboard survived. the trapped miners in dhil lee are getting nourishment, water and oxygen from the surface. rescue teams are also preparing the men for what could be a long wait underground. jeffrey kofman reports from just outside the mine in chile. >> reporter: this is the entrance to the san jose mine, north of santiago, chile. the rescue operation is under way. on sunday, it was discovered that 33 men trapped more than 2,000 feet under ground are alive. they survived 17 days without knowing if they would be rescued. the minister of mines told us they lived on two spoons of tuna, a biscuit and a sip of milk every 48 hours. they had enough food for two days. but they knew it could take a long time to be rescued. so, they kaffully rationed what food they had. they say from down below, they are hungry but nay are okay. and they will wait. right now, the only connection is a six-inch-wide bore hole top to get them out, they're going to build a 27-inch-long bore hole. it is dangerous work. they don't want to cause another mine collapse. it could take one month to four months to get these men out. jeffrey kofman, abc news. in washington state, a family's nightmare is over. 8-year-old paige wilson is back home after spending two days and nights alone in the forest. she wandered away from a group of her cousins at their campsite friday night. she survived without food, water or warm clothing. a family friend pound paige walking along a road sunday morning. fda investigators have completed their preliminary investigation. they say they don't know exactly how those eggs became contaminated with salmonella that led to so many people getting sick. but they do know which farms the eggs came from. john hendren has that story. >> reporter: federal investigators found a trail of bad eggs and sick diners. it led them from custard starts at a northern high school prom to a caterer in los angeles. all part of a national salmonella outbreak. >> in one situation, we had three individuals who became ill, who all had been at the same catered breakfast and all had omelets. we traced it back to the wright county eggs. >> reporter: all signs pointed to iowa. and just two farms, now believed responsible for more than 500 million recalled eggs under 24 brands. >> if the eggs aren't properly cooked, and that means that the whites would be cooked. the yolks would be cooked and firm. in most cases, if there is a contamination with salmonella, that organism would be pretty much killed. >> reporter: wright county egg and hillandale farms are associated with jack decoster, who has a history of health and safety violations. new federal rules requiring more testing in the henhouse could prevent similar outbreaks. >> we have to have more roosts. and then, they have more pecking species. the animals have to have a watering space. >> reporter: in a letter to the fda and usda, congressman rosa delora wants to know what the fda knew about the recall. workers handle manure and dead chickens with their bare hands. john hendren, abc news. it's hard to imagine that anyone could survive a crash like this. police in ohio released this dramatic video. they say the driver was going 100 miles per hour when he slammed into an overpass. the explosive force sent the car flying into three pieces and ejected the driver. he is now in critical condition at the hospital. >> wow. well, in poland, they are still cleaning up after being battered by a freak hailstorm. >> hail the size of ping-pong balls suddenly rained down on several towns, smashing through windshields and even rooftops. hundreds of trees snapped. and hundreds of homes were left in the dark. now, for this morning's weather for around from nation. wet on the east coast. up to ten degrees colder than normal from washington, d.c. to new england. showers in the upper midwest and the southern plains. and thunderstorms in the southwest. >> phoenix heats up to 112. sacramento, 102. and portland, 91. a mild 74 in fargo. 78 in omaha. 81 in detroit. 70s from boston to baltimore. when we come back, aig makes a big repayment on its bailout loan. that's part of the business news. and it's straight ahead. and who is talking on the cell p it is time, now, for a check of market activity, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average has dropped more than 120 points today. hong kong's hang seng is down, sharply in late trading. in london, the ftse opened lower. wall street starts the day with the dow jones industrial average industrials at 10,174, after dropping 39 points yesterday. the nasdaq index lost 20 points to close at 2159. gasoline prices have reached their lowest point in eight months. according to aaa, the average gallon of gas now costs $2.71. some of the credit goes to tend of the summer driving season. some analysts say lack of consumer confidence and high unemployment are also holding prices down. they say people are simply cutting back on spending and driving less. we are expecting to hear about a sharp dip in home sales this morning. the national association of realtors is set to release its existing home sales figures for july. the report is expected to show sales dropping to their lawest level since march of 2009. a high number of foreclosures and persistent unemployment are being blamed for the drop. aig has paid $4 billion in bailout funds back to the federal government. this was the finance and insurance giant's largest bailout prepayment so far. the money came from a debt sale. aig still needs to pay back $90 billion more before its can finally regain its independence from the federal government. if you want to dance like the king of pop, and who doesn't? an upcoming video game may help. the michael jackson experience will make its debut in november. it will help game players spin, slide and do all of jackson's famous moves. the x-box 360 version will track the player's moves and project the player into a concert or video. >> i can moonwalk just for the record. when we come back, the latest on hurricane danielle, which is out there spinning in the atlantic. which is out there spinning in the atlantic. and the en it's your eyes. the second hurricane of the season is now churning out in the atlantic. danielle is now a cat 2 storm, packing winds of 100 miles per hour. it's expected to pick up steam over the next couple of days. the hurricane is forecast to pass east over bermuda over the weekend. but it is not expected to make landfall. now, far look at your morning road conditions. wet along i-95, from new england to florida. slick highways in the southern plains, from i-80, from chicago to des moines. and i-35, from kansas city to dallas. wet on i-35 and 40 in new mexico. >> if you're flying today, you can expect some airport delays in minneapolis, kansas city, chicago, boston, new york, philadelphia and d.c. six months after a trainer was killed by a whale, seaworld has been hit wh a steep fine. the government says the orlando theme park did not do enough to protect worker safety. >> and that was especially true when it came to drowning hazards around those killer whales. yunji de nies reports. >> reporter: this is dawn brancheau, playfully feeding tilikum. moments later, the killer whale would grab the trainer's pony tail, dragging her to her death, before a crowd of horrified tourists. it took a team of trainers to coax the whale onto a platform, so they could lift the animal out of the water and free brancheau out of his jaws. at the time, other trainers said brancheau would be the first to say she was to blame. and the company defended the whale. >> this is really a wonderful animal. >> reporter: in a scathing report, osha said seaworld should have known better, siting tilikum's violent past, with the death of another trainer at a park in canada. the agency said seaworld had an extensive history of potentially dangerous incidents at its various facilities. and yet, it required employees to work on ledges and shelves, suggest to dangerous behavior of animals. the finding came with the maximum fine of $70,000. two other unrelated safety violations added $5,000 to the penalty. the report excos allegations made by the park's former director of health and safety. she says seaworld did not do enough to protect its trainers. and that others are still at risk. >> i think that if they're put into that close proximity, it could easily happen again. >> reporter: seaworld says thalt fight the fine. and that osha does not understand the safety requirements of handling these animals. yunji de nies, abc news, washington. just about everyone these days has a cell phone. but who is using them the most? a new study from nielsen shows that folks along the gulf coast wrack up over 800 minutes of chatting time a month on average. but in rural iowa and wyoming, less than 600 a month. it's no surprise that teens text more than any other age group. nay average 2,700 texts per month. that's about eight per waking hour. an engineering company will pay $52 million for the victims of the minneapolis bridge collapse. 13 people were killed and 145 were injured when the i-35 west bridge failed three years ago. the company did not build the bridge. but had tested it for fatigue. the victims have settled with the state and a paving contractor. this agreement ends their legal fight. tiger woods is officially single again. his marriage to elin nordgren was dissolved yesterday, in a florida courtroom. it comes nine months after an incident on thanksgiving night. >> the couple will share parenting of their two children. sports, now, including a near no-hitter. here's jonathan coachman at espn news. >> good morning. we're going to start in arlington. battle of two first place teams. twins and rangers. fresh off the d.l. he was dealing. top seven, a no-hitter going. jason kubel swinging. next batter, michael cuddyer. he walks. that was 111 pitches. manager, ron washington, says that's enough. with the no-hitter intact. top nine, feliz, the fourth rangers pitcher, trying to nail down the no-no. denard span, first out of the ninth. harden looking out from the dugout. he was cool getting cold. after orlando hudson drew a walk, joe mauer breaks up the no-hitter. rangers had a one-hit shutout. rangers, impressive, 4-0. "monday night football," matt leinart, the starter in arizona for now. vince young, the clear-cut starter if titans. first quarter, young, off his back foot. nice, to craig stevens out of bounds. first down, titans. later in the drive, chris joslyn, over 200 yards a year ago. eight-yard touchdown. matt leinart, not so good. four of six. only 28 yards. did not have a first down while he was in the game. in comes derek anderson. he was a little better. williams gets a step. titans will go on to win 24-10, is your final. that will do it for now. i'm jonathan coachman. back to you guys in the studio. another crowning moment in las vegas last night. mexico's con tess tant became misuniverse 2010. >> the 22-year-old former model will spend the year focusing on the struggles of people facing hiv and breast cancer. she is mexico's second misuniverse. coming up next, the stories we'll be following today, including the former marine, now serving a life sentence for murder. aeroshirley sherrod meeting with her former and possibly future boss. we'll explain, straight ahead. [ man ] this is bailey's favorite time of day. mine too. i'm chef michael, and i love to delight bailey's senses. don't i? [ barks ] because i think food speaks a language of love. that's what inspired me to rethink dry dog food. [ female announcer ] chef michael's canine creations. [ chef michael ] mmm. tender shredded pieces made with real meat... and crunchy garnishes to enhance the mealtime experience. yes, bailey-- just for you. [ barks ] [ female announcer ] chef inspired, dog desired. chef michael's canine creations. [ female announcer ] 100% baby-smooth perfection has arrived. introducing dream smooth mousse foundation from maybelline new york. it's cream whipped for a 100% baby-smooth look. [ woman ] show me. [ female announcer ] some makeups just cover and leave skin rough, dry. dream smooth hydrates for 14 hours. so skin looks flawless, stays touchably smooth. [ woman ] just like a baby. [ female announcer ] it's ultimate perfection. 100% baby-smooth. new dream smooth mousse. [ woman ] maybe she's born with it. [ female announcer ] maybe it's maybelline. [ woman ] maybe she's born with it. have you tried honey bunches of oats with real strawberries? wow. it's seriously strawberry. they're everywhere. it's in the bunches, on the flakes, even real strawberries in the mix. can i have some more? honey bunches of oats with real strawberries. it's delicious. nobody does it quite like us. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. ♪ well, if you come from the hood ♪ ♪ or ya come from the burbs ♪ got the fellas up in here tonight ♪ ♪ ♪ we at the block party having fun ♪ ♪ now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this tuesday. lawyers for caesar laurean say they will appeal his murder conviction. the former marine was found guilty of killing another marine who accused him of rape. the pentagon releases the findings and a recommendations of a suicide prevention task force today. that task force has been looking into ways of protecting the mental health of soldiers as they often deal with repeated deployments overseas. there is primary voting today in three states. the highest profile races in arizona, florida and alaska, all involve senate contests. senator john mccain is facing a challenge from a conservative rival. tom delay heads to court for a pretrial hearing today. he's facing money laundering and conspiracy charges for his efforts to elect republican candidates back in 2002. shirley sherrod meets with agriculture secretary tom vilsack. she says she has been offered a new job. sherrod was forced to resign last month, after a blogger claimed she made racist comments during a speech. and the judge in the lindsay lohan case is expected to deliver a ruling today. but the l.a. court gave no additional details. lohan is currently in rehab, after spending 14 days in jail, for violating her probation in a 2007 drug case. coming up later on "good morning america," an exclusive interview with "american idol" star fantasia barone. per first after being hospitalized for a suicide attempt. >> she will talk and perform songs from her new album. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. [ male announcer ] looks clean. but look below the surface. your mouth is no different. just brushing leaves germs behind. adding listerine® antiseptic cleans deeper. [ boom! ] to penetrate and kill more germs. [ exhale ] [ male announcer ] listerine®. clean deeper. get healthier™. until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. when allergies make them itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. choose alaway, from the eye health experts at bausch & lomb. it works in minutes and up to 12 hours. bausch & lomb alaway. because it's not just your allergies, it's your eyes. [ smack! ] [ smack! smack! smack! ] [ male announcer ] your favorite foods fighting you? fight back fast with tums. calcium rich tums goes to work in seconds. nothing works faster. ♪ tum ta tum tum tums and finally this morning, learning in luxury. the priciest public school in the nation opens its doors to students in l.a. next month. >> it's a cash-strapped school district struggling to make ends meet. so, how are officials justifying such a hefty price tag? david wright reports. >> reporter: fine art murals. and a faculty dining room that the superintendent says is better than most restaurants. cost of construction, $250,000 per pupil. it is the most expensive public school ever built in this country. price tag, $578 million. and some say it's a luxury the los angeles school district cannot afford. >> welcome to the "allis in wonderland" world of education and publics of los angeles. up is down. down is up. and none of these decisions have anything to do with kids. >> reporter: the district has a $640 million budget shortfall. they've laid off 3,000 teachers. l.a. unified is one of the lowest performs school districts in america. why not take the money spent there and spend it on education? >> illegal. illegal. >> reporter: district officials say the money for school construction comes from voter-approved funds, totally separate from what's budgeted for text books and teachers. i sense you're a little embarrassed about the price tag of this thing. >> yes. it bothering me. >> reporter: l.a.'s not alone. new york city, a $235 million school. in new brunswick, new jersey. >> whether you're building a taj mahal or teaching kids in a broom closet, make sure you have a kids-first agenda. >> reporter: it's the old ambassador hotel. >> on to chicago and let's win this. where robert kennedy was shot. future generations may appreciate the school now built there in h