tennis match? and it's still not over. we'll hear from the young american in this record marathon. could not stop watching that match.on. >> i think our whole office was watching that instead of working yesterday afternoon. but it was worth it. what an amazing match yesterday. >> and an amazing day today at wimbledon. queen elizabeth, for the first time since 1977, is visiting the all england club. so, we'll get to all of that, coming up. it, as you know, is a new day, under new leadership for u.s. troops in afghanistan, after a high-stakes meeting with general stanley mcchrystal. president obama announced the general's resignation. and named his replacement, the architect of the surge in iraq, general david petraeus. >> that pick was the political master stroke, that got president obama out of the tight box he was in. it's being welcomed by both democrats and republicans on capitol hill. petraeus is expected to be confirmed quickly by the senate. and to be on the ground in afghanistan next week. the big question now, can general petraeus fix a war effort that's been proceeding in fits and starts? the president said he was changing personnel, not policy. senator john mccain standing by live to talk about that. we begin with martha raddatz, about the high drama in the high change of command. it was stunning. a 30-year career is over. >> reporter: that's right, george. general mcchrystal and his top aide will not be returning to afghanistan and say good-bye. their personal effects are being shipped back to the u.s. an official in kabul told me this morning, it feels like a death in the family. it all happened so fast. and in retrospect, was so obvious. cameras trained on a white house entrance, caught stanley mcchrystal leaving his tense and final meeting with president obama. and a short time later, david petraeus arrived. he had come for a scheduled national security council meeting about afghanistan. but we now know that just 45 minutes after mcchrystal was ousted, the president called petraeus to the oval office and asked him to take mcchrystal's job. >> he has worked closely with our forces in afghanistan. he has worked closely with congress. he has my full confidence. >> reporter: sending petraeus to afghanistan is, by all accounts, a great save, for exactly the reasons the president described. petraeus is jokingly referred to by some in the military as a waterwalker, who seems to turn even the worst situations around. he received enormous credit for that in iraq, where he served three, different tours. the last overseeing the surge. ironically, he took over central command in 2008 because the man who was then holding the job, admiral william fallon, was ousted, after an "esquire" magazine profile put him at odds with the bush administration. the central command job headquartered in tampa, put petraeus in charge of a swath of global hotspots, from yemen, to iran, to pakistan. a senior administration official joked that sending petraeus from tampa to kabul, was not exactly on the better homes tour. but clearly, the president is hoping that the magic touch petraeus has had in the past, will help him in one of the toughest wars ever. and this may well be the hardest challenge petraeus has faced. we also don't know how long he will be in afghanistan. he has already spent nearly half of the last ten years in a war zone. george? >> okay, martha. thanks very much. let's get more on this now with senator john mccain in washington. senator, good morning. i know you talked to the president yesterday. what can you tell us about that conversation? >> well, the president said, as we know, that he was asking general petraeus to serve. and by the way, we all appreciate the service that general mcchrystal rendered to the country. and we wish him well. but it's also completely understandable why the president made the decision that he did. based on the civilian/military relationship, which goes a long way back, including harry truman. but i also pointed out to the president, along with my strong support of general petraeus, we need a new team over there, as well. perhaps at the embassy and other areas. the relationship between civil and military is not what it should be. and also, i pointed out to the president, if he insists on a date certain, rather than conditions based, which he continues to insist. in a recent book, the vice president said a whole lot of people will be leaving in 2011. we cannot succeed with a date service. >> that's the july 2011 to begin withdrawing troops from afghanistan. sources tell me that when the president spoke with general petraeus yesterday in the oval office, general petraeus reaffirmed his support for that strategy. and that beginning date for withdraw, july 2011. if you support general petraeus, why not support the strategy he affirmed? >> i believe that general petraeus can do the job. and i am convinced that general petraeus will give his best advice to the president as to what the conditions are at the time. probably early next year. but i know, as i knew the surge would succeed. and the surge wouldn't have succeeded if there had been a date certain. you cannot tell the enemy when you're leaving in warfare and expect your strategy to be able to prevail. that's just a fundamental of warfare. and i know it, just as i knew the surge would succeed, when the president and the vice president and the secretary of state and the national security adviser all said that it wouldn't. >> let me make sure i heard you correctly. you're saying you believe that when general petraeus comes and testifies, he's going to argue for relaxing that deadline? >> no, he is going to say that he is going to say he is going to give his best advice based on conditions in iraq. and i'm concerned about -- excuse me. conditions based in afghanistan. and i'm concerned about that ambiguity, which is sounding an uncertain trumpet. not only in afghanistan, but in other parts of that region, as well. >> you know, the president said he's not going to have a change in strategy. that's one of the reason he's chosen general petraeus. and some say that's a problem. the spring offensive in march did not go well. the summer offensive in kandahar has been put off. casualties have been rising. and troops have been complaining that the restrictive rules of engagement are preventing progress. one called them a taliban weapon being used against u.s. forces. does the president need a change in policy to match the change in personnel? >> i believe that the issue of a date certain for withdraw, the taliban are already sending out leaflets saying, hang on. that they're going to be leaving. is crucial in this situation. just as i believe that a surge was crucial, if we were going to win in iraq. and i think that ambassador crocker would be, by the way, a very valued member of the team. >> are more troops needed in afghanistan? >> what's that? >> are more troops needed in afghanistan? >> i believe so, particularly since our allies that we have counted on for supplying some 10,000 troops, clearly, are not going to do that. only 50% of them are already there. and because of our announcement of leaving, canadians, poles, other countries are saying that they are planning on leaving, as well. you can't do that. you have to stay the course. you have to win. and we can win. and we can succeed. but not unless we are firm that we're going to get the job done. >> bottom line from you, senator mccain. no deadline. you want more troops. >> unless conditions warrant it. conditions may warrant it. but it all has to do with conditions on the ground. >> senator mccain, thanks for your time this morning. >> thank you, george. robin? >> all right, george. to the latest on the gulf disaster. overnight, engineers were able to recap the oil well, 11 hours after an accident damaged the containment device that had been collecting much of the oil. matt gutman is down there on pensacola beach in florida. good morning, matt. >> reporter: good morning, robin. from a little bit away, this looks like seaweed. but you get closer and you see these are tar patties. so enormous, they brought out zambonis to clear it up. tomorrow night, good news from bp. this morning, the top hat is siphoning oil from this crippled well. last night, one of the robots, which acts like a garden hose, knocked into it. >> it bumped into the vents. it allows the extra oil to come out. >> reporter: shutting down the entire operation for much of the day. and allowing hundreds of gallons of oil to shoot into the gulf. recently, abc news learned just how tricky it is to navigate these $6 million deep-sea robots. i just crashed this thing? >> yeah. >> reporter: a more permanent and durable system to capture the oil won't be in place until mid-july. meantime, the oil is slamming ashore on pensacola's snow-white beaches in quantities yet unseen. >> to see this beautiful beach we've seen all week, trashed, literally, with oil, is devastating. >> sad. it's really sad. >> reporter: now, thick, black pools of it. asked to stay out of the water, vacationers looked on, while cleanup crews went to work. some people cried. florida's governor, charlie crist, vowed to make these beaches white again. >> going to clean it up. stay after it. >> reporter: and those trying to stay ahead of the oil, blocked by red tape. we were told these dredges didn't have the proper permits. >> the federal government needs to understand that days count, hours count. we're in an emergency situation. >> reporter: and wildlife, taking the brunt of it. this dolphin rescued here in pensacola. and meantime, even the most basic of tools to fight the oil, this floating boom, are in short supply. 7 million feet have been deployed. and officials say, only 3 million feet are left. and, robin, it's not so much what's on the beach. but what's in it. these sand patties, these tar patties, are buried deep in the sand. that's why they're bringing out these zambonis to scoop them up, deep in the sound. >> that's what the locals are calling it, matt? >> reporter: sandbonis. they are large sand rakes. this is too big to pick up. they need bigger machinery. >> thank you, matt, for staying on top of it. ashleigh banfield is in for juju chang at the newsdesk. >> good morning. we're going to begin with stunning, new allegations this morning, about the three american hikers who are being held in iran. an investigation by "the nation" magazine, has found that shane bauer, josh fattal, and sarah shourd, were actually on iraqi soil when they were detained by iranian guards last summer and accused of spying. two witnesses say they saw iranian officers cross the border into iraq, to arrest those hikers. and some breaking news overnight from pakistan. five, american students from the d.c. area have been sentenced to ten years in prison. they were convicted of trying to join militants to carry out attacks there. two notes on the economy for you this morning. this morning, a new survey, 39% of ceos at major, american companies say they plan to increase hiring this year. yes, increase. that is the best number in three years. and the other economic news comes from the federal reserve, which says that interest rates are going to stay near zero for the near future. and did you feel it? much of the northeast did. a rare quake centered near ottawa, canada, sent people running for cover and into the streets. it was the largest quake to hit the region in 20 years. take a look at the pictures. and it was felt from new york to boston. and as far south as maryland and tennessee. the most serious damage was the collapse of this bridge in quebec. luckily, no injuries were reported. i had firsthand reporting on this, guys. my brother texted me from his office in toronto, saying the windows were rattling. >> no kidding? >> yeah. he's okay. i think he's more rattled than the windows. >> people said they felt it here. i didn't feel anything. >> when landon donovan scored his goal, i felt everything shift like that. sam champion's been working so hard. he's going to take a little time off. in for us this morning, marysol castro from "gma weekend." good to see you, mary. >> good morning, everyone at home. tis the season for severe weather. we've been talking about it all week. two areas of concern. the northern plains, bismarck to fargo. look at this swath. the mid-atlantic. 70-mile-per-hour wind gusts, even within the cities proper. before the severe weather, oppressive heat. look at the temperatures. 93 in new york city. 97 in the nation's capital. knoxville, 92, just shy of a record. thanks so much. more on your thursday outlook a little later on in the show. robin? >> marysol, thanks so much. now, to the extraordinary match at wimbledon. the longest match ever. ten hours. and it's still not over. how long can it go on? jim sciutto reports this morning from wimbledon. good morning, jim. >> reporter: robin, good morning. we're right above court number 18. this is where it all happened yesterday. and where it's going to happen again today, in just a few hours. that's part of what's incredible about this story. a little court, little-known players. billie jean king said she's never seen anything like it in all of her years. andy roddick, the u.s. number one, asked who was going to win. he said, is survival an option? all eyes on this incredible match. when it started, the sun was blazing. when it finished, the moon was up. a seemingly ordinary first-round matchup between frenchman, nicolas mahut, and american john isner. suspended for darkness on tuesday, the match went into it second day wednesday afternoon. tied at 2-2 sets, wimbledon rules have a tiebreak for the decisive fifth set. players have to win by two games. so, isner and mahut started trading games. and aces. after 6:33, they also set the record for the longest tennis match ever. but they were just getting started. even the electronic scoreboard quit. but the players did not. at 9:10 p.m., after exactly ten hours, tied at 59-59, the crowd still wanted more. the chair umpire had seen enough. suspending the match for darkness, again. >> play is suspended. >> reporter: the players walked off with standing ovations from the crowd. >> nothing like this will ever happen again ever. >> we're just fighting like we never did before. >> reporter: in the time it's taken to play this match so far, ten hours, you could watch the entire "godfather" trilogy. or six world cup matches. or fly from new york to london, with time to spare 20 taste the ice cream. he got up surprisingly early this morning, amped up for today's match. >> jim, thank you. joining us now from london, is john isner's mother, karen isner. what is your son's frame of mind, as he heads into, what we're all hoping, will be the conclusion of this match today. karen? >> good morning. how are you? we're hoping that there will be a conclusion today. i don't know what john's frame of mind is going to be. i really don't know how a person prepares for this. so, i'm counting on his coach to get him ready. and we'll see what happens. >> what has he told you? what did he tell you last night about the match? >> we actually didn't talk about the match. we actually -- we just actually just talked about his dog. and he just told me he was being well taken care of. he was going to go to bed. and so, we really didn't discuss the match or any gameplan for today or anything. that's kind of not my job. >> you're the mom. and after ten hours of playing, i think that's the last thing he wants to talk about, is tennis. how are you doing? i mean, how are you holding up through all this? >> i'm doing fine. it was a bit painful to watch him out there, struggling at the end. and i really sort of -- i just wanted him off the court at one point. but i know that's not what he wanted. he didn't want to be off the court until he won. but i'm holding up just fine. >> wonderful. well, thank you so much. i know you're trying to make your way to the all england club. karen, we're pulling for him back here on this side of the pond. so, you have a great day. thank you so much. >> thank you so much. bye-bye. >> okay. you can catch more of the wimbledon action this morning on espn. >> i love that, talking about his dog. coming up, more of our exclusive interview with joran van der sloot's mother. she speaks out about natalee holloway. the toll it's taken on her family. that woman has been through so much. you can see the bitterness on her face and in her voice. >> you can. and the bin laden hunter comes home. what made him think he can really catch the world's most-wanted terrorist? he's back in the u.s. and, boy, he has a lot to say. trying to do it on his home. we're going to ask him. and the comeback kids do it again. thanks to a last-minute goal. team usa advances in the world cup. could this be our best team ever? 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[ female announcer ] when you have kids the phrase good morning takes on a whole new meaning. capri sun sunrise is a good source of calcium and vitamin c so every morning's a good morning. capri sun sunrise, i can respect that. capri sun sunrise, [droplets] don't fix the leak. or anything in the house... without blueprint from chase. create a plan to pay off large purchases... and save money on interest. does your credit card have blueprint? design your plan at 866 blueprint. good morning, 7:24. we briefly did the 79 last hour in baltimore. we're back up to 80 right now. same mark in york, pennsylvania. ocean city. 79 in easton. feels like mid-80s when you factor in the heat index. little added humidity. high heat stays with us for today. you notice the air quality, code yellow in the moderate range. when you up the air, we've tried to lift the clouds to our north. boundary that will get much more active this afternoon. will help to enhance the wind. that should try to give us a few extra hours of sunshine. battle to win the debate as to when the clouds roll in, we held back on temperatures for a little bit today. thunderstorms develop around the harrisburg area, drop south during the mid-afternoon hours. between 4:00 and 6:00. develop showers in baltimore, up towards harford, cecil. could get strong with a chance we could have severe limits with large hail and damaging wind. that'll be the afternoon, evening hours. we drop the temperatures with northerly wind. that cools down a little tomorrow. 98 is the record high. settling down to 69 by daybreak. it'll be feel much better tomorrow. here's kim with traffic. >> the number of accidents we have working right now. have calmed down a little bit. congestion cranking up around the area. let's look at 95 as you approach white marsh boulevard. stop and go pace. worse on the beltway. northwest side, old court road. top stories to be jammed pretty much the entire stretch. give yourself lots of time as we take a peek at our maps. we have a couple accidents around the area. one in anne arundel county. northbound 95. northbound 97 at corner field road. route 1 northbound at 195. police activity reported southbound bel air road as you approach the beltway. stay with us, jamie has your morning news update after this. news time now 7:27. it's the final vote. later today, the baltimore city council will decide whether to tack on a two cent bottle tax on beverages. the mayor has been pushing for the beverage tax. that's supposed to generate millions of dollars. without it, about 70 city workers would have to be laid off. retailers are worried the tax will hurt their businesses. later this morning, they'll be holding one last rally. >> whatever sales uh, we may lose, we'll have to compensate for that. and typically, the easiest thing to cut is staffing. that's probably one of our first solutions. >> the city council will meet today at 3:00 this afternoon, they'll cast their final vote on that two cent beverage tax. the mayor will be our guest this morning on good morning maryland. we'll talk about the budget battle. she'll sit down with us at 9:00 to determine what needs to be done before the budget is due. she's also talk about the new youth baltimore initiative. we'll make sure she answers it for you today at 9:00. governor martin o'malley, senator ben carden will be out there riding the whales. they plan to borrowed a marc train and head to new carlton. consumer news for you: lancaster foods recalling krisp-pak ready to eat hydro cooled spinach. containing listeria. if you have it, throw the spinach out, keep the bag, call the number on your screen. we'll see you in about half an hour with another weather and traffic update. the mayor on good morning maryland today at 9:00. see you then. london donovan, ahead for the usa. can they do it here? across. and dempsey's done it again. and donovan has scored. oh, can you believe this? >> you cannot write a more exciting finish and a more dramatic game. landon donovan gives the team a 1-0 victory over algeria. it seems like the whole world was watching. you have -- that was before the goal. here it is. new york stock exchange, our newsroom, the white house, sports bars all across america, erupted across america. a lot of people playing hookie yesterday. can team usa do it again as they go into the next do-or-die game. good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> and i'm robin roberts. also, the american man who went to pakistan to hunt down osama bin laden. did he think he would hunt down the world's most-wanted terrorist? >> he has a lot to say. first, more with joran van der sloot's mother. yesterday, he questioned the peruvian murder case. today, she discusses the natalee holloway case. >> reporter: we watched and heard anita van der sloot in that interview. you can sense the conflicting emotions this mother is going through. after all, joran is still very much her son. but now, the object of so much scorn. >> as a mother, you don't want to hear things like, he's a serial killer, he's a monster, because he is not. i don't have that image of him. so, it's very hard to hear that. >> reporter: she started hearing all that five years ago, on the island of aruba, when natalee holloway, on vacation here from alabama, disappeared. anita was visiting her mother in the netherlands when she got the call from her husband. >> there was a girl missing in aruba. her name was natalee holloway. and that joran was one of the last ones seen with her. but he told that he dropped her at the hotel. so, probably, it was not a big deal. everybody thought she run away. >> reporter: but soon, it seems everyone, the police, the media, and natalee's family, suspected joran had something to do with her disappearance. anita explains in her native dutch. >> translator: my husband told me that natalee's family, uncle, mother, with police, had already come to the door. and there had been a lot of yelling. and he thought these things should be discussed at the police station. >> reporter: paul and anita van der sloot were convinced their son had done nothing wrong. >> translator: joran has always been really friendly and polite with girls. why would this happen now? why would he do something to a girl? so, i didn't believe that. that he could hurt a girl in some way? as a mother, i was convinced he was incapable of it. >> reporter: but as the days turn into weeks and still no natal natalee, joran starts changing his story. >> my heart became heavier and heavier. and meanwhile, at home, paul would, you know, put joran under fire. like, if you know anything, tell us because you're going to the police and you tell the truth. no, no. i don't know anything. then, i thought, okay. if you lied because of this, then stop now because it's very hurtful for the parents involved. and i felt so much for the parents of natalee. i could not imagine how it could be to lose a child, even if she was still thought that she run away. and i wanted to do everything to help. >> reporter: her son, meanwhile, can't stop himself from fabricating more stories. over time, he tells reporters that natalee died accidentally. and then, that he killed her. and then, that he sold her into slavery. in the end, he says, he was just bragging and lying. his mother starts losing faith. >> maybe he missed the chance to become an actor. maybe that should have been the role in his life. i really don't know. i can hardly believe that he can fake this. >> reporter: and now, in peru, joran's accused of murdering stephany flores. these are new photos of the crime scene, obtained by abc news. police say the evidence, which includes blood-soaked shoes, show clear signs of a violent struggle. and they say, joran confessed to it all in gruesome detail. but joran now says he was tricked into giving that confession. his mother, whose husband died just a few months ago, says she no longer has any room in her heart for all the stress and the pain. >> i can cut certain things off. i can push them away. it's hard. but i'm trying to do that. i just lost my husband. and i could not even take the time to mourn about that. >> reporter: and yet, like any other mother, she worries. >> being my son or not, he needs a really fair chance of surviving this. there is also a big chance that he gets murdered. there's a lot of people after him. the joran i know and his grandma and great grandma, is a very gentle and sweet joran. >> reporter: her final words are words of support, for those other two families who have suffered all the more pain. the flores and the holloways. >> i don't think words are enough to tell the parents of natalee holloway and of stephany flores, what i feel. if they would be here right now, i would cry with them and give them a big, big hug. >> reporter: i spoke to stephany flores' family in peru last night. and they tell me, they appreciate anita's words of support. but they worry this could be a part of using some insanity defense. they're determined to see joran convicted and sen lensed to life in prison. now, marysol castro is in for sam champion with the weather. hey, marysol. >> good morning, everyone. we want to show you overnight pictures of chicago, as severe storms ripped through there. nearly two inches of rain fell in less than an hour. and then, the winds came in. some wind gusts came in at 80 miles per hour. and this all happened during the late evening rush. so, traffic was just at a standstill. at the height of the storm, nearly 180,000 people were without power. what a difference a day makes. look at today. beautiful temperatures. it's much drier. these temperatures are near normal. 79 in chicago for today. want to check in on the tropics because we do have a little bit of activity. in the caribbean sea, we have the makings, just the makings, of a tropical depression. we're keeping an eye on it. right now, it's dumping a lot of rain on haiti and jamaica. and further out in the pacific, we have a tropical storm. darby, just off the coast of mexico. and the first thanks so much. this weather report has been brought to you by royal caribbean international. george? >> thanks, marysol. and coming up, the man on a mission to find osama bin laden. we finally find out what he was thinking. away. we're out here in the caribbean. soakin' up some sun. woohoo shrek's got some moves. hi five boys, it's sushi time. i'm donkey, feeling the ocean breeze on my hooves, gettin' my vacation on donkey style. why aren't you? ♪ to get more of the fiber you need every day, try fiberchoice. with the natural fiber found in fruits and vegetables and 33% more fiber per serving than benefiber. go to fiberchoice.com o get savings and rewards. we helped keep your skin clear. now we have a solution for wrinkles. neutrogena anti wrinkle with retinol sa smoothes even deep wrinkles. it works...beautifully. neutrogena. that's why we're investing one million dollars every hour... to improve our technology and your safety. it's an investment that's helped toyota earn multiple top safety pick awards for 2010 by the insurance institute for highway safety. no other brand has won more. these top safety picks, and all our new safety innovations are available at toyota.com/safety. to talk about our new blueberry juice drinks. they're made with my tasty, ripe blueberries, packed with those antioxidants. let's whip up a sample. [ chuckles ] back at 7:41. and this morning, the man who took it upon himself to launch a one-man mission to find osama bin laden is back on u.s. soil. gary faulkner was detained in pakistan early this month, after going there to hunt down the world's most-wanted man. but did he actually think he could find him? david wright has more from colorado. he joins us from there. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the raocky mountain rambo was i high spirits. but tired. he suggested that his hunt for the world's most-wanted man may not be over. after hours of questioning by u.s. customs on arrival at l.a.x., faulkner checked in for his flight back home. the 40-inch sword he had hoped to use on osama bin laden, was obviously not in his carry-on bag. the first question i have to ask, no disrespect. what were you thinking? >> i was thinking that somebody has to get him. why not me? >> reporter: faulkner was detained in pakistan last week, after authorities there had captured him in the woods. but because he had broken no laws, pakistan didn't charge him with a crime. they simply deported him. how does it go to this business? >> it's a personal endeavor. >> reporter: an endeavor that faulkner personally believes in. >> it's not like i woke up and said, here's an idea. >> reporter: from the outside, it sounds like rambo. and it sounds, therefore, unrealistic. >> well, you see, that's because the people that think it's unrealistic never get off of the chair, out in front of the tv set and the movies to do something with their life. >> reporter: what's not clear is how close he ever got to getting his man. did you actually see bin laden? >> yeah. on the news one time. >> reporter: you have no reason to believe you came anywhere close to seeing him? >> i didn't say that. >> reporter: faulkner is convinced bin laden is alive. >> what we'll do is we'll find out by the end of this summer, yay or nay. yeah. he's alive. >> reporter: and he strongly hinted he would go back again. now, he needs some rest. >> i'm out of wind. thanks to everybody. and for all of those who had something negative to say, it sucks to be you. >> reporter: i did ask him about the sword. he said he left it in pakistan. he might need it again. here in the u.s., he's a free man. he's broken no laws. remember, the u.s. government is the one that put the bounty on bin laden's head in the first place. 25 million bucks. you get the sense talking to faulkner, he's not in it for the money. robin? >> no, he's not. the rocky mountain rambo enjoying his 15 minutes. all right. thanks very much, david. appreciate it. coming up next, miracle on turf. team usa scores a last-minute goal to live to fight another day at this world cup in south africa. can they keep it up? we'll talk about it next. a de. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now i can do more of what i love. 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[ male announcer ] now with 0% apr for 60 months. it's a whole new volkswagen. and a whole new game. it's a whole new volkswagen. have you tried honey bunches of oats yet? every spoonful is a little different. mmm. they got three kinds of flakes. this is delicious. it's the perfect combination of sweet and crispy. i love it. this is so good. this is great. the magic's in the mix. ♪ don't stop believing so true. that is so true. you can sum up team usa's win versus algeria, in one word. here's the tweet from player jozy altidore. wow. the long goal coming in stoppage time, soccer speak for extra innings. amazing play. >> i think you heard that wow all across the united states when that happened. everybody stopped. >> the vuvuzelas. i ran down on the sixth floor and started blowing my vuvuzela after that. espn's alexi lalas is back with us. member of two world cup teams. he's joining us from johannesburg. what was it like for you, a two-time world cup team member, to see what the americans did yesterday, alexi? >> it was emotional. it was incredible. for those of us around this game for a long time, to see this team, the way they performed. their belief in themselves. and also to live up to expectations. it's difficult when you have higher expectations to make that transition. from being the underdog, a role they played so well, to being the favorite. i was proud. it was wonderful. i had to control myself. it was an emotional moment for everybody. but, you know, i'm a professional. i figured it out. >> you don't have to control yourself. that's okay. >> and i did my job. >> you know, you talk about the pressure. and as the usa is playing, england's playing on another field. and england scored pretty early in their match. is that something the players on the field would be aware of? >> yeah. i mean, people know what's going on. there's amazing -- we live in this day and age when there's all sorts of forms of communications. and ultimately, they know what's going on. the players and coaches will say all we do is concentrate what's going on on the field. but nay know what's going on. for the u.s. to win this group, and to face ghana, a wonderful accomplishment. undefeated in group play. the way they did it, wonderful theater. i know everybody back home was on the edge of their seats. and then, to have the star come up and get that goal, landon donovan, you couldn't have scripted it better. >> handicap this game going forward. ghana at 2:00 on saturday. >> from a soccer perspective, the u.s., actually, is a better team. i think they have better individuals. collectively, they're a better team. you have to understand, because there's not a lot of african nations going on to the round of 16, and certainly, the host nation is not in south africa, a lot of the support is going to go towards ghana, being from this continent. so, in a certain sense, this u.s. team is going to be the underdog, in terms of support. >> we want to take a look at you in action. you're so well-groomed right now, alexi lalas. but we remember you and you looked when you were out on the field. look at that. the goatee. the red hair all over the place. that's the alexi lalas we remember. >> well, you know what? i had to clean up on the outside. but i'm still a mess on the inside. it's all about lights and makeup now and combing my hair and that stuff. but i'm still the same person. they just turn the camera on and let me roll. >> and we're glad they do. you're doing a great job, alexi. give our best to everybody there. have a great day. you can see team usa take on ghana saturday. coverage starts 2:00 p.m. eastern right here on abc. and, of course, you can see all of the world cup games on espn. >> can check out what you think about team usa at the world cup at abcnews.com/gma. and weigh in on our shoutout board. go ahead. go for it. that is for jake and vienna, coming up. who are you?!? i'm your "genie"! weren't you just wishing for something more nutritious to eat? i was! well, you could enjoy the taste of decadent dark chocolate, the crunch of almonds, plus 35% of your daily fiber... plus antioxidants in a kellogg's fiber plus bar. mmmm. right then. two more wishes? i'm good. oh. back to the lamp then. see ya! 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(announcer) pepcid® complete doesn't make you choose. it neutralizes acid in seconds and controls heartburn all day or all night. pepcid® complete , works now and works later. all day or all night. all right, good morning. 7:56. check it out. hazy sun over anne arundel community college. this is glen burnie off richie highway. aiming for the current temperature. feels like 89. we're factoring in heat and humidity. winds picking up out of the southwest. that'll stir up the atmosphere. we hold down the pollutants today. temperatures surging into the 80s. 85 edgemere. 84 perry hall. heat index values pushing the upper 80s. not even 8:00 in the morning. at least we have good air quality today. clouds to our north. firing up storms east of cleveland. we pump in the southwesterly flow. depending on when the clouds roll back in. 97 is our two-degree guaranty. 99 is the upper limit. that'll put us in record territory. developing storms could last through the afternoon, evening hours, then we drop the heat and humidity overnight through tomorrow. here's kim brown with traffic. >> accidents not so much, but congest and slow-going around a lot of the big roadways, absolutely. as we take a peek at 95, stop and go from white marsh boulevard towards the 895 split. probably take on another five or six minutes to your commute. as we look at our maps right now. we are working a couple accidents in the area, one downtown at pratt and president. south of the beltway, injury crash at halethorpe. route 1 northbound. 95. someone lost a bail of hail on the ramp onto the bw parkway. a load of furniture in the roadway, northbound 97 at crane highway. we're sending you back to new york for more good morning america right after. woman: my husband is very much a meat and potatoes guy, and i'm kind of the healthy one. i like to eat as healthy as i can, and i like to know that i'm serving good food. when it comes to shopping, it is an art of balancing. we know good food is important. at giant, enjoy quality meats and the freshest produce, at prices you can handle, like whole seedless watermelon, $3.99 each, and super g boneless chicken breasts, $1.99 a pound, this week only. feeling good about what i'm making. that works for me. ♪ new york [ cheers and applause ] you know that beautiful voice. >> love her. >> alicia keys. and the reason we're playing that, of course, is tomorrow morning here on "good morning america," in central park, alicia keys will be with us. and we hope that you will be, too. we say good morning, america. on this thursday morning. hailing from texas, we have girl scouts from my home state of mississippi. >> we got a birthday over there, too. happy 11th birthday. >> aw. you're like -- >> big crowd for the summertime. we also have news this morning. sad news. perhaps not shocking. >> what's that? >> jake and vienna, from "the bachelor." they're not going to make it. they're not going to make it. they have broken up. the crowd is very disappointed. are you surprised, though? that's the question. >> no. >> no one's surprised. well, cameron mathison looked behind the scenes into what happened. that's coming up. >> and he's going to have to eat a little crow. >> he thought it was real. also coming up, we have our summer safety series. we continue that. it's time to get out. lawn mowers can turn into a dangerous, even deadly weapon. we have one family's cautionary tale. >> elisabeth leamy's here. and a new series that premieres tonight on abc. it's called "boston med," like a real-life "grey's anatomy." critics say you'll learn things in this documentary. it's gripping. it will change your life. >> rave reviews. first, ashleigh banfield's in with the morning news. ashleigh? >> hey, george. general david petraeus is expected to be on the ground in afghanistan by this time next week. general stanley mcchrystal won't be returning to afghanistan to say good-bye, after being relieved by president obama. june is turning out to be the deadliest month for coalition courses there. 4 troops were killed in a crash, bringing the total to 80. the containment cap siphoning oil from that ruptured well in the gulf of mexico is back in position and working again. it was knocked out of place on wednesday, by a deep-sea robot, allowing hundreds of thousands of gallons of oil to gush into the water. pools of oil are now washing up in florida. a baby dolphin covered in oil was found in a sand bar off pensacola beach. it later died, despite attempts to save it. reportedly, bp pressing ahead with a controversial, new drilling project, off the coast of alaska. despite the legal battle over a moratorium on deepwater drilling. "the new york times" says bp was granted on-shore status, even though it will go two miles under water. big news a recall of parents with babies. more than 2 million cribs are being recalled because of the hazards they pose. the cribs in question are made by everyflo, delta, jardine, and others. you can find out more information about this on abcnews.com. and finally, one of the world's most eligible bachelors is finally getting hitched. ladies, prince albert of monaco is finally getting married. giving the first princess since his mom, princess grace. >> reporter: for years, he was known as one of europe's most eligible bachelors. those days are no more. after months of speculation and rumors, the couple announced they will be tieing the knot. not since his mother, the glamorous grace kelly walked down the iaisle, has monaco see a crown princess. >> monaco needs a boost. they're enthusiastic. >> reporter: it's what fairy tales are made of. he is the 52-year-old prince of monaco. she is the 32-year-old commoner, and former olympic swimmer from south africa. like her, he, too, is an olympian. a bobsledder. the prince was considered such a long-time bachelor, that just a few years ago, parliament changed the constitution to allow one of his sister's sons to take the throne if albert never produced an heir. there's no wedding date on the calendar just yet. but protocol dictates that royal couples must wait between six months of the announcement of the engagement and the wedding date. so, look for a royal celebration at the end of this year. for "good morning america," lama hasan, abc news, london. now, a look at what's coming up tonight on "world news." here's diane sawyer. diane? >> and, ashleigh, good morning to you. good to talk to you. and tonight on "world news," the latest on those changing generals in afghanistan. and better than any television drama at night. we are there in the e.r., as a life is saved for real. it is the real story. and your heart will pounce. >> sounds great. looking forward to it. that's the news at 8:05. and now, to marysol castro with the weather. >> good morning, everyone. it's balmy here in times square. same for the folks in philadelphia. early morning temperatures in the 80s. expected to hit 90s by the afternoon. in washington, d.c., similar story. a little bit of haze. but very sunny this morning. temperatures could reach a record by later on this afternoon. after the heat, the storms move through. you can see that low-pressure system moving in. so, we are going to look at some severe storms, starting later on this afternoon. we're keeping an eye on very gusty winds. still, warm temperatures. 97 in d.c. buffalo, 77. our fly-by from the west coast to the east coast, early-morning fog in los angeles, california. but the entire west coast is absolutely gorgeous. the middle of the country, not too bad. 84 in the midwest. in the south, we're still dealing with some rain. orlando, 94, with a pop-up shower later on this afternoon. southeast, a heat wave. thanks so much. robin, i'm shedding a tear. this girl scout is shedding a tear. the breaking news over the engagement of the bachelor. say it ain't so. >> marysol, you have acting in you. i can tell. you're right. this just in. getting a red rose and engagement ring on network television, that does not guarantee eternal love. the latest bachelor and his fiancee, have joined a long list of couples from that show that have called it quits. cameron mathison is here. let's see. do i remember when you talked to them that you were convinced -- yes, you were. don't shake your head. you were convinced that they would walk down the aisle one day. >> reporter: i'm just a romantic. it's true. i'm glad we don't have time to roll the clip. it's true. jake and vienna called it quits. ended their engagement. and here's how it all happened. >> i'm declaring a personal war on "the bachelor." jake and vienna have split. i know. >> reporter: jake pavelka has been searching for love for years. and it appears his search will go on. >> you look amazing. >> thank you. >> reporter: first, it was 1 of 25 guys, hoping to win gillian's heart. and he was turned down. then, he became the bachelor. vienna was also searching for love. she was 1 of 25 women he had to pick from. >> when i saw jake, i was like -- >> reporter: and some might say there were sparks from the beginning. >> better? >> all better. >> will you accept this rose? >> reporter: as the women grew closer, women in the bachelor house grew weary. >> there's question. >> she does things without thinking. >> really? >> reporter: in the end, vienna got her fairy tale proposal. they thought this was true love. i recently sat down with the couple to hear it, firsthand. love on a reality show. is it really possible? really? >> yeah. >> reporter: you're living proof? >> you cannot control who your heart's going to fall for. >> reporter: but jake's rise to fame fanned the flames of jealousy and got in the way of their relationship. vienna appeared to support him almost every week on "dancing with the stars." >> that was his way of incorporating her in his process. that's the way of showing her he wanted to be committed to her and support her. >> reporter: jake had been a young actor, appearing in "walker, texas ranger." and now, he's back appearing in "drop dead diva" in a guest role. >> i was totally going for wendy in the finale. >> reporter: jake spoke with "people" magazine and said his success didn't motivate her. >> she would sleep in. she would complain about not knowing what to do in terms of starting up an entertainment career. and he would say, you need to pick yourself up and put yourself out there. >> reporter: vienna reportedly went to a tabloid magazine and told them they had issues. >> she told "star" magazine, that they haven't had sex in months. and he wouldn't even kiss her. >> reporter: she told "e.t." -- >> the next time we're together, i don't feel like it. as a woman, you need somebody who wants to kiss you and be intimate with you. and i kept thinking he was going to come back. and it never did. >> reporter: vienna was recently caught ka noodling with "greek" star, gregory michael. but she said they were not together. she defended herself on "the insider." >> i never cheated on jake, ever. >> reporter: it appears the relationship is over. and neither think it will be reconciled. there it is. that's how it all went down. in case you're wondering, vienna did the right thing. she returned the three karat ring. that's a good thing. if you want the lowdown, they're going to do the post breakup interview, that will air on "the bachelorette." >> we wish them both the very best. >> we do. >> cameron, thank you very much. want to know what you think. weigh in on our shoutout board, abcnews.com/gma. next, lawn mower dangers. keeping your children out of harm's way. come on back. smen. men and women for whom straight stitches and clean welds were matters of personal pride. they made the skyscrapers and the cotton gins. colt revolvers, jeep 4 x 4's. these things make us who we are. as a people, we do well when we make good things and not so well when we don't. the good new is, this can be put right. we just have to do it. and so we did. ♪ this, our newest son, was imagined, drawn, carved, stamped, hewn and forged here in america. it is well made and it is designed to work. this was once a country where people made things, beautiful things, and so it is again. the new jeep grand cherokee. ♪ the new jeep grand cherokee. for constipation relief... nothing works etter than miralax. it's he one. the one recommended by more doctors. only miralax is clincally proven to relieve constipation ith no harsh side effects. miralax is the only one. restore your body's naural rhythm with miralax. two times with quality or any choice hotel, you can feed a family of four. book now at choicehotels.com to start earning your $50 restaurant gift card. so i couldn't always do what i wanted to do. but five minutes ago, i took symbicort, and symbicort is already helping significantly improve my lung function. so, today, i've noticed a significant difference in my breathing. and i'm doing more of what i want to do. so we're clear -- it doesn't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. my doctor said symbicort is for copd, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema. it should not be taken more than twice a day. symbicort may increase your risk of lung infections, osteoporosis, and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. my copd often meant i had to wait to do what i wanted to do. now i take symbicort, and it's significantly improves my lung function, starting within five minutes. symbicort has made a significant difference in my breathing. now more of my want-tos are can-dos. as your doctor about symbicort today. i got my first prescription free. call or go online to learn more. [ male announcer ] if you cannot afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. [ female announcer ] when you have kids the phrase good morning takes on a whole new meaning. capri sun sunrise is a good source of calcium and vitamin c so every morning's a good morning. capri sun sunrise, i can respect that. ♪ daisy, do-do a dollop our family-owned company makes daisy... with 100% natural farm-fresh cream. no artificial ingredients. no preservatives. and no added hormones. ♪ better with a dollop here ♪ fresher with a dollop there ♪ ♪ wholesome in every way ♪ daisy, do a dollop ♪ daisy, do-do a dollop now, to part two of our summer safety series. this morning, we're taking a look at an all-too common problem this time of year. kids being injured and even killed in lawn mower accidents. our consumer correspondent, elisabeth leamy, is here with more on the surprising dangers that can strike so quickly. >> reporter: it is. this is the first official week of summer. we wanded to remind everybody that the u.s. consumer product safety commission estimates that 37,000 kids and adults go to the emergency room every year because of some sort of lawn mower accident. now, this morning, we want to focus in on one of the worst hazards. riding lawn mowers that keep cutting when going backwards. the driver can't see people, especially children, behind the machine. they are phone calls no parent wants to receive. >> there's been a terrible accident. >> reporter: unfathomable tragedies. >> i thought i was the strongest man in the world that could handle anything. >> reporter: two families forever changed all in the lightning speed turn of a lawn mower blade. 4-year-old preston lloyd was playing, when his grandfather accidentally backed over him with a riding lawn mower. it was touch-and-go for 32 days and several surgeries. but preston survived. 8-year-old shane malone didn't. >> put it in reverse. and i heard a noise. went and put the mower on top of him. >> reporter: darren now has one mission that keeps him going. >> they're going to come up with some kind of sensor to shut that mower off. >> reporter: all riding lawn mowers manufactured after september 2004, have a no mow in reverse safety feature, that prohibits the blades from cutting when going backwards. but the millions of older mowers that people own don't have that feature. and even the newer ones can be disabled. basically, it's as simple as pulling this lever out and holding it. >> that's correct. >> reporter: ryan carter showed me the simple override procedures that turn the life-saving feature off. at least one manufacturer does offer an alternative. a key in a you can remove, so it's not possible to mow in reverse at all. >> if you attempt to use the reverse lever, the power will stall. >> reporter: watch how powerful a riding lawn mower is. during this demonstration, the machine shreds whatever we put in front of it, with blades that turn as fast as 220 miles per hour. now, imagine mowing backwards. part of the challenge is that when you're on one of these mowers, there are blind spots. especially if you have a grass catcher like this. watch. if i turn to look, i can't see that there's something behind me. but there is. those buckets represent a small child. do you want people to mow in reverse? >> we do not. >> reporter: why? >> if you're mowing in reverse, it's not in your natural sight line. >> reporter: chris kaiser represents mower manufacturers. and says consumers demand the option. why allow it? >> better to have a safety device installed on the machine, allowing it to happen. as opposed to having a consumer disable the machine or alter a machine, in a way they can do it without a bypass. >> reporter: but some argue there is no need to mow backwards with today's mowers because they can turn on a dime. >> oh, good job. that was all you, buddy. >> reporter: as for preston, a year after his accident, he faces more surgeries. but he's as full of energy as any 5-year-old. >> he is just the most determined, little guy. >> reporter: and his dad is determined, too. determined to completely eliminate the option of mowing in reverse. and, george, there are also safety concerns when push mowers are misused. a couple of safety features that sometimes people try to disable. there's entire forums on the internet i found where people tried to teach each other how to disable these things. this is here for a reason. if i fall or let go of the handle, this springs free. and the regulation says the mower has to stop cutting within three seconds. very important. this area has been built up on mowers, the rear deck. and the point of that is to keep your feet further away from where the blade actually is. you need to keep this on here. never take this back section off. >> what are the other rules, just generally, for lawn mower safety? >> reporter: biggest one of all, don't mow when kids are around. kids should be in the house, preferably supervised by not adult, so they stay in the house. you don't want kids as helpers with a push mower or riding on a riding lawn mower. it drives me crazy that we have lawn mower toys. wrong message. you want to make sure you get rid of debris, wires, rocks, that the mower can kick up and hurt you as you're operating the machine. and finally, you need to wear sturdy shoes. no flip-flops. >> quickly, is the government considering bans this feature where you can have it overridden? >> reporter: so far, no. so far, no. >> you can get more on our website at abcnews.com/gma. we'll be right back. when we take cancer !patients by the hand. vo: we help them find answers an guidance and hope, vo: and give them more candles to light. ♪ vo: we're the merican cancer society. vo: help create a world with more birthdays at morebirthdays.com. we asked real people to film themselves taking the activia 14-day challenge. i'm mary ellen smith. so i'm realy excited to see if this rally works. have just stared to notice a slight difference in m digestion. take the activia challenge. announcer:ifference if you 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everyone about new black bean fiesta. but it's perfectly cooked black beans, in a zesty "south of the border" chipotle sauce with red and green peppers, onion, and crisp corn. a bold new taste. i know. but i want people to think i'm a great cook. so hide. delicious! can i have your recipe? your secret is safe with me. hello... new bush's black bean fiesta. and try new texas ranchero, along with our other grillin' beans flavors. good morning. 8:25. here's the peak of the heat. look where we started off this morning. del marva, ocean city to easton. 85 in baltimore. 83 degrees back towards hagerstown. factor in some of the humidity. already up near 90? it's barely 8:00 in the morning. 89 degrees in baltimore. 81 in easton and ocean city. today, you'll notice the almanac, normal high is 85. we're going well past that. 98 the record shot in 1966. yesterday we tied the record, 97. today, we'll get close. clouds lift to the north. we pump in the southwesterly flow. we'll have a shot at it. expecting clouds to make a return earlier. we've been a little bit conservative and cautious at 97. system push that record within our two-degree guaranty. developing strong, severe storms through this evening. we drop the humidity with the temperatures down to 69. tomorrow feels so much better, still make that run at 90. let's see what's happening on the roads now. >> around 695 this morning, you can see congestion around the area. causing decent delays around 695. as we take a peek at our cameras, looking slow at harford road. earlier accident at providence road is being cleared. traffic backed up to about 95. take a peek at our maps this morning, minor incidents at this time. police activity reported. southbound bel air road, approaching the beltway. accident reported in parkville. oakdale avenue. still working this injury crash in arbutus. northbound washington boulevard, route 1 at 195. as we look at our drive times, outer loop to providence, eight minutes. six minutes from white marsh boulevard to the beltway. no problems on the very top side between the 83rd. megan pringle has your morning news update after this. good morning, i'm megan pringle. oregon life guards are being blamed for not doing enough to save an anne arundel county teenager who died in a river. walter dines was vacationing with friends this week. he recently graduated from north county high school. he got straight as and planned to go to college. witnesses say that three life guards were working, only one went after him when the whistle blew and jumped in to save dines. he was found in 20-feet of water. he planned to attend college in the fall. danny glover will be in town today. today's heart of baltimore rally will feature baltimore city mayor stephanie rawlings-blake. this is the biggest movement of baltimore health care workers since coretta scott king came to baltimore city in 1969 to help thousands of low-paid caregivers form a union. in october while stephanie rawlings-blake introduced a resolution introducing free and fair union resolutions for every health care worker. the goal of the rally is to improve standards in health care. it's all happening in mount vernon square, the one-hour rally officially kicks off at 4:30 this afternoon. today governor o'malley will ride the rails of the marc train. he'll talk about this week's incidents that caused all those delays. the governor says monday's break down stranded hundreds of passengers and was outrageous. right now we'll send you back to new york. we'll see you in a half hour for good morning maryland at 9:00. ♪ new york i'm dreaming ♪ we have the keys to the hottest summer concerts. the dazzling alicia keys. singer, song writer, pianist. it's your chance to see alicia keys live and in person. come to central park in new york tomorrow morning. the summer concert event. come back, y'all. we say good morning, america, on this friday eve. >> they will be lining up overnight for alicia keys tomorrow morning. this evening, it's being called a real-life "grey's anatomy." it's called "boston med." it looks at the doctors and patients at three, leading hospitals. we have a preview coming up. and the must-read books for kids this summer. ann pleshette murphy will go through that. first, we have marysol castro in for sam champion. >> thank you, guys, so much. good morning to you. good morning, everyone at home. there's a lot of activity in the tropics on the pacific side. the first named hurricane. this is hurricane celia. she's just off the coast of mexico. right now, it is a category 2 hurricane. 109-mile-per-hour winds. it's moving at a steady clip. west-northwest, at 11 miles per hour. right now, it does not pose any threat to land. although the coast -- you can see acapulco, cabo san lucas. and low fog this morning. we're keeping an eye on the mid-atlantic and the northeast. severe storms move in later on this afternoon, bringing gusty winds, a lot of rain. and we can't rule out the possibility of a tornado in the northern plains. thank you so much. this morning, we have a special birthday cheer to a gentleman by the name of joe piazza. joe's birthday in is september. he's from fayetteville, georgia. he considers today, june 24th, his new birthday because it was one year ago, he received the gift of life. a bone transplant from an anonymous donor. this was the only suitable match in a registry of 12 million people. joe, his wife, and three kids would love to meet her so they can tell her how grateful they are. and this birthday cheer is for you, joe. and it's brought to you by the american cancer society. give it up for joe. [ cheers and applause ] and give it up -- these sweet 16 from sugarland, texas. oh, my gosh. look at these girls. now, i have to tell my family, i never got a sweet 16. i never got a -- i'm going to celebrate with these girls. we're going to look at the inside look at the high-stakes world of emergency medicine. it's a knew series debuting tonight being called a real-life "grey's anatomy." "boston med," following the men and women that work in the leading hospitals. and one of the cameras catch one of them having the worst days in her career. take a look. >> got facial drama. abscess in both arms. >> dramas are nerve-racking for me. >> i don't know how i got in the residency program. i don't have an ivy league background or anything. >> i can definitely see it. people say i'm too nice all the time. people will run over me if i let them. i don't think i look like i'm in my 30s yet. some people don't even think i'm a doctor. one patient that i had, he was like 22. he's like, oh, hey, sweetheart. come back. i'm like, i'm old enough to breast-feed you. stop calling me sweetheart. my parents, it used to be very important to them that i marry someone that is indian. now, they're like, for the love of god, just get married. they don't even care. i think they would be happy. i have a job. i would be able to support myself. i would be able to support them. >> like successful, check box. marriage, check. >> this guy was reading my fortune. he was like, she will get married by october. like, there's no way. what are you talking about? my boards are october. >> code blue. >> on two. yep. >> what is it? >> dialysis unit code. i feel that i'm someone that has to continually work on my confidence. it's one of those things, if you show a little bit of weakness, people will prey upon that. you have to really hold your own. there are like 50,000 people that showed up at this code. it was a disaster. >> all right. >> hand me the tube. i need the tube. >> intubate. it's not acceptable. >> i understand. but i asked for anesthesia the minute i got here. >> i need to know who is your attending. and i need to talk to him. >> this is literally, one of the two worst days of residency. i mean, i have nothing left in me. it's tough, when all you have thought about your whole life is becoming a doctor. you know, getting through medical school. and, like, you're faced with the possibility of maybe it's not going to happen. and we are joined by dr. pina patel. she's finished her residency in boston. and is now at kaiser permanente in california. i get stressed out just looking. >> so do i. >> reliving your best moments, huh? >> absolutely. wow. >> what was going on there that day? >> so, basically, there was a code that was called in the dialysis unit. it wasn't a patient that i was familiar with. i went up there with a nurse, a tech. and i was kind of thrown into a situation where i lost my bearings. i wasn't familiar with the environment, with the patient. and you're faced with the challenge of having to basically create order out of chaos. and it's a very difficult thing to do. >> and that's every day in the emergency room. >> yeah. absolutely. it's a little harder in that scenario, when you're not familiar with the environment. in the emergency department, we're lucky enough to know who our staff are. we know about the patient. it's relatively easy to lead a code there. when you're outside your element, it's really rough. >> you see one of your colleagues saying, he wants to talk to your attending physician. and you also got in trouble with one of the older doctors there? >> yes. it was with a physician. it's tough. it's tough to take criticism. absolutely. that was a really long day. i remember, i was just in tears after the shift. and thinking about what's going to happen. you know? am i going to graduate? am i going to be able to make it? but you find in a situation like that, when your feet are kind of put to the fire, there's just this amazing learning curve. and something happens in your brain circuitry, to let you know that this cannot happen again. you have to take charge. and, you know, lo and behold, something two weeks later, something similar happened. everything went fine. >> it's not just your brain. it's your whole being. you have to just get tough and unsentiment unsentimental. it's the only way to survive in that environment? >> absolutely. i think a lot of women find it hard to be assertive and aggressive when they need to be. that's something i've learned. it's how to become a good physician and a good leader, in cases like this. >> how did having all those cameras around, change the experience? it's such a stressful experience, as it is. but then, to be living it, surrounded by the cameras. it's hard to imagine. >> the good part, is the cameras kind of fell into the background. we weren't necessarily as cognizant of them as the filming went on. you have to keep in mind, we're always being observed. our patients watch us. the families watch us. students watch us. it became a natural process after a couple of days. >> what do you want people to take away from this series? >> i wanted to kind of share my story. and to show the human side of medicine. i feel that people know the sterile side of medicine. and they see the fantasy of medicine. and i wanted them to see the reality. and i wanted to share what my story is. many of the things, the cool, confident physician you have, that's the product of many years of traininging. of many mistakes. the good, the bad, the ugly. and i want people to know what it's really like. >> and you think this captures it? >> absolutely. >> i have to ask you before you go. are your parents still bugging you to get married? >> oh, my gosh. i'm on fire. absolutely on fire. >> good luck with that. "boston med" premi tough news on the housing front. in two, new government reports, home sales fell in may, when the experts were expecting a surge. existing home sales fell more than 2%. and new home sales fell by almost one-third, plummeting nearly 33%. the slowest month for new home sales in 47 years. what does this collapse mean if you're thinking of buying or selling a home? our financial contributor, mellody hobson, president of ariel investments, breaking it down, live from chicago this morning. mellody, we were prepared to see a drop, especially with the first-time homebuyers credit ending in april. but no one expected it to be this bad, right? >> these numbers are dramatic. that new 33%, was way off from what the experts were expecting. that existing home sale number was actually expected to be up 5.5%. not down to 2%. but let's step back and put these numbers in perspective. >> okay. >> one thing before you panic on the existing home sales number, the 33% decline, keep in mind, only 8% of the 5.5 million homes that are sold in this country every year, only 8% of them, are new homes. so, before you panic over that number, just understand it's a very small part of overall sales. and also keep in mind, that from this time last may, existing home sales are up 19%. so, we have dramatically improved from the depths of the lows. >> when you put it into perspective like that. okay. let's say you're in the market to buy a home. what advice do you have in this market? >> okay. i have some big caveats here. if you have the downpayment, if you have good credit, and if you can get a mortgage, i know these are three, big caveats in this market. there's actually never been a better time to buy a home because the rates are so incredibly low. a 30-year fixed rate mortgage in this country right now is 4.76%. and a 15-year fixed rate organi mortgage is 4.14%. this is a full point lower than the same time last year. these are very low rates. very compelling time to buy. >> so, you're buying. you're in pretty good shape. but if you're trying to sell a home, that has to be very difficult right now. >> it's not great news. i want to put that out front. it's not a terrific time to be a seller. there is some good news. that the median price of a home in this country is about $179,000. we're not seeing major deterioration, which is good news. but at the same time, if you are a seller, you want to reset your expectations in today's prices. a lot of people are really anchored to the old prices. you've got to forget about what it used to be and really aggressively appraise around today. and if you can't sell, consider renting. >> unfortunately, if you are considering foreclosure, what does all this information mean for them? >> i hope you can make foreclosure the option of last, last, last resort. i know you would say mellody, that would be obvious. but a lot of bankers are talking about jingle mail. people are just mailing in their keys and walking away from their homes. those foreclosures devastate your credit. if at all possible, approach the bank about a short sale. knowing your home is under water, worth less than what you paid for it. and forgive the difference. it's a better option than walking away. >> mellody, as always, thank you for your insight and your advice. have a great day in chicago. good to see you. >> thanks. >> if you're thinking about buying or selling a home, you can get more advice from our website, abcnews.com/gma. coming up next, the books that will have your children [ female announcer ] you really don't think about the cost of office supplies, until it's your office. ♪ well, when you buy all these items at walmart, you'll save 30% or more versus the national office superstores. so you can take care of business -- can i have some more paper? [ female announcer ] or whatever comes up -- for a whole lot less. thanks. [ female announcer ] with thousands of rollbacks, it's rollback time. save money. live better. walmart. the gas prices are going down, they go back up again. we know saving money is important. this summer, shop with your giant card and save on shell fuel. earn one point for every dollar you spend. every 100 points earned gets you another 10 cents off per gallon. the more you spend, the more you save. i'm saving money at the store, i'm saving money at the pump, and that works for me. more savings every time you shop, only with your giant card. ♪ summer, summer and now, for america's healthy summer, school's out. and kids are coming home with their summer reading list. today, we have a roundup of books to get teens and younger kids excited about reading. ann pleshette murphy is here to tell us which books will turn your kids into bookworms. let's start with the first category. dystopian. >> this is a popular category. dystopian. and one of the hot titles, is "the macing jay," by suzanne collins. unfortunately, fans will have to wait until august 24th to find out what happens to the heroine. but it will be worth the wait. and this is called "this world we live in." it's part of the series "the last survivor." it takes place after the moon has collided with a meteor. it's caused cataclysmic change on earth. the heroine and her family have to survive. and "the gardner," i picked because this is for boys who like sci-fi. about it's about a kid who stumbles on mysteries about his parents. and he meets this beautiful girl. and there's an ominous research facility. "the gardner" by s.a. bodine. >> the supernatural stuff. >> this one is called "sisters red." it's a modern-day red riding hood. but scarlet wears a red cloak. but she packs a hatchet. she is hunting the werewolves that killed her granny. she has a sister. there's a little romance. >> who is this for? >> this is probably for 12 and up. there's quite a lot of violence. i think actually, not to be stereotypical, the boys will like the bloody beast battles. but the girls will like the romance and the girl power. this is a good book. "sisters red" by jackson pearce. "the red pyramid" is by rick riordan. this is the cain chronicles. >> lots of adventure. >> "the red pyramid." "unfamiliar magic," about r.c. alexander. it's about a little girl, whose mother is a witch. she leaves her. she goes off and leaves her in the care of her cat, who she transforms into a babysitter. not only does this child have to sort out her mom's secret, but she has to put up with a babysitter who nibbles on kibble and laps her tea. >> and these for younger kids? >> these are visual books. "twilight" the graphic novel, by stephenie meyers. >> "big nate" combines cartoons with text. and it's a cute book about a 11-year-old smart alec named big nate. he's a very self- -- he's self-amorous. >> this would work for my 8-year-old? >> definitely. >> i will take that home. >> okay. everyone was witnessing that. this one, "countdown," is one of my favorites. it's a documentary novel. it combines a great story with photos and ads and things from the 1960s. it's kind of like a time capsule in book form. >> and learning about the 1960s. there's lots of photos. >> we should have shots of it. if not, it's a wonderful book. last but not least, we have books about kids on the job. "the cardturner," louis sachar. this is a great book for teens about a kid who helps his uncle play bridge because his uncle is blind. >> that's a job? >> that's a job. john grisham, you can imagine it's a page-turner. and "the babysitter club" is a prequel. ann martin has written 250 titles. >> you did not think you could do it. but you got through all of these books. you can get a lot more -- >> the books and the people who wrote these. >> absolutely. you can get the complete list of ann's let's all dance. tomorrow, new york city. >> big day. >> alicia keys in central park. we hope that you'll join us for that. >> can i get free tickets? i want some. >> that's going to be a great day tomorrow. thank you for sharing today with us. we'll see you later. so long. good morning, 8:56. we're watching ellicot city here. they've been playing catch-up and they finally caught up. feeling like 89 degrees. now 85, feeling like 90. anne arundel community college. it is stifling out there. we've broken the cloud deck, it'll be more to try to make a return, the question is how soon does it make a return and how much warm air do we continue to pump in before we can generate that line of storms to push our way through the afternoon. depending on the clouds, determines whether we hit the record of 98 or not. 97 matches yesterday's mark. we'll increase the humidity and develop late afternoon storms. could turn strong to severe with damaging winds and large hail. 69 overnight. tomorrow, we'll do one more day at 90. we'll talk about that weekend heat wave outcome coming up. 8:57. here's kim brown with a check on traffic. >> it's been a busy rush hour this morning. as we take a quick peek at our cameras, volume heavy as you make your way southbound on the inner loop, bw parkway. incident involving a tractor-trailer. no real problems at this time. if we take a peek at our maps right now, downtown, pratt and president street shut down at this time because of an accident involving multiple vehicles. a serious crash reported, pulaski highway at haven street. another accident reported southbound at dorsey road. working that incident on the inner loop at the bw parkway. traffic moving better on the northeast side at harford road. still minor delays to let you know about. 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