Transcripts For WMAR ABC News Good Morning America 20100916

question of the morning, perhaps. as we do say good morning, america. we have live pictures of the pope meeting now with the queen in scotland. the first official state visit a pope has ever made to the u.k. and we'll have more on this ahead. >> creating a lot of excitement. of course, the pope had a controversy there last year, when he seemed to invite members of the church of england to come over to the catholic church. he's trying to smooth that over now. also here at home, what a whirlwind created by christine o'donne o'donnell's victory yesterday in delaware. the republican establishment was doing everything to block her to keep her from running. and now, they're rushing to talk to her. we put our interview with her on my "bottom line" blog. >> right. >> it got the fastest response ever. well over 300,000 hits. >> just like that. >> in the first several hours. just incredible. now, the question is, will all of the tea party energy fire up republicans? >> that is the question of the morning. also, another controversy in dallas, after three police officers are caught on dashcam video, beating a man. they had been chasing him, as he raced his motorcycle through stop signs and down one-way streets. they got out of the car and was hitting him with batons. a big stir in dallas. we begin with the shock waves set up set up by the woman some are calling delaware's sarah palin. jake tapper is there this morning. jake? >> reporter: good morning, george. since her victory tuesday night, christine o'donnell has raised almost $1 million, according to her website. here in washington, politicos are trying to figure out what it all means. it appears to have been the shock heard around the beltway. vice president biden once mincing words about what he thinks the rise of the tea party means for the republican party. >> it's tough for the republican party. really, it's hung on a shingle. no moderates need apply. >> last night, i think is a pretty good example, both in a congressional race, and in a senate race, in delaware, that makes winning those races for the republicans a fundamentally harder task. >> reporter: and it is not just democrats concerned about christine o'donnell's upset victory over moderate republican congressman mike castle. >> why did she mislead voters about her college education? why did it take her nearly two decades to pay her college bills. how did she make a living? >> reporter: those behind o'donnell and other tea party nominees that defeated establishment candidates, say this is not about republicans winning control of the senate. it's about returning conservative principles to washington. >> frankly, i'm at a point where i'd rather lose fighting for the right cause than win, fighting for the wrong cause. >> reporter: and the party is getting in line. >> she is the nominee of the party. and we will be supporting her. >> i look forward to electing christine the next senator from the state of delaware. >> reporter: democrats, meanwhile, are doing everything they can to find evidence for the general election that these grassroots candidates are out of the mainstream. >> i would prefer barack obama because he is so liberal, he's anti-american. >> reporter: does the white house have any comment on that? >> the republicans in delaware nominated somebody that they don't believe can win. i think in the words of the state party chair, couldn't be elected dog catcher. >> reporter: george, until now, tea party energy and anger has been focused on defeating incumbent republicans in primaries. now, with the primary season all but over, they're turning their attention to defeating incumbent democrats. many in the democratic party, are concerned because so much is based on enthusiasm. >> with vice president biden out there. the president in the rose garden yesterday. it's about progressive, liberal voters who have been pretty depressed. >> reporter: that's right. one of the ways that president obama hopes will generate enthusiasm, is by appointing elizabeth warren to head the new consumer financial protection bureau. she will be named a special assistant to him and to secretary geithner, to get this new agency up and running to protect consumers, george. >> thanks very much. let's get into the debate now. we're joined from st. louis, missouri, by tea party activist, dana lash. and from washington, strategist, james carville. dana, let me begin with you. there's the message. moderates need not apply to the republican party. >> i've seen several elections where moderates have been run out of the democratic party. in the particular case of mike castle, i think calling him a moderate is generous. this guy's record was indistinguishable from the democrat he wanted to run against in the general election. this wasn't a group of republicans. they tried to nominate mike castle. but the primaries are about getting the people's voice out there. that's what we saw in this primary with christine o'donnell. and the people made their voices heard that they were unhappy with mike castle's record. >> james, there is some evidence out there that tea party is not just on the fringes right now. want to show you the numbers from our latest "washington post"/abc news poll. tea party members make up 42% of the primary electorate. those are support the overwhelmingly focused on democrats. 92% of them believe that democrats don't deserve re-election. that is a warning sign for the democrats in november. >> certainly. and congratulations. the tea party. this comports with the research we did at the democracy party. the tea party is more powerful than african-americans and the labor party are combined. and christine o'donnell are part of the mainstream republican party right now. if you look at what happened in new york state. what about robert bennett, and murkowski in alaska, and mike castle. i know what's happening over there in the tea party. and the tea party is the republican party. this is not a fringe element of the republican party. this woman, o'donnell, is right in the middle of it. and it's exactly right. they are a very, very powerful force. and they're running that party right now. >> dana, the democrats are hoping that candidates supported by the tea party, like sharron angle in nevada, like rand paul, like christine o'donnell, because they lack experience or have what some would consider extreme views, will cost republican seats that they otherwise would have won. >> i don't know if they have extreme views. i don't think the tea party movement is mainstream. i think it's mainstream america, period. we've seen so much data coming up from the past year, that the majority of americans. they believe that the democrat congressional agenda is too extreme. they identify with the individual liberty and smaller government that the grassroot movement espouses. and candidates like sharron angle and rand paul, it's not beltway experience or abstain that they don't have. it's the fact they're standing up for principles that the majority of americans want. i want the government out of my pocketbook and my bedroom, and everything else. that's what the majority of americans want. >> as someone wrote in "the wall street journal" this morning, james, it's the spending, stupid. >> clearly, christine o'donnell doesn't believe in spending, particularly her own money. she's a deadbeat. she doesn't pay her loans back. in terms of getting in the bedroom this, woman has run against masturbation. that seems to be a lot of government intrusion, to be honest with you. it's right in "the new york times" this morning. i'm sorry. she's really against spending. she doesn't spend any of her own money. but again this, is the republican party. it's anti-spending. promoting a bunch of deadbeats. >> i think we have the clip that james may be referring to. let me show it and get you to respond. it's 1996 on mtv. >> the reason that you don't tell them that masturbation is the answer to aids and all these other problems that come with sex outside of marriage is because, again, it is not addressing the issue. you're going to be pleasing each other. and if he already knows what pleases him and he can please himself, then why am i in the picture? >> james brought it up. and i think a lot of people might watch it and say, what's wrong with she said? >> she's talking about masturbation. it's not like she's wearing black socks and getting caught in hotel rooms with call girls and stuff. if we want to point fingers on bedroom antics, we can do that. she didn't say anything -- some of the stuff she said in her past, i don't think anybody, if you look back at the history of everything that mr. carville has said, george, you and myself, not everyone is going to be perfect. perfection, if it were required for public office, nobody would be fit to run. i don't like the class warfare angle that karl rove seemed to have taken when he was speaking about her. that bugged me a little bit. >> james, you get ten seconds to end this. >> she's a very fiscal conservative. she doesn't believe in paying the bills. and she equated masturbation to adultery. and in that case, it will be stinging a lot of people in this country. tell you that. >> thanks very much. robin? >> all righty, then. from the politicians hoping to make history in november, one politician trying to make history right now. hillary clinton is in israel this morning, attempting to broker a landmark peace agreement between israel and the palestinians. that's where christiane amanpour sat down with the secretary of state for an exclusive interview. a short time ago. christiane, so good of you to join us from jerusalem. is hillary clinton making any progress? >> good morning, robin. she says yes. all the officials say yes, including the participants. benjamin netanyahu and mahmoud abbas. apparently they've gotten down to core issues already. and they're doing that in a serious way. but the ten-ton elephant in the room is the moratorium of settlement building. i asked secretary clinton if there was any flexibility towards keeping the moratorium on? she wouldn't go into specifics, other than to say the two sides must stay at the table. there is this moratorium that's looming on the horizon. are the talks going in a constructive way? >> yes. i would say they're in a constructive channel. and that has been, you know, reassuring to us. >> president obama has said that given the talks going in a constructive way, there should be -- israel should continue the moratorium on settlements. do you believe that that will happen? >> well, that certainly is our hope. now, we've also said that we'll support an agreement that is reached between the parties. it took a lot of political capital for prime minister netanyahu to achieve this moratorium. it had never been done before. at the same time, it's been in effect for the time it was set for. and the talks are just starting. so, we are working hard to make sure there remains a conducive atmosphere to constructive talks. >> while nobody will confirm exactly what might be flexibility, we're hearing that there may be an extension or there may be called or an extension of the moratorium for about three months or so. in addition, secretary clinton is now on her way to jordan, where she will meet with other arab leaders, like king abdullah of jordan. >> back here at home, a lot of talk about the tea party. i know you asked the secretary about that, too. >> i did. she refused to talk politics. she said, i'm not in that anymore. but she did say, how would the candidates if they became candidates or senators, would affect foreign policy. here's what she sad to say. is it possible to have the president's policy agenda further, if a lot of tea party candidates do end up being the candidate? >> i've seen a lot of people run for office and say a lot of things. then, when they have the burden of holding office and the responsibility that goes with it, i've seen them become very sobered very quickly about the challenges that we face domestically and internationally. nobody said it better than mario cuomo when he said, you campaign in poetry and govern in prose. sometimes the poetry can get hot and a little over the top. but the prose brings you down to earth. >> of all of the things you have overtaken the last several months, was your daughter's wedding, where does that fit in there? and how difficult? >> it was the most wonderful experience. as i confessed leading up to it, it was stressful. i think being a mother of the bride is stressful under any circumstances. doing it long-distance, jet lagged, on planes, in the midst of diplomatic negotiations, made it a little more so. >> now, negotiators are still now talking about another meeting for when to get the principals together. we don't know when that will be. but we know it will be soon. >> you had a wide-ranging conversation with the secretary. christiane, thank you so much. safe travels. we'll see you soon. and christiane will have much more on her conversation with the secretary. and also is going to sit down with the iranian president, ahmadinejad. you'll see it all on "this week," sunday morning. >> i think doing the seating at that wedding would rival middle east peace. >> i think she's on to something there. let's get the rest of the headlines with juju. >> turning to the economy. good morning, everyone. it's a number of americans losing their homes to foreclosure has hit a record high. more than 95,000 homes were repossessed last month. up 25% from last year. and the most since the mortgage crisis began. but there is a bright spot. the number of homes entering the foreclosure process continues to drop. three dallas police officers face criminal charges this morning in the wake of a beating caught on tape. what started as a high-speed motorcycle chase has become a stain on the city's police force. ryan owens shows us what happened. >> reporter: dallas police are in hot pursuit of a motorcyclist, who is running stop signs and racing the wrong way down city streets. the chase goes on just a few minutes. when one of the officers has had enough. >> get in front of him. >> reporter: seconds later, when the suspect's motorcycle stalls, investigators say that's what one of the rookie officers did. one cap hit him nine time with a baton. another at least five times with his fast. that's just the part we can see. at one point, another officer actually pushes his dash cam away, as police are still surrounding their suspect. >> i'm very sore. >> reporter: 28-year-old andrew collins was not seriously injured. but dallas' police chief worries that the reputation of his d. has been. particularly because the officers accused are all white. >> i'm appealing to the calmer voices of the community. >> reporter: the chief says he doesn't believe racism was behind the beating. but that young, inexperienced policing almost certainly was. for "good morning america," ryan owens, abc news, dallas. in other news, michael jackson's mother is suing the promoter of what would have been his comeback concerts. katherine jackson claims aeg live failed to provide her son's doctor with equipment he may have needed to save jackson's life. the wrongful death suit seeks unspecified damages. americans are using more illegal drugs than at any other time in the last decade. new government figures show ecstasy and meth abuse on the rise. marijuana use was up sharply by 8%. some of that is blamed on the publicity surrounding medical marijuana. and now, an answer to what caused this scene in louisiana. it looks like a road through the bayou. but that is not pavement. those are dead fish, thousands of them. local officials thought the bp oil spill may have caused this. but experts say it was a natural occurring event. the fish died from lack of oxygen caused by low tide and hot summer temperatures. that's dramatic. >> the warm water sucks out the oxygen. you've seen that from time to time. shocking every time you do. >> alarming image. time, now, for the weather. good morning, sam champion. >> good morning. want to show you something else. two powerful category 4 hurricanes in the atlantic. this storm, julia, the furthest east that any storm has the developed in the atlantic. igor, a monster storm. both storms will steer away from the u.s. coastline. but what's going on with the monster storms that's developing in the atlantic and this hurricane season. here's widely-scattered thunderstorms. from cleveland, to pittsburgh, to lexenton, nashville. north texas involved in this. strong storms will roll through new england, later tonight. in the next half hour, cool and showery changes in the northwest. robin? >> okay, sam. thank you. as we told you earlier, a royal meeting is under way in scotland this morning, between the pope and the queen. pope benedict is the first pope to ever make a state visit to the u.k. but the pope's visit isn't all about pomp and circumstance. it's also being met with protest and controversy. nick watt joins us live from london with more on this. good morning, nick. >> reporter: good morning, robin. well, this will be a fascinating trip. a $20 million operation. open-air mass, celebrity singers. but as you mentioned, there's also a lot of controversy. the 83-year-old pope was welcomed by the 84-year-old queen. ♪ welcome to her ancient scottish poll lass. there's prince philip, pointing at family photographs. she commented that he arrived in a rather small car. >> i saw the car. >> reporter: but a cloud hangs over this visit. belgian investigators just uncovered widespread sexual abuse by priests. british victims are demanding more than an apology. they want help. they want action. this morning, the pope acknowledged that the church did fail to act decisively. protests are also planned by those who oppose the pope's views on condom use and homosexuality, and ordination of women. and papers are bristling of comments made by a papal aid, who likened britain to a third-world country because of immigration population. today, the pope will celebrate mass for 65,000 people in glasgow. and a special guest star will sing for the pope. >> i felt humbled and honored. it was something i wanted to do. i've been catholic. it's something i've always dreamed of. >> reporter: over the next four days, we will see whether britain does get carried away with papal fever. or whether the protesters manage to shout loud enough. and robin and george, whether they drown the pope out. >> all right, nick. thanks so much. >> we got an answer to our puzzle. neither one bowed. they just shook hands. coming up, the last moments of the mother in that horrific home invasion, forced to draw money for thieves holding the family hostage. we have the dramatic 911 call. shouldn't your card do the same? 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[ woman laughs ] [ vonetta ] it is countdown to marshmallow time. words alone aren't enough. my job is to listen to the needs and frustrations of the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel or restaurant workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. our job is to listen and find ways to help. that means working with communities. restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. and our efforts aren't coming at tax-payer expense. i know people are wondering-- now that the well is capped, is bp gonna meet its commitments? i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. if you could see how nature made fish oil protects your heart, you'd be glad you take it. its omega 3's strengthen your cell walls so they stay flexible. and nature made fish oil is the number one recommended by pharmacists. nature made. glad you took your vitamins. recommended by pharmacists. good morning, on this thursday. appears as if we'll have more clouds today, but at least a little warm-up as a frontal boundary approaches. 7:26. 63. warmer than the 50s we had last couple mornings. that's because of the cloud cover that moved in overnight. 63 baltimore, compared to 60 at philly. 61 new york. clouds moved in. forecast watching showers in ohio. probably will stay to our west. overnight, we'll have an isolated storm into tomorrow afternoon. overall today, mostly dry. two-degree guaranteed high reaching about 84 degrees. let's see what's happening with the roads, here's kim brown. >> we have a handle on the accidents, secondary roadways this morning. main roadways will be slow with usual trouble spots. west side of the beltway. liberty road, traffic moving below speed, still pretty decent. we have accidents all over the place. bel air, crash at route 24, plum tree road. accident mlk southbound at pratt street. here's megan with your morning news update. >> fourth witness has taken the stand in the murder trial of ken harris. keith covington testified that harris disobeyed the gunman's commands to step back in the club and he was shot. sad story to report this morning: three people died in a crash in prince georges county overnight involving ambulance. the crash happened around midnight on marlboro pike. an suv going the wrong way crashed into an ambulance ripping it in half. we'll have more updates throughout the morning and of course we'll see you on good morning maryland at 9:00. you're looking at some of the last images of jennifer petit. she was the mother in that horrific home invasion in connecticut. the thieves, forced her to withdraw money from the bank, while her family was bound and gagged at home. and we'll hear what she told the bank teller in a very calm voice and how the police responded. but the big question this morning, why did it take them more than half an hour to arrive at the scene? good morning, america. i'm george stephanopoulos. >> i'm robin roberts. also this morning, a surprising look at women and sex. if men have little blue pills, do women need a pill, too? or is there a simpler solution? we have the results of an eye-opening new study. >> that was surprising. >> it was, george. we begin this half hour with details in the gruesome home invasion case. new evidence was released wednesday in the trial of steven hayes. bank surveillance video shows jennifer petit withdrawing $15,000 in ransom money, less than an hour before she was killed. it was the most emotional day yet, that caused the jurors and dr. william petit, the lone survivor, to weep as they watched. andrea canning has details. >> reporter: these are the last images of jennifer petit, less than one hour before her tragic death, as she desperately withdraws $15,000, the only hope of saving her family's life. back at home, her daughters and husband, william, were being held hostage. around 9:00 a.m., one of her captors, steven hayes, drove jennifer to the bank, where she told the teller her story. at 9:21, the bank manager called 911. >> we have a lady who is in our bank right now, who says that her husband and children are being held at their house. the people are in a car outside the bank. she is getting $15,000 to bring out to them. that if the police are told, they will kill the children and the husband. they have their faces covered. she is petrified. i told her they wouldn't hurt anybody if she got back there with the money. she believes them. my teller walked in here with me and said, and i agree. it's amazing how calm she was. but then again, she could have been petrified. i don't know. >> reporter: at 9:36, responding to the 911 call, police drove to the petits' house and set up a perimeter. they saw nothing unusual. but inside, jennifer was being sexually assaulted. her daughters were tied to their beds. dr. william petit, beaten and tied to a pole in the basement, managed to escape with his feet tied together. >> i've got bill petit here, who is hurt, my neighbor. >> he's at your house? >> yes. he's right here. >> reporter: by 9:57, the house was on fire. and the suspects, steven hayes, wearing hayley's school baseball cap, and joshua komisarjevsky escaped, crashing through a police barricade. by the time the officers got inside, it was too late. the girls and mrs. petit was dead. once in custody, police say hayes kept repeating, things got out of control. could these two men escape the death penalty? >> the death penalty will come down to first of all, whether a jury finds them guilty. and secondly, whether a jury feels there was so heinous and there were so many aggravating factors that these two individuals deserve to die. >> reporter: as far as dr. petit is concerned, the death penalty will be the only true justice for the murder of his family. for "good morning america," andrea canning, abc news. for more, joining us now live from atlanta, is nancy grace, host of the new syndicated show, "swift justice with nancy grace." and also host of "nancy grace" on "headline news." thank you for joining us this morning. i know you're familiar with cases like this, personally and professionally. dr. petit was so strong when he testified on tuesday. but yesterday was too much for him and for many members of the jury. just breaking down, looking at the gruesome pictures. i know you've seen many cases like this. but it still takes your breath away. >> it really does. and i think there was one moment in the trial yesterday. in fact, i've never seen this happen where the jury is so disturbed and distraught the judge actually recessed for the day. and that was after they saw the photo of an 11-year-old michaela, in her pajamas, tied to the bed. her lower torso, waist-down, hanging off the bed, having just been raped before her murder. the jury was so upset, they had to go home. and as to dr. william petit, i imagine he was the way i was when i was a witness. you're numb. i don't know if it's so much being strong. you're just numb. you're recounting what happened. and it's very upsetting to hear what he's gone through. >> it was also upsetting for people to learn that mrs. petit was there in the bank. she bravely tells the teller her story. and 33 minutes elapsed between that phone call and when police found mr. petit. taking nothing away from the horrific crime and the two men who committed it. but many people are questioning if more could have been done. >> well, i will address that. number one, by addressing it and bringing it up, we're playing right into the hands of the defense. and, two convicted felons, one with 18 entries on his rap sheet, 1 where 11 entries on his rap sheet. it is shifting focus off what they did and trying to blame police. did police make a grave mistake? yes, i think they did. but let's not also forget that at the very beginning, when they called from the bank, they were put on hold. and then, told to call back to police headquarters. when the bank called 911. first problem. second problem, police there, setting up a perimeter. they didn't know what was inside. were there guns? were they going to get shot at? what should they do? should they talk the whole situation down? in a hostage situation, sometimes you can. but they waited too long because inside, murder was happening. >> they said they were following procedure because there was no sign of violence. and they were following what you normally do when there's a hostage situation. >> to h-e-l-l with procedure. that's what i want to say this morning. i don't want to take focus off what the two perpetrators did and blame police. >> you're right, nancy. the defense kept hammering that yesterday, because that was the focus, and not the two men who committed this crime. we keep looking at the video, nancy, of jennifer petit. she is doing everything she can to help her family survive this. >> you know, robin, now that i have the twins, to think of her going into that bank, thinking she was saving her family's life. thinking she was doing the right thing by being so strong. a lot of people have even second-guessed her by her saying, they're being nice to us. only to go back to the home and be raped, along with her 11-year-old little girl. she was doing what she thought would save her girls' lives. >> and no one knows what you will do in a situation like that. you have no idea. and she was doing the absolute best that she thought she could at that moment. you have been a very vocal advocate for people and for victims. and you alluded to this earlier. these two men, in your estimation and the estimation of many, should never have been on the streets. >> you could see the rap sheet entries they've got. and what is so chilling to me, robin, is that one of them says that he likes to break into homes. and sometimes, he just sits there and listens to the sound of the home. while people are sleeping in the next room. and some parole board let him walk free? to walk into this home and commit rape and murder on an 11-year-old, murder on a 17-year-old and the mother, it's just -- it's daunting to me. especially for those of us that love our justice system. to see this horrible, horrible failing. >> beyond words. nancy, thank you so much. i know john and lucy, they'll be turning 3 in november. give them a big hug. >> i will. and thank you, robin. >> thank you. it is time, again, for the weather now and sam. >> good morning, again, robin. we're going to start with pictures near wichita, kansas. a strong line of storms yesterday, did some big hail damage. and interesting stuff in the skies. partially-formed tornadoes and hanging funnel clouds in the area. these are powerful storms. and we'll see them kick along the cold front line as it moves east. we'll see them likely from the pittsburgh area, to washington, d.c. area. i think north of nashville. later tonight, as the front continues toward new york and boston, we'll also see some powerful storms kick up if that direction. and all of that moves through. on the west coast, a brand-new pocket of showers and wind and clouds that generally hang there's for a couple of days. seattle, portland, eugene, redding. even over san francisco, we get that far south with this. southern california will and all of that weather was brought to you by chili's. robin? >> all right, sam. we're going to really switch gears when we come back. next, improving your love life. what really works for women. come on back. like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our chicken crispers with new sweet & smoky sauce, our new slow-smoked honey chipotle baby back ribs, or grilled all-white meat chicken fajitas served over a bed of sizzling peppers and onions. grab a friend and get one appetizer plus two entrees with chili's $20 dinner for two. here, take the card. you go to the shops... i'll meet you at the gate. thanks. please remove all metal objects out of your pockets. with chase freedom you can get a total of 5% cash back. fun money from freedom. that's 5% cash back in quarterly categories and an unlimited 1% cash back everywhere else. and this too. does your card do this? i'm going to need a supervisor over here at gate 4. sign up for this quarter's bonus today. chase what matters. go to chase.com/freedom. stay twice... earn a free night! two separate stays at comfort inn or any of these choice hotels can earn you a free night -- only when you book at choicehotels.com. a new study is raising eyebrows this morning. it found that when solving sexual dysfunction in women, the answer may be as simple as a sugar pill. juju has the story.mple as a >> reporter: samantha in "sex and the city" turned to male viagra to lift her libido. >> what would happen if i tried one of these? >> reporter: this week, the ladies of "the view," dished about zestra. >> a sensual oil that women can use to feel more satisfied. >> reporter: low sex drive affects nearly 40% of women in this country. but the female version of viagra was shot down this summer by the fda. companies are still racing to find the elusive pill. but perhaps the solution may not be found in a bottle after all. in a new study looking at drug treatments for 200 women with sexual dysfunction, one-quarter of the women were given a placebo. 35% of those women reported significant improvement in their sex lives. so, was it all just in their minds? researchers say just talking about problems in the bedroom could be the solution. >> all women in this study did have a chance to speak with a health care professional, who listened to their concerns. and most importantly, took them seriously and really listened to what their concerns was. >> reporter: empathy and support, the study finds, can be just as effective as potions and pills. >> in the quest to find a medical solution or magic bullet for women's sexual problems, we may have overlooked some of the basics. and we are joined now by our medical contributor, dr. marie savard. there you go again. common sense. >> it is common sense. as you said, there you go. women, typically, we're so much more complicated than men. men, it's a physiology problem. for women, it's more situational. that mean ins stress in our lives, care giving, time, so many factors, hormones, if we're taking medications. it will never be a one-size-fits-all for women. >> apologize for the beeps. think it's been taken care of. why did placebo work so well? >> we don't know exactly. but as you heard, a number of things happened in the study. first time, the expectations. women were encouraged to have sex at least three times every month. and in addition, they did have a number of counseling episodes. they met three or four different counselors on that first visit. and were asked to write about each sexual experience. all of those things really helped, i think raise awareness and gave women more time in the bedroom, which is what i think a lot of women need. >> i looked at this last night. i was struck by one gaping hole in the study. we know placebo worked for a lot of women. but we don't know if it works better than the actual drug. >> you're right. and we don't know what the results of the trial were. this was a secondary analysis of the women who took placebo. we don't have any publication or information about how well that drug worked. but we do know that smaller studies have shown they don't work very well. and as we heard this summer, there was a similar brain effect pill that was not passed by the fda. >> so, we know that talking about it may help. but that is so difficult for so many women. >> it is. women are embarrassed. they think they should -- it all should work right. they're afraid to kind of talk to their doctors about it. studies have shown that gynecologists tend not to ask women about it. if they don't ask, women will not volunteer or tell. on the other hand, if a woman doesn't speak up. i think women need to speak up about this question, if they have concerned. rule out medical problems. there are things that can be treated. and then, talk therapy, behavioral therapy, encouragement. taking time. >> why wouldn't doctors bring it up on their own? >> i think doctors are uncomfortable talking about it. i will be honest, i think it's embarrassing even for physicians. and it takes time. it's a very difficult conversation to have. i've been in the situation. i know with patients, and even with myself. you go into that exam room. and women are undressed, at the end of the table. the doctor's examining them. it's not a conducive time to talk about sex and things going on in the bedroom. >> but it could help a lot. okay. marie savard, thanks a lot. still ahead, california's first daughter, katherine smeg schwarzenegger talks about her mission to help young girls. way to tell how great you look is in your jeans. drop a jean size in two weeks with the special k challenge and enjoy a good source of fiber in many of your favorite special k products. ♪ jeans don't lie. go to specialk.com to design your plan. aveeno hair shines in real life. new aveeno nourish plus shine with active naturals wheat smooths damaged cuticles for 75% more shine in one use. real shine, for real life. yours. [ female announcer ] new aveeno nourish plus shine. yours. while i was building my friendships... my family... while i was building my life... my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries... is a real reason to lower cholesterol... and that, along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol... it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life, plaque may have been building in your arteries. ask your doctor if crestor can help and go to crestor.com to get a free trial offer. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. in 2008 i quit venture capital to follow my passion for food. i saw a gap in the market for a fresh culinary brand and launched behindtheburner.com. we create and broadcast content and then distribute it across tv, the web, and via mobile. i even use the web to get paid. with acceptpay from american express open, we now invoice advertisers and receive payments digitally. and i get paid on average three weeks faster. booming is never looking for a check in the mail. because it's already in my email. still to come on this thursday morning, the first daughter of california, katherine schwarzenegger joins us to talk about a personal crusade. her message for all young women this morning. we'll talk to her live in our next half hour. also, everything you need to know about your homeowners insurance. mellody hobson here to answer questions. we'll be right back. blue one. ♪ [ grunts ] blue one. 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[ female announcer ] kids who don't eat breakfast may not be getting the nutrition they need to keep their bodies strong. ♪ a nutritious start to the day is essential. that's why carnation instant breakfast essentials supplies the nutrients of a balanced breakfast. so kids get the protein and calcium they need to help build strong muscles and healthy bones. carnation instant breakfast essentials. good nutrition from the start. good morning, 7:56. the clouds have rolled in. our time lapse imagery from the maryland science center looking north. overcast sky held temperatures up overnight. harford zone, back toward manchester. 56 reisterstown. ellicot city at 60. a lot of cloudiness, rain back to the west. there may be spotty showers that try to develop this afternoon. small threat of that. we'll increase chance of rain after dark and tonight. warm 84. that's a little above normal. we'll keep the chance of showers and spring-like weather. let's get the check on traffic right now. here's kim brown. >> thanks, justin. it's going to be a slow ride across the top side of the beltway this morning. delays are running close between 95 as you approach providence road. traffic pretty much at a crawl as you make your way here, harford road. slow going, southbound 95, between white marsh boulevard approaching the 895 split. a handful of things to let you know about, mace moore road is closed at mount carmel road because of a downed tree. we're working an injury crash uh, in bel air at route 24 at plum tree drive and also an accident reported in street, route 136 at peach orchard. anne arundel county, crash reported on the ramp between route 100 as you get onto northbound, the bw parkway. that earlier accident downtown at mlk and pratt street has been cleared. stay with us, we're sending you back to new york for more good morning america. everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes. but...they're the same. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. there's a big difference between fees and taxes. fees and taxes are one in the same. if it comes out of my pocket, it's a tax. now he says it isn't true. we didn't raise taxes. what? still doing the same thing, paying out more money. typical politician. definitely. new hopes, new dreams, new ways. a beautiful day on this friday eve. one more alarm clock and the weekend will be here. >> that's right. it is a gorgeous day here in new york this morning. ahead this morning, if first daughter of california is here, katherine schwarzenegger. she's on a personal mission to inspire young women to embrace themselves whatever they look like. and i love the title of her new book. it's called "rock what you've got." we'll talk with her coming up. >> we will. and the mother at the forefront that could decide your children's future. she's on the cover of "time." her name, michelle re. you're saying who? you'll be knowing her, coming up. >> a big issue in the mayors race. her mentor, mayor fenty, lost. but her job is in jeopardy, as well. look at these monster waves. over 100 feet high. you're going to meet in our last half hour, the fearless superstar surfer who rides this very wild surf. first, let's go to juju and the news. >> good morning, robin and george. let's go surfing. >> hang ten. >> good morning, everyone. pope benedict arrived in scotland this morning to begin his controversial four-day state visit. the first ever by a pope to britain. he was greeted by queen elizabeth. but he's also being met by protesters, angry over the church's sexual abuse scandal. this morning, the pope recognized the failure to act decidedly with priests. support for the tea party movement is growing. a new poll shows 26% of likely voters view the party very favorably. 44% favorably. the party's high-profile face, candidate christine o'donnell, says she's raised nearly $1 million since her primary win tuesday. democrats say o'donnell's success is an example of republican extremism gone mainstream. president obama appears to be losing support for his plan to repeal the bush tax cuts for the rich. more house democrats are coming forward, supporting tax cuts for everyone, not just the middle class. and a new poll shows that half the country now agrees. the latest round of middle east peace talks has ended with no deal. but in an exclusive interview with our christian yen amanpe a says the stall is over free on settlements in the west bank. the fda will take up a controversial question. whether to let supermarkets and restaurants sell genetically altered salmon. a rally is planned for today in front of the white house. and lisa stark looks at the debate. >> reporter: the fish is called aqua advantage. and if approved by the fda, it would be the first genetically animal okayed for human consumption. but consumer and environmental groups are not convinced and want more research on health and environmental impacts. the modified salmon grow twice as fast as regular atlantic salmon. here are both fish at 18 months. the altered fish, much larger and ready for market. to create the fish, scientists injected atlantic salmon eggs with a growth hormone gene from a pacific salmon. then, added genetic material from an ocean pout, which keeps the growth hormone working full-time, allowing the fish to sprout up fast. fda analysis found that food from aquaed a advantage salmon is as safe as other salmon. and is safe to eat. but that may be a hard sell. would you buy genetically engineered salmon? >> no way. >> reporter: would consumers even know? if the fda decides the new fish is not different than fish today, it will not require a special label. for "good morning america," lisa stark, abc news, washington. now, from salmon to whales. a spectacular sight off southern california. a pod of blue whales, who knew they were called pod? between 10 and 15 of them, coming up to a group of kayakers. colder water and abundant food is attracting them there for the first time in years. let's check in with diane sawyer, for what "world news" is reporting on for tonight. diane? >> hello, juju. great thursday to you. you don't know anything about stress, do you? no. and what if a doctor had a secret to lower your blood pressure, simply? no kidding, in minutes. we'll tell you his secret on "world news." see you tonight. >> we very much look forward to that. that's the news at 8:05. time, now, for the weather and sam champion. you know a thing about stress yourself. >> good morning. go ahead, everybody. say good morning. i'm completely destressed the moment i get out here. everybody here is very nice. i'm guessing we're going to do a little like johnny carson. i'm guessing you're from calgary, canada, ma'am? >> yes, we are. hi, from calgary, canada. >> and you're visiting from? >> rome, italy. >> awesome. i hope you enjoy it. you're from the area. you'll show them around a little bit. let's get to the boards. one or two things going on we want to talk about. we want to show you twitter pictures. look at the upper left of your screen. that's the first snowfall in the gauge on mt. washington, new hampshire. that's what you see. and the rest of the twitter picks, good sky shots. 2010 is on tie for the warmest global temperature on record. we continue to see the melting of the global sea ice. and we see in the deep south, this heat is really on. look at houston at 91 degrees. new orleans at 90 degrees. more fun from times square, the next half hour. robin? >> fun, indeed. all right, sam. her parents, california governor, arnold schwarzenegger and maria shriver. kept their children out of the spotlight. now, katherine schwarzenegger, in junior college, is going public with an issue that affects many women and girs, a negative body image. it's something katherine understands because she went through it, too. we're going to talk to her live. take the shot, in a moment. first, a look at her story. imagine it. your dad is an award-winning bodybuilder and exercise advocate. and your mom is a member of the famously fit kennedy family. like most young girls, you compare your body to your classmates. and don't like what you see. if you're katherine schwarzenegger, you write a book about it. she candidly recalls feeling subconscious about her body in "rock what you got." i hate my body. i felt totally disgusting. i was 10 years old, in the fourth grade and suffering. katherine's mother understood her pain. and shared a story from her own childhood. after her first dance residle, eunice kennedy told her, she did a wonderful job, only every time she leapt across the stage, the whole building shook. my mother was devastated. she never danced again. many women struggle with body issues, while interning with the dove real beauty campaign. energized, katherine has vowed to get the word out to young girls. to feel good about themselves, no matter what their size. as katherine writes, we can only gain true happiness by loving ourselves, or learning to "rock what you got. " and katherine joins us now. good to have you in the studio. >> thanks for having me. >> you wrote this book. you also collaborated with "glamour" magazine, to get women to write positive things about their body. and the pictures on the back of your book, even. >> yes, it is. >> tell us why this is so important to you. >> it was important to me to write this book as a reference to young girls. to let them know that they're not alone when they're doubting their body in high school and middle school. and when they're feeling awkward. to let them know i went through the exact same things they're going through. to feel insecure about their bodies. >> you say it started when you were 10 years old. tell us how it began for you. >> when i was in fourth grade, it was the first time i became aware of my body and compared it to other girls, which i think was unusual for me, since i was only 10 years old. it freaked me out that, you know, we all have different body types. why was mine different than another girl? so, i think i had a crisis with that. which is now i started the book, talking about how i didn't like myself at the time. >> it's a very thoughtful book. you think of your dad. i mean, he is mr. universe. literally, mr. universe. the bodybuilder. advocate for good health. your mother from the kennedy family. remember seeing playing football and being active. as their daughter, those images of them and having them as parents and their backgrounds, does it help? does it hurt your body image? >> i don't think it hurt my body image at all. a lot of people think that it would because my dad had a very famous figure and was always known for his body. but i'm a girl. i didn't look at that body and say, i want to look like that. but i think that it was always -- fitness was a big thing in your lives as children. we grew up with fitness being a really big deal. we're an active family. we play tennis together as a family. we go on bike rides as a family. we all workout together. fitness is a big component in our lives. but having my father be a body person was never an issue for me. >> but the family fitness, that can only help to have that early reference of being active and being with your family. >> yeah. >> you write so beautifully about mothers and daughters should have an open dialogue. should have that conversation. how did your mom help you? >> my mom and i have an amazing relationship. and she was always really good at making sure she was open to talk about anything with me. she always made it seem that she was a relatable mom. she shared her stories with me about when she was younger. and she went through the exact same things and felt the same feelings. it made it easy for me to talk to her about anything. i was lucky to have that. >> is that part of the reason where you have sanctions for moms only? >> in the book, i talk about the importance of a mother/daughter relationship. i think that's the most important thing for girls to have, you know, someone to look up to and someone to ask questions to. you know, i think that when you don't have that, that's when girls get into trouble of feeling insecure with their bodice and not knowing what's going on with their bodies. a good relationship and strong relationship between mother and daughter is key to getting out of high school sane. >> good luck with that. it's tough enough. >> yeah. >> you also talk about how -- and i have to agree with you here, wholeheartedly now, about the conversations we have with ourselves about our bodies. i don't like "x," "y," and "z." >> i think girls are nitpicky with our bodies. look at the glass half-fullen stead of half-empty. look at the positive things, instead of focusing on the negative. >> i know there's probably a young woman watching this morning. getting up, deciding what to wear, not feeling good about themselves. what do you say to them? >> i say, instead of only thinking about, i don't like my thighs, i don't like my hair, think about the positive. i'm beautiful. i'm smart. i'm a young, intelligent woman. i'm going to go out today and think only positive thoughts about my body. i'm going to be the best person that i can be. i think positive thoughts we inforce good things in your mind. and you have a better attitude about going about the day. >> let's go. i'm ready to start the day after hearing that. thank you. that is so true. it's a difficult subject for a lot of young women to talk about it. you can talk about it frankly. thank you so much. appreciate it, katherine. you can check out a portion of katherine's book. and i agree with george. "rock what you've got." a great title. go to abcnews.com/gma. next, the woman who could hold the future of your child's education. come on back the ♪ stretch and yawn ♪ blow a kiss to mom ♪ cause pop-tarts mornings are the bomb ♪ ♪ so, rise and shiiiiine 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. 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you may not have heard of michelle rhee. but that is about to change. she's the embattled chancellor of the d.c. public schools. and now, the public face of a heated debate about how to make sure our schools are working for all our children. it's a debate captured on the cover of "time" magazine, and a new film, "waiting for superman," and a debate that may ultimately cost her her job. claire shipman has more on the firestorm about to get started and the woman sparking it. she joins us from a public school in washington. >> reporter: good morning, george. as you know, d.c. public schools have long been the worst in the nation. and michelle rhee has been a one-woman whirlwind determined to change all that. but her radical, hard-nosed brand of education reform, has caught the eye of reformers everywhere. bill and melinda gates are investing millions in programs like hers. at the same time, it's so controversial, it may have helped to cost the d.c. mayor his job on tuesday. he's on his way out. and it may be that michelle rhee is on her way out, as well. she's the other michelle in washington. the one that flanked charm school. the wasn't that doesn't know politically correct. >> this is at the bottom of the priority list for me. >> reporter: who looks like she would rather spit nails than pose for pictures. when she does, grab a broom to make a point about her intentions. michelle rhee has riveted the nation, by plunging head-long into the schools. firing teachers. forcing change. starting a war. the divorced mother of two is either the toughest version of wonder woman ever, or the devil herself, depending on your view. >> you can request a meeting with me. you can scream all you want. and i will take it all in. but the children of this city deserve better. >> reporter: and now, she's almost certainly out of a job. her boss and d.c. mayor, adrian fenty, was voted at tuesday, in what most see is a referendum on rhee's aggressive reform efforts. are you responsible for mayor fenty losing this election? >> yeah. yeah. it pains me to be in a situation where i -- you know, shortly could be leaving this reform effort, that i think has so much promise. >> reporter: but even with her career in upheaval, she couldn't be hotter. on the red carpet last night, as the star of a buzzy, new documentary, about the failure of public education, "waiting for superman." >> you wake up every morning. and you know that kids are getting a crappy education. >> reporter: you said they're getting a crappy education. >> they are getting a crappy education. you can try to sugar-coat it all you want. sub par or whatever. but what it is, in terms that everyone can understand, they're getting a crappy education. >> reporter: rhee has fired more than 200 teachers in her 3 years. cut 4 administrators and cut close to 20 schools, without much explanation or sympathy. could you have been nicer along the way? >> the situation that we inherited three years ago in washington, d.c., was absolutely deplorable. people need to understand that. and if that makes people feel a little uncomfortable, then so be it. >> reporter: she also angered teachers' unions by tying pay to merit, after rough negotiations. but she's boosted salaries significantly. and scores in secondary and elementary schools have shot up. >> she put good teachers in our classrooms. she made no bones about it. >> i think we need a clean slate. i do think we need a clean slate. >> reporter: love her or hate her, her teflon, take-no-prisons approach, has turned her into a reluctant celebrity. who has managed to get a story bookending in her personal life. she's about to marry long-time boyfriend, sacramento mayor and former nba star, kevin johnson. >> we were supposed to get married a couple weeks ago. and things got way too crazy. but the good news is, we had planned to, the day after the election, go on a little honeymoon. so, we're going on that trip tomorrow. >> reporter: oh. a prehoneymoon? >> we're calling it the proneymoon. >> reporter: and she has no intention of abandoning her other passion. >> i hope i can have the biggest impact on kids. and if i can somehow, in some small way, make a dent in this for some group of kids somewhere, i will do it in a heartbeat. >> reporter: bottom line, george, this great experiment in the reform of public education that the nation's been watching, is now unlikely to yield any conclusive results. >> i think because there has been such a backlash down there in d.c. how big a factor do you think it played in the mayor's race? >> reporter: i think it played an enormous -- when you look at the poll results, so many people were focused on what they felt were unfair firings of teachers. or focused on wanting more reform. it was a really divisive issue here. >> claire shipman, thanks very much. there's a lot more on this coming up. "waiting for superman," opens next friday. we'll have a sneak peek with its director, davis gug heim. it's a debate that will sweep the nation. when we come back, amy brenneman of "private practice." their season debuts next week. she'll be here in our next half hour. now, the "gma" list of the day. what are the top three drives to take to see the breathtaking brilliant colors of fall foliage? here's what the experts of budget travel say. whatcha doing little bite™? trying to be big like you, dad. you're so good at keeping everyone full... and focused with your fiber. [ laughs ] but you already are great at doing that. really? sure. you're made with fiber, just like me. but best of all, you're the perfect size for smaller kids. [ female announcer ] give your little ones kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats little bites™ cereal in chocolate and now original flavor. they're an excellent source of fiber packed in a smaller size. [ doorbell rings ] oh, it's original little bite™. we're off to practice keeping 'em full and focused. yeah! we've got big shoes to fill! ♪ [ female announcer ] we've got stains, down to a science. new wisk, with our breakthrough stain spectrum technology targets all the major stain groups like proteins, carbohydrates and oils. its enzymes and cleaning agents tackle a full range of stains. you'll never look at stains the same way again. for a more powerful clean, try new wisk. fight stains with science. cloudy skies. much different scene than what we had the rest of the week. this will come with a little bit of a warm-up this afternoon as well. we have clouds pretty much dominating for today. showers staying well to our west. while it is still rather chilly to the north, we're at 64 degrees. 66 in easton. we'll push in warmer temperatures today. aiming for about 84. remaining mostly cloudy. there'll be that threat and appearance it will rain, but we'll likely stay dry. better chance of showers tonight and tomorrow. how about the traffic right now. >> it's going to be slow going, northbound 95. construction project at conway street. running three or four minute delay. as we look at the cameras, this'll be slow all morning. expect the outer loop to be pretty much at a crawl, stop and go because of of volume. root 100 ramp getting onto northbound 295. jamie's in with your morning news update. there's a family in millersville still grieving over the shooting death of their loved one over two years ago. they need your help bringing the suspect to justice. rudolf miller was shot in his home when someone knocked on the window and he went to see who it was. one of the hardest parts was when his mother had to leave her son's body. >> i said "i need to make sure he's okay." i promised him that i'd never leave him. now i gotta leave. >> can you help the mother out? can you help this family out? if you can, call 410-222-3460. we'll see you at 9:00 this morning. ♪ don't you forget about me ♪ it is one of my favorite movies. >> is it? >> yeah. "breakfast club." i can't believe it's been 25 years. >> no. >> since it came out. we've got a big day coming up next week. we're going to have the 25th anniversary cast reunion of "breakfast club" right here. i gave it a yell in the staff meeting when i learned about it. >> it was the definitive '80s teen movie. wasn't it? >> i was a little older than a teen. we want your questions for everybody. go to abcnews.com/gma to send them in, your questions for the cast of "the breakfast club." i'm george stephanopoulos, here with robin. also here ahead this morning. she's everyone's favorite therapist on "private practice." amy brenneman is here. i told her, you're rocking the short do, amy. >> i am. >> i like that little pixie. you can pull it off. also, sam has a great story coming up this half hour. in search of the planet's biggest waves. we'll meet one of the legends who rides those wild, wild waves. >> keep thinking of "hawaii 5-0." want to remind you that storm is the deadline of our "gma" work with me series. want to hear what it's like to do your job for a day. tell us in 250 words or less. if your essay is chosen, you'll come to times square to see what it's like to be on "gma." and we'll go and walk in your shoes. go to abcnews.com/gma. and you can send it by mail. the address right there on your screen. must be postmarked by tomorrow. are you all going -- we would love to go to work with you. you get to work with the essay. come on. >> we have a couple there. let's go outside. some that this morning's "just one thing." >> roll that gorgeous "just one thing." nick bitterswyk. that's nick right there. we know we need to be moving to alternative energy. this is a vertical axis wind turbine. his company tells them. others do. it's a compact version of the big blade wind turbine that you can install in your homes, right? >> exactly. wind in general produces electricity. our turbine, from the urban green energy, any that we have with us, operate an vertical access. you can take wind from any direction. >> any direction and this thing generates power. it doesn't vibrate like the big ones do. it's quiet. you don't get the thumping hum. how cost-effective is it really? how much will it cost me? >> the up-front cost. there is a little bit of one. this turbine is $3,000 to $5,000. we offer financing for that. there's a 30% federal tax credit. >> the tax credit right now is a writeoff. after next year, it changes a little bit. we'll link you to where you can buy a wind turbine like this, at nick's company or others, if you want to learn to put easy wind energy on your home. but we'll link you to that website for what tax credits you can get for something like wind power. and everything else. every state has its own plan. these things change from year-to-year. all you have to do is click on your state. it will tell you what you want to do. you made this a little more friendly for the house. >> exactly. the video you can see now from an installation on the jersey shore. that's a rooftop installation. installed it in a few hours. we use all sorts of different applications. >> it's just gorgeous. if it works, this is a good thing. you can check out the facts. i could spend all day talking to nick. they won't let me. go to our website, check out what's going on. quick look at the boards. that was your "just one thing." here's the weather thing. on the eastern seaboard, we're in good shape, from new york north, we're going to get strong to severe storms. those storms are rolling out of the ohio all that weather was brought to you by macy's. george? >> sam, thanks. that recent pipeline explosion near san francisco and constant tropical storms on the east coast, have many families d turning to their homeowners insurance policies to get back on their feet. what do those policies really cover? for five things you need to know about your policy, our financial guru, mellody hobson, the president of ariel investments in chicago. what's at the top of the list? >> top of the list, know your coverage. this is the most important thing. a recent survey of homeowners who had insurance, they were asked, what are you covered for? 60% had no idea. if you are one of those people, i strongly encourage you, pick up the phone right now. call your insurance agent and ask them to go over your policy with you. >> that's right. and you really need to have it explained to you. you're not going to figure it all out, reading it. it's dense legalese. we talked about the pipe explosion in san bruno. is that the kind of thing that's covered by a homeowners policy? >> the good news is, yes. that's the great news. the typical policy covers fire, theft, wind damage and explosions. so, obviously, the pipeline explosion fit there's there. the typical policy does not cover earthquake, flood, landslide. if you're in an area that has to occurrences, i strongly advise you to get coverage. you can go to the national flood insurance program and get flood insurance. and go to floodsmart.gov, to look up that information. >> third, how do you know if you have enough coverage? >> you need to get an appraisal. that's really important. there's an important caveat, as well, i want to add. when you buy an insurance policy, you want to get the guarantee or the extended coverage. with that, it replaces the full replacement value of your home. really, really important. if your home, for example, burned down, you would rebuild it today in today's costs. so, the best way to do that, you can call a home builder and say, what would it cost to rebuild my house, right now? or have your house appraised. then, you change your coverage in relation to that. >> i think that most people believe that everything in their house, the furniture, the appliances, the clothes are covered by homeowners insurance. but that's not necessarily the case. >> this is how it works. let's say you have a $200,000 policy. the contents inside your home are covered for $100,000. this is why you need full replacement value coverage. it will cost you a little bit more but will certainly help you sleep at night. so, let's sesay you have a 6-year-old television and a regular policy. you're going to get a payment for a 6-year-old television. but you need to go out and buy a new tv. that's why you want the coverage, full replacement value, in today's costs. the best way to make sure you do that is not only to buy that policy, but to inventory everything in your home. i've done this. take pictures. and/or walk through your home with a video camera. and make sure you look at everything. open drawers and videotape them. and then, store those pictures or videotape off-site. obviously, they can't be harmed in the event something happens to your home. there's a great website, knowyourstuff.org that can help you do this. >> all of that work is worth it. finally, are there ways people can save on their premiums? >> two ways. shop around. there's a lot of insurance companies out there. you can compare the price. there's websites that can help you to do that. weap web ins.com. check with the record of your insurance company. that's one thing. second thing, lowing your deductible. raise your deductible. that will lower your premium. for example, if you have a $500 deductible, take it to $1,000, and that will lower your premium. >> thanks very much. our website, abcnews.com/gma, has more of melody's tips, including how to save on your homeowners insurance if you're my commute home to the eastern shore every night only takes an hour but that's more time than congress spends reading massive spending bills, it's crazy. that's why i wrote a law that requires 72 hours to read every bill. i read the big bills and i said no. no to the $3 trillion budget, no to the bank bailout, and no to the health care bill. at home you would never pay a bill without reading it neither should congress. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message because i'm proud to be ranked one of the most independent members of congress. last season, "private practice" ended with an unexpected death that shocked fans. the new fourth season kicks off a week from tonight, with an unexpected wedding. and joining us now, is the bride, five-time emmy nominee, amy brenneman, is here to tell us what's in store for the doctors at oceanside wellness. i always enjoy having you here with us, amy.eanside wellness. >> it's great to see you, too. >> you can actually tell us about the wedding? usually when people are here, they can't tell us about anything we need to watch. >> we've been so trained by shonda rhimes, with the gag rule. >> tell us. >> some of the reason we thought it would be a surprise, on the show cooper and charlotte are engaged. and pete and i are just sort of getting -- trying to figure out how we're going to parent this child. but the big surprise is that we're the ones that get married, very spontaneously and steal their thunder a little bit. >> i did not see that. your character, dr. violent turner. >> i need some joy. >> you have been through the wringer. we see dell dying at the end. that was another shocker for us. are they going to talk more about that? >> yep. we do. it's funny. in the first draft, there wasn't a lot of talk of dell. then, we all felt like dell was such a huge part of the show. and he's so missed, yeah. >> if in case people are looking at us, saying what in the world are you two talking about. let's play a clip of "private practice." and your good friend, cooper. you tell him what is going to be happening for you. "private practice." >> say something. speak. words. >> just -- give me a -- i need a -- okay, look. friend, cooper, wants to give you a big hug. but objective cooper thinks this might be a little too fast. >> friend cooper, first. >> okay. congratulations. i'm so happy for you. >> thank you. and tell objective cooper it's not like i need a fluffy white dress and a wedding march. all i need is pete and the people i have around me. i can have that now. >> the chemistry with the entire cast, you really enjoy one another. people are saying, wait a minute. she has short hair. that was long hair. this is offcamera? >> this is new offcamera. this is the first time i've come in here since i think seventh grade. i was freaked out to see the back of my neck. so far, so good. i look up to you as my fashion icon. >> you're being much too kind. it has to be easier because you're a mom. >> i have so much hair. i have so much hair. my hair -- i have a lot of hair. i was in the hair chair for about an hour and a half every morning. >> see? you get all that time back. you tweeted about your precious, little baby boy, who is not so little anymore. heading off to kindergarten. it was tough on you, wasn't it? >> yes. i may weep a little bit. i don't know why. i don't know why. i dropped him off at school. he's totally fine about it. but i -- and then, i have this work schedule over the past week. i really have not laid eyes on his teacher since. and i am convinced that they're watching inappropriate movies and eating cupcakes all day long. i have no idea what's going on. that's the thing you do when you send them off. >> set them free. your husband is a director. and we know you, people looking at you two again. wait a minute, "judging amy." that was a phenomenal series, with tyne daly. you also directed that. you didn't just shoot and produced it. are you working on other projects? >> i am. i have a new web series we're going to be shooting in the next month or so, that my husband will be directing me once again. in addition to being here for publicity, we're going on location scouts tomorrow. and we're doing the family industry. it's so fun. he's so smart. after 17 years, i get on conference calls. and i'm like, that's my man. it's really fun to work together. >> that's great. wonderful to hear. do you also fill the part of the daily family? you work with tim. you work with tyne. is it odd? now, you're married, on-screen, of course. >> it gets weirder. tyne was on "gray's anatomy," as patrick dempsey's mother. now, we have patrick dempsey's sister, amelia, as a character. i think i'm married to my uncle. it's weird. it's wrong. whatever it is. >> this is why i love having you here. the image. >> i think too much. i have always had that problem. >> continued blessings. >> thank you. >> and success in all that you do. glad you're doing well. >> i am. >> and the new season of "private practice" premieres next thursday, september 23rd, at 10:00, 9:00 central on abc. look at that setting right there. ah. diabetes testing? it's all the same. nothing changes. 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[ man ] freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. if they have their way, we're facing a mountain of debt and a massive tax increase. employers will continue to leave our state, taking their jobs with them. the next four years will impact the next decade, so we've put together a road map to 2020. a plan that brings jobs back to maryland by reducing spending and lowering taxes. let's make the maryland we love not just good, but great. now let's get down to work. in a very exciting and dramatic way, the environment, scientists and surfers are all the stars of susan casey's new book. think 100-foot waves, powerful enough to wipe out communities. she's written about them in a book "the wave," in pursuit of rogues, freaks and giants of the ocean. with her is laird hamilton, one of a handful of people in the world, who has been on top of these giants. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> ladies first. susan, early and often you write, on average, two dozen large ships go missing and take their crews with them. and entire towns have been washed away. why don't we know more about these waves? >> the big problem, a lot of times when people see a giant wave, they don't come back and tell about it. i wanted to find people that could take me to the top, and by extension, readers, to the top of a 100-foot wave and see what it's like. >> the stories are incredible.t and you craft words, descriptions, images, more beautifully than anyone i have red in modern day. it's lovely, the way you write. why was it important for you to tell the wave story? >> this is an ocean planet. we know so little about it. so poorly understood, that we know more about the moon or splitting the atom, than we do about this force of nature, which is actually, when you think of 100-foot wave, other than the sun, probably the most powerful force of nature there is. >> my friend, laird, you're one of the few people. you have to tell me. what's it like to try to stay poised an office building that's moving when you're moving at about 50 miles per hour-plus? what is that like? >> well, it's the one thing that i've done in -- on earth, that captures my total focus and attention. it's, you know, like describing a color with words. it's something where it demands all the years of experience. it demands total focus, the right equipment. and it demands every cell in your body to be your awareness, your vision, your hearing. you need to be on your toes. >> and in this book, you ride the line of saying how fascinating these things are and to people like you who live them. and how deadly they can be at the same time. do you feel both of those are true of waves like this, laird? >> absolutely. that's where the respect coming in. you can appreciate the power of what a wave can do. at the same time, they're so beautiful. they're so kind of awing. to be even near one, to be in the proximity of a giant wave is something that is -- i mean, i don't want to get so hocus-pocus. but it's a spiritual, like a feeling you get, that hits your -- the inner part of your body. but the power of what waves can do, makes you have to respect them. that's a part of assessing them properly. >> susan, i had no idea what we didn't know about the science of waves. it's amazing what we don't know about them. you spent a lot of time talking about it. what's the most shocking thing about what we don't know, to you? >> the notion that 800-foot ships could be going missing and nobody knew why. in a world where we have all kinds of technology that you would think could tell us what's going on. it was really only 15 years ago that people, scientists had to reckon with the fact that you can have a 30-foot sea with a 100-foot wave in it. that disobeyed the laws of physics. the captain would come back and say, this giant wave came. it did this. sometimes they would make it back. and people would go, that couldn't possible be true. that's physically impossible. then, with satellites and laser measurement on oil platform s started to prove it, scientists had to go, back to the drawing board. use quantum physics and chaos theory to think, sometimes one plus one doesn't equal two. it could equal 17. >> there's good information in this book, as well. i promise you're going to enjoy this read. no way is this going to be boring because of the way she writes and creates the characters that are real. you can find video and photos of rogue waves and read an excerpt of "the wave," on abcnews.com/gma. thank you. foamal. hey, all. did you know that george is a hero. the sign right there to prove it. george stephanopoulos -- did they spell your name right? >> they did. they'll have to go to the house and make arguments to ali and the girls. 8:56. damp chill to the air. we had a southeasterly wind holding our temperatures in check. while we're at 60 in manchester, now we have 70s popping up on the del marva. almost like a warm front will swing through. we'll shift the winds and get our temperatures up in the 80s today. cold front sparking showers and thunderstorms into the mountains. they may try to sneak in here late in the day. we aim for our two-degree guaranteed high of 84. after dark, overnight, better chance of those showers will slip back into the upper 60s. we head in through tomorrow, should see a little improvement, slightly cooler, stray leftover shower, high of 79. >> well the delays are starting to ease some on the top side of the outer loop this morning. still expect about a 12-minute delay between bel air road at you approach the charles street exit. as we look at our cameras, still slow going, but like i said, traffic's looking better as you travel the outer loop. we do have a handful of crashes to let you know about. vehicle fire, 50 eastbound at route 2. you'll see emergency crews on the scene there. also working an accident in severn. injury crash at severn road and citadel drive. also a crash, 95 southbound at lovell road. that does block the right shoulder this morning. stay with us, we do have good morning maryland, megan and jamie are standing by for the show at 9:00 a.m. everyone knows a fee is a tax. you raised some taxes during that period, particularly the property tax as well as a lot of fee increases. as you know, there's a big difference between fees and taxes. but...they're the same. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. it's a tax. there's a big difference between fees and taxes. fees and taxes are one in the same. if it comes out of my pocket, it's a tax. now he says it isn't true. we didn't raise taxes. what? still doing the same thing, paying out more money. typical politician. definitely.

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