making news in america this morning. >> flu deaths. h1n1 has killed thousands more people than first thought. did experts underestimate its power? not done yet. what's left of ida has turned into a powerful nor'easter, looking to drench much of the east coast today. and under arrest. mike tyson taken away in the back of a police car. it's thursday, november 12th, 2009. good morning. and thanks for being with us on this thursday. we begin with the battle against the swine flu. new government figures to be released soon showed that the flu is taking a much higher toll than we thought. >> by the latest estimate, the virus is rampant. on this map, states with widespread flu activity of colored in brown. that's swine flu activity. but how bad is it? viviana hurtado joins us with the latest numbers. >> reporter: good morning. these numbers are especially alarming because the vaccine continues to be in short supply. the h1n1 swine flu has killed more people than previously thought. 4,000 americans have already died from the virus. that's more than three-times an earlier estimate. 40,000 have been hospitalized. federal officials say the number is higher because death because of flu-related complications are being counted. many say the best protection against this virus is the vaccine. the problem is, there's still a shortage. >> unfortunately, the consequence of not having enough vaccine soon enough is people will get sick and will die. >> reporter: avenn us the attributes the event to the vaccine growing more slowly than anticipated. >> there is no delay. it was a period of time that's very fixed. we're talking about mother nature here. >> reporter: the company promises to deliver 75 million doses before year's end. that's little covet for walter's wife. her husband seemed to come down with the regular flu. it was h1n1. and it quickly tore through his lungs. >> by saturday night, he couldn't breathe. he was having a really hard time. and by 2:00 a.m. monday morning, he was in full respiratory failure. >> reporter: while this man clings to his life, millions of americans continue to wait for the swine flu vaccine. public health officials say this revised swine flu estimate still falls well below the yearly death toll from seasonal flu. jeremy and vinita? >> viviana hurtado from washington, thanks. as president obama begins to leave for asia, he leaves without making a decision about troops to afghanistan. after a war council meeting yesterday, mr. obama still has questions about how and when u.s. troops could turn responsibility over to the afghan government. the commander in chief also got advise from former secretary of state colin powell. >> this is a very difficult one for him. and it isn't just a one-time decision. this is a decision that will have consequences for the better part of his administration. so, mr. president, don't get pushed by the left to do nothing. and don't get pushed by the right to do everything. you take your time and you figure it out. you're the commander in chief. and this is what you're elected for. >> the u.s. ambassador in afghanistan, a former army general, is said to be strongly against a troop surge. the investigation into the ft. hood rampage is raising new concerns about the lack of coordination among america's intelligence agencies. when the suspect, major nidal hasan, bought a gun in texas last summer, the fbi ran a background check. but they apparently did not share that information with the terrorism task force that had been monitoring hasan's contacts with radical clerics overseas. the toll of the attack would have been higher if it had not been for the skill and courage of two police officers. they brought down the alleged gunman. sergeant munley was injured herself. bob woodruff has their story. >> reporter: two heroes spoke. civilian police sergeants mark todd and kim munley, appeared on "the oprah winfrey show," via satellite from killeen, texas. >> it was a typical thursday morning. it was pretty quiet. we had a couple of cases previously to that. >> reporter: sergeant munley was nearing the end of her morning shift and was washing her police cruiser when a call came in about the shooting. she and sergeant todd arrived at the scene separately, almost simultaneously. >> as soon as we pulled up, they shout out. he's over there. he's over there. >> as soon as i got out of my vehicle and ran up the hill, is when things started getting pretty bad. and we started encountering fire. >> reporter: as munley approached the scene, she apparently exchanged fire with nidal hasan. munley was hit first in her hand, and then in her leg. >> when i got shot, it felt like, honestly, a muscle being torn out of my leg. >> reporter: todd then engaged hasan with repeated shots. in 25 years in law enforcement, he said it's the first time he's ever had to discharge his weapon. >> as i kept shooting, we're trained to shoot until there's no longer a threat. and once he was laying down on his back, his weapon just fell into his hand. and then, we start the life-saving measures on him. now, he's in custody, he belongs to us. so, we have to maintain his life. >> reporter: sergeant munley remains hospitalized, recovering from bullet wounds. this week, she received a visit from secretary of defense robert gates. >> every day is progress for me. and things are getting better day by day. and i'm just hoping the rest of the officers and the injured and the families of the deceased are healing, as well. >> reporter: on this veterans day, as the ft. hood community saluted its heroes, the number has increased by two. bob woodruff, abc news, ft. hood. and we will hear much more from sergeant mark todd when he joins us live, later on "good morning america." unrelenting downpours leftover from tropical storm ida, is drenching the eastern seaboard. accompanied by severe flooding and winds topping 40 miles per hour. towns along the new jersey coastline are bracing for the worst today. in virginia, they are seeing the worst flooding in six years. up to eight inches of rain are expected there by tomorrow morning. the governor has declared a state of emergency. areas prone to flash flooding have been put on alert. and some schools are closed. now, for the rest of this morning's weather from around the nation. dry but very windy from new england to florida, all the way to the north and south of that eastern storm. a stormy day in the northwest, with rain and a foot of mountain snow from washington, to montana and down to colorado. up to 20 degrees warmer than normal in the middle of the country. >> highs in the 50s across the upper midwest. 62 in omaha. 64 in kansas city. 53 in new york. 62 in atlanta. and 81 in miami. around 50 in seattle, portland and salt lake city. phoenix will hit 82. and sacramento is 63. the man convicted of killing an arkansas anchorwoman, is going to learn today whether he will be sentenced to day. curtis vance was convicted yesterday, in the rape and murder of anne pressly. vance had confessed he entered pressly's home to steal a laptop computer. but he denied he killed her. a man is going to turn himself in today, charged with wearing military medals he never earned. a suspicious classmate who was a navy commander contacted the fbi. agents say burton is neither decorated nor a marine. coming up, the ten states on the verge of economic disaster. and the british prime minister gets an earful from the mother of a soldier killed in combat. and making music history at last night's country music awards. compare a well equipped lexus es, to a well-equipped buick lacrosse. get inside each. and see what you find. if perfection is what you pursue, this just might change your course. meet the new class of world class. the twenty-ten ! lacrosse, from buick. may the best car win. two of nature's sweetest wonders now in new sun crystals ® . the only 100% natural sweetener made with pure cane sugar and stevia. with just 5 calories a packet. new sun crystals ® all natural sweetener. it's abdeserve.ing the quality yo savings like this don't come along every day. custom upholstery at ethan allen. extraordinary savings. limited time. extraordinary savings. i work with a partner. this is mine, blitz. i can't do this job without him, and he can't do it without me. to keep him at his best, i only feed him eukanuba with prebiotics to promote strong defenses. you know he means the world to me for a lot of different reasons. he's more than a partner, he's family. [ female announcer ] ask an expert at your pet store which formula is best for your dog. make that first step easier, th the nicoderm cq patch. nicodermteps you down from nicotine gradually. doubling your chance for success. nicoderm cq. three steps, ten weeks and you're free. nicoderm cq. the kodak zi8 pocket video camera shoots and uploads in full hd so the whole world an watch you do your thing, whether you want them to or not. kodak, it's time to smile. looks like california is the poster child for states dealing with financial crises. but it is certainly not alone. a new study finds at least ten states on the brink of economic disaster. the states are arizona, california, florida, illinois, michigan, nevada, new jersey, oregon, rhode island and wisconsin. for residents of those states, that could eventually mean higher taxes, more government layoffs and deep cuts in service. there is fresh evidence this morning that the foreclosure crisis may finally be easing. new numbers show foreclosure filings were down 3% in october, the third-straight monthly decline. but experts warn we're not out of the woods yet. other factors could push foreclosurers back to record levels in the months ahead. it is a mixed picture for overseas stock markets this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.7% today. hong kong's hang seng is lower. in london, the ftse opened higher. more evidence interest rates will remain low pushed the dow to its sixth-straight gain. the benchmark climbed 44 points, closing at 10,291. the nasdaq added 15 points to close at 2166. new figures out this morning show americans may be settling in to new habits of spending less money. we spent about the same amount in august as september. from anything from toys to food. that could signal how challenging the holiday shopping season will be for retailers. at&t has asked a federal judge to force verizon to pull some commercials it calls misleading. verizon is running holiday-themed ads, that at&t says makes its wireless coverage look worse than it is. at&t had sued verizon over the ads. and now wants them off the air. verizon says they're not changing them. is the slumping economy stressing you out? you may want to try some chocolate to calm down. a new study finds eating dark chocolate every day can reduce your stress. it takes less than a regular-sized hersheys bar. check lat has other health benefits, like fighting heart disease. >> like we need another excuse to eat more chocolate. when we come back on this thursday, the mom versus the prime minister. his hand 46 written letter that's become a tabloid-topping controversy. and why mike tiyson was hauled away by airport police. ♪ stains surrender to the power of all. our powerful stainlifters fight stains and leave clothes whiter and brighter. win the battle for clean clothes while saving over 25% versus the leading brand. but imagine if you could get that dentist smooth clean feeling every time you brush at home. ♪ you can, with oral-b rechargeable brushes. dentist inspired cupping action surrounds each tooth to remove up to twice as much plaque as a regular manual brush. the power of a dentist smooth clean feeling every day. oral-b rechargeable brushes. starting at $22. satisfaction guaranteed. visit oral-b.com for details. that make every day special. fancy feast introduces an entirely new way to celebrate any moment. fancy feast appetizzrs. simple high qualiiy ingredients like wild alaskan salmon, white meat chicken, or seabass and shrimp in a delicate broth, prepared without by-products or fillers. new fancy feast appetizers celebrate the moment. we continue, now, with a look at the road conditions you can expect for your morning commute. heavy rain and winds along i-95 and other highways from the carolinas to new jersey. rain and snow on i-5, 15 and 90 in the pacific northwest and northern rockies. >> if you're flying today, you can expect airport delays out west, in places like seattle and salt lake city. on the east coast, some delays there, as well. charlotte, d.c. and philadelphia. a handwritten letter of condolence from the prime minister in britain is stirring controversy in england. >> the letter went to the mother of a british soldier who died in afghanistan. and now, she is outraged. sonia gallego is joining us from london to explain. what exactly is making this mom so mad? >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. that controversy has been playing out all over the british press. and in turn, highlighting the growing discontent here on how the troops are being managed in afghanistan. when 20-year-old jamie janes was stilled in afghanistan, janes' mother received a handwritten letter from the prime minister. but he misspelled their last name with an "m." it's janes, with an "n." >> telling me that jamie's a hero. and he can't spell his name properly. >> reporter: the letter was printed by an anti-brown tabloid. brown who admits to bad penmanship called to apologize. >> i didn't take offense at the fact that you were writing me a letter with condolences. it was the amount of spelling mistakes. it was just like an absolute insult to my child. >> reporter: mrs. janes recorded the conversation without the prime minister's knowledge. >> how would you like it if one of your children, god forbid, went to a war, doing something where he thought he was helping protect his queen and country. and because of a lack, lack of helicopters, lack of equipment, your child bled to death. >> 200 meters. >> reporter: her attack follows last week's poll in britain, which showed one in three people want an immediate withdraw from afghanistan. soldiers regularly complain that a helicopter shortage there costs lives. mrs. janes says since said that she did not want to turn her son's death into a political issue. but that she wanted to highlight the need for british troops in afghanistan to get better equipment. jeremy? vinita? >> sonia gallego in london for this morning. thanks, sonia. hillary clinton arrived in the philippines overnight. the secretary of state is meeting with philippine president, gloria arroyo, on a number of issues, including how to stop an al qaeda-linked group in the philippines. armed schwarzenegger is heading to the war zone. as the governor marked veterans day, his office announced he was going to iraq to meet troops. a spokesman says schwarzenegger has wanted to make the trip for a couple of years. mike tyson and a photographer apparently duked it out at the l.a. airport last night. tyson was arrested and then released after allegedly hitting the photographer, who fell and cut his forehead. the photographer may be arrested, too. tyson was traveling with his family. he said he was just protecting his infant daughter from an overly aggressive pop rat zoe. in basketball, the clash of the titans. shaquille o'neal and lebron james. ducis rodgers has the highlights. >> we start you off with a rematch of the last year's eastern conference finals, between the magic and the cavaliers. there he is. king james. first quarter, cavs up by five. shaquille o'neal posting up. behind-the-back pass to lebron for the layup. cavs up by seven. second quarter. cleveland extends the lead. mo williams feeds lebron. that is a high-percentage shot. kaes, double-digit lead, 15 points. we go to the third now. lebron drives. the fadeaway jumper over dwight howard. cavs up by 17. fourth quarter now, cleveland in transition. mo williams, jumper. 28 points for him. cleveland up 22. later in the fourth quarter, lebron, nothing but net. lebron finishes with 36 points, as the cavs win this game, 102-93. college basketball. north carolina at home taking on n.c. central. first half, dexter strickland. deuce and the damage. unc up by seven after the free throw. under nine minutes to go in the first half. tyler zoeller. that's a big jam. 30-17, unc. later in the half, off an n.c. central turnover, marcus ginyar. coming up th a two-handed slam. unc breaks this game open with a 30-3 run in the first half. second half, ginyard with another jam. tar heels win big, 89-42. that's your espn news update. i'm ducis rodgers. back to you in new york. well, it's country music's biggest night. and no doubt, it belonged to one young woman. ♪ i hold up to the night >> we don't need to tell you who that is. it's taylor swift. >> the 19-year-old singing sensation is the country music association's youngest entertainer. she took home three other cma awards. the male vocalist of the year went to brad paisley. and the best artist is darius rucker. best new artist. >> lady antebellum was the group of the year. >> big night for taylor swift. coming up, a look ahead at the stories we'll be following today, including what's left of ida. going out with a bang on the east coast. and today, the government looks toward fixing another ailing industry. breathe ri the small strip that gives you... big nighttime breathing relief... introt,ces-- drum roll please-- new breathe right extra. the only strip with an extra spring-like band, it's 50% stronger for congested noses that need extra help in opening nasal passages... so you breathe even better. and now get two free samples... and experience a better night's sleep for yourself. go to breatheright.com to try new breathe right extra. cscscsccccccccnce a better night's sleep for yourself. research shows that dancing is good for your heart. so is fish oil. nature made fish oil protects your heart so you can dance great and live great every day. nature made. fuel your greatness. now, alook ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this thursday. new figures show an higher-than-estimated death toll for the swine flu. the cdc says 4,000 americans have died so far. that's about three-times the previous estimate. part of the east coast is getting battered by stormy weather left overfrom tropical storm ida. virginia is under a state of emergency, with the worst flooding since hurricane isabel back in 2003. up to 20 inches of rain are expected along with 20-foot waves. also, president obama leaves this morning for a week-long swing through four asian nations. on his way there, he'll visit with troops in alaska this afternoon, before arriving in tokyo tomorrow. eel also visit singapore, china, and south korea. today, the administration begins an effort to fix the airline industry. transportation secretary ray lahood holds a forum to discuss ways the government can provide the airlines with some more economic stability. and a story that's been getting a lot of attention in california. a man expected to turn himself in today. he's accused of wearing military medals he never earned. steven burton showed up at his high school reunion wearing a marine uniform, filled with medals, including a purple heart and the navy cross. the fbi accused burton of fraud. coming up later on "good morning america," robin roberts, live from nashville, after country music's biggest night, with all the interviews you're going to want to hear. >> that's right. she's going to sit down with one of country music's biggest stars, dolly parton. and brad paisley right there, too. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this. i had chronic muscle pain all over. and i was so tender o the touch-- but i didn't know why. my doctor diagnosed it a fibromyalgia. and then he ecommended lyrica... fibromyalgia is thought .to be the result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is .fda-approved to help relieve the unique pain of fibromyalgia. so now, i'm learning what a day islike with less pain. lyrica is not for veryone. tell your doctor about any serious allergic reaction that causes swelling or affects breathing or skin, or changes in eyesight including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or ired feeling. lyrica may cause suicidal " thoughts or actions in a very small numbr of people. some of the most common side efects of lyrica are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs, and feet. do not drink alcohol while taking lyrica. you should not drive or operate machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. could your pain be caused " by fibromyalgia? ask your doctor about lyrica today. about all the discounts boswe're offering. i've got. i some catchphrases that'llideas make these savings even more memorable. gecko: all right... gecko: good driver discounts. w that's the stuff...? boss: how 'bout this? gecko: ...they're the bee's knees? boss: or this? gecko: sir, how 'bout just "fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance." boss: ha, yeah, good luck with that catching on! anncr: geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more on car insurance.