against the power of wisk®. wisk®. powerfully clean. perfectly priced. good morning, america. and breaking news, this thursday morning, october 1st. hundreds killed after indonesia, is rattled by two, powerful earthquakes in less than 24 hours. while thousands of miles away, the death toll mounts after the tsunami. what's behind this seismic activity? the torch is passed. first lady michelle obama, makes the pitch to bring the olympics back to her hometown of chicago. will she, the president and oprah, carry enough star power to get the job done? medical mistake. this mother of three goes to a spa for a cosmetic procedure, and ends up on life support. so, what went wrong? and a dramatic rescue, caught on tape. a good samaritan pulls a boy from a burning building. this heroic man joins us live to tell his incredible story. we are looking forward to meeting him. good morning, everyone. alongside chris cuomo, i'm robin roberts. diane is off this thursday morning. the south pacific, just reeling, from not one, but two, powerful earthquakes this morning, that have killed hundreds of people, thousands more trapped, under crushed and collapsed builds. >> right now, relief workers are rushing to american samoa, to help those victims. so are planes and ships to carry equipment, food and water. we're hearing from survivors this morning. one said that the rush of black water was like a monster rising out of the sea. there's fears that another could be coming. we'll look at what's causing the seismic activity in the south pacific. let's begin with abc's neal karlinsky, who is in samoa, with the latest on these natural disasters. >> reporter: the first blow, shaking the indonesian city of padang. and sending terrified residents, running. at least 500 buildings collapsed or were badly damaged. others burned. and reports of more than 30 children missing from a flattened school. less than 24 hours later, another indonesian quake. weaker, but still powerful. at the same time, across the pacific, the island nation of samoa is just beginning to recover. overnight, relief supplies were finally reaching those in need, along the hard-hit southern coast. >> clothes. cooking goods, food. >> reporter: despite the signs of hope, this wounded island paradise was still dealing its crew list blows. a team of volunteers, scoured a tattered village, looking for a lost 4-year-old boy. >> they don't know where he is. some say he was inside the house. but if he's still inside the house, maybe he's been crushed inside here. >> reporter: nearby, men dug a grave for another village's 70-year-old matriarch. her body was found at sea. >> a feeling of sadness that nobody can really, accept god in your heart. and i feel as if i'm one of them, those people who are dead. >> reporter: this is not routine. major earthquakes wreaking havoc on two countries at the same time. but seismologists aren't completely surprised, either. >> the area around samoa and the area off the coast of sumatra, are both highly seismically active. they do tend to cluster. and so, it's very often you'll see, large earthquakes happening in a short period of time. >> neal karlinsky reporting from samoa. we're going to turn to bbc reporter, karishma baswani. she's in indonesia. she's telling us what she sees in the after january math of the quake. >> reporter: it did not like the earthquake had created that much damage. there's pockets of devastation along the way that we've seen. huge cracks in the road. a few feet wide. in fact, i'm standing out in front of an evacuation procedure that's taking place right now. this cafe, a restaurant in the center of the city, was completely obliterated, as a result of the earthquake. the officials here, rescue officials, are trying to pull out what they believe are to be 60 people, who are still buried under the rubble. they say that today they managed to pull out eight people. the rescue operations have been hindered, of course, by the fact that communication in this area is still very difficult. >> so, again, a quake this morning. it's been a real one-two punch over in that part of the world, chris and sam. >> it has. let's fig unite out more why this is going on. it's called the ring of fire for a reason. explain why so much seismic activity here. >> there's big, solid, rigid plates all over the world, that are shifting and rubbing up against each other. if we think, and we believe, about 25,000 earthquakes around the year on average happen. 80% of them, 80% to 90%, happen on the pacific coast. they're clustered together where there's big plate movement. >> a lot of plate movement. we see three events like this in a row, short duration between them. is that unusual? >> it would support that theory. and here's why. with all of the plates pressing against each other and moving and pressing against, at some point, one's going to give. one's going to go up and over. another one has to go under. seismologists believe that happens in little waves and groups. there's so much pressure up against them, eventually, one, two, three, four, five, they move shortly together. >> now, we get news this morning of an earthquake off of california. does that help understand what the effect of the ring of fire can be on the rest of the world? >> originally, there was the thought it would take thousands of years to understand this. but there's reports coming out all the time. one about four days ago. the science foundation, national science foundation, the two universities, the usgs, and they're concerned about the major plate shift that affect the countless smaller faults around the world. >> what do we know about the one in california? >> it happened way out here in death valley. in the national park. there's not a lot out there. 5.1, medium earthquake. they go exponentially stronger. a 7 is much stronger. a 9 is incredibly stronger. this moderate earthquake. not a lot of damage. no injuries. >> thanks, sam. >> very helpful, guys. thank you. we're going to change topics now. president obama travels to denmark tonight, after deciding the best way to campaign for the olympic games is to do so in person. first lady michelle obama is already there. and so is abc's june yunji de n who joins us live from copenhagen. good morning, yunji. >> reporter: good morning, robin. it is crunch time. the first lady is spending the entire day behind closed doors. meeting one-on-one, with ioc members. she has 24 hours to secure the key votes. michelle obama began the day meeting a very important president. not her husband. but the president of the international olympic committee. the first lady is heading chicago's olympic dream team, with star athletes by her side, and some very high-powered help. >> i'm sort of an ambassador. am i not, mayor? i'm kind of a -- i've appointed myself my own ambassador for chicago. >> reporter: an ambassador with her own brand. and a single task. >> really, just ask that i show up and be friendly. so, that's not very hard for me. >> every, single city who is bidding, wishes they had oprah on their team. and we have her and we are grateful that she is part of this endeavor. >> reporter: that endeavor is not without controversy. this week, chicago's bid drew protests at home. tom tresser runs no games chicago, a group that believes the games will bankrupt the city. >> it's just the wrong project for the wrong city at the wrong time. >> reporter: across the globe, in washington, critics say the president should stay out of this campaign. >> now, the president's going to go off to copenhagen, when we've got serious issues here at home that need to be debated. >> reporter: the president will be on the ground for just a few hours. long enough to headline the last presentation. the final pitch to undecided ioc members, like ung chang. what are you looking for? how can someone convince you? >> the last presentation. the last presentation. that's important. >> reporter: and the president and first lady will share the stage at that final presentation. we're told that he will focus on the big picture, while she will get very personal. she'll speak from the heart. we're told there won't be a dry eye in the house by the time she's done. and, robin, oprah says, if all goes according to plan, the party starts tomorrow. >> in chicago, and everywhere here in the u.s. yunji, thanks so much. now, "gma" weekend anchor, kate snow, has the morning's other news. >> good morning, everyone. the standoff over iran's nuclear program comes to a head today, as the u.s. and five other global powers begin talks with iran, demanding answers about the country's nuclear ambitions. and this morning, the u.s. may take an unusual approach. our senior foreign correspondent, jim sciutto, is in geneva, where the talks are being held. jim, first, what are the expectations today? >> reporter: well, the principal u.s. demand will be for access to this secret nuclear facility that was disclosed last week. but they're not necessarily expecting to come away with that today. the bottom line today may be just an agreement to keep talking. but the u.s. is going to be watching iran very closely. one official told me this morning, they're going to be looking to see if the iranians are serious. and if they're not, the u.s. is going to be looking at sanctions. >> we're hearing, jim, that the u.s. may take the rare step of holding one-on-one talks with the iranians. what's the thinking there? >> reporter: well, the u.s. officials have been talking up that possibility. they say there's going to be a number of opportunities for that today. and it would be a first in the context of these talks. yesterday, you had the visit of the u.s. -- of the iranian foreign minister to washington. him being allowed to visit there. what u.s. officials are telling me is they feel they have the upper hand. that the international community is more unified now against iran. and that may put pressure on the iranians to return the favor, in effect, kate, with substantive concessions. >> jim sciutto reporting. thank you so much. it's the end of the road for general motors' saturn brand. they will shut down the line after a bid to sell the line collapsed. it never actually made a profit. now, 350 dealerships will close. 13,000 workers will lose their jobs. some dramatic video this morning of a rescue at sea off the coast of oregon. a sick sailor was plucked from a navy submarine. the sailor was air lifted on to a hospital and taken to the hospital. the sub slipped back under water. and for security reasons, the name of that submarine was not released. this morning, china is marking 60 years of communist rule as only china can. more than 100,000 soldiers marched today, in the largest-ever parade of military hardware in beijing. the chinese air force even deployed chemicals in the air to clear the smog for the event. but the anniversary is not without controversy. here in new york, the empire state building was lit in red and yellow for china overnight. but some protesters argue that china's human rights record should not be celebrated. news from the sports world this morning. quarterback michael vick will be again wearing nikes. he's signed his first endorsement deal since returning to the nfl. nike dropped vick four years ago, and destroyed thousands of shoes with his name on him, after his conviction with a dogfighting ring. and the nba is banning twitter and all social media sites at least during games. because the league says players, coaches and officials are doing it too much. it's tweeting and facebooking they're talking about. 45 minutes prior to games. and if they want to tweet at half time. they have to wait for that, too. and the league hasn't said what the penalty is for a mistimed tweet. i was just going to send one to shaquille o'neal. >> he likes to tweet. what are you going to say to him? >> i'm going to see what he thinks about the ban. see if he answers me. >> it's not just the players. dallas mavericks owner, mark cuban, was fined in march for tweeting. >> they've been talking about coaches coming back or not coming back. >> that's the point. what people like about what we tweet, is they're getting inside what they see on television. to get inside the game, would corrupt betting and that kind of stuff. i understand the caution. >> what's your -- >> no, no. i have not been tweeting this morning yet. yeah. i'll hear about that. >> can i take your picture? i'll put that up. >> all right. there's some dusty conditions out there. >> this was a powerful storm that created mountain snow. and dust storms from colorado into nevada. we're going to show you pictures around i-70, in colorado, bethune, colorado. it can cause serious accidents, just like fog. you can't see. but in this case, there were no accidents. there were no injuries. just incredible -- there were one or two accidents. i take that back. no serious injuries. but there wasn't a real problem with the dust storm, once it cleared away. no issues at all. one or two strong thunderstorms are going to be right here in this zone today. we've been watching for this potential outbreak of some kind of tornadoes. this one, i don't know. isolated tornadoes involved with it. tulsa, dallas, shreveport, little rock, all the way to st. louis. it's been active. will continue to be active for a good part of the day today. light rain, ringing the area of the strong storm that kicked off the dust storms is weakening as it steps into the plains. a half-inch of rain or an inch. and the areas around minneapolis, and des moines. just north of where the strong storms will break out, could be the heavier rain totals of the storms will break out, could be the heavier rain totals of the time. mountain snow back on the board in colorado. we'll have more weather in the next half hour. robin? >> sporting that three-piece again. you're going to bring the '70s back if it kills you. >> bell bottoms coming next week. >> something to look forward to. thank you, dapper sam. appreciate it. now, for the first time ever, elizabeth smart will speak publicly about the nine months she spent in captivity, after being kidnapped from her home seven years ago. our barbara pinto joins us live from salt lake city, where smart will give courtroom testimony later today. good morning, barbara. >> reporter: good morning, robin. here in court, elizabeth smart is expected to confront the man who held her captive for nine months. for the past six years, brian david mitchell, a self-proclaimed prophet, has refused to submit to psychiatric testing, breaking into song in court. and elizabeth smart's testimony today would be crucial, on whether or not he's found competent to stand trial. is he cunning or insane? brian david mitchell, a homeless man who called him emmanuel, the prophet, is to be arraigned on charges he kidnapped and assaulted elizabeth smart. >> i think he's manipulated the system to the nth degree. he is confident. he's a pedophile. and he needs to be brought to trial. >> reporter: in detail she has yet to tell her parent, elizabeth smart will paint an image of the man who abducted her and kept her for nine months. elizabeth says she's determined and ready to testify. >> i don't want them ever out because i really believe that they wouldn't stop. >> reporter: elizabeth was 14 when she was kidnapped at knife-point, from the bed she shared with her sister. a massive search turned up few leads. but months later, someone recognized elizabeth, covered nearly head-to-toe, wandering in a nearby park, with mitchell and his wife. >> he hasn't been held accountable yet. and i'm hopeful that this will really bring him to accountability. >> reporter: pitchle and barzee, have been found unfit to stand trial. in letters written to her mother, barzee, wrote, it's extremely or difficult to imagine or comprehend, how i was deceived and lied to. i'm so sorry, mother. can you forgive me? now, the rest of brian mitchell's competency hearing won't take place until november. the judge is letting elizabeth testify early, because she plans to be in paris next month on a church mission trip. chris? >> barbara, thank you very much. we want to go to the latest in the extortion case involving the travolta family. john travolta took the stand again, telling the court how he found out he was being blackmailed. >> reporter: john travolta walked into court, hand in hand with wife, kelly preston. inside, he was alone on the stand, as he told the jury how he found out people allegedly threatened to implicate him in his son's death, unless he paid them millions. travolta testified he received a call from his bodyguard, and from his attorney, on january 16th. exactly two weeks after his 16-year-old son, jett, had a seizure and died. the demand was for $25 million, travolta told the jury. and if not met, certain stories would be sold to the press. those stories, he told them, would imply that the death of my son was intentional. that i was culpable in some way. prosecutors say those threats came from the paramedic who transferred jett travolta to the hospital. and from his attorney, who used to be a prominent lawmaker here in the bahamas. the alleged plot centers on a document travolta signed for the paramedic, requesting his autistic son be transported to the airport, and flown back to florida, instead of being taken directly to the hospital. ryan owens, abc news. >> the case has a long way to go still. >> it certainly does. coming up in the next half hour, a real medical mystery. this young mother goes into a spa for a common cosmetic procedure. ends up on life support. what went wrong? we're going to hear from your family. >> it's the kind of spa that a lot of people go to. it's a procedure that a lot of people receive. she is a nurse. and it's just baffling what went wrong. we'll try to get answers to that. also, a dramatic rescue caught on tape. you have to see this video. a bystander rushes to save a young boy from a burning building. will the good samaritan, that man right there. he said something kicked into gear. he is going to join us live to tell us about this incredible story. tell us about this incredible story. after lo good. 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