making news on this friday, august 6th. >> after the rampage. in his own words, the connecticut shooter calmly explains why he targeted eight co-workers. supreme selection. the senate makes elena kagan the nation's newest justice on the high court. and 65 years after the bomb, a somber ceremony today with a significant message. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us this friday morning. moments before committing suicide on tuesday, a connecticut truck driver called 911. he wasn't asking for help. instead, he explained woo triggered his deadly workplace shooting spree.

>> the four-minute recorded conversation, is an amazing look inside the mind of a killer. t.j. winick has details. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. authorities released the chilling phone call that the shooter made after he had gone on his bloody rampage. omar thornton called 911 after shooting ten co-workers, eight fatally, on tuesday morning at hartford distributors in manchester, connecticut. >> state police. >> yeah. this is 911? >> yeah. can i help you? >> this is omar thornton. the shooter in manchester. >> yes. where are you, sir? >> i'm in the building. you probably want to know the reason why i shot this place up. the place here is a racist place. >> yep. i understand that. >> they treat me bad over there. and treat all the other black employees bad over here, too. so, i just take it into my own hands. and i handled it. i wish i could have gotten more people. >> yeah. are you armed, sir?

do you have a weapon with >> >> reporter: thornton opened fire after an early-morning disciplinary hearing, where he was forced to resign when he was faced with videotaped evidence that he was stealing beer. >> this is a horrible situation. i understand that. >> you don't need to calm me down. i'm already calmed down. i'm not gonna kill. >>dr: he had smuggled guns in the building in a lunchbox. >> how much ammunition do you have with you? >> i got -- i shot -- oh. >> what's that? >> it's all right. i guess it's got me -- i have to take care of business. tell love them. and i got to go now. >> reporter: the owner of the company denied the charges of racism. >> omar thornton was embraced as a member of our team. >> reporter: police found thornton in the warehouse shortly afterwards, dead with a gunshot wound to his head. rob and vinita? thornton's employers said he

never filed a claim with them or union agencies. but they will now investigate his actions. the newest supreme court justice, elena kagan, will get a personal congratulations from president obama. she was confirmed by a wide margin. but as jonathan karl reports, that doesn't mean her critics went away quietly. >> reporter: the tally is 63-37. >> reporter: elena kagan was easily confirmed in a vote the president hailed as historic. >> for nearly three cinchries there wasn't a single woman on our highest court. >> reporter: kagan faced attacks from republicans, who branded l judicial experience. >> her lack of judicial experience, striking. >> is not suited. >> does not have the gifts. >> she is unlikely to exercise judicial restraint. >> reporter:highly partisan. all but five republicans voted no. all but one democrat voted yes. with kagan, the court will have

for the first time, three women serving at one. one-third of the justices. it's a sea change of an institution that was dominated by men. as recently as last year, there was just one woman on the court. >> now, there i am, all alone. and it doesn't look right. it's lonely for me. there's life experience that a woman has, simply because she's grown up inside a woman's body. >> reporter: ronald reagan nominated sandra day o'connor as the first woman in 1981. but it wasn't until 12 years later that the court installed a woman's restroom near the room where they deliberate. >> for year, they just had a men's bathroom back there. it goes to show what a male-dominated place the supreme court had been for many years. >> reporter: jonathan karl, abc news, capitol hill. christina romer, one of the obama administration's chief voices on the economy is stepping down. romer has been one of the head

economic advisers. she's leaving washington to return to her position as an economics professor at the university of california. the pentagon has posed a request to wickly leaks, the company that posted reports about afghanistan. that request is to stop wickly leaks from posting more documents. the website says it is reviewing that request. the sweltering heat gripping the south is being blamed for more than a dozen deaths. more triple-digit temperatures are on tap for today, with the humidity making it feel even hotter. near atlanta, students were forced off the field at a band camp, after eight of them collapsed in the heat. and kids returning to school across georgia, were armed with bottles of water for the hot bus rides. forecasters say it could be weeks before the deep south gets a break from the heat. as for the national forecast, it will be stormy in the southeast, with 70-mile-per-hour wind, hail, heavy rain and flash flooding

from raleigh, to atlanta. showers and thunderstorms along much of the gulf coast. downpours from new mexico and arizona into the northern rockies. >> 90s from boise to albuquerque. and 110 in phoenix. another day of triple-digit heat in dallas. and 93 in new orleans. mostly 80s across the midwest fargo to detroit. 90 here in new york. 88 in boston. and 93 in atlanta. tropical storm colin has weakened as it heads toward bermuda. winds dipped to about 50 miles per hour. but forecasters say they could pick up as it passes over bermuda tomorrow. this not expected to make landfall in the u.s. but it could bring some rough surf to the eastern seaboard. it is the most solemn day in hiroshima, japan. 65 days today, that city was annihilated by an american atomic bomb. >> they marked the anniversary with a unique commemoration this morning. unique because of who attended. margaret connolly reports.

>> reporter: a peace toll marked the minute the first atomic bomb hit hiroshima 65 years ago. 140,000 people died. few survived. fewer lived to share their stories. four decades after the end of world war ii, many japanese hit that they were survivors. exposure to radiation was seen as a terrible stigma. today, they speak out for recognition and medical aid. and provide an oral history for future generations. >> translator: my mother was killed as a thing, not as a human. >> reporter: their voices have been heard by representatives from over 70 countries. and united nations secretary-general ban ki-moon. the united states, britain and france were there for the first time. their collective hope, to prevent the use of atomic weapons in today's radically different world.

washington's choice to have u.s. ambassador john roos attend, could signal a future visit by president obama. this would be controversial and unprecedented for a sitting president. vinita? rob? >> a day of remembrance. margaret conley in tokyo, thank you. when we come back this morning, the newest gauge of the economy. today's all-important jobs report. then, collision course. we'll hear from students who survived this deadly crash. and putting the newest blackberry device to the test. the first reviews are in. concierge claim centers. so i can just drop off my car and you'll take care of everything? yep, even the rental. what if i'm stuck at the office? if you can't come to us, we'll come to you in one of our immediate response vehicles! what if mother won't let me drive? then you probably wouldn't have had an accident in the first place. and we're walkin'! and we're walkin'...

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the labor department releases its employment report for july this morning. economists surveyed by boom berg predict it will show a net loss of about 65,000 jobs. many of these were census workers whose assignments endedt yesterday, the governmenrted a reported a higher-than-expected number of americans filing for first-time jobless claims. oversea markets are mixed ahead of that jobs report. nshg nshg lost 11% today. hong kong's hang seng is up in late trading. wall street dropped five points yesterday. the nasdaq index lost ten points. the obama administration is getting involved in a growing international dispute over the use of blackberries. several arab nations are considering banning the popular smartphones, claiming they pose a security risk. but the white house is imposed

that the ban could hinder diplomats and other americans stationed overseas. the new blackberry torch smartphone will be in stores next week. the torch is getting a thumbs up from ed baig. he says the software brings the product up to date. the torch should appeal to blackberry's core business customers and other smartphone users. >> the torch is a slider phone. that means it has a physical keyboard that slides out from the bottom. and it's worthy of the blackberry keyboards in the past. that's an area of great strength for blackberry. but it also has a touch-screen. and it's a touch-screen very much like the touch-screens that folks have come to expect with recent smartphones. >> you can read more at usatoday.com. coming up next on this friday morning, safe and sound. a 5-year-old boy talks about being lost in the woods for a day. and a hip-hop star's surprising announcement. we'll be rht back.

a much calmer day in store for the nation's capital after a severe line of storms ripped through the area. heavy rain, lightning and 70-mile-per-hour winds battered parts of suburban virginia and maryland, toppling trees and power lines. that severe weather moves south, triggering flooding on i-95 the carolinas down to florida. much of the same for morning road conditions in alabama and mst. wet on i-10, along the gulf coast. flooding on parts of i-15, 25 and 40 in the desert southwest. and northern rockies. >> if you are flying today, expect airport delays in charlotte, atlanta, and

new orleans. the ntsb has assembled a team of 14 investigators to look into a horrifying chain-reaction crash on a missouri highway.l b teenagers plowed into a pickup truck and a semithat had already coll collided. the impact sent the buses flying on to the wreckage. and turned all four vehicles into a mangled mess of steel, trapping everyone inside. >> a lot of people were really injured. and they needed help getting out. >> i looked out the window. we heard a big bang. saw a tire fly by. i saw the girls' bus hit the truck behim. after that, we started smelling gas. we got off the bus. and moved to the side of the road. >> a 15-year-old riding in one of the buses was killed, along with a 19-year-old boy who was driving the pickup truck. there's vindication this morning for a minnesota man, four years after he was involved in a fatal accident. he spent 2 1/2 years in prison.

but now, he is a free man, thanks in part to the huge toyota recall that prompted the judge to reopen his case. here's michael barr. >> reporter: an emotional scene, as he embraced loved ones and attorneys after two, legal decisions that changed his life. >> i'm happy to see my wife and my children. very happy about that. so, i think the first thing i'm going to do is spend time with my family. >> reporter: he was released from a minnesota prison after a judge decided there was enough new evidence to retry his criminal vehicular homicide case. toyo lee said his toyota camera would not stop on the st. paul freeway exit ramp, crashing into another car, killing two people and paralyzing a third victim. lee's attorneys wanted the case reopened, because of complaints of sudden acceleration problems in toyotas. >> we started this whole journey for one reason. not for a deal.

but to vindicate his entire story from the day this happened. >> reporter: the prosecutor's decision not to continue the case led to more celebrating. >> the prosecutor just announced that he's not going to press more charges. >> she said? >> she did? >> reporter: as lee was allowed to go home to his wife and children, he asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying he never intended to cause theident. michael barr, abc news, new york. in oregon, a 5-year-old boy has been found safe after vanishing from a family camping trip. searchers canvassed the washburn state park, before spotting isaac glen a few miles from the campsite. he had a few scratches but was otherwise okay. >> can you tell me what it was like to be lost? what were you thinking? >> i don't remember. >> isaac's very relieved mom thanked rescuers and said she's never going to let him go. hip-hop artist wyclef jean

is officially running for president of haiti. he filed candidacy papers in port-au-prince, telling locals, quote, america won with president obama. now, haiti will win with wyclef jean. he has raised $9 million for earthquake recovery in that country. the election is set for november. the nfl preseason kicks off sunday night with the annual hall of fame game. this year, it matches the bengals and the cowbas f as for last night's baseball highlights, we get them now from espn news. >> good morning. i'm steve weissman, with your espn news update. the race in the n.l. east, gette between the phillies and braves. philadelphia in florida, facing the marlins. top four, no score. carlos ruiz, h.s one high. that's off the wall in left. now, watch the bottom of your screen. hanley ramirez running from short, fields the ball off the wall and guns down ruiz at third. two outs. top of the ninth. phillies down 4-3.

runners on second and third. none out. jayson werth, one up the gut. one run comes home. we're tied at 4-4. still tied. one out for gaby sanchez. that's down the third baseline. the umpire called it a foul ball. edwin rodriguez comes out to argue. take another look. that's clearly fair. sanchez would then stake out. to the top of the tenth. carlos ruiz, another chance. that's gone. phillies go on to win 5-4, the final. so, did philly gain ground on atlanta? tim lincecum and the giants. tied at 2-2. eric hinske, that's gone. lincecum gave up ten home runs last year. that's number 12 already this year. braves up 3-2. top nine. same count. billy wagner going to shut it down. braves, a major league best 37ear.this year. angels/orioles. buck showalter can be the first manager to win his first three

games after taking over a team with a record at least 30 games below the .500 mark. bottom nine. caesar izturis makes that a fact. orioles complete the sweep against the l.a. angels. that's your espn news update. i'm steve weissman. back to you in new york. coming up next on this friday, the stories we'll l l following today.

now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this friday. new supreme court justice, elena kagan, celebrates her senate confirmation at a white house

reception. kagan will be formally sworn in as a justice tomorrow. the labor department releases its jobless report for july this morning. a survey of economists predicts it will show a net loss of 65,000 jobs. many of those were census workers whose assignments ended. opponents of same-sex marriage in california have filed a formal appeal as expected. after a federal judge issued a ruling overturning proposition 8. that is the voter-approved law defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. also, bp says "operation static kill" seems to be working. they pumped tons of cement into its blownout well to fortify the mud holding back all that oil. all that's left now is for the cement to dry. and in hiroshima, japan, they are marking the 65th anniversariry of the u.s. atomic bomb attack. for the first time, a u.s. representative has attended the city's annual commemoration.

for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. [ male uncer ] mix it. blend it. sprinkle it. sweet! [ female announcer ] just about anywhere you use sugar you can use splenda® no calorie sweetener. [ male announcer ] savory. fluffy. yummy. sweet! [ female announcer ] splenda®. america's favorite no calorie sweetener. how can you get pain relief without taking pills around the clock? try thermacare heatwraps, for all day relief without pills. i was surprised, thermacare worked all day.

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finally from us this morning, helping hands for out-of-work americans, offering new hope for the future.

>> as unemployment lines snake across the country, some job-seekers in georgia are turning to a heavenly haven to get back on track. more, now, from abc's erin hayes. >> reporter: monday night at the roswell united methodist church is a little different. >> welcome to god's networking. >> reporter: this is the church's employment ministry. >> let's say you have two or three different types of jobs. >> reporter: for people tossed out of work, running out of hope. >> this is my first time here. so, i'm a little overwhelmed by the number of people. >> reporter: for many, it is the first time in their career to be without a job. a very lost feeling. the volunteers include recruiters, corporate executives offering guidance on how to land a good job in tough times. >> i want that hiring manager to look at you in the face, go, wow. that was impressive. >> reporter: volunteers come from different churches here to help. >> many of them have lost their identities. and i wanted to give them that

identity back. >> it's really loving your neighbor. >> and a genuine love for people you don't know. >> reporter: that meant the world to jo burkhardt, an executive recruiter, when she lost her job. career ministry helped her persevere to the new job she treasures. >> they not only teach you the fundamentals of the job search, and all of the different tools that you use, and how to network, and provide the support along the way. >> reporter: networking, friendship, prayer. a kind of social capital, spiritual capital, of great value. that's what gave sales executive wally anderson hope to get through. >> once you're in that position, you'll never look at an unemployed person the same way. >> welcome to job network.l, or >> you call, or you send an e-mail. and someone is at the otheomento in moments, to help you. even if it is just to say, i'm here. >> reporter: and that, they believe, makes all the difference. erin hayes, abc news, roswell, ge