esident announces his support from mosque near grounded zero. more ammunition for republicans and more for democrats to explain come november. and death in the desert. offroad race killing eight. and open waters. shrimping season begins in just a few hours but even gulf fishermen aren't convinced the catch will be safe to eat. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us. what started as a local issue for new yorkers has now ballooned into a heated national debate, should a mosque be constructed near ground zero.

>> despite the plan's unpopularity, the president announced his support and over the weekend, republicans pounced. >> john hendren joins us live from washington with the latest on the controversy. >> reporter: good morning. by entering that debate about a mosque at ground zero the president took a local issue and made it national and now republicans around going to let him forget it. the president had hoped to talk about a gulf that's once again open for business. but he stepped on that message and entered a political firestorm with this. >> this is america. and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakeable. >> reporter: seeming to support a plan for a 12-story morph two blocks from ground zero. a day later with that owing hi overshadowing his stop in the gulf he seemed to back off. >> i was not commenting and the i will not comment on the wisdom of making a decision to put a mosque there. i was commenting very

specifically on the right that people have that dates back to our founding. >> reporter: the response from republicans was instain use and almost gleefully negative. >> probably the dumbest thing a president has said since michael dukakis said about burning the flag. >> it seems to be distant from the mainstream of amer repica. >> reporter: as republicans sought to use the issue, democrats offered their own defense. >> ground zero is hallowed grounds. two blocks away is not so hallowed grounds. >> reporter: in fact, four blocks standed two strip clubs and an offtrack betting club. >> it tells you that he has a very disdainful view of the peopl american people. >> this was a debate at that president had successfully avoided for weeks and one that now gives republicans ammunition in their effort to regain control of the congress. vinita and rob? >> is this an issue that's going to help help them come november? >> well, republicans think it's not going to hurt them.

the president essentially took a position and this allows them to now ask, do you agree with the president on this very controversial position? they're probably going to be using this in ads. and that's something they couldn't have done a week ago. vinita and rob?hendren li >> john hendren live in washington. now, to the heartbreak of families and friends of eight adults killed when a speeding truck left the track and landed in the crowd. this morning, there are new questions about offroad safety. mike von fremd reports from california's mojave desert. >> reporter: race fans are supposed to keep themselves 100 feet away from the charging offroad vehicles. >> oh! >> reporter: but the carnage occurred as some were standing just feet away from the trucks reaching speeds in excess of 60 miles per hour. >> people got ran over. bodies were flown everything. >> reporter: it's a 200-mile race but the most dangerous

section is a dave devil jump called "the rock pile." where the driver lost control and his truck catapulted into the crowd. >> people were screaming. >> reporter: this racetrack is in such a remote area that it took helicopters and ambulances more than half an hour to try and rescue the victims. the vehicle that caused the damage was flipped upside down. the driver, brett sloppy was unhurt. but on his facebook page he writes so incredible lost and december stated. my thoughts and prayers go out to all the family and friends involved. the organizers generally do not have the money to police the crowd at these races they depend on federal and local officials to patrol the crowd. >> everyone gets as close as they can. it's exciting. >> reporter: offroad racer and the regional director for the sport is worried that this accident may mean an end to these races. >> california is one of the only states that a allows this type

of activity. and it's one of the last frontier areas where we can actu out and race these cars. it could severely constrain to us the point where we can't even race. >> reporter: the driver has not been charged with a crime. after the accident, the highway patrol confirmed that the crowd turned on him and police had to provide protection. mike von fremd, abc news mojave desert. >> we are learning more about those killed in that tragic accident. 22-year-old andrew farren was one of the eight killed. a witness said he pushed his children to safety before he died. one woman returned from the bathroom to find her boyfriend zachary freeman and his best friend 24-year-old dustin molten dead. another victim leaves behind two children. >> when i saw him after it happened and i thought about what was going to happen to seth, his son and what's going to happen to sarah, his

daughter. none of these people deserve to be killed like this. none of them did. >> keith cardy will share his story later on "good morning america." investigators are hoping to view footage from a camera attached to the out-of-control truck. an autopsy is scheduled today for the so-called craigslist killer. philip markoff apparently committed suicide inside his boston jail cell over the weekend. he was accused of killing julissa brisman, a masseuse who had advertised on craigslist. they vow to continue the search for justice. the flood disaster in pakistan is affecting 20 million people right now and floodwaters are covering about a quarter of the country. u.n. sec ban ki-moon is calling the worst he's ever seen and calling for more international aid. a change of mission after year's of combat in the region. >> i sat down and spoke to all

the troops about turning that switch off. but i think the first time that i looked at the children i was no longer concerned. >> the flooding could get worse before it gets better monsoon rains are expected to continue for a few more weeks. >> now for this morning's weather from around the nation. showers and thunderstorms in the northeast turning severe in the afternoon. expect damaging winds and hail from the nation's capital up to new england. heavy rain and flooding along the gulf coast. downpours and isolated flash flooding from texas and kansas into the southern rockies. >> another hot day out west with 105 in phoenix and 90s from seattle to sacramento. heat advisories from texas to tennessee. shy of 100 in dallas. 93, in new orleans. mostly 80s in the northeast and midwest. japan is being replaced as the world's number two economy. plus, shrimping season opens this morning. some fishermen are worried

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male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq® a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain, serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nsaid pain relievers aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications including those for migraine to avoid a potentially life-threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping to treat my depression. ask your doctor about pristiq. [ female announcer ] your precious eyes. when allergies make them itch, don't wait for your pills to kick in. choose alaway, from the eye

health experts at bausch & lomb. it works in minutes and up to 12 hours. bausch & lomb alaway. because it's not just your allergies it's your eyes. china is on the verge of becoming the world's second biggest economy. numbers out this morning show china overtook japan in the second quarter and is expected to hold on to that lead for the entire year. just over a year ago, china's output was over half of japan's.

experts predict it will be the world's biggest economy as early as 2030. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. and now uncertainty about the direction of our economy could lead to a difficult stock market for the rest of the year. the dow fell 350 points last week. and some analysts say it could be another near before investors start rallied. numbers from walmart and other retailers could prove that recovery has in fact stalled. also, more homeowners are looking to save money by switching to shorter term mortgages. with rates at record lows a third of borrows refinancing 30-year mortgages last quarter went with 15 or 20-year loans instead. that's the highest share in six years. the shorter length could add up to thousands of dollars in savings in interests payments over the life of the loan. an apple manager will be in federal court in san jose this morning after being indicted

over a kickback scheme. in exchange for confidential information about apple. that information helped those suppliers negotiate better contracts with the economy. it was brawn over duty this weekend. the "expendables" opened with $35 million in tilgt sales. sylvester stallone leads an all-star cast. julia roberts' "eat, pray love" opened in second place. "other guys" opened in third. hundreds of tea party members to the border. and the controversial ending that every golf fan is talking about. we'll be right

we con we continue now with a look at your morning road conditions. slick on i-95 and other highways across the northeast. wet and floodedology the southeast and i-10 stretching into new orleans. rain drenches i-25, 40 and 70 in the southern rockies. >> and if you're flying expect airport delays in denver, dallas and new orleans. and on the east coast, from boston, all the way down to miami. nearly 17 weeks to the day after the oil disaster in the gulf began, fishermen in the gulf coast are beginning their shrimping season today. >> of course, excited about getting back to work. but as plenty of anxiety and angst. matt gutman has been speaking to fishermen in buras. >> reporter: from the day you began fishing? >> no, with the oil. we will continue with our boats. >> reporter: earlier this month,

a.c. cooper dangled this bottle of oil at a town hall meeting. >> this is it. we are going to be in deep trouble because this is inside of our base. >> reporter: and seared into the minds of consumers so much so that wholesaler danny lee feels nobody were buy his shrimp. >> but then they're afraid of buying louisiana shrimp. just hope that the market for louisiana shrimp will pick up. >> reporter: it was at least that we found kevin merrick making a drastic shift from an oil cleanup drew back to his shrimp boat where the stakes are higher. what happens if you find a little bit of oil in the shrimp you catch? >> throw them away. >> reporter: the whole thing? >> yeah, that's what they say. >> reporter: now, the fda insists that the seafood is s to eat. factories are making them sign a waiver saying they won't get

paid until all of that shrimp proves to be uncontaminated. >> the drilling of a relief well to finally kill the damaged well will go ahead. but the operation won't take place until next week at the earliest. hundreds of tea party members have rallied on the u.s./mexico border in support of arizona's immigration law. it demanded that the president go more resources for border security. on friday, the president signed a $600 million bill to bring additional border patrol agents along with custom agents and equipment to the border. fall jute in that prison outbreak in arizona. the warden has stepped down following the escape of three inmates last month. two of them is captured but one is still on the loose. john mccluskey is believed to be traveling with casslyn welch, his fiancee. now admission about the pan am bomber.

about del a said returned and outlived his prediction by nine. he continues to receive treatment in libya. zsa zsa gabor has been given last rights in a los angeles hospital. the 93-year-old actress is in extremely serious condition after surgeons removed two blood clots from her upper body. she just left the hospital after breaking her hip a month ago. controversial at the pga championship. dustin johnson was in the lead on the 18th hole. when he took this shot. problem is, he was ruled to be playing out of a bunker. that means he wasn't supposed to put his club down before striking the ball. it cost him two strokes. martin kaymer won the tournament after a three-hole playoff.

some other sports with adnan virk. good morning nfl preseason action continuing with peyton manning and the colts. second possession, colts up 3-0. on their own 11. man will go complete the pass to austin collie for a gain of 20. first down, colts. later on the drive, indy on the niners 40 yard line manning already admits season form. finds the tight end for a gain of 16. another first down. same drive. colts, second and three. joseph addai, break aside, punches it in for the seven-yard score. however, the colts would lose 37-17. tim tebow making his nfl preseason debut against the bengals. third quarter, tebow drops back. steps up in the pocket. beautiful throw down the right side but it's dropped by matthew willis. he's saying, kid, i got you, once the regular season starts. tebow not doing anything here.

takes a licking, keeps on ticking. 8 of 31 for 105 yards through the air. and some baseball action, kevin slowly on the mounds. and davis grounded to the 5-4-3 double play. slowley gets a no-hitter. ron didn't want to push it. john roush in the pitch. cliff pennington. a drive to deep right. just over the head of jason kubel for a couple. pennington breaks up the no-hitter. the fans with the boos, but they wanted to see slowy continue. police in california are pretty used to wild chases but not this one. >> two zebras broke out of their pen and raced through a

neighborhoods. police and experts took about an hour to corral the black and white bandit. the owners said it was spooked by a dog. zblup next, a former governor on trial could learn his fate later today. plus, a gathering in graceland for a big anniversary today. icica a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a

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investigators will be looking into safety precautions following that deadly crash in an offroad race in the mojave desert. eight people died. answer autopsy is expected to confirm at that so-called craigslist killer killed himself over the weekend. philip markoff was found dead inside of his jail cell. and the corruption trial of former illinois governor rod blagojevich. he's pleaded not guilty to all 24 counts, including trying to sell president obama's old senate seat. and elvis presley fans are marking the 33rd anniversary of his death today. remembrances continue with a concert at graceland. and later on "good morning america," when bed bugs attack, bed bug problems occur not just in homes but also clothing stores, hotels and theaters. what can you do to protect yourself? that's upping up. >> for some of you your local

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s morning. latest on the incredible effort to reopen trace elementary after a month after an arson gutted mr. an dozen classes and a teenager is dead after an accident. he appeared to have died while holding on to an outside of a car during a party. >> looks like the warmest day this week. finall finally from us this ofhe portrait of a legendary photographer. the man behind the most iconic images in jazz has died. >> herman leonard might be

called the unofficial photographer of jazz. his smoky pictures capture the essence of an era. more now from abc's dan harris. ♪ i'll be seeing you ♪ >> reporter: herman leonard photographed all the greats from the heyday of jazz. tony holliday, tony bennett, ella fitzgerald. ♪ his subjects were creating a new art form one whose hallmark was improvisation improvisation. >> the good ones improvised. you get out of the ordinary and introduce a new way. >> as you can see, we had a little bit of technical problem with the herman leonard package. we'll get back to the remainder of the news in just a hospital. >> some of those images are so iconic, you see ella fitzgerald and billy holliday. and captured legends in jazz. >> to look at one of these

images, the really difficult way was to ad lib at any moment. you can see he had an unbelievable ability to not only bend light but incorporate smoke into a lot of these images. they're not saying what the cause of death was, but he's 87 years old. he's the man under the unbelievable images. >> there's a certain power to a black and white photography. it captures someone in their essence. it's really beautiful. >> he certainly did give a name to other photographers who at the time were not using techniques like the beautiful ones they saw in the black and white images. it certainly is a loss. herman leonard was 87 years old. >> we thank you so much for joining us today. that is what is making news in america this monday morning. >> get more news on "good morning america" or anytime at abcnews.com. >> thanks again for watching, everybody. have a great monday.