making news on this wednesday, september 1st. >> evacuations begin this morning, as hurricane earl approaches the east coast. new overnight estimates of where it might go. iraq's fate. the president outlines america's action plan in iraq, now that combat there has officially ended. and cancel battle. michael douglas reveals more about the fight to save his voice and his life. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm mike marusarz, in for vinita nair. the first evacuations have been ordered, as the powerful winds of hurricane earl grow closer. the storm could hit north

carolina by tomorrow or early friday. >> officials up and down the east coast are warning residents to keep a close eye on this very dangerous storm. emily schmidt joins us now with the latest on the forecast. good morning, emily. >> reporter: rob and mike, good morning to you. the latest national hurricane center advisory actually shows earl shifting just a bit to the east. just enough to take new york city out of the cone of probability, for now. however, earl still continues in its path towards the carolinas. the first evacuations, set to begin today. in is category 4 hurricane earl from the international space station, more than 200 miles above the earth. and this -- >> people feel we're getting time for the big one. >> reporter: is the worry along the east coast. the national hurricane center says it's been nearly 20 years since a hurricane this big threatened so much of the eastern seaboard. there's already a hurricane watch in north carolina. officials say prepare evacuation plans. >> it's going to be too close to

the coast not to be ready to go. >> reporter: some summer tourists plan to listen. >> i've always left when they say it was coming. i left. >> reporter: earl's glancing blow to several small caribbean islands left plenty of damage, though there are no reports of injuries. still, it is enough to prompt preparations from the carolinas to new england. >> we're telling people, keep that weather eye. set your options early. and as always, be prepared. >> reporter: on long island, people are picking up anything that could fly in hurricane-force winds. on cape cod, they're hauling out boats. and police are wading into the water to steer people from waters with rip currents that remain from last weekend's hurricane danielle. >> you can still feel the undercurrent. it's pretty strong. >> reporter: later this morning, president obama is scheduled to have a talk with fema administrators about hurricane preparedness. earl continues to look as if all those preparations will be necessary. rob and mike?

>> and there's a lot of questions about the exact track of this thing. but any idea on impact on beaches for the big weekend? >> reporter: one of the thing forecasters are saying right now, regardless of where earl goes, everyone will have rough surf and the dangerous rip currents all along the eastern coast. really a big fear for a lot of the beach businesses, who worry that wherever earl goes, people are going to stay away this weekend. back to you guys. >> all right. emily schmidt on the storm watch. thanks so much. and forecasters are watching a cold front that could pu earl further out to sea. sam champion has more on the the next couple of days >> notice by friday afternoon, just how close that category 2 hurricane is, within 100 miles to the outer banks of north carolina. that means 60-mile-per-hour to 70-mile-per-hour winds along the shoreline of north carolina and one to three inches of rain. as the storm curves and it interacts with that front, it will push out. but america curves right there, too. so, we're 200 miles away from new york. by the time we get into saturday, we're just 100 miles

off the coast of cape cod, though. >> and sam says it could still be a category 1 hurricane when it passes cape cod. we'll have the latest track live from north carolina, later today on "good morning america." defense secretary robert gates arrived in iraq this morning, as u.s. troops mark a major milestone. it is the end of u.s. combat operations in iraq, some seven years after war was first declared. president obama made the official announcement lastight pfroval here's john hendren. >> good evening. >> reporter: the announcement was 7 years, 5 months and 13 days in the making. >> so, tonight, i am announcing that the american combat mission in iraq has ended. >> reporter: it wasn't mission accomplished. but a suggestion of a promise fulfild. >> this was my pledge to the american people as a candidate for this office. last february, i announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen iraq's security forces and support its

government le that's what we've done. called the withdrawal transition, a seismic shift to an advise and assist role. >> americans who have served in iraq completed every mission >> reporter: republicans reminded americans that then-candidate obama opposed president bush's troop surge. >> some leaders who opposed, criticized and fought tooth and nail to stop the surge strategy, now proudly claim credit for the results. >> reporter: ending the war isn't just in iraq's interest, it's in our after spendinasthe war, he said, it's time to turn the nation's attention homeward. >> our most urgent task is to restore the economy and put the millions of americans who lost their jobs back to work. >> reporter: combat operations may be over. but 50,000 american troops remain in iraq. conventional forces to advise and assist iraqi troops. and commandos to continue the hunt for al qaeda insurgents. john hendren, washing israeli and palestinian leaders are gathering for peace talks today in washington.

both sides say they will not let a palestinian terror attack against israelis in the west bank stop them. here's abc's simon mcgregor-wood in jerusalem. >> reporter: the talks will start under a shadow. four israeli settlers, last night, gunned down in the west bank. hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, designed to inflict maximum damage on the peace process. in wasas here was condemnation. bt things palestinian president abbas with secretary clinton. followed by a separate meeting with israeli prime minister netanyahu. the issues remain the same. what to do about jewish settlements in the occupied territories. the so-called freeze on new building ends this month. the palestinians demand an extension. israel, so far, refuses. next up, to create a border between israel and the new palestinian state. how much land will the israelis havee ba how many settlers will have to be evacuated. then, there's jerusalem, the holy city. will the palestinians get to

establish their capital in the arab part of the city? or will israel insist on full control? after last night, a big issue for israel will be security. netanyahu says he won't do anything that risks that. there isn't much optimism here. expectations are very low. what happens in washington, although important, will be l sy the real talking starts when the two sides get back here. rob? mike? >> thanks, to simon mcgregor-wood in jerusalem. children in one oklahoma town have an unexpected day off after powerful winds ripped part of the roof of their high school. the storm hit yesterday just before school was about to let out. no one was injured. but several classrooms were damageater now, for this morni's weather around the natio more severe storms in the plains. 80-mile-per-hour winds, large hail and even isolated tornadoes in the dakotas, nebraska and kansas. showers and thunderstorms f texas up to the great lakes light rain in the north

rockies. and near record highs here the northeast. >> 97 here in new york. 92 in boston. and 95 in baltimore. also, 90s along muchulf coast. 79 in the twin cities. 84 in omaha. and 81 in chicago. just shy of 70 in seattle and billings. phoenix, meanwhile, heats up 103. and sacramento, 95. and when we come back, more on our top story. tracking hurricane earl. plus, a major political announcement that is sending shock waves from al and michael doks about his cancer battle. much worse t vaed well-being. we're all striving for it. purina cat chow helps you urture it in your cat with a full family of excellent nutrition and helpful resources. purina cat chow. share a better life. time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water.

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1.2% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, meanwhile, the dow climbed five points yesterday, ending its worst august since 2001. also, the nasdaq slipped six points. numbers out this morning show that americans are still very cautious about how to spend their money. even on back-to-school shopping. customers spent only slightly more this august than last. and most of it went towards essentials and deeply-discounted items. the silver lining here for shoppers, though, is that many of the stores do have to slash prices even more to clear their shelves. home prices rose in june. it's a rare bright spot for the housing market. but don't get used to it. a closely-watched index shows prices in major metro areas climbed more than 4% from last year. but that was boosted by federal tax credits that have now expired. some experts are predicting prices will plunge up to 20% in some markets.

also this morning, amazon's kindle will soon be in more retail stories, making it easier to try the device before buying it. staples will begin selling the electronic book reader at all of its stores this fall. until now, target was the only place to get your hands on the kindle without buying one online. actor shia lebeouf appears to have the midas touch for the second year in a row. the "transformers" star tops "forbes" list of best hollywood actors for the buck. studios made $81 in profit for every dollar they paid him. anne hathaway took the second spot. followed by harry potter star, daniel radcliffe, robert downey jr. and cate blanchett. >> not bad. next on this wednesday morning, a mystery at a major military base. is something causing an increase in sudden infant death syndrome? and the effort in one state to ban plastic shopping bags. could it begin a nationwide trend? [ female announcer ] we've got stains, down to a science.

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and now, recapping our top story this morning. residents on north carolina's barrier islands have now been ordered to evacuate, ahead of hurricane earl. that powerful storm is expected to make landfall tomorrow or early friday morning. the governor of virginia plans to declare a state of emergency in his state later today. and even a slight change in the storm's track could make an enormous difference. >> with the latest on the path, we're joined by accuweather's jeanette calle. hi, jeannette. >> good morning, rob and mike. we're keeping an eye on earl, which is a major hurricane. it is continuing to track to the northwest at about 14 miles per hour. it is north of his pan nola. but is it going to run east of the bahamas. there is a tropical storm warning in effect for the turks and caicos islands. behind earl, we have fiona, which is moving westward, set to

impact the leeward islands today, with tropical storm force winds and rainfall. here's the forecast eye path with hurricane earl. it's going to be approaching the southeast coast throughout the day today. so, expect to see dangerous rip currents, anywhere from coastal of ida to coastal are south carolina. a hurricane watch was issued for those areas north of surf city, north carolina, into the north carolina/virginia border. and it's going to make its closest approach to the outer banks of north carolina, late thursday, into thursday night, perhaps as a cat 3 hurricane. it's going to continue its northeasterly track, set to impact the southern coast of new england by this weekend. rob? mike? >> the forecast changes by the hour, as we know. and sam champion will have an update later on "good morning america." and we do have some big political news this morning out of alaska, where an incumbent senator has conceded defeat. republican senator lisa murkowski conceded last night, while absentee ballots were being counted.

she did not endorse the man who defeated her. that's conservative lawyer joe miller. he has strong support from the tea party movement and former vice presidential candidate, sarah palin. investigators at ft. bragg, north carolina, want to know if something is in the environment that's causing sudden infant death syndrome. two babies died at the same address in three months this year. eight other infants have also died since 2007. but foul play, not suspected. in california, a push for the first-ever statewide ban on plastic bags was rejected by state lawmakers overnight. the environmental bill was voted down, after an aggressive lobbying campaign by the plastic bag manufacturing industry. the measure would have forced shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to the grocery store, or pay 5 cents each for paper bags. sobering news this morning from actor michael douglas, speaking publicly about his throat cancer diagnosis for the first time. the 65-year-old told david letterman that he had just

finished his first week of radiation and chemotherapy. then, he stunned the audience, by revealing his cancer is stage 4. >> is stage 4 where you want to be? or not where you want to be? >> no. you'd like to be at stage 1. >> stage 1? >> stage 1.it has but it has not -- the big thing you always worry about it is it spreading. so, i'm head and neck. i'm above the neck. so, nothing's going down. and the expectations are good. >> did they find it early enough for their liking? >> i sure [ muted ] hope so. >> douglas said he complained about a sore throat since earlier this year. but doctors found nothing until three weeks ago. time, now, for your sports news. here's steve weissman at espn news. >> good morning. i'm steve weissman with your espn news update. we begin in the a.l. east, where the yankees and rays have been tied atop the division for eight-straight days. yanks hosting the a's. bottom of the first, jorge posada. tenth career triple as a catcher.

fifth-most by a yankee since 1925. passes his own skipper, joe girardi. new york up 6-2. two on for mark teixeira. that's gone. three-run shot. his 30th homer of the year. yanks win 9-3, clinching their 18th-straight winning season. so, the rays must win to keep pace. they're hosting toronto. top of the sixth. jeff niemann hits jose batista on the hip. he'll be already. next batter, vernon wells. shot down the left field line. it's a double. two runs will score. blue jays go up 4-3. they keep it going. two on, two out for bautista. and that's his 43rd home run of the year. blue jays win 13-5. so, the rays now trail the yanks by a game in the a.l. east. to the central. manny ramirez, did not start for the white sox. but on-deck in the top of the ninth. tied at 1-1. a.j. pierzynski, 0 for 3 to this point.

how about a three-run shot? his seventh of the year. white sox up 3-1. manny gets pulled. the other n.l. west castoff, edwin jackson, in the bottom half. jason donald with a single. so, two come home. indians, down just one. bobby jenks, on to close it out. runners on first and second. michael brantley, right back to jenks. he'll take care of it. manny doesn't play. it doesn't matter. white sox win, 4-3. still four back of the twins in the a.l. central. that's a look at your espn news update. i'm steve weissman. back to you in new york. and now, to the athlete who apparently has the most luxurious locks in the whole world. >> that's what they say. pittsburgh steelers safety troy polamalu, is being called the man with the $1 million hair. that's how much his nearly three-feet-long dreds there have been insured for. head & shoulders shampoo, which polamalu endorses, took out the policy from lloyds of london. polamalu says he wears his hair

long as a tribute to his heritage. he's been tackled by that hair before. >> maybe he can spare some. up next, the story we'll be following today, including an update, of course, on the big story, that's hurricane earl. plus, a big announcement today from tech giant, apple. stay with us. [ male announcer ] these heartburn medicines make you choose between hurting now, or later. pepcid® complete doesn't. it starts to neutralize acid in seconds and keeps it under control all day or all night. sometimes you gotta make compromises, man. [ male announcer ] no you don't, man. pepcid® complete works now and works later.

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a change of command ceremony this morning will mark the beginning of "operation new dawn" for u.s. troops in iraq. president obama announced a formal end to combat operations last night from the oval office. israeli and palestinian leaders gather in washington today for peace talks. the issues will include israeli settlements and control of jerusalem. the talks come after the palestinian terror group, hamas, killed four israelis in the west bank. and apple holding a special event at its headquarters today. it is expected to unveil new ipods and an updated version of its apple tv set-top box. the company is also expected to announce 99 cent rentals of television shows through itunes. coming up later on "good morning america" today, we'll take you inside the newly-revamped oval office. the president has put his own spin on the place, with some comfy-looking couches. among some other things. you'll get an eyeful on "good morning america." >> should be fun.

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finally, happy reunions from the battlefront and the home front. >> as we mark the formal end to the u.s. combat mission in iraq,

we take a look back at the emotional homecomings that, of course, are filled with a lot of smiling faces and plenty of tears of joy. here's diane sawyer. >> reporter: surprised faces, overflowing with tears and love. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: hugs so tight, they seem to squeeze the months of worry away. there was the 10-year-old, hannah, who made brave little video diaries. >> my dad, master sergeant joe myers, is in iraq right now. >> reporter: not knowing, later, at school -- >> come here. >> yay. >> daddy. >> reporter: in another classroom, a navy s.e.a.l., senior chief terry daus, appearing in his daughter's third grade in jacksonville, florida.

she had been waiting one year for daddy to come home. >> really surprised. i'm so happy my daddy's here. >> reporter: and in san antonio, texas, another surprise. little taylor reyes can't believe her eyes. >> i think it was something different. but it was my daddy. >> reporter: eight months without him, an eternity for a 5-year-old. >> it's a real joy to see her run up to me like that. feel like crying. but i'm not going to cry. >> reporter: and when you're finally together, feeling too much to say. >> come on in. >> reporter: like marine staff sergeant mike epperson, surprising his two daughters, caitlin and caylee, at their school assembly in ohio. >> i'm probably going to cry. so, i apologize. i haven't seen them in almost eight months. >> reporter: and in his honor, a song about the home of the brave and the moms and the dads. ♪ and the home of the brave and that's what's making