mamang news this morning, the end of an era. >> consideringngll the milestones for the u.s. space program, this is a big one, the final shuttle landing ever bringing hundreds of job layoffs with it. shark attack. it was in shallow water. a 6-year-old girl bitten by a shark in only a foot and a half of water. how to stay safe at the shore. unbelievable. take a look at this. out of the wild, a leopard's rampage on a village all caught on camera. good morning, everybody. well, like the dollar bill and air force one, nasa's space shuttles are known around the world, symbols of america's might. >> yeah, it's been quite a feat that is for sure, and this morning a bittersweet

milestone for the storied shuttle program. the final landing of the 135th mission. the 30-year-old program ends with the homecoming of "atlantis" to the inteteational space station. the predawn landing marks the 25th time the shuttle has landed in darkness but the end of the shuttle era is also bringing big changes to nasa, of course. >> abc's lisa stark is live at kennedy space center on this momentous morning. and, lisa, what is the mood there right now? >> reporter: well, good morning, peggy and rob. i think it's a mixed mood. there's always a little bit of butterflies, of course. you still have to bring the shuttle home safely but people are nervous. they're anxious about that. prideful the mission went so well, but it really is bittersweet. as you mentioned, layoffs, 4,000 people getting notices tomorrow and this is the end of a 30-year program with, of course, a couple of tragagies, but a lot of triumphs, as well. >> and you just mentioned that, lisa, everybody very excited about the success of this program, but those 4,000 people

there losing their jobs, you're saying that those layoffs will begin when? >> reporter: actually the pink slips go out tomorrow. believe it or not, the shuttle comes home, the pink slips go right out. they'll be gone soon afterward. at its height the shuttle program had about 11 thou th,000 people working for it. after those pink go out, it will be down to 2,000 to close the program out. a lot of talent walking out the door and the u.s. dependent on russia to get the astronauts to the international space station. >> and what is next for "atlantis" itself? >> reporter: well, "atlantis" has had 33 missions. it's traveled about 125 million miles in its lifetime. it has one more mission left. it'll be going just a few miles down the road to the visitors' center here, and "atlantis" will become a museum piece. >> well-earned right and place in history for sure. lisa stark live in florida this morning, thanks, lisa.

and, excuse me, like many nasa employees former astronaut mark kelly is making new plans for his future and he has not ruled out yet a run for political office. the former shuttle commander says he'll be on the national speaking circuit over the next few months. kelly says the flexible schedule will give him plenty of time to spend with his wife, congresswoman gabby giffords as she recovers from that assassination attempt. abc news has learned that thousands of chemical and nuclear plants are being warned about a possible al qaeda attack. the report comes from the department of homeland security. it warns that utilities about would be terrorists have been hired to actually work inside some of these facilities. it also says there have so far been no specific threats. president obama is gettingng boost this morning from the results of a new abc news/"washington post" poll. abc's karen travers joins us from washington with details. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. our new poll shows president obama has a comfortable lead over republican front-runner

mitt romney in the race for the white house. among all americans, 51% said they'd pick president obama over romney. that's a good sign for president obama. just a month ago they were in a dead heat. another good number for the president, he's seen as more willing to compromise when it comes to the contentious budget and deficit reduction issue. but back in that republican field for republican voters, mitt romney is still on top. he gets 26% support. his next closest competitor, sarah palin, who, of course, is still not a candidate. rounding out the top five minnesota congresswoman michele bachmann, texas congressman ron paul and texas governor rick perry who is also not yet in the race. romney's position increases slightly if sarah palin does not enter this race, so you can predict they might not want her to get in. that could help mitt romney. the biggest boost for president obama in this poll, independent voters. they were very critical to president obama's win over john mccain in 2008 and, rob, they'll be critical again next fall. rob?

>> miles to go still. karen, thanks for that. the searing heat is turning much of the country into a sauna and is also now being blamed for nearly two dozen deaths and not looking like it will let up any time soon. heat advisories, warnings and watches have been pested more than 30 states all the way from texas to georgia. also minnesota to maine. abc's matt gutman is sweating it out in chicago. >> reporter: chicago is being called an urban heat island, the blazing sun and merciless humidity are cooking this city. sdmrits serious out here. >> reporter: it was also tortuous across half of the country and dangerous. in chicago, the heat index of 110 degrees stirred memories of 1995 when a heat wave here killed over 700 people. in these conditions the body even at rest can lose a quart of fluid an hour, and for every degree that a person's core temperature rises, the heart goes 15 beats faster per minute, and that can cause serious cardiac stress. >> you stop sweating i believe around 103, 104, okay, so you

start getting -- at that point the body i i really starting to shut down. >> reporter: and your body literally begins to cook. >> if you don't get medical care someone could die within a half hour. >> reporter: the first warning sign is when you stop sweating in this extreme heat. the others include headache, dizziness and nausea, so we went around chicago to find out how much risk people were putting themselves in. 106. >> like i'm running a temperature. >> reporter: you're running a bit of a temperature. not much. you're at 99 degrees. doctors are experimenting with a new weapon in the battle against heat. these thermal blankets which funnel cool water over the body. matt gutmama abc news, chicago. >> people complaining about all the sweat, but if you stop sweating, that's a real problem. remember that. >> keep that in mind, as well. taking a look at this morning's weather from around the nation, storm from from kansas to maine with torrential downpours, hails and high winds in omaha and iowa. pop-up showers from

florida, the carolinas, nashville to new orleans. another wet day for new mexico. and showers in the pacific northwest. >> just 67 in seattle, 84 in billings, and 107 in phoenix. dallas heats up to 98. detroit, 96 and minneapolis, 87. another hot, sticky day here on the east coast, 91 in the big apple and just shy of 100 in baltimore. all right. well, coming up imagine mail delivery coming to your house just three days a week. the new cuts that are coming to the post office. >> not pretty. plus, on top of that, a 6-year-old girl playing on her boogie board, the latest shark attack. and celebrity outrage. why kim kardashian has launched a million dollar lawsuit against old navy.

layoffs are increasing again at the fastest pace in almost a year. "the wall street journal" is reporting they're eliminating jobs because they're not seeing much growth. state and local governments are also eliminating jobs and that will keep unemployment numbers high. currently over 9% in the country and that could discourage consumer spending. wells fargo is paying $85 million to settle charges of shady mortgage charges. the nation's largest mortgage lender was accused of falsifying loan documents and also pushing borrow eers into higher price loans. thousands of people could get compensation of $20,000. overseas investoto are cautious as they wait for u.s. and in europe. talks in the tokyo's nikkei average gained 4.5% points today. hong kong's hang seng is up 29

point, and in london, the ftse opened higher and back here on wall street, the dow dropped 15 1/2 points. the nasdaq index lost 12. well, saturday mail delivery may be heading the way of the telegram, but that's not all. the head of the postal service says three-day-a-week postal delivery could be the way of the future. the huge pension fund payment due this fall is partly to blame and the postal service is not subsidized by u.s. taxes. kim kardashian would like to sink an old navy ad. the clothing store uses a commercial with a woman that looks a lot like kardashian. it may confuse viewers a aut her actual endorsement which inclcles cloththg. sources say she may be seeking as much as $20 million in damages. >> i don't know how far that suit is going to go. >> interesting. she does have a little resemblance, but then again, it's not her.

>> we'll see how that works out. we'll stay on that big story. next on this thursday morning, changes coming to those full-body airport security scanners. >> yeah, interesting news there. then an amazing rescue in the violent waters at niagara falls. and on top of that, a leopard's rampage through a village and all of it caught on camera. ♪ special k protein shakes -- ♪ a truly great-tasting breakfast shake. with 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, it's the creamy, delicious way to satisfy... your hunger to help you lose weight. ♪ so you can kick the tin can habit. try special k protein shakes today. the moisturizer in other body washes sits on top of skin. only dove has nutriummoisture, which can nourish deep down.

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whose non-stop day starts with back pain... and a choice. take advil now and maybe up to four in a day. or choose aleve and two pills for a day free of pain. way to go, coach. ♪ well, business is booming for ice cream shops as you can imagine. our twin cities affiliate put frozen t tats to the test to find out which would melt the fastest. it turns out vanilla was the first to go. strawberry sorbet had the most staying power. scientists say it all depends on the sugar and ice contents. >> i'll eat the melted stuff. i'm not picky. >> whatever. now for a look at road conditions. wet on i-80 from omaha to cleveland and from albuquerque to denver. rain soaks i-90

in upstate new york. also a little slick in i-10 from houston to mobile and i-20 across mississippi and alabama. and if you're heading to the airport today, airport delays arar possible in chicago, kansas city, new orleans, atlanta and denver. well, the parents of a little girl attacked by a shark along north carolina's outer banks says she is in good condition this morning. >> but they're still reeling after witnessing what happened to their child in barely a foot of water. if you can believe that. abc's steve osunsami reports from ocracoke island. >> reporter: it was late in the afternoon. the young girl swimming with her father was riding on a boogie board when the shark struck seriously wounding her leg. >> the mother yelled that the child had been apparently bit by what appeared to be a shark. >> reporter: the 6-year-old suffered wounds to her calf and foot. they were severe enough that emergency personnel airlifted her to the only trauma hospital in the area two hours away. she was losing blood but made it thereralive. if authorities confirm it was a

shark attack, it will be the 13th in the u.s. so far this year if confirmed. none have been fatal but in 2010 there were 2 deaths in 36 attacks. earlier this month carolyn cartwright's 10-year-old daughter cassidy was bitten by a shark on another beach in north carolina. >> when he pulled her out of the water, her leg was just wide open, and it was just -- a lot of blood. >> reporter: cassidy survived her went encounter, which also happened in shallow water. an attack in t thashallow water is where many sharks like to feed. it's inevitable there will be attacks. what can you do? swim in groups and avoid swimming or playing in the water during early evening or nighttime. there's a good reason to swim in groups. experts say sharks like most predators go after victims that are alone. steve osunsami, abc news, surf city, north carolina. in eastern india a snarling leopard terrorized an entire village mauling 11 people before it was cornered and killed.

take a look at this video here. wildlife officials armed with batons and tranquilizer guns were virtually helpleses agains this cat. at one point the cat jumped into the air and tackled a man knocking him off a wall. they finally got the upper hand beating it back with knives, sticks and stones. >> scary video, wow. the search continues for the bodies of three young tourists swept over a 300-foot waterfall at yosemite. witnesses say they had climbed over the guardrail to take pictures. a man and woman slipped into the water first then another man fell in while trying to save them. all three were college students visiting with their church group. an equally scary spill into rushing waters near niagara fall had a happier ending though. a woman hikikg near whirlpool park reachedown to touch the swirling water and fell in. she disappeared underwater but resurfaced and a tour boat tour pulled her out. she was unconscious but

then she was revived because that crew used cpr. the tsa is installing new technology in some airports with passengers' privacy in mind. the new scanners will show only a generic outline instead of a body that was naked. now, they will be used in 40 major airports. the old technology had outraged some passengers and privacy advocates. now, sarah palin may be sharing some family news soon. this picture of her pregnant daughter-in-law turned up on facebook. the new dad-to-be is palin's eldest son. the couple were married about two months ago. this would be palin's second grandchild. time now for sports and the latest baseball news. here's don bell at espn. good morning, i'm don bell with your espn news update. the texas rangers, the hottest team in baseball, looking for their 13th consecutive win. they're in anaheim taking on the angels. bottom of the sixth angels down by 1. bases loaded. howie kendrick to left center field.

bobby abreu, vernon wells coming in to score. walden gets nelson cruz to go down to end. angels win, 9-8 and break the rangers' 12-game winning streak. red sox and oriolol from camden yards. top of the third, jacoby ellsbury, the all-star center fielder going deep right field and gone. red sox up, 1-0. top of the seventh, ellsbury at again. just getting greedy. red sox go up 3-0. they win it, 4-0. mets and cardinals. bottom of the fifth, mets down by 2. carlos beltran, a a o-run home run, upper deck for him. 15th of the year. tied at 4. bottom of the tenth, we have some drama now. angel pagan, same direction, and it is a walkoff home run.

mets win, 6-5. that is all for your espn news update. i'm don bell. well, the manager of the white sox took quite a beating in last night's gham against the royals. not only did ozzie guillen's team lose but he was hit in the face with a foul ball. his right eye began to swell but that didn't stop him from staying in the game and arguing over a play in thehe very next inning. that's an athlete. >ung in there for the good fight. coming up next, the stories we'll be following later on today. on top of that, some tears atatround zero as a ravaged reminder is placed inside the memorial museum. of moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis could be another day you're living with joint damage. help stop the damage before it stops you by asking your rheumatologist about humira.

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ratification and would need to be approved by a majority of the 1,900 professional football players. construction crews are ramping up work at ground zero after getting a new addition for the 9/11 memorial museum, a damaged fire truck that came to the rescue was lowered into the museum's main exhibition space id to open next year. the first lady takes part in an extreme makeover home edition episode. mrs. obama will help build a boarding house for homeless women veterans. it will air in october. all you fans, comic-con opens in san diego. more than 25,000 are expected to attend including for the first time steven spielberg. it's more than just a comic book convention. it also involves movies, television and video games. a lot of people are going. they love it. >> sorry i sneezed all over your script. i'll get that off. coming up later on "good morning america" a couple who thought they found the key to marital bliss, but in a rough

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next on "abc 7 news".... >> serving the world for 30 years, the space shuttle has come on to a final stop. >> with two sonic booms and perfect touchdown the shuttle atlantis returns for on the last time. >> warmer than average touched down for the last time and and finally this morning, hot or just hot-headed. what made paris hilton walk off in the middle of our interview. >> a simple question about her not so simple question triggered

the flare-up. here's abc's dan harris. >> reporter: paris hilton was the first, the original celebutante practically the inventor of that thoroughly modern phenomenon being famous for being famous. now, though this particular marketplace has become rather crowded with people like hilton's former protege and sometimes frenemy kim kardashian eating up a lot of the oxygen. try bringing any of this up with hilton, however and things get a little tense. we'll show you how this situation resolved itself in a moment but first let's go back to the beginning of our interview which took place at her newly renovated house in los angeles. she is actually the head of a global business res in 31 countries selling handbags to beauty products to perfumes. she's got 13 scents which according to herublicist have made more than a billion dollars and her new reality show "the

world according to paris" shows her engaged in her usual high jinks. the ratings have been dismal which has many entertainment writers considering whether her run may be over. do you ever worry about -- do you ever worry about your moment having passed? do you want to wrap up? >> i was curious about one thing. >> reporter: what followed was a long heated conversation with hilton and her publicist. >> well, i don't want all this being used. >> reporter: after which she agreed to speak to me again. >> it's been a long time i've been in the business and just like any other business person it's always important to reinvent yourself. >> reporter: by the end of our time together she seems to have cooled down and showed me her massive doghouse and even sent me off with a hug. >> did get the hug. >> uh-huh. that's what's making