making news in america this morning, angry words on the campaign trail. >> the verbal volleys intensify between the obama and romney campaigns. the candidates showing some of their sharpest jabs yet. an aerial battle in the west against growing wildfires. corner crash concerns. worries about how safe you might be in some of the most xhen accidents on the road. and there's some 320 million bucks up for grabs in tonight's powerball lottery. how lucky are you feeling? good morning, everybody. i'm john muller. rob nelson is off this week. >> and i'm paula faris. we begin with heat this morning,

both from the western wildfires and on the presidential campaign trail. >> candidates spreading out today with events in the midwest and the south. and if yesterday's sparring is anything to go by, testy verbal exchanges are becoming the norm. >> for details, we're joined from washington by abc's tahman bradley. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, paula and john. remember how the paul ryan v.p. pick was supposed to elevate the level of discussion in this campaign? well, that lasted less than a week. the presidential race has taken a nasty turn. republican mitt romney lashed out against president obama. >> this is what an angry and desperate presidency looks like. >> reporter: telling voters in ohio, that mr. obama's campaign tactics have taken the presidency to a new low. >> mr. president, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to chicago. and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting america. >> reporter: the obama campaign shot back, saying that romney seemed unhinged.

it was this remark by vice president joe biden to a heavily-black audience to virginia, that set romney off. >> he's going to let the big banks, once again, write their own rules. unchain wall street. they're going to put y'all back in chains. >> reporter: the vice president's defenders noted that although back in chains was inartfully phrased, republicans have used a similar metaphor about unshackling the private sector. but this wasn't the only elbow thrown by the obama campaign. the president made reference to the story about romney strapping his family dog to the roof of his car during a road trip. >> governor romney explained his energy policy this way. you can't drive a car with a windmill on it. i know he tried other things on top of a car. >> reporter: the voters are riled up, too. in las vegas, romney's running mate, paul ryan, was greeted by hundreds of protesters, angry about his idea to cut

entitlement spending. the obama and romney campaigns blame each other for this decidedly ugly turn. and there's no sign that the rhetoric is going to cool down. paula and john? >> okay. abc's tahman bradley from washington this morning. thanks, tahman. now, primary results from around the nation. ten-term florida congressman, john mica, easily won the republican primary. because of redistricting, he ran against another congressman in his own party. and former wrestling executive, linda mcmahon, won the senate primary. now, in the last race, she spent $50 million of her own money and lost. and in wisconsin, former governor and health and human services secretary, tommy thompson, ran won the senate primary. democrat dennis cardoza, served since 2002, is stepping

down to deal with parenting challenges. cardoza and his wife have three children. immigration is a hot-button issue today. under a new program, immigrants under the age of 31 who came to the u.s. before they turned 16 can apply for paperwork to avoid deportation. the work permits will lost two years and cost $465. but they do not guarantee citizenship. out west, now where more than 60 wildfires are turning in 10 western states. in central washington, more than 70 homes have been burned. more than 43-square miles have been scorched by a fire that was sparked at a construction site. at least 900 people have been evacuated while others are battling those flames with about any tool at hand. >> look at this. and then, turn around and look at this. they don't even go together. i mean, it's like somebody drew a line right here. >> if there's any fire started in the grass, we beat it out and

rake it like that. >> flames were running. if you were caught in the wrong place, you were going to get out. >> high winds spread the fire over acres. a sanctuary for rescued lab chimps. so far, staff have been able to keep the chimpanzees out of danger. in southern california, crews took to the air to fight the fire near aguanga. it took hours to cover several square miles. firefighters are facing the deadliest year on record. the latest victim was killed by a falling tree fighting a fire in idaho. 11 firefighters died so far this year, 41 over the last decade. in other news, top pentagon officials say iran is playing a role in supporting the syrian regime. leon panetta and martin dempsey, they iran is pushing back hard

right now against the rebel forces that have taken over parts of the key commercial city of aleppo. the army psychiatrist charged in the deadly ft. hood shooting rampage will enter pleas in the case, today after the judge denied to delay his trial. pleading guilty to 13 counts of premeditated murder. military law doesn't allow guilty pleas to charges that carry the death penalty. and the drew peterson murder trial could come to a screeching halt later today. the judge in suburban chicago is considering whether to declare a mistrial after blasting prosecutors for mentioning the subjects that they were told emphatically not to bring up in front of jurors. this is the third time prosecutors have made a major mistake. peterson is on trial for murdering his third wife, kathleen savio. and time, now, for the weather from across the nation. more scorching heat in the west and southern plains. with pop-up thunderstorms in the southern california mountains. hail and gusty winds around the

twin cities, omaha and des moines. scattered showers along the gulf coast. thunderstorms from boston to the carolinas. >> mostly 80s frr the east coast and midwest. 90s for the rockies and dallas and miami. 70s from billings to fargo. when we come back on "america this morning" relief at the repair shop. and consumers are doing more spending. business news is next. and hang on tight for this one, everybody. a harrowing crash during a race at pike's peak. stick around. [ female announcer ] now get high speed internet at home

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welcome back. a huge settlement has been reached in the banking world. new york regulators went after standard chartered bank of britain, which has agreed to pay $340 million. the settlement claims it laundered money for iran and lied to investigators. retail sales last month posted their strongest gains in five months. up 0.8% after three-straight monthly declines. spending was up in every major category, including auto, clothing and furniture. and with folks spending more on their homes, home depot posted stronger numbers in the second quarter with net income up more than 12%. the home improvement giant says there's growth in places like california and florida, which were hard hit in the downturn. the company raised its outlook for the rest of the year. auto dealers say this could be a record year. detroit-based researchers say

automakers are profitable and stable again. and the average number of vehicles sold could hit an all-time high. good news there. love new car smell. >> a good thing. >> and this other smell. the unmistakable smell that draws customers to cinnabon, for those calorie-laden sweet treats. but are you ready for pizza-bon? >> i'm ready. cinnabon is rolling out the same dough. the company hasn't said how many are in the pizza-bon. but they said -- >> 800 calories? >> looks tasty. an auto shop in oklahoma is battling the summer heat in a unique way. some of the guys are wearing kilts these days. >> the lads claim the kilts are a lot cooler than working in shorts. you have to be careful on the leather seats. one called the kilts the

manliest manwear you can wear. is it manly? >> they're pulling it off. nice legs. >> you have to learn how to sit in a kilt, though. i had one on for a fund-raiser once. when you sit down, you can't do it dude style. >> welcome to our world. >> exactly right. i felt your pain. when we come back, crash tests showing that some high-end brands need to improve their safety mark. chad johnson going from bad to worse. all of his latest offfield drama is in "the pulse." [ music playing ] [ music playing ]

for a golf getaway. double miles you can actually use... but mr. single miles can't join his friends because he's getting hit with blackouts. shame on you. now he's stuck in a miniature nightmare. oh, thank you. but, with the capital one venture card... you can fly any airline, any flight, any time. double miles you can actually use. what's in your wallet? alec jr? it was a gift. and you are looking at a major uh-oh at the national airport. a collision that left one private plane resting on another. the $60 million gulf stream jet, was being towed when it got loose and drifted into the smaller plane, lifting it from the ground. both planes were empty, thankfully. no one was hurt. >> that's good news.

let's look at morning road conditions. a wet ride from new england to the carolinas. slick roads along the gulf coast. and in the four corners. >> if you're flying the friendly skies, airport delays are possible on the east coast, boston, new york, philly and d.c. also in minneapolis and dallas. a new kind of crash test uncovering safety short comings with some of the pricier cars on the road. >> now, the tests simulate the common and deadly accident. and most luxury models are not making the grade. abc's jim avila has the details. >> reporter: the corner crash, when your car hits a power pole, another vehicle at the front fender, is responsible for 25% of america's 10,000 fatal head-on crashes each year. >> it just involves the front corner of the vehicle. it misses the strong, energy-absorbing structure that's in the middle. >> reporter: the insurance institute releasing stunning, first-of-its-kind crash tests, showing that more cars need more protection at the corners. of the 11 cars tested, only 3

passed. the rest suffered horrendous damage, that sent the test dummies banging into hard surfaces. >> the side of the vehicle that's struck, is pushed in towards the occupant. and your restraints tend to move out of the way. >> reporter: the most badly damaged, lexus i.s. the infinity g rated acceptable. the acura t.l. and volvo s-60, get top ratings. volvo not only added stronger supports at the corner, its safety cage grows more rigid as it gets closer to the passenger compartment. one automaker claimed the test replicates an unusually severe and uncommon crash. but the insurance institute says this will inspire action. lexus has responded to the

challenge. safety sells. jim avila, abc news, washington. billy graham after a two-day stay in the hospital. he was treated for bronchitis. despite the illness, doctors say he is healthy for a man his age. and bobby brown has returned to rehab to deal with his alcohol abuse issues. it was six months ago that his ex-wife, whitney houston died. brown said he realized he couldn't beat the problem on his own. you can't eat cinnabon or pizza-bonn without feeling guilty, but a new warning about eggs. for people over 40, egg yolks are just as dangerous as smoking. >> the number of egg yolks promotes the thickening of arteries almost as severely as smoking does. that can increase the risk of stroke or heart attack. time, now, for your wednesday morning sports, courtesy of espn's zubin mehenti. >> good morning.

the top two records in the american league meeting last night in the bronx. that would be the yankees and the rangers. that's nick swisher. game two on tuesday. kuroda, on the mound. the best pitching effort of the season. complete game. two hitters. usually draw that distinction. the yankees win it, 3-0. in the n.l. west. dodgers/giants, heading l.a. in pittsburgh. chad billings went five-straight starts. top four, cruz shoots one through. dodgers take a 4-0 lead. l.a. ties a season-high with 11 runs. for the moment, take a half-game lead on san fran with a shutout win. the giants, trying to knock off the nats.

brandon bent. two on tuesday. pablo sandoval comes in to score. 2-0, san fran. their hottest hitter this month. hitting .500 in his last nine games. giants go on to win the game by a score of 6-1. they're once again tied atop the national league west. the giants and dodgers, all-square again. that is your sports update. i'm zubin mehenti. have a great wednesday. >> thank you, zubin. it's one thing to crash during a nascar race on a circular track. when you crash on a race on a treacherous hill, this is what happens. >> the driver lost control on a turn during a race at pike's peak. the car tumbled down the hill before coming to a stop. amazingly both occupants in the car walked away from the crash. had no idea how. >> mind-boggling they can walk away from that.

wow. >> i think that car would pass the safety test, right? i want that car. >> that one's pretty good. up next, "the pulse." new trouble for chad johnson. and scrabble players, the first of the game's most prestigious tournament. first of the game's most prestigious tournament. stay with us. sweetness touches your lips. the delightful discovery, the mid-sweetening realization that you have the house all to yourself. well, almost. the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. nobody beats officemax for back-to-school... with great prices on thousands of supplies. that's a big deal! so is a free 8-gig jump drive when you buy $50 in hp ink. save big on back to school... at officemax.

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chad johnson. the football star was arrested for head-butting his wife. and the dolphins dropped him. and the couple's tv show was canceled. >> now, his wife has filed for divorce after just 41 days of marriage. in his first statement since the arrest, johnson says he loves his wife very much and wishes her the best. tmz reporting exclusively this isn't his first brush with domestic violence. back in 2000, reportedly charged with hitting his then-girlfriend, before he enlisted at oregon state, where he was a football player. >> he's learning the hard way on this one, for sure. they will crown a new scrabble national champion today in florida. but not before some scandal. for the first time ever, an unnamed participant has been thrown out of the games for cheating. >> how can you cheat in scrabble. >> we'll tell you. >> organizers say the male player was ousted after being caught hiding blank letter tiles. they can be used as wild card letters. another player blew the whistle on the guy.

and then, he admitted his wrongdoing. today's national title winner gets $10,000. try to say scrabblecandal 25 times. and if the chair is empty tomorrow, you know what? that means i just won 320 million bucks. >> i'm not going to be here, either. i'm going to say i went in on it with you. keep dreaming. a lot of people are trying for the powerball drawing. it's surged to at least $320 million, the fourth-largest jackpot in powerball history. machines cranking out tickets across 42 states and washington, d.c. >> no one has won since june 27th. the money has rolled over 14 times. the odds of winning 1 in 175 million. >> not 1 in 175? >> that would be good. >> that would be really good odds. i think i'll be seeing you tomorrow. >> let's play. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with the first day of freedom. two brothers getting used to

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next, oakland police want you to look at sketches of a man and woman they believe killed a 5-year-old boy. mugging caught on video. meteorologist mike nicco has the forecast. the clouds out there this morning mist for the morn thunderstorms for much of the east coast. so, if you're on the east coast, get that umbrella out. and finally, imagine being out of touch with the modern advances over the last 25 years. atms, cell phones, gps technology.

>> kind of sounds refreshing. i know. those are some of the challenges and delights now being fared by a pair of brothers from michigan. kimberly craig of our station wxyz reports. >> we got our phones. that was a mission of ours today. >> yeah. >> we need to get something in our stomachs. we haven't ate today. >> i want to sleep. >> reporter: tommy and raymond highers, first full day of freedom. the first stop, to pick up cell phones. >> this is the first time i've held one. >> reporter: cell phones for brothers who spent the last 25 years in prison for a murder they said they didn't commit. >> overwhelming. but we're trying to take it in small steps. this is the first one here, getting in with the technology. and getting up to date. >> reporter: and tommy's first call on his cell phone at 46. >> did the number show up on there? all right. well, save it. >> reporter: after spending every, single night for 25 years in a prison bed, raymond and

tommy spent this night at their aunt's house. >> i laid here last night. the bed was so soft, my shoulders didn't hurt. >> it was like sleeping on a cloud. >> reporter: how much do you think you actually slept last night? >> i didn't. i didn't at all. honestly, not a wink. it was impossible to do. >> reporter: i asked their aunt about things she's noted. >> little things. you know, they're happy to be able to close the bathroom door. you know, coming here, driving them here, just the scenery around them, they don't recognize. >> reporter: the hardest part now, knowing this journey is not over. the prosecutors say they will appeal the judge's decision to grant the highers brothers a new trial. >> we have a fight ahead. i'm sure we'll be victorious. when that day comes, that's the day we'll be able to start living. >> touching story there. >> absolutely. that's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america."