making news in america this morning, battling the west nile virus. >> in the air, spraying pesticides over hard-hit dallas. and on the ground, from coast-to-coast, it is a frontline fight against disease-carrying mosquitos. also, what's being called the toughest enemy being faced by the u.s. military. some stunning, new statistics about soldiers committing suicide. mitt romney talking taxes after weeks of pressure. and he's out with new numbers about his tax rate. and barbie's new look. she's being described as pretty and provocative. wait until you hear who she's modeled after. good morning, everyone. i'm john muller, in for rob nelson. >> i'm paula faris, on this friday. an air war against mosquitos was

launched overnight in dallas. it's the latest effort in the battle against west nile virus, which has killed ten city residents so far. >> that battle that's now being fought in the air is also taking place on the ground, as we hear from monika diaz from our dallas station, wfaa. >> reporter: it's a tough stance in the fight against the west nile virus. >> this is breeding mosquitos. >> reporter: health and environmental services moved in to clean up a hidden danger in backyards, abandoned pools. >> right now, we're trying to mitigate the spread of west nile. and so, we can't just let this sit like this. >> reporter: dirty, neglected and infested with green algae, a haven for mosquitos. so far this year, the city of carrollton has received more than 200 pool violation. for the city, a pool like this is threatening lives. it tries to respond to every complaint within 48 hours. >> very serious with these pools.

it does not take very long for it to look like this. >> reporter: the city aims to take action within two weeks whether the home is occupied or not. treating these pools or ponds is the priority. shocking them with concentrated amounts of chlorine and mosquito-killing chemicals. in dallas, we found at least three green pools in zip codes where people have died from west nile. barbara best is one. >> the mosquitos breed every night, every day. yeah, i'm concerned. that's why i'm all bundled up. >> reporter: officials told us these are valid concerns, that they have been swamped. dealing with aerial spraying logistics. but they promise to look into these violations. >> going to get bad. and the mosquitos are just going to get worse. >> monika diaz from wfaa there in dallas. well, texas is not the only state taking action against the west nile virus. they're also spraying in south carolina. and in albuquerque, leaders say they're doing everything they

can to get rid of those mosquitos. and turning to politics and the tax return questions which keep nagging at the romney campaign. now, romney has revealed more information about exactly what he paid. >> and his running mate is also making some revelations, as well. abc's paul beban has the details. >> reporter: mitt romney's running mate, paul ryan, has blasted president obama's stimulus plan for years. but when asked by abc station wcpo about a report that he requested money for wisconsin in 2009, he denied it. >> is that report accurate? >> i haven't seen this report. i can't comment on it. >> reporter: in a statement late thursday, ryan admitted his office sent the letter. and defended them as constituent services. meanwhile, after weeks of pressure to release more than two years of tax returns, mitt romney admitted he had gone back to check his returns. >> i did go back and look at my taxes. and over the past ten years, i

never paid less than 13%. >> reporter: romney also took aim at democrat harry reid, who has said he heard romney didn't pay any taxes for ten years. >> harry reid's charge is totally false. i'm waiting for harry to put up who it was that told him. >> reporter: romney has been trying to turn his attention away from taxes to the debate over medicare. >> there's no change in medicare for seniors, none, under my plan. so, for these down here, which of these two do you think is better? going bankrupt? or being solvent? >> reporter: but the white house says the president's plan does more to secure the future of medicare. >> the president protects medicare beneficiaries and medicare benefits. the savings he achieved through the affordable care act, has extended the life of the medicare program by eight years. >> reporter: after a couple of gaffes this week by vice president biden, including confusing which state he was in, the white house is brushing aside suggestions that the president replace him on the ticket. paul beban, abc news, new york. >> hillary clinton's name keeps coming up for that.

ann romney has revealed she suffered a flare-up of her multiple sclerosis this year. m.s. is an autoimmune disease which affects the central nervous system. president obama making another election year end run around congress. $470 million in highway funds is going to be made available for states that promise to make jobs. the money had been allocated years ago by congress but never had been spent. now, to what's being called the toughest enemy the u.s. military faces. suicide. a total of 44 troops took their lives last month. 26 of them active duty army soldiers. that's a record toll. experts blame it on war and repeated deployments. critics say there must be a greater priority to mental health. and we have breaking news from afghanistan this morning. two u.s. service members have been killed by an afghan policeman. this is the latest in a string

of such deadly incidents. and nato says it is investigating the cause of a u.s. military helicopter crash in afghanistan. seven americans were killed. and the taliban is now claiming responsibility. here's abc's martha raddatz. >> reporter: this was a special operations mission, with two navy s.e.a.l.s, a navy explosives expert, and three afghan forces flying in northern kandahar. an afghan interpreter alongside. the blackhawk, one of two on the mission, went down in the rugged terrain, landing in flames and badly mangled. as soon as it was down, enemy forces headed for the crash site. but they were fired on by another u.s. helicopter. u.s. teams then moved in on the ground, to recover the bodies and begin the investigation. the taliban claims they shot it down. >> down on the right side. >> reporter: they know how vital helicopters are to america's mission in afghanistan, given the mountainous terrain. it was just last year that a chinook helicopter was hit by a

rocket-propelled grenade, killing 30 americans, including 22 from a navy s.e.a.l. unit. >> rockets, rpgs, all those types of weapons can really get after a helicopter. they have good defenses onboard. but they're not perfect. >> reporter: the commandant of the marine corps told marines this week that the increase in violence is a sign that the u.s. is winning in southern afghanistan. but with 18 u.s. deaths in 10 days, it probably doesn't feel like that to some u.s. forces. martha raddatz, abc news, washington. and we have dramatic, new images from syria, showing the moments after a government bomb fell on a residential neighborhood. it happened on wednesday in the rebel-held town of azaz. the attack leveling everything and burying people under that debris. now, as the dazed residents begin to look for survivors, another jet comes across the sky and drops another bomb there. when it was over, 40 people were

dead and at least 100 more injured, women and children among them. all right. back here at home, the already active wildfire season getting even worse, with nearly a dozen new fires erupting in the west yesterday alone. 60 major fires blazing across 14 states. >> the fire that torched 70 homes and 35-square miles in central washington is just 25% contained this morning. but some evacuated residents were allowed to return home. take a look at this house, as the flames approached. everything around it burned. amazingly, it is still standing completely unscathed, as if someone drew a little circle around the perimeter. >> and what a beautiful home it is. let's look at the weather from across the nation. scorching heat in the northwest. thunderstorms in the desert southwest, from denver to dallas. showers along the gulf coast. strong evening thunderstorms in the northeast. even stormier to the south, with hail and 70-mile-per-hour winds around the carolinas, atlanta, nashville and birmingham. >> 80s for much of the east coast.

mostly 70s across the midwest. 90s, cooling down in phoenix. cooling down for phoenix. >> what's that mean? >> 99. >> no more triple digits. it's a moral victory. coming up, a new low for facebook shares. and some concerning economic analysis from walmart. those stories in your business news next. and new warnings in the wake of some deadly bus accidents. companies are being told, basically, watch your weight.

and we welcome you back.

wall street starts the day with stock indexes near four-year highs. the question now, can the rally rule on this summer friday? the dow industrials picked up 85 points yesterday, while the nasdaq picked up 31. helped by encouraging earnings from computer network giant, cisco. it's a different story at facebook. a lot of people unliking the social network. shares closed yesterday at a new low, $19.87. that's down another 6%, as some early investors were able to start cashing out. the stock has lost almost half of its original value since going public back in may. and mark zuckerberg has lost roughly $9 billion. >> ouch. retail giant walmart is reporting stronger earnings but says its shoppers are showing signs of financial strain. walmart's second-quarter earnings rose 5.7%, customers worry about jobs, the cost of food and gas.

some upbeat news looking ahead in the housing market. new permits for building homes jumped almost 7%, the highest rate in four years. that signals stronger construction in the coming months. and a new list rates u.s. airports. late flights and at passenger reviews. los angeles came in third. gives you more time to go to in-n-out burger, right? l.a.x., citing unfriendly staff. next, dulles, with its limited selection of restaurants and shops. and the worst, newark liberty, with more than 25% of flights leaving behind schedule. well, when we come back, 20,000 pairs of shoes. a dream for the fashion forward. or are they? and imagine passing your thursday night like this. just sitting in awful traffic and going absolutely nowhere fast.

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and you're looking at a dangerous high-speed chase in utah. this is a dad behind the wheel of a minivan with his wife and four kids in tow. state troopers pulling over robert hill for allegedly drunk driving. but as soon as the trooper turns his back, he makes a run for it. he led police on another high-speed chase topping 100 miles per hour. the couple was arrested. their four kids placed on child welfare. he ran because he didn't want them to see his record. >> oh, my goodness. let's look at morning road conditions. thunderstorms from the mississippi to the carolinas. much of the same later for parts of the northeast. a slick ride at time along the gulf coast, north texas. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible, in atlanta, dallas, boston, new york, philly and washington, d.c. and the government has issued a nationwide emergency bulletin, stemming from a string of megabus accidents.

motor coach companies are being warned about weight limits on tires of loading double-deck buses. two recent megabus crashes, including a fatal crash in illinois involved tire blowouts. federal investigators say that bus companies that violate tire restrictions they be forced out of service. workers at yosemite national park are disinfecting cabins that may be linked to a deadly rodent-borne disease. one man died and a woman is recovering after staying at a popular camping area this summer. the virus that causes the disease has now been identified in rodent droppings that have been found in the area. and yosemite officials are investigating another tragedy. two boys swept away in the river. a 10-year-old is dead, and his 6-year-old brother is missing after a strong current pulled them downstream. the kids were on a family hiking trip wednesday when they stopped to cool off in the water. hikers often use that river. but park rangers warned it can be dangerous. some exhausted commuters are finally home after being stuck in a five-hour traffic jam.

northbound 405 parking lot, we should call it, had to be closed around 5:30 yesterday afternoon, after a tractor-trailer jackknifed. it took about five hours to clean up the accident and the fuel spell. >> a picture says a thousand words. there it is. wow. not good. a major bust of counterfeit goods in california. agents seized tens of thousands of pairs of designer shoes. the port of los angeles, the busiest in the nation, they intercepted 1,000 shipments of fake goods. >> it cost them $3 a pair they sell for $1,000. that's an roi. >> that's a big mark-up. >> are you ready for some shoes? how about a little sports? >> sports would suit me better than the shoes. >> here's our man at espn. >> welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm jorge andres. week two of the preseason had defending mvp aaron rodgers and the packers hosting the browns. rodgers, getting ready for this

one. packers attacking after a browns fumble. rodgers going to jordy nelson, the wide receiver. he can do that. 7-0, packers after jordy, jumping all over joe haden. rodgers, can't find anyone. scrambles. decides to run himself. a 20-yard gain. rodgers, 64 yards passing and 24 yards rushing. brandon weeden, connecting with josh gordon for a gain of 19 yards. the browns would have to settle for a field goal. weeden, this time, over the middle. taking it down to the 1 yard line. browns score on the drive. they win 35-10. the reds, not only streaking lately, but also taking care of the mets, as they're looking for their second-consecutive sweep. top four.

homer in right. his 21st dinger of the year. mets lead 1-0. mets pitcher, matt harvey, dealing. brandon phillips, not so much. jay bruce, swinging. todd frazier, take a shower. 7 2/3 innings for harvey. the mets win. diana nyad is going to try it again on sunday. she's training for her fourth attempt at a record-breaking swim from cuba to florida without a shark cage. >> the 62-year-old nyad first tried this when she was 28. and again twice last summer. she expects it will be 60 hours to complete the trip. >> jellyfish. >> makes the swimming part easy, huh? >> no thank you. up next, "the pulse," barbie looking glam, just like the guy. the guy she was modeled after. air france having problems at the pump. we'll explain, straight ahead. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues

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time to check "the pulse," stories you'll be talking about today. beginning with lady gaga's biggest romanian fan. shows up as the singer was walking through the lobby of her hotel in bucharest. rushing through the swinging doors, pen and paper in hand.

>> both of her bodyguards jumping into action. one of them taking the guy down. after gaga walks out the door, the bodyguard takes his knee off the guy's head. the fan goes back out through the swinging door. no worse for the wear. >> not a good idea. the folks at mattel have given barbie a lot of looks and careers over the years. now, barbie is getting another look, drag queen. >> a glitzy, new, over-the-top barbie is modeled after the fashion designer phillipe blond. himself a cross-dresser and a huge barbie fan. >> mattel says one of the great things about barbie is she continues to push the envelope. finally, an air france flight with problems at the pump at an unplanned stop in syria. >> the plane was rerouted to damascus. it needed more fuel before continuing. the crew tried to use a credit card but was refused by syrian authorities. >> so, they had to ask passengers for cash to cover the charges. ultimately, an unexplained arrangement was worked out. >> do you have extra cash? >> a little extra cash, we need to fill up the plane. for some of you, your local

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next, breaking news a house fire burning in the mission district. relief at the pump. investigators have ruled out a cause of the chevron fire. looks like it is going to be cooler chance of thunderstorms over the ocean and sierra. >> thunderstorms in the southern plains as well as the desert southwest. and finally from us, the story of a reluctant hero.

some guys take part when their children are born. >> but not the guy we're going to show you. but his son had other ideas. paige pearson of kssy of sioux falls, south dakota, has this story. >> reporter: tiny fingers, a precious itty-bitty nose, and sweet lips. meet cameron ehihnen. his entry into the world was anything but normal. >> i asked her if she was all right. said no. >> reporter: stephanie ihnen had been having contractions all day tuesday. but the hospital said she wasn't dilated enough for delivery. but early this morning, baby cameron had other ideas. >> i'm like, oh, boy. here he comes. >> she goes, the baby's coming. i'm like, what? no. so, i went in there and asked her what was going on. >> josh was like, what do you want me to do? just help me get to the ground and call 911. and he did awesome. he picked up from there. >> reporter: josh helped bring cameron into the world right here, in the couple's bathroom. at the time, he was scared. >> for one, the umbilical cord was around his neck. he came out white.

he wasn't getting any color. he wasn't breathing for a little while. so, i was freaking out. >> reporter: a 911 operator talked josh through the delivery. he tied off an umbilical cord with a shoelace from his work boot. for a guy who wasn't sure he wanted to be in the delivery room -- >> he stepped in and delivered him. >> reporter: he's now considering himself a hero. >> i do. you know, if i would have froze, who knows what could have happened? >> reporter: comfortably settled in the hospital, stephanie and josh are counting their blessings. >> it's one of the most amazing things. and i couldn't be happier. >> now, i have two amazing boys. it just makes it so much better. >> i love that she had to calm him down. >> yeah. >> that little baby is good. >> incredibly cute. well done, mom and dad. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> we'll see you later.