this morning, banned for life. >> the news breaking overnight. lance armstrong's fall from grace is complete. he will not fight doping charges, which means he could be stripped of all those tour titles. taking aim. isaac is in the caribbean right now to make a mess of haiti. and land in tampa, where officials are prepping for the worst. subway scare. the almost deadly mistake by a mom carrying her young son, falling off a subway platform. onlookers rushing to help. and lights, cameras, crowds. would you know a real celeb if you saw one? is this guy actually one? well, new york crowds, they sure thought so.

good morning, everyone. we begin with that breaking news overnight about lance armstrong. his legacy is very much in question this morning. >> in a bombshell announcement, armstrong said he will no longer fight charges from the u.s. anti-doping agency. they claim armstrong useds illegal drugs during his legendary cycling career. >> and his seven tour de france titles could be wiped away. abc's neal karlinsky has the story. >> reporter: armstrong will face a lifetime ban from all elite-level sports and a stripping of his titles, after he announced he will no longer fight the charges. in a statement he writes, enough is enough. today, i turn the page. i will no longer regret this issue. adding that he is innocent, but believes the process is one-sided and unfair. >> what does it say? does it say that lance armstrong

knew he couldn't win? does it say that deep down inside, he thinks he's guilty? there's so many questions that are left unanswered. >> reporter: so, if he used drugs, as usada claims, how did he do it? a former teammate, widely believed to be one of the witnesses, jonathan vauders, confessed his own doping in a "new york times" editorial two weeks ago. convicted doper, floyd landis, was another armstrong teammate. you saw him using e.p.o.? >> i have, yes. and received from him. rather than go into entire detail of every, single time i've seen it. yes, i saw lance arm strong using drugs. >> reporter: cheating on the bike is out weighed by good done in the real world. in the world of cycling, his fall is another headache. since his reign, so many close rivals have been caught up in doping scandals, no one can figure out who gets the tour de france wins that armstrong may now have to forfeit.

i'm neal karlinsky, in seattle. >> that's the million-dollar question now. if or when armstrong is banned for life, he will be vulnerable to a slew of legal action from past sponsors, insurers and possibly even the u.s. government. all of them could bring legal action, demanding the return of millions of sponsorship dollars. our other big story this morning, tropical storm isaac, moving quickly this morning towards haiti and the dominican republic. >> the latest projected path has isaac making its u.s. landfall next week, along the gulf coast. but the coast is still not clear for tampa and the many republicans gathering there for their national convention. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: tropical storm isaac is whipping through the caribbean islands. 600 miles wide, with winds up to 50 miles per hour. the storm has flooded parts of puerto rico and neighboring islands. isaac's projected path puts it into the florida keys on sunday, where residents are getting ready. >> just have to deal with it. it's where we live.

>> today, we can relax and take it easy. >> reporter: in tampa, the republican party has to deal with the storm threatening its convention next week. 50,000 people were traveling into the city. but florida's governor says it's too early to talk about what happens if the storm hits. >> looks like we'll have some rain and some wind. but we'll -- you know, we have to -- really, the time to have a discussion about this is after it leaves cuba. >> reporter: the storm could also change security plans for the gop convention. thousands of police officers from around the state are scheduled to be in tampa, but could be forced to stay home for storm duty. >> i've been on hurricane duty, i don't know how many times. i think it would be very easy to switch from rnc riot control, to hurricane control, if that's what we had to do. >> reporter: airlines are allowing passengers flying into tampa to change their tickets without penalty. as many as 800,000 people live in the evacuation zone. they'd be forced to leave if isaac becomes a hurricane. >> if you had the right storm, at the right angle, moving at the right speed, obviously, it

has the ability to funnel a lot of that water right up into the bay. >> reporter: tampa's mayor said he would call off the gop convention if the storm hits. but republicans are still pushing forward with their plans to officially nominate mitt romney on monday. >> a move that frees up some money for the general election. tahman bradley in washington. thanks, tahman. and isaac is not as powerful as initially expected. but it is still on track to become the fourth hurricane of the atlantic season. >> for more of the path of the storm, we turn to accuweather meteorologist jim dickey. >> good morning, rob and paula. tropical storm isaac continues to strengthen through the day today, bringing strong, gusty winds in hispaniola, eventually cuba. four to eight inches of rain. that will lead to big-time flooding there. going forward here, it twists its way north and westward, ending up in the gulf of mexico. we are expecting this storm to strengthen to hurricane force and impact the gulf coast going

forward. rob and paula, back to you. sam champion and the "gma" team is all over the story with the very latest storm track coming up at 7:00. a st. louis teen missing since 2010, said she was held captive until she finally escaped this week. the now-17-year-old girl led police to a washington park, illinois, home where she says she was beaten and raped nearly every day. she also says she got pregnant and her baby was still inside with her captor. s.w.a.t. teams stormed the house, recovered that baby and took the man into custody. first lady michelle obama met privately with the families of sick worshipers who were shot or killed in a shooting rampage outside of milwaukee. a moneyman opened fire on the wisconsin sikh temple, killing six people and wounding four others. a wildfire tearing through northern california has now destroyed more than 60 homes. and it is still threatening nearly 1,000 others.

the ponderosa fire is nearly 60% contained after scorching 44-square miles. and 2,500 firefighters are on the ground. but they don't expect it to be fully under control until next week. and starts of arizona are drying out today, after getting slammed by heavy monsoon storms that did this. emergency crews had to rescue two people stranded in medical transport vans. the driver was taking a disabled man to dialysis when they were swept off the road. they were both pulled to safety without serious injuries. and with that, we take a look at weather from across the nation, as we get started on this weekend. we'll have some isolated showers along the east coast. scattered thunderstorms around minneapolis, omaha and kansas city. stormy into oklahoma city, dallas, houston and shreveport. more monsoon storms in the desert southwest. >> just shy of 100 in phoenix. and 90 in dallas. cooling down in the pacific northwest, with 69 in seattle. mostly 80s for the rest of the country, from the rockies into the midwest and the east coast.

and we are just getting new video, now, of the damage that isaac is causing in the caribbean. we'll have that coming up after the break. plus, that platform plunge. horrified commuters watch as a mom and her 4-year-old mistakenly fall on to the tracks. then, later in "the pulse," las vegas seeing a boost in business thanks to a certain v.i.p.

welcome back, on this friday morning. a study finds that those nearing

retirement age have suffered the most since the financial crisis. the typical household income for folks 55 to 64, is almost 10% less now than it was three years ago. and their home values have fallen sharply, as well. retirees often count on money from the sales of their homes. while we're awaiting a u.s. federal jury decision in the apple/samsung patent battle, a court has weighed in. they're both at fault. the korean judge bans some older devices, as well. they say there's no way consumers would confuse their smartphones. kodak hopes to sell off its imaging unit and concentrate on printing and business services. that means kodak will no longer make film, or scanners. >> film? what was that? >> a foreign word. >> the good old days.

if you bought an ab circle pro exercise device, you could get a refund. the company is settling charges that the marketing is deceptive. the marketing promised you can lose ten pounds at just three minutes a day. as if being friday wasn't enough, today is also national waffle day. many restaurants are offering breakfast specials this morning. some are offering waffles flavored with liquor or how about waffle-flavored vodka. that goes on sale, as well. you know. i got my money back. >> that's the most exercise you're going to get all day. >> probably. well, serious stuff just ahead, including the latest on tropical storm isaac. >> plus, how a 3-day-old baby was taken from the hospital by a stranger. and a wet and wild wedding. bride and groom arriving by jetpack. introducing doggie dentures. [ male announcer ] introducing doggie dentures. hd 8.

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famous footwear. victory is yours. tropical storm isaac didn't even make landfall in puerto rico. but it got close enough to tear down trees, dump lots of rain and whip up ten-foot waves. this video just coming in. isaac is making its way to haiti and the dominican republic this morning. it is not likely to hit tampa directly. but the city could see heavy rain and flooding as the republican convention begins next week. and now, for a look at your morning road conditions. storms could soak highways in the southwest and the middle of the country, from minneapolis all the way down to houston. a wet ride, at times, across much of florida. >> if you are flying, just a couple weather-related airport delays to look out for in kansas and houston. well, it happens to all of us. rushing around, of course, we're so distracted these days, we do not pay attention to where we're

going. >> actually got off on the wrong elevator floor yesterday. a little embarrassing. >> that doesn't surprise me. >> that's exactly what happened to a massachusetts mom. she was carrying her 4-year-old son, scrambling to catch a train. she walks off the platform and drops on to the tracks. some good samaritans immediately jumped down to help her up. amazingly, mother, child, rescuers, everybody is okay. >> kudos to those good samaritans, for sure. a 3-day-old boy who was snatched from a pittsburgh hospital is back safely this morning. according to the grandmother, a woman posing as a nurse, said that the newborn needed a vital test before going home. she took the baby and they both vanished. police tracked them down and arrested the woman who blamed her own parents for her actions. >> i hurt one person's feelings that i love. but -- >> who did you hurt? >> can't tell you that. >> a boyfriend or somebody?

>> yeah. >> did you tell him you're pregnant? >> but guess what? mom, it's all your fault. dad, you, too. >> clearly disturbed. police say that just hours before the kidnapping, the suspect bought hospital scrubs, apparently to blend in with maternity ward staffers. the victim of a rare flesh-eating disease is home again. 24-year-old aimee copeland lost both hands, her left leg and her right foot to the life-threatening infection. she spent more than three months in hospital, before returning to her parents' home, which is wheelchair accessible, thanks all to donations. her father says her spirits are good. >> what a brave, young woman. now, for sports, we're going to start off on the light side of things. there's the flying squirrel, gold medal gymnast, gabby douglas, throwing out a ceremonial pitch at the mets/rockies game. as for the pros, here's espn. >> doug kezirian with your

"sportscenter" update. red sox and angels have disappointed fans. but they entertained them for one game. in the tenth inning, tide at 12-12. kendry morales with a solo shot. high lows go up 13-12. a 14-12 game in the bottom of the tenth with two outs. but dustin pedroia gives the sox life. he singles to right. makes it 14-13. a combined 15 pitchers used in this game. what a great one. fieri strikes out adrian gonzalez. a wild one. preseason action in the nfl. aaron rodgers and the packers taking on the bengals. week three. the starters play the most minutes in this week than any other week. the reigning mvp, running in for two lucky touchdowns. he threw for 45 touchdowns last

season. ran for two last night. rodgers, 12 for 22, 154 through the air. pack wins, 27-13. elsewhere, ravens hosting the jaguars. first quarter, blaine gabbert has had a solid preseason. but nothing he can do here. the sack, virtually untouched. gabbert, 11 of 21 for 117 yards. joe flacco on the other side of the ball. play-action, and anquan boldin for a five-yard touchdown pass. ravens win big. flacco, 27 of 36. i'm doug kezirian with your "sportscenter" update. >> almost the preseason. almost the pre-pre. a wedding should be unforgettable. this one certainly takes the take. that's because the bride and groom chose to use water-powered jetpacks, of course they did to arrive at their ceremony on the sand in southern california. >> the question isn't why they

did it but why not do it? next up, trips to lake tahoe and coasta rica. no word on if they will get jetpacks there. a wedding of a different flavor. >> jetpacks to costa rica. that would be a long trip, though. up next, "the pulse." princely problems paying off for businesses in sin city. and is he famous or just faking it? lights and cameras gathered a crowd for a very interesting social experiment. wider awake. only the beautyrest recharge sleep system combines the comfort of aircool memory foam layered on top of beautyrest pocketed coils to promote proper sleeping posture all night long. the revolutionary recharge sleep system from beautyrest... it's you, fully charged. receive up to a $300 beautyrest visa prepaid card when you buy select beautyrest mattress sets.

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well, prince harry, once again, tops "the pulse" this morning, now that a british tabloid has finally decided to publish those nude photos of him. >> the poor prince. "the sun," britain's best-selling daily ran the picture of harry's naked las vegas romp in today's edition, despite a request from the royal family. "the sun's" editor said it was ludicrous that the pictures were seen by hundreds of millions around the world and not by its readers. >> there it is. >> and now that harry has given new meaning to the las vegas strip, the city is losing no time trying to cash in. the convention and visitors authority, today launches an ad campaign that reminds partiers that what happens in vegas is supposed to stay there.

>> the ads have a tongue and cheek pledge of discretion. travel agents are reporting an increase in sin city. they're calling it the prince harry effect. love that town. >> everybody thought they were being original, of what happens in vegas stays in vegas. sinatra said if you can make it here, you could make it anywhere. but who knew making it could be so easy. >> an ordinary new yorkers achieved instant celebrity status by acting the part. that's brent cohen, flanked by two bodyguards, paparazzi and fans. by the time the social experiment was over, 300 people had asked to take a picture with him. >> brett said people are so attracted to pop culture that many didn't even question who he was. he is going to be on "good morning america" this morning. >> and on "gma," which further

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updating the top stories. lance armstrong has given up his breaking news san francisco dozens evacuated after a suspicious package is found many bomb squad is on the scene so is terry mcsweeney. san jose police will brief reporters on a new effort to reduce violent crime. there have been 33 homicides so far this year. >> mike has a look at forecast. >> can you believe how much co bride-to-be. it used to be so simple. >> used to be.

but since social media, that has gone the way of covered wagons. and proposing has become a competition sport. here's abc's david wright. >> reporter: the mating ritual of the youtube generation. popping the question with over-the-top production values. >> i'd like to have your blessing, sir. may i have your daughter's hand in marriage? >> reporter: in georgia, matt declared his love for jennie joyner. down in the corner, that's her real-time reaction. in portland, oregon, isaac mann got his friends and families to lip-sync to bruno mars. these days, there's flash mob proposal planners. it takes money and organization to get all those line dancers in place. price tag, as little as $2,000. as much as $10,000 bucks. >> wedding proposals are out of control. i never hear a story where it's just a simple, hey, marry me.

>> reporter: in june, outside the new york public library. greg jones spent $9,000, not including the ring. >> i figured i'd bring some friends to show you how much i love you. >> reporter: to create and capture this moment. >> allison leclair, would you please, please marry me? >> yes. >> reporter: how could she possibly say no? david wright, abc news, los angeles. >> points for creativity. but sometimes simple is appreciated, as well. >> all of the expectations for the proposal? >> i guess they're going to mars for the wedding. >> on jetpacks. >> yeah. stay with us for a jam-packed "gma," including a look at this new book that has the white house on alert. a s.e.a.l.'s side of the ride that killed osama bin laden. that's what's making news in america on this friday morning. >> have a great weekend, everybody. and thanks for joining us.