enjoy your labor day, everybody. making news in america on this labor day morning, the road to charlotte. >> president obama is in an important battleground state today. before seeing isaac's destruction. all and that and democrats prepare for their national convention. here's a taste of what is left in isaac's aftermath. widespread flooding. power problems. all being made just that much worse thanks to sweltering summer time temps. a horrific crash at an air show in iowa. cameras rolling as the pilot loses control and plunges to his death. and later in the show, fears about michael jackson's health and state of mind in the days before his death. one of them calling him, quote, a basket case.

good morning. we begin this labor day with a busy working holiday in the presidential race. >> this morning, thousands of democratic delegates will begin arriving in charlotte, north carolina, for the convention where they'll nominate the president for a second term. brandi hitt is in charlotte, already. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, rob, good morning, paula. today, they're taking over the streets of charlotte. they're starting to put up a stage behind me. this is a kickoff party. in fact, the first big name to arrive today is first lady michelle obama. >> it is time to move forward, that's the choice in this election. >> reporter: this week, it's the democrats' turn to rally support behind president obama and his bid for a second term. ♪ the stage is set in charlotte, with democrats billing their

national convention the most open convention in history. >> front row, right up front and personal. >> reporter: democrats are using star power to get their message across all week long, including appearances by eva longoria, james taylor, mary j. blige, and the foo fighters. later this week, first lady michelle obama and former president bill clinton will speak, leading up to a large celebration on thursday inside bank of america stadium. >> all: enough is enough. >> reporter: hundreds protested the big banks on the streets on friday. while on his road to charlotte tour, the president continues to criticize his republican opponent's convention speech. >> governor romney knows the secret to creating jobs and growing the economy. nobody bothered to tell us what they were. >> this president cannot tell us you're better off today than when he took office. >> reporter: a poll showed

romney with a slight lead after the republican convention, it now shows the two are tied, with two months until election day. >> in tampa, paul ryan asked the question, why should the next four years be any different from the last four without new leadership. barack obama has to answer that question. >> reporter: while democrats celebrate this week, mitt romney will spend the week preparing for the upcoming debate. rob and paula, back to you. >> such a close race. those debates in october could be critical. brandi hitt in charlotte for us. she'll be there all week. and some other political notes this morning. president obama is reacting to clint eastwood's odd appearance at last week's republican convention. telling "usa today" that he's still a huge eastwood fan and shrugging off the bit where eastwood talked to an empty chair. the president says if you're easily offended, you should probably choose another

profession. this 25-foot sand sculpture is drawing attention in charlotte. it's landlocked, almost 200 miles from the ocean. so the 15 tons of sand came from a mine in south carolina. >> interesting likeness. as for the republican ticket, mitt romney is doing the debate prep at his vacation home in new hampshire. while running mate paul ryan will be in the tar heel state holding a rally at eastern carolina university in greenville as the democrats kick things off in charlotte. speaking of the notoriously fit ryan, he has been forced to backtrack about a statement he made about his time in a marathon. in radio interview last week, he said he ran in 1990 in under four hours. "runner's world" magazine looked into it and found he fin ished

just over four hours. paul has admitted his mistake. an apparent terrorist attack in peshawar has left two americans dead. a car filled with explosives rammed an armored suv as it left the consulate building. the explosion was so big, it severely damaged most of the buildings around it. two consulate employees were injured in the attack. no one has claimed responsibility in the bombing yet. more information as we get it. a new tally showing the devastating toll of syria's civil wars. two activists group say that 5,000 people were killed there this august, making it the bloodiest month in a year and half of fighting. activists blame president assad's wide use of air power or the crush the revolt. around 20,000 have been killed since the situation began. >> a staggering number. 20,000 in all. after campaigning in ohio this morning, the president travels to louisiana to see the

damage from isaac firsthand. 200,000 people are still without power nearly a week after the storm hit. thousands of folks are unable to return home. there are new worries about the west pearl river. it's supposed to crest later today at about five feet above flood level. that storm has spawned 44 reported tornadoes since it came ashore last week. on saturday, a tornado did damage to the town of corning, arkansas. the threat of rain and flooding lingers in the south. >> isaac taking on all kinds of forms. marine experts in florida are trying to save five whales. the only survivors from a pod of pilot whales that beached themselves on saturday. 22 in all were stranded on the sands of a state park in fort pierce. it's believed one of the whales may have been sick and the others followed it ashore. the five survivors are showing signs of improvement. and marine biologists don't know what killed a 13-foot-long

great white shark that washed up on the shore on the massachusetts-rhode island border this weekend. the beaches were closed for awhile but they'll be open again today. a forest fire burning out of control in the southern california mountains has forced thousands of visitors to evacuate, foiling their holiday weekend. the fire broke out yesterday in the angeles national forest. near a popular recreational area. the smoke is so thick it could be seen in downtown l.a. it is time now for the labor day weather from across the nation. hope it's nice where you are. having a barbecue. >> yes. >> thunderstorms in the southwest. hail, gusty winds in the dakotas. heavy rain and flooding from the ohio and tennessee valleys to the mid-atlantic, carolinas, and atlanta. >> 80s in the northern rockiero midwest, and southeast. triple digits in dallas and phoenix. 70s in the pacific northwest.

why today is a good day to buy a car. i know it's a good day to go shopping but car shopping? >> not bad. get ready for a flood of new tech product this is week. that's straight ahead in your business news. plus the air show disaster we showed you earlier. investigators looking into what went so wrong. ñ!ñcús

welcome back on this monday morning. it's rivals are trying to beat's toll the punch. am is expected to unveil a new

iphone and mini-ipad next week. samsung and sony unveiled new phones last week. there are other events held this week that are expected to include a new kindle fire tablet. the auto industry is expected to be a key subject in this year's election. gm and chrysler are again profitable after receiving bailout money. which, of course, was opposed by many republicans. this might be a good day to give some of your money to the auto industry. several major companies are offering big incentives to dealers to sell their cars. that could lead to deep discounts and generous tradins for you as the dealers try to make their quote thats. those online reviews can be crucial to a restaurant's success. half a star in a rating

significantly increases business, sometimes by nearly 20%. >> i'm a big believer in those surveys. the box office on the final weekend of the summer is in the possession of a horror film. "the possession" was the leader in what is traditionally a slow weekend at the box office. the movie, "lawless" opened wednesday, came in second with 10 million bucks. the expendables 2 was third with $9 million. >> theater owners may have to pay more for popcorn, too. the drought has hurt the popcorn harvest. that smels good on tv. >> retail prices are up by as much as 50%. one analyst says theater owners may have to absorb the increase because their popcorn prices are already so high. ain't that the truth. >> a little more butter. when we come back, fans at a

truck race get way too close to the action. and some friend who is just love doing weird stuff with their facial hair. yeah. stick around for that. we'll be right back. [ sniffs ] bacon?! gotta get that bacon! bacon?! bacon! smokey bacon, meaty bacon, tasty bacon! bacon? ohh, la, la... oh, i say, is that bacon?! oh, good heavens! bacon! bacon! bacon! bacon! who wants a beggin' strip? meee! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum, yum, yum... it's bacon!!! mmm i love you, i love bacon. i love you. i love bacon. i love you. beggin' strips! hd 4. i'm gonna need a bigger mouth! and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle

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they're whole grain good... and yummy good. real fruit pieces. 12 grams of whole grains and a creamy yogurt flavored coating. quaker yogurt granola bars. treat yourself good. now for a look at your morning road conditions. heavy rain drenches highways from birmingham and atlanta to d.c. and the ohio valley. a slick commute from the dakotas to green bay. if you're flying on this holiday, airport delays possible on the east coast from philly, atlanta, nashville, cincinnati, des moines, omaha, denver and phoenix. that's it, just ten. back to the news this morning. new questions being raised about the safety of air shows after another deadly crash over the weekend. >> officials are trying to figure out what caused an experienced pilot to plunge to the ground. here's abc's clayton sandell.

>> reporter: it was a spectacular, trouble-free flight until this. >> oh, it just crashed. >> reporter: flying in tight formation at an air show in davenport, iowa, this soviet-era jet banks to the ground, never recovering. glen myth, a veteran pilot from texas, was killed. >> he went nose down into the ground and burst into flames. >> reporter: since 1988, air show accidents have killed 100 pilots and performers. but for the 12 million people who enjoy them every year, air shows are almost always safe. here in colorado, a terrible crash that killed 20 people back in the '50s led to new rules. planes must stay 500 to 1500 feet away from crowds and avoid flying toward people. >> there hasn't been a spectator fatality since 1952. that's because of the strict rules in place for nearly 60 years. >> reporter: but there are new rules when it comes to the world of air races. after this crash last september.

a p-51 mustang slams into the crowd in reno, nevada. 11 people were killed. federal investigators found the plane had performance modification that were undocumented and untested. this spring, the ntsb call for stricter rules and changes to the race course. and more training for the pilots. >> you're going to see people flying airplanes to the edge of the envelope. that means also that there's just a bit of assumed risk for any audience member. >> reporter: for many, a thrill with a risk worth taking. clayton sandell, abc news, denver. in oregon, a monster truck went out of control during a race and headed straight for spectators. cameras were rolling when the truck careened toward that crowd. three people were hurt, including a father and his 11-year-old son. none of their injuries was serious. the driver will not be charged. wow. also, a monster five-alarm

fire in oregon lit up the night sky as a vacant inn burned on hayden island. the fire spread across the 14-ager property. investigators are not ruled out arson. a report out this morning could explain why the navy s.e.a.l. might have written a book about the killing of osama bin laden. "the new york times" says a new ebook by other special operations veterans claimed that the author of "no easy day" had some bad blood with his unit. the ebook says he was pushed out of s.e.a.l. team six. the ebook "no easy day" is due out today. >> that book continues to generate controversy. let's turn to sports news this morning. the last monday without monday night football for a few months. >> we'll have football through february. let's get highlights from other sports now from espn. >> doug kezirian here with your espn news update.

we start on the track in atlanta. two races to go until the chase for the championship. as for this race, we'll pick it up with 45 laps remaining. martin truex jr. makes the inside pass on denny hamlin to take the lead. fast forward, five laps to go. jamie mcmurray, blowing a right tire, sparks flying. that brings out a caution. as for this race, sometimes, a 325-lap race will come down to the final two laps. off a restart, hamlin out in front. jeff gordon, the 24 car, trying to pass him on the high road. instead, hamlin takes the checkered flag. with that win, he punches his ticket for the chase for the championship. let's go to baseball. the tigers hosting the white sox. detroit has won six straight meetings. their ace, on the bump, justin verlander, 1 of his 11 strikeouts.

he has four straight seasons of at least 200 ks. a 1-1 game in the sixth. men on first and second for delmon young. he takes chris sale deep with a three-run shot. tigers win. chris sale not happy. tigers and white sox now tied atop the a.l. central with detroit sweeping the south siders. have a great day. i'm doug kezirian. and some real sports took part in a bizarre contest over the weekend. a group of men who really love their facial hair competed for best beard and mustache in lansing, michigan, your home state. >> that's how we roll in michigan. >> they were judged on fierceness, whatever that may mean. >> judges looked for how well the hair fit the personality. some of the guys getting a head start on hunting season. >> that looks insane to me. i don't know how he handles certain things. up next, "the pulse."

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time for "the pulse." three years after his death, we have new insights into michael jackson's final days. >> promoters op-comeback concert has doubts.

one called him a basket case. >> other e-mails called jackson drunk and despondent and an emotionally paralyzed mess. >> harsh words. wow. moving on. oscar-winning actor russell crowe found himself at the center of a real-life drama. that ended with a coast guard rescue. >> he got lost kayaking off new york on saturday. after four hours on the water, they came ashore on a deserted beach. they flagged down a patrcoast g patrol. >> crowe was on long island working on a film called "noah." he should have had an ark instead of a kayak. >> oh, she's here all week. a family woke up to a surprise, a deer in their pool. they called 911. >> instead of climbing out, the deer sat on the ramp. they had to coax him out. finally, a little nudge from a

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a family wants to know what happened before vallejo police fired 30 shots at a 23-year-old. the police side coming up. >> why one california delegate to the national convention has been sent home before it began. going to be warm again on this labor day. i'll have all events c heavy rain from ohio to the mid-atlantic and the deep south. thunderstorms in the southern rockies. and finally, on the trail of the disappearing red panda. one of the cutest creatures on the planet. not talking about rob.

but they are on the edge of extinction. >> dan harris traveled across the globe to place the red panda calls home. he found clues to their past a lot closer to us. >> reporter: when the children press their noses up to the glass, captivated by these red panda cubs, they're staring into the face of a mystery. why is this animal, which once roamed vast regions of the earth, now on the brink of extinction? and could the answer save these creatures before they're gone forever? our search for clues took us to the other side of the world, to the small sliver of the planet where red pandas can be found in the wild. these are the foot hills of the himalayan mountains. darjeeling, india. >> you don't see it in the wild often. it's very rare. >> reporter: this zoo is one of the most successful red panda breeding centers in the world. they've teamed up a male and a

female hoping they'll make a love connection. and maybe someday, those offspring can be returned to the wild. here this the foothills of another mountain range, the blue ridge mountains of tennessee. >> needless to say, i was not expecting a red panda. this is the best fossil of red pandas anywhere. and we have just gotten started. >> reporter: it's the shape and size of that tooth that links this 4 to 7 million-year-old red panda with the ones living today a world away. so why did they disappear? one theory is raccoons moved in and started competing for the same food. the luck of the red panda is running out fast. they believe there are less than 10,000 left in the wild. which makes the match-making happening in this cage in india more critical as this adorable creature fights for its very survival. >> adorable is an understatement. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america."