this morning, the first lady's personal pitch. >> opening the democratic convention with a rousing speech about why her husband deserves to keep his job. we're live in charlotte. storm damage. isaac, refusing to go away. battering the northeast with tornadoes and flooded roads. new video, just in. apple's announcement, making it official, after weeks of rumors. but the new iphone may not be the only apple offering ready for its big debut. and from late-night tv, jiminy kimmel's latest prank for parents. get your kids to wear something really embarrassing on the first day of school. good wednesday morning,

everyone. we begin this wednesday with michelle obama, delivering an impassioned speech on the first night of the democratic national convention. >> the first lady got a rousing reception in charlotte, where she told cheering delegates that the man she knows as a husband and a father, is the man to lead this country for four more years. abc's brandi hitt joins us live from charlotte with the latest. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: michelle obama was the star at the opening night of the democratic national convention. and she revealed personal details about the president as only she could. >> being president doesn't change who you are. no, it reveals who you are. >> reporter: in an emotional speech, first lady michelle obama reminded voters her husband still stands behind working families with every tough decision he makes as president. >> for barack, success isn't about how much money you make. it's about the difference you make in people's lives.

>> reporter: president obama and their daughters watched the speech from the white house. while others at the democratic national convention went on the attack. >> mitt romney talks a lot about all the things he's fixed. i can tell you, massachusetts was not one of them. >> working families have paid the price for mitt romney's success. >> reporter: and a new face hit the national stage. san antonio mayor, julian castro, the first latino to deliver a keynote address. >> my mother fought hard for civil rights. so, instead of a mop, i could hold this microphone. >> reporter: the president is counting on turnout from latino voters and women in november. but a new poll shows more women disapprove of the president than approve, down 11 points since april. that's where the first lady comes in. >> come together and stand together, with a man we can trust. >> reporter: now, president obama arrives in charlotte later

today. and tonight, former president bill clinton will take the stage. and experts believe he is the best salesman for the democratic party. rob and paula, back to you. >> brandi, how have the republicans responded to mrs. obama's speech? >> reporter: you know, rob and paula, you were watching mrs. obama speak, as well. it was very emotional at times. at times, it was like she was going to choke up a little bit. very powerful according to the democrats. and the republicans say, her speech was all about feelings and not about the president's record. so, that is their criticism of her speech. >> all right. abc's brandi hitt in charlotte. thanks for that report, brandi. plenty of celebs are on-hand in charlotte. >> among those spotted on the first night of the convention, actors john ligusamo.

>> mtv doesn't want fans to choose between music and the president oop it's moving the start time for tomorrow's annual video awards. they will begin an hour earlier than usual is so the show won't conflict with the president's speech. >> cool of mtv. we'll have more later on "good morning america." and of course, tonight beginning at 10:00 eastern time. we're following breaking news overnight in canada. a victory rally for quebec's new premiere turned into chaos before a deadly shooting happened in the audience. pauline marois was removed from the stage in precaution. a man opened fire, killing one person and wounding another. such shootings are unusual in canada. secretary of state clinton was in beijing earlier this morning, meeting with chin needs president hu jintao.

>> interesting. the first convention she has missed since 1968. she's been in the game a long time. back here at home, the remnants of isaac are leaving much of the east coast sopping wet for the second-straight day. soaking downpours swept in yesterday, triggering flooding and stranding cars down from vermont to virginia. the storm triggered an apparent tornado in bell mar, new jersey. the winds toppled trees and power lines. thankfully, no one was hurt. and tropical storm leslie is on a slow approach to bermuda, stirring up 65-mile-per-hour winds. it's now on track to hit the island sunday morning as a cat 2 hurricane. it's too early to tell if leslie will hit new england, though. it will kick up rough surf along much of the east coast. tropical storm michael has formed out in the atlantic. september, a busy month of storm season. in southern california, a stubborn wildfire that forced thousands of people to evacuate,

is still blazing through angeles national forest. the fire is 25% contained. but the terrain is so steep, it could be another week before it's fully under control. the flames have raced through 3,800 acres. and this morning, it's moving farther into the woods and thankfully away from a mobile home park. time, now, for a check of weather across the country on this wednesday morning. more heavy rain and flash flooding from the carolinas up to maine. thunderstorms along the gulf coast. hail, 70-mile-per-hour winds and also a chance of tornadoes around milwaukee, chicago, st. louis and indianapolis. thunderstorms from the texas panhandle into the desert southwest. >> triple digits in phoenix and dallas. mostly 80s from detroit to the east coast. 70s from billings to minneapolis. when we come back this morning after the break, apple drops more clues about the iphone 5, as all that anticipation continues to build. also, a big mac but hold the beef. doesn't sound right, does it? we're going to tell you about the new meatless mcdonald's.

and later, meet a little pool player that has a very big game. pocketing balls like the pros do. stay tuned. 1ñ

welcome back, everyone. the national debt is at a record high this morning. it's now more than $16 trillion, which works out to about $51,000 for every american. democrats and republicans are blaming one another. but whomever wins in november, congress will have to raise the

government borrowing limit early next year. apple is all-but confirming that it will unveil the iphone 5 next week. the company's invitation to its media event, has the number 12, the date, with the shadow forming a 5. apple may announce a miniipad, and some new ear buds and maybe a tv set. sales are down, though, as customers await, as we're always doing, the next version to the iphone 6 next week. facebook says its stock has hit new lows. mark zuckerberg will not sell any of his shares for at least a year. the social network is offering to buy back shares. yesterday, the stock closed below 18 bucks. it's lost more than $20 a share since it went on sale back in may. american airlines pilots are grounded. a federal judge says the bankrupt airline can throw out its existing contract with its pilots and start over.

pilots have been picketing the airline. theirs was the only union that would not grand concessions to the airline. american wants more flexible work rules so it can cut costs. and mcdonald's plans to open a restaurant in india, where it won't serve a big mac or any other meat. the chain will open its first all-vegetarian restaurant in a sikh holy city. they already have menus that are 50% vegetarian. indians avoid meat due to religion reasons. it makes a lot of sense. but roughly 300 stores in india, like we said. and 300,000 everywhere else. looking to break into that market, big-time. >> wonder if filet-o-fish counts. >> we'll see. when we come back on this wednesday, the parents who say their son wasn't welcome on a first-class flight all because of a disability. and opening day for the nfl, thank you, with a big rivalry to kick things off.

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well, it is a smelly, rancid mess along parts of the mississippi gulf coast. workers are cleaning up the dead bodice of an estimated 16,000 swamp rats, otherwise known as nutria, that have been left behind in the aftermath of hurricane isaac. the scent is said to be horrible. and they're keeping people off the beach as a precaution. even some of the workers have quit because the conditions are so disgusting. >> rough scene down there for so many reasons. now, let's take a look at your morning road conditions today. rain soaks highways from maine to miami and on the gulf coast, as well. a wet commute from milwaukee to st. louis. and from west texas to phoenix. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible along the east coast in boston, new york, philadelphia, washington, d.c., in addition to chicago. back to the news this morning. a california family claims their son was kept off an american airlines flight because of his disability.

>> robert vanderhorst says he was flying from newark to los angeles on sunday with his wife and their 16-year-old son who has down syndrome. but then word came from the pilot that they could not board the flight home. >> i think the pilot was concerned that my son was going to be in first class. and that i think the pilot felt that my type of son, my disabled, down syndrome son, shouldn't be in first class. >> the vanderhorsts started recording the airport scene on a cell phone. american airlines said the boy was not ready to fly because he was agitated and running around the gate area prior to boarding. but his parents say that is simply not true. a massachusetts court ruling is sparking both praise and outrage in the case of a transgender prison inmate. a judge has agreed that the state department of corrections must pay for the inmate's sex

reassignment surgery. michelle kosilek was born a man but takes female hormones and lives as a woman in the all-male prison. she is serving life in prison for murder. a new study suggests more lives could be saved if doctors in hospitals performed cpr for a little bit longer. researchers found as little as nine minutes extra cpr gave patients suffering a heart attack better odds of surviving. right now, there's no medically accepted standard, though, for how long doctors should continue the life-saving procedure. and new research suggests that silent heart attacks are a serious health threat for older adults. the study found that 17% of the elderly people studied had suffered heart attacks without any of the typical symptoms. experts say those kinds of unrecognized attacks are almost as deadly as those with symptoms. and check out what happened to one elderly driver in ft. lauderdale, florida. the driver was parked, nose-out. and while unknowingly in reverse, he wound up plowing

into a popular haitian restaurant yesterday morning. the entire car was inside that place. thankfully, no customers were there just yet. no injuries to report. >> it wasn't a drive-through. >> indeed. in sports, they're going to try to get more tennis in today at the u.s. open. rain yesterday meant only two singles matches were completed. one of those that was suspended was the highly-anticipated andy roddick. his fourth-round faceoff against juan martin del potro. the rain extended roddick's career by at least one more day. and exactly seven months to the day after it ended, it's time for the nfl's season opener. the defending super bowl champion, new york giants, hosting division rival, dallas, tonight. as for some baseball highlights, we get that from espn. >> good morning. i'm hakem dermish with your "sportscenter" update. big game in st. pete last night. evan longoria and the rays taking on the yankees. bottom three, man on, two outs for longoria. an explosive situation. takes freddy garcia deep. his tenth home run of the year. the rays take a 3-2 lead. bottom five. desmond jennings at the dish. he takes garcia out long.

rays on top, 4-2. not done yet. very next batter. b.j. upton. his 18th home run of the season. the rays go on to win 5-2. the yanks have now lost three in a row. so, the orioles chasing the yankees. baltimore taking on the blue jays. top five, no score. two on for mark reynolds. crushes one to left. his 17th home run of the season. fifth home run in five games. the o's have a season high 18 hits. and shutout the blue jays, 12-0. and they're tied with the yankees in the division. white sox, taking on the twins. that's outfielder dewayne wise pitching for the white sox because, well, the white sox used six pitchers in this game. wise gets a double-play. and the next batter gets ryan doumit to fly out and end the inning. phil humber allowed eight home runs. ouch is right. reds/phillies. that's matt latos.

pitching to nate schierholtz in the top of the second. check out jay bruce tracking it. makes a great catch at the wall. great concentration. the reds win 2-1. cincy's first home win versus the phillies in two years. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm hakem dermish. have a great day. >> we will, especially because football kicks off tonight. >> thank you. finally. let's go. saints. check out a pint-sized pool shark. his parents say he was born to play the game. and our friend, jimmy kimmel, pulling a fast one on some kids for their first day of school. race in chicago, but i can only afford one trip. and i just found out my best friend is getting married in l.a. there's no way i'm missing that. then i heard about hotwire and i realized i could actually afford both trips.

see, when really nice hotels have unsold rooms, they use hotwire to fill them. so i got my four-star hotels for half-price! >> men: ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com >> announcer: save big on car rentals too, from $12.95 a day. hi, i'm phil mickelson. i've been fortunate to win on golf's biggest stages. but when joint pain and stiffness from psoriatic arthritis hit, even the smallest things became difficult. i finally understood what serious joint pain is like. i talked to my rheumatologist and he prescribed enbrel. enbrel can help relieve pain, stiffness, and stop joint damage. because enbrel, etanercept, suppresses your immune system, it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma, other cancers, and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred. before starting enbrel, your doctor should test you for tuberculosis and discuss whether you've been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. tell your doctor if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure,

or if, while on enbrel, you experience persistent fever, bruising, bleeding, or paleness. [ phil ] get back to the things that matter most. ask your rheumatologist if enbrel is right for you. [ doctor ] enbrel, the number one biolog medicine prescribed by rheumatologists. car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching, you'd have like, a ton of dollars. but how are they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um" or, "no comment." then there's esurance. born online, raised by technology,

and majors in efficiency. so whatever they save, you save. hassle, time, paperwork, hair-tearing-out, and yes, especially dollars. esurance. insurance for the modern world. click or call. it is time to check "the pulse" of pop culture on this wednesday morning. beginning with another hilarious prank by our good friend, jimmy kimmel. he's at it again. >> from time to time, as you may know, he asks parents to mess with their kids. this time, this was the challenge. pick out a horribly embarrassing back-to-school outfit and ask them to wear it. take a look at what happened. >> do you like your school outfit? >> no. >> why? >> because it looks nasty. >> i am not wearing this to school. this is the worst outfit ever. >> i look like a girl. look at me.

don't i look like a girl? i'm such a girl in this. [ laughter ] >> so, this the all just to get a little laugh? really? i hate jimmy kimmel. >> this is inappropriate. >> it's not inappropriate. let me see. you're going to wear that the first day of school. >> these kids are revolting. >> jimmy has found a great franchise. that stuff is good. thank you, mr. kimmel, for laughs this morning. there's nothing like being trapped on a long flight with a crying baby. i've been there many times myself. unless it's your baby doing the crying. >> but the parents of newborn twins on an american flight last week did their best to diffuse the situation. they gave each passenger a bag of candy with a note saying, in part, we're twin baby boys on our very first flight. we'll try to be on our best behavior.

>> they also offered fellow passengers ear plugs, just in case. that's brilliant. if you've had kids and taken them on a flight, it's one of the tense moments because everybody's looking around. stop crying. stop kicking my chair, child. >> it's a rough flight when the kid starts crying. no one likes that. and finally, don't mess with keith o'dell jr., if you run into this kid in a pool hall. consider that an early warning because keith is 5 years old right now. >> to call him a pool prodigy is probably something of an understatement. he's been playing since he was less than 2 years old. >> his dad says keith was destined to be a great player because even before he could walk, keith would sit in a highchair and watch dad play for hours. seems that it worked. did the trick. man, prodigy is the word. going to be hustling people in a few months. not bad. for some of you, now, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with the start of the strahan era on "live."

living with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis means living with pain. it could also mean living with joint damage. help relieve the pain and stop the damage with humira, adalimumab. for many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. so you can treat more than just the pain. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems,

serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have symptoms such as fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage before they stop you.

next, a highway patrol officer is on life support following a shooting yesterday. the latest on the investigation. >> vallejo police will hold a news conference today to further explain why officers fatally wounded a man carrying a pellet gun. mike will have the forecast. chance of thunderstorms today and severe storms from milwaukee to st. louis. thunderstorms along the gulf coast. and heavy rain from the carolinas to maine. finally this wednesday morning, one of the worst-kept secrets in showbiz has been officially revealed. kelly ripa has a permanent

co-host. >> nearly ten months after regis left "live," former nfl player michael strahan has been chosen to fill those big shoes. abc's t.j. winick was there for the big announcement. >> reporter: kelly ripa's new on-air partner got the welcome deserving of a man of this stature. >> it gives me great pleasure to introduce to you the newest member of our "live" family, michael strahan. >> reporter: after 9 months and 59 guest co-hosts, it was the former football star that producers say was the best fit. >> it's something special individually with michael. also, their chemistry was there. >> reporter: the first thing you notice about this pair, kelly is 5'3". strahan, 6'5". >> it's so nice to be able to have a co-host literally sweep you off your feet. and i know that he could bench press me if he wanted to. >> reporter: i asked the duo about the new show's appeal. do you think you being on the show is going to grow the

audience? >> i hope so. you know, i think being here definitely is a different demographic, especially coming from a sports background and the football macho background. >> reporter: you might not otherwise from believed it, but this clip from 2008 proves that this pairing may just have been in the stars. >> what are you going to do with the rest of your life? you have a lot of personality. a lot of charisma. >> i'm on a show right now that, you know, maybe you wanna -- >> reporter: legendary tv personality, regis philbin stepped down from the show last november. >> if it wasn't for him, i wouldn't be sitting here. and i really appreciate all these done. >> reporter: singer josh groban, and "saturday night live" comedian, seth meyers were also in the running. but it turned out to be the former super bowl champion with feet big enough to fill those shoes. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. >> let the new era begin. congrats, michael. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> have a great wednesday, everybody.