making news in america this morning -- shutdown standoff. still no sign of a solution in washington. and now, there's growing concerns about national security and the furloughs. deadly crash debris. scattered across the road after a bus collides with a tractor-trailer. the investigation getting under way, as we learn about the people involved. kingpin caught. a man in his 20s, under arrest, accused of running a billion-dollar black market for drugs. how investigators uncovered the amazon.com for narcotics. and no fear. a fisherman, risking his own life to rescue one of the most dangerous animals in the world. good morning.

we begin this thursday with high-level white house meetings on shutdown. >> president obama and top lawmakers talking behind closed doors last night. for many angry and frustrated americans, it looked like a omising step. >> abc's tahman bradley is joining us from washington with more on how those talks turned out. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, diana. good morning, john. the good news is, at least all of the key players here in washington are talking again. the bad news, they're not any closer to striking a deal. the government shutdown enters a third day after a meeting between president obama and congressional leaders yielded no sign of progress. >> we are locked in tight on obama care. >> all we're asking for here is a discussion and fairness for the american people under obama care. >> reporter: president obama says he won't negotiate with republicans until they agree to fund the government with no strings attached. in an interview on cnbc, the president blames speaker boehner for the stalemate. >> the only thing that's stopping it is that john boehner right now has not been willing

to say no to a faction of the republican party that are willing to burn the house down because of an obsession over my health care initiative. >> reporter: outside washington, the shutdown is hurting hard-working americans. in ft. wayne, indiana, the reid family is awaiting final approval for an fha-backed mortgage. but the government employees who would sign off on the loan are furloughed. >> we're in this hotel for who knows how long. >> reporter: head start is beginning to shut down across the country. geraldine bryant's twin sons have no preschool again today. >> it's going to impact them in a big way, especially academically, as far as them not being able to be in school. >> reporter: while social security checks are not affected by the shutdown. >> i wanted a social security card. >> reporter: social security offices have reduced the number of services they provide. so, these people can forget about getting a new card, at least for now. speaker boehner and house republicans believe these budget talks should include discussion about raising the debt ceiling. the deadline to do that is

october 17th, meaning that these discussions -- the shutdown could go on for weeks. john and diana? >> tahman bradley, live in washington. thank you. well, tahman mentioned, the effects of the shutdown are being felt in ways big and small. programs like wic, which provides 9 million single moms with money for infant formula have been deemed nonessential. many state governments say they will continue the program. >> 70% of the nation's intelligence analysts have been furloughed. and the fda, all inspections on foreign, domestic fish, juice, fruit, vegetables, producers, postponed for now. millions of americans waiting for a tax refund will have to wait a little while longer. the irs says no refunds will be issued under the shutdown until the shutdown is over. while most people have already filed their taxes, more than 12 million asked for a six-month extension. west virginia senator joe manchin got some hands-on experience answering phones now that most of his office staff is on furlough. the democrat said he got a good

idea of the frustration and the fear that people are feeling. one tradition is getting a reprieve from the shutdown. u.s. military academy football teams will play this weekend. army will travel to boston college. and air force will play at navy in annapolis. the athletic director at navy said the pentagon relented because no government funds are being used. stay with abc news for the very latest. later on "good morning america," we'll have more on the nation less safe because of the shutdown. breaking news out of italy, more than 60 people are dead after a ship caught fire and sank off the coast of sicily. the death toll is expected to rise. it is believed the boat was carrying as many as 500 people. coast guard ships and fishing boats were on the scene, trying to find survivors. this is one of the deadliest migrant ship wrecks in recent times and the second one this week off of italy. this morning's other big story, a terrible scene on a tennessee highway lasted into the night. >> a church bus blew a tire yesterday afternoon and triggered a deadly chain of events.

the accident shut down i-40 near knoxville for hours. abc's marci gonzalez has more. >> reporter: victims and debris scattered along interstate 40 east of knoxville, tennessee. >> my 17 years, probably the most serious incident i've ever been a part of. >> reporter: at least eight people killed when a bus veered off the highway. crossing the median into oncoming traffic, hitting an suv with three people inside, then slamming into a tractor-trailer, which then burst into flames. the drivers of all three vehicles died. >> this is the first time i've seen it bother me this bad. and i've seen them all. so, i've cried. i've been here since 2:00 and i've cried. and i'll cry again. >> reporter: the other victims were members of a senior citizen's church group from north carolina, traveling on this packed bus back from gatlinburg, tennessee's, fall jubilee, a church festival they visited every year.

>> we don't have all the facts to give here. but we do know there were several that went on to be with the lord. >> reporter: those who survived this horrifying scene were rushed to nearby hospitals. at least 14 people injured in all. and this crash, investigators believe, was caused by a blown front tire on the church's bus. marci gonzalez, abc news, new york. attorneys for michael jackson's family are considering their legal options now that a jury has sided with the concert promoter that they are suing. katherine jackson and the star's children were seeking $1.5 billion from aeg live, claiming it was responsible for jackson's 2009 death. the jurors ruled yesterday that while the company hired dr. conrad murray, it is not liable for jackson's demise. >> the decision was reached after very careful consideration of five months of testimony. >> michael jackson was pretty used to getting his own way. he was a big star.

>> murray was ruled to be fit and competent to serve as a general practitioner to jackson, as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts. now, he's finishing up his two-year involuntary manslaughter sentence for giving jackson an overdose of the drug propofol. fans mourning the death of megabest-selling author tom clancy. his 25 novels including best-sellers and hollywood blockbusters. he often downplayed his talent, saying it was a case of dumb luck. he died tuesday after a brief illness. he was 66 years old. time, now, for weather across the country. a taste of summer in the northeast. but more like winter in the northern rockies, with heavy snow even in the lower elevations tonight. showers and thunderstorms across much of the midwest. rain in the lower mississippi valley and southern florida. stray showers from western new york to west virginia. >> boston, 74. atlanta, 84. miami, 88. omaha, 80. dallas, 91. albuquerque, 79. boise, 59. portland, 63. 72 in los angeles. a new opportunity for

scammers. authorities say con artists are using obama care enrollment to trick people. and we'll show you what to look out for. new this morning, mysterious fire. new questions about the so-called safest car after a video went viral. plus, shot through the heart. a man survives a serious nail gun accident. he's explaining how this happened.

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you know, from a young age. i definitely want to major in political science. become the mayor or something. make the situation better for other people. my name is justin, and i am your dividend. welcome back. president obama has heard a loud, clear message from the heads of the top financial institutions. the leaders of goldman sachs, wells fargo and other megabanks

expressed concern about the shutdown. but they told the president the biggest concern is the october 17th deadline for raising the nation's debt limit. they told the president failing to do that would be a brick wall on the road to recovery. major warning this morning about scammers and the affordable health care act. the better business bureau warning consumers about callers asking for personal information. they ask for social security numbers. if you get a call, hang up. the government communicates by mail. samsung has begun selling its smartwatch. the device is designed to help users check messages, answer calls. but joanne stern says it doesn't live up to the hype. >> the battery life isn't that good. it lasts a day and a half. the idea that you're constantly charging this watch doesn't make a lot of sense. on top of that, the software has a couple of bugs. the apps don't work that well. >> the galaxy gear retails for $300. all right.

and burger king p.r. stunt seems to be working. there's a lot of social media buzz about the company's facebook page showing a new logo. this comes as the company rolls out their healthier french fries. fries king. >> i can almost live with that. >> i can live with that. >> fries and burger king. >> burger and fries king. >> there you go. >> burger, fries and shake king. >> that's a lot of words. when we come back, family feud. a radio icon at the center of a nasty fight. why casey kasem's children are protesting out in front of his house. who's your daddy? mia farrow drops a bombshell about who might be the father of her son.

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add breathe right to your cold medicine. so i can reach ally bank 24/7, but there ar24/7.branches? i'm sorry, i'm just really reluctant to try new things. really? what's wrong with trying new things? look! mommy's new vacuum! (cat screech) you feel that in your muscles? i do... drink water. it's a long story. well, not having branches let's us give you great rates and service. i'd like that. a new way to bank. a better way to save. ally bank. your money needs an ally. now for a look at the morning road conditions. traveling could be tough on i-90

in south dakota. i-80 in wyoming. and i-25 in wyoming and north colorado. showers could make roads slick along the midwest and parts of the gulf coast. >> if you're flying, landing in heavy rain can cause delays in minneapolis, new orleans and chicago. an astonishing story from san francisco. a young man is in custody accused of being an online drug kingpin with an operation that sold over $1 billion of narcotics. >> 29-year-old ross ulbricht charged with drug trafficking, computer hacking and money laundering. a second indictment accuses him of ordering people to be killed. he is accused of operating a hidden website called silk road. it was the drug world's equivalent of ebay, matching anonymous buyers and sellers. anyone could buy guns, ammo and forge documents through this website. "gma" will have details and comment from the fbi coming up later this morning. new york city police have made an arrest in the wild confrontation between motorcyclists and the driver of an suv.

christopher cruz is charged with reckless driving for slowing down his motorcycle in front of a car, setting the violence in motion. later, the driver plowed through the bikers, critically injuring one of them before he was pulled from his car and injured. edwin miese in a coma with spinal injuries that may prevent him from walking again. organizers collected money for his family. and they hope to spread the message that biker clubs are not gangs. and the family wants the suv driver who hit him to be punished. shares of electric car company tesla could be under renewed pressure after fire destroyed one of its vehicles. the company says the fire started when a large object hit one of the car's battery pack modules. firefighters extinguished it, but then the flames re-ignited them, causing them to use a chemical extinguisher. tesla's stock dropped more than 6% yesterday after that video surfaced. minnesota man somehow

managed to survive after shooting himself in the heart with a nail gun. take a look. eugene racco was building a deck when the 3 1/2-inch nail pierced his chest. he knew it wasn't good. he raced to his truck and called his wife. what was going through his mind? >> first, you are in disbelief, did i really do that? and then, you think, well, this is going to be serious. i've got to get in and get it taken care of. >> the nail came within two millimeters of a coronary artery. that man now has it as a souvenir. wow. >> oh, my lord. images are amazing. >> yeah. he has some major luck looking down on him that day. the children of former radio star casey kasem staged a protest outside of his l.a. home, saying his wife is preventing them from seeing him. casey's brother and friends joined in the protest. they say the former host of radio's top 40 countdown has

parkinson's disease. and his second wife, jean, who played loretta on "cheers" is keeping him isolated. an emotional day in court for ty warner. he broke down crying as he admitted to keeping $24 million in secret swiss bank accounts. he apologized to the judge. said there was no excuse for his actions. he could face five years in prison. he is paying a $53 million fine. there could soon be another edition to another family. chelsea clinton tells "glamour" magazine, she and her husband have decided 2014 would be the year of the baby. chelsea says her mom asks about it every, single day. just like a mom would. >> sounds like mom. >> no pressure there, huh? >> not at all. time, now, for sports. a high-stakes baseball game in cleveland, win or the season is over. >> and a hockey fight boiled over to the benches between the coaches. here is neil everett at espn. >> good morning, america. i'm neil everett on the

"sportscenter" desk in los angeles. the desk is a mess. you can't really see it. how's the hair, huh? let's check out the baseball playoffs. tampa bay at cleveland. loser goes home. winner goes to fenway park. gets a fenway frank. delmon young gets that pitch from danny salazar. first pitch swinging. top four, desmond jennings. with two on and two out. james loney scores easily. evan longoria, he's huffing and puffing. he comes in from first. and comfortable at 3-0. bottom nine, fernando rodney in to close. rodney chisenhall swinging. cleveland had a chance. left nine on base. the rays win 4-0. alex cobb, the winning pitcher. patrick roy made his nhl coaching debut, with one of his former teams, colorado. they were hosting the anaheim ducks. nathan mckinnon, youngest kid in

the league. future face of the franchise, they hope. now, mckinnon took a shot from ben lovejoy late. and that led to this. and then, this happened after that. roy and bruce boudreau. good thing there was glass between them. what in the name of "good morning america" is going on there? we'll all find out together. >> all right. >> that was pretty good. now, some high-flying cheerleading is our "play of the day." this happened the last spring at daytona beach, florida. >> no matter what football game you are watching over the next few days, you won't see moves like this. they were college cheerleaders that competed in a national competition. then, they really put on a show. >> i love they flip and they're caught with one hand. >> that's crazy. >> easy. that's the kind of stuff that's not regulation in the relate competition. so, they go out back and do it all. it's good stuff to watch, though, huh? >> amazing.

>> whoa. >> don't try that at home. coming up next, it's "the pulse." the softer side of howard stern. and a brave swimmer hops into the water to help a shark. how'd you do on your quiz today? 9 out of 10. 9 out of ten? that's great. ♪ nothing says, "i'm happy to see you too," like a milk-bone biscuit. ♪ say it with milk-bone. down to a science. you're the reason we reformulated one a day women's. a complete multivitamin that now has extra b vitamins, which help convert food to energy. energy support for the things that matter. that's one a day women's.

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maybe that doesn't make you a control freak. more like a control enthusiast. esurance. insurance for the modern world. now backed by allstate. click or call. ♪ and more, much more than this i did it my way ♪ good ole blue eyes for your thursday "pulse." beginning with who's your daddy? mia farrow dropped a bombshell in "vanity fair" magazine, saying her son, ronan farrow, may have been fathered by frank sinatra and not director woody allen. >> look at his face. he's 25. a former rhodes scholar. he changed his name from skachle. frank sinatra on the left.

ronan on the right. yeah. you decide. >> that's not even one of the pictures where he looks most like the guy. there's pictures that are stunning. >> i'm convinced. howard stern reunited in the studio with his on-air partner after her battle with cancer. >> robin quivers underwent cancer treatment 17 months ago. and has been working from home since then. stern admitted there were times he thought his sidekick wouldn't make it. he grew emotional and said, i can never be without you again. your beautiful face and your smile. i'm really happy that you're here. a fisherman in florida, taking catch and release to a whole, new level. it's all caught on camera. he is hanging on to a 300-pound bull shark that's just been reeled in. >> when they released it, the shark didn't move. he moved some of the water over its gills. and eventually, that shark swam away. >> bull sharks are considered one of the most likely species to attack humans, along with

great whites and tiger sharks. he did this guy a favor by not attacking him.

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developing news in the east bay where the chp's investigating a road rage shooting that sent a woman to the hospital. it ended in richmond off petrow avenue but started at 880 in hayward. investigators say two young women in a black honda got into a road rage incident with someone in a white pickup truck shortly before 10:00 last night. one woman was shot in the leg and called 911 and pulled over in richmond where the shooting victim was taken to the hospital. she's expected to be okay. the driver of the white pickup truck kept going, though, and the chp is asking witnesses to come forward. negotiators go back to the bargaining table this morning before a 60-day cooling off period expires. the two sides have been trading proposals and counterproposals and there'