it's thursday, july 23rd. in the news, pressing the fight for health care reform. the president makes his case in primetime. today, he takes it on the road. and the president reacts to the case of harvard professor henry louis gates. some harsh words for the police. and clinic raid. investigators looking into michael jackson's death visit his doctor's office, looking for michael jackson's death visit his doctor's office, looking for evidence of criminal behavior. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us. well, ohio is the quintessential swing state. and today, that is where president obama is taking his plea for health care reform. >> the visit comes in the wake of a primetime news conference, devoted almost entirely to the topic. abc's diana alvear, is in chicago with the latest. >> reporter: the president

continues his full-court press for health care reform today, through a town hall meeting. it's the latest of his several efforts to get something passed by the august recess. president obama will touch down in shaker heights, ohio, today, to take questions on health care, at a town hall meeting. and neighbors are ready. >> my mother is of -- 80 years old. and she's on a fixed income. and she's always complaining about purchasing medicine. it's an extreme cost. >> reporter: the cost of prescription drugs, just one of several issues the president says cannot wait when it comes to health care reform. >> i'm rushed because i get letters every day from families that are being clobbered by health care costs. and they ask me, can you help? >> reporter: in his primetime speech, the president renewed his pledge to provide a public insurance option for the uninsured. said he would not support a plan, primarily funded by taxing the middle class. and said the sick would be

protected. >> it will prevent insurance companies from dropping your coverage if you get too sick. >> reporter: the president did draw a line when explaining how washington would pay for a plan. >> i'm not going to sign a bill that adds to our deficit. >> reporter: experts don't expect congress to pass anything by the august recess. >> the president's best friend in the senate, dick durbin of illinois, the number two in the senate, says it isn't possible to get this through the senate. >> reporter: it seems that the president is willing to be flexible about that august deadline. when asked about it last night, he said he just wants to get things done right. vinita? >> abc's diana alvear, reporting from chicago this morning. and president obama was asked about the arrest of a friend of his, harvard professor henry louis gates. it has triggered a debate about racial profiling. >> reporter: last thursday, police were called to gates' home, by someone who said she saw two african-american men breaking in.

those two men were the professor and his driver, trying to force through a broken door. >> there was a report called in to the police station that there might be a burglary taking place. so far, so good, right? if i was trying to -- i guess this is my house now. it probably wouldn't happen. but my old house in chicago. here, i'd get shot. >> reporter: gat initially refused to show his i.d., according to the police report. and then, quote, exhibited loud and tumultuous behavior, and made accusations of racial bias. he was arrested for disorderly conduct. >> the cambridge police acted stupidly. in arresting somebody when there was already proof that they were in their own home. >> reporter: the charges were later dropped. >> i don't know, not having been there and not seeing all the facts, what role race played in that. there is a long history in this country of african-americans and

latinos, being stopped by law enforcement, disproportionately. that doesn't lessen the incredible progress that's been made. i'm standing here as testimony to the progress that's been made. >> reporter: jake tapper, abc news, the white house. well, as jake just mentioned, the charges against professor gates have been dropped. but in an interview with "the boston globe," gates said he would have been treated differently if he were white. >> i'm outraged. i shouldn't have been treated this way. but it makes me so keenly aware of how many people every day, experience abuses in the criminal justice system. this is not about me. this really is about justice for the least among us. >> gates says he is owed an apology and is threatening to sue. but the white police sergeant who arrested him says he has no plans to apologize. a college campus in houston

haa shooting last night. during a community event, honoring a local rap artist. the crowds scattered when gunshots broke out. >> i took off running. i tried to help her. i escorted her to someone's property where she could feel safety safe. >> none of the injuries appear to be life threatening. campus police say the shooting was sparked by a rivalry between two gangs. the national rifle association has suffered a rare defeat on capitol hill. the senate blocked a bill that would allow people with permits to carry concealed weans across state lines. >> reporter: this is the first major deneat of the nra on a congressional vote in ten years. and it comes after an extraordinary winning streak in this democratic congress. already this year, the nra had prevailed on tee, big gun votes. including a measure lifting a ban on guns in national parks. they had been expected to win on this, as well.

one reason they didn't was that two longtime republican senators, lugar and voinovich, both voted no. and with that, the measure fell just 2 votes shy of the 60-vote supermajority i'd needed to pass. this is still very much a pro-gun congress. 20 of those in favor of this bill were democrats. and that included the majority leader, senator henry reed. they will be back on this issue and others, as well. secretary of state, hillary clinton, is in thailand this morning, for security talks with ministers from me than 30 countries. outside the meeting place, security forces blew up a motorcycle they feared had been loaded with explosives. turns out its owner had left it there because of a flat tire. an army spokesman said they did not want to take any chances. a big show of support for the american soldier captured in afghanistan. hundreds of people attended a vigil in hailey, idaho, the

hometown of private bergdahl. the military has vowed to do everything to find him. a wet day for the east coast today. showers and thunderstorms from new england to georgia and alabama. with the heaviest rain in the north.ttedcaerhu terstnd and sc from tidhe mwest into the northern plains. m and a few showers in texas and arizona. also very t hoout west. >> a high of 107 in phnioex. 102 in basie. and 100 in salt lake city. mid 80s for st. louis, fargo and the twin cities. 78 in chicago and 76 in detroit. and boston will only get up to 69. 79 here in new york. and 87 in atlanta. all right. when we come back, chrysler wants your business. so, it is getting in on the cash for clunkers program. that's in the business news, straight ahead. and plenty of questions for michael jackson's doctor. so many that investigators decided to pay a visit to his .

it is it is time for a check of market activity, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.7% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened slightly higher. the dow snapped its week-long winning streak. the benchmark slipped 34 points yesterday to close at 8881. but the nasdaq extended its rally to 11 days, climbing 10 points to reach 1926. the latest reports from ebay may boost wall street today.

the stock is expected to rise after reporting better-than-expected earnings. the company's ceo said he is seeing signs the e-commerce market is stabilizing. amazon is sinking some serious cash into shoes. amazonom is buying online shoe store, zappos.com. it is amazon's biggest acquisition ever. in addition to shoes, zappos sells apparel and accessories. the two companies will continue to be run separately. the obama administration has formally sent its financial overhaul bill to coness. the proposal would make the federal reserve the financial system's top cop. and increase supervision and regulation for the nation's largest banks. fed chairman ben bernanke told a senate panel that he opposes part of the plan that would create a consumer protection agency. general motors says it is seeing signs the ailing auto industry is beginning to recover. gm's second-quarter sales fell

15% below a year ago. but were up 20% from the first three months of this year. the automaker says government stimulus plans around the world are expected to generate millions in sales. well, chrysler is hoping to get some extra mileage out of the government's cash for clunkers program. the automaker will match the $4,500 incentive for trading in old cars. and customers won't even have to trade in an old car or qualify for the federal deal to be eligible. that means customers who take advantage of the chrysler offer, along with the government's, can save up to $9,000 on a new vehicle. remember, you can get the latest business news anytime on our website. the address is abcnews.com. and coming up this morning, a new look at last week's light rail crash in san francisco. human error is now the focus. and trials for a swine flu vaccine are about to get underway.

welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. president obama takes his campaign forealth care reform to ohio today. he'll visit the cleveland clinic and hold a town hall meeting. at his news conference last night, the president said that the arrest of a harvard black studies professor proves the need for better policing techniques to eliminate potential bias. and at least six people were hurt in a gang related shooting on or near the campus of texas southern university in houston. the call is going out for thousands of volunteers to roll up their sleeves to test the first h1n1 swine flu vaccine. there is growing concern about what's going to happen when flu season starts this fall. >> reporter: in the battle against h1n1 swine flu, the race

is on. with the fall flu season closing in, clinical trials on a swine flu vaccine could begin in 2 weeks, with 2,500 paid volunteers. adults first, then children. the hope is to have an additional 100 million doses by october. >> the worst-case scenario would be, that h1n1 comes in with an outbreak very early. >> reporter: vaccine development has proven difficult. this virus grows slowly. and there's always concern with rare but dangerous side-effects with a new vaccine being rushed into production. there's also concern how hospitals and schools can handle an onslaught of h1n1 cases. this could overwhelm the health care system. and force schools to close for a time. more than half of those infected with swine flu, are under age 18. at children's national medical center in washington, d.c., they have ordered additional masks,

respirators, and anti-flu medication. there's plans to double up patients if need be, and put cots in public areas. >> by all means, we need to be very concerned about the possibility this is going to come back in a big way. >> reporter: swine flu has never really left. instead of disappearing in warm weather, it has swept through summer camps and summer schools. even the u.s. coast guard academy, where dozens of cadets are ill. >> it certainly isn't over. my whole career in public health over 20 years, i've never seen flu circulating in the middle of the summer. >> reporter: and a big unknown. will the virus this fall be as mild as it usually is now? or develop into something more deadly. lisa stark, abc news, washington. the investigation into michael jackson's death appears, now, to be a criminal case. federal agents and l.a. police raided the houston clinic of dr. conrad murray. he was jackson's personal doctor and was with him when he died.

abc news was told that they used the sech -- his autopsy shows a powerful anesthetic may have been involved. >> searching for drugs? >> this is just records. >> by conducting the search, they have ratcheted up this criminal investigation. and things are getting a lot more serious for doctor murray. in order to obtain that search warrant, they needed to show there's probable cause that a crime has been committed. >> and in another sign of the morbid curiosity surrounding jackson's death, the l.a. coroner's office says more in an a half-dozen workers looked up the singer's death certificate. some even made copies. federal investigators say human error may be to blame for saturday's light rail train crash in san francisco. they have found no indication of mechanical failure with the train or the signaling system. 48 people were injured when 1 train slammed into another, parked at a station. the operator of the second train

told the ntsb that he had blacked out after switching the control from automatic to manual. south carolina republican senator lindsey graham has broken ranks with conservatives in his partying, saying he will vote for sonia sotomayor's confirmation to the supreme court. it brings to five the number of republicans backing sotomayor's nomination. the full senatis expected to debate sotomayor's nomination early next month. well, nasa engineers are trying to figure out what caused a problem with an astronaut's suit during a spacewalk. two astronauts were replacing batteries on the international space station when sensors showed carbon dioxide was building up in one of their suits. both astronauts quickly returned to the sce station. the unfinished work is going to be added to tomorrow's spacewalk. first, troubles with the toilet. now, troubles with the spacewalk. >> at least the toilet has been resolved. coming up, rolling through

the etstreofs southern california. giving new meaning to the term, wide load. giving new meaning to the term, wide load. stay with us. that was a complete mytery to me. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia muscle pain and th he recommnded lyrica., fibromyalgia is thought to be he result of over-active nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is fda-approved to help relieve the unique pain of fibromyalgia. and with less pain, i can do more uring my day. how sweet is that? lyrica is not for everyone. tell you doctor about any serius allergic reaction, that causes swelling or #affects breathing or skin, or changes eyesight including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. lyrica may cause suicidal thoughts or actions in a very small number of people. some of the most common side efects of lyrica are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands nd feet., do not drink alcohol while taking lyrica. you should never drive or operate machinery until you know how lyrica affects you.

if you think you might have fibromyalgia, ask your doctor about lyrica. dinner bell sfx: ping ping ping fancy feast elegant medleys tuscany entrées restaurant inspired dishes with ong grain rice, and garden greens is it love? or is it fancy feast? come on in. you're invited to the chevy open house. where getting a new vehicle is easy. because the price on the tag is the price you pay on .remaining '08 and '09 models., you'll find low, straightforward pricing. it's simple. now get an '09 malibu 1lt with an epa estimated 33 mpg highway. get it now for around 21 thousand after all offers.

go to chevy.com/openhouse # for more details. welcome back. time for a bit of sports this morning. at the tour de france, four seems to be thmagic number. lance armstrong and the riders have four stages including today's. >> armstrong is nearly four minutes behind the race leader who is his teammate. now, for baseball back at home. major league baseball this morning. here's mark morgan at espn news. >> good morning, everyone. we begin wednesday night in los angeles. the reds and the dodgers. and heroics for that man, manny ramirez. he started the game on the bench due to a sore left hand. but in the sixth, comes in to pinch hit. bases loaded. it's gone. it's on manny ramiz bobblehead night.

he gets his 21st career grand slam. and the final is 6-2. elsewhere, cardinal and astros in houston. ryan franklin trying to close out the strohs in the night. chris coste, over rasmus. later in the inning. the bottom of the ninth, as it continues. miguel tejada, up 2-1. jeff keppinger scores. the astros win it 4-3, and sweep the three-game series. ryan howard and the phillies have won ten in a row. philly, at home, against the cubs. howard, the grounder. derrek lee steps on the bag. and the cubs end the phillies' ten-game winning streak. the yankees have won five in a row at the new stadium. nick swisher singles to center. two runs will score. and the yankees go up 4-0. that occurred in the bottom of the first. we go to the top of the third.

orioles have two on, two out. ty wigginton lines one to right. swisher going back. nice running grab. the yankees take it. your final is 6-4. and let's go back to the studio and jeremy and vinita. >> lots of yankees fans excited about their success lately. all right. well, you don't expect to see airplanes on the street, of course. that's exactly where you saw two of them in two, separate incidents. >> imagine driving by this. the wingless fuselage of a huge military plane made its way through long beach, florida, on towing vehicles. the c-17 cargo jet was moved so it could be shipped to the east coast. >> that was california, actually. and. and a small plane made an emergency landing on a road in iowa city yesterday, after its engines failed. the pilot narrowly avoid adavan. luckily, nobody was hurt. for some of you, your local news is up next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this.

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a big military-style movie promotion in london. the tars of the upcoming "g.i. joe" movie got help from military command cos. they made it on to the "hms

bellfast." the movie is out next month. >> exciting stuff. we'll stay in britain for our final story this morning. it involves a genuine institution there, the pub. >> the global recession immediates hard times for britain's pubs. dozens are closing every week. and nearly 25,000 jobsn the industry have been lost in the last year. >> new pub industry report highlights the severity of the situation. john brain of the bbc reports. >> reporter: it's the heartbeat of many of our communities for generations. it is a great british boozer now an endangered species? the british beer and pub association claims that the nation's hostileries are disappearing fast. the evidence can be found in cities, towns and villages across the u.k. >> what we're losing is the heart and soul of community life in britain. there aren't many places that bring people together from all walks of life and enable them to

socialize in the environment that the pub offers. without pubs, what we lose is a social meeting place for britain. >> reporter: they say as well as the recession, the smokes ban and increased dutsties on alcohol, are contributing towards the alarming rate of pub closures. but is it is a case of a nation that is falling out of love with the traditional british boozer? while clubs are closing, cafe-style bars are opening. two new ones each week. possibly a sign of developing new continental habits. but the traditional role is so important, the government should treat them as assets to the community. >> ctome treat them as assets. coming up on "good morning america," american dream snatchers. the latest crop of scam artists, preyin