it's tuesday, august 11th. this morning, mixed messages. the white house is facing a chorus of concern over its health care overhaul. the president takes his message on the road, bracing for protests. not amused. rollercoaster riders stuck in midair on a sweltering summer afternoon. i'm not going to be channelling my husband. >> and lost in translation. hillary clinton loses her cool. but was it just a hillary clinton loses her cool. but was it just a misunderstanding? captions paid for by abc, inc.

good morning. and thanks for being with us. today, the white house begins a new wave of an all-outpublic relations war. >> that concern is being expressed in meetings nationwide, as well as online, and on talk radio. today, the president hits the road with an updated message. >> emily schmidt joins us from washington with details. good morning, emily. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. this health care debate is growing so heated, that the aarp in texas canceled some of its town hall meetings. as president barack obama prepares for today's health care town hall meeting, he better be prepared for this. the health care reform debate is growing louder all across the country. >> a lot of us who had coverage that we're reasonably satisfied

with are going to get dumped. you'rend simple. >> i want to make sure that kind of medicine never makes it here. >> i believe it's the president's intention to ramrod somethinthrough congress. >> monday, democrat ben cardin had to shout over protesters as he tried to explain the hlt care bill. democrats argue republicans and special interest groups are orchestrating the discontent. >> i just wanted to show my support in light of some of the angry protests that have been happening. some of the orchestrated protests that have been happening. >> reporter: there's more than 1,000 pages in the health care bill. this week, the white house set up a website to answer critics and questions. >> let me start by dispelling the outlandish rumors that perform will promote euthanasia, or cut medicate, or promote a government takeover of health care. that's simply not true. >> 1,800 people will be inside

the president's town hall meeting today. at least a dozen opposition groups promise to be outside. jeremy and vinita? >> emily schmidt in washington, thank you. house democrats have backed down to force the government to buy planes it did not want. the government had been criticized for adding $340 million for the budget for the jets. the planes are used to transport top government officials, including members of congress. tlorts are blaming a mackal failure for stranding riders on a northern california rollercoaster. some for stuck for four hours, after the invertigo rollercoaster came to a halt on a hot afternoon. >> reporter: fire rescue had to use a cherry picker to rescue people stuck on a rollercoasters a the great american theme park in northern california. >> they're in a seated position, comfortably.

>> reporter: some were left dangling for hours before they were safely brought down. >> they wer kicking their feet. people were having water and stuff. >> reporter: the process was painstakingly slow. as rescuers lifted each rider, one by one, down. the invertigo ride is a favorite of thrill-seekers. riders experience 5 gs. but the thrill was cut short when the ride malfunctioned in the 90-degree heat. >> safety is our number one priority. so, we're taking it slow and easy to make sure we do this. and don't have any issues as result. >> reporter: there was a similar problem nine years ago. the ride will remain closed while investigators determine what went wrong. carla wohl, abc news, los angeles. they will try, again, today to recover the small plane involved in saturday's midair collision over the hudson river. divers located the plane and one more victim in about 60 feet of

water yesterday. but a strong current and little visibility meant they were unable to bring either to the surface. meanwhile, some of the 911 calls reporting the disaster have been released. >> an airplane just hit a helicopter. the helicopter went down into the water. the plane, i'm not sure what happened, where it is. i can't see it from my window. >> do you see anybody injured? >> oh, my god. they're probably totally injured. >> it landed or it crashed? >> it's gone. crashed. >> the crash has brought about new calls for increased traffic control of the busy space. the altitude at which saturday's accident took place is unmonitored by controllers. overseas investigate investigators rescuers are trying to reach remote areas cut off by mudslides. more than 40 deaths are being blamed on the typhoon that triggered the mudslides. there's word this morn that a rescue chopper with 16 people on board crashed in the devastated region.

one person was killed when a powerful earthquake rocked tokyo. all the shaking made quite a mess. and also interrupted train service and operations at two nuclear plants. and in the military, the asian nation of myanmar this morning. an american has been sentenced to seven years in prison, includinitfo wurh hard labor. johnnie ettaw was found guilty of breaching the house arrest of aung san sun chi. he illegally swam to her house on house arrest. suu kyi was sentenced to 18 months on house arrest. she's been in detention of 14 of the last 20 years. in afghanistan, the u.s. military is going after some 50 drug cartel leaders. the strategy is detailed in a senate report we learned about yesterday. and its objective is to cut off the cartel's monitor support for the taliban. brian ross has the details. >> reporter: this operation in may was considered a turning point. as soldiers and d.e.a. agents

landed in taliban-controlled poppy fields in the helmand province. what followed was a three-day pitched battle, to cut off the drug lord that provided money and fighters to the taliban. he and 60 of his men were killed. until recently, the u.s. military and the cia had ignored and sometimes worked with such wide-open, flourishing heroin business that help the taliban. >> you've got to try to shut off the fuel. it's all really based on drug money. we've shut off all of the other primary funds. >> reporter: now, any drug trafficker tied to the taliban is in the crosshairs of the u.s. military. the report by the senate foreign relations committee says the military does not authorize targeted assassinations away from the battlefield. but there are no other restrictions. and while most of the country considered part of the battlefield, especially in the poppy growing areas, the u.s. military has killed or captured several on the hit list.

the senate report also found massive corruption in all levels of government. the operation in may, soldiers discovered and destroyed tons of opium they say belonged to the drug lord they killed. he was described as a former police chief, with close ties to the family of the afghan president, karzai. u.s. officials have long considered president karzai's brother to be corrupt. but it is something he has strongly denied. brian ross, abc news, new york. and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. scattered showers and thunderstorms from new england to the carolinas. then, stretching into the deep south into texas. boston, new york, d.c., nashville and tulsa are among the affected cities. widely-sttered thunderstorms in the southern rockies and parts of the rt weshwt. >> 68 in seattle today. 73 for portland. to 96. clim phoenix is 107. mostly in the 80s for the middle of the country. high of 84 in boston. 90s from new york to miami. new orleans climbs to 92. and dallas hits 100. coming up next, why the cash

for clunkers program isn't such a good deal for everyone. plus, test groups rolling up their sleeves as the very first recipients of the swine flu vaccine. and tense talk. what caused hillary clinton to fire back at a student's question?

overseas, stock markets are rising this morning after a down day on wall street. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.6% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher.

in london, the ftse opened higher. wall street starts the day with the dow at 9337, after falli 32 points yesterday. the nasdaq slipped 8 points to close at 1992. a new report raises a red flag about the health of our financial system. the government watchdog overseeing the $700 billion bank bailout says toxic assets are still a substantial danger to the banks. the bailout was designed to remove those bad loans from their books. but the report says that hasn't really happened. that puts more banks at risk of failing if the economy worsens. general motors is giving something of a state of the company address this morning. the company's ceo is updating consumers and the media on that company's products, brands and customer outreach programs. the company's also expected to announce a new product. cash for clunkers the saving some car bers thousands of dollars. but it may cost used car buyers. the rebate program is taking thousands of cars off the load that would have ended up on used

car lots. that's cutting supplies. and it could inflate prices by 10%. gas prices have climbed for a third-straight week. it rose 9 cents last week to $2.65 a gallon. but gas is still more than 30% less than a year ago. college students have a new use to buy an iphone. they can use it to read their textbook. a new ap allows subscribers to read full textbooks. the e-textbook costs about 50% lisz than physical once. >> you can't sell them back at the end of the semester and make your money back. >> you'll look a lot cooler on campus. you can read more about these stories online at abcnews.com. coming up next on this tuesday, what caused hillary clinton to lash out? plus, medical miracle. a blind man says he can see clearly once

welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. president obama heads to a town hall meeting on health care in new hampshire today. as the white house tries to retool its message. house democrats back down from a deal which would have forced the air force to buy four, new jets the pentagon said it didn't and american john yettaw was sentenced to seven years by the military government of myanmar. he was found guilty of breaching the house arrest of myanmar democracy leader aung san suu kyi. and hillary clinton is putting the spotlight on sexual violence against women today in the african nation of congo. >> clinton was answering questions from students when she thought one of them asked what her husband's reaction to an issue would be. take a listen. >> wait. you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is not the secretary of state. i am.

you ask my opinion, i will tell you my opinion. i will not be channelling my husband. >> clinton met the student later. something apparently had gotten lost in the translation of the question. he asked what president obama felt about the issue, not mr. clinton's feelings. mrs. clinton told him not to woy about it. hundreds of americans have rolled up their sleeves for the first shot of the experimental h1n1 swine flu vaccine. the government and drug companies are racing to t the vaccine ready before the flu season starts just weeks from now. here's yunji de nies. >> the sooner i get it, the safer it is for my loved ones. >> reporter: elizabeth jackson is one of hundreds of volunteers in labs across the country, like this one at the university of maryland, as researchers fine-tune the formula needed to stop this pandemic. >> it's a very contagious virus. >> reporter: h1n1 has killed

over 1,100 people in the u.s. and people around the world. h1n1 could affect as many as 2 billion people over the next 2 years. which is why these vaccine trials are so critical. >> is there a time estimate on this? when it will be most effective? >> reporter: doctors are trying to figure out dosage, how many shots each patient will need. and how strong they must be. these volunteers are being given a range of dosages. side-effects can influid fever, allergic reaction, and a remote chance of paralysis and even death. researchers are working against the clock, trying to get the vaccine ready by october. not only is flu season around the corner. but in many cities, school has begun. >> children are the major means by which flu spreads within a community. >> reporter: volunteers will spend the next three weeks keeping a diary, as doctors

track their reaction. they'll get another shot. and in six weeks, doctors hope to have the formula they need. >> before you leave, they're going to schedule your next visit. >> i'm not a doctor. this is a chance where i can do a little something. >> a little something, that may mean the difference between life and death for so many around the world. i'm yunji de nies in baltimore. the autopsy result on michael jackson's death are in. but they're not being released. the lat county's coroner's office is not relesion its findings because police are asking they be kept private during the investigation of jackson's death. that investigation centers around whether drugs administered to jackson played a role. also a movie featuring jackson's finl rehearsals will be in theaters this year. it was a miraculous turn of events for a legally blind man in oregon. 90-year-old marty alvey, had a dizzy spell and collapsed. when he got back home, he said he could see clearly again.

alvey suffered from macular degeneration, which means his vision was supposed to get worse. alvey says he will use his new sight to get a girlfriend. coming up this morning, we have sports highlights from espn. and man's best friend might be smarter than you think. but whicis the brightest breed? (announcer) for many with arthritis pain, not treating is not n option. all prescription nsaid pain relievers, like celebrex, ibuprofen and naproxen, help treat arthritis pain and have some of the same warnings. but since individual results may vary, having options is important. prescription celebrex has een the option for millions of patients for 10 straight years. just one 200-mg celebrex (once a day,) can provide dependable, 24-hur relief for many with arthritis pain, .stiffness and inflammation., based on the available data, the fda stated that " for certain patients celebrex's benefits " outweigh the risks.

if you are worried about stomach upset, you should know, in .clinical studies,, a lower percentage of paients taking celebrex reported stomach discomfort versus prescription ibuprofen and naproxen. and if you are taking low-dose aspirin for your heart and need an nsaid ain reliever, celebrex can be used because it doesn't interfere with the effects of .low-dose aspin., but when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor ned to balance, the benefits with the risks. the fda requires all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam, to have the same cardiovascular warning. they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors for it such ashigh blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, also increase the chane of serious skin reactions or stomach nd intestine problems,, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without " warning and may cause death.

patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you're allergic to aspirin or sulfonamides. ask your doctor if you could benefit from celebrex. understand the risks. eel the benefits. marine scientists have had a breakthrough in rebuilding coral reefs in the florida keys. they've documend the first known case where farm-rised coral has reproduced to serve as a foundation for future reefs. the study proves that naturally cured corals can help with restoration. back on dry land, there was heavy hitting in major league baseball. will selva of espn news has the details. >> good morning. troy tulowitzki putting on a show at coors field.

an absolute hitting machine. as the rocks were taking on the cubs. bottom one, tulowitzki doing some yard work. a two-run shot. number 21 for him. 2-0, rockies. tulowitzki in the bottom the seventh. a triple shy of the cycle. and tulowitzki shot down the third baseline. alfonso soriano has trouble coming up with it. tulowitzki goes for three. the throw gets away. two errors, instead, he is credited with the triple. he went five for five with seven rbis. the rays visiting the angels. florida with the cycle there. homer there. third. check. doubled to right center. check. how about the triple? check. not a single shot of the cycle. we'll get back to him in a moment. angels brought their bat, as well. bottom five, game tide at 6-6. kendry morales. keep, gone. bottom seven.

game tied at 7-7. vladimir guerrero. a laser to right off the foul pole. second of the game. eighth of the year. 400th of his career. 8-7, angels. top eight, bartlett going for the cycle after vlad. gives a tip to the crowd. kevin jen zen trikes out bartlett. angels end up winning 8-7. that will do it for this espn news update. back to jeremy and vinita. let's switch to one of my favorite subjects. dogs. it turns out your pet pooch may be smarter than you ink. researchers say dogs are on the same mental plain as a 2-year-old child. >> like toddlers, dogs can figure out where their treats are hidden. some dogs can even count up to five. the average dog can learn 165 words. but not breeds are created equal when it comes to intelligence.

according to one expert, border collies top the list, followed ldgooodles, german shepherds, et rrievers and dobermans. for some of you, your local es u or f.e >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. this. so guess what. again, when i least expected it, my asthma symptoms came back. so this time, my doctor gave me symbicort to help control my asthma. it combines two medicines that help control inflammation and constriction. so i'm breathing more frely day and night, and that feels good to me. and symbicoris an asthma controll that starts to open my airways within 15 minutes. very unexpected. symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. and should not be taken !more than twice a day. symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol ma increase the chance of asthma-related death. so, it is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on !other asthma medicines. see your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. i know symbicort won't replace a rescue inhaler.

it helps control my asthma and starts to open my airways within 15 minutes. ask your doctor if symbicort is right for you. (announcer) ifyou cannotp afford , astrazeneca may be able to help.

was about 30 seconds after i woke up. still not smoking! seven days. nicorette takes just enough of the ege off the need. i still want to light up, bu i don't have to. (announcer) .you can do it. nicorette can help.

finallyrom us this morning, the return of the wild, wild west. modern-day cattle ranches are wrangling with an old-time problem. >> rustlers are riding high again. stealing cattle at an alarming rate, not seen in years. more, now, from abc's ryan owens. >> reporter: rancher ted allen thought he had seen it all. >> woo. come on, girls. let's roll. >> reporter: then, his cows started disappearing. >> when you can't find them, and they can't fly, somebody had to help them. >> reporter: he's lo a dozen in the last year. now, he counts them every day. >> 15. 30. >> reporter: last year, more than 6,000 head of cattle were stolen in texas and oklahoma. that's triple the year before. >> primarily the economy because

a lot of people are out of work. and it's just easy to steal cattle. >> reporter: at auction, rustlers can get full price for a stolen cow. off $1,000 a head. the buyer has no clue he just bought from a thief. special rangers watch for anything suspicious. >> had a case a couple years ago. a guy showed up in a exact. opened the trunk and pulled out two kids. that's kind of a clue they were stolen >> we're going to force them to cut the fence. we're patrolling the fences two and three times a day and every night. >> reporter: ted allen says he's prepared to do even more. >> i guard my stuff with smith & wesson. a man would hate to shoot somebody over a lousy cow. but i probably would. and i hit what i shoot at. >> reporter: ranchers forced to defend themselves from a crime they thought they existed only in old westerns. ryan owens, abc ws