it is monday, august 17th. this morning, landfall. the first major storm of the season comes ashore overnight dumping an inch of rain an hour and two more storms lurk offshore. breaking business news. the world's second largest economy breaks free. emerging from the global recession. >> the indian megastar in the u.s. to promote a film about profiling of muslims is questioned by airport security. is it a case of life imitating questioned by airport security. is it a case of life imitating art? captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning, thanks for starting the week with us. breaking news from the florida

panhandle. claudette becomes the first opical storm to make landfall so far this seas. >> it came ashore near ft. walton each with 50-mile-an-hour wichs ndand hea rain. claudette is expected to move toward montgomery later today but there are other threats out in the gulf. claudette popped up almost overnight even with the storm's center offshore it made for a windy and soggy sunday. >> at dunk on apalachicola bay you can barely stand up on this dock, yet there are people who are going to try to tough it out in their boats tied up to the dock. there is a lady back down here. walk down here. the hell runner ii. he will stick it out on the storm no matter how much it bobs. >> reporter: shoppers raided grocery stores for supplies. some people like this woman headed inland. >> our crooked river is already rising just with the rainfall. >> reporter: behind claudette two more storms are churning in the atlantic. ana which is weak and may not

survive and bill, likely the season's first major hurricane. hurricane season officially begins june 1st. the last time the first named storm came in this late in the season was hurricane andrew back in 1992. it made landfall south of miami as a category 5. one of the most dough instructive storms in history which is why experts warn a late beginning to hurricane season means nothing. >> just not all about numbers along anyway. just takes that one hurricane over your community to make for a bad year. >> and for the latest track of all three storms let's check in with accuweather.com mark mancuso. >> good morning to you, mark. big question, how big a rainmaker will claudette be today? >> looks like claudette now moving inland cut off from its main source of energy, the warm waters so a run-of-the-mill downpour of rain like from typical summertime thunderstorms so a couple of inches of

rainfall. main impacts from the rain looks like staying offshore, center of circulation near i-10 near creativity crestview. winds gusting 20, 30 miles an hour. apalachicola, three to four inches of rain. but the system continues to move inland and will continue to weaken further. close to the university of alabama by the afternoon hours. now, farther out in the atlantic a couple other systems we're following. one is ana, a wk system in the caribbean. squally weather around puerto rico and the virgin islands. behind that we have bill. bill is on its way to becoming a hurricane but right now it does appear that bill will be turning more west-northwesterly with time and staying more to the northeast and islands but certainly something to watch and it could threaten, say, bermuda later on in the week. but a lot of time to watch this one. >> and so, mark, essentially three storms out of the middle of nowhere after months of nothing.

what's the outlook for the rest of the season. >> we've been saying at accuweather that the season would start off on the slow side but we get through the months of september and october, historically, it's the more active time of the hurricane season, so there's certainly time for more systems to organize. bill looks like it'll be a major player and behind that we are following more systems coming off the african coast so looks like we're just getting into a little more of an active time period. >> that is meteorologist mark mancuso from accuweather.com. as it moves inland he'll have an update. firefighters in california starting to get a better handle on about a dozen fires burning in that state from santa maria all the way to north of sacramento. hundreds of residents living in the small bay area community of bonny doon have gone back home now that the danger has passed. ten square miles have been scorched in the area since last week. and officials say a massive blaze in the los padres national

forest was caused by a campfire used by marijuana growers. that burned nearly 134 square miles of timber and brush. president obama continues his western tour speaking to say veterans group in phoenix and may be asked about reports of a major compromise on health care. as he toured the grand canyoyo withth h hisamilil yesteterdrdh wawaa tatalk inn w whihingn ofo ididgigi a hugugololitalivividid johohn poportrts. hehealthth s sreretata saiaichod competititioiowiwille inin alalththarare formrm t ininteted an o optioion for manot.t.-runun heaeah inrarance >> that isisotot t esssstialale. >> l l t t facact of t t matter is, , erere e nonot the e tetese blic o optn. >>eporr:r: so sesenanator cocond ththe gogovevementnt. nonorun e governrnme wouou g ge e get ststteted.thth co-opopmomono thth co-ops would use their ld b

buying power as large groups to negotiate for better and cheaper medical coverage. would republicans go along with public co-ops? >> it would be, i believe, a step in the right direction, a way from a government takeover of our health care in this country. >> reporter: they know liberals alone cannot pass a health care bill. >> at the end of the day it knows that it's a -- a final bill will rise or fall on kent conrad and some modal democrats and republicans. >> reporter: john cochran, abc news, washington. american citizen who was imprisoned in one of the most repressive countries on earth is free and undergoing tests in thailand. john yettaw was freed from a myanmar jail with the help of virginia senator jim webb. the senator was granted extremely rare access to the head of the ruling military to secure yettaw's release. it could signal the beginning of a new relationship between myanmar and the u.s.

in afghanistan, security is even tighter than usual ahead of thursday's presidential election there. the candidates took the airwaves sunday in an american-style debate watched by millions of afghan voters. the taliban is vowing to disrupt the vote attacking polling stations and even threatening the voters themselves. a strike that could have sent northern california commuters scrambling for alternate transportation has beenaverted. negotiators for bay area rapid transit and its workers announced a tentative contract agreement. hours before a strike deadline. that strike would have begun today. >> when we talk about tropical storm claudette, here is this morning's weather from the rest of the nation. storm ya in pars of the midwest today. large hail, 70-mile-an-hour wind, a chance of tordoes from chicago all the way down to wichita, kansas. isolated showers in north dakota and northern minnesota. the drought continues in texas and it is warming ups in the atcific northwest.>> secl> tle imbs to tl77 and

portland, 90. 97 in sacramento and 108 in phoenix. a cooler than normal 70 in fargo. 79 in the twin cities and 88 in st. louis. 90s along most ofhe east coast, a high of 89 in new orleans and 99 in dallas. we have breaking business news when we come back, a major economy emerges from the global recession. plus, restaurants taking a risk for your business. feeding kids for free every night for the next month. and he tried to be a good samaritan. a big city mayor is beaten when coming to a woman's aid.

there are more encouraging signs this morning that the global economy is pking up steam. japan emerged from its year-long recession last quarter. the recovery was driven by strong demand for exports such as video cameras and other electronics. shipments to china and other emerging markets were particularly strong. germany and france said tir economy snapped out of the recession last quarter. japan's rebound is being overshadowed about concern about the u.s.' america. tokyo's nikkei average tumbled 3% today. hong kong's hang seng is down sharply. in london the ftse opened lower. this comes after a down week on wall street last week. the dow fell 48 points and starts the week at 9,321. the nasdaq dropped 14 points to close at 1985. general motors is looking to capitalize on the growing market for ultra low cost car in developing markets.

"the wall street journal" is reporting that gm is planning to build a car that will sell for around $4,000. gm is looking to make up for declining sales in the u.s. the first car chrysler produces with new partner fiat may not be made in the usa. chrysler will build the fiat 500 in mexico. that could lead to a backlash among u.s. taxpayers who helped save the automaker but chrysler is said to be building the engines in michigan. a new promotion to build up sales. ihop is offering free kids' meals seven nights a week for the next month with the purchase of an adult meal. according to "usa today" several smaller chains have been offering similar deals. >> one more reason i wish i was still a kid. >> can you get the latest business news any time at our website. the address is abcnews.com. >> coming up next, the mayor who tried to come to the rescue but ended up in the hospital.

and india's biggest movie star questioned at a u.s. airport for over an hour which is now becoming an international incident.

welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. the florida panhandle is being pounded by heavy rain as claudette came ashore overnight near ft. walton beach. it'll move inland toward alabama later today. forecasters are keeping an eye on ana and bill which are gaining strength in the atlantic. neither of these storms is expected to make landfall. and president obama may drop his demand for a government-run health insurance option, a move that could alienate some liberal democrats but gain republican support. wellchicago rest depths who need a marriage license today or a building permit today are out of luck. the city is closed for business. >> it is a major effort to close a massive budget gap.

but chicago is not alone. here's diana alvear. >> reporter: city workers take monday off. the first of three forced furlough days thanks to a budget in the red. sanitation trucks will be idle. even city hall will be closed. but mjs workers inclungolice officers, firefighters and 911 operators will report to work as usual. mayor richard dal expects to save $8.3 million with the three planned days. recently he urged president obama to take unpaid days, as well in solidarity with his hometown. >> i believe that we have enormous impact upon america. in other words, you're telling the taxpayers that everybody is suffering, you're suffering. >> reporter: chicago is not the only american city that's forcing furlough days on its workers. in fact, some local and state

governments are incorporating them on a regular basis, desperate to cut budgets anywhere they can. michigan wants to save nearly 22 million through six unpaid days. in colorado, furlough days may be accompanied by pay cut, as well, but nothing compares to california where more than 90% of state workers will be off on the first and third friday of each month until june of 2010. >> it's a much better alternative than people being laid off. >> reporter: despite the sacrifices chicago will still be $300 million short of what it needs to fund next year's budget. diana alvear. abc news, chicago. the mayor of milwaukee remains hospitalized after being beaten by a man with a metal pipe. major tom barrett was leaving the state fair with his family when he came across a domestic dispute involving a grandmother, her 1-year-old granddaughter and the child's father. when barrett took out his tone to call 911, the man attacked him with a metal object.

>> we're extremely proud of tom's selflessness and his courage. his efforts protected the woman and the child. his efforts also protected members of our family, as well. >> the 55-year-old mayor was in stable condition after getting hit in the head and torso and fractured the man when he punched the man. the suspect was arrested yesterday. there was an international incident over the weekend surrounding an actor known as the tom cruise of india. bollywood superstar shah rukh khan was held for questioning at an american airport and his fans are outraged. more now from abc's dan harris. >> shah rukh khan as suffered u millation. >> not the best news. >> a huge, huge embarrassment. >> reporter: indians are reyanging with fury to the news that shah rukh khan, star of more than 70 bollywood film, one of the most pular men in india was held for questioning on friday at the newark international airport. in a phone interview, chakhan w

is muslim told them that he was detained because his name came up on a computer alert list. >> i think i was questioned a little more than perhaps i should be. i'm assuming that the country is paranoid with a certain section of religion of the world. it does hurt you. >> rorter: u.s. custom officials told the press that khan was not detained but rather questioned as part of a routine process that lasted 66 minutes. ironically khan is in the united states to promote a new film called "my name is khan" which is about the post-9/11 racial profiling of muslims in america. ♪ >> reporter: khan is now playing this incident down telling reporters i think it's a procedure that needs to be followed, but an unfortunate procedure. >> that was dan harris reporting. the incident has sparked anti-american protests in india and criticism from angry

indian-americans here in the united states. and coming up, the fastest man on earth gets even faster. a surprising loss for tiger woods, but it gave a little-known golfer the win of me.e my name's lisa. i'm from fayetteville, north carolina, ...and i smoked for 29 years. the one thing about smoking - is it dominates your life, and it dominated mine. and the sad thing about it is that you can alwa use an excuse if cigarettes don't kill me, oh well - something else will. but, you can't use that as an excuse. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. it was very interesting that you could smoke on the first week. chantix gave me that extra help that i needed to g through a tough time. (announcer) chantix is a non-nicotine pill. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit

during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. it is proven to reduce the urge to smoke. i did have an unopen pack of cigarettes in my purse and then i think i opened my purse and realized it was still there. and i said, "what the heck, i don't need these..." ...i said, you know, "bye, i don't need you anymore, you're not my crutch, i don't need a crutch." (announcer) talk to your doctor about chantix 's fightor you. pla that's right for you. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed od and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavr, thinking or mood that are not typical for you, or if you develop suicidal thoughts or actions, stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. talk to your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which can get worse while taking chantix. some people can have allergic or serious skin reactions chantix, some of which can be life threatening. if you notice swelling of face, mouth, throat or a rash stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away. tell your doctor which medicines you are taking

as they may work differently when you quit smoking. chantix dosing may be different if you have kidney problems. the most common side effect is nausea. patients also reported trouble sleeping and vivid, unusual or strange dreams. until you know how chantix may affect you, use caution when driving or operating machinery. chantix should not be taken with other quit smoking products. as a non-smoker it's wonderful. the best thing that ever happened. the best thing i have ever done besides my husband, and dogs, and family. with the chantix and with the support stem, it worked. it worked for me. (annou nc) talk)o your doctor to find out if tiestahacrip conntix is right for you. medical news now. parents of newborns are told bedding to avoid the risk of er sudden infant death syndrome but

a new study released this morning reveals many magazine ads slow babies sleeping in unsafe positions, as many as one-third of the photos in ads published in women's magazines show risky sleep positions. the study is published in next month's "journal of pediatrics." to your sports news. golf fans were treated to a gripping final round of the pga championship yesterday which saw the world's number one player fall to someone who had never won a major tournament before. here's anish shroff at espnews. good morning. tiger woods had never lost a major when leading after three rounds. going into the final round on sunday, wood has a two-shot lead on y.e. yang. just one pga tour win, tiger has 70. on 14, though, yang, the shot of the day, this an eagle, chips it in. he's fired up. he moves to 8 under. leads tiger by two shots at this tiger on the same hole trying to respond. not with an eagle but with a birdie, and he does, so tiger

trailing yang now by one shot. we go to 17. both players parred 16, tiger's teshot, he's had better tee shots. this a par 3 hole, and tiger would go over the green into the deep rough. tiger would bogey and drop to 6 under. opportunity for yang. he's got aar putt. out, so yangogeys, so he leadsi tiger by just one goioing to 18. on 1 18, yang's second shot on e par r 4, and this, a nice approc over the trees, ygg witn a few feet. that iss a birdie puttthere. anwhile, tiger now, has to make this. out of therougugh,no. so only y yang has to do is two-puputt for the win. the birdie, yang your pga championship winner, the first

asian plpler ever toin a major. at the world track championships, the 100 meters usain bolt 9.58 seconds beat his old world record by 0.11, the man is fast. let's go back to "america this morning" with jeremy and vinita. >> that is fast. not breaking records but all big winners when it comes to spunk. >> some of the fastest dachshunds tour it up in the grth annual wiener dog prvoced e an tiz ize a two-night stay at a luxury hotel, of course, with vip pet treatment. honestly, what thanks do we owe progress? we're up to our necks in landfill, and down to the wire in resources and climate change is out to get us. that's why progress plays no role inside post shredded wheat. here, we put the "no" in innovation. post original shredded wheat is still just the one simple, honest ingredient which naturally comes with vitamins, minerals and fiber.

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from regional weather to the weather in arizona where it couldn't have been better for the obama family trip to the

grand canyon yesterday. a crisp, clear view across the mile-deep ten-mile-wide canyon. >> the natural wonder attracts millions a year but the obama's visit is more unusual than you might think as eric horng reports. >> reporter: they have a quiet power, and an arresting beauty. but to shelton johnson, america's national parks also speak the truth. >> they tell the story of us as americans, but they tell the story of ourselves as human beings in this world on this planet. >> rorter: johnson is one of this country's few african-american park rangers, and his is a rare face of color at yosemite. of its visitors, less than 1% are black. is there a perception among african-americans that the national parks, well, that's where white people vacation? >> oh, i'm certain there is a perception like that, yeah. >> reporter: johnson wants to change that, but he believes the disconnect between blacks and nature has deep roots. slavery, he says, forever altered how they view the soil. >> if you're workingnd it's

causing discomfort and pain and you think you might die because of this, there's been this gradual loss of connection with the natural world. >> reporter: johnson is more than just a guardian of yosemite. he is a keeper of its history. to parkgoers he tells of the buffalo soldiers, black calvary men who in the late 1800s were the first park rangers. >> i cannot imagine being in any other place. >> reporter: featured in a documentary and travels to classrooms to talk about its message. >> i'm the only african-american park ranger in yosemite. >> reporter: but his is just one voice and he hopes other african-americans will take up the cause. >> if oprah winfrey is rec creating in a national park, if it's snoop dogg, if it's a rapper, then it's actually sending a message that this is an environment that is also for us. >> reporte eric horng, abc news, yosemite national park. and stay with us for "good morning america" and a moment we have all been waiting for, which celeities will be