it's friday, august 21st. this morning, slipping support. new poll numbers show the president losing the backing of americans on the issue of health care reform. political motive. new claims that the terror alert level was raised just before the bush/kerry election. not for safety. but to give the president an edge. and price check. better take some extra change and price check. better take some extra change for your next stop at starbucks. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and happy friday to you. president obama heads out of town today for vation. first, a stop at camp david. and then, on to martha's vineyard. >> but it may not be very restful. our new poll shows public support for health care reform is eroding.

and more americans than ever are against the public insurance option. >> emily schmidt joins us with more. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. certainly, health care reform remains a top priority. but the new abc news/"washington post" poll shows the public may have some doubts. president obama stands behind his health care reform promise. >> i'm absolutely confident we can get this done. >> reporter: but for the first time, the president says that may have to happen without bipartisan help. >> i think early on, the decision was made by the republican leadership that said, let's not give them a victory. maybe wean have a replay of 1993/'94, when clinton came in. >> reporter: this comes after days of angry town hall meetings where people blame washington for trying to force change. an abc news/"washington post" poll overnight shows decreasing public support.

50% disapprove of the president's handling of health care. a key republican says there's still room for successful negotiation. >> the white house should be leading and trying to get 70 to 80 votes for anything as important as health care reform is, instead of worrying about blaming one party or another. remains.ter: one sticking point the proposed public health insurance option. the abc news poll shows public support for the idea is down to 52%. ten points lower than in june. >> i do believe that we are not going to have a complete reform of our health care system until we have a public option. the question is, do we have to have it tomorrow morning? >> reporter: now, one more glimpse from this poll. before mr. obama became president, 68% of americans felt he would successfully establish health care reform. 49% believe that today. jeremy and vinita? forecters are keeping a

close eye on hurricane bill this morning. a monster-sized storm, even when viewed from space. the spiral of clouds stretches 500 miles from edge-to-edge. that's a storm the size of texas. hurricane watchers expect bill to travel up the east coast this weekend. reaching the waters off cape cod by sunday. and weakening in the north atlantic. people along the coast, already preparing for rough surf and riptides. waves of up to 20 feet are expected in new england, where ll w wl l makeke h hislost approach to land. to afghanistan, now, where one candidate has already claimed victory in yesterday's presidential election. the vote took place despite numerous suicide bombings and rocket attacks throughout the country. abc's nick schifrin is joining us this morning from kabul. good morning, nick. >> reporter: good morning, vinita. yeah. the incumbent president, hamid karzai who was favored to win this election. his campaign called reporters today, bragging, actually. saying they had enough votes. not only to win, but to avoid a second round. he needs 50% to do that.

not to be outdone, his main competitor has told reporters virtually the same thing, that maybe they have have enough votes toe clips 50% and avoid a second round. the fact is, we will he some political instability in this country for the next two weeks until we get official results. until then, these ballots will still be counted from all over the country. and the fear is that the level of legitimacy in this election will be questioned by a few things. one, allegations of fraud by ballot stuffing, which abdullah has accused karzai of doing. and also, turnout. there's so much fear, and so much violence in this country, that very low turnout yesterday. we saw 40% or 50% turnout. that's about half of what it was in 2004. because of that low turnout, it's going to be hard for the next president to become the legitimate president of afghanistan because certain parts of the country, it seems, didn't turn out at all yesterday. >> all right. abc's nick schifrin in kabul. thanks. and, of course, stay safe. the release of a libyan

terrorist convicted in the 1988 pan am bombing is getting harsh reaction from victims' families. and joyous reaction from libyans themselves. >> reporter: scenes of celebration greeted the man convicted of 270 counts of murder in the 1988 pan am flight 103 bombing. abdull basset megrahi, despite asks that he should not be given a heroes welcome. stricken with terminal cancer, yesterday, megrahi was granted a compassionate release. >> that justice be served. but mercy be shown. >> reporter: but for the relatives of the victims, mercy was proving difficult to comprehend. >> this man is one of the people responsible for the largest mass murder on british soil. and for him to be released is something that i really have a

hard time understanding. >> reporter: the pan am flight 103 bombing over the scottish town of lockerbie has been an enormous burden for the victims' families. >> my baby. >> reporter: technically, megrahi has served under two weeks for every victim of this disaster. president obama echoes the frustration felt by the relatives, calling megrahi's release a mistake. >> we've also obviously been in contact with the families of the pan am victims. and indicated to them that we don't think this was appropriate. >> reporter: the libyans are saying megrahi's release is a new turning point in relations of their country with britain and the u.s. but for relatives of the victims, they're still left without a promise of a full investigation as to what happened aboard pan am flight 103. vinita, jeremy? >> thanks, sonia. there are some explosive, new allegations about the leadup to the 2004 presidential election.

former homeland security director, tom ridge, now says he was pressured to raise the terror alert level, days before the election. ridge says former defense secretary, donald rumsfeld, and former attorney general, john ashcroft, both leaned on him to make the change. him to follow through with the decision to leave the administration. plaxico burress faces two jeers in jail after a guilty plea. burress accidentally shot himself with a handgun at a new york nightclub last year. he was carrying it illegally and could have gotten more than three years in prison if convicted in a trial. the cleanup job is far from over in the midwest, after line of violent storms ripped through the area wednesday night. hundreds of volunteers are removing debris in central illinois, where two, fierce tornadoes touched down, flattening dozens of homes and uprooting trees. a number of people were injured. but luckily,o one was killed. and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation.

late day showers and thunderstorms from new england, to florida andlong the gulf coast. gusty winds, hail and lightning, especially from maine to maryland. light rain around the great lakes and scattered showers in the southern rockies. but otherwise, sunny out west. >> a scorching 107 in phoenix bday.10 7in0 oise. 98 in salt lake city. much milder inin the midwest, wh most cities reaching highs in the 7 os. hot 90 in new york. 89 for boston. 86 in atlanta. dallas gets up to 96. and new orleans, 91. your money news is next with starbucks raising some prices and cutting others. plus, the deadline is looming to take advantage of the cash for clunkers program. and murder mystery. a swimsuit model is found dead. and now, police in two countries are searching for her ex-husband, a millionaire.

cash for clunkers is running on empty. the government says it will end the popular rebate program monday night. the insenttives have helped sell an estimated 750,000 new cars, burning through most of the $3 billion fund in just a month. the obama administration has called the program a success, saying it helped revitalize the auto industry. with unemployment still rising, new numbers show a record number of americans are now in danger of losing their homes. more than 9% of homeowners with a mortgage are at least one month late on their payments. and more than 4% of loans are in foreclosure.

the growing problem is now being fueled by barrowers with traditional fixed rate loans. not the shady adjustable rate mortgages. overseas stock markets are closing out the week mixed. tokyo's nikkei average fell 1.4% today. hong kong's hang seng is lower. in london, the ftse opened higher. wall street starts the day with the dow at 9350, after climbing 70 points yesterday. the nasdaq gained 20 points to close at 1989. shares of aig shot up more than 20% thursday, after the company's new ceo said he expects to repay the government its bailout. earlier this month, aig posted its first quarterly profit since 2007. but the insurer is still on the hook for most of its $182 billion bailout. if you're swinging by starbucks on your wato work this morning, you may notice your cup of joe costs more or less than yesterday. the coffee chain is lowering prices on simple drinks like a plain cup of coffee. prices will come down between 5

cents and 15 cents. but starbucks will charge as much as 30 cents more for more some plex drinks like a frap chino. in today's "usa today" tech report, a new kid-friendly video site. it helps parents protech their kids by filtering the clips on youtube. "usa today's" ed baig had his kids test them out. >> they collected them all together. they're safe. they're appropriate for the young ones. and they'll even entertain. they were a big hit with my kids. the downside is, you can't show videos, at least at this point by age. the age rate is 3 to 12. you can't say i want to see videos that are appropriate for 8-year-old or 10-year-old kids. it's a mashmash that way. >> and you can read ed's column on usatoday.com. and the new recommendations. flu shots aren't just for children and the elderly.

welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. president obama leaves for vacation today, faced with eroding public support for his health care reform plan. that, according to a new abc news poll. hurricane bill is on track to brush the east coast this weekend. no landfall is expected. but people alon the new england shore are battening down, in preparation for the wind and waves. and former homeland security secretary, tom ridge, says he was pressured to raise the terror alert level, days before the presidential election in 2004. an internation manhunt is under way this morning with authorities on both sides of the canadian border, searching for the ex-husband of a woman found murdered and mutilated in california. >> she was a swimsuit model, who had worked for "playboy." he was a millionaire, who

appeared on reality tv shows. and now, he is wanted for murder. the naked body of jasmine fiore, was found inside a suitcase last weekend, in a southern california trash bin. yesterday, authorities linked her ex-husband, 32-year-old, ryan jenkins, to the crime. some of the details are horrific. >> the fingers and teeth were removed. >> reporter: likely an attempt to hide her identity. jenkins now faces murder charges and a $10 million bail, if he's found. >> there will be no stone unturned. and we'll look under every rock for him. >> reporter: authorities say the pair checked into a san diego resort last week. she was never seen alive again. after the killing, they suspect jenkins drove 1,000 miles to washington state, took his boat to a remote harbor, and walked into canada. fiore's ex-boyfriend urged jenkins' family and friends to turn him in. >> brian jenkins is an animal. what he has done to jasmine is

unspeakable. we ask for your support to bring ryan to custody. >> reporter: jenkins was a contestant on the vh1 reality show, "megan wants a millionaire." he and fiore met in march, married a few days later. but annulled their marriage in may. police say ground, air and canine units are all involved in the search. if jenkins is apprehended north of the board, authorities there can extradite him, but only with assurances he would not face the death penalty in the u.s. we'll talk with a close friend of jasmin later on "good morning america." with another flu season around the corner, medical experts are recommending that younger and older americans get their flu shots. but there is a surprising, new recommendation this year. as dr. timothy johnson reports. >> reporter: for regular or seasonal flu, the center for disease control currently recommends giving flu vaccinations to children under the age of 5 and adults over the

age of 50. as these gros tend to suffer more severe symptoms from the flu. but new research finds that targeting school-aged children and their parents for vaccination, may be better to contain the spread of seasonal flu, or even swine flu. using information from the flu epidemics of 1918 and 1957, researchers predicted that an influenza epidemic in the u.s. today, would be best addressed by a targeted distribution of a vaccine to children aged 5 to 19. d their parents, as these groups are most likely to spread the virus to the rest of the population. these findings offer a different approach to disease control that may inform how the nation addresses th swine flu pandemic. i'm dr. timothy johnson. well, digital photography killed the polaroid. there is one last chance to buy one of the instant cameras. urban outpit fitters is selling

including a camera and a pack of film. they're set to go on sale. polaroid stopped making the film last year. but a european company is trying to revive it. coming up, a scare for a top quarterback in one of last night's nfl preseason games. then, track and field and mascots don't mix. the blooper you've got to see up .ext. ...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 always 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 get 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 and a support plan rth'satigou f f yor. some people have had changes in behavior, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice agitation, hostility, depression or changes in behavior, 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 to 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 system, it worked. it worked for me. (annouer t)talko your doctor to find out if prescrtation chaix ha is right for you. policen connecticut found

themselves in hot pursuit of a stolen boat. their dash cam captured the bizarre high-speed chase of the $175,000 boston whaler, sailing down the highway at speeds of up to 95 miles per hour. the suspect didn't stop until the trailer began to weave and the boat flipped over. >> there's something you don't see every day. the nfl preseason has just begun. but it could have ended early for one top plar last night. here's kevin connors at espn news. >> good morning. second, full week of the nfl preseason. and we begin in new england. tom brady, leading the patriots, up against the bengals. first quarter. pats in front, 3-0. all of new england holding its collective breath. robert geathers just gobbling up brady, who was okakay. brady,y, 4 for 8 with 5 577 yars after a touchdown,n, that't's c ho cicinco.

shayne graham was out with a groin injury. ocho cinco said he's a big soccer fan. bengals win it 7-6. peyton manning and the colts taking on the michael vick-less eagle ps first round of the game. to anthony gonzalez. putting the colts up 7-0. first play of manning's third drive, after a donovan mcnabb fumble. it's to wade. manning, 10 of 14, 167 yards. and a pair of touchdowns. ensuing eagles' possession. this is mcnabb to one of his many weapons. deshaun jackson's 39-yard grab. colts win it, 23-15. that will do it for sports. jeremy and vinita, back to you. at the world track and field championships, jamaica's usain bolt beat his own record again, winning the 200 meters.

>> his teammate also took home the gold in the women's 400 hurdles. but a celebratory piggyback ride was less than graceful. watch this. the bear ran right into -- ouch. a stack of hurdles. luckily, they both walked away unscathed. >> it has to be hard to see through that little -- >> it sure does. the eye holes are not very big at all. s one clear choice: all free clear 2x concentrated detergent. all free clear's powerful clean is free of the ingredients you'll find in most detergents: no perfumes... no dyes... no preservatives... free clear is specially designed for people with sensitive skin and has powerful stainlifters, so you can trust it to get the job done right. free clear is the number-one detergent recommended by dermatologists... so, for a pure clean, all free clear is all you need. recommended by dermatologists... and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook.

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finally from us this morning, an emotional family reunion more than three decades in the making. >> a brother and sister laid eyes on each other for the first time since their family was torn apart when they were just kids. >> it happened in houston last

night. and ktrk's christine dauben was there. >> reporter: 35 years can be an awfully long time to wait for a reunion. >> going to be pretty special. >> reporter: the anticipated sister's arrival, it seemed even longer. >> i just want to grab hold of her and not let go. >> reporter: separated from his siblings when he was about 7 years old. his father, who did not approve of his mother's lifestyle, took him to texas. three other siblings stayed with his mother in europe. >> i always wondered, you know. i always did. where are they. >> reporter: after years of searching earlier th month, he connected with his younger sister, shannon, on facebook. she lives in belgium. >> when she was sending me pictures, a lot came back. and my questions, you know, i want to mow about my mom. >> reporter: then, a text message. she is here. >> we landed. she's here. >> reporter: their embrace at the airport was felt by everyone around who realized whatever was happening was truly special. so many stories to catch up on.

the pictures of their young lives, billy joe has never even seen. >> first thing was telling me, i look just like my mom. >> i'm happy. it just makes me sad that he couldn't meet mom. >> reporter: while the years have passed, the connection these two felt for one another, never did. >> every christmas party or whatever, it's always been -- billy joe has always been in them. >> reporter: the two have three decades to share. >> that's the brother and sister right here. you don't need to look like each other. that's not -- he's my brother. >> reporter: billy joe says a nine-day reunion is just the beginning. in houston, christine dauben, for abc news. >> a lot of catching up to do in nine days. >> what an incredible story. stay with us for "good morning america." we'll have an exclusive report in what's being called the flash of death. brand-new cars being recalled because they lose power right in the middle of traffic. >> that story coming up on "gma." ha