it's wednesday, september 16th. this morning, person of interest. police take a man away for questions about the death of a yale grad student. racist america? jimmy carter speaking out, saying a recent backlash as some still fear a black president. and insider's account. president bush's understanding of the bank bailout. even his opinion of sarah palin, of the bank bailout. even his opinion of sarah palin, in a new, tell-all book. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. thanks for joining us on this wednesday. we are following major developments on the search for a killer on the yale university. >> after interviewing 150 people, police have taken into custody a person of interest, in the murder of grad student, annie le. he is identified as raymond

clark iii. they also raided clark's apartment, armed with search warrants. aaron ka terse can i reports from new haven. >> he's a person of interest. that's the reason the search warrant was issued by the judge. >> reporter: the male has fail a lie detector test. and reportedly has defensive wounds on his chest. at one point while he was being questioned, the man stopped talking and asked for a lawyer. police have not characterized the relationship between suspect and victim. but have said no other students were involved. the 24-year-old pharmacology graduate student went missing a week ago. she was seen entering the lab building but never leaving. more than 100 investigators from the fbi and police spent 6 days pooring over blew prints. even brought in dogs to search the lab. the medical examiner's office labeled her death a homicide.

but declined to publish their full report, at the request of prosecutors. >> everyone would be more at ease if you found out who it was, why it happened, how it happened. security's supposed to be pretty tight. >> reporter: the university waiting to exhale, after its first killing in more than a decade, has to wait a little longer. aaron katersky, abc news, new haven, connecticut. here's what we know about the person in police custody. 24-year-old raymond clark iii, is an animal technician in the yale animal resources center. sources say clark did not show up for work yesterday. neither did his fiancee, brother-in-law, or sister, who all work for yale. we could get a better idea of the senate's version of health care reform. democrat max baucus is set to reveal a detailed outline of his legislation today, without the support of his colleagues across the aisle. that drew a sharp response from

leading republican senator, charles grassley, who says there's every reason to work on the ll until they get it right. the president isn't letting up on his public push for reform. he'll make an appearance on david letterman's show next week. there's been a vocal backlash against the president and his ideas. and this morning, former president jimmy carter says racism is the source of some of it. protesters waved signs comparing devil.esident to hitler and the and raised questions about whether he was really born in the united states. >> an overwhelming portion of the intentionally demonstrated animosity towards president barack obama is based on the fact that he is a black man. racism still exists. and i think it's bubbled up to the surface because of a belief among many white people -- not just in the south, but around the country. that african-americans are not

qualified to lead this great country. it's an abominable circumstance. and grieves me and concerns me very deeply. and another event last night, carter said congressman joe wilson's outburst was also, quote, based on racism. on capitol hill, congressman wilson has been formally condemned for calling the president a liar. the house of representatives passed a rare resolution of disapproval for the congressman. here's jon karl. >> reporter: wilson's outburst have made him a hero to some on the right. but in the house, it's now earned him official condemnation. >> the resolution is adopted. >> reporter: the resolution accuses wilson of a, quote, breach of decorum. wilson apologized to the president for that. but even as he faced the resoluon of disapproval, he refused to apologize to his colleagues in the house. >> the president said the time

for games is over. i agree with the president. he graciously accepted my apology. and the issue is over. >> reporter: not for the democrats, who say the resolution was about an issue of great importance. >> this is about the rules of this house. and reprehensible conduct. >> reporter: all but seven republicans voted against the resolution, calling it a distraction and a witchhunt. >> our economy is struggling. families are hurting. and congress is poised to demand an apology from a man who has already apologized. >> reporter: democrat barney frank refused to support the measure. saying, quote, i think it's a bad precedent to put us in charge of deciding whether people act like jerks. but then, there's fellow south carolina republican, bob englis, who was sitting in front of wilson when he called out. >> we need to send a signal, that, no. it wasn't right.

we don't want anti-heroes out there. >> reporter: jonathan karl, abc news, capitol hill. vice president joe biden will meet with prime minister nouri al maliki, and other officials in baghdad today. the vice president arrived yesterday on a three-day mission. talks are focused on security, elections, syria and the u.s. troop withdrawal. also yesterday, insurgents fired mortar shells at the city's green zone. two civilians were killed. bumrbiden was not in any danger. a pakistani man involved in the raid in new york city, denies he has any terrorist connections. officials confirm that naji, who was visiting from his home in colorado, was under surveillance for ties in colorado. >> of course, i have nothing to do with any al qaeda. and any link with al qaeda. and tomorrow, any question you

have, feel free to ask me. >> zazi is from pakistan. he plans to hold a news conference today. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. stl stormy across the south today, with thunderstorm, heavy rain and ongoing flooding from east texas, and oklahoma to florida. some of the showers extend up the east coast, all the way to new york. heavy downpours and flooding in colorado and new mexico. >> 99 in phoenix. and 99 in boise. highs in the 70s for chicago and detroit. most of the midwest will climb into the 80s. cooler than normal in the northeast. just 61 in boston. 68 in new yorker. and 76 in baltimore. dallas will only get up to 78. and new orleans is 87. coming up on "america this morning," new insight into the bush white house. plus, is the recession really over? the head of the federal reserve goes on the record. plus this -- >> they're bigging around on the ground. it looks like he appears to be covering something up on the road. >> new video from the pentagon, on the split-second decisions

required in the heat of battle.

new reports on industrial production and consumer prices are due out today. they're expected to add more proof to the claim that the recession could have come to an end. john hendren joi us from washington with these new signs. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita. with retail sales making their biggest jump in three years, we're hearing the kind of optimism out of washington we haven't heard in a long time.

when fed chairman, ben bernanke, said this -- >> even though, from a technical perspective, the recession is very likely over at this point, it's still going to feel like a very weak economy for some time. >> reporter: many economists heard this. >> the recession is very likely over at this point. >> reporter: and for good reason. that guarded optimism matches the latest economic indicators. suggesting the great recession will officially end this quarter. august retail sales were up a surprising 2.7%. >> people are feeling that maybe now they can loosen up a bit. they're not in panic mode anymore. they're in recovery mode. >> reporter: americans bought more electronics and appliances and clothing. >> i'm feeling that i want to buy something. >> reporter: car sales surged, thanks to the cash for clunkers program, as president obama noted at an ohio general motors plant. >> because of the steps we take,

this plant is about to shift into high gear. [ applause ] 150 of your co-workers came back to work yesterday. >> reporter: stocks, like the ones in marilyn coffee's 401(k), are losses. not exactly boom time. but it's a start. still, vinita, many americans aren't feeling a recovery. unemployment is expected to hit 10% by the end of the year. and it could take years for those jobs to come back. vinita? >> john hendren reporting for us this morning in washington. thanks. investors certainly like what they are hearing about the economy. stocks are posting some solid gains this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.5% today. hong kong's hang seng is up big. in london, the ftse opened higher. wall street starts the day with the dow at 9683, after climbing 56 points yesterday. the nasdaq added nearly 11 points to close at 2102. a sign of the times this morning.

the video rental store slowly seems to be disappearing. blockbuster says it will close as many as 960 stores by the end of next year. that's about 20% of its locations. the chain just hasn't been able to keep up pace with rivals netflix and redbox. the blockbuster will be putting dvd rental kiosks in stores of other merchant 12347s you can get business news anytime at our website. the address is abcnews.com. coming up next on this wednesday, the battle for afghanistan, from a point of view we rarely see. and the former president on the economic collapse. new insight this morning from a bush insider.

welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abcews. a person of interest has been taken into custody in connection with the murder of a yale grad student.

raymond clark worked in the same building with annie le. former president carter blames racism for some of the extreme comments being made about president obama at t.e.a. parties, rallies and town hall meets. and south carolina republican joe wilson has been given a rare condemnation for his outburst during president obama's speech. investigators have returned to the california home of phillip and nancy garrido, who are accused of kidnapping jaycee dugard and holding her for 18 years. police are looking for clues that might link the couple to the disappearance of two other girls who went missing in the late '80s. officials say the description of the time line are similar in all three cases. in afghanistan, reducing casualties has become a priority. u.s. troops spend less time battling the taliban and more time defending the population. but a new video released shows just how difficult that mission can be. martha raddatz reports. >> reporter: it begins when an

apache attack helicopter crew sees several men planting, what they believe to be an explosive device on a dirt road. >> they are digging around on the ground. >> it looks like he appears to be covering something up in the road. >> he's on the east side of the road. >> roger. >> reporter: the helicopter crew tracks the men for several minutes, preparing to fire. when, suddenly, a child appears. >> is that a kid? damn it. >> the kid appears to be carrying something over to their vicinity. he's handing them something. and they're digging in that ad. >> okay. go away, kid. go away, kid. >> reporter: the helicopter crew waits for the child to leave, keeping the suspected insurgents in the crosshairs. they wait for confirmation to fire. >> i believe that a hostile act. >> roger, good copy. >> reporter: but then -- >> whoa. never mind. >> bak. break. it just detonated by itself.

>> they just blew themselves up. >> affirm. they just blew themselves up. >> reporter: avoiding the child was key here, making the timing for releasing this video notable. the military's under increasing pressure to monstrate that it is careful not to strike innocents. and the video also comes just over a week after a u.s. air strike on two fuel trucks killed a number of civilians, likely including children. no combat gun camera has been released from that incident. but civilian deaths have been dramatically reduced of late. this summer, there were 19 civilian deaths. the same period last year, there were 151. martha raddatz, abc news, the pentagon. another insider of the bush white house has written a candid book. but former speech writer matt latimer doesn't bash his former boss. his book goes in depth about the economic collapse and last year's campaign. among the insights, when bush was told his concept of the bank

bailout plan wasn't quite right, he is quoted of saying, why did i sign on to this proposal if i don't understand what it does. of candidate brshg wrshg, he noted, this is a dangerous world. and this cat isn't remotely qualified to handle it. this guy has no clue, i promise you. and of sarah palin, bush reportedly said, this woman is being put into a position she is not remotely prepared for. let's wait and see how she looks five days out. and latimer reported he was shocked to see the president wearing crocs around the white house. coming up, having a smarter baby may have a lot to do with what they eat. and in sports, players ejected. even left battered and bruised of a bench-clearer at yankee stadium. of a bench-clearer at yankee stadium. the highlights j i'm semi retired and i'm here to tell a story. my parents all smoked. my grandparents smoked. i've been a long-time smoker.

you know, discouragement is a big thing in quitting smoking. i'm a guy who had given up quitting. what caused me to be interested was, chantix is not a nicotine product and that intrigued me. the doctor said while you're taking it you can continue to smoke during the first week. (announcer) chantix is proven to reduce the urge to smoke. in studies, 44% of chantix users were quit during weeks 9 to 12 of treatment, compared to 18% on sugar pill. today i see myself as a jolly old man, (laughing) who doesn't have to smoke. ...who doesn't have to sneak out to take a couple puffs of a cigarette anymore. (announcer) herb quit smoking with chantix and support. talk to your doctor about chantix and a support plan that's right for you.

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.

the urges weren't like they used to be, and that help me quit. (announcer) talk to your doctor to find out if prescription chantix is right for you. high-speed mayhem last night. where else but los angeles? a driver in a stolen car led cops on a 75-minute chase. as you can see, the chase finally ended in a sea of sparks, as the car was maneuvered to the side of the road. the driver was taken into custody, leaving a massive traffic jam on the busy 405 freeway. in your health news this morning, yesterday, the fda approved the new swine flu vaccine and hopes to start vaccinating people next month. most of the vaccine will arrive around the country on october 15th. fortified baby formula is linked to smarter babies.

a new study found that infants who drink formula perform better on cog fif tests than those given regular formula. researchers say breast milk is superior to any fortified formula. they say it has added benefits like protection of infection. two major leaguers ejected after a bench-clearing brawl. robert flores at espn news shows us what went down. >> good morning. let's start with the blue jayce and yankees. fisticuffs at yankee stadium. fifth inning is where things got interesting. aaron hill. ow. right between the shoulder blades. second batter plunked on the evening. he takes his base. home half of that inning, connecticut native, jesse carlson, throws behind jorge posada. and the yankee catcher has some words. both teams get warned by the umpire. benches clear a little bit. but trust me. this was just the preliminaries. the main event, still to come.

still in that eighth inning, sada's now at second. brett gardener, shoots it into right. here comes posada. watch as he crosses me plate. little chicken wing, makes contact with carlson, who says, hey, dude. what gives? that's when the benches really clear. and tempers really flare. carlson and posada, definitely not bffs. look at carlson's head, as a result of this skirmish. here's the replay. you see posada sticking his elbow out there, as he crosses home plate. look at the knot on carlson's head. he and posada both ejected. blue jayce get the win, 10-4. angels and red sox, from fenway. matsuzaka making his first start since june. struck out five. more importantly for red sox fans, just 93 pitches. david ortiz, career home run number 270. as a designated hitter.

that's most all-time. red sox get the win, 4-1. that's a look at sports. i'm robert flores. back to you in new york. he went on a mysterious outback adventure. but a few years and few thousand miles later, he's back. >> collide the cat was found 2,000 miles away from home. a nurse recently found the long-haired himalayan and identified him by a microchip under his skin. no one knows where clyde spent the last three years. to aquafresh, your mouth is amazing.

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finally from us this morning, cracking a mysterious code in the heart of the nation's capital. >> the latest book from the author of "the da vinci code" is rife with intrigue and secrets that may been in plain sight of the famous buildings of

washington, d.c. more, now, from abc's david wright. >> reporter: the opening scene of dan brown's new novel takes place inside the imposing headquarters of the scottish rite free masons. >> this is called the temple room. >> reporter: in this ornate room. as secret as this holy fraternity is about its symbols, the masons take pride in their history. george washington was a member. the first of 14 presidents to belong. as well as countless other influential men. >> one, two, three, four, five, six seven, of the supreme court justices were free masons that year. >> reporter: wow. making them perfect fodder for an author obsess with secret symbols and powerful conspiracies. >> now, dan brown uncovers the most shocking secret of all. right in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the masons admit they're a little anxious about getting the dan brown treatment. >> we don't know whether to batten down the hatches. or open the doors and say come

on in. >> reporter: even before the book came out, entrepreneurs have been angling to cash in. >> we think there's going to be a boom in terrorism, about president curious about masonic influence in america. >> reporter: author warren getler is planning a dan brown walking tour. >> reporter: the washington monument, with cryptic stones, made by masons. the theory is that all of the famous landmarks in washington, are really a code? >> there's a geometric code in washington, d.c. >> reporter: the masons insist that is just a legend. >> sometimes, a cigar is just a cigar. >> reporter: but for foochbs the best-selling author of our time, that won't make it any less intriguing. david wright, abc news, washington. stay with us for "good morn