making news in america this morning -- the politics of jobs. >> president obama, mitt romney and today's employment report. the president taking his message on the road. savage storms wreak havoc in eastern tennessee. there are fatalities. and many residents waking up without power this morning. abc news on the front lines in afghanistan. we're along with u.s. forces, with u.s. forces taking the lead against the taliban. and the lifeguard who was fired after saving someone's life. he has a new message for his former employers.

good friday morning. i'm sunny hostin. paula faris is on assignment. >> i'm rob nelson. good morning, everybody. we begin with the number one issue on voters' minds this election year. that's the economy and jobs. a new report out today gives another indication of who is hiring. >> when it comes out, both president obama and mitt romney is ready to make political hay. abc's tahman bradley joins us from washington. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, sunny and rob. as much as the campaign would like to keep the story on mitt romney, the story will be about the economy, with an important economic barometer. president obama will get another taste of main street today, when his bus rolls through ohio and pennsylvania. the president has been on the attack. but that could change at the release of the jobs report. a weak report could put president obama back on the defensive. this as his campaign pelts mitt

romney with offshore cash and outsourcing problems. the campaign is using an ad to make the attack. and on the stump. >> governor romney's experience has been in owning companies that were called pioneers of outsourcing. >> president obama is betting on america and american workers. and mitt romney is betting his resources in the cayman islands, in bermuda, in switzerland. and god only knows where else, he's putting his resources. >> reporter: while romney spent time with his family, his campaign denies he outsourced jobs. shadowing the president yesterday on his swing through ohio, two republican vice presidential possibilities. bobby jindal and tim pawlenty. pawlenty says the president

needs to get tough with china. he said he was going to crack down on china when it comes to trade and currency. and he did almost nothing about it during his presidency. >> reporter: mitt romney keeps raking in big cash. he and the republican national committee reportedly raised $100 million last month, a republican record. >> abc's tahman bradley in washington. thank you. we have breaking news overnight from tennessee. at least two people have been killed after a line of strong thunderstorms moved through great smoky mountains national park. one victim was riding a motorcycle when the storms hit. the second was a 41-year-old woman camping in the woods when a tree simply fell on top of her. there was major damage in the knoxville area when trees came down there. we'll have more on all of the damage coming up later today on "good morning america." for the midwest, another day of pressive heat. 24 states are under a heat advisory. some school classes in chicago

are canceled. high temperatures move east by tomorrow, where it will be nearly 100 degrees right here in new york. then, relief, finally, next week. >> it's going to be a hot weekend, that's for sure. time, now, for the rest of the weather, heading into the post-fourth weekend. storms could head into michigan. showers in the ohio valley down to new orleans. very pleasant along the west coast. >> seattle could touch 80 for the first time this summer. about ten degrees warmer than usual in portland. new england is lovely in the mid-80s. fargo cools down to the mid-70s. we turn to legal news this morning. late last night scott peterson has filed an appeal of his death sentence in the murder of his wife and unborn son eight years ago. his lawyers claim pretrial publicity, incorrect trial rules and other mistakes deprived peterson of a fair trial. he maintains he has nothing to do with the murders. and the man who killed

trayvon martin has a chance to leave jail now that a new bond has been set. but this time, it's a lot higher to the tune of $1 million. that's to show how mispleased the judge is on how much money he actually has. riders are describing chaos on a yacht that capsized. the man piloting the 34-foot boat says lightning cracked. then, the boat was slammed by a rogue wave. the three children, two of them cousins were trapped in a cabin as the yacht sank. and another child has died after a freak electrocution accident on the fourth. he was shocked while swimming near houseboats on cherokee lake. authorities say a faulty electrical cord could be to blame. a huge crane has collapsed

at a work site. crews working on a highway expansion project in oshkosh were using that crane to lift a 52-ton people when it gave way. it's the second deadly crane accident this year. and fire has hit the hershey park arena at the pennsylvania theme park. the arena's the site where wilt chamberlain set an incredible nba record. scoring 100 points for the philadelphia warriors back then in a game against the new york knicks. that game was 50 years ago. a new report finds mechanical problems and human error led to that deadly air france crash three years ago. all 228 passengers onboard were killed when the plane plunged into the atlantic ocean. the report paints a picture of chaos in the cockpit as the two co-pilots struggle to fly through a thunderstorm. the results could force a change in pilot training. and it could also leave the

marine's maker, airbus and air france, facing criminal charges. this morning, police in london are insisting that a string of terror-related arrests in the city have no link to the olympic games, which begin in three weeks. six terror suspects were rounded up in raids, including from a home just a mile from olympic park. they had been tracking the suspects but uncovered no imminent attack plans. now, an abc news exclusive. american troops training afghan soldiers found themselves in the middle of a taliban ambush. abc's muhammad lila was imbedded with the troops. >> reporter: we set out at sunrise. the mission, help the afghan army regain this region from the taliban. >> that was a taliban flag in the village. >> reporter: this is an afghan-led mission. it's their strategy and their fight. didn't take long for the fight to find us. we were walking through the

valley, when we suddenly heard gunshots and loud explosions. we believe we may have walked into a bit of an ambush. possibly now caught in the cross fire. we can hear the shots coming from behind that ridge. that's the afghan army. they are leading this fight. they are the ones returning the fire. with mortars and heavy machine gunfire surrounding us, american soldiers get involved. >> there has to be somebody up there. >> reporter: they aren't in charge of this fight. the afghans are. the americans hoping they can handle it on their own. with casualties mounting, tempers flare. afghans argue and fight among themselves. in the end, the afghans realize they still need american help. they demand american fighter jets bail them out. the american air strike worked. but the reality is the victory is only temporary. american air support won't always be here to save the day.

muhammad lila, afghanistan. >> so telling about the problems in that country going forward, particularly when americans leave at the end of 2014. >> that'ss the scheduled date, 2014. coming up next, a surprising report on what couples are spending on their weddings. plus, you can probably figure what earned vm blowout earnings from samsung. and a big addition to the london skyline. but not everyone is actually too thrilled about it.

welcome back, everybody. as we mentioned earlier, the focus is on the job market again. today's report for june will be a major issue in the presidential campaign. but other reports yesterday, they were pretty encouraging. employers are planning the fewest layoffs in more than a year. on top of that, the payroll company, adp, said private sector hiring last month rose more than expected. samsung's quarterly profits are up almost 80% from a year ago. largely due to the company's success in smartphones. the largest maker of phones, shares slipped because investors had expected even more. overseas investors are mostly hanging back, waiting for the u.s. jobs report. tokyo's nikkei average fell 59 points today. hong kong's hang seng was off 56. in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow

slipped 47 point s yesterday. the nasdaq index barely changed. workers in scranton, pennsylvania, are going to be disappointed when they opened their paychecks today. they are getting minimum wage. a judge ordered to honor union contracts. but scranton just doesn't have the cash. that's a sign of the times, yeah. despite uncertainty over jobs and the economy, couples are still spending big bucks on their weddings. the average tab last year was about $26,000. pretty close to what it was before the recession. >> so is spending on gowns, venues, food and liquor. where they're cutting back on rehearsal dinners, recorded music instead of live, and cutting back on the number of guests. my advise stands, elope and use the money for a new home. >> you have to have a big wedding and a dress. >> not a good investment.

you know that. put it in a home. don't waste it on a party where people eat, drink and get drunk. when we come back, an arrest in the case of mickey shunick, the college student that went missing in may. and quite a surprise on a dallas highway. not too many people saw it coming. twinkle twinkle hope appears. a stevia leaf erased my fears. it made my willpower a super hero. as for calories, it has zero. twinkle twinkle truvia® star natural sweetness,

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♪ tum...tum...tum...tum... tums! ♪ [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, all in a pocket sized pack. [ male announcer ] fast relief, fresh breath, drop in now for sears' big 4th of july appliance event. right now, get up to 30% off all kenmore appliances and floor care. plus, get up to 15% off all other brands. and, an extra 5% off all appliances with your sears card. sears. number one in appliances. that laser show last night in london was part of the official opening of what is called the shard. it is now europe's tallest building, in fact. at 87 stories, it dwarves everything else around it, including landmarks in london. critics say it just doesn't fit with the rest of the architecture. now, for a look at morning road conditions. it could be wet on i-10 in the new orleans area. severe storms may be a hazard around fargo and rapid city. >> if you're flying today,

airport delays are possible in minneapolis, atlanta and charlotte. there's been an arrest in the disappearance of a louisiana college student. mickey shunick was last seen in may when she left her friend's house to ride her bike home. >> now, a registered sex offender has been booked on first-degree murder. we'll get details when police hold a news conference today. a surprise verdict in the trial of a man who admitted assaulting a priest. william lynch was found not guilty after he testified about the abuse he claims to have suffered at the hands of that very same priest. jurors in san jose say no one wanted to convict lynch after hearing his emotional story. prosecutors had tried to prove it was a case of vigilante justice. we're getting a look, this morning, at raw video of a wreck in dallas when a city transit van plowed into another vehicle at a tollway. transportation officials released the images of the van just slamming into a vehicle that was strapped in traffic on

a ramp, triggering a chain reaction of five vehicles. they say the van driver simply didn't slow down for the traffic. >> unbelievable. now, let's turn to some sports highlights from our friends over at espn news. >> good morning. randy scott here with your "sportscenter" update. we start you in queens. it was supposed to be a pitcher's duel between r.a. dickey and the mets and cole hamels and the phillies. instead, david wright would ruin all that. hamels, 5-10, in 19 year starts with the mets. mets up three. jimmy rollins, taking dickey to the corner. hamels had a nice night. bottom nine. mets down one. and they give to jonathan papelbon, literally. that's daniel murphy. next batter, david wright. a little flare into shallow right. still looks like a laser in the box score. and the mets come back to win,

6-5, in queens. elsewhere, in the n.l. east, you have the giants wearing the throwbacks, taking on the nats in the nation's capital. angel pagan, to right center. pablo sandoval. he's big. but he can hustle. giants, down one. bottom seven, danny espinosa, let the come back begin. not off mr. perfect. it's matt cain. later in the inning, bases loaded. adam laroche. it's the walkoff fielder's choice. nats win, 6-5. sunday night, yankees/red sox, as they wrap up a four-game set. 8:00 p.m. on espn, espn3 and the watch espn app. and we have an update on a story we told you about yesterday. you'll remember murray, utah, mayor, dan snarr, and his 18-inch handlebar mustache.

>> at the july fourth parade, residents voted with their thumb, whether snarr should save it or shave it. now, we know that snarr will be keeping his stache. his wife isn't too thrilled for extremely obvious reasons. >> i'm note too thrilled, either. >> i'm not feeling that stache, man. but he has character. >> i think he should shave it. >> please. up next, "the pulse." from apparent predivorce planning by katie holmes. and the lifeguard from florida we told you about at the top of the show. what he's already told the company that fired him. i was teaching a martial arts class and having a heart attack.

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once that enamel is gone, it's gone. my dentist recommended pronamel. pronamel protects your teeth from the effects of acid erosion. i don't have to cut out the things that i love in my diet. and it's time to check "the pulse," stories you'll be talking about today. and i'm sure you'll be talking about katie holmes and tomkat. her decision to leave tom cruise may have seemed sudden. but we're learning now she had been planning it for some time. she switched off her cell phone. and even her close friends couldn't reach her. >> and apparently, tom was totally shocked. a source tells "people" magazine that katie was talking to him on the phone until last week saying, i love you. it's not clear what role scientology may have played in the breakup. >> we're going to be hearing a lot about that. >> every day, apparently. and getting oprah winfrey's

stamp of approval, usually means very good things for authors in particular. now, we have word that she's backing another political candidate. >> he is a recent stanford graduate. recent stanford university graduate, michael stubbs. he's a candidate for city council for his hometown of stockton, california. >> she has contributed to two campaigns. president obama's campaign and newark, new jersey mayor, cory booker. finally, a follow-up to a story that's been making headlines since yesterday about the florida lifeguard who did his job. >> he helped save a drowning man but was fired. thomas lopez has been offered his job back at that beach. he said thanks, but no thanks. he's looking for other job opportunities. good for him. >> that's right. well, for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with an amazing look at

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updating the top stories. the campaign with president ooh 'bama and mitt romney are ready to react to the government's new job report. it's out this morning and it's likely to drive trading on wall street. george zimmerman is getting another chance to get out of jail. but this time, the bail is a lot higher. the judge set bond at 1 million bucks, as a signal that he was unhappy about zimmerman's 34is statements about how much money he had. powerful thunderstorms moved through tennessee. winds brought down trees, knocking out power to thousands in the knoxville area. pleasant on the west coast. storms threaten the upper midwest. showers in the ohio valley. oppressive heat in the midwest moves east by tomorrow. and finally, we don't see much of former first lady nancy

reagan in public anymore. she turns 91 today. happy birthday. >> absolutely. just ahead of her big birthday, she made an appearance at her husband's presidential library, kicking off an exhibit, of ronald reagan's history with our parent company, disney. more from reporter rob hayes. >> reporter: it's the kind of fanfare that disney prides itself of. the grand opening of the treasures archive exhibit, with former first lady nancy reagan taking part. it shows the partnership that the former president and disney had. starting with the grand opening in 1955, which featured reagan as an emcee. >> it's quite stunning to see, just because not only his youth, and knowing what we know he became. but recognizing there was a connection between two extraordinary individuals who embodied the american dream. >> reporter: inside, examples of

reagan's connections with disney, from appearances at the theme parks, to his likeness, featured in the hall of presidents. >> walt disney with ronald reagan. >> reporter: officials will tell you this exhibit is a rare glimpse inside the history of the entertainment company. costumes from movie classics. props from "the black pearl." and the naught list from "20,000 leagues under the sea." all of this, spanning 950 years of history. >> some in this exhibit have never been publicly displayed before. and others have rarely been seen outside the berm of disneyland or outside the gates of the walt disney studios. >> reporter: disney troop had a treat for the former first lady. ♪ happy birthday to you >> reporter: rob hayes reporting, for abc news. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america."