on this thursday morning, signs of hope. >> new numbers showing the economy is rebounding. new homes, new jobs, and americans on the move. mitt romney answering tough questions about the economy and that video in our forum with our partners univision. we're embracing the 100%, saying he's for all americans. multimillion-dollar snack settlement, for the popcorn junkie who said the fumes played on his lungs. one woman stuck in

california. good thursday morning. i'm sunny hostin. >> i'm john muller. rob and paula are on assignment. we begin this thursday with encouraging news about the economy. >> that's right. the housing market is starting to turn around. the employment picture is getter. the changes could have a major impact on the presidential race. here's abc's tahman bradley. >> reporter: this morning, signs the economy is turning around. new economic data suggests the troubled housing market has bottomed out and is now recovering. posting a two-year high. existing home sales shot up nearly 8% in august. builders broke ground on a lot more homes last month. up more than 2%. all that sent home builder confidence to its highest level in six years. and there's promising news about jobs. target says it plans to hire 80,000 to 90,000 holiday workers. kohl's, more than 52,000 temporary workers. the improving economic news could impact the presidential race during the final sprint. mitt romney is trying to pivot his campaign back k to economic

issues, after the firestorm surrounding his private comments to wealthy donors that 47% of americans see themselves as victims. he addressed the comments during a univision forum last night in the battleground state of florida. and then moved on to the economy. >> my campaign is about the 100% of america. and i'm concerned about them. i'm concerned that over the last four years, life has become harder for americans. >> reporter: president obama's message? if voters want the economy to bounce back, they have to give him a chance of a second term. it's a message that bill clinton has taken on the road. >> we will grow again. you need to re-elect president barack obama to do it. >> reporter: with polls showing president obama leading in crucial battleground states, the romney campaign will soon pick up speed. romney and his running mate, paul ryan, head to ohio on tuesday, for a three-day bus tour. >> tahman bradley in washington, thank you. viewers at the univision

forum saw a kinder, gentler romney. he sounded more conciliatory on the topics of immigration and health care reform. >> i have experience in health care reform. now and then, the president says i'm the grandfather of obama care. i don't think he meant it as a compliment. but i'll take it. >> president obama will have his turn to answer questions at tt forum in miami this afternoon. turning overseas. french embassies across the muslim world are on alert amid increased security. that's all in reaction to a french magazine publishing caricatures of the profit muhammad. that concern that embassies could face violent protests like those that targeted american facilities for the amateur movie that depicted muhammad. a rising source of tensions could come next week when an ad is posted in some nuclear subway stations. an islamic group says the ad seeks to design muslims through

state speech. might is on display in a highly sensitive areas of the globe. abc's nick schifrin is there. >> reporter: never before has the u.s. flexed so much muscle so close to iran. more jets, ships and nations taking part than ever before. the u.s. has sent two aircraft carriers into this region. and each 1 has more than 40 of these, f-18s, that could reach thousands of miles into iranian air space. we give you a sense of how big this buildup is, each of these carriers has more fire power than the entire iranian air force. it's a blunt warning to iran. don't follow through on the threat to close the strait of hormuz, where one-fifth of all of the world's oil passes through. the attacks on nuclear sites, iran promises to fill these waters with boats packed full of

explosives. the u.s. hopes tensions calm. but israel warns that iran is only six months away from a potential nuclear weapon. in its international show of force is meant to reassure israel and convince iran not to respond, even if it is attacked. >> i can do a lot of damage with the airplanes onboard and the weapons on the strike group. i can also be a stabilizing influence. >> reporter: after this exercise is over, all these troops, all these additional assets aren't going away after the exercise. the u.s. is keeping them here as a warning that it can act just a few miles from its shores. nick schifrin, abc news, aboard "the uss eisenhower." a british servicewoman has given birth to a baby boy. british officials say she had no idea she was pregnant. and only realized she was about to give birth after complaining of stomach pains. the baby was conceived before she arrived in afghanistan in march. well, the justice department has issued a scathing report

about the botched gun trafficking operation known as fast and furious. a report shows errors in judgment and management failures. it stopped short of criticizing attorney general eric holder. many in congress had blamed holder for the scandal. the shuttle "endeavour" fills a special request today as it completes its final flight. it goes en route to california. mark kelly, "endeavour's" last commander, asked that the shuttle could fly over tucson, so his wife, gabby, could see it. great story there. nice, little way to go out. well, the weather should be perfect to see that flyover. in fact, most of the west will have a pleasant day with sunny skies. the california coast wakes up to fog. and there could be rain from miami to savannah. showers are a possibility in fargo and green bay. >> the day will start off chilly in upstate new york and new england.

boston will be 64, instead of 70. dallas and denver, about ten degrees warmer than usual. anchorage is the cool spot at 56 degrees. phoenix, at 103. >> i think i like the 103. >> 56 isn't so bad. a sweater. light jacket. i can deal with that. >> i can. when we come back, call it the case of the kernels. the $7 million popcorn verdict. and then, chick-fil-a is sticking with poultry but dropping the politics. and later, the three-minute thrill ride that turned into a four-hour ordeal.

all right. welcome back. as we told you a few minutes ago, there's good news about the economy. the census bureau also sees encouraging signs over the past year. the unemployment rate is falling. it's still high. americans are moving again. after moving hit record lows last year. more young adults are leaving their parents homes. and the birthrate is no longer falling as sharply as it was. the outlook is also good for gas prices. oil prices have fallen sharply this week, partly because inventories are higher than expected. and analysts have been saying that oil prices are higher than they should have been. that should mean gas prices going down for the rest of the year. and chick-fil-a now says it is going to stick to chicken and stay out of politics. the fast food chain will no longer fund groups that actively oppose same-sex marriage.

chick-fil-a came under fire this summer when its president says he opposes such unions. get ready for more junk mail facing huge financial losses and declines inetter mail. the postal service is encouraging markers to send more advertising. direct mail is more effective than online advertising. and it's easier to measure the results. it is also profitable for the postal service. and general motors admits the new touch-screen controls in the cars can be confusing. the automaker is training the staffers about the system. it's calling buyers a few days after the sale to offer additional help. and from junk mail to junk food. there's a new treat being offered at this year's north carolina state fair. deep-fried girl scout cookies. >> wow. >> a doughnut vendor will take caramel delights, sometimes known as samoas, deep fry them and dip them in powdered sugar. the snacks are also being sold

at three other state fairs. i have to tell you, john, that sounds delicious to me. >> doesn't taste great, deep-fried. >> everything tastes better with bacon and deep-fried. >> flour it up. deep-fry it. we have to get some of these things on the set. >> yes. when we come back on the thursday, the duchess getting exposed in denmark. a danish magazine says it's going to publish new topless photos of kate. and a heart-stopping close call caught on tape, thanks to a police car's dash cam.

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he and the woman he pushed, slightly injured. the man's driver is facing several charges. i-95 could be wet from southern florida to south georgia. visibility could be a problem on coastal california roads with morning fog. >> all right. it is a great day for air travel with maybe the only possible delay in miami. well, 20 people, 20 people are safely back on the ground this morning after an amusement park ride malfunctioned, leaving riders dangling 300 feet in the air for 4 hours. >> the four hours part gets me. the ride called the wind seeker, opened last month at not's berry farm near los angeles. what they ended up with the feeling of being trapped, the length of a football field off the ground. >> it started going a little bit slower. and then, it stopped. and that was . >> it was really scary. and i was hoping that we would get down really soon.

>> the first half an hour was rough on me. i have a fear of heights. i was on it because my husband wanted to train me to get over my fear of heights. by the end, i was. >> can you believe that? murphy's law. it stops. it is the second time the ride has malfunctioned. and knott's berry farms says they will investigate. a man who has been diagnosed with a condition balled popcorn lung has won a massive payout. wayne watson was awarded $7 million yesterday. he claims his respiratory problems was caused by inhaling the artificial butter smell from the two bags of popcorn he ate for years. the one of the companies is appe appealing. there's no stopping the topless photos of the duchess of cambridge in another country. now that a danish magazine says

it will publish more topless photos. the editor says the idea is to show the entertainment fans in denmark what the photos are all about. there seems to be no stopping for trouble for lindsay lohan. she's been arrested in new york city. this time for clipping a pedestrian with her car and not stopping. lohan was arrested in the early morning hours yesterday. she left a nightclub. police say alcohol was not involved. abc has put jimmy kimmel to work ahead of his emmy hosting duties. the talk show host helped roll out the red carpet yesterday in front of the nokia theater in los angeles. this will be the first time kimmel is hosting the show, which airs sunday night, right here on abc. week three in the nfl kicks off tonight with the new york giants traveling to charlotte to face off with cam newton and the carolina panthers. as for last night's baseball, we get highlights from espn. >> randy scott with your "sportscenter" update. we take you to yankee stadium.

the bombers facing the blue jays. bottom one. derek jeter, yankees history. that's 200th hit of the season. he has eight such seasons with new york. ties lou gehrig's record. each row suzuki had two hits in this game. ichiro, stealing second and doing so easily. that was the theme in this game. in the eighth, same score. ichiro, this time, driving in curtis granderson. your next batter, ichiro, once again, stealing second base. once again, with plenty of room. in the same at-bat, though, ichiro doing something that put himself into the yankees record books. ichiro stealing third. four hits, four stolen bases. first yankee to do that since rickey henderson in 1988. let's go to the ninth inning.

rafael soriano on to button up the save. and he does. number 41 on his season. yankees win 2-1. they complete the sweep of the doubleheader. orioles and mariners on the west coast. they went 18 innings on wednesday. 11 innings on wednesday. orioles take a 3-1 lead. they go on to win by the same score. tonight, college football action. byu and boise state at 9:00 eastern. i'm randy scott. have a great day. here's one that has us thinking of dorothy and the wizard of oz. clicking her heels and saying there's no place like home. >> these shoes are the work of a british designer. when the wearer clicks the heels together, a gps device is activated. a light points in the direction to go home. >> parents would agree it's great technology for young kids.

wouldn't you think? >> i think it's great technology for me. >> great technology on a hike sometimes. you go into the mountains. you can get lost. >> i want the shiny shoes. >> the gray shoes with the red shoe laces. interesting. here's a guy who does two tough things at once. he's 21-year-old mike koch from pennsylvania, who has no problem doing one-handed push-ups while solving a rubik's cube. >> takes him a little longer than usual to solve the cube, which is understandable. his two-handed solve is six seconds. and the fastest he's done it in competition is just over eight seconds. what are you most impressed with? the one-handed push-ups? >> i'm impressed with the combo. and i'm impressed he came up with the concept. >> yeah. in his old age, he's going to have to settle down to two-handed push-ups. and do it with his mouth or something. how's that? coming up next, "the pulse." and a powerball winner looking to get lucky in love.

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no question. what was that famous movie line? love means never having to say you're sorry? >> i've heard that thing. >> not so for the owner of this van in england. the poor guy poured out his heart on the side of a van and parked near a busy intersection. >> not only did he apologize for being a fool and an idiot, what man hasn't apparently, but he asked his love, linda, to marry him. no word on whether she said yes. >> i hope she did. and the guy that won the powerball lottery. you probably remember donald lawson, from pierre, michigan. he is looking for love on dating websites. he is seeking a curvy, big and beautiful woman. >> he is saying, quote, to please a woman and that's all that matters. no word on what lawson's ex-wife thinks about all that. good luck, ladies. for some, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with new clues to the

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for up to 10 hours of comfort. aaaahhh... [ male announcer ] visine® with hydroblend. updating the top stories. mitt romney tries to regain momentum, telling a forum in south florida, that his campaign is about the 100% in america. romney is also expected to release a new ad, detailing his plans to turn the country around. at a hearing today, prosecutors will argue that a diary sent by colorado movie theater massacre suspect to a psychiatrist, should be admissible in holmes' upcoming trial. shuttle "endeavour" makes a flyover in the skies above tucson in a salute to mark kelly and gabby giffords. there's a chance of showers in the upper midwest. the day will start chilly in new england and upstate new york. showers possible from miami to savannah. finally this morning, a small scrap that could shed a

lot of light back to biblical times. >> it's a bit of writing. but what it seems to imply could go a long way toward telling us more about jesus than we ever knew. dan harris has the details. >> reporter: it's a tiny, faded fragment with just eight lines of ancient script on one side and six lines on the other. >> the most exciting line in the whole fragment is the sentence, jesus said to them, do his disciples, that is, jesus said to them, my wife. >> reporter: my wife. words never before seen in any christian scripture. this scrap of papyrus was given by an anonymous collector to karen king, a professor at harvard divinity school. she brought it to experts in new york city. >> like an i and a c, with just a little bit of a line over them. this is a shortened form of the name jesus.

>> reporter: they ultimately concluded it is real. although some experts now say they disagree. either way, everybody agrees the text was not written until centuries after jesus died. >> what this does not mean is that jesus had a wife. it's not evidence for us historically that jesus had a wife. >> magdalene was jesus' wife. >> reporter: don't consider it a vindication of the da vinci code, sha shows mary magdalene, a sign that she was his wife. all this fragment may prove is that even the early christians were debating this issue. so emotional because it would force us to rethink one of the most revered men in history. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> a lot of talk about that one. >> very interesting. well, that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a great thursday, everybody. we'll see you later.