it's friday, july 17th. in the news, minutes of terror. rock indonesia's capital city. two bombs rip through western hotels. and it's not the first time for one of them. crucial evidence in the murders of the florida couple with a house full of children. byrd and melanie billings are laid to rest today. and details in president obama's drive for health care reform. one democrat even says mr. obama reform. one democrat even says mr. obama is not helping. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> and i'm john hendren, in for jeremy hubbard. the city of jakarta has been

rocked by bomb blasts. >> americans are among those hurt. sonia gallego has the latest. >> two bombs. two bombs. >> reporter: the blasts that ripped through the two, major hotels in jakarta's upscale business district, happened within minutes of each other. at 6:45 a.m. local time, one bomb detonated at the j.w. marriott hotel, followed by an explosion at the ritz carlton. there are indications these were suicide attacks. the indonesian president said these bombings were carried out but an unsuspected terrorist group. these attacks have the hall marks of a tall al qaeda affiliate group. including the 2002 bombings that killed over 200 people. the head bombmaker has been at large and was feared to be

planning another major attack. this is not the first time that the marriott hotel there has been the target of terrorism. viewed as a symbol of the west, in 2003, a carbomb detonated just outside the lobby of the hotel and killed 12 people. this attack has come as a surprise. according to u.s. officials, indonesian law enforcement has come down heavily on groups tied to al qaeda. following a series of terrorist attacks in the country. indonesian security forces have prosecuted members of jamal islamiah, in recent years, forcing the group to go underground. but as the bombings prove, terrorist cells are still able to find the means to carry out such attacks, continuing to pose a significant threat in the region. sonia gallego, abc news. stay with abc news. and tune in to "good morning america," for all the latest details on the jakarta bomb blasts. there are new war zone casualties to report. three u.s. soldiers were killed in southern iraq last night. their base was hit by rocket or mortar fire.

and one u.s. coalition fighter died in southern afghanistan in an ied blast. at least 11 civilians died in a roadside bombing. five children were among the dead. as the violence intensifies in afghanistan, defense secretary robert gates says more troops may be headed there. gates sergeanted there may be some increase in troop levels, but not a lot. president obama has approved sending 68,000 troops to afghanistan by the end of the year. that includes 21,000 that were added this spring. in florida, mourners gathered last night to remember the couple killed in a home invasion robbery last week. funeral services are set today for byrd and melanie billings, who leave behind 16 children. meanwhile, the murder investigation is wrapping up. here's abc's diana alvear. >> reporter: investigators say they've recovered crucial evidence, key to closing the case. >> we have located the site.

we have located several guns in various locations, one of which we believe is the murder weapon. >> reporter: authorities say the evidence was located after the arrest of pamela wiggins, the eighth arrest in the case thus far. the 47-year-old is charged with accessory to murder after the fact. according to the police report, wiggins' red minivan was used to transport the safe and guns used in the killings. suspects told authorities, wiggins was in the van at the time. they told investigators the safe had been transported to one of wiggins' residences. they say wiggins is a close friend and landlord to the man who masterminded the scheme, leonard gonzalez jr. police say they are seeking individuals that may have had knowledge of the inner workings of the home of melanie and byrd billings. in particular, how to disable the property security system. authorities say the system was

never disabled. capturing what happened on camera, when the billings were murdered. for now, investigators say the motive remains robbery. and that the billings, a wealthy couple who devoted their lives to raising 17 children, several with severe disabilities, were innocent victims. diana alvear, abc news. president obama gave a rousing speech before the naacp last night. the association is holding its 100th convention here in new york. the president said african-american children said they must be told they will face challenges unlike other kids who are better off. >> that's not a reason to cut class. that's not a reason to give up an your education and drop out of school. no one has written your destiny for you. your destiny is in your hands. you cannot forget that. that's what we have to teach all of our children. no excuses. >> the president also said that

blacks are still feeling the pain of discrimination, despite the many advances that have been made over the past century. mr. obama has doing a lot of talking about health care reform lately. a couple of moderate senators told the president yesterday, that pushing for passage of a reform bill before congress' august recess is an arbitrary deadline. and it may not result in the best product. the president seems to disagree, as jake tapper reports. >> reporter: at a rally in new jersey, president obama continued his health care reform push. >> the health care debate is starting to heat up. >> reporter: the president said containing health care costs is essential. >> the price of doing nothing about health care is a price that every taxpayer and every business and every family will have to pay. >> reporter: but the president's case was dealt a blow when the head of the congressional budget office said democratic health care legislation in the senate will not reduce the government's health care costs, which the president has said is vital. >> on the contrary, the legislation significantly

expands the federal responsibility for health care costs. >> reporter: the administration said that bill is just one of three democratic bills working their way through congress and does not account for the savings they hope to achieve from medicare and medicaid. but how to pay for reform is the big conundrum right now. house democrats want to impose a surtax of up to 5.4% on top wage earners. with a study by the nonpartisan tax foundation said, would push top tax rates to over 50% in most of the country. that has moderate house democrats concerned. >> the tax increase on small businesses and upper-income people -- you don't want to hurt job creation at a time like this. >> reporter: and if the president signed the health bill into law, which he has not ruled out, he would be breaking this campaign promise -- >> everyone in america, everyone, will pay lower taxes than they paid in the 1990s, under bill clinton. >> my understanding is that the

house bill would raise them even higher than that. >> well, the -- we're going to watch the process unfold. >> reporter: the president has ruled out an idea endorsed by many senators, to tax health care benefits, arousing the consternation of the chairman of the house senate finance committee. >> basically, the president is not helping us. he does not want the exclusion. that's making it difficult. >> reporter: one other thing, you might recall harry and louise, the tv ads that helped sink health care reform 15 years ago. harry and louise will be back. this time, courtesy of the pharmaceutical industry. they're supporting health care reform. shuttle "endeavour" heads for a docking with the international space station today, as nasa tries to unravel a mystery. engineers want to know why a section of the fuel tank lost so much foam during yesterday's liftoff. astronauts spent yesterday checking to see if the folk had damaged "endeavour."

nasa will use a photo survey of the shuttle to check for damage. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. showers and thunderstorms up and down the east coast. and much of the same across the gulf states. thunderstorms from the western plains down to the southern rockies. mostly dry and very hot out west. >> phoenix hits 111. sacramento and boise, 101. it's 98 in salt lake city. 97 in albuquerque. heating up also in the northeast. new york climbs to 90. and boston gets to 86. 71 in chicago. and 75 in detroit. when we come back, google is out with its latest earnings report. more money than ever. but it's not all good news. the business is next. and it's finally over. the teen who sailed around the world is back home this morning. and he had a typical teen reaction. capturing he bthat's my vision. everyday transitions lenses are there

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stocks are poised to close out the week on a positive note. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.5% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. wall street continued its solid week yesterday. the dow climbed 95 points and starts the day at 8711. the nasdaq gained 22 points to close at 1885. a couple of tech giants will help decide if that rally continues today. google's shares are set to slide after it reported mixed earnings after the closing bell. the company said internet ad sales grew at their slowest rate ever last quarter.

that overshadowed the fact that google earned more in the last three months than any other quarter in its history. ibm's second-quarter profit blew away expectations. and the company ramped up its full-year earnings forecast. ibm shares are set to rise today. for a while, it seemed as though video games might be recession-proof. but the latest numbers tell a different story. sales of hardware, software and accessories tumbled more than 30% last month. one, big problem for the industry, few big hit games have hit stores this year. in today's "usa today" tech report, best buy puts hd radio in your pocket. the electronics retailer started selling the first portable hd radio. will this be the device that makes hd radio popular? ed baig checked it out. >> the price is right.

it's small, light, easy to put in the pocket. the downside, however, that hd reception, at least in areas that i tested on the outskirts of new york city, still lacking. this also lacks the a.m. band. if you're an a.m. junkie, you won't get all the stations you would like. >> and you can read ed's full review on usatoday.com. the coffee chain is reopening a seattle area store next week with a new name and a new menu that includes wine and beer. if the concept works, starbucks might try it in other cities. the chain's sales have gone flat during the recession. and mcdonald's is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the happy meal. the meal, with a burger, fries, drink and a toy was introduced in 1979. the burger chain has sold 20 million happy meals at that time. but it has evolved. now, you can get milk and apple slices. and you still get the toy that everybody loves. you can get the latest

business news anytime on our website, abcnews.com. when we come back, sonia sotomayor, is one step closer to the supreme court. she even seemed to sway a republican as the confirmation hearing ended. and a medical miracle. we'll meet the man with the two, new hands. we'll meet the man with the two, new hands. stay with us. my friendships, / we'll memy family, with the two, new hands. stay with us. while i was building my life, my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup inmy arteries. that's why y doctor rescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries is a real reason to lower cholesterol./ and that along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol, it raises good. crestor is also prven to slow the buildup of plaque in ateries. like people withliver disease,everyone,/ or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check or liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are aking,

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delicious flavors... expertly blended... because great tasting dressings aren't just made, they're crafted. welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. indonesia's president is vowing to arrest those responsible for yesterday's deadly bombings at two, luxury hotels in jakarta. several americans were among those injured. pope benedict has gone to a hospital in northern italy, after suffering a minor fall. the 82-year-old church leader was on vacation in the alps when the accident happened. and nasa is trying to figure out why the shuttle's fuel tank lost so much foam insulation on liftoff on wednesday. "endeavour" docks at the

international space station today. for supreme court nominee, sonia sotomayor, it's up to the senate. the judiciary committee will likely vote on her nomination next week. the full senate sometime in august. and by september, she could be wearing a supreme court robe. viviana hurtado has more. >> reporter: the senate confirmation hearings for sonia sotomayor are over. supporters and critics spoke, including two new haven firefighters. they were at the heart of the apoll lat judge's ruling the supreme court recently reversed. the men said they suffered reverse discrimination, when sotomayor sided with the city. >> i was shocked when i was not rewarded for this hard work and sacrifice. but i actually was penalized for it. >> reporter: this sharp criticism was matched with praise. in 1995, sotomayor's ruling ended the baseball strike. >> i believe all of us who love the game, players, owners and fans are in her debt. >> reporter: senators had their

last stab at sotomayor. republicans argued her views on abortion, gun rights and controversial comments proved her judicial philosophy is not in the mainstream. the judge addressed the so-called wise latina remarks. >> i regret that i have offended some people. i believe that my life demonstrates that that was not my intent. >> reporter: this answer helped change one republican senator's tone from confrontational to conciliatory. >> you know what, judge? i agree with you. good luck. >> reporter: legal analysts say the sparring between republicans and democrats is more about president obama's future supreme court picks than sotomayor, whose confirmation is all but certain. viviana hurtado, abc news, washington. a search continue farce soldier who has been missing for two weeks. the army has been passing out leaflets about the soldier to

local residents. this one urges residents to call a phone number if they've seen an american guest. the taliban claimed last week it was holding the missing soldier. and the number of suicides in the army has tapered off from the extreme highs of early this year. the army has been mounting an intense effort to stop soldiers from killing themselves. researchers say 37% of iraq and afghanistan veterans seeking v.a. care are being diagnosed with mental health problems. the first american to have a double hand transplant is recovering just 60 days after the groundbreaking operation. jeff kepner lost both hands to an infection. doctors hope he'll regain his full grip and feeling within a year. and coming up on "america this morning," we told you he was coming back. and david beckham did it in a winning way. ) for many with arthritis pain, not treating is not n option. all prescription nsaid pain relievers, like celebrex, ibuprofen and naproxen, help treat arthritis pain and have some of the same warnings.

but since individual results may vary, having options is important. prescription celebrex has een the option for millions of patients for 10 straight years. just one 200-mg celebrex (once a day,) can provide dependable, 24-hur relief for many with arthritis pain, .stiffness and inflammation., based on the available data, the fda stated that " for certain patients celebrex's benefits " outweigh the risks. if you are worried about stomach upset, you should know, in .clinical studies,, a lower percentage of paients taking celebrex reported stomach discomfort versus prescription ibuprofen and naproxen. and if you are taking low-dose aspirin for your heart and need an nsaid ain reliever, celebrex can be used because it doesn't interfere with the effects of .low-dose aspirin., but when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor ned to balance, the benefits with the risks. the fda requires all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, ibuprofen, naproxen and meloxicam, to have the same cardiovascular warning.

they all may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you have heart disease or risk factors for it such ashigh blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long periods. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, also increase the chane of serious skin reactions or stomach nd intestine problems,, such as bleeding and ulcers, which can occur without " warning and may cause death. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increased risk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you're allergic to aspirin or sulfonamides. ask your doctor if you could benefit from celebrex. understand the risks. eel the benefits. t tiger woods got off to a rough start at the british open. despite some unusually good

weather in scotland, woods finished yesterday's first round 7 shots off the pace. >> after he finished his 18 holes, woods went straight to the practicing range to work on that swing. watch for fireworks over the weekend on n the tour de france. the riders will be challenged in mountain stages. with other sports, here's kevin connors at espn news. >> good morning. we start on the pitch, with arguably, the biggest sports star in the world,aking his return. david beckham, rejoining the l.a. galaxy. his friendship, quote/unquote, with landon donovan, somewhat strained. it's becks on the corner. red bulls can't clear the ball. and watch donovan unload a laser. l.a. beats new york in new jersey, 3-1. astros and dodgers. manny ramirez making his return to l.a. rst game at dodgers stadium since his 50-game suspension.

fans of mannywood giving him a standing o. bottom of one, stand up and cheer. hunter pence taking a hit away from ramirez. bottom four, still no score. wandy rodriguez, gets manny to swing and miss. bottom six, gets manny again. ramirez, one for four. a pair of strikeouts in a houston astros victory. vinita and john, we'll send things back to you. a southern california teenager has sailed into the record books, becoming the youngest person ever to circle the globe by boat alone. >> that's right. 17-year-old zak sundayerland returned home to california yesterday, after a 28,000-mile adventure that took him 13 months. he said hit was awesome to be back home. and next up, sunderland plans to climb mt. everest. he's not taking a break, is he? for some of you, roar local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" conts