it's wednesday, august 5th. in the news, homecoming. the two, u.s. journalists held in north korea since march are free, after months of diplomacy, and a former president's surprise visit. health club horror. a gunman storms into a gym near pittsburgh and starts shooting, leaving dead and wounded in his wake. and fighting flu. new plans for schools are about to be released. and now we know when the shots to be released. and now we know when the shots will likely start. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us on this wednesday morning. former president bill clinton and the two, freed american journalists are heading home. laura ling and euna lee were freed from custody from the north korean government. >> a reunion is expected in

california just hours from now. abc's sonia gallego is in london with details. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy. a happy ending to former president bill clinton's high-stakes mission to north korea. less than 24 hours after clinton arrived in the capital, pyongyang, he left the country with the freed american journalists, unila lee and laura ling, who are headed to the u.s. to be reunited with their loved ones. both lee and ling appeared healthy as they boarded a private jet for los angeles. north korean officials saw the plane off as it departed. the release came after a day of talks, including a meeting between clinton and the north korean leader, kim jong-il. kim's first with a western figure since reportedly suffering a stroke nearly a year ago. it has been a dramatic chapter in the lives of these women, who were granted a pardon by kim jong-il. the two were sentenced to 12 years hard labor, when they were

arrested for crossing illegally in march, whilst reporting under cover. there were calls from the obama administration to release the women. back home, the families are eagerly awaiting their return to los angeles. and spoke of the relief at the news of their relief. >> one of the few times that something positive happened to me. besides having the two girls. >> the best day of your life, did you say? >> yes. one of the best days in my life. >> reporter: the success of this visit could pave the way for the two countries to begin talks on other, thornier issues, such as north korea's nuclear program and recent missile tests. and the white house insisting that the trip was a private one, it follows weeks of quiet negotiations by the obama administration. and for the north korean leadership, it was a chance for them to show their eagerness to talk with the u.s. for both ling and lee, their harrowing ordeal is over. and the next stage will now to be to see what can be built from what the north koreans are

touting as a gesture of goodwill. while it has put a positive spin on the north korean issue, it's early days to see if the gesture extends to other consents. >> thanks. in suburban pittsburgh, police are trying to figure out what triggered a shooting spree inside a health club. three women died when an armed man fired 52 shots before turning the gun on himself. abc's aaron katersky reports this morning from grijville, pennsylvania. >> reporter: the gunman walked into an exercise class, turned off the lights and started shooting. >> they were in a pilates class or something like that. they turned the lights out. and the shooting started. >> i could see flashes in the dark. that's when i realized someone was using a firearm inside there. >> reporter: the l.a. fitness club is located in bridgeville, pennsylvania, outside pittsburgh. people who worked out at the club said they always felt safe and often brought their

children. one witness said the gunman was the boyfriend of one of the victims and was trying to kill her. >> she was shot through the leg. she was bleeding a lot. i think it was an ex-boyfriend. she kept saying he's going to kill me. he's going to kill me. >> reporter: strangers did what they could until ambulances and medical personnel were arrived. two guns were removed from the scene. but they have not confirmed a motive. >> the problem of coming up with a motive at this point is, we don't have the people identified. >> reporter: police found the gunman's car here in the parking lot, along with his gym bag. in the bag, there was a note. police declined to reveal its contents. but investigators say it's clear the gunman knew what he was doing, and did not plan to come out alive. aaron katersky, abc news, bridgeville, pennsylvania. in iran, mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for his second term as president. he called for national unity.

but unity appeared in short supply outside the ceremony, where police fired tear gas at protesters and there was at least one arrest. opposition leaders accuse ahmadinejad of stealing the election. there is something unusual in the waters off the east coast this morning. the pentagon says two, russian nuclear subs have been patrolling in international waters about 200 miles out. it's the first time since the cold war in a russian subs have been so close to the u.s. but defense officials say the russians are well within their rights. and their activity is not seen as provocative. it was a splur scene about 55 miles north of detroit, when a fuel storage facility erupted into flames. fire crews were forced to retreat when huge barrels of oil began to explode, flying 50 feet into the air. a two-mile raid yuz was kept when the officials tested the air quality. the cause of the fire is under investigation. and in california, a small brush fire that caused big problems is under control this

morning. it erupted in the los angeles suburb of glendale yesterday, burning about one square mile. freeway traffic backed up and some homes were threatened. here's some evidence of just how dangerous lightning can be. this video, captured by police dash cam last weekend, during a storm in redmond, oregon. it strikes a telephone pole, causing a transformer to explode. and then, knocking out power in the area. pretty impressive. and flash flood warnings have been extended through this morning across much of kentucky, after a day of violent downpours. >> louisville has been especially hard-hit. flooding is waist-deep in some spots. national guard flood rescue teams have been getting motorists to safety from swamped roadways and evacuating tweem from flooded out buildings. >> part of chuch hill downs racetrack is submerged. and water gushing into the library destroyed thousands of books. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation.

thunderstorms stretching from nebraska to tennessee and up to new england. look for the most severe weather around kansas city, st. louis, nashville and boston. lots of lightning, with very little rain could trigger wildfires from arizona to oregon. >> a high of 83 in portland. 95 in salt lake city. and 113 in phoenix. 85 in minneapolis. a muggy 89 in boston. and getting to the 90s from new york to miami. it will be 94 in new orleans. and a heat advisory is in effect in dallas, as it climbs to 103. all right. still ahead on this wednesday. how many struggling homeowners are being helped by a government program to ease the mortgage crisis. it turns out, it's surprisingly few. and schools brace for another round against swine flu. things will be different than they were in the spring.

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overseas, stock markets are mostly lower this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell 1.2% today. hong kong's hang seng is down. in london, the ftse opened lower. wall street starts the day with the dow at 9320, after adding another 33 points yesterday. the nasdaq ticked up, nearly 3 points to close at 2011. looks like cash for clunkers is not out of gas just yet. the senate appears set to extend the rebate offer for trading in gas-guzer wills until labor day. americans are quickly burning through the program's original $1 billion.

scrapping nearly 160,000 vehicles already. only a fraction of struggling homeowners are benefitting from the government's effort to help lower their mortgage payments. a new report finds only 9% of eligible homeowners have had their loans modified. lenders such as bank of america and wells fargo are called out for not doing enough. and ten lenders have not changed a single mortgage. the s.e.c. is trying to ban a form of financial trading that benefits big wall street firms at the expense of average investors. so-called flash orders allow firms with high-powered computers to essentially peak at stock orders before they are placed. the practice has allowed those companies to rake in billions of dollars. pepsico has struck a deal that will help it capitalize on changing trends. it's buying its two, main bottlers for $8 million. pepsi says it will allow the company to respond more quickly. and procter & gamble can say it makes the official toilet

tris of the national football league. they are announcing a sponsorship deal that allows the company to add a label to products, calling them the official locker room product of the nfl. a new report might have parents of newborns crying right alongside their children. government estimates that a child born today will cost $290,000 by the time they finish high school. 32% f for housing. 16% for food. and 16% goes toward child care and education. and who knows what college will cost in 18 years. remember, you can get the latest business news anytime on our website, abcnews.com. and when we come back, a stunning development in the new york traffic deaths of eight people, including four children. and joe jackson's family plans. he doesn't have many when it comes to his grandkids. these days, when you have to spend, shopping online can hep save. doing it with bank of america ca help save a lot more.

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from abc news. former president clinton and two, freed, american journalists are on their way home this morning. laura ling and euna lee were pardoned by the north koreans. at least three women are dead after a gunman opened fire in a suburban pittsburgh health club. the shooter then turned the gun on himself. and iranian president mahmoud ahmadinejad has been sworn in for a second term. the government is starting to draw up what a swine flu vaccine program might look like. clinical trials are set to go soon. if they go well, the first of two doses should be available by mid-october. the second dose could be given about three weeks later. it takes two weeks for the vaccine to take effect. so, even those that are first in line, won't have full protection until late november. officials predict there will be a vaccination program at schools, day-care centers and other organizations when it comes online. as kids head back to the

classroom, teachers are keeping an eye out for the resurgence of the h1n1 swine flu. here's lisa stark. >> reporter: classes are already back in session at rockdale high in georgia. and this year, the principal is keeping a sharp eye on students. >> we ask them, are they feeling okay? and if they're a little sluggish, we ask them to go to the nurse, where we can take their temperature. >> reporter: school officials are anxiously awaiting the government's guidance, on when or if schools should close because of h1n1 swine flu. >> it's going to be fluid according to what happens with it. >> reporter: when swine flu appeared last spring, the administration first urged schools to shut down, to stop the spread of the virus. hundreds did. now, the government is expected to advise schools to remain open, even as they start seeing cases of swine flu. >> the virus is so widespread that it's not clear that closing a school down is actually helpful. >> reporter: some parents feel otherwise.

>> if a lot of kids were getting it, you know, it became an ep dem nick the school, then, yeah. i think it should be closed. >> reporter: in some ways, schools may shift transmission of swine flu elsewhere. >> it's not like those kids go home and stay home. they go to the mall. or they go to each other's homes. >> reporter: and closing schools is costly, for schools and for parents, forced to stay home from work to care for their kids. for now, the government is advising schools to identify students and teachers who are ill. and to send them home. school officials don't know for sure how widespread the virus will be this fall. but they're hoping to avoid the chaos of last spring's school shutdowns. lisa stark, abc news, washington. here in new york, a lot of people are asking how could she? after learning a mother was drunk and high when she crashed her suv loaded with children. diane schuller drove nearly two miles the wrong way on a major road before slamming head-on into an suv last week. schuller and four, young girls,

ages 2 to 9, were killed, as were three men in the other vehicle. yesterday, police said schuller had been smoking marijuana and drinking vodka. >> diane schuller had a blood alcohol content of 0.19%. the legal limit for intoxication in new york state, is 0.8%. >> around that level of alcohol, you also get tunnel vision, where your perception is changed. so, you can't see peripherally all the time, depending on her tolerance she has to alcohol, as well. >> i mean, come on. blaming signs and blaming this. it didn't make sense from the beginning. you know? something caused her to do that. you know? so, now, we know. i think anyone that knows, contributing to this, should be brought to justice. in one way or another. >> the incident has been ruled a homicide. a local district attorney will decide whether anyone who would have known schuller was impaired should be prosecuted.

michael jackson's father, joe jackson, says he will not be overly involved in raising his grandchildren. in a two-page court statement, joe jackson says he lives in las vegas. and only occasionally visits the family home in encino, california. jackson praises his wife, katherine, as a wonderful caretaker and guardian. she now has permanent custody of michael jackson's three children. blogs are burning up this morning over the news that paula abdul will not be back for the ninth season of "american idol." after days of contract negotiations, abdul says she has decided to walk away, from tv's most popular show. she says she will miss nurturing all o the new talent. well, president obama turned 48 yesterday. but he didn't want to make a big deal out of it. >> instead, the president tued the spotlight on someone who shares his birth day. ♪ happy birthday to you >> that is the president apeerning unannounced in the white house press room, and serenading long-time reporter,

helen thomas, who he also presented with a plate full of cupcakes and that kiss. >> she wished for peace, a world without prejudice and a health care reform bill. >> lucky lady. coming up on "america this morning," a couple of twins in texas. no big deal, right? >> wait until you hear how long it took for them to arrive for one, happy family.

- new pencils, new books... - new backpack... looks ood. - just trying eh, gonna take more pto look our beshan looks., from what i hear, ms haskins is a toughy. oh, we had a good breakfast o we're ready., gonna be another great year, huh guys?!

you bet your 8 layers! yeah! longdistance high 5!, oh, careful! hey, watch it. start the school year with an excellent source of fiber. a clinical study showed kids who had a filling breakfast... of kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats® creal... had 11% better attentiveness... compared to kids who missed out on breakfast. ( shouts ) keeps 'em full. keep 'em focused. it is turning out to be a great year for superfilly, rachel alexandra. after beating all of the boys over the weekend, rachel alexandra's owner says she will be honored with her own line of wines. >> they happen to own kendall jackson wines from california. she became the first filly since 1924, to outrun the colts at the preakness stakes. a couple of extra-inning affairs in major league baseball last night. >> with the home run-hitting details, jonathan coachman with espn news. >> good morning.

a big night in the majors tuesday. albert pujols showing exactly why he is the very best. cardinals and mets. citi field. first, bottom second. hoe han santana. helping out his own cause. bases loaded. two runs score. his first career two-rbi game. cardinals down 7-4. but not out of it yet. pujols, straightaway center. who says you can't hit home runs at citi field. cardinals down 7-5. top nine, 7-6, now. skip schumacher. one out. here comes julio lugo on his horse. and we're tied at 7-7. k-rod, not happy. top ten. sean green pitching. bases loaded. that's with two outs. hits mark derosa. the go-ahead run comes in. 8-7. they would not be done. next batter, pujols. you bet.

that's the fifth grand slam of the year. cardinals come back to win 12-7. another great game in tampa. bottom eight. evan longoria, basing danielle bard. the solo shot ties the game at 2-2. we go to extra innings. bottom of the 13th. this time, facing kato, same result. second home run of the game. walkoff style. the rays win in 13. jeremy and vinita, back to you in the studio. there was a special delivery an east texas family had been eagerly awaiting for nearly a century. >> mckenzie and megan griffin were the first girls born in the family since 1911. dad said he couldn't believe it when he found out his wife was having the twin girls.