it's friday, august 14th. this morning, blaze battle. thousands of firefighters on the front lines of several california wildfires. the biggest still raging out of control. back in the game. a sports shocker. michael vick signs a deal to play again in the nfl. and tough questions. the president faces a fifth grade reporter who gets a big the president faces a fifth grade reporter who gets a big scoop. captions paid for by abc, inc. and it is friday, good morning, i'm stephanie sy in for jeremy hubbard. >> and i'm vinita nair. it may feel more like a campaign trip hopscotching across the west to sell his health care reform ideas. >> he's held one town hall this week but today's crowd might not be as friendly.

emily schmidt has the details from washington. good morning, emily. >> reporter: well, good morning, vinita and stephanie. so far the town hall participants have reserved their angriest health care reform for members of congress. today we'll see if they include the president as he takes his case for change on the road. president obama goes to montana today making a pitch for health care reform. it's proven a tough sell at town hall meetings across the country. >> my trust and faith in the united states government and its leadership has been destroyed. >> i think somebody in congress needs to go to jail. a whole bunch of them. >> reporter: members of congress trying to explain health care proposals are running into opposition. fears of the government spending too much money for systemic change. >> why on earth are you producing a health care bill that has so many pages in it and such complex wording that we can't understand it. >> reporter: in fact, thursday's senate negotiators announced

they were dropping controversial end of life provisions from their bill because they could be misinterpreted and misused. now the health care reform message is playing out on television. >> what does health insurance reform mean for you? >> reporter: this new campaign is funded largely by the pharmaceutical industry ads running 2-1 in favor of reform and the white house is now using e-mail and web videos to lay out its case. >> we hope to quell the misconceptions that are apparently held even by some in the senate about what the bill is and what the bill isn't. >> reporter: president obama faced a mostly friendly crowd at a town hall meeting he held earlier this week but today the tickets are given out first come, first serve which means that those who arrive early may come armed with some critical questions. we'll have to wait and see. vinita and stephanie, back to you. >> emily schmidt reporting in washington this morning, thanks. people eager to weigh in on the health care debate overwhelmed congressional

computers yesterday. a flood of e-mails overloaded the website for the house of representatives. later on "good morning america," another disturbing angle to the health care uproar which may be fueling anger against the president raising new concerns about his personal safety. don't miss the brian ross report later on "gma." it was a tough night for thousands of firefighters battling flames on several fronts in california. by far the most dangerous this fire in the santa cruz mountains south of san francisco. which has scorched nearly 3,000 acres and is still burning out of control. about 2,500 people were forced out of their homes when the flames became too intense. firefighters are doing all they can. >> we could see it spreading so quickly because the wind was howling. >> hand crew, bulldozers, aircraft, we're throwing everything we have at it but we've got to get out ahead of it and get an anchor point and work the perimeter line around it to get containment. >> adding to the challenge the fire is burning in a remote

rugged area where the vegetation is tinder dry because of the extended drought. there is better news this morning about a fire burning 100 miles to the east of the santa cruz fire. it has burned about 3,000 acres near livermore but expected to be fully contained later day. some of the planes there were diverted to get this blaze under control. the air traffic controller in last weekend's midair collision over the hudson river has been suspended for being on the phone with his girlfriend at the time. his supervisor, who was out of the building at the time, was also suspended. the faa said while there's no reason to believe their conduct contributed to the accident, it's still unacceptable. a funeral mass will be held for eunice kennedy shriver today in hyannis, massachusetts. family members greeted mourners at a wake. among them oprah winfrey and athletes who participated in the special olympics. today's service will feature traditional irish music and eulogies from her grandchildren.

navy pilot michael speicher will be buried in jacksonville, florida, today. speicher died on the first night of 1991 gulf war. but his remains were just recently found and returned home yesterday. today speicher's casket will travel in a motorcade through jacksonville passing by the city's war memorial before being buried during a private ceremony. the fifth largest commuter rail service could be days away from a strike. the union representing b.a.,t. has rejected management's final offer which they say amounts to a 7% pay cut. b.a.,t.'s board of directors meets today and is ready to impose the deal. the union members will go on strike if they do, they say. it is big news, the world of pro football. disgraced quarterback michael vick will play in the nfl, a surprise for many in the league as well as for fans. vick's new team will be the

philadelphia eagles. originally one of the 26 teams that said they wouldn't sign the 29-year-old. vick was once the league's highest paid player before being suspended in 2006 and convicted a year later of running a dogfighting ring. he served an 18-month sentence and just two weeks ago his suspension was lifted. fans at last night's preseason game had mixed reactions. >> i think he paid his debt. i mean i have no phlegm. he served two years in jail. i don't know why with this team. >> i think it's horrible. playing in the national football league is a privilege not for a person who would murder innocent animals. >> the head coach says vick wants to get his career back on track but that he also wants to show he has changed. >> should prove to people on the other side of that the human side of that the outside of football side of that that he's chosen the right and going to do the right things. >> reporter: vick will likely

take the field in preseason games late they are month a surprising and controversial comeback for michael vick from the league to prison and back. the team will formally announce vick's new two-year deal later. it will pay him $1.6 million during the first year. and cleveland browns receiver donte stallworth won't be playing at all this season. he's been suspended without pay after serving time for killing a pedestrian while drinking and driving last march. in a statement stallworth said "i am a good person who did a bad thing." all right. so the big question now, will those california firefighters get some relief today? here's this morning's weather forecast from around the nation. still dry along the west coast, but conditions improve around the santa cruz fire with lighter winds and higher humidity. showers and thunderstorms from montana to arizona and new mexico. stormy also in parts of north dakota, minnesota and wisconsin. and a wet day in the southeast with storms from the carolinas

to florida. >> a high of 91 in miami. 90 in atlanta and 84 here in new york. upper 80s in st. louis and detroit while fargo and minneapolis hit the 90s. just 67 in seattle, 71 in portland and 86 in sacramento. and coming up, the new digital camera with the display on the front. plus, detroit is hot again. at least one auto giant is ramping up production of thousands of new cars. and the cub reporter who was a sensation on the campaign trail lands his biggest interview yet. come on. [ kissing ] come on. good girl. mollie's never looked better. i really was amazed to see the change in her coat. people stop us when we're walking, and they'll say, "did you shine up her spots?" [ woman announcing ] just another way purina one... unlocks the brilliance of nature... to transform the life of your dog. for us to see the difference in mollie-- we were really excited about it.

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ford is reversing the recent trend in the auto industry. the automaker is actually planning to increase auto production thanks to strong demand from the government's cash for clunkers program. ford would build an additional 10,000 cars in the third quarter. both models are top sellers under the rebate program. the obama administration is easing some of the restrictions for people looking to trade in their gas guzzlers. buyers will be able to order the vehicle they want even if the dealer is sold out of stock much the customers will have to give up their old when they buy the new one even if they have to wait for it to be delivered. well, it's a mixed picture for overseas markets to end the we can. tokyo's nikkei average climbed 0.75%. hong kong's hang seng is lower and in london, the ftse opened higher. wall street starts the day with the dow at 93 the 8 after

gaining 36 points yesterday. the nasdaq climbed back above 2000 adding 10 points yesterday. southwest airlines has lost its bid to buy bankrupt frontier airlines. respiratory airlines will pay $110 million for the denver-based carrier. southwest says its $170 million bid was unacceptable to the bankruptcy court because of the terms it placed on the deal. in today's "usa today" tech report, the first dual display camera. samsung unveiled two cameras with the second screen on the front making it easier to snap self-portraits. another is a countdown for timed photos and cartoon to hold kids' attention while you take their picture. ed baig gave us his reaction. >> an interesting idea. one of those things that comes out of the why didn't i think about that before category. now, there are some issues here. if you had this second screen on all the time it could drain the

battery. and how do you frame this to this where there's a lot more in the background? so there's some things that need to be worked out. >> both cameras are due out next month and start at about $300 and you can read ed's weekly column on usatoday.com. coming up next on this friday the face of the abu ghraib scandal gives a surprising new take on the prison abuse she was involved in. plus, one-on-one, the president and the fifth grader. for a pure clean, there is one clear choice: all free clear 2x concentrated detergent. all free clear's powerful clean is free of the ingredients you'll find in most detergents: no perfumes... no dyes... no preservatives... free clear is specially designed for people with sensitive skin and has powerful stainlifters, so you can trust it to get the job done right.

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on the phone as it happened. a supervisor was also suspended. and firefighters in northern california have their hands full with two wildfires. the more dangerous one near santa cruz has forced thousands from their homes. the former american g.i. who was the face of the abu ghraib prison scandal is downplaying the abuse. in a new interview lindy inc. glindz tells the bbc forcing iraqis to pose in these positions was nothing like iraqis did to americans and compared the abuse at abu ghraib to college hazing and said the tactics they used were justified. >> softening up tactics. if it helps get whatever information they might have, sure. >> england is hoping her new book will improve her image and help people understand she only had a small role in what went on at abu ghraib.

the only man convicted in the bombing of pan am flight 103 over locker by, scotland could soon go free. his possible release is sparking outrage among family members who lost loved ones. here's nick watt. >> reporter: abdel baset ali al megrahi was convicted of 270 counts of murder and sentenced to life for his part in the bombing of pan am 103. now the former libyan intelligence agent is dying of prostate cancer, and scottish officials are considering granting him what they call a "compassionate release." >> clearly he is terminally ill, and there's other factors, but i have made no decision as yet. >> reporter: even the prospect of his release has infuriated some families of the victims. kathleen flynn's son j.p. was flying home for the holidays when flight 103 exploded over lockerbie. >> you don't allow someone who has murdered, you know,

premeditated murder of 270 innocent people and let them walk away from their prison term. sorry, it's just not -- it's just not just, and it's not fair. >> reporter: u.s. officials agreed. >> we believe that he should spend the rest of his time in jail. >> reporter: but in britain, a dying prisoner can qualify for compassionate release. last week, the infamous great train robber ronnie biggs was freed, aged 80 and suffering from pneumonia. and some british relatives of the lockerbie dead believe megrahi should go free. they don't believe he was guilty in the first place. >> i think it would be inhumane, indeed, downright cruel, to keep the man in prison to die, away from his family and his country. >> reporter: scottish authorities believe megrahi has just months to live. the question, will he spend those last few months a free man or a prisoner? nick watt, abc news, london.

>> 11-year-old damon weaver has interviewed many vips in his short career as a reporter but his latest sitdown would make any journalist envious. he visited the white house with a chat with the president that broke some news. the president announced he will deliver a back-to-school address to all students on september 8th. but he quizzed him on other topics too. >> everybody knows that you love basketball. i think it would be cool to have a president that can dunk. can you dunk? >> not anymore. i used to when i was young but i'm 50 now, so, you know, your legs are the first thing to go. >> when i interviewed vice president joe biden he became my home boy. now that i interviewed would you like to become my home boy? >> absolutely. thank you, man. great job. >> thanks. >> damon invited the president to visit his school and the president said he hopes he will be able to someday. smart young man. already has a full scholarship

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major. national golf put the longest course in history, more than 7,600 yards, the first round of the final major of the year of the pga championship. tiger on 3. this is his 12th putting for birdie. he finished with a 5 under 67. after the first round. padraig harrington, tiger beat on sunday at firestone, here with him again on thursday. harrington a 4 under 68. this time this group was not on the clock. phil mickelson struggled. here he is at number 10. has this short putt to save bogey. shot a 2 over 74. he's seven back of tiger. nfl preseason under way. tom brady in his first game since tearing knee ligaments in the season opener last year threw two touchdown passes both to chris baker and the pats win it, 27-25. nats and reds and big night

for jonny gomes. already homered in the fourth. in his second at bat, he homers just inside the foul pole. two-run blast. his second of the game. in the sixth, gomes connects again, this time straightaway center field. a three-home run game for jonny gomes, struck out at his final at bat and the reds win it by a final of 7-0. vinita and stephanie, back to you. >> some senior citizens in oregon are proving you are never too old to look for love. >> 80 and 90-somethings at a retirement center came together for a night of speed dating. they were told to prepare questions ahead of time and they did. >> yes, i have some. i was told i must not say, do you snore. >> she seems excited. >> the event was organized by the not so lonely hearts club and they plan to do it again next month. well, for some of you your

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captions by: caption colorado, llc (800) 775-7838 comments@captioncolorado.com good morning. it is friday. need i say more? how are you feeling out there? i'm jamie costello. we have a lot to tell you about. let's get right to it. a big one today. he wasn't hurt, no drinking involved, but it's michael phelps, who was in a car accident. that, my friends,why it's news. a terrorist who took down a plane in lockerbie may soon be getting out of prison. you have every right to feel good about the baltimore ravens. they put on a good display last night against the washington redskins. let's take a look. it's friday. that means we're all concerned about the weather. let's go right now and get some. here's justin berk. >> we've got a little bit of fog this morning. had a shower come through the city last night. we also have the moist, easterly flow that helped sat right the environment. temperatures range from 67

northeast, 68 charleston. -- carlston. we're dry on maryland's most powerful doppler radar. we have patchy fog to deal with. slow down your ride in the reduced visibility in the next few hours. 85 this afternoon is the two degree guarantee. our first check of the roads. it is 4:59. here's kim. >> thanks, justin. no problems to let you know about at this hour on the beltway. the outer loop is running nicely. however, like justin said, you probably will see foggy patches this morning. by the time rush hour really heats up, it will probably burn off. we have construction in the southbound side of the harbor tunnel that will be reopening very soon. two-way traffic does get by. looking at the jfx on the northern parkway, traffic is running nicely at this time. jamie, back to you. the most decorated olympic champion ever was in a car accident last night. his name is michae