it's tuesday, august 25th. this morning, vacation interrupted. the president will issue a strong statement today that he likes where the economy is going. he's giving the federal reserve chief another term. final hours. michael jackson's cause of death, a deadly cocktail of powerful sleep aids. now, criminal charges loom for his doctor. and delayed. "discovery" was ready. but early this morning, mother "discovery" was ready. but early this morning, mother nature had other plans. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. thanks for joining us on this

tuesday. president obama takes a break from his vacation this morning, to make an announcement which may have a major economic impact for years to come. >> mr. obama is reappointing ben bernanke as chairman of the federal reserve for a second term. he is given credit for keeping the nation from economic catastrophe during the economic meltdown. >> john hendren has more on this story. >> reporter: good morning, jeremy and vinita. ben bernanke will be at the president's side this morning as the president makes the announcement from martha's vineyard. the president is expected to say, with bold action and outside-the-box thinking, bernanke put the brakes on the financial free-fall. bernanke's term doesn't expire for another five months. there was no need for immediate action. but a white house source says the president believes that consistency is crucial.

bernanke's a republican that was appointed by president bush. but he's earned widespread respect on both sides of the aisle. bernanke is expected to win easy approval in the senate. jeremy and vinita? >> we mentioned the long-term impact of this announcement. do we know how the stock markets are likely to react on this news? >> reporter: i wouldn't expect a market rally on this news. wall street has been pushing for bernanke's term. they like consisty, too. in a recent poll, 70% of market professionals said they expected bernanke to be reappointed. there could be criminal charges in the death of michael jackson. court records saw the singer died from a lethal amount of the powerful anesthetic, propofol. that was only one of the many doctorings given to jackson in his final hours. here's mike von fremd. >> reporter: jackson's doctor, conrad murray, had been treating the pop star's insomnia for

weeks. experimenting with the powerful drug, propofol, used to sedate patients before surgery. murray was concerned that jackson had become increasingly addicted to propofol. and used a long list of other drugs to help jackson's sleep. on the day of jackson's death, the star again couldn't sleep. at 1:30 a.m., the doctor gaves jackson valium. it doesn't work. at 3:00 a.m., the doctor tries madazlam. still, jackson cannot sleep. still, other sedatives, all failed. then, repeated demands, requests for jackson, at 10:40 a.m., dr. murray gives him a diluted batch of propofol, directly into jackson's intervenous drip. after monitoring his pulse and oxygen levels, dr. murray says he steps out of the room to go to the bathroom. murray returned to the room two

minutes later and found jackson had stopped breathing. he attempts to revive jackson, performing cpr. administering drugs to reverse the effects of propofol. calling for help. but it could turn out to be too late. michael jackson was dead. the rock star reportedly referred to the drug as milk. little did jackson know that this would someday take his life. mike von fremd, abc news, los angeles. legal experts say an arrest of dr. murray is imminent. in a statement, the jackson family says it has full confidence in the legal process. and that the family looks forward to the day that justice can be served. so, what kind of legal trouble could dr. murray face? we'll look at the precedence, plus what elvis' doctor faced, later on "good morning america." a panel has issued a worst-case scenario for the spine flu. the virus could infect half of the country this fall and winter. 1.8 million people could be

hospitalized. they say the majority of the cases could be mild. but the virus could till up to 90,000 people. as many as 40,000 deaths occur during a typical flu season, mostly the elderly. in greece, a multinational airborne assault, and minor winds have given firefighters the upper hand against fierce wildfires. 19 water-dropping planes from 4 countries battled the largest fire just outside athens. this morning, more than 1,000 firefighters and soldiers remain on guard against any flare-ups. preliminary results from afghanistan's election are due out this evening. 10% of the vote has been tallied. the candidates have accused each other of voter fraud. fine expects aren't expected until september 3rd. a familiar name has surfaced as a possible contender for new york's next governor. rudy giuliani is considering a

run next year. the former new york city mayor has told associates he will decide in the next few months. rhode island is so financially strapped, its governor wants to shut down the state for 12 days. the move would force about 80% of state workers to take unpaid time off before next july. rhode island has 12.7% unemployment rate, the second-highest in the nation. nasa was forced to postpone this morning's launch of space shuttle "discovery" because of stormy weather. rain and lightning moved into the area late last night. they will try to launch again tomorrow morning. among the crew, was jose fernandez, a son of migrant farm workers from mexico. hernandez says he always dreamed of being a astronaut. >> i didn't have anything. we couldn't join little league because we couldn't afford it. couldn't join boy scouts. i couldn't take those field trips.

all those things motivated me to say the way to get out of this situation is to get a good education. >> hernandez has started a foundation to encourage kids to study mouth and science. he will be the first astronaut to file twitter updates bilingual from space. the thunderstorms that caused the shuttle delay continue plus day in florida, georgia and south carolina. showers and thunderstorms from michigan to new mexico, could get severe at times with hail and gusty winds. scattered showers in the pacific northwest. and another scorcher in texas. >> dls hits 99. miami, 91. high 80s from atlanta to new york. it's 80 in minneapolis. and 85 in chicago. just 68 in seattle. 72 in portland. and phoenix 103. coming up on "america this morning," cash for clunkers may be over. but now, the government is helping your purchasing power around the house. and ahead of an upcoming

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and try bounty napkins. now with new prints. recapping our top business story this morning. fed chairman ben bernanke is being rewarded for his role in guiding the economy through the worst financial crisis since the great depression. today, president obama will reappoint bernanke for a second term, ensuring continuity in managing the economy and easing any concerns wall street may have about a change. investors are taking the news in stride. it was widely expected that bernanke would be reappointed.

tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.8% today. hong kong's hang seng is lower. in london, the ftse opened lower. this comes after a quiet day on wall street. the dow inched up just 3 points, closing at 9509. the nasdaq slipped 3 points to close just below 2018. car dealers have until noon today to file the paperwork on all their cash for clunkers sales. the government extended the deadline from 8:00 p.m. last night because of computer problems. so far dealers have only received a fraction of their reimbursement checks from the $3 billion program. the government has set aside $300 million in economic stimulus money to encourage people to buy more energy efficient appliances. consumers could get rebates up to $200 to buy washing machines, refrigerators and dishwashers. each state must create its own program. and the money should be available by november. when most people think of layaway, they probably think of holiday shopping. but the recession is changing

that to back-to-school shopping this season. kmart says a record number of shoppers is relying on the retailer's layaway program to pay for clothing to notebooks and other school supplies. the interest-free program is an alternative for people shut off from credit. with oil rising, the average price for regular, ticked down a penny, to a national average of $2.63. but oil has shot up more than 10% in the past week, which will likely drive pump prices higher. of course, you can get the latest business news anytime on our website, abcnews.com. and up next on this tuesday, the cia under investigation. a new report on extreme measures used by some interrogators of terror suspects. and poolside peril. a toddler gets stuck in a pool drain.

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welcome back. these are the latest headlines from abc news. president obama will appoint ben bernanke to a second term as chairman of the federal reserve. homicide charges could be next now that investigators have concluded michael jackson did die from a lethal amount of the drug propofol. and nasa will try again early tomorrow morning to launch the space shuttle "discovery." stormy weather scrubbed this morning's attempt. "discovery" is on a delivery mission to the international space station. the justice department has launched a criminal proep of the cia's interrogation of terror suspects. it follows the release of one of the cia's own reports, kept secret for five years, that details methods that were, quote, unauthorized and inhumane. abc's chief investigative correspondent, brian ross, reports. >> reporter: the report says cia officers told 9/11 mastermind, khalid shaikh mohammed, we're going to kill your children, if anything else happens to the united states. in an attempt to break one of

the men who attacked the "uss cole," the cia put a handgun and a running power drill next to the head of ra shiri. >> it shows an agency that was entirely out of control. and unfortunately, it was out of control by design. >> reporter: in another case, the report says cia interrogators staged a mock execution, firing off a gun, and using a hooded cia officer to pose as a detainee who had been shot to death. >> we now have a document, that the world can read, that shows in excruciating and disgusting detail, that the united states violated its own beliefs. and turned to the dark side when it didn't have to. >> reporter: the report also says the extensive use of the waterboarding technique, demonstrated here, was well-known and fully approved by then-attorney general, john ashcroft. quote, the attorney general was informed the waterboard had been used 119 times on a single

individual, unquote. in congressional testimony last year, ashcroft says waterboarding was rarely used. >> my understanding is it's been done three times. >> reporter: the cia has long sus suspended the harshest techniques. cia director leon panetta said, this agency made no excuses for behavior, however rare, on the guidelines on terrorism. they also took the cia out of the terrorism business, by creating a new unit that report to the fbi. lawmakers want libyan leader that he is not welcome in new york. he will address the u.n. next month. outrage over the visit intensified last week when libya gave a hero's welcome to the only man convicted in the 1988 pan am bombing. he was released by scotland because he is dying of cancer. a symbol of rebirth has come

full-circle at ground zero. it was the last beam standing after the twin towers fell, seen as a saeb of defiance in the face of terror. after more than seven years in storage, the 58-ton beam was taken back to the world trade center site. it will now be a permanent fixture at the 9/11 memorial museum. in florida, rescuers had to cut away part of a pool deck to free a 3-year-old girl. her arm was caught in a suction pool pipe. the suction was so strong, they had to remove the pipe with her arm still in it. he was brought to the hospital, shaken up. but in good condition where the pipe was cut away. we're learning details about the extraordinary rescue off the coast of maine. thousands had gathered at an area called thunder hole, to watch the waves from hurricane bill. that's when tragedy struck. here's our john berman. >> reporter: it was just before noon, with swells topping 15 feet. one crashed on a crowd of people

at this popular sightseeing spot. 11:58 a.m. an emergency call comes into the coast guard. 12:10, the rescue vessel is under way, racing against the clock. with water temperatures at 55 degrees, hypothermia unconsciousness can set in within an hour. 12:37, rescuers approach the scene, reaching two people with broken limbs, treading water in the waves. at 12:55, they pull a 12-year-old girl, alive from the water. shortly after, a man, peter axlerod, was saved. >> i'm surprised that two people did survive. >> reporter: but sadly, 7-year-old cleo axlerod, did not. her body pulled from the water after 3:30 p.m., a mile from shore. i took a ride on the 37-foot coast guard lifeboat that led the rescue. in a boat like this, you're getting right up next to them, yes? >> oh, yes. arm's reached. >> reporter: the two people pulled from the water are

recovering in the hospital, lucky to be alive. john berman, abc news, southwest harbor, maine. and coming up, the little league world series is heating up. highlights ahead from espn news. plus, how much would you pay to spend eternity next to plus, how much would you pay to spend eternity next to marilyn monroe? en most for hea for arthritis pain... in your hands... knees... and back. for little bodies with fevers.. and big bodies on high blood pressure medicine. tylenol works with your body... in a way other pain relievers don't... so you feel better... knowing doctors recommend tylenol... more than any other brand of pain reliever.

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in fact, it may " inspire you to make all the things you touch ultra plush. quilted northern ultra plush ® , luxury you can see and feel. and if you're not delighted, we'll give you your money back. the first, full day of president obama's vacation was spent partly on the links. he played golf with friends. tennis with his wife. and told a cheering crowd that his daughters had gone swimming. and the baseball-loving president would have loved last night's come-from-behind win from the rockies. anish shroff has the highlights from espn news. >> good morning. if you stayed up late enough, you got quite a treat. the rockies and giants, a thriller in denver. they played 14 innings. valez, with two on. that's a two-run trip.

the giants go up 3-1. they tack on one more. led 4-1, going into the bottom of the 14th. with the bases loaded, colorado's ryan spilborghs plays hero. >> deep right center field. way back. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> colorado, now, leads san fran by four games in the n.l. wild card hunt. but only three back of division-leading l.a. on monday night, the jets and ravens. first preseason start for rookie mark sanchez. on his first throw -- yix. gets hit by ray lewis. gets picked off by "d" lineman, notta. the big fella runs it back for the touchdown. second quarter. sanchez, this is what the jets were looking for. sanchez, three of eight, 43 yards. ravens win by one.

we go to williamsport, pennsylvania. little league world series. staten island, against urbandale, iowa. staten island's rapaglia. some power for new york. that's a solo home run. same inning, vincent quinn. how are you doing? new york takes it, 8-3. that does it for this espn news update. now, let's go back to jeremy and vinita and "america this morning." well, an unidentified millionaire just bought an opportunity to spend eternity with marilyn monroe. the crypt located above the movie star's at a los angeles cemetery was auctioned off on ebay at $4.6 million. >> a beverly hills widow is moves her husband's body, which happens to be facing down, so he can look at monroe when he's buried there. he got the crypt from monroe's

husband, joe dimaggio. she decided to sell it. for some of you, your local news is next. >> and for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. you've wanted to quit smoking so many times, but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained. but today's a new day.

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good morning. tuesday, august 25th. thank you so much for joining us. i'm megan pringle. >> i'm jamie costello. we'll get to weather and traffic in a moment. first the headlines. >> we want to tell you about how it is now official. it was a homicide. a bad combo of drugs that killed the king of pop. >> it didn't feel like a preseason game last night. the ravens set up and showed rex ryan who is boss. >> you can be the boss if you hit the right numbers. the mega millions is soaring. this could be your ticket to strike it rich. >> just one time. here we go with

meteorologist justin berk. >> good morning to you. 4:58. we look outside. one thing you'll notice, it's comfortable. we've actually dropped the humidity and temperature in many spots. while we're still at 68 by the water in sparrows point and annapolis, you head back to columbia at 66 but drops to 61 in mount airy. even 59, if you can see that on the edge of the screen, in frederick. we've had this cluster of storms on the lower eastern shore yesterday. this morning not the case. we're virtually dry and cloud-free. we have just a chance of patchy fog developing over the course of the next two hours. once we get the sun coming up during the 6:00 hour we should actually get ourselves into a beautiful day. 6:29 official sunrise. after that, mostly sunny, this afternoon's high should cook up to 88 degrees, low humidity, comfortable. we'll talk about the big wet weather that could be expected by the weekend coming up. let's check the roads with kim,