making news in america this morning. >> flood warnings in five, southern states. rising rivers, causing destructions and deaths. urgent surge. federal agents on the lookout for a possible terror plot in new york. and late-night first. the president and letterman, talking about race, health care and one very old potato. it's tuesday, september and one very old potato. it's tuesday, september 22nd, 2009. captions paid for by abc, inc. good morning. and thanks for being with us.

a year ago, the southeast was plagued by drought. this morning, there is water everywhere. >> floodwaters ripping apart homes and hundreds of roads. rescuers have used boats to ferry people to safety. >> here are the latest headlines from the flood zone. at least six people have been killed. most metro atlanta schools are closed today. and 20 inches of rain has fallen since the weekend. >> our john hendren has more. >> reporter: over 3 days, more than 20 inches of rain have washed over northern georgia, tennessee and alabama. in georgia, where towns like powder springs have seen it all before, residents braced for more to come. >> didn't see across the bridge. and there's two subdivisions. it's probably ten-times as bad as it was last time. >> reporter: georgia governor, sonny perdue, declared a state of emergency in 17 counties. in carol county, raging waters swept a home off its foundation, killing a 2-year-old, ripped

from his mother's arms. she was rescued after three hours in a tree, clinging to her 1-year-old. >> the father was further downstream. and he was lodged or holding on to a limp. >> reporter: in winston, georgia, a 27-year-old left an ominous message with friends, as the pavement washed out from under her. >> she said that the vehicle was being taken by water. that it was starting to take the car. and the last thing they heard was that she was going to float. she was floating away. >> reporter: her blue suv is barely visible under the debris. nearby, search crews uncovered a red pickup. its owner's fate, a mystery. not far away, police found the body of a 29-year-old man. >> he said, i'm on pull mill road. water's flooding in my car. i cannot get it open. he said, i have to call 911. and his phone went dead. >> reporter: survivors like those here in lafayette, work to clean up the damage, as

forecasts call for more heavy rains to come. john hendren, abc news. now, to the big question, will the rains finally move on today? >> accuweather.com's raychel harvey-jones has the forecast. >> it rains. it pours. and it continues to flood across the southeast. wet conditions leading us into tuesday. a band of moisture, from texas right through iowa, bringing significant rainfall and some strong thunderstorms across the region. as we head further to the east, from charlotta montgomery, we've seen significant rainfall in the last 72 hours. atlanta has seen eight inches this month, five in the last 24 hours. we'll be looking for ground stops across the region, as this deluge of moisture, is bringing even more moisture from the gulf. unfortunately, more wet conditions and flooding concerns, as we head into tuesday. jeremy and vinita, it's back to you. >> and abc news has teams in the flood zone this morning.

sam champion will be live in georgia, later on "good morning america." in other news, it is a busy day for president obama, who is in new york for tomorrow's opening of the u.n. general assembly. first, the president speaks at a u.s. climate change summit. next, he meets with israeli and palestinian leaders. lunches with the african leaders. and sits down with the president of china. all in a day's work. as he meets with world leaders, president obama seems to be considering his strategy in afghanistan. one day after a leak that the top commander says he needs more troops. the white house says the pentagon is delaying the request to is white house can review the mission. martha raddatz has the story. >> reporter: in a confidential assessment, general mcchrystal warns the president that the situation in afghanistan is deteriorating. saying, final matters. we must act now. failure to gain the initiative in the near-term, the next 12 months. risks and outcome where defeating the insurgency is no

longer probable. mcchrystal has prepared a separate troop request. with numbers ranging from 10,000 to 45,000. but the white house maz not asked to see that yet. president obama made clear this weekend, he is not convinced mcchrystal's overall military strategy is the right one. >> until i'm satisfied we have the right strategy, i'm not going to be sending some young man or woman over there beyond what we already have. >> reporter: general mcchrystal's counterinsurgency strategy to defeat al qaeda, is supported by the highly touted head of central command. now, the mcchrystal can only wait, to see if the president accepts his conditions. the facts that 51% of americans do not believe the war is worth fighting, it appears that president obama is moving towards redefining the mission.

martha raddatz, abc news, new york. on capitol hill, a key senate committee takes up the long-delayed health care reform bill today. the head of the senate finance committee was refizing the measure to address concerns from fellow democrats and key republicans, about insurance costs. included in the changes is cutting in half the penalty people would pay if they don't buy insurance. in massachusetts, state lawmakers could approve as early as today, a bill allowing the governor to name a replacement for the late ted kennedy. and speculation has centers around this man, former governor, michael dukakis. if chosen, he would serve until a special election next year. >> fall is beginning today. but it's looking like christmas in colorado. the last day of summer brought snow to the mountains in the western part of the state. it was accompanied by plunging temperatures, that forced people to bundle up. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. in addition to the drenching

rain across much of the south, there will be lighter scheuers and thunderstorms in the carolinas and virginia. thunderstorms in parts of florida. scattered showers across upstate new york and new england. and showers east of denver. >> 50 in colorado springs today. 64 in albuquerque. portland hits 93. highs in the upper 70s for chicago, detroit and st. louis, today. and a warm 80 in new york. 76 for boston. 77 in baltimore. and coming up this morning, a new look at how the recession has changed american life. plus, new information on children and swine flu. what type of vaccine is right for your child? and the global good-bye. when you can see the full, final performance by the king of pop. still haven't tried activia? listen to this story. my problem was occasional irregularity. my commercials didn't convince you? i am definitely a skeptic. actually, my mom convinced me. and i have activia every morning for breakfast.

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welcome back. we are learning more details this morning about the sweeping changes the recession has caused in this country. new census numbers show the number of foreign-born residents in the u.s., fell last year for the first time since at least 1970. other notable changes, fewer americans now own their own homes or moved to a new one last year. more people are car pooling to save money for gas for pork. and more people are delaying marriage. shares of bailed out insurance company, aig, shot up more than 20% monday. the stock rallied after a congressional committee said it would examine a plan to reduce the government's 80% stake in the company. investors seem less interested than a government watchdog's

report, saying the company may never fully repay its $182 billion taxpayer bailout. bank of america has started the process of repaying its billions in federal aid. the bank says it will return $425 billion for unused guarantees against losses. a company spokesperson says the next step is to repay $45 billion in taxpayer money. overseas stock markets mostly higher this morning. markets were closed in japan for a holiday today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. the dow starts the day at 9778, after sliding 41 points yesterday. the nasdaq added 5 points to close at 2138. the nation's airlines continue to see their business erode. passenger revenue tumbled 21% in august, compared to a year earlier, the tenth-straight month it has declined. part of the decline is due to a drop in the number of companies. it's also due to lower ticket

prices, down 17% last month. sony is planning a big party for the release of michael jackson's movie, "this is it." the documentary, which will appear in 15 cities around the world, on october 27th. it opens to the public for a limited two-week run the next day. and ticket sales will go on sale this sunday. >> and lines will start forming not long after that. you can read more about these stories online, abcnews.com. coming up, a new terror warning for mass transit systems across the country. and the president's lighter side on display. and the president's lighter side on display. last night with david into an incredibly strong, healthy cat.he has blossomed... his coat is incredibly shiny and soft and very thick. everybody thinks he's the most handsome cat they've ever seen. [ woman announcing ] purina one for indoor cats... unlocks the brilliance of nature... with a natural fiber blend that helps minimize hairballs... and maintain a healthy weight.

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in the coastal areas of the carolinas. if you're flying today, expect airport delays, mostly in the east. there could be problems in atlanta, charlotte, cincinnati, d.c. and houston. homeland security officials are warning mass transit systems to be on the alert for possible terror attacks. >> this, as we're learning more about a man planning backpack bomb attacks. and other members of a cell are at large. >> reporter: the search for others center around this mosque, frequented by afghans in new york. agents are make nothing secret of their round-the-clock surveillance, of key locations and individuals in this neighborhood. >> the nypd and are holding bombs in a bombmaking facility. they believe there's bomb parts still being stored. >> reporter: the man at the alleged center of the plot,

24-year-old najibullah zazi, was arrested that he lied to the fbi, about bombmaking instructions found on his computer. according to court documents, agents fountdz nine pages of handwritten notes on the manufacture and handling of explosives. authorities say zazi learned all that at an alaka qaeda training camp in afghanistan, where he traveled twice last year, and was then allegedly sent back to the u.s. to carry out the plot. the fbi continued an urgent search for bombmaking components and for others who may have been involved. authorities tell abc news, they believe the plot had developed to the point where three, distinct teams of four men each had been organized and preparing to go to the attack stage. brian ross, abc news, new york. in norfolk, virginia, there were joyous reunions as "the uss bainbridge" returned to its home port yesterday. when crew members left, they dd

no idea they'd be part of history. the ship rescued captain richard phillips, who was taken by somali pirates. two brush fires are threatening homes in oregon. at least one house burned in the city of ash land. and 600 acres went up in flames in nearby medford. residents were allowed back in last night. but firefighters are keeping on eye on the winds, which could pick up again. in texas, a bus slide off the road east of dallas, with 20 people onboard. nobody was seriously hurt. six people were checked out at a hospital. the students on board were members of a swim team. early results of swine flu vaccine tests in children are now in. studies show that children from 6 months to 9 years old will need 2 doses to be protected. while children 10 and older will need just one. the government has ordered 56 million more doses of the vaccine. so, there will be 251 million doses available. and that should allow everyone who wants the vaccine to get it. it's time, now, for ports.

and a battle on "monday night football." here's will selva at espn news. >> good morning. "monday night football," dolphins and the colts. peyton manning, looking to make a lilt history. looking for his 119th-career win. would top johnny unitas, and the colts all-time record. manning to dallas clark. 80 yards later, he will score. and just like that, the colts are out to a quick 7-0 lead. tiger woods says, dude, can you do that some more? later in the first, same score, ronnie brown. in the wildcat formation. dolphin tie it up at 7-7. fareed brown, in for the touch. the dolphins take a 20-13 lead. later fourth, colts, at the dolphin's 15. donald brown, his first nfl touchdown for the work. colts down 23-20.

manning, the screen to guyary garcon. he gets a block. and takes it all the way. colts, back on top 27-23. 35 seconds to go. dolphins at the colts' 42. pennington, play fake. end zone. but ted guinn, he can't reel it in. last dolphins' chance. six seconds to go. pennington. to tend zone. right idea, wrong person. manning wins its 119th game under center, with the colts breaking johnny u.'s team record. that will do it for this espn news update. now, back to abc's "america this morning." president obama is getting back to business today, after becoming the first sitting president to appear on "late night with davidletterman." >> the president joked about opposition to his health care

overhaul. he even took home a keepsake from the audience. >> that's remarkable. >> remarkable. >> this is remarkable. [ laughter ] and you carry heart-shaped potatoes. thank you so much for sharing. >> yeah. >> from spuds, the confers then turned to summer. and the first tweens. >> so, we decided there wasn't going to be any fancy camps during the summer or anything. they basically just goofed off all summer, which i couldn't do. >> others have. >> of course, much of his time this summer was spent on health care reform. the president talked about why some people seemed to be against his plan. >> but, look, let's face it. they're a little scared about the devil they don't know. and so -- and there's an awful

lot of misinformation out there that gets floated around. that's what we have to fight through. that's why i am to be on the dave letterman show. >> seem likes the tweens had a better summer than he did. first time on letterman. how about that? coming up, a look at the stories we'll be following today, including the historic ones. endeadly flooding in the ones. endeadly flooding in the southeast. (announcer) eutrogena tone corrcting night serum with high " performance soy to even skin tone and active retinol to spee cell turn over. clinically shown to visibly fade brown spots in 14 nights. i even out my skinat night so it looks younger, flawless in the morning. (announcer) netrogena tone correcing now you can fade and prevent discolorations all day. new tone correcting spf 30.

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were plotting to detonate backpack bombs on mass transit in new york. three men are in custody this morning as part of that investigation. a key committee takes up the health care reform bill today, even as the committee chairman is making last-minute changes in response to criticism. the federal reserve begins a two-day policy meeting today. the central bank expected to keep interest rates at record low levels. but could signal it will unwind programs designed to revive the economy. and today is the first day of autumn the and it is another unseasonably cold day in parts of colorado, after some areas were blanketed with snow. >> and that area, just west of denver. don't have to go too high to find that snow. coming up on "good morning america," an exclusive interview with the coach who faced criminal charges, after one of his players died during practice. >> we'll find out what jason

stinson plans to do next. is a return to coaching in his future. that's coming up on "gma." a lot of coaches around the country paying close attention to that case. >> should be an interesting interview. >> should be an interesting interview. for some of you, your local (whistle blowing) (announcer) with it's huge commercial grade drum high-performance motor and power wash cycle the maytag bravos cleans your toughest loads proof that only a maytag, is built like a maytag now available at sears. but those days came and went, and the cigarettes remained.

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this is a tragic case of domestic violence. a college student found dead in her apartment. this morning, where is the suspect who has maryland ties? we have a live report. the r repo man snatches a car from the owner with her child still in the back seat. we'll hear from both sides. and your morning commute. kim brown has everything you need to know to get you to work and school on time. in the meantime, it's tuesday, thank you for joining us. i'm megan pringle. >> i'm jamie costello. how about a toast to our fine director? he brought in 19 cups of

coffee. like a little coffee cart. >> doesn't take much to warm us up. >> we'll do whatever he says today. meteorologist justin berk says this is the way the weather is going to be. >> he says where's cup 20? i'm looking for mine. good morning. autumnal equinox. yeah, fall arrives today at the end of the day. technically you can say these are the last few hours of summer. the arrival of fall 5:18. until then we've got ourselves, well, a little mugginess out there. 64 degrees at the harbor school in owings mills. cloudy skies. we have the patchy fog along 83 in the hereford zone, even sections in eastern baltimore county and up 95. in the south, glen burnie is clouded with 63 degrees. otherwise, looking for temperatures that really jump out into the 70s this afternoon. we could have scattered showers with fall officially arriving at 5:18. more on that flipover on the beltway and the rest t