this morning, the furnace is on. >> it is a dangerous heat wave for half the country, just as summer officially arrives later today. heat warnings already in effect. some of the hottest temps so far this week. daddy to the defense. jerry sandusky's most potent witness yet, slamming his accusers. but does it mean he will take the stand today? excream pat-down. the passenger who groebed a tsa agent now facing charges. she, herself, is a former agent. and star scuffle. alec baldwin pops the paparazzo as other photographers snap away. good wednesday morning, everybody. we begin with the searing temperatures, baking the

northeast, ushering in this very first day of summer. kicks in about 8:00 eastern time tonight. but it's going to be a rough one. >> you have your countdown, right? >> yes. >> and what a difference a day makes for millions of folks. it's 20 degrees hotter. it's not going to let up for at least two days. it's a cruel, cruel summer. and many in the east are about to find out how cruel o pressive heat and high temperatures can be. folks in the chicago area tried to flee the storied temps. but flocking to beaches and pools. >> trying to keep cool. i wanted to bring her out and not be in the house all day. >> reporter: for people like milwaukee's chet taylor, who rides an asphalt paving machine for eight hours a day, there's no escaping the heat. i have the hottest job up here.

we have umbrellas. we never pull them out. it kind of holds the heat in. it doesn't escape. so, i don't put them on. >> reporter: even driving can be hazardous as motorists in south dakota learned. as the road began to buckle under them. the kids didn't mind the heat. they took frequent water breaks. those in charge, keeping a close eye on the temperatures. >> have a chance to go in the shade. we have plenty of water. and plenty of adults to keep their eyes on the kids to see if they're showing signs of being overheated. >> we're going to have to find some shade. i'm noticing there's not a lot. some water and take a lot of breaks. >> something the people in the east might want to keep in mind. as the east coast begins to bake, keep this in mind. it's hit 90-plus in chicago this season at least a dozen times. and in st. louis, about 17, rob. we turn, overseas, now, to egypt.

and massive protests in cairo's tahrir square. this follows a de facto coupe by the military. in this mix is news that hosni mubarak has been declared clinically dead. christiane amanpour was the last western journalist to interview mubarak. and she reports, now, from egypt. >> reporter: he told me he would never see egypt. and he would die on egyptian soil. he didn't sleep unlike some of the other arab dictators. and he didn't stay, unlike some of the other dictators. he's the only one of the arab spring, if you like, who stepped down after 16 days of protesting. and is facing justice at the hands of his own people. >> christiane said mubarak wanted to be treated with respect but felt he had been abandoned. back here, now, where former penn state assistant coach jerry

sandusky could take the stand in his own defense today. abc news learns his lawyers were leaning towards having him testimony. but they plan to make that decision overnight. abc's jim avila reports on yesterday's star witness. >> reporter: a woman on a mission. dottie sandusky marches into court to save the remaining days of the man she has known and loved for nearly 50 years. taking the witness stand at a wink, directed at her husband,jerry, she capped the defense's strongest day yet with spirited testimony, to claim he was too busy to molest children. while delivering a non-too subtle attack on the boys who say the coach molested them. >> i see dottie sandusky a loyal wife. these boys were there, in the home, with frequency. and in the basement. and being tucked into bed by her husband. >> reporter: the 69-year-old dottie hails from tennessee. she and jerry met as college sweethearts. he calls her sarge because she's

in charge at home. married 45 years with 6 adapted children. in a firm but soft voice, mrs. sandusky denied the state college home where she lives with jerry was a house of horrors for little boys. alleged victim number nine told jurors last night he was assaulted in her basement while she was at home and screamed for help. but no one came. he thought the basement might be sound-proof. defense attorney joe amendola asking her directly, is your basement sound-proof? no. how's your hearing? i'm a light sleeper. i hear noises. she told jurors her husband is in bed before she is 99% of the time. they sleep together in the same bed. and when asked point-blank, did you ever hear any of the young men yelling for help, dottie said, no. during a gentle cross-examination, dottie told the jury, she does not know why the boys would lie about her husband, but took a parting shot at the boy who started it all.

>> known as victim number four. woo kind of kid was he? she said, he was conniving, demanding, wanted it way. jim avila, abc news, bellefonte, pennsylvania. >> sandusky could testify today. shifting gears to politics. and an about-face on marco rubio's vice presidential prospects. abc news was first to report the surprising news that the romney campaign wasn't even doing a background check on the popular florida senator. at first, mitt romney refused to comment. but later, he told an interviewer that rubio is being thoroughly vetted. a house committee will have its latest vote on holding attorney general eric holder in contempt of congress. congressman issa wants holder to turn over more information on gun smuggling. holder says he's turned over a lot. and the latest move is political. fire crews say it could be

weeks, even months before that massive wildfire in northern colorado is fully controlled. more residents will be warned to get ready to evacuate after a spot fire erupted near the main blaze. the 93-square-mile fire that has destroyed 200 homes is only 6% contained. several more fires continue to burn in colorado, as well as eight other states. of course, the lack of moisture, the lack of humidity is not helping the situation out there. >> fanning the flames figuratively and literally out west. time, now, to look at weather across the country on this wednesday morning. as we mentioned, extremely hot and sticky here in the northeast. the heat index in new york city going to get to 100 today. afternoon thunderstorms from western pennsylvania to west virginia. still hot in chicago and in detroit, as well. stormy with heavy rain and flooding around fargo, omaha and minneapolis. hail and high winds in northern wisconsin and michigan. thunderstorms in east texas. >> triple digits in phoenix. what's new out there? upper 80s in the south and the

middle of the country. and 90s in the northeast. still ahead this morning, minting millionaires. where most of the world's millionaires now reside. here's the first clue. it ain't the u.s. and an on-air scare for a sports announcer. >> to -- >> he's literally -- >> strange phrases like that. were they the sign of a stroke? >> wow. also, the traveler who took revenge on a tsa supervisor, groping the agent, in fact. and getting, well, a one-day ticket, now, to court.

welcome back, everyone. new evidence this morning on just how bad things are in the job market. employers posted the fewest job openings in five months in april. april saw the biggest decrease in open positions in nearly four years. and with 12 million people unemployed, that means there were almost four people for every open job. that report will increase the pressure on the federal reserve to do something to shore up the economy. investors around the world are anticipating the fed will announce new stimulus measures today after it wraps up its two-day meeting. chairman ben bernanke and other officials have already acknowledged that the economy is slumping. and in fact, overseas markets are up nearly across the board. tokyo's nikkei average rose 96 points today. hong kong's hang seng added 121.

in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow picked up 96 points. a change may be coming to the kosher hot dog company that has long posted it answers to a higher authority. a class-action lawsuit claims that hebrew national franks are not kosher. at question is how the beef is slaughtered. jewish law requires that humane methods to be certified as kosher. asia has more until nair m than america. but not by too much. the royal bank of canada says wealth is shifting because of all of the turbulence in financial markets around the globe. next on this wednesday morning, a police dog rushed to the vet after being bit by a suspect. >> crazy story there. also, lebron james in the

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welcome back, everybody. well, it appears ice cream has gone to the dogs in italy. with temperatures near 100 there, a pet store is now serving doggy gelato. ice cream for dogs. >> no eggs, no milk, no sugar. no taste. and comes in vanilla, rice and yogurt flavors. >> if it cools you off, do what you got to do. now, for a look at morning road conditions. flooded streets from the dakotas to kansas city, omaha and the upper midwest. and wet across east texas and south florida. slick at times from eastern pennsylvania to west virginia. >> if you're flying today, it

should be a pretty smooth trip. weather-related airport delays only expected in minneapolis. >> two days-straight, maybe? >> keep it clean. well, a florida woman is trying to clear her name after complaining about a tsa pat-down. >> surveillance video from southwest florida airport actually shows the passenger, carol price, doing the patting down. she grabs a tsa supervisor, trying to demonstrate how she, herself, was searched by an agent. price's attorney claims the agent had groped his client's genitals and her breasts. >> she did not touch the supervisor as intrusively as she was touched. >> price is actually a former tsa agent herself, who worked at the airport until just a few years ago. she says she knew the agent who allegedly gave her that inappropriate pat-down. >> you see her hugging one of the other agent, as well. a story from wilmington, north carolina. a real-life story about man

bites dog. max, the police dog was injured in the line of duty when he tried to capture a fleeing respect. officers say 22-year-old travis glassy champed down on max's ear so badly, it was severed in two. the suspect is now in jail. a new study finds that night work can increase a woman's chances of developing breast cancer by 30%. >> great. >> that is the same risk of genetic mutation, a late first pregnancy or taking hormones. scientists aren't quite sure why just yet. but night work may disrupt body clock genes. or it may disrupt your immune system. >> isn't that any good news about working the overnight? >> no. everything we have reported, always bad about this shift. >> i love working with you, though. >> that's the good part. for however long we have each other. a couple weeks.

all right. medical testing has been ordered for the texas rangers play-by-play man. dave barnett was announcing monday night's game when he started talking gibberish. take a listen. >> the go-ahead run. is at fifth. on what adams is insisting on calling a botched robbery. what actually happened was is henchmen. >> that's to say that language is actually the sign of a potential stroke symptoms that can be an indicator of a serious health problem. >> wish him the best. another thriller in the nba finals last night. here are all the highlights from espn. >> good morning. and welcome to your "sportscenter" update. i'm zubin mehenti. game four of the nba finals. lebron and company overcoming a deficit and turning it on when it matters the most. lebron, one short of a triple-double. dwyane wade has been on this stage and shined before. he had 25.

russell westbrook, though, would not go quietly. player of the game, hands down. 43. franchise record high. d. wade doesn't just score, he hustles. just getting a piece of the thabo sefolosha shot. mario chalmers was the closer. 12 of 25 in the fourth. miami up five. russell westbrook, so good, even stephen a. smith had to have a postgame mea culpa. gets to within three. off the jump ball. okc needed to get possession. heat got it instead. they have a 3-1 series lead. no one's ever rallied from that deficit. and europe 2012. say hello to england/ukraine and controversy. that's wayne rooney, after a two-game suspension. making his presence felt. 48th minute, finding the post and finding the net. he takes care of the rest. the co-host country wish they were playing iing uefa.

gets out of the last second. but upon review, it looks like ukraine had tied it. but instead, it's disallowed. england wins the game and will face italy. the college world series, 8:00 eastern time tonight. kent state and two-time defending champion, south carolina, on espn3 and watch espn. coming up on "america this morning," who is the highest-paid actress in hollywood? you might be surprised. >> yeah. i didn't expect that one, either. also, what really happened after alec baldwin picked up his marriage license in new york? the conflicting stories about his latest dustup with the paparazzi. but what about your wrinkles. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair. it has the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to visibly reduce wrinkles in just one week.

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it is time to check "the pulse," stories you'll be talking about all day, i'm sure. especially at the watercooler. you'll be amazed who the highest-paid actresses are. third on the list, sandra bullock, with $25 million. second to cameron diaz, at $34 million. >> and in first place, kristen stewart, with $34.5 million. thanks to the "twilight" films. as well as "snow white and the huntsman." stewart can command big bucks since all of the success of "twilight." didn't see that one coming.

>> first time in a long time. see how out of touch i am? i don't see movies these days. alec baldwin picked up his marriage license and picked a fight with some foeing tos. >> but baldwin said he was tweeting that the photographer should be waterboarded and compared the incident to the shooting of trayvon martin. >> a little exaggeration. something for the outdoorsy crowd. if you love the feel of fresh-cut grass, you can feel it 24/7. >> check out the new flip-flops. the shoes are designed to hug the individual contours of your feet. >> if you'd like a pair of these earthy flip-flop, they will run you about $50. >> no way in the world. for some of you, now, your local news, coming up in ex-. people have doubts about taking aspirin for pain.

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updating our top stories now. closing arguments are expected today in the child molestation trial of former penn state coach jerry sandusky. he actually could take the stand himself. on tuesday, his wife denied ever seeing him do anything inappropriate with those boys. the g-20 summit has wrapped up in mexico, with no firm commitment to solve the debt crisis in europe. but president obama says he's confident that european leaders will take swift action. and the stifling he's that scorched the west and the midwest is heading to the northeast. looking at the weather. let's take a look at the rest of the day's weather. stormy in minnesota. expect afternoon showers today from charleston, west virginia, all the way up to pittsburgh. and finally from us on this wednesday morning, a good reason to run out and get yourself a family pet. turns out, they can do a lot more than just play fetch and lift your spirits. >> experts say owning a dog or cat actually does a body good. abc's cecilia vega explains.

>> reporter: what if you could trade everything in your medicine cabinet for this. >> basically, a furry, four-legged life support system, cleverly disguised as a pet. it might be poodle instead of prozac. it might be labrador instead of lipitor. >> reporter: veterinarian, marty becker" wrote a whole book about the healing power of pets. and scientists say they may be on to something. they say des foend in the home of dogs, kids will be less likely to develop asthma. so much for an apple a day. australian researchers discovered people with dogs visit the doctor less. >> lassie? >> reporter: one study found that watching this old girl calmed nerves.

animals have a link to chemical levels that are linked to stress. have heart disease? you might want to consider getting a cat. researchers in minnesota found that nose cho never owned one are more than 40% more likely to have heart attack. >> close, physical contact. that connection we share, that's where you get the healing power. >> reporter: fido may be our antidepressant, our cholesterol killer, our lifesaver. coming up later on "good morning america," a princely payday on his 30th birthday. prince william set to inherit millions of bucks tomorrow. we have all the details from london live on "gma." >> so tough living that life, isn't it? your heart just goes out. >> how does he do it? that's what's making news in america this morning. >> thanks for watching, everybody. ha