making news in america this morning, making their cases. >> the candidates are spreading out across the states that matter most in this upcoming election. as we learn new details about what's coming further down on the campaign trail. more americans carrying more credit card debt. but there's more evidence that fewer of us are paying the bills late. a baffling breach at one of the nation's biggest airports. a security system was easily evaded by a guy in a bathing suit. and florida record breaker. scientists showing off the biggest burmese python ever caught in the everglades. its measurements are pretty astounding. good morning. i'm john muller. rob nelson is off this week. >> he is enjoying a much-deserved vacation. i'm paula faris. on this tuesday, new jersey

governor chris christie, considered r eed running for prt himself. >> now, he will be the keynote speaker. with more about the intensifying race for president, we're joined from washington, by abc's tahman bradley. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: good morning, john and paula. the ryan pick has brought new energy into the campaign. huge crowds on both sides, with lots of talk about ryan's plan for medicare. the democratic and republican tickets will be out in full force once again today, hunting for votes in crucial battleground states. >> we'll get -- >> reporter: yesterday in iowa, a showdown between mitt romney's running mate, congressman paul ryan, and president obama. the president telling drought-stricken farm that ryan stalled the plan in congress to bring them relief. >> if you happen to see congressman ryan, tell him how important this farm bill is to iowa and our rural communities. >> reporter: on his first solo

of campaigning, ryan visited the iowa state fair. >> where are the jobs, mr. president? >> reporter: and got a taste of the bare-knuckle politics. when a protester interrupted him, bringing up his controversial plan to turn medicare into a voucher system. since the moment romney tapped ryan as his running mate, democrats have assailed the ryan budget and his proposal for medicare, hoping it angers seniors in crucial states like florida, pennsylvania and ohio. romney has tried to separate himself from the ryan budget plan. but campaigning in florida yesterday, the former governor was vague about which parts of the ryan plan he disagrees with. >> i'm sure there's places my budget is different than his. but we're on the same page, as i said before. >> reporter: so, how do americans view romney's pick of paul ryan? according to a new abc news/"washington post" poll, 38% have a favorable view of the pick to 33% unfavorable. paula and john? >> abc's tahman bradley in washington.

thank you. we know who will be moderating the presidential and vice presidential debates. jim lehrer, candy crowley, and our own martha raddatz of abc news. she will moderate the october vice presidential debate in kentucky. a texas man being served with an eviction notice responded with gunfire. it happened near the texas a&m campus. when backup officers arrived, he kept shooting, killing a bystander and three others. after a three-hour gun battle, he was shot. george zimmerman's lawyer will move to have the case dismissed on an upcoming stand yourround hearing. that allows people to use force if they are in danger. the lawyer says this is a

traditional self-defense case because zimmerman could not retreat from the beating martin was giving him. we're learning about the health challenges of jesse jackson jr. he is responding well to the treatment for bipolar disorder. he had weight loss surgery in 2004. doctors say that may have contributed to his mental health issues. the raucous indiana state fair was silent last night, after a freak windstorm brought down the stage. music was shut off, rides stopped and all activities came to a standstill between 8:46 and 8:50 p.m. hundreds of people gathered at a memorial, as the names of those killed were read aloud. the stage had collapsed just moments before a sugarland concert. some health news to tell you. a new government survey finds one-third of american adults are obese. some states are higher than others. >> 12 states have very high

obesity rates. that's up from nine just a year ago. the three with the highest rates are mississippi, louisiana and west virginia. while the three states with the lowest rates were colorado, hawaii and massachusetts. and this year's flu vaccine should attack three strains of the virus. the fda just approved the shots that will go into production by six drug companies. up to 20% of americans get the flu each year. public health recommends the vaccines for anyone who is over 6 years old. >> flu is the worst thing you can come down with. >> you feel great when you finally get better. kind of like take life for granted and get the flu for two days. you realize you want to get healthy. >> i would rather not get the flu. 11-square miles had gone up in flames in northern california. two wildfires ripped through lake county, destroying several buildings. >> the fires are being treated as one together. they're about 25% contained. time, now, for the weather

across the nation. late-day hail, and flash flooding around boston, new york and our nation's capital. stormy in buffalo, pittsburgh and charleston, west virginia. thunderstorms from the ohio valley, well into detroit. scattered showers in the southeast. rainy at times in the southwest and nevada. >> 80s in the northwest and northeast. scorcher from dallas to the rockies. 70s across the midwest. and coming up, those rising gas prices we mentioned yesterday morning. hate to tell you. but worse than we expected. and coming to the aid of drought-stricken ranchers. and the first ladies of gymnastics. one wasn't doing the other any favors on late night tv.

welcome back, everyone. americans are charging more. new numbers show that credit card debt is up about 6% from just a year ago, to an average of almost $5,000 for each borrower. more cards are being used. but transunion says the rate of seriously delinquent accounts, more than 90 days late, is at an 18-year low. the government's reporting another big spike in gas prices. the eneepartment says the national average has risen 8 cents from a week ago. on the west coast, gas has had a 19-cent jump in the last week. new help is on the way for farmers, as the nation's drought crisis deepens. the agriculture department is going to buy up to $170 million of pork, lamb and chicken, as

ranchers struggle to feed the livestock with grain prices just soaring. the meat is going to go to food banks and federal nutrition programs. and the price tag for the auto industry bail jut just went up. the taxpayer tab is $3.3 billion higher than predicted. now, topping $25 billion. it's mostly because general motors stock has fallen sharply. and the government owns about 500 million shares of gm. less than three months of going public, facebook stock could face new trouble earlier this week. some investors who had been prevented from cashing out, could sell their shares and potentially put more pressure on the struggling stock. question for you. would you buy a car without taking it for a test drive? >> i'd take it for a test drive. >> okay. well, it turns out that more and more people are like john, doing just that. >> okay. new research finding that more than 10% of new car shoppers are

skipping the test drives. that means that 90% is actually doing it. >> that's right. >> checking rankings and ratings and reviews. and just making the purchase. the cars these days are so good. you're going to get into any car with a decent reputation and go, i don't like it. >> it's not an impulse buy. >> not an impulse buy. you want to get in there and feel it. >> that's right. >> what she said. >> what he said. when we come back, a massive security system at new york's jfk airport put to shame. the details are straight ahead. the cowboys and raiders in preseason "monday night football." the offenses have a lot of work football." the offenses have a lot of work to do. if you have yer the quiet sneeze... ♪ [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] you may be an allergy muddler. try zyrtec®. it gives you powerful allergy relief. and zyrtec® is different than claritin® because zyrtec® starts working at hour 1 on the first day you take it. claritin® doesn't start working until hour 3. [ sneezes ] [ male announcer ] zyrtec®. love the air.

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he's being tested for alcohol and drugs. a slick commute at times in the southwest and southeast. wet highways from detroit to pittsburgh and buffalo. storms hit the eastern seaboard by evening. drenching roads from boston to d.c. >> if you're flying, airport delays are possible in washington, d.c., philly, new york and atlanta. speaking of new york, here in the big apple, the superexpensive security system surrounding jfk airport is now being called junk, after a shocking breach. >> abc's jim avila reports, it all started with a disabled jet ski. >> reporter: the man who stumbled through jfk airport's $100 million security system, went to the doctor and hired a lawyer to fight trespassing charges. >> he's been through a lot of difficult times this weekend. >> reporter: but what daniel went through, was an unofficial, unintended test of the incredibly expensive airport security system. ground surveillance radar. video motion-detection camera,

and smart fencing. guaranteed to find intruders at a 95% of time. castillo was part of the remaining 5%. when his jet ski faltered over the weekend, he swims toward the airport light, walks across two runways, all the way to delta airlines terminal three. >> a 31-year-old jet skier can penetrate that system, we have deficiencies and they have to be addressed. >> reporter: we tried to ask federal authorities that exact question. but no one at the tsa or department of homeland security would be interviewed. saying they are working with investigators, while directing us to airport officials, who promised to step up perimeter and boat patrol. >> we need heads to roll. now, we have to turn around and hold government accountable. >> reporter: $100 million of your money, spent on a failed security system, while you're still stepping out of your shoes at the airport.

jim avila, abc news, washington. some remembrances this morning. first, a member of our extended abc news family, kathy gertsen. she worked at our abc affiliate in seattle for 30 years. she fought brain tumors for the last 12. and viewers watched her valiant battle. and fans are remembering "cosmopolit "cosmopolitan" editor, helen gurley brown. she wrote "sex and the single girl," which was provocative at the time. good girls go to heaven. bad girls go everywhere. helen gurley brown was 90 years old. marine experts have identified the culprit that killed hundreds of thousands of fish off of galveston, texas. >> they're blaming it on so-called red tide, a toxic

bloom or high consultation of microscopic algae. beachgoers had to endure the smell of rotting fish, as they cleaned up the shoreline. the water is safe for swimmers. but it's not smell-o-vision. time for sports. it was a busy night in the san francisco bay area. we're going to get the details, now, from espn. >> good morning, and welcome to your sports update. i'm zubin mehenti. we're starting with nfl preseason. cowboys/raiders. neither looked so super on monday. darren mcfadden. his nickname, run-dmc. he did that on monday. he would go for 18 yards. and carried it twice for 20. dez bryant, a tumultuous training camp for him. this would -- shows you how little actually happened. 24 yards. tony romo, will find jason

witten. and witten is finding mcclain. this time, romo is not going to be able to escape. tommie kelly has him in his grasps. the field goal is all of the scoring we saw. boys win, 3-0. on the other side of the bay bridge, not the case between the nats and the giants. gonzalez looking to become another game winner. he got all of the run support h. another game winner. he got all of the run support h. nats up nats have seven in the top half of the third. two batters later, suzuki, back in the bay area. the nats pound the giants, 14-2. 21 hits. one of them a home run. five washington players had at least three hits. the washington nationals continue to roll. they have the best overall

record in baseball. and they're the first team in the bigs with 40 road victories. that's your sports update. i'm zubin mehenti. have a great tuesday. >> thanks, zubin. on a campaign swing during california, the first lady sat back down on jay leno's couch. michelle obama was with jay leno alongside gold medal gymnast gabby douglas. >> a champion of healthy eating, mrs. obama teased douglas about chowing down on fast food. >> after the competition, i gorged on egg mcmuffin. >> i'm sure it was a whole wheat mcmuffin. >> a whole wheat bun. >> you're setting me back, gabby. >> sorry. >> can eat anything she wants. another note, she said the proudest moment was her husband pasting health care reform. >> egg mcmuffin.

no cheese. and then, it's really healthy. but they're not whole wheat. >> and if you win a gold medal. >> have a big mac, for god's sakes. up next, "the pulse." a real monster captured down in the sunshine state. miley cyrus. take a look. doesn't look much like this anymore. doesn't look much like this anymore. that's coming up. s too late to c because... but it's but zantac® works differently. it relieves heartburn in as little as 30 minutes. in fact, so, when heartburn strikes, try zantac® this has been medifacts for zantac®

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it is time to check "the pulse," stories you're going to be talking about today. we start off with the latest edition to the merriam-webster dictionary, which comes out today. >> it's not in alphabetical order. here's a few. bucket list. ga-changer. brain cramp. man cave. >> like the man cave. >> and life coach. we presume those are pretty clear. probably don't need definition on those. >> and the bun, new entry getting lots of attention, f-bomb. >> we know what that means. >> you know it's going to cause consternation and possible damage. end quote. giant pythons are a growing problem in the florida everglades. now, they caughone 17'7",164 pounds. if that's not disturbing enough, the snake was pregnantith 87 eggs. awesome. a record. >> tensfhousands of burmese

pythons are beliing to be they thrive in the humid where climate. native wildlife.f all of the miley cyrus is 19 years old, endangered to be marrie it seemed like the former child star needed to have a major makeover. gone is this look. the hollywood glam girl going for traditional beauty. >> miley looks like this. she didn't do it herself, like britney spears did a while back. probably took a long time to look that way. she tweeted about it. and she said all of her fans were bored. if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all. >> it's cute. she's 19. she can pull it off. it's not like she's a 36-year-old trying to pull it off, right? >> i agree. for some of you, your local news is next. >> everyone else, we'll be back with olympians and olympics, already looking four years ahead people wit e. what ?

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updating the top stories. the presidential candidates getting plenty of attention for the battleground states, after a stop there at the state fair last night. president obama continues his three-day bus tour of iowa today. mitt romney is on his own bus tour, in ohio today. while his running mate, paul ryan, campaigns in colorado and las vegas. and the mayo clinic says it is treating jesse jackson jr. for bipolar disorder. doctors say the illinois congressman is doing well and regaining his strength. today's weather. periods of rain in the d.c. area and southwest. a scorcher from denver to dallas. strong and evening showers in the northeast. scattered showers in the southeast. finally this morning, the london olympics, they seem so long ago now. >> so long ago, actually, that the entire olympic movement has moved along to rio. there's the mayor arriving home

with the olympic flag he brought home from london. four years of preparations there are officially under way. >> meanwhile, some of america's heroes were making their way home, as well. theresa gutierrez, from wls, reports from o'hare airport. >> reporter: more than 70 members of team usa arrived to an excited crowd cheering them on. >> good to be back. >> reporter: the games had a resounding affect on everyone. the united states, in particular, is proud of who we are, what we represent and what our athletes have accomplished. >> we all hope to be good role models for all of the little girlgs who watched us compete. we're really excited. and we hope we made everyone proud. i think the highlight was the team competition. it was the most fun. and we were all right by each other's side, cheering each other on. we came out with the gold medal. >> reporter: most of the athletes arriving at o'hare -- >> this is my first medal. i've been to four olympics. an alternate for the fifth in

atlanta. and always been fourth. it's a unique situation. >> amazing. it's the best thing in the world to know that you're not only representing yourself, but you're representing your country, your family and friends and everyone around you. >> fun experience. london's a great city. great hospitality from them. overall great trip. >> it's fun to watch young people perform and give their all. >> it's a small part of carrying it back for the training and so forth. >> i was on the tram with some of the synchronized swimmers. they were happy to be home. but they were tired from last night's activities. i told all of them how very, very proud we are. >> theresa gutierrez, abc 7 news. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a terrific tuesday, everybody.