making news in america this morning, unspeakable brutality. islamic militants claim to kill a kidnapped arican journalist and post the gruesome video. they're warning president obama and america as we hear from the victim's family overnight. tense standoff. peace full protests in ferguson again turned raucous late into the night as people demand answers into the michael brown shooting. plus, the new deadly police involved shooting that happened nearby. chilling plot. police say they intercepted a planned massacre at a high school. >> i am convinced that we averted a mass murder here. >> what investigators say the two teens were hoping to do and the tip that uncovered their alleged plan. caught on camera, the motorcyclist who flipped his ride and sticks a perfect landing.

good morning, i'm michelle franzen. >> and i'm devin dwyer. great to have you with us. we begin with a horrific video posted online by an islamic militant group purported to show the gruesome execution of an american journalist. >> his name, james foley. he's been held captive since disappearing in syria in 2012. >> abc's susan saulny has been following the story. >> reporter: the video is brutal. with details of an execution too graphic to show. 40-year-old american journalist james foley kidnapped in syria two years ago now in the hands of isis. the images show him on his knees in an orange prison suit, a black clad executioner next to him. a knife in hand. the apparent executionist said to be in retaliation for air strikes on 90 isis targets. the video surfaced late tuesday appearing to hoe members of the

militant islamic group beheading a young man believed to be jails. his family's pastor talked to abc station wcvv. >> this is a tragedy which is beyond imagining. there were no words to describe this kind of inhumanity. >> reporter: although u.s. intelligence agencies are still analyzing the video, foley's mother reased this statement. "we thank jim for all the joy he gave us. he was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person." foley was a seasoned correspondent on assignment for "the global post" when he disaperiod. in the video his hooded executioner speaks in what sounds like british accented english addressing president obama he says the air strikes by the u.s. air force have resulted in the bloodshed of your people. president obama said the air strikes have helped the iraqis and curds take a majortep forward in reclaiming the critical mosul dam. news of the apparent execution came after isis posted messages looking for lone wolves to make

homemade bombs and kill americans inside the united states. michelle, devin. >> susan, thank you. meantime, ernight in houston, family and friends held a candlelight vigil for another american journalist taken captive in syria. austin tice was abducted by extremists over two years ago. his parents said they became close with james foley's family and heard the news of his death as they prepared for this gathering. now to our other top story, another tense night on the streets of ferguson, missouri. >> 11 days after the shooting of an unarmed black teenager by a white police officer protesters squared off against police and the national guard. >> on the heels of yet another deadly police shooting just a few miles from ferguson. abc's tahman bradley is live there now with the latest. good morning, tahman. >> reporter: devin and michelle, good morning to you. there were fewer incidents overnight. the demonstrations were mostly

peaceful until around midnight when according to police, violent criminals threw bottles. overnight authorities in ferguson again changed tactics trying to keep a lower profile hiding tactical units but peaceful demonstrations got t of hand. >> you need to return. >> reporter: officers drew their guns and made arrests. >> the agitators, the criminals, embedded themselves and hid behind media. they began throwing bottles. they threw urine on officers and that's wt caused officers to take action and began to make arrests. >> reporter: outside ferguson yesterday afternoon, there was this angry demonstration after another police shooting. officers in st. louis shot and killed a 23-year-old black man they say was coming at them waving a knife. >> officers' safety is the number one issue. if you're the family of a police

officer and attack you with a knife you have the right to defend yourself. >> attorney general eric holder meets with community leaders and checks on the investigation of the police shooting of michael brown. local authorities interviewed the officer who shot and killed brown, darren wilson, and a grand jury will likely start hearing evidence today. officer wilson's good friend who asked that we conceal his identity is now speaking out. >> darren is a good person and people have just immediately jumped to label him as a cold-blooded murderer and that's just not the type of person that he is. >> reporter: it's not clear how long it will take to determine whether wilson will be charged. the funeral for michael brown will be held on monday. michelle and devin. >> as you said police said there were no gunshots overnight. no molotov cocktails thrown but tense. what steps are the city council and mayor taking to keep things

calmed down here? >> reporter: well, devin, very desperately want to reconnect with the community. the majority, black community and they'll try to do that by trying to recruit more black officers. there are only three police officers that are black on the force of more than 50 and want the community to help them raise money for cameras that police officers can put on their equipment and also in their patrol cars. >> tahman bradley live in ferguson, thank you. well, texas governor rick perry will be arraigned friday morning on two felony counts of abuse of power. perry was booked yesterday in austin fingerprinted and had his mug shot taken. the indictment stems from his threat to cut funding for the office of a district attorney, a democrat who is convicted of drunk driving. perry claims the charges against him are politically motivated and says he'll fight them with every fiber of his being. a fast-moving wildfire in central california has forced about 1,000 people from their homes. north of fresno. the fire threatens about 500

homes in the community of oakhurst as it rages just 16 miles from one entrance to yosemite national park, the wind whipped fire has already destroyed eight structures. well, a terrifying scene at a middle school football practice in new mexico when several students were struck by lightning. one is hospitalized and lisd in critical condition this morning. fourther boys and a coach were also injured. three were sent to the hospital, bu all were sai to be responsive. torrential rains triggered epic flooding in arizona. at least eight inches of rain fell north of phoenix yesterday with more on the way. the flash floods are washing out highways, lifting hses off their foundations and forcing rescuers across the state to save people trapped in cars and homes. the national weather service says some areas got more rain yesterday than they did all last summer. >> deluge. weather. now for today's scattered showers and thunderstorms across the southwest and four corners. severetorms across the midwest

could bring hail and tnadoes and a band of heavy rain extends across the ohio valley up in the mid-atlantic and down into florida. >>ost of theion today will see tempetures in the 80s and 90s. 70s though in the pacific northwest. and new england. still ahead, a favorite among beer drinkers is being recalled for fears of pieces of glass in the bolls. >> and missing mom. the striking similarities in the cases that have investigators look nothing whether the disappearances are connected. plus, morning coffee at a restaurant nearly turned tragic for customers when a high-speed chase gets out of control.

dad: so who's going to do what? boy: i'll pack the dead batteries. dad: great. girl: i'll only put what i don't need into a duffle bag. perfect. that's totally unhelpful. no problem. meanwhile, i will try to comfort everyone by speaking in a calm voice. and who is going to handle supplies? i can forget to do a list for us. thanks, pal. dad: we couldn't be any less prepared. i'm proud of you guys. announcer: talk to your kids about who to call,

where to meet, what to pack. visit ready.gov/kids for tips and information.

welcome back. there are concerns over selected packagesf corona. constellation brands which imports the beer is recalling extra gold fearing gss f corona particles could be inside. it's expected only 1% of bottles are affected. concerned consumers are asked to call constellation's hot line. apple is riding high this morning weeks before the next iphone gets unveiled. the tech giant's stock reached $150.53 a share yesterday. a record for the company following a stock split in june. investors believe the new iphone and smartwatch will jump-start revenue this fall. well, could bad news be on the horizon for nutella fans. there is a major shortage of hazelnuts because of bad weather in turkey, the word's largest producer that could drive up prices a cause a shortage of the spread. wake up and smell the mccafe at home. they're teaming u with kr achafo

sell it in grocery store available i a variety of flavors startg next year. the nfl wants super bowl half performerso pay to play. "the wall street journal" wants them to contribute a portion of their profits to the league. when we come back, plot foiled. how investigators stopped a school massacre just days before classes are set to begin. and strge sight. wh in the world washed up on this american beac i had ongoing in. a deepche all over. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespre pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide siificant relief from fibromyalgia pain. so now, i cado more of what i love.

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and now for a look at your morningoa r conditions, the southwest will see not just wet but flooded roads with wet conditions stretching up through the rockies and into the cascades. slippery conditions also stretch from the upper midwest through the ohio valley and into the mid-atlantic and along the gulf coast. if you're flying today airport delays are possible in detroit. well, investigators in southwest indiana are looking for links in the cases of two missing moms. >> the two women disappeared five weeks and less than 20 miles apart. 30-year-old joelle lockwood of evansville and 27-year-old kristy kelley o boonville are mothers of two children. both were last seen wearing tank tops and blue jean shorts. >> investigators say the eerie similarities don't end there but say there's no definitive proof yet these cases are connected. well, two teenagers are in custody accused of plotting a massacre at their southern california high school. police say south pasadena high

school was supposed to be the scene of the attack. the boys, ages 16 and 17 were arrested after authorities got a tip about their pt and monitored their internet activities. >> i can't emphasize enough that one phone call to us, how we got the ball rolling. i am convinced we averted a mass murder here. >> he also said there was no specific target. investigators found the boys were searching about weapons and how to make bombs. the first day of school there is tomorrow. and from the san francisco area an outdoor breakfast that several people will never forget. as they're seated outside watch the top of the screen as two cars crash and come right at them. the guy driving that white car closest to the camera was said to be fleeing police. he was wanted in a domestic violence case. police caught up with him after he ran away and he was arrested. >> to another unusual sight on florida's hollywood beach. this, take a look here, this giant ocean sunfish stunned

beachgoers, figuratively of course after it washed ashore measuring about eight feet long, believe it or not, this is one of the relatively small ones. the mola fish can grow up to 14 feet long and weigh up to 5,000 pounds. now to a topic dear to many of our insomniac viewings. the cities that get the most sleep. people in melbourne, azerbaijan get 6 hours and 59 minutes. the only american city, 6 hours and 56 minutes and most sleep deprived city, tokyo, japan averaging 5 hours and 44 minutes. >> precious zs. >> we hope you got your winks last night. the team from chicago has survived its second straight elimination game at the little league world series. >> scoring three runs against the team from texas and then tacked on another three in the fourth and that was more than enough. >> the kids from the south side win 6-1. they have today off but will be

back in action tomorrow night once again facing elimination. >> good for them. we're rooting. of course, also some major league action last night. >> we get the baseball highlights from our guys at espn. >> good morning, welcome to our "sportscenter" set here in los angeles. along with neil everett, i'm stan verrett. let's stop and amire neil's hair for a minute. >> real and never colored it. >> jered weaver's hair. that's great hair, the angels and red sox and it's brock holt thinking he's going yard and it's calhoun thinking he's going wall. all the shop talk. boy, listen, this changed the game a three hiv run homer with the sox up 1-0. chris iannetta back-to-back two-out doubles off uehara. breaks open a tie game and angels win 4-3. whoo! angels are hot. a's were a half game back and taking on the mets.

kazmir looking for his 14th win. see, he only had 13 in 2007 for his career high. but he was dealing. he was striking out. mets, he went six innings, gave up one earned run and struck out six and how about run support in the fourth? coco crisp with the bases loaded. everybody's coming home. crisp in with a triple. josh reddick added a two-run home run to put it away and win 6-2 to remain a half game back. >> i got so excited i pulled my cord out so i can't hear anything. it's like i'm working without a net right now. >> back to you. >> well, up next in "the pulse," a former nfl player used an ice bucket challenge to unveil a personal battle. >> and talk about landing on your own feet. a wild motorcycle crash caught on camera. share her passions. grandma! mary has atrial fibrillation,

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♪ welcome back. time to check "the pulse," stories we think you'll talk about today. an als ice bucket challenge you will definitely want to see. >> tim shaw is a former linebacker in the nfl. the 30-year-old last played with the tennessee titans just a year ago. >> he posted his ice bucket allenge and used the opportunity to reveal that he's been diagnosed with als. >> i'm tim shaw. a year ago i was playing nfl football. recently have been diagnosed with als. i'm here today to stand up and fight with all of you against this disease. >> there it is shaw goes on to challenge the entire titans organization and the football team at penn state where he played college ball. >> a lot of people there can

raise that challenge in a very personal tribute that he's going on camera with with that challenge. he's also called out the entire community of clarenceville, michigan, where he's from. next, here's a challenge to find a commercial even worse than the one you're about to see. >> take look. a 30-second tv spot for the east hills shopping center at st. joseph, missouri. but it's done so amateurishly it's enough to make even the likes of don draper cringe over that martini. take a look. ♪ ♪ back to school >> debt denim ♪ ♪ haircut. backpacks, backpacks come get your backpacks ♪ >> ouch, the news, at america this morning" right here you're watching us. >> oh, you should have been in that commercial. >> the mall's general manager tells abcews it was meant to be extremely light-hearted and funny and they must know what

they're doing. it's already racked up me than a million views on youtube. >> sparked quite the debate on our facebook page. so many talked to me about whether this was a smart thing to do, get the extra attention or downright stupid. >> we're talking about it. >> weigh in. finally the internet filled with wild videos shot from highways of russia. we have seen these before but no quite like this one. >> the dash cam shows a motorcyclist flip into the air and safely land on its roof. that could not have worked out better if they tried to plan that. >> is that real? >> it it looks like a stunt. there's no verification this wasn't planned but the evidence seen here we doubt it. look at that. in the end no matter what you see there it is pretty amazing. don't try this at home. at least if you do, wear a helmet. look at that guy. no helmet. those russians. >> your local news is next. >> for everybody else the little league. trying to stay fit but miss real pleasure?

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august 20 and we're on 12 developing stories. the attorney general set to travel to ferguson missouri today. a tense standoff is unfolding in the midwest where gunmen are holding several people hostage including a couple of children. and mo'ne davis is the first ever little leaguer to grace the cover of sports illustrated. it looks good on her. she takes the mound tonight. but will rain spoil the big game? we have the accuweather forecast and a lot more coming up on "action news" and finally this morning, we're going to talk to you about the girl getting so much attention these days while playing baseball beside the boy. >> her name is mo'ne davis. and she and her teammates will be on the field tonight at the little league world series. >> abc's john donvan tells us what makes mo'ne such a special young lady. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: there used to be a

put-down you heard a lot more in the old days -- "throws like a girl." well, mo'ne davis is a girl. and, um, well -- >> and she picks up her first strikeout ofhe game. >> reporter: she throws pretty good. pitches clocked at5 miles per hour. jor league ps throw upwards of 90 miles per hour. and helping her team, the philadelphia dragons, into the little league world series where she's become the first girl to throw a shutout in world sers story. it's over.ne >> reporter: allowing two hits and striking out eight boys. she hits too. a run scoring single in her most recent game. he's going to score. mo'nto second. >> rter: which is not all about her, of coursehe is e t to say that. >> ion't really like all the attention because it just feels like everything is about me and they don't see the whole picture of my teammates and without my teammates i don't think we would be here right now.

>> reporter: attention, how about the cover of "sports illustrated" this week. the first little leaguer ever, boy or girl. that counts as some attention she's been playing baseball since she was 7 along with a lot of other sports. >> i was playing football and tackling boys and throwing spierms to them. that's when coach steve came up to me and was like, you have to play baseball. i was an outfielder then i started pitching at 8 or 9 and i wasn't the best but i threw strikes and then my arm started getting stronger and stronger so then i started throwing gas like my fastball starting speeding up. >> reporter: want to watch her throw gas, get out and watch her now. >> another strikeout. >> you can watch mo'ne throw some gas tonight. she takes the mound in the series on her sister station espn. >> very poised young lady. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." have a great wednesday.

>> ♪ >> "action news." delaware valley's leading news program. with matt o'donnell, tamala edwards, karen rogers and meteorogist, david murphy. >> ♪ >> good morning developments on wednesday,ugust 20th. protests turned tense overnight. we'll have the latest from ferguson with more on what's expected to happen today. >> new detail of the brutal execution of an american urnalist and the video is too graphic to show. >> it's game day in williamsport for the taney drags a philadelphia has reason to be more than just a little excited. everybody is focused on this team and this game. >> a