abdul but she had no additional comment. our thanks to cynthia. >>> when we come back, vladimir putin, shirtless in siberia. the subject of tonight's "closing argument."

pala abdul is through with "american idol." candice is joining us with this shocking story even though we've been talking about it all day. >> paula abdul told her twitter fans last night that ewas officially off "idol." paula wrote "with sadness in my heart i have decide not to return. i'll miss nurturing all the new talent." the show's producers say abdul was an important part of "american idol" family and they are saddened she has decided not to return. >> she was the one that would go away and had the courage to do so, even to the point of physical contact with him. so i think it's a little strange that she's twittered that she's not coming back and fox 19 and have officially responded to it. >> sale on, randy and cara are signed on. they are here tonight in baltimore for a concert. i talk to them a little while ago about paula not returning to show, and they said she will be missed. >> there was this nurturing about her when the cameras were off and it didn't matter what she said, and she wasn't trying to say anything to g

today the entertainment shows were buzzing. >> paula abdul is out of "american idol." >> paula abdults american idol. >> fox issued a statement saying they are saddened that she has decided not to return to the show. even the show's host, ryan seacrest, who reportedly just signed his own three-year deal with idol for a staggering $45 million said on his kiss fm radio show this morning he didn't see it coming. >> so the news paula abdul is leaving american idol stunned me last night. i was shocked. >> reporter: in fact, negotiations may have come down to the wire at show's chief protagonist and abdul's on-screen parring partner -- >> sorry, chris, i have no idea what that meant. paula! >> reporter: simon cowell said only two weeks ago on extra paula was staying. >> she'll be fine. she'll be on the show. >> reporter: but she's not. the nice judge, the one who always had a kind word for contestants is out. >> there's no doubt america's loving you right now. >> reporter: was it money? reports about abdul's salary have varied widely with claims she's made at little as $2 million and as mu

. >>> speaking of getting to the bottom of something, will paula abdul be a judge on "american idol"? will she not be? apparently it is still not decided. we're going to try to figure out the latest on that. >>> but before we go any further, let's go inside. natalie has got the headlines of the morning. she joins us now. >>> good morning, everyone. hurricane bill, the first of the atlantic season, formed today as a category 1 storm and forecasters now say it could become a major hurricane by midweek. early this morning florida's panhandle was lashed by the first tropical storm to come ashore this year. claudette brought heavy downpours and 50-mile-an-hour winds but weakened to a tropical depression as it moved inland. >>> firefighters are getting the upper hand today against a wildfire in california's santa cruz mountains. in the town of bonny doon, hundreds of evacuated residents are now being allowed to return home. meantime, authorities say a major fire in the loss padres national forest was started by a campfire, possibly built by marijuana growers. >>> president obama tries to bu

that apparently wasn't enough. >> a big week for paula abdul. >> reporter: paula abdul won't be in thend. after eight seasons, abdul took to twitter to say goodbye. with sadness in my heart, i've decided not to return to idol. i'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of a show i helped from day one become an international phenomenon. abdul's news came one day after kara, added as a fourth judge last season, announced she'll be returning near another season. abdul called her a breath of fresh air. last month, producers reportedly tripled the salary of host ryan seacrest. abdul has been asking for a big payday of her own. with rehearsals about to start, time was running out. despite slipping ratings, the show is one of the most popular on television, with over 26 million viewers per show last year and 100 immitateors around the show. in a statement, fox called abdul an important part of the idol family and are saddened she is not to return and wish her the best. there is no word on what the 47-year-old singer will do next. if this is a negotiating tactic, we c

the question is, how do you replace paula abdul?another woman that's sort of out there and says crazy things? or do you replace her with a whole new person with a different outlook? >> reporter: fact is, the idol formula worked. and if you take paula at her word, simon cowell, at least, feels the loss. >> he misses me already. >> reporter: no doubt paula is missing the paycheck. for "today," lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >> peter castro is "people" magazine's deputy managing editor. good to see you. >> good morning. >> so who do you think this is going to hurt more, "american idol" or -- or -- or paula abdul? >> well, there are no winners here. but i think "american idol" is going to take a big hit. this is a woman -- "american idol" is a contest show. she made it a reality show. at "people" magazine the next day, after one of her loopy moments, we would all talk about oh, my god, did you hear what she said? and she made it interesting. "american idol" without paula abdul will become boring. >> i kind of look at it as your reall

what else is paula abdul going to do? now there is talk of she might go to dancing with the stars or something like that but let's face it -- >> ego issue. >> she did have a role in "bruno," very odd scene. >> this is true. this has become -- these are big figures. ryan seacrest is making like $15 million a year. paula abdul wanted apparently a 30% raise, fox was offering her 30% and she said, no, that's not enough. >> wow. hey, i want to turn to another money fight this time surrounding a movie instead of the tv arena, "g.i. joe" and paramount. as i understand it, sharon, some of the folks backing "g.i. joe" this friday said critics don't get it they knocked "terminator" a lot of movies like. this we are not going to show to them, we are going to show to online bloggers. is that right? >> paramount is not showing the movie to critics. this is generally not a good sign. there has been bad buzz around this movie for weeks and weeks, a couple of months already, but this is kind of the big sign, the big acknowledgment by the

abdul aziz ak-hakim has died in exile in tehran. >> hello. he was the best known american politician never to make it to the white house. senator edward kennedy has died after a yearlong battle with brain cancer. president obama described him as "the greatest senator of our time." he had achieved so much, from civil rights to health care reform, and tributes flowed in from a political foe and friends alike. this from our north american editor. >> they called him the last line of the senate. he was the youngest of the kennedy clan who had become kingmaker and never came, lofty aspirations undermined by deep personal flaws. the united states is in mourning, but it is democrats to agree that the most. led by the president. >> he is one of the most accomplished americans ever to serve our democracy. his extraordinary life on this earth has come to an end. >> and the vice president also grew tearful. >> so many of his those embraced him. they know he made them better. >> he was the youngest of the kennedy clan, a rich catholic clan that became a p

paula abdul. >> reporter: for paula abdul, it's a huge gamble.t television hit in a generation, for an uncertain future. abdul told tmz, she's already fielding numerous other offers. >> it's overwhelming what's going on right now. so, i have to really carefully think about everything. >> reporter: but leaving an established hit can be a steppingstone to greater fortune. or the first step on the slow slide into obscurity. >> it depends on the show. and it depends on the circumstance. and it depends on the star. >> reporter: shelley long left "cheers" for a movie career. >> i feel i made a terrible mistake. >> reporter: that featured bombs like "troupe beverly hills." >> more cappuccino, girls? >> reporter: dana carusso spent years in the hollywood wilderness, after he left "n.y.p.d. blue." ultimately ending up right back where he started, on a tv drama. this time "csi: miami." and the actor klain stevenson left "m.a.s.h." because he felt the show was going nowhere. that was well before the show's finale scored the highest rating in television. >>

. >> the coffin of the shiite muslim leader abdul aziz al- hakim has arrived in baghdad. one of rock's most influential power brokers died on wednesday after a long battle with lung cancer. -- one of iraq's most influential power brokers. >> ac of mourners for the final journey of abdul aziz al-hakim. -- a sea of mourners for the final journey. his body is being taken to key religious sites before burial. the entire government was there to receive the coffin at the airport. he was one of the big players of post saddam iraq and on the most important shiite leaders. the prime minister lead attribute. -- led the tribute . >> when the dictatorship fell, you were in the forefront. >> his son is expected to take over the leadership but he may struggle to maintain the party's influence because the old shi'ite alliance is crumbling. for now, the morning continues. abdul aziz al-hakim will be buried over the weekend in the holy city of najaf. >> thousands of people have been paying their final respects to senator ted kennedy. that happened filing past his coffin in the john f. ken

paula abdul is out. a.j. hammer has the scoop about the shocking shake-up on news and views next. stay close. >>> well, talk about a jaw droerp today from "american idol." the show is losing one of its iconic judges. a.j. hammer with us now from new york. come on, this was a shock. yes? >> yeah, can you not feel the cosmic shift in the universe that occurred since this all went down? it went down in an interesting way. by all accounts, paula abdul released the information not only to the world at large but the folks at "american idol" through twitter. let me read what she said on her twitter page. she certainly did that. the folks from "american idol" reacting very swiftly after paula sent out that tweet last night. here's what "idol" is saying and the folks who produce the show -- so christi, it looks like this, in fact, is a done deal. it looks like paula abdul who has been on the show since the beginning will not be returning to "american idol" as auditions are about to begin. >> a lot of people are lookin

what the [ bleep ] is paula abdul talking about? it's exciting. >> here we go. >> paint that knob and the door -- >> now tell me, what the [ bleep ] was paula abdul talking about? >> she is talking about painted ponies in the west, old west. >> it's addicting. >> i mean, it's all like -- and they were like tah-dah! >> oh, what the [ bleep ] is she talking about? >> it's impossible. so join me for what the [ bleep ] is paula abdul talking about? followed by an all-new ryan seacrest, are you tanner than a fifth grader? >> looks all right. hey we have a good show tonight. on the show tonight, the reverend al sharpton is here. we have music from jewel. and we'll be right back with zooey deschanel, so stick around. bicycle, i've missed you. gathering dust, as pollen floats through the air. but with the strength of zyrtec ® , the fastest, 24-hour allergy relief, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. with zyrtec ® i can love the air ™ . hi. ( whimpers, inhales ) ( sobs ) - hello! ( shakes and exhales ) for big moments anywhere,

. >>> paula abdul makes a big announcement. she is leaving "american idol," and she makes that announcement on twitter. that's probably not how most teens found out. we'll explain why. >>> and you can see clearly now with the right displayer. find one that lives up to the height in "living smart." >>> plus brett and brian are live at redskins camp. hey, guys. >> hi there, lesli. it's day 7 out here. if we keep losing offensive linemen the way we're losing them right now, we're not going to have any left by opening day. >> i think the coaches are more concerned with the fact that they don't have all the stars out there to get their work in. >> got get their reps. we'll have the latest on the walking wounded offensive line. and they can't be hurt any worse than that horse. that was awesome, that horse taking out that car. tony? >>> i have nothing nearly that exciting. it turned out to be a nice day today. but i do have some rain in the seven-day forecast, ang- tibi. e atll w i' s g- meth. atyo i'll show you that in u ju just aco

paula abdul says she has quit the show. she tweeted about it that she won't be returning for the ninth season of idol. apparently abdul failed to reach a contract agreement with producers. here's a statement she posted on twitter last night. she says with dness in my heart, i have decided not to return. i'll miss nurturing all the new talent but most of all being a part of the show that i helped from day one become an international phenomenon. a statement from fox and 19 entertainment followed paula's tweet saying "abdul was an important part of the idol family and they were saddened when she decided not to return to the show." we said earlier that's language she decided not to return to the show they're saying. the show leaves judges simon, kara -- [ indiscernible ] >> i asked the question is this all a negotiating thing and whether the network answered, you know, we'll talk about this more but i guess that means it's real. how could there be idol without the ever gracious and sincere and sensitive paula? no matter what sh

paula abdul is leaching the show after eight seasons. she broke the news on twitter late last night. she's been on "idol" since day one. good versus evil, paula versus simon. that's part of what you want to watch. these two going at it a little bit. that's all gone. and even host ryan seacrest was taken aback by it. let's give that a listen. >> so, the news that paula abdul is leaving "american idol," stunned me last night. i was shocked. i read about it. let me walk you through what i know. and, you know, she's a dear friend. i love her to death. and really sad that it's come to fruition. that she released that statement on twitter. and that fox released that statement. i'm bummed. we've worked together for years. all of us have. if you were to talk to randy or simon, they would say the same thing. it's sad. it bums us out. it's not great. >> it is not great. but some people speculating, it's just a pr move. a tactic to get more money, negotiation ploy. what do you think? is this for real? call in, the number 1-877-tell-hln. will the sh

. >>> also this afternoon, paula abdul is leaving "idol" but she could be joining another panel of judges. >>> kate gosselin speaks out >>> kate gosselin speaks out ab souatn. when morning comes in the middle of the night... rooster crow. ...it affects your entire day. sleep, try 2-layer ambien cr. the first layer dissolves quickly to help you fall asleep. and unlike other sleep aids, a second dissolves slowly to help you stay asleep. when taking ambien cr, don't drive or operate machinery. sleepwalking, and eating or dving while not fully awake with memory loss for the event as well as abnormal behaviors such as being more outgoing or aggressive than normal, confusion, agitation and halluciations may ocr. don't take it with alcohol as it may increase these behaviors. allergic reactions such as shortness of breath, swelling of your tongue or throat may occur and in rare cases may be fatal. side effects may include next-day drowsiness, dizziness, andnd headache. in patients with depression, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide may occur. if you experience any of these behavio

as they cast ballots today the leading presidential candidate, abdullah abdul a a president hamid karzai, called on afghans to defy the threat. >> come out and vote. so that through their vote afghanistan can be a most secure

plus, paula abdul, haynes, that's what i said -- paula abdul is quiting "american idol."nd why she's throwing in the towel as she tweets it on twitter. this is the year you take the trail less traveled. the year you do a little team building with the team that matters most. check out the bass pro shops fall hunting classic. it's 17 days of great deals plus free seminars this friday through sunday. this is my verizon small business specialist, tom. now, i know the catering business but when i walked in here i wasn't sure what i needed. i'm not sure what i need. tom showed me how to use mifi to get my whole team working online, on location. i was like, "woah". woah ! only verizon wireless has small business specialists in every store to help you do business better. you're like my secret ingredient. come in today and connect up to five devices on one 3g connection. now only $99.99 announcer: kids who don't eat breakfast aren't getting the nutrition they need - to keep their bodies strong. - ( school bell rings ) - hey, jessica. - hey, billy. announcer: a nutritious start to

all right, coming up next, paula abdul voted herself off "american idol. we'll tell you why. more after this. >>> now to an american idol stunner, last night in a post on her twitter page, judge paula abdul declared she is now leaving the show. here's meredith vieira with more. >> you've moved me from the beginning. >> we watched her cry. dance. sometimes behave oddly. >> oh, my god it's like you sang twice. >> and often battle simon. >> i just want to squeeze your neck. >> and now paula abdul is saying good-bye to "american idol." last night on her twitter page paula posted a message to her fans saying with sadness in my heart i've decided not to return to idol. i'll miss nurturing all the new talent, but most of all being a part of the show that i helped from day one become an international phenomenon. i do without any doubt have the best fans in the entire world and i love you all. >> we love her, paula abdul. >> tuesday night fox confirmed what many fans didn't want to hear. but the followers of "american idol" the news may come as no surprise. not after idol producers ad

will meet with abdul this weekend.l take her usual place next to simon when the show comes back. >> the mystery will thicken, and suddenly i think paula will appear. >> reporter: paula is adored by idol fanatics. producers may not be ready to split up this dysfunctional tv family. sandra hughes, cbs news, los angeles. >> no rumor to the truth that dave price will be the next "idol" judge? >> absolutely no truth to that rumor. >> didn't they bring on that woman to replace her? >> kara, but everyone said the writing was on the wall. the fans love paula. >> and the rumors that posh spice, victoria beckham was going to replace paula abdul. posh says they're not true although she confirms she will be on "american idol" next season as a judge for one episode. >> pish-posh. >> that was a great line. >> coming up, we'll give you some information that your family could really use. really important stuff about the h1n1 virus. don't go away. our dr. jennifer ashtowin e b here. ( john mayer's "say" plays throughout ) everyone's ne

and paula abdul.ill: in the miller time segment tonight, let's kick off with bill clinton's trip to north korea to get the two american journalists released. joining us now from los angeles, that beacon of common sense. syndicated radio star dennis miller. did you ever think you would hear those words directed at you, the beacon of common sense? >> i thought that i hallucinated them right there. i didn't think you said that. bill: all right. bill clinton, north korea, you say what? >> listen, bill, we live in a brutal world. i'm watching this home invasion robbery video. i'm watching a mother doing 10 shots and going the wrong way. i'm watching some guy walk into a gym. periodically just to keep my head on straight, i have to see a good story. this is a great story. good for clinton for going over there. that's a crazyland over there. by the way, you know when somebody is crazy, you know how you know kim jong-il is crazy? when he is that rich and he still does the main room in his palace in indoor ast

. >> american idol without paula abdul. why she said she will not be back. >> russian nuclear submarines spotted off the u.s. coast line. why they are patrolling international waters in the first place. >> we just had a lot of hatred >> three people dead, nine injured after a gunman opens fire in a health club in pennsylvania. happened last night near pittsburg. rick has the story. >> pennsylvania gunman george sa different no was a member of the health club where a shot a dozen women, killing three. and himself. writings on his website revealed a man that did not feel like he belonged at all. >> had a lot of hatred in him. and held on committing this act and there was nothing to stop him. >> investigators say he had a web bog blog showcasing unhappy loaner that longed to be with a woman but no relationship in 25 years. and listed his own death as august 4, 2009. investigators believe the shootings were planned, at least, nine months in advance. >> we know that he targeted this aerobics class by the fact that he had the sch

and paula abdul leaving "american idol." >> she should leave. sonia sotomayor should take over "american idol." bill: caution, you are about to enter the no-spin zone. "the factor" begins right now. [captioning made possible by fox news channel] captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- bill: i'm bill o'reilly. thanks for watching us tonight. president obama and corporate corruption. that is the subject of this evening's talking points memo. as you may know, the vicious recession we have now is largely driven by irresponsible corporations selling and buying bad mortgages and big oil raising gas prices because of speculation. the bush administration failed to oversee the chaos and now most of us are suffering. president obama campaigned on cleaning up corporate corruption. that was one of the changes we can believe in. now the president has a major problem with the general electric corporation. yesterday g.e. agreed to pay $50 million to settle a fraud claim lodged by the federal government. simply put, g.e. misled investo

the rumor is that jennifer lopez is going to replace paula abdul. we'll find out. >>> you may think of twitter as just another social networking web site but many users discovered it's a fast and easy way to resolve customer service complaints. abc2 news samantha hayes explains it to us. >> reporter: got a complaint? when you call a company's customer service line you often hear something like this - >> your call is important to us. please stay on the line. >> reporter: and sometimes you never get an answer. >> mostly it's the people you call simply don't have any kind of real expertise in whatever -- whatever product you're dealing with. >> reporter: fed up with poor customer service some consumers are finding another way, twitter, the social networking site, it's also a place where consumers can tweet their complaints and many major companies are paying attention. >> so, if i post on my twitter account i had a bad experience with comcast and i get a message back from comcast the person who is liable to write you back is probably better positioned

and it looks like paula abdul has not gone hollywood. why she's leaving "american idol." >>> two u.s. reporters are expected back home in about an hour and a half. north korea pardoned laura ling and euna lee. clinton's mission did not include any nuclear talks. political analyst david gergen with our sister network cnn has more on that. >> reporter: in order to separate out the question over the release of these two women from the question of nuclear talks, the white house does not want to be seen in the position of -- we wanted -- in exchange for the women, we'll take a softer line on nuclear talks. we want to keep it separate. and i think they're doing it successfully. >> the reporters' families are saying they're counting the seconding until they can hold them in their arms again. they thank president clinton and the state department. laura ling's fiancee said yesterday it was one of the best days of his life. e-mail all excited. i'm all excited. i'm looking forward to seeing her. well, we waited for five months now. >> what are you

and will paula abdul return to "american idol"? her manager speaks out on all the rumors. >>> tragedy in japan today for engineers inspecting a bridge. workers were standing on a river in shallow water when they were hit with a hud rush of water. it swept them away. four of the workers drowned. one was found unconscious. more than an hour later in an underground water way. >>> the latest on what landed richard hatch, the first "survivor" champion, back behind bars. his rearrest came hours after hatch was interviewed on the "today" show earlier this week. now his lawyer believes she knows why. amy robach has the latest. >> reporter: richard hatch's big mouth helped him become america's first reality tv superstar outwitting and outplaying and outlasting the other contestants to win a million dollars on the first "survivor." but it looks like his mouth did him in as well. landing him back behind bars after a series of interviews this week. his first since he spent nearly four years in prison after he was convicted of not paying taxes

here's nbc's lee cowan. >> reporter: paula abdul.dol" fans could always count on paula abdul for, well, the unpredictable. >> i wanted to squish you, squeeze your head off and dangle you from my rear view mirror. >> reporter: she was a challenge. bossy, yet at times a little spacey. >> oh, my god, it's like you sang twice. >> reporter: love her or hate her, she's an "idol" original. she's been with the show since its beginning back in 2002. but, after eight popular and ultralucrative seasons for fox -- ♪ i'll take two steps back >> reporter: the former pop star took what mean fear may be a step back herself, and quit the most popular show on television. >> i absolutely think she made a big mistake. >> reporter: in all it came down to money. in short, paula wanted more, millions more. at least approving what fellow judge simon cowell was making. >> is she going to get as much money as simon cowell? never. is she worth as much? no. >> reporter: still, fox reportedly offered her a 30% raise to return next season. not enough. paula, stra

about paula abdul's idol time. ♪ skinny, so skinny >> the paula abdul fallout continues.w talk that maybe this isn't a done deal yet and perhaps she will show up back on the show. there's still some hub-bub about that. we do know according to paula that simon cowell already misses her. tmz caught up with paula at jfk yesterday, sort of the first interaction with her except for the twitter interaction. she did talk to them briefly about the situation. >> it's overwhelming what's going on right now. i have to really carefully think about everything. >> there she was at the airport, first post-idol interview. a couple of people are going to sort of fill the gap at least temporarily to help judge on the show, a couple of famous faces you know quite well, katie perry is going to help out and so is victoria beckham, posh spice. there are rumors that posh might be the permanent judge. >> really? >> how about that. >> what a random pick. >> she's got music experience. >> that wouldn't have been somebody that would have leapt to mind. >> then again, i'm not sure paula abdul would

paula abdul isn't going dancing. will she return to the judges' table at "idol"?> facebook users take them t court. >>> coming up tonight on "news4 at 5:00" -- >> new informationm pari froor to decide about the new vaccine. >>> another metro death. a contractor electric cute order the job. another developing sto >>> it has cooled off out there. 90 degrees earlier in martinsburg. we are still holding in the 90s but have shower activity out there. we take on the rockies, colorado rockies. here is a look at the radar. right now around oakton, fairfax, wet weather with showers moving through. wheaton and chevy chase will be picking up showers as well. and take a look at the area with heavy rain coming through, east of pasadena and you will be picking up more of that. probably until about 8:00 or 9:00, i see showers moving through the area. so 5:00, 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, no rain in the forecast. you will need your umbrella for the afternoon. we will start out with 74, 75 degrees. the high tomorrow is 09. with more widespread showers and thunderstorms through the

paula abdul. how much do you know about t abt achoo! you going to miss when you have an allergy attack? achoo! (announcer) benadryl is more effective than claritin at relieving your worst symptoms. and works when you need it most. benadryl. you can't pause life. .dddddddddddddddd bill: back of the book segment tonight, we are tweaking the great american culture quiz a bit turning it into the great american news quiz. factor audience smartest audience in the country. every tuesday we will put together five questions. steve doocy and -- hud could is playing for -- lives in st. louis. like in on the action. go to bill o'reilly.com. ok. the great american news quiz. hillary clinton lashed out at a student when her translater botched a question. >> wait, you want me to tell you what my husband thinks? my husband is not the secretary of state. i am. [inaudible] you ask my opinion, i will tell you my opinion. i'm not going to be channelling my husband. bill: ok. where was secretary clinton? bill: huddy breaks into the lead who d

quirky. >> will you clear up the paula abdul stuff? >> i will.g in here expecting you two to have been announced to be on "dancing with the stars." >> they asked me for four years and i said no. i said when hoda and i do together. they didn't ask. >> i want to see the it would have you in your costumes. that's you in the costume. >> is that hoda? hoda's doing the nasty thing. >> that's what i want to see. >> paula abdul. we talked about this morning, is she coming back to "idol" or not? here's the thing. i think it's done. i think it's done. i don't think she's coming back. i think -- this is me being a skeptical guy -- that maybe her people are kicking around the idea that she's coming back -- >> just to get a lot of excitement going on. >> for the network to release a statement saying we are done, good-bye, it's been a great ride, see you later. >> i have a feeling this new guy in her life really screwed it up big time. that's just my gut. >> the management. >> she has everything to lose and nothing to gain by not being on that show. >> that's

but randy jackson and simon cowell both agree it won't be be the same without paula abdul. >> me and ryan and simon and her started this journey together so really shocked and really sad and really just can't beeve she is n here. but we love her. she is going to be great, whatever he decides to do. >> i always thought she was the heart of the show. i'm not the heart. i'm in the even the brain actually. she was the heart. you take that away so it is a different show. >> we love her, paula abdul. >> last week, abdullah announced she is leaving idol citing a contract disagreement with producers. she has been getting pretty big offer other network. >> lee describe johnson, the father of sarah palin's grand child attended the teen choice awards and his date was kathy griffin. the pair joked about being a couple. she said she had to found a real teen to bring to the teen choice awards. >>> the health care debate is stirring up heated emotions coming up next. >> how are you going to keep my employer from stopping offering insurance and forcing me on to the public option if that is cheaper f

. >>> paula abdul dancing her way to another job already? o wh islr >>> three years ago we introduced you to three brothers that wanted a permanent home together. we recently got up with them to see how they were doing. barbara harrison has an update. >> hi. >> hi. >> reporter: they are brothers. 12-year-old gregory, and 5-ar-old deshawn, and cory who just turned 4. cory is now 7, and desean, who is 8, and gregory. it was right here that we first met in 2003, when they were featured as a wednesday's child sibling group. today they had somebody with them. who is that? >> our father. >> reporter: it's so great to meet you. congratulations. anthony is the boys' dad now. >> i saw them and i was watching the tv and i saw it the next day, and i contacted the child family services, and i have them today. >> reporter: this is so exciting. how long did it take to actually happen. >> actually from the time that i saw it,rom june 4th, i went to the parenting class in august. >> reporter: in less than nine months he became their foster parent, a then af

tuesday's half-hour return episodes drew only about 4 million. >>> find a replacement for paula abdul won't be easy but england sun reports producers are already negotiating with victoria beckham, former posh spice. >>> finally, what has gotten into joan rivers? first, she blasted jay leno's new 10:00 show, saying it will help america fall asleep earlier. then she accused brooke shields of exploiting michael jackson's memorial service for face time. she's ripped into john gosselin saying, quote, i'm disgusted by him. here's a guy about eight kids who runs off to find himself. well, he should have found himself a condom. no holding back. >>> this comes from kusa 9 news in denver where in nearby colorado springs three baby bears have found a favorite backyard. this is the third time this tri o of bear cubs dropped by, causing a little mischief. the damage is pretty minimal. she also remembered never to get too close especially since mama bear is never too far away. makes some great pictures anyway. i'm dan kloeffler, and this is "early today," just your fist stop of the day today on you

imagine yoet i love lucy" without lucy and "american idol" without paula abdul. she said with sadness in my heart, i have sbided not to return to idol. many speculate producers were forced to take her out, with a low contract offer, forcing her to quit. she was offered a guess judge spot on so you think you can dance. now maybe that offer becomes more permanent. >>> brad pitt hints he may retire from movies because he thinks most roles are written for younger actors. a life-sized statue of angelina jolie pregnant and nursing two bothers in honor of world breast feeding week. finally, while it's expected g.i. joe the rise of cobra may have the biggest opening it's definitely not a good sign paramount has refused to screen the blockbuster for critics beforehand. >>> i don't know. a lot of people are still speculating about this paula abdul thing. say it ain't. so she'll come back. just give her a little bit of money. but seems like it's a done deal. >> yeah. this could be serious. i'm trying to figure out how the show will do without her. i know i'm going to miss h

. >>> plus, she may not be making idols anymore, but paula abdul has landed herself a new job. >>> phillies walk the plank. and surprise, surprise, another lands on the d.l. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm christina brown. and here are some of your top headlines this morning. >>> if you are just joining us, we have been covering the death of senator ted kennedy. known as the liberal lion of the senate, senator kennedy died last night at his home in hyannisport, massachusetts, after battling a brain tumor. senator kennedy was 77. >>> for the second day in a row, nasa called off the launch of the space shuttle "discovery" this time due to a faulty fuel valve. the next attempt will be made friday. >>> and ben bernanke to a second term. his out of the box thinking helped put the brakes on the economic prefall. >>> and english authorities are investigating mass violence that broke out between westham united and millhall. one man was stand in the chest during vicious clashes. several others were also arrested >> and now here's a look at how w

so join me for what the [ bleep ] is paula abdul talking about? followed by an all-new ryan seacrest, are you tanner than a fifth grader? >> looks all right. hey we have a good show tonight. on the show tonight, the reverend al sharpton is here. we have music from jewel. and we'll be right back with zooey deschanel, so stick around. bicycle, i've missed you. gathering dust, as pollen floats through h the air. but with the strength of zyrtec ® , the fastest, 24-hour allergy relief, i promise not to wait as long to go for our ride. with zyrtec ® i can love the air ™ . hi. ( whimpers, inhales ) ( sobs ) - hello!o! ( shakes and exhales ) for big moments anywhere, keep a little strength in your pocket. ( ding ) altoids smalls. are you in mint condition? in a long line of amazing performance machines. this is the new e-coupe. this is mercedes-benz. all: hi, john! going to college and need a laptop. what do you got? you, in the top corner. our next class laptops could be perfect for you. we got student feedback and designed them specifically for college.

most popular show, now that paula abdul is gone? and who might replace her? captions paid for by abc, inc. >>> and good morning, america. robin is on assignment this morning. i'm diane sawyer on this thursday, august 6, 2009. and chris is back from anchoring our coverage of the shooting of all those women in the fitness class near pittsburgh. this morning, take a look. we have new video of the killer speaking. we're going to be searching for clues inside it, that might show how an ordinary neighbor or co-worker becomes increasingly deranged. >> we also found a second video. you're looking at one. this is sodini giving a tour of his own house. as you'll see, there's some remarkable things we find on this video. if you look closely, that book, is called "how to date young women for men over 35. "and something else new we found this morning. by analyzing, literally, computer code involved in s blog, a hidden message, that he had written about men. >> embedded in the computer. >> embedded in the code of his computer. >> and, of course, we do not forget the women

"i, paula abdul --" >> i, paula abdul. >> jimmy: "know that working at 'american idol.'" >> know thatking at "american idol." >> jimmy: "with a girl nobody ever heard of." >> with a girl nobody ever heard of. >> jimmy: "two maybe gay dudes." >> two maybe gay dudes. >> jimmy: "and the bassist from journey." >> and the bassist from journey. >> jimmy: "is the best thing that ever happened to me." >> is the best thing that ever happened to me. >> jimmy: "well, second best thing." >> well, second best thing. >> jimmy: "the best thing was being friends with arsenio back in the '90s. >> the best thing was being friends with arsenio back in the '90s. >> jimmy: "when my hit single, 'straight up' was number one on the charts. >> when my hit single "straight up" was number one on the charts. >> jimmy: "it's hard for me to say i'm sorry." >> it's hard for me to say i'm sorry. >> jimmy: "so, i'll just say --" [ mumbling ] [ laughter ] >> so, i'll just say -- [ mumbling ] >> jimmy: wow, very nice. i think this is working, guys. all right, now, you guys repeat after me in unison, please. >> "we, the

beautiful. >>> abc apparently wants paula abdul. idol judge announced last week that she won't be returning to idol. abc has reportedly contacted abdul but the role she would have is unclear. abc is home to dancing with the stars and paula comes there a dancing background. >> : might be a good fit. >> into would be nice to see her land on that show. that would be good. it is hot outside already. it was pretty stifling yesterday. >> it will be worse today. yesterday's high was 96 degrees. i think it wl be warmer than that. we have a heat advisory today. most of the region is itovcered by the heat advisory but onrticularly from washo gt t points east. >> are you keeping tucker awake. >> tucker, are you all right over there. >> that was quite the big yawn. all right. points east, that is where we have the heat advisory in effect. it goes into effect at noon today, lasts until 8:00 p.m. that is because it could feel like it is between 1105 degrees later on. this is a heat warning in effect near philadelphia. current temperatures around

producers say they are saddens that abdul decided not to return. auditions begins in two days. >>> singer chris brown is scheduled to be sentenced for beating of his girlfriend rhianna. he is expected to have five months of probation and probationary work. he could serve his probation near his home in virginia working on roadside cleanup or similar jobs. >>> live look outside. meteorologist bernadette woods will be back in two and a half minutes with our first warning weather forecast. >>> first a look at today's midday stocks and last night's megamillions numbers. >>> welcome back, everybody. what a great shot out there. what a great place to be right now. there is nothing going on weather-wise at this point. temperatures are going to start to warm up this afternoon, but we are probably going to see some thunderstorms also start to break out this afternoon. with 83 degrees so far at bwi marshall. you can see 91 down at the ocean. 77 out in the mountains. dew point is at 65 degrees. so it is on the way up. so that makes the heat index right around

>>ourners at the home of abdul aziz ak-hakim, soon ter his death was announced. some are overco with grief. the leaderf one of the untry's most importanthia parties, he wielded imptant por in iraq. >> he and h family offered everythg they had for the sake of a rock. -- iraq. >> he died athis hospital after a long battle with lung cancer. he maintained close ties, here meeti president ahmenijad. after the u.s. invasion ofraq, he bame a key american ally, too. the question now wil be whether his party will keep such close links with the americans. his party is under pessure. ey did badly in provincial electis earlier this year. this wk, in announced it will be a new political bloc, and at winningupport back. althgh he never held an officlosition, abdul az ak-hakim was one of the st owerful players in iraq after the.s. invasion. his death comes a ctical time. his party willave to fight r his positi with the elections few months away. he is due to be buried tomrow. e morning continues morningmourning cotinue -- mourng continues, in washington will beatching closely.

judge paula abdul apparently is calling it quits.he dropped the bombshell via twitter sayi she will not be back for season 9. some speculation that it could be a negotiating plow. fox and the producers said abdul was an important part of the idol family and wished her the best. >>> twitter causing trouble for san diego chargers quarterback antonio. find $2,500 for a tweet. he used twitter to complain about the food at training camp wondering if the nasty food had something to do with not making the super bowl. he said he stand by his tweet. >>> fieldy in. >> whether hefeldy >> everyone today is talking about the emotional feelings of jason campbell on the cover of "sports illustrated." in that issue he vented about being mistreated in the off season. here is what he looked like on the cover and what he had to say. jason campbell said in the article that he felt like a piece of tissue being flushed down the toilet. today jason practiced and was asked if his comments were accurate. >> i was having fun with it, when i quoted. the guy as