>> alex marquardt tonight, thank you. alex will be monitoring this crucial moment in the syria uprising. you can follow his reporting on "good morning america" and, of course, right here on "world news." >>> we turn next tonight to a much different image. this one out of london. the olympic games being watched all over the world. and this evening some welcome victories, some surprising upsets. so we turn again tonight to abc's jeffrey kofman part of your team in london. >> reporter: the u.s. team struck gold today for skeet shooter kim rhode. a medical an and american record. she became the first to win individual medals at five straight olympics, and she's only 33. yes, she won her first gold way back in atlanta in 1996 at age 17. another gold in the pool where dana vollmer broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly. 59.98 seconds. but a disappointing silver for the men's 400-meter relay that included swimming stars michael phelps and ryan lochte. after the u.s. dominated the race france squeaked by and nabbed gold

alex marquardt, abc news, in northern syria. >>> and while the fighting rages and our team reports on it from inside syria, another defection from the syrian regime. syria's diplomat in london became the fourth diplomat that says he can no longer represent a government that has committed such violent and oppressive acts. >>> up next, the olympics. we have the news tonight, team usa has scooped up two gold medals in swimming today. but everyone is asking, why are the chinese swimmers suddenly making big waves. our man at the stadium in the london olympic games, abc's bill weir leads the coverage again tonight from london. bill? >> reporter: diane, in the history of the olympic game, in the history of swimming, the united states has won 214 gold medals, china, 7. you wouldn't know it. we begin with the first reason to cheer the folks in aurora, colorado, has had in weeks. she is not a senior in high school and her swim club doesn't have a pool. yet, missy franklin is golden, after the pride of aurora took the 100 meter backstroke. but the great hope, ryan lochte, beaten again by a frenc

alex marquardt who covers the middle east has the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, ron. this is the third time this year that american tourists have been kidnapped in the lawless sinai peninsula. they're now being held by a bedouin tribesman. they've been treated well. they've been given tea and a traditional meal of lamb. but they won't be released until his uncle in an egyptian jail is released, as well. the americans are working closely be egyptian authorities to free the two americans. ron? >> alex marquardt, thanks for that report. >>> it could soon cost you more to use your credit card. mastercard, visa, and major companies are agreeing to pay them $6 million on accusations of price-fixing. merchants can charge higher prices to consumers who use credit cards. >>> and the firestorm over the u.s. olympic uniforms that were made in china has led to a change of clothing in the future. designer ralph lauren says the uniforms that americans wear at opening ceremonies will be made in the united states for the next olympic

alex marquardt who covers the middle east has the latest. od morning to you, alex. >> reporter: good morning, ron. this is the third time this year that american tourists have been kidnapped in the lawless sinai peninsula. the two americans, who are reportedly from boston, were taken at gunpoint and are now being held by a bedouin tribesman. their kidnapper tells the associated press that the americans have been treated well. they've been given tea and a traditional meal of lamb. but they won't be released until his uncle in an egyptian jail is released, as well. the american embassy in cairo tells us this morning, they are working closely with egyptian authorities to free the two americans. ron? >> alex marquardt, thanks for that report. >>> it could soon cost you more to use your credit card. mastercard, visa, and major banks reached an settlement with millions of merchants. they've agreed to pay them at least $6 billion under accusations of price fixing. under the agreement, merchants will be allowed to charge higher prices to consumers wh

alex marquardt, abc news. >> sad story there, right? >> it's unbelievable, especially because he's sick and apparently his son is now saying he has no idea when his father will be released or if his father will be released. >> hopefully this is good news. the abductor is apparently having conversations with intelligence officials. hopefully they can implore, this is serious, release him immediately. if nothing else, maybe get him some medical attention as well. >> exactly, exactly. >>> secretary of state clinton got a less than warm welcome in egypt. protesters in alexandria threw tomatoes, water bottles and shoes at her motorcade as she left a ceremony marking the opening of a new american consulate. clinton is urging the head of egypt's military to work with the country's elected islamist leaders but that official is taking a hard line. >>> let's talk about the intense presidential race. mitt romney's on the defensive about his background as president obama steps up his attacks. >> abc's rick kline is joining us from washington with t

abc's alex marquardt makes the difficult and dangerous journey into the heart of a civil war. >>> dangerouson falls on the train tracks. this one walks in a wall. emergency rooms say it's an epidemic. >>> and body and soul. the american teenager crushed at the olympics.

here is abc's alex marquardt from the border. >> reporter: the world knows the force and brutality ofssad's army. with accusations of a fresh massacre, his helicopters and soldiers killing 200 people in a small village. but the scariest weapons are the ones we haven't seen. assad is believed to have one of the biggest arsenals of biological and chemical weapons in the world. it includes highly toxic cyanide, which causes immediate seizures and cardiac arrest. mustard gas, which blisters the skin with chemical burns. vx gas, the deadliest nerve agent ever created. and sarin, just a drop of vx or sarin can kill you in minutes. it's unclear why the assad regime would be moving it's chemical weapons now. most believe assad is not ready to use the weapons against his own people to crush the rebellion. what america fears is a nightmare scenario, assad loses power and the chemical weapons fall into the hands of terror groups. >> wi have made plans to deal with those areas, we think that does represent the most serious concern with regards to our security. >> reporter: tonight pentagon offici

abc's alex marquardt with a tour of that research center tonight. >> reporter: as we drove through here t first thing you see are signing about wild animals. we saw the beautiful and vast reserve teaming with wildlife. it's chimp enclosures encircled by electrofied fences. warning that 6-year-old grad student was well aware of, having volunteered here for his second time. which is why it's unclear why he entered the no-go area where he was attacked by two male chimps. it lasted around 20 minutes before staff was able to scare them off. >> this is as close as we can get to the scene of the attack. it's still being investigated, but thpark says the chimps were reacting to what they saw as a breech of their territory. this wasn't a freak act of aggression. the chimps won't be youth niezed. >> chimps are fiercely territory yal. seven-times stronger than humans. in animal planet, director eugene was trying to train chimps but instead had to pepper spray an aggressive one. after six hours of surgery, oberly remains in an endeuced coma. he has lost fingers an toes. today his parents flew in fr

abc's alex marquardt has the details. >> reporter: a syrian newspaper warned it will be the mother of all battle. a showdown has been looming for days. opposition and assad forces around aleppo. syrian's merchant capital. regime vowing to snuff out opposition fighters. the bbc has been there. >> it's been an incredible hot day in more ways than one. there's been constant activity. the sound of bangs through the air explosions. >> reporter: regime forces pounded the city with tanks and helicopter gunships. unverified video from today showed a fighter jet. the jet was used for the first time in battle this past week. the battle sent residents fleeing their homes in droves. the united states has warned of a potential flood bath. >> this say concern that we will see a massacre in aleppo and that's what the regime appears to be lining up for. >> the fighting in aleppo follows unprecedented clashes in the capital damascus. the rebels are clearly gaining in confidence but still hugely outmatched in terms of fire power. they know brings the fight back to the biggest city and capturing them wo

alex marquardt is in south africa with the latest. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the hospital tells us that andrew oberle is still sedated in the intensive care unit. doing better. but sources close to the family say they're overwhelmed by all this. they don't want to move him. and won't be taking him back to the states anytime soon. doctors at this clinic say andrew oberle is still sedated five days after the attack. >> he went through a six-hour procedure in which doctors cleaned out his wounds. now it's a case of wait and see. >> reporter: this morning, his family returned to his bedside, after spending all day monday at the hospital, meeting with doctors. >> he remains in a stable condition. and we believe in his progress, he's doing quite well. and he's still under sedation. >> reporter: oberle suffered extensive injuries to his skull, torso, arms and legs, after entering a no-go area at chimpanzee eden. two males attacked, mauling him over 20 minutes. during an exclusive tour, we saw the reserve's wide-ran

>> alex marquardt in northern sere kra.hank you. >>> it's one of the biggest blackouts the world has seen. 600 million people have been plunged into darkness after three major power grids across india failed. the country's aging infrastructure has been unable to keep up with the demand for electricity in the summer heat. >>> the suspect in the colorado movie theater shootings now faces 142 charges and possibly the death penalty. james holmes still had bright orange hair when he heard the charges, including 24 murder counts, 2 for each of the 12 people killed. victims described holmes as wide-eyed and cold-blooded but not insane. >>> the u.s. postal service is expected to default tomorrow on a $5.5 million payment to the federal government. the agency is losing millions each day and doesn't have the cash which would fund retireeess' health benefits in advance. >>> a promising best-selling author admits he made up quotes in his latest book. jonah lehrer's "imagine" has been pulled from stores after he admitted fabricating sta

alex marquardt is there. and one of handful broadcasters broadcasting from inside rebel-controlled syria. >> reporter: opposition forces said that tanks, helicopters, gun ships were used. a showdown had been looming for days. rebel forces had taken control of some parts of this city. syrian newspaper around with that the regimen would mount the battle of battles. to back full control of the city. >> alex, reporting. >>> a and a private plane carrying florida senator mario rubio was forced to maybe an emergency landing. in new mexico. he was traveling from las vegas to des moines, iowa. rubio made his appearance by phone at the des moines rally. the senator tweeted -- not one, but two planes i was on today had malfunctions. second one forced to make emergency landing in new mexico. >>> reports this morning that the deadly ebola disease has killed at least 14 people in the african nation of uganda. a task force has been assembled to deal with the rare but usually fa fatal illness. >>> and finally, we all know t

alex marquardt, abc news, south africa. >>> we have new information in that his uncle says alex is inng the attack and his blood pressure is so low. >> we wish him and his family the very best. going to be a tough several, days but more likely weeks and months of recuperation for him. still in intensive care at this hour. again there is a moral to the story, there are two gates there for a reason. you were in an area you should not have been in. these are wild animals. wild animals are just that. wild. >> that's the question, right? what caused him to go not past one but past two of the fences. >> to be so close, the chimps dragged him underneath. you were awfully close to that. >> there must be something more to the story. since he, you know he was trained to be around these animals. >> right. exactly. exactly. >>> we're going to shift gears now. crews battling wildfires in the west have just lost some powerful weapons against the flames. the deadly crash of a military c 130 cargo plane at a fire in south dakota now led to the grounding of seven other air force tankers that were help

. >> alex marquardt reporting there from inside syria. two big developments in syria.cal weapons, removed, transported, eyes of the world wondering if assad will use them, when and how. and the use of helicopters. the first in the last couple weeks. bombing his own people here. and defense secretary, panetta said using helicopters against his own people was a nail in his coffin. talk getting very, very tough. wondering if assad's days are in their final numbers here. >> leon panetta saying he lost all legitimacy, right now the battle between the rebels and government. government troops saying they recaptured a part of aleppo which is what they're fighting for, capital of syria right now. the government declared victory on sunday in aleppo. it is sad to see what's going on there. and leon panetta almost like begging for the united states to do a little bit more. but it's a tough situation for all parties involved. >> if it was not an election year would we see more action, probably. politics complicate is a lot of stuff. >>> moving on to weather news. eastern pennsylvan

first, the latest from alex marquardt. good morning, alex. >> reporter: good morning, robin.he attack happened just a short distance that way behind me. doctors worked on him for six hours in surgery, cleaning up his deep multiple wounds from his skull to his feet. doctors now tell us, he's in a medically-induced coma and resting comfortably. this morning, 26-year-old andrew oberle remains in stable condition in this south african hospital. >> he's in a sedation to make him comfortable. >> reporter: he was savagely attacked on thursday while volunteering. >> it was horrific. by far, the worst animal attack i have seen. >> reporter: he entered a restricted zone between two security fences outside the chimp enclosure. two adult males became angry, grabbing him and dragging him halfway under the barrier as he fought desperately to stop him. the animal pushed him over the fence using the opening to escape. as tourists looked on in horror. the chimps dragged him openly 100 feet to a public space and mauled him. when institute staffer eugene cousins arrived, he was chased back to h

alex marquardt, abc news, beirut. >> and it is reported about 20,000 syrians have reportedly fled to the jerry sandusky child abuse sex scandal is hitting the penn state board of trustees. bowing to growing pressure, former chairman steve garbin stepped down last night. former fbi director louis free found out he knew about the sandusky investigation but neglected to share that information with the rest of the board. >> the 72-year-old was picked up by police during a routine inspection if and accused of engaging in a lewd act. you can imagine what that was. willard was the narrater of "the antiques road show" spin off, "market warriors," but his voice will now be replaced on the episodes that he has already taped. willard told tmz it all is a big misunderstanding, saying it flat-out did not happen. he's hosting a new angst show call "trust us with your life." it is still scheduled to air next week. yet another member of peewee's playhouse hanging out in the theaters. who still goes to theaters in 2012? don't you have a laptop and a dark room like a gentleman? i don't understand that

abc's alex marquardt, who is inside syria, described the devastation outside aleppo as staggering. 200,000 people have fled the city in just two days. >>> and mitt romney is talking tough about syria's ally, iran. while visiting israel, romney said preveing iran from obtaining nuclear weapon, should be america's highest national security priority. momry said he would respect israel's decision to attack syria on his own. during an interview with abc's david muir, romney would only say he recognizes israel's right to defend itself. >>> it was anything but an ultimate ride on sunday at six flags in california, sunday. a dozen people got stuck in the air for nearly two hours when the new superman roller coaster suddenly stopped. 150 feet up, that's the highest point of the ride. firefighters were lifted up to give water bottles and sunscreen to the riders. they were prepared to rescue them one by one, but a mechanic eventually rescued them. you see it, it went backwards. the ride is now closed until they figure out what caused this malfunction. >> could have been worse. that's why we don't rid

abc's alex marquardt, who is inside syria, described the devastation at staggering. 2,000 people have fled the city in just two days. >>> and mitt romney is talking tough about syria's ally, iran. romney said preventing iran from obtaining nuclear weapons should be america's highest national security priority. during an interview with abc's david muir, romney would only say he recognizes israel's right to defend itself. >>> it was anything but an ultimate ride on sunday at six flags. a dozen people got stuck in the air for nearly two hours when the new superman roller coaster suddenly stopped. firefighters were lifted up to give water bottles and sunscreen to the riders. they were going to try to evacuate them but the riders were brought down backwards. >> could have been worse. that's why we don't ride roller coasters in the elliott house. >>> now to the rash of bomb threats at walmart stores. a total of 11 at stores in missouri and kansas. some of the threats have led to evacuations. john slichriffen has the latest. >> reporter: the bomb threats have caused fear. the threats have be

first, the latest from alex marquardt. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the attack happened just a short distance behind me. doctors worked on him for six hours, cleaning up his deep multiple wounds from his skull to his feet. he's in a medically-induced coma and resting comfortably. this morning, 26-year-old andrew ob erk rle remaining in critical condition. he was savage i lay tacked on thursday while volunteering. >> it was horrific. by far, the worst animal take i have seen. >> reporter: he entered a restricted zone between two security fences. two adult maels became angry, grabbing him and dragging him halfway under the barrier as he fought to stop them. the animal pushed him over the fence using the opening to escape. they dragged him 100 feet into a public space and mauld him. when institute staffer eugene cousins arrived, he was chased back to his vehicle. >> the chim pan zeen jumped on to the vehicle, tried to break through the windshield. >> reporter: he fired a shot through the grass, hitting one chump and causing both to retreat. at this hour,

abc's alex marquardt is along the syrian border right now with the latest. alex? >> reporter: that's right, amy. one u.s. official told "the wall street journal" that this is, quote, incredibly dangerous for u.s. national security. the fear is that these weapons will fall into the wrong hands. the regime of bashar al assad has one of the biggest stockpiles of biological and chemical weapons in the middle east. they include mustard gas and cyanide. the regime denied the move. but if true, it's unclear what the intentions would be, to move them or to safeguard them. and this comes at a highly violent time at this uprising with reports of 200 villagers killed yesterday by regime forces. amy. >>> all right. alex, thank you very much. >>> and dramatic images from western canada this morning. four people are missing after a massive landslide in british columbia. take a look. three homes were destroyed. others were buried up to their roof. heavy rain is blamed for triggering that landslide. >>> an autistic man has been found alive after spending three weeks lost with no

abc's alex marquardt has managed to enter northern syria to bring you a firsthand account this morningalex? >> reporter: good morning, amy. everything is at stake in this fight. it could determine once and for all what happens in syria. in running street battles, opposition forces are desperately trying to cling on to neighborhoods captured. here, a rebel commander was shot. his forces laid down covering fire to get him out. but it was too late. regime forces have relentlessly shelled the rebel-held areas. civilians have been caught in the middle. 8-year-old mohammed cries out as his shrapnel wounds are cleaned. nearby, his brother lies dead. food is in desperately short supply. long lines outside one of the bakeries in town. these are those who stayed. thousands have fled the violence that shows no signs of stopping. it's hard to say right now who is winning. both sides are claiming the upper hand. but rebels from all over the region are heading to join in this fight. they could wipe out assad control of northern syria. amy? >> thank you. >>> it's one of the biggest blackouts the worl

alex marquardt reports now from northern syria. >> reporter: as the sun came over the horizon, word cameed up the hill, hiding from a nearby turkish military post, and crossed through a gaping hole in the border fence. welcome to syria. the syrian army is increasingly scarce in this part of northern syria. the free syrian flag waved in the first village we arrived in. but the army's presence is felt everywhere, like in the town just 15 miles from aleppo, which was shelled heavily by tanks and rockets. this video from earlier in the conflict shows you what it would look and sound like. [ explosion ] the devastation in the town is absolutely staggering. there is hardly a building that hasn't been damaged in some fashion. and essentially a ghost town, everyone has fled. and we are told that there are villages and towns like this across receipt under. two still here are this farmer and his 2-year-old niece. he told us regime forces executed his brother and burned down his house. >> how will you explain to your baby niece what happened here?" "i will tell her exactly what happened," he said,