thank you so much, alex perez. now we head to washington. once again a vote in the republican house is reverberating through the u.s. economy. already affecting your 401(k), the dow lost 185 points, and one of the reasons investors worried a standoff over obama care will grind the government to a halt. abc's senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny now. >> reporter: republicans tried again today to kill the nation's new health care law. >> the bill is passed. the amendment is adopted. >> reporter: something they tried more than 40 times. the vote to take away funding for the new and still unpopular health care law was part of a bigger bill to fund the government. a presidential veto guaranteed. president obama traveling to missouri today scolded

alex perez is there. good morning to you, alex. >> good morning, josh.re out last night, enjoying the warm weather. many of them here at this park. when suddenly, a number of innocent bystanders got caught in the middle of a shower of bullets. this is 3-year-old deonty howard, the youngest victim in what has become an epidemic of chicago gun violence. the shootings happening just after 10:00 last night, near cornell square park on chicago's south side. >> they're like boom, booming boom. and a kid got hit in the face. >> reporter: two adults remain in critical condition. but all are expected to survive. >> we had 11 victims that were treated and transported to various hospitals throughout the city. >> reporter: there have been over 1,600 shootings in chicago this year. police suspect this incident may be gang-related, with many of the 13 victims, simply innocent bystanders. and this morning, investigators are trying to track down the gunman. but at this point, no arrests have been made. josh? >> alex perez in chicago. thank you for that. >>> also new thi

i'm alex perez. john mulleha

thank you so much, alex perez. now we head to washington. once again a vote in the republican house is reverberating through the u.s. economy. already affecting your 401(k), the dow lost 185 points, and one of the reasons investors worried a standoff over obama care will grind the government to a halt. abc's senior washington correspondent jeff zeleny now. >> reporter: republicans tried again today to kill the nation's new health care law. >> the bill is passed. the amendment is adopted. >> reporter: something they tried more than 40 times. the vote to take away funding for the new and still unpopular health care law was part of a bigger bill to fund the government. a presidential veto guaranteed. president obama traveling to missouri today scolded congress. >> they are not focused on you. they are focused on politics. they are focused on trying to mess with me. >> reporter: and mess with all americans. if congress doesn't reach a deal by october 1st when the government runs out of money. at that point, the cdc may stop monitoring diseases.

abc's alex perez takes us through what we have learned about ariel castro on this tape. >> reporter: when amanda berry vanished without a trace in 2003, her heart-broken mother, louwanna miller, never stopped looking for her. >> it's been 370-something days and just not knowing. >> reporter: today in newly released police interrogation obtained by nbc news, ariel castro told police that a week after he kidnapped amanda, he used her cellphone to call her mother himself. >> what did you say to her mom? >> i think i said something -- that i have her daughter and that she's okay. and that she's my wife now. >> reporter: castro said he didn't identify himself and quickly hung up. louwanna miller died in 2006. today cleveland police would not comment on whether or not they knew about or investigated that call. during those ten years castro held berry, gina dejesus and michelle knight hostage inside that cleveland house, police never suspected him. but castro told investigators there were close calls. he thought school cameras captured him luring gina dejesus to his car. >> you said we coul

for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >> alex perez, thank you. >>> time, now, forthe weather. sam champion, again, back with us. and i see strong storms on the board. >> when you stepped out this morning, did you notice the heat? did you feel it? yeah. the steam is back. that's the setup for the stronger storms that are coming our way. into the northeast, the mid-atlantic, all the way from the great lakes is what we're talking about. if you're out there this morning, you know what it feels like. later this afternoon, here comes the cold front that will knock these storms around. chicago, detroit, to cleveland, to buffalo, albany, new york, on the edge of it. portland, maine, as well. these are going to be large, powerful, booming storms. we have so much heat and humidity to work with in that area. there's more tropical moisture into the west. you have more storms in the denver area. we showed you where all of the tropical systems are. and there's one at the yucatan. if it becomes ingrid, it continue on the track to spread this moisture back up in this area. it's on

i'm alex perez here in chicago, where we are following breaking news out of ohio, where cleveland kidnapperund dead in his cell after an apparent suicide. ariel castro, considered perhaps one of the most evil men in america, was serving a life sentence plus 1,000 years. he was being held in protective custody with guards checking on him every 30 minutes. he had been described by prison officials as calm and cooperative upon his arrival. one month and one day later, late tuesday night, a prison spokesman says ariel castro was found hanging in his cell. medics tried to revive him with cpr and rushed him to the state hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. at his sentencing one of his victims had a chance to confront her tormentor in a packed cleveland courtroom. >> i will always remember all that happened. but you will burn in hell for eternity. from this moment on -- >> reporter: knight said she's no longer afraid of ariel castro. >> as you think about 11 years. what does god think of you hypocritically going to church every sunday, coming home to torture us? the death penalty will be

and you never can replace it. >> reporter: for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, new york that. >>> and now to the rise of the popular and potent drug that's believed to be responsible for two deaths at a major music festival this weekend. it forced the festival to shut down and it raised a lot of questions right now. abc's bianna golodryga is back with more on that, bianna, this is about a new designer drug. >> a lot of people are talking about this, amy. the deaths are bringing fresh attention to molly, what is supposed to be a pure version of ecstasy, which has become the drug of the moment. molly is in not only with kids who like dance music but also celebrity 30 and 40-something professionals. for some attracted to the flashing lights and throbbing beats at the electric zoo festival in new york city, the designer drug molly may have seemed like the perfect accompaniment, but this morning after two deaths and four others being hospitalized at the festival, the rapid rise of this new drug is now under the microscope. on sunday festival organizers agreed to cancel the fi

abc's alex perez is on the ground in cleveland with the very latest. >> reporter: for 10 miserable years they survived. three young women, summoning every ounce of strength in that house of horrors. but ariel castro lasted just one month and one day in prison before apparently taking his own life. >> so you understand that you will be in prison for life? >> reporter: castro spent his final days in an eight by 12 foot cell with a bed, sink, urinal, shower and a surface to write on. he was in protective custody, alone 23 hours a day with guards checking on him every 30 minutes. at 9:20 last night, prison guards found castro hanging in his cell, a bed sheet around his neck. authorities say they began cpr and rushed him to the nearby medical center. but at 10:52 ariel castro was pronounced dead. >> i spent 11 years in hell. now your hell is just beginning. >> reporter: castro was serving life plus 1,000 years for kidnapping and abusing michelle knight, amanda berry and gina dejesus. in a rambling court statement, he insisted they'd lived as a family. >> we had a lot of harmony going on in th

i'm alex perez. john muller has the day off. >> and i'm diana perez. president obama spends part of his labor day in top level meetings on the growing crisis in syria. >> the president and his aides are trying to convince lawmakers on capitol hill that a military strike is the right choice. >> and we have live team coverage on this crisis including our reporter in the region, but we begin with abc's tahman bradley who is in washington. >> reporter: diana and alex, good morning. white house officials insist they are confident congress will approve a military strike in syria, but it appears they've got some convincing to do. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say they're skeptical. the white house is hard at work this labor day trying to convince members of congress to back a military strike in syria. today president obama tries to win support from senator john mccain, meeting with his old 2008 rival at the white house. >> the consequences of the congress of the united states overriding a decision of the president of the united states of this magnitude

abc's alex perez is there. good morning to you, alex. >> good morning, josh.any people were out last night, enjoying the warm weather. here on this basketball court at this park when suddenly a number of innocent bystanders got caught in the mid of of a shower of bullets. this is 3-year-old deonty howard, the youngest victim in what has become an epidemic of chicago gun violence. >> it happened to fast. i heard shots. i came over here. there was a lot of people down. >> reporter: the shootings happened just after 10:00 last night near cornell square park on chicago's south side. >> a lot of shots, man, like boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. and a kid got hit. a 3-year-old got hit in the face. >> reporter: two adults remain in critical condition. but all are expected to survive. >> we had 11 victims that were treated and transported to various hospitals throughout the city. >> reporter: there have been over 1,600 shootings in chicago this year. police suspect this incident may be gang-related, with many of the 13 victims, simply innocent bystanders. and this mornin

for "good morning america," alex perez, abc news, chicago. >>> let's bring in dan abrams.brad garret say, it's pre m pre meditated. >> this guy drives six hours. took someone else's car. gets there. begins the process of attacking the son-in-law. the son-in-law who is younger and bigger overtakes him. and he says, allen, i can't breathe anymore. the attacker is now begging him to stop because he's losing the fight. this is one of the more bone-headed attempted murder schemes i've ever seen. >> and now facing real time. >> yeah. this is attempted aggravated murder, basing probably up to 25 years behind bars for this. this is serious stuff. in addition to the drugs he had with him. you have to think, he's dexter morgan? he's going to inject him with these drugs and he's going to pass out? this whole thing is right out of a b-rate movie. >> what kind of charges could he face for having the drugs on the scene? >> there's additional drugs there. those aren't going to be anything compared to the aggravated murder charge. those will probably be swept in along with the other charg

abc's alex perez has all the latest. od morning, alex. >> reporter: george, this morning, there are many unanswered questions as to what happened here. guards were checking on castro regularly. and they say he was always calm and cooperative. prison officials found the 52-year-old convicted kidnapper hanging in his jail cell in this state prison just south of columbus, ohio, around 9:20 tuesday night. prison officials confirm medical staff attempted to revive him. but he was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital shortly before 11:00 p.m. >> so, you understand, you will be in prison for life. you don't even have the expectations or the hope of getting out. is that understood? >> i do understand, your honor. >> reporter: this morning, questions about how castro was able to take his own life. castro's attorney said he was not on suicide watch, which entails constant observation, but that he was in protective custody, kept in a cell by himself, and checked on every 30 minutes. his death ends one of cleveland's ugliest chapters

alex perez has the story. >> reporter: after nine years behind bars for a murder he says he didn't commitng, ryan ferguson could be on the brink of freedom. >> the verdict was based on innuendos and a great performance by the prosecutor. but nothing based on evidence. >> reporter: after years of legal back and forth, the missouri appellate court has agreed to hear ferguson's case today. ferguson's father, bill, has been fighting to free his son, since his 2005 conviction in colombia, missouri. >> that is the most shocking experience i've had in my entire life. >> reporter: at 19 years old, ferguson, and his friend, erickson, was charged with robbing and killing newspaper editor, kent hightold, and saying that they killed him together. >> reporter: ferguson was convicted of second-degree murder and robbery and sentenced to 40 years. but hair, blood and fingerprints found at the crime scene didn't match ferguson. and now, erickson has recanted his testimony, telling "48 hours" he made the whole thing up. >> i don't want to die knowing this guy is still in prison because of something i said.

perez one to left. game tied at 1. that is all the giants would get. the yankees go on to win with a final of 4 5 to 1 because of alexll be ending mornings on 2 so early this morning for the game. >>> taking months even years to recover. how rescue crews continue to battle massive floods in colorado. >> and many people want a new iphone 5s because of its fingerprint technology, but do you really need a finger to unlock it. >> first let's take you outside. there's the golden gate bridge this morning. actually can see both towers. it's going to be wet on those roadways. traffic, however, is moving smoothly. time on the clock is 9:12. you're watching mornings on 2. [ marco ] i'm a student at devry university. and this is my home team. this is my large lecture hall. this is my professor. and also my coach. this is my booster club. this is the guy who's graduating ready for a great career in technology. [ male announcer ] in 2012, 90% of devry university grads actively seeking employment had careers in their field in 6 months. find your career success in the bay area. learn how at devry.edu. >>> welcome back. giving you a