glad to have elizabeth vargas and amy robach here with us. a lot to get to this morning. let me show you pictures from paris. it looks calm right now. but riot police are gathering right now, as france announces it will close its embassies and schools in almost 20 countries. there's big fears to a hostile reaction to a magazine there, that is publishing new cartoons mocking the prophet muhammad.

happy to have elizabeth vargas with us. what a night here last night. when michelle obama came out, the crowd was electrified. she brought them to their feet. she didn't mention mitt romney at all last night. all the other speakers did. their message was, mitt romney doesn't get the middle-class. his policies will hurt the middle-class. >> she did not mention mitt romney. but she obliquely talked about him, talking about the income gap. at any rate, we'll get more to the highlights of her speech. she brought a lot of people to tears in the hall last night. >> striking that chord of family. >> exactly. >>> also developing overnight, a massive wildfire burning right now outside los angeles. thousands of people evacuating. now, new concerns that it won't be under control until next week. and that is really something. it's burning out of control at this point. lara? >> our thoughts are with them. i was asking josh, is that anywhere near -- >> it's right over the ridge. >> our thoughts are with everyone there. >>> we know how hard it is to get your kids to g

great to elizabeth vargas for us. >> great to be here.ogether. >> another elizabeth vargas fun fact today. >>> and tv star, josh radner, is burning up the big screen in a movie he wrote, directed and starred in. he'll tell us about it. >> i'm so happy he's here. good. >>> we test the devotion to family today. it's a story about a remarkable mother/daughter story. the mother is over 60. she gave birth to her own grandson. we've been following them for a year now. they join us live, with their story of family love. >> she looks great. >> can't wait to meet them. >>> a terrific "good afternoon america" is on-tap. we're going to give a fashion fast-forward. and montel williams, one of our friends, is joining us. >> it's going to be great. "good afternoon america." 2:00 p.m. eastern. >>> all prologues, sam, to the big announcement. >> this is really big. this is probably the biggest thing in daytime television. our friend, kelly ripa, she's number one in our hearts. kelly, are you with us? >> good morning, sam. good morning, guys. >> you look

glad to have elizabeth vargas and amy robach here with us. a lot of breaking stories to get to, including a big story for the romney campaign. they cannot catch a break. a new tape during a fund-raiser. romney tried to put it out last night. unusual post-10:00 p.m. press conference. >> at one point in this fund-raiser, he's on tape recorded saying, i will never convince these people, who don't pay taxes. he said they should take personal responsibility for their lives. the fallout is continuing. >>> also breaking overnight, a dangerous prison escape, directly on our border with mexico. 130 inmates make a dash through an underground tunnel. setting off a massive search by police and soldiers just over the texas border. we're going to have the latest on that. that borderline continues to be volatile. >>> and big news for anyone struggling to diet. the first prescription weight loss drug to hit the market in over ten years is out today. >> this is the miracle drug that everybody has been waiting for. >>> let's get to the secret tapes from the ca

and great to have elizabeth vargas here. >> and it's great to be here. and great to have you back, too. >>> we have lots of news, aside from the convention. storms are brewing in the atlantic and in the gulf, including that strengthening hurricane leslie. sam has been tracking all of this. and he'll check in in a minute. >>> and also, the drew peterson trial, found guilty of first-degree murder. her family saying it was the justice they never thought they would get. >>> a fourth grader about to catch a baseball. you've seen it before when the player goes to toss it in the crowd and some big oaf gets in the way. >> oh. >> and ruins that girl's day. that pouty face. we're going to turn that frown upside down. >> and he even goes like this. >> and looks her in the face. sorry. >> you know, we do have a lot of news to get to. >>> let's get, now, to the race for the white house. president obama accepted his party's nomination at the democratic national convention. presented america with a choice going forward. it's "your voice, your vote." abc's jake tapper i

we're happy to see elizabeth vargas. to see this dress now. talk about anticipation. we're so excited to have luke bryan back with us. he stopped by to announce the cma awards because lady antebellum was stuck in a storm. i like that line, you're so damn hot. >> oh, well. >> singing that to you in the trench coat. >> the reason i was jumping, josh, is there's a slope to the platform here. and i never like to be that short when i'm standing next to you. >>> also ahead, did you know that colonel sanders, harlan sanders, had more recipes than just kfc chicken. i knew the drill. >> you actually knew the colonel sanders. >> my grandfather was a friend of the colonel. >> no joke? >> it's true. i did. it was when i was -- yeah. >> and you watched babe ruth play. >> and then dinosaurs roamed the planet. >> those pesky t-rexes. >>> also, in a few short hours from now, it's time for "good afternoon america." and we're happy to have susie essman from "curb your enthusiasm." going toe-to-toe with d.l. hughley. and the long island me

elizabeth vargas here. a whole lot happening this morning.hat turmoil continuing in the middle east. we have pictures from cairo and beirut. angry protesters gathering in egypt's tahrir square right now, as the pope touches down with a message of peace for the region. he is in lebanon today. >> there are so many people, george, clam mooring for the br new iphone that was just revealed in the last few days. look at this video of an apple store in california. bandits making off with everything they can get their hands on. wait until you see what happens next. >> the whole making off with. >> they got a little fuzzy on that. >>> on a brighter note. >> yes? >> what a morning here at "good morning america." they are one of the hottest groups out there. we're thrilled to have green day with us. and so are these folks, who have been camped out all night long, waiting. and they will be performing later in the show. >> green day, green top. >> well, you know. >> i love what you did. >> thank you. >>> let's turn back to the news that george was talking

we're delighted to have elizabeth vargas. >> thank you, it's delightful to be here.t, starting our countdown to "gma's" party to the emmys, lara is hunting for the perfect -- i was told by sam i don't call it a dress, i call it a gown. that's where you as audience members come in. we're going to have the final three choices. you get to vote on which dress she wears on the red carpet. >> do you have a favorite? >> i don't. >> you're kidding me. >> well, joe zee from "el le" magazine, he brought over literally seven dresses of racks. we leave it to you, our "gma" viewers to help us out. we thought it would be a fun way to get everyone involved with the emmys. everybody likes to know what you're wearing. listen. we're not leaving josh out, everybody. we're also going to choose something that he might wear at the emmys. it's very small. let's try to guess what that might be. >> what could be in that box? >> oh -- >> did you just see it? >> i did. >> we're going to -- >> whatever is in that box is all you're allowed to wear on the red carpet. >> thank you. >>> also, ahead

and elizabeth vargas is here as well. >> wait -- me or lara? >> okay. >> we also have some things to get through over the weekend. ov overseas, one of the bases where prince harry was stationed over the weekend. is his safety in danger? that's a question we ask? >> lots of other royal stuff. >>> also, the latest on the campaign trail. signs that mitt romney is feeling the heat right now. new details emerging about what really happened with his big speech at the convention. turns up there were not one, not two, but three versions of the speech before they decided what to say. >>> also, pandemonium, ding, ding, ding -- a big morning at the national zoo. giving birth to a cub overnight. there's a happy little baby panda with mom in there. we're going to talk to the zoo live. >>> all right. we'll get right now to new details meanwhile on an alleged plot of homegrown terror. a teen accused of trying to detonate a car bomb outside a chicago bar this weekend. this morning, the bar owner is speaking now. alex perez outside. >> reporter: good morning, j

glad to have elizabeth vargas and amy robach here with us. a lot to get to this morning. let me show you pictures from paris. it looks calm right now. but riot police are gathering right now, as france announces it will close its embassies and schools in almost 20 countries. there are big fears of a hostile reaction to a magazine there, that is publishing new cartoons mocking the prophet muhammad. >> after all the violence in the middle east, there's concern about those upcoming cartoons. >>> a major alert about arsenic in your rice. one bowl a day could increase arsenic levels. we'll get into the brand new reports out this morning. what it might mean. so many meals have that as a staple. >> they sure do. >>> i'm getting killed in my ear, guys. what's going on up there in the control room? >> hello? hello, george? can you hear me? big bird, george cannot hear me. >> gosh. i guess we'll have to just wing it. >> cookie monster, ben sherwood's on line one. >> oh, boy. oh, boy, oh, boy! >> uh-oh, they better figure out a way to take that call. that would be our boss, guys. pi

that concerns elizabeth vargas who has two children attending the school. she said that - they should have a system where it would call the firefighters so they could save everything because it would be sad if it happened again >> reporter: a spokeswoman said they are looking in to installing a third party monday tomorrowing system because they don't want this to happen again. reporting live from menlo park. >> we have an update on some developing news in san jose where the bomb squad has been called out to investigate a suspicious suitcase. it was found near snell avenue and capitol expressway. just in the last ten san jose police said that x reys of the suitcase came back negative and they are about to open that suitcase. they expect the situation to be over soon and people who live in the area have been asked to stay put while police investigate . we will get more information and let you know. > brother of the new yahooceo was sentenced today. mason myers was accused of beating his former girlfriend in his apartment last year. the former girlfriend said

>> thanks, elizabeth. >> another elizabeth vargas question. >> another question. >> i cannot answer. elizabeth. >> big fish. >> thank you, george. >>> let's get some "pop news" and lara. >> i would love to. i want to say before we start, elizabeth, this is a follow-up-free zone. so, we begin -- >> okay. okay. >> we begin with -- i want to talk about lindsay lohan. i know she was on the show earlier. but here's some good news. lindsay, playing, perhaps, the only actress that she could rival in the headline department. here's is first clip of lindsay lohan playing the great elizabeth taylor. this came out overnight. it's for lifetime's tv movie "liz and dick." we have seen stills. this is the first glimpse of the trailer that shows lohan as elizabeth in a variety of different scenarios. dripping with diamonds. kissing in a pool. throwing bottles. drinking champagne. and you'll see more when "liz and dick" airs on lifetime in november. >>> also in "pop news," cindy crawford, one of the most gorgeous women walking the planet. i know i won't get follow-ups on this. the 46-year-old supermod

that concerns elizabeth vargas who has two children attending beach wood. she told us in spanish. >> they should have a system where it would contact firefighters so they can save everything because it would be so sad if it happened again. >> reporter: a school spokeswoman told us they are looking into installing a third party monitoring system because they don't want this to happen again. reporting from menlo park, janine de la vega, ktvu news. >>> contra costa county health officials today confirmed a second human case of west nile virus. health officials say this latest case involves an east county woman who came down with a mild case of the disease. she's now recovering. 39 people in contra costa county have been diagnosed with west nile virus since 2005 and two of them have died. vector control workers in the south bay are set to fog an area in san jose tomorrow night to combat the mosquitoes that carry west nile virus. the area is roughly bordered by blossom hill ride and curry drive. the fogging comes after mosquitoes carrying the virus were confirme

that concerns elizabeth vargas who has two children attending beach wood. she told us in spanish. >> they should have a system where it would contact firefighters so they can save everything because it would be so sad if it happened again. >> reporter: a school spokeswoman told us they are looking into installing a third party monitoring system because they don't want this to happen again. reporting from menlo park, janine de la vega, ktvu news. >>> contra costa county health officials today confirmed a second human case of west nile virus. health officials say this latest case involves an east county woman who came down with a mild case of the disease. she's now recovering. 39 people in contra costa county have been diagnosed with west nile virus since 2005 and two of them have died. vector control workers in the south bay are set to fog an area in san jose tomorrow night to combat the mosquitoes that carry west nile virus. the area is roughly bordered by blossom hill ride and curry drive. the fogging comes after mosquitoes carrying the virus were confirme