ginger, are you ready?aty perry and john mayer, one of hollywood's hottest couples has apparently cooled off. >> really? >> yes. >> john? >> yes. >> so out of character. >> much more on this heartbreak for the two of them coming up. >> wow. >> life is tough. >> what did you say? >> at least their single. >> there we go. always looking for opportunities. thank you, ginger. >>> first, we're going to start this half hour with a mystery involving that 15-year-old teenager, a cheerleader, named gabrielle swainson. she vanished from her home in south carolina with no trace. her family insist she's not a runaway. now, the fbi's on the case. abc's john schriffen is here with the story. john, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan, good morning. the family of the missing girl has hired a private investigator to piece together the last moments gabrielle was seen alive. her mother and authorities running out of options. now, also turning to the public for help. this morning, police are baffled. how did 15-year-old gabr

great colleague, ginger zee. >> i love it, ginger. okay, thanks. >>> we're into the high holy wedding season. this morning, we got a megawedding blowout to show you. five brothers and sisters tying the knot to different people, but together in a multiring, five in one ceremony with a reception to end all receptions. talk about big wedding. not one. not two. but five siblings from one arizona family said their i dos yesterday in a megawedding to end all weddings. >> everything has been perfect. >> it's all good. it's all happy. >> all five got engaged within months of one another. sydney to doug. walker to julian. emily to william. bradford to megan and brooke to todd. one came up to the biggest proposal yet. a quinn up thele wedding. >> we all wanted to be together. >> with some convincing all five couples bought in. after many planning sessions and preparations. >> every man for himself. >> the megawedding day arrived. their joint reception was proceeded by five individual ceremonies. one right after another. little sister andi a bri

good morning, ginger. >> good morning, everyone. the most important thing is that you knowing there are hurricane warnings out. it stretches just south of ft. myers. that includes naples. big cities included in the hurricane warning. hurricane watch in effect, that includes miami. tropical storm warning in orange. all the way up to west palm beach. tropical storm watches. this is going to be a very busy weekend. tomorrow, the bulk of it, into early monday morning for south florida. here's what i want to show you next, that path. and explain it a little more. tomorrow morning, 65-mile-per-hour winds, it slips into the open waters and becomes a hurricane. then, key west monday morning. and slides up the southwest side of florida. by the time we reach tuesday, 2:00 a.m., it's 90-mile-per-hour winds, a category 1 hurricane. and this is where we get concerned. when it has the open gulf, where all the hot water is. up earp 80s. that's what it feeds on. it will be going into places like pensacola, maybe mobile. we'll be watching it, of cou

it is beautiful here, ginger.ss the nation. we start in yorba linda, california. and, campbell, where are you from? >> maine. >> what's your name and where are you from? >> leann. >> from? >> from burlington in wisconsin. >> so cute. let's show you a little bit of your weather. you need to start off with c >> 66 degrees and the upper 80's afternoon with winds out of the northwest august 10 miles per hour. >> all right. i'm not on someone's shoulders, just in case anyone was wondering. that's all from here. let's head back down. amy? >> all right, ginger. >>> we're counting down to our huge party in the park tomorrow. we have a bonus for all of you neon trees superfans. take the most popular song, and combine it with tap tap revenge tour and you have a hit. "gma's" becky worley has more. >> reporter: tap tap revenge is one of the most popular games ever. 80 billion downloads. 3 billion songs played. it's the songs that keep the game fresh. and you tap to keep time with the music. it's strangely satisfying and gives

ginger zee, in for sam who is away. there is going to a pop quiz at the end of the show. >>> we have a lot to get though as well. new details on the shooting in the lobby of a powerful conservative group in washington, d.c. the suspected gunman allegedly carrying items from chick-fil-a. was the shooting fueled by the escalating chick-fil-a controversy? we have answers this morning. >>> also ahead, the latest on the nationwide outbreak of the west nile virus. it's been detected in almost every state now. our dr. richard besser is here to tell us what the signs you should look for. >>> and america's newest multimillionaire, somewhere in michigan this morning. with those winning numbers. 6, 27, 46, 51, 56, and powerball 21. i was so close. i wasn't at all, actually. why has there been so many big jackpots lately? we'll explain all that ahead. >> looking forward to it, with a dab of melancholy. thank you. >>> we're going to begin with that breaking news, the bomb threat on a plane flying from new york to moscow. 253 passeng

our ginger zee witnessing it first hand. >>> and showing their mettle. the american athletes front and center. tonight, the hit song emerging from the games, as we celebrate the other heroes, the ones that cheered on our athletes back when they looked like this. our "persons of the week." >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us tonight. we do begin this friday with that headline from the heartland. the government tonight saying that this historic drought is now taking a bigger toll on american farms than we first thought. and that every american family could seen end up paying the price at the grocery store. how bad is it? this is a farm in nebraska, late last summer, the stalks a healthy green and reaching about eight feet high. this evening, this is how a corn field in that same town looks today. everything burned from the sun and withered. so, tonight here, we're going to go back out on the farm to hear the faces of this drought. abc's meteorologist ginger zee leading us off. >> reporter: a staggering one-sixth of the u.s. corn crop has b

ginger geeks autoabout the weather., trains. >> i have been waiting for this moment for months and it's finally here. oh, my gosh! whoa! listen to that horn. oh, my gosh. he's beautiful. >> so, this is a -- >> beautiful. >> this is a whole sub culture of people in american who foam at the mouth when they see rare trains. this guy from upstate new york is a self-described frommer. we can make fun of him and we kind of are, but it's nice get that excited about something. >> you learn so many things on this show, every week. >> bianna. >> you know we have all pets, sometimes owners say they have humanlike qualities. well, here's a dog, who its owner think it can speak. it sounds like it can. i love you. incredible. >> say it again. >> i love you. >> wow. >> i heard i love you there. >> you know what i heard it, too. >> i did. i'm waiting for my baby jake to say that. one more time. >> i love you. >> it reminds me a joke of a guy and dog walking into a bar -- i'll tell you about it later. >> if there's a story, video or pic

we'll start with ginger zee. but, first, though, let's go to matt gutman in key west where they're already feeling it. matt, good morning to you. >> dan, we're just starting to enter isaac's winds. 200 miles east of here. governor of florida declaring that state of emergency. the airports, the seaports, all seaports, all of the of the public places have been closed. buying up flashlights, batteries and waters. now, the major concern here in the keys, by officials, that the thousands of visitors still stuck here who are going to try to experience the storm, those winds will be strong enough to knock you over. flooding, a major problem, this water, couple of hours, was a foot lower, a regular high tide with an extra 4 feet it could get bad. hundreds of residents parking their cars on overseas bridges. in hopes that their cars won't float away. >> all right, matt, thank you. >>> and let's get straight out to ginger zee who's on captiva island, as the storm heads north. >> this storm has strengthen overnight. i want

it knows no wonders. >>> ginger zee, in for sam champion. where are you, ginger? see their faces? they're telling me, can you get neon trees to sign this? they are so excited. as we all are. we're not as excited about the severe weather we have today. i have to get into the forecast today. let's do that. begins with a look at some of the nation that will be included in the damaging wind and hail swath. parts of west virginia, virginia, all the way into the southeast. to birmingham, alabama, on alert. atlanta, as well. also, drier and cooler. look at the pleasant conditions in the northeast. who is sticking around for the weekend? 70s here. that's the big picture. >> we're getting so close. neon trees coming up. for now, back over to lara. >> thanks, ginger. >>> here's a look at what else we have coming up on our "gma morning menu." all of these people lost at least 100 pounds each on their own. how did they do it? we'll tell you that and tell you how you can do it, as well. >>> and if you think super bowl and "dancing with the stars" champion donald is screaming f

we'll start with ginger zee. but, first, though, let's go to matt gutman in key west where they're already feeling it. matt, good morning to you. >> dan, we're just starting to enter isaac's wind field 200 miles east of here. bullying its way this way. governor of florida declaring that state of emergency. overnight breakneck preparations, airports, seaports, all of the public spaces have been closed. out in stores, we saw lots of people, long lines, lining up to buy flashlights, batteries and water. a lot of stores already sold out. now, the major concern here in the keys, by officials, that the thousands of visitors still stuck here who are going to try to experience the storm. the national hurricane center says those winds bill we strong enough to knock you over. flooding, a major problem, this water, couple of hours, was a foot lower. this place floods during a regular high tide. with an extra four feet it could get bad. hundreds of residents parking their cars on overseas bridges in hopes that their cars won

you can breathe. >> thank you, ginger.ou don't have to cover anymore heat stories. >>> coming up, kenny the clown. how did he end up with an ipad belonging to steve jobs? >>> and michael phelps holds an olympic record 22 medals. a leaked photo is now putting that record in jeopardy. d photo is now putting that record in jeopardy. have gum disease, e age oe and that tartar buildup can be a contributing factor? now there's a solution. doggie dentures. [ ting! ] [ dog ] you're kidding, right? just get me dentastix. the treat with the unique "x" shape that's clinically proven to reduce up to 80% of tartar buildup. and introducing new dentastix fresh, with added ingredients to fight dog breath, too. from pedigree. to fight dog breath, too. abracadabra. ♪ hershey's milk chocolate with almonds in pieces. your favorites, in pieces. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-d

and back to ginger. hey, ginger. >> minneapolis, will likely break a record today, if they hit 80, which they should. it would be the 40th day in a row, the first time they have ever done that. it's been a very warm summer. and it's also been a stormy one. look at the video from yesterday in minneapolis. you have trees down. 55-mile-per-hour wind at the airport. torrential rains and all that lightning. that type of action and energy now slides to the southeast. and places like chicago today, st. louis, indianapolis, detroit and kansas city, green bay included, all need to be on high alert. we're talking about dangerous and damaging winds with large hail possible, too. let's then move to the active tropics because we have tropical storm ernesto, which should become a tropical storm by the weekend. and across the yucatan. we'll be watching. some of the computer models take it into the gulf and eventually into texas. all eyes on that. also, a new tropical storm just developed. florence is right out there. w

and abc's ginger zee starts us off in new orleans. good morning, ginger. >>> amy, good morning.ust starting to see sunshine in new orleans. they'll be drying out. i want to first talk about what's happening with isaac, now a post tropical depression seeing it on radar and satellite moving into missouri bringing with it much-needed rain to drought-stricken areas. that is the good news. other than that, though, it's going to have a tornado threat with it. isaac leaving its mark across the nation. scenes from above for the first time. scenes of utter devastation. where there was once dry land, now only gulf and no coast. hundreds of miles of coastline are under water this morning soaked by more than a foot of additional rain thursday as isaac continued to pound this area for a third day. >> it's depressing. it's confusing. >> reporter: overrunning roads and causing trees and power lines to fall. >> there goes. >> reporter: many neighborhoods shocked by the devastation. >> we've never flooded this bad. >> reporter: those who weren't rescued by police, the national guard forced to im

and back to ginger. hey, ginger. >> minneapolis, will likely break a record today, if they hit 80, which they should. it would be the 40th day in a row they hit 80 or above. that hasn't happened ever. minneapolis is where we begin, too, because we had severe storms yesterday. let's look at what happens when you put a 55-mile-per-hour wind against some of the trees in minneapolis. the city seeing lightning, thunder. that action, all of that energy, now dying to the southeast. and places like chicago, today, st. louis, indianapolis, detroit, and kansas city, green bay included, all need to be on high alert. we're talking about dangerous and damaging winds with large hail possible, too. let's get to the active tropics. we have tropical storm ernesto, which should be a hurricane by the weekend. and across the yucatan. some of the models take it into the gulf and eventually close to texas. again, all eyes on that. also, a new tropical storm just developed. florence is way out there. we'll be watching that, to

in for him, ginger zee in new orleans. good morning again, ginger. >> good morning, josh.veryone. we're beginning with a little break in the cloud cover here. it's very humid still in new orleans. you can feel the last part of isaac tracking north. and now, that is going to help out the drought. look at that drought monitor. northern arkansas through southeast missouri, that's really the spot it's going to help the most. southern illinois, into parts of tennessee and in kentucky. look at that rainfall. eight inches will make a dent in about half the drought in the worst-hit areas. i want to leave you with the forecast for across th >> leesburg, 64. college park. 94.ur way to l sunshine today. 14 two showers >> the gulf coast is going to dry out a bit. and that's going to help us out here, as well, as people are still getting out of this flood zone. josh? >> ginger, thanks. >>> coming up here, where has prince harry been hiding since his scandal broke? we'll tell you. go nowhere. at usaa, we believe honor is not exclusive to the military, and commitment is not limited to on

ginger with us now on the desk and any relief coming this weekend? >> reporter: you know, david, i've got a picture that we really haven't seen in quite some time. and it looks like this. the next two weeks, the climate prediction center puts this above average rainfall possible for areas that really need it. in the heartland, all the way through indiana, illinois and into the southeast in georgia. where we have some really big drought issues. >> so, we can hope tonight. the other major weather headline, the tropics churning. >> reporter: correct. and they've really heated up. we're right about at the peak of the season and, boy, it's responding. ernesto still dropping quite a bit of rain, over a foot already. tropical depression number seven, we're watching, it looks like it's going to peter out. and 30% chance off africa, that one will take its track. we'll be watching all of these. and again, this is when we really start to get into the peak of the season, when we really have to watch. and we will. >> all right, ginger zee, you'll have the latest

time for ginger zee. >> we begin our saturday.t rain as you're getting going in boston. south of the city, severe weather overnight. heavy rain if dallas, as well. the two cities, connected this morning, by a front. that's the picture from dallas as the sun was coming up. you had heavy rains. we'll have more as you go into the weekend. let me show you how much to expect. the boston area, just a little bit more. that half-inch rain. look at areas that need i had. oklahoma city and westward. that is where you'll have the most. some spots that need rain will get wit the connected front across much of the nation. behind that front, the cool air. a blast. boston, 77 today, 79 on monday. philadelphia, 80s and comfortable. slightly below average. i'll leave you with a look across the nation. >> this weather report has been brought to you by pedigree. dan and bianna? >> excited about the cooldown. really excited. >> it felt good this morning. >> it does. you can breathe. >> and it means you don't have to cover anymore heat stories. >>> co

for "nightline," i'm ginger zee in new orleans. >> our thanks to ginger zee. >>> well, up next, the storm also soaked the first day of the rbs republican national convention, where the biggest names of the gop came together to reunite under the tent. but are they really united? we're there next. [ female announcer ] they can be enlightening. hey, bro. or engaging. conversations help us learn and grow. at wells fargo, we believe you can never underestimate the power of a conversation. it's this exchange of ideas that helps you move ahead with confidence. so when the conversation turns to your financial goals... turn to us. if you need anything else, let me know. wells fargo. together we'll go far. the blissful pause just before that rich sweetness touches your lips. the delightful discovery, the mid-sweetening realization that you have the house all to yourself. well, almost. the sweet reward, making a delicious choice that's also a smart choice. splenda no-calorie sweetener. with the original sugar-like taste you love and trust. splenda makes the moment yours. nothing complicated about a

ginger zee has been out storm chasing. >> oh my god! that is huge!rter: we're chasing one of nature's most destructive and unpredictable forces. >> oh, look at that. that was beautiful. >> reporter: tim samaras is a seasoned storm chaser and no stranger to wild weather. >> most of the core i believe is right here. >> reporter: but today he's focused on another nearly impossible mission. he's attempting to document the birth of a lightning strike. tim wants a glimpse behind that blazing flash. he believes this moment holds the clues that will help us better understand the mystery of this lethal phenomenon. armed with an ultra high-speed camera. >> here's the shot we just got. >> reporter: cool. oh, my gosh. he will try to capture this elusive moment as it's never been seen before. >> then the return strobe. >> reporter: oh, my gosh. this is it? >> that's it. >> reporter: each lightning bolt is five times hotter than the sun and lightning kills an average of 54 people a year in the u.s. alone. and even though every thunderstorm is pregnant with that br

ron and ginger. >> come on in. >> yeah!this is what happens when we forget when we're moving from one part of the set to another. welcome, guys. >> pretty far. >>> speaking of action, can we just play margaret jackson again, the grandmother from texas. take a listen. >> when i got right here, i got him in the neck. he ran and he jumped that fence. but i got him in the neck. >> action jackson! >> ron, your take? >> she said that he won't be back and he'll tell all of his bad-guy friends to not go anywhere near that "dangerous old lady." pretty brave, actually. >> extremely. >> i'm telling you the houston police department would be smart to recruit her, scare away all of the thugs. ♪ oh, i believe there are angels among us... ♪ real. >> where's that line? >>> but first, to those terrifying hours caught on tape. imagine being trapped on a mountain with a broken ankle at night in excruciating pain. what happened to one colorado student who shot a video of her entire ordeal. abc's clayton sandell has her story. >> this is kind o

. >>> time to check the weather and ginger zee. good morning, ginger. >> what was that? >> you lost me there. >> good morning. >> good morning. good morning, everyone. i want to start you with the stormy friday we had. 121 severe record reports from yesterday. one came from long island. then, you have the video from all over new england. boston, 1.17 inches. a lot of spots up to three inches. more storms and rain on the way today. as i put this into motion. there's a big upper-level low and a surface low that is pumping moisture back in coastally here. back into michigan, they had flooding. and my mom can stop calling and saying, my plants are so thirsty. that's right, mom. we're going to have to find something else to talk about. southwest, really heating up. the heat warnings through the weekend in phoenix. i'll leave you with a look at the midwes >> it has been very stormy there in the great lakes. and one of the lakes, lake michigan, a little unsafe today. i want to mention a beautiful shot. but rip current warnings stretch from chicago, up to the northern part of th

ginger? >> reporter: diane, i am standing on what was highway 90, the storm surge has been pushing up and over, flooding this highway. the median is right in front of me, but there's no chance of seeing it. and this needle-like rain and pounding winds have been with us all day. also inland, major flooding going on -- hundreds of roads are closed just in the state of mississippi. people under water, their homes, some schools reporting flooding. and finally as if that wasn't enough, a third threat. we've had tornado warnings, a swarm of them around us all day. diane? >> all right, ginger, thanks to you. and ginger, you should know, and bill and sam and the full abc news team will be out in the storm throughout the night. you can follow along with their updates, they will be frequent, on our website, abcnews.com. >>> but here in tampa, it is day two of the republican national convention. 69 days now until your voice, your vote. and tonight, the pressure is on. vice presidential nominee, paul rya

she hadn't heard from alisa since. >> i actually called ginger and said, ginger, i don't know about youlisa's gone. >> reporter: then psecutor thas testa had handled a number of missin g pring person cases. >> he was an attorney with a case load who just disappeared. this isn't someone who say homeless person who took a greyhound to nevada. >> testa began by taking a good hard look at alisa. >> she was a person out of a '40s film noir movie. she was ace stunner and had control over men that amazed me. she was able to say "jump" and the men would say, how high?" >> it seemed true for larry, so said his friend fred atchison. >> she was keeping him away from his family and former friends. >> reporter: did that include the relationship he had with you? >> no question about it. >> reporter: you found yourself shut out? >> yeah. >> reporter: so did larry's daughter. >> alisa completely cut me out of the picture. and i was devastated. >> reporter: but why? what did she have to hide? >> he called me up once on the phone and said, fred, i don't know who she is. i thought, he meant, well, we don'

let's go over to ginger zee. she is east of us in gulfport, mississippi sometimes, a forgotten spot, as we talk about, post-katrina world. ginger, how are we holding up tonight? >> well, tonight, we're right along highway 90. one of the only stretches still dry. this thoroughfare now shut down from bay st. louis bridge to biloxi bay bridge. so a long stretch all because of flooding that's been one of the big issues here in gulfport. now wind gusts not as much. we took a drive. it's not pretty. it's not something you want to drive through. there's a mandatory curfew in effect here, especially at the beaches. it's completely ghosttowns. i want to talk wind speed. we haven't seen many more gusts of 40-plus. really, the place that has it is just in plaquemines parish. you've been mentioning that. 80-mile-an-hour gusts there. and there's a reason for it. the plaquemines parish president actually had parts of his roof taken off and that is because, as that eye wall crossed over plaquemines parish it carries 80-mile-an-

good morning, ginger. >> good morning, george. look at this photo. i'm going to take you right inside the fire. this is what it looks like at ground level. a highway just north of san francisco shut down by the eerie, billowing smoke. this scene repeated in at least ten states. 60 different places. lightning, heat, drought, the perfect recipe for a fiery disaster. raging blaze. more than 60 uncontained fires are taking over parts of the west. oregon, nevada, utah on fire. more than 40 homes were destroyed in washington state, east of seattle. a 20-year-old firefighter was killed as she battled a fire in idaho. north of san francisco, one of the largest fires. the fire now covers over 6,000 acres. 500 homes were evacuated. tankers and helicopters are rushing in to help. at joshua tree, highways and trails shut down. 300 acres have burned. here's part of the problem. temperatures have soared to record highs. up to 117 degrees in california. and it's been very dry. thunderstorms are producing what's called dry lightning, sparking the fires. this califor

ginger zee is in for sam champion. ginger? >> good morning, everybody. going to start with the cold front i was telling you about, creating strong storms in parts of minnesota today. it will drop some much cooler weather. minneapolis has not been below 70 since june 12th. and tomorrow, 69 the high. 84 for denver. they've been warm the last couple of days. chicago will be 72 friday. kansas city, 75, as they kick off the weekend. cooler weather comes along with much-needed rain. along that cold front in the drought-ridden mississippi river, from chicago to st. louis. indianapolis will have that big drought area happening in southern illinois and indiana. >> this weather report, brought to you by progressive. back to josh, amy and george. >> all right, ginger. thanks so much. >>> and coming up, this model launched a $23 million lawsuit, going after volvo first and even her models agency. why she's accusing them of misusing her photo. rogressive, but don't just listen to me. listen to these happy progressive customers. i plugged in snapshot, and 30 days late

>> all right, ginger, thanks to you. and ginger, you should know, and bill and sam and the full abc news team will be out in the storm throughout the night. you can follow along with their updates, they will be frequent, on our website, abcnews.com. >>> but here in tampa, it is day two of the republican national convention. 69 days now until your voice, your vote. and tonight, the pressure is on. vice presidential nominee, paul ryan. last night, 20 million people watched ann romney and new jersey governor chris christie deliver a one-two punch. abc's david muir tells us about the day after those speeches. david? >> reporter: diane, good evening from the convention floor. right there in the shadow of your broadcast booth. as you mentioned, millions watching ann romney last night. the view down here from the floor, you can see, this was the podium she came out to. today, we're learning more about governor romney, her husband, backstage during that speech, what he was saying, what he was thinking. and the reviews coming in.

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