to investigate, here's abc's john berman.ve surround sound, we're sorry. ♪ i didn't really mean to hurt you ♪ >> reporter: for rey, a contestant on "karaoke battle usa" karaoke is about performing. >> i think my mom bought mi a karaoke machine because she knew i loved entertaining. not just singing but really bringing it to that next level and connecting with the audience. >> reporter: for samantha at the karaoke cave in new york, it's about freedom. >> i really like singing in my shower but if i do it in public, it gives me more confidence. >> ♪ in you want a partner >> reporter: for izzy, it's fun. >> it allows me just to enjoy being silly. ♪ sweet dreams >> reporter: performance, fun, freedom, karaoke is about all these things, butut most of all karaoke is about me. ♪ at the copa copacabana ♪ >> reporter: yes that is me. i don't mean karaoke is about just me, me, but for many of us, it's my voice, my show, my moment. ♪ at the copa >> i really liked the fact that really anybody off the street could walk into this place and

tonight, the world's foremost futurist tells abc news john berman what he thinks is going to happen nextoxes and letters and documents might look like a matter of bookkeeping. >> this is actually my father and my mother on their wedding day. >> reporter: but it's about more than bookkeeping. it's about resurrection. inventor ray kurtzwell is making arrangements to talk to his father, who's been dead for more than 40 years. >> i'll be able to talk to this recreation and ultimately it will be so realistic that it will be like talking to my father. >> reporter: his plan is to take this room full of information about his father, an orchestra conductor, and put it into a computer. one day, he hopes to be able to create an avatar, a virtual computer replica of his father, who knows everything his father did and thinks like his father did. >> you can certainly argue philosophically that's not your father, but i could actually make a strong case it would be more like my father than my father would be had he lived. >> reporter: while he might not be talking to a computerized recreation of his fat

john berman, abc news, new york. >> a lot of pressure on the president.acation to martha's vineyard during all the fiscal crisis. even democrats, we want a big, bold plan, we want something very specific, he's getting pressure from both parties. a lot of weight on him for that. >> the unemployment rate is going to be a big rallying cry for republicans in the upcoming election, so definitely the president is going to want to work on this one. >> the race is all about the economy. >> absolutely. >>> in other news now, dozens of homes are going up in flames in texas and oklahoma as fires rip through communities parched by the historic drought. a wind-swept wildfire that scorched 7,500 acres in north texas has destroyed at least 25 homes and nearly 200 others are still in danger.r. it's the same lakeside neighborhood where 160 homes burned to the ground in april. >>> a fast-moving wildre is also forcing evacuations in a wooded section of oklahoma city. several hundred people had to leave, about a dozen houses were destroyed, and 7,000 homes and businesses hav

. >> and we find john berman out in montauk for us. john? >> reporter: good morning. it doesn't seem like a downgrade here. the seas that have been pounding the surf here. they have been coming up right next to me in a river up to the stairs here. we are at about high tide right now. hopefully this is the worst of it. if it gets worst than this, there could be reab problems. a storm surge could cause difficulties. the wind really blowing me around where i'm standing right now. if you look down the beach right there, there is a beach house. a sea hut right there. that yesterday was completely dry. i don't know if you can see it now, but the water has been going up way behind it and puddling. shows you how much further the sea is raging. we lost power here before dawn. 85,000 plus here lost power on long island. 2,000 people out in these parts, before the storm hit, to get the power back up. it will be some time before it's over. we are on the dirty side as they say. it mean ace will have of the wind and pounding pounding surf. i can't tell you how awe inspiring. it's l

abc's john berman starts us off with specifics on the president's plan and the questions it will answer. >> reporter: it is a painful reality for nearly 14 million americans looking for a job. >> i need a job. i came here looking for a job. i came here figuring i'd get a break. >> reporter: and political reality for one man, trying to keep his. >> our economy has to grow faster. we have to create more jobs. and we have to do it faster. >> reporter: abc news has learned the president's plan will focus on three areas. first, tax relief. including tax credits for companies that hire new workers. >> get someone in the door, gives them an opportunity to learn the skills necessary to compete for the job. and also lowers the cost of hiring for the company. >> reporter: second, infrastructure investment. funding for building projects like transportation, schools and clean energy. and third, targeted assistance for the long-term unemployed. more than 6 million americans out of work for six months or longer. the white house points to ideas like georgia works. >> it's a win-win scenario. i decided

john berman, abc news, new york. >>> that is all for us tonight. thanks for watching.ore on "nightline" later. i'll see you tomorrow on "gma." of course we always have all the latest on abcnews.com. for diane sawyer and all of us at abc news, have a good >>> san francisco mayor breaks his first campaign promise. a change of heart making him the top target in the fall campaign. >> and also, tragic new violence on the streets of oakland. the accidental murder of a 3-year-old boy. >> and bay area researchers bring home exotic samples from the lush coral reefs of the philippines. it's only on 7. >> that is the sound of your 401(k) taking a big hit. and good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> president obama today tried to dismiss the down grade of the credit rating but wall street was in no mood to listen and the biggest drop two and a half years. down

here's abc's john berman. >> reporter: travelers sat stranded.ways sat empty. 13,000 flights canceled by the giant storm that was irene. but there was one flight that did go through. of the nonstop international variety. call it air chincapin. a chincapin is the name of a whimbrel. a whimbrel is a kind of bird. a very brave bird that flew through a hurricane. he was wearing a transmitter backpack so scientists could track him on his annual migration. he left canada over a week ago. by wednesday, researchers watched with horror as he headed straight into irene, then a category 3 storm with 110-mile-per-hour winds. and he disappeared. >> we were all walking around on pins and needles hoping the bird made it through. >> reporter: then friday, they got a signal from chincapin, alive and well in the bahamas. nice, right? how exactly did chincapin make it through? maybe guts and gut. >> the whimbrel is able to survive the hurricane because of the tremendous fat stores they're able to put on and therefore they're able to expend the amount of energy it t

john berman, abc news, new york. >> or is it 20 she hangs? oh, well. watching tonight. we're always on at abcnews.com. don't forget "nightline" later and we'll see you back here tomorrow night. good night. >>> a new outcry over freedoms at bart. we're live as a band of computer hackers tries to disrupt the evening commute. >> and even players shake hands at the end, you guys. we just need to be peace oofl a father's plea after a violent weekend at candle stick park. the secret to stadium crowd control. >> it's deception on a large scale. >> it looked like a safe bet. tonight abc 7 news i team on what may be the biggest securities fraud in state history. >> there are five minutes to disperse. >> a major show of force tonight at civic center bart station in downtown san francisco. demonstrators are given an ultimatum. they try to interrupt the ride home for thousands. good evening, i'm cheryl jennings. >> and i'm dan ashley. they're at it again. protesters intent on making a point by disrupting the evening commute. sky 7 is live over some of the demonstr

john berman explains. >> reporter: it was in "look who's talking."y mikey made a culinary proclamation. >> you're the one who's been kicking me. >> you're the one that ate all that spicy food. >> reporter: what mikey might t not have known was if mom was eating spicy food while pregnant, he'll probably like spicy food when born. a study finds what pregnant mom eats, chances arbaby ultimately likes. the womb is filled with the flavors of what mom is eating. the results? you can see them later. this young fellow's momoate green beans when she was pregnant. when he tried them for the first time, his face says, huh, not bad. tastes vaguely familiar. you want to give me another bite? oh, well, okay. compare that with this dude. whose mother did not eat green beans when pregnant. in his face? ugh, what's that? another? no, no, no, no, no! oh, come on! or this young man whose mother also did not eat green beans. we'll let him speak for himself. researchers say this helps explain why kids from different countries with more adventurous menus enjoy more divers

john berman, abc news, new york. >> nice, he just had to get down to brazil.il's nice, i see why he'd want to go there. >> i'd fly to brazil if i could too. >> let's go, man. thththththththththththththththth >>> this morning on "world news now," raging rivers. the unforgettable scenes from vermont, so hard-hit by the leftovers of hurricane irene. >> the epic downpours, the historic floods, the property and lives literally swept away by this disaster. it is tuesday, august 30th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, i'm tanya rivero. >> i'm rob nelson. today, president obama is sending a top-level team to tour damaged areas. in new jersey, the rivers are still rising in some areas of that state. while damage heads now into the billions of dollars. many travelers are still heading nowhere here in the northeast because traiain and airline schedules are still not back to normal. >> slow commute for lots of folks still. >>> also ahead, outrage in southern california where a father is accused of throwing his 7-year-old son off a boat. find out

we have john berman out there. thankfully he come up a bit. he started on what was the beach. but it's no longer there. >> it should hit land in long island the next couple of hour, already hit land in new jersey about 5:30. here's what we know about the effects of hurricane irene. power has been knocked out to more than 3 million homes and businesses on the east coast. at least nine deaths being blamed on the storm, including three people killed the falling trees. as we said, the center of the storm is over new jersey, headee for new york city and it will hit land again in long island. >> we have the entire abc news team out covering the storm zone and let's begin now with sam champion who is in lower manhattan. and you have the latest tract right now, sam? >> i definitely do. but we also, the end of this street, canyon of hero, by the way, the reason we selected this zone, there will be problems, flooding right there, because that's new york harbor, and the possibility of breaking glass falling from the buildings in new york with the tropical force winds. we just shot pictur

as abc's john berman reports, business is booming. >> reporter: as bad as the news is today, don't tossspaper. you'd be throwing away money. >> when the sunday paper arrives at my house, it's like someone dropped $200 in my driveway. >> reporter: jill outside chicago is a super couponer. in these brutal times, her instructional dvds are selling like discounted hotcakes. >> ready to learn how to save lots of money today? >> reporter: her classes have a six-month wait list. >> i've been teaching live coupon workshops since 2008 but they're getting larger by the day. >> reporter: every hour spent couponing is worth an estimated $100. tip number one. it's called stacking. sometimes you can get different coupons from the store and the manufacturer for the same product. use them together. tip number two. look for sales. you can find them on coupon websites. sometimes coupon plus sale equals free. >> i went shopping last week and i had a coupon for $1 off bar soap. when it's on sale for $1 and i use that $1 coupon it's free. >> reporter: if saving isn't enough, how about winning. sweepstakes.

john berman here broadcasting live from washington d.c. coming up today on the big picture.

abc's john berman joins us from montauk.s been decades since the region faced a storm like this. local officials don't seem to be mincing their words in the warnings to residents, are they? >> reporter: no, jake, not at all. they called for 400,000 mandatory evacuations from long island. most people did heed those warnings, but in some towns, police tried to scare them a little bit. police saying, okay, if you don't evacuate, do this. write your name and serial number on your arm, so we can identify you after you're stuck in your home when the flooding comes. >> name and social security number. >> john, you've been watching these waves rise and fall all morning. how bad have they gotten? >> reporter: bad. this sea behind me, someone commented it looks like a snow capped mountain range. the surf is pounding all-inspiring surf. earlier this morning, last night i was down by that fence, about 30 feet out. as the morning has come on, i've had to come in further and further. the storm surge pushed us further, higher than the norm

john berman went inside to find out. good morning!utri-grain -- one good decision... ♪ ...can lead to another. ♪ ♪ with real fruit, more of the whole grains your body needs, and a good source of fiber. nutri-grain can help you eat better all day. hd 3. [ female announcer ] for frequent heartburn sufferers, summertime is now a happy time. when we can eat what we want and sleep soundly through the night. prevacid®24hr prevents the acid that causes frequent heartburn, all day, all night. vo: a breakfast worth waking up for. enjoy the sausage, egg and cheese croissan'wich today. only at burger king. >>> the u.s. open now under way tennis pros doing everything they can to get the extra edge and world's number one player admitted he tried an unusual training method. john berman takes a look at the pursuit of -- george, i'm sorry, e eggcellence. >> reporter: need a good way to get onstage at the diagram he's? try a big giant egg like lady gaga. need to get from planet ork to earth? try a big giant egg like mork from "mork & mindy." >> nanoo

john berman, abc news, new york. >>> and we have an update tonighghon the big challenge taken on by legendary diana nyad. 29 hours into her second attempt to swim from cuba to key west, a challenging 103 miles, nyad fell ill, too sick to push through rough seas and strong winds. 61 years old, she set out to inspire others her age to live active lives. that mission accomplished. >>> and coming up, 30 service men, including 22 navy s.e.a.l.s, they paid the ultimate price for our safety. the safety of onstar is now available for your car. ♪ [ recorded voice ] onstar. we're looking for city hall. i'm sending directions to your car. [ recorded voice #2 ] turn right on hill street. go north for two miles. ♪ [ man ] this is onstar. i got a signal there's been a crash. . do you need help? yes, please. i've got your gps location. i'm sending help. [ female announcer ] introducing onstar fmv. get it installed on your car at best buy or visit onstar.com for more stores. there's another way to minimize litter box odor: purina tidy cats. tidy cats premium line of litters now works harder to help neutraliz

hello i'm john berman in washington d.c. and here's what's coming up tonight on the big picture i don't want to hell of a roller coaster ride on wall street where e of the shakiness in the u.s. and european economies investors are pulling their cash causing the markets to plummet both up and down so is there any hope for the market stabilize also is the f.c.c. responsible for the cover of hundreds of white collar crimes on wall street details of what republican senator chuck grassley is alleging against the securities and exchange commission. you need to know this another day another wild ride on wall street the stock market slid down four hundred nineteen points in trading today as investors continue to panic over economic conditions both in the united states and in europe this is just the latest day of chaos on wall street this month back in august on the august fourth the market plummeted five hundred twelve points then on august eighth after s. and p. downgraded our credit rating a market skidded out of control losing an

but as abc's john berman tells us, coach summitt is built for this fight. >> reporter: she is a legend of energy and emotion. no coach has won more games on the college court. so, last season, when pat summitt drew a blank when she tried to draw up a play, she knew there was trouble. >> trying to coach and trying to figure out schemes and whatever and i just -- it just wasn't coming to me. >> reporter: her son tyler noticed, too. >> losing her keys three times instead of just once. you know, things like that. something was just a little off. >> reporter: only 59 years old, she was exhibiting some of the key signs of early onset alzheimer's. memory loss. confusion over time and place. withdrawal from work or social activities. and summitt was at greater risk for early onset. her grandmother suffered severe dedentia. still, when she received the diagnosis, her response was not resignation or fear -- but fight. >> there's no pity party. and i'll make sure of that. >> reporter: it's the kind of attitude this ferocious competitor has always shown, which she explained to her friend, "gma" an

john berman, abc news, new york. >> that's true, though.h, earthquakes, only california. no way in the world. it's all over. >> absolutely. but, you know, speaking of california, they're certainly having a little laugh at our expense. some of these tweets. one wise guy on the west coast tweeted, east coast quake is now a 5.9. guess it's not that high but almost. californians, yawn, shrug and go back to their iced latte. >> thanks for the compassion from the west coast. so nice of them. >>> coming up next, family budget so tight these days, the pawn shop business is booming. >> we'll show you some of the surprising items that are showing up. you're watching "world news now." >>> welcome back, everybody. tough times call for some extreme measures when it comes to making ends meet. >> for more and more folks these days, that means selling practically anything at the local pawn shop. >> and as abc's andrea canning reports, anything really means everything. >> reporter: on the hit show "pawn stars" we've seen sales on everything from swords - >>

some of them are actually making a living at it and abc's john berman takes a look at how it's done.appliances, these items don't belong to high rollers, they belong to sweepers. >> a thousandd dollars? >> probably entered over 2 million sweepstakes. >> yes. here i go. >> i literally do nothing but enter ten hours a day. >> reporter: sweeping is a serious business with more than 100 million americans entering sweepstakes every year. >> you can't win if you don't enter and i enter everything. >> reporter: on tlc's new show "high stakes sweepers" they follow enthusiasts who hope to win big and do a lot. for the past 12 years robert has spent two to three hours a day sweeping. winning over $100,000 in prizes. >> i think this is a prize winning envelope right here. >> reporter: my personal favorite, a year supply of french fries. he does most of his sweeping by mail enlisting his kids' help decorating the entry envelopes. now sweepstakes winners are chosen randomly but he still thinks he has a better chance of winning if his letters stand out from the crowd. >> i probably spend $4,000 a

for "good morning america," john berman, abc news. >> what a legend she is. i know she is a close friend of yours. >> dear friend. and she said no pity party. she says, you don't stop living. and it's helpful to know the opponent. it was not knowing. and she's got a game plan. and she's going -- >> boy, she's a fighter. i love the details when the doctors at the mayo clinic first told her, she threw a punch. >> she said you don't know what you're doing h he. but we're thinking of her and her family this morning. >>> time for the weather. over to sam. >> good morning, again, everybody. as the east coast prepares for a hurricane off the shore, the west coast is talking about heat because that hurricane squeezes the heat on to the west shores. vegas, 106, 105. phoenix, 111. oklahoma city, still stays hot. but along the coastline, the temperatures stay cool. inland numbers, fresno, sacramento, into the 90s. a look at the big board if you're traveling today. and severe thunderstorms in the middle of the country, from ohio into kentucky. and the big heat, in the de

sadly, john berman is not eligible. thank you for watching abc news. "gma" in the morning. >>> jon favro directs our show. >> you're doing great, jimmy. >> am i better than harrison ford? >> you're doing great there, jimmy. >> all right. >> olivia wilde. >> is that fun having a new place? >> except mine's haunted. >> is it really? >> by the jonas brothers. >> can i keep this, by the way? >> adam beach. >> indy! >> i'm somewhere between john ñ >>> it's called what? >> air force one ii. take over the plane again, right? great. i love it. as long as i can make the deal. come in! what are you doing here, you son of a bitch? cut the [ bleep ]. you think you can walk in here and say you're sorry after what you did? i'm done with that "star wars" crap and i'm done with you. haven't you heard? i'm in "cowboys and aliens." daniel craig's my wookie bitch now. get the hell out. out! get out of here! get out! i don't want to talk to you. get out of here. and don't come back! she was my wife! she's still spitting up hair balls! >> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy

john berman has been tracking sarah palin. she created this buzz with this youtube video >> sarah palin is getting ready to make what we're told an important speech that will lay out her vision of america. but, will she make a big announcement? that's the big question. a giant political roar. and a political promise. sarah palin telling iowa she will see them on september 3rd in a speech for the tea party of america. just weeks after her splashy visit to the iowa state fair that helped produce material for this glitzy, glossy, gauzy video. this looks something like a campaign and sounds something like a campaign including a radio ad from a tea party group with palin's voice promoting the coming speech. >> we must restore america and restore her honor. >> it's time, america, it's time to take a stand and restore this great nation. >> reporter: the republican guru, karl rove, it's a sign she might be running. >> because the schedule she's got next week in iowa, it looks like that of a candidate, not a celebrity. >> reporter: peo

t does it mean for abc's john berman sat down with the pros and is here with advice because there are a lot of folks that have big questions, john. >> good morning, robin. what does this mean for me? that is the number one question everyone wants to know right now. we've seen all of this about credit and bond and defaults, what should i do with my 401(k), the college accounts? we asked the experts these burning questions. >> reporter: with the dow crashing, gold is cruising, to record-high levels. so does that mean buy now? our experts say probably all in. truth is you might be too late. >> gold is at the end of a multi-year run. and i think it's very expensive, especially relative to stocks and what is really cheap. >> reporter: what about the college savings account? when should you worry how much is left? analysts say if your kids are young, stay the course. >> you definitely don't want for put your kids' college path at risk in stocks especially if you've taken that money out in the next couple of years. >> reporter: the dow is down some 2,000 points from its high. you should be g

and abc's john berman has more on, well, a-rod's latest troubles. >> that's right.ood morning, robin. you know, normally being mentioned in the same breath as tobey maguire is a good thing. but for baseball star alex rodriguez it could be trouble. perhaps even enough to get him suspended from baseball. yankee slugger alex rodriguez likes huge home runs and cuddles with sometimes-girlfriend cameron diaz and reportedly high-stakes underground poker. major league baseball is investigating reports first published by radaronline that a-rod was present at secretive poker games in california, including one where cocaine was openly used and a fight nearly broke out when one of the players refused to pay after losing more than $500,000. some of these roving games around beverer hills allegedly included stars like tobey maguire. "star" magazine reporter dylan howard alleges they were meant to be top-secret. >> these players would go to these venues, knock on the door, have to say a password and be allowed to go in. >> reporter: maguire's publicist has not commented. but what'