gsa says it canceled 37 conferences since the scandal broke. and each one of them under the microscope. i mean apparently another conference yesterday, in nashville, and there was, a required event to help managers understand government charge card payment systems. if there is one thing the gsa apparently understands it is the charge card. what kind of conference do y'all need? you can imagine, everybody's head should roll in the agency. wasting your money. my money. your money. unbelievable. all right. let's take a look at politics now -- president obama is expected to sign a measure passed by congress imposing tough sanctions on iran. targets iran's energy, shipping and financial industries and adds to international pressure aimed at getting iran to drop its suspect nuclear weapons

program. also this morning, the situation in syria is growing even worse with u.n. observers saying they witnessed government jets opening fire on the city of aleppo. there are increasing shortages of not only food, water, as well. the u.s. is calling syrian president assad a coward for urging his soldiers to kill more civilians while remaining out of sight himself. assad has now not been seen for about two weeks. at the olympics there is new trouble with tickets. especially scalping. british police say they have taken down a black market operation that sold up to 20,000 fake olympics tickets to willing buyers. those scalpers also had 5,000 real tickets. organizers want to know if those were obtained from olympic officials, illegally selling seats. as for the olympics competition, day six is now under way. and americans advanced on day five. china leads the u.s. by medals overall. but has five more golds. japan is third. abc's tom rivers has the

highlights including one unfortunate low light. >> reporter: it wasn't supposed to happen, two time defending olympic beach volleyball gold medalist, kerri walsh jennings and misty may trainer vowed not to lose a set in london. they did in a preliminary match against austria wednesday night. the first time they lost a set in three olympics. but they went on to win in three sets and advanced to the knockout round. the u.s. women's basketball team mastered their toughest test in the olympics and outscored previously unbeaten turkey 89-58. rebecca soni, america's next best gold medal hope. set a record in the 200 meter breaststroke semifinal wednesday and sets the bar high for thursday's finals. america's women continue to fill up their win column, swam for gold in the 4 x 200 meters freestyle relay. nathan adrian took the gold in the men's 100 meter freestyle winning by the slimmest margin, 0.01 second. kristin armstrong scored her

second gold medal. 38-year-old finished 15 seconds ahead of everybody else in the time trial. finally, eight players from four badminton teams have no chance of competing again in this olympics. the players from china, south korea and indonesia have been asked to leave the games after deliberately trying to throw matches in hopes of receiving more favorable placement. tom rivers, abc news, london. >> you still hooked? you still watching? >> i am out of control. yes. >> are you staying up late? >> stag up late. on twitter. on "the new york times" sort of reading their feed. i'm watching. i'm -- watching it on my ipad. >> olympic addict, sunny hostin. >> i love it. what's not to love? >> all right. moving on to more news this morning. to a safety alert. toyota is recalling more than 750,000 vehicles this morning after a defect that is linked to nine crashes. 778 toyota and lexus vehicles now being recalled because of a

suspension problem. the recall involves, rav, what is it, rav? >> rav-4. >> i don't drive in new york. sorry, folks. rav 4, 2006-2011. 2010, lexus hybrid sedans. drivers who hear an unusual sound in the back of their vehicle are told to contact their dealer. postal carrier in california just found out the hard way what happens when you don't set the parking brakes on the mail truck. the runaway truck went rolling down a suburban street near sacramento. it picked up speed and smashed straight into a garage. >> it barely missed the tree right here. caught the bricked right here. you can see the indention. she came launching over. zoom. >> no one was hurt in the accident. but the garage well that's a different story. >> man, that postal budget cuts are getting tough. take out the brakes.

that's a heavy deficit. >> you got to put the brakes on. >> yeah, man. don't cutback on the brakes. >> yeah. if you are feeling hungry this morning. we've got a good story for you. it comes from mexico city where dozens of cooks claim to have created the world's largest sandwich. >> or torta. >> i like the way you say the. >> torta, a latin american favorite, it had 70 fillings, steak, chicken, turkey, fish, my all-time favorite, bacon. >> bacon makes life better. the numbers are amazing here, the sandwich nearly 175 feet long, and weighed over 1,500 pound. man send that to the overnight. >> doesn't that look delicious. >> we'd knock the bad boy down. >> we're hungry here. >> always hungry. forgot to eat dinner. woke up late. please send something, i'm starving. >> if i had known. i would have brought something in. i always bring food in. >> excuse me, little gassy tonight. while we are on the subject of food, all the junk that olympic

athletes pack away. >> yes, check out their astronomical calorie intake at fast food franchises. you will really need some antiacid for this. you are watching "world news now." ♪ ♪ ♪ cheeseburger in paradise ♪ cheeseburger in paradise >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by hotwire.com. for the big race in chicago, but i can only afford one trip. and i just found out my best friend is getting married in l.a. there's no way i'm missing that. then i heard about hotwire and i realized i could actually afford both trips. see, when really nice hotels have unsold rooms, they use hotwire to fill them. so i got my four-star hotels for half-price! >> men: ♪ h-o-t-w-i-r-e ♪ hotwire.com >> announcer: save big on car rentals too, from $12.95 a day. [ nicole ] so i'm trying herbal essences new honey, i'm strong when i'm transported to a revitalizing world.

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well, we have all heard the saying "you are what you eat." in the olympic village, they're proving that theory wrong. >> uh-huh. many athletes are living on a steady diet of fast food, believe it or not. a calorie count that would make most of us just pack on a ridiculous number of pounds. abc's jeffrey kaufmann has more. >> reporter: the olympics here in london are a marriage of gold medals and golden arches.

the world's biggest fast-food chain says the new outlet it has built here at olympic park is the biggest mcdonald's in the world. that's where at least two of the triumphant american swimmers gorged on quarter pounders, chicken mcnuggets, fries and mcflurry ice cream. ryan lochte boasted that he lived on mcdonald's every day during the beijing olympics in 2008. phelps became a spokesman for subway. and when you see how these guys train -- you begin to understand how they can burn a super-sized 10,000 calories in a day. that's about four times the recommended daily calorie instake fintake for an adult male. this is the 10,000 calorie diet. what do i get? let's see. a lot of hamburgers. four shakes. i got fries. lots of fries. i got four cokes.

and then, oh, some moreburgers. and 10,000 calories. "the wall street journal" notes that some olympic athletes training menus sound like the wish list for a kids birthday party. nathan adrian, freestyle swimmer and silver medalist loves fatty deserts. gold medalist, missy franklin prefers sundaes topped with gummy bears. dan o'brien won gold for the u.s. in 1996 in decathlon. he remembers burning through calories and carbs he says a little indulgence is fine. but no one, not even super athletes can perform at their best with too much fast food. >> we shouldn't be telling our kids to eat nothing but fast food.n ryan lochte reformed since mcdonald binging in beijing. i'm jeffrey kaufmann in london. >> i have never wanted to be an olympic athlete more than i do right now. >> i don't know, i think you work so hard on your body.

i doubt that you would -- that you would put that into your body. >> i went to london try to cook for the crew get them already for the big race. steal a few fries, head on home for the night. >> mcdonald's fries. >> can't beat them. best on earth. >> gosh. >> if i had to have, last supper, on death row. >> your final meal. >> side dish. yes. >> ha-ha. coming up, a new champion. no, we are not talking about the olympics. >> for 50 years, one film was called the greatest of all time. now there is a new film topping that list. that's coming up next.

if you had to pick your favorite movie of all time, what would it be? mine, "fatal attraction." >> that says a lot. >> i won't be ignored, dan. >> and i like "the godfather"

tossup, national lampoon's vacation. critics voted and picked the greatest film ever for this moment. as the bbc will gomport reports, it is the hitchcock classic "vertigo." >> reporter: james stewart playing a san francisco detective quits the force after this incident. because it leaves him with -- vertigo. ♪ and hitchcock, with a plot device on which to hang his intricate story of surveillance and obsession, love and depression. the film critics of 1958 were not thrilled by the thriller when it was first released. but today's generation have just voted it the greatest film of all time. so, what's changed? >> over time, with repeated viewings, because this film has such rich psychological layers of investigation into the

personalities involved, it's grown and grown in critical estimation and in fact the more times you see it the more you grow to love it. >> reporter: the critics might laud "vertigo" for its hidden depths -- but hitchcock's cinematic genius is superficial, he was the master stylist. for this famous scene, hitchcock used an innovative camera trick to accentuate the detective's fear of heights. it is a move that's been replicated by directors such as steven spielberg, both fans of hitchcock. created when zooming out and in. hitchcock had other visual tricks up his sleeve, such as this psychedelic dream sequence. the first ten films, polled, are all over 40 years old. critics are prone to nostalgia or that films like a good wine

get better with age. >> critics do this about once a decade. they get together to make their all-time greatest list. for the last 50 years it's been "citizen kane." vertigo is coming on good. >> bird is good too. [ male announcer ] eligible for medicare? that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan,

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welcome back, everybody the what's the old saying, three things in life are for sure, taxes, death and drama. same holds true for olympic athletes. i found this story fascinating. all the folks you see winning their medals and all that, it is all taxable. in addition to honor of representing their nation are getting tax bills as well. get tax on the worth of their medal and cash prize. each medal, $25,000 for gold. $15,000 for silver, $10,000 for bronze and face the top income tax rate 35%. a gold medal, $665.

silver, $385. bronze, under $5. telling. american gold medal winners will pay the irs up to $9,000. silver medal winners pay $5,400. bronze, $3,500. see the smiling faces. they pay taxes on medals and money they win depending on what level medal they get. >> other athletes don't have to pay that. the u.s. is the only country that, that makes you pay taxes on any income you earn overseas. >> fascinating. i never -- the medals. i didn't know that was taxable. >> sad. >> uncle sam is everywhere. man. >> come on, there should be some sort of exclusion. >> go with the bronze, save money. don't aim so high. >> the olympics, l.a. is warning city work tires stop watching olympics on city cup puomputers. it will cause a computer meltdown the so many are watching olympics. nbc is streaming the games live on line.

and it taxes band with computers. look, taxpayers aren't paying city workers to watch olympics on their computers. cut it out. cut it out. >> people are addicted like march madness. >> uh-huh. >> i am. >> exactly. >> also, world's longest yardstick sale will start in michigan, who knew. starts thursday runs through sunday along u.s. 127. so it is build as the the world's longest yard sale. going to attract bargain hunters across six states along 690 miles this weekend. northern end of the yard sale in addison, michigan. southern end point is gadsden, alabama. i love yard sales. awe you'll see sunny along the 700 miles. incredible too. also incredible story out of kansas. couple arrested sunday night. man and woman went into wal-mart, stole some ky jelly started getting busy in the wal-mart store in kansas.

apparently they didn't do the full act, sexually fondled each other and accused of shoplifting several items. charged with

this morning on "world news now" -- olympic scandal. why would anyone want to lose on purpose while the world is watching? >> the bad news about badminton and the encouraging news for team usa. it's thursday, august 2nd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good friday eve morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm sunny hostin in for paula faris. we'll get the latest from london in our top story. then to illinois. a lot of things happening there where attorneys for former policeman drew peterson are

demanding a mistrial in his murder case. >> very interesting development there. >> yes, the trial started. >> two days in, right? >> right. awe already possibly a mistrial. the latest on that. >> also this morning the story has been big for days. the food fight at chick-fil-a, who is showing up at the restaurants in droves after the company president's anti-gay marriage remarks. the feud still very much heating up. look at those lines around the country. >> that shocked me. >> chick-fil-a now is the latest ground zero in the culture wars. look at the folks. >> that's right. it is going to continue friday. >> on friday the other side gets to do their demonstration. >> right. right. later this half-hour. back to the olympics and the athletes with the sexiest bodies. >> uh, uh. >> how did they get so hot? who is your favorite? we will hear who your favorite is, right? >> lo-lo. >> lochte. >> that's your favorite.

told me something interesting about him. >> he is cuban. 91-year-old grandmother cooks cuban food for him. >> so cuban does a body good, huh. >> lolo and lochte, the theme for the show. get our thursday morning rolling. day six of the big games in london. some of america's most recognizable athletes, swimmers, michael phelps and ryan lochte, there we go, could be back on the medal stand later today. >> with the details on the american winners and some real losers from yesterday, here is abc's bill weir. >> reporter: it was missy franklin's turn to add to her stockpile of gold as the women's 4 x 200 freestyle relay team beat the aussies by more than two full seconds. while in the gym, miami's danell leyva needed it to medal and got the good luck clap from his stepfather and coach. it worked. stuck the dismount.

let out a howl and rejoiced. while great britain broke the drought in rowing and cycling, london is buzzing abut badminton. and the eight players expelled from the games not for doping, but for losing on purpose in order to avoid stronger teams in the next round. this is the way elite badminton usually looks. but this is the way the america's archrival, chinese top seeds play, deliberately serving into the net again and again. eight times. despite a chorus of boos and warning from officials. then watch this -- china lets it drop. and south korea follows up by serving it way outside the line. an indonesian team followed suit. and south korean head coach, the chinese started, so we did the same. remember, this is not backyard barbecue badminton, this is the fastest racket sport in the world where the shuttle kocock

travel 50 mild an hour faster than andy roddick's serve. and shuttlers, wear each other down with finesse. in britain every town has a club where devotion is second to soccer and cricket. >> very unsportsmanlike. >> that would never happen in your club? >> i don't believe the british team would behave like that. >> reporter: i had no idea against a pro that birdie is a blur. as for the south korean, chinese and indonesian teams they could face further sanctions from the ioc. as for the fan whose paid good money to watch actual competition, the organizing committee is considering giving refunds. bill weir, abc news, london. >> the badminton players were so gangster, out there throwing games. >> i know! throwing games. that defiles the entire notion of the sport. you're in the olympics, you have got to compete. >> oh, never dull at the olympics. there are 18 medal events

today. here is the current medal count. china still on top, 30 total for them. >> team usa right there in second place with 29. but five fewer golds than the chinese. japan, still third. they're the only team to have reached double digits in bronze medals. >> very nice. here you go. finally some -- gold for the brits as well. great britain won their first golds of the games in women's rogue, bradley wiggins won the cycling men's time trials. britain on home turf getting some of their gold. very cool. >> that is nice. >> badminton thing is crazy. >> difficult. have you tried to play? >> in high school gym class. >> we play it every year on the beach. we get serious, the hostin family serious about it. >> 200 miles an hour serious? >> not that serious. we try. it is hard. >> it looks, wouldn't think it is. >> it's hard. >> i'll challenge you. play here in the studio. now to los angeles where ll today as members of michael

jackson's family battle it out over his will and custody of his children. on wednesday, his brother jermaine took on the role of peacekeeper calling for an end to the very public feud saying mistakes have been made and irrational things have been said by both sides in the family dispute. >> also earlier we had a report a couple days ago about the physical altercation between janet jackson and michael's daughter, paris, reported by tmz. tmz retracting the story, never happened, we'll talk about it in a different part of the show as well. how that was interesting. >> it is a very public feud. i would expect that maybe from my family from the south bronx. but jackson's family. music royalty. they were very publicly sort of airing dirty laundry. it was unseemly. >> it got messy. we'll see does katherine get sole custody, split custody with t.j. -- tito-joe, tito's son. we'll see what the court decides.

>> who knew? >> the money follows the kids. that's why i think things have gotten so heated. >> $1 billion empire. when heap died it was $300 million. $1 billion and growing. >> i support whatever plan to give jermaine money to get a new hair style. >> i could support that. >> tired of him looking like one of the five heart beats. love the jacksons. come on now. more serious news this morning. the murder case against drew peterson could be over as early as today. >> yes, the illinois judge considering whether to declare a mistrial after the prosecution made a major mistake. abc's brandi hitt has courtroom drama. good morning, brandi. >> reporter: good morning, so much drama in the first few days of the trial, the defense asked for a mistrial twice already. after what happened in court wednesday the judge took time to kid it. in a second day of explosive testimony, drew peterson's attorneys demanded a mistrial. it came as prosecutors portrayed

peterson as a man threatening anyone who helped his third wife, kathleen savio in the weeks before her death. neighbor thomas ponterelli testified peterson asked him not to install a dead bolt on savio's bedroom door and added any friend of hers is an enemy of mine. when the locks were changed, the neighbor said i found a 38 caliber bullet on my driveway. the defense objected. the jury left the courtroom and the judge was angry. are you going to be able to demonstrate that the defendant put a bullet in the driveway of mr. pontarelli, the judge asked? no, judge, no. responded the prosecution. the judge did not declare a mistrial, but ruled that the testimony they be stricken from the record. >> there was no sign there was nothing but an accident. there is no sign of a struggle at all. >> reporter: savio was found dead in her bathtub eight years ago and the defense claims sunny slipped and hit her head. the prosecution believes peterson made it look like an accident. her death was originally ruled an accidental drowning, but when

peterson any fourth wife, stacy disappeared in 2007, savio's remains were exhumed and her death classified as a homicide. stacy's family believes peterson's defense is all smoke and mirrors. >> you are going to see sleight of hand, magic tricks from them and try to stay away as much as they can from facts at hand. >> reporter: later this morning, peterson's defense will decide whether to strike all of the neighbor's testimony or just a portion of it. rob, sunny, back to you. now we turn to a dramatic rescue in the sierra nevada, a california hiker saved after clinging to the side of a steep granite slope for two nights and two days. 64-year-old lawrence bishop was injured and losing his grip on a 6-inch ledge. a rescue team arrived just when he started to slide. a sheriff's deputy sprinted up the peak with no angles or equipment, reaching him without a moment to spare. >> can you imagine? my goodness.

>> timing is everything. lucky guy. now some olympic-sized comic relief at the games in london provided by none other than the mayor of the city himself. >> here we go. yes. there is london mayor boris johnson. getting stuck on a zip line that had been set up in a park. at least he was still cheering on the home team. carrying a couple of union jack flags. >> apparently the first time johnson had ever been on a zip line. we'll presume it will be his last. eventually he was rescued. he is fine. >> really on a zip line in full suit and tie. >> totally. and helmet. >> i know you are the mayor, a lot of attention on your city. come on now. that's not comfortable ride. >> just kind of sloppy, not really athletic, not like olympic. >> see, mitt romney told you. all right, coming up next, sex symbols, we reveal the body secrets. >> mm. >> sexiest olympians. >> a look inside the mind of

nicki minaj what makes her so talented and successful. ♪ hands up and touch the sky ♪ can't stop because we're so high ♪ >> announcer: "world news now" weather brought to you by cancer treatment centers of america. ♪ star ships were meant to fly

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>> across the nation, yesterday, some bold statements about politics, sexuality, and equal rights, all of the statements made by eating chicken. >> yes, people showed up in droves to chick-fil-a restaurants to support the company after the owner came under fire for coming out against same-sex marriage. abc's t.j. winick has more. >> reporter: business is booming at chick-fil-a, the popular fast food chick enchain at the center of what you might call a political food fight. >> we support chick-fil-a in their stand on family values. >> reporter: at issue, the

christian beliefs of the family that owns chick-fil-a. >> this is an issue of freedom speech, it is an issue of equality and human dignity. >> reporter: former presidential candidate, mike huckabee who declared chick-fil-a appreciation day he was angered by some of the attacks of the company's president, dan cathy. kathy recently told an on-line religious newspaper he supports the biblical definition of the family unit. customers around the country lined up around the block in support. >> that's what we fight more in the military for us to have free speech in america. >> we should let everyone have freedom of speech. if you want to support the bible, then so be it. >> reporter: kathy's remarks angered supporters of gay marriage. in fact the mayors of boston and chicago, want to stop the building of any more chick-fil-a's in their city, and a student wants the campus chick-fil-a closed. >> it is almost offensive in a sense that our university is

willing to maintain this relationship with an organization that -- that blatantly discriminates against a portion of our student body. >> reporter: later this week, gay rights advocates will have their say. they're using facebook to organize their own demonstration, same-sex kiss day this friday at chick-fil-a's across the country. t.j. winick, abc news, new york. >> interesting to see whether the friday numbers, how they come paul orlousky to whthey -- how they come paul orlouspare t yesterday. >> the last count. some stores ran out of food. and had to shut the doors. it was a huge show yesterday. >> i think everyone can agree, yes, you support first amendment rights. but is that really what people are supporting or, are they really being -- supportive of intolerance? i'm not sure what the message is.

>> we will see again. watch out for friday. give that equal coverage friday. see if it works. instead of worrying about the chicken guy, let's worry about the politician whose have power over the issue. we'll see. still to come, she is at the top of the music world. >> nicki minaj comes from humble beginnings. we'll hear from the singer and what keeps her striving to be even better. you are watching "world news now."

well nicki minaj may just be the hottest artist out there. her new music video just released and has already racked up 1 million hits on youtube. >> what is it about her that makes her this popular. abc's juju chang sat down with the sungsinger to find out.

>> reporter: with cotton candy hear and technicolor costumes, nicki minaj looks like a video character come to life in her video. >> love the f-bomb. >> why? >> it has so much power and so many meanings. >> [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. >> reporter: merging with vibrant costumes, neon wigs and irresistible hooks like star ship. ♪ star ships were meant to fly hand ups and touch the sky ♪ >> should parents be worried about their kids watching nicki minaj. >> no. but i didn't come into the game to be an artist and appeal to kids. >> reporter: she writes her own lyrics her rhythms and rhymes are feminine yet fierce in a male dominated industry that is often criticize ford being degrading to women, sound like "moment for life" could be an anthem for feminism. ♪ i wish i could have this moment for life ♪ >> reporter: there is also a

girl power flavor to it. >> yeah, it makes girls feel like they can do anything. >> reporter: perhaps minaj herself tries not to rely on a man after watch herring own mother suffer for years in an abusive marriage. born onicka minaj in trinidad moved to a rough neighborhood in queens, new york. the whole family struggled with her dad's crack addiction. >> reporter: as a child how much violence did you witness? >> a lot. >> reporter: her father has been clean and sober for years. nicky has forgiven him. if you know what is good for you, don't compare nicki minaj to lady gaga. >> first, i am a rapper, from queens. gaga is a fantastic artist. she opened her own lane. i feel like i have my own lane. and we never cross ever. >> reporter: for the young mogul in the making there is plenty of to time for that. i'm juju chang in new york. >> she is definitely one of the more creative ones out there.

she has her own thing going on. absolutely. >> you like nicki minaj. >> hey, hey, from that angle, what's not to like. >> talking about that angle. people have talked about, that she could have had butt implants. >> really? well, congratulations to that surgeon. septic disasters are disgusting and costly, but avoidable.

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♪ i'm too sexy for my shirt ♪ so sexy it hurts >> ha-ha. i can't believe you know the word to that. >> right said fred, i'm too sexy. >> while the olympic games are about the competition, national pride and athletic talent. let's face it there is something about those bodies. >> uh-huh. from the beach volleyball players to incredible soccer players, all the runners, girls and guys are ripped. abc's cecelia vega take is a look. >> reporter: they're the faces

of epic strength, super human endurance, sheer greatness. and their body, not so bad either. champion hurdler, lolo jones, abs are so ripped she is on a magazine cover. and his chest is so perfect he is a part time model. from gold medal soccer star turned dancing with the star, hope solo's never ending legs, to misty may's, beach volleyball bikini wearing bum they're the finest in their beefed up, rock hard glory. >> they've become summer celebrities and sex symbols. when ebb we we see them. >> we know who ryan lochte is. >> can't stop looking at him. >> reporter: we showed off the famous abs at olympic park. who are we looking at? >> phelps. >> lochte. >> dad got it. >> what would you have to do to get to this point? >> work out all day every day.

>> 20 million sit-ups. >> reporter: try lifting a 650 pound tire. dragging a ship yard chain like lochte does. >> one of the things i am really good at, i know how to push my body to limits that -- that no other athlete can really handle. ♪ >> reporter: the rest of us may not have to go that far. hope solo calls jump rope the best workout. misty may lifts weights and runs up hills. lolo jones loves pilates. or, there is always the alternative, keep on dreaming. >> reporter: how many situps would you have to do to get tight look like that? >> 50 years. >> reporter: cheers. >> our facebook question of the day, which olympian do you think is the sexiest and why? let us know at wnnfans.com. sunny, your vote? >> lochte. >> my vote, lolo jones. lsu graduate down there, louisiana.

yes, indeed. beautiful, beautiful girl. lolo. >> ha-ha! >> whew!

this morning on "world news now" -- warning signs. new questions about the accused movie theater gunman james holmes. >> what did a university psychiatrist know about holmes and when? it's thursday, august 2nd. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." good morning. i'm sunny hostin. paula faris is on assignment. >> and i'm rob nelson. we'll get to our exclusive new reporting about the colorado massacre in a moment. some interesting questions, new information. >> also ahead in this half-hour of the show, the mitt romney

veep-stakes shift into high gear. two potential runningmates have been asked to be ready for an announcement at any time. >> wow. >> most expect this to come next week. >> i can't wait. i have got to tell you. it just changes the dynamic of the race. at that point. >> and end all of the media speculation. let's get past the -- who is it going to be? let's roll. build-up to the republican convention end of the month. we're getting there. >> that's right. we are almost there. then golden girls, the american women making such a splash in london. how does the overall medal count stand right now as the u.s. and china battle to be the best? and it's close. >> that's shaping up to be the big subplot of the olympics, america versus china. who will win the final count? i wonder if people judge more by overall medals or number of golds you win? what is the standard? who really wins? >> for me it's the number of gold. that means you are the best in that particular sport, event. >> the gold is the benchmark. >> i think the chinese have a lot more golds. >> a few more.

>> a few more. >> they're leading. it should be close though. later, robert pattinson escapes the kristin stewart scandal hiding out in the home of a very famous friend. we'll tell you which star is sharing her space. all the details and hollywood smut coming up, later, in "the skinny." but we begin with the exclusive new information in the colorado shooting suspect case. >> new questions are being raised about what his university knew and when it knew it. here's abc's mark greenblat in denver. >> reporter: abc news has learned psychiatrist dr. lynn fenton treating holmes at university of colorado was a key member of the school threat assessment team. in fact the documents abc uncovered show fenton wrote the university's policy on threat assessment. what's more, our affiliate kmgh is reporting exclusively that by early june, fenton actually notified other members of the team about her concerns about holmes' behavior. but on june 10th, three days

after holmes bought an assault weapon he suddenly told the university he is quitting. and so, sources tell kmgh, the larger threat assessment team never had a formal meeting and never intervened. thinking they had no control over holmes once he left. at the very time experts say it should have been a red alert. >> i think that is a signal you should intensify your effort, not walk away. under those circumstances, most well-trained, threat assessment teams would have gone into action. >> reporter: listen to what the university's chancellor claimed early last week. >> to the best of our knowledge at this point we did everything that we think we should have done. >> reporter: words under fire as those close to the victims now ask could this all have been prevented. mark greenblat, denver. >> that one point i think is so critical -- if you knew -- you were concerned enough to go back to your team, look i have concerns about this guy. days later he drops out of school. that would suggest to most, a

downward spiral, we have concerns. now he dropped out. so he may not be on campus. doesn't mean he is not a threat to society. he proved to be. a deadly threat to society. >> the fact that he failed the oral examination that could have been what set him off, right? that could have been that moment. and he was still at the school at that point. i understand though, under, federal privacy laws, and health laws, perhaps you can't make a lot public, but you certainly can address the threat if you believe there is one. >> you think the team man could have reached out to him, at the least called the parents. notified police, look we have a potentially unstable student here. let's keep an eye on this guy. you know -- i know, hindsight is 20/20. like to think it could be prevented. can't learn too much, privacy laws, the judge put a strict gag order on everybody in the case. >> we will hear more about this. i suspect some of the families are now going to be looking at the university in terms of potential exposure there. >> lots of liability there.

absolutely. shifting gears now -- federal investigators are looking into a very close call involving three commuter planes at washington's reagan national airport. the faa confirms that three u.s. airways jets carrying a total 200 folks were seconds from colliding midair tuesday afternoon. bad weather caused air traffic controllers to shift the pattern of incoming planes. the information did not get passed along. one official tells "the washington post," it's quote, a pretty big screw-up for a major airport. but things are back to normal at the san antonio airport this morning after a bomb scare wednesday afternoon. the airport was shut down. terminals evacuated. flights couldn't land after someone phoned in a bomb threat claiming there were three explosive packages in the parking garage. police and bomb sniffing dogs checked everything out and eventually gave the all-clear. to election year politics now, a symbolic vote on capitol hill.

the republican-led house has passed a bill to extend bush era tax cuts when they expire at end of the year. democrats favor a plan which was passed by the senate that would extend the tax cuts for everyone except the highest earning americans. the issue likely will not be resolved until after the election in november. we may soon learn which republican will be on the ticket with mitt romney come november. abc's jonathan karl has a look at the likely contenders. >> reporter: mitt romney now back from his foreign trip, abc news has learned, at least two of his potential runningmates have been told to be ready for an announcement that could come any day. it's the veep stakes olympics. unlike the one in london this has one judge, ultimately one winner who will make it to the podium. here are your finalists. there is rob portman. mr. experience. senator, former house member. twice served in a presidential

cabinet and he is from ohio. the state that could decide it all. tim pawlenty, the son of a truck driver, and was a popular governor of minnesota. check it out. he has already appeared in a romney ad. making a late surge, paul ryan. he is just 42, but he is the man with the plan. called the path to prosperity, it would slash government spending and change medicare. giving seniors the option to buy private insurance instead. ryan is risky, a lightning rod. democrats will call him the man who would destroy medicare. the big list has lots of names, rubio, rice, christie, jindal. the question is -- could we have an upset, surprise at the podium? only one guy knows for sure. most republicans close to romney who i have spoken with expect he will make his pick well before the republican convention. that would be a big change in the modern era, no republican presidential candidate has ever announced his runningmate more

than a week before the convention. jonathan karl, abc news, washington. hopefully the speculation will end some time next week. that's what they expect. steer the conversation back to a story yesterday i don't think got a lot of, the coverage that it deserved, went into effect yesterday, in terms of the president's health care reform package particularly because it impacts 50 million women around this country. starting yesterday all insurance companies were required to provide preventative care. women should talk to their doctors what is going to happen there, everything from birth control to hiv, sexually transmitted diseases, domestic violence, a lot of these things are covered here. it is a big deal. >> it is a big deal to women no question about it. i think especially talking sort thought of preventative medicine and birth control. which there was a study a while ago done i think about how much women do pay, especially college women for birth control they can't afford it. what does that do to a young woman's life. and actually i got a rebate check in the mail yesterday. >> that is another thing.

because of also part of the law too here, people are due rebates based on a formula how much your insurance company pays on health care, overhead costs. either you will get a direct check or come through your employer who may give you a check or just -- title over your premiums down the road a bit. 13 million americans are getting a rebate. >> check the mailbox. >> $150, average. privately insured family. big news on the health care front, got lost in olympics overload. quite frankly. so, check out. talk to your doctor. do research. we'll move on to your weather. your thursday forecast. more afternoon storms and flooding in the four corners of the southwest. also powerful winds and hail storms in the dakotas. scattered storms in the midwest. also showers in the south. a chance of thunderstorms in the northeast. 80s from boston to new york. mostly 90s in the south and midwest. record heat in the plains. expect triple digits in dallas and oklahoma city. let's not call this next pair strange bedfellows how about we go with the odd couple.

>> seems right for jarelle johnson of champagne, illinois and his adopted goose now being called of all things aflac. remember that? >> aflac! >> johnson says aflac was injured, he started hanging around. >> since then he has been helped back to health and aflac follows johnson around wherever he goes. guess that's no harm, no fowl. >> doesn't look like he will fly anywhere. just hanging out. >> how does he do that annoying? oh, that would get on my nerves. >> geese hang out in my yard, actually. they're big. >> they are. ♪ pay the doctors, boys >> love that commercial. coming up next, the jackson family feud and separating fact from fiction involving superstar janet jackson. the olympic competitors accused of losing on purpose. fresh fallout from the badminton court. you are watching "world news now."

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well team usa racking up the golds. not more than china as of now. >> here is a look at the medal count so far. china is leading with 17 gold medals. nine silver. four bronze for a total of 30. team usa is still slightly behind with 29 medals. team usa has 12 goals. eight silvers, nine bronze. japan in third place in the medal count, two golds, four silvers, 11 bronze medals. >> one gold medal for team usa from the women's swimming team they swam for gold in the 4 x

200 meters, freestyle relay, the win gave missy franklin, allison schmitt and dana vollmer, their second gold medal of the games. >> for men's gymnastics, gymnast danell leyva won the bronze, he won the all-around medal since 1984. after winning the bronze, he who was born in cuba promised to come back to the games in 2016 and 2020 to win the gold. and that will be easy to do because japan's koji yuchimora, widely considered one of the best male gymnasts in history. i'm obsessed with the olympics. i've been watching. he is that good. >> fantastic. >> a disappointment for the flag bearer, for team usa, mariel zagunis, on the verge of winning, and ended up losing,

came into the competition as the number one seed, and carried the flag in the opening ceremonies. >> that's disappointing. >> some shady, shady behavior from the players of four badminton teams got them kicked out of the olympics. the players from china, south korea, and indonesia have been asked to leave the games after deliberately trying to throw matches in hopes of receiving more favorable placement later on in the tournament. >> scandal. here is a look at some events coming up later today. >> men's and women's swimming takes place throughout the day. later this morning -- the women will compete in individual all around gymnastics. this evening. men's basketball, u.s./nigeria. >> another blowout. >> how can you get kicked out of the olympics? >> it's kind of shady, just play. so obvious. coming up next, where robert pattinson went to hide from his scandal. >> who is setting the record straight about janet jackson. next in "the skinny." >> announcer: abc's "world news now" will continue after this from our abc stations.

♪ skinny

♪ so skinny >> where does one go to nurse a broken heart? here we are talking about the robert pattinson/kristin stewart scandal. she broke his heart, director rupert sanders. apparently it's good to have wealthy, famous friends. he is also, famous and wealthy. he was hiding out at reese witherspoon's estate, seven-acre ranch, swimming pool, and house barn and guest cottage. he is no longer there. he stayed there a few days to get some space and clear his mind. >> she can understand, face it, her ex-husband, cheated on her with a woman he met on the movie set. >> ryan phillippe. >> she could commiserate. not sure if reese was there. a friend in need. reese took care of him. no longer there as of now. for a few days able to get away. a good southern hospitality showing from reese witherspoon. >> yes, poor robert. tmz, once in a while apparently

they get a story wrong. a lot of times they get it right. they are retracting the janet jackson abuse story. remember, a few days ago or last week people were saying janet jackson got into an altercation with her niece. paris jackson. that she snatched the cell phone out of her hand. >> there was mutual slapping. janet slapped her. paris slapped her back. >> called her some names. >> spoiled little -- >> spoiled little -- >> tmz is saying they believed the story to be true when they published it. they confirmed it was not correct. janet did not slap or otherwise touch paris nor did she verbally abuse her. they're retracting it wholesale. >> hard to imagine slapping a little girl saying that language. i know a heated family drama. hard to imagine that. >> not miss janet. >> miss jackson if you're nasty. that's good. at least they came out, said we got it wrong. you said they do get a lot right. all right, cuba gooding jr., talked about the story yesterday, apparently, something in a new orleans bar, 2:00 a.m. an arrest warrant.

as he allegedly got annoyed. fans were taking pictures of him. ended up twice pushing a female bar tender. >> ooh. >> uh-oh, what is going on here? apparently there is no longer an arrest warrant. the bartender decided not to pursue charges against cuba gooding jr. here. the lawyer says there is no warrant. mr. gooding, his representative and new orleans authorities met this morning, wednesday and are moving to resolve the misunderstanding. unclear if he has to report to court friday. no more arrest warrant. will not pursue charges. who knows whether he just apologized or wrote a little check. how he made it go away. >> it is a allegedly gone. >> it's over. over. >> we'll see. last but not least, j-lo, her boyfriend, casper, allegedly, visiting an adult triple x people show the day before her 43rd birthday. these rumors -- it is a gay cruising spot. rumors have been around quite some time. pictures posted of casper by his

co-star in step up 3-d. he was sort of striking provocative poses with other shirtless men. of course, attorneys for j-lo and casper say, uh-uh, not true. >> wow. j-lo, never a dull moment in her love life. >> never. 3q

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life. while 9-year-old connor goes out to play, 6-year-old cayden is all too often unable to join him. >> i think that had been on his mind more than what we know as a parent. >> reporter: diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after birth. doctors believed he would never walk or talk. >> people don't realize that when you are special needs in a wheelchair you won't be able to get out that much. well i try to give him the best life he can ever have. >> reporter: and forged in that commitment, connor found a way for him and cayden to become not just brothers or playmates but teammates competing together in triathlons. connor pulling and pushing cayden, each willing the other, experiencing the thrills with each other. so, it would come as no surprise that they set their sights on the biggest race they could find, the iron kids triathlon. the organizers didn't know if they could accommodate their special equipment.

their dad asked connor, if he would consider competing alone? >> if he isn't going to do it i am not going to do it. because i look doing them with cayden. and i feel bad for him sitting on the sidelines. >> organizers would eventually clear the boys to compete. and while they came in last, it wasn't about where they finished at all. >> did you have a good time, buddy? >> because finish they did together. >> i know it did something inside him. i know it changed him. with the help of his brother he has found something that he can do. >> a good hug. >> reporter: josh elliott, abc news, new york. >> oh, wow. >> sweet. >> we're both only children. >> yes. stories like that i wish i had a brother or sister. only kids sitting up here. >> special. >> incredible family bond. yeah, that hopefully sticks with them for the rest of their lives. that closeness. absolutely. more from abc coming up next.

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