you for believing in me from the beginning. and i love you. and what's more special about this song is, this is actually the story of my life. oprah: oh, a story? [david plays piano] >> ♪ i may not know where i'm going now this broken road is trying to tear me down here's what i've learned to do just sing this song and it takes me right back where i belong 'cause every day there's a new bridge to cross but i'm never far from home

if i bring my heart my soul my own in this song i may not have rds that i need to say it though i won't always be strong but i'm never afraid because i hold my destiny and it depends on me alone alone sojust sing this song and it takes me right back where i belong and every day there's a new bridge to cross but i'm never far from home if i give my heart my soul my own

i keep giving my heart my soul my own in this song in this song in this song ♪ [cheering and applause] oprah: wow. wow, wow, wow. wow. oh, boy. that's so cool. that is so cool. charice's self-titled debut album--her debut album is in stores now. everybody here goes home with it. that was-- [cheering and applause] oprah: justin bieber, come on back out here. justin, come on back out here! [cheering and applause]

oprah: hey. >> oh, you were great. oprah: that's great. so--so everybody, justin just got his driver's license, and-- [cheering and applause] oprah: and--and justin says that he is serious about not texting while driving. that makes me so proud! [cheering] oprah: justin bieber will not be--you're not going to text and drive? >> no, not once. oprah: yes, not one. >> no. oprah: not one. and so, charice doesn't have her license yet but fully supports the cause, so both of you, i hear, are going to sign the pledge, right? >> let's do it. oprah: let's do it. all right. justin bieber and charice are signing a pledge, and so to all you young drivers out there, follow justin and charice's lead. do not risk your life by texting and driving! [cheering] oprah: that's great. special shout-out to hershey's for helping make today's show a sweet success. audience, you're all going home with special hershey's treats. and--

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we return to that four-hour standoff in maryland. three people were taken hostage but none of them were hurt. >> the gunman, james lee, was killed in the incident. lee's plan and motive, though, are still very much in question. here now is "american landscape" coverage from wjla in washington, d.c. >> we saw a lot of commotion, some shots were fired, people were running out of the building. >> reporter: terror at discovery. a gunman loaded down with explosives takes hostages. the incredible scene as police move in. we begin tonight with the workplace nightmare that played out on live tv today. the target, discovery communications. police say a man armed with a gun and possibly explosives took hostages in the building that houses some 1,900 workers. we begin with brad bell who's been out there on the scene all afternoon. >> reporter: at this hour,

police and bomb squads are still working to make sure that downtown silver spring is safe from what this man had with him. i want to play you a little bit of tape. listen carefully because we've heard this five times tonight. listen to this. there you go, it was a big boom. we've heard five of those tonight. now, what we have been told those are is disruptions of explosive devices that this man, james lee, brought into the discovery communications building. we're told that a robot went in, they were inside the building, brought them out, then used a charge to disrupt the device. not make the device explode, but make it so it cannot explode. and that is done with a little bit of a detonation on the part of the bomb squad. so that's what's been going on tonight. it's going to be quite a while before they get this scene clear. but this all started at 1:00 this afternoon when this man by

the name of james lee, well known to the people here at discovery as a long-time protester, showed up in the lobby. what james j. lee might not have known during his four-hour siege of the discovery channel building was that for the entire time, police had him literally in their sights. when just before 5:00 he appeared to threaten a hostage, a police sniper pulled his trigger. >> he pulled out the handgun that he came in with, pointed it at one of the hostages. it's unconfirmed now whether he actually fired the weapon or not. but at that point, our tactical units moved in. they shot the suspect. the suspect is deceased. >> reporter: the beginning of the standoff at about 1:00 was nearly as violent. lee, known as a long-time protester at the discovery channel, walked into the network's lobby, fired a shot from a handgun, and told the people there not to move. he appeared to have explosives strapped to his body and carried

backpacks and a box. he kept three male hostages in the first floor lobby. an hour later he began cell phone conversations with police. and the rest of the building, including a day care center, was evacuated. many in neighboring buildings, including shanti, were ordered by police to hunker down. >> it was scary. you couldn't leave the building. the police came and knocked on the door and told us we cannot leave the building until they tell us to. >> reporter: on the streets of silver spring, the scene grew frantic. fearing lee might detonate his bombs, police cleared the streets for two blocks around the huge discovery building. in the end lee was the only casualty. his hostages and the 1,900 other people who worked in the building escaped uninjured. with regard to these explosive devices, we understand that lee was suspected to have several strapped to his body, as well as carrying three other packages with him into the building. now, i've been told by sources

that three packages were brought out of the building and were disrupted by the bomb squad. but that does not mean their work here is done. we are told it's going to be hours still before this building back here, a block and a half behind me down georgia avenue, is declared completely safe. and that means downtown silver spring is going to be tied up for quite some time. in silver spring, brad bell, abc 7 news. >> a really bizarre story there, really amazing. the impressive part was they got so many people out of the building. almost 2,000 people, including kids in a day care center, made it out safely. >> lucky for them. >> no doubt. coming up next, what's led to outrage on the anniversary of princess diana's death. >> plus a big announcement about conan o'br

all right, time for "the skinny." >> yes. we're both conan o'brien fans. some news about him out today. >> he's got the beard because he's been off the air for

several months now. we all know what happened there with nbc. he's making a return and making a splash now with the title of his new show on tbs. >> a clever title too. >> it is very clever. he says he spent millions of dollars researching it, his lawyers and his whole team trying to come up with a new title. before i hit it with you on this let's listen to what he had to say in his big announcement on youtube. >> i spent millions of dollars, i've had media, research companies, we've had thousands of people working round the clock, and we have got it. drumroll, please. rrr! more of a cat purring, sorry. and -- bang! there it is. "conan." >> now that's original. >> sweet and simple, after all that research. "conan." that says it all. he has such a huge following, no matter what he called it people will tune in. that show premieres november 8th on tbs. this big announcement about what the name is going to be.

>> it's going to be great. >> oh, yeah. >> plus he had $45 million to walk away from nbc. so, you know, not bad. >> that is not a bad severance package at all. any of us would take that. good for conan. slowly getting back in the game. a bizarre story here. a very different note from the conan o'brien situation. this chinese underwear company coming under a lot of fire. they launched a very bizarre ad campaign featuring princess diana, obviously passed away, august of 1997, 13 years since she passed away. apparently they have some look-alike model of the princess playing a cello in her bra and panties. people have said this is really tacky and awful because they say they're cashing in on her death. it's inappropriate considering, one, who she was, and two, how she died. so they really, this has gotten -- some folks who have seen the ad are really not happy with this kind of depiction of the princess like this. kind of tacky a little bit. >> especially on the anniversary of her death.

>> yeah, really. probably wouldn't have gone over well any time. definitely not around this time of year. >> yeah, i would say not the best idea, no doubt. prince charles in fact has not commented on it. but i'm sure -- >> you can imagine the monarchy ain't happy on that one. >> no doubt. all right, well, are you a fan of "the real housewives"? >> my girlfriend has me hooked on the show. >> new jersey, "the real housewives of new jersey," is an explosive show. what are you doing up there? what's in the water? they fight every day. >> it makes for good tv, that's what it is. >> feisty. >> there's teresa guidice who gave this interview to "in touch" revealing she and her husband joe are $11 million in debt. we saw on the show she went on these lavish spending sprees with this huge mansion, custom-built, right after she learned she was in $11 million of debt, went into bankruptcy.

she went on this $60,000 spending spree, buying a bunch of furniture. there you go. >> that's insane. apparently her financial situation has become a real bone of contention on the show. don't need a rematch but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as

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here are some stories to watch today on abc news. as hurricane earl threatens a big section of the eastern coastline, several states are putting emergency plans to work. president obama has ordered federal agencies to help the states. investors on wall street will be watching for a long list of economic reports today. weekly jobless claims, home sales, and factory production numbers are all due this morning. the dow jones industrials open after a 255-point gain. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke testifies before a federal commission today. that commission is investigating the causes of the financial crisis. finally this half hour, evening the playing field. for years now the ugly truth in this country's been that men are paid more that are their female co-workers.

>> the tables appear to be turning. the new census data shows that women are now outearning men by a pretty penny as well. here's sharyn alfonsi with the numbers. >> reporter: danielle fennoy is one of new york's top designers. like many young women across the country she now earns more than many of her male counterparts. >> people take you seriously when you're expensive. i think that's part of the reason why i charge what i charge. >> reporter: she's not alone. on average, women are now making 8% more than men. >> i think that's fantastic. it gives me actually a little more encouragement to raise my prices even more. >> reporter: but there is one caveat and it's a big one. are you married? >> no. >> do you have children? >> no. >> reporter: it turns out those women making more money, they're unmarried, they don't have little ones at home, and they're all under the age of 30. so for the rest of us, we still have some hurdles. >> men tend to work more hours than women. women tend to take time off, for childbirth or taking care of

potentially parents. >> reporter: why the reversal with young women? the answer can be found in any college classroom. for every two guys who graduate college today, three women do. and we know college graduates earn almost $30,000 more than high school graduates. and in some cities, young women aren't just earning more than the guys, they're clobbering them. earning 12% more than men in l.a. 14% more in raleigh and charlotte. and in new york, women are making 17% more than men. for thousands of young women, it is a reason to celebrate. and they'll have no problem picking up the tab. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> i'd like to see part of that study what industries we're talking about. or maybe it's not really necessarily broken down by industries. but, hey, you know, look. equal is equal and that's a good sign. >> it is true. after years of the other way

being true it's time for this abababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababababab

hurricane earl's approach. the shifting and dangerous storm and the huge section of the eastern coastline at risk. then, peace push. can palestinian and israeli leaders end tensions when they talk later today? and, cancer concerns. after michael douglas blames his diagnosis on cigarettes and booze. >> alcohol is classified as carcinogenic to humans. >> it's thursday, september 2nd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it's always interesting when someone famous gets a serious illness. it draws great attention on the ailment, on the link between alcohol and throat cancer as he's battling stage 4. very interesting.

scary. >> it is scary. now it's a platform with another celebrity being able to use that to help other people. >> let's hope it does, too. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm mike marusarz. vinita nair is off this morning. back to hurricane earl which is moving closer to the eastern u.s. this morning with winds of 140 miles an hour. a federal state of emergency has been declared in north carolina. >> earl could make landfall there later today. steve osunsami now reports from cape hatteras. >> reporter: on hatteras island -- >> back to jersey. >> reporter: thousands of visitors from across the world were told the hurricane is coming too close and they would have to leave. >> pain in the butt. >> reporter: bill eiler and his family were forced to abandon their two-week vacation and drive back to maryland -- >> rented a big house in frisco. they kicked us out this morning. >> reporter: a group of friends who planned to spend the week in this house near rodanthe is now on the road to canada. >> we're heading back to montreal. >> 18 hours? >> yes, 18 hours straight.

>> reporter: the one road off the island was a slow-moving mess. >> they won't let us stay. they're going to make us sit in this traffic. >> reporter: the storm is fearsome and still forecast to skirt the eastern coastline. but state officials worry it could change its mind. >> there have been times people have sworn to us it's not going to touch us and within three hours it's right on top of us. >> reporter: fema is already shipping bottled water, generators and 300,000 meals to north carolina and massachusetts. >> we could see watches and warnings continue to move up the east coast. that's why it's so important for residents to have an evacuation plan ready to go if the evacuation order were called for. >> reporter: fema says residents from north carolina to maine should look out for storm surge. a moving wall of water that could do terrible things to low-lying areas highlighted here in blue. this is cape cod, in the path of earl, and home to 500,000 summer residents. officials are very worried about the storm, saying that even though it may be 80 to 100 miles offshore, we could still see hurricane-force winds here. steve osunsami, abc news, on hatteras island, north carolina.

and up the coast, boaters on new york's long island and along the massachusetts coasts are not taking any chances. earl is forecast to bring pretty rough surf, dangerous winds and possible flooding by saturday night. tropical storm watches have been posted from new york to boston. there are more precautions on top of that. national guard troops have been mobilized in north carolina. the social security administration is delivering more than 700,000 checks a day early because of the storm. and on top of that, 50 shelters are being prepared on new york's long island. hurricane earl appears to be picking up steam and moving a little faster. >> not the news we want to hear. let's got get the latest now from accuweather's ava dinges. good morning, ava. >> good morning, mike and rob. hurricane earl, the first hurricane of the 2010 season to impact the east coast. we have a train of storms across the atlantic. we've been talking about how

active this hurricane season was going to be. now it's finally picking up steam. tropical storm fiona on the heels of earl, though it's not likely to develop until earl gets out of the picture. even outside of that, tropical storm gaston, this could become even stronger than fiona because fiona is going to pave the way for gaston. earl remains a major concern. as we go throughout today, dangerous surf from daytona beach across the eastern carolinas and the outer banks will take the worst of the weather. as we head into the night waves as high as 25 feet. we could see tropical storm force winds across the outer banks. with 60 to 75-mile-per-hour sustained winds through the nighttime hours. by friday, gusty winds across the jersey shore, even into eastern long island. and cape cod, close enough to the storm set to pick up some very heav ra into saturday. the good news is this is the labor day holiday and much of new york will be dry by the weekend.

now back to you. mike and rob? >> all right, thanks, ava. here's the rest of thursday's weather. gusty winds, hai chicago all the way to dallas. showers in the twin cities and east texas. thunderstorms in south florida. and the heat wave continues here in the northeast. >> 90s from boston to baltimore. 80s from kansas city to detroit. up to 10 degrees aorma out west. 98 in sacramento. 82 in portland. 92 in albuquerque. mideast leaders meet at the state department today in a push for peac it's the first direct talks in nearly two years. >> simon mcgreggor-wood joins us this morning from jerusalem with another look ahead. good morning, simon. >> good moo an that's ghtot doday departmen face-to-face talks hosted by hillint their goal, to try and forge a lasting middle east peace agreement in just one year. it's an ambitious target. but as the protagonists gathered for dinner last night at the white house, there were plenty

of fine words and lots of >> lasting peace is a peace between peoples. between israelis and palestinians. we must learn to live together, to live next to one another, and with one another. president abbas, you are my partner in peace. >> but the challenges are very tough. the issues the two have to agree upon, the same issues that have defeated all their predecessors. what to do about jewish settlements, particularly with the current building freeze due to expire in a few weeks. where to draw the new border between the two states. what to do with the millions of palestinian refugees. how to divide the city of jerusalem to create two capitals for two states. all the while trying to prevent those who wish these talks to fail from sabotaging them. so i expect another round of very positive talks, of the two sides going to their first face-to-face session today. i think the real challenge, however, would be to keep that sense of optimism and purpose going when the two sides get back here and start the really

detailed discussions. rob, mike? >> all right, our thanks to simon mcgregor-wood on that. in other news now, pakistan has been hit by major violence for the first time since last month's devastating floods there. in lahore, three bombs ripped through a religious procession. the bombers targeted 35,000 shiite muslims who were commemorating one of their holiest days. 25 people were killed and about 150 wounded. sunni extremists may be to blame. a surveillance camera outside a massachusetts convenience store caught some frightening pictures of a car slamming into it. the driver apparently fell asleep and lost control, smashing as you see right through the front of the store. the owner and his wife had just closed for the night. the driver was treated at a hospital and released. the crash caused $130,000 in damage. a florida congresswoman tells oil giant bp that the company should spend more on oil spill victims and a little less on advertising.

the company told congress it had spent $93 million on ads from april through july. that's $5 million a week. although bp ran fewer commercials compared to last year, its advertising costs had tripled. now to poland where a new bundle of joy has been introduced to the public. >> zookeepers are showing off a rare 2-week-old pigmy hippopotamus. it's a boy which is good news because female hippos far outnumber the males. just 3,000 of these hippos live in the wild because of poaching. >> the yet to be named newborn weighs just 11 pounds. full grown, they can top 800 pounds. a lot of eating for the hungry hippo to do. >> i'm not an animal person but that's kind of cute, i give him that. >> you can't go wrong with a baby hippo, i don't care what day of the week it is, look at that. >> more after this, stay right there.

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now to that four-hour hostage standoff in suburban washington, d.c. we know that the suspect was james lee, an environmental extremist. >> lee was killed during the incident which is what ended the standoff, and of course there's still a lot of speculation about what exactly his motive was here. john donvan reports now from silver spring, maryland. >> reporter: say this for the discovery network -- locked down for long hours, a gunman somewhere in the guts of its headquarters, police taking up position outside, hostages in its lobby, everyone who could evacuating -- >> move as far away from the building as you can. >> reporter: -- hundreds of employees, plus the children in the full-time day care. >> excuse us. >> reporter: amidst this confusion, amid this

uncertainty, say this for discovery, the channel never blinked. this is what was on its air throughout the whole scary afternoon, uninterrupted. "american chopper." even as news choppers hovered overhead and details emerged about the gunman, said to be this man -- this is his myspace page -- james lee, a self-styled environmental anarchist who had harassed discovery in the past. a one-man protester arrested in 2008 after hurling thousands of dollars into the air outside discovery, setting off a frenzy. his complaint being, apparently, that discovery does not focus enough programming on saving the planet. by not, and this is from something he wrote, encouraging the birth of any more parasitic human infants and the false

heroics behind those actions. patrick irvine who worked at discovery at the time remembers seeing lee. >> he was under the belief that discovery was propagating the exploitation of the planet by promoting procreation. and also he referred to them many times as committing war crimes. >> reporter: the thing is, while outside none of us could see much of anything, inside they had security cameras going. and david levy, a discovery executive who stayed inside after everyone else left, could see that it was lee and he recognized him. >> when you heard who it was, given that this guy's got a track record of harassment, was your sense of, oh, this guy again? >> yeah, it was. we were able to identify him right away because he was standing up. so we had his picture on our security bulletin board. so we knew who he was right away. we were very familiar with him. and i wasn't surprised, but it was still a very scary situation. >> reporter: there were three hostages, two discovery

employees, and one who was a security guard. but the police were not sharing any but the most basic details. they knew that lee seemed to be carrying explosives, some boxes and some knapsacks. >> he was wearing what appeared to be metallic canister devices on his front and back. we are in negotiations with him currently. those negotiations are ongoing. >> reporter: we don't know what they said in those conversations but the talking apparently went on for hours. and then finally after about four hours, something happened to end this. we know that not because we could see it but because we could hear it, barely. when i say barely we're going to play you the tape now. listen very closely. our camera was on the building. the beeping is a crosswalk signal. those voices, the voices of reporters. but then this happened. it's a single gunshot. listen again. 15 minutes later the police approached the media's gathering point and said, quite simply -- >> approximately ten minutes ago, the suspect was shot by

police officers. >> reporter: the hostages were not hurt. they ran as the police burst in and shot lee, which they did, they explained later, because he had made a threatening move. >> he pulled out the handgun that he came in with and pointed it at one of the hostages. >> reporter: and that was it. crisis defused. >> let me just say on behalf of the company, thank you very much to law enforcement and montgomery county fire and rescue. all of our employees are accounted for. >> reporter: not that it's quite over yet. inside, there were still those boxes and knapsacks which this fire department official told me could still be bombs. so they would need to be checked out. >> we may send a robot in to disrupt the package, or we may send a bomb technician in, in flak, to destabilize. >> so we're talking about it's going to be -- this is going to take hours?

>> yeah. there's no time frame to put on something like this. and there's certainly no rush. >> reporter: that's where it stands now. bomb experts working through the night inside this building, actually detonating some of the devices lee left behind. but the programming, still uninterrupted. i'm john donvan in silver spring, maryland. >> there were several more detonations in the hours after the suspect in that case was killed. they still heard those sounds. a very bizarre, scary story. but like he said, most of the people made it out of that building, almost 2,000 folks. >> the investigation will continue overnight and the rest of today. but i don't know if we will ever truly -- by the way, look at that. those pictures yesterday of these babies going to mcdonald's nearby to be kept safe. what i was going to say is that we probably will never truly know what his exact motives were. all right, when we come back, serious ququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququ

las and now his battle with throat cancer. very serious battle. a fight he told david letterman he is very determined to win. >> he said one of the key reasons for his cancer was his years of drinking. ron claiborne reports on how cancer and alcohol are connected. >> reporter: talking publicly about it for the first time on david letterman's show, douglas disclosed he has stage 4 throat cancer, the most advanced stage, which means it is large or could be spreading. >> i've got cancer. found out about it three weeks ago. >> reporter: douglas said he had complained to doctors earlier in the summer of a persistent sore throat. but the cancer went undetected for weeks until a walnut-size tumor was found at the base of his tongue. the 64-year-old actor blamed his cancer on his lifestyle. >> i smoked cigarettes and i drank. and this particular type of cancer is caused by alcohol and

drinking. >> reporter: almost everyone knows that smoking causes cancer. fewer know about the risk posed by alcohol. >> alcohol is classified as carcinogenic to humans. a human carcinogen. >> reporter: heavy drinking, at least four drinks a day, has been linked to oral, liver, colon, and rectal cancers. even moderate drinking, at least one a day for women, can increase the risk of breast cancer. >> the relationship between alcohol drinking and cancer seems to be independent of the type of alcohol that you drink. >> doesn't matter if it's beer, wine, vodka, rum? you're still getting the same risk? >> yes. >> reporter: the actual mechanism by which alcohol causes cancer isn't fully understood. one leading theory, the ethanol in liquor metabolizes to acetaldehyde, a known carcinogen. for breast cancer, it appears to alter estrogen levels. the cancer risk from alcohol has behlig h. oral and breast cancer than nonmormons. douglas says the cancer has not

spread below his neck. he began chemotherapy and radiation a week ago. he says doctors have given him a good chance of beating his cancer. >> the percentages are very good. i would hate to say, but right now it looks like it should be 80%. >> reporter: that's a five-year survival rate of 80% that he's talking about. and depending on what kind of throat cancer michael douglas has, that is not at all unrealistic. not even for advanced stage iv cancer. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. >> that kind of takes the fun out of happy hour a little bit, you realize the damage you're doing to yourself with the alcohol. it doesn't take a whole lot to get there. so many people do drink, this is something people may not be totally aware about. >> he, even a guy, a celebrity like michael douglas, he said he had a sore throat, maybe he didn't know what it was, then he found out it was cancer.

it just goes to show this stuff can affect anyone. take care of yourselves. >> absolutely. "morning papers" coming up next.

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at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night. "world news now" delivers your "morning papers." apparently i have found the first guy ever who does not like ladies night at the bar. there's a lawyer here in manhattan who basically was brushed off in court yesterday because he tried to sue saying he doesn't think ladies night is constitutional. he doesn't like the idea women can pay less to get into the bar than men have to pay. he says he thinks that violates the constitution. he says the guys are paying for the girls to party, i don't think that's fair. of course the court tossed it out, said you're ridiculous. this guy, roy van hollanger, states he is an anti-feminist lawyer, takes this case to court. the court said you're crazy, they knocked it out yesterday here in new york. first guy i've ever heard of

that does not like ladies night. >> fascinating case. i don't think he's going to have many good nights after this. >> no, absolutely not. >> out at the night clubs. we talked, you're not a big golfer. >> no. lick to watch it. >> i hack around the golf ball once or twice. i usually end up in the rough like many of my fellow aspiring golfers do. a guy in orange county, california, did the same thing. he hit a ball into the rough. and this is what happened. a 12-acre wildfire. apparently his club, in trying to hack it out of the rough stuff hit a rock, and boy scout style started a fire. >> that's a real hot streak. >> 150 firefighters later and 12 acres burned. no word on how -- >> how? >> from all of this. >> spark off the rock? >> spark off of that. no word on how his round went. i don't know what he shot. >> i assume they took a stroke or two off, you start a fire. there's got be some kind of

penalty. >> is it him right there on the green? i don't know. >> better swinging next time. we all live in a text message hyper world right now. sometimes you can hit -- it's frustrating sometimes you hit the wrong letter, you've got to go back. all this kind of stuff. check out this commercial for this device that could make your life a lot easier. ♪ i used to hit the wrong keys on the phone all the time ♪ ♪ i ain't mad at the phone just a sign that i need to get a texti ♪ ♪ get a texti ♪ >> a texti is basically a green -- very impressive. >> a club hitter. >> it is a -- essentially a condom for your thumb. it helps you hit the right letter on the text messaging. and that is the latest device to make american life a lot easier. they call it video gum. >> i love these. look for it at the nearest club. it's hot. >> that's good. >> it is nice. we leave you with a battle for the ages. cobra v. mongoose. who wins, huh? who's your money on?

>> i take the mongoose. >> n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n

n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n n nbibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibi get out. the official order as hurricane earl approaches. >> there is a mandatory evacuation for tourists. there is a voluntary evacuation for residents. >> precautions along the east coast. then, revealing memoir. britain's tony blair on mideast peace and his insight into princess diana. and, changing channels. can apple's latest gadget change the way you watch tv? it's thursday, september 2nd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> a lot of folks, labor day weekend not shaping up quite the way they imagined with this monster storm still out there. >> right. and we originally thought that hurricane earl would jet up

toward the northeast a lot quicker than it has. and so the direction now becomes quite a concern for the carolina coast. >> and everyone up on the eastern seaboard. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm mike marusarz sitting in for vinita nair. hurricane earl is growing stronger, packing winds of 140 miles per hour, posing a big threat to the entire east coast. >> and there is bad news from forecasters right now, especially for those of us who live along the eastern seaboard. the path of the storm is shifting west. within hours now, north carolina beaches will begin to feel earl's impact. t.j. winick reports from atlantic beach. >> reporter: pristine beaches and the crash of breathtaking waves belies what millions can expect the next few days. hurricane earl moves 700 miles south-southeast of cape hatteras, on track to brush against the north carolina shoreline. it will then blow northward toward new england. >> it would be a fitting end to a great summer, a little hurricane here at the beach.

>> reporter: for those hoping to close out the summer season basking in the sun, earl is a game-changer. evacuation orders have already been issued for some of the more exposed outer banks. >> if you're in hatteras or on ocracoke, please leave. there is a mandatory evacuation for tourists. there is a voluntary evacuation for residents. please leave. >> reporter: it has been nearly two decades since a hurricane this powerful has threatened such a large swath of the atlantic seaboard. for this very reason, beachgoers and boaters are heeding the warnings. >> you feel dumb leaving when you're here. but authorities say we need to do it, so i want to respect the authorities. >> reporter: about the only ones along the carolina coast not stocking up, packing up or moving out, surfers. who are out enjoying the waves kicked up by earl's 125-mile-per-hour winds. earl's effects on the coastline will ultimately depend on how it

tracks and if it strengthens. there's little doubt this storm will leave much of the east coast looking less like a summer holiday weekend and more like a ghost town. t.j. winick, abc news, atlantic beach, north carolina. other precautions are being taken ahead of this growing storm. national guard troops are being mobilized in north carolina, where the president has now declared a state of emergency. on top of that, the social security administration is delivering more than 700,000 checks a day early. on top of that, 50 shelters are being prepared on new york's long island. now to the storm's path and this morning's weather forecast. >> accuweather's ava dinges is bringing us up to date. >> hurricane earl already making waves in the southeast. a major hurricane as it's going to maintain its strength as we go throughout the day. on its heels tropical storm fiona just a blip on the radar and satellite because the

outflow from earl is impeding its development. earl will be the big story as we head throughout today and into the upcoming days. dangerous surf from daytona beach to the eastern carolinas. it looks like the outer banks of north carolina will see the biggest impact as we head into the night. we could see waves as high as 25 miles per hour on the outer banks into the nighttime hours. we're talking about some tropical storm force winds as well for the outer banks. 60 to 70-mile-per-hour sustained winds and gusts could be even higher. winds increasing across the jersey shore throughout friday. even up to 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts. eastern long island the same story. we could see some heavy rain as well, as unfortunately earl's expected to track a little bit closer to the northeast coast. and this is bad news just in time for the labor day holiday. could look for some pretty yucky weather across southern maine into saturday. now to the rest of the forecast. severe storms in the middle of the country.

damaging winds, baseball-sized hail and the threat of tornados from dallas up to chicago. showers in eastern texas and minneapolis. and thunderstorms in south florida. >> another hot day along the east coast. 90s from boston down to miami. 82 in detroit. and 74 in omaha. warmer out west. 98 in sacramento. 80s from portland to colorado springs. this morning's other big story, loud booms were heard outside the discovery channel building just outside washington last night, hours after a hostage siege ended. >> police were detonating some packages the suspect brought in when his violent protest began. john hendren has the latest now from silver spring, maryland. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and mike. the ordeal lasted four hours. with an unpredictable gunman and explosive device, police say it could have been much worse. at the discovery channel building, a nightmare scenario unfolded in seconds. >> at 1:00 p.m. today, a man entered the discovery building.

he came in, he was wearing what appeared to be metallic canister devices on his front and back. he also pulled a handgun out, was waving a handgun. >> reporter: police assumed the canisters were explosives. then chaos, as the gunman seized hostages. police, fire, fbi and s.w.a.t. teams swarmed the scene. >> everybody start moving as far away from the building as you can. >> reporter: workers were told to evacuate or hide. in a text message to abc news, one wrote, "i am in work closet with workers here. i am okay." in the day care center, babies in cribs were rolled across busy streets to safety at a nearby mcdonald's. then it ended with a detonation and a single shot. >> the suspect was shot by police officers. the device appeared to go off. the hostages, there were three

hostages. all the hostages are safe. >> reporter: law enforcement sources identified the suspect as james j. lee, seen here in this video. he's believed to have created this website called save the planet protest, demanding that the discovery channel call for "programs encouraging human sterilization" and adding, "the planet does not need humans." the gunman walked into the first floor lobby of that building with the blue sign behind me, flashing a gun and carrying two metal canisters. and there he remained with three hostages as police negotiated for hours for their release, until finally they brought him down. rob and mike? mideast peace talks reach the face-to-face stage today for the first time in nearly two years. israeli prime minister netanyahu, palestinian president abbas, sitting down together at the state department. president obama tried to give the talks a jump start by meeting with the two leaders yesterday. the prent s's cautiously hopeful about the talks.

incredible story here. a new york city man has survived a fall from the 39th floor of a high rise apartment building. he crashed feet-first through the back window of a red car that was parked on the street below. he landed in the back seat after the suicide attempt.owoar inside that car saved magill's life. >> wow. they barely understnd eh o butvers languags innce >> that's for sure. an argentinean man and a japanese woman beat out hundreds of couples in buenos aires to become this year's tango world champs. the two have been dancing together for just two years. >> aside from the language barriers there's the age difference as well. he's 21, she's 42. they say the tango is all about beyond the gauge. feeling beyond the gauge. in case you were wondering they are not a couple offstage. yet. yet, right? more after this.

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welcome back, everybody. former british prime minister tony blair attended wednesday's mideast peace talks. and while in washington he spoke

with "this week" anchor christiane amanpour. >> in an abc exclusive, the two talked about the prospects in the middle east, george w. bush, and even princess diana. >> reporter: the interview coincides with the release of his memoir, "a journey." tony blair explained that he sees the key to breaking the impasse in the middle east. you say the biggest problem with the middle east peace process is that no one has ever gripped it long enough or firmly enough. the gripping is intermittent and intermittent won't do, it doesn't work. if it was gripped it would be solved. you also say in your book that president bush, his heart wasn't really into it. >> well, they came to grip it but it was late on in the presidency and that's the important distinction with president obama now. i mean, i -- i think you cannot overstate the importance of president obama coming in and saying right from the beginning, we're going to grip this.

because that allows you to go through what will inevitably be the ups and downs. >> reporter: and as combat in iraq ends, blair describes his regret at the lives lost. his book is a personal reflection of the many relationships he had with presidents, prime ministers, and even princesses. like diana. you were right there when her whole sort of final phase of relationship, she had divorced prince charles, she had the two children, obviously. and she was going out with dodi fayed. and that was causing some consternation, you write, and you had to confront her about it. >> i talked to her about it. exist worried for her, frankly. >> what was the issue? >> obviously it was an unusual relationship to be in. >> you say buckingham balance sort of saw her as a threat. >> well, they admired her but she was such a -- a sort of -- in one sense, she was such a different type of person that

for a very traditional monarchy, this was, you know -- as i say, it was a meteor coming into what had been a fairly well-disciplined, well-ordered ecosystem. but at the same time, of course, she was immensely popular with the people. >> despite all the controversy, he stands behind the decision to help out in the invasion of iraq saying, "i still believe that leaving saddam in power was a bigger risk to our security than removing him." so he stands by that decision pretty firmly. >> it is interesting to hear what he thinks about the issues today and reflecting back to what he was involved in. you can hear more from christiane amanpour's interview with tony blair coming up on "this week" on sunday. moving on, vice president biden was in baghdad as the u.s. officially transferred military authority to the iraqi army. 50,000 american troops though still remain in the country. >> they'll support the iraqi army which is now in charge of security. here's dan harris with his

impressions on a momentous day. >> reporter: the thing that struck me most powerfully came from the understated defense secretary, robert gates, who was asked about whether the war was worth it. >> how it all weighs in the balance over time i think remains to be seen. >> reporter: remains to be seen. >> the united states and our allies have prevailed. >> reporter: what a stark contrast to that swashbuckling, and now infamous photo op, from george w. bush. the lack of chest-thumping a reflection of both future uncertainties and the enormous costs of this war. the second thing that struck me was covering this change of command ceremony inside one of saddam's former palaces. the gaudy creation of a megalomaniac now populated by crisp, business-like american servicemen and women. it's amazing for me to see how lived-in this place is now by the americans. there are sandbags all over the place. they use the second floor as

offices. they even hold their most important ceremonies here. and finally, we notice something new out here on the streets of baghdad. something that seems specifically designed to counter the widespread cynicism about whether the iraqi security forces are ready to take over from the americans. it is this poster. at the top of the poster you see pictures of departing americans. and then at the bottom you see a big picture of an iraqi police vehicle. and in arabic in center it says, "we're ready." dan harris, abc news, baghdad. >> and those posters obviously replace saddam hussein's posters that were up before all of this began, so it will be interesting to see moving forward if those posters are the indelie im

>> that is the big question

now to a very bizarre story. a northern california man tasered inside his own home is now suing the police who did it. >> he was apparently tasered because he refused to go to the hospital. it was all caught on tape, and we warn you, the video is graphic. here's mike von fremd. >> reporter: 64-year-old peter mcfarland is a cancer survivor with a heart condition. hardly the kind of person you would expect to be tasered in his own home. a camera mounted on the sheriff's weapon is rolling as mcfarland is tasered three times. why did this happen? mcfarland told abc station kgo that he slipped and injured himself on the front steps.

paramedics treated him and were leaving when two deputies entered his home. >> they came in here like there was a fire going on or some gunfight was going on. >> reporter: deputies wanted to take mcfarland to the hospital, fearing he would harm himself because of some things he said. at first, everything seems calm. >> we want to take you to the hospital for evaluation. you said if you had a gun you would shoot yourself in the head. >> i'm depressed. >> that's why we want to take to you talk to somebody. >> reporter: then mcfarland becomes agitated. >> didn't ask you in my house. get out of here. >> stop it, honey. >> peter, just cooperate. >> reporter: no one would back down. >> put your hands behind your back. >> [ bleep ]. >> put your hands behind your back. >> quit resisting. stop resisting.

>> reporter: mcfarland is now suing the marin county sheriff's office. >> i think mr. mcfarland's got a whale of a case in terms of his claims against the police. this idea that somehow they needed to take him in for a psychiatric examination because he was a threat to himself is almost laughable. >> reporter: california's court of appeals sets strict guidelines that warn police tasers should only be used in threatening situations because it inflicts more pain than other so-called non-lethal weapons. in a statement the sheriff's office says, "we are confident the actions of our deputies will within the law and department policy." mike von fremd, abc news, los angeles. >> a truly strange case there. i mean, he didn't seem, in the video at least, to be that much

of a threat, and he has the right to be in his own home. police i guess were trying to help. >> the question becomes, in trying to help, the legal situation, they are inside of his home.

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finally this half hour, the latest marvel fr from apple. steve jobs was front and center yet again announcing his company's latest innovation. >> one gadget in particular promises to change everything. diana alvear has details from los angeles. >> reporter: rob and mike, good morning. you know, when it comes to steve jobs there's always one more

thing. well, that one more thing could prove to be an earthquake for the television industry. >> and this is what it looks like. >> reporter: if apple has its way you'll be in charge of your television viewing experience. using this black box, only slightly larger than your hand. >> it's silent, cool, and tiny. >> reporter: wednesday, ceo steve jobs unveils a new apple tv model that marries television and web video. >> so we've got abc and fox -- >> reporter: apple wants to partner with networks to offer 99 cent rentals a tv episode. >> there's one episode i haven't seen. i can go in here and say, okay, let me go ahead and rent that episode. >> reporter: apple's not alone. google has announced a similar product. google tv. >> a new platform that we believe will change the future of television. >> reporter: it's that very future networks are concerned about. nbc, cbs, and time warner are holding out, concerned cheap episode rentals would gut their profit model. much as 99 cent song downloads

destroyed cd sales. these new systems could render cable television irrelevant. syndication fees would also suffer. the combined effect could spell economic catastrophe for the networks. we don't know who's going to win. we do know eventually the landscape will be fundamentally changed. >> reporter: bloggers dislike the rental model. they say if you pay for something you ought to be able to keep it. rob, mike? >> wow. drastic changes for the tv industry. >> i'm pulling up this thing here, bear with me, i'm playing with this ipad. talking about the new ipod touch. now it features some face time opportunities with a new face-to-face camera. >> that's kind of cool too. >> front-facing camera so you can actually do some video chats and things like that with the new ipad. >> the revamped ipod touch, the revamped ipod nano. i'm technologically deficient myself. sounds pretty cool. nano. i'm technologically deficient

myself. sounds pretty cool.

orning's evacuations and forecasts. then, discovery's drama. the standoff inside a tv network's headquarters. how the crisis came to an end. and, salary shift. who now makes more money, men or women? >> i think it's fantastic. >> it's thursday, september 2nd. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> for so long you've heard that it's so unfair in this country that men make a lot more than women do. 80 cents to the dollar, something like that. this story kind of flips that script right around. >> it wasn't that women make

more, it was that women make a lot more. so it's interesting information and definitely a sign of the times, perhaps changing times. good morning. i'm mike marusarz. vinita nair is on vacation. >> i'm rob nelson. president obama has declared a state of emergency in north carolina as hurricane earl gains strength. >> the huge hurricane as seen from a federal research plane is moving with chilling momentum. t.j. winick reports from the north carolina coast. >> reporter: along north carolina's outer banks it is literally the calm before the storm. wednesday as many as 30,000 tourists were ordered to leave hatteras island. >> pain in the butt. >> reporter: bill eiler and his family were forced to abandon their two-week vacation. >> rented a house in frisco, they kicked us out this morning. >> reporter: the national weather service restored earl to a category 4 hurricane late wednesday when its winds increased to 135 miles per hour. the storm is expected to pass

within 60 to 90 miles of the outer banks early friday morning. forecasters fear even a slight deviation could be devastating. >> there have been times when people have sworn to us that it's not going to touch us, and within three hours it's right on top of us. >> reporter: north carolina, virginia, and maryland are all under states of emergency. fema is already shipping bottled water, generators and 300,000 meals to north carolina and massachusetts. cape cod is also in the path of earl and home to 500,000 summer residents. >> we could see watches and warnings continue to move up the east coast. that's why it's so important for residents to have evacuation plans ready to go if the evacuation orders are called for. >> reporter: the last time a hurricane posed such a threat to the east coast was in 1991, when hurricane bob caused an estimated $620 million in damage.

t.j. winick, abc news, pine knoll shores, north carolina. now to the path of hurricane earl, which is something much of the east coast is keeping a very close eye on. >> no doubt about that. accuweather's ava dinges is tracking the storm for us. good morning, ava. >> good morning, mike and rob. hurricane earl, the first hurricane of the 2010 season to thest, t no contes tcraswavs and surf along the southeast coast. on its heels, tropical storm fiona really not much to talk about. the outflow from earl impeding its development. iouldn onl as we havsu thrghoucros daybeaceast georgia, even into the eastern carolinas. earl will be tracking more to the north where it's expected to weaken just a bit. regardless of that, still some major impacts across eastern north carolina, especially to the outer banks, as we can see tropical storm force winds into thursday night, into these nighttime hours. winds could be as high as 60 to 7lesp across the northeast coast as

well, even along the jersey shore, eastern long island. gusts could be as high as 40 miles per hour throughout friday. biggest impacts to cape cod will come into friday night into saturday with strong winds and heavy rain. much of new england will be impacted by this heavy rain even as we head into the early weekend. now back to you, mike and rob. >> ava, thank you. now to the rest of today's weather. stormy in the nation's midsection with large hail, 80-mile-an-hour winds and isolated tornados in chicago, st. louis, kansas city, and dallas. humid along the gulf coast and more near-record highs in the rth 92 80s in detroit and indianapolis. fargo only gets up to 68. sounds nice. billings 71. 106 in phoenix. 92 in albque. suicide bombings have resumed in pakistan for the first time since floods devastated the country last month. a series of b 150 people were injured. the bombers tarigio

procession. 35,000 shiites were marching in lahore when the coordinated blasts took place. sunni extremists are suspected in the attack. the discovery channel headquarters will be open for business today, a day after a deadly hostage siege. james lee arrived with a gun and explosives there to protest the company's environmental programming. while lee held three people hostage, nearly 2,000 workers and the building's day care center were evacuated. a producer for nbc news reached lee by phone during the standoff. >> do you have a gun? >> i have a gun and i have a bomb. i have several bombs strapped to my body ready to go off. >> a police sharpshooter killed lee when he was seen aiming a gun at a hostage. an explosive device on his body detonated when he was shot. mideast leaders sit down for the first face-to-face peace talks today in nearly two years. president obama already met with israeli and palestinian leaders at the white house. tahman bradley reports. >> reporter: violence in the

middle east is once again putting a damper on the prospects of a breakthrough on the eve of peace talks. four israelis were killed tuesday in hebron. president obama condemned the violence. >> the united states is going to be unwavering in its support of israel's security. and we are going to push back against these kinds of terrorist activities. >> reporter: the president met separately with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, jordan's king abdullah, egyptian prime minister hosni mubarak, and palestinian leader mahmoud abbas. abbas' government acted forcefully after the killings in hebron, rounded up 250 hamas members after the militant group claimed responsibility for the shootings. in an interview with abc's christiane amanpour, middle east envoy and former british prime minister tony blair is optimistic that secretary of state hillary clinton is the right choice to host the talks.

>> i mean, the one thing for absolutely certain is that she has the capacity and the capability and the political wherewithal to do this. >> reporter: there may be a glimmer of hope in washington for the first direct israeli/palestinian talks in two years. but in the region, there's not much hope. t talks, that causes a flare-up in the violence. >> unfortunately, these talks are doomed to fail >> reporter: a host of issues continue to stymie the prospects for peace. among them the political status of jerusalem, borders for a new palestinian state, and security guarantees for israel. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. in other news now, the company that makes the wrinkle-smoothing treatment botox will plead guilty today to a misdemeanor for its marketing practices. allergan will pay $600 million to settle charges that it promoted botox for unapproved medical uses. the government claimed that the drug company illegally

encouraged doctors to use botox shots for conditions other than wrinkles. some injected botox in patients to treat headaches and even cerebral palsy. well, he liked to call chicago cubs games from the bleachers and now he'll forever be close to his favorite spot. >> that's for sure. the cubs rededicated the statue of hall of fame announcer harry caray. they moved him to the main bleachers entrance over wrigley field. the statue shows caray and his trademarked oversized glasses while leading the crowd on a rendition of "take me out to the ball game." >> the reason for the move, a statue of cubs hall of famer billy williams will move into caray's old spot. caray's widow said he was never content in the old spot anyway. how about that. >> don't you have an impression? >> hey, hey! >> we'll be back. we return to that four-hour you go next if you had a hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon?

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we return to that four-hour standoff in maryland. three people were taken hostage but none of them were hurt. >> the gunman, james lee, was killed in the incident. lee's plan and motive, though, are still very much in question. here now is "american landscape" coverage from wjla in washington, d.c. >> we saw a lot of commotion, some shots were fired, people were running out of the building. >> reporter: terror at discovery. a gunman loaded down with explosives takes hostages. the incredible scene as police move in. we begin tonight with the workplace nightmare that played out on live tv today. the target, discovery communications. police say a man armed with a gun and possibly explosives took hostages in the building that houses some 1,900 workers. we begin with brad bell who's been out there on the scene all afternoon.

>> reporter: at this hour, police and bomb squads are still working to make sure that downtown silver spring is safe from what this man had with him. i want to play you a little bit of tape. listen carefully because we've heard this five times tonight. listen to this. there you go, it was a big boom. we've heard five of those tonight. now, what we have been told those are is disruptions of explosive devices that this man, james lee, brought into the discovery communications building. we're told that a robot went in, they were inside the building, brought them out, then used a charge to disrupt the device. not make the device explode, but make it so it cannot explode. and that is done with a little bit of a detonation on the part of the bomb squad. so that's what's been going on tonight. it's going to be quite a while before they get this scene clear. but this all started at 1:00 this afternoon when this man by

the name of james lee, well known to the people here at discovery as a long-time protester, showed up in the lobby. what james j. lee might not have known during his four-hour siege of the discovery channel building was that for the entire time, police had him literally in their sights. whekp%ust before 5:00 he appeared to threaten a hostage, a police sniper pulled his trigger. >> he pulled out the handgun that he came in with, pointed it at one of the hostages. it's unconfirmed now whether he actually fired the weapon or not. but at that point, our tactical units moved in. they shot the suspect. the suspect is deceased. >> reporter: the beginning of the standoff at about 1:00 was nearly as violent. lee, known as a long-time protester at the discovery channel, walked into the network's lobby, fired a shot from a handgun, and told the people there not to move. he appeared to have explosives

strapped to his body and carried backpacks and a box. he kept three male hostages in the first floor lobby. an hour later he began cell phone conversations with police. and the rest of the building, including a day care center, was evacuated. many in neighboring buildings, including shanti, were ordered by police to hunker down. >> it was scary. you couldn't leave the building. the police came and knocked on the door and told us we cannot leave the building until they tell us to. >> reporter: on the streets of silver spring, the scene grew frantic. fearing lee might detonate his bombs, police cleared the streets for two blocks around the huge discovery building. in the end lee was the only casualty. his hostages and the 1,900 other people who worked in the building escaped uninjured. with regard to these explosive devices, we understand that lee was suspected to have several strapped to his body, as well as carrying three other packages with him into the building. now, i've been told by sources

that three packages were brought out of the building and were disrupted by the bomb squad. but that does not mean their work here is done. we are told it's going to be hours still before this building back here, a block and a half behind me down georgia avenue, is declared completely safe. and that means downtown silver spring is going to be tied up for quite some time. in silver spring, brad bell, abc 7 news. >> a really bizarre story there, really amazing. the impressive part was they got so many people out of the building. almost 2,000 people, including kids in a day care center, made it out safely. >> lucky for them. >> no doubt. coming up next, what's led to outrage on the anniversary of princess diana's death. >> plus a bibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibibi

all right, time for "the skinny." >> yes. we're both conan o'brien fans. some news about him out today. >> he's got the beard because he's been off the air for

several months now. we all know what happened there with nbc. he's making a return and making a splash now with the title of his new show on tbs. >> a clever title too. >> it is very clever. he says he spent millions of dollars researching it, his lawyers and his whole team trying to come up with a new title. before i hit it with you on this let's listen to what he had to say in his big announcement on youtube. >> i spent millions of dollars, i've had media, research companies, we've had thousands of people working round the clock, and we have got it. drumroll, please. rrr! more of a cat purring, sorry. and -- bang! there it is. "conan." >> now that's original. >> sweet and simple, after all that research. "conan." that says it all. he has such a huge following, no

matter what he called it people will tune in. that show premieres november 8th on tbs. this big announcement about what the name is going to be. >> it's going to be great. >> oh, yeah. >> plus he had $45 million to walk away from nbc. so, you know, not bad. >> that is not a bad severance package at all. any of us would take that. good for conan. slowly getting back in the game. a bizarre story here. a very different note from the conan o'brien situation. this chinese underwear company coming under a lot of fire. they launched a very bizarre ad campaign featuring princess diana, obviously passed away, august of 1997, 13 years since she passed away. apparently they have some look-alike model of the princess playing a cello in her bra and panties. people have said this is really tacky and awful because they say they're cashing in on appate ring one, who she was, and two, how so they really, this has gotten -- some folks who have seen the ad are really not happy with this kind of depion

the princess like th kind of tacky a little bit. >> especially on the annivary of her death. >> yeah, really. probably wouldn't have gone over well any time. definitely not around this time of year. >> yeah, i would say not the best idea, no doubt. prince charles in fact has not commented on it. but i'm sure -- >an inethy all right, well, are you a fan of "the real housewives"? >> my girlfriend has me hooked on the show. >> new jersey, "the real housewives of new jersey," is an explosive show. what are you doing up there? what's in the water? they fight every day. >> it makes for good tv, that's what it is. >> feisty. >> there's teresa guidice who gave this interview to "in touch" revealing she and her husband joe are $11 million in debt. we saw on the show she went on these lavish spending sprees with this huge mansion, custom-built, right after she learned she was in $11 million of debt, went into bankruptcy. she went on this $60,000 spending spree, buying a bunch

of furniture. there you go. >> that's insane. apparently her financial situation has become a real bone of contention on the show. you don't need a rematch but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness. stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as

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here are some stories to watch today on abc news. as hurricane earl threatens a big section of the eastern coastline, several states are putting emergency plans to work. president obama has ordered federal agencies to help the states. investors on wall street will be watching for a long list of economic reports today. weekly jobless claims, home sales, and factory production numbers are all due this morning. the dow jones industrials open after a 255-point gain. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke testifies before a federal commission today. that commission is investigating the causes of the financial crisis. finally this half hour, evening the playing field. for years now the ugly truth in this country's been that men are paid more that are their female

co-workers. >> the tables appear to be turning. the new census data shows that women are now outearning men by a pretty penny as well. here's sharyn alfonsi with the numbers. >> reporter: danielle fennoy is one of new york's top designers. like many young women across the country she now earns more than many of her male counterp >> reporter: but there is one caveat and it's a big one. are you married? >> no. >> do you have children? >> no. >> reporter: it turns out those women making more money, they're unmarried, they don't have little ones at home, and they're all under the age of 30. so for the rest of us, we still have some hurdles. >> men tend to work more hours than women. women tend to take time off, for

childbirth or taking care of potentially parents. >> reporter: why the reversal with young women? the answer can be found in any college classroom. for every two guys who graduate college today, three women do. and we know college graduates earn almost $30,000 more than high school graduates. and in some cities, young women aren't just earning more than the guys, they're clobbering them. earning 12% more than men in l.a. 14% more in raleigh and charlotte. and in new york, women are making 17% more than men. for thousands of young women, it is a reason to celebrate. and they'll have no problem picking up the tab. sharyn alfonsi, abc news, new york. >> i'd like to see part of that study what industries we're talking about. or maybe it's not really necessarily broken down by industries. but, hey, you know, look. equal is equal and that's a good

sign. >> it is true.