making news on this wednesday, september 22nd. >> new this morning, a bombshell book reveals some deep divisions among the president's war council. plus, the cia's secret army. and what leader is battling depression. bedbug wars. new tools in the battle against the pests, as the problem now spreads nationwide. and breaking news overseas. one country sends paris hilton packing. good morning. and thanks for being with us. we begin this morning with those explosive, new revelations about how the obama administration is managing the war in afghanistan. >> they are contained in a soon-to-be released book, by long time "washington post" journalist, bob woodward.

and they do not present a flattering picture. >> emily schmidt is in washington with details. >> reporter: woodward's newest bookout lines a series of explosive, internal conflicts about the war in afghanistan. according to t"the new york time times", which says obtained a copy of this book. it expresses serious doubts about the u.s. strategy by a number of officials. one goes as far as to say it just can't work. that strategy involves the president sending another 30,000 americans into the fight last winter. mr. obama is said to have been uncomfortable with the attempts of military commanders to force him into the decision to send those troops before he wanted to do so. the pentagon's top officials are right in the middle of it all. joint chiefs admiral mike mullen is said to say his deputy went behind his back on matters. and robert gates reportedly fumed about possible moves of mr. obama's security staff, which he calls a disaster.

the current commander in afghanistan, general david petraeus is quoted as telling an aide he doesn't like talking to david axelrod. in the book, it describes axelrod as a complete spin doctor. and it talks about a cia 3,000-man covert army. and it has intelligence in a afghan president hamid karzai suffers from manic depression. president obama also takes politics into account, as he sets that withdrawal deadline for next july. he says in the book, a deadline is needed because, quote, he can't lose the whole democratic party. this is all based on "new york times" reporting on that advanced copy of the book. all this just breaking this morning. so far, no comment from the white house. rob and vinita? >> interesting details. emily schmidt in washington this morning. thank you. and more shakeup at the white house. president obama's top economic

adviser is now stepping down. larry summers plans to leave the white house and return to harvard at the end of the year. summers is the third high economic adviser to leave in recent months. his departure gives the president a chance to reshape the economic team. and that turmoil over at the white house and a critical elections now just weeks away. the big guns are being called in. former president bill clinton and michelle obama are now hitting the campaign trail. the first lady will stump for candidates in a number of states including washington and california. polls show, she is one of the most popular democrats in the country right now. >> i think she will go out and make a forceful and positive case for what this administration has done. >> as for the republicans, sarah palin has put out a slick, new web video that portrays her as the national leader of the tea party movement. but she never mentions the word republican. and at least one gop candidate says he does not want palin

campaigning for him. jeffrey perry dismissed palin as, quote, an entertainer. the law banning gays from openly serving in the military remains in place right now. several republican senators blocked repealing the don't ask, don't tell bill. democratic leaders are promising to bring the issue back up after november's elections. they hope to move repeal efforts forward before losing any supporters who may feel defeated. the man at the center of a massive recall of eggs linked to salmonella is expected to apologize today. this morning's "ghoin register" reports that jack decoster says he is sorry to all those who got sick. it also says that the iowa company will not resume selling fresh eggs until the farms are free of disease. and that woman, theresa lewis, is set to become the first female executed in virginia in nearly a century. she was convicted of hiring two

men to kill her husband and stepson in 2002. the supreme court is nailing to block the lethal injection she is scheduled to receive tomorrow. two, key components of the health care overhaul are set to take effect tomorrow. this morning's "l.a. times" reports some major insurance companies are going to stop selling policies for children, rather than comply with the new provision in the law. with the other aspects, here is karen travers. >> reporter: starting tomorrow, young adults will be able to stay on their parents' insurance plans until they become 26. insurance companies can no longer deny coverage to children due to pre-existing conditions. and insurance companies can no longer drop people when they get sick. the only reason to rescind coverage is in cases of fraud. support for the overhaul has declined since march. the obama's administration

maintains that the public's bad opinion of the uh law is the result of misinformation. >> i think the more people engage in the conversation, the more that they understand we're getting serious about fraud. and we're going to take the trust fund very seriously and protect those taxpayer dollars, the more enthusiastic they get. >> reporter: republican leaders have pledged to do all they can to chip away at the health care. but they acknowledge, even if they take back the majority in congress, a full repeal is next to impossible. karen travers, abc news, washington. a vietnam war veteran has been awarded the highest honor posthumously. president obama presented the medal in a white house ceremony, saying it's never too late to do the right thing. etchberger was a radar technician that died in loose. and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation.

hail and gusty winds in omaha, sioux falls and des moines. flash flooding in the dakotas and minnesota. heavy downpours in the four corners of the southwest. and showers and thunderstorms across texas. >> highs in the 90s from dallas to miami. 74 in chicago. 86 in kansas city. and 67 in minneapolis. just 60 in billings. 70 in portland. and 80 in colorado springs. phoenix still warm at 91. your money news is next, including desperate times for one, major brewery, now giving beer away for free. >> sounds like a good plan. plus, america's war on bedbugs. the best and newest ways to keep the critters away from you.

the federal reserve is growing more concerned about the pace of the nation's recovery. the fed on tuesday did signal it is ready to act, hinting that it will pump more money into the economy if necessary. the fed is now more concerned about prices falling than rising, which could lead to a drop both in wages and in the value of homes. the fed's announcement is not having a huge impact on stocks, though. overseas stock markets are pretty mixed this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.4%. in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. on wall street, the dow added seven points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq slipped

six points. twitter says it has fixed a flaw that caused havoc on its site for hours on tuesday. hockers unleashed an attack that spammed followers with garbled messages and caused pop-up windows to open. twitter says it doesn't believe user information was compromised. it seems apple can do no wrong. the company computers received the highest score on a customer satisfaction survey for seven years in a row. dell, hewlett-packard and acor tied for second place. anheuser-busch is launching a new promotion to jump-start sales of budweiser. beginning monday, it will give the beer away for free, at trendy bars and restaurants. it's part of the company's biggest free sample company ever. all aimed at younger drinkers. bud sales are down sharply the past two years. free beer seems likes a good strategy. coming up next on this wednesday, the bedbug summit.

plus, sex abuse allegations against the pastor of one of the nation's largest churches. and the secret to making it to 114 years old. the world's oldest man offers up some advice. while i was building my friendships... my family... while i was building my life... my high cholesterol was contributing to plaque buildup in my arteries. that's why my doctor prescribed crestor. she said plaque buildup in arteries... is a real reason to lower cholesterol... and that, along with diet, crestor does more than lower bad cholesterol... it raises good. crestor is also proven to slow the buildup of plaque in arteries. crestor isn't for everyone, like people with liver disease or women who are nursing, pregnant, or may become pregnant. simple blood tests will check for liver problems. you should tell your doctor about other medicines you are taking, or if you have muscle pain or weakness. that could be a sign of serious side effects. while you've been building your life,

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sweet n' sour filled twizzlers. the twist you can't resist. now, a look ahead at your morning road conditions. flooding on i-94 from the twin cities to fargo. and on i-80 from omaha to des moines. flooded roads on the four corners to the southwest. and wet on i-34 and i-10, across texas. >> if you're flying today, you can expect airport delays in salt lake city, phoenix, denver, houston, kansas city, minneapolis, chicago and detroit. a major decision from japan overnight. that nation is refusing to roll out the red carpet for paris hilton. japanese imbrags officials denied the 29-year-old celebrity entrance into the country. and sent her back to the u.s.

because of the recent drug charge. hilton had arrived in tokyo to promote her fashion and fragrance license plates. she was sentenced earlier this week to one year probation, after pleading guilty to a drug charge in las vegas. it was a small-town scandal that triggered nationwide outrage. city leaders in bell, california, who paid themselves huge salaries. now, those officials will appear in court this morning, charged with bilking taxpayers out of more than $5 million. residents cheered in the street. >> i'm ecstatic. it's about time they caught them. >> these officials thought they could get away with it. and they did get away with it for a number of years. people are saying enough is enough. >> authorities saying robert rizzo, the city manager, made $4.3 million, by paying himself through different employment contracts that were not approved by the city council. a prominent religious leader in atlanta is denying

allegations of sexual abuse. bishop eddie long is accused of offering two young men sex. long is the pastor at one of the nation's biggest baptist churches. as bedbugs continue to sweep across the country, experts are now strugging to come up with the best battle plan to take them on. hundreds gathered for a bedbug summit outside of chicago yesterday, armed with some new ideas to squash the problem for good. abc's barbara pinto was there. >> reporter: the war on bedbugs has come to this. a first-ever national convention, showcasing the latest weapons. dogs trained to detect the tiny insects. and devices that kill them. so, basically, this is how they hitch a ride? >> right. bedbugs will hitch a ride in your stuff. in your belongings. >> reporter: this heater bakes suitcases at 120 degrees, killing any stowaway. if they infest your furniture, this trailer-sized version is big enough for mattresses.

lorne chasnick goes to the other extreme -- freezing the bugs. >> it will kill them on contact. >> reporter: so this makes snow? >> yes it does. i'll show you. >> reporter: scott linde, an exterminator, came all the way to chicago from new jersey. >> ten out of ten calls a day we get are just on bedbugs. >> reporter: that's because the blood-sucking insects have grown more resistance to pesticides. the state of ohio was so desperate, it petitioned the epa to use a banned chemical to fight them. killing these tiny bugs costs big money. almost $1,000 for an average home. thousands more for businesses and apartment buildings. and none of it is covered by insurance. that's what scares adam garden. he works for the housing authority in bloomington, illinois. >> i could have a building with 1 apartment having bedbugs to having 100 apartments. >> reporter: urban areas are the hardest hit. the most infested cities stretch

from coast to coast. at the top? new york, where bedbugs have invaded movie theaters, retail stores. even the empire state building. >> we actually use new york city as a barometer for what we think is going to happen across the country in the next five to ten years. >> reporter: that may be enough to keep you up at night. barbara pinto, abc news, rosemont, illinois. >> and you can get more information about battling bedbugs on our website. check out abcnews.com. anyone who commutes in and around the nation's big cities knows lots of urban roads are crumbling. and a new study shows just how bad those roads are. it says nearly a quarter of major highways are in substandard condition. that's a slight improvement from three years ago. the repair costs to the average motorist, $402 a year. as for the drive to baseball's postseason, one team has already arrived at its destination. details, now, from will selva, at espn news. >> good morning. the last two years, the a.l. central wasn't decided until

game number 163. this season, that wasn't the case. bottom second, no outs. twins trailing 1-0. jim thome, cracking his 589th career home run. the 9th player with 14-plus seasons with 21-plus homers. bottom of the ninth, game tied at 4-4. two on, two out for denard span. opposite field. danny valencia, come on down. a 44 run eighth for minnesota. for a win and a loss by the white sox in oakland, the a.l. central is minnesota. paul konerko, two outs, top of the ninth. he grounds out meekly to second base. that said, the white sox end up losing 7-2. so, the a.l. central belongs to those twins. which had the champagne at the ready, from target field. they won the a.l. central six times in the last nine years.

ron gardenhire gets his 800th win. the quickest to 800 wins as manager since davie johnson. that will do it for this espn news update. now, back to new york and "america this morning." after months of anticipation, the curtain call came early for the hoff. >> actor david hasselhoff became the first celebrity to get the boot from this season's "dancing with the stars." hasselhoff called the experience a great ride and great fun. he'll be on "good morning america" this morning. now, to a man who is still kicking after living in three centuries. >> walter breuning is the world's oldest man. he just celebrated his 114th birthday at a nursing home in montana. born september 21st, 1896, breuning recalled living without electricity, without running water, and even without an inside bathroom. and he also had lots of advice for the crowd. >> he only eats two meals a day.

he advises to watch your diet. he tells you to work as long as you possibly can. he attributes hard work to his longevity. >> breuning is obviously a shining example of what she said. he worked at the railroad for 50 years. and served as manager and secretary for the local shriners club until he was 99 years old. coming up next, the stories we'll be following today. so, don't go far. wants to makey one tummy at a time. because 9 out of 10 kids don't get the fiber they need, that's why froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops have 3 grams of fiber in every yummy bowl. they're the cereals your kids love and the fiber their tummies love... which makes for a whole lotta happy. froot loops, apple jacks and corn pops, an oh-so-good source of fiber. kellogg's® makes fiber fun. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful.

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stories we'll be watching on this wednesday. we're likely to get the first white house reaction about a new book about how the war in afghanistan is being managed. bob woodward's book reportedly details doubts and quarrelling among president obama's top military and civilian advisers. for his part, the president arrives here in new york today, where he will address a dwping conference at the united nations. the president makes hiss remarks to the u.n. general assembly tomorrow. and we could learn about threats to the u.s. today during a hearing on capitol hill. janet napolitano and fbi director, robert muller, are expected to testify. the business owner at the head of a massive egg recall is expected to apologize today. eight officials from the city of bell, california, are expected to be aryaned today on corruption charges. they're accused of bilking taxpayers out of $5 million in

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finally from us this morning, an apology from a protective dad who stormed a school bus to take on his daughter's bullies. >> the videotaped confrontation

sparked a national debate. but the florida father has since expressed regrets for the way he handled himself. here's matt gutman. >> reporter: james jones admitted that in this fit of rage -- >> this is my daughter. and will kill the [ bleep ] who -- >> reporter: he had become what he hoped to fight. >> yes, i was a bully. and i apologize again for that. >> reporter: it was an apology both public and emotional. >> i thought it was backed up against the wall, as a parent. and i just didn't know where else to go. >> reporter: last week, as they waited for the school bus, jones' 13-year-old daughter, who has cerebral palsy, broke down, telling her dad of her daily torture on the bus. that she was poked with pencils, slapped, spit on. he erupted. >> if anything happens to my daughter, i'll [ bleep ] and everybody on this [ bleep ]. >> reporter: her father's tirade earned him a trip to the county jail on disorderly conduct charges, but also a blossoming support group on facebook.

and debra jones tried to explain why her husband of 15 years had become so enraged. >> she's a beautiful young lady, who will give her last if she has it. and she will step in for others who have been bullied or pushed around. >> reporter: but his newfound folk hero status didn't seem to matter much to the printer whose favorite past-time is cooking with his kids. >> it's not about me. it's about kids that are getting bullied, going to school, even if you're walking to school. my action was very much out of line, out of character for me. >> reporter: so out of character that he urged parents to seek help from school officials first before doing something they, like he, would regret. matt gutman, abc news, miami. >> hopefully some lessons for bullies and parents. >> his attorney's saying they're hoping to get the charges dropped or reduced, offering for him to do community service by lecturing about bullying. >> that's what's making news in americ