is it time for the megarich to pay at least the same tax rate as their secretaries? and if they did pay their fair share, would it fix america's schools or roads? healthy living. real proof you can actually be physically addicted to tanning. a craving as strong as cigarettes and cocaine. and do the right thing. a trick played by identical twins wins them $50,000. until a conscience-stricken dad says " "ve the money back." good evening. good evening. as we begin this week, the weather across america has forecasters ripping up the record books. stunning extremes tonight from coast to coast. and we are going to tell you what we have learned today about the freakish wind that hit the indiana state fair. the wind that did not even show up on radar. more on that in a moment.

but if it related to the heat around the globe, the heat so powerful, the arctic sea ice is melting away, leaving the smallest amount of july ice at the pole since they started keeping track more than 30 years ago. to begin it all for us tonight, here's abc's jim avila. >> reporter: from the mid-atlantic to new england, buckets of rain, a record ten inches, fell on long island yesterday. >> it's been wicked. we've been tryininto get around all day. you can't get anywhere. >> reporter: if this was january, that storm would have dumped nine feet of snow. instead, the northeast flooded. >> we've had rain, we've had flooding, but never anything that looks like this, no. >> reporter: never had anything like this heat either. triple digits across texas again today. halfway through august, 5,000 heat records have been broken across the country. every state in the u.s. set a heat record, all 50. waco hit 100 for the 63rd time this year, tying an all-time record. it was nature from another angle in indianapolis over the weekend.

straight-line winds, unseen on radar, out of nowhere, hit 70 miles per hour, knocked down the concert stage, killing five. >> that is a monster tornado. >> reporter: the summer of extremes. tornados in massachusetts. dust storms in phoenix. and this weekend, wellington, new zealand, of all places, got its first snowfall in 35 years. what is going on? >> when you crank up the heat, when you globally warm the planet, you're going to see more extreme events. >> reporter: how is this for extreme, the arctic sea ice is at its smallest ever. while globally, july was the seventh warmest ever. making the drought in texas easy to explain. 75% of america's second largest state bone dry. kemp, texas, water tanks ran dry for days. and farmers all across the southern tier are suffering. crops from corn to soybean dying on the vine. soon prices on vegetables to

beef are expected to climb 10% to 20%. >> every farmer in the world wiwi be affected by climate change in one way or the other. >> jim, you say soon the prices will begin to rise. how soon? >> well, hit hardest have been corn and soybean. those go all the way through the food chain. all the way from breakfast cereal to steaks. that could start happening as soon as fall, and certainly six months by now. >> six months from now. straight to watch for today's drought. and that's a fact. okay. thank you, jim avila. now, as we promised, we do have more on those furious winds that suddenly took aim at the fairgrounds in indiana. today, the crowds came back to the state fair. hundreds of mourners paying respects to the five people killed in the wreckage. and abc's chris bury is there. >> reporter: today, the fair reopened on a somber note, with a memorial service honoring the dead and injured. >> we come today with hearts that are broken but, also, hearts that are full. >> reporter: a newly hired teacher, an activist, and a 49-year-old father of two are among those who died in the accident now raising so many questions.

did that wind gust just take everybody by surprise? >> yes, it really did. >> reporter: cindy hoye, the fair's director, was backstage on her way to call off the concert because of approaching storms, when that sudden, powerful gust smacked the stage. [ screaming ] >> oh, my god! >> reporter: that night, fair officials spoke at least five times with national weather service forecasters. but violent wind gusts, something they called "gustnadoeoe" swept up from the ground. strong gusts of wind that swirl like a tornado in advance of a storm front too quickly to be detected. that is what apparently happened here. the wind gusts here were so isolated they never hit this part of the park, where kids riding the ferris wheel were unscathed, only a few hundred feet away from the concert stage. but 15 miles away, at another outdoor concert, officials did order a mandatory evacuation just 30 minutes before the state

fair tragedy. the wind gusts moved so quickly here it was impossible for some to escape. but experts say with severe weather in the air, it's smart to have a plan and know a safe structure where you can take shelter. diane. >> all right, chris, thank you for your reporting tonight. > d we move on to iowa. a kind of political coliseum tonight. two gladiators, president obama on a three-day bus tour there, and the republican who says he's in it to win it, texas governor rick perry, who today unveiled his first line of attack. abc's jake tapper is in decorah, iowa, tonight. good evening, jake. >> reporter: good evening, diane. for week, if not month, president obama has been asked, when is he going to introduce a plan to reduce the deficit and help create jobs. tonight, on the first day of his bus tour of the heartland d america, he answered that question. in decorah, iowa, this evening, obama said when they returned from recess, they need to act on

his new economic plan. >> my attitude is get it done. if they don't get it done, we'll be running against a congress that's not doing anything for the american people and the choice will be very stark and will be very clear. >> reporter: this isn't an official white house visit but here in iowa and earlier in cannon fall, minnesota, it certainly sounded political. >> i'm here to enlist you in a fight. we are fighting for the future of our country. and that is a fight that we are going to win. >> reporter: cannon falls mayor robbie robinson says because of the recession city services are being cut back. the school district is laying off teachers and charging fees for extracurricular activities. >> i laid off a couple police officers a couple years ago. we did what we had to do to raise taxes here. >> reporter: even those who turned out for the president's town hall, largely supporters, are worried about the future. how's the economy in your neck of the woods? >> it's pretty stagnant. as long as he keeps trying, i guess that's what middle america would want him to do. >> reporter: how do you think the president's doing? >> i'm looking for a job. and so it's hard. because there's none out there. but am i going to blame him? no.

because it started before he did that. >> reporter: this might be the best the president can hope for. people depressed and w wried but who don't blame him. it's not a particularly strong position to be in as he rolls through the midwest. minnesota and iowa today. more iowa tomorrow. and illinois on wednesday. in iowa, texas governor rick perry, who just got in the race this weekend, sharply attacked the president. >> mr. president, you need to free up the employers of this country to create jobs. >> reporter: the air force veteran also chastised mr. obama for not having served in the military. >> having walked in a person's shoes, having done what these young men and women in the military are doing, matters to them. i mean, it -- you know, to -- i don't want somebody sitting in the front left seat of the airliner that just got their pilot's license. >> reporter: the white house had no immediate response to governor perry's attack. president obama has been staying on message, talking about how some in congress put politics

before america. diane. >> all right, jake tapper, reporting from the beginning of campaign 2012, thank you, jake. and the tenth anniversary of 9/11 is just more than three weeks away. today, the al qaeda mastermind who rose to power following bin laden's death issued a call for revenge. telling his followers "the time to strike is n n." abc's chief investigative correspondent brian ross has the details. >> reporter: ayman al zawahiri is america's new most-wanted man. and with the 9/11 anniversary approaching, he had the full attention of u.s. officials today, with calls for attacks on the united states to avenge the death of osama bin laden. [ speaking foreign language ] "my brothers, the mujahedeen, hunt her down wherever you may encounter her," he said, referring to the u.s., calling it a murderous country. the new calls for attacks add weight to the concerns over the whereabouts of dozens of young men from somali and yemeni neighborhoods in minneapolis and detroit.

u.s. officials say many ended up in terror training camps overseas and the u.s. has now lost track of them. a 2008 recruitment tape for a al qaeda-connected group in somalia features an anonymous young man speaking with what seems to be an american accent and phrasing. >> we have a global mission -- >> reporter: and, just today in minneapolis, another suspected terror recruiter, mahamud said omar, made his initial appearance in federal court, charged with steering young men from the twin cities to terror camps in somalia. >> so, brian, chilling to hear these warnings. any concrete signs of attacks? >> no concrete signs. u.s. officials say they're on full alert. so far, none of the so-called chatter from terrorists. which means nothing is going on or, as was the case ten years ago before 9/11, the plotters are operating in silence. >> everybody watchful tonight. thank you, brian ross. an eerie scene in norway. almost a month after the mass murder spree there. police put the admitted killer

into a bulletproof vest, hooked him to a leash, and brought anders breivik back to the island where he shot 69 people. step by step, he re-enacted how he stalked the young victims, aimed at them as they tried to swim away. all this apparently standard practice in norway when the suspect confesses and the prosecutors need video to use at the trial. and today, there was a call to action from billionaire investor warren buffett, who says i is time to ask some tough questions of all the money managers making fortunes in america while working men and women pay ththmost taxes. buffett asked, should he pay a smaller percentage of tax than his own secretary? abc's bianna golodryga has his argument. >> reporter: warren buffett took aim at the nation's tax system, saying his $45 billion fortune had bought him access to an elite club that doesn't pay its fair share. in today's op-ed, the billionaire says, "while most americans struggle to make ends

meet, we mega-rich continue to get out extraordinary tax breaks. my friends and i have been coddled long enough." it's an argument he's long been passionate about. >> i don't think our tax program is very equitable, and i think it drifted dramatically in the last ten years toward favoring rich guys like me. so i play a lower tax rate on much of my income than my cleaning lady does. and i think that's crazy. >> reporter: just how crazy? well, last year buffett paid $7 million in taxes. that sounds like a lot of money, but it works out to a tax rate of just 17%. buffett points out that, on average, his employees pay about double that rate. he says his secretaries and receptionists pay a 33% rate. so why is his rate so low? much of buffett's income comes from capital gains, profits resulting from investments, and they're taxed at only 15%. buffett's solution, rates should be raised for the 300,000 americans who make more than a million a year, left alone for everyone else.

an additional 1% tax on the richest americans is estimated to raise $100 billion in extra revenue during the next decade. but tax experts say it's not enough for just the super-rich to pay more. >> the bottom line is that the fiscal hole that we face is so large that everybody is going to have to be prepared to pay more in revenues in the end. >> reporter: and while experts agree that $100 billion over the next decade wouldn't be enough to even make a dent in the deficit, it would go far in other ways. for example, it's enough to build almost 7,000 new elementary schools or more than 2,000 new high schools, diane. >> in the name of those mega-rich people. >> less than .5%. >> okay, bianna. thank you. still ahead on "world news" -- tanning addiction. how the sun's rays rewire your brain. it's a craving like alcohol or even drugs. and how a strong mom used her intuition and some nursery rhymes to calm her family after a car crash. and what about those identical twin boys, their $50,000 and the lesson in doing the right thing?

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melanoma kills 65,000 people each year. but millions of us still stay out in theheun anyway. tonight, scientists think they may know why. abc's linsey davis explains. >> reporter: even though she's been diagnosed with skin cancer five times, lori greenberg says she still has dreams about tanning. >> you need it almost on a daily basis, and if you don't have it, you feel almost like you're going through withdrawals. >> reporter: she's convinced she has "tanorexia," an addiction to suntanning. and a new study suggests she might be right. for several years now, researchers have believed suntanners have exhibited similar behavior to alcoholics and drug addicts. but now they say they may have seen that addiction firsthand, by peering into the brain. they took a group of tanners undergoing a regular, indoor tanning session. when the ultraviolet light, which tans the skin, hit their body, the part of their brain associated with reward and addiction lit up, indicating increased blood flow. when the researchers blocked the uv light without telling the

participants, those same parts of the brain dimmed, becoming less active. >> these are the kinds of things that we see in people with other kinds of addiction. >> reporter: the researchers say thisisddiction likely isn't limited to tanning indoors but outdoor sun worshipers as well. and it might explain why outdoor tanners, as well as the more than a million people who visit tanning salons every day, do what they do, despite all the messaging that it can lead to skin cancer. and it may explain why lori greenberg still can't resist the urge to tan. >> i smoked before, and i can say smoking, i stopped. and i don't have lung cancer, but i know it's bad for me and i stopped. sun tanning? i have skin cancer, yet i still go. >> she still goes. if suntanning really is an addiction, this study raising interesting points about what you should do if you feel you are obsessed with suntanning. the author of the study told us

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gallon. that's enough to pump an extra $6 billion into the economy. a kind of stealth stimulus for american families. and if you need any more convincing that a little bit of exercise can make a huge difference in your life, here's some powerful new proof. a study in the medical journal "lancet" looked at 400,000 people and found just 15 minutes of exercise a a y increases life expectancy three years. and cuts your risk of dying by minutes cuts your risk of dying by cancer by another 1%. and there is news tonight about a mother's calming instinct in a dark hour. diane price and her family were traveling down a highway in aurora, colorado, when another driver slammed into them. their car mangled. her husband pinned. the mom sprang into action. first calling 911. then, as you can hear, using every weapon she had, , cluding a little song we grew up with, to soothe her little girl and

husband. >> it's okay, baby. you're okay. >> i need to get my leg stretched out. >> i know, but you can't, honey, it's pinned. i'm really sorry. i'm working to get you out. you know i love you more than anything. can you sing mommy a song? can you sing our abcs? ♪ a, b, c, d >> incredible strength. and her husband is in critical condition tonight. she and her daughter are just fine. the driver who hit them suspected of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. and coming up, an amazing shot that sparked the debate about honesty. identical twins making mischief. and what it feels like to give $50,000 back. have i got a surprise for you! a mouthwatering combination of ingredients... i know you're gonna love. [ barks ] yes, it's new beneful healthy fiesta. made with wholesome grains, real chicken,

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>> diane, one of them was faced with this. imagine this, the difficulty of shooting this hockey puck into a tiny hole from 90 feet away over ice, then imagine doing just that, only to be faced with doing something truly difficult. it was a lark. a sideshow. part of a charity fund-raiser for southern minnesota schools. pay 10 bucks for one shot at 50,000 of them. all you had to do was slap a puck through a hole barely big enough to fit it from half a hockey rink away. 11-year-old nick smith did just that. letting the shot fly. and watching in disbelief. as it disappeared through the hole. >> i was, like, shocked. >> reporter: the only problem, that young fella wasn't nick smith. nick was outside the rink when his name was actually called. so his father, pat, sent nick's identical twin brother, nate, to take the shot. and for a while it seemed some quick thinking and genetic luck would soon swell a couple college funds. at least until pat got home that night.

>> honesty was the best policy and we wanted to set a good example for our kids. the next day i called back and i said, you know, it was really nate that made the shot. >> reporter: perhaps in such lean times a father could be forgiven. but maybe that's the point. those two kids might have futures richer still. all because this time their dad just couldn't forgive. that might be a $50,000 lesson in doing the right thing. the insurance company actually responsible for paying the money couldn't say what would happen. however, a spoposperson did say that the rules clearly state, diane, that the person taking the shot must have the same name as appears on the ticket. >> you think you know where this is going? >> i have a feeling -- well, if nothing else, insurance companies, past, have not had a problem playing the baddy. those dreams might be soon crushed. >> nonetheless, principle the next morning. >> better late than never. >> says a lot to the kids. thank you, josh. you'll have more on this tomorrow morning on "good morning america."

we're so glad to begin the week with you tonight. we're always on at abcnews.com. and don't forget, "nightline" is coing up later. we'll see you right here tomo we're live inside of a bart station claiming bart pulled the plug on the first amendment. >> the chief of the oakland school district police over the racially charged remarks he reportedly made to a staff member. >> and the head of the state public utilities commission on an overseas junkett. >> and google announces it's biggest deal ever. the $12 billion acquisition stepping up the competition with two biggest rivals. good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> and monday night commuters are in the middle of a protest. >> it's a demonstration put

together by a hacker group. police showed up in force and faced off with protester who's shut the station down. today's action is in response to the decision to cut cell phone service during another threatened protest last week. and we begin in san francisco. what's happening now? >> things are happening quickly here, let me just step out of the way. san francisco's main thorough fare, police at a standoff above ground at civic center, these protestors promised to wage war on bart. and attorneys no longer being allowed to stop here, there is a main artery for the rush hour commute. let's take a look at video. this is what that scene looked like above ground just minutes ago at san francisco civic center station. hundreds tried to march into