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♪ i can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on ♪ >> good song, right? >> a phil collins moment. >> yeah, i like that. i like that. as you can imagine, the president's jobs plan last night left millions of americans with plenty of questions so they turned to yahoo.com to find out a few answers. >> joining us is their web life editor heather cabot. hey, there, heather. >> good morning, guys. the tenth anniversary of 9/11 looms large on the web this week as americans prepare to remember that horrific day. ten years ago when the news broke, people watched the tragic events unfold on tv. yet they turned to the web to look for ways to help. to donate blood, to send supplies, and to assist the families of first responders. a decade later we're seeing lots of searches for lesson plans by

teachers and parents to help explain what happened to a new generation who never knew life before ground zero, the tsa, and the war in iraq. a wave of patriotism continues to grow with searches for american flag screen savers and songs like lee greenwood's "god bless the usa." and interest in conspiracies continues to bubble up especially with the significant anniversary just days away. also top of mind this week unemployment and president obama's latest proposal to put americans back to work. on the heels of the president's speech, we saw a jump in searches for all things obama, including his approval rating. most of the queries are coming from texas, florida, california, virginia, and ohio with men more interested than women, 60% to 40%. tl federal government site usajobs.gov top the list of places people are looking for r job opportunities follow by monster.com, hotjobs. and now to hollywood and the

frenzy over chazbono's anticipated role with "dancing with the stars." the news sent lots of yahoo! users to look up photos of chaz before and after his gender reassignment, details on mom cher, and even baby pictures of former chastity bono. and last, a new craze seems to be taking the place of plafr planking on college campuses. get ready for batmanning, an extreme sport that can land you on your head. obviously the guys who made this youtube video think hanging upside down by their feet is worth the risk. and, hey, looks like a p ptty od core workout. searches for batmanning are spiking this week with 61% coming from guys. >> hmm. are you doing a little batman search there, rob? i think you might be. >> i can't do a sit-up. i can't hang with the batman. i don't get it. >> where's our graphics department? it's a graphics department moment. >> i'm impressed with the leg strength it takes to do that but you could break your neck doing that. >> these are the real bat men. >> all right.

coming up, the first injury before the new season of "dancing with the stars" even begins. >> somebody's already out. plus on top of that, taylor armstrong of "the real housewives of beverly hills" shares her story now in a new way. that's coming up next in your "skinny." h@

all right, here we go. we all know you love "dancing with the stars" news and turns out ricki lake is the first casualty out of the show. no, she's not out of the show. yes, s did injure herself. she twisted her ankle. apparently according to an insider an ambulance rushed to the studio. in true ricki lake style, she refused it, said, i'm fine, the show must go on, she's barreling ahead. she shared with her twitter fans she's already losing weight from the dancing she's doing and she's not shying away from telling everyone she's trying to get in tip-top shape for her wedding to christian evans. good for ricki. she's hanging in there, despite early injury.

>> so she's not giving up. >> she's not giving up, no way. >> good for her. she's lost a lot of weight, she looks pretty good. >> she's been open about the fact that she's struggled with it her whole life. >> right. >> she definitely -- >> good for her. she will continue on. taylor armstrong and "the rerea housewives of beverly hills" and the suicide. radaronline has got exclusive information that, yeah, she's going to do a book deal with some kind of publishing company about domestic abuse to get money that she obviously needs since his suicide. she's pretty desperate for cash. other housewives are helping her out here. the kicker in all of this is apparently she's going to include in this book pictures of herself when she was allegedly abused by her ex-husband russell who just committed suicide as a way to boost sales. it's going to go on sale right before the holidays. people are kind of saying, oh, yeah, you're putting this book out there -- she apparently documented he roughed her up a little bit, she's going to put this book out here.

>> wants to highlight over celebrities as well who have been victims of domestic abuse. sol we'll see. >> mel gibson and warner brothers are developing, what else, a jewish hero epic. just what you would expect from mel gibson. must be a bold pr move from mel gibson. as everyone knows he has been accused of anti-semitism. he's trying to defend himself against that. now apparently this film from warner brothers is about the life of judah maccabbee, the warrior whose ancient victory is celebratededy hanukkah. it's another warrior pick. >> i'm going to go out on a limb, i don't think that's going to sit well with certain people. since he's had real battles with anti-semitic things. >> i think a lot of people are going to say, pretty transparent try at a pr move. >> all right, mel. shaloam. charlie sheen apparently back in the news this morning here. he's apparently sied a deal to star in a new flick here with jason schwartz man called "a

glimpse inside the mind of charlie swam iii," apparently about some skirt-chasing star's real life -- mirror his misadventures with drugs, women, booze -- >> his life, right? >> someone's going to put charlie back on the big screen to do a role for which he will have to stretch very little. >> apparently his cousin roman coppola will be writing and directing it. >> big bold hollywood names. no one can get enough of charlie. >> very interesting, charlie. >> hollywood names, no one can get enough of charlie sheen. [ female announcer ] dance cooking? bring it.

[ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. super absorbent. super clean. bounty. here are some stories to watch today on abc news. expect more police presence and higher security, especially in

the northeast today, a after th latest terror threat. 18,000 police agencies are now on alert. jury selection continues in l.a. today in dr. conrad murray's manslaughter trial. 's accused in pop star michael jackson's death. half the potential jurors were dismissed yesterday. rainstorms have delayed the u.s. open tennis tournament here in new york. the final rounds are pushed back till monday. get ready. >> here we go. >> this is finally our favorite story of the day. >> there we go. >> that's nice. >> max, a dog from new iberia, louisiana, just celebrated his 28th birthday, and that ain't dog years. katc's jenise fernandez has more on the dogogrying to dig his way into the guinness book of world records. >> reporter: in 1983, ronald reagan was president, the last episode of "m.a.s.h." aired, and max the mixed terrier was born.

>> he's definitely part of the family. >> reporter: max is 28 years old. that's 196 in dog years. and owner janelle derouen says that makes him the oldest dog in the world. she's tried seseveral times ove the years to get him in th guinness book of world records but hasn't had much luck. >>ut i haven't gotten any reply back as of yet. i don't know what they're waiting for. but max is the world's oldest dog. >> reporter: the title of the world's oldest dog used to belong to a 21-year-old dachshshd named chanel. she has since died. derouen has sent max's birth certificate and vet records to guinness and she wants his proper title. >> everything has been documented, notarized. so i'm just waiting to hear something because i don't want him to pass not being recognized. >> reporter: derouen plala to stop pursuing this if guinness doesn't respond soon. she wantnts max to enjoy his li

and his retirement. >> he loves just to lounge around the house. he's just like an eldey person, set in his ways. >> that is so cool. >> i don't like animal stories but when the owner is a louisiana woman, wearing that jersey and cap, loving it. there we are. >> we just need to put a saints jersey on. >> that dog looked good for being 28 timimimimimimimimimimim

this morning on "world news now," widespread blackout. the huge power outage that's impacting several million people in southern california, arizona, and parts of mexico. >> airports were forced to ground flights and intersections ve turned into chaos. the problem's far from over. it's friday, september 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning, everybody.

happy friday, tgif. >> yes, indeed. >> yes, indeed. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm tanya rivero. we are following several breaking stories this s morning including that giant blackout happening during a heat wave and it's being blamed on human error. see what it's done to traffic, everyday life, and how the power companies are rushing to g get everyone back online. >> what chaos. hard to believe it really could have been one dude's mistake that caused that. >> in arizona, 113 degrees and no power. >> that's a sweaty, hot mess in that area. another big development this morning to tell you about. the terror threat that has put thousands of police agencies on alert this morning. just, of course, before the 9/11 tenth anniversary this sunday. why federal agents are taking no chances after hearing this latest threat from al qaeda.

and 100,000 people are facing mandatory evacuations in pennsylvania and new york. rivers are overflowing from the remnants of tropical storm lee, and there is a state of emergency. >> talking about lee for several days down in the south and it's wreaking havoc all the way up here in the north. >> it just won't go away. >> 100,000 people, very scary situation in that part of the >> absolutely. we'll get to that in a minute. we begin with that blackout in san diego. the nation's eighth largest city. cf1->worsnd tf1 o des de school in san diego was cance today just as a safety precaution. >> and if losing power isn't bad enough, it happened in a heat wave. abc's diana alvear is in l.a. with all the details. good mor it's been hotter h he now, factor in one massive mistake by an electrical worker in arizona, and you've got the makings of one miserable mess

for millions. it struck at the worst possible time, right before the evening commutausikfro the mexican border wy the outage stretches from tijuana up to palm springs and across to arizona where officials say the problems began at a major switching station. >> the initial instance of this looks like it's an operator errorhat in a and that started the series of >> reporter: and the resu planes grounded at san diego's lindbergh field. gas stations shut down. and hospitals and police stations all forced to go on backup generators. now officials are begging people to stay home and wait f lights to comeon. >> from a priority standpoi we want to make sure hospitals we're doing everything we can t. >> reporter: officials warned could be werida and urged residents to think twice before lowering the thermostat. >> to anybody who normally has your air co

or 74, please go to 78 or 80. we've got to make sure that we don't have the inrush of current that trips out a circuit again because it's just going to take us longer to get people back >> ethen process of restorwill e o art of restorwill officials are also asking residentntto turn off all nsentes, especially between the hours of noon and 6:00 in the evening. they s those are cd peak hours for power use. ro tanya? >> bring that power back on, those poor fodle that's the last thing they nto >>g ty uyma some of the power is returning. >> temps up to 113 in some parts of arizona. . arizona. hope it comes back on so all right. well, the other breaking story we're following for you this morning involves a terror threat. a new one. new york city and washington,

d.c. are the possible targets of a truck bomb story. >> the plot ini qaeda's new leader ayman l zawahiriedge avenge the deatama officials tell abc news the plot involved three individuals, including at least one who is a u.s. citizen. the officials said the plot involves some kind of vehicle bomb, was aimed for some time between september 10th and 12th, with either k or the three reportedly traveled from pakistan's tribal areas, an al qaeda stronghold, through dubai, to the u.s. in mid-augu >> al qaeda central in afghanistan and pakistan is probably d down to a few hundre people. but it doesn't take many people to do this kind of attk. >> reporter: in new york's times square there was no obvious show of enhanced police prese but theyor ce commissioner said t require a significant show of crote c >> we do live in a world where

we must take these threats ce. st take these threats >> the public is likely to see and may be somewhat inconvenienced by vehicle checkpoints at various locations throe >> rorter: u.s. officials have been bracing for just such a plot after disdocu in binin laden's pakistan hideo in which he e lled for a strike against the u.s. on the tenth anniversary ofr 11 in zawahiri's most recent video last month, he called on his followers to focus on the u.s. track her down, he said,d,nd make an example out of her. >> the united states has been looking very intently the last few weeks for any sign of this attack coming because it made sense to u.s. intelligence that al qaeda would try it. >> reporter: police in new york say they plan a full show of force on friday morning with random vehicle checks, bag checks, bomb dogs everywhere, and preplanned exercises involving police and heavily armed national guard personnel at major transportation hubs. brian ross, abc news, new york. >> taking this seriously. 18,000 law enforcement agencies are on alert. >> it's crazy, watching the football game last night with friends, they broke in with a special report about the terror alert. people at the place were kind of like, great, they were on it,

but t what are you all as commo folks supposed to react to? what are we supposed to do or look out for? it instills fear, what do you do with that fear? >> there's this element of mystery. you get some of the details but not all the details. they're definitely holding back. >> credible but uncorroborated? how are we supposed to, as regular folk, interpret that? you know? >> you can't lock yourself in your home all day. >> good they're on it, i guess. better safe than sorry as always. >> absolutely. president obama will hit the road today trying to sell his job-creation plan to voters in virginia. >> last night mr. obama challenged republican lawmakers to put aside politics and move forward on the plan. abc's john hendren is joining us in washington with more on the speech and the reaction. hi, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and tanya. some predicted this could be one of the most important speeches of the obama presidency. it was a speech about the economy. it was also the opening volley in the president's 2012 presidential campaign. president obama painted a stark

choice. more jobs or more joblessness. >> the question is whether in the face of an ongoioi national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy. >> reporter: if republicans block his new jobs plan, he made it clear he will use it to campaign against them. >> you should pass it. and i intend to take that message to every corner of this country. >> reporter: the plan would give tax credited up to $5,600 for businesses who hire unemployed veterans. $4,000 for hiring anyone unemployed for more than six months. extend the current payroll tax for workers saving $1,500 for the average working family earning $50,000 a year. >> the next election is 14 months away. the people who hired us to work for them, they don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months. >> reporter: it also seeks more stimulus spending. $100 billion of it. on infrastructure and unemployment aid. >> first stimulus didn't do it. why would another one? this isn't a jobs plan, it's a re-election plan. >> reporter: the white house made a statement with its

guests, bringing richard trumka, head of the afl-cio, in the first lady's box. republicans did the same. house speaker john boehner brought a laundry list of business leaders who say their businesses are being strangled by washington regulation. rob and tanya? >> thanks to john hendren for that. more than 100,000 people are being forced from their homes as dangerous floodwaters continue to rise in pennsylvania. lingering rain left behind by tropical storm lee is pushing the susquehanna river at wilkes-barre to its highest level in nearly four decades. with thousands of homes at risk, many were ick to obey evacuation orders. >> i'm moving out my first floor because if it goes 38 feet, i'm going to have five feet on my first floor. >> i have grandkids. had to be taken out on a dump truck or a crane or something. it was water everywhere. we couldn't even walk in the street. >> so much devastation. upstream, 20,000 people were ordered to evacuate in binghamton, new york, where the river crested at 12 feet above

flflood stage. it is the worst flooding since flood walls were built in the 1930s and '40s. boy. >> it's hard to watch h that, i really is. >> it really is so hard. let's turn to accuweather for the latest on the floods and ongoing trouble out in the tropics. >> it is a hecectic morning for meteorologist jim dickey. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and tanya. significant flooding ongoing along the susquehanna that runs from binghamton, new york, southward into eastern pesylvania, into portions of maryland. upper low pressure system, what's left of lee, continuing to pump moisture here. more showers and thunderstorms. in some places rain could be heavy. we are in the heart of tropical season here. continuing to watch katia pull away from the coast. good news is no direct impacts on the uted states, but it will keep seas rough from the mid-atlantic up on thrgh the coast of new england. meanwhile also watching maria. that moving very quickly, not expecting to strike any tiemt

soon or impact the united states. same story with nate. very slow mover here. will be strengthening through the weekend. rob and tanya, back to you. >> thanks so much, jim. and moving on now to nike reaching into the past to go back to the future. >> the sneaker company is planning to make a shoe just like the one featured in the 1989 hit film "back to the future 2." they're ugly. in the movie they were worn by michael j. fox's character marty mcfly. the replica will have the glowing nike name. unlike the original they will not lace themselves. >> that would be worth paying for. >> that would be nice. >> nike will release 1,500 pairs to auction off on ebay. proceeds will go to fox's foundation for parkinson's disease research. it's all for a good cause. >> very cool. michael j. fox has become such an extraordinary spokesman for that disease. >> cool shoes from a cool movie. >> i can't believe it's been that many years. "back to the future," marty. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." [ male announcer ] meet rachel and annie.

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♪ i can feel it coming in the air tonight, hold on ♪ >> i love that song. >> i can tell, you're feeling it. considering that two-thirds of americans are overweight or obese, there are a lot of people looking for a diet that works. so which works the best? >> a top medical journal studied practically every diet under the sun and determined that one actually is the most reliable. here's abc's andrea canning. >> reporter: becky marine once looked like this. she tried everything, from the atkins diet to rigorous exercise.

>> i felt embarrassed and ashamed. >> reporter: it wasn't until she turned to weight watchers that she dropped 104 pounds. >> it's not a dramatic, crazy scheme. it's an intelligent way of eating and living. >> reporter: science is backing that up. researchers followed over 700 overweight adults for a year, all trying to lose weight. half worked with their doctors to shed the pounds. the other half were put on weight watchers. those under a doctor's care lost an average of five pounds. the weight watchers members lost more than double that amount. the weight loss program isis famous for its system of assigning points to snacks and meals so dieters can keep a running tab of what they're eating. that combined with weekly weigh-ins and support groups is proving effective. weight watchers also came out on top when a u.s. news and world report panel of experts sized up commercial diets. joining the program costs around $40 a month. an inexpensive alternative, keep

your own food journal, counting up those calories. that's how randy and susie collectively lost 250 pounds. this little book really changed your life? it's more than just a book? >> this is almost like your miracle book. >> reporter: a feeling that comes from finally finding a diet that's proving to work. andrea canning, abc news, new york. >> not just an american problem. according to the world health organization, 1 billion around the globe are overweight, 300 million, obese. >> yes. so it is a growing problem. >> everybody likes to eat grub. >> no doubt about that. coming up, are you ready for some football? >> yeah. >> apparently we are around here. the season has officially begun. >> that means so has our annual "world news now" nfl picks competition. we'll kick things off right after the break. who data.

those of you watch the show a lot know i never wear a tie on the more since january whatever. but i wore the saints tie tonight, even though we lost against green bay, had to wear the black and gold with the fleur-de-lis on the tie tonight. >> lovely. >> in honor of the start of the nfl season and of our annual picks competition. >> the devil is in the detaiail. the music you're hearing can only mean one thing, it is time for football. how about we start with that packers/saints game. >> blah, blah, blah, not good for the black and gold, they let the packers' randall cobb rern a kickoff 108 yards for the td. then on the game's final play, after a pass/interference call, in the end zone, oh, we could not punch it in from the 1 yard

line. crazy game. a great start to the season, a highly competitive game, packers win this one 42-34, miles to go before the saints get back to the super bowl, which they will. >> that's right. and with the season now under way, we need to get the second annual "world news now" nfl picks competition cranked up. so let's get to it. >> first of all, the roster of who is playing this season, of course, tanya and myself. also broadcast producer david meyers making his debut this year. news writer jack sheehan back in the action. also debuting this year, after a year of bugging us about it, incessantly. video editor f fireman bob mclocklin. >> he's running around the house in a jersey tonight. what's he wearing? >> eagles jersey, whatever. >> our games this week, a rivalry grudge match between the steelers and the ravens. vil1 ors and the ravens.

the cowboys takgon s. we pick randomly basically four good games every week and keep score of who getting the winning team right. that's how we work this out. > very nice. now with the picks, i'll go first. the >> as well bucs, and the jets. >> by sunday i'll be over the saints' loss, maybe. that means i'll be ready to watch baltimoreand o buccaneers, and the jets. >> and jack begins defense of the wnn competition crown which he cheated to get last year. he's chosen the pittsburgh steelers along thte, detroit, and the jets. >> and, finally, fireman bob, who is taking all of this zreemtly seriously, we might add -- it's a little fright frightening. he's an eagles fan in case we fireman bob is picking steelers, tennessee, lions and the popular favorof k, t cf1pyor nergpnt sably be the most

he is not a bashful man by any stretch. i expect lots of trash talk for the start of the nfl season from bob. >> he should be the one up here talking about it. >> whatn of bou also then o1. the league clearly has no so you'll see, in shl being and doibute the survivors and to the hers you'll see a lot of that for this football weekend. to 9/11. >> cowboys and jets, giants and redskins as well. so start of football, but as they say, we will not forget even as football begins. >> absolutely. next, the how do we say unique name behind the latest ben and jerry's ice cream.

"world news now" delivers your "morning papers." >> "papers" on this friday. >> a nice one to start. who doesn't like ice cream? right? who doesn't like ben and jerry's? >> i want to hear how you handle this. i'm fascinated about what you're about to say.

>> we could go a lot of directions on this one but we've been told not to go too far. we'll let your crazy minds go the rest of the way. ben and jerry's has a new flavor of ice cream which is not unusual for them. this one is called schweddy balls. that's right. you heard me correctly. schweddy balls. it is an homage to an old "saturday night live" skit featuring alec baldwin as bakery owner pete schweddy, whose unique holiday offerings included something called schweddy balls. in case you're wondering, it sounds de vanilla ice cream, rum, fudge-covered rum balls, and milk chocolate malt balls. does sound really good. a spokesman for the vermont ice creammaker says we're not worried about offending anyone. we've already got flavored like half-baked. >> sounds like you like schweddy yoood. it is friday. that means it's time for your polka!

♪ ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ business news from london town "nightline" pieces we cut down ♪ ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ it's late at night you're wide awake and you're not wearing pants ♪ ♪ grab your "world news now" mug and everybody dance ♪ ♪ have some fun be a pal every anchor guy and gal ♪ ♪ do the world news polka ♪ ♪ i read the news today, oh boy ♪ ♪ who cares what the bosses think they're a goofy crew ♪ ♪ here is what you'll have to do ♪ ♪ when they yell it's half past three tell them it's news to me ♪ ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ they make us work the graveyard shift that's why we go for broke ♪ ♪ why not tune in abc and join our little joke ♪ ♪ five whole days every week we're here tongue in cheek ♪

♪ that's the world news polka ♪ that's the world news polka ♪ do the world news polka ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ do the world news polka ♪ yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah wo

now," presidential push.ld news barack obama tells congress to cut taxes and orders them to work together to get unemployed americans back to work. >> what both sides are now saying about his long-awaited point-by-point plan to stimulate the jobs market. it's friday, september 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning on this busy

friday. i'm tanya rivero. >> a very busy friday indeed. good morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. we are following a number of breaking stories this morning including the final detailof the president's new focus on jobs. see who is already saying it is too costly and just a little too little, too late. also breaking overnight, the new terror threat that is putting thousands of police officers on alert this morning, especially here in new york and in washington, d.c. we'll explain why u.s. intelligence is taking this threat so seriously. and this is a developing story. we keep getting new information. >> new details on this too. this is exactly what we feared heading into the tenth anniversary of 9/11 on this sunday. >> absolutely. >> so a lot to talk about. another breaking story, as many as 5 million people are now waiting for the power to return out in california, arizona, and even parts of mexico. how a utility worker's mistake actually led to a very widespread blackout on this friday.

>> massive, millions of people without power, unbelievable. all right. but first last night the president challenged lawmakers to help put americans back to work. today the president begins to sell his plan to the people with a visit to richmond, virginia. >> mr.r.bama's political future could rest on the success of this plan. abc's john hendren has details of the plan before washington this morning. >> reporter: good morning, rob and tanya. some predicted this could be one of the most important speeches of the obamamaresidency. it was a speech about the economy. it was also the opening volley in the president's 2012 presidential campaign. president obama painted a stark choice. more jobs, or more joblessness. >> the question is whether, in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy. >> reporter: if republicans block his new jobs plan, he made it clear he will use it to campaign against them. >> you should pass it. and i intend to take that message to every corner of this

country. >> reporter: the president portrayed the $447 billion package of tax cuts and new spending as a bipartisan blend, using the word "republican" 11 times. >> every proposal i've laid out tonight is the kind that's been supported by democrats and republicans in the past. >> reporter: the plan would give tax credits, up to $5,600 for businesses that hire unemployed veterans. $4,000 for hiring anyone unemployed for more than six months. it would extend the current payroll taxes for workers, saving $650 earning $50,000 a year. >> the next election is 14 months away. and the people who sent us here, the people who hired us to work for them, they don't have the luxury of waiting 14 months. >> reporter: it also seeks more stimulus spending. $100 billion of it. on infrastructure and unemployment aid. >> first stimulus didn't do it. why would another one? this isn't a jobs plan, it's a re-election plan. >> reporter: the white house made a statement with its guests, bringing richard trumka, head of the afl-cio, in the

first lady's box. republicans did the same. house speaker john boehner brought a laundry list of business leaders who say their businesses are being strangled by washington regulation. rob and tanya? >> interesting speech last night. >> yeah. people are coming out on both sides. a lot of people supporting it, some people saying it has problems. but it will be interesting to see where it goes from here. >> seemed to be, to me, the president's main goals put pressure on republicans, at least 15 times in that speech, saying you should pass it, you should pass it, you should pass it. basically saying, pass this thing, trying to paint the congress as obstructionists. >> he used certain words again and again and again. he used the words people, jobs, and america. you can see the word cloud that show the words he enjoyed the most. >> people, jobs, america. >> that seems to be what you'd expect. >> that pretty much covers it. another breaking story we are following this morning, a potential terrorist plot targeting new york city and washington, d.c., on this tenth anniversary of 9/11. police around the country are now being alerted to the possibility of a truck bomb. security which is already tight

is now being stepped up even more. here's abc's larry jacobs. >> reporter: u.s. officials are scrambling to sort out new information about a terrorist threat. >> it is credible, but it has not been corroborated. >> reporter: the cia learned that three individuals, at least one of them bebelieved to be an american, arrived in the u.s. by plane in august. they plan to launch vehicle attacks against the nation's capital, or in new york city. throughout the day, president obama was briefed on the threat. and early in the evening, top congressional leaders, including members of intelligence and homeland security committees, were advised. the nation has been on heightened alert in advance of the anniversary. e new york police department has already taken additional precautions, including more police presence throughout the city, vehicle checkpoints, more security at landmarks and bag inspections in the subways. >> tomorrow at previously planned multi-agency exercise involvininthe nypd, the metropolitan transit authority, amtrak, new jersey transit, port

authority, and national guard will be staged at grand central, penn station, and times square. >> reporter: larry jacobs, abc news, new york. a brand-new abc news poll on terrorism taken before this latest threat shows that the sense of security may actually be rebououing. 64% believe the country is safer now than it was a decade ago. that is actually up from a year ago when 48% thought they felt safer since the 9/11 attacks. also, 67% say they are satisfied with the way the u.s. has responded to the attacks ten years ago. 84% say added security at airports and government buildings is effective. our other major story this morning, a widespread blackout in the southwest that's keeping millions in the dark, at its worst it stretched from orange county, california, south to tijuana, mexico, and east to yuma, arizona. abc's david wright is in los angeles and tells us how it all

started. >> reporter: good morning, rob and tanya. this is a major disruption here in southern california and across the border in mexico, and it may have been caused by one unfortunate power company ficial. the outage covers all of san diego county, parts of orange county, all the way into yuma, arizona,a,here the problem seems to have started. as you can imagine, major problems resulted. traffic lights are out, so traffic is at a standstill in much of san diego. the trolley system has been knocked offline. san diego international airport is operating on generator power. that means for now outbound flights have been grounded. california's independent system operator, which oversees the power grid, says that the problem started when the high-voltage lines that connect arizona and california, the main source of power for much of southern california, they were knocked offline at about 3:45 thursday afternoon. and we're now told by officials in arizona that one arizona power service employee was doing repairs at the north gila substation northeast of yuma, and that apparently knocked off the power.

it should have been localized in yuma, however, system protocols were apparently not followed, and that meant it spread like wildfire across southern california. san diego gas and electric company officials say they are working to restore power. they even already managed to restore power to some of their customers. they say it could last well into friday and we're in the middle of a heat wave in southern california. that means a lot of folks not only missed the football game, they're going to be missing their air conditioners. rob and tanya. >> never say one man can't make a difference. >> apparently the high temperaturesesn yuma, arizona, yesterday -- 113 degrees. no power. kl you imagine that? >> no ac. 200 campuses in the san diego area, they're closed. reopen maybe on monday. just can't operate without the power. >> there are reports from officials in orange county and yuma that some power has been restored. so there is a glimmer of hope. >> it will get back, but not the way you want to end your week

and start the weekend. in o oer news, fire crews in central texas are finally making steady progress with that massive wildfire that destroye 1,400 homes. they now have the biggest flames surrounded, but it's only 30% contained, and they're still concerned wind could spark flare-ups. since sunday the fire had killed two people and torched 45 square miles. in the northeast more than 100,000 people are being forced to evacuate because of historic flooding mostly in and around this area of pennsylvania. as residents scramble to get to higher ground, hundreds of roads were closed along the susquehanna river which is expected to crest at its highest level in nearly four years. even if the levees hold, hundreds of homes still in danger. if they fail, worst-case scenario, thousands of homes could be lost. flood watches and warnings are in effect for ten states today, from virginia up to vermont. 12 rivers are at record or major flood stage. some areas are still expecting another 3 inches of rain over the next 48 hours. oh, since irene there's no rest.

here is your friday forecast. scattered showers and thunderstorms from washington, d.c., to new york and boston. showers around chicago, des moines, and kansas city. thunderstorms in the rockies. popup showers for much of florida. >> 90 in miami. 74 in atlanta. 76 here in new york. indianapolis, 66. detroit, 71. omaha, 75. low 80s in seattle and billings. sacramento, 95. phoenix sizzling still at 107. and in case you missed it, although i don't know how because that's all anyone seems to talk about around here. >> that's why i wore the tie for the first time in a while, the saints' black and gold, even though we didn't win still honoring my boys in black and gold. >> how's that for loyal. football season is here. >> if you want to root for someone this season, how about this guy mark herzlich. >> he was an undrafted free agent who made the new york giants three years after nearly losing his leg to cancer.

>> he had a rare form of bone cancer during his time in college. herzlich had part of his leg replaced with a titanium rod and went through rounds of chemo. now he is thinking about being on the field on sunday. that's all he's thinking about now. what a comeback, love that. >> yeah, how are you f fling, rob, are you okay? >> i'm hanging in there. >> you're hanging in there? >> it's all right. it was a great game, though, great start to the season. >> it's going to be a rough morning for rob, we've got to support the team. >> here we go, let's just read this sad news. >> the last two super bowl champions squared off. the packers and saints. and they didn't disappoint. >> who dat. this one hurt to watch. randall cobb made it very interesting. they were in a position to score on the final play of the game thks to a pass interference ca in the end zone. the packers' defense, yeah, they held. and that's the way it bitterly ended. packers fans, you got lucky. final score, green bay 42, saints 34. it's just the beginning.

itas a great game, though. >> we'll be talking much more about that. >> who dat nation, that's right. >> in the days to come. we'll be right back with more "world news now." more "world news now." to come. we'll be right back with more world news to you. [ drew ] give me volume. not clumps or gaps.

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welcome back, everybod welcome back, everybody. last night, of course, millions of americans watched the president pitch his latest jobs plan. that and all the other breaking news of this week capped off a really, really busy news week. >> from weather to dueling politicians to a penguin who danced into the sunset. for a look back at all of it, here's "the week in quotes." >> i feel like we need more water. you know, we really -- i don't know what we're going to do. >> never seen water come up that high. people wading through up to their knees. >> feels like katrina again but not as bad. it's really scary. >> one piece. we can fix this all up later. we got our life, that's all that matters. i love this area.

it's worth fighting for. ii mean we're down right now, bt this community's not giving up. >> heard a big rumble and heard what sounded like the house getting ripped in half. went out and the house was ripped in half. >> you could hear those houses as the roofs collapsed. >> there's n nhing left. it's gone. i mean, it's to the ground. embers. there's absolutely nothing left. >> we're fighting for good jobs with good wages. >> i thought he was going to create those jobs he promised. i mean, any kind of jobs. but it's gotten worse. >> micicel dukakis created jobs three times faster than you did, mitt. >> well, as a matter of fact, george bush and his predecessor created jobs at a faster rate than you did, governor. >> that's not correct. >> let's take these son of a bitches out and give america back to america where we belong. >> i'm just a regular guy that all these ideas of, you know, children shouldn't watch me, i'm going to be confusing, all this stuff, is just -- it's crazy.

>> there's plenty of men that, you know, their wives leave them, they don't kill themselves. she cannot feel responsible for that. nobody can. it was his choice. >> thanks to all the people who came to the show and who watched for indulging me and letting me put my crazy uncle on television. >> i'll miss you, and don't come back. do not come back. >> bye-bye, happy feet. >> amazing what can happen in a week. coming up, mixing caffeine with politics. >> the starbucks ceo has a message for washington about unemployment, and he's more pushy than perky. that's next. 6 . that's t.

♪ i love coffee, i love tea

>> i'd like to coffee around now. >> it's friday, i'm dragging. last night the president urged congress to act quickly on his jobs plan, but one of america's great est entrepreneurs isn't exactly holding his breath. >> hmm-mm. starbucks' ceo howard schultz has his own idea how to get americans back to work. light a fire under the politicians. >> reporter: like so many americans, howard schultz is fed up with the mess in washington. so schultz is trying to do something about it. over the past few weeks, in newspaper ads, in an online campaign, and in an extraordinary national conference call tuesday night that 130,000 people joined -- >> unemployment has to be the number one issue. >> reporter: -- the starbucks chieftain is trying to rally the business community, starbucks customers, and others behind a few big ideas. first he's calling for a moratorium on giving money to politicians of both parties until they start acting responsibly and reach a deal on the national debt.

so far 140 ceos and thousands of citizens have signed a pledge to cut off the politicians' money. >> you took an oath of office, all of you, to represent america, not ideology, not one con state whency over another. we have serious problems right now. can't you leave that outside and come into a room and solve america's problems? >> reporter: second, schultz believes it's time for business executives themselves to take the initiative and just start hiring workers. without waiting for washington. >> business leaders are going to have to galvanize their own constituencies and do everything they can to demonstrate confidence in the economy, and i think that can be contagious. >> reporter: for this billionaire it's personal. subsidized public housing in brooklyn. he knows what hard times are. knows that those unemployment numbers aren't statistics. they're families like his. >> i am the poster child for the

american dream. maybe i have license to ask the question, aren't we better than this? >> reporter: starbucking america. it just might work. terry moran, abc news, new york. >> and get this. he plans to remodel 1,700 starbucks in the next year and try to open up 200 more stores. >> and it's worth noting schultz and his wife have personally donated thousands of dollars -- >> you like to hear that because you like your three shots of espresso. like to hear that because you like your three shots of espresso. -- >> where's my third shot?

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patients have joined diabetes care club. membership is free. so is the call. >> announcer: call diabetes care club at the number on your screen. >> talk to diabetes care club. you'll be glad you did. welcome back, everyone. getting up to speed on these movies. it is friday, which means it's time for "insomniac theater." if you can't decide which movie to see this weekend maybe we can help you out. >> that's right. i will preview the ult mat fighting movie "warrior" this

weekend. >> the steven soderbergh movie "contagion" this weekend. he really knows how to pecuniary in hollywood's biggest stars. matt damon, gwyneth paltrow, lawrence fishburne, kate winslet, jude law, in this tense thriller about a global pandemic that races around the world and literally terse at the fabric of society as fear grips everyone and people put their own interests over the greater good. take a look at the sound bite. >> i really need you to get off that bus. it's quite possible you've come in contact with an infectious disease and you're highly contagious, do you understand? i want you to get off now. >> i'm getting off. >> stay away from other people. >> now what do i do? >> don't talk to anyone, don't touch anyone, that's the most important thing. we'll send somebody to meet the bus. >> okay. >> i'm on my way to you now, aaron. >> all right, reviews are for the most part pretty good.

a lot of people are comparing to it "traffic" because there's a lot of the different story lines, a lot of the different characters. some say all those characters make it a little too unwieldy, too stretched out, they wish it had a little more focus. >> pretty good reviews. i heard good things about it as well as my movie, "warrior." which basically is two brothers who are involved in the mixed martial arts. two brothers, tommy who comes back home to be trained by nick nolte. he gives a great performance. the other brother is brendan, had a hard time making money as a schoolteacher so he has to both fight, on a collision course in the ring, take a listen. >> they're putting us out of the house in three months. we're running out of options. >> if they put us out of the house, i'd rather go back to an apartment than see you in the back of an ambulance again. i thought we agreed we wouldn't raise our children in a family where their father gets beat up for a living. >> we're not givivg up the house. >> so, really, these amazing family dynamics set against the

whole martial arts world. "miami herald" gave it a really good review. the whole complexity of the thing, you root for everyone not to lose. you root for everyone to win. basisilly these two brothers on a collision course. nick nolte they say is fantastic. >> love nick nolte. >> yeah, he's good. this could bring his career back. >> two good movies. >> not bad at all. >> that is the news for this half hour. remember, you can follow us on facebook at wnnfans.com.

this morning on "world news now," a new terror threat. thousands of police officers and federal agents are now being warned this morning after the latest intelligence taken from al qaeda. >> now the nation is on high alert just before the tenth anniversary of 9/11. it's friday, september 9th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> good morning.

what is shaping up to be a very busy news day on this friday. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm tanya rivero. we are following several breaking stories this morning. here in new york the mayor, the fbi and the police department wasted no time reacting to this latest terror threat. there had been warnings about a possible al qaeda attack on the u.s. right about now. commuters here and in other cities should notice a show of force today. also another big headline on this friday morning the president's pupu to stimulate the employment market. can he get support, though, from happen?cans to actually make it and what do economists have to say? last night the president trying to rush through that speech. >> he had some forceful words for congress. >> basically threw down the gauntlet and said, pass this thing, pass this thing. of course, easier said than done. >> the fight is next. >> that's right. also, breaking millions of people from san diego to arizona and across the border into mexico are waiting for the power to come back on. could a simple human error have caused this massive blackout? we begin with breaking news

and increased police presence on the streets of new york this morning after a terror threat tied to the tenth anniversary of 9/11. investigators are working around the clock now totoetermine whether the threat is actually credible. >> our new york station wabc has the very latest on the new alert. >> reporter: in a hastily called news conference the mayor and law enforcement officials tonight face questions about the threat to this city. >> the threat at this moment has not been corroborated. i want to stress that. >> reporter: what they are taking seriously, information about a threat that law enforcement officials call credible but unconfirmed. that at least three people entered the u.s. in august by air, intent to launch a vehicle-borne attack against washington, d.c. or new yorkrk. >> in this instancnc the instance that we are all here tonight to speak about, it's accurate that there is specific, credible, but unconfirmed threat information. >> reporter: law enforcement officials would not go into

specifics. but city officials have revealed that already enhanced security over the next several days will be increased. here's what you'll see. there will be vehicle checkpoints at various locations. increasing bag checks. a law enforcement focus on tunnels and bridges. and increased bomb sweeps of parking garages, among other counterterrorism measures. >> we will be holding personnel, holding tours for an additional four hours tomorrow, and continuing at least through monday. >> reporter: since may, u.s. law enforcement officials have been concerned that in the wake of osama bin laden's death, al qaeda or sympathizers could plan retaliatory attacks. and that is something new york city officials are constantly reminding the public to do and they've been doing that since 9/11. but as this anniversary approaches and with this threat, "see something, say something" perhaps tatang on added importance. abc news, new york.

>> absolutely, and here in new york where the subway is of vital importance to everyone's commute, it could be a very slow morning. >> that's what they're saying. all along the northeast corridororairports, train stations, additional security screenings. could be slow going as we enter weekend with the 9/11 anniversary coming up on sunday. >> better to be safe than sorry. >> always, always. america's sense of security, though, may 12 be rebounding. that's according to this morning's abc news poll which h was taken before this latest threat. 64% believe the country is safer now than it was ten years ago. that's actually up from a year ago when 48% thought they felt safer since the 9/11 attacks. also 67% say they are satisfied with the way the u.s. has responded to the attacks ten years ago, and 84% say added security at airports and government buildings is effective. and it is now up to lawmakers on capitol hill whether to approve the president's ambitious plan to create jobs.

reaction to the president's speech among republicans has been mixed so far. abc's jake tapper has more on the nuts and bolts of the plan. >> reporter: president obama unveiled his plan -- >> this is the american jobs act. >> reporter: -- and challenged the members of congress. >> the question is whether in the face of an ongoing national crisis, we can stop the political circus and actually do something to help the economy. >> reporter: the biggest items in his proposal, $175 billion to extend and deepen the payroll tax cut reduction for working families. the typical working family will get a $1,500 tax cut next year. $1,500. that would have been taken out of your pocket will go new your pocket. >> reporter: plus he proposed $70 billion to cut employer payroll taxes in half and eliminate them in 2012 for new jobs and higher wages. the president said republicans had supported and even proposed many of the items he was proposing. inexcluding

including and extend iing inford unemployment insurance. worker retraining for the unemployed. the president also proposed $140 billion to help keep 280,000 teachers on the job, as well as firemen and police officers. and to build infrastructure. >> we can put people to work rebuilding america. everyone here knows we have badly decaying roads and bridges all over the country. our highways are clogged with traffic. our skies are the most congested in the world. >> reporter: some economists are bullish on the plan. moody's mark zandi expects it to, quote, add 2 percentage points to real domestic product growth and 9 million payroll jobs and reduce unemployment by a percentage point. the president said the $447 billion plan would be paid for 100% but he did not detail how it would be paid for. those details will come later in the month when he presents plans for deficit reduduion. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. >> the f ft that it will be paid for, that's got to appease the republicans right there. >> that plan jake referred to

the president said he'll reveal next monday. >> right, right. you know, it's interesting. he did come out -- the president did d me out and defend collective bargaining, which is essentially a plug for the unions. >> got a big round of applause from the democrats on that issue. now that he made the pitch, now comes the sell to the american people. he hits the road today to sell it across the country, including today in virginia. we'll see how the people buy it. another big story this friday morning, a widespread blackout that has plunged san diego and large areas on both sides of the u.s./mexico border into darkness right now. up to 5 million people lost power all the way from orange county in california to tijuana, mexico, and east to yuma, arizona. it's all being blamed on a single power employee that made some sort of mistake that knocked off a plant in arizona. that mistake was compounded by others, which made all of this a lot worse. >> at this point in time, we have no indication of how quickly we can restore power. we are putting in place our system restoration plan as we

speak. and what that will involve will be getting power back to the central core of san diego on those transmission lines and then working that power out to our substations and ultimately down to our customers. >> some areas are slowly getting power backes right now, and the hope is toave everyone back online sometime today. schools are closed across san diego today and some outbound morning flights have already been canceled by airlines. across the country in the northeast, 100,000 people are being evacuated thanks to drenching rain and flooding triggered by the remnants of tropical storm lee. people in a large area of pennsylvania were grabbing whatever they could before the susquehanna river quests and water was quickly rising upriver where rose closures sealed billington, new york. >> thinknkbout that for a second. 100,000 people having to evacuate. that is not a small number, that

should sink in, what widespread damage is possible. >> where are those people going to go? >> it's extraordinary, the weather the large few months. >> meteorologist jim dickey at accuweathehehas the latest flood warnings. good morning, jim. >> good morning, rob and tanya. historic flooding going on here. especially into eastern-central pennsylvania, southern new york state into maryland. you can see rainfall rates here since sunday. many spots over 10 inches of rain. that on what's already been saturated soil here. right in the basin of the susquehanna river here, the most significant flooding is ongoing. we'll watch rivers continue to rise here through many spots on the day, including harrisburg in pennsylvania, the capital of pennsylvania expected to crest late today into early saturday. when it does, nearing record levels. so big-time flooding ongoing here. unfortunately we are looking for some more rain. upper level lolopressure system what's left of lee continuing to pump in moisture, keeping heavy showers and storms in place. rob and tanya, back to you. >> thanks, jim. the major events marking

the 9/11 anniversary are of course set for sunday. one school far from where it all happened has already done its small part. >> the youngsters at an elementary school in meridian, mississippi, formed their own human american flag yesterday. >> wow. >> that looks cool. most of these kids weren't even born when the attacks took place ten years ago. >> the school administrators said they wanted the kids to understand the significance of the day, and the students took part wearing red, white, and blue. >> it always blows my mind, an event like this. when you didn't have to take off your belt and shoes. when people who weren't flying could go to the gate. they grew up since then. >> in this world of heightened security, that's normal to them. >> it's weird, isn't it? >> yeah, it is. >> ten years. >> we'll be right back with more "world news now." back with more "world news now."

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♪ i can feel it coming in the air tonighght hold on ♪ >> good song, right? >> a phil collins moment. >> yeah. i like that. i like that. as you can imagine the president's jobs plan last night left millions of americans with plenty of questions, so they turned to yahoo.com to find answers. >> joining us is their web life editor heather cabot. hey, there, heather. >> good morning, guys. the tenth anniversary of 9/11 looms large on the web this week as americans prepare to remember that horrific day. ten years ago when the news broke, people watched the tragic events unfold on tv. yet they turned to the web to look for ways to help. to donate blood, to send supplies, and to assist the families of first responders. a decade later we're seeing lots of searches for lesson plalans

teachers and parents to help explain what happened to a new generation who never knew life before ground zero, the tsa, and the war in iraq. a wave of patriotism continues to grow with searches for american flag screen savers and songs like lee greenwood's, "god bless the usa." an interest in conspiracy s continues to bubble up especially with the significant anniversary just days away. also top of mind this week unemployment and president obama's latest proposal to put americans back to work. on the heels of the president's speech we saw a jump in searches for all things obama, including his approval rating. most of the queries are coming from texas, florida, california, virginia, and ohio with men more interested than women, 60% to 40%. the federal government site usajobs.gov top the list of places people are looking for job opportunitieiefollow by monster.com, hotjobs. now to hollywood and the

frenzy over chaz bono's anticipated role with "dancing with the stars." the news sent lots of yahoo! users to look up photos of chaz before and after his gender reassignment, details on mom cher, and even baby pictures of former chastity bono. and last, a new craze seems to be taking the place of planking on college campusus. get ready y r batmanning, an extreme sport that can land you on your head. obviously the guys who made this youtube video think hanging upside down by their feet is worth the risk. and, hey, looks like a pretty good core workout. searches for batmanning are spiking this week with 61% coming from gugu. >> hmm. are you doing a little batman search there, rob? i think you might be. >> i can't do a sit-up. i can't hang with the batman. i don't get it. >> where's our graphics department? it's a graphics department moment. >> i'm impressed with the leg strength it takes to do that but you could break your neck doing that. >> these are the real bat men.

>> they're batty to do that. >> all right. coming up, the first injury before the new season of "dancing with the stars" even begins. >> somebody's already out. plus on top of that, taylor armstrong of "the real housewives of beverly hills" shares her story now in a new way. that's coming up next in your "skinny." >> very interesting.

all t, her all right. here we go. we all know you love "dancing with the stata" news and turns out ricki lake is the first casualty of the show. no, she's not out of the show, but, yes, she did injure herself. she twisted her ankle. apparently according to an insider an ambulance rushed to the studio. in truery rikki lake style, she refused it, said i'm fine, the show must go on, she's barreling ahead. she shared with her twitter fans she's already losing weight from e dancing she's doing and she's not shying away from telling everyone she's trying to get in tip-top shape for her wedding to christian evans. she's hanging in there despite early injury. >> she's not outf the game.

a little preseason bruising. >> she's not giving up, no way. >> good for her. she's lost a lot of weight, she looks pretty good. >> she's been open about the fact that she's struggled with it her whole life. >> right. >> good for her, she will continue on. all right. taylor armstrong and "the real housewives of beverly hills" and the suicide. radaronline has got exclusive information that, yeah, she's going to do a book deal with some kind of publishing company about domestic abuse to get money that she obviously needs. since his suicide, she's pretty desperate for cash. other housewives are helping her out here. the kicking of all this is apparently she's going to include in this book pictures of herself when she was allegedly abused by her ex-husband russell who just committed suicide as a way to boost sales. the book is due out in november, right before the holidays. people are kind of saying, oh, yeah, you're putting this book out there -- she apparently documented he roughed her up a little bit, she's going to put this book out there. she's going to highlight other

celebrities who have been the victims of domestic abuse. we'll see. >> all right. mel gibson and warner brothers are developing, what elelse, a jewish hero epic. just what you would expect from mel gibson. must be a bold pr move from mel gibson. as everyone knows he has been accused of anti-semitism. he's trying to defend himself against that. apparently this film from warner brothers is about the life of judah maccabee, the warrior whose ancient victory is celebrated by hanukkah. so it's another warrior pick. maccabbee, thank you. >> i'm going to go out on a limb, i don't think that's going to sit well with certain people. since he's had real battles with anti-semitic things. >> yeah. i think a lot of people are going to say it the's a pretty transparent try at apr move. >> right. all right, mel. shaloam really. charlie sheen apparently back in the news this morning here. he's apparently signed a deal to

star in a new flick here with jason schwartz man called "a glimpse inside t t mind of charlie swam iii," apparently about some skirt-chasing star's -- mirror some of his misadventures with drugs, women, booze, and so on and so forth. >> his life, right? >> someone's going to put charlie back on the big screen to do a role for which he will have to stretch very little. >> and apparently schwartzman's cousin roman coppola, who is the cousin, will be writing and directing it. >> very interesting, charlie. >> hollywood names, no one can get enough of charlie sheen. >> i'm sure the movie will do as well as husband tour. we'll be back. interesting, charlie. >> hollywood names, no one can get enough of charlie sheen. [ female announcer ] dance cooking? bring it.

[ mom ] my husband -- he thinks it's a 3-sheeter. i say 1-sheeter. [ female announcer ] in this lab demo, 1 sheet of bounty leaves this surface as clean as 2 sheets of the bargain brand. super absorbent. super clean. bounty. here are some stories to watch today on abc news. expect more police presence and higher security, especially in

the northeast today, after the latest terror threat. 18,000 police agencies are now on alert. jury selection continues in l.a. today in dr. conrad murray's manslaughter trial. jackson's death.pop star michael half the potential jurors were dismissed yesterday. rainstorms have delayed the u.s. open tennis tournament here in new york. the final rounds are pushed back till monday. get ready. >> here we go. >> this is finally our favorite story of the day. >> there we go. >> that's nice. >> today'story is a birthday wish for one lucky dog. >> max, a dog from new iberia, louisiana, just celebrated his 28th birthday, and that ain't dog years, folks. katc's jenise fernandez has more on the dog trying to dig his way into the guinness book of world records. >> reporter: in 1983, ronald reagan was president, the last episode of "m.a.s.h." aired, and max the mixed terrier was born.

>> he's definitely part of the family. >> reporter: max is 28 years old. that's 196 in dog years. and owner r janelle derouen say that makes him the oldest dog in the world. she's tried several times over the years to get him in the guinness book of world records but hasn't had much luck. >> but i haven't gotteten any reply back as of yet. i don't know what they're waiting for. but max is the world's oldest dog. >> reporter: the title of the world's oldest dog used to belong to a 21-year-old dachshund named chanel. she has since died. derouen has sent max's birth certificate and vet records to guinness and she wants his proper title. >> everything has been documented, notarized. so i'm just waiting to hear something because i don't want him to pass not being recognized. >> reporter: derouen plans to stop pursuing this if guinness doesn't respond soon. she wants max to enjoy his life and his retirement.

>> he loves just to lounge around the house. he's just like an elderly person. he's set in his ways. >> that is so cool. >> you know what? i don't like animal stories, but when the owner is a louisiana woman, wearing that jersey and cap, loving it. there we are. >> we just need to put a saints jersey on. >> that's right. that dog looked good for b