hey, good morning. i'm natasha curry in for robin meade this morning. we are two days away from a house vote on health care reform and the democrats could get a big boost today from one of the most powerful lobbying groups in the country. police find a missing infant alive, but you've got to hear where she was the entire time. and now the mom and babysitter are facing charges. plus, a sex tape may be the reason former miss california carrie prejean is over. first our top story. police now have recovered 11 bodies from a registered sex offender's home and learned the identity of one of the victims.

authorities identified her as tonia carmichael, a woman who went missing for a year. police say she was buried in the backyard with marks indicating she was strangled. the grim discovery did not surprise her family. >> this is what i've been saying since monday when we were called to the coroner's office and since this story broke we automatically knew this was going to be her. all of these women have not yet been identified. >> right. >> unfortunately, my mother was the first victim to be identified, and that gives us closure on knowing where she is but we're not happy about the way the police are trying to spin it. >> suspect anthony sowell showed no emotion in court. he is charged with five murders. his attorney wants him to get a psychiatric evaluation. she says sowell is an ex-marine with a heart condition. also, police are no longer calling sowell a convicted rapist. court records show he was

charged with a 1989 rape but pled guilty to attempted rape in a plea deal. house democrats could get a big boost on health care reform from the aarp. the associated press reports the powerful seniors lobby will endorse the house version of the bill today. the ten-year trillion-dollar plan would insure another 36 million people and bar insurance companies from dropping coverage for sick people. the house is expected to vote on it on saturday. well, taking aspirin every day to prevent a heart attack even if you've never even had one, might actually be riskier than previously thought. a new report says people may not want to use the drug as a preventive measure because of risks like internal bleeding. the american heart association says a daily dose of aspirin can help some people who already have heart trouble. new this morning, a baby girl missing for five days was found alive underneath her

babysitter's bed in florida. police say 7-mnt-old shanion had been hidden inside a box. deputies have arrested the babysitter, her husband and the child's mother. but so far they've not released what charges all three may be facing. lawmakers are throwing a life line to millions of americans struggling to find jobs right now. our money expert jennifer westhoven is here. it looks like an extension of the jobless benefits is on the fast track. we've been talking about this so long. a lot of people counting on these benefits. maybe you. maybe someone you know. senators passed the bill and it could be voted on in the house as soon as today. so this could soon be reality. we'll see how fast they can get it to the president. unemployed people would get an extra 14 weeks of benefits. could be up to 20 weeks if you live in one of the red states here where unemployment is considered high. this comes just before october's

unemployment report where we could see the jobless rate hit 10%. the bill also contains benefits for home buyers. i'll fill you in on that in just a few minutes. natasha? thank you very much. you have got to see the video of a prison attack, an amazing twist. a surveillance camera shows an inmate at a tampa area prison attacking a 64-year-old guard here putting him in a chokehold and then, get this, other inmates, as you're watching here, they join in to help the deputy out. you can see them punching the guard's attacker, just holding him down right there. one inmate used the guard's radio to call for backup. >> it's hard to point your finger as to what provoked this but it was fast and it was violent. struck him in the face and he proceeded to lock into what appears to be a rear naked choke used in ground fighting and in martial arts, cuts off the blood supply. these inmates likely saved deputy moon's life. >> the jail commander says the guard was not seriously hurt. his alleged attacker was locked

up on drug charges. well, the celebration is on in new york as the yankees once again are world champions. we're going to rafer weigel who has the story. >> bob and jennifer just let out a whoop, whoop. bob is going to have a few bags under his eyes. he's a little tired. >> but smiling. >> you know, natasha, it is this franchise's 27th world series title but the win was anything but pedestrian. matsui's nickname is god zil la and fittingly he had a monster game knocking in six runs, tying a world series record. that's a good thing. for alex rodriguez, a guy who notoriously disappears in the postseason, it was sweet redemption but owner george steinbrenner, who spent over $200 million on this team, unfortunately, was too frail to see it in person but no doubt he was smiling and the yankees win their first title since 2000 because they've just suffered so

much over waiting nine years for a title. that's sarcasm and that's sports. we'll have more a little later. >> yeah, for sure. thank you, rafer. a lot of cheering in the studio this morning, i'll tell you what. >> it's so fun to work with a cubs fan. they're so angry all the time. so angry. bitter. >> hey, bob. >> what's up, natasha? good morning to you. if you're doing any traveling, another clipper type system rolling through the great lakes. it's a different one from yesterday. the one from yesterday still setting up shop off the eastern seaboard. light rain up around boston. the rain itself is on the light side again, scattered when it comes in through ontario down to the ohio valley, in through western pennsylvania. here is the pittsburgh radar picking up extremely light rain but it's out there across western p.a. coming through eastern ohio. more showers in to western new york later this afternoon. looking at the rain across lake erie back to ontario, too. back off to the east, you see boston, some light showers just offshore. dries out. more light rain overnight tonight. get away from there. it's heavy when you get down to

florida. there's that miami radar and looking at decent rain just offshore. it will build back in to west palm. tropical storm ida is out there near nicaragua. so no waiting and no lines. however, professional sports teams got the h1n1 vaccine while thousands of ordinary folks had to sit and wait. and morgan harrington's parents are not giving up searching for their daughter. they have a message for her and also the person who may have her.

morning, sunshine. i'm robin meade. let's salute our troops together. today's salute is from allison hernandez. it's to her husband, army sergeant luis hernandez. allison says he is truly her soul mate and is extremely missed. >> this is allison hernandez. i'm sending a salute to my husband out in afghanistan, sergeant luis hernandez.

he's serving with the 10th mountain division. i'm so proud of you, babe, and you're extremely missed. i love you and i'm so excited to see you on r&r. you are my soul mate, my love and my best friend and i can't wait to be with you again. me and the kids love you and miss you so much. >> if you have somebody in the service and you want to salute them, we'd like to help you. go to cnn.com/robin. some say republicans' best chance to recapture the white house is with a preacher turned politician. a new "usa today"/gallup poll says mike huckabee may be the top contender. about 40% of those surveyed chose huckabee. 39% chose former massachusetts governor mitt romney. 33% tabbed former alaska fwof sarah palin. now none of the three have announced a formal presidential bid. the parents of the virginia tech student who disappeared last month during a metallica concert are asking for volunteers to help search for

her this weekend. morgan harrington disappeared october 17th. the search for her begins tomorrow. yesterday her parents said they will stop at nothing until she's found. >> be strong. we are trying to find you. we will never stop. we are trying, honey. hang on. and to the person who has taken morgan from us, please, just let her go. she has so much more to live and so much more to give. please let her come back to her family. we need her. >> heartbreaking to hear from her saying that. police are continuing to follow the leads in this case. they have no new information, though. there is a $150,000 reward for information leading to harrington's whereabouts. school officials in one district actually found a way to get kids excited about showing

up for class, that is until the swine flu showed up. new for you in about 20 minutes what students are missing out on all because of h1n1. the bill passed by the senate to extend jobless benefits up to 20 yankees also includes a big bonus for home buyers. our money expert jennifer westhoven is here with the scoop on this. hey, jen. thanks, natasha. and not just first-time home buyers. a lot more people could qualify for this, so if you're thinking about moving, take a listen. economists do say, give credit where it's due, it has helped to stabilize the housing market. the irs has a million and a half people took advantage of that credit. it was due to run out, though, but now it'll run through june thanks to the extension. so first-time home buyers get the $8,000 back in your taxes and, get this, if you've owned your home for more than five years, if you're a long time homeowner and thinking of moving, you can get a tax credit, too, up to $6,500.

plus, they raise the income cap. it's $225,000 for a couple. interesting. i think a lot more people maybe can qualify for that. if you want a smart phone and you use verizon, you'd better make sure that, "a," you love that phone and that service. make sure it works everywhere you need because verizon is doubling that fee, the early termination fee. if you want to get out of your contract, it will cost you $350, says "the washington post." that's a fee where if you have a problem with their service, you get to pay. charming. so verizon says they're doing it because they have to make up for the fact that when people get the fancy phones a lot of times the phone company will help you cut the costs. they say we have to recoup the money. >> okay. interesting. so, again, this is new customers who sign up for verizon service? >> it might also be, though, if you redo your contract. >> good catch there. okay, jen, thanks so much. a college basketball player has cost his school a sneaker

sponsorship but it has something to do with the fact the shoes he wanted to wear have his name on them. and a stunt pilot is giving some students the thrill ride of a lifetime. why he hopes this flying lesson will help the kids in the future.

hey, good morning to you. prison officials missed several opportunities to catch the man accused of holding jaycee dugard captive for 18 years. a report from california's inspector general says official who is were monitoring phillip garrido did not investigate why there were utility wires running from his house to the backyard compound. they also misclassified garrido as a low-risk sex offender despite his rape conviction. >> we agreed that serious errors were made over the last ten years. we obviously deeply regret any error that could have possibly

resulted in the victims living under these conditions for even one additional day. >> the report also says dugard repeatedly tried to conceal her identity when rescued by police. she was hiding from an abusive husband in minnesota and even defended garrido. garrido and his wife have pled not guilty to charges related to the kidnapping. the tea party express is heading to texas today. it is the latest stop on a nationwide bus tour organized by conservatives. they want to stop congress from passing a government run health care plan. but in alabama yesterday people on both sides of the debate showed up to their event. >> it just gives the government too much control over our health care system. it sets up a public option. it puts multiple different taxes on the people. >> we think it's a moral issue. health care is a hum right. it should not be based on -- only given to the people who can pay for it. >> the tour will stop in eight cities in texas over the next

three days. michael jordan's son cost his school a sponsorship by wearing his dad's shoes. here's rafer weigel to explain. what's going on with this? hey. jordan's son plays for the university that has a deal with adidas. adidas will no longer sponsor them after he wore a pair of air jordans made by nikki. a spokesman confirmed it in an e-mail. some support jordan's family allegiance while others are saying he's not being a team player by going with the deal that's in place. so we want to know whose side are you on here? is jordan not being a team player or is adidas being too har snsh it's michael jordan's son. post a comment on our facebook page. we will read them on the air. and lisa has already written in, if the school has a contract and the player cannot abide by the school's contract, then he

shouldn't play no matter who his father is. keep those thoughts coming. in other news with all the negative attention weighing heavy on his heart, florida linebacker brandon spikes asked to serve a full game suspension for apparently trying to gouge the eyes of a georgia running back. spikes' coach urban meyer got criticism because he only suspended him half a game so spikes is the one stepping up and saying just suspend me a full game so we can move on. i applaud his maturity. lastly, students and faculty at the university of alabama birmingham participated in the school's oldest tradition, the gurney derby. each team has two men and two women and one nonliving passenger on the gurney which is a doll of some kind. >> so they're not real people, little pets or something. >> it would be a much bigger story if it were. that is a look at sports. >> all right, rafer, thanks so much. police call it the home depot of stolen property.

officers in missouri city, missouri, found pickup trucks, farm equipment, brand-new appliances, in a field outside a dilapidated house. deputies were checking out a report someone there had shot at a neighbor's dog and found an 8-year-old boy living in the home with a loose python. deputies arrest add woman and are looking for a man they saw get away. a sex tape of former miss california usa carrie prejean apparently led to her sudden legal settlement with the pageant according to a source close to the case and the story is getting a lot of attention on cnn.com right now. tmz says it got the home video in the summer but it was too racy to post on its site. the managing editor indicate that had prejean was alone on the tape. her lawyer would only say the settlement was confidential and he could not discuss it. you know, just when i thought they settle, bob, the story keeps going on and on and now we have a new chapter. >> this one took an interesting

turn, though. >> it did. hey, bob. >> let me show you what's happening. if you're doing any traveling tod today, same deal as yesterday but it's a different storm system. same thing, light rain when you get into western parts of p.a., ohio, too, a clipper that will bring wind up across the great lakes as well. not that much of a factor. we should see short delays. here is what we're calling for for the day. new york city metro, philadelphia, low clouds and poor visibility. watch for that. charlotte and cleveland, gusty winds. 30-minute to one-hour delays there and you get down to the south further right around miami, some thunderstorms and then out west, san francisco, seattle, low clouds and rain heading towards seattle. you're going to see a lot of that over the next 24 to 36 hours. rain up across the pacific northwest starts sometime late today. new york city live, here is what it looks like. still celebrating the yankees' win. a decent start there in midtown. temperatures relatively cool, in the 50s. more on that in a bit. >> you had to mention that win again, didn't you? >> just in case you're just waking up. >> thanks, bob. all right, a hospital is

expanding to house a possible spike in flu patients. the new flu unit is actually in the parking lot and a travel basketball team gives new meaning to the term old school, that's for sure. meet the granny globetrotters.

after a five-day search, a missing baby was found alive hidden in a box underneath her babysitter's bed. the babysitter, her husband, and the baby's mother have been arrested but not yet charged. the baby has been placed in protective custody. some gay rights activists say president obama is partly to blame for a stinging election loss in maine. voters rejected a law that would have allowed same-sex couples to marry. activists say mr. obama did not publicly defend the law enough even though he supports gay civil rights. a woman missing for about a year has been identified as one of the 11 bodies found in a registered sex offender's home.

she was buried in anthony sow well's backyard. her daughter says he struggled with drug addiction. police ignored their missing person's report. secretary of state hillary clinton will represent the obama administration for saturday's commissioning of the "uss new york." that's what an anonymous white house official tells the ap anyway. the billion-dollarship, the bow contains 7 1/2 tons of steel from the world trade center towers. welcome back. i'm natasha curry in for robin meade. it's thursday today. swine flu forced a school district to cancel a program that encouraged perfect attendance. students won charm bracelets, gift certificates, or even ski lift tickets for showing up every day. school officials say it boosted test scores and qualified them for state money but they don't want kids spreading h1n1 so just in case so they won't miss class.

>> and in this time of very potentially unprecedented flu season, we do not want to encourage children to come to school if they're not feeling well. >> the superintendent says last year during swine -- during flu season, i should say, so many kids called out sick they had to have makeup days on saturdays. police released 911 calls to capture the last words of a new jersey priest. reverend ed hines was stabbed 32 times. investigators tell wabc he called 911 but got disconnected. when they called back, the church janitor accused of killing him picked up but here are the calls.

>> you can hear the priest in the background there, dispatchers couldn't pinpoint his location because he used a cell phone. take a look at where one retired couple is living right now, in their burned-out house in virginia. a fire badly damaged the back rooms nearly two weeks ago. the structure may be sound but soot and smoke damage is everywhere and i'm sure you can smell it, too. the couple says they have nowhere else to live and they're having trouble getting help from charities other than the red cross. >> my husband is disabled. he can't help and i'm not young, so we need help if we can get it. >> the red cross says other agencies do want to help but they are overloaded with cases and running low on funds. well, when you think 80 years old, you may think about shuffle board or retirement, but not for some spunky seniors.

rafer weigel is here to introduce us to the granny globetrotters. i love this. knitting is definitely not an option for these women. they are redefining the term granny shot. the granny globetrotters, as they are called, feature women 80 and over, some even in their 90s. they travel the state of texas, playing in exhibition games but do not be fooled by their age. these women are fierce. >> it gives us a new zest to life. >> and i lost my husband about two years ago so this is a good outlet for me. >> now, get this, the team's point guard is 88 years old and she says she just took up the sport. >> what? >> just -- that's what she says. >> she's dribbling quite well. let's see if she makes it. >> not this one but she did make the follow-up shot. she did. >> fantastic. so the united nations is moving about 600 staffers out of afghanistan. the changes come in the wake of a deadly attack on a u.n. guest house in kabul. the agency says security was clearly not up to par there so

it will relocate the workers on a short-term basis while new security measures are put in place. let's get over to meteorologist bob van dillen who is just glowing this morning after your yankees won. >> yeah. >> are you sleepy? >> a little bit but, you know, the coffee helps out a lot. you're right about that. what's going on? we're talking about november. it's weird to hear about the world series in november. kind of odd to hear about a tropical storm in november as well but we still have tropical storm season and hurricane season last through november 30th. we have a storm right now. here is panama. you can see it there. here is costa rica and nicaragua. this is our tropical storm, ida. it's not moving very fast, drifting to the northwest at seven miles per hour. 70-mile-per-hour sustained winds but is beginning to interact with the land mass. it's running out of a little bit of steam once it comes inland. i don't think it's really going to be down for too long. here is what we're thinking with the path, it goes right over honduras and nicaragua. we're talking about tremendous

amounts of rainfall, too. since it's a slow mover, it's going to rain over the same spot for a longer period. as much as 25 inches of rain across the honduras mountains and nicaragua, too. mud slides are a problem f. it keeps up with rotation and moves in to the caribbean it has a chance to get to the gulf of mexico. we hope that doesn't happen. areas like texas, louisiana, you have to watch out for. look at the rest of the country. not much going on except for a clipper. >> bob, looking forward to it. sex addiction was the topic at that got joy behar all riled up last night. check out her interview and some of the stars of the new show on treating sex addiction. >> on up show you have eight good looking sex addicts living together. now isn't that a recipe for disaster? >> no. well, maybe in the joy behar sex rehab program. for mine it's like putting drug addicts together. yes, they do drugs, they do them together. >> it's different because there's no drugs around but

people are there, good looking people. >> we really wanted it -- >> you really wanted what? >> i really wanted sexual sobriety and a lot of those people were desperate. >> catch "the joy behar show" here on hln. well, you've been trying to keep you and your family free of the h1n1 flu. today there is a warning for people with pets. and a proud mother was told that she had to take down her banner at a football game. why the stadium said it had to go.

♪ never thought you'd be the one to play games the way you did ♪ should we add pets to the list of h1n1 concerns? have you thought about that? according to the american

veterinary medical association the answer is yes. a cat in iowa has tested positive for the virus. do doctors say the cat appears to have gotten it from a person who was sick in the house. the cat has since recovered and the association said besides humans h1n1 has been found in pigs, birds and ferrets. police say a teenager who confessed to killing a child and putting him in a dryer admitted he molested the 4-year-old. an affidavit revealed in court yesterday says the 14-year-old allegedly lured his young neighbor into his house and molested him but later panicked when the child threatened to tell and then drowned the boy in a bathtub. the victim's family is having a tough time coping. >> with things as horrible as that, you have to just rely on things of a higher anywnature a that's truly what they've done and that's what's carrying them through this. >> the child's family and friends had a vigil tuesday night. castro has been charged as an

adult. his family describes him as a good boy who has never been in trouble. crack down on your creditors. lawmakers have voted to slap tough new rules on credit card companies. our money expert jennifer westhoven is looking out for you. hey, jen. thanks, natasha. the house voted to try and immediately slap the tough new rules on the credit card companies. the point is to freeze rates and fees for nine months and put those new credit card rules in effect as soon as possible. lawmakers say they have heard from you. they got too many complaints that banks are heaping charges on people already stretched to the limit. new york democrat maloney said the credit card companies brought this on themselves. even the head of the federal reserve, ben bernanke, admit that had moving the date up would probably benefit consumers. kellogg's is going to pull the label on rice krispies boxes that claim the cereal could boost your child's immunity.

it was right across the snap, crackle and pop. you can see the yellow band there. it has to do with the h1n1 virus. a san francisco city attorney kind of called out the company saying it's a company trying to play to fears about the swine flu. kellogg's said, no, that wasn't what it was trying to do. it was about antioxidants that added to the cereal but says it will pull the label anyway. okay. you think you know the news? prove it. challenge your friends, challenge yourself, test your knowledge. you can pick your favorite anchor like maybe our very own robin meade to lead you through it and play now at cnnchallenge.com. that's a new name you can choose from all the different anchors. we know who you'll choose, robin. the most storied team in baseball history back on top again. what it all came down to for the new york yankees to take home their 27th world championship. and with the military -- wow. and with the military looking to recruit new troops, a new study says some of the people they're

looking at may not be fit for service.

i'm rafer weigel with sports. the celebration is on in new york and in certain parts of the studio as the yankees are world chann champions once again beating the phillies 7-3 in game six. it is the 27th world series title for the bronx bombers but the first in their new $1.3 billion stadium and how sweet it was. >> the yankees win. the yankees win. and sweet redemption for alex rodriguez, had never won a world series title and they are still celebrating in new york. kids, get to bed. got work to do. michael jordan's son marcus cost his school a shoe sponsorship deal. marcus plays for the university of central florida. they have a deal with adidas. after marcus wore his dad's air jordans made by nike a spokesman for adidas said they will not continue any future sponsorships. now some support jordan's family allegiance and some say he's not being a team player. we're taking your thoughts on our facebook page.

aaron wrote, he is being a rich little stubborn brat. he should honor the school's contract and be a true team player. not everyone has his father's money. ouch. emma posted, given the kid a break. i know that rules are rules but why can't they make an exception? hit the facebook icon. either way at this point nike needs to step up and sponsor the team. that's all i'm saying. in other news a canadian government official was fired for giving the h1n1 vaccine to the calgary flames hockey team while thousands including women and children waited in line to get it last week. a spokesman said more people may be punished. a flames spokesman said the team and their families got the vaccine in a private location and they thought they were going through the private channels. in other news hundreds of friends, family and students gathered to remember three dickinson state university softball players. it was an emotional scene at the school's student union.

kyrstin, afton and ashley were found in a pond. classes were canceled today. lastly, who is the dirtiest player in the nfl? well, this man. according to a poll taken by players by si.com, pittsburgh steelers receiver hines ward. he has a long history of physical play. last october fined $15,000 for hits in back-to-back weeks. they were not penalized, though, during the game. that's a look at sports. i understand hines ward's kid goes to school with bob's kid. used to. i'm not judging. i'm just pointing out information. >> so does he -- bob, does your son need to wear helmets to class? >> no, he's a darling little son. i like him. on we go. >> all right. coming up on "showbiz tonight," why is sandra bullock battling a porn star? here's hln's a.j. hammer. natasha, good morning. coming up beginning at 11:00 a.m. eastern, america's sweetheart, sandra bullock in a nasty, dramatic fight with a porn star who used to be married to her husband and it's all over

a 5-year-old child. also, josh and fergie versus the stripper, the startling claims that he cheated on fergie with a stripper. how josh and fergie are fighting back. we'll see you at 11:00 a.m. eastern here on hln. natasha? a proud military mom says she was told to take down her banner supporting the troops at a recent nfl game. she says that she flies it proudly wherever she goes. karen williams tied it to a railing near her seat but ushers told her it had to go. >> that hurt so bad because all we're trying to do is show these young gentlemen and women that we support them. >> they say the removal had nothing to do -- let's see. what did it have nothing to do with? it had nothing to do with the content but rather the fact that it was tied to the railing. there we go. prompter. there we go.

so it was a day at the races. the bug races. students and teachers at palm beach atlantic university in florida got together for their annual -- ew -- cockroach race. it was started by the school science club. oh, that's nasty. competitors say educational but nasty. their roaches have been in heavy duty training. >> run around for a little bit, you know. get warmed up. >> we're training as we speak. >> are you? >> sure. it's climbing the sides. >> the winning roach coach took home a grand prize of $100. some of those things, bob, you stem on them and they keep running, i bet. >> survive a nuclear bomb. >> man, have you seen them in texas? they get big. >> bite your head off. what's going on? >> morning, bob. a good day to travel. no huge storm systems out there. one weak clipper moving through the great lakes and the ohio valley. the same as yesterday but it's a different storm. light showers will be thrown your way when you get to the new

york city metro area later today. again, it's poor visibility, short delays out of that. miami some thunderstorms. some will be heavy just like yesterday. san francisco, you're going to see the rain come in late in th for that afternoon push. more details on that weather coming up in just a little bit. >> thank you, bob. being one of the iron chefs on the food network can be stressful and time consuming, so it's no wonder that iron chef cat cora serves up delicious tips in this weekend's "road warriors." >> "iron chef's" cat cora. >> i'm a restaurateur and i'm a wife. i'm on the road 200-plus days a year. being on "iron chef" is intense. go, go! come on! it's not easy being on the road. especially when you've just had a baby. we're calling constantly in touch, sending pictures through iphone. i still do bedtime. no matter what city i'm in i'm

calling home and helping tuck my kids in bed. my strategy is hit the gym because that usually refreshes me. thank you. it definitely will make you crankier than being delayed on the flight and not having something good to eat. being a chef and being a foodie, always have almonds, pretzels, pieces of fruit, banana, orange, grapes. i think restaurants usually buy what new and exciting, chef buddies that always hook me up. i go visit them. i'm cat cora. remember, keep cooking. closing arguments have wrapped up in a bizarre murder trial. why the defendant's race is a key factor in this case.