making news on this tuesday, october 19th. >> campaign countdown. with two weeks to go, american politics in overdrive. a cast of characters for governor. on the tr-known women. and will republicans retake capitol hill? cliff crash. a former nfl star behind the wheel when his suv goes on a 100-foot drop. and the starbucks experiment. the coffee colossus branches out with beer and wine. good morning. and thanks for being with us. campaigns across the country are in high gear, with constant campaign commercials, heated debates and the parties' biggest stars, urging you to vote. and that's just in the past 24

hours. >> emily schmidt has been tracking this from washington and joins us with the good morning. good morning, emily. >> reporter: rob, vinita, good morning to you. people in 20 states have a chance to vote early. both parties know, in many ways, every day, for the next two weeks, is election day. two weeks until the midterm elections. republicans who aren't even on the ballot, are hitting the campaign trail against a democrat, who isn't on the ballot. >> keep the obama machine from continuing to roll over the american people. >> mr. obama and your czars, you're next because now, we can see 2012 from our house. >> reporter: sarah palin launched the tea party express 19-state bus tour that's moving until election day. in an exclusive interview with abc news, john mccain says america is frustrated with the obama-led washington. >> this is the most adminian administration that i have ever seen. >> reporter: democrats are hitting the road just as hard. >> don't be fooled. don't be played.

and don't stay home. >> yes, we can. yes, we must. yes, we will. >> reporter: new york's seven candidates for governor shared a stage for their first and only scheduled debate. >> the people i represent can't afford to pay their rent. >> we need to legalize marijuana and casino gambling. >> reporter: tea party-backed candidate carl paladino did not attack front-runner, democrat andrew cuomo. after a weekend debate for kentucky's senate seat, so contentious, candidates didn't shake hands at the end, republican rand paul says he may skip a debate next week with democrat jack conway. >> i don't know if i will appear with somebody who is going to question my religion. >> reporter: there is big money coming in, as well. last night, president obama led a $400,000 fund-raiser in maryland. while up in new york, his wife brought in $1 million for democrats. rob and vinita? >> all right. emily schmidt, live in washington. thanks, emily.

also on today's campaign agenda. vice president biden campaigns in vancouver, washington. john mccain headlines a major tea party rally in tucson, arizona. and there's senate debates in florida, delaware and illinois. those races are especially critical since they determine which party controls congress. our chief political correspondent, george stephanopoulos, says the republicans will control the house, after gaining 50 seats. as for the senate? >> let me show you why the senate is so difficult. the republicans start out with arkansas, indiana and north dakota in the bank. and wisconsin increasingly moving in that direction. then, you have five tossup seats, which are either tied now or republicans in the margin of error. even if they win all five of he demeats where the democrats are ahead. the republicans need to pick up 40 seats. pretty tall order to win this. here's the problem for democrats. there's currently 89 democratic seats at risk.

you see the polls, who do you support? democrats getting closer in the last few weeks, the number of seats, the math as expanded. the number of vulnerable seats has actually expanded. that's why things are so difficult for democrats right now. >> and george will have more insight later this morning when he interviews john mccain on "good morning america." breaking news this morning out of chechnya and southern russia. insurgents there stormed the chechen parliament and another government building using guns and explosives, killing at least two security officers. chechen officials say security forces fired back and killed the attackers. at least one of the militants blew himself up. and in france, more protests are planned in more than 200 cities today. demonstrators are angry because of a government plan there to increase the retirement age from 60 to 62. the protests have disrupted fuel supplies, forcing french airports to cancel flights and slash schedules. despite the widespread outrage, french lawmakers are expected to

give final approval to the age hike tomorrow. disbelief and disappointment this morning from the moms of the two, american hikers still jailed in iran. as of today, the two men have been held longer than the u.s. hostages taken captive in iran when jimmy carter was president, 445 days. more, now, from jim sciutto. >> reporter: josh fattal and shane bauer spent day 444 behind these gates. in a special section of the prison, separated from other inmates. matching the sad milestone set by the u.s. embassy hostages in 1981, is something the hikers never wanted. >> i had no, no contemplation that this would last 444 days. >> reporter: now, they will surpass it. iranian officials demanding they stand trial for spying. the hikers' prolonged detention stands in sharp contrast to the relief of this

american-iranian businessman, who was freed after 2 1/2 years, more than 900 days, behind bars. you must be very happy. after a happy reunion with his wife, and a tearful call to his son. >> 2 1/2 years. for what? >> reporter: the hikers will have to wait for their freedom. iranian officials, in private and in public, taking a hard line on their case. iranian officials taking a hard line on their case. for the hikers, 1 relative told us, day 444 is simply heartbreaking. jim sciutto, abc news, iran. we should get a ruling today about the future of the don't ask, don't tell policy, which bans gays from serving openly in the u.s. military. a federal judge has 4rrd ruled that the ban should end immediately. now, she is considering an obama administration request, to delay her ruling. but she will likely deny the administration's request. if she does, another appeal could be launched in a higher

court. a small town in western tennessee is reeling this morning, after a horrific crime at a post office there. two postal workers were shot to death while on duty. people who live in the town say they're stunned. the post office is the center of the community. officials say robbery may have been the motive. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. another wet day in the southwest, with up to two inches of rain, from southern california to the sierra nevadas and the southern rockies. showers and thunderstorms around shreveport, memphis, st. louis and tulsa. and some morning showers between new york and washington. >> 60 right here in new york. and almost 80 in atlanta. 80s in miami, new orleans and dallas. 60s from kansas city to indianapolis. 60s across the rockies and the pacific northwest. phoenix still hot at 86. sacramento, 79. coming um, the reprieve for homeowners is over. at least one megabank resumes foreclosures. and starbucks begins testing

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...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part. i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. the temporary foreclosure freeze caused by all of that shoddy paperwork at many top banks now appears to be ending. bank of america, the nation's largest bank, says it will resume foreclosures in 23 states. b of a insists it did not find a single example of where someone lost their home because of paperwork error.

gmac says it is also ending its freeze and other banks are expected to follow suit. it's a mixed picture for overseas stocks this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.4% today. hong kong's hang seng is higher. and in london, the ftse opened lower. meanwhile, on wall street, the dow rose nearly 81 points yesterday. the nasdaq climbed almost 12 points. the iphone and the ipad have apple reaching some new heights. the company reported record sales for the latest quarter. iphone sales doubled from a year ago to more than 14 million. and ipad sales topped 4 million, outselling mac computers. ceo steve jobs, even had a shot at apple's rivals, saying the tablets would be dead on arrival because the screens are too small. one of the companies of that massive salmonella recall has begun shipping eggs again. hillandale farms has begun shipping eggs again, after no

signs of contamination. but the other company, wright county egg, has been urged to clean up or shut down by the government. johnson & johnson has announced its 13th recall in barely a year. this one covers tylenol 8-hour caplets in 50-count bottles. some commerce say they got sick from a moldy older on the bottle. a new study finds that flight delays are costing you a lot more than they're costing the airlines. delays cost passengers nearly $17 billion in lost time and inefficiency back in 2007. that's twice as much as the airlines lost, mostly for crews, fuel and maintenance. starbucks in seattle is adding a little kick to its menu. >> to say the least. the renovated starbucks reopened yesterday, offering beer and wine for the first time. the alcoholic beverages are only sold after 4:00 p.m., roughly happy hour. along wif ariety of food to attract customers later in the day. >> we know you're wondering. starbucks executives are not

saying if and when other locations will follow suit. just seattle for now will be the ones enjoying that. >> may soon need bouncers at starbucks. coming up next at this tuesday morning, an nfl veteran drives off a cliff, just hours after being arrested. and could bristol palin's dancing days be numbered? the latest scores are in. [ female announcer ] introducing splenda® no calorie sweetener granulated with fiber. sweet! [ female announcer ] tastes like sugar and has 3 grams of fiber per tablespoon.

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[ beep ] wow. [ man ] yeah, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. [ man #1 ] it's like it -- targets the blood. targets the blood. yeah, it draws it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of onetouch®. okay. freestyle test strips. i'll take 'em. [ man #2 ] sure. call or click -- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. can't i just have these? [ man #2 ] freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. and time, now, for a look at your morning road conditions. wet with isolated flooding on i 465, from l.a. to san diego. i-40 into flagstaff and i-10, from southern california to phoenix. wet on i-20 and 30 around dallas, shreveport and little rock. slick on i-95, from new york to d.c. >> if you're flying today, expect airport delays in los angeles, las vegas, phoenix, memphis, new york and philadelphia. more political news, now. democrats are calling on one of the brightest stars in the party

to help get out the vote. >> former president bill clinton is back on the campaign trail. this stop was in washington state last night, to support senator, patty murray. as karen travers reports, mr. clinton can still draw a crowd. >> the 42nd president of the united states, bill clinton. >> reporter: he's been called the comeback kid. and now, former president bill clinton is trying to help democrats rally to keep their majority in congress. he's hit the campaign trail for more than 80 events this election season, pleading with voters to stick with democrats. >> all we're asking is for four more years. >> reporter: over the past week, the former president has crisscrossed the country, stumping for democratic candidates in very tight races. >> the only reason this is a tough race is this is a tough time. >> reporter: clinton appeals to moderates and independents. but he's one of the best at pumping up the base.

>> bill clinton on the campaign trail reminds people what it was like to have a president where we had a balanced budget. they had a little more money in their pocket. >> reporter: a recent poll finds that 55% of americans had a positive view of president clinton, up over 15 points from 2 years ago. that's quite a turnaround from the contentious 2008 democratic primary season, when there were questions of whether he was helping or hurting his wife hillary's campaign. how did clinton get his campaign groove back? >> i think, if anything, we're seeing a disciplined bill clinton. and that may be the difference. >> reporter: democrats say having a popular former president on the campaign trail, could help bring out voters. and they hope that the comeback kid has one more rally up his sleeve. karen travers, abc news, washington. in tijuana, mexico, police are still weighing a large amount of marijuana that was seized. so far, they say they captured 105 tons of pot, with a street value of around $140 million. the bust got started after a

shoot-out with smugglers. the smugglers ended up telling authorities where they could find 10,000 packaged. ed. across the border near e trying police are trying to find out why an suv driven by former linebacker, junior seau, drove off a cliff. after posting bail, he says he fell asleep at the wheel, sending the vehicle plunging 100 feet down. seau suffered some minor injuries. but police say alcohol and drugs are not suspected to be factors at that point. after much debate, the nfl is considering suspending players for helmet-to-helmet hits instead of just fining them. that possibility comes after several violent games over the weekend. the league could make challenges to improve player safety immediately, if the commissioner approves. the players' union would have to be consulted. but it is not expected to be in opposition. and "monday night football" is part of our sports highlights this morning, as is baseball. we get it all, now, from espn

news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. we start with an epic pitching performance in the bronx. game three of the alcs. yankees and rangers. hamilton, two-run big fly to right field. the rangers take an early 2-0 lead. cliff lee on the mound for the rangers. trying to improve his postseason record to 7-0. down goes mark teixeira. alex rodriguez, like window-shopping at the mall. just looking. in the fifth inning, we go. curtis granderson, swinging at the breaking ball. lee, cruising in the eighth. down goes jorge posada. two batters later, brett gardner going down. the rangers win it 8-0. "monday night football," vince young and the titans taking on the jaguars. first quarter, young, under

center, dropped the football. gets it back. but gets hit hard. in fact, he fumbles the rock. and he is injured on the play. he would leave the game. he is replaced by kerry collins. second quarter, titans up 7-0. third and goal. collins finds beau scathe for the touchdown. jack del rio, not very happy. the titans lead 14-0. fourth quarter, up 23-3. chris johnson, feet, don't fail me now. he had 111 yards. the titans win, 30-30. that is your espn news update. i'm don bell. back to you in new york. well, there was a slight shakeup in the ballroom this week, as jennifer grey slipped from the top of the leaderboard. >> it was tv theme week. put brandy in the lead, with her quick step to the theme from "friends." and bristol palin's jive failed to impress the judges with her bringing up the rear with just 18 points. we'll find out tonight which star will get the boot. >> halfway point now. >> already?

really? >> yeah. went by quickly. stay tuned. see who is out. >> i miss the situation. next, the stories we'll be following today, including which debates to watch tonight. and the renegade flight attendant prepares to enter his plea in court. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics... a body at rest tends to stay at rest... while a body in motion tends to stay in motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arthritis, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain

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and find an arthritis treatment that works for you. ask your doctor about celebrex. and, go to celebrex.com to learn more about how you can move toward relief. celebrex. for a body in motion. is it real? no. it's just decorations. i'm going to make the biggest pumpkin of all. the biggest pumpkin? ♪ i need to make a witches hat. in case my hat falls off. it's pointy and then... a spike. mamma. oh, that's a good broom. [ female announcer ] the best treat is the one you get at home. rice krispies® childhood is calling. now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this tuesday. candidates in key senate races face off. and delaware's tea party

candidate, christine o'donnell debates chris coons. and george stephanopoulos moderates the illinois senate debate. chechens are reeling from a militant attack on their parliament. insurgents killed a number of people when they stormed the building this morning with gunfire and explosives. >> security officers fired back, killing the insurgents. protests are resuming across france today, as anger builds over a government plan to increase the retirement age from 60 to 62. despite all that anger, the change is expected to be approved by french lawmakers tomorrow. a somali man faces sentencing for hijacking the "maersk alabama" last year. once onboard, the high jaeshgs took the captain of the ship hostage, until navy s.e.a.l.s moved in. former flight attendant, steven slater, is expected to plead guilty today in new york. slater grabbed headlines after he had a meltdown aboard a jetblue plane. coming up later on "good morning america," what's next for justin bieber, after an altercation with a 12-year-old.

we'll get the inside story on what really happened and what the teen singer plans to do now. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, the newest lesson from "sesame street." ♪ [ female announcer ] sharing america's softest tissues has never been easier. now you can mail a kleenex brand share package for free at kleenex.com. you can even track your tissue as it starts a chain of softness around the country. ♪ ♪ log on today and discover why kleenex brand is softness worth sharing.

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and finally this morning, boosting self-esteem with a song and a dance. >> it's another lesson from "sesame street." one that is hitting home for african-american girls around

the country, thanks to a concerned dad bent on broadening the boundaries of beauty. here's linsey davis. >> reporter: a new muppet. a powerful lesson. ♪ don't need a trip to the beauty shop ♪ >> reporter: a song. ♪ i love what i got on top >> reporter: this anthem about hair has gone friend-to-friend, mother-to-daughter, shared more than 300,000 times online. ♪ i really love my hair >> reporter: perhaps, this girl can help us understand why. >> i feel weird. my hair is curly and puffy. >> reporter: puffy is exactly how i described my hair growing up. and i remember not knowing what to say when kids would ask, why is it so big? this, by the way, is o earl our earliest lesson about beauty. joey says his daughter would ask why her hair wasn't like barbie's. >> she wanted hair that was blonde and she could do this with it. i want it to move.

she didn't want it to be curly. she wanted it to be straight. >> reporter: she is from ethiopia. her dad just happens to be the head writer at "sesame street." so, joey took his unique position to address an issue that goes far beyond his daughter. ♪ i wear it up i wear it down ♪ >> reporter: he recruited elmo's puppeteer to get her moves just right. and for the voice, chauncey johnson, the former star of the broadway show "lion king." ♪ i really love my hair >> reporter: we found hundreds of responses on the internet, like this -- my daughter loves this video. i could see her eyes light up as she began to sing along with the girl with hair like hers. ♪ it's a part of me >> reporter: a little, brown muppet on "sesame street," encouraging young, black girls to love what they have on top. linsey davis, abc news, new york. >> so cute. >> it really is. that's what's making news on

am