making news on this wednesday, october 20th. >> plans for peace. progress in the talks to end the fighting in afghanistan. how soon will the guns fall silent? acceptance. openly-gay recruits being welcomed into the u.s. military for the first time ever. and dance floor dismissal. sassy and sexy at 76.th moves wr smooth moves weren't enough to save mrs. brady. and good morning, everybody. thanks for being with us today. leaders at the highest level of the taliban are now participating in talks to end the afghan war, even being flown to those talks in nato helicopters. >> just how close are both sides to laying down their weapons?

abc's alex marquardt has new details from kabul. >> reporter: sources have told abc news, that taliban representatives have sat down with afghan officials to lay the groundwork for peace talks to end this war. at least one taliban leader has come here to kabul, in the past three weeks. other talks have taken place in the region. general david petraeus said last week that neither american nor coalition representatives are involved in the low-level talks. but international forces are facilitating taliban travel and guaranteeing safe passage. u.s. officials say that talks with the taliban have been a long-standing goal that could be on the verge of happening, thanks, in part, to ramped-up, counterterrorism operations. in this video, acquired by abc news yesterday, 60 taliban fighters turned their weapons in to afghan an american forces in the northern province of konduz. today, talks are planned in the maldive islands with an insurgent faction. these are preliminary discussions that the taliban denies are taking place.

in order for talks to happen, the taliban has said that foreign forces must leave afghanistan. afghanistan says the taliban has to lay down their weapons. both are far from becoming a reality. alex marquardt, abc news, kabul. months after a double-agent's deadly attack on cia employees in afghanistan, major changes are now coming to the agency. a new report finds the cia ignored critical warnings about the agent who set off that bomb that killed seven last december. it also found security at the base was not adequate. but the head of the cia says no one will be fired or disciplined for the attack. the president meets with his security team on afghanistan before heading back on the campaign trail later today. >> the president flies to portland, where he will rally voters in the oregon governor's race. then, it's on to more high-profile races in california. >> emily schmidt is joining us from washington with more on the democrats' strategy with just 13 days before the vote. hi, emily. >> reporter: vinita and rob,

good morning to you. the white house is hoping that the president's next few days will show how the west was won. he is campaigning all along the west coast, in tightly-contested races that may bell determine who controls congress. president obama's next four days are all about november. he will hit five states, hoping to add presence to his already-voiced support to help democrat senators hold on to senate seats. polls show barbara boxer is in a dead-heat with republican carly fiorina. another obama stop will include a town hall meeting with washington senator, patty murray, just two days after vice president biden campaigned with her. >> to paraphrase samuel clemens, the reports of the demise of the democratic party are premature. we are going to do just fine. >> reporter: debates are heating up, too. in illinois, candidates took jabs at each other in a bid for president obama's old senate seat. florida senate candidates squared off for the fourth time. >> this is the problem with

washington, d.c., not being able to get things done. they're stuck in gridlock. >> we're on the verge of being the first generation of americans to leave the next generation of americans worse off. >> rebecca: and tea party favorite, marco rubio, leads in the polls there. one reason that bill clinton stumped for democrat kendrick meek last night. >> the final analysis will come down to who votes. >> reporter: clinton has been all over the country, saying democrats can't afford to stay home on election day, when tea party voters are so motivated. the white house says president obama's campaign swing that begins today will be the longest and the last big push before that election now, just 13 dnow3 away. vinita and rob? >> emily schmidt on the campaign beat again. thank you. in more political news now, senate leader harry reid is among those who already voted ahead of the november election. early numbers could spell trouble for reid, who is in a close race with the tea party

candidate, sharron angle. republican voters are outpacing democrats in nevada's largest county. a federal judge has ruled that the military must comply with her order to end don't ask, don't tell. the policy banning openly-gay service members. the government wanted a delay in implementing that ordering arguing that changing the policy during wartime would be disruptive. the judge has now rejected that. so, for the first time in our nation's history, the military is accepting openly-gay recruits and reenlistees. that includes iraq veteran dan choi, who was discharged for going public with his sexuality. choi is looking forward to serving again. >> i realize the victims are not just the gay people being kicked out. the victims are the units that are stripped of the talented and capable team members, family members. and we do them a disservice. >> the government says it will appeal this latest ruling. but president obama insists he is committed to abolishing don't

ask, don't tell. he just prefers to do so with congress and the military, rather than the courts. in france, protesters are out in force again this morning, furious over tomorrow's senate vote on a plan that would extend the retirement age from 60 to 62. work stoppages are clogging air and rail travel. garbage is piling up. and nearly one-third of the country's gas stations are dry this morning. so, people are walking off the job. police managed to forcibly reopen 3 of the country's 12 fuel depots, shut down by protesters last week. former british prime minister, margaret thatcher, is in the hospital, after a bout with the flu. thatcher had to skip an 85th birthday reception last week because of the illness. her son says his mother is in the hospital only as a precaution. there has been a truly surprising development, involving supreme court justice, clarence thomas. his wife is now asking anita hill to apologize for sexual harassment accusations she made

against thomas. those accusations came 19 years ago, during confirmation hearings for thomas. in a statement issued late last night, hill said she has no intention of apologizing. and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. thunderstorms, gusty winds and flash flooding from san diego and los angeles, to vegas, phoenix, albuquerque, and west texas. thunderstorms also from houston to new orleans. scattered showers in south florida. and from d.c. to new york. light rain around detroit, chicago and green bay. >> it's 63 in the twin cities, 63 in omaha. and 67 in minneapolis. phoenix will warm up to 80. sacramento, 87. and salt lake city, 66 degrees. and when we come back this morning, the author who is a best-seller again. a century after his death. plus, what senate candidate christine o'donnell said that made a debate audience gasp. and a twist on the dance floor. voters keep bristol palin, despite her low score. (announcer) if you think all batteries are the same, consider this:

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the dow starts the day back below 11,000 after its largest 1-day drop since early august. investors went into sell mode after a surprise interest rate hike in china. that move threatens to slow down china's economy, which has helped pull along the global economy. and the dow finished the day 165 points down. the nasdaq was off nearly 44 points. asian markets are falling, as well, this morning. tokyo's nikkei average tumbled nearly 1.7% today.

hong kong's hang seng is lower. and in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. housing industry regulators will huddle in washington today to discuss the foreclosure crisis. obama administration officials will talk about what to do about the shoddy paperwork problem. this comes as the fbi opens an investigation into the financial industry to determine if any criminal laws were broken during the foreclosure crisis. big news here, potentially. is apple planning to make a bid to buy facebook? there's speculation that apple could make an offer, after ceo, steve jobs, hinted that his company is looking to put its $51 billion in cash to good use. adding fuel to rumors is a reported meeting a few weeks ago between jobs and facebook founder, mark zuckerberg. well, a century after his death, mark twain is at the top of the best-seller list. preorders for the first of three volumes of his autobiography, are among the top five sellers on amazon and barnesandnobel.com.

twain asked publishers to wait 100 years before publishing the work. coming up next on this wednesday morning, new revelations about the day of the kennedy assassination. did the nation almost lose two presidents? just a matter of hours? and usually, ice hockey fights are on the ice. but one player goes after a fan. [ male announcer ] if you've had a heart attack caused by a completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack that's caused by a clot,

one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous clots. ask your doctor if plavix is right for you. protection that helps save lives. [ female announcer ] certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition,

reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. southern california is bracing for another soggy day after getting drenched by record rainfall. parts of san diego county got over two inches of rain yesterday alone. roads flooded and a tractor-trailer crashed on interstate 15, landing on top of a car. this has been the wettest october in san diego in six years. today's downpours will make for another slick morning commute on i-15, from l.a. to vegas. wet on i-10, from l.a. to phoenix and el paso. and i-40, from amarillo to

flagstaff. slippery on i-10, from houston to new orleans. and on i-95, from d.c. to new york. also, on i-94, around milwaukee, chicago and detroit. >> if you're flying today, expect airport delays in l.a., vegas, phoenix, philadelphia, d.c. and miami. she's been a youtube star since winning her party's nomination for the senate in delaware. and now, christine o'donnell may have added a new gaffe. >> yesterday, o'donnell didn't seem to believe her opponent who correctly stated separation of church and state is in the constitution. >> but that's not the only tea party misstatement making news and going viral. john hendren has more on the party's growing pains. >> reporter: a political battle is brewing over the tea party. >> this tea party business has brightened my life. they've now had everybody. we've gone from wrestling, to witchcraft. >> reporter: and look who just joined the combatants. >> they had everybody at this tea party but the mad hatter. >> reporter: that follows some

controversial statements by tea party candidates. nevada senate hope frl, sharron angle, said this to nevada high school students. >> some of you look a little more asian to me. i don't know that. >> reporter: then, there's alaska senate candidate, joe miller. he suggests the u.s. should look to east germany as a model for border control. saying, quote, we have the capacity as a great nation, to obviously secure our border. if east germany could do it, we could do it. what he doesn't say is that east germany kept its own citizens from leaving by gunning down those who tried. a day earlier, miller's private security guards handcuffed the editor of "the alaska dispatch," shown in this video from the alaska daily news. >> if you don't leave right now, i'm going to put you in handcuffs, right now. >> who are you? >> reporter: and there's delaware hopeful, christine o'donnell. >> there's a separation of church and state, that our courts and our lows must respect. >> where in the constitution does it say there's separation

of church and state? >> reporter: the first amendment doesn't actually contain the phrase, separation of church and state. but it does say congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. that has widely been considered the basis of a wall between government and religion, long upheld by the supreme court. john hendren, abc news, washington. >> her campaign later today o'donnell was not questioning the concept of separation of church and state, as subsequently established by the courts. she simply was saying the phrase appears nowhere in the constitution. we're learning now details about the chaotic hours after president kennedy was shot. a former secret service agent says in his new book that he nearly shot lyndon johnson, hours after johnson was sworn in as president. the agent said he was standing guard outside johnson's home, when he heard footsteps in the dark. he pointed his machine gun at a man's chest but did not pull the trigger. he realized it was the new

president. some dismal news for women using hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal symptoms. researchers say the hormone drugs not only raise the risbref breast cancer, but prolonged use increases a woman's chances of dieing from the disease. but their findings do not say whether short-term use of hormone replacement therapy is safe. the nfl says fining players for illegal hits isn't enough. so, an order is going out today. the league will begin immediate suspension of players who engage in flagrant blouse, especially those involving helmets. in the last week alone, steelers linebacker, james harrison, was fined $75,000. patriots safety brandon merry weather and robinson will lose $50,000 for illegal hard hits. and there was an ugly scene at a hockey game in minnesota last night, that's sure to lead to suspension and possible fine. vancouver's rick rypien attacked a fan in the stands. grabbing his jersey, before being pushed away by teammates.s rypien wasn't kicked out of the game. but didn't get anymore time on the ice.

now, highlights from last night's baseball playoff games. here's steve weissman over at espn news. >> good morning. i'm steve weissman with your espn news update. we start with game four of the alcs. pressure on the pinstripes. down 2-1 games. bottom second. tommy hunter facing robinson cano. deep fly ball. nelson cruz going back. and that is just over the wall. ya l the early lead. couple batters later, lance berkman. sees the first pitch. and that one is not a question about it. oh, maybe it is. it's called a home run. then, it would be reviewed. take another look. clearly foul. so, the call is overturned. berkman would strike out to end the second. top six, bengie molina, facing a.j. burnett. and that one, definitely fair. they would hit three more home runs, crush the yankees, 10-3. rangers lead the series, 3-1 games. how about the nlcs?

barry bonds in the house. giants taking on the phillies. game three, bottom four. no score. cody ross. what a postseason he's had. singling off hamels brings home a run. seven rbis in seven postseason games. bottom five, giants up 2-0. freddy sanchez, with the chopper chase utley can't handle. aaron rose scores. giants up 3-0. top seven.same sco same score, two outs. matt cain, lcs debut, after hitting carlos ruiz, bruce bochy gives him advice. he had never beaten the phils before in his career. perfect time to get number one. seven innings and two hit balls. giants take a 2-1 games lead in the nlcs. that's a look at your espn news highlights. i'm steve weissman. back to you in new york. it's the final chapter to the story of a lovely lady. i won't embarrass myself by singing that. it's walking papers for one of tv's favorite moms.

>> mrs. brady is the latest celebrity to get the boot from "dancing with the stars." florence henderson, who is 76 years old, says she loved being on the show and plans to be back, sitting in the audience. bristol palin managed to survive after getting the lowest scores from the judges. and for the first time, brandy pumped jennifer grey from the top spot. changes midway through. >> she had a good run, though, mrs. brady. up next, the stories we'll be following today. stay with us. [ male announcer ] it's simple physics...

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stories we'll be watching on this wednesday. president obama kicks off a five-state campaign swing in the west. the focus is helping boost the campaign of two embattled democratic women senators, patty murray in washington, and barbara boxer in california. president obama meets with his national security team in afghanistan, as talks are unfolding in kabul. versuses say nato has helped taliban leaders travel to afghanistan, for high-level talks. the housing and urban developer secretary and other leaders meet in washington today, to discuss the ongoing foreclosure problem. they'll talk about what they've done to stay on top of the issue and what to do next. and apple is about to make a big announcement that will take the spotlight off ipods and ipads and put it back on their computers. coming up later on "good morning america," lawmakers behaving badly. our cameras capture what really goes on behind the scenes at lavish parties thrown by

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and finally this morning, remembering the "happy days" and the beloved mr. c. >> octoberer tom bosley died yesterday, at the age of 83.

his career spanned decades. but he was best known for his 11-year run as one of the most memorable dads on abc. >> i think the best thing parents can do for their children, is give them good advice. >> reporter: for 11 years, that's exactly what tom bosley did. as the patient howard cunningham, a.k.a., mr. c., bosley dished out doses of wisdom, mixed with humor. bosley was the emotional center of a show that shot to popularity in 1974, until it went off the air in 1985. harkening to the simpler times of the '50s, "happy days" found a soft spot in america's heart. in 2004, i spoke with bosley at the "happy days" 30th anniversary reunion. >> i still get letters from kids, you know, that are seeing the show for the first time. i'm old enough to be their

grandfather. but they don't look at it that way. >> reporter: bosley appeared in every episode of "happy days." and in 2004, "tv guide" ranked mr. cunningham number nine on its list of 50 tv dads of all-time. after "happy days" bosley had a role on "murder she wrote." but he'll always be remembered as mr. c. marion ross, who played his wife on "happy days," released this statement. he was my husband of 11 years and the father of the company, in many ways. he was so smart, he could make up a new end to fix a scene on the spot. we made a perfect couple. i played pick low to his tuba. this is george picocchio, reporting for abc news. >> recently, tom said, when he knew he wanted to act, the decision was l.a. or new york. he came to l.a. but i thought breaking into the filmnd