making news on this thursday, october 28th. >> some tough questions for the president. and a sober, new assessment from one democrat about the party's chances on tuesday. the destructive storm that has barreled across the midwest moves on. and it's not done yet. and a giant success in the world series. san francisco batters the rangers' best pitcher. good morning. and thanks for being with us. with just five days until the elections, candidates and their supporters are stepping it up a notch. and so is the president. >> mr. obama appealed to young voters, with his first-ever appearance on "the daily show." emily schmidt joins us from

washington with the latest on the campaign trail. hi, emily. >> reporter: good morning to you. you can count the number of days until the election on one hand. counting all that's going on takes more work. in alaska, sarah palin is set to appear today with tea party candidate favorite joe miller. in california, carly fiorina, going to appear on the campaign trail for the first time after two days in the hospital. an under working under the guidance of president obama, who told volunteers yesterday, you can't run just half a race. you have to keep going. >> the president of the united states, barack obama. >> reporter: days before the midterm election, jon stewart's "daily show," took on politics with the president. >> you ran with such, if i may, audacity. yet, legislatively, it's felt timid at times. >> this is something where, you know, i have a profound disagreement with you. >> right. >> this motion that health care was timid. >> reporter: president obama made the show's first-ever appearance by a sitting

president. his chance to talk with an audience of traditionally young viewers, in hopes of getting them to vote next tuesday. but in a radio interview earlier in the day, he hedged on predicting democrats' success. >> we're going to have to wait and see what happens. and a lot of it is going to depend on turnout. >> reporter: california senator, barbara boxer, is it in one of many tight races across the country. this week, she got support from michelle obama and even dianne feinstein. but even feinstein, when asked about democrats' prospect of keeping control of congress said -- >> i don't know. >> reporter: candida arguing th arguing that point, in final face-to-face debates. and in increasingly negative political ads, aimed at voters who are already lining up several deep in early voting states. >> i think it's probably one of the most important midterm elections in the last 100 years. >> we don't have the convenience of not caring anymore. >> reporter: on that "daily show" appearance, president

obama said, if given the chance to do something over, he would change his 2008 campaign slogan to, yes, we can. but it's not going to happen overnight. vinita? >> serious side of the president last night. emily schmidt reporting from washington. thank you. the president will be back on the campaign trail again tomorrow, on a swing through five states, where democrats are locked in some very tight races. >> he will focus on courting black voters, hoping they will turn out in force, just like they did when they sent him to the white house. karen travers has details. >> reporter: facing a potential tidal wave of losses on election day, democrats are reaching out to a traditionally reliable voting bloc, african-americans, to boost their chances in close races. in 2008, african-american voters turned out in overwhelming numbers. the president said republicans are hoping for low turnout. >> they're counting on young people staying home. and union members staying home. and black folks staying home. >> reporter: strategists warn

that democrats should not take for granted african-american support. >> showing up, spending the money to reach those voters is really important. and actually matters to african-american voters. >> reporter: the dnc is doing just that, spending $3 million on radio and television advertising, aimed at black voters. that's ten-times the amount they spent in the 2006 midterms. >> performing education so it works for every child. >> reporter: the money is going towards ads like this one, that is running in 18 cities. >> two years ago, you voted in record numbers. and we won a victory few dreamed possible. on november 2nd, i need you to stand with me and vote. >> reporter: president obama is also making an aggressive, direct appeal to african-american voters through the media. >> well, i'm doing great. but i'll be doing even better when ever one of your listeners has voted november 2nd. >> reporter: this push may bring out voters. but will it be enough to turn the tide for democrats? a recent study found that african-american turnout could

impact 20 competitive house races in 14 states. earlier this month, the president made it personal. telling african-american voters, don't make me look bad. karen travers, abc news, washington. one final political note this morning. a top republican is questioning whether sarah palin has what it takes to be president. karl rove took issue with palin's upcoming reality show, "sarah palin's alaska," saying it may contribute to a tense that she is not presidential material. palin says in a clip, i would rather be doing this than in some stuffy, old political office. end quote. an american man is in custody this morning, accused of plotting to blowup subway station near the pentagon. farooq thought he was arts pating in an al qaeda plot. but it w >>sting. in pakistan, another u.s. drone attack is being blamed for

killing seven more suspected militants. intelligence officials say the unmanned planes targeted a house in north waziristan near the afghan border. just yesterday, two similar attacks claimed the lives of seven alleged militants in the same area. and travelers in france are coping with another day of disruptions, after parliament voted yesterday to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. strikes today reduced rail service and cut flights by up to 50%. french president nicolas sarkozy, refused to back down, despite weeks of sometimes violent protests. back here in the u.s., a special memorial mass is planned for later today, on the notre dame campus, after a tragic accident. a student died on the tower used to film football practice fell over. the junior from illinois. weather may have been a factor. winds were gusting up to 50 miles per hour at the time of the accident. the megastorm that's already ravaged much of the midwest is now moving east this morning. >> what has helped to make it so

drublgtive is the seemingly endless arsenal of tornadoes and winds. t.j. winick joins us with details. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. meteorologists say it's truly uniq unique. it's the strongest nontropical storm to roll across the country in recorded history. and it has a bit of everything. wind. rain. tornadoes. and snow. the storm is massive. 2,000 miles long. and as the barometric pressure of a category 3 hurricane. in north carolina, suspected tornadoes snapped trees in half and downed power lines. >> it didn't last maybe two minutes. and everything was just torn to pieces. >> reporter: three homes in the town of vail were damaged. 11 people were injured. >> i thank good we're alive. we were all lucky. >> reporter: the storm has left a path of destruction.

in minneapolis, wind turned this street into an unwelcome house guest. >> it hit the roof. as it was sliding down, it hit the bedroom window. punched holes all the way through. right into my bedroom. >> reporter: in northern illinois, over 200,000 customers were in the dark after lines were blown down. while most had power restored, tens of thousands could be without electricity for days. this is what the tail end of a storm looked like in ohio. >> strongest storm we've seen in probably 25 years. >> reporter: the storm has stalled air traffic across the country. 500 flights were canceled at chicago's o'hare airport. and hundreds more were delayed. rob and vinita? now for this morning's weather from around the nation. chilly and windy from chicago to detroit. severe as yesterday. snowshowers in northern michigan. and rain in the pacific northwest. >> 45 in salt lake city.

just 37 in fargo.nneapolis. 43 in minneapolis. and 63 in kansas city. 71 here in new york. 81 in atlanta. and when we come back, fresh evidence of the foreclosure crisis is only getting worse. the business news is straight ahead. and if you couldn't get enough of "avatar" this past summer, don't worry. the sequels that are now in the works. ♪ let's take a look at the stats. mini has more than double the fiber and whole grain... making him a great contender in this bout... against mid-morning hunger. honey nut cheerios is coming in a little short. you've got more whole grain in your little finger! let's get ready for breakfaaaaaaaaaast! ( ding, cheering, ringing ) keeping you full and focused with more than double the fiber and whole grain... in every tasty bite -- frrrrrrosted mini-wheeeeats! didn't know i had it in me.

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today. hong kong's hang seng is slightly higher. on wall street, the dow fell 43 points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq climbed six points. the foreclosure crisis is growing. now spreading to cities that weren't previously hit very hard. new figures now fore low sure activity rose in 65% of large metropolitan areas between july and september. the sharpest increases were in seattle, chicago and houston. reduced income is now the biggest reason so many homeowners are falling behind on their mortgage payments. wells fargo has admitted to finding mistakes in paperwork for foreclosure cases. it will refile documents in 55,000 cases. but the bank described the mistakes as technical and said it won't freeze the foreclosure process. televisions will soon carry the name energy labels you find on refrigerators and other appliances. flat-screen tvs vary widely in

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now, for a look at your morning road conditions. wet with isolated flooding on i-95, from the carolinas to jacksonville. also, on i-75, from tampa to ft. myers. wet on i-5, around seattle, portland and northern california. >> if you're flying today, you can expect some airport delays in seattle, minneapolis, detroit, chicago, charlotte, atlanta, new orleans and miami. search crews in north carolina have found a prosthetic leg that police believe may belong to 10-year-old zahra baker. it was found in brush outside of the home where the stepmother once lived. the stepmother is already in

custody, accused of writing a fake ransom note for the girl. police believe zahra is dead. imagine you have a loved one who has been in prison for 35 years, wrongfu double-murder. and someone else actually confessed to committing the crime. >> this is a real-life nightmare for an arizona man p and when he turned to the governor for help, she has flatly refused. dan harris tried to find out why. >> i want her to know who i am. >> reporter: we're with ron kempfert, a son on a mission to confront the governor of arizona. >> we'll find her. >> reporter: kempfert's father, bill macumber, was convicted of killing two young adults in the arizona desert. but last year, in a rare move, the arizona clemency board unanimously recommended that macumber have his sentence commuted, saying an injustice had been done and pointing out that another man, ernesto valenzuela, had confessed to the crime. >> what we've been told all these years is wrong. however, case went to the governor of arizona, republican jan brewer.

governor brewer denied the request for the clemency board, whose members she appointed, citing public safety concerns, even though macumber is now in his mid-70s and in failing health. kempfert told us he'd be trying to reach the governor. so, we took him to her office. >> i haven't gotten a response yet. >> reporter: but we were turned away. >> she's in back-to-back meetings all day. >> reporter: governor, my name is dan harris. i'm from abc news. so, shen we showed up unannounced at a press conference. >> you won't answer anybody's questions as to why. i've sent your office two e-mails and a letter. no response. we've been asking, why? >> well, you know, it's an unfortunate situation that governors have to make difficult decisions. i appreciate your concerns. but i have made my decision and it's final. >> reporter: are you okay? >> i'm unbelievably angry. >> reporter: time may be limited, too. dan harris, abc news, phoenix, arizona. moms and dads get ready to

shell out more money for college tuition. average in-state division fees rose nearly 8% at public, four-year schools. it's an average of $7,600. at private, nonprofit colleges, the increase was 4.5%, to more than $27,000. the priciest private colleges are creeping closer to shattering the $60,000 ceiling in total cost to attend. good news for fans of the blockbuster hit, "avatar." two sequels are now in the works. >> reporter: director james cameron will start writing the scripts early next year. and they could hit the theaters by 2014. they will be 3-d and self-contained. as for the plots, cameron says that's classified. world series game two is tonight in san francisco. >> game one and the heat highlights, now, from max bretos over at espn news. >> good morning. in six of the past seven world series, the winner of game one went on to win the whole kit and kaboodle. the giants and rangers looking to make a first impression.

highlights from at&t park. cliff lee, facing tim lincecum, who was supposed to be a pitchers' duel. it was not. we pick things off in the bottom of the fifth. freddy sanchez, to center. andres torres would score. later in the game, aubrey huff, singles off of lee. it's 5-2. and cliff lee gets pulled from the game. 4 2/3. in comes darren o'day in relief. juan uribe, three-run shot. and the giants go on to win game one, 11-7. miami heat looking to bounceback after losing on tuesday night in boston. lebron james and company taking on the 76ers. first quarter, joel anthony with the block. and james, takes it to the fastbreak lay-in. third quarter, dwyane wade went 4 of 16 shooting against boston.

a different story on wednesday. slams in the dunk. heat up ten. more wade, with the steal. takes it down the court. another dunk. it's 55-43. wade again. lay-in. he would finish with 30 points. heat up 14. fourth quarter, the big three, getting acquainted. wade, to james, to chris bosh. bosh had 15. heat go on to win it, 97-87. this has been your espn news update. back to you in the studio. jack-o'-lanterns come a dime a dudsen this time of year. but you need serious skill to carve out these creations. >> more than 500 carved pumpkins are lighting up a tiny town near syracuse, new york. it features intricate designs. >> first place went to oscar the grouch, which was made from a watermelon and placed inside a pumpkin. very cool. up next, the stories we'll be following today, including the powerful storm that's caused so much destruction. and senate candidate, carly

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pronamel gentle whiteng, helps protect against acid erosion but also helps bring ba your teeth to their natural whiteness. and now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching this thursday. the monster storm that has devastated much of the midwest is now moving east this morning. so far, the storm has spawned more than a dozen confirmed twisters that have flattened buildings, knocked out power, everyone backed up air traffic.

california republican senate candidate, carly fiorina is back on the campaign trail today, with a stop in sacramento. the breast cancer survivor was released from the hospital after being treated for related infections. americans who helped to rescue the chilean miners, including representatives from nasa, meet with president obama today at the white house. rescuers in indonesia are losing hope as they continue to look for survivors, four days after a deadly tsunami. nearly 400 others are still missing. north carolina investigators are trying to confirm if a newly-discovered prosthetic leg belongs to 10-year-old zahra baker. the prosthesis was found outside a home where the girl's stepmother once lived. and bank of america meets with federal officials to investigate claims that the bank rushed to foreclosures without reviewing documents. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, "america

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finally from us this morning, look, mom. no feet. it's a new twist on an ancient art form.

>> instead of kicking up their feet, two former riverdancers are keeping in step with some fancy fingerwork. nick watt explains. >> reporter: dancing, 1963. arms limp. unused. it was all about the legs. oh, yeah. you know. ♪ then, along came flaky. michael flaky. it's all the land of "riverdance" could talk about. then, we. internet. their arms are moving. the glum faces are back. but they're sitting down. there's even irony, intentional kitchen. i promised myself i would never use the phrase internet sensation again. i just have. music, by the way, cool. and the dirty dancers are "riverdance" stars.

you're not doing this because your legs don't work so well anymore. >> we do dance with our legs, as well. >> reporter: do you? >> completely. yeah. ♪ >> reporter: they call themselves up and over it. some just have to be like this. flatly reincarnated as lord of the dance. the celtic tiger. he's a multi, multimillionaire. what do peter and suzanne want to do with their new form? >> mix online stuff with live shows would be perfect. >> reporter: the online stuff, you don't want to make a fortune doing online stuff. >> not any money. >> we are artists. >> reporter: who want as many people to be inspired by their weirdness, as possible. so, they stuck it for free on youtube. i'm nick watt, in london. >> it's fun to watch. you have to try it. >> yeah. that's what's making news in america this