making news on this monday, november 1st. closingi argument. with one day before the election, president obama rallies to get out the votes while his republican rivals look to widen their lead in the polls. terror plot, after failed, u.s. officials below al qaeda may be more intent in attacking in the u.s. than 9/11. and one step away. san francisco moves one step closer to its first world series title since 1954. good morning, everybody. thanks for being with us. hope everyone had a good hollywood. with just one day left on the campaign trail, candidates from both parties now pulling out

their big guns in a last-ditch stump for latest support. >> and democrats need all the help they can get. when it comes to seats in the house, an abc news poll shows republicens favored 49% to 45%. the mad dash for votes. >> hellos cleveland! >> reporter: came to cleveland. >> i need to you keep on fighting. i need to you keep on believing. i need to you knock on some doors. >> reporter: unable to move some unemployment numbers, mr. obama has been working on democrats to vote. 30,000 supporters providing a chicago homecoming at the same park mr. obama spoke. a passion he's trying to reignite. >> if everybody shows from 2008 in 2010, we will win this election. >> reporter: while the president

may some narrowed the 13-point gap to just four points, democrats are still behind. in a chicago diner, obama acknowledged the challenge. >> we've seen a lot of enthusiasm. >> reporter: but experts believe not only will republicans gain the 39 seats needed to take control of the house, they may end up winning 50, 60 or even more. the message will be clear, say the republicans. >> they're going to say you blew it, president obama. we gave you the two years to fulfill your promise of making sure that our economy starts rolling back to life again. and instead, i believe things are getting worse. >> reporter: palin and the big backers of the tea party movement expect to have a big say in the new congress. >> the republican party, bless their hearts, finally learned in this last year to listen to america. and that's why the republican party is going to win. >> reporter: there are problems for republicans, abc news has learned senate party leaders are essentially giving up on

nominee in alaska, joe miller. believe the write-in candidate, lisa murkowski is now the best hope. president is done campaigning he will see what kind of congress he will be working with for the next two years. also on the campaign trail, vice president biden rallies for democrats in burlington and wilmington. bill clinton stumps in kentucky. rudy giuliani campaigns in west virginia for gubernatorial candidate john raese. and republican hopeful john robitaille gets a boost from mitt romney. and a reminder, diane sawyer and george stephanopoulos will provide full election results right here on abc. you can also follow our election coverage on facebook. in other news now, the man behind some of the most mem orable words in american politics has died.

president kennedy's speechwriter ted torinson passed away at a new york hospital yesterday after complications from a stroke. he eventually became a pole adviser and close confidant. and kennedy referred to sorensen as, quote, his informational blood bank. u.s. officials are checking to see if more bombs were involved. we're learning this morning that the terrorists came dangerously close to executing their plot and for part of the trip, the explosive were actual by aboard passenger jets. emily schmidt joins from us washington with more. >> reporter: good morning to you. u.s. homeland security officials say they now have a two-prong challenge to get to the bottom of this threat and see what else they may be facing. u.s. officials say they narrowly averted the mail balk plot. they are confident, however that al qaeda may be more intent now on attacking the u.s. than at anytime since 9/11.

>> i think they want to inflict damage, death and destruction on the united states. and we're going to have to now look for a whole wide range of tactics. >> reporter: the governments believe the two seized printer bombs on the cargo plane from yemen may have been designed to blow up planes onflight. the chief saudi suspect also believed to have designed the bomb of the failed underwear bomber. >> they are trying to make different adaptations based on what we have put in place. so the underwear bomber as well as the pack avenues are showing new techniques on their part. >> reporter: the u.s. postal service, fed-ex. >> what i hear 90% of their cargo is is not screened. at least not screened in the fashion where you can determine

what is inside of the cargo. >> reporter: the tsa is going to yemen to help with cargo screening procedures. and airline passengers can also expect to see more visibility at u.s. airports beginning this week. the first and only person arrested in this bombing plot has been released. authorities believe that the woman who they originally thought sent the packages may have actually been a victim of identity theft. vin neat tap. >> emily schmidt in washington. thank you. iraqi security forces stormed a baghdad church last night, freeing more than 100 christians who have been held hostage for four hours. the standoff began after islamic militants burst into the church and began firing, demanding release of imprisoned female insurgents. the death toll of the from the blood siege is at least a dozen. forecasters say it could

strengthen to a hurricane by the end of the week. it's already done damage in barbados. also in its path, earthquake-ravaged haiti. for the weather around the a wet day nation. a wet day around the northwest with showers from portland and idaho with heavy downpours west of seattle. houston, jackson an mississippi. showers around miami, ft. lauderdale and west palm beach. >> you j e in boston, 48 here in new york. atlanta times to 72. miami at 85. mostly 50s across the midst west. 71 in sacramento, 60 in salt lake city. 58 in billings. when we come back this monday morning, the brand that invented the muscle car gets the final knockout blow. plus, gone in 14 seconds. why the escalade is one of the top targets for car thieves. and the disturbing new study on alcohol and the damage it can cause to you and those around

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. and time now for a check of market activity starts overseas. tokyo's nikkei average lost 47 points today. meanwhile, hong kong's hang seng is up sharply in late trading. and in london the ftse closed at 5675 on friday. on wall street, the dow lost 14 points last week, and the nasdaq gained 28 points. >> the markets are watch are for a big move from the federal reserve expected this week.

the fed is expected to announce that it's buying more treasury securities. the idea would be to pump money into the economy and loosen up credit so businesses can expand. pontiac has reached the end of the road. the brand officially closed sunday when gm's contract with pontiac dealers expired. the latiac car was actually made a year ago. its sales had declined for decades. more gm news this morning. there's a new clue why the cadillac escalade the most stolen vehicle in the u.s. escalade has a security flaw with the steering wheel and the thieves can steal one in just 14 seconds. and moviegoers were apparently in the mood for something scary. the psycho thriller thriller "s the nation's number one movie. it took in $21 million. paranormal activity" and "red"

were second and third. >> apparently it's the seventh "saw" and they say it's the last one. judging from the numbers. >> i'm sure they're very different. police get answers in the case of the delaware woman caught driving down the wrong way in philadelphia. and tigers show up this morning in a very unfamiliar place. ♪ [ male announcer ] the vanilla caramel latte

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i use quilted northern. quilted northern soft & strong. protection for a confident clean or your money back. you are looking at one of the world's most active volcanos erupting again this morning. the deadly volcano in indonesia spewed ash and debris hundreds of miles in the air. the volcano has killed at least 38 people in the past week. and now for a look of your morning road conditions. wet on i-5 from seattle to portland. wet on i-90 from seattle to western montana. houston to new orleans.

wet on i-95 and 75 in south florida. if you are flying today expect airport delays in seattle, houston, houston, new orleans and miami. president obama begged voters to give democrats more time. big losses to republicans in both the house and senate. and that means a whole new set of problems on capitol hill next year. karen travers has the story. >> i thank the gentle lady for yielding. >> reporter: while they may not be eye to eye on policy, republicans and democrats do agree on one thing. gridlock in washington is inevitable. >> and i think it's going to be very contentious. >> this is going to be a tough couple of years for everyone in washington and tough to get everything done. >> reporter: with republicans poised to regain control in the house and pick up the senate, political strategists say president obama could reach across the aisle and focus on small steps.

agenda items such as education and energy reform and a balanced budget could add up to compromise. republicans have made it clear what their top priority will be. >> the government is out of control in washington, and we need to rein it in and begin a new drive for a smaller, less costly government. >> reporter: prps what he faces in the next congress, president obama ha struck a

at the 20 he goes. 65 yard, touchdown. patriots now 14-7. fast forward to fourth quarter. back to back. randy moss. favre absolutely nailed on the play by byron pryor. take another look. favre leaves the game, he had ten stitches. the patriots, they win it, 28-18. that is your espn news update. i'm don bell, back to you in new york. and one more story from the world of sports today, after

five consecutive years on the top tiger woods has now slipped to number two. englishman lee westwood claimed the crown from woods as the best golfer in the world. he's now the fourth player without ever having won a major. the top spot has been virtually attainable. his game has not been the same since his recent sex scandal. up next on this monday, the stories we'll be following today, including the closure for elizabeth smart and her family. and even more security measures before you can step foot on a plane. we'll be right back. [ coughing ] [ breathes deeply, wind blows ] ♪ something wrong with your squeegee, kid? uh, i'm a little sick. sick?! you gonna let a sore throat beat you? you're fearless! this building is tough, but it's never seen the likes of you before. are you going to be a champ or a chump?

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and now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this monday morning. candidates for both parties will hit the road for one last campaign swing before tomorrow's big road. a new abc news poll shows democrats are in trouble, especially in the house. republicans are now leading 49% to 45%. arizona's new immigration law will have its final day in court. considering appealing ruling to put the strictest part of that law on hold. jury deliberation begins in the elizabeth smart abduction case, eight years after she was snatched out of her home. brian david mitchell is charged with kidnapping and sexual assault. and the tsa will begin asking air travelers for more

specific information about their identity before they board a plane. they're go doing ask for more specifics on travel names and dates of birth. coming up on "good morning america," an exclusive interview with actor randy quaid and his wife on the run because they say someone is trying to kill them. >> we sat down with them in canada where they're now seeking asylum. >> i'm just throwing this out here. what some people are saying or asking you. are either of you mentally unstable, schizophrenic, on drugs? >> do you think we are? >> you tell me. >> no. >> not even vaguely. >> we haven't done drugs -- >> can i ask you a question? may i ask you a question? does murder happen? >> yes. >> yes.bezzlement happen? >> yes. >> that's all i wanted. somebody to investigate what's happened. >> and you can see that full interview coming up on "good morning america." >> it should be very interesting to finally hear their side of the story on this. .

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next, breaking news a massive fire at a recycling center is sending smoke across the freeway the and 3-year-old girl is one of the victims fighting for her life after being shot during a late night attack in san francisco. mike nicco has the forecast. >> we are dealing with a little bit of fog and i'll show you where and a real quiet forecast for a few days when rain comes we, if you get to trick or treat in the nation's capital, why not shoot for the best house in town. >> a bunch of kids did just

that. they were invited to the white house where president obama and the first lady personally handed out treats filled with cookies and butterflies. how school that. chock-full of chocolate. >> parents with the explose of you mix of sugar and is it really making your kids hype arer. the here's mike marusarz. >> reporter: it's the vicious cycle of halloween, the thrill of trick or treating, leading to the bouncing off the walls high, following to the inevitable tear-filled crash. the culprit, according to generations of parents, is sugar. >> this is the crash. the cranky, like bruised, kind of sulky stuff. this is the >> rep >> reporter: but researchers say the sweet stuff may not be the blame. >> most parents believe the myth that sugar make kids

hyperactive. >> reporter: study after study show that sugar does not make kids more hierpt more hieactiv. in fact it has zero. >> after he gets sugar, he gets excited. >> reporter: in one study, children were given sugar had-free kool-aid and the parents were told it contained sugar. >> sugar does raise a child's insulin level and parents observe that their children sometimes crash after consuming a lot of sugar. >> reporter: still it's not a license for your goblins and ghouls to gorge themselves on candy. >> i think got your answer. >> reporter: if you think the treats turn your kid into a hopped up-horror, it may just be your head playing tricks on you. mike marusarz abc news. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> get more at anyti