making news in america this morning, stocks surge. >> a rally on wall street has calmed fears of a double-dip recession. what boosted the markets? and can it continue today? then, under quarantine. the widow of the man who killed himself before releasing dozens of exotic pets wants her animals back. why authorities blocked the request. and tempers flaring. >> ask a specific question and i'll give you a specific answer. >> why things got ugly in the trial of michael jackson's doctor, as the defense starts to wrap up their case. good friday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm yunji de nies. traders heading to wall street

this morning may have a renewed sense of optimism. >> the dow is headed for its biggest one-month gain since 1987, after closing up more than 300 points yesterday. asian markets are also trading higher. karen travers is joining us from washington with more. hey, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, yunji. it certainly sounds like the economy was on a rollercoaster ride all summer. but there's modest growth. and that's spurring growth in the markets. the struggling u.s. economy is showing signs of life. yesterday, the dow jones closed up 340 points, putting october on track to be the single-best month for the market in 25 years. >> i think investors are now rushing back in. >> reporter: the wall street news was spurned by good news at home and overseas. from july to september, the american economy grew at a rate of 2.5%, driven mostly by consumer spending. >> i've been saving. and today, the price is right. the deal was good. >> reporter: people like allen

goldberg are buying cars again.o in fact, ford motor company posted its ninth-straight profitable quarter. and stores are starting to stock up for the holiday sales rush. >> you can only patch up the old pair of shoes or scratch the rust off the bumper of your car for so long. >> reporter: yesterday, european leaders announced a critical deal to stabilize the region's debt crisis. banks will absorb half of greece's public debt. and the european fund will be expanded to keep countries like italy and spain out of more fiscal trouble. president obama said europe's growth is critical for the u.s. >> that's going to have an impact on our businesses and our ability to create jobs here in the united states. >> reporter: so, while economists are feeling positive -- >> we are absolutely heading in the right direction. >> reporter: the white house cautions. >> 2.5% is better than we had in the previous quarter and the quarter before that. but it is not good enough, by a long shot. >> reporter: it's also not good enough to make a dent in the unemployment rate, which has been stuck at 9% for the last six months. rob and yunji? >> karen, thank you. you know,

the lackluster economy has been a major talking point for republican candidates as they take on the president. does this positive news change any of that? >> reporter: yunji, it's going to take more than one quarter of modest growth to make a difference for president obama. that unemployment rate is still dragging down his approval rating. just 35% of americans approve on the economy and jobs. and that is a big problem heading into the election year. for now, the president is trying to focus on congressional republicans. saying they're not doing anything. at some point, he will have to focus on his eventual republican rival. and it's clear what the playbook will be. the president will try to make this a choice between the candidates, not a referendum on his policies. yunji and rob? >> all right. abc's karen travers joining us live this morning. thanks, karen. anti-wall street protesters gathered again in oakland, california, last night, to honor a man who has been a hallmark for their cause. they gathered to honor scott olsen. his skull was fractured in a violent clash with police earlier this week.

>> the good news is that olsen has regained consciousness. and doctors say he is getting better every day. an investigation, meanwhile, is under way, to determine if police used excessive force during that clash. the exotic animals that survived the big game hunt after being freed by their suicidal owner are now at the center of a custody dispute. the owner's widow wants them back at home. >> but for now, ohio's department of agriculture has ordered that the three leopards, two primates and even the young grizzly bear, stay in quarantine at the columbus zoo. >> we never wanted to take those animals from mrs. thompson. however, in talking to jack hanna, it was his advice that the animals needed to be at the columbus zoo. and it's the zoo officials that are relaying this stuff to the department of agriculture. and we're very fortunate we have professional people to be able to deal with these animals. >> officials are concerned about unsanitary conditions at the owner's home, potentially exposing those animals to disease. in other news this morning,

we learned overnight of a terrible accident not far from ft. wayne, indiana. at least seven people have been killed after their packed minivan was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer on interstate 80. witnesses say the driver of that van apparently slowed down after hitting a deer. and that is when the accident happened. public opinion of the federal health care law has now taken a major drop. a new poll just released this morning shows 34% of americans have a favorable view of the so-called obama-care. that's down 7% from last month. and it's the lowest approval rating since the plan was passed. just 18% say the law will help improve their medical personal coverage. president obama's also taking heat over his new plan to help graduates pay off their student loans. republican presidential candidate herman cain says the federal government should not be in the student loan business. cain says it should be up to the states to decide if they actually want to fund higher education. and we could be seeing less of one candidate.

rick perry may decide to sidestep some of the debates, after making some less-than-stellar appearances earlier in the season. his decision could lead to other republicans bowing out of the debates scheduled between now and next year. overseas now. five days after a massive earthquake leveled buildings in eastern turkey, search crews have found another survival. they freed a 13-year-old boy from the rubble of a collapsed building. the boy's uncle says he was e he was working and had to use a rock to dig an escape hole. first reports said the boy was injured. but the uncle now claims that he had not even a scratch. >> luck on his side. >> amazing recovery there. now, for this morning's weather from around the country. a wet day in the south, with some thunderstorms from new orleans to montgomery, knoxville and charleston, west virginia. some chilly rain around atlanta. also, showers from orlando to miami. chilly and wet around green bay, milwaukee and chicago. also, showers in the pacific northwest. and morning windchills dip to the teens and 20s from

new england down to d.c. a cold one. >> just 49 in boston. 51 here in new york. and 84 in miami. mostly 50s from detroit all the way to seattle. phoenix climbs to 83. and sacramento checks in at 72. and coming up after the break, the amazing highlights from game six of the world series. then, the high school teacher sentenced to four years in prison for having sex with her teenage students. and what bernie madoff told abc's barbara walters in an exclusive prison interview. medicare. it doesn't cover everything.

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overseas, markets are still riding the wave from that debt deal in europe. tokyo's nikkei average gained 124 points today. hong kong's hang seng was up 362. in london, the ftse opened higher. so was wall street yesterday. the dow soared 340 points while the nasdaq index, just 88. >> hear some good news. the nation's largest bank may want to rethink a recent controversial decision. most other major banks are not imposing fees for making purchases with your debit card, as bank of america, of course, announced it would do a month ago. the other banks say the public outcry was not actually a factor in their decision. well, apple may be getting all the buzz. but it's not the top smartphonemaker. it turns out, samsung is. the company's sales jumped 44% in the last quarter, while apple's shrank. samsung presently has 24% of the global smartphone market. and they only got serious about smartphones last year.

hewlett-packard is changing its mind. new ceo meg whitman decided not to sell off the personal computer business. the division contributed one-third of h.p.'s revenue last year. it also delivers low-priced components to other parts of the company. whitman says hewlett-packard's units are simply stronger together. and your jack-o'-lantern is going to cost you more this halloween. the agriculture department blames bad weather for soaring pumpkin prices, especially in the northeast, with all that rain ruined many crops. retail prices are up an average of 40%. >> wow. all right. when we come back this morning, a true fall classic. on the brink of elimination, the st. loa final game seven. and the house that will be rocking this halloween. stay with us. and mornings? rough.

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millions of people around the world are enjoying a massive halloween display, thanks to a california dad. kevin judd puts on a half-hour dance and light show at his home every night. and he controls it all with a laptop. a youtube video of the show has now received more than 3 million hits. >> getting into the spirit. >> i like it. look at that. you go. all right. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. thunderstorms drench i-10 from new orleans to mobile. i-20, from jackson, mississippi, to atlanta. and i-85, from montgomery to raleigh. and parts of 75 in florida. slick on i-94, to madison and milwaukee and chicago and detroit. and rain dampens i-5, in the pacific northwest. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in charlotte, miami, and in atlanta. get back safely to atlanta. >> thank you so much. the final defense witness returns to the stand today in the conrad murray trial.

a doctor dubbed the father of propofol. >> that followed was a heated courtroom exchange between the prosecution and another doctor, who said michael jackson was hooked on the painkiller demerol. more on this now from abc's diana alvear. diana? >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. this trial may be winding down. but it's still highly entertaining. yesterday, it wasn't because the testimony. it was because the prosecutor kept clashing with the witness. >> is there a reason why it's so difficult for you to answer my questions and it was so easy to answer mr. chernoff's? >> reporter: the prosecutor could not hide his annoyance with thursday's witness. dr. robert waldman an addiction specialist, was equally as combative. >> you know what material is? >> i do. i'm wearing material. ask a specific question and i'll give you a specific answer. >> reporter: things got so heated, prosecutor david walgren turned to the judge for help. >> i didn't ask if you made that statement. i'm asking you a question. >> you're putting words in my mouth. >> your honor, would the court instruct the witness to answer the question.

>> cross-examination is, in essence, putting words in your mouth, which you can accept or reject. >> i reject. >> reporter: waldman was shown numerous medical records, for a patient named omar arnold, a we well-alias of michael jackson. it showed regular and increasing doses of sedatives. >> this is consistent with development of tolerance. >> reporter: defense attorneys were intent on proving jackson was a long-time drug addict. and that dr. conrad murray was trying to help him kick the habit. later, a propofol expert testified for the defense. >> if, in fact, murray had administered the drugs that he described in his conversations with the police department, in the doses that he described, i would not have expected michael jackson to have died. >> reporter: prosecutors did get that first doctor to admit, when helping a drug addict kick his habit, there's usually a lot of factors in play, including the proper setting and a team of specialists. none of which jackson presumably

had. rob? yunji? >> all right. thank you, diana. an ohio teacher has been found guilty of having sex with five students after a judge rejected her insanity defense. stacy schuler was sentenced to a total of four years behind bars for encounters with the mason high school students that took place at her home. defense attorneys had tried to argue that schuler suffered from medical and psychological issues. taking aspirin would help a very small number of high-risk patients to prevent colon cancer. a new study looked only at patients ho were genetically disposed to the disease. in those cases, long-term use of aspirin therapy helped helped cut the rate of colon cancer by 50%. a government clerk earning about 120 bucks a month in eastern india has become an instant millionaire, echoing the plot of the film "slumdog millionaire." he would become the first contestant to win the grand prize on the indian version of "who wants to be a millionaire."

he says his family is so poor he couldn't afford a tv and had to watch the show at a neighbor's house. >> love that story. >> congrats to him. very cool. now, for the highlights you've been waiting for all morning from the game six of the world series. here's adnan virk at espn news. >> good morning. the texas rangers were just one strike away from winning their first-ever world series. not once, but twice. and the st. louis cardinals, delivering in a game for the ages. rangers, the oldest franchise without a world series title. pick it up in the bottom of the ninth. cards down 7-9. david freese, driving a triple over nelson cruz. albert pujols and lance berkman come home with the tying runs. pujols, freese, tony la russa, all elated. this one is on to extra innings. one on. josh hamilton, suffering a groin injury, first pitch fastball, gone. a two-run bomb off of jason motte.

oh, how the worm turns. texas, again, one strike away. and lance berkman, on a 2-2 pitch, delivers a base hit to center. jon jay, coming home from second with the tying run. tied at 9-9. and the cardinals have done it again. in the bottom of the 11th, david freese leading off against mark lowe. and here comes history. >> 3-2. high, fly ball, center field. it is gone. >> the call from the great dan schulman on espn radio, where you can find game seven on friday night at 7:00 eastern. the cardinals do it, 10-9. don't forget, for all your highlights, join us on "the highlight express" on espn news. >> that was a game last night. >> those guys out on the field, so excited. >> game seven tonight.

as we all know, halloween is on monday. but it is not too early to start enjoying some holiday treats. >> since they can't go trick or treating, animals at the detroit zoo get treats delivered to them. from ant eaters to zebra, the popular choice seems to be pumpkin for eating, playing or just smash it up. not bad at all. >> very cute. up next, a royal "pulse." does prince charles have a vampire in his family tree? and why is prince harry shopping at walmart? also, we'll tell you why you might want to skip using your makeup on your kids this halloween. stay with us. my name's jeff. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. chantix reduced my urge to smoke -- and personally that's what i knew i needed. [ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions

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[ male announcer ] get the venture card at capitalone.com and earn double miles on every purchase every day. what's in your wallet? cover for me. i have an audition. welcome back, everybody. time to check "the pulse," those stories you'll be talking about on this friday. starting with some pretty stunning revelations from swindler, bernie madoff. >> in an exclusive interview with abc's barbara walters, madoff says he's not terribly worried about his victims. saying, they were just as greedy as he was. madoff also says he's happier inside prison than he was out. and he calls himself a glorified bag boy who works in the prison commissary for $170 a month. >> don't think too many tears are being shed for bernie. >> certainly not. a couple of royals are making some big news this morning. prince charles has revealed he was related to vlad the impaler.

vlad, a romanian leader, known for his cruelty, helped to inspire the character, dracula. meanwhile, his son, prince harry, is involved in something a lot more 21st century. he was spotted shopping for beer and pizza at walmart. harry is undergoing military training in california the past few weeks. he's doing well out there. >> i'd love to run into him on the aisles there. and looks like parents should be checking more than their kids' candy this halloween. the real health hazard night be found right on their child's face. >> an environmental group in michigan says the makeup is actually tainted with a metal that's been linked to lung, bone and kidney damage. the jury is still out on what levels are safe for unsafe when it's applied to the skin. the group says parents should err on the side of caution. >> good advice, going into a big weekend. for some of you now, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be right back with a story we told you about in yesterday's "pulse," about the mom who was banned from mcdonald's. find out why she is now speaking out. make sure to stay with us.

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next, is the economy turning the corner? new signs that have some saying the economic recovery is speeding up. plus, occupy oakland regroups. the city's new attitude. >> the major milestone coming for the new bay bridge today. mike will have the forecast. >> chilly start again this morning. i found rain in the forecast. >> sue will look snow near halloween seems a little odd. >> that's music you want around christmas.

>> winter's early this year. finally this half hour, one mother's crusade about germs we told you about yesterday. erin carr-jordan has already gotten banned from several local restaurants. >> reporter: it was supposed to be a simple bathroom break. >> covered in dirt and grime. >> reporter: but erin carr-jordan was not loving it, after she found her young son inside the pathways of this mcdonald's playground. >> it's disgusting. >> reporter: she says she couldn't keep quiet. the chandler mom and child psychologist took to the air waves of cyber spats, with this youtube video, detailing what she found inside this tempe mcdonald's playground. not just filth and grime, but gang graffiti and profanity. jordan says she brought the conditions to the attention of management, at least six different times. but she says mcdonald's did the

so, along with the pictures and the video on yubts, she decided to take swabs of the area and have it tested for bacteria. 13 types of potentially harmful bacteria, most found in human and animal feces. some of it, jordan says, is deadly. >> it's a threat. the levels are so high of bacteria growing there, it is dangerous on every level. >> reporter: mcdonald's has 32,000 restaurants worldwide. and a spokesperson couldn't tell me how they're cleaned. how often they're cleaned, if at all. jordan says she's heard from parents all over the country, with similar stories. >> i want mcdonald's to set an example for everybody else with a playland out there. saying, we made a mistake. but we're now correcting it. >> reporter: at this tempe mcdonald's, management apparently has. we checked inside the play area. it appeared someone had cleaned it. management tells us it has sanitized the area. and they say