making news in america this morning -- breaking news today. a packed ride at a state fair malfunctions, injuring several people. witnesses are describing a terrifying scene. we will have the very latest. americans abducted. pirates attack a ship taking crew members hostage. we're live with new details overnight about where those victims may be now. candidate controversy. what's wrong with that picture right there? a powerful politician, doing some damage control after he is seen in the middle of what appears to be a wild teen party. perfect prank. a halloween stunt done so well, even we can't figure out how someone pulled it off. and good friday morning,

everybody. i'm rob nelson, filling in today for john muller. we do begin with breaking news out of north carolina, where several people are hurt after a state fair ride accident. >> the vortex flips riders upside down, then spins them. but this one started up again while people were trying to get off the ride. five people were sent to the hospital. two are listed in critical condition. eyewitnesses say riders were thrown to the ground. >> screaming and a lot of people in pain. family members actually ran away. like, they couldn't bear to look at it. they were dropping at about 30 feet high up in the air. >> some of those hurt may have included members of the same family. the ride operator was also among the injured. investigators will be looking at the vortex to find out what went wrong. we'll, of course, have live updates from raleigh, coming up on "gma." and another story unfolding overnight. americans kidnapped off the coast of africa. their families, along with the fbi, now waiting to see what demands the kidnappers may make.

>> and this type of abduction is becoming more common. abc's tahman bradley has the latest. >> reporter: terror on the high seas. it happened shortly after dawn. pirates stormed the american supply ship, "the sea retriever," kidnapping two americans. military officials say, the crew was sorted by nationality. and only the two americans, the ship's captain and chief engineer, were taken captive. >> you take americans, you get a good price. at the same time, you bring a lot of heat on you, too. >> reporter: the americans were likely taken to land, where they will be held for ransom. >> if it's on land, it's very problematic. let's be frank. this is going to be a negotiated process. it's not going to be a rescue attempt. >> reporter: "the sea retriever" is a oil supply vessel. its last known position was on the western side of africa, about 15 miles off the coast of nigeria. 30% of u.s. oil comes through those waters, making it a prime target for piracy. >> on the west coast, pirates tend to be more of a criminal element, tend to be more

organized and tend to be far more violent. >> reporter: the u.s. is closely monitoring the situation. but there are no plans for a military rescue, like the dramatic one portrayed in the hit movie "captain phillips," where u.s. navy s.e.a.l.s saved the captain from somali pirates. the actual captain, richard phillips, says dealing with pirates comes with commanding a vessel. >> if you don't want to deal with piracy, you need to get another job. >> reporter: a government official briefed on the situation says authorities are treating this as a potential kidnapping for ransom. not an act of terrorism. diana and rob? >> tahman bradley, live for us in washington this morning. thank you. at least one person is dead after an explosion at a candy factory in mexico. dozens were injured and some workers are still missing. the blast caused the second floor to collapse on the first. one employ said it smelled like acid. a new boiler was installed recently. the plant is owned by a u.s. company. and it makes gummi bears, jelly beans and other treats. there is mounting pressure on health and human services secretary kathleen sebelius over

the botched health care website rollout. some lawmakers are calling for her to be fired. during a stop in phoenix yesterday, sebelius said the program is working. and that 700,000 people have applied so far. >> we've looked across the federal government at some of the best tech experts who weren't necessarily on the ground working on this project. but are now involved. >> some of the contractors responsible for the site testified before congress yesterday. they revealed how much the site is actually costing. the two largest contracts alone, $375 million. that is well over twice as much as apple spent developing the iphone. the outrage over u.s. spying on our european allies is dominating the summit meeting in brussels. early this morning, germany's chancellor said trust with the u.s. needs to be rebuilt. angela merkel and her french counterpart are launching a joint initiative to rethink their nations' intelligence

cooperation with the u.s. all this is fallout from reports that the u.s. monitored her private phone conversations. classes are expected to resume this morning at the suburban boston high school still in mourning for a murdered teacher. police have charged one of her students in the case. a classmate says the popular young math teacher had asked the suspect to stay after class for extra help. still, there's no word on any possible motive here. school officials do promise extra security measures will be in effect today. and ambulances rushed to a national guard armory in tennessee, after a recruiter opened fire there. two other recruiters were wounded. the military says they both suffered nonlife-threatening injuries. police say the shooter had just been relieved of duty. he's now in custody. after wounding the victims, he was subdued and then disarmed by other soldiers. almost a year after the massacre in newtown, connecticut, the demolition of sandy hook elementary school is now officially under way. contractors are under a nondisclosure agreement to not reveal anything about their

work. crews will pulverize every bit of material and the metal will be melted down to prevent any bit of the school from becoming an odd collector's item. the demolition will be completed by the shooting anniversary in december. another school is going to be built on that same property. also in connecticut, kennedy cousin michael skakel remains in prison, as a judge is set to decide whether he will be set free on bond. skakel's conviction in the 1975 murder of 15-year-old martha moxley has been thrown out. a judge ruled that skakel's trial attorney, mickey sherman, did not provide a constitutionally adequate defense. a hearing on that case will be held next week. and some other news this morning, a brief mention of world series game two. say his name. i love the way you say it. >> big papi. >> i love that. david ortiz put the red sox ahead in the sixth with a two-run home run. >> the cards took the lead right on back, thanks to some sloppy defense by boston. their three-run seventh inning was good enough. the cards win this one, 4-2. game three is tomorrow night in

st. louis. full highlights coming up later in the show. and power is being restored to thousands of customers in ohio. trees that still had their leaves held on to wet, heavy snow and fell on to power lines. >> at 1 point, as many as 50,000 customers may have been without electricity, after what residents are calling an october surprise. it may take until tomorrow for everyone to have power once again. >> and it's only october. >> yes. it's going to be mostly dry there in the midwest today. but cool for this time of year. and you'll find that the best weather in the country today, is in the west. warmer than usual. also, chilly in the south, up to the northeast. >> the northwest will have mild temps today. into the 80s in the southwest. the highs will be in the 60s across the plains. temperatures in the northeast will be in the 40s and the 50s. and the white house was bathed in a rosy glow last night. its annual event, when the executive mansion is turned pink to mark october as breast cancer awareness month.

and it looks beautiful. >> it does look good. it suggests a sense of peace at a time when there's anything but. >> agreed. sign on the dotted line. students at a high school are being handed a contract aimed at cracking down on what they do on the dance floor. >> good choice of words. and a candidate for governor, slammed for showing up at a wild teen drinking party. the pictures that he's trying to explain this morning. and football star shocker. quarterback great brett favre opens up about what's happening to his mind and the toll concussions may be taking.

and welcome back.

for the first time, toyota will pay millions in connection with a crash involving unintended acceleration. a jury in oklahoma blamed faulty electronics for a 2007 crash that happened after a car suddenly sped up. a passenger in that car died and the driver was seriously injured. earlier this month, toyota was cleared from another similar case. mortgage rates are now at their lowest in four months. of course, that is good news for the housing recovery. but it's partly the result of a slowdown in employment, as well as the government shutdown. there was also a slight decrease in mortgage applications this week. and refinancing continues to slow. and wells fargo is giving mortgage holders a break this month. the bank is not assessing late fees on borrowers that missed their october payment deadline. that's because of the government shutdown. wells fargo is the largest home mortgage lender in the u.s. as the saying goes, let the buyer beware. especially these days, with an

apparently expanding number of websites selling knockoff luxury goods. a new study says, an increasing number of customers are being fooled by professional-looking phony websites. prices that are more in line with wholesale of end of season discounts are luring in more and more bargain hunters. and several italian restaurant chains are offering up some deals so you can properly mark world pasta day. these changes want you to mange with them. so, check them out. world pasta day has been celebrated since 1995. pasta itself dates from the mid-12th century. >> it is just so good. >> now, i'm hungry. >> me, too. when we come back, a homeowner gets a huge surprise when she looked out the back of her window. how a car ended up like this. >> oh, man. and the wrong clerk to mess with. a robber comes face-to-face with an employee who was not going down without a fight.

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check out the fog rolling in over seattle. it's been this month in washington state and oregon. the fog is a combination of high-pressure systems, light wind and drought. and while some fog is normal this time of year, it's worse than usual now. one local meteorologist is calling it fogmageddon. >> it looks pretty, though. >> it does. now, for a look at other morning road conditions on your friday. watch for rain and snow up near the great lakes. but otherwise, the interstates should be dry. >> and if you're flying, it should be clear skies, except for -- expect possible delays because of foggy seattle. well, the maryland attorney general is on the defensive this morning after a photo showed him at a party where teens were apparently drinking alcohol. >> doug gansler, who is running for governor there, admits it was, quote, a mistake. he did not do more that make

sure there was underage drinking at that party. he was questioned by abc's jim avila. >> reporter: did you set a good example by going into a party, and participating in the party? >> where am i participating? i was walking through. >> reporter: it shows you taking a picture. >> i'm not taking any pictures. >> reporter: is there your hand on the cell phone taking a picture? >> my guess is i'm reading a text. >> it's especially embarrassing since gansler's own son was at that party. the attorney general starred in a public service announcement last year, in fact, in which he claimed parents were the leading influence when it came to their kids drinking. those psas are now expected to be withdrawn. it could be more difficult to get prescription painkillers. the fda is recommending tougher restrictions on drugs containing hydrocodone. which is highly addictive. it's a top choice for chronic pain. but it's one of the most abused medicines in the u.s. and overdose deaths among women are soaring. police in the pittsburgh area are looking for a robber who got into a brawl with a store clerk.

all of it caught on surveillance tape. the employee said the robber came in with a knife and told him to give him money. a fight then ensued and continued even outside the store until the robber fled before police arrived. the clerk was cut on the hand. but he is going to be okay. and you don't want to see that in your above-ground pool. somehow, that car wound up there yesterday. it happened in a backyard near san antonio. before landing in the pool, the car crashed through a fence. thankfully, though, no one was injured. and now, to a bear that wanted to play cat and mouse near pasadena, california, running through residential backyards. police responded to calls yesterday afternoon about a bear running loose behind homes north of the rose bowl. the bear avoided officials. and residents were warned to stay away. >> go get 'em, smoky. >> that bear looked like he meant business. this is one story we've been talking about all morning.

that one is interesting. a high school in maryland is the latest to crack down on dancing that is deemed a little too provocative. and they are making students that want to attend the next homecoming dance promise to tone it down. >> annapolis high school says kids and their parents has to sign a contract a ban that bans twerking. it even points out which parts of the body are not permitted to touch. if anyone breaks the rules, you're out of here. thrown out of the dance. >> see what miley cyrus has done to the country? >> this is the kind of school i like. they are putting their foot down on the issues that matter. >> yes. yes. >> they are focused. >> diana is very anti-twerk. >> i am. i cannot stand the idea of a twerker. now, to football. and the highlights. former nfl player yet to come out and speak about head trauma. brett favre's toughness was legendary during his two-decade career. >> in fact, he once started 321-consecutive games.

but on the radio yesterday, he admitted he is not sure about how much he may remember from both on the field and off. >> i think after 20 years god only knows the toll. this was a little shocking to me, that i couldn't remember my daughter playing youth soccer. it was just one summer, i think. >> the legendary q.b. is now 44 years old. he's also a grandad. he called recent interests by the st. louis rams flattering. but he said there's no way he would be coming out of retirement to get back on the field. time, now, for a look at the rest of sports. a few costly mistakes for the boston red sox in game two of the world series. >> here's our friends over at espn with all of the highlights. >> hello "gma" audience. kenny mayne with neil everett. time to wake up. >> we're going to begin with a world series. give me a fenway frank. i don't care what time of day it is. red sox had a run of the cardinals. don't tease me. david ortiz, off michael wacha.

two-run shot. and boston has the lead. all is good. top seven, all became bad if you're a red sox fan. bases loaded. one out. matt carpenter, to left. jonny gomes made the catch. that was a mistake. that was off -- and craig breslow's throw to third. that was a bigger mistake. john farrell said, we didn't get here by making the mistakes. the lead no longer belongs to boston. the cardinals are going to win 4-2. kevin rosenthal, he smokes them in the bottom of the ninth. game three, saturday. i did my whole segment with my jacket unbuttoned. >> he's wearing jeans. he is. >> how does this look, america? >> those guys have a lot of fun. >> they do. coming up next this morning, "the pulse." a superstar in disguise. can you guess who is behind that wild outfit? and just in time for halloween, an elaborate prank that had people running for their lives. this year,

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♪ all right. lady gaga's new hit is getting lots of applause. but her new getup is not. >> check out what she donned yesterday in berlin. a furry, triangular headpiece. as well as a golden beak. she completed the classy look with yellow heels, a long, yellow coat and a fur coat. she looks like a crackhead muppet. >> i can only get what she was trying to do there. >> you almost wore that to work

today. >> i'm so happy i didn't. thank god those pictures came out in time. this next one is all about being photogenic. maybe you've seen it. start off with this guy. who could forget the ridiculously photogenic guy running a race in south carolina. the new photogenic heartthrob. >> he's ken mcdaniel. he was photographed at the moment his helmet came off on saturday, during the irish 14-10 victory. take it easy, ladies. we understand he's taken. but, man, oh, man, is he smokin'. wow. he wasn't even trying. >> good for him. and it's time for -- that time of year, for tricks and treats. ghosts and goblins. and in louisville, kentucky, cemetery, the angel of death. the apparition has been chasing joggers, soccer players and others. it's the brainchild of tom may, a comedian known for his pranks. >> oh, no. doing it to kids on a

playground. that's just not right. >> it's that time of year. man up, folks.

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live from the kgo-tv broadcast center this is abc7 news. >> good morning on friday at 4:28. always like to hear that word "friday." how does the weather look for friday? >> if you like sunshine you will like friday, saturday and sunday. we still have fog in the north bay, novato at less than quarter-mile visibility and napa at three. the rest of us are partly cloudy with the area of low pressure finally starting to overturn the atmosphere and get rid of the morning marine layers and it is clear over san francisco this morning. as far as the first forecast we have high clouds and sunshine this afternoon and warmer wet at 66 to 72. 64 to 70 around the bay. the coast is 56 to 62.

>> happy friday. right now with traffic it is quiet. we have road work. slow for the cone zone. this is eastbound 880 with cones in the lanes for an hour. monument boulevard to willow pass, a couple of lanes until 6:00 are blocked. this is the beautiful span of the bay bridge with no problems and the golden gate bridge is fog free, clear and beautiful. four lanes southbound for the commute into marin. >> developing news on the peninsula, a menlo park street is re-opened after two people walking their dog were killed. a drunk driver crashed into them. >> matt? >> tragic scene in menlo park. the damage is left behind by the trees. this is where the car came to a

rest after it hit and killed two people last night. police say a couple in their 50's were walking their dog near constitution avenue before 6:55 when a 54-year-old woman hit them from behind with the car. the man and woman died at the scene. the car chest going. here is what happened next. the driver then went over the center divide of the road and struck another car and cashed into a tree here on constitution. >> police determined she was drinking and arrested the woman for two counts of manslaughter while intoxicated and two counts of felony driving under the influence. she is at the medical center and will be booked into yale when she is released. the dog was taken by the humane society for treatment. no word open how the dog is doing.