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tv   NBC Nightly News  NBC  October 23, 2012 5:30pm-6:00pm PDT

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on the broadcast tonight, two weeks to go now. a blitz to the finish, a cross country sprint by both candidates coming out of last night's debate. and what was last night's plot line after all? meningitis outbreak. more cases, more worries about it spreading. and tonight there's news about the pharmacy at the center of the storm. freezing time. cutting edge medicine offering new hope for women who hope to have children but can't do it right now because they're facing a serious health challenge. and sister act. she nearly stole the show at the royal wedding. now, pippa middleton is going public as the life of the party. "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening.
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now that the presidential debates are over, it is clear each one of them had a plot line. at the first one, the president underperformed against governor romney. at the second debate, both men were amped up. and last night's plot line appears to be the president's foreign policy attack and mitt romney's movement to the center on a number of issues. decreasing the policy distance between the two men as 60 million americans watched on live television. starting today, there was a new sense of urgency out on the trail. now, the travel becomes urgent and frenetic. every second counts and so does every state. we have it all covered and we begin with nbc's peter alexander traveling with the romney campaign in henderson, nevada. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. as you just noted, nearly 60 million americans watched last night's debate. in fact, that was the smallest number of the three presidential debates. over the next two weeks as they bounce across the country, effectively hop scotching one another. both sides believe tonight they
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are in the driver's seat. >> give it up for -- >> reporter: kicking off their final 14 days toward the election, a split screen sprint to the finish. barack obama zeroing in on his opponent's trustworthiness. >> everything he's doing right now is to hide his real position and try to win this election. you can trust that i say what i mean. and i mean what i say. >> reporter: mitt romney near las vegas, claiming the race's momentum and arguing that president obama's campaign is about attacks. not solutions. >> we haven't heard an agenda from the president, that's why his campaign is taking on water and our campaign is full speed ahead. >> reporter: with most polls still showing the race nearly deadlocked, and early voters streaming to the polls, both sides are flooding the airwaves, hoping their last minute message will resonate with undecided voters. >> we're not there yet. but we've made real progress. the last thing we should do is turn back now.
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>> reporter: the romney campaign already touting its performance in last night's foreign policy debate. >> mr. president, america has not dictated to other nations, we have freed other nations from dictators. >> reporter: to emphasize his closing argument, the president today unveiled a 20-page booklet, detailing a series of previously released positions from boosting manufacturing jobs to raising taxes on the wealthy. a top romney adviser today dismissed that as a "glossy panic button." brian, and tomorrow the president begins a 48-hour seven-state battleground blitz. mitt romney is going to hit a lot of those states as well, including colorado, iowa, nevada one more time, and, of course, that critical battleground of ohio. >> peter alexander in nevada starting us off tonight. peter, thanks. and now to what happened last night, that third and final debate, where the tone shifted yet again. as we said, so did some of the positions.
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we have two reports beginning with our political director and chief white house correspondent chuck todd. chuck, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. well, it was a contrast in debate strategy. not necessarily a contrast between the two candidates. the president and mitt romney seemed to reverse rolls from the very first debate. as president obama seemed like the candidate that felt the need to try to change the contour of this race. and mitt romney deciding the best strategy was to play it safe. in the third and final debate, the president wasted little time touting his foreign policy achievements. >> we ended the war in iraq, refocused our attention on those who actually killed us on 911. and as a consequence, al qaeda's core leadership has been decimated. >> reporter: mitt romney tried to poke holes in obama's position, while trying to stay above the fray. >> i see iran four years closer to a bomb. i see the middle east with a rising tide of violence, chaos, tumult. i see jihadists continuing to spread. >> reporter: but for most of the
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debate, the president tried to belittle his republican foe's lack of foreign policy experience. >> i know you haven't been in a position to execute foreign policy, but every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong. >> reporter: the president mocked mr. romney's repeated attempts to agree with many of his policies. >> i congratulate him on taking out osama bin ladin and going after the leadership in al qaeda. >> i'm glad that you agree we've been successful in going after al qaeda, but i have to tell you, your strategy previously has been one that's been all over the map. >> reporter: both men did echo the other on an array of foreign policy declarations. >> as long as i'm president of the united states, iran will not get a nuclear weapon. >> a nuclear iran -- a nuclear capable iran is unacceptable to america. >> i will stand with israel if they are attacked. >> we will stand with israel. and if israel is attacked, we have their back. >> reporter: one of the few times mr. romney went hard at the president referred to this private remark caught on tape earlier this year between
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mr. obama and the former russian president dmitri medvedev. >> i'm not going to wear rose colored glasses when it comes to russia or mr. putin. and i'm certainly not going to say to him, i'll give you more flexibility after the election. after the election, he'll get more backbone. >> reporter: the president got traction responding to this frequent attack line from mr. romney. >> the president began an apology tour of going to various nations in the middle east and criticizing america. and by the way, you skipped israel our closest friend in the region. but you went to the other nations. >> when i went to israel as a candidate, i didn't take donors. i didn't attend fund-raisers. >> reporter: perhaps the most memorable push back on the night? this one on the strength of america's military. >> our navy is smaller now than any time since 1917. the navy said they needed 313 ships to carry out their mission we're now down to 285. >> we also have fewer horses and bayonets, because the nature of our military has changed. >> reporter: well, it is crunch time, brian, two weeks to go.
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here's the new battleground map. we have it down to seven states nevada, both campaigns seeming to agree, leaning obama. and north carolina both campaigns seeming to agree, leaning romney. so we're looking at that midwestern part of the country, ohio, iowa and wisconsin. and, of course, florida, florida, florida, brian, may be coming back from 2000. >> thanks, chuck. all the agreement we just chronicled seemed to be a move to the center, as we said, by governor romney, just two weeks before the election, taking positions he has not taken before. we get a check of some of the facts tonight from our chief foreign affairs correspondent andrea mitchell. andrea, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, brian. mitt romney's switch to a more moderate foreign policy last night was clearly aimed at independent women voters. the so-called security moms. in the past, romney has taken a hardline on the possibility of
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military action against iran, to stop its nuclear program. last night he emphasized diplomacy. >> and, of course, a military action is the last resort. it is something one would only consider if all of the other avenues had been tried to their full extent. >> reporter: on syria, romney used to talk about the u.s. arming the rebels. then two weeks ago, he said the u.s. should help allied partners arm the rebels. last night his emphasis was on avoiding a u.s. military role. >> i don't want to have our military involved in syria. i don't think there's a necessity to put our military in syria at this stage. >> reporter: finally on benghazi, after spending more than a month, including at last week's debate. relentlessly attacking the president for security and intelligence failures. last night romney was brief and unexpectedly mild. >> we see in libya, an attack apparently by -- i think we know now by terrorists of some kind against our people there, four people dead. our hearts and minds go to them.
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>> reporter: on iraq and also on the timetable for withdrawing from afghanistan, romney also noticeably softened his position. clearly having decided that undecided voters, those swing voters are more likely to choose a moderate republican than a hawk. >> andrea mitchell part of our post debate coverage tonight. andrea, thanks. we have asked both campaigns to ride along in these final days. and starting tomorrow night, we'll have exclusive behind the scenes access with president obama as he tries to make his closing argument to the american people. that's beginning tomorrow night here on nightly news, and on "rock center" on thursday. dramatic developments today in the ongoing meningitis outbreak caused by those tainted steroid shots for back pain. more than 300 people are now confirmed sick. the state of massachusetts is taking action against the company at the center of it all. our senior investigative correspondent lisa myers has an update for us on this tonight.
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lisa, good evening. >> good evening, brian. today massachusetts officials revealed that when they inspected the pharmacy responsible for the meningitis outbreak, they found unclean conditions and serious health and safety violations. officials say inspectors found that new england compounding center had not followed proper sterilization procedures, shipped medicine before getting tests back confirming it was properly sterilized, and that visible black fungus was found in some of the recalled steroids. now, governor duvall patrick said the state has revoked necc's license, as well as the licenses of its top three pharmacists. today the cdc announced that 308 people have been sickened so far in 17 states, with 23 deaths. now, the company's lawyer told us tonight that for a decade, it's worked closely and cooperatively with massachusetts authorities, and provided full and complete access to facilities and records. given that, he says, it's hard to believe that authorities
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there were unaware of the company's operations. brian? >> lisa myers with the latest on this out of washington tonight. lisa, thanks. well, apple fans were all over this today. the unveiling of the long rumored ipad mini, which is meant to compete with smaller, lower priced electronic tablets on the market from a number of makers. the next big product rollout, the new thing, comes from microsoft in a couple of days. nbc's miguel almaguer reports on all of it tonight from silicon valley. >> this is the ipad mini. >> reporter: at 7.9 inches, the ipad mini is apple's newest toy. the latest small product aimed at taking a big bite out of the $61 billion tablet market. cnbc's john ford. >> kind of like an ipad 2, shrunken down and improved in some ways. better camera, long battery life. and it's really light. >> reporter: as thin as a pencil and about two inches smaller than the original ipad, the new
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mini has been called a game changer for its ability to compete with cheaper tablets already on the market. everyone is trying to get a piece of the tablet market, like devices like the amazon kindle fire selling for roughly $200. apple's mini is more expensive, starting at $329. but industry insiders expect sales to soar. a very busy week for technology. >> microsoft surface tablet, windows 8, the windows phone, the ipad mini all within a single week. it's a traffic jam. >> reporter: and it's getting rough out there. samsung's new commercial portrays apple customers waiting in line for the next product release. with a samsung user holding the spot for his parents. >> honey, this is the line for apps. >> we're not taking our foot off the gas. >> just in time for christmas, apple also upgraded the number one selling notebook and the number one desktop model. >> 10, 9 -- >> reporter: the rollout comes
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just days before microsoft's release of windows 8, still dominating the personal computer market. industry insiders say microsoft's move is an attempt to hold ground in the pc world, while trying to make some headway in tablet sales. >> i'd like to call it a clash of the titans. but really, apple is bigger and stronger than all the rest of them out there. >> reporter: silicon valley's tech wars, aimed at capturing your imagination and your money. miguel almaguer, nbc news, san jose, california. apple stock was actually down today, because investors fear the $329 starting price for the ipad mini is too high for the market. that only contributed to an already rough tuesday on wall street. weak earnings reports from companies like dupont and 3 m helped send stocks lower right at the bell. the dow was down 243 points, it's biggest drop since last june. nasdaq and s&p 500 were both down as well. still ahead for us, what could be a new option for women
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who want to have children but first have to deal with a life saving ordeal. and later, pippa middleton decides it's time to go public. and she's open about what she's best known for thus far.
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in news tonight about women's health, the dilemma faced by many young women who
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have to endure treatment for cancer while knowing it could make them infertile. now, a still relatively new procedure has successfully given some women a second chance by in effect freezing time. our report tonight from our chief medical editor dr. nancy snyderman. >> reporter: 29-year-old morgan thompson was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma three years ago. >> it is a very shocking thing to have to deal with at any age. but at 26, i was not prepared for that at all. >> reporter: one in every 46 women under the age of 40 is diagnosed with cancer, and during the most fertile time of a woman's life, the treatment to cure that cancer, chemotherapy or radiation, can leave a woman infertile. but with improvements in cancer treatments, there's also interest in preserving fertility in cancer treatments. >> i always knew i wanted to be a mom, i was going to have twin girls and a little boy. i had everything perfect in my
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head. >> reporter: morgan was referred to a fertility expert at new york medical college who specializes in an experimental technique called ovarian tissue cryopreservation. freezing precious ovarian tissue before cancer treatment begins. >> the ovary is removed through a key hole procedure. and it is taken through a specialized process, which involves treating the tissue with anti-freeze substance. we preserve the ovary for future use. >> reporter: so far the procedure has resulted in 20 babies worldwide. >> if you were a cancer patient 15 years ago, your options in terms of fertility preservation would be close to zip. >> reporter: with her cancer responding to treatment, she's looking forward to a chance at motherhood. >> you want to be told you have options. you want people to think you're going to be here in order to make that decision to have kids. so a procedure like this is
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amazing. >> reporter: because the procedure is experimental, it is not covered by insurance. doctors and researchers are working to improve the efficiency of the technique, hopeful it will soon be an established fertility method. dr. nancy snyderman, nbc news new york. and when we come back tonight, a health warning in the news for pet owners.
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new york's central park is a very special place. when viewed from space, it's hard to believe that much beautiful land is right there in the middle of a teaming big city. it received a big gift today. a hedge fund billionaire named john paulson is giving $100 million for care and improvement of the park. believed to be the largest single gift anyone has made to parkland in this country. they may be the most perfect vehicles ever designed for a single purpose. those instantly recognizable london cabs. they are the driving definition of form follows function. they are under threat. the company that makes the
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manganese bronze has gone into bankruptcy. they haven't turned a profit since '07. the cabs will be disappearing unless a financial solution can be found for the company. this next item is for us dog lovers, it's a reminder you can love your dog too much. the old express that there's nothing cleaner than a dog's mouth, it's a canard, it's wrong. a new study in the archives of oral biology shows, if you're into kissing your dog or accepting kisses from your dog, you can get gum diseases or other ailments. this being the dinner hour, let's refer you back to another old expression, think about where that dog's mouth has been. dogs are self-cleansers. meaning they have a ton of bacteria in their mouths. up next here tonight, what it's like to be world famous overnight just because your sister happens to marry a prince.
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charles and camilla made an appearance on the red carpet in london this evening for the lavish and widely anticipated world premiere of the new james bond movie "skyfall." and there's a member of the extended family in the news for adding something new to her
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resume, the title of author. and along the way revealing what it's like to be almost as well known as her sister, the future queen of england. our report from nbc's michelle kosinski in london. >> reporter: the moment she strolled down that aisle, not only this sister, but this one in that attention getting dress, pippa middleton was world famous, ready or not. from then on, cameras captured every time she was out on the town. now, though, pippa is stepping out as a party planner with a new book on partying at home with family, friends and a budget. in an excerpt published this week, she confesses it's a bit startling to achieve global recognition before the age of 30 on account of your sister, your brother-in-law and your bottom. one day i might be able to make sense of this. in the meantime, i think it's fair to say it has its upside and downside. i certainly have opportunities many can only dream of. but in most ways i'm a typical girl in her twenties, trying to forge a career and represent herself. >> i think she wants to distance
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herself from the image that people might perceive her as a party girl or one who lives a lavish lifestyle. >> reporter: the book called celebrate, the ideas are very simple and meant to be, things like roasted marshmallows on a stick or games for children. >> this is pippa getting back to basics. she's put the effort into it. it kind of suggests she doesn't want to make her search a domestic goddess. >> reporter: her advance, more than a half million dollars. she worked for years for her family's successful on line party supply company. and also was an event planner. >> pippa is offended that people think she's cashing in on her royal connection. she can't help the fact that her sister fell in love with the future king of england. >> reporter: the sister of the bride wanting to stand on her
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own for something other than that walk. michelle kosinski, nbc news, london. and that is our broadcast on this tuesday night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. nbc bay area news starts now. >> good evening and thanks for joining us. i'm raj mathai. >> i'm jessica aguirre. a story you'll see only on bay area. a south bay family greeted by police today as they tried to bring their daughters to the lohse galos gatos school. the superintendent accuses the family of lying. today both issues came to a head at drop-off. our

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