you bright and early tomorrow morning. have a good one. "the early show" is up next. lash lashing out. with just one week to go before the midterm elections, president obama gets an earful from the candidate in his own party. this process is about endorsements that i'm not concerned about right now. he can take the endorsement and shove it. >> inside the race to the midterms and speak exclusive with republican senator john mccain. storm watch. the worse storm in 70 years is expected to hammer the midwest today. as heavy rain and high winds could cause sfapt damage. we'll take you live to chicago for the latest. and blackout in a can. a high energy alcoholic drink is being blamed for sending nine college students to the hospital. we'll tell you why some officials are calling for the dangerous drink to be outlawed early this tuesday morning, dangerous drink to be outlawed early this tuesday morning, october 26th, 2010.

captioning funded by cbs good tuesday morning to all of you. hope it is a good morning where you are. i'm maggie rodriguez. >> i'm harry smith. good morning, everybody. >> this morning, a young girl in the news a couple of years back is in the news for a very different reason. this is the girl who had the hiccups for five weeks. you remember that? there she is yesterday in court and in jail accused of murder this morning and her mother says it's because of that case of the hiccups. she calls it the curse of the hiccups. is this a defense to use in court? we'll bring you legal analysis and the details of the story this morning. first though, with one week to go until midterm elections, candidates are turning up the heat. cbs news congressional correspondent nancy cordes has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, harry. democrats are off to a stronger

than expected start with early voting though the numbers down from 2008. and this is important. it's -- there's no way the know who they're voting for when they go to cast their ballot. and so, the president is not letting up. he held the 69th campaign fund-raiser last night in rhode island. >> i've got to have you come out in droves. and vote in this election. if everybody who voted in 2008 votes in 2010, we are confident we'll win this election. >> reporter: the president's visit to rhode island was greeted with hostility from democratic gubernatorial candidate frank caprio who learned mr. obama would not be endorsing him. >> i said to the president is that this process is about endorsements isn't something i'm concerned about right now and he can took the endorsement and shove it. >> reporter: the white house tried to smooth things over saying the president won't endorse any candidate in the race for governor because lynn can chafee who's running as an independent for governor had supported the president when he

ran in 2008. michelle obama's visit to washington state was less controversial. she was there to support senator murray who's facing a tough re-election challenge from republican deno rossi. >> we have come too far to stop putting the american dream i know, that my husband knows, that patty knows, that all of us know back within reach for all of us. >> reporter: as election day draws closer, campaign retd rick is more pointed. both in ads. >> john raese's ideas are crazy. >> reporter: and in debates like the one in tennessee between conway and paul who are running for senate. >> he's bankrupting us and you sit blithely over there and support the policies. >> in the primary? >> it's a disaster. >> he just made something up. >> reporter: there was an ugly scene outside the debate when a

protester was pulled from moveon.org. after wrestling her to the ground, one of them stepped on her head. >> no, no, no. come on. >> reporter: new fund raising numbers show candidates raised more money in the midterm elections than in any in the past. nearly $2 billion. "the washington post" crunched the numbers. that's nearly $4 million per congressional seat, harry. >> good place to start with john mccain. thanks very much, nancy cordes. in washington, arizona senator john mccain who joining us exclusively this morning. good morning, senator. >> good morning, harry. >> almost $2 billion to be spent on the campaigns, $20 million on your primary campaign, alone. another almost half billion dollars from outside sources s. this what you and russ feingold had in mind passing campaign finance legislation? >> uh-huh, yeah. we were worried about that. especially money that comes from sources that are not really known or money like the unions

that spend that without the permission of union members, that obviously, many union members that don't agree with the far left agenda of the union leadership. so, it is what it is. and we're in for an interesting election. >> it's -- people saying winning the house for the republicans, will the republicans tyke control in a week? >> i don't know, harry, because i'm a little worried about some of my republican friends who are taking a victory lap about a week ahead of time. and indications are that as always the democrats have a very sophisticated get out the vote operation. we've got to get our vote out. if i had to predict an i'm very hesitant to do so i think we'll be up late or even after election night waiting to see what happens in california and the state of washington. i think it -- the election will probably depend on that.

>> you have a history -- >> as far as senate majority. >> yeah. you have a history of having reaching across the aisle in the past and trying to work with democratic colleagues with a mixed house and senate and certainly a house majority facing a president come the first of the year. one of the things that may come up again is bush tax cuts and democrats floating the idea of moving that ceiling up to a million dollars a year. if the bush tax cuts, which are up for renewal, come up again and they say, you know what? we'll only tax people who make a million or more, is that something you might be able to stomach? >> look. let's just extend them all. for a couple of years and then worry ant it and see what happens a couple of years from now. we are not going to get into a bidding war with the democrats over what level rich people we hate. look. we don't need to raise anybody's taxes at this time. let's extend for a couple of

years as 45 democrats in the house said that they were committed to. and let's start attacking the real problem and that's spending. that's spending. taxes suspect the problem. it's spending that's the problem. >> all right. >> and so that's what we need to do. >> last but not least, sarah palin is getting a lot of credit for kind of lighting the fire among some parts of the republican party, especially the tea party and they're going to be taking a lot of credit for the seat that is are won come a week from now. there's still speculation about her running two years from now. if she runs, will she have your support? >> well, i'd certainly know that sarah would be an outstanding candidate but neither she or i would want to say i would endorse her at this time. i'm proud of her and thankful for the things she's done to invigorate the party and very early to pick winners and losers but she'll continue to play a major role in the american political scene. >> you are going to live it sit

for now is. >> yeah. i think it's way early. i don't think sarah would want me to at this particular time before she's even made a decision. but i continue to hold her in the highest regard and continue to be entertained by the attacks of the liberal media against her. it's very entertaining to watch. >> senator john mccain, always a pleasure to talk with you. >> thank you, harry. >> you bet. here's maggie. >> very political answer. jeff glor is standing by at the news desk with the rest of the headlines. good morning. >> good morning. you tried, harry. good morning, everyone. the midwest is bracing for the worst this morning as a monster storm chugs their way. national correspondent dean reynolds is in chicago this morning with a latest on that. hey, dean. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. well, the weather has somewhat diminished here in chicago. but that has not stopped o'hare airport from canceling 125 flights issuing a temporary ground stoppage meaning no

flights are departing and flights arriving at o'hare are three hours late. and that is because that while it may not -- may have stopped raining here, this was never about rain. it's about high winds. the winds have been high overnight. they're expected to be even stronger later today. they've been tornado watches, tornado warnings throughout the area. and indeed, this storm stretches from north dakota in the west to michigan in the east and could even extend further into the northeast. so by the end of the day, perhaps millions of people will be inconvenienced by this weather system. jeff? >> all right. dean reynolds in chicago, dean, thank you. two natural disasters in indonesia this morning. an eruption of a volcano and a tsunami that killed at least 113 people. up to 20 people were injured by hot ash spewing from that

volcano. scientists say the pressure beneath the dome could trigger a very powerful blast and an earthquake triggered a 10-feet wave that washed away two coastal villages. in the capital of jakarta, the streets were flooded. a funeral for aide worker linda norgrove. the services are on an island off the west coast of the stot land. she was kidnapped in afghanistan in september and died during a failed rescue attempt by u.s. special forces this month. reported this morning that tariq aziz has been sentenced to death by hanging. he was convicted of taking part in the campaign that hunted and executed members of shiite religious parties. in los angeles, three teenagers driving a black bmw almost got away as police say they ran a red light and broadsided this school bus. a pedestrian was killed. 18 students and the bus driver

were hurt. the 17-year-old driver could face felony hit and run manslaughter charges. sad news this morning. we have learned that paul the octopus has died. you might remember paul had a knack for p

>> maggie, not a quick event. several days of high winds and potentially dangerous weather as this moves to the east. back to you. >> thank you very much. we know what happened to the college students in washington that passed out at a party and rushed to the hospital earlier this month. they weren't drugged as had been suspected. instead, they had apparently been drinking a popular and legal drink named blackout in a can. cbs news correspondent ben tracy is in ellensburg, washington, this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, maggie. when the students from the college here in washington got sick at the party people thought the drinks were -- it was a highly calf nated and highly alcoholic drink. so potent some people call it liquid cocaine. it is a potent combination of alcohol and caffeine, a

fruity-flavored drink popular on campuses. some call it blackout in a can. >> i don't remember much of the night. >> reporter: fresh men from central university washington held a party at this vacation home. school officials now say they were drinking this mixed with hard liquor. the scene quickly turned chaotic as students began vomiting and passing out. nine were rushed to the hospital. one almost died. it was feared they had been drugged. >> the girls, it was like something i've never seen before. they were almost like zombies. they were passed out, like, they couldn't really function. >> reporter: you can find college students on youtube chugging it and with an alcohol content of 12%, it's the equivalent of five or six beers in just one drink. now we have incident after incident after incident of people drinking alcoholic energy drinks an ento the point of that -- being extremely dangerous. >> reporter: several states are trying to ban the drink. students on campus say the

affects are well-known. >> i have known people that blacked out from it. it doesn't take much to drink each can kind of increases the effects exponentially. >> reporter: the washington students had dangerously high blood alcohol readings, nearly lethal. >> girls on the outside and on their back and people so drunk they didn't know what to do. >> reporter: in a statement the company that makes it says no one is more upset than we are when the products are abused. >> what's really scary about the products is that young people are drinking them, enabling them to stay awake longer to party harder to drink more. >> reporter: and it is not just the drink of choice amongst college students, it is also popular among high school students. at just $3 a can, you can get drunk very fast very cheaply very scary. ben tracy, thank you, ben.

dr. jennifer ashton is here with more. good morning. >> good morning, maggie. >> one of only 25 different brands of the drinks that mix alcohol and caffeine. >> they're potentially very dangerous. again, this is not the only one on the market but what you basically have here is two very powerful but legal drugs. you have the stimulant of caffeine and you have the central nervous system depressant of alcohol and when they mix, the concern here is that the caffeine makes you a wide awake drunk so you don't get that judgment where you say to yourself, wow, i'm feeling a little drunk here. i'd better stop because the caffeine keeps you so revved up. >> not just a little bit of caffeine and a little bit of alcohol. you drink one can of this, this is much cough feign and this much beer? >> this is a 23.5-ounce can of this which is five to six beers and 12 ounces of caffeine. not including the other stimulants in there. >> oh my -- >> this is very powerful

combination. >> how quickly will you start to feel the affects? depends on the age, weight and sex. for a 140-pound person, you can rapidly get a blood alcohol level of .13 in an hour of significant motor impairment. won't walk as well. you will have a lack of patrol and balance. you can have blurry vision and you can have severely impaired judgment. we need to compare it to the legal limit which is .08 and easily with two cans in an hour get to a level of .3 which is comatose. >> looks and smells like fruit punch. sweet, disgusting. but sweet. i could see how they would drink a lot of this and then try to cover maybe the bad taste with more alcohol. >> that's right. we have to remember they're young, often underaged drinkers that have no idea how to manage their alcohol legal. >> why is this legal? >> potentially dangerous. >> thank you for the warning. coming up here, three years

ago, she became famous for nonstop hiccups and now arrested for murder. we'll look at what happened to her. the founder of twitter wants to change the way you buy stuff. we'll see why it's cool to be square in an exclusive interview here on cbs. [ liukin ] have you built your better breakfast? what are you waiting for? rush to subway. i'm all over it. [ male announcer ] a big day deserves a better breakfast. take your pick of a dee-licious lineup of our newest $5 footlong breakfast melts --

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we've heard of all sorts of defenses in murder cases, but the hiccups defense? will we see that in court when jennifer mee goes to trial, if it comes to that? she's the girl who had the hiccups for five weeks and her mother says it's what led her to be arrested for murder. >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by chili's >> this portion of "the early show" sponsored by chili's twenty dollar dinner for two. wo. share one of five appetizers, like our famous texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our chicken crispers

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after another. and another. just a dishonest politician, trying to hide his record of failure. the real brown plan? more spending on out-of-control state pensions. more favors for the big teachers union, blocking education reform. more job-killing taxes and regulations. more of the same old failure from sacramento. job killer jerry brown. always more taxes, more spending, and more lost jobs. we always like to talk about the next new thing, right?

>> yeah. >> this little gizmo is brought to us by jack dorsey, one of the co-founders of twitter. it's going to chang a suspicious fire just before it's 7:25. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. a suspicious fire just before 4:00 a.m. in the east bay. four cars burning in a carport at an apartment complex on arf avenue that's near hesperian boulevard in hayward. 20 people were forced out. no one was injured. california's high-speed rail project is getting another $900 million from washington. it's the biggest part of $2.5 billion of federal money going to bullet trains being planned in several states. in palo alto the city council there has voted unanimously to oppose a high-speed train station in palo alto. the world series between the giants and rangers starts tomorrow afternoon at at&t park. the giants don't have any tickets left but on stub hub

some season ticket holders are selling with the tickets going for an average of $800 apiece. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we'll start off with a look at 880 traffic through oakland. things are great through here north- and southbound. all lanes fine past the coliseum. 237 silicon valley valley ride through milpitas slow going towards zanker road then speeds

improve a bit. the ride on the altamont pass starting to get busy, as well. 24 minutes now is your drive time from the altamont pass out towards the dublin interchange. fortunately no big accidents. and mass transit is on time. we were seeing some earlier bart delays. everything is back on schedule for bart, ace, muni and caltrain. that's a check of your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. forecast for this morning, pretty nice. we are looking at a shot from san jose and clear skies out there down in the santa clara valley. our forecast for today, seven- day forecast, here you go. plenty of sunshine expected temperatures ranging from the upper 50s along the coast to the upper 60s inland. as we move into tomorrow, more sunshine and then a chance of rainfall reenders the forecast thursday, friday, saturday. temperatures will cool down. sunday mix of sun and clouds and monday, plenty of sunshine with temperatures warming up. [ male announcer ] carly fiorina.

and that's reckless and dangerous. she's for risky new oil drilling that could threaten our jobs. fiorina's plan would mean slashing social security and medicare, which would devastate seniors. and she'd make abortion a crime. no wonder fiorina is endorsed by sarah palin. carly fiorina. just too extreme for california. [ boxer ] i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. carly fiorina. just too extreme for california. "abolish the public schools." he even called our schools "insidious" and "socialism." as families struggle to raise their kids, to provide a good education, harmer bragged, "we can design a plan to dismantle them." david harmer is just too radical. we need jerry mcnerney. protecting local schools from devastating cuts. he's a moderate, endorsed by the stockton record, the independent, and our local teachers. i'm jerry mcnerney, and i approved this message.

beautiful sunrise here over manhattan this morning. welcome back to "the early show," everybody. jack dorsey revolutionized the way we communicate when he launched twitter. well, now he's hoping to revolutionize the way we shop and he's here to tell us about his new device called square. it is a tiny little credit card reader that can be attached to any iphone or droid or any kind of a phone like that. >> any smartphone. >> it will change commerce as the way we know it probably for ever and ever, around the planet. >> you just swipe your card there? >> that's it. and he'll show us how it works and tell us all about it in a couple of minutes. >> also ahead. a call to action from the family of david hartley, who was gunned down while jet skiing near the u.s./mexico border. this morning we're speaking

exclusively with his father and sister about how they want to keep his memory alive, and become a voice for victims of violence. but first, at 7:30 this morning. a young woman once known for a medical oddity is behind bars this morning. jennifer mee, who had a prolonged case of the hiccups, was arrested over the weekend, for murder. jeff glor is here with more. jeff, good morning. >> hey, maggie, good morning to you once again. it turns out it's been a life filled with trouble for mee. ever since we first saw her three years ago and her strange case of the hiccups. she's now accused of murder in the case of a robbery got very wrong. jennifer mee gained fame, and national attention, as a 13-year-old with a five-week case of the hiccups. now, 19, mee is gaining infamy for her alleged part in a murder in st. petersburg, florida. over the weekend, mee and accomplices were charged with killing 22-year-old walmart employee shannon griffin. according to police, mee met

griffin online, and lured him to a vacant house to be robbed. >> looks like a robbery apparently, mr. griffin struggled. during that struggle, he was eventually shot. >> reporter: police do say mee was not the shooter. >> if you go to commit a felony, a serious felony and a murder results, you're responsible for that murder. so she's in a heap of legal trouble. >> reporter: her mother spoke to a local radio show and defended her daughter. >> i've said for awhile now that her case of the hiccups wasn't a case of the hiccups, it was a curse of the hiccups. she's very naive and i just think that she was getting herself into stuff that she didn't really realize what, you know, what she was doing. >> reporter: mee's myspace page shows anything but innocence. she calls herself a female version of a hustler and she writes, don't let the age fool you. the struggles i've been through made me grow up so much. the police press release announcing her arrest detailed the trouble she's experienced since her famous case of the hiccups.

they include running away from home, and several instances of domestic violence involving a boyfriend. now, something far more serious, a murder charge for mee, her second time in the national spotlight, under far different circumstances. and all three of the people accused in this murder, including mee, could potentially face the death penalty. first degree charges. maggie? >> let's talk more about that now. jeff glor, thank you, jeff. joining us is cbs news legal analyst jack ford, and "early" show contributor jennifer hartstein. she is a child and adolescent psychologist. good morning to you both. this is about as bizarre as it gets, jack. we heard of the twinkie defense. all kinds of unusual defenses. is there anything to this hiccup case? >> well, you know, i've heard people talking about, well, could she have an absolute defense to the charge here? we don't know if she did it or what she did. >> exactly. >> but looking at how it might play out -- >> could the public attention she received because of the hiccup case and the notoriety have led her down this path that ultimately ended with a murder? >> you have to look at what sort

of emotional damage she might have suffered. it was a bizarre episode. we all know that. but the question becomes, is it enough to give rise to some sort of legal defense? first thing you look at is an insanity defense, for instance. insanity, basically, you have to prove because of what your underlying mental condition is, you either didn't know what you were doing, you didn't know you had a gun in your hand, you thought it was a banana. or if you knew what you were doing, you didn't know it was wrong. we've seen situations where parents have killed their own children, they say i knew i was doing that but god was telling me it was the right thing to do. chances are this would not rise to that level. but the question becomes, was there enough damage done somehow that it had an impact on her ability to make rational decisions? you know, if you've got some experts to say, and they could point to real reasons for that to happen, then you might be able to argue as her lawyer, well, she shouldn't be looked at in terms of the top count of a murder one, but maybe it had such an impact on her ability to make rational decisions that it could drop down to something such as a manslaughter, so that's something you might see being argued. >> i'm sure it won't help that she's been arrested several

times over the years? >> that never helps. if i'm her lawyer i'm coming in saying she has all these mental and emotional problems because of that and prosecutor's going to look at me and say oh, yeah, what about her history of problems here and some violence? you might be able to explain it away, but certainly a judge, if you ever got to a sentencing, a judge is going to look at that, not going to be something that would help the girl. >> why might she also face, as jeff mentioned, these severe penalties? if she says she didn't know, or if she argues that she didn't know that they were going to kill this man? >> even if she didn't know, if she thought she was only luring him in to be robbed, and said, i had no idea that a gun was going to be involved here. there's still what you call felony murder charge in florida, and in most jurisdictions. what that says if you willingly participate in a felony, here a robbery, even if you had no idea that the other people involved were carrying guns or had plans to hurt somebody, you are still just as responsible as the person who pulled the trigger. >> okay. >> sentencing could be very different. a judge could look at you different in terms of sentencing. but legally you are just as responsible.

>> all right. let's talk about the emotional aspect of this case. legally, the hiccup defense might not work in court. but is there something to this? something tragic about this child having all this attention and then going down this path

up next, he created twitter, and now jack dorsey is here to tell us about his latest brainchild, which could lead to the disappearance of cold, hard cash. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. [ male announcer ] if you've had a heart attack caused by a completely blocked artery,

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he helped change the way we

communicate when he unleashed twitter on the world. now, jack dorsey hopes to radically change the way we shop by getting rid of cold, hard cash with his new device called square. and he's here exclusively to show us how it works. good morning. >> good morning. >> this is an amazing thing. please show us what square is. this is just a little gizmo. it's a credit card reader, right? >> it's a credit card reader that you plug in to your mobile phone. so it fits in to the audio jack of your mobile phone and it works on your ipad, your ipod, your android phone and you plug in to the top, you load the software, and you can put in an amount, and then you can just take a credit card, swipe it. it goes up to see if there's a dollar on this card, and then it asks to sign with your finger. so you can please sign with your finger on the screen. >> so i can sign -- oh, i owe you -- oh, this is hilarious. take a look at that. >> you can also give me a tip. >> that's terrific.

who is going to use this? >> we think it's going to be used by a lot of baby-sitters, dog walkers, hairdressers, piano teachers. anyone you can imagine paying with a credit card that you can't today. this makes it very, very easy to accept cards. >> because if you're a normal merchant you have to make an agreement with a credit card company. >> exactly. >> or several credit card companies in order to be in business with them. you basically become the middle man. >> all you have to do is download a free app from squareup.com. we send you a free reader. this is free. and then you just can start accepting cards. >> but you do make money on the transactions, though? >> we do. we charge 2.75%, plus 15 cents on every transaction. >> right. so as opposed to the credit card, that way you can pay the credit card companies. >> exactly. typically a merchant pays 3% to 3.5% to accept credit cards. we're a little bit lower. >> right. how many of these are out in circulation already? >> we just exited our pilot, we sent out 50,000 of the readers all over the country. >> this is amazing. because, you think about flea

markets, all these different places where these sort of smaller transactions take place, and this is a way that could transform commerce as we know it. we think of what cell phones, going to smaller communities, and out of the reach places like india or africa has changed commerce. just imagine when that goes out there. >> absolutely. we think it will inspire a massive amount of commerce in this economy. this removes the barrier to starting a company. if you want to start a food cart. if you want to take donations for your pta. you can now take credit cards. >> right. that is amazing. we were talking during the commercial break that when credit -- taxi cab service in new york went over to credit cards, the cab drivers were all complaining people aren't going to ride cabs. we're not going to get tips. as it turns out, it's just the opposite. >> opposite. they're getting more tips and they're getting more fares. >> that is really absolutely fascinating. people will copy this. certainly. is it copyable? >> it's certainly something that

people want to reproduce. but we think we have the momentum. we think we have the speed. and we have the product direction. we want to make every payment feel magical. we want to make this go very, very fast and very instant. >> right. >> show us again -- you know what, we don't have time to show it again. you're going to have to look on the webpage to see how it works. very quickly, how many -- the last time i looked there were about 200 million twitter users? >> yes. >> is that about right? >> yes. >> 65 million tweets a day? >> yes. >> had you any idea when you started it would be that successful? >> no, no. it's extremely humbling what twitter has become and how people take to the service and make it their own every single day and redefine it every single day. >> right. what a story. thanks very much for sharing that with us. >> thank you. >> talk about the next new thing. that really is terrific to see jack dorsey. do appreciate it. up next, what happens when a buffalo meet the backyard swimming pool? we're not joking. take a look at this. we'll show you more when we come back.

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so it's fall. you have to close down the pool in the backyard. put the cover on the pool, and then one morning you wake up and you notice there's a bump in the pool and a couple holes in that cover. >> right. >> and what's in the pool but this? >> right. >> a buffalo. this is in white county, georgia. >> lord knows georgia is the buffalo capital of the western hemisphere. >> yes. absolutely. >> about an hour and a half outside of atlanta. >> where did the buffalo come from? >> it's a good question. and i'll answer it for you right now. >> go ahead. >> there was a neighbor, had three buffaloes as pets. now you ask why would someone keep buffaloes as pets? >> it's not like the neighbor's dog getting in the pool. >> it's a little bit different. and the water is dirty so apparently the buffalo possibly did a few things in the pool. >> nice thought. where are the deer and the antelope? >> the two other buffalo that got loose in white county, georgia, were captured immediately. this one, unfortunately, had to be put down after it was pulled

out and rescued. >> oh, no. >> they said it got out before. they were worried about it potentially hurting someone. >> oh. >> so -- >> all right. maybe a couple lessons here. seal your pool better? >> ♪ where the deer and the antelope play ♪ >> harry can sing for you, too. >> a nice song out of that story. be right back. you're watching "the early show" on cbs. [ male announcer ] there's a big idea happening in health care called the humana walmart- preferred prescription plan. it's a medicare prescription drug plan that saves you an average of over $450 a year, with monthly plan premiums less than $15 and copays as low as $2. with savings like these, you have more time to remember what it's really all about. enroll starting november 15. ♪ go to walmart.com for details. ♪

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but passing prop 24 can change all that. prop 24 repeals the unfair corporate give-away and puts our priorities first. vote yes on prop 24, because it's time to give our schools a break, not the big corporations. you can't really love me. i know about gayle. i don't know what you're talking about. if you just tell me what happened... [ ding ] [ man ] 35th and archer. next stop hamilton. [ brakes hiss ] ♪ [ male announcer ] now you can watch hit tv shows on your smartphone when you get at&t u-verse tv. call, visit or click today. at&t. rethink possible. you know it's bad when the press asks if you'd take a lie detector test. meg whitman didn't tell the truth about not voting or about how long she lived in california. she got caught in insider deals at goldman sachs. she changed her story about physically abusing an employee.

she campaigned as tough as nails on immigration knowing her housekeeper of 9 years was undocumented. her tv ads have been condemned as false and misleading. and even her hometown newspaper said meg whitman has demonstrated "a loose relationship with the truth" do you remember a couple months ago we did a fashion segment or a trend segment on these things? >> how could i forget. >> the nutty contact lenses. they're not regulated in any way, shape or form. and you know, contact lenses are actually supposed to fit your eyes. these don't. these can hurt you. we'll tell you what to watch out for when we come back. (stan lech) acid erosion is a growing problem...

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-under it's 7:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. more federal money coming to california for the state's high-speed rail project. the department of transportation is kicking in another $902 million for design and construction work on the rail system. the family of a man who died after his big rig plunged off the bay bridge is expected to begin legal action. an attorney representing the family has criticized caltrans over the so-called "s" curve that temporary section of the bridge. it was built as a construction bypass during the rebuilding of the bridge's eastern end. two arson suspects end earthquake pleas today in

entering pleas in regard to the fire started at trace elementary school. those suspects are 16 and 17. they are being tried as adults. their hearing is set for 2:00 this afternoon at the hall of justice. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,, 3q lysol believes that kids shouldn't miss school days during cold and flu season. that's why we started a mission for health. by going beyond clean surfaces to healthy surfaces. by making a healthy way to wash hands. and even by working with a pediatrician to develop lysol healthy habits initiatives in schools. when you use lysol, you're a part of something bigger. for healthy tips and more, visit lysol.com/missionforhealth.

good morning. we'll take you out to san jose. northbound 101 approaching tully. word of a two-car wreck. at least one lane is blocked. traffic is slow in stretches from blossom hill road. 280 as far as that goes traffic

is heavy coming out of downtown san jose especially right there once you reach the 880 interchange. you can see our sensors turning to red as well as our live cameras showing that slow traffic. also just getting word of a new accident in milpitas. southbound 880 approaching highway 237. right before i came on air two lanes were blocked so chp is heading to the scene now. once you get on 237 jammed all the way towards zanker road. that's a check of your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. well, our weather for this morning, here's a look out with ocean beach and it is a really nice start to the day along the coastline. look at it. looks good, right? supposed to look that good all day. here's your seven-day forecast. along the coastline, the upper 50s. plenty of sunshine. around the bay the mid-60s. upper 60s inland. more sunshine expected for wednesday. and then right around midweek late in the week you will see a chance of rainfall moving in thursday, friday, saturday. cooler temperatures are also expected.

i'm among 30,000 employees who used to work for hp. i was supposed to retire there. carly fiorina changed all that. fiorina laid off 30,000 people and she shipped our jobs to china and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night. we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now. i'm barbara boxer and i approve this message. after another. and another. just a dishonest politician, trying to hide his record of failure. the real brown plan? more spending on out-of-control state pensions. more favors for the big teachers union, blocking education reform. more job-killing taxes and regulations. more of the same old failure from sacramento. job killer jerry brown. always more taxes, more spending, and more lost jobs.

all right. >> this is a great crowd out here on the plaza this tuesday morning. welcome back to "the early show." all right. >> this is a glat crowd out here on the plaza. welcome back to the "early show." you don't realize how lucky you are, because this weather in the fall does not happen very often this late in the game. huh? dave, are you going to back me up? >> this is kind of what fall's supposed to be like here. >> it's late october and it's going to be lie 70s. >> it's going to the in the 70s. it will be lovely. a dose of moderately warm weather this time of the year. >> all right. i'll leave the forecasting to you. my point, it's a beautiful day and everybody's happy about it. >> no question. >> and we're in the fall spirit and gearing up for halloween. >> in just a couple of days.

your kids are probably going to bug you about all kinds of things. one of the things that they're going to want to do is put those crazy contacts in. that make your eyes look spooky like they're all blood and -- there are all kinds of these things out there. we just wanted -- susan koeppen is along with a cautionary tale, because contacts are supposed to be fitted. these things aren't fitted at all. you can scratch your cornea. you can -- just lots of bad news there. we will tell you what to be watching out for. >> also had this hour, an exclusive interview with the father and sister of david hartley who is the american jet skier who was gunned down by pirates along the mexico/u.s. border, almost a month now. they're going to tell us about life since then and how they became unwitting crusaders. >> meantime, this morning's headlines. jeff glor is at the newsdesk with the latest. good morning, sir. >> good morning, everyone. you guys talking about the weather on the east coast. chicago is bracing for what one local official said to be the

worst storm in 70 years. dean ron reynolds is with us this morning. >> reporter: ominous and volatile come to mind this morning in chicago. ominously dark clouds approaching the city this morning bringing rain and wind to the windy city, and volatile winds, indeed. we are experiencing something of a calm right now, but they've been very high. hours earlier, expected to get even stronger as the day wears on. that's what officials at o'hare natural airport issuing a temporary ground stoppage, meaning no takeoffs. arrivals three hours' late. 125 cancellations so far. this storm includes a very wide area, from north dakota all the way to michigan. meaning that there are going to be a lot of people inconvenienced by the end of the day. jeff? >> all right. dean reynolds in chicago this

morning. dean, thank you. we're down now to the last seven days in this midterm election campaign and tempers are flaring in several races around the country. nancy cordes is on capitol hill with the latest on that. hey, nancy, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, jeff. that's right. things are getting a little heated out on the campaign trail with just seven days to go. not just on the candidates but among supporters. it was an ugly scene outside the lexington, kentucky debate venue, what appeared to be rand paul supporters grabbing a protester from the liberal organization moveon.org and after wrestling to the ground, one stepped on her head. >> inside, tea party backed republican rand paul who's running for senate against democrat jack conway took aim at his opponent and president obama. >> he's bankrupting us and you sit over there and support his policies. >> supporting the president? >> it's a disaster. >> he just made something up. >> president obama is a

disaster. >> reporter: a presidential visit to rhode island was greeted with hostility from democratic candidate for governor frank caprcaprio, who learned mr. obama would not be endorsing him i. said to the president, this process about endorsement isn't something i'm not concerned about right now. he can take the enboursement and shove it. >> reporter: the president is not endorsing anyone out of respect for his friendship with former republican senator lincoln chafee running for governor as an independent. at a fund-raiser mr. obama appeared to be looking beonnext week and to his own re-election. >> we're just in the first quarter. we've got a whole game to play. we've got a whole game to play. >> reporter: the first lady campaigning in california made her own impassioned plea. >> my husband can't do this alone. look, and when i was on the campaign trail beforehand i looked many of you in the eye, and i said, if i give my husband to you, you've got to have his back.

>> reporter: one democratic candidate who does not have his back is gene taylor of mississippi revealing yesterday he didn't even vote for the president in 2008. he voted for john mccain. he's locked in a tough battle for re-election. clearly a bid to win over independents voters. jeff? >> nancy cordes on capitol hill. mention that, thank you. good news out of detroit this morning. ford motor company posted its sixen straight quarterly profit earning $1.7 billion in the third quarter or 43 cents a share up 68% from the same quarter last year. here's one way to speed up your commute this morning. china launched new bullet trains that have broken world speed records going with 260 miles an hour. that's a train. the old travel time was cut in half. it is just

this weather report sponsored by kinect, for xbox 360. you're the controller. midwest airport problems going to cause ripple effect delays across the country today. check your carriers. that's a look at our weather picture. harry, inside to you. >> up next, a halloween danger that could leave you blind. what you need to know about non-prescription decorative contact lenses when we come back. [ liukin ] have you built your better breakfast?

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but be careful if you were thinking of included those types of lenses with your costume. they may look cool but can do serious damage to your eyes. susan koeppen has an "early show" investigation. >> good morning, harry. it's against the law to sell decorative contact lenses without a prescription. in fact, the state of ohio has just gone after ten companies this year for doing just that, and our own investigation found plenty of these lenses for sale. no questions asked. ♪ i want you to see >> reporter: in lady gaga's video bad romance her wide-eyed look set off a fashion explosion among teens. this youtube instructional video had more than 14 million views showing fans how to mick miami the pop star's style. >> carefully not tugging on your eyes wear the contacts. >> reporter: with halloween around the corner, designer contact lenses make options for your eyes endless. if not used correctly, that cool

change of color can be dangerous. laura butler was driving with her 3-year-old in the back seat when she was suddenly blinded. >> it was excruciating pain. she had turned her brown eyes blued with colored contact lenses she just purchased at a novelty store without a prescription. >> it felt like i had been cut with something very sharp. >> reporter: one of the contact lenses sliced laura's cornea causing a viral infection in her left eye. >> the doctor ultimately told me the result of that kind of injury could be permanent vision loss. >> it's more than a piece of costume jewelry. this is a medical device. >> reporter: doctr. thomas steinemann says any lens musting fitted to your speck eye shape by a medical professional to avoid a possible injury. >> one size does not fit all. even though the lens is not correcting your vision, your eye shape is very different than the

next person. >> reporter: in 2005, the federal government banned the sale of decorative contact lenses without a prescription. but when we went out with our hidden cameras in new york city. >> do you have contact lenses? >> reporter: we found all sorts of decorative contact lenses for sale at store after store. >> reporter: do you have to have a prescription? >> no prescription? >> reporter: no fitting. and no medical professional anywhere in sight. >> and they're safe to use? >> we have tons of people buying them all the time. >> i'm disappointed more than anything. we're still seeing patients through our emergency room with urgent and emergency eye problems related to the over-the-counter wear of these lenses. >> reporter: three months later, laura butler's vision is still blurry. >> take yourself, your children, anybody who wants to change their eye color, take them to the physician and be fitted. it's cheaper in the long run,

and it's much less painful. >> and some of the stores we visited i signed a waiver stating i realized there was a risk to wearing them, but not one store asked me for a prescription and one of the halloween stores pulled their contact lenses from the shelves following our investigation, harry. >> if want to wear these or something like it what should do you? >> see your doctor. go to your eye doctor and say i want to wear colored contacts. i want to wear these funky lenses and see if they can get the lenses for you. we should point out, the lenses in lady gaga's video, she says those were computer animation, and those circle lenses which cover the total eye are actually illegal in the u.s. they're not going to be able to get those. the colored lenses you can get from your doctor. >> susan koeppen, thank you so much. up next, we'll speak with the family of david hartley, as "the early show" continues. cbs health watch sponsored by advil, make the switch to advil now.

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welcome back to "the early show." now to a story we've been covering for the past couple of weeks. the search for the body of david hartley, who was reportedly gunned down while jet skiing near the mexican border. his wife and family have become crusaders. they want to stop the violence along the border, and get some answers while doing it. cbs news correspondent don teague reports. >> reporter: almost a month after her husband was allegedly murdered by members of a mexican drug cartel, tiffany hartley is trying to start over. last week, she packed up the mccowan, texas, house she shared with david hartley and moved back to her home state of colorado. leaving, without her husband's body, which has never been found. >> -- to get him on mine. >> reporter: and without a real answer to the question of why the couple was attacked while jet skiing on the mexican side of falcon lake.

>> i'd rather him be next to me and be with me than having to do all this by myself. >> reporter: david hartley's death has been more than heartbreaking for his parents and tiffany. in the days immediately following his shooting they publicly pleaded with mexican authorities to search for his body. >> please. negotiate this. we want david home. >> reporter: mexico finally responded by launching an extensive search, even using military helicopters. but the effort was suspended when the lead investigator was himself murdered. and beheaded by drug cartel enforcers. >> i don't want david's death to go in vain. i want to honor him and live the life that he would be proud of. >> reporter: tiffany hartley says she'll work to raise awareness about the violence along the mexican border. >> i want america, and our government, everyone, to just kind of open your eyes to what's going on on the border. and i mean, we all focus on

what's going on across the ocean, but we're not focusing on what's going on here. >> reporter: this year, at least 50 americans have been murdered in mexico. david hartley's family can only hope his doesn't become one of the many that go unsolved. don teague, cbs news, dallas. >> joining us now are david hartley's sister nikki, and his father dennis. good morning to you both. >> good morning. >> it has been almost a month now since you lost david. you still have not found his body. you still don't have answers as far as the investigation. are you frustrated, dennis? >> yes. it is frustrating that it's just been dragging on for so long. and trying to get answers, you know, from anybody, the mexican government or, you know, our authorities. it's been very difficult. we understand that there's a difficult situation down there, and you know, they are doing the best they can. >> the mexicans, though, have pretty much quit looking for

david's body. >> yes. >> after the lead investigator was murdered and beheaded. they gave in to those threats. have you resigned yourself, nikki, to never finding david's body? to never knowing exactly what happened to your brother? >> i've always got hope. you know, and of course, that's always strong in my heart that i'd like him to come home, but i know that the chance of that happening probably aren't in our favor. but, of course, it's something i hope for every day. >> what would you like to see happen as far as the u.s. government? there've been so many calls for action. but very little action. >> you know, i know it's frustrating point regarding my brother now, but i'd like to see them acknowledge what's going on down in the border. acknowledge the drug wars that are going on over there and how it's affecting the security of the united states citizens. >> because we hear the story, and it's a story.

but you guys are living it. i see it in your eyes. this was your brother. you guys were two years apart. you were very close. what is your plea as a sister? >> just for americans to take time to educate themselves on what's going on. start demanding that, you know, something's done that we can provide the support that border patrol need, that we can provide the support to the people living on the border, so this doesn't happen to somebody else. i don't want any other family to have to go through this, and i think there's a lot of families that are going through this that we haven't heard of. a lot of it is just not ever made aware to the public. >> well, we know of at least five incidents, five other incidents since may. this was the first homicide, though. what do those pirates, what do those terrorists take from you that day? >> a friend, brother, son, an uncle.

a grandson. one of my best friends. i mean, you know, as siblings of course we had our issues when we were younger. but we'd grown very close. and somebody i enjoyed talking to, and took away a part of our family. >> must be especially hard for you, dennis, because i know that david was moving back to colorado, where you are now, and he would have been home with you right now. >> yes, he would have. just still hard to believe that he won't be coming home. you know, he will be missed. everybody was looking forward to david getting back to colorado with tiffany. and, you know, he was looking forward to that, to. to enjoy actual seasons of the weather, and you know, winter, and snow. >> well, we're so sorry for your loss and we hope that you find the answers that you're looking

for. >> thank you. >> thank you very much. >> thank you. >> thank you, dennis. >> thank you. >> thank you, dennis. >> thank you. we'll be right back.,,,, i'm among 30,000 employees who used to work for hp. i was supposed to retire there. carly fiorina changed all that. fiorina laid off 30,000 people and she shipped our jobs to china and india. i had to pack my bags and i was out the door that night. we even had to train our replacements. she didn't need 5 corporate jets. one hundred million for herself. fiorina never cared about our jobs. not then and not now.

meg whitman's hometown newspaper said it best: "meg whitman has demonstrated a loose relationship with the truth" "a poor understanding of government" "pat solutions for problems whose depth and complexity clearly elude her" "she utterly lacks the qualifications to be governor" jerry brown "offers california exactly what it needs" "good ideas, strong principles, a reputation for telling the truth" and the ability to "get things done in sacramento" meg whitman's hometown newspaper and newspapers across the state

have endorsed jerry brown for governor. fo r homes this it's 8:25. time for news headlines from cbs 5. twenty people forced out of their homes in morning after a fire in hayward at an apartment complex. four cars were set on fire. no one was injured. still no word on the cause at arf avenue. bay area city leaders will meet in less than an hour to discuss pg&e's pipeline inspection report. they found 300 manual gas valves that need to be replaced a third in the bay area. and the mentally ill patient accused of killing a napa hospital worker will be in court today. 54-year-old donna gross was killed in a courtyard saturday night. the suspect, 37-year-old jesse willard massey, has been declared criminally insane. traffic and weather around the bay area in just a moment. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,

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correct. [ audience groans ] since this competition has been continuing for 48 hours and we have yet to eliminate anyone, it is the decision of this board to declare all 20 contestants winners. you have all competed admirably. admirably. a-d-m-i-r-a-b-l-y. admirably. [ male announcer ] at&t is making high speed internet affordable for only $14.95 a month with select services. at&t. rethink possible. it's slow on southbound 880 before the 237 interchange. we had a three-car wreck offer the shoulder but chp is still out there. so even though no lanes are blocked, that southbound 880 ride is pretty backed up. you can see it remains really heavy on that westbound 237 commute out towards silicon valley. all right. westbound 580 altamont pass to 680 now clocking in around 18 minutes. we had a couple of early- morning accidents in livermore so traffic is heavy to the dublin interchange or at least

to hasient d.a. we have a live camera there, likes like it's close to tassajara. caltrans cameras tend to freeze up on us every once in a while. marin slow and go to the central san rafael accident. but golden gate bridge, beautiful picture there. the golden gate looks great. that's my rhyme for the day. here's tracy with your forecast. >> are you rapping now? the golden gate looks great? >> i thought of that before i went on air. >> you did okay. [ laughter ] >> fessing up now. looking out towards the transamerica building, blue skies, plenty of sunshine, it looks good, as well. seven-day forecast, today's highs upper 50s along the coast, mid-60s around the bay and the upper 60s inland. more sunshine wednesday. chance of rainfall thursday, friday and saturday. sunshine sunday and monday.

so i can't believe the sacramento politicians cut a backroom deal that will give our state's wealthiest corporations a new billion dollar tax give-away, a new handout that can only mean larger class sizes and even more teacher layoffs. but passing prop 24 can change all that. prop 24 repeals the unfair corporate give-away and puts our priorities first. vote yes on prop 24, because it's time to give our schools a break, not the big corporations. after another. and another. just a dishonest politician, trying to hide his record of failure. the real brown plan? more spending on out-of-control state pensions. more favors for the big teachers union, blocking education reform. more job-killing taxes and regulations. more of the same old failure from sacramento. job killer jerry brown. always more taxes, more spending, and more lost jobs.

well, all right, then. >> welcome back to "the early show." a beautiful fall morning. >> energy out here. >> i would like to request a song. not sure if we have it. give me a little beat. a little flashback to 1990. a little boom, boom, boom -- >> okay >> thank you, ladies. >> come on. >> he does it better than i. ♪ >> see, everybody knowles it. everybody loves it. ice ice baby. sung by my fellow floridian, robert van winkle, aka vanilla ice. there he is my buddy. back to "the early show" this morning. not to perform, though. oh, yeah. mm-hmm. but, -- why does that never get

old? today he's here to tell us about how he's reinvented himself. turning his hobby of home renovation into a brand-new tv show. and we have some breaking news about that show that we'll share with you during the segment. >> also ahead, the amazing story of personal courage and a young man who broke his neck and became paralyzed a decade ago is now planning, against all odds, to walk a mile. our ayla brown is going to bring us his inspiring astory. >> you were asking me how to make grits the right way. >> earlier this morning. >> we have applewood smoked ribs this morning. amazing stuff. elizabeth karmel is here and she'll be making those. >> oh, my. >> they look fantastic. >> she always comes to play. >> the smell is wafting over. >> she said when she discovered you could take these ribs and dip them in apple cider to get more moisture, it was life changing. >> life changing.

>> right? >> could be. >> we're going to have some life changing ribs ahead. first we're going to tell you about a great, fun event that we're having here. a party on the plaza. we like to call it halloween on the plaza. second annual. we always celebrated but last year we did it bigger than ever. we had trick-or-treating, costume contests. we, of course, also dressed up. so we're going to do that again this morning and we invite you to be here with us. a lot of fun this friday from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. eastern time. costumes, trick-or-treating, surprises. we're on 59th street and fifth avenue in new york city. you can watch it on tv. but we would love it if you're in town if you came by and hung out with us and helped cheer us on. pretty brave dressing up in costume and performing in our characters. >> you going to be brave? >> i'm scared. like you i'm going to be all-in. >> that's the only way to do it. you can't have -- >> you got to go all in. >> thank you very much. first, though, young dave is here with a check of the weather.

hello, dave. >> hello, harry. maggie, jeffrey. i have some lovely -- hello, newman. got some lovely visitors from the midwest here from the great state of illinois. and the beautiful city of chicago. nice to see you ladies. come on, what's not from chicago? how did you sneak in here. >> i snuck in quietly. >> very quietly. well nice to see you. welcome anyway. thanks for coming. you staying the day? >> hopefully. >> no, you are not. that is the answer. ground stop at o'hare this morning. already. winds gusting to almost 70 miles

>> that's a quick look at your weather picture. maggie, inside to you. >> thanks, dave. it was 20 years ago when a then-unknown hip-hop artist struck musical gold with a catchy tune, right? and that dance which he does much better and unconventional style. his name was vanilla ice, and the song was "ice, ice baby." ♪ in the summer of 1990, a flashy

23-year-old miami musician named robert van winkle, aka vanilla ice, reinvented the hip-hop music scene. the first white solo rapper to penetrate the mainstream, his breakout album, to the extreme, became a runaway hit, thanks to this song. ♪ >> vanilla ice was a phenomenon. he was blond. and he had cheek bones, and crazy sparkly jackets. and an insane hairstyle. >> reporter: ice, ice baby reached number one on the billboard charts and sold more than 40 million copies. >> he was able to popularize a music that had been commercially successful, but came from a different place. and a lot of pop music listeners around the country did. >> reporter: but success didn't last. and his 1994 follow-up album mind blowing disappointed both fans and critics. van winkle fell out of the spot light, and in to a life of drugs, and alcohol.

later that year, after bouts with depression and a failed suicide attempt, he vowed to turn his life around. ♪ vanilla ice re-emerged in 1998 with a new album, and a lighter outlook. thanks in large part to his starring role on season two of vh1's "the surreal life." >> when things are all hitting you at once and things are bad, the sun comes back out. i'm vanilla ice and his is my project. >> reporter: today the married father of two -- >> come on, sweetheart. >> reporter: has turned his hobby into a new show for the diy network. >> this is business. we're in it to win it and it has to be done right. >> reporter: and he plans to release a new album later this year. >> let's get out of here. >> reporter: here is the man behind the vanilla ice project, robert van winkle, vanilla ice himself. good morning. >> good morning, maggie. >> that beat, that song, just never gets old. >> a great song is a great song.

>> but now you've moved on to a great new project. >> yep. >> called the vanilla ice project. >> yep. >> which we're happy to announce has been picked up for a second season. congrats. >> yea. >> but this has nothing to do with music. what is the vanilla ice project about? >> renovating homes. this particular show here is a 7,000 square foot mansion that we renovated, and i mean just, you know, it's not so pimped out but we pimped it out. >> i guess if a rapper is going to renovate a home you have to do it that way. >> have to showcase your skills. we turned the attic into this awesome home theater. we turned the garage into this awesome man cave. ferrari colored floors. and diamond plate walls in chrome. huge 60 inch tv so you can watch football and work on your car. so, a lot of eye candy in there. >> i would expect no less from you. >> thank you. >> is this something that you're just kind of the front man or is this really something that you did and do and enjoy? >> no, this is something i've been doing for close to 15 years, believe it or not.

it's the first time we put the cameras behind it. so, i guess, it's shocking to the rest of the people watching. but been doing it for a long time. >> buying homes, renovating and selling? >> renovating and selling homes, fixing them up. commercial real estate just all over. the market is still good, you know. it's evolved. of course everybody knows it's upside down. but investmentwise you can get in there with these short sells and foreclosures and still make some money. it's a simple thing, as long as you buy lower than the appraised value. there's room to gain money. and still give the people who buy it a great deal. >> and have fun while doing it, as we see, as we watch the show. we want to show a clip of the episode that's airing thursday where you're continuing with the renovation of the palm beach mansion. take a look. >> okay. >> you know what, let's give it a shot. >> let's give it a shot. i'm with you. >> it is a challenge. we'll make it happen. have we met a challenge we haven't been able to beat yet? >> if there's a problem. >> you all solved it. >> check out the hook.

i guess that's what's different from this show and all the other home renovation, because it's unique. >> definitely got my signature on it. and we have fun with it. i got a great cast members there. i got great partners and stuff in it. and we're just, you know, we're enjoying the ride. it's pretty fun. >> and we see your wife and two little girls. who happily appear in it? >> oh, yeah, absolutely. we even put them to work a little bit in there. it's going to be funny. >> have they, because you've been through so much as we saw in the piece, so many ups and downs. >> that's why i'm smiling so big right now. >> have they been a big part of what's grounded you and helped you get through? >> oh, absolutely. absolutely. you've got to find your purpose in life and i found mine. and it's family and friends. you know, i been in business since i was 16 years old. it was hard for me to get back into society. who am i? what's my purpose in life? you think of britney spears. she had the same problem. she shaves her head. she don't know who she is. even simple things like filling up a car with gas. you don't want to leave home.

but you know, i'm clean, i'm good, and everything is great now, and i'm super happy. got a great outlook. i'm all positive about everything. and i'm loving life. and it's -- it's amazing the adventure that i've been through and where i'm at today. >> congrats on the show, on everything. >> thank you, maggie. >> what did i call you, vanilla, robert? >> i respond either way. i prefer rob. but i respond either way. >> thanks, rob. now here's harry. >> ice works, too, all right. thanks very much. "early" show special contributor ayla brown is with us this morning to share an inspirational story of age and perseverance. good morning. >> good morning. i met dan cummings in 2008 when i sang at his first fund-raising event. his remarkable story is proof that literally anything is possible. >> june 24th, 2000, i was 19 years old, and just an ordinary summer night. >> reporter: it was a typical summer night in boston for dan cummings, as he joined friends to swim at a local lake. it was something he had done so

many times before. but this night was one that would change his life forever. >> i dove off a boat, into shallow water and the next thing i knew, i opened my eyes underwater and i was unable to move. >> i got a phone call. they said that dan was already on med flight going to boston medical. dan was on a table, and there was a lot of doctors around him. and i don't know, it was -- it was awful. >> reporter: a broken neck and spinal cord damage left dan a quadriplegic. doctors said he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair. how did that make you feel? >> that just lit a fire under me. up was going to do anything that i had to do to prove them wrong. walk again. >> reporter: did you think it was possible? >> no, i didn't. i used to say to the boys, what are we going to do when he -- when it dawns on him that he's not going to walk.

>> reporter: over the next three years, dan made few strides in traditional physical therapy. >> just teaching me how to live in a wheelchair. i want to be taught how to get out of my wheelchair. >> reporter: then he heard about project walk in california. its approach targets damaged nerves through intense exercise. >> i said i want to walk again. this is the place that i need to be. >> reporter: so in 2003, dan boarded a plane and made the move, alone, to california. where he began a rigorous schedule. eat, sleep, exercise. >> it was lonely. but at the same time i didn't go out there to make friends. i went out there to walk again. >> reporter: over the next four years, progressive treatment, and unbending perseverance allowed dan to reclaim his body. and in january of 2007, despite all odds, he took his first steps. >> it felt like i was just floating on air. >> reporter: days later, dan walked out of the center, and went back to boston. what do you have to say to those doctors right now?

>> you didn't know who you were dealing with. >> reporter: dan has redefined the possibilities of his diagnosis. and now, a new mission. to help others with spinal cord injuries at his own facility, journey forward. to raise money for his center, dan's latest goal is to walk one mile for the first time since his accident. >> we had a board meeting the other day and someone said, all right, well maybe we'll have to have the chair up for the half-mile mark so we can sit down and rest. i looked at him and i said, huh-uh. my goal is to do it without sitting down and resting. after i finish that mile, i'll probably have to sit down for the rest of the day. the big day is finally here. >> how you doing, dan? >> reporter: fittingly, dan will begin and end his walk at journey forward, with his mom

beside him every step of the way. at this mile there are no stopwatches, no podiums, no medals. but there's victory in every inch. so you're more than halfway through. >> yep. >> reporter: what's going through your mind? >> focus. focus. >> reporter: in the hour it takes dan to complete his walk, he's cheered by hundreds. fans and friends inspired by his simple effort, and by the fearless spirit it took to make this first step. >> wow, you did it. and you were there. >> i was there. it was so inspiring. it was one of the best days i've ever had. >> hmm. as he was walking along, step by step by step, you've seen him go through this whole journey. must have been so emotional to see him actually achieve it. >> there was not a dry eye by the end of the walk. everyone was crying. his whole family. he's such a family guy. he's the youngest of seven.

so he has a pretty big family. and they were all there just supporting him, and it was one of those days i'll always remember. >> what a thing to be able to take what you learned in california, bring it back to the east coast, and then share that with so many other people. >> he has 33 clients. and they're all just making great strides. and one person's already walked out of there already, just like dan. >> wow. ayla, thanks so much. >> thank you. >> now here's maggie. >> thanks, harry. with the weather turning chilly, there's nothing better in the fall than sweet, tangy barbecue ribs. yes, you can still have ribs in the fall. elizabeth karmel is executive chef at hill country barbecue and author of "taming the flame." and she's here this morning to create a great autumnal meal for all of us. >> good morning. >> we don't have to put away the ribs for the summer? >> we don't. and i'm going to show you how to fall in love with ribs. >> love it. you say that this particular recipe was kind of an awakening for you. why? >> it was. there's a technique i'm going to show you after we rub the ribs, that makes these ribs

unbelievably tender and sweet and smoky and just -- it was my rib awakening. >> okay let's get to it. the first step is the dry rub. >> yes. >> what do you put in it and why do you like a dry rub? >> first of all, this is a pretty traditional dry rub. i call it my three chili rub it has chilpotle chilly, mexico chili, two kinds of pepper, a little tiny bit of shug-a-just to balance and a little bit of salt. and i would use this all summer long. since fall i'm going to do something a little different. >> premature. >> we're going to add cinnamon. >> oh. that's delicious. >> you don't have to, as i said, pack up your ribs for the summer. instead of a pork roast take all those autumn flavors and put it on your ribs. >> and how long do you believe it? >> i leave it for about 20 minutes. and that's just enough time for the meat to really absorb the spices. but not too long for the salt to take away all the moisture. >> so does it tenderize it as well?

>> it does not tenderize it. but the special technique that we're going to -- >> which we're getting to. >> so let's put these. whoo! wow. >> so you do the dry rub, sit for 20 minutes, put them on the grill. >> indirect heat. and i know you remember what that is. but basically that means that there's no heat directly underneath the food. and that is paramount when you're cooking ribs. you cannot cook ribs any other way. and we're going to cover it. >> okay. >> and then using applewood soaked chips. >> yes. >> why do you do use those? >> i use those because this is a whole autumn apple theme. you could use any favorite chips. but i love the sweet nature of applewood chips. and you know what? you just soak them, and then you want to put just a handful on the gray ash charcoal. >> just pour it in? >> you can just take a handful and sprinkle. >> there we go. >> and then the important thing is to close the lid. because you don't want the heat to get out, and escape, or the smoke. >> got it. >> and you don't open it -- >> do not open it for the first 30 minutes.

let it kiss the rib with smoke. >> okay. >> so here is the big -- >> are you ready for some enlightening? because here it comes. >> this is it. so on the barbecue circuit they say if you're not wrapping you're either lying or losing. so let's wrap. we have two pieces of heavy duty foil. i'm going to take about two tablespoons of unfiltered apple sider. >> there it is. >> after it's cooked for 30 minutes. apple cider. >> after it's cooked for about an hour or so. so these are almost done. you're going to wrap them up. and then i'm going to put them back on the grill wrapped. and so, the apple cider will steam in the meat and it will be absolutely fabulous. >> beautiful. then we serve it with some sauce. some pumpkins because we want to work in tall. >> pumpkin butter. and we're going to use this today, it's a dipping sauce. but the beauty of it is you can use it with the acorn squash or with the meat. this is melted butter. if you want to help me. >> sure. >> this is pumpkin butter that you buy at the store. you can make your own, too. >> how much do we put in?

>> the entire jar. that's about a cup. >> oh. you're not joking. >> no. >> all right. >> and then i'm going to add some apple jack, because booze makes everything taste better. gives it a real depth of flavor. >> syrup? >> a little maple syrup. i'll whisk. a little all-spice. and a little salt. a pinch of salt. and a pinch of pepper. that's how easy it is. it's almost like a dump and stir. >> and the finished product, ladies and gentlemen, is a moist, because of the apple cider -- >> i'll hold that and you can dip it. >> rib. we must taste. >> hmm. >> what do you say? >> this is good. >> isn't that unexpected and delicious? >> it's spectacular. thank you. >> oh, you're welcome. >> so tender. i'm sorry, everybody, i'm going to tell you that can you go to our website, get the recipe, earlyshow.cbsnews.com. we'll be right back. ,,,,,,

david harmer wrote an education plan titled "abolish the public schools." he even called our schools "insidious" and "socialism." as families struggle to raise their kids, to provide a good education, harmer bragged, "we can design a plan to dismantle them."

david harmer is just too radical. we need jerry mcnerney. protecting local schools from devastating cuts. he's a moderate, endorsed by the stockton record, the independent, and our local teachers. i'm jerry mcnerney, and i approved this message. ♪ great work everybody! now freshly remodeled, your target has never been better.

the recipe is on our website, but this is one that i urge you to actually go, print and make. elizabeth, i didn't know ribs could be so good. >> i know. and it feels like summer but it tastes like fall. >> it does feel like summer. >> it is warmer than norm apal. >> but it is like fall. >> how is that? >> the balance between the sweet and the spicy. >> let me have the sauce. dave must try on this squash. >> oh, there you go. >> glor are you digging that? >> he can't even speak. >> have a nice day, everybody. ,,

our kids can't afford another four years of crippling cuts to public schools. class sizes are too big, and all the standardized testing just isn't working. so classroom teachers looked closely at the plans

of both candidates for governor. and we're supporting jerry brown. brown's plan focuses on a well-rounded education... with history, science, and the arts as well as english and math. schools where teachers and parents work together. and that's why we urge you to vote for jerry brown, a leader we can trust to make our public schools a priority again.

it's 8:55. time for news headlines from cbs 5. i'm sydnie kohara. good morning, everyone. in 20 minutes, bay area mayors will meet with pg&e to discuss its new pipeline inspection report. the utility says about 300 manual gas valves may need to be replaced. congresswoman jackie speier is hosting today's meeting and says she wants to know exactly where those valves are located. investigators in hayward looking into a suspicious fire in a carport just before dawn that forced about 20 people to evacuate an apartment complex. firefighters found four cars fully engulfed in flames. the heat was strong enough to melt bumpers. one housing unit was damaged, no one was injured. and more federal money coming for california's high- speed rail project. the transportation department is kicking in another $902

million for design and construction work. traffic and weather around the bay area coming right up. stay with us. ,,,,,,,,,,,,

good morning. we have a new crash in pleasant hill. southbound 680 approaching oak part road. we'll have an update on that in just a minute. in the meantime, check out this

backup on northbound 880 through oakland. it is it has been just gridlocked for a while. 37-minute commute. we have not seen traffic that heavy along this stretch of northbound 880 in a while. 37 minutes to take you towards the macarthur maze. so it is slow and go all the way back from at least hayward. here's that crash in pleasant hill. again, it's southbound 880 approaching oak park road. we know that at least one lane is blocked. unfortunately, southbound 680 is pretty backed up all the way through the san ramon valley. you can see it in this live traffic camera. slow and go all the way through san ramon valley. that's a check of your traffic. here's tracy with your forecast. hey, thanks, elizabeth. well, it is another gorgeous day. here's a look from our mount vaca cam where we do have plenty of sunshine expected today and pretty nice temperatures. here's a look at what you can expect. seven-day forecast, i'll move out the way so you can take a look at it. upper 50s around the coast, mid-60s around the bay and the upper 60s inland. another nice day wednesday, but the rainfall, yeah, moves in thursday, friday and saturday. cooler temperatures.

expecting different results. insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for different results. i've built businesses. i've built a business. met the payroll. met a payroll. i enter this office beholden to no one except you. i will owe my office to no one but you. i don't owe anyone anything. i don't owe anyone anything. what's the worst that can happen? what's the worst thing that can happen?