democratic infighting and back-room politics. did bl democratic infighting and back-room politics. deal or no deal? democratic infighting and back-room politics. did bill clinton ask a florida democrat to drop out? red flags. bp knew there was trouble weeks before the oil rig explosion in the gulf. and judgment day, a mixed verdict in the death of anna nicole smith. this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, october 29th, 2010. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. we begin with politics and democratic efforts to maintain control of the senate. this morning, the democratic senate candidate in florida kendrick meek is denying reports that he was asked to drop out of the race by former president bill clinton. preeti arla is in washington

with much more on this. good morning. >> good morning. if the rumors were true it would be political drama. and strategy edits fast. former president bill clinton said last night meek talked with him about the possibility of dropping out but he told meek to do what he thought was best. meek, on the other hand, is flatly denying those reports. democratic representative kendrick meek isn't walking away from florida's senate race anytime soon. >> any rumor or any statement by anyone that says i made a decision to get out of the race is inaccurate, at best. >> reporter: late last night denied reports former president bill clinton asked him to drop out not once but twice and throw his support behind independent charlie crist. the goal, defeating republican marco rubio, who currently leads the polls. in return, crist would caucus with the democrats. >> my position charlie crist needs to get out of the race.

>> reporter: with just four days to go before the midterm elections, both parties are making a final push for votes. president obama kicks off a three-day, five-state campaign swing in virginia later today. in alaska last night, sarah palin lent her star power to tea party favorite joe miller, who's locked in a tight race. >> we've got to send joe miller to the united states senate. >> palin revealed her own political aspirations on "entertainment tonight" thursday saying she would consider running for president in 2012, if no other republican is fit for the job. >> if there's nobody else to do it, then, of course i would believe we should do this. >> reporter: for now, the gop heavyweight is focusing on 2010 and helping republicans win control of congress. in nevada's senate race, tea party hopeful sharron angle getting big-time help from senator john mccain, holding a rally with her today. and senator harry reid will also hold a rally this weekend looking for democratic votes.

bet too. >> thank you so much for that report. in other news today, a federal appeals court expected to say if the military can enforce its ban on gays serving openly. according to a pentagon survey most u.s. troops and families don't care one way or the other. this summer the military sent the survey concerning don't ask, don't tell to 400,000 troops and 150,000 family members. there were 103 questions. the full results are to be released in december, when the pentagon plans to announce its plans for repealing the law. the fbi says those shootings at washington-area military facilities are linked. this month shots were fired at the pentagon, the national museum of the marine corps and at a marine recruiting station. all bullets were fired from the same gun. no one was injured and there's no suspect or motive. a government report finds the cement used in the gulf oil rig that exploded was flawed and that both bp and the cement contractor, halliburton, knew about it weeks before the deadly explosion. mark strassmann reports.

>> reporter: five weeks before the deepwater horizon exploded april 20th, bp and halliburton knew something was potentially very wrong. that's the damning allegation from government investigators who outline a pattern of failed safety tests and non-communication. specifically on march 8th, halliburton notified bp the cement mix to seal the well failed a critical test for stability. investigators say neither acted upon the data. halliburton and perhaps bp should have considered redesigning the mix. instead, bp ordered halliburton to seal the well. the cement failed. oil and gas entered the well. the explosion killed 11 worker and more than 200 million gallons leaked into the gulf. this report suggests what one worker's widow maintained, the disaster was preventable. >> from day one, he deemed this [ inaudible ]. >> in fact, before the

explosion, halliburton actually tested the cement mix at least four times. the first three times, it failed. the last time, it passed. but, bp never knew that because halliburton never told them. critics are outraged. >> bp and halliburton knew that the cement was not going to work. this is like building a car with brakes that you know are going to fail. >> reporter: investigators also independently retested a similar cement formula. it, also, proved unstable. the federal report concludes, bad cement was not the explosion's sole cause but good cement would have prevented it. mark strassmann, cbs news. >> president george w. bush's memoir won't officially be released until the week after the elections but this morning we're learning new details. according to the drudge report president bush said he gave the order to shoot down hijacked airliners 9/11 and at first thought that's what happened to

the jet that crashed in pennsylvania and talks about his decision to quit drinking and the decision to invade iraq. >> his presidential role model has been harry truman who left office incredibly unpopular and only decades after he had been out of the white house did history begin to give him a second look. >> president bush also talked about the election but does not criticize president obama. airport security agents are changing the way they pat down passengers. the transportation security administration says it's adapting more of a hand gliding motion to go along with the traditional patdown. the tsa wouldn't say what prompted the change, only that it regularly reviews procedures. on the "cbs moneywatch" big drops for asian stocks this morning. ashley morrison is in new york with the latest on that. good morning. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets fell after some disappointing earnings news. japan's nikkei shed nearly 2 percent while hong kong's hang seng was also mostly lower. today, wall street finds out how

much the economy grew last quarter. thursday, stocks struggled to a mixed close, the dow slipping 12 points and nasdaq added four. after the market closed, microsoft reported earnings. surged 51% last quarter. the results were boosted by higher sales of windows and office software. u.s. automakers place big bets on small cars. general motors will spend $190 million to build a new smaller cadillac. chrysler says it'll invest 600 million dollars to build smaller vehicles to replace the dodge caliber and ford will spend nearly a billion dollars to create a new assembly line for its popular ford focus. black friday coming early this year. traditionally held -- the day after thanksgiving, many retailers are starting their special sales this weekend. sears, walmart and target are slashing prices today to lure shoppers in. nearly two-thirds of online retailers expect sales to jump at least 15%. not even the tough economy can stop halloween.

americans will spend 18% more this year on costumes, candy and decorations for a total of $5.8 million. the most popular costumes for 2010, lady gaga and her many looks and the cast of the mtv reality show "jersey shore." and, can you sue mcdonald's for making you fat? in brazil you can where the court ordered the chain to pay a former employer almost $20,000 because he gained more than 60 pounds over the 12 years he spent working for the company company. the worker argued he had to eat all that fast food as part of his job as quality control expert and complained about the free lunches offered to employees. betty, i think i've heard it all now. >> quality controls. apparently that's the ticket, if you want a big refund. all right, ashley, thank you, joining us live in new york. just ahead on the morning news, convictions in anna nicole smith's drug trial. plus classmates gather to remember the notre dame student

who died in a tragic accident. first, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> with less than a week to go before the midterm elections, we'll look at some of the critical contests. can the tea party shift the balance of power in congress? our special campaign 2010 coverage continues tonight only on the "cbs evening news." [ female announcer ] finally there's a new choice in high performance detergent.

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ocean spray -- tastes good, good for you. like the cranberry, the pomegranate is a superfruit, prized since ancient times. he would know. [ snickering ] also available in light and diet. it was standing room only at notre dame university thursday night for a special mass in memory of declan sullivan, the 20-year-old student killed wednesday when a crane toppled over while he filmed football practice in gusty winds. just before the accident, sullivan sent twitter messages saying he was terrified by the windy conditions. a karate instructor has been convicted in the murder of a wealthy florida couple. today, the jury will decide if patrick gonzalez will face life

in prison or the death penalty for the murder of byrd and melanie billings. the jury deliberated just five hours thursday. prosecutors say gonzalez led a group of men dressed as ninjas on a brutal home invasion robbery in july 2009. they were shot to death. their nine special needs children were in the home at the time. nearly four years after anna nicole smith died of a drug overdose in florida, a los angeles jury has returned a split verdict in the trial of three people who were close to her in those final days. kendis gibson reports. >> anna nicole smith's ex-boyfriend howard k. stern appeared fighting back emotions leaving the los angeles criminal courthouse. >> she would think this is ridiculous. that's all i really am going to say. she would think it's absolutely ridiculous. >> moments earlier a jury convicted them on conspiracy charges. a third defendant, smith's medical doctor, who gave her prescription drugs, was found not guilty on all counts. >> it truly is a victory for not only patients but also

physicians who treat difficult, chronic pain. >> reporter: prosecutors accused the three of conspireing to medicate smith with excessive amounts of prescription drugs. smith died of a drug overdose in 2007 in a florida hotel room. the defendants were not charged with her death. prosecutors claim the trio gave smith thousands of opiates and sedatives and even used fake names on the prescriptions. >> i loved anna nicole. she had a lot of problems. >> reporter: defense lawyers argued smith was given the drugs to help with chronic physical and emotional problems she suffered. stunner tried to put the best face on the verdict. >> everything related to the appropriateness of the medications, i was acquitted off. >> both face up to three years in prison at their january sentencing. kendis gibson, cbs news, los angeles. funeral services planned for actor james macarthur, who played a detective in the 1970s

cbs crime drama "hawaii five-o." >> book 'em dano. >> a line often used by actor jack lord at the climax of an episode became a catch phrase of the day. macarthur was the adopted son of actress helen hayes and playwright charles macarthur and godson of silent film star lillian gish. james macarthur died of natural causes in florida. he was 72. with patented sonic technology philips sonicare is the number 1 recommended power toothbrush by dental professionals it's no wonder philips sonicare is the toothbrush america loves switch now and if you're not 100% satisfied, we'll give you a full refund.

here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country, new york sunny, 59, miami, thunderstorms, 85. chicago, partly cloudy, 50. denver, sunny, 72. in los angeles, it's going to be a sunny 82. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows showers lingering over the great lakes and clear throughout the midwest and the southwest. later today, though, the northern plains and northeast are feeling very cool and crisp with temperatures in the 40s and 50s. shower activity is going to stick around the northwest and a few thunderstorms will pop up in southern florida. in sports the san francisco giants are up two games to none in the world series. matt cain took the mound for the giants last night. in the fifth the rangers's ian kinsler drove the ball deep to center field but it took an odd bounce back onto the field. the rangers never scored. in the bottom of the fifth edgar renteria broke the scoreless tie with a towering home run to left and the giants never looked back.

>> it was a tight ball game at that time. you take all the runs you can get and these guys did a great job of, you know, finding a way to get on base either through walks or big hits. edgar got a huge hit. >> in the eighth with the giants up 3-0, renteria again as bases loaded two-run single led to a seven-run inning. the final score, giants 9, rangers 0. game three is tomorrow night in texas. to the nba and magical night in orlando. opening their new arena the magic took on the washington wizards, vince carter leading the way with 18 points. orlando won it easily 112-83. and finally, a comeback upset in college football at the half florida state led north carolina state by 14. but in the fourth quarter, the n.c. state quarterback russell wilson set up a touchdown with a fourth down pass and the wolf pack held to beat the 16th ranked seminoles 28-24.

when we return another look at this morning's top stories and tea party tactics, how some democrats are helping opponents to improve their own odds. to improve their own odds.

construction on the new bay bridge span. and... a game two shut-out. the giants offense explodes.. taking them halfway to a world series win. demanding answers in the san bruno explosion. the meeting today.. and why victims won't be getting millions in federal aid. and.. up close and personal with airport security. the new pat down procedure.. some say goes too far. and drive slow this morning: the roads are wet..where it's raining the hardest... weather,,

on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. the great lakes can expect lake-effect showers. florida will see thunderstorms, the midwest to the west coast mostly sunny and there will be showers over the northwest. warmer temperatures in the rocky mountains. here's a look at this morning's top stories. government investigators say bp knew something was wrong with the deepwater horizon oil drill weeks before it exploded in the gulf. cement used in the well failed several safety tests. and democrat kendrick meek denies reports president bill clinton asked him to drop out of the florida senate race. polls show meek running behind republican marco rubio and independent charlie crist.

the idea meek supporters would back crist. in tight races democrats are using a strategy that may seem counterproductive, actually helping the competition. in some cases, tea partiers in an effort to split the vote. sharyl attkisson reports. >> reporter: never perhaps have there been stranger political bed fellows. in nevada, a pro-harry reid group, he's the senate's lead democrat, promotes a little known tea party candidate running against reid. the illinois democrat is running for senate yet funding adding propping up his libertarian opponent. and in pennsylvania the democratic house candidate awkwardly admits to helping an opponent collect patty signatures to get on the ballot. >> somebody's already made the decision to run. i don't think that quote/unquote helping with the process of signature petitions was --

>> the goal being what? >> reporter: there are examples across the country democrats spending time and money to help out the competition. no, they're not crazy. it's actually a well thought out maneuver to increase the democrats' odds. when harry reid supporters promote the little known tea party candidate, it stands to siphon votes from the more popular tea party republican sharron angle, thus helping reid. >> i thought sharron angle was going to be different. >> no, just another politician out for herself. >> reporter: you would think flyer was put out by conservatives, it calls iowa's candidate for governor liberal like clinikn, obama and pelosi but irs filings show the democratic governor's association behind the ads, hoping to split republican votes. democrats say there's nothing illegal or unethical about it and besides republicans have been accused of doing the same. in '04 supporting green party candidate ralph nader to drain votes from democrat john kerry. sharyl attkisson, cbs news, washington. this morning on "the early

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don't you just hate it when this happens? this new house going up on cape cod, massachusetts probably won't be finished on time after an 85-foot mobile crane toppled over it thursday taking its carrier truck with it. luckily, no one was hurt. plenty of casualties in the home foreclosure crisis. this year alone, from january through september, more than 800,000 homes were seized. if that pace continues, more than a million homes will be repossessed this year. that is a record. as john blackstone reports, the problem is now spreading all across the country. >> reporter: in the chicago area, eviction notices are up 35% over last year.

it happened to the yellow bungalow in the suburbs, where beth ann mackey and her family lived for seven years. >> it was a grieving process that was a lengthy one and still continues. >> reporter: america's foreclosure crisis is spreading far from the states like florida and california, where it began. in the seattle area, foreclosures are up 71% this year. >> the foreclosure numbers in seattle continue to rise, months after month, even in our peak selling seasons, which here are spring and fall. >> reporter: now, more evidence how blatantly for the flood of foreclosu foreclosures has been mishandled, consider this legal documents used to seize homes that don't even identify the lender claiming to hold the mortgage. instead, the words, bogus assignee fill the space where the lender's name should be, in foreclosure after foreclosure, the lender's address is listed only as xs in some cases the documents

identify the lender as bad bene. >> they have foreclosed in the name of bad bene, for bad beneficiary. >> reporter: attorney robert hager who represents homeowners fighting foreclosure says the paperwork also appears to bear bogus signatures. >> this is how arrogant they are with regard -- >> reporter: the documents are signed by linda green, but her signature changes dramatically from document to document. she's identified as the vice president of several different lenders. now state and federal investigators are looking at the company behind the bogus assignees, lender processing services. lps which handles mortgage documentation for the 50 biggest banks blames a small subsidiary for the flawed documents and says they've all been fixed. but, for those like beth ann mackey, who've lost their homes during the paper work mess questions about fairness and due process remain. >> it's painful to think about. >> reporter: john blackstone, cbs news, san francisco

coming up a bit later on "the early show" with campaign 2010 in the homestretch we'll hear from dnc chairman tim kane. also an exclusive interview with the diver who ran into a shark and lived to tell about it. plus a huge halloween bash on the plaza, complete with a costume contest. that's the "cbs morning news" for this friday. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. thanks for watching. i'm betty nguyen. have a great weekend! -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

republican. democrat. independent. your party doesn't matter anymore. it's fixing this mess. boxer's been there twenty-eight years. and, look what we've got. when bickering ends, solutions begin. i'm prepared to oppose my party when it's wrong. we can change washington but first you have to vote, to change the people we send there. i'm carly fiorina and i approve this message. your realtime captioner is linda marie macdonald. caption colorado, l.l.c. comments@captioncolorado.com what a way to start the weekend, rain and wind making for a nasty friday morning commute. these are live looks at the bay bridge. excuse me, th