high stakes showdown. president obama and mitt romney go toe to toe in their second debate. attacking each other in an often bitter encounter. >> there were a whole bunch of -- >> i had a question and the question was how much -- mr. president, did you look at your pension? have you looked at your pension? >> i got to say -- >> mr. president, have you looked at your pension. >> i don't look at my pension. it's not as big as yours. >> and libya in focus. the candidates spar over the attack on the u.s. consulate in benghazi. >> whether it was misleading or instead whether we just didn't know what happened you have to ask yourself why didn't we know? >> the suggestion that anybody on my team would play politics or mislead when we lost four of our own, governor, is offensive. >> while at the same time hundreds gather to pay their respects to slain ambassador

chris stevens. this is the "cbs morning news" for wednesday, october 17, 2012. good morning. thanks for joining us. i'm vinita nair. the second presidential debate of campaign 2012 turned out to be a contentious political prize fight. after his passive performance in the first meeting, a clearly fired up president obama pressed the attack against mitt romney. but romney did not back down and the sparks flew. the candidates argued about everything from the economy to foreign affairs as the president worked to make up ground lost following their first meeting. randall pinkston is at the de/* debate site. >> reporter: the "new york times" headline this morning basically sums up what happened last night, rivals bring bare fists to rematch. from beginning to end the candidates clashed on almost everything and somehow managed

to answer a few questions from the town hall audience. president obama and mitt romney wasted little time going after each other in the second debate. >> there were a whole bunch of oil companies. >> i had a question and how much -- >> you want me to answer. >> reporter: in a snap poll of uncommitted voters 30% said president obama won the debate. that's a far cry from the first debate where cbs poll gave mitt romney the win with a 2-1 edge. romney gained a lot of momentum in the polls following his debate and his campaign aides say his performance last night will help continue his surge. >> you'll see the momentum continue here. those undecided voters that tuned in tonight heard from the governor himself, how he would perform as president of the united states. >> reporter: romney comes out on top when voters are asked who will do a better job with the economy. president obama can claim victory on who will be better for the middle class. foreign policy played a key role in this debate when the question turned to the attack in benghazi, libya.

>> you said in the rose garden the day after the attack it was an act of terror. it was not a spontaneous demonstration, is that what you're saying? >> please proceed, governor. >> i want to make sure we get that on the record because it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in benghazi an act of terror. >> he did. let me call it an act of terror. >> can you say that a little louder, candy? >> reporter: following the debate democrats crowed about the moderator fact checking romney. romney's team maintains the governor was correct. >> governor got blindsided a little bit by a moderator who incorrectly tried to affirm what the president said. >> reporter: the two candidates were likely to have a chance to answer more questions next monday at the third and final debate which is focused entirely on foreign policy. perhaps no surprise the spin rooms democrats and republicans both claim victory. back to you. >> certainly an entertaining and feisty 90 minutes.

we have more analysis on last night's debate. >> reporter: president obama offered a spirited performance on tuesday night. far stronger than his relatively listless performance during the first debate. he took it to mitt romney on a number of issues bringing up the 47% comment, standing his ground on libya and going after romney on a number of topics. mitt romney did not have a bad performance. he had one very nice moment in the debate where he took off where the president failed. this was the president's night and it's going to cause democrats to breathe a sigh of relief. i wouldn't expect this to have the same effect as the first debate. mitt romney used that first debate to raise himself to the presidential level but it stops the bleeding for democrats. it could stop the momentum for mitt romney. ultimately it's likely to rally the democratic base. as we reported the third and final presidential debate will

be held next monday in boca raton, florida. cbs news chief washington correspondent bob schieffer is the moderator and you can watch it right here on cbs. yesterday the supreme court cleared the way for early voting in ohio for three days prior to the election. the state's republican election chief wanted to end early voting for several days before the election except for members of the military. the court ruled early voting must be offered to everybody. the attack on the u.s. consulate in libya was a point of contention during last night's debate. in san francisco a memorial was held for chris stevens. the u.s. pass door who lost his fight in the attack. edward lawrence reports. >> reporter: hundreds of people filled san francisco's city hall to honor ambassador chris stevens, one of four americans killed last month when terrorists attacked the u.s. consulate in benghazi. friends, family, dignitaries and members of the public came to remember their home town hero. stevens grew up in the bay area and went to college in nearby berkeley.

>> though he lived far away, he had a lot of friends, he had a very challenging job, he always came home. >> reporter: the life long bachelor served as a diplomat in the middle east. he worked with rebels who would overthrow moammar gadhafi. george schultz says stevens lost his life serving his country. >> we gather to celebrate the immense accomplishments that this man has made for us. >> reporter: stevens' family said they received an outpouring of support from around the world including letters from the libyan people. >> he built the bridge between libya and the united states. >> my name is chris stevens and i'm the new u.s. ambassador to libya. >> reporter: stevens made this video to introduce himself to libyans just four months later he was killed by a group linked to al qaeda. his death is at the center of an international investigation. at the memorial service friends and family remember the good times. his younger brother tom said he was a humble man who never

sought credit for his accomplishments. >> my big brother, my best friend, i'll see you next time. >> reporter: stevens will be buried during a private ceremony next month. funeral services were held for form pennsylvania senator arlen specter. specter spent 30 years in the senate before losing his seat in 2010. he died sunday following a long battle with cancer. he was 82 years old. an attorney for the massachusetts pharmacy linked to an outbreak of meningitis said he doesn't understand the purpose of a search by federal health officials. criminal investigators from the fda visited the new england compounding center yesterday, tainted steroid injections from the company are believed to be responsible for the deaths of 15 people. much of new england was rattled by an earthquake last night. the 4.0 quake was centered about 20 miles west of portland, maine. it was felt from connecticut to new hampshire. >> i was trying to eat. next thing i know i hear rumbling and chasing my food down the table.

it sounded and felt like a freight train had dropped over us. >> no injuries or major damage is reported. coming up on the morning news. saving malala. doctors offer a prognosis for the pakistani teenager shot in the head by the taliban. this is the "cbs morning news". the head by the taliban. this is the "cbs morning news". here with my favorite new intern, jimmy. mmm! fresh! and it's been in the closet for 12 weeks! unbelievable! unstopables! follow jimmy on youtube. get a free 6-inch sub of your choice when you buy any 6-inch sub and any drink before 9am. that's right! buy any 6-inch subway sub and any drink before 9am to get your free 6-inch sub. october only, so hurry in! to get your free 6-inch sub. clusters of pustules, pimples. i had this shingle rash right next to my spine. the soreness was excruciating.

it was impossible to even think about dancing. when you're dancing, your partner is holding you. so, his hand would have been right in the spot that i had the shingles. no tango. no rhumba. you can't be touched. for more of the inside story, visit shinglesinfo.com i don't have time for the flu. that's why i'm knocking things off my to-do list.

vitamin d, done! hand sanitizer, done! hey, eric! i'm here for my flu shot. sorry, didn't make an appointment. well, you don't need one. whether it's flu shots or prescriptions, we continue to accept express scripts and medco plans. i'm bonnie, and this is my cvs. a test sail for a popular sailing race turned into a rescue mission. the 72-foot catamaran capsized yesterday on san francisco bay. the new boat was making a turn when it flipped over and broke into pieces. some of the crew were thrown into the water. luckily no one was hurt. the u.s. navy is trying to determine what led to a refueling accident involving the carrier uss harry truman. the ship was being replenished

with fuel from a navy tanker on tuesday when a line between the two ships broke. four sailors were injured. three hospitalized. a canadian border guard is hospitalized after she was shot by a man crossing in washington. a man pulled up in a van attempting to cross into canada when he shot the woman who was in her booth and then shot himself to death. police are trying to determine what led to the attack. the crossing at blaine, washington is the third busiest port of entry between the u.s. and canada. the 14-year-old pakistani girl shot in the head by taliban is making a slow recovery in a british hospital. malala yousufzai was airlifted on monday to receive special treatment and from text her from a follow up attack. took towards are caution about her prognosis. >> she's not out of the wood yet. there's plenty that could go wrong. but at this stage we're optimistic that things are going in the right direction. >> several people have turned up at the hospital claiming to be relatives of the girl. but police say they apparently

were just curiosity seekers. straight ahead on your wednesday morning, weather and later shrinking the ipad. apple is expected to roll out a mini version of its wildly popular tablet. wildly popular tablet. severe rheumatoid arthritis means living with pain. it could also mean living with joint damage. help relieve the pain and stop the damage with humira, adalimumab. for many adults with moderate to severe ra, humira is clinically proven to help relieve pain and stop joint damage. so you can treat more than just the pain. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal events, such as infections, lymphoma, or other types of cancer, have happened. blood, liver and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure have occurred. before starting humira, your doctor should test you for tb. ask your doctor if you live in or have been to a region where certain fungal infections are common. tell your doctor if you have had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections or have symptoms such as

fever, fatigue, cough, or sores. you should not start humira if you have any kind of infection. ask your rheumatologist about humira, to help relieve pain and stop further joint damage before they stop you. so ditch the brown bag for something better. like our bacon ranch quesadillas or big mouth burger bites, served with soup or salad, and fries. starting at just 6 bucks, at chili's. with such power, [ rumbling, crowd screaming ] the results could be felt around the world. twice the stain fighting power as the leading liquid value brand. era detergent. a lot of fight for a little dough. here's a look at the weather in some cities around the country. new york mostly sunny 65 degrees. miami chance of a thunderstorm 86. chicago afternoon thunderstorms 66 degrees. dallas partly sunny 86 and los angeles sunny 94 degrees.

now for a check of today's national forecast, most of the eastern third of the nation will be clear and pleasant. winds of more than 50 miles per hour will blow across the northern plains and the upper midwest. damaging wind and hail possible in oklahoma, arkansas and western tennessee. the mississippi and ohio valley can expect showers and thunderstorms. california and the southwest will be sunny and hot. on the cbs moneywatch target is matching holiday online prices and get ready for a newer, smaller ipad. ashley morrison is here in new york with that and more. people want to hear about this ipad. >> reporter: good morning. new speculation that they will ask for financial aid fired up the stocks. tokyo gained 1% and hang seng also added 1%. wall street ended higher on better than expected third quarter earning reports from bellwether companies. the dow finished up 127 points

it was its biggest gain in one month. the nasdaq rose 36 points. michael corbat a long time citibank executive is the new ceo of the bank. pandit resigned on tuesday. during his five year tenure, he steered the bank through the 2008 financial crisis. he quit over frequent clashes with the board over business performance and strategy. citibank is the nation's third largest bank. target is the latest in a growing line of retailers that will match prices from online competitors. target's program will run from next month to mid-december. it is an attempt to combat so-called showrooming that's when shoppers check the price of merchandise in a store and then order it online often at a lower price. a123 government backed electric car battery maker is filing for bankruptcy. a123 received a federal grant of

$249 million aimed at the development of electric cars but the company struggled for several years. a123 has two factories in the detroit area. gm says it will start making an electric powered cadillac starting next year. the car will come with a four cylinder gasoline engine to run when the batteries run out. it will be made at a gm plant that makes the volt. apple is expected to announce the release of yet a newer but smaller ipad next week. the current ipad costs about $500. the new version is expected to cost half that and come with a smaller screen. apple invited reporters to next tuesday's event where the company will likely show off the new tablet. interestingly enough, steve jobs often complained that small tablets are difficult to use. but it will be exciting to see that. >> they will like the smaller price tag. >> thank you. in your sports news the new york yankees will have to climb out

of a 3-0 hole if they want to play in the world series. game three of the american league championship series in detroit fourth inning, young gets the scoring started with a solo home run that clears the left field fence. top of the ninth yankees down by a run and threatening. post-season hero strikes out. detroit wins 2-1. detroit can close out the series tonight. one nfl team can put a ring on it for winning this year's super bowl but not until after beyonce performs. nfl is confirming she will provide the entertainment in new orleans. beyonce posted this picture online tuesday. she's wearing eye black adorned with the game date. that's february 3rd, 2013. the only place to watch super bowl xlvii is right here on cbs. >> thieves make off with half a dozen of paintings from some of

the world's most famous artists.

from energy to immigration.e candidates get feisty in lat night's second presidential debate. who landed the biggest blows? plus: high drama on the wat. an america's cup catamaran collapses in san francisco . how the setback could affece oracle team. and less than 12-hours untie giants take on the cardinaln saint louis. the good news for san francisco, going ino game-3. join us for cbs 5 eyewitness news this morning... beginng at 4:30. ,,,,

here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington mostly sunny, 72 degrees. atlanta mostly sunny 78. st. louis thunderstorms 72 degrees. denver sunny breezy 63. seattle partly sunny, 56 degrees. the hangover that many consumers are suffering from after binge spending during the healthy economy may be fading. a new study suggests people are getting out of debt. anthony mason reports. >> reporter: in dallas sherri used to dread getting her credit card bills. >> i maxed out dicover, american express and visa. >> reporter: the 62-year-old administrative assistant fell $15,000 in debt in part paying her late mother's funeral

expenses. but slowly she's been paying down those debts. across the country consumer credit default rates have been declining steadily. a new survey show default rates for mortgages and bank cards have plunged to their lowest levels since the end of the recession. the bank card default rate which soared above 9% in 2010 has dropped to 3.7%. the mortgage default rate has fallen from a peak of more than 5.5% to less than a quarter today. >> it's been a long time coming. >> it is. we want to see the default rate going down. it's a healing sign. it means the wound is healing over. >> reporter: sherri who refused to file for bankruptcy will finally pay off that $15,000 debt in december. >> it's euphoria. you know, i just count the payments, how many more payments until the debt will be paid off and it's wonderful. >> reporter: the default rate for auto loans did tick up

slightly last month but still near historic lows and the overall default rate on consumer loans has declined now for nine straight months. anthony mason, cbs news, new york. >> the search is on for the suspect responsible for one of the largest art heists in netherlands. thieves broke into the museum early tuesday morning in rotterdam. the paintings are worth tens of millions of dollars. that's a lot of money but so is an expired jug of barbecue sauce. somebody on e-bay paid $10,000 for one gallon of mcjordan barbecue sauce that expired back in '92 when mock don't's released a limited burger honoring basketball great michael jordan. coming up after your local news on this morning, vice-president joe biden and vp candidate paul ryan. i'm vinita nair and this is your "cbs morning news". this is your

"cbs morning news". ,,,,,,,,

social security recipients will see one of the smallest hikes in decades. the government announced yesterday the benefit will increase 1.7%, that's a $19 increase a month on average. one hot button topic, how to preserve social security. mark strassman looks at each of the presidential candidates plans. >> reporter: in new orleans john's family business sells stone for kitchen remodel. >> i love what i do. we go to work and i enjoy every minute of it. >> reporter: six days a week. >> yeah. not only me but my wife and son. >> reporter: 56 years old. how much longer do you want to do it? >> 10 to 15 years. >> reporter: since 1940 social security has been etched in stone. in 1945, 42 workers paid into the program for every retiree. but america is ageing.

by 2033 there will be two workers paying in for every retiree. social security could fall 25 cents short in every dollar it owes in benefits. >> unlike the current president we'll preserve and protect medicare and social security and keep it there for future generations. >> reporter: mitt romney says he would not change anything for people already retired or older than 55. but he has proposed a gradual increase in the eligibility age for social security. one month per year beginning in 2022. romney told "60 minutes" benefits should be reduced for high income americans. >> people with higher incomes won't get the same high growth rate in their benefits as people in lower income. >> reporter: president obama has not outlined a comprehensive plan to overhaul social security. he opposes raising the retirement age or privatizing the system. >> we're going to keep the promise of social security. we're not going to turn it over

to wall street. >> reporter: but mr. obama said he's open to slowing the program's growth by limiting cost of living increases. john is luckier than most. his retirement savings don't count on social security. >> all indications are they will run out of money maybe not in the near future but fairly close, in my retirement age, in my lifetime it will end. >> reporter: he worries his sons and younger employees will never see a nickel from social security. after 72 years on the job, the federal retirement program must change. though no one can be sure exactly how to make it rock solid. mark strassman, cbs news, new orleans. >> coming up after your local news on cbs "this morning," reaction to last night's presidential debate. we'll hear from vice president joe biden and vice presidential candidate paul ryan. plus is apple ready to unveil the mini ipad? we'll get the scoop from cnet.

and chuck lowry stops by the studio. that is the cbs morning news for this wednesday. thanks for watching. i'm vinita nair. have a great day. ,,,,

>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald good morning, everyone. wednesday is the day, october 17. i'm frank mallicoat. >> i'm michelle griego. time now is 4:30. and now here's lawrence with the weather. >> what a day it's going to be today. gorgeous weather all the way to the coastline. high pressure s