making news on this tuesday, october 5th. >> high-impact. the travel alert issued for europe, having ripple effects here in the u.s. slipping support. how a new poll shows the gop's advantage over democrats seems to be easing. so, what does it mean for the midterms, now just a month away? and last laugh. jon stewart responds to the comments about him that cost a cnn host his job. good morning. the heightened terror alert for americans traveling in europe is now hitting home. >> police are putting mass transit across the country under extra scrutiny.

but they say it's just a precaution. that there's no specific threat. >> emily schmidt joins us from washington on what led to the decision. >> reporter: good morning to you. a state department spokesperson says the travel alert for europe was the right thing to do at the right time. and now, as he says, we're beginning to see the stopped-up security measures at home. just one of the ripple effects. the head of the united states largest mass transit system had been briefed on the overseas threat. in what's being called an abundance of question, they're stepping up a security search along am tram, and tightening up security in new york city. >> we've done some tactical shifts and changes that we think are appropriate at this time. >> reporter: the travel alert for americans in europe is light on details. heavy on impact. >> i wouldn't say that we have specific information about a particular place, a particular time. and yet, we have, i think, sufficient information that justified the issuing of the alert.

>> reporter: the government message people should continue with plans to travel to europe. but do so carefully. >> be cautious and be aware that we are following, you know, multiple streams of threat information. >> reporter: fbi and homeland security department officials say there is no sign terrorists are targeting u.s. citizens in this plat. but the government is taking no chances. yesterday, there was an attack on the center in pakistan. >> several of the people have been targeted. and the others are certainly on the radar of u.s., pakistani and european intelligence services. >> reporter: many travelers say they are still packing their bags. but with a bit more care. >> this is nothing to take lightly. >> reporter: more americans traveling abroad are registering with u.s. embassies if the travel alert persists. there was double the number on monday.

>> with so few details about the threat here, is it causing any panic with the travel alert? >> reporter: the state department spokesperson spoke about that yesterday. he said the state department is often issuing these travel alerts. one as recently as last month, with the international concerns when the pastor in florida would burn the koran. talking to security experts, there's the fear of crying wolf that travelers will take the advisories for granted. rob and vinita? >> emily schmidt, live in washington this morning. thank you. the man behind a domestic terror plot is expected to spend the rest of his life in prison. phasele shahzad is in court today. a f successful, the bomb could have killed up to 100 people. at least one person was killed and several injured in a shooting rampage near the university of florida. police say the gunman drove through his neighborhood firing

at random. abc's matt gutman is in gainesville now. and has the latest. >> reporter: for 30 minutes, terror gripped gainesville. >> we were seeing a barrage of people calling. got someone shot here. someone shot here. >> reporter: around 4:00 p.m., the 911 calls began streaming in. >> more people got shot over here by williams elementary school. and someone was over here on the depot. so, it was -- i was scared. >> reporter: clifford miller, whose relatives said had a history of mental illness, allegedly shot his father. then, turned his gun on others. >> people thought he was crazy. but he wasn't. he wasn't. he wasn't. he wasn't crazy, at all. he was a good kid. i want everybody to know that. he was. i don't know what drove him to this. >> reporter: cruising around this college town in a red, chevy pickup, miller allegedly blasted away at random. he shot four people been citizen limits. and as he drove out of the city, he shot another person.

>> me was one step ahead of each of the crime scenes as they came ahead. the gainesville police department would respond to the shooting as of the sheriff's office. and he was then traveling to the next location. and shooting someone at an additional location. >> reporter: finally, police pulled him over. police say miller shot himself in the head. he had a history of arrest. everything from driving recklessly to battery. but was deemed mentally or physically unable to stand trial. it's not known how he obtained the weapon. matt gutman, abc news, gainesville, florida. and yet another shooting incident has a southern new jersey community in shock today. a s.w.a.t. team was on the scene yesterday, after a man shot and killed his own brother from the second-floor window of their apartment. a woman who came to the victim's aid was also killed. the gunman then took his own life. the nation's highest court has opened its term with three female justices on the bench for

the first time. elena kagan replaced john paul stephens who retired last year. our terry moran watched as the historic moment unfolded, with all eyes on justice kagan. >> reporter: she was ready no, question about it. within minutes of the start of this bankruptcy case, she jumped into the fray of oral argument. she was confident and well-prepared and fluent. and probing. she asked a question of one of the lawyers that seemed to stump him. you could almost sense the whole court looking down at her, like a major league scout would. like that kid's got pop on her fast ball. >> today, the court hears arguments on whether the government went too far investigating workers at a jet propulsion lab in california. some are saying it took too long for the man who invented in vitro fertilization for the nobel prize in medicine. his work developing test tube babies has led to the birth of 4 million infants. edwards is now 85 years add and in failing health. >> we don't know his name. but we all know his work.

now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. light rain in philadelphia and new york and new england. showers and thunderstorms from basie, to salt lake city. and from sacramento to phoenix. across arizona, expect hail, gusty winds and flooding. and six to ten inches of snow. >> meanwhile, 75 in sacramento. 65 in seattle. and 80 in colorado springs. 63 in detroit. 67 in chicago. and 70s in the twin cities to dallas. mostly 60s from boston to atlanta. miami's climbs up to 84. new orleans, 75. when we return, some families face foreclosure who shouldn't have? a new investigation. plus, the state of politics. our new poll out this morning showing republicans may not run away with the midterm elections after all. and "daily show" host jon stewart on those comments that cost rick sanchez his job.

officials nationwide are trying to figure out how many families have unfairly lost their homes. at least three, major mortgage lenders have all stopped foreclosures after officials admitted approving those foreclosures without reading details. state governors and attorneys general nationwide are calling for a complete foreclosure freeze. two, major credit card companies have reached settlements with the justice

department. the government sued mastercard, visa and american express for american express is refusing to settle and is now fighting back. fed chairman ben bernanke says the federal reserve could help the economy by buying more government debt. this would deep interest rates low so businesses could borrow and expand. a decision is expected when the fed meets next month. japan's central bank cut a key interest rate to zero this morning sending tokyo's nikkei average up 137 points today. hong kong's hang seng is down in late trading. in london, the ftse opened higher. the dow lost 78 points yesterday. the nasdaq fell 26 points. well, an attempt to go green has apparently fired back on frito lay. the company is quietly dumping the bio degradable sun chip bag it launched just 18 months ago because it's too poisecy. they be go back to the non-recyclable bags as they come up with a quieter bag.

>> environment versus noisy. back on this tuesday morning, new hope today of an early rescue for the trapped miners in chile. and a monday night romp for the patriots in miami. ♪

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can expect airport delays in salt lake city, las vegas, phoenix, boston, philadelphia and new york. today marks one month until the important midterm elections. and there is some new hope today for the democratic party. >> an abc news poll released overnight shows democrats could do better than first projected. it also shows the tea party's popularity seems to be fading. >> we have made progress. over the last 20 months. >> reporter: could the democrats come clawing back? the huge advantage held by republican candidates nationwide seem to have slipped somewhat. and it is likely linked to the economy. in today's abc news/"washington post" poll, one-third of americans now believe the economy is improving. still low, but up seven points from a month ago. it's an election that could bring a seismic shift to capitol hill. among likely voters 49% now say they vote for a republican candidate. 43% for a democrat. that eased from a record 13-point gap last month. but republicans still enjoy a larger lead than they held in

1994. the last time the party seized control of congress. as the gop advantage eases, so does the tea party's popularity. >> i'm not a witch. i'm nothing you've heard. >> reporter: candidates backed by the movement, like delaware's christine o'donnell, are facing increased scrutiny. in her just-released first campaign ad, she addresses her witchcraft comments saying -- >> i'm you. >> reporter: in july, 30% of voters said they would support a tea party candidate. now, that's dropped to 18%. overall, the new numbers show democrats back in the game. but still far behind. guaranteeing a frantic final month of campaigning. one thing the dnc may not be able to overcome, sky-high dissatisfaction with the government, which, of course, they control. that is now at 71%. the miners trapped deep underground in chile could be out in a matter of days.

the government is close to pulling the 33 men to safety. and he hopes to be there in person to see it before leaving on a trip to europe october 15th. original estimates have said the men might be trapped until christmas. the italian coast guard has called off the search for two american balloonists missing in the adriatic sea. richard abruzzo of new mexico and carol rymer davis of colorado, plunged into the water during a balloon race last wednesday. organizers say it's unlikely they survived. tony curtis has been laid to rest after a funeral. hundreds gathered to pay final respects to the actor. his daughter, jamie lee curtis, joked she inherited her father's desperate need for attention. and arnold schwarzenegger remembered curtis, the mentor, who encouraged him when he was just starting out in hollywood. it's back to work for pittsburgh steelers quarterback ben roethlisberger. he finished a four-game

suspension and will take part in his first practice of the season today. roethlisberger was accused of sexually assaulting a female college student back in march. but he was never formally charged. the nfl did suspend the two-time super bowl winner for violating its conduct policy. last night's matchup, was about an unsung hero. max bretos at espn news has details. >> good morning. "monday night football" saw afc east rivals new england and miami clash at sun life stadium. both looking to improve to 3-1. let's take you to the action where pat chung, not tom brady, not randy moss, was the hero for the pats. third quarter, patriots up 13-7. miami, three and out. and chung blocked the punt by brandon fields. you can see chung come out clean. that would lead to a benjarvus

gr green-ellis touchdown. it's stopped by pat chung. green-ellis scoops it up. patriots up. chung has set up a touchdown for two other patriot teammates. and tom brady enjoys every minute. later in the fourth, you see chung. he would get one for himself. chad henne, looking for brandon marshall. it's chung who intercepts it. takes it to the house. he would score a touchdown on the interception. patriots crushed the dolphins, 41-14. kobe bryant and the lakers begin their title defense in preseason objection in the 02 arena in london. bryant intercepts the ball. lamar odom slams it down. he would only play six minutes for no points. later in the quarter, shannon brown gets by rookie wesley johnson. slams it home. it's tied at 18-18. then, the wolves come up big.

michael beasley, 21 points in 18 minutes. this has been your espn news update. let's send it back to you in new york. jon stewart returned to his comedy central show for the first time since cnn fired rick sanchez for comments about stewart. >> he didn't waste any time getting to the sanchez story. here's the comments and also stewart's reaction. >> i think jon stewart's a bigot. oh, my god. rick sanchez knows my name. >> stewart poked some fun at sanchez by comparing him to the bumbling boss from the sitcom "the office." >> it's just that we here see him as a complex television character who is flawed but fascinating to watch every week. >> of course, rick sanchez's wife says on her facebook page that her husband called stewart to apologize. she says the two men have, quote, a good talk. >> sounds like this might be the

first hint of an apology. she went on to say that rick feels horrible and deeply apologizes by anyone who was offended by the comments he made. >> love to be a fly on the wall during that conversation, huh? coming up next, the other stories we'll be following on this tuesday. stay with us. to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness,

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of that security scare in europe. it's only a precaution, though. there's no specific threat. times square bomb plotter faisal shahzad faces life in prison when he is sentenced today in new york. prosecutors say shahzad had planned to set off a second bomb if the first proved unsuccessful. a new rating system will be given to 30 of the most popular vehicles on the market. we're told that some cars that scored well under the old system will not do as well under the new one. president obama is holding a white house summit today on community colleges. the president plans to highlight two-year schools as a resource in developing america's work forest and reaching america's goals. and the hiker ed rosenthal who spent six days last in the california desert will share his story with reporters. he will also start a fund-raising effort for the rescue teams that found him. for a guy named danger man, this is a risky stunt.

a high-wire walk feet above bubbling lava. >> interesting man. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be right back. - ♪ didn't quite catch that last bit. i said i really love my bank. right... is there a problem ? it's not really raging, man. uh, we were hoping for more raging ? well, you said write from the heart. yeah... don't do that. at ally, you'll love our online savings account. named the best of 2010 by money magazine. ally. do you love your bank ? all you expect from the number-one recommended detergent by dermatologists. all free clear is free of dyes and perfumes. and has powerful stainlifters to help get your whole wash clean. it's all good. i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms all day and night.

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to learn more. and finally this morning, cutting-edge technology that may

soon turn your tv into a dinosaur. >> google is working on blurring the lines between the internet, cable and broadcast tv and rolling them into one, amazing device. neal karlinsky got a sneak peek. ♪ >> reporter: inside a lab in the heart of silicon valley, the television as we know it is being reinvented. they call it google tv. and our cameras are the first to ever see it, even as feverish programmers try to get it done in time to hit store shovels this fall. >> what happens if i hit the menu key here? >> reporter: when google's man in charge introduced it to the world this year. >> i'm happy to introduce google tv. >> reporter: what is google tv? >> google tv is a new way to think about television. take all of the content you watch on television. take all of the other content

that you get on the web in a you can't get on your tv. >> reporter: the device makes no distinction between surfing television channels and surfing the web. instead of flipping channels, users type in the show or just the idea they're interested in. >> what you see here is a search box. it allows you to take you anywhere you want to go. on tv, on dvr, or the web. i can fire up a twitter ap. or any other social application, as well. tv is a social experience. >> reporter: and that is central to their goal. making the tv the center of entertainment again. the living room is about to get an extreme makeover. as tv shows, movies, music and aps, games, even social networking sites all migrate to the television. and with remote control apes that allow you to do it from your phone, you don't have to lift a finger to enjoy it. abc news "world news," with diane sawyer. i'm neal karlinsky, in mountain view, california. >> those of us who hate to leave