making news on this friday, october 15th. >> high gear. with 18 days to go, candidates and their supporters are in for a heavy weekend of campaigning. headed home. some miners healthy enough to finally leave the hospital. facing a new future of fame, possibly fortune. and big blowup. one of the most heated moments ever on "the view." good morning. we begin this friday with politics. there are just over two weeks, now, before election day. and the heavy-hitters from both parties are keeping busy.

>> president obama has been trying to fire up the youth vote. in an event aired on mtv and other networks yesterday, he got a grilling from some young voters. mr. obama faced some pretty sharp questions on not only race, but drugs, unemployment and taxes. and he said he hopes for more bipartisan work in washington after the midterm elections. >> today, the president and vice president biden will be in delaware. biden will also be in wisconsin today. >> meanwhile, bill clinton is stumping in the car west and the deep south. and for the republicans, sarah palin is on a three-day swing through california. speaking of palin, last night, she made an appearance in san jose. today, she co-headlines an event in sacramento with democrat howard dean. while she's in the golden state, palin is not meeting with the two high-profile republican women. meg whitman, and carly fiorina. but she is attending a big republican national committee event tomorrow. in neighboring nevada, it's

a close senate battle between majority leader harry reid and sharron angle. they held their only face-to-face encounter of the campaign last night. alex stone has that story from las vegas. >> reporter: in a highly-anticipated debate, senate majority leader, harry reid, faced off with tea party star, sharron angle. >> don't frighten people about social security. the deal was made by president reagan and tip o'neill is holding strong. >> man up, harry reid. you need to understand that we have a problem with social security. >> reporter: reid knows he's in trouble with nevada voters. he tried to label republican angle, with tv ads. the contest here in nevada is one of the most important of the midterm. republicans would love to defeat the democrats' leader in the senate. 2,500 miles east, in delaware, an equally combative detate between tea partier, christine o'donnell, and democrat, chris

coons. >> my opponent has recently said that it was studying under a marxist professor that made him become a democrat. >> my opponent and lots of folks in the right-wing media have endlessly spun this. i am not now, nor have i ever been, anything but a clean-shaven capitalist. >> reporter: vice president joe biden tells terry moran that o'donnell and tea party candidates across can country are a force to be reckoned with. >> we take christine o'donnell seriously. >> reporter: polls in nevada indicate the same. a new mason/dixon poll shows sharron angle two points ahead of harry reid. the justice department is now asking the federal judge to keep the don't ask, don't tell policy in effect for now. president obama defended the move during a town hall meeting last night. he promised to end the policy against gays serving in the military during his term. but the military says to end it

immediately would simply be too disruptive. the obama administration is now backing peace negotiations aimed at ending the war in afghanistan. they're in the early stages. but there are signs of progress. nick schifrin has more from islamabad, pakistan. >> reporter: the war in afghanistan will not end thanks to guns being fired. it will end, thanks to guns being laid down. the u.s. is hoping this scene begins playing out across the country. taliban insurgents agree to stop fighting and pledge allegiance to the afghan government. the door to negotiation is always open, the local governor says. military might will not solve our problems. 400 miles away, these men also fought against the united states. but the military releases them. tribal leaders sign a statement promising to keep the men straight. and american troops let these 12 go out any consequence. >> we wish these men well. >> reporter: it might seem unusual to see the u.s. trying to reduce violence by releasing prisoners.

but the majority of insurgents aren't ideological. they fight for money or because they're mad at the government and can be persuaded to stop, as hillary clinton told robin roberts on "gma." >> i am increasingly convinced that many of the lower-level taliban, young men who, frankly, are in increasing numbers, laying down their arms and coming back into society. >> reporter: insurgents use safe havens to attack u.s. troops. but because they're inside pakistan, the pakistani military says it can make the insurgents stop. because as one general recently put it, the u.s. knows the only way this conflict might end is in an argument. nick schifrin, abc news, islamabad. three of the rescued miners in chile are now out of the hospital. the men left by a side door last night and hopped into a van. they were identified as edison pena, mar los mamani and edward

reyes. we'll have more in this half hour. nearly five years after vice president dick cheney accidentally shot a hunting buddy, we're finally finding out how serious those injuries were. in addition to the bruises, we could see harry whittington tell "the washington post" he suffered a collapsed lung, a mild heart attack and had 30 pieces of bird shot in him, including near his heart. whittington would not say if the former vice president ever apologized. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. a nor'easter makes for a wet and windy day in new england. heavy rain, flooding and winds topping 50 miles per hour. also, gusty, as far south as washington, d.c. with lingering showers around new york and philly. showers and thunderstorms in south florida. much cooler along the pacific coast. >> just 57 in seattle. 62 in portland. and 73 in boise. phoenix will hit 94. sacramento, 86. 60s from fargo to detroit. 57 here in new york. 80s from miami to new orleans

and to dallas. and when we come back this morning, sticker shock. we'll have the new estimate of america's ballooning budget deficit. plus, you're about to see the ipad in many more stores, with a new mobile carrier. and high emotions. two co-hosts from "the view" storm off stage. the show many are talking about. , dog: bacon? gotta get that bacon! smokey bacon, crispy bacon, tasty bacon! where is it? where is the bacon? tv newscaster: bacon popular, "story at 11. dog: yummy. crunchy. bacon. bacon. bacon. there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip!? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! i love bacon! i love you! i love bacon! i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time #like beggin' time! share the fun at beggintime.com

[ female announcer ] have you ever seen a glacier while sunbathing? why not? have you ever climbed a rock wall in the middle of the ocean? or tried something really wild? why not? it's all possible in the nation of why not. royal caribbean's floating nation where you're free to do anything you want. which may be nothing at all. royal caribbean international. cruises from baltimore and new jersey. visit royalcaribbean.com today. the federal budget deficit is expected to top $1 trillion

for the second-straight year. the government is expected to report today that the deficit, for the fiscal year that just ended, will total $1.29 trillion. that is actually down from last year's record of $1.4 trillion. the dollar has been falling fast, as investors anticipate that the federal reserve will soon take action to pump up the economy. it's near a 15-year low, versus the yen. and a ten-month low, compared to the euro. that's good news for companies that sell things overseas because their goods become cheaper for foreigners. overseas, stocks are a mix this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell almost 1% today. hong kong's hang seng is lower. and in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow slipped one point yesterday, snapping a four-day winning streak. meanwhile, the nasdaq fell nearly six points. social security recipients could get a bonus next year to make up for the fact they will not be getting a cost of living increase for the second-straight year. the house will vote next month on a bill to give an extra $250

to the more than 58 million americans receiving social security. walmart is looking to double the amount of locally-grown produce it sells in the next five years. the retail giant is steering more of its business to smaller farms to help reduce farming's environmental impact. it is not the iphone. but it is a start for verizon wireless. the carrier will begin selling apple's ipad at the end of the month. walmarts and sam's club across the country will begin selling the device today. if you're wondering, is it cheaper at sam's or walmart? >> no such luck. next on this friday, the chilean miners begin returning to their lives. facing a whole, new reality. and the first look at sarah palin's new reality show.

, dog: bacon? gotta get that bacon! there, in that bag! mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time! that advertise flights for 25,000 miles? but when you call... let me check. oh fudge, nothing without a big miles upcharge. it's either pay their miles upcharges or connect through mooseneck! [ freezing ] i can't feel my feet. we switched to the venture card from capital one -- so no more games. let's go see those grandkids. [ male announcer ] don't pay miles upcharges. don't play games. get the flight you want with the venture card at capitalone.com. [ loving it ] help! what's in your wallet? check it out. the brand-new bridge soaring nearly 9 million feet over the

colorado river. the massive 4-lane, 1,900-foot-long span lets drivers bypass the hoover dam. it's named for a former nevada governor and pat tillman, the nfl star that joined the army and was killed in afghanistan. the bridge is called o'callaghan-tillman memorial bridge. now, a look at your road conditions. wet and windy on i-95 from flooding in new england. flooded on i-0 90, from boston to syracuse. slick on 95 and 75 in south florida. >> if you're headed to the airport today, expect airport delays on the east coast in boston, new york, philadelphia, washington, d.c., charlotte and miami. they're called the 33. those chilean miners who are doing remarkably well after more than 2 months underground. >> three of the miners have been released from the hospital overnight. and even more will go home today. and we're learning much more

about what life was like being trapped beneath the earth. >> emily schmidt is joining us now. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. it's hard to believe that two days ago at this time, most of the miners were still happened half a mile below the earth. now, this morning, some of them are waking up in their own homes, in their own beds. this is a remarkable turn of events in these mens' rapidly changing lives. the first 3 of the 33 miners who captured the world's attention, found 1 way to avoid that attention last night. as a parade in front of the hospital distracted supporters, the miners slipped out the back to go home. that step out of the spotlight is likely brief. chilean reporters asked one miner, does it make you happy that the whole world was watching you? yes, he said. it made us cry. on the first full day out of the mine, spirits were visibly higher. doctors say the miners are progressing very well. one has pneumonia. others need dental work. but none has severe physical

problem. the next challenge is dealing with the memories of two months trapped underground. down there in that mine, i learned to pray, says the 28th rescued miner. he says for the first two weeks, the men ate less than a soda cap of salmon and tuna every two days. the only joumpblist that spoke with the miners said the early days were filled with disagreement and despair. >> they're fighting because some people wanted to climb out. some people wanted to stay where they are. >> reporter: now, they're known for their unity. and swamped with job offers and gifts. living as celebrities, after 69 days of living with nearly nothing. >> these guys have been through so much. i really think that whatever they earn out of this, it's not enough for having lived ten weeks. >> reporter: doctors at the hospital where the remaining 30 miners spent the night, saying most of them are probably going to go home today. the rest, likely, by the end of the weekend. rob?

>> so, emily, they've gone from dark plight to the limelight. any idea how they're handling the attention? >> reporter: we get tiny glimpses of how they're handling it. the chilean president visited them yesterday. while there, he challenged them to a soccer match and the losing team would have to go to the mine. what was the response? the men laughed. all of the stress and pressure. at least their humor's still intact. >> emily schmidt, thank you very much. a u.s. official now says the murder of an american on a mexican lake, may be the case of a mistaken identity. he says that david hartley and his wife were two, innocent american tourist who stumbled into a bad area when david was shot. meanwhile, mexican officials have stopped looking for hartley's body in order to come up with a better search strategy. the mexican tv reporter who claimed the new york jets were inappropriate around her says she's not going back inside an nfl locker room.

in inez seance will be working with tv. her interviews will be done off the field. it's time for sports. max bretos at espn news has the highlights. >> good morning. this is your espn news update. we start in the nation's capital, where the washington wizards, making some news in the preseason. gilbert arenas, benched for the start of this game. first quarter, arenas, causes the turnover. and then, after the foul, comes up limping. a little karma there. mild groin strain. would not return. still in the first, john wall fields the ball. takes it the other way. wizards down one. second quarter, wall leads the break. leaves it for nick young, who finishes with a slam. wizards up three. still in the second. and it's wall leading the break. this time for andre splat.

wall would end with 15 and 11. college football in the big east. the lone ranked team in the conference. the west virginia mountaineers, come in at number 25. first quarter, geno smith finding bradley starks for the 21-yard touchdown pass. the mountainees up 7-0. second quarter, a little trick ration. geno smith to the flat for sanders, who flipped it to knoll divine on the minihook and ladder. it's 17-3. finding some wiggle room. mountaineers go on to win it. this will do it for this espn news update. back to you in new york. we're getting the first glimpse of sarah palin's upcoming reality show. >> tlc just released the trailer for "sarah palin's alaska." showing her home with family and enjoying the outdoors in her home state. >> this is flipping fun. how come we can't be satisfied? i'd rather be doing this than in

some stuffy, old political office. i'd rather be out here being free. >> no word on whether that includes the oval office. the show debuts next month on tlc. >> a lot of people will be watching that. >> and watching this, too. that explosive confrontation between bill o'reilly yesterday and some of the co-hosts on "the view." >> joy behar and whoopi goldberg walked off the set on yesterday's show, after things got heated with o'reilly over the proposed islamic center near ground zero. >> killed us on 9/11. >> no. no. >> you have just seen what should not happen. we should be able to have discussions without washing our hands and screaming and walking offstage. i love my colleagues. but that should not have happened. >> behar and goldberg did come back, of riley apologized.

he said he was sorry after they came back. he said he was sorry if anybody felt that he was demeaning all muslims. >> in addition from the scolding he got from whoopi and joy. he also got a scolden from barbara. and when referencing what happened to 9/11. >> never dull on "the view." skoming up next, the stories we'll be following today, including why condoleezza rice will be back at the white house today. stay with us. [ female announcer ] you use the healing power of touch every day. ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving heat patch activates sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals for deep penetrating relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise.

only from the makers of tylenol. precise. colorstay ultimate™ liquid lipstick... i don't kiss and tell. has a built-in topcoat that keeps your lips perfect past midnight. with a single application in 20 comfortable shades. these lips are sealed. revlon colorstay ultimate™ liquid lipstick. you get the blood, hope it's enough, it's -- what's this? [ man ] new and improved freestyle lite® blood glucose test strip. sure, i'll try it, but -- [ beep ] wow. [ man ] yeah, that's the patented freestyle zipwik™ design. [ man #1 ] it's like it -- targets the blood. targets the blood. yeah, it draws it right in. the test starts fast. you need just a third the blood of onetouch®. okay. freestyle test strips. i'll take 'em. [ man #2 ] sure. call or click -- we'll send you strips and a meter, free. can't i just have these? [ man #2 ] freestyle lite test strips. call or click today. [ female announcer ] have you ever seen a glacier while sunbathing? why not? have you ever climbed a rock wall in the middle of the ocean? or tried something really wild?

why not? it's all possible in the nation of why not. royal caribbean's floating nation where you're free to do anything you want. which may be nothing at all. royal caribbean international. visit royalcaribbean.com today. equals chili's $20 dinner for two. share an app, like our texas cheese fries. then choose two entrees from 14 chili's favorites, like our new honey chipotle baby back ribs. the $20 dinner for two, only at chili's.

and now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching today. president obama and vice president biden are in campaign mode. they're making a joint appearance in delaware to support the democratic candidate trying to win biden's former senate seat. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke gives a speech that could provide clues on the central bank's next move to pump up the economy. the fed is expected to announce new steps at its meeting the first week of november. more miners are expected to head home from the hospital in chile today. three men were released overnight. former national security adviser and secretary of state, ko condoleezza rice, visits the white house today. and baseball's playoffs resume tonight as the texas rangers host the new york yankees in game one of the national championship series.

the nlcs between the giants and phillies begin tomorrow. >> my old stamping ground, versus my new stamping ground. for some of you, your local niz is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues after this. i'm done with airline credit cards promising 25,000 miles a flight only to be told...

there's nothing for 25. but they will let me give you the same seat for a big miles upcharge. how's that sound? for that many miles we'll be stuck taking a "staycation." [ imitates engine revving ] [ angie ] i'm through playing games. i switched to the venture card from capital one. vacation, here we come! [ male announcer ] don't pay miles upcharges. don't play games. get the flight you want with the venture card at capitalone.com. whoo-hoo! now this is a vacation. what's in your wallet? whoo-hoo! now this is a vacation. they fill you up without filling you out. yes! v8 juice gives you three of your five daily servings of vegetables. that's what im talking about! v8. what's yournumber? new aveeno positively radiant tinted moisturizers, with scientifically proven soy complex and natural minerals give you sheer coverage instantly, then go on, to even skin tone in four weeks. new aveeno tinted moisturizers. gotta get that bacon! there, in that bag!

mom: who wants a beggin' strip? dog: me! i'd get it myself but i don't have thumbs! yum, yum, yum... it's beggin'! hm... i love you! beggin' strips! there's no time like beggin' time!

and finally this morning, a close encounter that left usually unfazed new yorkers just a little bewildered. >> it was a ufo sighting over the skies of manhattan. police stations were flooded with calls. but in the end, it was just a bunch of hot air. here's abc's ron claiborne. >> reporter: for once, the mysterious objects were not spotted in the darkened sky over some cornfield. but in the middle of the day above the largest city in the country. >> i'm looking for the mother ship. >> reporter: these things, about a dozen or so of them, floated high above the manhattan skyline, invisible to faa radar. whatever they were, they provoked intense curiosity, but no panic. >> new jersey. >> reporter: maybe new jersey. maybe light years from new jersey. the city's help line lit up with calls. of course, twitter was atwitter. and even the national ufo reporting center in seattle got

a call. >> they saw one very relatively large object apparently lower in the atmosphere. but what intrigued them was a cluster of such smaller objects apparently higher in the sky. >> reporter: many people scoff at the notion. others are absolutely convinced. the ufo center in seattle says it gets 3,000 to 5,000 reports of ufo sightings every year. >> that evidence strongly suggests that our planet is being visited routinely. >> reporter: maybe. but we learned that a suburban elementary school was apparently behind it all. the unidentified flying objects, wayward balloons brought to celebrate a teacher's engagement. >> and i was like, oh, my god. those are our balloons. >> reporter: so, no ufos, no flying saucers, no alien visitors this time. just a bunch of helium-filled balloons. or so they say. ron claiborne, abc news, new york. >> we can all breathe a little more easily in new york this morning. >> hot air balloons. coming up later on "good morning america," you've seen some of