making news this morning, showdown. >> the heart of the global occupy protest, the new york encampment being evicted today, as police crackdown overnight in other american cities. and herman cain says he's no flavor of the month. but can he dodge a barrage of new attacks, even from rick perry's wife? and it's happening again. another piece of space junk is headed our way. good morning, everyone. i'm tanya rivero. >> and i'm rob nelson. it almost sounds like the plot from an old western, a showdown coming at day break.

>> that's what's happening this morning between anti-wall street activists and the nypd. a move that could reshape the message. >> at least temporarily they're kicking them out of the park. >> but the protesters say that's a ruse to evict them for good and say they aren't budging. >> until when? >> well, we'll see. as long as people think this is a worthwhile event to do it. >> the determined resolve of the new york protesters is spreading across the country. in seattle, tensions are growing between police and demonstrators. they are refusing to leave a downtown park where they've been camping out. the mayor is urging them to move to city hall. but so far, they're saying no. and a similar scene is taking place this morning in denver, where a thur night deadline to dispurse has come and gone. state troopers have the authority to issue citations. the governor said activists are

free to protest on state property during the day. but they must tear down their tents. and turning, now, to the race for the republican nomination. rick perry was the front-runner. he's really only slid in the polls. now, he's being completely overshadowed. abc's john hendren has our campaign update. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob. the guy who is leading the republican pack has never held any public office. not even a city council jb. the improbable rise of herman cain and his 9-9-9 plan is nothing short of stunning. >> six weeks ago there was some pundit who said i should just drop out. they don't know herman cain. >> reporter: cain has leapfrogged one-time front-runner, rick perry. that earned cain the ultimate compliment, attacks from his rivals. this one from perry's wife, anita. >> when i hear 9-9-9, i want to call 911 because it will raise

the taxes. >> reporter: cain is now leading in polls. spirit airline has lunched its own 9-9-9 advertising campaign. but cain has a long way to go to turn the buzz into a winning campaign. he has little organization. he hasn't been to iowa since august. >> we are trying hard to get mr. cain here in october. and hopefully, we'll be able to achieve that. >> reporter: it's an unpredictable year. and voters are angry and restless. >> incorporations. >> reporter: this occupy seattle protest tried to get the attention of the man many analysts call mr. inevitable, mitt romney. >> we don't need new legislation. we need a new president. >> reporter: romney plans to lay out a plan to expand oil and gas exploration today. a plan he says will create 1.2 million jobs. as his republican rooifs campaign for his job, president obama is taking the south korean president along to a trip to detroit, where he will highlight

a new trade deal that highlights the auto industry. speaking of rick perry, can he regain the momentum he had weeks ago? we'll ask him today on "good morning america." we're following breaking news from thailand this morning. floodwaters and mudslides that have been swamping much of the country since july are now surging toward the capital city of bangkok. some outlying parts of the city could be inundated this weekend. but most of the city will be spared. and president obama is pushing for the toughest sanctions against iran, in reaction to the alleged plot to kill a saudi diplomat in washington, d.c. mr. obama says the u.s. has strong evidence that high-ranking iranian officials were complicit in the planning of the plot. but he didn't play out any specific, new sanctions against iran. a hedge fund billionaire convicted of insider trade willing report to prison at the end of next month.

that's raj ron m will stay for a year. in addition to prison, he's been fined $10 million and ordered to forfeit nearly $54 million in illicit profits. this morning, dominique strauss-kahn is off the hook in france. they dropped the allegations into a writer's claim that he tried to rape her in 2003. they say the actions of the former imf chief qualify as sexual assault. but it simply happened too long ago to pursue those charges. hundreds of mourners showed up at a hair salon in seal beach, california, last night, for a candlelight vigil for eight people shot to death by a gunman on a rampage. among those killed, the ex-wife of the shooting suspect. the two had been engaged in a bitter custody battle. but now, even some of his friends say what he's accused of doing is unforgivable. and that he even deserves the death penalty. >> after what he's put people through, the sorrow and all the people he hurt, i've got to say

yes. >> one other woman was hit by gunfire. so far, she has managed to survive. but she is in critical condition. president and mrs. obama hosted their fifth state dinner at the white house to honor president lee and his wife. mrs. obama wore a purple one-shoulder gown. and among those on the guest list, our very own juju chang from here at abc. >> exciting. >> nice honor. i guess next time. next time. now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. drenching rain in from boston to washington, d.c., with the heaviest downpours in new york and new england. showers around pittsburgh, cleveland and detroit. cooler across the midwest and northern plains. showers in seattle and portland. scattered thunderstorms in south florida. >> your temperatures from east-to-west. 86 in miami. 76 in atlanta. 73 here in new york.

60s from omaha to detroit. and 57 in fargo. mostly 70s from albuquerque to boise. phoenix gets up to 96. sacramento, 83. and business news is next, including big changes at the gap. set to close dozens of stores. and it's iphone day. and wait who we caught waiting in line for the new model. and caught on tape. a twister tears apart historic homes.

welcome back, everyone. the gap has announced it is closing more than 20% of its u.s. stores. the specialty retailer plans to shut 189 stores by the end of 2013. americans aren't buying as much and are shopping more on the internet. at the same time, gap plans to add stores in asia, especially china. not just the gap, but old navy and banana republic brands. and google's earnings soared 26% last quarter, the second-straight quarter google has blown past what analysts expected. the company also hired 2,600 workers last quarter, for a total of 7,000 this year. overseas markets are down this morning after spain's long-term debt rating was downgraded. tokyo's nikkei average is off 75 points today. hong kong's hang seng is down 172 points. in london, the ftse opened lower. on wall street, the dow fell 41 points yesterday. the nasdaq picked up 15 1/2. research in motion says the

three-day blackberry blackout is over. it has fixed the problem. and service is returning to normal for millions of customers on five continents. many customers, though, are pretty angry. company officials say they will work hard to win back users' trust. but didn't answer questions whether that includes any refunds. and the iphone 4s goes on sale today. "usa today's" ed baig has had one for a week. and finds its new voice-driven personal assistant is a major selling point. >> the way you can converse with it is what makes it interesting. you can ask it, do i need a raincoat today? or what's the weather forecast today? an you get the same result. it's conversational. and it understands more often than not the intent of what you ask it to do. >> you can read more of ed's review on usatoday.com. and at apple stores they've been lined up for days to buy the 4s.

among those waiting out all night outside one california store, apple co-founder steve wozniak. woz says he's done it for every iphone launch. of course, he doesn't have to. not at all. good support of the company. i like that. very cool. >> company man. next on this friday morning, look out. another satellite is set to plummet to earth. >> here we go again. and back from the war zone, we've seen emotional homecomings before. but nothing quite like this. a really, really great moment. we'll be right back. my name is jill strange, i'm forty-nine years-old, i love gardening, and i love volleyball. i've been taking osteo bi-flex for several years now. i really can't see myself not taking it. osteo bi-flex is a great product. i can go back and do gardening with comfort. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex, the glucosamine chondroitin supplement with 5-loxin advanced. shows improvement in joint comfort within 7 days. [ jill strange ] since taking osteo bi-flex,

there's nothing that i can't do. [ male announcer ] osteo bi-flex. the #1 doctor and pharmacist recommended brand. the #1 doctor and pharmacist twizzlers. the twist you can't resist.

severe storms have spawned as many as eight tornadoes from georgia to virginia. one twister, seen here, touched down in the virginia community that would the epicenter of the earthquake that stunned the east coast in august. about a dozen homes were damaged in two counties, including an

18th century plantation house. but no one was seriously hurt, thankfully. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. rain soaks i-95 from d.c. to portland, maine. on i-90, from boston to buffalo. and i-80, from new york city to cleveland. also slick out west on i-5, from portland to seattle. and i-90, into montana. >> if you're taking to the skies, airport delays are possible in washington, d.c., philadelphia, new york and boston. i told you before about air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job. a new report does not put them in any better light. >> it says mistakes by controllers at radar facilities have doubled in the past three years. those types of mistakes usually result in planes flying too close together. >> it finds that runway incursions where planes or vehicles wind up where they should not be jumped about the same amount. the faa says the increase is due to better incident reporting. and if you missed your shot at collecting some space junk you may get another chance.

a german x-ray astronomy satellite is set to plunge back to earth in the next ten days. it could survive reentry. and the odds that 1 person would be hit, 1 in 14 trillion. help could arrive in the south pole today for the scientists who believed she suffered a stroke. 58-year-old renee douceur hopes to be on a cargo plane out of her research station by the end of the day. she's been having vision, speech and memory problems since an incident in late august. until now, conditions were too harsh for an emergency evacuation. now, to a pretty daring stunt that would shock even the most jaded new yorker. look at this man clinging to the outside of a moving train. it's called subway surfing. and it left riders screaming at the edge of their seat when it looked like this guy might actually lose his grip. this video was posted on youtube. but transit officials hope it

does not inspire copycats out there. it's not only unlawful but dangerous and exceedingly stupid. >> for sure. and now, sports. nba commissioner, david stern, says if the league's players and owners can't reach a new labor deal by tuesday, he doesn't think there will be any games by christmas. all sides will meet with a mediator next week. as for baseball's playoffs, we have espn news. >> let's get the ball rolling with a little playoff baseball. matt holliday and the cardinals looking to take a 3-1 series edge in the nlcs. it's holliday, showing all the kids at home the power of going to the opposite field. the cardinals would enjoy the fruits of a 1-0 advantage. red birds up 2-1. betancourt up the gut. here comes the pride of naperville, illinois. hairston jr. a close play at the plate.

that would tie this thing at 2-2. top of five. game tied at deuces. ryan braun, singles to left field. and that would allow the beermakers to take a 3-2 advantage. they would win this game, 4-2. they even the series by 2-2. game five of the alcs. delmon young. he had a structured settlement. but he needs cash now. that's going to left center. bottom six, game tide at 2-2. time for this cat, miguel cabrera to do his thing. doubles off the bag. that would score rayburn. the tigers take a 3-2 advantage on that precisely played hit. victor martinez tripled. detroit up 4-2. here's young. second home run of the game. this time to left center, once more. that would complete the detroit cycle. tigers go up 6-2. they win this one, 7-5. that will do it for this espn news update.

but don't for get, for the latest on the sports scene, tune into "the highlight express." better grab your kleenex. >> there's no way your eyes are staying dry for this one. a florida girl was asked to take part in a school beling bee. and she was asked to spell sergeant. her sergeant dad appeared from behind the curtain. such an emotional moment. >> my heartbeated harder and faster than it ever really did before. i'm still really shaken inside. >> oh, man. wow. >> unfortunately dad will only be home for a couple of weekses before returning to duty in iraq. >> those stories never get old. >> my favorite stories. >> yes. coming up next, "the pulse," stories heating up the internet this morning. >> including the baby who knows how to work an ipad. but isn't sure what to make of a magazine. a sign of the times.

i'd race down that hill without a helmet. i took some steep risks in my teens. i'd never ride without one now. and since my doctor prescribed lipitor, i won't go without it for my high cholesterol and my risk of heart attack. why kid myself? diet and exercise weren't lowering my cholesterol enough. now i'm eating healthier, exercising more, taking lipitor. numbers don't lie. my cholesterol's stayed down. lipitor is fda approved to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke in patients who have heart disease or risk factors for heart disease. it's backed by over 19 years of research. [ female announcer ] lipitor is not for everyone, including people with liver problems and women who are nursing, pregnant or may become pregnant. you need simple blood tests to check for liver problems. tell your doctor if you are taking other medications, or if you have any muscle pain or weakness. this may be a sign of a rare but serious side effect. [ man ] still love that wind in my face! talk to your doctor. don't kid yourself about the risk of heart attack and stroke. if lipitor's been working for you, stay with it. lipitor may be available for as little as $4 a month

with the lipitor co-pay card. terms and conditions apply. learn more at lipitorforyou.com. [ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters. than manual measurement techniques. fresher less processed foods introducing freshpet recipes so fresh the only preservative we use is the fridge freshpet fresh food for fido it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. ever since that ol' broom dumped me here... oh, oh. oooh! will love ever come my way?

oh my! ♪ i believe in miracles [ male announcer ] swiffer attracts dirt. swiffer sweeper's new, thicker cloths get deep into ridges picking up more dirt, dust and hair than a broom to help leave your floor up to three times cleaner. you sure are a pick-me-up! [ male announcer ] swiffer cleans better or your money back. ♪ that's good morning, veggie style. hmmm [ male announcer ] for half the calories -- plus veggie nutrition. could've had a v8. can't help but dance a little bit there. >> you love that. that's your jam. you love it. >> time, now, for "the pulse," the stories we'll be talking about today. starting with a virginia truck

driver, this is great, who was apparently trying to channel his energy band when he was stopped in his track. >> the driver had a retractable license plate on his tractor-trailer. >> look at that. >> a cable pulled the plate out as he drove through the easy pass lane on the george washington bridge. he almost got away without paying the $65 toll. but a police officer happened to be watching. >> a little invention trademark. >> that's brilliant, though. >> you have to give him points for trying. how did you spend your summer? we bet it wasn't quite like this. >> this video has gotten more than 3 million hits online. young folks using a human slingshot to fly about 100 feet through the air. some appear to come down close to the shoreline on the other side. >> it looks pretty wild. i think it was pretty fun. that looks fun. would you be scared? >> you go right ahead, rob. i'll cheer you on from the

sidelines. >> with the paramedics. not a bad summer, actually. just stay safe. that's all. finally, call this a sign of our increasingly digital times. this 1-year-old knows how to use an ipad. she was taught by her parents. >> don't blame the parents. distract the kids for a while. watch what she does with a regular, old magazine. the same hand motions that work on the ipad aren't having success with those printed pages. of course, she's 1 and obviously doesn't know the difference. cute. >> adorable video there. and a reminder, believe it or not. she will never know a world without the latest technology we have. it's amazing, too. never works. >> where's my talking dog. >> it's hard to remember that world, isn't it? it's crazy. >> there was a world without those things? >> we moved on. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, when we come back on "america this

morning" today, your week in comedy. some laughs for you before we head out to the weekend. stay with us. we'll be right back. [ female announcer ] starbucks via® is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪ ...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries.

[ laughs ] [ laughs ] [ laughs ] that's awesome. you can read that? ♪ [ female announcer ] the accufit digital system, exclusively at lenscrafters... is about 5 times more precise than manual measurement techniques. lenscrafters. your favorites, in pieces. measurement techniques. lugging around a hot water extraction unit can be a rush! that's why i'm carpet for life. but if things get out of hand, there's no shame in calling us. ♪call 1-800-steemer. from centrum. omega-3s go beyond heart health. probiotics go beyond digestive balance. and fruit & veggie has antioxidant properties.

new pronutrients from centrum. help make nutrition possible. we love that song.

we love that. >> all the good music. all right. we like to help you end the week with a laugh, as you can tell. >> yes. well, this week the late-night guys had lots to choose from. another gop debate, the wall street protests and of course, the new iphone. >> the new iphone 4s comes out tomorrow, if you're not already standing outside of an apple store, it's too late. you missed it. but the line for the iphone 5 starts on monday. >> today, the wall street protesters got started chanting. what do you want? and murdoch interrupted and said, doesn't matter now, i hacked your phones. you don't protest the rich guy's house during the day. all you're going to do is scare the maid. that's a job for arnold schwarzenegger. >> did you see this? yesterday, president obama had beer with four unemployed construction workers. yeah. he did. and obama asked the guys what was it like to lose their jobs?

and they said, well, you'll see. >> the senate voted not to pass the american jobs act that he's been promoting. don't you get it, mr. president? this is a country with 12 real housewives shows on. we don't want to work. we don't have time. >> i'll tell you who was the big hit at the debate last night, herman cain. herman cain, from out of nowhere. he's now the front-runner. and he's got this -- [ laughter ] economic plan. he calls it the 9-9-9 plan. the 9-9-9 plan. >> when you take the 9-9-9 plan, and you turn it upside down, i think the devil's in the details. >> we give you several chances. i'll come back. >> that's right. >> that's good. i like that. >> can count on those guys for a good laugh. we want to say good-bye to tanya this morning. her last day. >> it's been fun. going back to m