the final push, both sides claim momentum eight days before midterm elections. outbreak, the race to keep a growing epidemic in haiti from reaching the densely populated capital. and texas twisters. a pair of tornadoes ripped through the lone star state. this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, october 25th, 2010. good morning, everybody. thanks for joining us. i'm betty nguyen. there are now just eight days until the midterm elections today. today, president obama is back

on the campaign trail, where he'll be talking about the economy and hoping to rally democratic support. preeti arla is in washington with more on this. good morning, preeti. >> reporter: good morning, betty. the president is warning voters if republicans take control of congress, it will prevent him from making progress on critical issues. on the other hand, republican party leader is expecting big wins for the gop and says voters want change. president obama will head to rhode island today to try and pump up voters ahead of election day. he'll raise money for congressional democrats, just days after wrapping up his longest campaign swing yet out west. >> the more people turn out, the better we do and we're seeing strong trends at the presidential rallies and early voting. >> reporter: the president's time on the road appears to be paying off according to a new "newsweek" poll. while other polls show the gop gaining ground "newsweek" found 48% of voters were more likely to vote for democrats, while 42% support republicans. president obama's approval ratings have also jumped from

48% to 54%. but, republicans aren't taking anything for granted. they're hitting the road just as hard and making some big predictions. >> i think you're going to see a wave, an unprecedented wave on election day that's going to surprise a lot of people. >> reporter: most polls show republicans winning control of the house but not the senate. rnc chairman michael steele is confident the gop will take back both. >> if this wave continues the way it's going, it has been over the last few weeks especially, i think you could see the senate, as well. >> reporter: steele will also stump for his party in rhode island today, trying to rally critical last-minute support. and it appears both sides may still have time to change the outcome of the election. according to a new associated press/gfk poll, one in three americans is either undecided or says they have someone in mind but could still change their mind. betty? >> preeti arla in washington for us this morning, thank you. >> severe weather in north texas.

take a look at this. this tornado struck about 45 miles south of dallas sunday evening. it blew the roof off of a school, overturned 11 railroad cars and damaged nearby homes. a high school baseball field was destroyed. and another twister was reported east of dallas. no serious injuries are reported. in central america, hurricane richard is pounding the caribbean coast of belize, rich marred made landfall last night with top winds of 90 miles per hour. but is weakening moving across land. tourists were evacuated and an estimated 10,000 people were forced from the coast into shelters. a storm surge three feet above normal is expected. the death toll from the cholera outbreak in haiti has reached at least 250. this morning, health care workers are scrambling to keep the disease away from the capital. that's where more than a million earthquake survivors live in less than sanitary conditions. dr. jon lapook is in haiti and

filed this report. >> we've had about 90 patients every day. we can discharge about 20 but then 20 more new ones come in. the focus now is on prevention. non-governmental organizations are furiously dispatching trucks of supplies north to st. mark and encouraging hand washing, especially for children who are the most vulnerable. >> one of the simplest things they can do is frequent hand washing, personal hygiene. that does wonders. >> reporter: cholera is easily treatable for those lucky enough to get to the hospital in time. >> people coming in, more people leaving. a lot of people look like they were about ready to die this morning are sitting up. having a drink, taking an interest in life around them. >> reporter: but for most, just getting there is a challenge. this man says she got sick last night. she got diarrhea and was vomiting. we had no time to take her to the hospital. while we were giving her a shower, she died.

and this man's family was decimated by the disease. >> my brother is die. >> reporter: your brother died. >> yeah, my sister-in-law died. i have my sister daughters die. >> earlier today in the courtyard of that hospital at st. mark, the epicenter of the cholera epidemic. there were hundreds of people there and i spoke to one of the doctors from partners in health, which has been doing a terrific job in haiti and in his words, it's controlled chaos. dr. jon lapook, cbs news, haiti. the war crimes trial of omar khadr is scheduled to resume at guantanamo bay prison but his lawyers say a last-minute plea deal remains a possibility. he was 15 years old when he was captured in afghanistan. he's charged with killing an american soldier, as well as spying. he's been imprisoned at guantanamo bay for nine years. >> i've never met anybody who

has suffered so much, being abandoned by so many people. and yet, i've never heard a single angry word uttered from his lips. >> critics argue he should not be prosecuted because he was a teenager when captured. if he's tried and found guilty, he faces life in prison. opening statements in the chandra levi murder trial are scheduled to start today nine years after the washington intern disappeared. her disappearance received widespread publicity because of her relationship with then congressman gary condit. but the man accused of her murder is ingmar guandique, the gang member authorities believe attacked her while she jogged in a park. he wasn't indicted until nearly eight years after her death but there is no physical proof linking him to her. >> there's no dna evidence. there's no eyewitnesses to the actual occurrence. what they do have is circumstantial. >> guandique was sentenced for attacking two other women and

allegedly told other inmates he killed levy. he denies the jail house confession. her body wasn't found until more than a year after she disappeared. on the "cbs moneywatch," most stocks in asia climbed higher this morning. ashley morrison is in new york with much more on that. good morning. >> good morning, betty. asian markets got a lift after g-20 leaders vowed to avoid a currency war. japan's nikkei had early gains but ended off a fraction, hong kong's hang seng was mostly higher. today, wall street gets the latest on existing home sales and another round of corporate earnings. last week, stocks finished mixed after an early rally ran out of steam. the dow gained just over half a percent while the nasdaq edged down. a survey released overnight shows economists lowering expectations about the recovery. 54% of economists surveyed now expect the economy to grow more than 2% in 2010, that's down from 67% last quarter. on the bright side, most see a small improvement on the jobs front with the majority of them

expecting unemployment to at least hold at current levels for the rest of the year. talk of a gop takeover of one or both houses of congress has many on wall street looking at history. over the past 50 years, democratic presidencies and republican control of both houses have led to an annual stock market rise of more than 21%. but, a congress split between the parties has meant a market rise of just 6% a year, no matter who controls the white house. for the first time, google has admitted its street view project collected a lot more than street scenes. on friday, the tech giant acknowledged it downloaded passwords and private e-mails from home computers as it kriss- crossed the globe taking pictures for the mapping service. regulators in a handful of countries are investigating and 30 state attorneys general have launched a joint probe. google says they collected the data by accident. at the movies this weekend horror history made for just $3

million, the haunted house se squel "paranormal activity ii" scared up $41.5 million in ticket sales. talk about a profit there. the biggest ever hoping for a horror film last week's number one "jackass 3d" slipped to second with the action comedy "red" finishing third. and, the cassette-based sony walkman is officially history. sony has stopped production of the once revolutionary portable music player since introducing them in 1979. sony sold 200 million units, over 30 plus year and the product is credited with putting the company on the map. the brand will live on as a digital player but, betty, time to retire your tapes. i didn't even know they still made those. did you? >> i didn't either. i've never seen a tape i guess in the past, what 10, 15 years maybe? >> i know. i didn't know they still made them. i remember mine was yellow, the sony sports walkman. >> i remember having one of the

sony diskmens, disk players and tried to jog with it. it's no fun, it's too big. >> skips. >> yeah, you can't. ashley, thank you, joining us live, interesting stuff this morning. just ahead on the morning news brett favre reportedly admits leaving voice mail messages for a sideline reporter. plus a tragic end for a u.s. national team swimmer competing in the united arab emirates. first, though, katie couric with a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." one business is booming but costing you billions and may even be threatening your health. we'll take you inside the criminal world of cargo theft in our exclusive investigation tonight only on the "cbs evening news." ♪ just one bite opens a world of delight... ♪ ♪ a flavor paradise of delicious fishes ♪ ♪ friskies seafood sensations. ♪

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the family knew the cabin would eventually collapse but they said it was like losing a loved one. in oregon, snow was falling sunday and on mt. hood, some kids got a chance to do sledding. but, some drivers got stuck and had to tow their cars out. winter storm warnings had been issued for high elevations in the cascade mountains. an american swimmer died during a race in the united arab emerites. 26-year-old fran crippen is was competing in a race saturday. authorities in the uae said over exertion caused his death but no official cause has been determined. other swimmers complained of warm water temperatures in the high 80s. his former swim coach says crippen was unable to finish the race. >> fran went under with about 1700 meters to go. they didn't realize it at the time. and two hours later, they found his body. >> crippen was considered the best u.s. open water swimmer and was expected to compete in the

2012 olympics. minnesota vikings quarterback brett favre has reportedly admitted leaving voice mails for a former new york jets employee. >> i'm going back to the hotel and just -- just chill. >> favre has allegedly told league investigators he did leave the phone messages but he has denied sending any inappropriate photos to the woman. the nfl is investigating the allegations. straight ahead your monday morning weather and, in sports, a disputed referee's call on a fumble helps decide the steelers-dolphins game. steelers-dolphins game. ♪ everywhere i go... ♪ i'll pass it on, ♪ and on...and on...and on... edible arrangements. happiness is always in season. visit, call or go to ediblearrangements.com.

discover customersl are getting five pcent cashback bonus at restaurants. it pays to switch, it pays to discover. here's a look at weather in some cities around the country. new york, showers, 72. miami, sunny, 88. chicago, showers, 74. it's mostly cloudy and 60 in denver. l.a., it's partly cloudy and 71. time now for a check of the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows thunderstorms rolling through the lower mississippi valley and into the southeast. the southern plains and portions of the northeast have clear skies. later today, more rain is moving into the pacific northwest and into the northern rocky mountain regions. the southeast can expect to see severe thunderstorms with hail and strong wind. and it's going to be rather warm in the southern plains.

in sports, the packers finally beat brett favre. the minnesota quarterback tried but failed to score with a pass to the end zone in the closing seconds against green bay and the packers held on for a 28-24 win over the vikings. in miami pittsburgh quarterback ben roethlisberger fumbled crossing the goal line. officials couldn't determine who recovered. the steelers got the ball back and kicked the go-ahead field goal pittsburgh beat the dolphins 23-22. in chicago, deangelo hall of the redskins intercepted four passes including a spectacular grab in the third quarter, which he returned 92 yards for a touchdown. washington held on for a 17-14 win over the bears. hall's four interceptions tied the nfl record. and a dramatic ending to the las vegas open golf tournament. jonathan byrd was on the fourth hole of a three-man playoff when he ended it with one swing. his ball sailed through the air, bounced a few times and rolled

in for a hole in one. byrd won $774,000. that's a way to win. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories and wikileaks war logs. soldiers in iraq detail horrific cases of torture and murder. for those of us who have lactose intolerance, let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. ♪ savor and explore, anda the great indoors ♪ ♪ilk. ♪ friskies indoor delights. ♪ feed the senses.

imagine denying a pregnant woman the choice of health care providers. only one senator voted with big insurance over pregnant women: andy harris. protecting our bay? harris was the only one to vote against cleaning up toxic waste sites.

he always sides with the polluters, one of the worst environmental records in the senate. and harris was the only one to vote against extending education for special needs kids. no wonder his republican colleagues think he's too extreme. we can't afford his extreme ideas. i'm frank kratovil and i approve this message on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. there are severe thunderstorms in the southeast, high winds in the northern plains, heavy rains in the northwest, very warm temperatures in the southern plains and the southwest has a mixed day of sun and clouds. here's another look at this morning's top stories. just eight more days until the midterm elections and president obama is back on the campaign trail. he travels to rhode island today to talk about the economy and try to rally democratic voters.

and the cholera outbreak in haiti has taken 250 lives. health officials are trying to prevent the disease from overrunning the densely populated capital. there is new fallout over the hundreds of thousands of war documents made public friday by wikileaks. britain's deputy prime minister is now calling for a possible investigation into claims of prisoner abuse and civilian killings detailed in those papers. david martin reports. >> reporter: documents raise questions about why american soldiers reported abuses such as the beating of prisoners but did not step in to stop it. >> u.s. and uk forces cannot turn a blind eye on the basis it wasn't their soldiers doing the torturing. and that's what's happened and is revealed in these logs. >> reporter: another old wound, still unfolding tragedy of iraqi civilians who lost their lives in the five years covered by these documents. >> we estimate that when fully analyzed, these logs will bring

to the public knowledge more than 15,000 previously unreported civilian deaths. >> reporter: u.s. officials did not contest the accuracy of the documents. but, instead, tore into wikileaks for making them public on his twitter site, the chairman of the joint chiefs called the leak irresponsible and said it puts lives at risk and gives adversaries valuable information. wikileaks founder julian assange insisted he bent over backwards to delete sensitive information. >> what has been done is now far too redacted. it is, in fact, i would say, a bit of a travesty how over redacted this material is. >> reporter: pentagon officials were especially concerned he would reveal the thames of some 300 iraqis who had helped the americans and might now be subject to reprisal. >> we're still reviewing what he's posted on the internet and it does look as though he has redacted many names of iraqis. >> reporter: modern warfare with high-tech weapons was supposed

to spare vivians, but in iraq that turned out to be a false promise. david martin, cbs news, the pentagon. this morning on "the early show" the latest on the texas tornado damage. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness.

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hello again, marty's in the first warning doppler weather radar. as a matter of fact, it's clear outside. and we'll look at the doppler and we have weather moving our way. pretty nice day start by the evening and possibly early as the afternoon rush hour. we'll look at the day part and we're showing it clear this morning and temperatures in the low 50s and the normal low is 40 degrees. and 70 at lunch and high in the low to mid-70s and 71 and showers. and in the new, shalter --

shattering a thief. the first homicide in two weeks and two close to call in local issues. a campaign person calls foul. and an ugly winch and how does this team get so close to beating us. more news, first warning weather and the first traffic report of the morning and new week in a few minutes. a