in the dark. millions are still without power after a surprise weekend snowstorm socks the northeast. cain controversy. the herman cain campaign denies allegations he was accused of sexual harassment. and 7 billion and counting. the world's population hits a new milestone, but it's not necessarily a cause for celebration. we will explain why. captioning funded by cbs this is the "cbs morning news" for monday, october 31st, 2011. good morning, everyone, on this halloween. appreciate your joining us. i'm terrell brown.

millions are still in the dark this morning after saturday's record-breaking snowfall that hit the northeast. connecticut suffered the worst number of power outages in state history. states of emergency were declared in new jersey, connecticut, massachusetts, and parts of new york. the storm blasted the east coast from maryland to maine. this morning, more than 2 million homes and businesses are still without power and at least 11 deaths are blamed on the storm. jim axelrod has our report. >> reporter: if they hadn't seen it. >> never saw this before in my life. >> reporter: they might not have believed it. but up and down the east coast, there was simply too much snow to ignore. >> i can't stand it. i hate it. i hate it, hate it, hate it! i can't even express how much i hate it! it's awful! >> reporter: as the chain saws roared, more than 3 million households were without power. >> this is ridiculous.

we only in october. not even november, not even past halloween. it's crazy out here already. >> reporter: records were set in new york city where 2.9 inches of snow fell in central park. they had never measured an inch here in any october day since 1869. concord, new hampshire, 13.6 inches and broke a 59-year-old record. bristol, connecticut, got 17 inches of snow, and plainfield, massachusetts, more than 30 inches. how many days do you think it could take until you get power back on? >> i'm thinking probably wednesday. tuesday or wednesday. >> reporter: in west milford, new jersey, the 19 inches of snow at pete and faith's house left them marveling, which is all they could do aside from listening to their battery-powered radio. >> when the leaves get on it, it is more of a problem. when snow usually falls, there aren't leaves, so it's less of a problem. >> reporter: as the people of

the northeastern united states clean up after this mess, they do so haunted by the calendar. all this and there is still 53 days until the official start to winter. jim axelrod, cbs news, west milford, new jersey. the storm caused all kinds of transportation problems. at least three jetblue planes and an american airlines jet were stranded on the tarmac in hartford, connecticut, for hours. on one jetblue flight diverted to hartford from florida, passengers said they were trapped for more than seven hours and the plane ran out of food, water, and working toilets. >> they are filled. they are totally filled. nobody can go in them any more. you just have to hold it. it's ridiculous. this airport, this airport is just leaving us here and not doing anything about it. outages at the airport made it difficult to get passengers off the planes. there were travel troubles on the ground, too. an amtrak train headed to boston was stranded for 13 hours in central massachusetts because of a rock slide. 48 passengers were on that train. they did have heat and food. 68 passengers were stuck overnight when another amtrak train hit a downed tree near amhurst.

a search continues this morning for three people missing after a powerful explosion at a grain elevator in northeastern kansas. saturday's blast in atchison, 50 miles northwest of kansas city, was so powerful, it shook the ground across the border in missouri. the top was blasted off the top of the elevator. at least three workers are known to have died and two others seriously injured. when the explosion happened, they were loading a train with corn. grain creates fine dust that can explode when ignited by sparks or flames. to politics now this morning. herman cain's campaign is denying reports that he was accused of sexual harassment by at least two women. susan mcginnis is in washington with that this morning. susan, good morning to you. >> good morning, terrell. >> reporter: the cain campaign used to complain they don't get enough coverage. thanks to a bombshell report, they are getting plenty now, but just not the kind they wanted. the report from politico.com charges cain was twice accused

of sexual harassment when he ran the national restaurant association in the 1990s. politico says the women signed nondisclosure agreements with the group in exchange for five figure financial payouts. neither woman was identified. the cain campaign angrily disputed the report, calling the allegations baseless and saying, quote, inside the beltway media have begun to launch ub substantiated personal attacks on ca in. mr. cain and all americans deserve better. cain is facing a new level of scrutiny after his stunning run to the top of the gop pack. >> my message is connected and people are connecting with me and the specific solutions are putting on the table. >> reporter: on "face the nation" sunday, before the sexual harassment controversy broke, cbs' bob schieffer gave the candidate the opportunity to

set the record straight on his stance on abortion, which opponents have questioned. >> i am pro life from conception, period. and if people look at the many speeches i have given over the years, that has and will still be my position. >> reporter: well, talk about those exceptions. >> pro life from conception, period. i was -- that piece that was pulled out was taken totally out of context when we were talking about -- >> in other words, you would not even believe in abortion if rape, incest or the health of the mother is involved? >> correct. that is my position. >> that is your position? >> that is my position. >> reporter: schieffer also took cain to task for a controversial internet campaign ad that featured cain's chief of staff smoking. cain may have more to say about the sexual harassment allegations a bit later today. he has a full day of campaigning ahead, including an appearance, terrell, at the national press club here in washington.

>> i'm sure he will be asked more questions there. susan mcginnis in washington this morning, thank you. nato air operations in libya formally ended today, seven months to the day after they began and supported the anti-gadhafi rebels. libya's prime minister has confirmed the discovery of an arsenal of weapons. i ehe says libya will not keep the weapons. foreign inspectors will arrive later this week to handle their disposal. in japan, an expert panel says it will take at least 30 years to safely decommission and close the heavily damaged fukushima nuclear power plant. the plant was wrecked by the earthquake and tsunami that hit northeastern japan last march. three of the six reactors melt down. removing the nuclear fuel rods can't begin for another ten years. a prominent scientist who was a long time skeptic of global warming has had a change of mind and heart. richard mueller of california berkeley spent two years trying to prove climate scientists wrong. in the end, though, he concluded

they are right. he says the earth's land mass is 1.6 degrees warmer now than it was back in the 1950s. take a quick break. coming up, one of the big banks could be backtracking on a controversial fee. plus, trick or treat. we will tell you what cities are the best at filling your candy bag. this is the "cbs morning news." [ flamenco guitar music plays ] welcome mi amiga, an adventure awaits. ♪ a celebration of flavor and magnificent tastes ♪ [ cow bell, cow moo ]

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for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal. ♪ [ gong ] strawberry banana! [ male announcer ] for a smoothie with real fruit plus veggie nutrition new v8 v-fusion smoothie. could've had a v8. in mexico city, police plan an autopsy in the murder of a us airways flight attendant. the body of 33-year-old nick arenson was found saturday in a hotel room in a downtown hotel. mexican officials say he was found naked on the floor and his hands tied behind his backs. there were signs he was beaten and choked. no drugs or weapons were found in the room. this halloween is extra scary for an unusual reason. experts are right. today is the birth of the 7 billionth resident of planet earth. no one knows who that is or where or even that is happening

today, really. the u.s. calls this the symbolic date of hitting a population of 7 billion. whatever the details, that 7 billion and counting at the current pace, earth will have 10 billion by the end of the century and that is a lot of mouths to feet and i'm eating my fair share. cbs "moneywatch" time this morning. stocks opened this week lower in asia. ashley morrison has that and more. >> reporter: asian markets finished lower today as investors shifted their focus from europe's debt problems to the u.s. economy. japan's nikkei lost almost 1% and about the same for hong kong's hang seng. today, wall street tries to make history with october on the verge of becoming the best month for the markets since 1987. in less than four weeks, the dow has jumped nearly 15% from its low of the year. and the s&p 500, 17%.

last week the dow and sapp gained more than 1%. use bank of america is rethinking the new debit fee charging so much trouble. they are thinking about drop the fee. and for those who maintain a certain minimum balance, b of a sparked a fire storm of controversy when they announced the fee late last month. apple is reportedly investigating a growing problem with its new iphone. according to the uk's guardian company, engineers are looking into complaints the battery for the new 4s drains far too quickly. many users think the location service is the culprit. turning off the time zone feature appears to solve the problem. at the movies, "puss n' boots" is the cat's meow. the 3d "shrek" spin-off took in $35 million in a better than expected opening to win the weekend box office. that pushed last week's number one "paranormal activity 3" to second place with the new sci-fi justin timberlake thriller

"in time" debuting in third. halloween promises to be more treat than trick this year, at least for retailers. americans are expected to spend more than $6 billion for the holiday, with more than $2 billion just for the candy. the average american will shell out $72 just to make this year the spookiest yet. according to zillo.com, the top cities to go trick or treating in are san francisco, boston, honolulu, seattle, and chicago. the cities were rated on safety and the amount of candy given out. i think in new york, we have to boost up the giving out the candy part at least. >> that's not working. go buy some costumes too. ashley morrison in new york, thank you. president obama and the first lady got halloween going early this weekend, welcoming in trick-or-treaters to the white house. despite michelle obama's efforts to combat childhood obese i said, they handed out candy to

hundreds of costume children. each kid got a box of m&ms and butter cookies made by the white house pastry chef and a serving of dried fruit. can i go trick or treating at the white house? coming up, your monday morning weather. in sports, the eagles surprise the cowboys. how they did it and highlights coming up next. when you spend more days than not separated from your own life... when the only thing you can be sure of is migraines with 15 or more headache days a month, you're living a maybe life. and you may be living with chronic migraine. but knowing that this thing you're going through has a name, means knowing you can find treatments that are right for you. go to mychronicmigraine.com to find a headache specialist. and don't live a maybe life. it's real milk full of calcium and vitamin d. and tastes simply delicious. for those of us with lactose intolerance...

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time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows cloudy skies bringing light rain to the ohio valley. there are also showers in florida. the northeast has a mix of partly cloudy skies while the midwest and southwest are clear. another storm system is headed into the northwest delivering rain and mountain snow. later today, the plains will warm into the 60s and 70s as far north as south dakota and west to colorado. the northwest will remain cool. with rain and snow in higher elevations. the southeast will see showers from florida to the carolinas. the northeast will have mostly sunny skies and highs in the 40s and 50s. in sports, the eagles give hometown philadelphia a reason to cheer. lesean mccoy ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns. he shredded the dallas defense which, by the way, had been the best in the league against the run until last night. the eagles defense made some

great plays too, like a tipped tone yo romo pass that turned into an interception. eagles quarterback michael vick connected on two touchdown passes. philadelphia crushed dallas 34-7. in pittsburgh, the steelers held tom brady to 213 yards total offense. pittsburgh quarterback ben roethlisberger threw for 65 yards and two touchdowns. the steelers beat the patriots 25-17. playing in toronto. the surprising buffalo bills got a pair of td passes from quarterback ryan fitzpatrick to scott chandler. running back fred jackson had 120 yards rushing. buffalo shut out washington 23-0. the bills are now 5-2. in st. louis, rams running back steven jackson had 100 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns against new orleans. a big upset for the rams over the saints. 31-21. the first win of the season for st. louis. st. louis also celebrated the cardinals world series victory.

a red sea of fans jammed downtown sunday to honor the world champions. the cardinals players carried the world series trophy. they rolled down market street to busch stadium and the celebration continues today. when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. the wall street protesters get an early taste of winter from the weekend snowstorm. ever since she discovered the mccafé caramel mocha from mcdonald's, she's been expecting a little bit more out of...everything. ♪ this is what happens once you savor the taste of sweet caramel in rich chocolate with smooth espresso. ♪ settling for less is no longer an option. mccafé caramel mocha. the simple joy of big expectations. ♪ my old contacts would sometimes move and blur my vision. then my eye doctor told me about acuvue® oasys for astigmatism. he said it's the only lens of its kind

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so now, i'm seeing more clearly. it's something new to brighten your home. with 100% fragrance oil and two levels to choose from for when you need something light or something more. it's the new flip and fresh from air wick. the lasting fresh fragrance that brightens your world with a flip. something in the air wick. here is another look at this morning's top stories. the campaign of republican presidential candidate herman cain denies report he was accused of sexual harassment back in the 1990s.

politico.com reports at least two women signed nondisclosure agreements. more than 2 million customers remain without electricity in the northeast this morning after the surprising weekend snowstorm. officials say it may be days before some customers regain power. that snowy cold weather was felt by the occupy wall street protesters. >> in the snow, in the sleet, occupy wall street. >> the wall street demonstrators suffered through a night of snow, strong winds and freezing temperatures. some took refuge in illegal tents. while the weather dampened the protests on wall street somewhat, demonstrations kept going. rick sallinger of denver reports. >> reporter: in denver, protesters occupy a park in front of the state capital. why are you out here? >> because i want things to change in congress. i want the president's jobs bill to pass. >> reporter: a demonstration that was calmer than the day before. police arrested 20 protesters

saturday after they marched onto the capitol grounds and ignored orders to leave. >> they pushed one of the motorcycle police officers to the ground and also kicked a couple of other officers. >> shame! shame! >> reporter: denver police used pepper spray to disperse the crowd. >> this has always been on violence. >> reporter: as the occupy wall street movement enter their seventh week, the protesters are standing their ground coast cotoast. and denver isn't the only city where they are clashing with police. >> keep pushing back. >> reporter: in portland, oregon, police arrested 30 protesters sunday after they marched from downtown to one of the city's more affluent neighborhoods, the pearl district, and refused to leave. in austin, texas, police arrested 38 protesters overnight, enforcing a new rule banning food tables on city hall plaza. >> government is controlled by corporations and government isn't doing anything to change the way things are run.

>> reporter: in spokane, washington, this weekend, protesters took their complaints to the doors of bank of america. >> we are peaceful. stand aside. >> reporter: while in oak land, protesters that were chased away by police and tear gas earlier this week have returned with their tents in front of city hall. rick sallinger for cbs news, denver. mm. tasty. now the vegetable juice, with more than 10 times the sodium of cranberry juice. we have a winner. as our ocean spray cranberries, which is why we're declaring it the unofficial official fruit of the holidays. the fig's going to be so bummed. [ chuckles ] for holiday tips and recipes, go to oceanspray.com. if you open up a charge card account with us. [ male announcer ] identity thieves never stop coming up with ways to steal from you. they can open up an account in your name and go on a serious spending spree.

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. it's a cold day's start. marty bass has the weather. >> frost all over the cars. temperatures now 31 degrees. we are going for a high of 54, lunchtime 52. 49 degrees, by dinner time clouding up. here is what we got ow eye on for you today. nato ending campaign in libya after voteing to lift the no fly zone and end military action to protect civilians.

a widow is reaching a law enforcement with the federal government and u.s. airlines flight attendant is found dead while on layover in a mexico city hotel room. trial of the ulysses currie enters week six. new poll puts herman cain ahead of the pack. the latest on the race for the white house. the ravens rally. the biggest come back in the team history. more news, first warning weather and your first traffic report of the morning and new workweek in a couple of minutes.

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