to learn more, visit otcsafety.org, making news in america this morning, preredent obama heads dover air force base overninit, for the dignified soldiers receneny killed in afghananistan. snow falling in massive amounts across colorado. ititay still be autumn. but it sure doesn't look like it. and the phillies use some long ball to take a 1-0 game series lead over the yankees. it's thursday,y, oober 29th, 2009. good morning. and thanks for being with us. as the pressure mounts on president obama to decide on a war strategy for afghanistan, he witnessed first-hand this morning, the human cost of that war. >> the president traveled to dover air force base in delaware, to greet8 americans killed in the line of duty. the somber ceremony was a

graphic rerender of the enormous responsibility he carries as commander in chief. >> viviana hurtado joins us now from washington with details. good morning, viviana. >> reporter: those images from dover air force base shows that even the most careful u.s. strategy puts troops in danger. as president obama decides the military course in afghanistan, he flew over night to dover air force base to be there for a dignified transfer. in afghanistan, kabul is a city under sisie. extremists targeted a building housing u.n. workers, elections.ing in the upcoming chris turner is a private contractor. he helped fight back. >> firefight was intense for a long time. the smoke was just killer. i barely made it out myself. >> reporter: 11 people dieie there. >> thank goodness for the united

nations security ards. they were the ones keeping them from gettiti in. >> reporter: but analysts say the real target was the runoff election. the taliban has threatened to kill anyone whoo participates. >> this attack will not, i repeat, not deter the u.n. from continuing its work. >> reporter: these attacksay also be meant to influence the president's decision on troop levels. white house sources tell abc news, a reduction has beenn ruld out. vels could change from 10,000 to 40,000 troops, as requested by general mcchrystal. those troops would concentrate on protecting the major cities in afghanistan. they would focus on training the afghan army and building up the government. an announcement by the president could come as early as the beginning of november, a few days after the afghanistan election. jeremy and vinita? >> viviana hurtado reporting this morning from washington. ththks, viviana. meanwhile, pakistanan government, said recent bombings, has only strengthened its resolve to root outut

insurgent strongholds. a car bomb exploded in the middle of a crowded market, killing at least 105 people. st of them were women and children. secretary of state hillary clinton had arrived in pakistan just hours before that car bomb went off. she condemned the attack. but praised the government for its fight against extremists. today, clinton is visiting the city of lahore under extra high security. it's the second leg of her three-day visit, aimed at improving relations with pakistanis. we are learning about the radical leader of a detroit mosque, killed in a shootout with fbi ats. newly unsealed documents reveal his conversations with undercover agents, describing his plans to attack the super bowl in 2006, or blow himself up as a final act of courage. tamon braraey has more on the raid. detroit mosque was shot and he killed during an fbi raid that led to the arrest of ten other individuals. the charges included conspiracy

to commit crimes and provide to felons. and authorities in dearborn tried to prevent a pack backlash from the arab community. >> they have showed this individual is criminal. and has nothing to do with muslims or people of muslim faith. >> reporter: sources tell abc news, the suspects are basically street thugs who became muslim converts in prison. the group has been under investigation for two years. they're accused of engaging in violent activities. and are allegedly disciples of a radical brand of islam. he was gunned down in exchange with agents after failing to surrender. tamon bradley, abc news, detroit. on capitol hill today, house speaker nancy pelosi, will unveil the health care reform bill that will be debated in the house and probably voted on next week. some of its detail, it includes

a public option, where the government could provide an omgs for health insurance. it includes individual and employer mandates that requires all individuals to have insurance and all businesses to cover it. it would cover up to 36 million people who currently don't have insurance by 2019. california bracing for another windy day today. wiwis toppled trees that smashes into cars. the winds also hampered repair work on the san francisco/oakland bay bridge, where steel rods and a cross bar crashed on the upper deck earlier this week. investigators are trying to figure out if wind was a facacr. that same system kicking up the winds in california, will have parts of colorado buried under four feet of snow by the end of the day. abc's clayton sandell has more from the thick of the storm. >> reporter: winter has arrived earlrlin colorado. the strongest october storm in over a decade dumped more than two feet of snow in the rockies. and it's not over yet.

the snow caused delays and canceled flights at denver international airport. ice and wet roads slowed traffic to a crawl on interstate 70. >> we go, unless they close the road. and sometimes, you pray they close the road. but if they don't, we're on our way. >> reporter: it's not all bad news, though. schoolchildren had the chance t enjoy a rare s sw day. and ski resorts are hoping the slow-moving system will make for busy days on the slopes. >> we'll have to see exactly how much falls. if we get what they're saying we're going to get, we may havav new train opening for this weekend. >> reporter: forecasters say some parts of colorado could see another foot of snow before the system moves east. clayton sandell, abc news, denver. >> an early start to the winter for them. now, to this morning's weather from all around the nation. that storm battling colorado, also making its way up to the dakotas. rain and flooding in ten states, from texas to the upper midwest. it could get severe around tulsa, houston, dallas and

sloefr sloef sport. >> 51 in seattle. and 66 in phoenix. highs in the 60s for chicago, detroit and kansas city. 49 in fargo. and 50 for minneapolis. new york 59. and baltimore, 61. a record 90 in miami. 89 in new orleans. and 73 in dallas. and when we come back on "america this morning," congress takes a step towards extending the popular tax credit for first-time home buyers. that and the rest of business news, next. and a story to make you wonder what you would do. it happeneddt a high school. and the consequences could be very serious. it was a horrible feeling, like i couldn't catch my breath. i couldn't believe i was acally having a heart attack. i remember being at the hospital, thinking about my wife. i should have done more totake care of myself., now i'm exercising, waching my diet, and i trust my heart to lipitor.

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overseas stock markets are falling this morning after a weak housing report here triggered fears about the health of the global economy. tokyo's nikkei average fell 1.8% today. hong kong's hang seng is down sharply. in london, the ftse opened lower. the report showing new home sales fell unexpectedly in september, sent the dow tumbling 119 points to close at 9762. and theasdaq plunged 56 points to close at 2059. investors are hoping for some better news from this morning's gdp report. it's expected to show the economy grew from july through september. and in four-straight quarters of contraction. experts predict the economy expanded at a pace of 3.3%, that would signal the end of t t recession. the senate has agreed to extend a popular tax credit for first-time home buyers that is

credited with boosting the housing market. the credit of up too $8,000, wil be available for first-time buyers who sign sales agreements before the end of april. and lawmakers are offering up to $7,500 to someepeat buyers. some rare good news for general motors this morning. the automaker says its october and likely to show the first yeararver-year increase in 21 months. gm could see its market share in the u.s. grow for the third-straight month. with the number of americans on food stamps, cosco says it will start xeping them. the stores require regulatory approval for their state before they become eligible. and black friday is coming early at sears. beginning this friday, the retailer is offering door-buster deals, nearly a a month before e day after thanksgiving. sears will offer specials every week, from friday evening to saturday afternoon. > walmart wants to keep its

customers for life and beyond. the world's largest retailer has started selling caskets and urns on its website. at prices undercutting several funeral homes. one funeral director says he's not concerned. one thing walmart can't offer is comfort during a difficult time. you can get the latest business news anytime on our website. abcnews.com. >>when we come back, we have highlights from game one of the world series. and the controversial swine vaccine. defensive government officials promise that more really is on the way. if you have overactive bladder and you worry your pipes might leak (pipe doctor) ask your doctor about treating with vesicare. (pipe woman) then you could treat yourself to a night out wiwi fewer urges or a day with ewer leaks, or a trip with fewer overactive bladder problems. (pipe doctor) " once daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven toreduce, frequent, sudden urges and leaks day and night.

if you have ncertain stomach glaucoma nproblems, or trouble emptying your bladder, do not take vesicare. tell your doctor right away if you have a serious ! allergic reaction, severe abdominal pain, or become constipated for three or more days. vesicare may cause blurred vision so use caution while driving or doing unsafe tasks. common side effects " are dry mouth, constipation, an indigestion. (pipe woman) so, you could treat .yourself to more time, with friends and family or more of whatever you like to do with fewer urges and leaks. ask yourur doctor today about taking care with nvesicare., this is maggie. a very smart little girl. and this is a seat from the seven passenger toyota highlander. this is a little seat, i'm a big girl.

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>> if you're flying today, expect delays in seattle, salt also dallas, houston, out west. minneaealis, chicago, kansas city, st. louis and memphis. in northern cafornia, the teenagers charged with gang-rapingg a 15-year-old girl could appear in court as early as today. they are charged as adults and could face life in prison if convicted. but what's perhaps more disturbing is that the crime could have been stopped. here's ryan owens. >> reporter: police here have already arrested five young men. and say at least five more, most of them teenagers, will soon be under arrest in the gang-rape of a 15-year-old girl. >> i just think it's terrible. i really do. and where was security? >> reporter: there was security at richmond high school. but it was concentrated in the gym, site of the homecoming dance saturday night. not in the dimly lit corner of the campus where the assault allegedly took place. detectives say the young girl had been drinking and knew at least one of her attackers. but they say she had no way of

knowing what would happen over the next 2 1/2 hours. detectives say she w w raped, brutally beaten and robbed, all while a crowd of up to 20 watched, and often cheered. >> there was a group that was okay with it and observing. and then people that were sending messages and talking about it, treating it as if it were something to be viewed, like an exhibit. >> reporter: not a single one of the witnesses called for help. as disturbing as it sounds, police and psychologists say they've seen this sort of mob mentality before. >> fear of being the one person who refuses to go along with what everyone else is doing. fear of being the individual. and fear of the group then turning on you, and victimizing you. >> reporter: california has a law that makes it a crime not to report the rape of a child 14 years or younger. the victim in this case is 15. so, much to the frustration of police, all of those people who watched and did nothing cannot be charged. >> i really wish there was a way

we could hold people accountable for what i think is an atrocious behavior. >> reporter: four days aftererhe rape, the young victim remains in the hospital. while so many here are left to ask, why didn't someone stop it? ryan owens, abc news, richmond, california. some healtlt news this morning. top administration officials are on the defensive about the government's response to the swine flu pandemic. as people continue to wait in long lines for the vaccine, the heads of homeland security and of h hlth and human services were urging patience. >> for those who have had loved ones who passed away, you know, our sympathies couldn't be higher. but this is not a situation that is cause for panic. >> the supply to states is steadily growing. and there's n n question, production started more slowly than anyone would have liked. but, frankly, many other things that could have gone wrong actually have gone right.

>> the education department says 351 schools were closed last week alone. the closures affected 126,000 students in some9 states. president obama has just expanded the hate c cmes law uh to include attacks on people based on sexual ientation. the new policy was atttthed to a defense bill. and was named in honor of matthew epard, and james byrd jr., a gay student who was beaten in 1998, and a black man who was dragged to his death. the unmanned aresi-x rocke moved it could fly during yesterday's test-flight. but the launch does not guarantee ares in the future of it's time, now, for youou sports highlights. here'sobert flores at espn n news. >> good morning.

we begin this update with game one of the world series. phillies and yankees at yankees stadium. chasee utley, gives the phillie a a 1-0 lead in the third. and then, in the sixth, another homer off c.c. sabathia. his second of the game. two h hers off a lefty pitcher in a world series game since babe ruth. cliff lee goes the distance, as the phillies take game one. 6-2. game two, set for thursday. > netetnd t-wolves. 30 seconds left. brook lopez, rejectedy al jeffson. jefferson held to nine points. but comes up with a big defensive play. then, den harris, doing some late-night banking. ties the game at 93-93. five seconds to go. johnny flynn misses. but damien wilkins ishere for

the putback. timberwolves win, in thrilling fashion. 95-93. in denver, braden marshal, of the undefeated denverr nugges to see this one. that's where he puts the nuggets up two. and the rookie, ty lawson, t t give and go. hanging and hitting. 17 points, 6 assists in his nba debut. but watch this throwdown from carmelo anthony. that is naughty. 30 points for mello. nuggets win. that w wl do it for this espn news update. i'm robert flores. thanks for watching. now, back to you, in new york. a solar car made by students in japan was the first to cross the finish line in a race across the australian outback. the car made the 1,800-mile journey, with no problems, other than 1 flat tire.

>> the race was to show that solar-powered cars can be green and mean. coming up, the stories we'll be following today, including president obama's overnight attendance tohe transfer of fallen u.s. soldiers. and the autumn snow in colorado. it is being measured in feet, not inches. discover the beauty of avo. let love blossomom in bloom... the inviting new fragrance by reese witherspoon. find in bloom nd so much more, exclusively from avon. to find a representative just call 800-for-avon or visit avon.com. with ragu, your kids get a full serving of veggies

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now where you going? to practice keeping 'em full and focused. light & fit has 80 clories versus 100 in the ther leading brand and a taste you'l find... [sluuurrrrpppp!] irresistible. light & fit. great taste, fewer calories. now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be wching on this thursday. we'll get the full details on president obama's overnight visit to dover air force base, where he attended the dignified transfer of 18 americans recently killed in afghanistan. the trip comes as the p psident nears a decision on u.s. troops and strategy in that war zone. speaker nancy pelosi unveils a version of a health care reform bill that will be debated in the house. it carries a price tag of about $900 billion. and includes a controversial so-called public option.

there are plenty of unanswered questions surrounding an fbi raid in suburban detroit. the leader of a radical islamic oup was killed in a shootout. up to a foot of autumn snow could fall in the colorado rockies before the end of today. it caused havoc on the roads and at denver international airport. and more rush hour delays expected in northern california, as compute commuters try to find their way around the san francisco-oakland d y bridge. the bridge remains closed during repairs after metal cam crashing down on the upper deck on tuesday. game two of the world series is tonight, as the phillies moved ahead last ninit. and also coming up later on "good morning america," frustration grows over the wait for thth swine flu vaccine. is the white house fumblininits ponce to a health crisis. >> a look att that coming up on "good morning america." now, for some, your local

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a night packed with emotion as the president honors fallen soldiers. the story on his midnight visit to dover air force base. these are kids that are receiving nude pictures of -- grown men receiving them. >> police say sexual predators are now using gaming systems to try to lure your children. you put them in office and you pay for them out of office. find out if baltimore county has a better idea. those stories and a whole lot more. nice to see you. >> nice to see you. how are you? everything going all right? >> yeah. how's it going? >> good. how you feeling? >> absolutely wonderful. >> the weather yesterday. >> disgusting. >> eight seasons in one. here's meteorologist justin berk to see how this thursday fares. >> some call it the monsoon, seasonal wind. we had temperatures in the

70s yesterday afternoon. now we bring back the cool stuff. 60 in baltimore. 50s surrounding us. it's likely we'll pick up that easterly wind and temperatures may briefly go up and then drop back. looks like mostly cloudy skies and temperatures near 60, going to 62 midday. mostly cloudy, breezy and temperatures trying to fall back as we head through this afternoon. we'll talk more about the next storm on the way. right now, let's get you on your way with kim brown. 4:59. >> today's dry roads were a pleasant change from the past couple days. really nothing working here on the west side at liberty road. there's a crash on the outer loop past park heights avenue. now i'm getting reports it's just a car spun around not impacting the commute too much at this time. a crash in baltimore franklin street at freemount avenue. that intersection is closed at this time. back to you. first at 5:00 -- the president is back in washington at this hour after making an overnight flight to dover air force base. there was