making news on this thursday, october 14th. >> mission accomplished. chile and the world celebrate the miners' safe return. so, what's next for the men who endured so much? we talk to one, an abc news exclusive. secret weapon. the first lady on the campaign trail. can her popularity make a difference for the democrats? and family tree. guess who is related to the commander in chief. and good morning, everyone. for the 33 rescued miners, this

is the first morning they are all free. >> they were lifted up, one by one, over the course of one remarkable day, greeted by cheers and hugs and a global sigh of relief. >> just after midnight, the last man, a rescuer, was pulled to the surface above the san jose mine. it was the final act of an extraordinary, months-long drama. >> diana alvear was there and joins us now. good morning, diana. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning. after the planning and the preparation and the precautions and the test runs, it's amazing to be able to say that all 33 of those miners are finally free after more than 2 months underground. less than 24 hours after it started, the rescue was complete. meticulously planned and precisely executed. >> we have experienced a night that we will never forget. full of emotion. full of joy. >> reporter: it was tuesday, just after midnight local time, that the first miner, florencio

avalos, emerged. he embraced his wife and son. but avalos would have to wait for 23 others to be pulled to freedom, before his brother, renan, got out of that capsule. the world watched as the fenix delivered the 33 miners. the oldest, 63-year-old mario gomez. the youngest, 19-year-old jimmy sanchez. then, there's ariel ticona. he watched the birth of his baby girl, on the monitor, half a mile underground. he'll get to hold little esperanza for the first time. finally, luis urzua was strapped in. the captain and leader of the group. he insisted on being the last man out. the moment he appeared, the world celebrated, having witnessed a true miracle. and we heard that some of the freed miners might be leaving the hospital as early as today. it's a testament to their surprisingly good health, considering everything they had to go through.

vinita? rob? >> our thanks to diana alvear. well, it now looks like all of the miners are together at the hospital. at least for now. doctors say one of the miners is being treated for pneumonia. and two need minor dental work. the chilean government has promised to care for them for at least six months, until each of them has readjusted. finding a way to stay together will be part of that process. people all over the country had their eyes glued to the television all day, watching the events unfold in chile. chilean restaurants and bakeries from new york to l.a., were watching and cheering as each miner was lifted to the surface. president obama says the unity and the resolve of the chilean people have inspired the world. later in this half hour, the first interview from any of the miners. and then, on "good morning america," we will hear from the doctor who has been looking after the men, since they were discovered alive. and now, to the battle of the midterm elections. delaware's senate candidates, who want joe biden's old seat,

faced off on a nationally-televised debate. tea party-backed republican, christine o'donnell, claimed her opponent was a marxist. while democrat, chris koonce claimed she was the extremist. o'donnell trails in the polls. but has raised $3 million from around the country. and the democratic party has dispatched what some call its secret weapon, the first lady, to the campaign trail, for the first time in two years. she's even appearing with candidates who politely declined an invite from her husband. emily schmidt is live in washington this morning with more. hi, emily. >> reporter: hi, rob. good morning, to you. the first lady hasn't given a stump speech since her husband was running for president. now, she is in demand, on a campaign swing that's going to take her right up until the november election. michelle obama is hitting the trail for democrats battling for their political lives. but there's no tough talk from the self-described mom in chief. >> my children are the center of my world. and my hopes for their future are at the heart of every,

single thing that i do. >> reporter: the first lady is asking for patience from voters who wanted change. >> many of us came into this expecting to see all of the change we talked about happen, all at once, right away. but the truth is, it is going to take a longer time to dig ourselves out of this hole, than any of us would like. >> reporter: voters in eight, key states will hear that message over the next three weeks. today, colorado. wednesday, it was illinois and wisconsin. >> other people say, the one i really want to meet is michelle obama. >> reporter: senator russ feingold skipped a fund-raiser with the president this fall. so, what's different about the first lady? >> do you think she's a greater asset than the president? >> no. the president's number one. she's a close second. >> reporter: but the numbers tell a different story. the first lady's favorability rating, 68%. her husband, 50%. polls show she's especially popular with suburban, women voters. >> she seems so down to earth.

>> reporter: that popularity translates into campaign cash. tickets for fund-raisers with the first lady can bring in as much as $400,000. and one perk of this campaign swing for the first lady, she got to spend the night at the obama family home in chicago last night. while she's in town, she's going to have a chance to cast an early ballot for the november election. rob? emily schmidt, in washington. thanks, emily. witnesses at the ft. hood shooting have started telling their stories at a hearing for the accused shooter. among those testifying against major hasan, sergeants alonzo lunsford, said the light from a laser-guided weapon soon trained on him. and he closed his eyes before being shot in the head. the hearing will determine if hasan should stand trial. also this morning, hurricane paula is losing steam right now as it brushes by cuba. it's forecast to weaken into a tropical storm. but heavy rain is expected to drench the tobacco-growing farmland, needed for cuba's, of course, world-famous cigars.

paula grazed mexico's yucatan peninsula yesterday, without inflicting much damage on its resorts. and now, for a look at this morning's weather around america. paula prompts tropical storm warnings in the florida keys. also, look for downpours and isolated flooding in miami and ft. lauderdale. stormy, meanwhile, from the carolinas to d.c. a drenching afternoon rain in philadelphia and new york. getting up to new england by later tonight. showers in the pacific northwest. >> a wet 61 in seattle. 72 in boise. and 75 in albuquerque. phoenix gets up to 97 degrees. sacramento, 88. mid-70s in kansas city and omaha. and 66 in chicago. just 59 in boston. 62 here in new york. and 71 in atlanta. business news is next for this morning. why heating your home may cost you a little more this winter. plus, a fraud so big, it puts the traditional mafia to shame. and surprising findings from a new study on life expectancy in the u.s. plus, more on our top st

some positive earnings reports in the u.s. are giving asian stocks a boost this morning. tokyo's nikkei average climbed nearly 2% today. hong kong's hang seng is up in late trading. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow gained 75 points yesterday. the nasdaq index rose 23. the foreclosure crisis in this country is apparently worse than ever. numbers out this morning show 288,000 homes were seized, from july through september.

that's more than during any quarter since the housing market began to bust back in 2006. banks are on pace to seize 1.2 million homes this year. however, many foreclosures could be challenged in court, due to allegations of shoddy paperwork. also, households in the northeast can expect heating costs to go up pretty soon. the energy department says the average cost of heating a home will be $24 higher this winter than a year ago. fuel costs are rising. and this winter is expected to be colder than last year. thousands of claims against a chinese drywall company could soon be settled. an announcement is expected today that will say the company will repair 300 homes as part of a pilot program. that could pave the way for settlements of all the claims. homeowners have claimed that the defective drywall emitted a bad smell and eroded pipes and wiring. two of the biggest names on the web may soon join forces. "the wall street journal" reports that aol is considering

buying yahoo!. it's unclear how the companies would combine their services. but reports say the combined company would be in a better position to compete for advertising revenue. and coming up next on this thursday, an exclusive interview with 1 of those 33 rescued miners. he tells us what helped him survive 70 days underground. and rapper to the rescue. how a hip-hop star helped save a life. ♪

[ male announcer ] ever have morning pain slow you down? introducing bayer am, an extra strength pain reliever with alertness aid to fight fatigue. so get up and get goin'! with new bayer am. the morning pain reliever.

aveeno hair shines in real life. new aveeno nourish plus shine with active naturals wheat smooths damaged cuticles for 75% more shine in one use. real shine, for real life. yours. [ female announcer ] new aveeno nourish plus shine. 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 chicken fajitas with sizzling peppers and onions. the $20 dinner for two, only at chili's. and now, for a look at your morning road conditions. wet with flooding on i-95, from the carolinas to philadelphia. also, slick on 95 in south florida. and on i-75 ft. myers to naples. a wet ride out west, on i-5, from seattle to tacoma and olympia. >> if you are flying today, you can expect some airport delays along the east coast. boston, new york, philly,

washington, charlotte and miami. for 1 of the 33 miners, today is not just his first day of freedom. it is also the day on which his son will be born. >> richard villaroel was the 28th miner to be rescued and the 1st to give an interview about his ordeal. here's abc's john quinones. >> reporter: 27-year-old richard villaroel came out of the shaft, miner 28. when the mine collapsed, his wife was pregnant. and this is the message he sent her when he was down below. to my senora, tell her that i love her a lot and that i'm going to get out soon. and this is what he said moments ago, from the hospital. i never used to pray, he says. here, i learned to pray. i got closer to god.

now, that the worst is over, it's time for the men who were so strong for so many weeks, to admit they were frightened. we didn't want to wait anymore, he says. we were deteriorating. we were skinny. i lost 12 kilos. and i was scared of not getting to know my son, which is what i wanted the most. in a hospital nearby, richard villaroel's son will be born. but tonight, all of chile is celebrating the rebirth of the men they call, the 33. >> john quinones reporting. the miners are now receiving gifts from around the world. trips to greece. ipods from steve jobs. even a trip to graceland for the biggest elvis fan of the group. investigators in north carolina have started draining a pond in their efforts to locate a missing girl. the pond is near a tree-trimming

company where zahra clare baker's father worked. the child was reported missing over the weekend. and police now believe she was, in fact, murdered. her stepmother has been charged with obstruction of justice. federal prosecutors say they have shut down the biggest medicare fraud ring in u.s. history. 73 people were arrested in new york and l.a. in new mexico, georgia and ohio. prosecutors say they are part of a vast armenian gang that cost medicare $164 by stealing the identities of patients and doctors. and by setting up phantom clinics in 25 states. new figures show the nation's crime rate at a record low. violent crime and property crime dropped to the lowest levels since 1973. that's when national recordkeeping began. and look at the last decade. violent crime is down 39%. property crime down 29%. experts attribute smarter policing and high-tech areas and the targeting of repeat

offenders. hispanics living in the u.s. are outliving both whites and blacks. in the first longevity study to look at hispanics as a separate group, researchers found their life expectancy to be 80 years. that's compared to whites, expected to live to the age of 78. blacks to the age of 73. experts say the figures may be due to immigrant hispanics, who tend to be healthiest among their country. president obama's family tree just got more interesting. a few years after finding out he is related to dick cheney, more unlikely relatives are popping up. they're among his harshest critics. ancestry.com says the president and sarah palin are actually tenth cousins. and another tenth cousin of the president is none other than rush limbaugh. the baseball playoffs resume tomorrow night with game one between the yankees and rangers in texas. for some sports highlights from tomorrow night, here's steve weissman of espn news.

>> good morning. i'm steve weissman, with your espn news update. the miami's big three are down to just one. dwyane wade and lebron james, not in the lineup as the heat visits the hornets. first quarter, you had a whole lot of chris bosh. ensuing hornets possession, how about chris paul. seven points, seven dimes for cp-3. third quarter, heat down three. bosh, trying to do it all. little fadeaway jumper. 20 points in the third quarter. finished with 24. was not enough, as new orleans wins 90-76. time for hockey. sidney crosby and the pens taking on the maple leafs. pens looking for their first win in their new home arena. maple leafs up 3-2. later in the second, crosby looking for his first goal of the year, looking no longer. there it is. take another look at it. crosby led the league with 51 goals last year.

finally gets number one of the season. but the maple leafs hang on to win 4-3. how about this? toronto 3-0, on the season. washington capitals, hosting the islanders. alex ovechkin, three goals in three games so far. also playing in his 400th career nhl game. second period, he's got another goal. that's 273. the fifth-most through 400. we're tied with 1-1. caps on the powerplay. ovechk ovechkin, the shot. nick backstrom, he finds it. take another look. anytime ovechkin shoots, you know it's going to be close. caps win 2-1. they're 3-0, at home. that's a look at your espn news highlights. i'm steve weissman. back to you in new york. rappers are known for their fast-talking ways. and rapper t.i. helped talk down a suicidal man from a roof on wednesday. >> he heard about the incident

on the radio. then, drove to the building to help. he recorded a cell phone video and took it to the man who proved he was really there. the man agreed to come down, in exchange for a few minutes with the hip-hop star. >> changed his own life after his jail time. coming up next, the stories we'll be following today, including president obama trying to win back young voters. and a new proposal to prevent sky-high cell phone overage fees.

i needed more customers, i hired someone to make my website... five months ago. we are building a website by ourselves. announcer: there's an easier way. create your own small-business site with intuit websites. sweet. all from just $4.99 a month, get a 30-day free trial at intuit.com.

and now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching today. chile's health minister says some of the 33 rescued miners may go home from the hospital today, earlier than expected. but many of them are still having trouble sleeping because they simply want to catch up with their families. president obama appeals to young voters in a town hall that will be televised on b.e.t., mtv and other networks. it comes as an associated press poll finds that enthusiasm for the president has cooled. democrats call her their secret weapon on the campaign trail. today, first lady michelle obama stumps in colorado, after a swing in the midwest yesterday. today, candidates debate in several key senate races. one of the most closely-watched will be in nevada, where sharron angle is mounting a challenge to harry reid. and federal regulators propose new rules requiring cell phone companies to alert customers before they hit limits for their minutes, text messages and data usage. coming up later on "good

morning america," robin roberts, live in europe, one-on-one with secretary of state hillary clinton. we'll be right back. ng mach] [ son ] hi, mom. sorry i missed your call. [ coughs ] call me. ♪ [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] kleenex brand tissues are america's softest. [ sneezes ] [ female announcer ] no wonder people go out of their way to share them. [ sneezes ] ♪ [ female announcer ] now it's even easier to share. [ coughs ] [ female announcer ] send a kleenex brand share package for free today at kleenex.com. softness worth sharing. ♪ 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. it was a mystery to me. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body.

my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and with less pain, i can do more of what matters to me. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today.

a 7-year-old columbia girl ran home and told her family what happened on her way from the playground on tuesday night. howard county police are investigating a reported sexual assault. 33 they are all alive. no one survived underground for so long even the guy with the mistress and a wife. and now they are out, what kind of shape are they in? we will play doctors on tv this morning with a look at the state of their health. what day of watching tv. good morning, mayorland i am jamie costello megan has this thursday off. just in. >> we are looking at headlines that talk about storms that are going to impact us for a couple days even though the rain will last for a few hours.

this developing storm comes in by lunchtime and there will be rain and the rain will be heavy by mid afternoon to evening. one the storm winds up and rain cuts off overnight, tomorrow, friday, we will see wind gusts over 20 miles per hour. wind machine really begins to crank up. we are expecting the shower ban in western maryland and just south of dc central and southwestern virginia and it should move in by late morning to lunchtime. we are going around midday for the rain tie rieive. temperatures 47 in baltimore. we had clear skies overnight, but clouds have come back. it's 50 in easton and 5 # in dulles. we will lock -- 50s in dulles. plan for the heavier rain by mid afternoon through this evening with high temperature in the mid to upper 50s. let's get the check on traffic with kim brown. >> reporter: sounds like the evening rush going to be no fun. however, this morning, rush hour not looking so bad. we have a early start a couple of incidents. police activity up in finksburg has pilgrim lane burned at sandy