making news in america this morning, stocks surge. >> a rally on wall street has calmed fears of a double-dip recession. what boosted the markets? and can it continue today? then, under guarantee, the widow of the man who killed himself before releasing dozens of exotic pets wants her animals back. why authorities blocked the request. and tempers flaring. >> ask a specific question and i'll give you a specific answer. >> why things got ugly in the

trial of michael jackson's doctor, as the defense starts to wrap up their case. good friday morning, everybody. i'm rob nelson. >> i'm yunji de nies. traders heading to wall street this morning may have a renewed sense of optimism. >> the dow is headed for its biggest one-month gain since 1987, after closing up more than 300 points yesterday. asian markets are also trading higher. karen travers are joining us from washington with more. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, yunji. it felt like the economy was on a rollercoaster ride all summer. but there's modest growth. and that's spurring growth in the markets. the struggling u.s. economy is showing signs of life. yesterday, the dow jones closed up 340 points, putting october to be on track for the single-best growth month for the market in 25 years. the wall street news was spurned by good news at home and

overseas. from july to september, the american economy grew at a rate of 2.5%, driven mostly by consumer spending. >> i've been saving. and today, the price is right. the deal was good. >> reporter: people like allen goldberg are buying cars again. in fact, ford motor company posted its ninth-straight profitable quarter. and stores are starting to stock up for the holiday sales rush. >> you can only patch up the old pair of shoes or scratch the rust off the bumper of your car for so long. >> reporter: yesterday, european leaders announced a critical deal to stabilize the region's debt crisis. banks will absorb half of greece's public debt. and the european fund will be expanded to keep countries like italy and spain out of more trouble. europe's growth is critical for the u.s. >> that's going to have an impact on our businesses and our ability to create jobs here in the united states. >> reporter: while economists are feeling positive -- >> we are heading in the right direction. >> reporter: the white house cautions. >> 2.5% is better than we had in the previous quarter and the quarter before that. but it is not good enough, by a

long shot. >> reporter: it's also not good enough to make a dent in the unemployment rate, which has been stuck at 9% for the last six months. rob and yunji? >> karen, thank you. the lackluster economy has been a major talking point for republican candidates as they take on the president. does this positive news change any of that? >> reporter: it's going to take more than one quarter of modest growth to make a difference for president obama. that unemployment rate is dragging down his approval rating. just 30% of americans approve on the job he's doing on jobs. for now, the president is trying to focus on congressional republicans. at some point, he will have to focus on his eventual republican rival. and it's clear what the playbook will be. the president will try to make this a choice between the candidates, not a referendum on his policies. >> thanks, karen. anti-wall street protesters

gathered in california last night, to honor a whan who has been a hall mark for their cause. they gathered to honor scott olsen. >> he has regained consciousness. and doctors say he is getting better every day. an investigation, meanwhile, is under way, to determine if police used excessive force during that clash. the exotic animals that survived the big game hunt after being freed by their suicidal owner are now at the center of a custody dispute. the owner's widow wants them back at home. >> but for now, ohio's department of agriculture has ordered that the three leopards, two primates and the young grizzly bear, stay in quarantine at the columbus zoo. >> he never wanted to take those animals from mrs. thompson. however, in talking to jack hanna, it was his advice that the animals needed to be at the columbus zoo. and it's the zoo officials that are relaying this stuff to the

department of agriculture. and we're very fortunate we have professional people to be able to deal with these animals. >> officials are concerned about unsanitary conditions at the owner's home, potentially exposing those animals to disease. in other news this morning we learned overnight of a terrible accident not far from ft. wayne, indiana. at least seven people have been killed after their packed minivan was hit from behind by a tractor-trailer on interstate 80. witnesses say the driver of that van apparently slowed down after hitting a deer. and that is when the accident happened. public opinion of the federal health care law has now taken a major drop. a new poll just released this morning shows 34% of americans have a favorable view of the so-called obama-care. that's down 7% from last month. and it's the lowest approval rating since the plan was passed. just 18% say the law will help improve their medical personal coverage. president obama's also taking heat over his new plan to help graduates pay off their student loans. republican presidential candidate, herman cain, says the

federal government should not be in the student loan business. cain says it should be up to the states to decide if they actually want to fund higher education. and we could be seeing less of one candidate. rick perry may decide to side step some of the debates, after making some less-than-stellar appearances earlier in the season. his decision lead to other republicans bowing out of the debates between now and next year. overseas now. five days after a massive earthquake leveled buildings in eastern turkey, search crews have found another survival. they freed a 13-year-old boy from the rubble of a collapsed building. the boy's uncle says he was trapped in a shoe store where he was working and had to use a rock to dig an escape hole. first reports said the boy was injured. but reports claim he had not a scratch. >> luck on his side. now, for this morning's weather from around the country. a wet day in the south, with some thunderstorms from new orleans to montgomery, knoxville and charleston, west virginia. some chilly rain around atlanta.

also, showers from orlando to miami. chilly and wet around green bay, milwaukee and chicago. also, showers in the pacific northwest. and morning windchills dip to the teens and 20s from new england down to d.c. a cold one. >> just 49 in boston. 51 here in new york. and 84 in miami. mostly 50s from detroit all the way to seattle. phoenix climbs to 83. and sacramento checks in at 72. and coming up after the break, the amazing high life game six of the world series. then, the high school teacher sentenced to four years in prison for having sex with her teenage student. and what bernie madoff told abc's barbara walters in an exclusive prison interview.

overseas, markets are still riding the wave from that debt deal in europe. tokyo's nikkei average gained 124 points today. hong kong's hang seng was up 362. in london, the ftse opened higher. so was wall street yesterday. the dow soared 340 points while the nasdaq index, just 88. >> hear some good news. the nation's largest bank may want to rethink a recent controversial decision. most other major banks are not imposing fees for making purchases with your debit card, as bank of america announced it would do a month ago. the other banks say, the public outcry was not actually a factor in their decision. well, apple may be getting all the buzz. but it's not the top

smartphonemaker. samsung is. the company's sales jumped 44% in the last quarter. samsung has 24% of the global smartphone market. and they only got serious about smartphones last year. hewlett-packard is changing its mind. ceo meg whitman decided not to sell off the personal computer business. it delivers low-priced components to other parts of the company. whitman says lieu let pack card's units are simply stronger together. >>-lantern is going to cost you more this halloween. the agriculture department blames bad weather for the pumpkin crops. retail prices are up an average of 40%. >> wow. all right. when we come back this morning, a true fall classic. on the brink of elimination, the st. louis cardinals force a final game seven. and will the house that will

be rocking this halloween. stay with us. for me, bedtime was tough. the problem? right here. i couldn't breathe... i couldn't sleep and mornings? rough. i tried tissues and neti pot thingy and even more tissues then i said enough! and i found the solution. [ female announcer ] drug-free breathe right nasal strips. i put it on and...wow! instant relief. i breathed better...slept better felt better. [ female announcer ] take the breathe right challenge and breathe better or your money back. [ man ] come on! it's your right to breathe right!

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four grains come together for nutrition in perfect harmony with great taste. honey bunches of oats. millions of people around the world are enjoying a massive halloween display, thanks to a california dad. kevin judd puts on a half-hour dance and light show at his home every night. and he controls it all with a laptop. a youtube video of the show has now received more than 3 million hits. >> getting into the spirit. >> i like it. look at that. you go. all right, now. for a look at your morning road conditions. thunderstorms drench i-10 from new orleans to mobile. i-20, from jackson, mississippi, to atlanta, and i-85. and parts of 75 in florida. slick on i-94, to madison and milwaukee and chicago.

and rain dampens i-5, in the pacific northwest. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in charlotte, miami, and in atlanta. get back safely to atlanta. >> thank you so much. the final defense witness returns to the stand today in the conrad murray trial. a doctor dubbed the father of propofol. >> what followed was a heated exchange between the prosecution and another doctor, who said michael jackson was hooked on the painkiller demerol. more from diana alvear. >> reporter: this trial may be winding down. but it's still highly entertaining. yesterday, it wasn't because the testimony. it was because the prosecutor kept clashing with the witness. >> is there a reason why it's so difficult for you to answer my questions and it was so easy to answer mr. chernoff's? >> reporter: the prosecutor could not hide his annoyance with thursday's witness. dr. robert woltmann was equally as combative. >> you know what material is? >> i do. i'm wearing material.

ask a specific question and i'll give you a specific answer. >> reporter: things got so heated, prosecutor david walgren turned to the judge for help. >> you're putting words in my mouth. >> your honor, would the court instruct the witness to answer the question. >> cross-examination is putting words in your mouth, which you can accept or reject. >> i reject. >> reporter: he used numerous medical records for a patient named omar arnold. it showed regular and increasing doses of sedatives. >> this is consistent with development of tolerance. >> reporter: defense attorneys were intent on proving jackson was a long-time drug addict. and that dr. conrad murray was trying to help him kick the habit. later, a propofol expert testified for the defense. >> if, in fact, murray had administered the drugs that he described in his conversations with the police department, in doses that he described, i would not have expected michael

jackson to have died. >> reporter: prosecutors did get that first doctor to admit, when helping a drug addict kick his habit, there's usually a lot of factors in play, including the proper setting and a team of specialists. none of which jackson presumably had. rob? yunji? >> thank you, diana. an ohio teacher has been found guilty of having sex with five students after a judge rejected her insanity defense. stacy schuler was sentenced to a total after five years behind bars for encounters with the mason high school students that took place at her home. defense attorneys tried to argue that schuler suffered from medical and psychological issues. taking aspirin would help a small number of high-risk patients to prevent colon cancer. a new study looked at patients that were genetically disposed to the disease. long-term use of aspirin therapy cut the colon cancer rates by 60%. a government clerk earning about 120 bucks a month in

eastern india has become an instant millionaire, excoeing the plot of the film "slumdog millionaire." he was the first to win the grand prize on the indian version of "who wants to be a millionaire." he says his family is so poor he couldn't afford a tv and had to watch the show at a neighbor's house. very cool. now, for the highlights you've been waiting for all morning from the game six of the world vie. here's adnan virk at espn news. >> good morning. the texas rangers were just one strike away from winning the first-ever world series. not once, but twice. and the st. louis cardinals, delivering in a game for the ages. rangers, the oldest franchise without a world series title. pick it up in the bottom of the ninth. cards down 7-9. david freese, a triple over nelson cruz. albert pujols and lance berkman come over. the highing runs.

freese, tony la russa, all el e elated. this one is on to extra innings. josh hamilton, suffering a groin injury, first pitch fastball, gone. a two-run bomb off of jason motte. texas, again, one strike away. and lance berkman, on a 2-2 pitch, delivers a base hit to center. jon jay, coming home from second with the tying run. tied at 9-9. and the cardinals have done it again. in the bottom of the 11th, david freese leading off against mark lowe. and here comes history. >> 3-2. high, fly ball, center field. it is gone. >> the call from the great dan schulman on espn radio, where you can find game seven on friday night at 7:00 eastern.

the cardinals do it, 10-9. for all your highlights, join us on "the highlight express" on espn news. >> that was a game last night. >> those guys out on the field, so excited. >> game seven tonight. halloween is on monday. but it is not too early to start enjoying some holiday treats. >> since they can't go trick or treating, animals at the detroit zoo get treats delivered to them. the popular choice seems to be pumpkin for eating, playing or just smash it up. not bad at all. >> very cute. up next, a royal "pulse." does prince charles have a vampire in his family tree? and why is prince harry shopping at walmart? and why you might want to skip using makeup on your kids this halloween. stay with us. my name's jeff. i'm a dad, coach... and i quit smoking with chantix. knowing that i could smoke during the first week was really important to me.

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commissary for $170 a month. >> don't think too many tears are being shed for bernie. >> certainly not. a couple of royals are making big news this morning. prince charles revealed he was related to vlad the impaler. he helped inspire the character, dracula. his son, prince harry, is involved in something a lot more 21st century. he was spotted shopping for beer and pizza at walmart. harry is undergoing military training in california the past few weeks. >> i'd love to run into him on the ails there. and looks like parents should be checking more than their kids' candy. the hazard night be on their child's face. >> an environmental group in michigan says the makeup is actually tainted with a metal that's been linked to lung, bone and kidney damage. the group says parents should err on the side of caution.

>> good advice, going into a big weekend. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be right back with a story we told you about in yesterday's "pulse," about the mom who was banned from mcdonald's. find out why she is now speaking out. make sure to stay with us. at walgreens for halloween?up so you don't have to deal with this. almost a princess. that's the last tiara. get it. [ female announcer ] just go to walgreens where it's easy to find all the candy, plus fun costumes and halloween favorites like reese's peanut butter cups, snickers bars, and cheetos snacks for the party. right now, select snack size candies just $1.99. shopping simplified. with walgreens, there's a way.

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snow near halloween seems a little odd. >> that's music you want around christmas. >> winter's early this year. finally this half hour, one mother's crusade about germs we told you about yesterday. erin carr-jordan has already gotten banned from several local restaurants. >> r > >> >> >> >> >> it was supposed to be a simple bathroom break. but erin carr jordan was not loving it after she found her young son inside the mcdonalds children's playground. she took to youtube, showing what she found. filth grime, old hair, and gang

graffiti and profanity. jordan says she brought the conditions to the attention of management at least six different times, but she says mcdonalds did nothing. along with the pictures and videos on youtube, she swabbed the area and tested it for bacteria. 13 types of potentially harmful bacteria, most of it found in human and animal feces. some of it potentially deadly. >> it is a threat to anyone. the levels are so high it is dangerous. >> reporter: mcdonalds has more than 3 2,000 restaurants worldwide. and a spokesperson couldn't tell me how many of them have a children's playground, how they are cleaned, how often they are cleaned. jordan has heard from parents from all over the country with similar stories. >> i want them to say okay, we made a mistake, but it's been brought to our attention. >> reporter: at this tempe