captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions >> woodruff: welcome to the pbs newshour's special coverage of the third and final debate between president barack obama and former governor mitt romney of massachusetts. good evening. i'm judy woodruff. >> ifill: and i'm gwen ifill. tonight, foreign policy takes center stage. bob schieffer of cbs news is the moderator. the debate is being held at the johnson wold performing arts

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> united healthcare. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by med >> this is "bbc world news." funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard -- use their expertise in global finance the guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international commerce. we put our spending global we put our spending global network to work for a wide

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: three months after upholding president obama's health care law, the supreme court is back with a docket that may even rival last year's term for drama. the justices will decide a case on affirmative action in higher education, and are expected to take up disputes on same-sex marriage, civil rights law, and more. the term opened today with arguments in another controversial case: whether businesses can be sued in u.s. courts for human rights violations that occur in foreign countries. marcia coyle of the "national law journal" was in the courtroom this morning, and is back with us tonight. welcome back. >> nice to be back. brown: let us stipulate, as the lawyers say, that last year was a blockbuster. >> absolutely. brown

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> united healthcare. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access gr

pbs station. judy. >> woodruff: and that's the newshour for tonight.nday, we'll look at just how much the campaigns know about you, taken from your online life. i'm judy woodruff. >> brown: and i'm jeffrey brown. "washington week" can be seen later this evening on most pbs stations. we'll see you online, and again here monday evening. have a nice weekend. thank you and good night. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: bnsf carnegie corp >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is bbc "world news" america. funding for this presentation is provided by newman's own foundation and union bank. >> at unijob bank our relationship managers use their expertise to guide you through the business strategies and opportunities of international c

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: tonight's vice presidential debate marks another high-stakes moment in the campaign. the romney-ryan team is hoping to hang on to its new momentum, while the obama-biden camp is trying to win it back. that left all of the pressure on the number two's today, as the hours counted down. the candidates were sounding upbeat, ahead of their face-off at centre college in danville, kentucky. vice president joe biden departed his home state of delaware today for the debate. >> i'm looking forward to it. >> woodruff: the republican vice presidential nominee, wisconsin congressman paul ryan, arrived yesterday. >> feel good about it. >> woodruff: but the public show of confidence be

it's to focus on domestic policy and will be moderated by the pbs newshour's own jim leer. republican mitt romney made his way westward from boston with a rally in denver planned for this evening. president obama was in henderson, nevada, getting ready. last night he tried to lower expectations for himself at a rally in las vegas. >> i know folks in the media are speculating already on who is going to have the best zingers. >> you are! i don't know about that. who is going to put the the most points on the board. >> you are! no, no, governor romney is a good debater. i'm just okay. >> woodruff: by contrast a prominent romney supporting was out hyping his candidate's debating skills. new jersey governor chris christie on cbs's face the nation yesterday. >> i've seen mitt romney do this before. he's going to come in wednesday night and lay out his vision for america. he's going to contrast what his view is and what the president's record is. and the president's view for the future. this whole race is going to be turned upsidedown come thursday morning. >> woodruff: like wise

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> computing surrounds us. sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's very surprising in where you find it soon, computing intelligence in unexpected places will change our lives in truly profound ways. technology can provide customized experiences tailored to individual consumer preferences, igniting a world of possibilities from the inside out. sponsoring tomorrow, starts today. and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting scien, technology, and improved economic performance and financialno literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... friends of the newshour. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the giant hybrid storm named sandy left a growing toll today. officials reported at least 39 people killed, and $20 billion or more in damage. the nation's most populous city and its surroundings were at the epicenter. new y

. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: carnegie corp >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: more jobs, less unemployment. the september numbers offered the latest look into the u.s. economy, and the latest fuel for the fight over economic policy in the presidential campaign. it was the kind of news that president obama hoped for, just over a month before the election and two days after a sub-par debate outing. >> more americans entered the work force, more people are getting jobs. >> brown: indeed, september's unemployment rate, calculated by a survey of households, fell to 7.8%. that's the lowest since the president took office. a second survey, of businesses, showed that employers added a net of 114,000 jobs, and job gains for july and august were revised upward by 86,000 the president touted the numbers in a campaign stop at george mason university in fairfax, virgin

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... friends of the newshour. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> ifill: hurricane sandy began battering its way ashore today, threatening days of destruction. the huge system had 50 million people in its sights and was already being called a superstorm. the winds grew stronger by the hour. and the rain poured harder, soaking the east coast as the hurricane closed in. nine states declared emergencies, and people up and down the coast braced for heavy flooding, wind damage, and resulting power outages. >> i just got another load of sandbags to put around the doors to keep the water out. got the generator ready to go. and we're going to

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: in just a few hours, president barack obama and former massachusetts governor mitt romney will take the stage at the university of denver's magness arena for the first of three election debates. tonight's encounter, moderated by the "newshour's" own jim lehrer, is to focus on domestic policy. the first half of the 90-minute face-off will be spent on the number one issue for most voters this year: the economy. joining us for the debate, and here with us now to preview what to expect tonight are two familiar faces syndicated columnist mark shields and "new york times" columnist david brooks. gentlemen, welcome. the night is finally here. mark, no pressure, just 60 million people will be watching. what are you looking for from tonighta encounter? >> what i'm looking for, judy, is that the-- the candidate

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪Ñi moving our economy for 160 years.upport of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org >> this is "bbc world news america." funding of this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, newman's own foundation, and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to know your business, offering specialized solutions and capital to help you meet your growth objectives. we offer expertise and tailored solutions for small businesses and major corporations. and major corporations.

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> st. petersburg, beijing, for 15 years viking river cruises has transported travelers to another world, a world of dramatic landscapes, majestic castles, and remarkable characters. all brought to life on board a modern cruise vessel. so travelers can spend less time getting there and more time being there. viking river cruises. exploring the world in comfort. >> united health care. online at u.h.c. dot-com. >> intel. sponsors of tomorrow. >> and by the bill and melinda gates foundation. dedicated to the idea that all people deserve the chance to live a healthy productive life. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. captioning sponsored by macneil/lehrer productions captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> computing surrounds us. sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's very surprising in where you find it. soon, computing intelligence in unexpected places will change our lives in truly profound ways. technology can provide customized experiences tailored to individual consumer preferences, igniting a world of possibilities from the inside out. sponsoring tomorrow starts today. and the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: with election day less than two weeks away, the race for president looks tighter than ever. a new "associated press" poll today shows president obama and governor romney in a statistical dead heat. in the meantime, one prominent voter, the president himself, cast his ballot in ear

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: i was worried the health care system was all its own. with united health care i got help that fits my life, information on my phone, connection to doctors who get where i'm from and tools to estimate my care may cost. never missed a beat. >> we're more than 78,000 people looking out for more than 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. united health care. bnsf railway. the william and flora hewlett foundation, working to solve social and environmental problems at home and around the world. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the polls are close, the nation is watching, and time is growing short. it all makes for high stakes tonight, in the second of this fall's obama-romney debates. >> how are you feeling about tonight? >> i feel fabulous. look at this beautiful day. >> woodruff: the president was in good spirits this morn

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: >> computing surrounds us. sometimes it's obvious and sometimes it's very surprising in where you find it. soon, computing intelligence in unexpected places will change our lives in truly profound ways. technology can provide customized experiences tailored to individual consumer preferences, igniting a world of possibilities from the inside out. sponsoring tomorrow, starts today. >> bnsf railway. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: president obama and mitt romney spent this day getting ready for their second debate, where questions will come directly from voters. as they did, new polls underscored what's riding on the outcome. from the obama and romney camp came signs of just how high the stakes will be tomorrow night. republican vice presidential candidate paul ryan talked up the coming confrontation as he camp

mark and david will be back for us for the pbs newshour debate special at 9:00 p.m. eastern and online and online, our livestream will offer analysis and samples of the newshour's extensive reporting on foreign affairs. also, our liveblog will provide reaction from both sides and context to what's being said on stage in florida tonight. >> woodruff: still to come on the newshour, the race in florida as tonight's debate draws close; the campaigns' foreign policy agendas; the fall of cyclist lance armstrong; and the life and legacy of a proud liberal. but first, the other news of the day. here's kwame holman. >> holman: fears that syria's civil war could spill into lebanon escalated today. the lebanese army promised a crackdown to stop gun battles that killed at least seven people since last night. sunni gunmen roamed the streets of beirut and tripoli today, clashing with shiites. and lebanese soldiers took up positions on major streets around the capital. the trouble started friday with the car bomb killing of the lebanese intelligence chief. the fighting in syria als

. >> major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> moving our economy for 160, the engine that connects us. and carnegie corporation. >> and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... friends of the newshou >> this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> brown: lebanon found itself reliving a nightmarish past today after the worst bombing in four years. at least eight people were killed and nearly 80 wounded in a car-bomb attack. the explosion rocked central beirut as afternoon rush hour was getting underway, tearing through a mostly christian neighborhood. streets were strewn with burned- out cars, and the force of the blast blew out windows and doors, and sent bloodied, dazed people into the streets, pleading for help. >> ( translated ): the whole place was destroyed. god saved my life. nothing left-- no roof, no windows. >> brown: other witnesses to the bombing said it brought back grim memories of lebanon's long civil war f

major funding for the pbs newshour has been provided by: moving our economy for 160 years. bnsf, the engine that connects us. >> and by the alfred p. sloan foundation. supporting science, technology, and improved economic performance and financial literacy in the 21st century. and with the ongoing support of these institutions and foundations. and... this program was made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting. and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. >> woodruff: the former football coach who plunged penn state university into scandal by his sexual abuse of young boys over many years was sentenced today. the judge called his crime a "story of betrayal." jerry sandusky wore a red jail jump suit and a smile as he entered the center county courthouse this morning, less than two hours later, the smile was gone after the 68-year-old learned he will likely spend the rest of his life in prison. lead prosecutor. >> i believe that the sentence that the court imposed today was a wise and proper one and that it reflectedded the seriousne