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welcome to "weekends with alex witt." big five trends of the hour. debate prep boot camp. friday night faux-pas. rose an barr on the presidential ballot? where? decked on board by the bus driver. softball mystery eyeball found on the beach. details on those stories but first -- two front page politics. big news on the ad front today from both catches. first up to the president's new tv ad that strikes a familiar theme. hitting mitt romney on his tax plan. take a listen. >> you paid 14% in federal taxes. that's the capital gains rate. is that fair to the guy who makes $50,000 and paid a higher rate than you did? so you think it is fair. >> yeah. i think it's the right way to encourage economic growth. >> lower tax rates for him, then us. is that the way to grow america? >> well, expect that one seen on a tv screen near you especially if you're in a swing state. from mitt romney and the gop meanwhile a new ad strategy. the "new york post" says romney and his colleagues are looking at a high rate high media strategy. pro romney ad buys double and even tripled in some key swin

weekends with alex witt starts now. >>> the final match-up. both candidates gearing up for their last debate before the election. they're talking foreign policy. but should they be talking about the economy? live reports ahead. >>> early voting. many ballots already cast. where do we stand? we will talk with an expert in the field. >>> new unemployment numbers, they fell in 41 states and swing states either dropped or held steady. so what are the political implications? >> office politics is our morning joe team. their take on who has the advantage in the all-important female vote. >>> and a good morning to all of you, welcome to "weekends with alex witt," we're going to get to what's happening right now out there as we have 17 days until the election. and first we go to front page politics. this weekend both president obama and mitt romney are preparing for monday's third and final debate, with some contentious campaigning on friday. the president unleashed a new line of attacks during a rally in virginia saying governor romney has shifted hi

"weekends with alex witt" starts now. >>> breaking news on sandy, everyone. it is now a tropical storm. but it could regain murre cane strength as it heads northeast.

welcome to "weekends with alex witt."s as we are tracking hurricane san ditch. the east coast is on alert as the storm barrels closer. right now rain and waves, they are crashing into the north carolina coast. sandy is expected to combine with a cold front and evolve into an unusual and possibly historic system. the president just a short while ago consulted with federal emergency officials. mr. obama spoke with homeland security secretary janet napolitano and fema administrator craig fugate among others. they promise to bring all available resources to the hardest-hit areas prepositioning many right now. local governments are getting ready as well. seven states as well as d.c. have now declared states of emergency. the latest being connecticut. mandatory evacuations are now planned in both new york and new jersey. we're keeping an very close watch as well on the airports for you. at this point there are no major delays to report. but major problems are definitely possible in the coming days. all the major airlines are wa

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." first five stories trending at this hour, the final rehearsals getting under way with just two days until the last presidential debate. a new photo that shows the progress made by a brave pakistani teenager. >>> a warning after consumers catch fire after applying sunscreen. >>> another big change coming at the gas pumps. >>> and the top secret celebrity wedding in southern italy. we have details on all those stories throughout the hour. but first -- >>> 17 days until the election. and first to front page politics, this weekend both president obama and mitt romney are preparing for monday's third and final debate, but not before some contentious campaigning on friday. the president unleashed a new line of attack during a rally in virginia, pointing a new term for governor romney's shift of position on several key issues. >> he's changing up so much and backtrack inand sidestep in, we've got to -- we've got to -- we've got to name this condition that he's going through. i think -- i --

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welcome back to "weekends with alex witt." hour in today's strategy talk, back to school, president obama and mitt romney are back in debate prep today preparing for monday night's showdown. in the final debate of the 2012 election. joining me right now, former ohio governor u.s. congressman ted strickland and chip saltsman, republican strategist and former campaign manager for mike huckabee's 2008 presidential bid. thanks for being here. >> good to be here. >> in the last few months we've certainly had the benghazi attack, signer attacks. throwing the transition into upheaval. really no clear administration policy on the crisis in syria. is foreign policy still the president obama win that it once was? >> well, i think it is. i think the president has provided steady international leadership. he's improved our reputation around the world. osama bin laden is dead. we've got -- and i think the president has shown strong, steady leadership. and i think the the american people are giving him credit for that. >> okay. how about th

welcome to "weekends with alex witt" where you get to what's happening right now out there. we have this breaking news, sandy has been downgraded to a tropical storm overnight but the threat to the u.s. remains. five states as well as d.c., they are under state of emergency. people along the east coast are preparing for the worst. residents are bagging sand and boarding up buildings. out-of-state power crews are on call, ready to move in after the storm. sandy's powerful winds and flooding rains battered the bahamas and caribbean and at least 43 people have died as a result of this storm so far. most of the deaths occurred in haiti where officials fear even more fatalitiefatalities. nbc meteorologist dylan dryer is here with a look at the forecast track. good morning to you, dylan. >> good morning, alex. we are talking about this storm. it has weakened. but that doesn't change anything. this is still going to be a major storm. especially for the mid-atlantic region. it is downgraded to a tropical storm right now and notice its movement. it's moving north/northeast at about 1

keep it here on "weekends with alex witt." the capital one cash rewards card gives you a 50% annual bonus. and everyone, but her... likes 50% more cash. but, i have an idea. do you want a princess dress? yes how about some cupcakes? yes lollipop? yes! do you want an etch a sketch? yes! do you want 50% more cash? no you got talent. [ male announcer ] the capital one cash rewards card. with a 50% annual cash bonus it's the card for people who like more cash. what's in your wallet? i usually say that. and one wedding, 2 kids, 43 bottles of olay total effects many birthdays later, still looks amazing. thanks to the trusted performance of olay. and you learned something along the way. this is the age of knowing what you're made of. so, why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. 20 million men already have. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, ups

welcome to "weekends with alex wi witt." round two debate countdown. fallout, a political weapon? gas prices, how low can they go? breaking barriers, a freefall jump for the books and out for the count. some very dpis appointed playoff fans. we have details throughout the hour. but first. 23 days to go until election day and new reaction from both campaigns on the tightening polls ahead of the second presidential debate. here's the senior strategist for the obama campaign. >> i think there's a lot of hype. when polls were wildly positive for us that the public polls are all over the place. the reality of the race on the ground is we're ahead. we feel good about where we are. >> i think the race is very close. the win is at governor romney's back. you can see the momentum on the trail. but the country is evenly dwited. we thought this would be a close race. i know it now ahead in it will polls. i believe governor romney is going to win in november. >> also the republican national committee released a new web ad featuring clips from last week's vice pres

. >>> and welcome back to weekends with alex witt.unday weather, it's almost halloween and much of the country will see warmer temperatures, but cooler weather brought mountain snow through parts of the northwest. now for the rest of the country's forecast, here's dylan with more. >> talking about halloween coming up in a couple of weeks, it's hard to believe. we are looking at some pretty chilly temps out in the northwest. and tomorrow we're going to see perhaps the biggest storm so far this season. temperatures are trying to warm up in the middle of the country with highs topping out in the middle of the country, and it's actually going to be about 15 degrees warmer than it has been and then what you would expect for this time of year. we are talking about this west coast storm, it's a huge area of low pressure, it's going to start affecting areas from central california up into oregon, especially mountain areas, especially even still above 5,500 feet where we could end up with about a foot of snow around this storm system. it will

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." right now, a vast and dangerous hurricane is sweeping toward the mid-atlantic coastline. it will move closer to the u.s. tomorrow. mandatory evacuations under way right now. people in atlantic city, new jersey, as well as parts of connecticut, dwanbegan evacuati moments ago. evacuation orders for low-lying par parts of delaware, maryland, and new york. andrew cuomo spoke with this news for america's largest city. >> i'm announcing the mta will suspend bus, subway and commuter rail service at 7:00 p.m. this evening. >> something to know for all commuters, and the impending severe weather is suspending campaign events. president obama has cancelled events for virginia. sandy is expected to spawn heavy rain, storm surge, and eventually snow. dylan dryer has it all. a big report. >> a big report on a big storm, alex. it extends basically the size of it from boston to charlotte, north carolina. that say huge storm, and when it makes its wayon sho on onshore, affect that length of coastline

>>> weekends with alex witt starts now. >>> back to work inside the new jobs number, and how it's playing out on the campaign trail. we've got a live report ahead. >>> it's a conspiracy. the strange side show spurred by the unemployment number. a number of voices weighing in. >>> is big bird a dead duck? the truth behind all the talk that america's favorite fowl could become extinct or have to file for unemployment. >>> and lost a vote. that's coming up in office politics. >>> good morning, everyone, and welcome to weekends with alex witt. we'll get to what's happening out there. politics from the front page. new word from president obama and mitt romney on the latest jobs numbers. the president hailing the 7.8% number as a sign of a recovering economy. a .3% drop from last month. mitt romney, meanwhile, downplaying it. >> we learned the unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since i took office. more americans are entering the work force. more americans are getting jobs. too many of our friends and neighbors are still looking for work or struggling to pay the bills. many of them si

i'm alex witt in for thomas roberts.days ago and just two days after an angry and testy debate, the president a. presidental candidates take a moment to roast each other in new york. >> earlier today i went shopping at stores in mid

i'm alex witt in for thomas roberts.ht only with 18 days ago and just two days after an angry and testy debate, the president a. presidental candidates take a moment to roast each other in new york. >> earlier today i went shopping at stores in mid town. i understand governor romney went shopping for some stores in mid town. >> in the spirit of "sesame street" the president's remarks are brought to you by the letter o and the number 16 trillion. >> well, new polling shows the race turning into a nail biter down to the finish with the president leading in two critical states described by nbc's first read as obama's midwest fireball. congressman paul ryan's home state of wisconsin, president obama is leading by six. >> is there any way in the world that barack obama is up eight points in iowa? >> no question. when is the last time iowa was decided by

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." plenty to catch you up on here at the top of the hour.ds. first this new video shows drivers packing a connecticut gas station filling up their tanks and gas cans ahead of the storm. people are preparing for the possibility of days without electricity. six states and d.c. are declaring states of emergency. the very latest new jersey. that came down just the past hour where mandatory evacuations begin tomorrow. here's governor chris christie just moments ago. >> i know. i've lived here all my life, too. everyone's saying crap this isn't going to

coming up, "weekends with alex witt." . great!ooks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had an affair with taylor" yard sign. looks good. [ male announcer ] fedex office. now save 50% on banners.

welcome to "weekends with alex witt." hour, the final rehearsals getting under way with just two days until the last presidential debate. a new photo that shows the progress made by a brave pakistani teenager. >>> a warning after consumers catc

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43 -- >> thanks for your responses everyone out there and any of you, keep them coming, tweet me @alex witthe black ties and tails fool you. today's poly side bar is about the laughs. dressed presidential candidates kaen have down and dirty fun. the other side of president obama and governor romney who sat just feet apart at the al smith charity fund-raiser in new york. some of the jokes that flew back and forth but we can't get enough of them. >> everyone please take your seats. otherwise clint eastwood will yell at them. >> but it's nice to finally relax and -- to where ann and i wear around the house. >> world affairs are a challenge for every candidate. some of you remember, after my foreign trip in 2008, i was attacked as a celebrity because i was so popular with our allies overseas. and i have to say i'm impressed with now well governor romney has avoided that problem. >> as president obama surveys the waldorf banquet room with everyone in white tie and finery, you to wonder what he's thinking. so little time, so much to redistribute. >> well that was fun stuff. but no laughing matter

. >>> hello, everyone, i'm alex witt with breaking news, former u.s. senator, arlen specter has died at the age of 82. he a nounsed in august he was battling cancer he died from complications of nonhodgkins lymphoma. he played a pivotal role in several supreme court nominat n nominations in a career which ended with him switching from republican to democrat. right now, let's go to meet the press. >>> this morning on "meet the press," the fight next time. obama-romney, round two, this coming tuesday, as the race has tightened. >>> our issues this morning, the debates in the closing weeks of this campaign. the economy. the looming fiscal crisis by year's end. and the debt fight. with the big entitlement programs center stage. >>> they were the backdrop of a feisty debate between the v.p. candidates thursday. >> nobody -- >> mr. vice president -- >> no, you -- >> mr. vice president, i know you're under a lot of duress to make up ground, but i think people would be better served if we don't keep interrupting each other. >>> what did swing voters think of t

"weekends with alex witt" starts now. >>> breaking news on sandy, everyone

weekends with alex witt starts now. >>> the final match-up.gearing up for their last debate before the election. they're talking foreign policy. but should they be talking about the economy? live reports ahead. >>> early voting. many ballots already cast. where do we stand? we will talk with an expert in the field. >>> new unemployment numbers, they fell in 41 states and swing states either dropped or held steady. so what are the political implications? >> office politics is our mo

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alex haley statue.... almost submerged underwater. hundded and more thaa one puudred and eiihty thouuaad people in the area lost power. over oneethouuand state. 3 3 p3 3 3 3 we're helping you wittist!nnee....or yoou - list!stay tuned... how you can &pget your hands on a 1000dolla giff card... is just minutes a. away. you're watccing &plocal.. all orning. ((break 2)) 3 new this morning... video snapping in new york, during hurricane sandyytake a look.. dangling..ow, this is 90 juss - stories up... atop a nearll completed luxury apartment buidling, set to be the citys tallest residential building. its neighbors have been pvacuated. the ity's buildings department has determined the crane is stable but it can't be fully secured until the wwnd dies down. discount retailier ... marshallls takee over he old filene's basement store in the inner harbor.the sttre closed in january, after filing for pankruptcc last year. marshall's plans to open at it's ew locatton... early next year. the white house cancels its light of hurricane sandy.the - president is traveling nortt po check on clean up and recover effortt from te storm. he's expected to head to atlantic city, new jersey... to view t