and it is coming true right now. >> from jake, to "little jakes," stutterer turned rapper and a rolee, from cnn ♪ ♪ ♪ >> well, this is not the first time we've seen something like that, but it is still so remarkable to watch. you know, one reason jake may not stutter when he raps is that music relies on the right side of the brain, while language relies on the left. other people, using a stage voice, sometimes they whisper. whatever is going o in jake's head, it is pretty incredible to watch. and we certainly wish him the best. >>> well, next, we will help you with what is called mindless eating. psychological tricks you can use on yourself to stay healthy, and more importantly, feel satisfied. >>> we're kicking off a new series today called "food for life." you will see it every week here, well, most importantly, i'll tell you how the food you put into your body affects your overall health. i want to begin with the conversation i recently had with the mayor from new york city, michael bloomberg. now, you will remember we talked about the sugary drinks. i asked him if he had a person

is performing as li'l jake.e. the rhythm or kaydance of rapping makes it easier for him to get it out. one night last december jake got his big break i got backage at a concert. >> jake's brother cole recorded the encounter and uploaded the video to youtube. so far, 200,000 views and counting. >> it's awesome. i get to go wherever he goes, meet cool people. >> and for all those who used to torment him, the haters, that i now serve as motivation for jake to perform for crowds of up to 20,000. >> my big dream is to have fun and to make music, and it's coming true. >> for jake, the li'l jacques, stutterer turned rapper and a role model. >> jakes on cnn. let me introduce. >> well, this isn't the first time we've seen something like this, but it's still so remarkable to watch. watch. you know, one reason jake may not stut wher he raps that music relies more on the right side of the brain. language utilizes the left. other tricks that people use who stutter is sometimes a stage voice, a foreign accent. sometimes they

for "nightline" i'm jake tapper in washington. >> jake tapper on the couch. thank you for watching abc news. check in for "good morning america," they are working whi

jake leads us off. jake? >> reporter: diane, top obama campaign officials have been pouring over republican debate tapes, studying mitt romney. and according to one person familiar with the president's debate preparations, it has been exhausting work and the president is definitely out of practice, though, of course, the campaign has been trying to lower expectations. president obama has been practicing for the debates at the westin lake, las vegas, resort and spa. 17 miles from the las vegas strip. presidential debate veteran john kerry is participating in the mock debates, pretending to be a different patrician wealthy massachusetts politician mitt romney. yesterday, in las vegas, the president tried to lower expectations. >> i know folks in the media are speculating already on who's going to have the best zingers. >> you are! >> governor romney, he's a good debater. i'm just okay. >> reporter: a new poll shows the president enjoys advantages going into this debate. 66% say his policies have favored the mid

and jake is, too. >> and jake is too. >>> all right, we're going to turn now to politics. the countdown to the next heavyweight battle between president obama and mitt romney. both men are in intense training for tuesday's second debate, and with just 23 days left before election day, the stakes could not be higher. many believe the president needs a knockout to regain his momentum. it's "your voice, your vote." and here's abc's david kerley. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. the president, how serious is he taking this debate? well, he is holed up in a virginia resort for three days of debate preparation. he knows his performance could blunt romney's move in the polls. the stage is being set in new york. the ring, if you will, for the next debate round. >> i think the stakes are enormous, particularly for the president. >> reporter: round one went to romney. the second round, biden got obama back in the fight, even if his overall debate with ryan was a draw. now, with round three just days away, this morning the candidates are in their corners. mitt

and jake is, too. >>> turning now politics. the countdown to the next battle between president obama and mitt romney. both men are in intense training for the second debate on tuesday. with 23 days left before election day, the stakes could not be higher. many believe the president needs a knockout to regain momentum. it's "your voice, your vote." here's david kerley. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning. the president is holed up in a virginia resort for three days of debate preparation. his performance could blunt romney's place in the poll. the stage is being set. the ring, if you will. >> think the stakes are enormous, particularly for the president. >> reporter: round one went to romney. the second round, biden got obama back in the fight, even if the overall debate with ryan was a draw. now with three days away, the candidates in their corners. mitt romney in boston the. president in williamsburg, virginia. taking three days off the campaign trail for practice. the president watched the polls tighten after the f

and it's coming true right now. >> reporter: from jake to lil jakes, stutterer turned rapper and a rolee ♪ >> reporter: dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. >> got to love when you can work in cnn in your rap. we appreciate that, lil jakes. >> amazing. >> incredible. >> i wonder if they'll be able to sort of study that to see if you could make that somehow lessen his stutter, but figure out what he's doing in the rapping that could possibly help. that's fascinating. wow! great little kid. >> amazing kid. >> great story. >> "end point" is up next. >>> final segment this morning, we want to, once again, update you on that new unemployment numbers, 114,000 jobs created in the month of september. unemployment rate has fallen from 8.1% to 7.8%. that would be the lowest number since january 2009, when president obama was taking office. so, our "end point," christine, we'll let you start. >> more people entered the workforce last month, too, which is a little bit of a surprise. you had had more people coming in, trying to get jobs. it shows companies are starting to hire again and people are more

thank you. >> thank you. >> jake hair. >> my name is jake, i'm the manager of the fill mo*r location, i was not born and raised in san francisco. i'm from a small country town, my father and i built our house with two hands, we're very close with my family and i think those facts are one of the main reasons why they hired me, to be friendly, to push the community atmosphere that the restaurants have and i know that it is intensely important for the restaurants to be integrate in the community and i know that the new location would be just that. i am in complete support. >> thank you. >> is there any other public comment on this item? >> hello, commissioners and thank you for the opportunity to speak. my name's nick ago lair ra, i'm also a business owner here in san francisco, we have a salon in union square area and i had moved into the neighborhood when the family had opened the fish company on 14th street, one of our concerns at that time since it eats a main thorough fair was it was a busy corner, we hope these guys really keep an eye on the ball and keep the neighborhood clean and

jake gyllenhaal is here!applause ] >> steve: he's a lovely man. >> jimmy: she has a great new book out about her life called "my mother was nuts." she's one of the coolest humans on the face of the earth. penny marshall is stopping by. [ cheers and applause ] she's always fun, always game for anything fun. and we have great music tonight. we have music featuring bobby womack with damon albarn and richard russell tonight. >> steve: whoa! [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: combo platter of magic. >> steve: magic and good times. >> jimmy: yeah, it's going to be a lot of magic and good times. hey guys, today is friday -- and that's -- [ cheers ] -- it's usually when i catch up with some personal stuff. i check my inbox, i return some e-mails. and, of course, i send out "thank you notes." and i was just wondering -- [ cheers and applause ] -- i'm running a bit behind, so i was wondering if you guys wouldn't mind -- i'd just like write out my weekly "thank you notes" right now. do you mind? is that cool with you? [

jake, start us off. >> reporter: good evening, diane. the two kentds largely kept to themselves today. leaving the hard work of ca campaigning to their rrogates. not always staying on message. in battleground state north carolina, the vice president tried to assail the republican ticket but he did so in way that brought fire upon himself. >> how they can justify raising taxes on the middle class that's been buried the last four years. >> reporter: paul ryan pounced. >> vice president biden, just today, said that the middle class over the last four years has been quote buried. we agree. that means we need to stop digging by electing mitt romney as the next president of the united states. >> reporter: the vice president later said that the middle class pain was due to bush policiepol. the debate symbolizes a problem for the president. the economic collapse happened under bush, but four years later, families are still hurting. many in the middle class are barely treading water. all fodder for tomorrow night's debate in denver. the first lad

abc's jake tapper leading us off, jake. >> reporter: good evening, diane. that's right. it is crunch time. this is the last chance both candidates have to deliver their messages directly to tens of millions of voters, unfiltered and as the new abc news/"washington post" indicates it is either man's to lose. president obama arrived in palm beach county this afternoon where skies are blue but a debate storm is brewing. mitt romney seems to have some momentum, but our poll underscores a problem for him. one of the reasons this race remains so tight -- a majority of voters continues toty a president romney would favor the wealthy rather than the middle class. >> what he's selling is not a five-point plan. it's really just a one-point plan. folks at the top get to play with a different set of rules than you do. >> reporter: by contrast, 66% of voters think the president has done more to favor the middle class over the wealthy, and a majority says he better understands the economic problems people in this country are having. though some good news for romney. overall, he has a

abc's jake tapper has the exclusive details. jake? >> reporter: good evening, diane. you know, despite its salacious nature, this scandal was deadly serious. it involved the safety of the president with severely compromised secret service agents. it cost nine of them their jobs. tonight, new questions about how much the public has actually been told about that incident. after the scandal involving secret service agents soliciting prostitutes exploded in april, >> this was an incredible breach of security. >> reporter: secret service director mark sullivan testified before congress and denied the prevalence of this misconduct. >> we have not found that this type of behavior was exhibited by any of these individuals before. >> reporter: but abc news has learned that the department of homeland security's inspector general has issued a confidential report that contradicts that. one agent who was in colombia during the scandal and picked up a prostitute, quote, admitted to soliciting a prostitute on two previous occasions, once in el salvador in 2008 or 2009 and one time i

we'll start with abc's jake tapper, he is in wisconsin, traveling with the president tonight. jake? >> reporter: good evening, diane. yes, that performance by the president that one former democratic party chairman referred to as lethargic, disinterested and passive, was the talk of the campaign today. campaign aides say they don't have any explanation as to why the president was the way he was, other than a general inclination to play it safe, but however cold his performance may have left even some supporters last night, today, the president came out with some fire. before a crowd of 12,000 in denver, the president tried to turn his opponent's polished debate performance into proof of his phoniness. >> when i got onto the stage, i met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be mitt romney. but the real mitt romney has been running around the country for the last year, promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy. >> reporter: but in the audience, many of the president's supporters expressed bewilderment at his passive performance last night. >> i felt like he should h

and abc's jake tapper now tells us about each candidate's biggest move. jake?reporter: good evening, diane. that's right. these are two very experienced debaters, with more than 50 presidential primary and general election debates between them. though they have their weaknesses, they both have considerable strengths. as president obama touched down in denver, he brought the experience of 22 previous president debates, primary and general election with him. we've seen him draw upon his command in being able to make a bold pledge. >> if we have osama bin laden in our sights, and the pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then i think that we have to act and we will take them out. >> reporter: and we've seen him tap his reservoir of righteousness to make a strong attack. >> you said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. you were wrong. you said that we were going to be greeted as liberators. you were wrong. >> reporter: tonight will be mitt romney's 36th presidential debate. though his first as nominee. his team is hoping he'll

>> reporter: as you know, jake, 82 undecided voters sitting in the town hall. we've been told governor romney will actually come out first, the president second. the governor won the toss on that. the governor will take the first question, but aside from the audience and millions of americans studying their reactions, there is another audience they're trying to reach, women voters, because their numbers are on the move. the president has long counted on women at times leading by double digits. but with mitt romney gaining ground with women, one new poll showing the president up by just one point among women in the battlegrounds, expect a real push to reach voters like the women we've met on the campaign trail, women who are wavering. you haven't made up your mind. you're one of the few. you are who they want. >> i know. >> reporter: we met brenda lovell and debbie zitelli in ohio. both voted for the president four years ago, but both need to see a different president show up tonight. what were you asking yourself when you were watching him last night? >> why ar

jake? >> reporter: good evening, diane. well, the obama campaign's official line is that the president's debate performance did not change the fundamentals of the race, but behind the scenes with that new poll, some top democrats are getting nervous and say the pressure is on vice president biden. president obama's sending a message to his supporters about last week's debate disaster. he gets it. here he is at a los angeles fund-raiser praising the opening performer. >> they just perform flawlessly night after night. i can't always say the same. >> reporter: in the last few days, the pundits have been vicious and the comics no kinder, whether "the new yorker's" cover or "saturday night live." >> mr. president, governor romney has just said that he killed osama bin laden. would you care to respond? >> no, you two go ahead. >> reporter: a new gallup poll shows those who watched the debate believe romney did the superior job. 72% to obama's 20%. incumbent presidents wait a minuted off from confrontation and in a bubble for yea

i was, like, hey, i'm kind of good. ♪ >> reporter: now jake is performing as lil' jakes, smooth as cance of rapping makes it easier for him to get the words out, without stuttering. and for all those who used to torment him, the haters, they now serve as motivation for jake to perform for crowds of up to 20,000 people. dr. sanjay gupta, cnn, reporting. [ male announcer ] you are a business pro. governor of getting it done. you know how to dance... with a deadline. and you...rent from national. because only national lets you choose any car in the aisle... and go. you can even take a full-size or above, and still pay the mid-size price. this is awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is, business pro. yes, it is. go national. go like a pro. >>> who am i? why am i here? >> unforgettable. that moment captured in a 1992 debate between al gore, dan quayle and admiral james stock dale, vice presidential debate. did you know who he was? it was a self-confessing moment. no one knows who i am. ross perot's running mate in the presidential debate, meant to be funny but some thought, yeah, who is he?

. >> good morning, jake. how are you? >> i'm well. thank you. as we said in the open, you're playing president obama in the debate prep. here's governor romney talking about the role you play. >> he's playing barack obama in these mock debates we have. i don't like him very much anymore. he keeps beating me up. i keep going away shaking my head. this guy's really something. you're lucky to have a guy so bright and capable. >> and this morning, washington post reporter dan balls called you the romney campaign's most valuable player for your roles as ohio point man and obama stand in. i assume you're thinking president obama will have more pep in his step on tuesday. how do you prepare? >> i think you're right. i think president obama is going to come out swinging. he'll have to compensate for a poor first debate. they've run a highly negative ad campaign. they've spent hundreds of llions around the country, including a lot in ohio, mischaracterizing governor romney's positions and misrepresenting him. i think you'll see that again on tuesday nigh

tapper and what the president is going to bring tonight, jake. >> reporter: good evening, diane. well, campaign sources for both campaigns tell me that romney and obama have rehearsed for this potentially tricky town hall format with aides throwing them random questions jumping from topic to topic looking for ways to bond with the undecided voters who will make up the audience in this theater in the round behind me. >> reporter: at a williamsburg resort president obama put on a confident face between a workout and a 45-minute debate prep. how do you feel about tonight? >> i feel fabulous. >> reporter: what are you going to say? then he ignored a question about the attack on the diplomatic post in beng ghazi, libya. a smile cannot be your umbrella in every storm. he knows he has to step it up. momentum in polls is with mitt romney. >> is it possible you handed him the election that night? >> no. >> you're going to win. >> yes. >> reporter: romney held debate prep before flying to ronkonkoma. he leads in some polls. what a difference two weeks can make in the world of politics. bef

abc's jake tapper traveling with a revved up president obama today. >> reporter: after a raucous rally in delray beach, florida, this morning, president obama shared a moment with some enthusiastic supporters. >> i hope you are working really hard in school. >> reporter: unfortunately for the president, these floridians cannot vote and sunshine state polls show romney with momentum, but the president's post-debate swagger was unmistakable. last night, the president painted romney as unsure and unsteady on foreign affairs. >> you've been all over the map and all over the map, all over the map. >> reporter: snap polls suggest the president won this final outing. >> i know you haven't been in a position to actually execute foreign policy, but every time you've offered an opinion, you've been wrong. >> reporter: but if obama won the debate, romney benefited the most from debate season. his campaign once seemed doomed. now, either candidate could win. the republican clearly had a different strategy for the night, trying to pass a threshold to be seen as an acceptable alternative. he auction

thank you, jake, and jake and george stephanopoulos and the entire political team will be right here tomorrow night "one on one, the candidates debate" 9:00 p.m. eastern, 6:00 pacific. >>> and as we know that debate will be filled with questions about jobs and the future of this economy and today we saw one sign that an engine of growth is gaining steam. new numbers out today show consumers are spending more. retail spending up and part of the comeback, the housing market stirring to life. abc's cecilia vega tells us how much. >> reporter: it's the latest sign that america's real estate is on the rebound. greg steinberg and alexandra becket are flipping houses. they bought this two-bedroom home in los angeles and plan to fix it up and sell it fast, making a $50,000 profit. >> so this is the hallway that leads to the bathroom, and the two bedrooms over there. >> reporter: this was the bathroom. was, the operative word. just four months ago, this was a living room and the dining room. and you can see now this house is completely under construction. just gutted. but in a matter of just