karen travers, abc news, washington. >> american airlines cancelled a flight this morning as part of ongoing problems with seats. the flight was scheduled to takeoff 6:40 this morning the airline taking 44 flights out of service to fix the seat problems. 50 flights were cancelled yesterday. american says wear, poor design and spilled soda can cause seats to pop loose during the flight. this adds to the troubles. >>> health officials in contra costa county holding a news conference this morning concerning an east bay man who died from rabies although paced away overseas he may have contracted the disease close to home. laura anthony is in martinez. what are the health officials saying? >> reporter: they say this man did contract rabies here in contra costa county. sounds like a prime example of whatnot to do when one encounters a bat and unfortunately, this 34-year-old man paid for this encounter with his life. health officials say the bat in question is a variety that is common in mexico, the southern united states and in contra costa county. about one in ten bats tested in californi

karen traver, abc news, washington. >> american airlines cancelled a flight this morning as part of ongoing problems with seats. the flight was scheduled to takeoff 6:40 this morning the airline taking 44 flights out of service to fix the seat problems. 50 flights were cancelled yesterday. american ys wear, poor design and spilled soda can cause seats to pop loose during the flight. this adds to the troubles. >>> health officials in contra costa county holding a news conference this morning concerning an east bay man who died from rabies although paced away overseas he may have contracted the disease close to home. laura anthony is in martinez. what are the health officials saying? >> reporter: they say this ma did contract rabies he in contra costa county. sounds like a prime example of whatnot to do when one encounters a bat and unfortunately, this 34-year-old man paid for this encounter with his life. health officials say the bat in question is a variety that is common in mexico, the southern united states and in contra costa county. about on in ten bat teste in calornia durihe cose of t

>> was this debate a significant game changer, abc's karen travers in danville, kentucky with more. president biden and congressman paul ryan came in ready for battle and made their arguments. no surprise here in kentucky both sides are claiming victory. >> reporter: both vice president biden and congressman ryan aggressively challenged the other ticket's positions. it began on foreign policy and last month's attack on the american consulate in libya. ryan slammed the administration for a slow response. >> it took the president two weeks to acknowledge this was a terrorist attack. >> with all due respect that is a bunch of malarkey. >> reporter: ryan said the obama administration allowed iran to get closer to obtaining a nuclear weapon. >> it's because this administration has no credibility on the issue. >> these are the most crippling sanctions in the history of sanctions. >> reporter: president obama was criticized for being too passive in last week's debate. vice president biden seemed determined to not make that mistake. >> shouldn't be surprising for a guy who says 47% of the a

abc's karen travers is at the site of the debate in hempstead, new york, and has the latest. ood morning, paula. it certainly seems like president obama took all that criticism to heart. this was the president that democrats wanted to see two weeks ago in denver. he aggressively challenged mitt romney, but mitt romney stuck to his guns. president obama came out swinging, but mitt romney showed he could take a punch and throw it right back. the contenders were combative. the president aggressively went after romney's economic plan, a stark contrast from their first showdown. >> he has a one-point plan, and that plan is to make sure that folks at the top play by a different set of rules. >> reporter: and it was clear right from the start that romney's game plan was to keep the focus on the president's record over four years. >> the president's policies have been exercised over the last four years, and they haven't put americans back to work. we have fewer people working today than we had when the president took office. >> reporter: the town hall format meant a looser setting. bo

karen travers abc news, washington. >> michelle obama is making another talk show appearance.l visit jimmy kimmel live zero weeks from today and will encourage americans to exercise their right to vote. -- two weeks from today. he will encourage the first lady to eat more pizza. >> the virginia senate candidates me tonight for their third and final debate. tim kaine and george allen facing off in blacksburg at virginia tech on campus. the two former governors are trying to succeed jim webb. polls show a tight race between the two. >> violent crime is up nationwide. a new survey finds the violent crime rate rose 17% last year. that ended a general decline in violence which began 20 years ago. analysts say is too early to tell if it is an anomaly or if it might signal a turnaround of a sustained drop in violent crime. >> the texas attorneys general's office has dropped bigamy charges against warren jeffs the polygamist leader. he is already serving a life prison sentence. he was convicted of sexually assaulting a two underage girls that he considered his bride. the charges came

abc's karen travers has all of the latest now from the campaign trail. >> reporter: california is safelyresident obama's corner, but he's not there looking for votes. he's raising campaign cash, a lot of it. >> are you fired up? >> reporter: the stars came out. george clooney, stevie wonder, jon bon jovi, and katy perry, all on hand to support the president's re-election. >> everything we fought for in 2008 is on the line here in 2012, and i need your help to finish what we started. >> reporter: it will be a lucrative california swing. over two days the obama campaign's expected to raise a minimum of $9.5 million. no surprise that the president is shattering fund-raising records. last month the president's campaign and the democratic party raised $181 million, bringing his re-election total to $835 million. romney's raised at least $548 million so far. mitt romney's spent his second consecutive day asking for votes in florida. >> thank you. >> reporter: the republican contender's riding some momentum from last week's debate. he's drawn his biggest crowds to the campaign. 6,000 in orlando

abc's karen travers has a preview. >> reporter: the presidential contenders are gearing up for round two. >> how is the debate prep going, sir? >> it is going great. >> reporter: their next showdown will be a town hall. cnn's candy crowley will moderate, but the questions will come from the audience. >> i think he needs to be hard-hitting on some, use and take a concrete stand. >> reporter: democrats said president obama was too passive in the first debate. his campaign says that won't happen again. >> he's got to be more energetic. >> i think he's going to be aggressive in making the case for his view of where we should go as a country. >> reporter: ohio senator rob portman has been romney's debate prep partner. he says the republican is ready for battle. >> president obama's going to come out swinging. i think he's going to have to compensate for a poor first debate. >> reporter: the town hall format could prevent challenges. neither candidate has held many events like this. >> both candidates have to tread lightly because if they're going on the offense too aggressively with each

karen travers, abc news, washington. >>> senator feinstein has called for a federal investigation intorecord gas prices we are pail. today's report shows san francisco averages $4.74 for regular oakland and san jose $4.68. those prices are 50 cents a gallon higher than a week ago. the senator has asked the ftc for an immediate probe questioning whether the spike is related to supply. yesterday governor brown ordered smog regulators to allow cheaper winter blend gas to go on sale early to bring down the price. >>> they are cleaning up this morning around oakland city hall after 250 protesters went on a vandalism spree last night. they broke windows and damaged cars around 6 p.m.. the targets included city hall, police recruiting station, several banks and other businesses, plus cars parked along the street. there are no reports of any arrests. >>> vigil will be held tonight for a hercules woman found stabbed in her home. 55-year-old susie ko was found friday night the murder weapon has not been found. the family is holding a memorial for the retired schoolteacher tonight at 8:30 on ash

karen travers shows us how the candidates are preparing. >> the contenders are gearing up for round. two romney is pressing for the debate in boston and the president is in williamsburg, virginia. >> it is going great. >> next showdown will be a townhall. the questions will come from the audience. democrats said president obama was too pass have any the first debate. campaign says that won't happen again. >> nobody is harsher critic than the president is of himself. i think he'll make adjustments on tuesday. >> rob portman has been romney's debate partner. >> she is going to come out swinging. he will have to compensate for a poor first debate. >> it could present challenges. neither candidate has held many events like this. >> both candidates have to tread lightly because if they are going on the offense too aggressively with each other, that can spill over into the audience and make them look too combative. >> so getting aggressive could be a tricky balancing act. >> can the question is, can he walk the tightrope and not cross the line. >> reporter: romney needs to reach out the au

karen travers, abc news, florida. >> i've got to tell you. did you see the second debate? >> yeah. >> i felt like it was a rumble. >> it was a rumble. >> it seemed a little uncomfortable. >> uncomfortable. >> it seemed so aggressive. i wonder what will happen with the debate. arguably, before libya, the president should have gone in in sort of a position of strength. he got osama bin laden. sort of the world now sees america as being this -- superpower, but, but not the ugly americans that i think many people thought we were, and now i mean things have completely shifted for him. >> i think both of them are going to be a little more stately on this one, slightly pulled back. >> i hope so. >> i think you're going to find the race couldn't be any closer. a new nbc "wall street journal" poll found the candidates ties with 47% each of the likely voters before the debates begin. obama led the same poll by three points before this all started, so he definitely lost some ground on this. >> not a good place to be for incumbent. >> stay tuned to abc news for coverage of the debate.

abc's karen travers has more on the campaign trial. >> reporter: shifting focus to foreign affairs, mitt romney launched a scathing attack on president obama's policies and leadership overseas. >> it's time to change course in the middle east. it's clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office. >> reporter: so far, the economy has dominated the campaign debate. but the romney campaign tried to seize on questions and criticism about the president's handling of last month's attack in libya. it was a chance to try to reverse the tide of romney's recent perceived missteps, including his initial response to the libya attack. the republican contender accused the president of passivity over partnership. >> i know the president hopes for a middle east aligned with us. but hope is not a strategy. >> reporter: the romney campaign was feeling good after its debate performance last week. and there's evidence he got a bounce. the president was stumping for cash, not votes. he continued his california fund-raising swing, which is expected to bring in $

karen travers, abc news, washington. >>> senator feinstein has called for a federal investigation intorecord gas prices we are pail. today's report shows san francisco averages $4.74 for regular oakland and san jose $4.68. those prices are 50 cents a gallon higher than a week ago. the senator has asked the ftc for an immediate probe questioning whether the spike is related to supply. yesterday governor brown ordered smog regulators to allow cheaper winter blend gas to go on sale early to bring down the price. >>> they are cleaning up this morning around oakland city hall after 250 protesters went on a vandalism spree last night. they broke windows and damaged cars around 6 p.m.. the targets included city hall, police recruiting station, several banks and other businesses, plus cars parked along the street. there are no reports of any arrests. >>> vigil will be held tonight for a hercules woman found stabbed in her home. 55-year-olsusie ko was found friday night the murder weapon has not been found. the family is holding a memorial for the retired schoolteacher tonight at 8:30 on ash co

we get more of wednesday's debate in denver from abc's karen travers. >> reporter: president obama arrived in nevada for three days of what campaign aide are calling debate camp. but he took a break to rally supporters in that critical battleground state. >> i believe in you. and i ask you to keep on believing in me. >> reporter: both the president and mitt romney will hunker down over the next few days as they huddle with senior advisers to prepare for wednesday's high-stakes showdown in denver. in recent days aides to both campaigns have been bending over backwards to compliment their opponent and downplay expectations for their side. new jersey governor chris christie set a high bar for romney. >> this is the first moment when the american people are going to be able to see these two guys side by side, laying out their vision unfiltered. and i think that's going to be a powerful moment for mitt romney. >> reporter: and an adviser for romney says they're preparing for romney to come armed. >> they've been practicing zingers for months. >> reporter: abc news political analyst matt dowd sa

abc's karen travers live in denver with a look. karen. >> reporter: good morning, paula. good morning, rob. it was clear from the start of last night's debate that mitt romney saw this as an opportunity to shack up the race. came out aggressive, well prepared and put the president on defense for much of the 90 minutes. president obama and mitt romney finally went head-to-head. right out of the gate the candidates boiled down their economic arguments. >>> if you will, trickle down government would work. that's not the right answer for america. >> reporter: romney's comments about the 47% have taken a toll on his campaign, even before the leaked video, polls showed americans think he favors the wealthy over the middle-class. he clearly wanted to try to change that perception. >> the people who are having a hard time right now are middle-income americans. under the president's policies, middle-income americans have been buried. they're, they're just being crushed. i will not under any circumstances raise taxes on middle-income families

karen travers breaks down the argument. >> reporter: the president and romney finally went head to head. right out of the gate the candidates boiled down their economic arguments. >> governor romney, has a perspective that says if we cut taxes, go toward the wealthy and roll back regulation that we will be better off. i have a different view. >> the president has a view similar to the one he had when he ran four years ago. if you will trickle down government would work. that's not the right answer former. >> reporter: his comments about the 47% have taken a toll on his campaign. even before that leaked video show that americans think he favors the wealthy. tonight he wanted to try to change that perspective. >> the people who are having the hard time right now are middle income americans. under the president's policies they have been buried. they are just being crushed. i will not under any circumstances race taxes on middle income families. >> reporter: the president said he doesn't have the right answer and romney can't keep his goal of cutting taxes without hurting the middle class.

karen travers, abc news, cleveland, ohio. >>> busy scene out there by karen. interesting development yesterday was that colin powell, arguably one of the most prominent african-americans in the country cam oe out and endorsed obama, did the same in 2008. asked about his rationale, one thing he pointed to was foreign policy. couldn't get a strong handle on where mitt romney stood on foreign policy. some flip-flops or ambiguous answers. again, backed the president. and you know, what weight that still has or doesn't have. who knows. clearly, another, you know another big name, throw in there, opinion out there. >> almost as big as meat loaf endorsing mitt romney. >> meat loaf put his two cents in. >> which is mitt romney's favorite food. >> is it really? >> what his wife says. >> good to know. >> i do love meat loaf, potatoes, bacon on top. >> you and mitt should go out on a hot date together. let the good times roll. >> you know me, meat and potatoes. how did we get there? in syria months of violence have come to a stop. the army agreed to a four day saes fire

abc's karen travers live in denver with a look. good morning, paula. good morning, rob. it was clear from the start of last night's debate that mitt romney ral saw this this as an opportunity to shake up the race. he came out aggressive, he came out well prepared and he put the president on defense for much of the 90 minutes. president obama and mitt romney finally went head-to-head. right out of the gate the candidates boiled down their economic arguments. >> governor romney has a perspective that says if we cut taxes, skewed towards the wealthy and roll-back regulations that we'll be better off. i've got a different view. >> the president has a view similar to the view he had when he ran four years ago. if you will, trickle-down government would work. that's not the right answer for america. >> reporter: romney's comments about the 47% have taken a toll on his campaign, even before the leaked video, polls showed americans think he favors the wealthy over the middle class. he clearly wanted to try to change that perception. >> the

karen travers, abc news, denver. >>> the president's campaign is dealing with an october surprise sois morning after video of an old speech resurfaced. at issue, previously unreported remarks made by then-senator obama to a largely african-american audience back in 2007. now obama suggested the federal government overlooked new orleans residents suffering in the whack ake of hurricane katrs opposed to disasters victims in other parts, such as -- praised jeremiah right, calling him a friend and leader. the obama campaign says the video's release is an attempt by romney supporters to shift the focus away from romney's 47% secret videotape. romney's campaign said they had no involvement in the release. they even go so far as to say, what's the news? i don't know. that's straight from romney's communications director. >> right. you have to wonder, will this be an issue in tonight's debate. the jeremiah wright was a racially tinged scandal, led the president to give the speech in philadelphia, widely hailed, race is a comb mrx issue in the country always has been. we have yet to perfect a

karen travers has a look at how both parties are preparing for the first debate on wednesday. >> presidentbama arrived in nevada for three days of what campaign aids are calling debate camp. he took a break to rally supporters in that critical battleground state. >> i believe in you, and i ask you to keep on believing in me. >> both the president and mitt romney will hunker down over the next few days as they huddle with senior advisors to prepare for wednesday's high stakes showdown in november. aids to both campaigns have been bending over backwards to come compliment their opponent and downplay expectations. kris chris -- chris christie set a high bar for romney. >> this is the first time america can see these guys side by side laying out their visions unfiltered. it will be a powerful moment for mitt romney. >> they are preparing for mitt romney to come armed. >> they have been practicing the zingers for months. i'm sure they will have a bunch of lines. that's not what the american people are looking for. >> matt doud says at this point they are emphasizing style over substance. >> deb

karen travers, abc news, washington. >> hmm. >> all right. >> talking about the whole style not substancetant. and particularly just likability, what people feel like they, they feel lik they have a comfort zone with you. it's important. >> i don't think any body has prepared more so than mitt romney. expecting 50 million to 60 million eyeballs. >> how many zingers stuffed in their coat. got the zinger. bang. >> pull it out, boom. >> good sound bites coming up. >> as chris christie said. he is going to be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. >> yes. >> okay. one way to put it. >> the first of three debates between the two men. really this is, the real important one. getting done to the wire. romney looking for a turnaround. this is big. >> this one is about domestic policy. the next one will be foreign policy. the third one will be a mix of both of them. so this coming wednesday, 9:00, 90 minutes. sit side by side, like two bar stools. >> directors chairs. >> sans the beer. >>> overseas now we go where the u.s. war in afghanistan reached a grim milestone. the death toll reached 2,0

karen travers has the latest on the campaign trail. >> california is safely in president obama's corner, but he is not there looking for votes. he is raising campaign cash, a lot of it. >> are you fired up? >> tonight the stars came out. george clooney, stevie wonder, jon bon jovi and katie perry are on hand to support the president's re-election. >> everything we fought for in 2008 is on the line. and i need your help to finish what we started. >> if will be a lucrative california swing. over two days the obama campaign is expected to raise a minimum of $9.5 million. no surprise that the president is shattering fundraising records. last month the president's campaign in the democratic party raised $181 million. bringing his re-election total to $835 million. romney's raised at least $548 million so far. mitt romney spent a second consecutive day asking for votes in florida. >> thank you. >> the republican contender is riding some momentum from last week's debate. huey has drawn his biggest crowds of the campaign. 6,000 in orlando and 8,000 in port saint lucy. >> you had a chance to hea

karen travers has the latest on the campaign trail. >> california is safely in president obama's corner, but he is not there looking for votes. he is raising campaign cash, a lot of it. >> are you fired up? >> tonight the stars came out. george clooney, stevie wonder, jon bon jovi and katie perry are on hand to support the president's re-election. >> everything we fought for in 2008 is on the line. and i need your help to finish what we started. >> if will be a lucrative california swing. over two days the obama campaign is expected to raise a minimum of $9.5 million. no surprise that the president is shattering fundraising records. last month the president's campaign in the democratic party raised $181 million. bringing his re-election total to $835 million. romney's raised at least $548 million so far. mitt romney spent a second consecutive day asking for votes in florida. >> thank you. >> the republican contender is riding some momentum from last week's debate. huey has drawn his biggest crowds of the campaign. 6,000 in orlando and 8,000 in port saint lucy. >> you had a chance to hea

karen travers has a look at how both parties are preparing for the first debate on wednesday. >> president obama arrived in nevada for three days of what campaign aids are calling debate camp. he took a break to rally supporters in that critical battleground state. >> i believe in you, and i ask you to keep on believing in me. >> both the president and mitt romney will hunker down over the next few days as they huddle with senior advisors to prepare for wednesday's high stakes showdown in november. aids to both campaigns have been bending over backwards to come compliment their opponent and downplay expectations. kris chris -- chris christie set a high bar for romney. >> this is the first time america can see these guys side by side laying out their visions unfiltered. it will be a powerful moment for mitt romney. >> they are preparing for mitt romney to come armed. >> they have been practicing the zingers for months. i'm sure they will have a bunch of lines. that's not what the american people are looking for. >> matt doud says at this point they are emphasizing style over substance. >> d

abc's karen travers is joining us now with more. hey, karen. >> good morning, rob.ection day, yesterday wasn't the typical day on the campaign trail. mitt romney was focused on foreign policy, and the president was asking for cash, not votes. shifting his focus to foreign affairs, mitt romney launched a scathing attack on president obama's policies and leadership overseas. >> it's time to change course in the middle east. it's clear that the risk of conflict in the region is higher now than when the president took office. >> reporter: so far the economy has dominated the campaign debate, but the romney campaign tried to seize on questions and criticisms about the president's handling of last month's attack in libya. it was also a chance to try to reverse the tide after some of romney's perceived missteps including initial response to the libya attack. the republican contender accused the president of passivity over partnership. >> i know the president hopes for a safer, freer, more prosperous middle east allied with us. i share this hope. but hope is not a strategy.

abc's karen travers is at the debate site in hempstead, new york, with the latest. paula. remember before that first debate when both campaigns were bending over backward to try and lower expectations? well, we're not hearing that this time around from the obama campaign. they're trying to reassure anxious democrats that the president is going to show up tonight very prepared and very aggressive. president obama and mitt romney are off the trail gearing up for their second round in the ring. tuesday night's showdown will be a town hall. audience members will be asking the questions, which have been pre selected by the moderator. neither candidate has held many campaign events like this recently. and even with the intense prep sessions, this format could bring challenges. >> both candidates have to tread lightly because if they are going on the offense too aggressively with each other, that could spill over to the audience and may make them look too combative. >> reporter: president obama was widely criticized after the first debate. his campaign says he has made adj

abc's karen travers is joining us this morning with a preview of the debate. rob. good morning, paula. it's been very quiet on the campaign trail as president obama and mitt romney hunkers down and prepares for wednesday's debate. a new abc news/"washington post" poll shows a very tight race. so both campaigns see tomorrow night as a big opportunity. this presidential campaign has been going on for nearly two years and finally it's debate season for the nominees. the time when americans seem to really start paying attention. president obama's rehearsing with senator john kerry and mitt romney is squaring off against senator rob portman. both candidates have challenges and checklists. president obama's working on shorter answers, trying to avoid sounding like the professor he was before the white house. democrats say he needs to look strong and forceful and not appear irritated or impatient. >> they're trying to get him into the mode of being able to answer questions, short, concisely, and to the point, and so it's much more like his mannerisms and his style and

go, it's all still up for grabs and depending more than ever on the state of ohio where abc's karen traverscandidates. >> reporter: finishing off a marathon two-day campaign blitz, president obama rolled into the most critical battleground of all -- >> hello, ohio! [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: ohio with its 18 electoral votes could be the state that decides the next president. >> this sends a message not just across ohio but across the whole country. this campaign is growing, the momentum is building, we are taking back america. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: polls in the battleground state show the president with the edge. the latest poll in ohio has him up by five. buckeye state voters are used to being the center of the political universe. and this year they're being showered with attention. the president's made 14 stops. it's the state he visited most in office. mitt romney, 15 trips. about a third of all votes nationwide will be cast before election day. and the campaigns are trying to lock down supporters now so they can focus on the true undecideds, as the clock ticks d

abc's karen travers has more. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula.print to the finish line is under way. yesterday was the busiest day on the campaign trail yet with both candidates out there in the battleground states trying to lock down support. contendersre kicking it into high gear. >> this is the first stop on our 48-hour fly-around, campaign marathon extravaganza. we are going to pull an all-nighter. no sleep. >> he is even taking "air force one" to florida. the president is delivering his closing argument. >> we have been through tough times over the past four years, we have been through tougher times before. we are always moving forward. that's why i am asking for your vote. >> reporter: mitt romney has a closing argument. >> it doesn't feel like forward. it feels like backward. we'll take back the white house. >> reporter: a controversial comment from a republican senate candidate is causing the party and romney headaches. indiana republican, richard mourdock said a pregnancy that resulted from rape is something god intended. he says he beli

karen travers joins us with a preview. karen. >> reporter: good morning, john, good morning, sunny.n danville, kentucky. but we are still talking about last week's debate. the president was not really trying to defend his performance. vice president biden's goal, halt mt romney's momentum. powell ryan he well do anything to keep it going. abc's diane sawyer sat down exclusively with president obama and she asked him, what happened at that first debate? >> well, governor romney had a good night. i had a bad night. >> how bad? >> well not the first time i have had a bad night. i think what's important that the fundamentals of what this race is about haven't changed. >> reporter: romney is on the hot seat. he told iowa's des moines register, quote, there is no legislation with regards to b s bors -- abortion that i am familiar with that would become part of my agenda. >> do i believe the supreme court should overturn roe v. wade. yes. >> before he left for kentucky. ryan was grilled by report ears but romney seeming to downplay what he would do about abortion as president. >> our posit

abc's karen travers is joining us this morning with more on this very close race. good morning, karen. >> reporter: good morning, rob. good morning, sunny. good luck trying to make sense of any polls over the last couple days. one thing is clear this race has gotten tighter. mitt romney was back in iowa for the first time in nearly a month. >> iowa is going to help elect me the next president of the united states. >> reporter: flying over his event this sign mocking him for the comments about big bird at last week's debate. the obama campaign is also trying to keep that in the news with this new ad. >> mitt romney taking on our enemies no matter where they nest. >> reporter: republicans say the president's campaign is showing signs of desperation. >> these are tough times. with real serious, use. so you have to scratch your head when the president spend the last week talking about saving big bird. >> election day, weeks away, getting a solid read on where the race stand is not easy. a new poll from the pew research center taken after the debate, shows romney has pul