our nick paton walsh has more from kabul.s attack. not specifying the nationality, but cnn's barbara starr at the pentagon is able to confirm, according to u.s. officials, that initial reports suggest all 13 of these people were americans. obviously, a huge loss for the u.s. here. attack on a convoy by a suicide bomber driving a car, we understand. a police chief saying this was a red corolla that seemed to be laden with explosives. obviously a massive blast to penetrate the kind of armored vehicle. and this happening in what should be one of the more secure parts of the afghan capital. alina? >> nick, this is the deadliest attack on u.s. troops since august when a helicopter crash killed 38 people including 22 navy s.e.a.l.s. having said that, there have been several other attacks today in afghanistan including a female suicide bomber who targeted the nation's intelligence agency. >> reporter: absolutely. a troubling flurry of violence here in the last day, frankly. in the northeast, a woman wearing a burqa said to be 25 det

live to kabul and cnn's nick paton walsh. your learning anything more about the casualties and whether the fear is more people might be -- more people's lives may be in peril? >> reporter: well, there's a statement released clarifying who the casualties were. they said eight civilian personnel working were killed and five military. not releasing their nationalities. but a u.s. official said all 13 were americans. that subsequently you a pierce to be in doubt because the canadian military have just said that one. dead was, in fact, a canadian soldier. so there's a picture emerging slowly here, perhaps testament to the severity of the blast. a suicide bomber running into an armored bus known as rhino bus. these are heavily armored buses to ferry personnel through hostile areas. you have to tuned sheer amount of explosion required to damage one much these enormous vehicles. >> you know, nick, there's a statement coming out from the u.s. ambassador to afghanistan, ryan crocker, and he's saying this. it's a shock. it makes you mad

cnn's nick paton walsh has more. >> reporter: it began when they landed in beg graham and it goes on.jet fuel, faith and now fatigue. here you can see what it takes to carry on through this decade's wars. lieutenant colonel eric albert son is chaplain to thousands, in the several months affected by the very few. >> a number of soldiers in their third, fourth, in some cases their fifth tour, there's a fatigue factor. emotionally drained, physically tired. we've had instances where soldiers have taken their own lives here. that's tragic. we've had about six or seven since i've been here. when someone takes their own life, there's almost a sense of -- you've reached out to me for everything else. why didn't you reach out to me for this? >> reporter: the ripples of a suicide reach far. master sergeant stratsman is in this tour so her three tours won't be, marched by the loss of a friend in iraq. >> it was actually -- she overdosed. and she was younger than me, so i didn't -- i thought she had a lot to live for. i don't know why it happened. i wasn't necessarily talking with her frequently

nick paton walsh, cnn, kabul. >> all right. nick. when we come right back, we'll take a look at the high-profile trial of dr. conrad murray. he's accused of killing michael jackson with a lethal dose of the drug propofol. i know pleasing fans is a top priority, 'cause without the fans, there'd be no nascar. just like if it weren't for customers, there'd be no nationwide. that's why they serve their customers' needs, not shareholder profits. because as a mutual, nationwide doesn't report to wall street, they report to their customers. and that's just one more reason why the earnhardt family has trusted nationwide for more than 30 years. nationwide is on your side. [ gnome ] awwwwwwww. i just feel bloody awful. she told tiffany, stephanie, jenny and becky that she was coming to a place like this! but somebody didn't book with travelocity, with 24/7 customer support to help move them to the pool daddy promised! look at me, i'm swimming! ♪ [ gnome ] somebody, get her a pony! [ female announcer ] the travelocity guarantee. if your booking

nick paton walsh for cnn. benghazi. >> lots of celebrating going on there. well, tunisia offered a glimpse of libya's future today with its first election since protests led to the exile of the nation's longtime president. turnout was simply overwhelming. officials say more than 90% of the 4 million registered voters cast ballots. some tunisias waited hours to cast a ballot. and as lines snaked around the block at some polls, they're electing an assembly, which will rig write the country's new constitution. >>> and new clues emerge in the case of the missing baby lisa irwin in missouri. we're live at the little girl's home with information on why this could help turn suspicion away from the parents. >>> and details also on a high-speed crash that left a famous motorcycle racer dead and the entire racing community in shock. you name it. i've tried it. but nothing's helped me beat my back pain. then i tried this. it's salonpas. this is the relief i've been looking for. salonpas has 2 powerful pain fighting ingredients that work for up to 12 hours. and my pharm

nick paton walsh, cnn, background. >> nick, itthanks. >>> it's a shocking word but it's in the news today. >> telling a group of women after assaults on their campus that in order to stop being victims and stop dressing like sluts. >>> these protests are causing controversies of their own because of what they are calling "the movement". >>> plus, a new twist in the hunt for a missing 10-month-old who we're told was snatched from her crib in the middle of the night. the police says that they are not cooperating and the couple is now responding. we're on the case. that's ahead. or hires another employee, it's not just good for business. it's good for the entire community. at bank of america, we know the impact that local businesses have on communities. that's why we extended $7.8 billion to small businesses across the country so far this year. because the more we help them, the more we help make opportunity possible. >>> well, pay attention to this next story because i want to know what you think. women outraged that what they wear could be responsible for an attack. now, i have to warn you

nick paton walsh, cnn, bagram. >>> more "cnn newsroom" right after this break.ice is critical to our economy-- delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. and what it doesn't cover can cost you some money. that's why you should consider an aarp... medicare supplement insurance plan... insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. all medicare supplement insurance plans can help pay... some of what medicare doesn't, so you could save... thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses. call now for this free information kit and medicare guide. if you're turning 65 or you're already on medicare... you should know about this car

our nick paton walsh is live in kabul. ave to say that it is the haqqani network in pakistan? >> reporter: well, a spokesman for the interior ministry in afghanistan stresses this is the early part of their investigation, but so far they have contact information about vehicles and evidence, they say, which points to the haqqani network being behind this. that's significant because the haqqanis have been behind three significant attacks here in the center of kabul over the past five months or so. different parts of the insurgency accused by u.s. officials of having links and safe havens in pakistan, not necessarily working as much with the taliban or traditional insurgency in afghanistan but certainly sophisticated in terms of their reaching what should be safe areas here in the capital of kabul. >> nick, i imagine this only complicates the situation between the united states and pakistan. they've been trying to work together but clearly u.s. officials an military have been very frustrated that you have that network just ove

. >> nick paton walsh, thank you very much for that report. >>> from the mid-atlantic to new england, a rare october surprise. a powerful snowstorm could paralyze parts of the region this halloween weekend. hard to believe, but it's true. in preparations for the storm already in full swing, among the big concerns, power outages. and, of course, travel delays. it's snowing in parts of new york, massachusetts and other states across the region. some areas are expecting more than a foot of know. alexandra steele is tracking a big storm for us. what do we have in store? i'm afraid to ask. >> power outages, check. allegheny electric reporting already 20,000 without power in maryland and pennsylvania. already have snow in white plains. the flurries have begun. you know, it's been 59 years since m m had measurable snow. that doesn't mean flakes of flurries. at least a tenth of an inch. since records have been kept by the national weather service, only three times in october since the 1800 he is, but not unprecedented because we have seen it. you can see where we are, new york, philly, washin

. >> nick paton walsh, thank you so much from kabul. >>> here in the u.s. from the mid-atlantic it to new england, a rare october surprise. a powerful snowstorm could paralyze parts of the region this halloween weekend. preparations for the storm are already in full swing. among the big concerns, power outages and travel delays, and it's already, by the way, snowing in parts of new york, massachusetts and other states across the region. some areas are expecting more than a foot of snow. pretty hard to believe, and we're not even at halloween yet. alexand andra steel. >> that's monday and days away. surprise. i take hum bridge with that as a meteorologist. this is no surprise. >> big snowfall and then immediate melt? >> it's 40 degrees. >> it's a quickie? >> it's in and out in one day, and it's exciting. look at cool pictures. this is like christmas for meteorologists here. i hope you enjoy it. let's show you what we have in new york city. it is snowing. look at this. oh, my gosh. this is beautiful. washington square all the way to times square, we had pictu

let's go live to kabul now and nick paton walsh. what have you heard about the casualty? >> reporter: the latest statement from nato says that eight civilians, not many civilians working for nato and five military personnel were killed in this significant explosion. a u.s. official earlierer said they were all americans. that initial reporting appears to be changing. strong indication as to the horrific nature of this blast in which a suicide bomber drove a vehicle ladened with explosives into an armored bus known as a rhino. these are large heavily armored vehicles to ferry personnel through hostile environments. you get the idea of the sheer volume of explosive that would be needed to overturn this bus and cause that level of casualties. >> was this a dense area of downtown kabul? >> reporter: this is one of the roads heading in and out of the city. it's densely-populated for afghan civilians caught in this blast. two a school children. a man on his motor bike and a policeman killed in this incident. a huge blast affect this area. one of a slew of attacks that hit afgha

. >> nick paton walsh, thank you. >>> the haqqani network, it is the name of the veteran taliban commander the group. he had close contacts with Ñici and intelligent service. it's alleged the intelligence agency still has strong ties with the haqqani group.t(e1 &hc% about. the fbi and isfá department of q.spu enforcement to be prepare for possible retaliatory this is connected to the cia al awlaki. he is one of the leading voices in the arabian peninsula. heret( is the warningok that wa sent to your local police department. quote, we assess that al awlaki's standing as a preimminent english language advocate of violence could trigger hve's to take violent action toçóxd avenge his death. hves, homegrn8z violent activities. we are concerned about the possibility that autonomous extremists mayq react violently. then there'sa5 this, we areok concerned that the operational guidance andok instructions provided in past issues of "inspire" magazineçó could be ud by hves to prepare innocent attacks.xd "inspe" is al qaeda's english language magazine. the editor was killed in that drone strooip stri

. >> nick paton walsh live for us in afghanistan, thank you very much. >>> turning live now to the gop presidential trail, rick perry may be looking to cut back on his debate appearance. here is what his spokesman said. >> we certainly respect the process. but when you've got eight or nine candidates and 30 seconds to a minute, it takes valuable time away from campaigning in iowa as those elections approach. >> did i say -- are you saying he's going to look over the calendar and scratch some of them out? >> john, they're having 18 more in the planning phase. there's no way that the candidates can do all those debates. >> all right. this is do you think it's a good idea to start skipping debates? let's talk about rick perry. he hasn't decided yet whether he's going to bow out of some of these debates. i believe there are 18 in all left so far. but having said that, would he be saying this if this debate performances were deemed good and his poll numbers stayed up? or is it only because the media has said he didn't do such a good job? >> well, of course he wouldn't be saying that if he d

. >>> afghanistan, much has changed, then again nick paton walsh came across a case of tribal justiceout whether anything has changed. a warning before we show you this report, pictures are violent and quite disturbing. >> reporter: on his knees, me he condemned for killing his lover's husband, praise the father approaches his son's alleged killer, hoed t hole the he's told. stop shooting, you donkey, they say. the warlord ordered the father to only shoot twice, but the father just didn't stop. he's still alive, they say. but not for long. >> disturbing story there. the war in afghanistan now the longest u.s. military action in our history surpassing vietnam. that makes ten as in ten years, tonight's number. some other numbers about that conflict, we want to bring to you tonight. 3,652 days. if you bring it on out, sadly, 1,790 americans have lost their lives in gan ov lives in afghanistan over the past decade. american taxpayers spent $323 billion. up next, tonight's truth in making the case, his case, to commander in chief. did mitt romney say anything that warrants an apology? >>>

. >> nick paton walsh in kabul for us. >>> dozens of deaths reported across sir at-bats tonight as security after anti-government demonstrators with lethal firepower. arwa damon has the latest. >> don, the focus of this most recent offensive appears to be the neighborhood in the city of homs according to one activist we spoke to. he said he heard military jets overhead at 9:30 in the morning and thanks began opening fire n indiscrimina indiscriminately. at times appearing to target people's homes and balconies. this particular neighborhood is well-known as being one of the main epicenters of anti-government activity in the city of homs. has been under siege for weeks now, but it has been one of the major flash points of clashes taking place between syrian security forces and the factors who call themselves the free syrian army. according to the syrian observatory for human rights, 20 loyalist troops where is killed during those clashes and 53 injured. activists also report a number of can't casualties amongst civilians. other parts of the country under heavy military crackdown. it most cert

nick paton walsh, cnn. >>> just ahead here on cnn, the jury in the michael jackson death case, they hearonrad murray and michael jackson himself in court this week. and and the many loves of conrad murray as well. dered the yummy cereal? yummy. [ woman ] lower cholesterol. [ man 2 ] yummy. i got that wrong didn't i? [ male announcer ] want great taste and whole grain oats that can help lower cholesterol? honey nut cheerios. what makes us number one in motorcycle insurance? we love bikes. we love riders. and most of all, we love to ride. perfect hair every time. leading the pack in motorcycle insurance. now, that's progressive. call or click today. >>> in los angeles, the trial of michael jackson's doctor is recessed until tuesday. of all the testimony this past week, perhaps nothing really is quite as disturbing as listening to an incoherent michael jackson apparently drugged up. >> sad that he had no childhood, that he feels their pain. legal analyst holly hughes is here. this is unbelievable. it's incoherent. the jurors listening to this, the family, sadly, having to listen to this. co

. >> nick paton walsh, nick, thank you. >>> now featured in brand new videos, guess who released themere in united states. >> jack cafferty asking, does the weak recovery feel more like recession to you? stand by. so you're seriously proposing we change our name to sun life valley. do we still get to go skiing? sooner or later, you'll know our name. sun life financial. ♪ [ multiple snds ng melodic tune ] ♪ [ malennounc ] at northrop grumman, makthworld a feplace. th's value performance. northr gruan. >>> let's get right back to jack cafferty for the cafferty file. >> does the weak recovery feel more like a recession to you? brian in illinois says to me, it feels as if we may be on the cusp of great depression two, if we aren't already there. the visibility of the occupy movement is not enough to prove that so many are struggling even though much has been swept under the rug fwr a long time now. the theme of today's holiday says it all. very >>> riley writes, i think it's the new normal for the country. it's not going to be good for many, many people. kristen on facebook, yes, it feels

nick paton walsh, thank you very much. >>> we want to turn back to the united states and the northeasthe snowstorm that is approaching. i want to say hello to t.j. holmes who just e-mailed me and is watching. >> it's certainly rare. unprecedented, not so we have seen snow in october, but it's about a month and a half early for the big cities. yeah. this is not december. look at this radar. western new york, western maryland, elkins, west virginia, morgantown, state college. this is just the beginning of it we will watch the cool air come in. colder air comes in, it will change the rain over to snow. for the balance of everyone, that won't happen along the eastern seaboard until tonight. here's a look at the big picture. new york city, here's the deal. windy and rainy today. we'll mix with snow this evening, the snow will taper off tonight in new york city. three to five inches. this is the first time in 59 years that we had october snow. so, pretty incredible. boston, the later and the more north and east you are, the later it will come but the later it will stay. windy, rainy day, tur