>>> coming up, a lucky severson report on lobbying to defeat state supreme court justices who make decisions the lobbyists don't like. can justices remain impartial when they have to raise money for re-election? >>> also, a judy valente story on the thousands of neighborhoods -- urban and rural -- where the residents have no access to food that is fresh. they call them food deserts. >>> and after the solemn high holidays, the exuberant jewish celebration of simchat torah. it's the end of the one-year cycle of reading the torah and the beginning of the next, starting all over. >>> welcome. i'm bob abernethy. it's good to have you with us. >>> president obama and governor mitt romney squared off in their first presidential debate wednesday. earlier in the week, thousands of conservative christians gathered in philadelphia to pray for the future of the country. organizers said the rally was not political, although same-sex marriage and abortion were widely denounced. they also called for 40 days of prayer leading up to the election. >>> meanwhile, this weekend, a conservative christian group is

abc's chuck severson reports on what the candidates are doing ahead of tuesday's clash. [applause] >> reporter: president barack obama flew to williamsburg, virginia to practice for his next presidential debate, hoping to make a better showing than in the first go-around with mitt romney. the town hall format of tuesday's face-off may favor president obama. >> the president draws more energy off crowds. i think this will be a better arena for him. and the fact it's nondomestic issues and social issues, it puts mitt romney in a tough spot reaching out to the center. >> and in the meantime mitt romney prepped before campaigning in the critical battleground state of ohio. >> we want to have a real recovery, and i'm going to help bring it. >> also in ohio, romney's vice presidential nominee, paul ryan, attacked mr. obama for not doing enough to strengthen the u.s. economy. not so, says the president. in his weekly address he pointed to his bailout of the u.s. auto industry. >> i bet on american workers and american ingenuity, and three years later that bet is paying off in a

abcs chuck severson reports on what the candidates are doing ahead of tuesday's clash.nt barack obama flew to virginia to practice for his next presidential debate hoping to make a better showing than in the first go around with mitt romney. the town hall format of tuesday's face-off may favor president obama. >> the president draws for energy off crowds. i think this will be a better arena for him. and the fact it's nondomestic issues and social issues, it puts mitt romney in a tough spot reaching out to the center. >> and in the meantime mitt romney prepped before campaigning in the critical battleground state of ohio. >> we want to have a real recovery, and i'm going to help bring it. >> also in ohio, romney's vice presidential nominee, paul ryan, attacked mr. obama for not doing enough to strengthen the u.s. economy. not so says the president. he pointed to his bailout of the u.s. auto industry. >> i bet on american workers and american engine newty, and three years later that bet is paying off in a big way. >> and the president is betting on star power to bolter hi