i'm tara mergener at the white house with the story coming up. >> when it comes to elections you care most about what happens closest to home. so i'm crisscrossing the region to cover the election most important, yours and those hot button issues tonight at 11:00. >>> the presidential election is 12 days away and both candidates are in the battleground state. a new associated press poll of likely voters shows governor romney has an advantage among women. tara mergener reports the president has nearly erased romney's advantage with men. >> reporter: the campaign blitz started before dawn. he delivered donuts to florida firefighters and rallied supporters in tampa. after stopping in four battleground states wednesday, the president hits three more today. he'll also travel to illinois where early voting is under way. >> i can't tell you who i'm voting for. it's a secret ballot. but michele says she voted for me. >> reporter: a prominent republican said on cbs this morning he also plans to vote for president obama. >> i voted for him in 2008 and i plan to stick with him in 2012 and i'll b

cbs news reporter tara mergener with that brif moment of levity - and the >>> well, they got together shared a few laughs but that was last night. cbs news reporter tara mergener with the brief moment of levity and now the return to reality. >> reporter: president obama headed back to the campaign trail to rally supporters and try to sway undecided voters in virginia. he told the crowded george mason university his opponent has a problem with changing positions. >> we have to name this condition that he is going through. [ laughter ] >> i think -- i -- i -- i think it's called romnesia. >> reporter: mitt romney and his running mate paul ryan are focusing on another battleground state florida. thursday night the two presidential candidates got a brief break from campaigning and had a little fun at the alfred e. smith dinner in new york. >> in the spirit of sesame street the president's remarks are brought to you by the letter o and the number 16 trillion. >> reporter: romney also took a swipe at the press. >> and i have already seen early reports from tonight's dinner. headline: obama

tara mergener reports from the white house. >> reporter: president obama visited red cross headquarters in washington tuesday afternoon and spoke about the response to the storm. >> my message to itself federal government -- to the federal government, no bureaucracy, no red tape, get resources where they're needed as fast as possible, as hard as possible and for the duration. >> reporter: working to put the recovery effort ahead of the impending election, the president canceled his campaign trip to ohio. he'll see storm damage and thank first responders in new jersey today. republican challenger mitt romney was in ohio tuesday collecting money and relief supplies for storm victims. >> i appreciate your generosity. it's part of the american spirit. the american way to give to people who are in need. and your generosity this morning touches my heart. >> reporter: from the white house, president obama has been calling the governors of storm ravaged states and one of romney's key supporters has been praising the president's leadership. >> his cooperation has been great with fema here on the

tara mergener tells us both campaigns are now dialing down expectations. >> reporter: president obama and mitt romney get their first chance to put their policies side by side this week. wednesday's debate at the university of denver will focus on domestic policy. >> what i am most concerned about is having a serious discussion about what we need to do to keep the country growing. >> reporter: a new poll shows 56% of registered voters think the president will win the match up. he tried to lower expectations at a rally on sunday. >> i know folks in the media are speculating already on who will have the best zinger and tut with most points on the board. governor romney is a good day bator. i am just. >> reporter: the president is staying in nevada to prepare for the debate and romney is heading to colorado today. new jersey chris christie said romney is capable of a good debate. >> this whole race will turn upsetdown come thursday morning. >> i don't think one event will make or break there campaign. >> reporter: romney is trailing in the polls in most must-win states and voters, he say

for more on campaign 2012, let's go to tara mergener. >> reporter: president obama headed back to the campaign trail friday to rally supporters and try to sway undecided voters in virginia. mitt romney and his running mate paul ryan are focusing on another battleground state, florida. thursday night they got a brief break from campaigning and had a little fun at each other's expense. >> reporter: the president's remarks are brought to you by the letter o. and the number 16 trillion. >> reporter: romney also took a swipe at the press. >> i've already seen early reports from tonight's dinner. headline, obama embraced by catholics. romney dies with rich people. [ laughter ] >> reporter: the two candidates will spend the weekend hunkered down preparing for their third and final debate. president obama offered a little preview. >> on monday's debate is a little bit different because the topic is foreign policy. spoiler alert -- we got bin laden. >> reporter: the president also took a shot at his republican challenger's wealth. >> earlier today i went shopping at some stores in midtown. i u

tara mergener has more now from the white house. >> reporter: john keenan is repairing bikes these days. not in montana where he owns a farm with his wife but in springfield, virginia. >> i moved back in with my parents the same house i grew up in. >> reporter: keenan left behind breathtaking vistas and his cashmere sheep because jobs are more plentiful on the east coast. >> it's been is very poor economy for a long time. it's tough to get a job. the scenery is awesome. everyone wants to move there but you can't eat the scenery. >> reporter: the latest job numbers suggest more of the same for people like keenan. 114,000 jobs were added last month. less than in august or july. but the all important employment rate fell to 7 .8%. the lowest since president obama took office. officials at the white house say there is still more work to be done on the jobs front but insist the later report is proof -- latest report is proof the economy is headed in the right direction. >> we've made too much progress to return to the policies that led to the crisis in thefirst place. >> reporter: in a state

tara mergener reports that in many states the campaign doesn't want voters to wait for november 6. they want them to cast ballots now. >> reporter: president obama rallied supporters in iowa, his first stop in a campaign blitz. >> a campaign marathon extravaganza. we're going to pull an all night. no sleep. >> reporter: he's covering more than 5,000 miles. the five-state swing ends overnight in florida. mitt romney is a frequent flyer as well. he's crisscrossing the country this week with rallies in nevada and iowa. >> we don't have to settle for what we've seen the last four years. americans are tired of being tired. we can do better. >> reporter: polls show the race for the white house is too close to call and with less than two weeks until election day, the candidates know every vote counts. the election will likely come down to nine battleground states. that's where both campais are spending almost all their money and time. paul ryan and joe bidens have been dispatched to the all important ohio. and close campaigns are relying on star power. >> we need someone who can turn arou

tara mergener has more on last night's clash and today's campaigning. >> reporter: president obama hit the campaign trail early rallying supporters in del ray beach, florida after his final debate with mitt romney. >> during the debate, he said he'd want more troops in iraq but he was caught on video saying it was unthinkable not to leave 20,000 troops in iraq. >> reporter: romney posed for pictures with police officers this morning before heading to nevada and colorado. both candidates are beginning an all out blitz of key battleground states in the final two weeks of the campaign. during last night's foreign policy debate, the candidates clashed over military sides and spending, russia and iran but their answers often drifted back to the economy. >> america must be strong. america must lead, and for that to happen, we have to strengthen our economy here at home. you can't have 23 million people struggling to get a job. >> both at home and abroad, he has proposed long and reckless policies. >> reporter: when it was over, a cbs news instant poll of uncommitted voters gave a clear victo

cbs reporter tara mergener shows us they are even turning to some celebrities now to help draw in the votes. >> reporter: president obama rallied supporters in iowa, the first stop in a campaign blitz. >> fly around campaign marathon extravaganza. we're going to pull an all- nighter. no sleep. >> reporter: he is covering more than 5,000 miles, the bi- state swing ends in florida. mitt romney is going to rallies in iowa and and other states. >> we don't have to settle. americans are tired of being tired. we can do better. >> reporter: polls show the race for the white house is too close to call and with less than two weeks until election day, the candidates know every vote counts. the election will likely come down to nine battleground states and that's where most campaigns are spending almost all their money and time. paul ryan and joe biden been dispatched to ohio. ♪ [ music ] >> reporter: and both campaigns are relying on star power. >> we need someone who can turn it around fast and that man is mitt romney. >> reporter: clint eastwood is featured in a new ad for mitt romney. bruce

tara mergener for cbs news, the white house. >>> in california, 10% of parents exempt their children from the mandatory school vaccinations. yesterday, governor brown signed a new law making vaccine waivers tougher to get. but a last-minute change is giving parents a new out. >> reporter: at tri-valley pediatrics, this 10-month-old is getting a flu shot. his mother talked to the doctor before making her decision. >> we definitely rely on our pediatrician as an expert. we put our son's health in his hands. >> reporter: a new california law aims to have more parents talking to their pediatrician before they are allowed to reject mandatory vaccines. >> overall, i think it's a step in the right direction. >> reporter: under current state law, before attending school or daycare, kids are required for certain vaccinations, and kids can opt out filing a personal belief exemption. this law doesn't change that but makes the process tougher. parents will have to get a signature from a licensed health care practitioner first. >> we want the real facts rather than things they hear from the inter

cbs reporter tara mergener has the latest from the white house. >> reporter: mitt romney set the debate tone early. >> under the president's policy middle income americans have been buried. >> reporter: energetic and agrees ever, romney slammed the president's economic record and laid out his own plan. >> there will be no cut that adds to the deficit. >> reporter: but the president repeatedly insisted that romney is calling for $8 trillion in tax cuts and spending that cannot be paid for without adding to the deficit or burdening more middle income americans. >> it's math. it's arithmetic. >> reporter: the president also criticized his opponent for not providing more details about wall street reform and healthcare. >> at some point, i think the american people have to ask themselves, is the reason that governor romney is keeping all these plans to replace secret because they're too good? >> reporter: privately, the obama campaign is conceding that romney's extensive debate preparation paid off at a time when he needed a lift. many viewers saw a president not at the top of his game. >> h

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: mitt romney set the debate tone early. >> under the president's policies, middle-income americans have been buried. >> reporter: energetic and aggressive, romney slammed the president's economic record and laid out his own plan. >> there be will no tax cut that adds to the deficit. i want to underline that no tax cut that adds to the deficit. >> reporter: but the president repeatedly insisted that romney is calling for $8 trillion in tax cuts and spending that cannot be paid for without adding to the deficit or burdening more middle-income americans. >> it's math. it's arithmetic. >> reporter: the. also criticized his -- the president also chris sitees the -- criticized hid cal letter without -- his challenger of not providing more. the obama campaign is conceding that the extensive preparation paid off at a time when he needed a lift. many viewers saw a president not at the top of his game. >> he seemed a bit nervous for some reason. almost some questions threw him off and rit romney seemed to throw him off a bit as well. >> reporter: not everyon

cbs reporter tara mergener with the final push for the white house. >> reporter: president obama hit the campaign trail early rallying supporters in del rey beach florida at a debate with mitt romney. >> during the debate he said he didn't want more troops in iraq. but he was caught on video saying it was unthinkable not to leave 20,000 troops in iraq. >> reporter: romney posed for pictures with police officers in florida this morning before heading to nevada and colorado. bows candidates are beginning an all-out blitz of key battleground states in the final two weeks of the campaign. during last night's foreign policy debate, the candidates clashed over military size and spending, russia and iran but answers drift back to the economy. >> america must be strong. america must lead. and for that to happen, we have to strengthen our economy here at home. you can't have 23 million people struggling to get a job. >> both at home and abroad he proposed wrong and reckless policies. >> reporter: when it was over a cbs news instant poll of uncommitted voters gave a clear victory to president

tara mergener is in washington with the latest. good morning, tara. >> reporter: there is a lot of pressure on president obama tonight to make a comeback from that first debate. the challenge for mitt romney is to live up to the high expectations he set in that initial match-up. the stage is set at hofstra university for the second presidential debate. >> i can't even describe how excited i am. >> reporter: the town hall style format will feature 80 randomly selected voters in the audience. all of them will have questions prepared, but only 11 will get to ask them. >> it's going to be fun to watch. maybe more fun for you than for me. >> reporter: mitt romney is coming off what many consider a win in the first debate. he spent monday in boston working with ohio senator rob portman, who has been playing president obama in debate preps. >> how did it go, senator? >> great. >> reporter: president obama spent the day at a resort in williamsburg, virginia. he's promised to be more aggressive in refuting romney's claims, but political anal

tara mergener is in washington with more. >> reporter: good morning. yes, this nonpolitical benefit has been going on since the end of world war ii. it's a time to put aside differences and compete for laughs instead of votes. president obama and mitt romney will be sporting black coats and white ties for the charity dinner in new york tonight. it's a chance for the candidates to have fun and tell bad jokes, like this one from president obama during the last election. >> i do love the waldorf astoria. i hear from the door step you can see all the way to the russian tea room. >> reporter: the jokes are less friendly on the campaign trail as both men battle for every vote they were focused on one group in particular wednesday, women. >> why is it that there are 3.6 million more women in poverty today than when the president took office? this president has failed america's women. >> reporter: president obama took a jab at romney's debate comment that he needed binders full of women to find qualified females for his cabinet position. >> i got to tell you w

at the white house, i'm tara mergener for cbs 5. >>> i'm ken bastida in mobile5 in south fremont. we are going to show you what it took to dig a tunnel through the middle of the city to build a new bart station. >> tea gets a lot of credit but the one thing added to your tea that destroys the health benefits. ,,,,,,,,,,,, to mobile 5 and ken bastidah a first look at the newly completed bart expansion in fremont's warm springs area. n, this is quite a m >>> let's go out live to mobile 5 and ken bastida with a first look at the newly completed bart expansion in fremont's warm springs area. ken, you know, this is quite a milestone. >> reporter: yeah. it's going to take a while to actually finish it. we're standing right now on what in 2015 will be the bay area's newest bart station. it will be called warm springs or the south fremont station, nothing here right now but a bunch of bart rails. but to get here from fremont, the last station on the line, they had to dig the central subway tunnel. now, check this thing out. this thing is 15 football fields long and it goes underneath cent

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: mitt romney and his supporters have a new message for president obama. romney has three more campaign stops in ohio today for a very good reason. no republican has won the presidency without carrying ohio. >> i want you to go out there and find someone who voted for barack obama and get them to come join our team. >> reporter: romney's ohio poll numbers are sunning as more voters -- are surging as more voters are connecting. >> this country is a country of equal opportunity. everybody has an equal chance to succeed and i think romney kind of -- is for that. >> reporter: president obama is back in washington today. the obama campaign has 120 field offices spread across the pivotal state. >> hello, buckeyes. >> reporter: in columbus, the president reminded voters which candidate supported the auto industry bailout. >> we reinvented a dying auto industry that supports one in eight ohio jobs and has come roaring back to the top of the world. >> reporter: ohio senior citizen bill todd believes the president has earned another four years in the white ho

tara mergener have more. >> reporter: they will be sporting black coats and white ties at a charity dinner in new york tonight. it's a chance for the candidateses to have fun and tell bad jokes like this one from president obama during the last election. >> i do love the waldorf astoria. i hear that from the doorstep you can see all the way to the russian tea room. >> reporter: but the jokes are decidedly less friendly on the campaign trail as both men battle for every vote they were focused on one group in particular wednesday: women. >> why is it that there are 3.6 million more women in poverty today than when the president took office? this president has failed america's women. >> reporter: president obama took a jab at romney's debate comment take he needed binders full of women to find qualified females for his cabinet positions. >> i've got to tell you we don't have to collect a bunch of binders to find talented women. >> reporter: the campaigns are having to tailor their mess alleges to reach female voters because women have different concerns than men when it comes to winning their

tara mergener is in washington for us this morning. good morning. >> reporter: it was not all laughs last night but the candidates made that traditional stop along the campaign trail, a chance to score political points with humor for a good cause but today it's back to business. for one night only president obama and mitt romney took a break from the bitter campaign. sort of. >> in the spirit of "sesame street" the president's remarks are brought to by the letter o and the number 16 trillion. broipt men were featured speaker of the al smith dinner, a white tie dinner for catholic charities. >> it's nice to relax and wear what ann and i wear around-the-house. >> reporter: president obama was spoke second and quick on the draw himself. >> everyone take your seats otherwise clint eastwood will yell at them. he admitted some people may be tired of the presidential election. >> sometimes it feels like this race has dragged on forever. but paul ryan assured me we've only been running for two hours and 50 something minutes. >> reporter: the l

tara mergener is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. yes, and to that end the president will be taking a more aggressive tone this time, we understand, while mitt romney tries to top his last performance. president obama took a brief break from his debate prep to visit a campaign field office in virginia. the president has been holed up at a williamsburg virginia resort studying and this time aides say things will be different. prior to the first debate in denver the president held a campaign rally and took a field trip to hoover dam. when asked how his preparations were coming along. >> it's a drag. they are make being me do my homework. >> reporter: he had a different answer when asked the same question on sunday. >> it's going great. >> the obama campaign says president obama knows he has to do better this time. >> nobody is a harsher critic than the president is of himself and he viewed the tape. he'll make some adjustments on tuesday and, you know, i'm not going to get into detail about strategic change that he might make but i jus

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: good morning. with 18 electoral votes ohio is key to mitt romney's path to the white house and according to the latest numbers he's making progress. mitt romney and his supporters have a new message for president obama. >> you got the idea. >> reporter: romney has three more campaig stops in ohio today, for a very good reason. no republican has won the presidency without carrying ohio. . it you to go out there and find someone who voted for barack obama and come get them to join our team. >> reporter: romney's ohio poll voters are surging. >> this country is a country of equal opportunity. i think everybody has an equal chance to succeed and i think romney is for that. >> reporter: president obama is back in "washington today" but no shortage of election staff in ohio. the obama campaign has 10 campaign offices across the state. in columbus the president reminded voters which candidate supported the auto industry bailout. >> we reinvented a dying auto industry that supports one in eight ohio jobs a

cbs reporter tara mergener has more from the white house. >> reporter: workers are setting the stage for wednesday night's presidential debate at the university of denver. both candidates are behind closed doors today getting ready. mitt romney is preparing in colorado and the latest polls show he is trailing the president in most swing states. >> we can do this. >> reporter: his running mate paul ryan is on a bus tour working to sway voters in iowa. >> our goal is to earn your support. we want to deserve this victory. >> reporter: vice president joe biden is in the battleground state of north carolina today while president obama studies for the debate in nevada. he is holding practice sessions with former presidential candidate john kerry, playing the part of mitt romney. on monday, the president called campaign volunteers and told one of them what debate preparation is like. >> basically, they're keeping me indoors all the time. it's a drag. [ laughter ] >> they're making me do my homework. >> reporter: the stakes are high for the debate but both the white house and the romney camp

tara mergener, cbs news, the white house. >>> a moraga teen's quest to become an eagle scout is over since he told family, friends and a boy scouts counselor that he is gay. ryan is a high school senior who completed his final project just last month. it was an anti-bullying wall he helped kids create at his old middle school in moraga but his troop won't sign off on his eagle badge. >> this was an opportunity for our students to participate in the making of a permanent mural that would promote that idea of tolerance and acceptance for all our students. each tile has a different message about respecting all differences. it's a very positive message to promote. >> more than 150,000 people have signed an online petition urging the scouts not to deny ryan his eag al ward. boy scouts of america released a statement that says "he does not agree to scouting's principles of duty to god and does not meet scouting's membership standard on sexual orientation." >>> coming up, military wives raising awareness about ptsd. their unusual strategy that's gone viral on facebook. >> and watch out for

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: president obama took a brief break from his debate prep to visit a campaign office in virginia. he's been hold up at a williamsburg, virginia resort studying. this time aides say things will be different. prior to the first debate in denver, the president held a campaign rally and took a field trip to hoover dam. when asked how his preparations were coming along? >> it's a drag. they're making me do my homework. >> reporter: but had a different answer when asked the same question on sunday. >> it's going great. >> reporter: the obama campaign says the president knows he has to do better this time. >> no one is a harsher critic than the president is of himself. he viewed the tape. i think he's going to make some adjustments on tuesday. i'm not going to get into detail about strategic changes that he might make but i just encourage you to watch. >> reporter: mitt romney's campaign believes the first debate could not have gone better. he's made gains in the polls and appears to have reenergized his base. >> i think the wind is at governor romney's bac

cbs reporter tara mergener on mr. obama's diagnosis. >>> reporter: president obama headed back to the campaign trail friday to rally supporters and try to sway undecided voters in virginia. he told the crowd at george mason university his opponent has a problem with changing positions on issues. >> we have to name this condition that he is going through. [ laughter ] >> i think -- i -- i -- i think it's called romnesia. [ laughter ] >> reporter: mitt romney and his running mate paul ryan are focusing on another battleground state, florida. thursday night, the two presidential candidates got a brief break from campaigning and had a little fun at each other's expense at the smith dinner in new york. >> in the spirit of sesame street the president's remarks tonight are brought to you by the letter o and the number 16 trillion. >> reporter: romney also took a swipe at the press. >> and i have already seen early reports from tonight's dinner. headlines: obama embraced by catholics. [ laughter ] >> romney dines with rich pe

cbs reporter tara mergener has more from washington. >> reporter: president obama was all smiles at a rally in virginia. the labor department says the economy added 114,000 jobs in september and the unemployment rate dropped from 8.1 to 7.8%. >> the unemployment rate has fallen to its lowest level since i took office [ applause and cheers ] >> reporter: but a major drop in unemployment right before the election has some questioning the results. former general electric ceo and mitt romney supporter jack welch went as far as suggesting the obama administration manipulated the report. he tweeted unbelievable jobs numbers. these chicago guys will do anything. can't debate so change numbers. >> reporter: the white house calls welch's insinuation, quote, utter nonsense and most republicans are steering clear of the former ceo's comments including mitt romney. the republican nominee says many of the new jobs are only part time. and that's not what a real recovery looks like. >> even those that have jobs are having tough times. the middle class is being squeezed with higher and higher costs a

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: for one knightage, president obama and mitt romney -- night only, president obama and mitt romney took a break from the bitter campaign. sort of. >> in the spirit of "sesame street" the president's remarks tonight are brought to you by the letter o. and the number 16 trillion. >> reporter: both men were featured speakers of the al smith dinner. a white tie fundraiser for catholic charities. a fact not lost on romney. >> it's nice to finally relax and wear what ann and i wear around the house. >> reporter: president obama spoke second and he was quick on the draw himself. >> everyone please take your seats. otherwise clint eastwood will yell at them. >> reporter: he admitted that some people may be tired of the presidential election. >> sometimes it feels like this race has dragged on forever. but paul ryan assured me we've only been running for two hours and 50 something minutes. >> reporter: the laughs quickly faded when the president was questioned about the government's response to the crisis in libya during an appearance on "the daily show" wit

tara mergener has more. >> reporter: president obama is urging supporters to get almost obsessive about his reelection. >> so i need you in this election. the next 29 days. we cannot afford to be complacent. >> reporter: the president wrapped up a california fund raising blitz in san francisco. he asked donors to send e-mails and make phone calls to people in swing states who will decide the election. >> but we have to understand we've got a lot more to do and if we don't do it, then change won't happen. >> reporter: republican nominee mitt romney heads to middle america today for more campaign rallies. last week's debate reenergized his campaign and now he has the numbers to prove it. in a research center poll last month, romney trailed president obama by eight points. 51% to 43%. but a new poll taken after the presidential debate last week shows him ahead now by four points 49% to 45%. >> people wonder why it is i'm so confident we're going to win. i'm confident because i see you here on a day like this. this is unbelievable. thank you so much. >> reporter: romney campaigned in the po

tara mergener reports that both campaigns are downplaying expectations. >> reporter: workers are setting the stage for wednesday night's presidential debate at the university of denver. both candidates are behind closed doors today getting ready. mitt romney is preparing in colorado and the latest polls show he is trailing the president in most swing states. >> we can do this. >> reporter: his running mate paul ryan is on a bus tour working to sway voters in iowa. >> our goal is to earn your support. we want to deserve this victory. >> reporter: vice president joe biden is in the battle ground state of north carolina today while president obama studies for the debate in nevada. he is holding practice sessions with former presidential candidate john kerry playing the part of mitt romney. on monday the president called campaign volunteers and told one of them what debate preparation is like. >> they're keeping me indoors all the time. it's a drag. they're making me do my homework. >> reporter: the stakes are high for wednesday's debate but both the white house and the romney campaign are t

. >> astaire a mergener reports, -- tara mergener reports, president obama is looking to make changes for this one. >> reporter: president obama took a brief break from debate prep to visit a campaign office in virginia. the president has been hold up at a williamsburg, virginia resort studying and this time aides say things will be different. prior to the first debate in denver, the president held a campaign rally and took a field trip to hoover dam. when asked how his preparations were coming along? >> it's a drag. they're making me do my homework. >> reporter: but he had a different answer when asked the same question on sunday. >> it is going great. >> reporter: the obama campaign says president obama knows he has to do better this time. >> nobody is a harsher critic than the president is of himself. he viewed the tape. i think he's going to make some adjustments on tuesday. you know, i'm not going to get into detail about strategic changes that he might make, but i just encourage you to watch. >> reporter: mitt romney's campaign believes the first debate could not have gone bette

. >> astaire a mergener -- as tara mergener reports, voters in ohio will probably decide who wins. >> reporter: mitt romney and his supporters have a new message for president obama. romney has three more campaign stops in ohio today for a very good reason. no republican has won the presidency without carrying ohio. >> i want you to go out there and find someone who voted for barack obama and get him to come join our team. >> reporter: romney's ohio poll numbers are surging as more voters are connecting. >> this country is a country of equal opportunity. i think that everybody has an equal chance to succeed and i think romney kind of is for that. >> reporter: president obama is back in washington today. his election staff is still in ohio. the obama campaign has 1 ten field offices -- 120 field offices spread across the pivotal state. in columbus the president reminded voters which candidate supported the industry bailout. >> we invented a dying auto industry that supports one in eight ohio jobs and has come roaring back to the top of the world. >> reporter: ohio senior citizen bill t

tara mergener. cbs news. >>> the romney campaign has not released any september fun raising -- fundraising figures. >>> federal investigators were finally able to get five terror suspects extradited to the united states this went. they were being held in the united kingdom. the men are accused of bombings back in 1998. in all 224 people were killed, including a dozen americans. the suspects are also accused of trying to establish a terror training cam nap oregon. >>> sometimes as an nfl quarterback, it is okay to just get out of bounds or even slide. >> or just throw the ball away. that is what the redskins faithful there morning are saying after watching robert griffin 3 get lit up. you are going to see him roll-out to the right here and get hit not once in the head but twice. broken play. it is awful. the play resulted in griffin being diagnosed with a mild concussion. he is being reevaluated today. the team ended up losing the game, final score 20-17. >> it is upsetting. >> it was brutal. i was t

tara mergener is in washington following all of this. >> reporter: good morning. boy the pressure sure is on tonight particularly for joe biden who will be trying to gain ground following that first presidential debate. paul ryan will be trying to keep up his campaign's new momentum. paul ryan arrived in kentucky ahead of his first nationally televised debate. the number two man on the gop ticket told reporters earlier in florida voters will see a clear choice when he faces off against vice president joe biden. >> joe biden has been on the stage before. he's been on these big stages. it's my first time. what he can't run from is president obama's indefensible record. they are just offering more of the same. >> reporter: ryan will face an opponent who of end causes controversy. but vice president biden is a seasoned debater. usually vice presidential debates don't greatly impact elections. but with the president's lackluster debate performance many believe the democrats desperately need the vice president to deliver tonight. >> what it will do especially for the ob

tara mergener, cbs news, washington. >> mitt romney won the toss so he will receive the first question of the w -- of the evening. >> wusa9 is the place to be for the coverage. join us for the debate. you can also watch it online at wusa9.com. stick around at 11:00 as we talk to the "u.s.a. today" fact checkers about who was telling the truth and who was exaggerating. the deadline to vote in virginia has come and gone. if you live in maryland, the deadline to register is today. and in the district, the mail- in registration deadline has already passed but you can register in person at the election board's headquarters. you have until friday, the 19th to register in person in d.c. for more information on voter registration, go to our website wusa9.com. look under our campaign 2012 tab. >>> secretary of state hillary clinton is taking responsibility for the attacks in benghazi, libya. it killed the u.s. ambassador and three other americans. during a trip to lima, peru, secretary clinton told reporters it was her job and not the white house to ensure security of all of america's diplomati

tara mergener, cbs news, washington. >>> up next, your tuesday morning massive waves kicked up by hurricanendy. w is plucked from massive waves kicked up by hurricane sandy. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair visibly reduces fine lines and wrinkles in just one week. why wait if you don't have to. neutrogena®. but the acidic levels in some foods can cause acid erosion. the enamel starts to wear down, and you can't grow your enamel back. my dentist recommended that i use pronamel, because it helps to strengthen the enamel. and i believe it's doing a good job. >>> here's a look at the weather. new york city, tropical storm conditions, 60 degrees. mostly sunny in miami, 74. windy in chicago, 48. sunny in dallas, 75. morning clouds in l.a., 77 degrees. >>> let's check your national forecast. sandy moves inland with hurricane-force winds with 4 to 8 inches of rain to the mid-atlantic states. in west virginia the storm will leave behind up to 3 feet of snow. the midwest may see wind, rain and snow. the northwest expect rain and snow in the higher elevations. weather in the southwest should be calm a