in the war on terror in iraq and afghanistan. i have visited the hospitals and have witnessed the enduring spirits of those recovering. these brave warriors have suffered catastrophic injuries. many are missing limbs or have been badly burned. some will suffer through the effects of traumatic brain injuries for the rest of their lives. regardless of your position on the war, one thing is for certain -- these heroes and their loved ones deserve our help. no wounded veteran should bear the weight of his or her sacrifice alone. through the wounded warrior project, we can enrich these war veterans' lives with adaptive programs that will get them back into life's mainstream. damon: log on to woundedwarriorproject.org to find out more about this fine organization that is helping these returning injured veterans and their families with their new lives. the greatest casualty is being forgotten. let's make sure this doesn't happen to my brave friends. thank you. thank you. thank you. thank you.

police say there are inconsistencies in her story and at this point, they're not ruling anything out. abc news, hickory, north carolina. later today, military prosecutors begin detailing their case against the accused ft. hood shooter. hassan is charged with dozens accounts. today's hearing will determine if there's evidence to bring hassan to court marshall. it's the first time witnesses have toifd about the deadly rampage. turning now to politics and the democrats' new attack on republicans. it's all about the influence of foreign money. >> is foreign money paying for political ads? and is there any proof? we have the latest from washington this morning. good morning, john.

>> good morning. the president is picking a fight with one of the nation's largest business groups. the group's response? mostly silence. >> barbara boxer is famous for protecting the -- >> reporter: the second biggest spender in midterm elections isn't a political party. it's the u.s. chamber of commerce. president obama is calling them out. >> one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign sources. >> reporter: with more than $70 million worth of attack ads, the chamber spends more than the democratic national committee and any other group. a report by the group think progress alleges that foreign money is funding the chamber's tv ads. >> it is an insidious, dangerous thing when people can contribute huge sums of money to run negative ads and campaigns and never confess or allow their participation. >> reporter: democrats are responding with attack ads of their own. >> from foreign corporations in countries like china, russia and

india, the same companies that threaten american jobs. >> reporter: but it's not clear that accusation is true. the chamber does take money from foreign companies, but the chambus says no foreign money is used to fund our political activities. democratic groups say the chamber's word is not enough. this is all a new phenomenon. under a recent supreme court ruling, individuals still have limits on how much they can contribute and have to disclose more than $200. corporations have no such limits. well, it is not easy to take new yorkers by surprise, but some wild weather caught many of us off guard. an intense thunderstorm swept through manhattan and brooklyn last night, dumping so much hail it looked like the ground was covered with snow. the hail clogged drains and sent water gushing through the streets. >> weird night. tropical storm paula is unleashing now 70-mile-an-hour winds and heavy rain on honduras this morning. paula is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane today and take aim in mexico's yucatan peninsula by tomorrow night.

nicaragua and honduras can expect flash floods as well as mudslides. and with that now, here's the rest of the tuesday forecast. large hail, gusty winds and downpours from birmingham to memphis. showers around st. louis, kansas city, chicago, milwaukee and northern michigan. cooler and wet from new york to boston, near record highs in california. >> it's 92 in sacramento and 94 in phoenix. 60s from seattle to salt lake city. 80 in indianapolis. it will be 70 here in new york. hopefully no more hail. 80s from baltimore to new orleans. some flashy feathered friends in tennessee may be soon forced to fly the coop. >> a bird lover was told that her four pet peacocks and her peahen have to go. trudy moore has had the birds for a year. she's not had any complaints, but the city is banning the peacocks under a poultry ordinance. >> moore says they are decorative birds, not poultry, but unless the city has a change

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and now for the story of an afghan woman who became a prime example of the brutality of the taliban in afghanistan. >> it is such an unbelievable story. the woman's husband mutilated her nose and her ears. thanks to complete strangers in california, she now has a new face and a new life. here's diane sawyer. >> reporter: when i first saw her, she was a young girl sitting shyly by the wall. her scarf covering her face. as we talked, she took down her hands to show me what they had done.

she was just 12 when she had been given to a taliban man who married her and abused her, forcing her to sleep in the stables with animals. after she tried to run away, the village men handed down her sentence. her husband cut off her nose and ears while his brother held her down. left for dead, she managed to crawl first to her uncle's house, but he refused to help her. so she kept on until a relative got her to a hospital run by strangers. the strangers were an american military medical team who cared for her for 2 1/2 months and gave her something she hadn't had. kindness. they even taught her a little english. >> what's up? >> what's up? >> reporter: after that, she packed her sparkling new pair of shoes to come to america for surgery to give her back her face. surrounded by caring strangers who speak fluent farsi, let her listen to afghan music on youtube and give her counseling, this month she was fitted with a

prosthetic nose like the kind they use in the movies for special effects. she puts it on herself with a special skin adhesive each morning, a kind of preview of what the surgery will make permanent. and so are you ready to see her now? aisha on the red carpet. it was a benefit for the grossman burn foundation where the surgeons will operate on her for free. she laughed with a favorite musician and met former first lady lara bush. >> she looks so great. >> reporter: she was honored by california first lady maria shriver. and already now in the mirror, a hint of the girl she dreamed she will be. a girl with a smile all her own. >> it's just such an amazing story. in the "time" magazine article, she said she was given to a taliban fighter as a blood debt. at 18 years old, that's when she had to marry this guy who did that to her face and ears.

>> eight months worth of surgeries. those surgeries are still ongoing. she's in california now. the worst of humanity sometimes brings out the best. that's an incredible story. wow. when we return, incentives for people who recycle their trash. >> the high-tech system that gives you cash for trash. you're watching "world news now." i can solve difficult problems for a forte 500 company. i can run a successful business. i can put my military experience to work for your company.

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twice to finish up. it's a big difference. >> reporter: as the bin is lifted, a computer chip trans t transmits the location and the weight and translates that number into points that can be accessed online. >> well, they pick up every week and then i'll usually get just a little in my inbox on my e-mail. they send you a thing that says you've kngot points. you login and it tells you what your points are. >> reporter: the points can be redeemed at hundreds of businesses worldwide. the savings can add up to hundreds of dollars a year, depending on the type of retailer. >> or you can donate the points. if you have an accumulation of points, one of the schools in the area was running a drive. i had an accumiaules of points d donated the points to them. they were able to build a garden or something with the points. >> reporter: the service certainly isn't everywhere, although recyclebank claims it's seeing steady growth in philadelphia, houston, and los

angeles. while saving the environment is part of the mission for these communities, it's also about saving the bottom line. >> we are saving about $500,000 a year in disposal costs. from going to the landfill or to the incinerator. the carbon footprint is getting smaller because we don't have the big trucks running around all day. >> reporter: residents can throw everything into one bin without sorting. it's part of what's called single-stream recycling that separates items later. >> we didn't anticipate the way it was going to be received in the community. we've increased our recycle rate by 65%. >> reporter: still, like many start-ups, recyclebank has faced a roller coaster of revenue, especially in a dow economy. the company has just appointed a new ceo. >> we are larging than all of the other tier-one start-ups in the internet world that you hear about, whether that's four-square or groupon or

others. what we're really intent on doing is making sure that we come up with that new paradigm that connects online engagement with offline engagement in a me meaningful way. we currently have 4 million households under management in the u.s. and in the uk, i anticipate over the next two years that we'll grow ten-fold and this is going to be something that will allow us to make a meaningful impact for the u.s. and the uk is our franchise partner opportunities in other countries. >> reporter: improved recycling is a good thing. but recyclebank still faces financial challenges. some folks aren't happy with the larger size of the bins. but it's one of those green start-ups that's worth watching. rob and vinita, back to you. >> and a cool list of partners here. so you get some good deals for doing something good for the environment. >> they say the average person produces like five pounds of garbage.

>> every day? >> every day. >> whoa. that's a mess, huh? >> maybe some money. coming up, it could be the most luxurious cruise ship to set sail. >> why the new qe-3 could mark the end of an era. why go one more round ? you don't need a rematch, but a rethink. with lunesta. lunesta is thought to interact with gaba receptors associated with sleep. lunesta helps you get the restful sleep you need. lunesta has some risk of dependency. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations, or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions such as tongue or throat swelling occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness, and morning drowsiness.

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♪ ♪ all right. finally this half hour, the unveiling of one big girl. in fact, she weighs in at over 90,000 tons. >> she is the latest queen elizabeth cruise liner. it is the third edition of the cruise line in its history. ♪

>> reporter: under a brilliant blue october sky, a fanfare for a queen in the shadow of another queen. a 400 million-pound addition to the fleet carrying forward a story with long-standing personal links to this royal visitor. >> at this moment, as a royal mother and her children pass beneath the towering skyscraper that will soon come to life. >> reporter: when princess elizabeth stood by her mother at the launch of the first ship to bear the name, the queen elizabeth was the largest passenger vessel ever built. >> the duke and duchess of windsor are among those returning to america. >> reporter: it attracted the world's most famous faces. on board to sample luxury and personal attention. >> bing crosby used to come down here. he used to sing songs in the shower. but not the words that you and i know, you know. he's use different words. >> reporter: today's visit offered an experience which was

not available to the young princess. there have been many tours of many ships. this one was crammed with reminders of other maritime encounters. the launch of the qe-2, which would sail 6 million miles and transport 3,000 troops to the falklins conflkt. britain has not built a passenger vessel of this size since the 1970s. ♪ today's send-off was british through and through. >> i name this ship queen elizabeth. may god bless her and all who sail in her. >> reporter: memories of that first ceremony back in 1938 in a changed world. the cruise industry has weathered a chilly financial climate, but there are no more ships on order for the uk operation. this one may be the last of her

kind. >> again, that was robert hall reporting there. the tickets, 30 minutes, all gone.

delicate operation. thorough preparations today to rescue those 33 miners in chile. the anticipation just hours before freedom. then medical milestone. >> this is the dawn of a new era in medical therapeutics. >> the promise of embryonic stem cell therapy. and wheeler-dealer. expert car-buying negotiations done undercover. >> want to make a deal there? >> absolutely. >> it's tuesday october 12th. they made that next story for me. buying a car is the worst experience.

haggling with the guy and all the deals, it's the worst process. >> sometimes they're not that nice to women either. >> huh-uh, no, no. they take advantage of anybody. you've got to be careful. that story has a lot of great tips to save you some money. >> definitely stick around for that this morning. hello. thank you for being with us. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. excitement is building at that mine in chile where 33 men have been stuck underground since august. >> the rescue team coordinator tweeted today, the minors sleep their last night together. emotional moments at the mine. >> reporter: everything is in place where what may be the most challenging rescue ever attempted on earth. this cramped capsule they call a phoenix will be dropped 2,000 feet underground to carry those stranded miners to the surface, one man at a time, on a 15-minute journey in a space a little wider than a basketball hoop. rescue officials showed off the special suits each miner will wear, bearing his name, compression socks and a girdle.

they'll have a headset for communication. they'll wear heart and temperature monitors. the men are taking aspirin because of concerns about blood clotting in the cramped capsule. soon they'll begin a liquid diet to cut down on nausea. above ground outside the mine gates, families of the miners have faithfully waited 68 days for the return of their husbands, fathers and sons. and now their patience is about to be rewarded. in this remote desert moonscape of northern chile, media on a scale rarely seen. media shantytown of rvs and tents is home to thousands of journalists and technicians from 33 countries. the plight of these miners has captured the attention and the hearts of the entire world. and why not? they have endured conditions few, if any of us, can imagine and even fewer could tolerate. entomebed in a collapsed mine for 68 days. it was the breakthrough this weekend that makes it all possible. the so-called plan-b drill broke

through with its 26-inch shaft. that milestone caused a spontaneous celebration. that drill rig left, giving the farewell of a conquering hero. these two americans operated that drill rig that reached the men early saturday. jack hart was drilling water wells for the u.s. army in afghanistan when he got an urgent call to come to chile. >> the real hero is the guy that's kept those guys in line and kept them alive for 17 days on very, very little food and they have somehow put it together. >> reporter: their work is done. now the chilean rescue coordinators have to finish the job. what they, the miners and their families now know is that the entire world is cheering them on. i'm jeffrey kofman at the san jose mine in chile. an international investigation has now been launched into the failed rescue of a british aid worker in afghanistan. nato had first blamed a taliban bomb for the death of linda norgrove, but the account changed yesterday. now it appears that u.s. forces

may have set off a grenade that killed norgrove. nato is now defending its decision, though, to attempt that risky rescue. >> since linda was taken by the kidnappers on the 26th of september, everything possible by so many people, including the government of afghanistan and their officials, was done to get linda out safe and secure and to rescue her. >> president obama has called the british prime minister to apologize for the incident. california is selling off property to come up with cash. the state government is selling 24 government buildings including civic centers and office complexes. it's a deal that raises nearly $2.5 billion from private investors. california will now rent space it once owned. the state sold the buildings to come up with money for the general fund and to pay off bonds. it's a major medical advance in atlanta. doctors are monitoring the first patient to ever be treated with embryonic stem cells. the patients suffered a spinal cord injury. as david wright reports, it's not only a first, but as

always with this issue, it's controversial. >> reporter: for years, scientists have held out the promise that embryonic stem cells could repair damaged spinal cords. christopher reeve died waiting for a cure. but never until now have embryonic stem cells ever been injected into a human being. >> well, this is the dawn of a new era in medical therapeutics. we're leaving behind the days of using pills to treat symptoms and entering a new era where we're using living human cells. >> reporter: in this case, cells obtained from human embryos discarded from in vitro fertilization procedures. scientists from geron corporation injected the first human test subject friday at this small hospital in atlanta. they'll add one new patient per month for the next year. the company won fda approval after promising results among lab rats, rats with little use of their hind legs were able to

walk again within weeks after being injected with embryonic stem cells. the company is playing down expectations for the human trial. they first have to prove the treatment is safe. >> with any new product, there are always unanticipated risks. >> reporter: all of the new patients in this first clinical trial will receive low doses of stem cells, all of them are paralyzed from the waist down. these human volunteers will have to be recruited over time, right after suffering life-altering spinal cord injuries. the thing is, they have to receive the injection within two weeks of the injury so the second human test subject likely hasn't even been injured yet. >> i think we should anticipate many failures before we ultimately see success. >> reporter: the ethical debate continues over using human embryos for this, but now the medicine is moving forward. david wright, abc news, los angeles. researchers have uncovered risks for women who use hormone replacement therapy. women taking hormone pills may be 21% more likely to get kidney stones.

researchers studied 24,000 women and say patients must discuss benefits and risks with their doctors. the pills are also linked to breast cancer, heart attacks and strokes. tropical storm paula is now on the verge of turning into a hurricane as it batters honduras this morning. paula is not expected to hit us here in the u.s. but it is expected to make landfall along mexico's yucatan peninsula by tomorrow night. hurricane warnings are now posted from cancun to cozumel. here's your tuesday forecast. cooling down with leftover showers in the northeast. stormy in the south with large hail. 70-mile-an-hour winds and flooding from memphis to birmingham. light rain from st. louis to michigan's upper peninsula. >> 67 in detroit and 76 in chicago. 80s from dallas to miami. 60s in the pacific northwest and northern rockies. 58 in colorado springs. 73 in albuquerque. well, it could make a monster of a jack-o'-lantern or a pie big enough to feed a small village.

>> a california man has taken top prize for a giant, ginormous pumpkin. that thing tipped the scales at 1,535 pounds. the gigantic gourd beat out dozens of other pumpkins, including 13 that topped over 1,000 pounds. >> wow. the winner says growing a huge pumpkin is like taking care of a baby. he gets $6 a pound. that's a grand prize of more than $9,000. that is a great pumpkin. >> i have a feeling all you moms and dads out there who are up with a nursing child would disagree that this is like raising a baby. >> yeah, a little different there, dude. >> we'll be right back.

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action on the set action on the set of "transformers 3" got a little too real on the streets of washington, d.c. during the filming, a yellow chevy camaro, which is the character bumblebee, ran into a police officer's suv. >> the officer was taken to the hospital with minor injuries and filming had to be halted. enough to get me to stop what i'm doing to take a look at that video footage. >> yeah. before many of us walk into a used car salesman's office, we're suspicious whether or not we are about to be had. >> oh, yeah. 37 million americans bought a used car this year, so how can you prepare yourself to make a deal, a good one? we went undercover to find out. >> reporter: even people who love cars often hate car buying. we set out to change that by going undercover to show you how to haggle. >> let's do it. >> reporter: our expert, phillip reed of auto website edmunds.com. our mission, to buy a certified 2007 honda odyssey exl.

our budget, no more than $25,000. >> we weren't just going in and playing games with people and wasting their time. this is a product i needed to get for my company. >> reporter: dealer number one, strategy number one. try to get the salesman to name the first price so you know you're not starting too high. here goes. >> what i was wondering, what are you really selling them for? >> 23,475. >> reporter: next, drop the name of a reputable pricing guide like edmunds.com where phil works. >> i'd go for edmunds. >> yeah. is that a problem? >> it's not a problem. i think it doesn't reflect really what the market is. >> reporter: bring a nay-saying wingman along. that's my job, to poo-poo the car and the price. >> i don't know, phil, if you want something with lower miles than this. i actually liked the other make and model better. >> reporter: something like

that. and when the salesman leaves to go talk to his manager, you should leave, too. >> we were sending them a signal that we were not going to be controlled. >> let's go. >> reporter: next, we left altogether. >> we want to sell you an odyssey. >> not right now, no. >> but you have our number. >> reporter: never finalize a car deal without leaving the lot. sure enough, dealership number one called phil three times. >> yes, sure, i remember. >> reporter: while we were on the way to dealership number two. >> we stirred the beehive. >> reporter: always shop more than one dealership and make sure they know about each other. we do have an appointment somewhere else. >> if you can keep us from keeping the other appointment -- >> i'll do my best. >> another appointment at another dealership. >> reporter: when you're ready to make the all-important opening offer, give good reasons and a firm number. >> based on, you know, what we've seen on other car lots and, you know, our budget and the fact that it's, you know, a

little higher miles, we'd be prepared to offer you $20,500. >> reporter: and then shut up. >> you can say it and you're absolutely still after that, it really puts a certain amount of pressure on them. >> reporter: dealership number two's response comes from a manager. >> what i can do for you, i can bring it down to 22,865. >> reporter: now show you're tough by making your counter offer a smaller increment than theirs. the dealer came down by more than 1,000. phil goes up by just $500. >> we're working with a budget here. so we would be happy to come up to 21,000. >> reporter: no matter what they say, worry about your own budget, not theirs. listen. >> i don't want to lose money. >> we can't worry about that. >> that's not our problem. i mean that in the nicest possible way. >> oh, i totally understand. >> reporter: shop at the end of the month and look for stale cars that have been sitting around for a while. >> i noticed here that they've had it for more than a month. >> reporter: the offer on the

table is now 21,500. this time, the manager's manager comes over. >> it's a unit for us right here at the end of the month. so with that said, we'll make a deal there. >> reporter: tada! >> absolutely. >> i'd like to encourage people to negotiate and stand up for themselves. the car sales people understand the game. they're ready to play it with you. >> reporter: the odyssey's sticker price was essentially $25,000. but we got it for $21,500, a savings of 3,500 bucks. all because we knew how to haggle. >> she says good hagglers can save 10% to 15%. it's worth going in there and negotiating hard, you know? >> i do that. i just keep talking and talking until they just relent. okay, take it. >> take it for free. when we return, a heartbreak for a celebrity couple. >> and the situation fights a big rumor, next.

♪ i really got upset. i gasped when i heard about this split-up. >> no one saw this coming. >> no, they really didn't.

>> no. >> courteney cox and david arquette are separated. yeah. it's hard to believe. and get this, they've been separated for several months now. you know, they met on the set of "scream" back in 1995, married in '99. they're currently co-starring in "scream" due out next year. they said the reason for the separation is to better understand ourselves and the quality we need in a partner and for our marriage. now, there are rumors that she could have a new boy toy, that it could be brian van holt on the show "cougar town." they're rumors. people say they see them four times in less than four weeks. take a listen to what she said. this is just four months ago. it's hard to know if this is before the separation had started or after, but i think sound bites like this are the reason people like me are crying right now. take a listen. >> and they do say that there's a great man behind every woman. maybe they don't say that. but i have a great man.

and his name is david arquette. and so thank you, david. i love you. >> oh. >> i know. it's like the sandra bullock split-up. no one saw this coming. he had an interview with howard stern where he said courteney recently said to me, i don't want to be your mother anymore. so i don't know. >> she's a couple of years older. she's six or seven years older. maybe the age factor caught up with them. they seemed like they were really happy. >> they're committed to being great parents to 6-year-old coco. >> that's a sad one. some people get tired of this guy, but i've got to bring it up. the state of american celebrity. the situation, all these rumors with the success of "jersey shore," he and his boys take steroids, kind of keep their physique in shape. they're all like these ripped guys and whatever. apparently he's flat-out denying it. take a listen. >> i was like, wow, i'm kind of

referring to my abs, but at the same time, referring to my personality. >> did you take any steroids to make that happen? >> oh, never, never, never. the steroid look is a bulkier look. i have a more thin, lean look. >> that was a "nightline" interview that he did. this kid is making $5 million this year. he says it's all about the gym, not about the juice. so take a look and decide for yourself. >> the irony is that in that interview, he actually said he may want to give up reality tv when it comes to the shore. i think he should have a dose of reality and realize once that show goes away, you go away. >> yeah. that is his bread and butter, unless he wins "dancing with the stars." there you see him last night, showing off those moves. >> those pigeon toes. >> oh! >> i'm mean, i know. so kim kardashian and reggie bush, they could be together again. >> she's cheating on me again? >> she is cheating on you. you know, she just broke up with a dallas cowboys guy, miles

austin, and he's got the broken leg. apparently that has been the reason they've rekindled their friendship, so all reports, though, she could still be your girlfriend. >> if it doesn't work out, kim, just swing by here at abc and we'll make it all good. / around his house. these people chose freedom over restrictions. independence over limitations. they chose mobility. they chosehe scooter store. and this is the team of mobility experts who made it all happen. ii great news, you've been approved for payment. dr. cruz, i'm calling on behalf ofmarie stanford. and they can make it happen for you. hi, i'm doug harrison, if you're living with limited mobility, call the scooter store today. i promise, no other company will work harder to make you mobile or do more to ensure your total satisfaction. i expected they'd help me file some paperwork with medicare and my insurance. i never expected them to be so nice or work so

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here's some stories to watch today on abc news. the accused ft. hood gunman appears in a military courtroom today. the hearing should determine if hassan should go on trial for the worst-ever shooting on a military base. nelson mandela's latest book goes on sale today. readers will find out how mandela's 27 years in a south african prison have impacted his family. and vendors who sell food from trucks in los angeles may be subject to the same health department standards as restaurants. lawmakers plan to vote today. and finally this half hour, when it comes to art, of course beauty, as we all know, is in the eye of the beholder. what do you make of a piece of

art that is literally a sea of 100 million artificial sunflower seeds? >> it is a chinese artist's creation. it took 16,000 people to complete it. check it out. >> reporter: covering 1,000 square meters and measuring ten centimeters deep, a carpet of sunflower seeds covers the floor of this hall. but listen. they are not sunflower seeds. they are, in fact, over 100 million individually made, hand-painted pieces of porcelain. >> this kind of work only can be done in china. it takes 1,600 people working 2 1/2 years to make this possible. and it's -- it's made by mass, but it's not really mass production. it's made by individuals. >> reporter: so the work is

about scale. the place of the individual within a population. but there's more to it than that. >> i mean, it's interesting. the sunflower, the symbolism of the sunflower. chairman mao took that symbol as his propaganda. the chinese people were sunflowers following the sun, that was chairman mao. but it was also the people's snack. >> reporter: it's not often that we're invited to walk on artwork or pick it up. and it is extraordinary. when was the last time any of us saw 100 million of anything, let alone hand-painted, hand-crafted pieces of porcelain? some of its predecessors, such as the giant sun or the slide, took a less subtle approach to filling the aircraft hangar-like space. but the nature of this installation means this enormous seed bed could be just as busy for those people who have to look after it. bbc news.

>> i would just love to take a package of real sunflower seeds and dump it on that. >> you do that, i'm going on the slide.é let's turn over this log. yeah! both: whoa! i like the big black ones. i like the brown wiggly ones. mmm. i like the green crunchy ones myself.

whoa. explore nature. there are surprises everywhere. go to discovertheforest.org. oh! blue! i touched the ball before it went out, coach. come on, alex, the ref did not call that! it's the championship game! i touched, it's their ball. don't foul them when they inbound. team! alex! good call.

good call. final hours. last-minute work to free 33 trapped men and what the miners want before their rescue. then war of words. a tea party candidate's comments on gays and lesbians, his explanation and the intense criticism. and re-created. michael jackson's world in a video game. ♪ it's tuesday october 12th. come on, vinita. you looked good out there. >> i don't know why they didn't

send you to cover this. i never danced a michael jackson step in my life, and you'll be painfully aware of that when you see this story. >> you looked good out there. >> i had backup dancers and a smoke machine and that couldn't cover up what a bad dancer i am. >> oh, i can't wait to see it. that's the story of the week, folks. good morning. i'm rob nelson. >> and i'm vinita nair, who can't dance. it's hard to imagine the miners trapped underground in chile are getting much sleep. by this time tomorrow, all of those men could be free. >> there's anticipation among the family members after this incredible two-month ordeal. jeffrey kofman now reports from the rescue site. >> reporter: the 33 trapped miners are another step closer to freedom. early monday, engineers lined the rescue shaft with steel casing, protecting the rescue capsule from falling rocks as the miners are lifted to freedom. engineers also conducted a first test run of the rescue capsule through the shaft. it was a success. >> we are pretty sure that the

cage will behave properly. >> reporter: for the 15-minute trip to the surface, each miner will wear a mask, a heart monitor and he'll be in constant voice contact with rescuers. there will also be a live camera attached to the capsule in a space measuring just 21 inches in diameter. not much bigger than a basketball hoop. if something does go wrong, there is an escape system that will allow the miner to separate the capsule. one last step remains before the miners can we brought to the surface. they're installing a huge pulley system to lower the capsule and raise it with a miner inside. workers have poured the concrete for the system and they're waiting for it to dry. the rescue is expected to begin late tuesday night. at the camp outside the mine gates, the wait is almost over. among those waiting is liliana gomez. her father, mario, sent this letter from the mine. she says the miners are arguing because they all want to be the last rescued. the rescue should begin by midnight tuesday local time, but

it could begin earlier than that. as the men prepare to leave their prison, we're hearing moving details. they've asked to have shampoo sent down. there's a waterfall underground that they've been washing in. they've also asked for shoe polish. these men who have endured misery that few of us can comprehend want to look presentable when they see their families. jeffrey kofman, abc news at the san jose mine in chile. police in north carolina are releasing new details about the mysterious disappearance of a 10-year-old girl. zahra baker was reported missing over the weekend. she is hearing impaired and uses a porosthetic leg. police detected the smell of human remains on the cars belonging to her father and step-mother. six boaters missing in the atlantic ocean are expected back on shore in new jersey later this morning. they were due to return from an overnight fishing trip on sunday, but their boat broke down and they were unable to contact family members or

authorities. the coast guard found them last night about 120 miles off the jersey coast. all on board are reportedly in good shape. an international investigation has been launched into the failed rescue of a british aid worker in afghanistan. nato initially said a taliban bomb killed linda norgrove during friday's operation to free her, but now nato says norgrove was accidentally killed by an american grenade. norgrove was remembered for her dedication. >> linda's death is a huge loss to everyone who knew her. many of us who have lived and worked in kabul for years knew linda and we all miss her. >> president obama told the british prime minister he will get to the bottom of the failed rescue attempt. just three weeks from today, voters will decide who will represent them in congress. and with the clock now ticking, president obama and the democrats are hitting the republicans hard over foreign contributions, but where's the proof? jake tapper now reports from the white house. >> reporter: with tens of

millions of dollars in attack ads hitting the air waves -- >> tell jerry brown stop chasing away california jobs. >> reporter: -- the u.s. chamber of commerce is the second biggest player in the midterm elections. outspending even democrats. president obama says he wants to know where their money is coming from. >> one of the largest groups paying for these ads regularly takes in money from foreign sources. >> reporter: the supreme court loosened requirements last year, and the president is suggesting that the chamber might be letting foreign money influence american elections. >> are you going to let special interests from wall street and washington and maybe places beyond our shores come to this state and tell us who our senators should be? >> reporter: does the chamber of commerce take money from foreign companies? yes. some of the chamber's money comes from foreign companies and foreign-based chamber affiliates. but is there any proof that foreign money is funding political ads or activities?

no. >> you just don't know. it's speculation and nothing more. >> reporter: the chamber says that no foreign money is used to fund our political activities. >> but you're asking the chamber to prove a negative. prove that you're not doing such and such accusation. >> it's not proving a negative, jake, because all you have to do to clear up the questions is reveal who your donors are. >> reporter: the white house says the larger point is that individual contributors have disclosure rules and limits on how much they can contribute. but corporations do not. >> any interest group can write a $10 million check to try and defeat a candidate and no one will ever know exactly what their involvement was. >> all these rules are applicable to groups on the left, but they're not spending the way conservative groups are. jake tapper, abc news, the white house. investigators in new york are trying to figure out how powerful explosives ended up in a cemetery. a volunteer discovered the bag of c-4 plastic explosives. investigators say a cemetery worker dug it up last summer and

left it on a fence. c-4 is more powerful than tnt. terrorists used it five years ago to bomb the london transit system. the republican candidate for governor here in new york is again in damage control this morning after some more controversial comments, and of course it's not the first time that carl paladino has been on the defensive about something he's said. here's lindsay davis. >> reporter: this was not a gay pride parade. otherwise carl paladino wouldn't be here. >> the men wear little speedos and they grind on each other. would you take your children there? >> you're a disgrace, paladino. >> reporter: new york's republican candidate for governor didn't show up at the columbus day parade to apologize. >> what would you say to the gay population directly today? >> i am 100% in favor of all gay rights except for one. >> that is? >> marriage. >> and why is that? >> i'm a catholic. >> reporter: but his remarks seemed to go much further. >> my children and your children, i don't want them to

be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option. >> reporter: these comments are seen as especially insensitive in new york. over the weekend, eight men were arraigned for attacking and sodomizing a gay man and two gay teens. his opponent quickly pounced saying paladino's denigrating gays and lesbians is a continuation of his thoughtful and harmful language. he tried to explain his remarks away by saying they were prepared by hes orthodox rabbis, part of an anti-gay and anti-abortion sect, but they're not particularly powerful. >> they are a voting block, but they're not a huge voting block. this campaign has sunk to the lowest level in the last 50 years. >> reporter: the man with a campaign slogan -- >> new yorkers are as mad as hell. and we're not going to take it anymore. >> reporter: -- has some people fuming. lindsay davis, abc news, new york. a new england sky diver is okay after a jump he will never

forget. 35-year-old andrew stack veered off course. he wound up stuck in a tree for several hours. both his main chute and the emergency chute did deploy and that's what caused him to go off course. he is fine, but he was taken to a hospital for observation. tropical storm paula is gaining strength as it dumped heavy rain on honduras. paula is packing 70-mile-an-hour winds and is expected to turn into a hurricane as it heads for mexico's yucatan peninsula. hurricane warnings have been issued for tourist areas from cancun to cozumel. and here's a look now at your weather across the country. severe storms in the south, with gusty winds, hail and drenching rain. showers around st. louis, kansas city and milwaukee. cooler but with lingering morning showers from boston to new york. warming up from philly to washington. >> 92 in sacramento and 94 in phoenix. 60s in seattle, portland and boise. mostly 70s across the midwest. chilly and damp in boston at 60.

new york at 70 and atlanta is 82. well, first it was susan boyle. and now far to the east, another star is born. >> a man who lost both arms in a childhood accident has won "china's got talent." we've shown this guy on our air. the 23-year-old mastered the art of playing the piano with his toes. for the show's finale, he performed his version of james blunt's "you're beautiful." >> he also uses his feet to navigate the computer, to eat, to dress, even brush his teeth. he didn't decide to pursue a music career until the age of 18. absolutely incredible. >> uh-huh. we'll be right back. [ bottle one ] mr. clean magic eraser extra power.

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some very severe weather here in the new york area actually delayed the vikings/jets game last night for

about 45 minutes. when they finally got it started, the jets had things in hand thanks to a series of field goals, but brett favre and the vikings came back and were in it until favre threw an interception that the jets returned to the end zone. the jets win it, but it was not easy last night. final score, 29-20. the game filled with drama. the weather was dramatic here in new york as well. if you need some proof of that, check out what our lovely host vinita has here. it was a mess in new york last night. >> it was a mess when i left. i know i won't get wet in the studio, but i've anchored with pruny feet before, and i was not going to do it. >> safety first. we normally wouldn't mention a single monday night football game except for our purposes this morning, it definitely works well. that's because we're bringing the nfl highlights back here to

"world news now." >> yes. in classic "world news now" fashion, we'll spice it up a bit. here is how it's going to work. >> four of us here on our staff and a very special guest are going to be picking the winners in four nfl games every week. the four of us are vinita and me, cameron mann and willis, plus our chief sports expert, jack sheehan. >> our special guest is "world news" anchor diane sawyer. i can't believe she agreed to be part of this. let's see the highlights first. >> we start with the surprising redskins against the packers for the fourth time in five weeks. washington's game came down to the very last play. this time, it was a 33-yard field goal in overtime to win it 16-13. attention fantasy players. qb aaron rodgers suffered a concussion during the game. he could have to sit out this sunday against miami. >> our second game was the falcons at cleveland. this was all about one play. check out atlanta defensive end kroy biermann with one of the athletic plays of the season. first he bats the ball into the

air, makes the interception and rumbles into the end zone for a touchdown. he says it's the only interception he can recall making since junior high. atlanta won 20-10. >> next up, kansas city in indianapolis. the chiefs came into this one as the last undefeated team in the nfl. peyton manning did not have a great game, but he really didn't need to either. the much-maligned colts defense kept the chiefs out of the end zone, limiting them to just three field goals. when mike hart carried it in with about 4:00 to play, this one was over. colts win. 19-9. >> and finally, tennessee at dallas. check out jason witten and marc columbo of the cowboys celebrating witten's late touchdown to tie the game. they were flagged for excessive celebration. i didn't even know you could get flagged for that. it cost their team the victory. okay. the long kick return was set up. the winning -- the winning touchdown.

the titans win 34-27. they sink dallas to 1-3 on the season. >> the five of us have made our picks. how did we do? let's check out our snazzy graphic here. diane sawyer out in front here. she did the best, early lead here. she picked 3 of the 4 winners of those games. all the others, vinita and i, willis and jack all came in at 2-2, dead even. things are very tight here early in the season, just week one of our selections. >> so we are going to study the nfl matchups for week six of the season coming up. as you can tell, i'm just a huge sports fan. we will tell you what games we're picking and who is picking who on friday morning. and then at the end of the season, there's a little bet. there will be an overall winner declared and, of course, an overall loser who will probably be me, which means i'll probably be bringing food for everyone in our crew. kind of a reward. we'll do it all right here on the set. >> and we love that -- put that graphic back up. we have our favorite nfl team.

i love the saints, of course. we know that willis loves the giants. vinita picked the bengals. why did you do that? >> i think they have a very graphic helmet, and i like the stripes. so -- and you can see diane is out in the lead to begin with, but that could change. follow us. play along if you're a huge sports fan or if you're not. it's still fun. stay tun well, if you've

well, if you've ever wanted to moon walk in michael jackson's shoes, you're soon going to get your chance. >> it's a video game called "michael jackson: the experience." it will give fans a chance to dance through worlds inspires by the king of pop's music. i got a chance to check it out. ♪ >> reporter: few men have ever danced as gracefully as michael jackson. and few women have ever butchered his work as badly as i have. i'm playing "michael jackson: the experience" on the nintendo

wii. regardless of your experience, you become the king of pop. some tiptoe into that water. >> it's so instantaneous. like you can't really predict the moves a whole lot. >> reporter: others dive right in. >> i mean, you can't replicate michael. it's like, you know, you can't -- i can't replicate my first girlfriend, but it's all right, yeah. >> you've been dancing in your living room like michael for years. so we did a big study, watching all of michael's videos, his live performances, and tried to understand the essence of his moves. and we also worked with choreographers that worked with michael. >> reporter: were there green screens involved or how did you make sure that the wii matched up with his body moves? >> it about green screen experience and getting the videos and the movements and trying to make it easy. it's all about you following his moves versus controlling him. it really gives you the experience of dancing like

michael. >> reporter: the game lets you dance like michael to ten of his biggest hits, songs like "smooth criminal" and "billie jean." and you don't have to embarrass yourself alone. there's a multiplayer option so you can have up to four backup dancers. there are tutorials all along the way to help you master the moves. even with my own private tutorial, i have to say dancing like the king is hard. the game moves fast and it is pretty tiring. but it is so much fun. you'll find yourself singing and strutting, and you might even be a bit more competitive than you'd think. ♪ >> i like -- you look good out there, vinita. you look good. >> i looked awful, i know. in case you're wondering, it's not just on the wii. it's available on psp and nintendo ds. it's coming out late november. it could be a good thanksgiving

gift. >> you do the moon walk and everything out there. >> it's bad. those poor ladies were just like, it's okay. you're trying. but i committed. i told myself if i'm going to do it, i'm going to do it with real bravado. let's go to break, please.

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stop fighting with your sleep. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. get lunesta for a co-pay as low as zero dollars at lunesta.com discover a restful lunesta night. in today's times, it is never uninteresting what people will do for money. remember the president was in philadelphia earlier this week, rallying the troops ahead of the midterm elections in november. apparently some guy named juan rodriguez was busted during the event, literally arrested for what? streaking the president in philadelphia there. he wasn't just crazy over whatever. he was doing this was it was a bet from a british billionaire. he has a website called battlecam.com. he dared him to do this, write the website across your chest and run naked in front of the

president for $1 million. this billionaire is still awaiting confirmation that juan did this. but he did it to win this cash. this website is known for outrageous contests including one that challenges users to drink urine. it's a high-brow operation here. some moron in philly went out and streaked mr. obama. >> i'd never streak, but the woman's face in the first picture of absolute repulse, like disgust, kind of hurt your feelings when you're naked and vulnerable. i would imagine. yeah, i do not want to see that. no, thank you. >> she -- maybe it was cold out. >> maybe. take a look at this. if you've seen the movie "supersize me," you probably remember this. an artist here in new york decided to do something she called the happy meal project. this woman is a vegan, but she took pictures of a happy meal as it aged from day 1 to day 171. you're seeing day 1, day 35, you'll see day 94. the last picture is day 171. notice anything? >> nothing has changed. that's disgusting.

>> not at all. it's not nice. she's basically saying -- refuses to yield to the forces of nature. she says on day two, there wasn't even any smell. that scared her always. this is yet another study where people are reminded that there are a lot of things in these foods that make them not the thing you should be eating every day. >> it has a shine it, kind of plastic and hard to the touch. were you here that day with the maggots and the decomposing food? none of that happened. just got hard. that was it. oh, yum. we all know about this controversy in california as well, in the town of bell where there's the median income is $30,000 a year but the officials are making like 800,000 to a million bucks a year. it's halloween time, time for pranks. one of the guys wrapped up in all of this, he got his house, what, toilet papers. former bell city administrator robert rizzo, some teens got there and totally toilet papered his house. he's facing 53 charges of public

corruption. >> that was an aggressive throw. >> we've got some aggression against us today. >> com