needs on thanksgiving. our turkey drive starts next this is "world news." tonight, cain fires back. herman cain talks to abc news about sexual harassment, as another accuser comes forward and finally, mitt romney weighs in on the cain allegations. game over? word that the legendary football coach joe paterno may be pushed out by penn state, as a ninth young boy claims he was a victim of sexual abuse by a coach on paterno's staff. building a bomb. abc news has obtained u.n. evidence about how close iran is tonight to creating a nuclear weapon. and singing again. two months after that stage collapse, seven people were crushed. for the first time, sugarland goes back to tell us what they saw and summon the music that heals.

good evening. he is the man at the hot center of a controversy that is building tonight. republican front-runner herman cain accused of sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior. and today, another accuser coming forward, making it five women in all. after days of trying to dodge questions, he decided to come out swinging, questioned, live, online, by abc's jon karl, who tells about the new developments today and what cain had to say. >> reporter: herman cain faced the world today with a categorical denial of all allegations against him. >> the charges and the accusations, i absolutely reject. they simply didn't happen. they simply did not happen. >> reporter: a second woman,

karen craw kraushaar, went public today in an interview with "the new york times." this, after sharon bialek became the first cain accuser to go public, saying cain sexually harassed her when she went to talk to him about a job in 1997. >> he suddenly reached over, and he put his hand on my leg under my skirt. >> reporter: in an exclusive interview for a b bc news/yahoo! cain says he doesn't even remember meeting her. >> they are baseless, because i reject them, and in this particular case, i don't even know who this lady is. and when i first saw her, i didn't recollect even -- i didn't even recognize her. >> reporter: let's be clear. you're saying that she is lying about this. >> yes, i am saying that. you know, in as nice a way as i can. i don't know any other way to say it. >> reporter: cain says he most regrets the pain the controversy has caused his family, especially his wife of 43 years, gloria. >> and even though my wife is a -- more of a quiet -- quieter

person than i am, she has a quiet, sweet personality, she can get angry like anybody else. >> reporter: she angry about this? >> oh, yes. she'll tell you flat out she's angry about it. >> reporter: the latest woman to come forward to accuse cain says that she wants to get together with the other women that have made accusations to hold a joint press conference. in other words, diane, it doesn't look like this is over yet. >> okay, jon, our thanks. and of course we are one year away from the 2012 presidential election, and today, abc news, along with our partners at yahoo! did something never done before. our team fanned out across the country to interview all eight republican contenders live and streamed online at yahoo! and abcnews.com. many of the questions coming straight from you. it's your voice, your vote. of course, herman cain at the top of the day's news cycle. and jake tapper has some highlights from an unprecedented

live political event. >> reporter: herman cain's republican rivals today responded to the latest shoes to drop in the allegations of sexual harassment being made against him. >> these are serious allegations, george, and they're going to have to be addressed seriously. a number of women have some come forward with concerns. this woman's charges are particularly disturbing and they're serious. >> look, obviously they're very troubling. >> clearly herman cain has to answer the charges. he both owes her that but he also owes the american people that and it better be accurate because if it's not accurate, it won't survive 24 hours. >> reporter: they talked about the state of the race. >> i'll let the slings and arrows come as they may and continue talking about the failure of this presidency. >> you know what, i'm getting a little whiplash watching everyone in the race go up and down. >> the political fortunes have really mirrored wall street, haven't they? people -- we've seen one candidate after another go up and down. >> reporter: would you run at a third party candidate? >> i'm not going to do that. >> reporter: no? >> no, i'm not -- >> reporter: you're not planning?

>> i have no plans to do that. >> reporter: not a no -- >> somebody asked me the other day, why? why don't you plan to do that? because i don't want to. >> reporter: and, of course, the candidates had much to say on the subject that is most important to voters. how to create jobs. >> what i'm all about is the environment where entrepreneurs are comfortable they can risk their capital, have a return on their investment. that's how jobs are created. that's how we've done it in the state of texas. >> i like job creators. i'm the opposite of obama. i like people who create jobs. >> the number one reason why employers aren't hiring right now is because of obama care. >> we've been spending too much and printing too much and borrowing too much for so long, and it destroyed the jobs. people see cutting a trillion dollars as a negative. i see it as a positive. it's taking a trillion dollars out of the hands of politicians and bureaucrats. >> reporter: we also asked some lighter fare. their worst job? >> i cleaned toilets and shined shoes. >> building a fence with a jackhammer.

>> a jackhammer in the basement of an apartment building tearing up a concrete floor. >> dishwasher at a japanese restaurant because i had to clean the toilets. >> being a pin setter at an old german bowling alley. it could be quite exciting, because they would decide to see if they could bowl while you were setting the pins. >> well, one day i cleaned 280 fish, so maybe that was it. >> bailing hay at the ranch i worked on. i'm allergic to hay. >> reporter: and which president should be the fifth one carved into mt. rushmore. >> ronald reagan. >> ronald reagan. >> ronald reagan. >> fdr and reagan. >> i think there's enough presidents on mt. rushmore. >> the fifth president that belongs on mt. rushmore? he hasn't been president yet. >> reporter: the candidates were much harsher in their criticism of president obama than they were of their fellow republican herman cain, but if cain continues to defy gravity, diane, you can expect that to change in the fewer than two months until the first ballots are cast in the iowa caucus. diane? >> okay, jake. and joining me now is "gma" co-anchor george stephanopoulos.

saw you there with mitt romney. he's been so careful in this campaign all along but he took a shot at cain. >> reporter: and i was surprised that he did it. but he's trying to bring cain back down to earth. a little bit. but i think he senses an opportunity here. number one, he's the second choice of most cain voters in the primaries and caucuses. number two, he's looking beyond the primaries to the general election. he's got to appeal to suburban women voters who might not take kind to someone who appears to dismiss or ignore charges of sexual harassment. >> so where does it go for herman cain now? >> reporter: it's not over yet. two women going public. to believe cain, you have to believe all five accusers are lying and they're not going quietly yet. >> all right. george stephanopoulos reporting in and again, this is an amazing event today. all eight candidates streamed online. and you can watch all eight of them, our team's interviews with the republican contenders, at abc news or yahoo.com. and at this hour, a titan in the world of sports could be walking off the field for the last time.

conflicting reports that joe paterno, the legendary football coach, may be forced out by penn state, because he did not do enough on a sexual abuse case involving one of his top coaches. abc's dan harris is on this story for us tonight. >> reporter: an embattled joe paterno engulfed while leaving today for practice. >> i know you guys have a lot of questions. >> reporter: his son denying reports that penn state has already planned paterno's exit. >> no one has asked joe to step down. that's all i can tell you at this time. >> we love you, joe! >> reporter: as the coaching great of four decades gets into his car, cheers. >> joe paterno! joe paterno! >> reporter: paterno, caught up in a scandal involving his former defensive coordinator, jerry sandusky, alleged to have abused ate boys he met through the charity he started for at-risk youth. when paterno was made aware of one alleged incident, he reported it to campus authorities, but in the eyes of

so many, that was not enough. this dizzying day begins with a rare front page editorial in the local paper, calling for this to be paterno's last football season. as word spreads that a possible ninth child victim has now stepped forward. at 11:38, coach paterno's first news conference on the scandal is abruptly canceled. >> we have determined that today's press conference cannot be held and will not be rescheduled. >> reporter: he doesn't have any responsibility to talk to people about this? actually, joe paterno wants to speak, according to his son, and is furious. meanwhile, emotion is spilling out everywhere. matt millen, a former paterno player, now an espn analyst, tears up on the air. >> i get mad. and it's -- this is more than a football legacy. this is about people. and if we can't protect our kids, we, as a society, are pathetic.

>> reporter: in the midst all of this, we're learning more about one of the alleged victims of jerry sandusky, the 15-year-old boy who set this all in motion by bravely coming forward. the boy's mother spoke to local reporters. >> very proud of her son, because he had to stand up to this giant, the football god and he stood up to him and said, this is wrong, it's going to stop. >> reporter: but back now to joe paterno. right now, as we speak, there is a rally going on in front of his house. students who support him. meanwhile, abc news has learned a decision could be made about whether he gets to keep his job within the next 24 to 48 hours. things moving very quickly here tonight, diane. >> and you'll be covering it. thank you, dan harris. and now, a long-dreaded headline about iran and nuclear weapons. after a decade of debating whether iran would build one, a u.n. report says tonight they will and it has begun. they detail a mountain of

evidence and abc news has obtained a copy of the top secret report. abc's jim sciutto has been pouring over it today. so, jim, tell us what the headline was for you. >> reporter: well, diane, this report concludes that iran is further along on the road to a bomb than anyone previously knew. estimates had been a crude bomb within a year, a more sophisticated bomb they could put on a missile would take four years. but this new information sparking a whole new assessment of iran's intentions and crucially, its capabilities. the report concluding its been carrying out activities whose sole purpose can only be the development of a nuclear weapon and those activities have been going on for most of the last decade. it shows they've been active in virtually every step of the process, from experiment iing o nuclear triggers to creating computer models of nuclear explosions. remember, the u.s. concluded iran ended its weapons program in 2003. but the iaea, normally very reluctant to make such allegations, finds evidence that weapons program has continued in

secret for years. and tonight, we're told, the white house is already preparing a new round of what it hopes will be strong sanctions. diane? >> strong sanctions. anything else out there to prevent this, to stop it? is it too late? >> reporter: well, israel is talking about, making threats about a possible military strike. but analysts, officials i talked to, say far more likely that the u.s. wants to do another round of strong sanctions. >> so much for ahmadinejad claiming it was only nuclear power plants, always nuclear power plants. thank you, jim sciutto. we also have word tonight that italy's colorful and controversial prime minister, silvio berlusconi, who survived that string of sex scandals, may finally be felled by the debt crisis in europe. with italy on the brink of financial disaster, berlusconi offered to step down on one condition, that italy accept the european union's demand for more austerity. the vote on those austerity measures expected to happen next week. and still ahead right here on "world news," the state about to decide when life begins.

will they make all abortion criminal? will it also outlaw birth control? and those country superstars, sugarland, talking for the first time about the tragic stage collapse. what they saw that day and how it tested their faith. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 let's talk about fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 there are atm fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 account service fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 and the most dreaded fees of all, hidden fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 at charles schwab, you won't pay fees on top of fees. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 no monthly account service fees. control? tdd# 1-800-345-255d we. tdd# 1-800-345-2550 so talk to chuck tdd# 1-800-345-2550 because when it comes to talking, there is no fee. is the pain reliever orthopedic doctors recommend most for arthritis pain, think again.

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voters are deciding whether the state should be the first in this nation to define human life as beginning at the moment of conception. passage would make all abortions illegal and put questions around some birth control. as well as fertility treatments. even a pregnant woman's right to drink or smoke. abc's steve osunsami is in jackson, mississippi. >> reporter: atley breland is furious, worried that a majority of voters at home, in mississippi, could decide tonight that life begins at fertilization. a legal distinction that could put doctors who provide invitro fertility treatments on the wrong side of the law. >> my children would not be here if i had not had the access to a doctor who does ivf. >> reporter: the procedure often requires doctors to destroy fertilized eggs, which could be considered equivalent to murder. breland says that doesn't make sense to her. >> nobody understands how important children are more than a woman who has empty arms, and who has struggled to build a

family. >> reporter: mississippi would be the first state to pass the law, called personhood. six other states could vote on similar measures next year. it says that a fertilized egg is a person, from the moment of conception, and entitled to protection under the law. that would make every abortion illegal. but it's the unintended consequences that have many truly outraged. what happens to birth control? iuds would certainly be banned. what if a pregnant woman is diagnosed with cancer and needs chemotherapy? her doctor might refuse for fear of harming the baby. and what if a pregnant woman drinks or smokes? opponents argue she could be charged with attempted murder. dr. freda bush is an ob/gyn who supports the proposed constitutional amendment, saying those concerns will be worked out by legislators. >> we need to restore a culture of life that respects every human being from the beginning of its development. >> reporter: mississippi's last abortion clinic could close. it's far, far away from the

brelands, who say if the measure passes, families like theirs could stop growing. steve osunsami, abc news, jackson, mississippi. and still ahead, a heart of a champion, a rivalry for the ages. remembering joe frazier. one-on-one guidance to help me choose my investments. not just with my savings plan here at work. they help me with all of my financial goals. looking good, irene. thanks to fidelity, i can stay on top of my financial future, huh? good one. why, thank you. whether it's saving for retirement, college, or anything else, contact a fidelity investment professional today. and it's your fault. instead of blaming me try advil congestion relief. often the real problem is swelling, not mucus. advil congestion relief reduces swelling due to nasal inflammation. so i can breathe. [ mucus ] advil congestion relief. a body at rest tends to stay at rest...

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miles of us this evening before sailing off into space. and it was just seconds ago in galactic time. exactly as astronomers predicted it would. it was the closest encounter with a large asteroid since 1976. and we have a death to report tonight, of a gladiator in the boxing ring. joe frazier, who grew up in deep poverty in south carolina, but then went on to win a gold medal at the olympics and become world heavyweight champion. though they say it takes a great rival to create a great champion, frazier's life, well, his rival was defining. at 5'11", frazier was short compared to the athletic giants he would face, ali, foreman, ellis. >> you a little small guy, you go out there and take him out. >> reporter: but of all of them, it was the rivalry with the 6'3" ali that took on mythic status. the workhorse versus the showhorse. the sledgehammer versus the dancer.

the first faceoff was known simply as "the fight." frazier landed a left hook, ali down. a knockout. even watching a replay of that fight, with howard cosell, they tangled in the abc studio. >> joe frazier is leaving the studio now and he is deeply upset. >> reporter: then, in 1975, the thrilla in manila. >> the stare from joe frazier. ali, trying to agitate frazier. >> reporter: ali, already agile, sped up even more. he pummeled frazier's left eye. frazier fought back like a lion. but frazier was so damaged, his team threw in the towel. as the years went by, the two aging warriors, one, by now, very sick, reached out in friendship and in memory of the days when both were champions, both were kings. joe frazier died of liver cancer at the age of 67. and when we return, the tragic stage collapse, the country music superstars who

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collapse at the indiana state fair, just moments before the country superstars sugarland were supposed to perform. well, tonight, they talk for the first time about what they saw in that moment of crisis. "gma" co-anchor robin roberts joined them as they made a return to indiana. >> i think any sort of crisis can test our faith. for sure, there will always be a before that happened and an after. >> reporter: what happened was the unimaginable. last august, at the indiana state fair, moments before the band sugarland was to step on stage, high winds took down the massive rigging of their production. 45 people were injured. seven people lost their lives. >> i mean -- there are no words for that kind of tragedy. >> reporter: jennifer nettles is sugarland's lead singer. she has never spoken about that night until now.

you could have been on that stage. >> was about to be. everything suddenly looked dark and then wind and then a crashing sound. horrible, metal, torquing, twisting sound. >> reporter: when you were back in the room and you saw it and you knew that people who had come to see sugarland lost their lives, what went through your heart and your mind? >> i wept. >> reporter: two months after the tragedy, both jennifer and her sugarland partner, kristian bush, returned to indiana. >> playing is what we do. i feel like it's the only thing i can do is go play. >> reporter: and play is what they did. they gave a concert for all of the fans who were there that day. every seat free, paid for by the stadium, the state and sugarland. using their music to help heal. >> and be sure to watch the whole story, "in the spotlight

with robin roberts: all access nashville" airing tonight on abc at 10:00 p.m./9:00 central. so glad you were with us. we are always there at abcnews.com. and don't forget to watch "nightline" later on tonight. we'll see you right back here tomorrow. we have new video just made public tonight. what the police were up against in the occupy oakland demonstration autos and only on 7, an emergency pg&e pipeline project. tonight asking how many neighborhoods have faulty lines like this one? >> and as voters head to polls politicians are having second

thoughts. confusing choices you face. >> a licensed medical marijuana farmer finds himself the target of a federal pot raid. a california watch investigation. >> good evening, i'm dan ashley. >> i'm carolyn johnson. new video tonight showing tension in the streets the day police cleared out occupy oakland protestor autos police released four new videos when they moved in to remove protestors from the plaza. here is one of them. it shows an officer being pelted by a bright red paint ball. the video evidence, police say, reveal what's they're confronting that day. tensions and anger on the streets. >> we can set the scene for you. this was on october 25 in the afternoon. that morning police from oakland and 15 agenc