john hendren reports. >> reporter: tea partiers are partying extra hard in delaware. >> no more politics as usual! >> reporter: where outsider christine o'donnell defeated castle. >> i would like to thank the republican party for its support. >> reporter: party support wasn't enough. o'donnell who ran for senate and lost twice before this time benefitted from an anti-establishment move. >> it is a terrible time to be part of the status quo. >> reporter: and she had a secret weapon. >> this is governor sarah palin. vote for christine o'donnell for senate. >> reporter: they warned if they picked her they would loss to the democrat in november. >> if she were by some miracle to be our nominee that we would lose this seat and lose it by unprecedented numbers. >> reporter: voters warrant listening. >> normally being backed by the party apparatus is a good thing. this year, that is actually a stamp that candidates are trying to run away from. >> reporter: it wasn't all bad news for the establishment. in maryland, former governor bob ehrlich easily won the republican nomination and that was aft

here's abc's john hendren. >> reporter: the president's righthand man has long dreamed of running the nation's second city. >> one day i would like to run for mayor of chicago. that has always been an aspiration of mine. even when i was in the house of representatives. >> reporter: as rahm emanuel told charlie rose, with mayor daly leaving the president will likely look for a new chief of staff to run the white house. >> i think that rahm will have to make a decision quickly because running for mayor of chicago is a serious enterprise and i know this is something he's been thinking about. >> has he told you what he wants to do? >> not yet but as soon as he does i'm sure we'll announce it. >> reporter: it's not just the captain of the white house ship. david axelrod departs next year though you can bet the president will occasionally call on him. >> i have never been on national television. >> reporter: then, despite the rocky economy there's the obama economic team. national council director larry summers leaving, peter orzak gone. council of economic advisors chair christina romer, g

john hendren, abc news, washington. >>> a convicted sex offender has been arrested in the murder of a north carolina police chief's daughter. valerie hamilton's body was found in a self-storage unit on saturday. her father appeared on "good morning america" yesterday, with an emotional appeal to help solve his daughter's murder. hours later, fbi agents and u.s. marshals took michael harvey into custody. he will be arraigned later today. >>> lindsay lohan could be headed back to jail. a judge issued an arrest warrant yesterday, after the actress acknowledged failing a drug test less than a month after leaving rehab. lohan was allowed to remain free, pending a hearing friday, to determine if she, in fact, did violate her probation. over the summer, the actress served 14 days of a 90-day jail sentence. >>> the benner have broncos is mourning the apparent suicide of one of its players. kenny mckinley was found dead at his home yesterday. investigators believe he died because of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. his coach said mckinley would be remembered for his smile that could light up an

here's john hendren. >> reporter: fresh from their august recess, lawmakers are returning to capitol hill and a showdown over taxes. >> now they want to drive another nail in the coffin. a massive tax hike. >> he wants the millionaire to receive a $100,000 tax cut. a tax cut most have not asked for and many do not need. >> reporter: president obama and democratic leaders want to extend the bush tax cuts for those earning under $250,000. most republicans want those cuts extended for the wealthy as well and with a mid-term election campaigning heating up so has the rhetoric. >> we're in the political silly season now. >> reporter: republicans aren't the president's only obstacle. his bigger worry, convincing conservative democrats. >> my position is that given the from gillity of the economy all the bush tax cuts should be extended temporarily. >> it seems to me the last moment when we should be raising anybody's taxes and taking money out of anybody's pocket. >> reporter: democratic disunity seems to be leading to increased republican unity. this weekend house republican leader john b

john hendren reports from abc. >> the president's right-hand man has long dreamed of running the nation's second city. >> it has always been an aspiration of mind even when i was in the house of representatives. >> mayor richard daley is leaving the post, so the president will likely be looking for new cchief of staff to run the white house. >> running the city of chicago is a serious enterprise. he has not told me yet. as soon as he does, i am sure we will handle it. >> of hokie officers are leaving. david axelrod retires next year. then there's the obama economic team. larry summers is leaving. budget director peter orszag is gone. council of economic advisers chair christina romer is gone. >> the work that they do is difficult. they have been at it two years. >> only treasury secretary tim geithner remains and he is under fire. >> the economic team on the way out. >> five weeks before midterm elections. people are predicting big losses for democrats. the timing could not be more crucial. >>> the cia is intensifying missile attacks against militants in pakistan. they have heard of a new

>> john hendren, thank you. a lot to talk about here, so we want to call in our senior washington editor rick klein. rick, is it really so dire for the democrats right now that even longer serving democrats e barney frank are in trouble? >> reporter: this is such a potent political environment, almost no democrat in the country can look in the mirror and say, i don't have anything to worry about. democrats are playing defense wherever they can. that's why you are seeing president clinton campaign throughout new england, some of the bluest states in the nation. and that's why we see president obama visit four battleground states this week. all states he carried. all states have endangered democrats. they know if they hold onto these seats, they can hold on the majority in the house and the senate.prognosis, what is the generally accepted prognosis in washington right now about how democrats will fare? >> reporter: it going to be a difficult year. but there's a little bit more of a bounce in their steps. their cha

as sphiews sphiews -- abc2 news john hendren explains, their number one concern was no surprise, the economy. >> reporter: the president's election year message, give democrats time to fix the economy. >> they are not offering any new ideas. the chair of one of their campaign committees said if they take over congress they will pursue, i'm quoting now, the exact same agenda as they did before i took office. the same agenda. >> reporter: even to many supporters at the cnbc town hall it's a hard sell. >> is the american dream dead for me? >> defending you, defending your administration, defending the change i voted for? >> my goal here is not to try to convince you that everything is where it needs to be. it's not. but what i am saying is that we're moving in the right direction. >> reporter: former president clinton suggested a new pitch. >> it's ok to be mad, but make a choice based on what should we do now and who is more likely to do it. >> reporter: that might also be a hard sell. in a new poll 23% say for the economy to recover democrats should control congress. 26% say republica

john hendren, abc news, silver spring, maryland. >>> a new york city man has survived a fall from the 39th floor of a high-rise apartment building. he crashed feet-first in a sports car that was parked on the seat and landed in the back street. 22-year-old thomas magill reportedly was trying to kill himself. he's now in critical condition after having surgery on both of his legs. >>> a surveillance camera outside of the a massachusetts convenient store caught some amazing pictures. the driver, look at that, apparently lost control after falling asleep and crashed right through the front of the store. it happened just as the owner and his wife closed for the night. the driver was okay. and after $130,000 in repairs, the store is back open for business. >> all those folks are lucky. >>> well, in sports news this morning, a surprise in the second round of the u.s. open here in new york. we get the latest, now, from espn news. >> good morning. we start your espn news update with a base-brawl between the nats and marlins. nyjer morgan, of course, in the middle of it all. he was already hit

john hendren, abc news, washington. >>> a convicted sex offender has been arrested in the murder of a north carolina police chief's daughter. valerie hamilton's body was found in a self-storage unit on saturday. her father appeared on "good morning america" yesterday, with an emotional appeal to help solve his daughter's murder. hours later, fbi agents and u.s. marshals took michael lee harvey into custody. he will be arraigned later today. >>> lindsay lohan could be headed back to jail. a judge issued an arrest warrant yesterday, after the actress acknowledged failing a drug test less than a month after leaving rehab. lohan was allowed to remain free, pending a hearing friday, to determine if she, in fact, did violate her probation. over the summer, the actress served 14 days of a 90-day jail sentence. >>> the denver broncos organization is mourning the apparent suicide of one of its players. kenny mckinley was found dead at his home yesterday. investigators believe he died because of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. he was on the broncos reserve list because of a knee injury. his coa

president obama made the official announcement lastight pfroval here's john hendren. >> good evening. >> reporter: the announcement was 7 years, 5 months and 13 days in the making. >> so, tonight, i am announcing that the american combat mission in iraq has ended. >> reporter: it wasn't mission accomplished. but a suggestion of a promise fulfild. >> this was my pledge to the american people as a candidate for this office. last february, i announced a plan that would bring our combat brigades out of iraq, while redoubling our efforts to strengthen iraq's security forces and support its government le that's what we've done. called the withdrawal transition, a seismic shift to an advise and assist role. >> americans who have served in iraq completed every mission >> reporter: republicans reminded americans that then-candidate obama opposed president bush's troop surge. >> some leaders who opposed, criticized and fought tooth and nail to stop the surge strategy, now proudly claim credit for the results. >> reporter: ending the war isn't just in iraq's interest, it's in our after spendinas

>> john hendren, thank you. >>> a lot to talk about here, so we want to call in our senior washington editor rick klein for his weekly "political insights." rick, is it really so dire for the democrats right now that even long-serving democrats like barney frank are in actual trouble? >> reporter: dan, this is such a potent political environment, almost no democrat in the country can look in the mirror and say, i don't have anything to worry about at all this fall. democrats are playing defense wherever they can. that's why you are seeing president clinton campaign throughout new england, some of the bluest states in the nation. and that's why we see president obama visit four battleground states this week. all states he carried. all states have endangered democrats. democrats know if they hold onto enough of these seats, they're able to hold onto their majorities in the house and the senate. >> what is the generally accepted prognosis in washington right now about how democrats will fare? >> reporter: it going to be a difficult year. but there's a little bit more of a bounce in their

john hendren has the details from washington. hi, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinib. if you want an indication of just how crucial this election in november is, congress was within one vote of repealing the don't ask, don't tell law. they had that vote until yesterd to repeal don't ask, don't tell, democrats needed senator susan collins. >> i think it's the right thing to do. i think it's only fair. >> reporter: but when they closed off debate on the effort to overturn the ban on gays serving openly in the military, they lost her. >> now is not the time to play politics. simply because an election is looming in a few weeks. >> reporter: the repeal had its opponents. >> it's a dumb thing to do, to try to use the defense authorization bill in times of war to advance a liberal agenda. >> reporter: but it was an issue of rare agreement for 60 senators. the number it takes to move a bill. and they had a colorful spokeswoman, lady gaga. >> i'm here because don't ask, don't tell is wrong. >> reporter: daring republicans to say no, democrats added the repeal to a $726 billion

john hendren, abc news, >>> accusing america. how the president of iran angered so many leaders at the united nations. >>> then, historic execution. the woman who lost a long battle over the death penalty. >>> and, facebook's founder addresses an upcoming movie. his generosity and his success. >> there's an enormous sense of pride. >> it's friday, september 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it is hard how cynical some folks can be. zuckerberg gave 100 million bucks to new york schools, but is that to soften his image because his movie's coming out and doesn't make him look too great. >> given he's the biggest gainer on the "forbes 400" list. nevertheless he gave a lot which a lot of people wouldn't do. >> you can't argue that. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. >>> iran's president is provoking more than the usual amount of controversy this morning after his remarks at the united nations. >> americans were so infuriated they simply walked out. >> reporter: in a speech to the united nat

as john hendren reports, there are concerns about safety. >> reporter: supporters call it fast-growing, tasty, and beautiful. >> people who see them think they're very attractive fish. we happen to think they're lovely fish. >> reporter: critics call it frankenfish and asked the fda not to approve genetically altered salmon like this. >> if you ask do the data and information demonstrate a reasonable certainty of no harm from consumption of foods that derive from aqua advantage salmon? i think the answer to that is no. >> reporter: this is a wild salmon. this a genetically altered one. it's bigger and takes half the time to become full grown. scientists found adding genetic material from pacific salmon and an eel-like fish helps these atlantic salmon grow around the clock. supporters say wild fish are running out and these genetically altered fish are safe. >> aqua advantage salmon is atlantic salmon. and food from aqua advantage salmon is as safe as food from other atlantic salmon. >> reporter: what if altered fish escape? it happened with farm salmon and genetically engineered crops

john hendren, abc news, the white house. >>> the fbi says the car used in dramatic south florida bank robbery has now been found. investigators will begin going over the car today. strapped what they said was a bomb to a bank teller's chest. then they made him withdraw a large sum of money. abc news has learned the bomb turned out to be a fake. >>> a vacation ended in tragedy for a busload of tourists from at least 12 people were killed when their bus apparently crashed into a bridge support on a joer man highway near berlin. dozens of people were also hurt. police say the bus was forced off the highway by a car which was trying to merge. the group was returning home after a trip to spain. >>> south korean automaker hyundai is recall something popular new cars. steering wheel defects in its sonata sedans forced the recall. they love 2011 models built before september 10th. no crashes or injuries have been reported. owners should take their cars to the dealer for inspection or repairs. >>> it was not the usual sunday sermon at one of the nation's largest churches. bishop eddie long too

john hendren, abc news, washington. john hendren, abc news, washington. >> hard to imagine highway with itchy welts. they got my family, too! [detective] a mouse didn't seem like the type. all i do is carry disease and contaminate food. says here... cockroaches spread bacteria... parasitic worms... and trigger asthma attacks. but i hide from people. everything points to you bedbug. excellent! i love prison food. he, he [male announcer] learn how to protect your family at pest world dot org. >>> accusing america. how the president of iran angered so many leaders at the united nations. >>> then, historic execution. the woman who lost a long battle over the death penalty. >>> and, facebook's founder addresses an upcoming movie. his generosity and his success. >> there's an enormous sense of pride. >> it's friday, september 24th. >> from abc news, this is "world news now." >> it is funny how cynical some folks can be. zuckerberg gave 100 million bucks to newark schools. is that to soften his image because there's movies com

that's where john hendren is this morning. good morning, john. >> reporter: hi, bianna. good morning. i'm here at the values voters summit. i'm here at the values voters summit. will be out in forc they're here to hear mie huckabee and mitt romney. but palin opted for iowa, instead. and that has a lot of people wondering just what she's up to. is she testing the waters for 2012? >> todd says, i guarantee you, if anybody spots you in the tennis shoes, the headline's going to be, "vanity fair," they're going to say, palin in iowa decides to run. >> reporter: with sarah palin headlining a gop fund-raiser in a key gop state, the white house thinks so. >> normally this time of year, you go to dip your toe in the water. my guess is that she's going to dip that toe. >> it may take folks shaking us up, shaking it up, to get there. >> reporter: in iowa and at the conservative values voter summit in washington, palin tops a new roster that has conservatives fired up. >> it's our recovery fall when we take back the house and senate on november 2nd. >> reporter: then, there's the te

here's john hendren. >> reporter: president clinton is campaigning to protect an endangered species -- incumbent democrats. clinton campaigned yesterday deep on home turf in the once-solid blue states of connecticut and massachusetts. he had to campaign even for 30-year congressman barney frank, once so safe that he trounced his opponent last time 2-1 and three times before that, no republican ran against him. now, he's on the endangered list. >> nobody, but nobody in the house has done more to help build back the american dream than barney frank. you ought to be there for him on election day. >> reporter: democrats are also on the offensive, however, with a war room that uses republicans' personal histories, from tax records to divorce filings, in unusually early and harsh attack ads. those messages are only likely to grow harsher as november nears. >> hannah got rich while his construction company overcharged taxpayers thousands. >> he's a predatory real estate speculator. schweikert snatched up nearly 300 foreclosed homes. >> ganley's been sued over 400 times for fraud, discriminat

here's john hendren. >> reporter: president clinton is campaigning to protect an endangered species -- incumbent democrats. clinton campaigned yesterday deep on home turf in the once-solid blue states of connecticut and massachusetts. he had to campaign even for 30-year congressman barney frank, once so safe that he trounced his opponent last time 2-1 and three times before that, no republican ran against him. now, he's on the endangered list. >> nobody, but nobody in the house has done more to help build back the american dream than barney frank. you ought to be there for him on election day. >> reporter: democrats are also on the offensive, however, with a war room that uses republicans' personal histories, from tax records to divorce filings, in unusually early and harsh attack ads. those messages are only likely to grow harsher as november nears. >> hannah got rich while his construction company overcharged taxpayers thousands. >> he's a predatory real estate speculator. schweikert snatched up nearly 300 foreclosed homes. >> ganley's been sued 400 times for fraud, discrimination a

john hendren has the deais from washington. hi, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita arob if you want ndif in november is, congress was within one vote of repealing the don't ask, don't tell they hadvote yesterday. to repeal don't ask, don't tell, democrats needed senator susan collins. >> i think it's the right thing to do. i think it's only fair. >> reporter: but when they closed off debate on the effort to overturn the ban on gays serving openly in the military, they lost her. >> now is not the time to play politics simply because an election is looming in a few weeks. >> reporter: the repeal had its opponents. >> it's a dumb thing to do, to try to use the defense authorization bill in times of war to advance a liberal agenda. >> reporter: but it was an issue of rare agreement for 60 senators. the number it takes to move a bill. and they had a colorful spokeswoman, lady gaga. >> i'm here because don't ask, don't tell is wrong. >> reporter: daring republicans to say no, democrats added the repeal to a $726 billion bill to

that's where john hendren is this morning. >> reporter: hi, bianna. good morning. i'm here at the values voters summit. in a little while, conservatives will be out in force. they're here to hear mike huckabee and others. is she testing the waters for 2012? >> todd says, i guarantee you, if anybody spots you in the tennis shoes, the headline's going to be, "vanity fair," they're going to say, palin in iowa decides to run. >> reporter: with sarah palin headlining a gop fund-raiser in a republican state, the white house thinks so. >> normally this time of year, you go to dip your toe in the water. my guess is that she's going to dip that toe. >> it may take folks shaking us up, shaking it up, to get there. >> reporter: in iowa and at the conservative values voter summit in washington, palin talks to a new round of stars that have conservatives fired up. >> it's our recovery fall when we take back the house and senate on november 2nd. >> reporter: then, there's the tea party's newest phenom. >> they call us wacky. they call us wingnuts. we call us, we, the people. >>

here's john hendren. >> reporter: for any other president, it's an unremarkable scene. the first family's block-long stroll to the tolling bells of st. john's church. for president obama, it's national news. he hasn't been to church in washington since easter. one in five americans think, wrongly, he's muslim. the president's dismal poll numbers are also a policemen for fellow democrats who fear the party faithful might sit at home on election day. for republicans the problem isn't too little excitement, it's too much. that excitement is being generated by the tea party which is knocking out established republican candidates and giving democrats a chance at races many had written off. the latest example, delaware, where a little-known tea partier named christine owe done took down a republican goliath, 18-year congressman mike castle. she was supposed to appear on two sunday talk shows but canceled leaving her colorful and controversial statements repeating in an unanswered loop on the internet. >> i dabbled in witchcraft. one of my first dates with a witch was on a sat

john hendren, abc news, washington. >>> it was a special night here in new york as the yankees honor their long-time owner, the late george steinbrenner. his widow helped unveil a monument to the man known simply as the boss. the tribute fits steinbrenner's outsized personality. at more than 7 feet tall and weighing 760 pounds it's the largest of the monuments in yankee stadium's so-called monument park. >> he was so synonymous for seinfeld. i think for so many people that's how they know him. >> you know who did the steinbrenner voice? larry david. that was larry david. >> good to know. >> trivia, there you go. >>> here's a look at the tuesday forecast. 70-mile-an-hour winds, golf ball-sized hail, up to 2 inches of rain from nebraska to michigan. heavy rain in austin, corpus christi and houston. showers and thunderstorms in montana, arizona, and new mexico. >> 87 in albuquerque. 83 in colorado springs. 103 in phoenix. 73 in the twin cities. a wet 87 in chicago. 84 in detroit. boston just 69. new york 74. baltimore 77. >>> this is a really remarkable story. this guy has no legs and n

>> john hendren reporting from washington, thanks, john. >>> and president obama is preparing to play host to the israeli and palestinian leaders as they resume stalled peace talks in washington. abc's simon mcgregor-wood is in the middle east where violence has erupted again. good morning, simon. >> reporter: good morning, mike, from jerusalem. that's right, president obama gets personally involved in the peace process again today in washington. he has a very ambitious plan, trying to bring mideast peace that has eluded so many of predecessors for the last 60 years in less than a year. there were talks already yesterday in washington, the moderate palestinian leader president abbas sitting down for a one on one with secretary clinton as she met later with israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu. as i said, the president will have meetings with both those two men separately, also with the king of jordan and the president of egypt late today before hosting this launch dinner at the white house later this evening. tomorrow the first official negotiations between the two sides in over

john hendren is in washington this morning with the latest. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rock. president obama goes to wisconsin later today to rally young voters. but unlike 2008, the voters who are most inspired to vote among those students seem to be republicans. >> you can't sit it out. you can't suddenly just check in once every ten years or so on an exciting presidential election and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we've got a real big choice between democrats and republicans. >> reporter: in his presidential campaign, candidate obama was a veritable pied piper to young voters. >> we have given young people a reason to believe, and we have brought the young at heart back to the polls who want to believe again. >> reporter: two years later, young voters are less engaged and less inclined to vote for democrats. in the most recent abc news/"washington post" poll, 55% of voters ages 18 to 29 said they were absolutely certain to vote this fall. that's compared to 78% among those 50 to 64,

john hendren, abc news, washington

john hendren is in washington with the democrats' strategy. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. president obama heads to madison, wisconsin, to rally young voters. unlike 2008, the voters who are most inspired to vote seem to be republicans. president obama urged student journalists not to sit out the november election. >> you can't sit it out. you can't suddenly just check in once every ten years or so on an exciting presidential election and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we've got a real big choice between democrats and republicans. >> reporter: in his presidential campaign, candidate obama was a veritable pied piper to young voters. >> we have given young people a reason to believe. and we have brought the young at heart back to the polls who want to believe again. >> reporter: two years later, young voters are less engaged and less inclined to vote for democrats. >> it's going to be a challenge. but it's a challenge worth waging. we're hopeful that once students learn about the electio

john hendren, abc news, washington. >>> there's one high-profile incumbent still standing this morning. new york congressman charles rangel managed to beat back five challengers for a seat. rangel has served 40 years in the house. he won despite more than a dozen ethics charges pending against him. rangel is all but guaranteed to win come november. >>> in other news -- mideast peace talks will enter a new phase today in israel. >> israel and palestinian leaders spent the day in talks in egypt without a major breakthrough. simon mcgregor-wood is live with a status report. >> reporter: good morning. that's right. secretary of state clinton touched down in tel aviv last night after a hard day of negotiations in sharm el sheikh where yet again, the thorny issue of israeli settlements dominated the agenda. round two of the new middle east peace process, the location this time sharm el sheikh. the host? egypt's ailing and aging president mubarak. secretary of state hillary clinton spending most of her time trying to prevent both sides from walking away. >> they will have to find ways to over

john hendren has that story from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. when sarah palin spoke in iowa the other day, a lot of people thought she was dipping her toes into the waters for a 2012 presidential run. but a new straw poll has another lesser known candidate riding a cresting conservative wave. in one of the earliest tests for 2012, a surprise winner. who did you vote for? >> mike pence. >> for president i voted for mike pence. >> congressman mike pence. >> reporter: the low-profile indiana republican might not be a household name, but for the conservatives here at the values voter summit, he speaks their language. >> i'm a christian, a conservative and a republican in that order. [ applause ] >> mike pence is somebody who is both a fiscal conservative and more importantly for this conference a cultural conservative. unapologetic on issues like gay marriage and abortion, and that really appeals to this kind of audience. >> reporter: also riding the wave former arkansas governor mike huckabee who came in second. who is not, mitt romney, a former b

john hendren has that story from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. when sarah palin spoke in iowa the other day, a lot of people thought she was dipping her toes into the waters for a 2012 presidential run. but a new straw poll has another lesser known candidate riding a cresting conservative wave. in one of the earliest tests for 2012, a surprise winner. who did you vote for? >> mike pence. >> for president i voted for mike pitts. >> congressman mike pence. >> reporter: the low-profile indiana republican might not be a household name, but for the conservatives here at the values voter summit, he speaks their language. >> i'm a christian, a conservative and a republican in that order. [ applause ] >> mike pence is somebody who is both a fiscal conservative and more importantly for this conference a cultural conservative. unapologetic on issues like gay marriage and abortion, and that really appeals to this kind of audience. >> reporter: also riding the wave former arkansas governor mike huckabee who came in second. who is not, mitt romney, a former b

john hendren has that story from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. when sarah palin spoke in iowa the other day, a lot of people thought she was dipping her toes into the waters for a 2012 presidential run. but a new straw poll has another lesser known candidate riding a cresting conservative wave. in one of the earliest tests for 2012, a surprise winner. who did you vote for? >> mike pence. >> for president i vot for mike pitts. >> congressman mike pence. >> reporter: the low-profile indiana republican might not be a household name, but for the conservatives here at the values voter summit, he speaks their language. >> i'm a christian, a conservative and a republican in that order. [ applause ] >> mike pence is somebody who is both a fiscal conservative and more importantly for this conference a cultural conservative. unapologetic on issues like gay marriage and abortion, and that really appeals to this kind of audience. >> reporter: also riding the wave former arkansas governor mike huckabee who came in second. who is not, mitt romney, a former blu

he's going to be campaigning for some struggling dem road this we john hendren has the story >> portd mo that's right. former president clinton says a good fight, and he will back in the ring in surprising places, places where in any other year no democrat would be on the ropes. the comeback kid is coming back. >> i know a lot of people are mad, and a lot of people are tired. >> reporter: in a bruising year for democrats, he's playing defense deep in home territory. today in the solid blue states of massachusetts and connecticut. >> it means there is no such thing as a safe state for democrats this year. there's no such thing as a dark blue state. there's no such thing as a safe slam dunk n. >> reporter: he's campaigning for an endangered species, longtime politicians. connecticut attorney richard blumenthal, a senate hopeful, and 30-year congressman barney frank, whoshed las in three earlier races the republicans threw up their hands running no one against him. now the president's point man on the ba the endangered list. >> this is as bad a political environment that democrats seen i

john hendren is joining us from washington with more details. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. the white house said the president chose cleveland as the site of his speech because it was there a few weeks ago house republican leader john boehner attacked the obama economic program. when the president got to cleveland, he fired back. it was a strikingly personal address with the president saying his vision of america came from his own family's work ethic, but will likely go down as one of the most stridently political addresses of the obama presidency. >> it's still fear versus hope. the past versus the future. it's still a choice between sliding backwards and moving forward. that's what this election's about. that's the choice that you will face in november. >> reporter: the president named the house republican leader eight times in his speech. it was return fire for a gop leader who's repeatedly put the president in his own sights. the president came with a new plan, new tax breaks for businesses and $50 billion fo

of the bluest of the blue and the vice president and john hendren has the story now from washington. >> reporter: good morning, ashleigh. that's right.n s democrats are not yet putting up a good fight, and he will be back in the ring in some surprising places, places where in any other year no democrat the comeback kid is coming back. >> i know a lot of people are mad, and a lot of people are >> report for democrats, he's play defense deep in home territory. today in the solid blue states of massachusetts and >> it means there is no such thing as a safe state for democrats this year. there's no such thing as a dark blue state. there's no such thing as a safe slam dunk election. >> reporter: he's campaigning for an endangerspecs longtime politicians. connecticut attorney richard blumenthal, a senate hopeful, and 30-year congressman barney frank, whocr last opponent 2-1. in three earlier races the republicans threw up their hands running no one agai o the banking bailout is also on the endangered list. >> this is as bad a political nvi thats has bad a political seen in a very im a w ca

john hendren is in washington this morning with the latest. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. president obama goes to wisconsin later today to rally young voters. but unlike 2008, the voters who are most inspired to vote among those students seem to be republicans. >> you can't sit it out. you can't suddenly just check in once every ten years or so on an exciting presidential election and then not pay attention during big midterm elections where we've got a real big choice between democrats and republicans. >> reporter: in his presidential campaign, candidate obama was a veritable pied piper to young voters. >> we have given young people a reason to believe, and we have brought the young at heart back to the polls who want to believe again. >> reporter: two years later, young voters are less engaged and less inclined to vote for democrats. in the most recent abc news/"washington post" poll, 55% of voters ages 18 to 29 said they were absolutely certain to vote this fall. that's compared to 78% among those 50 to 64,

that's john hendren reporting this morning. >>> let's stay in washington, now, and get insight from two, political pros. republican robert traynham and democrat karen finney. good morning to both of you. >> good morning. >> thanks for getting up early. we appreciate it. let me start with you, karen. is sarah palin running? >> she's been able to have an influence on the process. she is enjoying success in the process. she's been able to get paid and support people in the process. >> robert, is she running? >> i don't know the answer to that. truth be told, i don't think she knows the answer. but she's doing everything she can to position herself, that if she chooses to run, she has the staff and resources in place to do so. >> well, staying with you for a second. if she does run, do you think she can win? >> in the primaries, i think she could. there are really three states that determine who the republican nominees are going to be. iowa, new hampshire and south carolina. if you look at the demographics in those states, sarah palin h if you look at the demographics in those states, sarah

john hendren has the latest from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. tea partiers partied extra hard in delaware. that's where outsider christine o'donnell defeated longtime congressman mike castle. castle hadn't faced a hotly contested primary since the first bush administration. o'donnell benefited from an antiestablishment mood and an endorsement from sarah palin. the republican establishment had warned gop voters if they picked her, they would lose to the democrat in november, but voters just weren't listening. >> we're going to go after the scoundrels, those that have chosen a life of feeding at the public trough. they're going to have to account for themselves. the friends and family club, pay to play club, those are over. we are a government of the people. >> reporter: the tea party candidate picked up a win in new york where lazio was defeated, though either are expected to defeat andrew cuomo in november. it wasn't all bad news for the establishment. in maryland, bob ehrlich easily

john hendren is in washington with more. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. the white house insists president obama is certain he got his afghan war strategy right. but a new book says there was a lot of disagreement and name-calling before he got there. it's the book that has washington buzzing. bob woodward's "obama's wars" is a detailed account of how the obama administration assembled its policy for the war in afghanistan. it portrays the president as a leader urgently trying to find a way to end u.s. involvement there, at one point saying, "i want an exit strategy." woodward reports the president pressed top advisers for a withdrawal date and terms and when he didn't get one, he drew one up himself. the book says the president had to balance politics and national security after pledging to change president bush's policies in the war on terror. >> this president has embarked upon a very bold gamble in afghanistan. he's trying to reverse a disaster that he inherited and turn it into something t

john hendren has the latest now from baltimore. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. the gunman made it to the eighth floor of the building behind me just past the overpass with a semi-automatic weapon. he had a license to carry it but apparently no one checked. it was a two-hour siege, with hospital workers and visitors on lockdown. >> so what were you told to do? lock down? >> yes. it was a lockdown. no one could leave. >> reporter: it began at 11:11 a.m., just outside room 873 of the spinal surgery wing. dr. david cohen was giving warren pardus the latest on his mother, jean's operation. >> mr. davis removed a small semi-automatic handgun from his waist and fired a single gunshot that struck the doctor. >> i guess -- i guess he thought that she was suffering a lot, that she wasn't going to be able to walk again. >> reporter: outside, police controlled the streets. inside, s.w.a.t. teams sealed off the floor. but doctors kept on working, including the team that was saving dr. cohen's life. hospital viole

john hendren is in washington now with the latest. good morning, john. >> good morning, vinita and rob. republican leaders are still stunned at the beating their party favorites took at the hands of tea party activists in the primaries. now they're looking ahead to november and trying to mend fences. republican leaders called her a loose cannon. >> i mean, there's just a lot of nutty things she's been saying. >> reporter: they called her unelectable. >> and if she were by some miracle to be our nominee, that we would lose this seat and lose it by unprecedented numbers. >> reporter: now they're calling her their standard bearer. >> i look forward to electing christine the next senator fro the state o del >> reporter: the republican establishment is reaching out outsiders and tea party candidates like o'donnell, who beat their gop favorites in the primary. >> these folks who turned out and voted for christine o'donnell are the very people that they neeinov >> reporter: candidates know party'sve b mon ve besto >> so if thyweru bo winning

john hendren has the latest from washington. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. tea partiers partied extra hard in delaware. that's where outsider christine o'donnell defeated longtime congressman mike castle. castle hadn't faced a hotly contested primary since the first bush administration. o'donnell benefited from an antiestablishment mood and an endorsement from sarah palin. the republican establishment had warned gop voters if they picked her, they would lose to the democrat in november, but voters just weren't listening. >> we're going to go after the scoundrels, those that have chosen a life of feeding at the public trough. they're going to have to account for themselves. the friends and family club, pay to play club, those are over. we will have a government of the people. >> reporter: the tea party candidate picked up a win in new york where outsider paladino defeated lazio. though neither are expected to defeat state attorney general andrew cuomo in november. it wasn't all bad news for the es

john hendren is in washington with more. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. the white house insists president obama is certain he got his afghan war strategy right. but a new book says there was a lot of disagreement and name-calling before he got there. it's the book that has washington buzzing. bob woodward's "obama's wars" is a detailed account of how the obama administration assembled its policy for the war in afghanistan. it portrays the president as a leader urgently trying to find a way to end u.s. involvement there, at one point saying, "i want an exit strategy." woodward reports the president pressed top advisers for a withdrawal date aerms changnt bicie in the n er s psdenemba upon a very bold gamble in afghanistan. he's trying to reverse a disaster that he inherited and turn it into something that ensures american security is improved. >> reporter: the president told woodward "we can absorb a terrorist attack. we'll do everything we can to prevent it but even a 9/11, even the biggest at

john hendren has the debate this morning. hi, john. >> reporter: good morning, vinita and rob. yesterday the senate came back to capit house returns and issue number one on their plate is tax cuts. the president says republicans are holding a middle-class tax cut hostage. >> we're still in this wrestling match with john boehner and mitch mcconnell about the last 2% to 3%. >> reporter: most democrats want to extend the bush tax cuts for those earning under $250,000. most republicans want to extend them for all america including the welty. this weekend house repu leader john boehner seemed to cave. >> if the only option i have is to vote for those at 250 and below, of course i'm going to do that. but i think that's bad policy. >> reporter: now boehner finds himself all but alone, with few republicans behind him. >> and this is no small tax hike. the tax hike the administration is proposing, according to irs, would apply to half of all small business income in this country. >> reporter: both sides are making tax cuts the wedge issue of the midterm election as the president did on

john hendren is in washington now with the latest. good morning, john. >> good morning, vinita and rob. republican leaders are still stunned at the beating their party favorites took at the hands of tea party activists in the primaries. now they're looking ahead to november and trying to mend fences. republican leaders called her a loose cannon. >> i mean, there's just a lot of nutty things she's been saying. >> reporter: they called her unelectable. >> and if she were by some miracle to be our nominee, that we would lose this seat and lose it by unprecedented numbers. >> reporter: now they're calling her their standard bearer. >> i look forward to electing christinexm ofawar orte r estaent eh ot tsidea p canidatlike who beat their gop favorites in the primary. >> these folks who turned out and voted for christine o'donnell are the very people that they need in november. >> reporter: candidates know they'll need to accept the party's olive brhnd >> so if they were serious ut winning, we couldthe damage donemove >> reporter: the lone s