against iran in response to an alleged iranian plot to murder saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states. two men have now been charged including an iranian-american. one of the men still at large. attorney general eric holder spells out the charges against them. >> the united states is committed to holding iran accountable for its actions. they're charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism, among other charges. >> u.s. officials say the plot never really got off the ground because the two suspects were dealing with u.s. government informant. more now on the events as they unfolded from our foreign affairs correspondent, jill dougherty. >> reporter: the united states and the obama administration are treating this as a very big deal. immediately, the treasury department came out and said that it was sanctioning five top people who they say allegedly were connected with this plat. four of them being senior officials, they say, in the qods force. that is a part of the revolutionary guard. and it is that group, the u.s. alleges, that actually was behind this terror plot. also, secretary of state hillary clinton talking with the allies, urging them to send a strong message to iran. here is what she said. >> it was a terrific achievement by our law enforcement and intelligence communities, and we will be consulting with our friends and partners around the world about how we can send a very strong message that this kind of action which violates international norms must be ended and other yashs where we can cooperate more closely in order to send a strong message to iran and further isolate it from the international community will also be considered. >> reporter: u.s. officials also allege that there was another subplot, not very well worked out, but it was discussed, they say, by the people who put this together in some detail. and that was not only to assassinate the saudi ambassador, but perhaps to attack in some way the israeli embassy in washington and also in buenos aires, argentina. so if you look at the number of countries involved, the united states, iran, saudi arabia, mechani mexico and israel, diplomatic eight, it was a serious deal. and we're told by u.s. officials that there could be more statements from the u.s. coming the next day, which would be wednesday. jill dougherty, cnn, the state department. >> the state department is also warning americans living and traveling abroad of possible anti-american action in response to those plot allegations. the travel alert expires in january. saudi arabia is calling the alleged plot despicable. and iran calls the allegations fabricated and baseless. cnn's mohamed jom june joins us now live from abu dhabi. mohamed, what more can you tell us about the reactions coming from both the saudis and iran? >> well, carol, reaction from the iranian officials was immediate. they were outraged by these allegations. you have the speaker of iran's parliament calling it a childish play by the americans and that the americans were attempting to divert attention from their own domestic problems. shortly after that, the ambassador to the u.n. for iran wrote to ban ki-moon and expressed outrage over the allegations, said he strongly rejects the baseless allegations. reactions from the saudis took a bit longer. most officials in saudi arabia around speaking about this. there was a short statement issued by the oil embassy of saudi arabia in d.c. in which they call the attempted plot a despicable allegation, that it's not in accord with the principles of humanity. what's yet to be seen is how this will play in the saudi press, with the saudi people. we've been trying to get reaction from saudi arabia today. most people still quiet about it, saying that the statement from the embassy really speaks for itself, and that's really what needs to be said right now. carol? >> of course, the big question hanging out there is why. what was the purpose of this alleged attempted assassination plot? what's the relations between the saudis and iran? >> carol, the relationship between saudi arabia and iran has been one of hostility and enmity for quite some time. if we just take it to recently, one of the recent flash points to showcase the tension between both countries has been bahrain. bahrain is 70% shiite but with sunni leadership. what happened when the arab spring really took root in bahrain, people started protesting. the iranians got nervous because saudi arabia and other sunni countries sent troops into bahrain. iran saw that as an aggressive move. they were upset about it. the saudis thought that the iranians were trying to foment unrest in bahrain with the shiite population. so that's just one example of how these two super powers in the region that are really at the ideological opposites of the spectrum from each other are trying to vie for dominance even if a tiny country like bahrain, and it really showcases how difficult and strained and tense the relationship is between these two countries. carol? >> mohamed jomjune reporting live from abu daub buy. here in the united states, obama faces a big political question today, what to do about his $447 billion jobs bill. the democratically controlled senate, his bill failed yesterday. it failed to get the 60 votes it needed to bring it to the floor for a debate. two democrats joined republicans in voting against the jobs bill. mr. obama who returned to washington last night after a day of campaigning says the vote is not the end of the battle. in a statement, he accused the republicans of obstructionism. and of going against what the american people want. the president says he will now work with democratic leaders in breaking the package up into pieces, into a series of smaller bills, that will be introduced individually. republican presidential candidate herman cain who's been surging in the polls of late is defending his plan to fix the economy despite much criticism. his 999 plan to scrap the federal tax code was the target of his republican rivals at their latest debate last night in new hampshire. if elected, cain says he would implement a flat 9% tax on corporations, income and sales. cain's opponents call the plan unrealistic and stands zero chance of passing on capitol hill. >> i thought it was the price of a pizza when i first heard it. >> we'll have more highlights from the debate in just about ten minutes. mitt romney was also a favorite target at that debate. but the front-runner held off several attacks, keeping the focus on jobs and the economy. the former massachusetts governor got a huge boost a few hours before the start of the debate in the form of an endorsement from new jersey governor chris christie. >> it's been really in the end an easy decision for me. i know that america needs a new course, and i want it to be with the person who i believe will be the best person to lead america on that course, and that's governor mitt romney. so i'm thrilled to be here today, mitt. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> you may remember that just last week christie announced that he would not run for the white house next year. the occupy wall street protesters plan more demonstrations in new york's final district today. they were out in force yesterday marching uptown to the neighborhoods of the super-rich. joining the protesters were several union groups. some of the homes they marched past including those of billionaire david koch and jamie dimon, the ceo of morgan chase. a prison is secure in oklahoma. fights broke out in several parts of the private north fork correctional facility in the western part of the state. several inmates were injured. our affiliate koco reports 16 were taken to area hospitalizeds. officials say they don't know what caused the riots. if you're one of the millions of iphone users, you'll soon have over 200 new features in the palm of your hand. but what is it about today's update that's creating such a buzz? we'll tell you. but first, our "quote of the day." quote, the 999 plan isn't a jobs plan, it's a tax plan. when you take the 999 plan and turn it upside down, i think the devil's in the details, end quote. can you guess who said this? we'll have the answer in 90 seconds. it's nine minutes past the hour. 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[ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ we're centurylink... a new kind of broadband company committed to providing honest, personal service from real people... 5-year price-lock guarantees... consistently fast speeds... and more ways to customize your technology. ♪ fore! no matter what small business you are in, managing expenses seems to... get in the way. not anymore. ink, the small business card from chase introduces jot an on-the-go expense app made exclusively for ink customers. custom categorize your expenses anywhere. save time and get back to what you love. the latest innovation. only for ink customers. learn more at chase.com/ink it's 11 minutes past the hour. this is your "a.m. wake-up call." today's "quote of the day," quote, the 999 plan isn't a jobs plan, it's a tax plan. when you take the plan and turn is upside down, i think the devil's in the details. who said that? that was gop presidential candidate michele bachmann. she said that during last night's bloomberg debate. almost all the candidates made a reference to herman cain's 999 plan to fix the economy. for the users of the 40 million iphones, a lot of people are excited to hear today's news. really excited. let's go to hong kong and kristi lu stout. she's got the news. tell us about this new update. >> it arrives today and marks a turning point for the company. for the very first time, ios devices will no longer be tied to computers running apple itunes. since the original iphone back in 2007, apple users had to blug their mobile devices into a computer to sync music and data, but no more. all of those features are built into the new mobile operating syst system. and if you have a computer, if you want to, you could still plug in your iphone and use iphones. but apple mobile devices can now be used standalone straight from the box. back to you, carol. >> also in the news this morning, there's another satellite about to come tumbling to earth. tell us about that. >> that's right. yeah. this is a new way of weather forecasting or sky watching. we have to figure out which satellite's going to fall next. just a few weeks after a falling u.s. satellite put the world on alert, now german space officials are saying that the x-ray telescope is to fall to earth between october the 20th and the 25th. and like the last time space officials won't be able to tell us exactly where the satellite will hit. the satellite is about the size of a bus. and more of its mass is expected to survive reentry. it is currently being tracked by the u.s. space surveillance network as well as a german radar facility, and they will continue to update their reentry predictions. carol? >> kristi lu stout reporting live from hong kong, many thanks. republican rivals going after herman cain for his 999 plan. >> i thought it was a price of a pizza when i first heard about it. >> even cain had to smile at that one, but he's also fighting back. highlights from last night's gop debate. that's just ahead. exclusive to the military. and commitment is not limited to one's military oath. the same set of values that drive our nation's military are the ones we used to build usaa bank. from free checking to credit cards to loans, our commitment to the military, veterans, and their families is without equal. ♪ visit us online to learn what makes our bank so different. usaa. we know what it means to serve. consumers er wanchai ferry orange chicken... over p.f. chang's home menu orange chicken women men and uh pandas... elbows mmm [ male announcer ] wanchai ferry, try it yourself. 15 minutes past the hour. welcome back. comedians certainly took notice of last night's gop debate, but it wasn't what the candidates said that had the funny men talking. here's your punch line. >> at tonight's republican debate, former godfather's pizza ceo herman cain was given the center seat. you could tell cain was in the center because he was wearing one of those little plastic tables that protects the cheese from the top of the box. >> the location of the candidates behind the podium is determined by their ranking in the polls. and they will say, all right, here's a composite of the polls, here's our leader, and that's how they arrange the people on the stage for the debate. it's fascinating. take a look at this. >> participants in tonight's republican debate at dartmouth will be seated according to their poll numbers. so based on his recent momentum, herman cain will be seated at the center of the table with mitt romney. second-tier candidates like newt gingrich and ron paul will be placed to the side of the table. and rick santorum will debate from the parking lot. >> a little bit of an exaggeration, but time for your "political ticker" with tim farley live from washington. good morning, tim. >> good morning, carol. >> well, let's talk about last night's gop debate and the surging herman cain. republican rivals were going after him, specifically on his 999 plan. let's listen. >> i think it's a catchy phrase. in fact, i thought it was a price of a pizza when i first heard about it. >> the price of a pizza. >> 999 will pass, and it is not the price of a pizza because it has been well studied and well dwo developed. >> when you take the 999 plan and you turn it upside down, i think the devil's in the details. >> now, most economists say that herman cain's 999 plan would hurt the poor because it would actually raise their taxes. and a lot of people say, okay, you're going to come up with this 999 plan as president, but it will never get through congress. is it an overly simplistic plan, though? is it catchy because it's simple to listen to? i mean, 999? sounds simple. could it work? >> well, of course it's catchy. it's simple. as mitt romney said, when herman cain asked him to respond with his 59-point plan and mercifully mitt romney did not run through every point, but mitt romney said that simple phrases like that are usually useful, but they're not very -- they're not consequential most of the time because you can't rely on simplicity. let's step back for a minute from this event last night. herman cain, a lot of people are talking about him. a lot of research. what happened to rick perry? that was one of the questions last night. i think what we saw here was yes, a simple plan, but it is one that has caught on. and the fact that herman cain was able to stand toe to toe, or sit in this case because he was around a roundtable like the knights, he was able to be there and be one of the gang, if you will, and he's not a polished politician. so as a result of that, his stature has gone up among the candidates. and that means that people are going to have to treat him a little bit more seriously. i think the key, though, is he doesn't have a ground game, really. he does not have that kind of retail politicking experience that mitt romney has built up. that also rick perry has. and you have to be very careful to discount rick perry from competing in the upcoming races. i think that's an important consideration, carol. >> i know because there are a lot of debates to go. make ri maybe rick perry's sitting back and learning at the moment. presumably he got enough sleep, but i certainly didn't aggressively insert himself into the debate last night. he sort of just sat back and listened. and you're right, he has a lot more money in his campaign coffers than cain does. mitt romney went after president obama. he's acting like the front-runner -- i should say he's continuing to act like the front-runner. >> you mentioned money and that's key. the endorsement from the top of the show from chris christie, people who love christie around going to necessarily flock to romney just because somebody tells you that this james bond is better than that james bond does not mean you're going to go watch him just because you like the old one. the difference is chris christie is adding to that air of inevitably which is what some people have observed. in addition, he can raise money. he was raising money for bobby jindal last week, he was out in california. despite the fact that he's now a declared noncandidate, that might cut down somewhat on his draw. he can still bring in the money, he can still entertain a crowd. mitt romney is going to need that money because rick perry has $17 million. that can make him very competitive in iowa. new hampshire, in a state where he doesn't do well, and you wouldn't expect him to do well. so i don't know if it's a matter of sitting back. it's just a matter of whether or not debates are going to make that much of a difference when it comes to voting. who's going to vote in the iowa caucuses and new hampshire debates who was really focused on last night's debate or even the ones before that, that's the question we have to wait and see. and i think that's one that's going to be a fascinating development when finally voters get to speak out on who they're going to choose. >> there will be so many debates. and i think at some point voters lose interest. just because there are so many. it's strange. and there are so many candidates, too, right? >> yeah. in other words, the next debate may be the first time that somebody sees it. >> right. and i think as the field narrows and there are less candidates participating in the debate, the debates will be much more interesting to watch because then the candidates can get really into what they think about, you know, the solutions are for the economy and also the international world and something they haven't been able to do because so many people are jumping in to say something. but we'll see. >> no, exactly. it was all about the economy last night, so it was a little bit one-dimensional, but i think it was a little deeper than previous ones. we'll just have to wait and see how it develops. >> tim farley of sirius radio. it's been leaking oil for days. now a ship that ran aground may be on the verge of breaking apart. more just ahead. first, it is national frustration scream day. so go ahead, let it out for your country. it's 21 minutes past the hour. 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[ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. you have options. you can attend our online program or if you prefer a classroom experience... look no further than your own neighborhood. we have over 200 campuses and learning centers around the country. where you can attend classes, career fairs and meet with students and faculty. today, you can go to school online, on-campus, or both. explore your options at phoenix.edu. ♪ 24 minutes past the hour. welcome back to "a.m. wake-up call." an israeli soldier held captive by hamas for the past five years will soon be heading home. so let's head around the world with monita rajpal live in london. hamas has agreed to free this soldier, but, of course, their deal didn't come for free. tell us about it. >> yeah, you could call it a ratio, carol, of 1,000 to 1. it's in a deal broken through the egyptian mediators. they agreed to swp an israeli soldier and many are asking how this could have happened in the first place as the reef is well documented. the latest development is that the captain of the ship that ran aground has been arrested and charged with operating a vessel in a manner, quote, causing unnecessary danger or risk, carol. >> mondita rajpal, thanks so much. iran is linked to an assassination plot on u.s. soil. you are looking at one of the suspects. the target, saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states. does this amount to an act of war? . good morning to you. it is wednesday, october 12th. this is your "a.m. wake-up call." i'm carol costello joining us live from new york this morning. it's 30 minutes past the hour. government officials say they have stopped a terror plot to kill saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states on u.s. soil. and they're pointing fingers at iran. congressman peter king erin burnett the iranian government has crossed a red line. >> it violates all international norms, international law and basically you're talking about an act of war. i think the united states has to really consider taking very significant action. i don't think sanctions alone are enough. i think we should consider actually deporting or removing the iranian officials at the u.n., the staff at the u.n., also the iranian intersection here in washington because we can't allow this to go without a strong reaction by us. otherwise we'd be encouraging the iranians and others to realize that it's open season here in the united states. we can't allow that. >> cnn pentagon correspondent barbara starr is on the phone this morning. she's in washington. the congressman, as you just heard, says the sanctions aren't enough, and the u.s. needs to take significant action. so barbara, i guess the question for you this morning is, what sort of action is on the table? >> reporter: well, that's the dilemma for the obama administration, carol. we did see yesterday that there were new financial sanctions against several senior members of this qods force in iran said to be responsible for this proposed attack. that was step one. you know, a lot of people are going to say, okay, what about military action by the united states? that is something that certainly all indications are the u.s. is not contemplating at the moment, is not anxious to do. you know, technically all options always remain on the table in washington. but nobody's really looking for military action. the problem, of course, is that the congressman points out, you have to respond to iran. you have to make them understand that they cannot engage in this kind of activity. so it's a question of calculating what the right response is without miscalculating and beginning something that would have potentially very grim end to it all, carol. >> right. because i'm sure the united states doesn't want to start a war in that particular part of the world, another one, i should say. but if iran's government is really behind this plot, why would iran do this? what possible reason could they have? why carry it out on american soil? >> reporter: well, you know, i think you really, you know, put your finger on it. this is the dilemma, the challenge for the u.s. intelligence community, for the administration right now, what on earth is iran really up to? first, they have got to figure out, by all accounts, just how high up this plot was directed from inside the iranian regime. the justice department was very blunt yesterday saying that this was due to some members of this revolutionary guard al qods force, this very militant wing. but they stopped short of directly saying it was done at the direction of the iranian president, mahmoud ahmadinejad, or the religious entities that also run iran. they stopped short of going all the way. so you have to figure out first who's responsible. and then why would they engage in this kind of activity? iran and saudi arabia, no love lost between those two countries. the saudis have intervened in bahrain's unrest of a shia majority there. that is something that the iranians are said to have supported. no love lost between them over the unrest in syria right now. saudis very concerned about iran's nuclear program. so it's a tough relationship between those two countries. but would the iranian government have gone so far to engage in such a brazen attack? that's still the question on the table. how far did this all go? >> well, i think we'll know more later today, at least i hope so. barbara starr reporting live for us from washington. still ahead, the trial against michael jackson's doctor. some of the last words jackson's daughter, paris, said to dr. murray. her words revealed in court. it's 35 minutes past the hour. loaded potato with bacon. lw that's what we like to hear. ring, ring. progresso... ...switch our phone service? ...no, i think we're pretty happy with our phones. [ male announcer ] progresso. you gotta taste this soup. ♪ we're centurylink... a new kind of broadband company committed to improving lives with honest, personal service, 5-year price lock guarantees and consistently fast speeds. ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] the road is not exactly a place of intelligence. highway maintenance is underfunded, costing drivers $67 billion a year, and countless tires. which drivers never actually check because they're busy, checking email. this is why we engineered a car that makes 2,000 decisions every second. the new audi a6 is here. the road is now an intelligent place. ♪ it is 36 minutes past the hour. the senate rejected president obama's $447 billion jobs bill. democrats joined republicans in voting against it. 54 senators voted for it while 49 voted them down. it needed 6 # vote 60 votes to . the president plans to divide it into smaller bills, and each smaller piece will come up for vote later. the senate was able to pass a bill against china for its currency manipulation. they voted to slap tariffs on the currency which they say is undervalued. they say the practice has cost american jobs and hope it will put pressure on china to curb trade imbalances. china warned it could spark a trade war and harm the already fragile global economy. at least five of the 70 suspects in a crackdown on alleged drug trafficking in arkansas are law enforcement officers. investigators say the five officers took bribes to look the other way while crimes were being committed. one fbi official warns that the indictments are merely the beginning. jurors will be back in court after a dramatic day of testimony at the trial of michael jackson's doctor, conrad murray. prosecutors showed them a photograph of the singer's body on the autopsy table. the jury also heard murray's own account of the hours before jackson's death in audiotapes from an interview with police. murray describes jackson pleading for the drug propofol to help him sleep. eventually murray administered the drug. murray also talked about consoling jackson's daughter, paris, at the hospital. >> she asked me, dr. murray, you said you sav a lot of patients. you know, you save people with heart attacks, and you couldn't save my dad. i said, "i tried my best. and she said, i know that, dr. murray. at least i know, i know you tried your best. i know you tried your best, but i'm really sad. you know, i will wake up in the morning, and i won't be able to see my daddy. >> the pathologist who conducted the autopsy said while it was physically possible jackson could have given himself the overdose that killed him, murray is still charged because he gave jackson access to dangerous drugs. a pioneer in the gay rights movement has died. frank kameny was 86 years old. he was fired from his job in 1957 because he was gay. he would later lead the fight to end homosexuality's label as a mental illness and work to destroy the policy of discharging home sexuals from the military. he also coined the slogan "gay is good." sparring over health care and a whole lot more. >> you have a million kids uninsured in texas, a million kids. under president bush, the percent of uninsured went down. under your leadership, it's gone up. >> ahead, we'll highlight some of the heated exchanges at last night's republican debate. it's 39 minutes past the hour. hi honey, what are you doing? just having some chicken noodle. starting my progresso soup for lunch plan, huh. nope, just having some tender chicken and some tasty noodles. let's see... south western vegetables... 60 calories, oh beef pot roast... ...ya' know those jeans look nice. they do? yup. so you were checking me out? yup. [ male announcer ] progresso. 40 soups 100 calories or less. can i help you? yeah, can i get a full-sized car? forfor convertibles, please stepress star one.ing menu. i didn't catch that. to speak to a representative, please say representative now. representative. goodbye! you don't like automated customer service, and neither do we. that's why, unlike other cards, no matter when you call chase sapphire preferred, you immediately get a person not a prompt. chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. (phone ringing) chase sapphire preferred, this is julie in springfield. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back. they didn't take a dime. how much in fees does your bank take to watch your money ? if your bank takes more money than a stranger, you need an ally. ally bank. no nonsense. just people sense. time for our political ticker now. let's bring in our cnn contributor, john avlon live from new york. good morning, john. >> good morning, carol. >> let's start with governor rick perry. he attacked mitt romney. let's listen to a bit of that. >> your chief economic adviser, glenn hubbard, who you know well, he said that romneycare was obamacare. so my question for you would be, how would you respond to his criticism of your signature legislative achievement? >> we have less than 1% of our kids, they're uninsured. you have 1 million kids uninsured in texas, 1 million kids. under president bush, the percentage of uninsured went down. under your leadership, it's gone up. >> so john, romney went on the attack instead of actually answering rick perry's question. but this health care business, this is going to be a thorn in mitt romney's side for some time to come. >> oh, it has been a fundamental thorn in his side for his entire campaign. it's clearly his achilles' heel. and last night you could tell mitt romney was back in the poll position because all the other candidates on stage were busy taking shots at him. it's his biggest weakness and one of the real questions republicans have to confront, can they have a presumptive nominee who have a same kind of health care plan that unified them when it was one of the issues of president obama. >> in watching the debate, i didn't think of it as high drama. it was kind of dry in a way. all of them were attacking one another. they really weren't talking about their economic plans. and that was supposed to be the big topic of the debate. >> except for herman cain who got to say 999 around 15 times. you could also tell that herman cain, people are taking him seriously, because that was the subject of a lot of debate and questions between the candidates. it's interesting. you know, the two candidates who are running really as business leaders, mitt romney and referman cain, are not only at the top of the polls, i think they won last night's debate. >> interesting. romney, we have to talk about his big endorsement from chris christie. let's lisp. listen. >> it's been really in the end an easy decision for me. i know that america need a new course, and i want it to be with the person who i believe will be the best person to lead america on that course, and that's governor mitt romney. so i'm thrilled to be here today, mitt. thank you very much. >> thank you. >> john, i know that many republicans like chris christie, don't love chris christie, but what will this endorsement really mean for mitt romney down the line? >> not all endorsements matter in politics, but this one does. this is a big deal. because chris christie is following a lot of big money guys who begged him to run, and now he's making it official. and that really does give the green light to some folks to begin consolidating around romney as sort of the establishment nominee using some of christie's juice for the tea party to add some luster to romney's status. but this is an endorsement that matters. we now know, we've seen the field as it is. and this is something that made for a very good day for mitt romney yesterday. you begin the day with an endorsement from christie, and then his primary rival, rick perry, in objectively a pretty bad debate. he needed to step up to the plate and have a strong debate. instead he stumbled and slumbered his way through the debate. so romney, all in all, had a pretty good day yesterday. >> so do you think this is the end of rick perry? because i've been reading some analysts' comments about his performance. some say he stumbled, he appeared very nervous. he really wasn't part of the debate. some said, where was he? >> he did not have a good debate. i mean, you know, he had a lot of time to prep for this, and he knew he had to step up and hit it hard. and he did not. he did not dominate the debate. he seemed at times almost a second thought. but it's far too early to call this the end of rick perry or anyone. you know, we are still, you know, 100 days away from the first primaries. and it's the votes that count at the end of the day, not the polls. but rick perry needed a strong performance last night, and he underperformed. and it's not going to help him retake control of the narrative that he's someone who might have gotten in a bit abruptly, fit the part, but maybe hadn't done the prep to really dominate a debate. he certainly did not last night. a bad night for rick perry. >> john avlon, thanks for joining us this morning. we appreciate it. the alleged target, the saudi ambassador to the united states, the latest on what the u.s. is calling an iranian murder ploet. we'll have a live report for you coming up next. life insurance companies treat you like a policy, not a person. instead of getting to know you they simply assign you a number. aviva is here to change all that. we're bringing humanity back to insurance and putting people before policies. aviva life insurance and annuities. we are building insurance around you. 48 minutes past the hour. good morning. it's wednesday, october 12th. this is your "a.m. wake-up call." i'm carol costello joining us live from new york. the obama administration could spell out tough new action today against iran in response to an alleged iranian plot to murder saudi arabia's ambassador to the united states. now, the state department will brief diplomats today on how the plot was uncovered and the need to hold iran accountable. two men have been charged including an iranian-american, one still at large. attorney general eric holder spells out the charges against the men. >> the united states is committeded to holding iran accountable for its actions. they're charged with conspiracy to murder a foreign official, conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction, and conspiracy to commit an act of international terrorism, among other charges. >> u.s. officials say the plot never really got off the ground because the two suspects were dealing with the u.s. government informant. i want to head around the world now, check in in islamabad, pakistan. he has more on the mott to kill the saudi ambassador to the united states on u.s. soil. so apparently, reza, the qods force is behind this alleged plot. what is the qods force? >> yeah, the qods force is the special unit of iran's revolutionary guard. they're probably the most elite military branch in iran. they were established in the 1980s during the iran-iraq war, and it's widely believed that they lead covert military operations. the u.s., for example, has accused the qods force to fueling the ininsurgency in both pakistan and afghanistan. i think it's important to remember that these are at this point simply allegations against the qods force. they haven't proven to be true. if they are proven to be true, it's still not clear how high up this decision went to the qods force. attorney general eric holder himself came out and said that he cannot conclude right now that this decision, if it was made by the qods force, came from the top leadership. another important thing to remember is that if you look back at the history of the qods force, this alleged plot doesn't fit their m.o. they have never been linked to a plot on u.s. soil by any measure. it's a bizarre and drastic plot involving a used car salesman in a mexican drug cartel. and it begs the question, what would iran have to gain with a drastic plot like this? and i think many experts are saying they would have more to lose than to gain, not the least of which is drawing the u.s.'s ire in inviting a tough retaliation. so a lot of unanswered questions, carol. and i think until those questions are answered, it's difficult to conclude what we have here. >> reza sayeh reporting live from islamabad, pakistan, this morning. thanks so much. in other news this morning, president obama faces a big political question today. what to do about his $447 billion jobs bill. you know, composed of tax cuts and new spending. in the democratic-controlled senate, the bill failed yesterday to get the 6 0 votes t need to do bring the bill to the floor for a debate. two democrats joined republicans in voting against the jobs bill. president now vowing to push forward, he plans to divide the package into several smaller bills, and each of those smaller bills could come up for a vote. we'll keep you posted. a prison in oklahoma is secure today after inmates went on a rampage. the fight erupted yesterday when fights broke out in several parts of the private north fork correctional facility in the western part of the state. several inmates were injured. our affiliate koco reports 16 people were taken to area hospitals. officials say they don't know what caused the riot. a new study says high doses of vitamin e may increase a man's risk for prostate cancer. initially researchers at the cleveland clinic just wanted to see what benefits vitamin e had on preventing prostate cancer, but then they found just the opposite. in the study those taking the vitamin saw a 70% increase of prostate cancer in men. now let's head to atlanta to check in with rob marciano. tell us about hurricane jova. it's made landfall. >> it has but it's weakened thankfully. at one point it was a category 3, almost a category 4. category 1 now of winds of 85 miles per hour. its movement is north at about nine miles an hour. if you know this part of mexico, the mountains pretty much go straight up from the beach. it's going to tear apart this storm fairly quickly. obviously the threat for flash floods continue. here's the forecast from the national hurricane season. it brings it down to a remnant low fairly quickly. but the rainfalls will linger for just a little bit longer. speaking of rainfall, we've got a confluence of weather. it's bringing rain across the lower great lakes, the ohio river valley, from cincinnati, dayton, up through youngstown and pittsburgh. and this is beginning to reach its way into the new york metropolitan area. light to moderate rainfall with this, seeing it in baltimore and philly and d.c. where we'll see the heaviest rains. and likely the longest delays. and philadelphia throughout the day today. and then the rains will begin to increase later on this afternoon into tonight and in through new york and eventually in through boston. scattered showers on the backside through atlanta and charlotte. minneapolis will see thunderstorms. with our next weather system rolling through the midwest. that will create the threat for severe weather throughout the central plains. daytime highs still mild in chicago. 76 for the daytime high. that, of course, means it will be pretty mild in detroit. i'm seeing in the rundown that we're supposed to talk detroit tigers. i'm going to let you lead us through this because i was busy yesterday, day off. a lot of things to do around the house. i hear the tigers won. congratulations. >> yes, the tigers did win. their bats finally came alive. they're not leading the series, however, as you know. the texas rangers, a tough team, but we're wearing them out now, rob. we won 5-2. big home runs last night. >> yeah, nice work, your backs were against the wall and still trailing the series there, but game four -- >> four. >> -- this afternoon around 4:00, i believe. i tell you what, the postseason is not disappointing. even though my yanks didn't make it past the first round, it's been an exciting go, and hopefully that will continue through the end of october. >> and it's a sighting over in the national league, too, between the brewers and the st. louis cardinals. you've got to love tony crush. >> yes. yes. i do. i mean, i do. >> so entertaining. >> so that will go up -- so that's tonight, and we'll talk more baseball tomorrow. carol, congrats. >> yes, we will. >> 2-1. hopefully for you, your tigers will win. i won't be rooting for them, but it will be interesting to watch. >> whatever. thank you, rob. >> all right, see you tomorrow. one of the best jobs out there if you want to safe the world. we'll have details ahead. it's five minutes till the top of the hour. releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. consumers er wanchai ferry orange chicken... over p.f. chang's home menu orange chicken women men and uh pandas... elbows mmm [ male announcer ] wanchai ferry, try it yourself. a minute till the top of the hour. let's head to the nasdaq market site with carter evans. show us the numbers, carter. >> hey, the numbers are looking good as far as futures go. we just got a report out of europe showing stronger than expected manufacturing. that was unexpected. and it's great news. dow futures up triple digits. nasdaq futures up 22 in