was a sex addict, and he was so that's when we decided that, today, i feel like i've met the years old to meet him, it was saw that episode that day, like you sitting at home right whatever steps you need to captioning institute --www.ncicap.org--] ring ring. progresso. everyday i eat your soups , i save a lot of money. that's great. so, your delicious rich and hearty soups have made me, rich and hearty. that's funny. well, i'm rich because... i know, i get it. i laughed. and i'm hearty because of your juicy steak, your potatoes, your pearl onions. so you're really, rich and happy. yeah see, i like rich and hearty better. [ male announcer ] pgresso. you gotta taste this soup. dress rehearsal in anticipation. after the drill makes a break through it could take up to ten days to bring the men to safety. an elite team of paramedics and rescue experts will go into the mine first to help with the evacuation. they're trying to decide if they want to do the casing to reinforce things, but 2 will take more time if they do the casings. >> lots of fingers crossed in the mine. now to the friday forecast. windy, thunderstorms across colorado, utah, wyoming, montana and the western half of the high plains. sunny, dry, a little windy here in new york and new england. and indian summer has arrived in the nation's midsection. >> 80s from fargo down to twin cities and down to dallas. 70s from boston to baltimore. 85 in miami. cool, mild in the west. 64, salt lake city. 69 in boise. 76 in albuquerque. well, it was a mysterious disappearing act that spanned four weeks and 450 miles. >> a four-year-old dog vanished from his mississippi home over the labor day weekend. his owner had no idea if she would see him again. but buddy recently turned up on a stranger's lawn in st. louis, and he's not saying how he got there. >> luckily buddy has a microchip, and easily identified. plans in the work for a happy reunion with his owner. long way from home for buddy. >> oh, so cute. >> more after this. you go next if you had a hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible ith a hoveround., tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor rand founder of hoveround., when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free overound information kit, that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen. well, have you ever looked up a hotel on line, thought it looked pretty good. you booked a room. then you get there and you think, nuclear power plant wasn't in the picture. >> some times what you see isn't really what you get. the website oyster.com is trying to change that. vicky maybury reports. >> reporter: you waited all year. and you're finally going on vacation. how about a steaming hot tub for two in montego bay, or an intimate wedding in punta cana. check out the delicious buffet in the dominican republic, they're decadent, they're lavish, they're fake outs. or photo fake outs according to oyster.com, where when it comes to hotel brochures, ceo elliott sideman says pictures can be deceiving. >> this is a vacation, your precious time, your money. you want to go some place that will be not only good, but will be great. what we personally experienced was sometimes you go away and when you get there, it is not exactly what you saw in the hotel brochure. >> reporter: oyster.com went on line in june of last year to expose the good, the bad and the ugly, in hotel advertising. how bad are we being fooled? >> we're being fooled badly. >> reporter: take the destination wedding in dominican republic. >> so, it's you and your beloved on that wonderful wedding on the beach. and it's just the two of you, you know, it's going to be nice and quiet. and then, this is actually what is going on. we pull back, unzoom. oh, lots of your friends, you know, gawking. well, not your friends. awe. >> reporter: everybody standing and watching. >> in your speedo, exactly what you need. do you buy them drinks afterwards? >> reporter: oyster has a saying, we're picky but not petty. the site gets 250,000 hits a month. shoppers looking for the real deal on the luxury hotel. some, though, come for just what the website calls the photo fakeouts. that hot tub. that surfboard in the pool. >> what's the deal with having a surfboard in a pool? forget the pool or hot tub, why do you have a surfboard? we zoom out and found out it is not a pool, just a hot tub. the whole thing doesn't make sense on any level. >> reporter: the secret weapon behind their candid cameras? real journalists like jennifer garfinkle. we're in this kempton hotel in manhattan legally. 3 1/2 to 4 pearls in oyster's rankings, by the way, to show how an oyster sleuth works. >> first, i would go to each corner of the room. then when i'm done with that, i start doing the close-up. rsh. >> reporter: a mission to shoot every angle, every object. >> we certainly take things like the tv, the mini bar, the things people really, really care about, that's the most important. >> reporter: even the pillows. >> we'll zoom in on the pillows, comforter. >> reporter: from the toilet. >> the bathroom is so important to people. you would be surprised how many people spend time on our website looking act the bathroom photos. >> reporter: to the thread count. >> we will peel the sheets and take a look. >> reporter: no detail is too small or too insignificant. the pencil holder. >> why not? we're here. we have the camera. may as well show everybody the most that we can. we take pictures that we don't edit. we don't doctor them. no photo shop. so when you see our photos that we take, you're getting -- that's the real photo. >> reporter: what's wrong with hotels putting their best foot forward showing you the best picture? >> the problem right this is a product you can't see before you buy, you can't return once you arrive. our mission is to bring truth so you can see exactly what you will get before you go, no false advertising here. >> reporter: they photographed more than 1,000 hotels so far, snapshot of your chosen destination, warts and all. this is vicky maybury in new york. >> ooh. >> here overnight you know we have "insomniac theater." insomniac kitchen, and insomniac motel. you may recognize it. norman bates and his mom live there. our hotel looks nice on the outside. but when you come here, also, not so nice. >> no one wants to stay that long. >> no one does. >> at least we're at the bar. >> i look inquisitive. don't i? >> yeah. all week. coming up, it's time for your "skinny." this is really an interesting one. a grownup lawsuit in vofing a very popular childre ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny well, you may not know this little girl's name, but you, especially if you have kids, know her voice. the little girl who is dora the explorer who does the bilingual voice is filing a lawsuit for millions against nickelodeon and corporate parents saying she was cheated out of millions of dollars. according to her when she was just 12 years old she and her family were forced into signing a 14-page contract without the aid of a lawyer. they made her sign it within 22 minutes without time to review the contract. they basically according to her said if you don't do this and sign it immediately we will pass on kaitlin for the part of dora. she goes on to say she was promised $5,000 per episode in compensation and residuals and merchandising money she never saw. she says in addition for not being compensated for hundreds of hours of recording sessions, she was foreed to fly around the country promoting the show for a meager travel stipend of $40 a day. >> are you kidding me? >> keep in mind, the though is in its tenth season. she says she was never fairly compensated. nickelodeon is saying her claims are totally baseless. saying she has been paid very well. as you can imagine this is going to be a lawsuit that gets a lot of attention. you will hear the name kaitlin sanchez more than once or twice. >> moral to the story is never sign anything, especially a contract, worth those kind of bucks without a lawyer. good luck to dora. speaking of money issues here, poor toni braxton has filed for bankruptcy yet again. chapter 7 in california. the second time she has done it. she says now she owes between $10 million and $50 million in debt and the country. there's a list. she's 43 years old. a list of the creditors, neiman marcus. at&t. banks, hotel, tiffany & company. everything. apparently this, like i said, she filed for bankruptcy back in 1998. earlier this year, irs filed a lien against her for $400,000. people close to her say the troubles stem from her busted show out in vegas. she has a heart condition. out there doing a show in 2006. heart condition flares up. has to pull plug, on the hook for millions. to the hotel that was hosting the show. she's really had incredible money trouble since then, even after selling 40 million albums around the world. incredible. >> this will make me unpopular. listening to the list of the creditors, neiman marcus, those things does make me less empathetic to the situation. >> nevada power company. screen actors guild, american express, other, fairly mundane things on here as well. >> tiffany & co. i want to unbreak her heart. i am having a hard time right now. believing that she -- you know. sorry. >> if you need help, toni, call me. don't listen to vinita. i've got five bucks for you. >> i'm too mean. speaking of powerful women. "forbes" came out with 2010 list of powerful women. america did very well. 70 of them are american women. number one, michelle obama, beat out oprah winfrey, a lot thought. i will roll through these kind of quickly. irene rosenfeld chief executive of kraft food. and oprah winfrey. chancellor of germany. hillary clinton. secretary of state. the chief executive of pepsico. celebrities, lady gaga, beyonce, ellen degeneres. they're all on it. they said this year, they went less on traditional titles and more on who has creative influence and entrepreneurship. >> you go, girls. here are some stories to some models look so mad. maybe it's because their department store makeup is so expensive. simply ageless with olay regenerist serum costs less and it won't glob up in lines and wrinkles. you'll look amazing and hapy too. simply ageless, from olay and easy breezy beautiful covergirl. here are some stories to watch today on abc news. yoko ono pays tribute to john lennon. this weekend. events are planned worldwide for lennon's 70th birthday which would have been saturday. expect more security along amtrak routes. department of homeland security is preparing for the holiday travel season. the president signs a bill, today, that impacts the smart phone industry. high-tech phones and tv sets must be changed so people with vision and hearing loss can use them. and finally this half hour, a look at the buzzwords heating up the yahoo! search engine. today a lot of buzz about cell phones and driving. >> yahoo!'s trend expert, pamela woon, has more from one of the nation's largest cellular showcases in san francisco. good morning, again, pamela. >> hey, rob, vinita. good morning. so the use of smart phones is exploding and 17% of all cell phones are now smart phones. up from just 11% a year ago. and that's why we are taking you inside the cellular telecommunications industry show in san francisco where cutting-edge mobile technology is front and center. now, one big trend here that we're seeing is how your cell phone and your car are working together to keep you safe. all right, check this out. ford is putting its safe technology in new cars. it gives you direct, voice control over most of your cell phone apps like this. read text message here. [ inaudible ] that's really cool. but that's just the start. now, a number of companies are creating apps to combat against distracted driving. and there's a lot of interest in the subject right now. searches on yahoo! are up 13% this week alone. despite laws banning texting while driving and requiring hands-free devices, distracted driving still accounts for over 6,000 deaths each year. and another 500,000 are hurt. so, to address the problem a number of companies developed voice activated software for for smartphone. we like drivecarefully.com. a free app will read you e-mails over your speaker phone and reply using voice commands. another cool app is voiceonthego. but some studies suggest it's not just texting or dialing that's causing accidents, it's paying attention to anything but the road. there are several apps that will keep you from using your cell phone in your car at all. now, if you're moving faster than 10 miles an hour, an app calls textecution will block all incoming and outgoing. text blocker will do the same. both will save your messages until you pull on over. all right, now, rob, vinita, what do you think? you don't text and drive do you? >> not in new york anymore. because we're on the subways here. >> we text on subway challenging rescue, the operation to free trapped miners in chile. new cautious optimism and some potential pitfalls. then, bittersweet battle. the food stamp fight over sugary sodas. and secretariat's story, a new movie tells the story about the triple crown champ. >> secretariat is the greatest racehorse that ever lived. it's friday, october 8th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." i'm going to check out the movie to see diane lane. she looks great. >> she is stunning. i hope i should age that gracefully. >> no kidding, it looks great. you go. >> also good. >> yeah, good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. the miners trapped deep inside a chilean mine could be just feet from freedom. they're expected to be released soon. >> that is only the beginning of a very long and dangerous process to bring 33 men to safety. the bbc's andrew harding now reports from chile. >> reporter: we're into the end game now, giant cranes arriving at the mine they'll be used to lower tubing into the rescue shaft immediately before the trapped miners are brought out. that could be almost any day now. just over 100 meters left to drill. but caution still reigns here. >> best case scenario when do you think you will reach the miners? >> nobody knows that. because, for instance, yesterday, we did 15 meters. the other day, we did just 2 meters. >> reporter: three separate drills are competing to reach the miners each carving its way through 700 meters of rock to reach the bottom of the spiraling mine shaft where the men are trapped. as soon as the first shaft is ready, medics will be lowered in rescue capsules to help bring the men back to the surface one at a time. above ground, no sign of stress. the men's families now hoping for a reunion, weeks earlier than initially expected. >> translator: once they get out, says alberto, life is going to be so different for them for a few months but then i think it will go back to normal. that's how the should be. for now on the hillside overlooking the rescue operation, 33 flags one for each miner. there is a real sense of confidence now from rescue teams above ground and from the miners themselves, trapped about 700 meters below where we are standing now. the latest from them is that they can now hear the drilling getting closer and louder by the hour. raising hopes of this extraordinary ordeal could be over very soon indeed. andrew harding, bbc news, san jose mine in chile. analysts are predicting latest unemployment rate will go up slightly when the numbers are released this morning. economists expect september's jobless rate will go up to 9.7%, increase of .1 point. likely to put more pressure on democratic candidates weeks before the midterm elections. and that poor jobs outlook means the foreclosure crisis is likely to continue. and now, the white house, though, is rejecting a foreclosure bill just passed by congress. >> more on why the president used his veto power. good morning, rob, vinita. a rare move by president obama, moving to kill a bill that the white house says could make the foreclosure crisis worse. the bill sailed through congress last month as they rush out of town for fall recess. but that was before the foreclosure scandal by bank of america and j.pmorgan revealed this week. the bill has a long name, interstate recognition of notarizations act and would have loosened bank rules. helping to eliminate confusion of notarizations across state lines. consumer advocates say it could have had unintended consequences. tougher for homeowners to fight improper foreclosures and easier for banks to foreclose on homeowners. >> the president is exercising a pocket veto sending that legislation back to congress to iron out some of those unintended consequences. >> the president decided that however well intentioned this bill was it just posed too much risk to homeowners. now this goes back to the congress, that is, when they come back in session. rob, vinita? peace negotiations in afghanistan are reportedly moving forward. the talks have brought together high level afghan and pakistani officials as well as taliban representatives. some analysts say they're pound to fail because the terms currently on the table are just too harsh with the war now entering its tenth year we spoke to u.s. soldiers who were literally just kids during the 9/11 attacks. >> i was in sixth grade. >> i was in sixth grade. >> i was in english class, 8th grade. >> more than 2,000 nato troops have been killed in afghanistan since the war began. most of them american. one of the most recent was a 29-year-old army ranger who had served a total of 12 tours in both iraq and afghanistan. now to story that garnered a lot of national attention. along the texas/mexico border one sheriff is now saying he just wants a body. >> he is referring, of course, to the investigation into the death of david hartley, the american man who was shot while jet skiing on a border lake last week. >> diana alvear joins us with the latest on the search efforts. good morning, diana. >> reporter: good morning. david hartley's family is getting much needed help from a coalition of elected officials. they have promised a search for his body, but they did acknowledge delays due to death threats. one can only imagine what tiffany hartley was feeling when she returned to the lake where her husband david was shot. she prayed and wept, leaving behind a single yellow rose. and just when it seemed one of her prayers might be answered, the search for david's body was called off. >> i understand they have been getting some threats since this morning. i understand some people were -- making some rounds around town. making sure people knew if they cooperated with the military it would be dangerous for them. >> she looked like -- i mean -- like something had happened terribly wrong. she was crying. sobbing. >> this is the man who witnessed tiffany being chased back to shore. he won't show his face for fear of retaliation. >> they turned around as soon as she made the turn towards shore. she asked for me to call law enforcement, possibly an ambulance. i asked her what happened. she said her husband had been shot. >> tiffany told abc news, she understands that people may doubt her story. >> it's a story that most people don't understand that pirates would be on a lake. that the cartel are taking over mexico. it is a story that people don't understand unless they're on that border. >> reporter: it's a story, she says, she'll continue to tell, until her husband's body comes home. >> tiffany tells abc news she plans to continue pressuring mexican authorities to keep up that search. as part of her efforts she plans rallies outside the consulates in texas and colorado. vinita, rob? cell phones can do a lot of things these days, but a harlem man is crediting his with saving his life. a gunman opened fire on the man yesterday. the bullet ricocheted off the cell phone. in his pocket. the shooter was just five feet away, but he walked away with just a scratch on his stomach. a phoenix woman found out the hard way that superglue really works. she had cataract surgery a few years back and now she uses six different eye drop medications. when she reached for one of the tiny bottles she grabbed the super glue instead. you know where this is going, folks. a burning sensation in her eye, soon let her know she had made a huge mistake. her eye was sealed tight. >> you know, i am not young anymore. but i am not senile. i just -- just these are my precious eye drops. >> doctors were able to remove the glue and save her eye. now she is urging the fda to require the bottles to be different sizes and shapes. an american and two russians are now soaring towards the international space station. they took off early this morning from a launch pad in kazakhstan. and they will arrive at the station on sunday. on the ground to see them other, anna chapman one of the russian spies booted out of the u.s. in july. she was there as advisor to the president of a russian bank. and now the down-to-earth friday forecast. thunderstorms and mountain snow in the rockies. from billings down to denver. the storm system reaches the western dakotas and nebraska. showers, seattle. windy, boston to new york. near record highs in the midwest and great plains. >> 80s, twin cities. down to dallas. 78 in chicago. 70s in the mideast. 86 in new orleans. 87 phoenix. 77 in colorado springs. 71 in portland. well, we slice them, dice them, carve them and cook them. and this is the time of year we can have more fun with them as well. >> kids lined up in huntsville, alabama for a smashing good time. it was the 2010 pumpkin chunking contest. to see how this contraption could catapult a pumpkin. >> i like that accent. hundreds of pumpkins were smashed to smithereens. but a good time was had by all. >> who's that guy, gallagher? the guy who smashed the fruit? >> yeah. we'll be right back. government food stamps currently help 43 million americans put food and drink on their kitchen tables. you can use food stamps, though, to buy cigarettes or alcohol, and now there is a push to put soda on that no-buy list now. t.j. winick joins us now. hi, t.j. >> reporter: a controversial proposal and raises questions about public health and personal freedoms. depending on the federal food stamp program to feed her and her young son, she tries to eat healthy and that means avoid soda. >> it does make you gain weight and it's a lot of sugar, too. >> reporter: she appreciates the helping hand but doesn't approve of a proposal to ban food stamp recipients using government money to by sugary drinks. >> that is probably going too far. unless you want to buy drinks for like having a birthday or something like that. >> reporter: this hard hitting ad campaign part of the latest initiative by new york mayor michael bloomberg. >> sugar sweetened drinks are not worth the cost to our health. and government shouldn't be promoting or subsidizing them. >> reporter: the ban would apply to any beverage that contains more than 10 calories per eight ounces except for milk. milk substitutes. soy ouk milk and rice milk. and fruit juices without sugar the food stamps is a nutrition program. and sugar walter, soda pop is anything but nutritious. it is a major cause of obese obesity. >> i don't think the government has the right to tell us what we can and can not eat, period. it's an issue of social engineering. >> reporter: bloomburg is asking the department of agriculture to approve the no soda plan for two years. the mayor banned transfats in restaurant food. and push that chain restaurants include cal ra counts on food. if approved this would be the first time a item had been banned from the federal food stamp program based solely on nutrition. rob and vinita. >> then there's always so much talk about how much sugar there is in a coke. >> look at this. this is literally, in a 20-ounce soda. these are 16 sugar packets. all in a 20 ounce soda. >> we took 16 packets of sugar. give you an idea. dump it into the 20 ounce bottle. unsuccessful. this is a bad demo. >> that's all right. they get the point. >> probably should have thought of a funnel on this one. we're going to need some cleanup. in addition to what rob will put in the bottles. if you think about it is frightening to see that much of what you are consuming in a bottle this size. pure sugar. >> it's a lot of sugar here. you can see why it's a huge concern for diabetes and ailments. and messy too. >> messy. lick your hands. walk around the studio. real fast.@t@t rule the tweet. rule the upload. rule the status update. rule the moment. we built america's most reliable network to make a more powerful you. rule the air. verin acclaimed actress diane lane taking on a different movie role as the woman behind not a man but a horse. >> peter traverse, rolling stone movie critic and host of abc news now's popcorn talked to lane about her new movie "secretariat." >> diane lane, welcome to the show. >> thank you for having me. >> there's energy. >> nice to be here. >> same here. >> now that you have done "secretariat," you're considered a horse whisper. >> i fancy myself. >> thoroughbreds. >> i'm actually a quarter horse girl. western saddle girl in real life. thoroughbreds intimidate me. >> explain to everybody, who it is you are playing. >> penny chenery is an historic figure for many reasons. of course it's horse. all about the horse. secretariat, the greatest racehorse that ever lived. and his performance stands untouchable to this day. of course the fact that he cheated and had twice the heart of any other living horse. >> we didn't find that out until the outset. who knew that? >> world exclusive. people don't research anymore. it's true. metaphorically. >> you bring us down. here is this inspirational movie. so horse had a bigger heart. >> twice. twice the size. but not just, physiologically. he had twice the personality. he was truly to the manor born. almost to the point of resentment for penny, people forget she won the kentucky derby a year before, with another horse. not such a handsome horse. homely. real an underdog type of a win for her. as a mother, you do sort of -- nurture along the scruffier kid who needs extra help. the braggart over there to makes it easy, secretariat, she was just so, you know, confident. and would just turn it on and make it always look easy. >> get your feet off my chair and shut your trap. >> you have been in this business since you were a child? >> that's true. but the child still lurks behind my eyes in all of us, right? >> it does. then we grow up and have children. which has happened to you? >> that happened to me. do you see the tread marks over me? it goes quick. >> it goes quick. there you are, 14 years old on the cover of "time" magazine. beautiful diane lane. full of promise. olivier is calling you the new grace kelly. you are just everything, perfection. >> just sweating bullets. >> were you walking around as the 14-year-old thinking perfection right here. this is what you're seeing? >> oh, no, quite the opposite. >> what was going on? >> i think it just made me instantly very self-effacing and grounded and i remember. >> did it? i think the last thing i would be is grounded. >> no, i had a great compassion for henry kissinger who is in the upper right-hand corner of "time" magazine. >> he didn't make it to the fall. wasn't really a whiz kid. >> i love your spin on this. no, no, no. it was more like. he must be mortal. suddenly everybody. >> see, yeah. >> everybody became -- if i can do this then, it's not such a big deal. >> we always end our show with a snippet of song. i was going to ask you to do a bit of song that maybe makes you think of secretariat. or maybe just makes you think of your life. >> oh, let's see. for myself, you're connecting me and the horse? >> i was, but you can ignore me. most people do. >> i only know one song. and it's -- ♪ twinkle twinkle little star how i wonder ♪ that's all i know. where you are? what you are? >> i think it's where. or is it what? >> i think it is what? >> what you are. where you are. >> up above the world so high. like a diamond in the sky. that's it. >> willis, filling in the rest of the lyrics. >> the movie is doing phenomenally well. rotten tomatoes is giving it 82. in addition, diane lane comparing her role in this movie to sandra bullock in terms of award recognition. >> impressive. >> like to mention, disney owns us here at abc news. we'll be right back. ance card, . medicare is one of the great things about turning 65, but it doesn't cover everything. in fact, it 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man, father, whose name is coincidentally justin bieber. his whole life has been turned upside down because of this. he's a 35-year-old guy. he said initially is was girls calling, screaming, picking up the phone, hanging up late hours. finally decided to unplug the house phone. two months haven't had the phone plugged in. he said it has gotten so much worse than that. in fact, once a sony honcho instructed him to change his name. he said he has gotten phone calls from people wanting to do duets with lady gaga. just gotten to a place he can't believe it. when he writes his name on forms. people think he is lying. no one believes his name is justin bieber. i'm sure he's a nice guy. that's not who i am. >> real justin there. >> singing fetus right there. that's his nickname. >> a grown man like that. >> hit a number and dial. the name. >> he would be listed. kind of weird. oh, well, any way. don't have that much time left. it is friday. you know what we do on fridays. >> polka! >> polka! >> from the beer garden in the east village here are the ya-ya-yas! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ political priority. today's unemployment report and why it is so anticipated by lawmakers, investors and economists. then, lou dobbs' dilemma. the former outspoken tv commentator responds to some serious accusations. and worldwide wrestling. the fan base expands to an unexpected place. >> with over 70,000 wwe fans! >> it is friday, october 8th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." i remember being such a fan of wrestling as a little boy. hulk hogan, andre the giant, all of that. i was crushed to find out it was fake. >> i was crushed were had my brother was also a fan of wwf. crazy it is going to china as well. never would think it would do as well as in america. chinese are embracing it. >> a global market. for all that real wrestling. good morning, everybody, i'm rob nelson. >> i'm vinita nair. midterm elections are less than a month away and crucial new economic numbers out today could swing the vote. >> the september jobs report re-released this morning. the last one before going to the polls. john hendren is joining us from washington with a report. good morning, john. >> reporter: today's jobs report is expected to make an uphill climb for democrats even steeper and the timing could hardly be worse. the latest unemployment report is expected to deliver unwelcome news, a slight uptick to 9.7% for september, and that is the last monthly jobs report before the november 2nd congressional elections. >> we'll likely see an uptick in the unemployment rate for the nation because more americans are out there looking for work. >> reporter: for democrats who are struggling to keep control of congress that is an untimely blow. >> this is an election about the economy, and anytime the focus is on the fact that the economy is struggling it is not a good story for democrats. >> reporter: democrats prime talking point has been the economy is improving. >> we have got a long way to go. and certainly, we're not taking a victory lap. we want to quicken the pace of change but we certainly can't go backwards. >> reporter: this year, the economy has created 723,000 jobs. while companies are bringing in cash they're holding on to it because they're worried about the future of the economy. >> they're not spending that on hiring new workers, though, because they're uncertain about the economic future. >> reporter: and despite some improvement, the economy is unlikely to feel a lot better by november 2nd. and small businesses are not in a hiring mood. 8% of companies plan on hiring in the next month. wise that plan on cutting workers. vinita, rob. republicans will not be able to benefit from this explosive campaign issue, the ethics trial of two prominent democrats is now going to be held after the election. gop lawmakers tried to push up the hearings of charles rangel and maxine waters. pre-election trials would have generated some headlines that republicans could have used in their campaign ads. republicans pulled an explosive commercial at the center of the senate race in west virginia off the air. it sparked outrage across the state because of how the people in the ad were recruited. jonathan karl spoke to both senate candidates about it. >> reporter: here in morgantown, west virginia, real west virginians. >> we better keep joe manchin right here in west virginia. >> reporter: here, fake west virigians. actors on a set in philadelphia. the ad in question has sparked a firestorm in the west virginia senate race. >> you have seen that nasty ad. if this doesn't make your blood boil nothing will make it boil. >> reporter: made by the republican party on behalf of john racy, who is running for senate against democratic governor joe manchin. the firm put out a casting call, reported by politico. saying, we are going for a hickey, blue collar look. telling actors to wear john deer, spelled wrong, hats. not brand new preferably beat up. >> reporter: do you think this is insulting? >> insulting? stronger than insulting. >> reporter: what is it? >> you become incensed in west virginia. you are working people are stereotyping they don't know who we are. >> reporter: one of those who responded, damian usiani. >> and washington, joe, does whatever obama wants. >> reporter: before playing a west virginia voter, he appeared on "saturday night live," who wants to be a millionaire. and other commercials. >> it my rally headset. too much. >> reporter: the republican party has now pulled the ad. but the controversy over out of state actors is a blow to their candidate just as he appeared to be taking the lead. it doesn't help that he's already been attacked for owning a $2.5 million house in palm beach, florida. for his part, racy says he never wanted the ad to run in the first place. >> we talked to governor manchin. he said it gets his blood boiling, insults the state. >> he's running commercials about where my children go to school. he is talking about homes that i have. you know, he is a big boy. this is all obviously just politics. >> reporter: republicans want to quickly get beyond this and their central message in this campaign which is that joe manchin would be a rubber stamp for barack obama. the president is so unpopular here that republicans are distributing a sign that says "obama says vote democratic." that's right. this is a republican sign. jonathan karl, abc news, at the greenbriar in white sulphur springs, west virginia. in other news this morning, a major breakthrough in the rescue of the miners in chile could now come within hours. that's when an escape shaft is expected to finally reach the men 2,300 feet below the surface. crews held a dress rehearsal and evacuation procedure yesterday. once the drill breaks through the rock surface it will take up to ten days to get all of the miners to safety. the toxic sludge that burst out of a metals plant reservoir on monday in hungary contaminated a river so much it is now declared a dead zone. that sludge has now reached one of the most important waterways, the danube river that flows through budapest. alex marquardt is there. >> reporter: workers have been dumping tons of clay, plaster and chemicals into rivers around the spill site to neutralize the toxins before they reach the danube. the toxic sludge killed all the wildlife in the smaller rivers. and if it appears here, environmentalists say it could be an ecological catastrophe. luckily, early signs are that the sludge in the danube has been diluted and hasn't caused any damage. meanwhile, crews are working nonstop to clean up the towns hit by the toxic tsunami. gardens still look like ponds. ditches have turned into poisonous rivers. hungary's prime minister visited the devastation saying despite efforts to rebuild some areas can't be saved. alex marquardt, abc news, budapest. now here is a look at your friday forecast. a wet day in the rockies. thunderstorms, gusty winds, mountain snow from billings down to denver. showers along the coast of washington state. the western dakotas, nebraska. windy, new york to boston. record highs in the middle of the country. >> 88 in omaha. 86, kansas city. 82 in minneapolis. 80s also from dallas to atlanta. 70s in the northeast. phoenix, 87. sacramento, 78. seattle, 65. racy tribute to a rugged leader not afraid of showing a little skin. >> the russian prime minister, vladamir putin turned 58. so a group of russian journalism students decided to bare it all, or almost all, in his honor. they posed for a racy birthday calendar and accompanied by equally erotic quotes about putin. 50,000 calendars went on sale for $9 a pop. you guessed it. they flew off the shelves in two days flat. some of the quotes said something like, how about a third time? hinting, third presidential run and hinting at something else. >> uh-huh. i like it. we'll be right back with more. ♪ every day ♪ now the healing power of touch just got more powerful. introducing precise from the makers of tylenol. precise pain relieving heat patch activates sensory receptors. it helps block pain signals for deep penetrating relief you can feel precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. rick sanchez will be on "good morning america" later today. it's his first tv interview since being fired from cnn. for the remarks he made about jon stewart and jewish members of the media. he talked to stewart earlier this week, appaologizing for wh he called, quote, inartful comments. >> the only morning news show that will have him. an interview you will want to watch on "gma." republican candidate for governor meg whitman, accused of hiring illegal workers. >> this week former cnn anchor lou dobbs is facing the same charges. charges, though, that he calls a lie. here is david muir. >> reporter: the report published by the "nation" magazine claims radio host and former cnn archer lou dobbs long been outspoken when it comes to undocumented workers and the employers who hire them has relied on undocumented workers himself. >> at the very same time that lou dobbs was talking on cnn about the possibility of felony charges for employers who hire undocumented workers, there were undocumented workers caring for his million dollar show-jumping horses. and undocumented workers caring for the grounds of his estate. now in fairness, lou dobbs says i did not hire these people. >> whether he hired them himself or whether he hired contractors who then hired them, the fact of the matter is that, there were undocumented workers. >> reporter: dobbs who has not without a run for political office took on the claims and the reporter. >> a young lady by the name of isabel macdonald, a report for "the nation," has put together a fairly typical hit piece, a smear piece. did you say that i hired or my firm hired illegal immigrants? >> i am saying that for years, undocumented immigrants looked after your show-jumping horses. the horses that are owned by the dobbs group. and for years, they looked after the grounds of your estate in west palm beach, florida. >> reporter: she argues she interviewed five of the undocumented workers themselves. this is one of them. i'm an immigrant who doesn't have papers because i worked with him because he's a very important person at the big house he has. dobbs says he nor his company ever hired illegal workers, arguing there's a distinction. >> did i or any company that i own at any type hire an illegal immigrant of any kind? that's a yes or no question. >> no, but your contractors did. >> reporter: she answers no, but the contractor, she says, did do the hiring. now "the nation" did contract those contractors. the person who cares for the horses at the stable, says she told the dobbs family the workers were legal. and "the nation" says the landscaper in question didn't feel comfortable talking about the issue. the bigger debate if the person at the top, a contractor in the middle is ultimately responsible for the workers on his or her grounds. david muir, abc news, new york. >> apparently, dobbs did go on twitter and write "nation tries to do a hit piece on me, attacks my daughter and national liberal media, ask no question of left wing house. he is firing back. >> he is. if you want to hear more from lou dobbs himself and the investigative reporter in the piece, isabel macdonald, they will both be on "good morning america" this morning. in addition we mentioned rick sanchez. definitely an interesting "good morning america." a lot of the news makers, people are talking about now, we have here. >> a hot friday. coming up next, the new fan base for worldwide wrestling. >> popularity spreads to a placw spoiler alert this morning. professional wrestling is fake. shocking. didn't see that coming. >> oh, no. >> a lot of people obviously know that but don't care. pro wrestling is still huge in the u.s. >> americans love the action and the crazy story lines. can its popularity here translate over to china? here's clarissa ward. >> reporter: they are the kings of choreographed combat. the masters of muscle. the superstars of sports entertainment. >> roll the dice, oh! >> reporter: they have kicked, jumped and flipped their way into the hearts of millions of americans. their outrageous plot lines are broadcast in 145 countries, in 35 different languages. >> with over 70,000 wwe fans! >> reporter: and they've done it all in spandex. but now, wrestle behemoth wwe is trying to sell its muscle hugging magic to a new market, china, with a potential 1.3 billion fans. and they're hosting their first ever live show here at the shanghai world expo. one of the few groups from the u.s. invited to perform, they are ambassadors of american culture. some of the biggest names have flown in for the event. like 7-foot giant big show and ray mysterio. >> as a kid never thought i would end up in shanghai. that's for sure. >> reporter: it's fair to say these guys don't blend, but they certainly inspire curiosity. >> are you laughing at my hands? >> reporter: i did just. i feel like i have really big hands anyway. >> no, you don't have big hands. >> reporter: those are so -- wow. >> got to be really careful. like if i go to picnics or stuff like that. people will try to stick my finger in a bun, put mustard on it. >> reporter: think of china, sports, kung fu, pingpong probably jump to mind before wrestling. while the nba is hugely popular here, major league baseball and the nfl have not been so successful. wwe began trying the chinese market years ago. their programming is now available in 90 million households across the country. and they're confident that their story lines can transcend cultural differences. >> the strength of it is, it's a physically told story. so, even if you turn the sound down on watching wwe, you can follow what is going on. it's not rocket science. >> reporter: wwe turns out ten hours of television a week, packed with lovable heroes and heatable villains like superstars chris jericho. >> it's very exciting. what is the crowd going to be like. cheering, reserved, scared. >> reporter: on the morning of the big show, all 8,000 tickets are snapped up in an hour. by fans lining up since 6:00 a.m. they have come from all over the country. >> i come from hong kong. >> reporter: they are clearly excited for the show. >> wwe, it's my life! yeah! >> reporter: one, two three -- yo! >> yo! >> reporter: backstage, the superstars give interviews to a seemingly enamored chinese media. and i have a few moments to learning the secrets of becoming a superstar. physical fitness. >> oh, dear. oh! and a sharp tongue. >> reporter: how can i up my smack talk? >> what kind of an accent is that? >> reporter: a little english in there. >> fake english accent. are you doing a madonna gimmick. >> reporter: are you talking smack? >> are you from like peoria, illinois? >> reporter: you're playing a mind game now, aren't you? by the end of the interview my villain diva alter ego is starting to emerge. well, my friend lives down the street. oh, in your face! >> she got me there. >> reporter: and then it's show time. the lights go down. the music goes up and the crowd goes wild. >> i think they're having fun. they seem to be enjoying themselves. they know all the moves. all the stars. >> cena! cena! >> and they love to hate. while the crowd of 8,000 isn't quite yankee stadium -- >> i am number one! >> reporter: -- it's a promising start. wwe may not have china in a chokehold yet. but they are definitely in it to win it. i'm clarissa ward in shanghai. >> move over pingpong, huh? >> here in august for the first time, china for the first time, 8,000 tickets gone in an hour. there is an audience out there. >> i have gone to wwe. >> really? >> i have. >> did you like it? >> free tickets. quite enjoyable. if you've never been to one, it really is an art. >> funny what they do. people get into it like a soap opera. >> more after this, everybody. don't go far. cost to you. stay tuned for this important medicare benefit information and free scooter guarantee. imagine... one scooter or power chair that could improve your may entitle you to pay little to nothing to own it. one company that can make it all happen ... your power chair will be paid in full. the scooter store. why should you call the scooter store today? because their mobility experts are also medicare experts. and that means the scooter store is your best shot at qualifying for a scooter that costs you little to nothing. hi i'm doug harrison. pay little to nothing out of pocket. how do we do it? we know what it takes to get you your power chair it's our strength. it's our mission. and we back it up with the scooter store guarantee. if we qualify you and medicare denies your claim for a new powerchair or scooter, i'll give it to you absolutely free. i paid into medicare all my life, and when i needed it the benefit was there for me. the 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[ country-western music playing throughout ] the super-fast absorbencymatter how rougof always ultras, helps keep you in the saddle. in fact, no other ultra absorbs faster. and that's no bull. always. finally, this half hour, a look at how americans view god. a survey just released shows that most of us believe. >> but that's just where the similarities end. here's dan harris. >> reporter: if you ask children to draw god you will get a fascinating variety of images from a man on a throne to a smilie face to a shining sun to a cross-legged buddha type. turns out, same goes for their parents. in a new book called "america's four gods," two professors from baylor university used polling data to break down our belief in god into four different categories. about 28% of us believe in an authoritative god. >> an authoritative god believes in a god that is judgmental and engaged in the world at the same time. >> reporter: they tend to be evangelical and male. 22% of americans. mostly evangelical and women, believe in a benevolent god. involved in our lives, loving, not stern. >> he is always there. how i look at god. >> reporter: 21% of americans believe in a critical god, who is removed from daily events, but will render judgment in the afterlife. >> we find a strong tendency for african-americans, for people at lower levels of income and education, to believe in a critical god. >> reporter: and 24% of us believe in a distant god who set the universe in motion, but then disengaged. >> they also tend to be people who say that they're spiritual but maybe not religious. >> reporter: the professors say these questions are not merely academic. that the type of god in which you believe has a profound impact on your morals, behavior and politics. believers in an engaged judgmental god are more likely to see hurricane katrina as god's punishment. believers in a distant god are apt to be less suspicious of science and more likely to agree with benjamin franklin's assertion that god, the supremely perfect doesn't care one bit for something as inconsiderate nothing as man. dan harris, abc news, new york. >> study was released, i thought was interesting. atheists tend to know the most about god -- or the most about religion, i should say. different religions as well. >> i guess that makes a little sense. know what you are against the makes kind of sense. oh, man. little divine intervention here. >> a "world news now" first. >> it's friday. thank you, lord, it's fridayabab economic gauge -- today's report on unemployment, what analysts expect and how it has become such a huge political issue. then heartfelt homecoming why the nation feels the grief of a veteran warrior's family. and, hotel hell. who is exposing awful lodging for trade as paradise. >> this is a vacation. it is your precious time. it's your money. >> it's friday, october 8th. >> announcer: from abc news, this is "world news now." we know that summer vacations are over, but if you ever have any questions about what a hotel really looks like and you don't want to see the glamour shots that they post. this is definitely a story you want to stick around and see. here is a real website that send out its own photographers. >> always better, don't fully believe, internet. glossy photos and brochures. do your own investigation for sure. >> yes. >> good morning, thank you for joining us on this friday. i'm vinita nair. >> i'm rob nelson. the unemployment rate is expected to inch higher. today when september figures are released. >> the increase may be small, but the impact could be huge on the upcoming elections. john hendren joins us from washington with more. hi, john. >> good morning, vinita, rob. today's jobs report is likely to make an uphill climb for democrats even steeper. and the timing could hardly be worse. >> reporter: in maryland, democrats told the president what he wanted to hear. >> i'm sorry what did you say? >> reporter: but the latest economic report is expected to deliver less welcome news. >> we'll likely see an uptick in the unemployment rate for the nation, because more americans are out there looking for work. >> reporter: a slight uptick to 9.7% for september, but the last monthly jobs report before the november 2nd congressional elections. for democrats struggling to keep control of congress, it is an untimely blow. >> this is an election about the economy. and anytime the focus is on the fact that the economy is struggling is not a good story for democrats. >> reporter: with analysts predicting big gains for the gop, the president is playing underdog. >> i think the pundits are wrong. but it's up to you to prove them wrong. >> reporter: democrats' prime talking point -- the economy is improving. >> we've got a long way to go, and certainly, we're not taking the victory lap. we want to quicken the pace of change. but we certainly can't go backwards. >> reporter: they have a point. this year the economy has created 723,000 jobs. and while companies are bringing in more cash, they're holding on to it. >> they're not spending that on hiring new workers because they're uncertain about the economic future. >> reporter: and despite some improvement, the economy is unlikely to feel better by november 2. the nation's small businesses are not in a hiring mood. a new survey finds 8% of them plan on hiring in the next three moss. twice that many plan on cutting workers. vinita, rob. a gun rights group endorsed tea party favorite christine o'donnell in that hotly contested senate race in delaware. however, o'donnell's opponent, chris coons also got some campaign support from minnesota senator al franken. the latest poll shows coons with a considerable lead over o'donnell. the president has also been trying to drum up democratic votes ahead of the election. he and vice president biden are in philadelphia this weekend in support of two key races. >> karen traverse is joining us more from washington with more on the democrats' strategy to maintain control of congress. hi, karen. >> good morning, rob, vinita. >> reporter: at this point in 2008, then-candidate obama was traveling to traditionally republican states, trying to expand the electoral map in his race against senator john mccain. two years later, his campaign itinerary looks quite different. last night, president obama headed back to his hometown of chicago to try to help save his former senate seat. >> i hope you are fired up in the last few weeks. i need you to be fired up. fired up and ready to go. i need it. i need that. >> reporter: the president was campaigning for democrat alexi giannoulias, an old basketball buddy. >> i still have some sore ribs to prove it. he is a competitor. >> reporter: gin giannoulias is locked in a title race against mark kirk. neither candidate has had any significant lead in the polls and their campaign has been rough and tumble, featuring some of most negative ads of this election cycle. giannoulias is banking on the president ae popularity in his adopted home state to push him across the finish line. obama's visit back to illinois, underscores what has been clear for months. this race could go down to the and i cannot afford to lose in orde c democras incont almost every major elected office. they enjoy a ten-point advantage over republicans in voter registration. this week, one democratic congressman from the ste s if the republicans were able to pull out the win. with poll after poll showing enthusiasm amorepus, president obama reiterated his warning to democrats don't sulk, don't sit back and get t nd vote. rob and vinita. an explosive senate report says private security contractors hired by the u.s. in afghanistan may actually be hurting the american mission. there are an estimated 26,000 contractors operating in afghanistan. the report says money they are paid sometimes makes it into taliban coffers and some contractors are working against coalition forces. this comes as peace negotiations between the afghan government and taliban get under way. >> we are clearly encouraged by this taking place. >> there are some positive things that are happening and some things we understand we have to change. in northern afghanistan yesterday, nato air strikes and ground operations killed dozens of insurgents, including one described as a senior taliban commander. more than 2,000 nato soldiers have been killed in afghanistan since the war began the most american. all of them resulting of course in very sad homecomings. steven portnoy tells us about one of the fallen, a 29-year-old husband and father, who saw more than his fair share of fighting. >> reporter: on the day the war in afghanistan entered its tenth year, another heartbreaking reminder of the price of victory. as his family stood vigil, sergeant first-class lance voegler came home for the final time. he was killed friday on his 12th tour of duty. four in iraq and eight in afghanistan. the army ranger was solemnly carried back to american soil, joining more than 1,300 americans who have fallen in the afghan war. >> shared a lot of love. loved to help people. >> reporter: the sergeant's parents are deaf and another son gave voice to their grief. >> loved that little boy. >> reporter: those who loved him included his comrades in arms. >> lance was an exceptional leader. >> reporter: in 2001, just weeks after the 9/11 attacks, president bush announced the invasion of afghanistan where al qaeda planned the attacks under taliban protection. >> on my orders the united states military has begun strikes of the taliban regime in afghanistan. >> reporter: the unpopular war continues to frustrate president obama. steven portnoy, abc news, washington. this could be a big weekend for the trapped miners in chile, a drill could reach the men by tomorrow. rescue crews have carried out a dress rehearsal in anticipation. even after the drill makes a breakthrough, it still could take up to ten days to bring the men to safety. an elite team of paramedics and rescue experts will go into the mine first to help with the evacuation. they're trying to decide if they want to do the casing to reinforce thing, but it will take more time if they do the casings. >> lots of fingers crossed in the mine. now to the friday forecast. windy, thunderstorms across colorado, utah, wyoming, montana and the western half of the high plains. sunny, dry, a little windy here in new york and new england. and indian summer has arrived in the nation's midsection. >> 80s from fargo down to twin cities and down to dallas. 70s from boston to baltimore. 85 in miami. cool, mild in the west. 64, salt lake city. 69 in boise. 76 in albuquerque. well, it was a mysterious disappearing act that spanned four weeks and 450 miles. >> a 4-year-old shih zhu named buddy vanished from his mississippi home over the labor day weekend. his owner had no idea if she would see him again. but buddy recently turned up on a stranger's lawn in st. louis, and he's not saying how he got there. >> luckily buddy has a microchip, and easily identified. plans are now in the works for a happy reunion with his owner. long way from home for buddy. >> oh, so cute. >> more after this. you go next if you had a hoveround power chair? the statue of liberty? the grand canyon? it's all possible ith a hoveround., tom: hi i'm tom kruse, inventor rand founder of hoveround., when we say you're free to see the world, we mean it. call today and get a free overound information kit, that includes a video and full color brochure. dennis celorie: "it's by far the best chair i've ever owned." terri: "last year, 9 out of 10 people got their hoveround for "little or no money." jim plunkitt: "no cost. absolutely no cost to me." breaking news...when you call today, we'll include a free hoveround collapsible grabber with the purchase of your power chair. it reaches, it grabs, it's collapsible and it's portable. it goes wherever you go. get it free while supplies last. call the number on your screen to get your free video, brochure and your free hoveround collapsible grabber. call the number on your screen. well, have you ever looked up a hotel on line, thought it looked pretty good. you booked a room. then you get there and you think, nuclear power plant wasn't in the picture. >> sometimes, what you see isn't really what you get. the website oyster.com is trying to change that. vicki may bury reports. >> reporter: you waited all year. and you're finally going on vacation. how about a steaming hot tub for two in montego bay, or an intimate wedding in punta cana. check out the delicious buffet in the dominican republic, they're decadent, they're lavish, they're fake outs. or photo fake outs according to oyster.com, where when it comes to hotel brochures, ceo elliott sideman says pictures can be deceiving. >> this is a vacation, your precious time, your money. you want to go some place that will be not only good, but will be great. what we personally experienced was sometimes you go away and when you get there, it is not exactly what you saw in the hotel brochure. >> reporter: oyster.com went on line in june of last year to expose the good, the bad and the ugly, in hotel advertising. how bad are we being fooled? >> we're being fooled badly. >> reporter: take the destination wedding in dominican republic. >> so, it's you and your beloved on that wonderful wedding on the beach. and it's just the two of you, you know, it's going to be nice and quiet. and then, this is actually what is going on. we pull back, unzoom. oh, lots of your friends, you know, gawking. well, not your friends. awe. >> reporter: everybody standing and watching. >> in your speedo, exactly what you need. do you buy them drinks afterwards? >> reporter: oyster has a saying, we're picky but not petty. the site gets 250,000 hits a month. shoppers looking for the real deal on the luxury hotel. some, though, come for just what the website calls the photo fakeouts. that hot tub. that surfboard in the pool. >> what's the deal with having a surfboard in a pool? forget the pool or hot tub, why do you have a surfboard? we zoom out and found out it is not a pool, just a hot tub. the whole thing doesn't make sense on any level. >> reporter: the secret weapon behind their candid cameras? real journalists like jennifer garfinkle. we're in this kempton hotel in manhattan legally. 3 1/2 to 4 pearls in oyster's rankings, by the way, to show how an oyster sleuth works. >> first, i would go to each corner of the room. then when i'm done with that, i start doing the close-up. >> reporter: a mission to shoot every angle, every object. >> we certainly take things like the tv, the mini bar, the things people really, really care about, that's the most important. >> reporter: even the pillows. >> we'll zoom in on the pillows, comforter. >> reporter: from the toilet. >> the bathroom is so important to people. you would be surprised how many people spend time on our website looking at the bathroom photos. >> reporter: to the thread count. >> we will peel the sheets and take a look. >> reporter: no detail is too small or too insignificant. the pencil holder. >> why not? we're here. we have the camera. may as well show everybody the most that we can. we take pictures that we don't edit. we don't doctor them. no photo shop. so when you see our photos that we take, you're getting -- that's the real photo. >> reporter: what's wrong with hotels putting their best foot forward showing you the best picture? >> the problem right this is a product you can't see before you buy, you can't return once you arrive. our mission is to bring truth so you can see exactly what you will get before you go, no false advertising here. >> reporter: they photographed more than 1,000 hotels so far, snapshot of your chosen destination, warts and all. this is vicky maybury in new york. >> ooh. >> here overnight you know we have "insomniac theater." insomniac kitchen, and insomniac motel. you may recognize it. norman bates and his mom live there. our hotel looks nice on the outside. but when you come here, also, not so nice. >> no one wants to stay that long. >> no one does. >> at least we're at the bar. >> i look inquisitive. don't i? >> yeah. all week. coming up, it's time for your "skinny." this is really an interesting one. a grown-up lawsuit involving a very popular children's show. and why toni braxton is singing the blues over her bank account get yen. the "skinny" is coming up. ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny ♪ skinn ♪ skinny ♪ so skinny well, you may not know this little girl's name, but you, especially if you have kids, know her voice. the little girl who is dora the explorer who does the bilingual voice is filing a lawsuit for millions against nickelodeon and corporate parents saying she was cheated out of millions of dollars. according to her when she was just 12 years old she and her family were forced into signing a 14-page contract without the aid of a lawyer. they made her sign it within 22 minutes without time to review the contract. they basically according to her said if you don't do this and sign it immediately we will pass on kaitlin for the part of dora. she goes on to say she was promised $5,000 per episode in compensation and residuals and merchandising money she never saw. she says in addition for not being compensated for hundreds of hours of recording sessions, she was forced to fly around the country promoting the show for a meager travel stipend of $40 a day. >> are you kidding me? >> keep in mind, this show is now in its tenth season. and i don't have to go into how much money it's generated. she says she was never fairly compensated. nickelodeon is saying her claims are totally baseless. saying she has been paid very well. as you can imagine this is going to be a lawsuit that gets a lot of attention. you will hear the name kaitlin sanchez more than once or twice. >> moral to the story is never sign anything, especially a contract, worth those kind of bucks without a lawyer. good luck to dora. speaking of money issues here, poor toni braxton has filed for bankruptcy yet again. filed chapter 7 bankruptcy in a court in california. the second time she has done it. she says now she owes between $10 million and $50 million in debt and the country. there's a list. she's 43 years old. a list of the creditors, neiman marcus. at&t. banks, hotel, tiffany & company. everything. apparently this, like i said, she filed for bankruptcy back in 1998. earlier this year, irs filed a lien against her for $400,000. people close to her say the troubles stem from her busted show out in vegas. she has a heart condition. out there doing a show in 2006. heart condition flares up. has to pull plug, on the hook for millions. to the hotel that was hosting the show. she's really had incredible money trouble since then, even after selling 40 million albums around the world. incredible. >> this will make me unpopular. listening to the list of the creditors, neiman marcus, those things does make me less empathetic to the situation. >> nevada power company. screen actors guild, american express, other, fairly mundane things on here as well. extrang extravagant, too. i want to unbreak her heart. i am having a hard time right now. believing that she -- you know. sorry. >> if you need help, toni, call me. don't listen to vinita. i've got five bucks for you. >> i'm too mean. speaking of powerful women. "forbes" came out with 2010 list of powerful women. america did very well. 70 of them are american women. number one, michelle obama, beat out oprah winfrey, a lot thought. i will roll through these kind of quickly. irene rosenfeld chief executive of kraft food. and oprah winfrey. angela merkel, chancellor of germany. hillary clinton. secretary of state. the chief executive of pepsico. celebrities, lady gaga, beyonce, ellen degeneres. they're all on it. they said this year, they went less on traditional titles and more on who has creative influence and entrepreneurship. >> you go, girls. some models look so mad. maybe it's because their department store makeup is so expensive. simply ageless with olay regenerist serum costs less and it won't glob up in lines and wrinkles. you'll look amazing and hapy too. simply ageless, from olay and easy breezy beautiful covergirl. here are some stories to watch yoko ono pays tribute to john lennon. this weekend. events are planned worldwide for lennon's 70th birthday which would have been saturday. expect more security along amtrak routes. department of homeland security is preparing for the holiday travel season. the president signs a bill, today, that impacts the smart phone industry. high-tech phones and tv sets must be changed so people with vision and hearing loss can use them. and finally this half hour, a look at the buzzwords heating up the yahoo! search engine. today a lot of buzz about cell phones and driving. >> yahoo!'s trend expert, pamela woon, has more from one of the nation's largest cellular showcases in san francisco. good morning, again, pamela. >> hey, rob, vinita. good morning. so the use of smartphones is exploding and 17% of all cell phones are now smartphones, up from just 11% a year ago. and that's why we are taking you inside the cellular telecommunications industry show in san francisco where cutting-edge mobile technology is front and center. now, one big trend here that we're seeing is how your cell phone and your car are working together to keep you safe. all right, check this out. ford is putting its safe technology in new cars. it gives you direct, voice control over most of your cell phone apps like this. read text message here. [ inaudible ] that's really cool. but that's just the start. now, a number of companies are creating apps to combat against distracted driving. and there's a lot of interest in the subject right now. searches on yahoo! are up 13% this week alone. despite laws banning texting while driving and requiring hands-free devices, distracted driving still accounts for over 6,000 deaths each year. and another 500,000 are hurt. so, to address the problem a number of companies developed voice activated software for for smartphone. we like drivecarefully.com. a free app will read you e-mails over your speaker phone and reply using voice commands. another cool app is voiceonthego. but some studies suggest it's not just texting or dialing that's causing accidents, it's paying attention to anything but the road. there are several apps that will keep you from using your cell phone in your car at all. now, if you're moving faster than 10 miles an hour, an app calls textecution will block all incoming and outgoing. text blocker will do the same. both will save your messages until you pull on over. all right, now, rob, vinita, what do you think? you don't text and drive do you? >> not in new york anymore. because we're on the subways here. >> we text on subways. >> but back in new orleans -- i was bad about it. >> that's the news for this half-hour. more news coming up.