good evening. the news was breaking just as we came on the air last night, and we brought you first word of the early morning phone call that returned us to a turning point in america 19 years ago. you'll remember that political drama that transfixed americans f . for days, we all argued about the questions it raised. clarls thomas was in his confirmation hearing. anita hill accused him of sexual harassment. well, professor hill surfaced again today after that unusual phone call from thomas' wife, and sharyn alfonsi is here to bring us up to date tonight. >> reporter: well, the big question tonight, why not? why after 19 years did virginia thomas pick up the phone and call anita hill? she says she was offering an olive branch, but tonight, anita hill is not taking it. the testimony lasted seven long hours. anita hill, an oklahoma law professor, alleging the lurid details about her time working for clarence thomas. >> he spoke about sex acts that he'd seen in pornographic films involving such matters as women having sex with animals. >> reporter: a cringe-worthy moment in american politics. >> thomas told me graphically of his own sexual prowess. >> reporter: that put a bright spot on sexual harassment in the workplace. thomas angrily denied the allegations, saying they amounted to a "high tech lynching." but now, nearly two decades later, his wife ginni has rekindled the story. with that call to anita. 7:30 on a saturday morning, leaving that message. i would love for you to consider an apology some time and some full explanation of why you did what you did with my husband. ending the call with, "have a good day." hill, now a professor in boston, wouldn't talk about the call today. >> i don't have any comment right now. >> reporter: but in a 2007 interview, the thomases did talk about anita hill. >> i think she owes us an apology and i look forward to receiving that phone call or that visit one day. >> reporter: ginni thomas has long stretched her idea of what a spouse of a nonpartisan supreme court justice should be. >> the wonderful ginni thomas. >> reporter: a long-time conservative activists, she now heads liberty central, a group opposing what she characterizes as the leftist tyranny of president obama. >> washington is sick, it's corrupted. there's a bubble over it. >> reporter: she's talked candidly about being part of a self-help group that she later called a cult. friends have described her as brainy, a church goer. a woman so kind she invited homeless people out to lunch. she said she looked forward to forgiving anita hill. 19 years later, hill says she has nothing to apologize for and stands by her testimony. >> so, she says she told the truth and stands by it. but it changed america, the line on sexual hair lastment moved in the workplace. >> it absolutely did. and in the five years following this hearing, the number of sexual harassment cases actually doubled. and the amount awarded to those victims quadrupled. so, this really became part of the conversation as a country. >> i remember, everybody sitting around talking about it, and there were meetings in the workplace to try to work through issues. >> still a flash point today. >> still is. childr thank you. time is getting short on the campaign trail. just 13 days until the elections. and for the next few days, president obama is going to be pouring it on. starting in oregon tonight, he'll go 7,200 miles in four days. as you know, the candidates have been facing off in debate after debate and our jon karl has been traveling the country, as well. and he seems some patterns. we ask for his take tonight. jon? >> reporter: diane, there is yet another debate here tonight in philadelphia. but i can tell you, i have been listening to hours and hours of stump speeches and debates in races all across the country, and it often sounds like you're listening to one big debate. it has become the catchphrase of the campaign. man up. >> some of you need to man up. >> reporter: uttered mostly by women associated with the tea party. >> man up, harry reid. >> reporter: the concept, if not the exact phrase, began with none other than christine o'donnell, who had this to say about her mike castle, back in early september. >> these are the type of cheap, underhanded, unmanly tactics that we've come to expect. this is not a bakeoff. get your man pants on. >> reporter: at least one woman from the other side has jumped on the phrase. >> man up and do what you ask other people to do. >> reporter: it is not a bad way to leave your male opponent speechless. >> i think there is a very effective kay for a woman candidate to look tough. >> reporter: but it's not just about testosterone. many republican conditions this year seem to be reading from the same tea party script. first, label your opponent. >> career politician. >> career politician. >> career politician. >> reporter: then, label yourself. >> i am a mother and a grandmother. >> i'm a physician. >> full-time business person. >> reporter: say what you oppose, like it's a dirty word. >> obamacare. >> obamacare. >> obamacare. >> obamacare. >> reporter: and what you want to do about it. >> we must repeal this health care bill. >> it cannot be saved. >> it ought ot be repealed. we ought to start again. >> reporter: sprinkle in some numbers. >> $900 billion. >> 1.7%. >> 2.6 million jobs. >> reporter: and the other side? boil it down to one word. >> extreme. >> extreme. >> extreme right wing candidate. >> reporter: pits joe sestak against pat toomey in a senate race that is emerging as one of the closest in the country. >> thank you, jon karl, tonight. and it's so rare that we can mention the words hope and progress when talking about the nine-year war in afghanistan. but tonight, we are learning more about face to face talks between nato and the enemy. some leaders of the taliban. so, we asked martha raddatz if progress is really at hand. >> reporter: it happens in complete secret. meetings with taliban leaders, sometimes under the cover of darkness. >> any insurgent looking to sbro into talks could be subject to that kind of targeting. >> reporter: the journey usually begins in this headquarters of the after began taliban leadership. they drive northwest, over the border to kandahar. they are then either sneaked onto coalition aircraft and flown to kabul, or they travel by road with the u.s. military, tracking the vehicles from the air and the ground. clearing roads to make certain the occupants are not harmed by the coalition forces. officials hope that these high level talks will lead to more scenes like this -- low level taliban fighters turning in their weapons with a promise to stop fighting and pledge allegiance to the afghan constitution. every official i've been in touch with stresses that these talks with the taliban are only in very initial stages, diane. >> but why now? >> reporter: well, they need to show something by december and certainly by spring. progress. the administration knows this is not a war that the public really supports, so, they need some hail mary progress. >> okay, martha, so good to have you reporting. and we turn next to the gulf. six months ago tonight, april 20th, bp's deepwater horizon exploded. 11 men died. and the worst oil disaster in american history began. 206 million gallons s s spewingo the ocean. and the fears were grave. but matt gutman has revisited the worst sites and brings us some encouraging news. >> reporter: the gulf is healing, but where oil remains here in bay jimmy, 40 miles from new orleans, it has leached into the landscape. these work crews gather 2,000 gallons a day, just from this spot alone. what's the most frustrating part for you, frank? >> everybody probably thinking that it's over. >> reporter: but patching of thick oil like this are dwindling. and in this mess, a fledging. so, we went back to that same spot. now it seems that the population of birds are much healthier. it's harder to find one that's been oiled at all. officials say fewer than 2,300 oiled birds have been found dead. far fewer than expected. and look at this marina. when diane sawyer sailed from this dock just after the spill, it was deserted. now, the fishermen and a few smiles, have returned. and of over 30,000 fish samples taken, so far, not a single one tested positive for oil. nature may be healing, but for fishermen like diane, the economic landscape remains blighted. >> i don't believe a word you said. >> reporter: she had asked for over $100,000 from ken feinberg. >> first of all, it's $600 check. i'm a commercial fisherman and he insulted me. >> reporter: the compensation process is still years away from being complete. about 75,000 families and individuals have received a nearly $1.5 million. another 75,000 lacked the proper documentation, and some are just trying to defraud the system. we caught up with the man who became the face of the gulf outrage. he told us, with the worst seemingly over, he now has a new fight on his hands. >> well, six months ago, we were fighting for our lives. the concern is, as this thing rachets down, how long does it take for people to start booking fishing trips, people come down to buy the seafood. >> reporter: matt gutman, abc news, venice, louisiana. and now we have an investigation into money, politics and corruption. word tonight that the fbi has conducted stings in one half of the states in this country. it turns out state capitals, maybe even yours, are the new ground zero of influence pedaling. brian ross has spent months following this trail. >> reporter: the owner of this huntsville, alabama, barbecue restaurant, paul sanford, got quite a lesson in civics when he ran for the state senate two years ago. >> even before i was elected, i was tempted with $250,000. >> reporter: sanford says a lobbyist for the state's gaming interests made the offer to essentially buy his vote on a bill to legalize bingo slot machines. sanford refused the offer, but still got elected. did you get the impression that was not the first time he made an offer like that? >> it seemed to flow pretty easily to be honest. >> reporter: earlier this month, that lobbyist and ten others were indikted indicted by a fed jury in alabama, the latest case in what the justice department says is an aggressive contradictdown on state corruption. >> we're going to use the exact same technique that historically, we've used when prosecuting organized crime or violent crime. >> reporter: seeking to influence powerful lawmakers who control hundreds of mfls of dollars. >> the sophisticated players play not just at the federal love. they also play at the state level. >> reporter: that was on display at the an kuehl convention of top state law makers this summer in louisville. a team of college journalists on assignment from abc news found a round of late night parties. and alabama law makeers skipping convention sexes on this day for 18 holes of golf, hosted by a lobbyist for the state's gambling industry. something congressmen could not do in washington. >> i have nothing to say. >> nothing to say. and how are you -- >> if you don't want me to take this to you, leave. >> reporter: our investigation found ethics rules vary widely. in some states, lawmakers can accept little more than a cup of coffee or a low cost meal. but in alabama, a lobbyist can give a lawmaker up to $250 a day without reporting it. that's $90,000 a year, diane, completely legal. >> $250 a day? >> reporter: a day. >> well, we know corrupt money moves where no one's looking. glad you were looking tonight. thank you, brian. and i know you're going to have a lot more on "nightline." be sure to watch brian's further report. and that's coming up tonight. and still ahead on "world news," the seismic worry about hor roan replacement and cancer. we heard your questions. tonight, experts will answer. and this is a true story. which white house apparently lost the top secret nuclear code? that's ahead. look at all this stuff for coffee. oh there's tons. french presses, espresso tampers, filters. it can get really complicated. not nearly as complicated as shipping it, though. i mean shipping is a hassle. not with priority mail flat rate boxes from the postal service. if it fits it ships anywhere in the country for a low flat rate. that is easy. best news i've heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i mean not amped. excited. well, sort of amped. really kind of in between. have you ever thought about decaf? 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[ male announcer ] aleve. proven better on pain. being a leader means moving fast. across the country when the economy tumbled, jpmorgan chase set up new offices to work one-on-one with homeowners. since 2009, we've helped over 200,000 americans keep their homes. and we're reaching out to small businesses too, increasing our lending commitment this year to $10 billion and giving businesses the opportunity to ask for a second review if they feel their loan should have been approved. this is how recoveries happen. everyone doing their part. this is the way forward. as we know, a nation of women has been sitting on the edge of their seats following the news that hormone replacement therapy, and we're talking about the combination of estrogen and progestin not only increases the risk of breast cancer, but the risk they will die from it. it has triggered an avalanche of questions online and, of course, doctors offices, as well. we put some of your most urgent questions tonight to experts, our medical con try to be dr. marie savard is here, and the president of the north american men know pause society, dr. stephen goldstein, thank you for coming. in the calls you're getting, people panicked what to do? >> they are panicked because they see the headline and think the hormone therapy they're on is similar what is being reported all over the media. >> 5 million women on mother moan replacement therapy right now. is the first thing they should say to themselves, if i can get off it, get off it. >> you start people on a low dose. you bring the dose up until they are relieved of their symptoms. at one year, 18 months, i try to lower that dose and see if the symptoms rekur. >> is there any certainty that one year is safe, two years, safe? >> we're talking risk versus benefit. if you are making up three and four times a night and you are unable to function in your daily activities, you need relief. >> somebody sitting at home goes, i'm not going to do this. i'm going to try everything else possible, and don't give me soy milkshakes, okay, because they won't work, what will work? >> diane, you hit it. there are a lot of women who are afraid of estrogen, so, even if they have disabling symptoms, they are afraid. alternative therapies do work for some women. things have been tried. the antidepressanantidepressant. there's a type of medication that blocks nerves that can help. and acupuncture has helped some. >> are there distinctions between the kinds of estrogen? >> diane, there are. for estrogen, which is the only thing that really relieves disabling hot flashes, can you take it in a topical route, in a patch, a cream or even a gel that kind of gets absorbed directly through the skin and may be safer. >> i'm going to ask you both to let us check in online with you. >> love to. >> thank you both. and still coming up, the nfl cracks down on those held to head collisions, and the atha completely blocked artery, another heart attack could be lurking, waiting to strike. a heart attack that's caused by a clot, one that could be fatal. but plavix helps save lives. plavix, taken with other heart medicines, goes beyond what other heart medicines do alone, to provide greater protection against heart attack or stroke and even death by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming dangerous clots. ask your doctor if plavix is right for you. protection that helps save lives. [ female announcer ] certain genetic factors and some medicines, such as prilosec, reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines, including aspirin, may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take, including aspirin, especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than 2 weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. [ deb ] people don't just come to ge capital for money. they come to us for help. at ge capital, we've been financing taylor guitars for over eight years, helping them build a strong dealer network. bringing music to people... i like that. ♪ ♪ [ bob ] i didn't know you could play. i didn't either. ♪ and everyone has watched those bone crushing helmet to helmet hits that cause injuries. well, the nfl vowed to crack down on player players, levelin steeper fines. but today, the players called the move unfair, even criminal. >> it's a double standard. you know, you want us to go out here and play this game and puments people in the stands, they want to see hits and violence. >> brady james complained, he'll be playing flag football in about five years. and, a reality check about geography as we learned it. look at the map. it's the gold standard in all of our classrooms growing up. the trouble is, it distorts countries close to the equator, making them seem smaller, whi. look at how big africa really is. y even though most american children still say they think america is bigger than africa. and, a footnote in history. we learned that 14 hours after jfk's assassination, a secret service agent came, quote, chillingly close, to gunning down the newly sworn in president johnson. gerald blaine, seen here with the president, was seen standing guard at night outside lbj's home. he drew his gun, aimed it point blank at a man he couldn't identify. it turned out to be the wrestless new president johnson. and coming up, another close call in history. did a white house actually lose call in history. did a white house actually lose a top secret nuclear code? and sunshine gives us vitamin d. so if you've got osteoporosis, get out there, soak up a little sun. but you may need more than vitamin d, calcium, and exercise. ask your doctor about once-monthly boniva. boniva worked with my body to help stop and reverse my bone loss. in fact, studies show, one year on boniva worked for nine out of ten women. ( announcer ) don't take boniva if you have problems with your esophagus, low blood calcium, severe kidney disease, or can't sit or stand for at least one hour. follow dosing instructions carefully. stop taking boniva and tell your doctor if you have difficult or painful swallowing, chest pain or severe or continuing heartburn, as these may be signs of serious upper digestive problems. if jaw problems or severe bone, joint, and/or muscle pain develop, tell your doctor. i've got this one body and this one life. so i take boniva, which has helped me stop losing and start reversing. ask your doctor about boniva today. to get one month free, plus more tips, visit boniva.com or call 1-800-4boniva. i pull up a nice cozy chair and go through it. see, every year during open enrollment we can make changes to our medicare. while we always have our guaranteed benefits, there are other choices to think about each year. and, with the new healthcare law, we have lower costs, free check-ups and screenings. it's worth looking into. ♪ we know that the people in the white house are people, like us, misplacing things. but the nuclear code? and, was the person who did it in the oval office? john donvan has a report. >> reporter: things a president can lose -- some key votes in congress. his standing in the polls. a game of golf. things that a president can never lose, never, ever? the card with the nuclear codes on it. the one that lets him get into that black briefcase an aide always brings along, inside which are the instructions for launching a nuclear attack. like the briefcase, which is called the football, that card, which is called the biscuit, is supposed to be with the president at all times. giving him numbers to read outloud that identify him to everyone in the system as the commander in chief. that's why you don't lose the biscuit. think of it like an atm pin number. except that when bill clinton was president, someone lost the biscuit. this is according to the former chairman of the joint chiefs, hugh shelton, who has just come out with a memoir, and it right there on page 392. "at one point during the clinton administration, the colds were actually missing. that's a big deal," shelton writes. especially, he says, because the colds were unaccounted for for months. actually, this clinton critic told a quite similar story in his own book, seven years ago. robert patterson was one of those men who carried the football for clinton. he says clinton is the someone who lost the biscuit. >> he thought he misplaced them upstairs. we called upstairs, we started a white house, kind of a pretty thorough search around the white house for the koemds and he finally confessed hours later that he misplaced them. he couldn't recall when he had last seen them. >> reporter: who is to say the president couldn't have just picked up the phone to order an attack? today, his office is not commenting. same as with jimmy carter once left his biscuit in a suit that got sent to the cleaners. john donvan, abc news, washington. >> can someone look out for the biscuit and the football? hope you have a great night and that we see you right back here for "world news" tomorrow night. we'll be here. see you then. as the next gal but, come on. $60,000 for one dinner held by the department of justice. $66 per person just for bagels at one of the nasa's shindigs. i cracked down because big government shouldn't be funding big banquets with your money. some people say i'm a bit of a tightwad. i say, i'm barbara mikulski and i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. captioned by closed captioning services, inc.