conversation she reportedly had with one of her husband's sex abuse victim. and pakistan's prime minister re-evaluating his country's relationship with the u.s. after a nato air strike killed two dozen pakistani soldiers. the state department ramping up the damage control, on this "american morning." -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com and good morning to you. itis tuesday, november 29th. ali is still working off the turkey. i'm carol costello along with christine romans on this "american morning." >> good morning. and the new bombshell rocking herman cain's presidential campaign. the woman claiming a 13-year affair that ended just eight months, just as cain launched his presidential bid. the accuser, an atlanta businesswoman, told waga about the alleged affair. >> it was pretty simple. it was uncomplicated, and i was aware that he was married, and i was also aware that i was involved in a very inappropriate situation, relationship. i'm not proud. i didn't want to come out with this. i did not. >> herman cain for his part admits knowing ginger white but tells cnn's wolf blitzer there was never any sexual relationship. >> tell us about the nature of your relationship with this woman? >> friend and trying to help a friend, because not having a job, et cetera and this sort of thing. that's all there is to the relationship and, here again, i don't know what's going to be claimed in the story. it was someone who was suppose to be a friend, but obviously they didn't see it as a friend. >> you say, "friend." this is awkward. but i'll ask the questions you'll be asked. was this an affair? >> no. >> there was no sex? >> no. >> none? >> no. >> and spin doctors weighed in with a campaign statement saying detrecters are trying once again to derail the cane contain train with more accusations of past events that never happened. the cain campaign is not surprised that another female accuser has come forward due to the fact that earlier allegations were unable to force herman cain to drop his bid to renew america. two reports. david mattingly and joe johns. let's begin with david mattingly. good morning, dachbt. >> reporter: good morning. this latest herman cain accuser is a former businesswoman. her name is ginger white. she is a single mother of two, and she claims that she and cain had an on again/off again affair that lasted almost 14 years. it did not end, she says, about eight months ago, shortly before cain announced his candidacy. that story broken by wga heaga night. you heard wolf blitzer say a few minutes ago, he knew the woman, described her as a friend and that the relationship was not sexual. ginger white, however, says the two met when cain was the head of the national restaurant association. she says he flew her to different cities to meet him, gave her gifts, and that the physical relationship they had didn't stop until about eight months ago. after the story aired, cain's campaign released a statement implying that white is a detractor who is alleging events that didn't happen. here's what happened when i showed that statement to her attorney. >> detractors are trying once again to derail the cain train. would you describe your client as a detractor? >> no. actually i wouldn't describe her as a detractor. what she said is that -- and she said for herself that she had an improper relationship. so not a detractor at all. no. >> reporter: the cain campaign describes this as past events that never happened. >> no. i mean, i think that people out there will just have to decide whether in fact they believe that mr. cain is telling the truth or that ginger white is telling the truth, but i believe that ginger is telling the truth. >> reporter: does she have anything to gain by coming forward? >> i don't think so. i think she has everything to lose, candidly. >> reporter: is she asking for anything? >> no she is not. nothing. >> herman cain's own lawyer put out a statement after that saying this appears to be a private, non-consensual conduct between adults. white and her attorney are bracing for attacks on her credibility. she's had legal problems with a former business partner in the past and recent financial problem, serious enough that she's had difficulty paying her rent, but her attorney says that was not the reason she came forward. she said it was because reporters were already seeking her out and she felt she needed to be the one toful her story. >> david mattingly, fascinating, and quite frankly, his response, no, no, this did not happen and the attorney comments, some stuff is off limits. maybe it's off limits, but he's -- we'll get to the bottom line. >> and a political fallout for herman cain. it's not like he hasn't had a political fallout when it comes to dealing with women. joe johns is live in washington with that part of the story. so the latest cnn poll, joe, was released a few days ago had herman cain just behind newt gingrich and statistically tied with mitt romney. so what do you think will happen now? >> reporter: you know, carol, the first thing you've got to ask, how is all of this affecting the candidate? and i spoke to herman cain just very briefly last night when he was in here to talk to wolf. this guy really projects confidence. that's what he was doing. that said, right, the polling is trending downward. this doesn't help him. his credibility is hurt by these different women saying he sexually harassed them, which cain denied. women tend to be the most skeptical and critical of cain but men have their questions about him, too. striking is that ginger white would be yet another woman who disclosed private facts, i guess you'd call them, against herman cain, that we didn't know that he's flatly denied. credibility is an issue among conservatives. evangelicals, who expect their politicians to adhere to a higher stand. the question is whether modern politicians can survive a charge of infidelity, and by the way, newt gingrich has admitted to similar situations. >> that's right. i was going say. but he's sort of atoned for that sin in numerous ways. herman cain, women, the lawyer's statement was confusing, because, who knows if it was a sexual affair or not, but they're intimating it might have been. for republican primary voters, will this matter? >> reporter: really, really good question. that statement, i'm still trying to figure out what was the chronology? whether the lawyer statement was sort of written and released before herman cain decided to come out and talk, or was it the other way around? but something seemed to get messed up there. as far as the voters, obviously, it's a question that they're going to have to take a look at, but, i mean, gingrich, we talking about, seems to be doing very well in the polls right now as far as saying cain is dead as a politician, there's plenty of chatter, if you will, suggesting he's just a side show right now. though republicans have told me, frankly, he's never going to become the republican nominee. he's just on a glorified book tour. on the other hand, gingrich was thought to be history a few months ago, and now he's saying that predictions of the end of his campaign weren't quite correct. >> one weird primary season. that's all i have to say. >> reporter: that's for sure. >> joe johns. thank you. new developments this morning in the syracuse university sex abuse sandal. former assistant basketball coach bernie fine is now facing a second criminal investigation in pittsburgh. and hits wife pl his wife plans to make a statement today about a conversation that suggests she knew about the alleged abuse. cnn's gary tuchman spoke briefly with laurie fine yesterday before her decision was made to come forward today. >> reporter: i'm gary tuchman, cnn. i'm sorry to bother you. >> you're not bothering me. >> i was hoping to ask you -- you're not going to make a statement? >> not today. >> reporter: is that tape interpretive, though? >> no comment. >> deb feyerick, this investigation is in full swing but not exactly smooth sailing. what's going on? >> reporter: no. it really isn't. i mean, right now everybody is playing catch-up. federal investigators have been brought in, working with the syracuse police. secret service is also working. they're looking through computers, going through files, to see what they can find, i mean, the charges ultimately may not be necessarily abuse so much as even pornography. one of the thing under consideration. the district attorney that usually works on these investigation, instead they're investigating the syracuse police to find out what they knew, when they knew it. pittsburgh police have now stepped in saying because one of the accusers alleges he was abused in a pittsburgh hotel, they want to see what exactly was going on, what happened, and even espn. they're trying to figure out why they didn't release the tape -- or basically coming out saying, look, we didn't go with it because we didn't have a second source. everybody is sort of defending their positions, putting their stakes down. but the information flow, christine and carol, has really dried up for the most part. we were reaching out to bernie fine's lawyers all day yesterday to find out whether in fact the university's abrupt termination really is a rush to judgment, because the university has effectively said, look, these allegations are there. they're disturbing. our community is shaking. you're done. you're fired. but his lawyers aren't saying anything about it. laurie fine, her nephew told us she would be speaking yesterday. not speaking either. things are petering out as everybody circles the wagon and gets their footing in all this, christine. >> mrs. fine heard making a damning statement about her husband. she answered the door. surprise they're still in town? >> reporter: you know, it is, but right now they do have a home in florida. what's going on right now is prosecutors, investigators, police, have probably told all the key players not to go anywhere. right now they need them for questioning. they've got to do interviews of all of these people, find out who knows what, what was happening. so chances are prosecutors have said you're not to leave the state. this way they have access to them and can talk to them whenever they need to. >> deb feyerick, thank. former penn state coach jerry sandusky is launching his own investigation saying he hired a private investigator to prove he did not abuse any boys. the longtime coach is charged with 40 counts related to sexual abuse of eight young boys over a 14-year stretch. it's stentensing day for michael jackson and michael jackson's mother catherine is speaking out saying she hopes dr. murray gets the harshest sentence there is. that would be four years in prison. prosecutors want him to pay jackson's children $100 million. jackson died in 2009 of the lethal dose of propofol. and a missing american woman in aruba, he may be a free man. jerry giordano is expected to be relieded back to the united states tonight. a judge threw at the request to keep giordano obtained for another 30 days without charges. robyn gardner went missing in august. representative barney frank says he will not seek re-election in 2012. the democrat from massachusetts blaming it partially on redistricting. so what's next for the 71-year-old? >> there is no way i would be -- look, i will miss this job. and i'll feel regret when the new congress is signed up. but i will tell you this, maybe you're going to laugh, but one of the advantages, to me, of not running for office is, i don't even have to pretend to try to be nice to people i don't like. now -- some of you may not think i've been good at it, but i've been trying. >> the veteran congressman said he had always planned on retiring by 2013. >> and doing victory laps he's in not running again, feeling of some. and a nato air strike kills two dozen pakistani soldiers sparking new anger against the u.s. and driving, oh, another diplomatic wedge between these two countries. plus, egypt's historic election. why some say they're casting ballots for the very first time. look at all those women in line. it's 14 past the hour. tissue box (whispering): he said nasal congestion... nyquil: i heard him. anncr vo: tylenol cold multi-symptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion... nyquil cold & flu doesn't. long-lasting, too. yeah, i could really use this silverado. i'm a big hunter. oh, what do you hunt? deer. fish. fantastic. ♪ this holiday, chevy's giving more. now qualified buyers can get 0% apr for 72 months on a 2011 chevy silverado. or 0% apr financing for 60 months plus no monthly payments until spring. ♪ congratulations. congratulations. today, the city of charlotte can use verizon technology to inspire businesses to conserve energy and monitor costs. making communities greener... congratulations. ... and buildings as valuable to the bottom line... whoa ! ... as the people inside them. congratulations. because when you add verizon to your company, you don't just add, you multiply. ♪ discover something new... verizon. aflac... and major medical? major medical, boyyyy! [ beatboxing ] ♪ i help pay the doctor ♪ ain't that enough for you? ♪ there are things major medical doesn't do. aflac! pays cash so we don't have to fret. [ together ] ♪ something families should get ♪ ♪ like a safety net ♪ even helps pay deductibles, so cover your back, get... ♪ a-a-a-a-a-a-a-aflac! [ male announcer ] help protect your family at aflac.com. [ beatboxing ] 17 minutes past the hour. the state department in full damage control mode this morning following a nato air strike that killed two dozen pakistani soldiers this past weekend. officials say the u.s. is committed to working through the latest trouble in an already troubled relationship with pakistan. >> cnn's chris lawrence take as closer look at what happened, and what both sides are now saying about it. >> reporter: it all went down around 2:00 in the morning. a little over a mile from the afghan border. the entire incident only took two hours, but may have destroyed months of hard work to repair the u.s./pakistan relationship. a nato official says afghan troops were working with elements of u.s. special operations forces in a combined mission on the afghan side of the border. the official says the team came under fire from a position with pakistan. from what they believed to be a suspected taliban base. a senior u.s. official says the troops requested air support in initial indication, apache helicopters and a gunship fired on two pakistani ordered checkpoints. the official says she fired from the afghan side and did not enter pakistani airspace. 24 pakistani soldiers were killed in the air strike, but details diverge depending who you talk to. the u.s. believes the pakistanis were called before to warn them, but pakistani commanders say they pleaded to stop firing on friendly forces and insist their troops did not fire first. this is a frontier area with a border that's hard to define. nato complained in the past militants fire on american and afghan troops from positions close to pakistani army checkpoints. >> i'd say in the last three weeks we're probably averaging three to four crossborder firing incidents a week. >> reporter: just last week, u.s. commanders were speaking positively. saying at their request, positions to deny infiltration. >> in fact, we've had some very good cases in the last three weeks of the pacmil coordinating with us to respond against those cross-border fires, and that coordination occurs with every event that happens. >> reporter: that communication includes u.s. commanders calling their pakistani counterparts as well as talking to pakistani liaison officers inside afghanistan. in nato investigation into this air strike is focusing on that communication and whether at some point it did break down. chris lawrence, cnn, the pentagon. a second day of voting is under way in egypt as that country takes a step towards democracy. this is the first free election since the revolution that brought down president hosni mubarak earlier this year. so far turnout has been huge with voters waiting in long lines to ensure their voice is finally heard. >> i'm happy. >> reporter: why? >> because it's first time for us to make some freedom. >> i'm 66 years old. this is my first time. >> reporter: your first time? >> yes. >> reporter: your first time to vote? >> yes. >> reporter: and how do you feel? >> i feel good. i feel my vote will change egypt to a better future. >> definitely. i'm 47. this is my first time, too. >> reporter: and how are you feeling? >> i'm feeling great, because it's for our kids' future. otherwise, everybody would leave this country, if it goes down the drain. >> voters are voting for parliament things today and presidential elections will be held in june, but there are still fears the military won't make good on its promise to then turn over power to the new government. the rich just get richer. coming up, wait until you hear who won a massive powerball jackpot and what they plan to do with the money. is 22 minutes after the hour. that you need ♪ ♪ come at just the right speed, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ medicine that can't wait legal briefs there by eight, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ freight for you, box for me box that keeps you healthy, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ ♪ saving time, cutting stress, when you use ups ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today. whoa. whoa. how do you top great vacations? whoa. getting twice the points on great vacations. whoa! use chase sapphire preferred and now get two times the points on travel, and two times the points on dining and no foreign transaction fees. whoa! chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. apply now at chasesapphire.com/preferred 25 past the hour. welcome back. a big rally yesterday helped a little. the dow, nasdaq and s&p 500 rose about 3%. estimates of strong black friday weekend sales and brief estimates about europe got that. this morning things are trading higher. until europe fixes its mess expect big swings and big uncertainty any stocks. markets are up in europe. investors holding on to the optimism leaders are moving forward to fix the region's debt problems even after a warning out from moody's. the ratings agency says the current debt crisis in europe is threatening the credit worthiness of every nation in the european union as well as more than a dozen of the region's banks. back here, washington's inability to reach its own debt deal will hurt all americans. the credit rating agency fitch affirmed the credit rating then revised the outlook for american credit to negative. that change means the agency as greater than 50% chance it will have to downgrade the country's aaa rating with the next couple of years. the former head of mf global, jon corzine is not commenting on a report that $200 million is believed to have belonged to his brokerage firm turned out to jpmorgan chase in britain. according to the "new york times" it's believed the money was transferred during the firm's rapid collapse. the trustee over seeing liquidations says $1.2 billion in customer funds appears to be missing. it is the holy grail of ipos and this morning yet another report that facebook is working on plans to go public by as early as next spring. according to the "wall street journal," the social network is hoping to raise $10 billion putting the value of facebook at more than $1 billi00 bi