free-falling at 700 miles an hour. the pressure so low, if it suit fails, he'll blow up. what makes him do it? and cramming backstage for a star turn like he's never done before, our special "gma" guest host. rob lowe, joining team robin this morning. and he's been practicing. >> it can't be that hard. stephanopoulos does it. good morning, america. rob lowe getting inside my head right there. he's even inside my office this morning, making himself at home. studying up. [ laughter ] oh. we are going to have some fun this morning. he is so game. it's going to be great. good morning, everybody. robin's recovering from her bone marrow transplant. great to have amy robach here. >> thank you so much. >> we have a lot to get to this morning. dramatic turn in the race for the white house. mitt romney pulls into the lead in the latest poll. four-point lead according to pew. they had him behind eight points in mid-september. coming off his big debate win. and both president obama and mitt romney head to the crucial battleground state of ohio today. also, more fallout from the nasty wedding brawl, all caught on tape. one of the guests is now charged. and new pictures of the bride just moments after the mayhem. look at that. and we also are hearing the death threats with "dancing with the stars." big emotion for bristol palin, under so much strain right now. and mysterious white powder sent to her. we're going inside that story. >> that's strange. let's get right to jerry sandusky. the former penn state coach is speaking out before his sentencing this morning. convicted on 45 counts of sexual abuse. sandusky still insists he's innocent. abc's jim avila has been covering this story from the start. he's outside the pennsylvania courtroom, where sandusky will appear later today. good morning, jim. >> reporter: good morning, george. we think we know what jerry sandusky will say from his attorneys and also his public statement. now, abc news obtained a portion of what one of his victims is expected to tell the judge. just this morning, victim number five told abc news, quote, i hope and pray when your honor sentences mr. sandusky that you sfwiek account the harm and fear and pain and anguish i and others have not suffered. certainly, this will not be your ordinary sentencing. we expect it coming down very, very soon. >> i'm responding to the worst loss of my life. >> reporter: jerry sandusky, firing back for the first time since he was found guilty of 45 counts of sexual abuse against children. the former penn state coach, now says he didn't get a fair trial. says he has been unjustly treated like a monster. in a statement released to the university radio station late monday, calls one of his victims a veteran accuser, seeking attention. >> in my heart, i know that i did not do these alleged disgusting acts. my wife has been my only sex partner. and that was after marriage. >> reporter: later today, sandusky is expected to deliver a similarly defiant statement before the judge who holds his life in his hands. refusing to apologize or admit any guilt. >> we will continue to fight. we didn't lose to proven facts, evidence, accurate locations and times. >> reporter: abc news has learned that facing sandusky today will be at least one, and as many as six, of his ten victims. >> it is preposterous to suggest that ten separate victims, their families, their parents, their lawyers, the prosecutors, the press, and everyone else con conspired to somehow convict mr. sandusky. >> reporter: even sandusky's own attorneys expect a harsh sentence. and they're concerned his words may do him more harm than good. >> the accusers were products of many more people and experiences than me. look at their confidants and their honesty. think about how easy it was for them to turn on me. >> it will be his natural life in jail. >> reporter: and for a 68-year-old man, it will not be an easy life. >> no one's going to respect him. he's not going to have any friends. he's going to have a rough ride. and he's going to be isolated from the general population. >> reporter: certainly, a risky strategy for jerry sandusky, no remorse in front of a judge who could sentence him up to 400 years in prison. amy. >> jim avila, thanks so much. for more, let's bring in "gma" legal analyst, dan abrams. dan, sandusky is expected to address the court at his sentencing today. why release the statement last night? >> i have no idea. it would seem to me he's thrown in the towel for this judge and this sentencing. now, look, this sort of statement doesn't really make that much of a difference one way or the other to the judge. the judge is primarily going to be looking at what were the crimes, what were the facts in. and therefore, what should the sentence be? but doing this the night before and probably echoing it again in court, i think sandusky is basically saying that i know this judge is going to sentence me to serve the rest of my life in prison. >> and we know we will hear from the victims today. how much do the impact statements have on the judge in decision in sentencing? >> i think they're important and powerful for the victims themselves. important for the judge to hear it. again, i think the judge is probably going to base this more on what were the crimes? what were the facts? than on the victim statements. >> he'll likely spend the rest of his life in jail? >> absolutely. >> dan abrams, thanks so much. we appreciate it. george. >> thanks, guys. the race for the white house, now. and with 28 days to go, a new poll shows mitt romney surging into the lead after his debate win last week. it's "your voice, your vote." and jake tapper is on the trail in the battleground ohio. good morning, jake. >> reporter: good morning, george. both candidates expected in the critical buckeye state today when new polls indicating mitt romney got a big bounce out of his debate performance last week, even leading in one poll. it appears to be a new day and a new race. just a few weeks ago, some in the media and politics were preparing mitt romney's campaign obituary. but he not only has a new lease on life, he has momentum. a new poll from the pew research center, shows romney pulling ahead of the president in likely voters. the bounce romney was hoping for, following his powell lished debate performance last wednesday. one he noted at a rally in virginia. >> that was a good debate. >> reporter: earlier in the day, romney sought to capitalize on the tumult in the muslim world. >> we must make clear through actions, not just actions, that their nuclear pursuit won't be >> a virginia military newt. >> for the sake of peace, we must make it in acts not just purchase suit that it will not be tolerated. >> reporter: president obama was shaking the money tree in california. and attending a fund-raising concert in san francisco. >> we're going to go forward, not backwards. that's why i'm running for a second term as president of the united states. >> reporter: vice president joe biden is holed up in a delaware hotel room, engaged in debate prep. while paul ryan got some unexpected debate prep of his own with a reporter from our flint, michigan, affiliate. >> the best thing to help prevent violent crime in the inner cities is to bring opportunities in the inner cities. it's to help people with poverty in the inner cities. to help teach people good discipline, good character. that is civil society. that's what charities and civic groups and churches do, to help one another. make sure they can realize the value of one another? >> and do that by cutting taxes? with a big tax cut? >> those are yours, not mine. >> thank you very much, sir. >> yeah. that was kind of strange. >> reporter: the obama campaign, seeks to mock mitt romney's commitment to eliminate public television. the ad says, quote, mitt romney taking on our enemies, no matter where they nest. george? >> we've not seen the end of that. jake, thank you very much. the v.p. candidates joe biden and paul ryan go at it this thursday, at 9:00 eastern, 6:00 pacific. let's go to josh and the other top stories. >> good morning, all of you. we're going to begin with new information on the growing meningitis outbreak. this morning, the cdc now confirms eight deaths out of 105 cases, those cases spread across the nine states that you see highlighted here all linked to contaminated steroid shots. as many as 13,000 people may be at-risk. the shots came from a massachusetts pharmacy that mixes medications. now a growing push to subject those pharmacies to fda scrutiny. and new concerns this morning as the economy could take a turn for the worse. the international monetary fund has issued a new warning saying even the economic powerhouses of china, india and brazil, are slowing down because of uncertainty about fiscal policies here in the u.s. and in europe. one expert says, and i quote, risks for a serious global slowdown are alarmingly high, end quote. there's been a break in a murder case that shocked people in southern texas. david hartley, gun downed by mexican criminals. while jet skiing with his wife on a lake that straddles the border. mexican authorities have arrested salvador martinez in connection with hartley's death. he is one of several drug lords captured or killed in recent days. a horrifying highway accident caught on camera in china. a tanker carrying liquefied natural gas in an explosion. after a collision. you see it here. five people were killed in the blast. it destroyed seven cars and trucks. and some promising news in the fight against alzheimer's this morning. researchers say an experimental drug called solanezumab slowed memory loss by 34% among people with a mild form of the disease. it is is the first time that a drug has showed so much promise, but doctors caution that more study is needed. and it would be a great topic for an abc show "what would you do?" look at this. a cab driver in las vegas found something unusual in his backseat. a bag stuffed with $221,000. in cash. so what did he do? well, adam woldemarim turned it in. the bag had forgotten the bag when dropped at the airport, rather than throwing it into traffic, he actually got his bag back. and what did adam get for his honesty? he got a hug and $2,000. a tip of less than 1%. >> he knows he did the right thing. >> he did the right thing. >> he can feel really good about it. >> he can buy a $2,000 blanket. >> absolutely. josh, thanks so much. a serious story we're turning to. the latest on the search for that missing 10-year-old in colorado. seen here in home video, obtained exclusively by abc news. jessica ridgeway vanished walking to school on friday. and police are investigating whether her disappearance could actually be linked to other cases. abc's clayton sandell has the latest. >> reporter: in new video obtained exclusively overnight by abc news, 10-year-old jessica ridgeway, horses around with a video camera and the family dog. >> that's the camera. >> reporter: take another look. jessica recorded this video in may. >> that's the camera. >> reporter: this morning, the state crime lab is processing jessica's backpack for dna evidence. it was found sunday with her water bottle, six miles from where she was last seen. police say it's vital evidence, the only trace of her since she vanished friday. >> the bottom line to give us ideas and evidence of who may have been in contact with it. and where we can focus a search. >> reporter: that search expanded monday. more than 100 people combing roadsides and rocky terrain. meantime, police are checking reports that three weeks ago, in a nearby town, a suspicious man was seen approaching children. >> it's a piece. but this time, we have nothing to say we believe it's related to the disappearance of jessica. >> reporter: appearing grief-stricken, jessica's mother sarah walked outside of her westminster, colorado home monday. she was asleep on friday when the school called her to report her absent. she did not get the message for eight hours. only then did she call police. fbi agents and police are still urgently going door-to-door. they even asked william kessel to search a locked room to make sure jessica wasn't inside. she wasn't. >> they have to rule that room out. >> reporter: we're now going into the fifth day since jessica failed to show up here at school. and in that exclusive video, investigators and her family want you to look at her face and listen to her voice, hoping that someone provides the break that this case needs. also today, we expect to hear from jessica's family for the first time. george? amy? >> clayton, thanks very much. we're going to turn, now, to the shocking moment at sunday's nfl game in kansas city. some hometown fans actually cheered when the chief's quarterback was knocked flat with an injury. and one of his teammates is fighting back, comparing the hecklers to the crowds at the colosseum in rome. and this sparked a lot of soul-searching in kansas city. >> indeed it has. a lot of people wondering just what happened there. kansas city fans critical of matt cassel's performance over the weekend. but when he took that hit, the fans' reaction may have crossed the line. his teammates are firing back. >> cassel got drilled on the play. >> he's in real trouble here. as he was rocked. >> reporter: embattled kansas city quarterback, matt cassel, was pummeled during sunday's chiefs/ravens game and lay motionless on the ground, before leaving the game with a concussion. and while faint on tv, it sounded as if the home team's disgruntled fans were cheering the injury. >> i've never been more embarrassed in my life to play football than in that moment. >> reporter: after the loss, his teammate, eric winston, lashed out. >> we got 70,000 people cheering that he got knocked out. i think it's sickening and disgusting. we are not gladiators. and this is not the roman kol lee colosseum. this is a game. >> reporter: by monday afternoon, winston's off-the-cuff candor had gone viral. his rebuke being replayed and analyzed on our sister network, espn. >> where's the civility? where's the compassion? >> reporter: but what may be most surprising, this morning kansas city fans are firing back. and not in solidarity with winston, but in anger. accusing him of unfairly lumping hard-core chiefs loyalists with a few rude fans. >> you're saying i don't want this guy throwing a football for me anymore. i don't think anybody was wishing he was injured. >> reporter: on twitter overnight, winston thanked supporters. tweeting, i stand by what i said. i believe what i said. while admitting 70,000 fans may not have cheered the injury. but even one was one too many. now, cassel is expected to miss the chiefs' next game against tampa bay this weekend. there were questions if people were clapping that he walked off the field under his own power. kansas city chiefs fans among the very best in the sport. hard to believe that anybody was celebrating an injury. >> that is hard to believe. josh, thanks so much. now, to the daredevil leap from the edge of space. felix baumgartner's attempt to set a stunning new record for the highest sky drive, jumping from a balloon and then free-falling more than 20 miles back to earth. ryan owens is in roswell, new mexico, with the very latest. ryan? >> reporter: aimy good morning to you. there is a reason they call him fearless felix. right now, his much anticipated jump is on hold to the high winds aloft. and if he can't jump this morning, they'll have to wait until later in the week. up until now, it's taken a supersonic jet or maybe the space shuttle to break the sound barrier. but felix baumgartner thinks he can do it with his body. the austrian daredevil will skydive from 23 miles up, the edge of space. he'll free fall at 690 miles an hour. >> we practiced this for so many years. now, we're almost there. this is my biggest dream. >> reporter: a dream that would be most of our nightmares. to get 120,000 feet above earth, the 43-year-old will hitch a ride in this capsule, attached to a balloon that's 55-stories tall. >> we're using a helium balloon to get to the stratosphere. but to get there, we have to transit the death zone. >> reporter: the pressure is so low up there, the air so thin, his lungs would actually boil. the most dangerous part comes when baumgartner opens the door and jumps. he's done it from lower altitude with no problems. but 120,000 feet would shatter the record set 52 years ago by former air force pilot joe kitinger who also jumped from a balloon. he's 84 and a little jealous. >> do you wish you were up there? >> yes. if he doesn't want to do it, i'll go. >> reporter: not a chance says the daredevil with a born to fly tattoo on his arm. >> it's just me. i love flying helicopters. i love to be in the air. it's my second home. >> ryan owens, thanks for that. >> reporter: they hope they can learn something, way to design better space suits for astronauts. aim? >> ryan owens, thanks for that. it happens later this morning. wish him well. let's head to sam and the weather. >> glad he's doing it and we didn't need volunteers. let's get to the boards. we're going to show you what we think may be the very first snowflakes to come out of west virginia or come down in west virginia. depending on how you look at it. didn't amount to much. you couldn't have skied on it. but last year, in the same zone, the first snow didn't fall until after thanksgiving. now, here's this cold air and if you look at where it is, where the solid center of it is. it's from detroit to nashville to new orleans. this basically needs that we moderated this push of colder air. and even though it's chilly this morning, it's not what it was in most places yesterday. we get another push by the end of the week into the weekend. first measurable shot of rain in places like san francisco in a month. also, we think in l.a., you may pick up light showers, as well. it's been very dry on the west coast. this is an opportunity to get a little moisture in the rain gauge. and coming up on "gma," brand-new pictures of the nasty wedding brawl caught on tape. a guest has been charged. and our guest co-host, rob lowe, is getting ready to join us. >> a penguin. i'm feeling very underdressed. 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