Pelley good evening. Investigators say they could see with their naked eyes black specks of deadly fungus floating in viles of steroids due to be injected into patients across the country. Late today authorities said a criminal investigation would be opened and they would move to revoke the license of new england compounding center. Thats the pharmacy identified as the source of contaminated drugs that have caused a meningitis outbreak in at least 17 states. 300 people have come down with the disease, 23 have died, and federal Officials Say the outbreak is spreading. With this rapidly developing story, heres dr. Jon lapook. Reporter the preliminary investigation has revealed a lack of basic Laboratory Standards at new england compounding center. Today massachusetts state investigators found that n. E. C. C. Had dirty floor mats and a leaky boiler, did not properly test lab equipment, did not adequately sterilize medications, and shipped drugs before they were tested for contamination. Dr. Madeline biondolillo is leading the investigation for the department of health. On 13 occasions n. E. C. C. Staff shipped orders from the suspect lots before receiving their own test results confirming that those lots were sterile. Reporter officials also claimed the company broke state law by shipping their products in bulk without valid prescriptions. Compounding pharmacies must have a prescription for every patient for each dose they send out. More than 17,000 vials of the suspect steroid went to clinics in 23 states. Documents released yesterday show that complaints against n. E. C. C. For lack of individual prescriptions date back to 1999. N. E. C. C. Coowner barry cadden told the state pharmacy board in 2004 that his company would abide by the law. That each and every compounded medication shall be filled based on a valid prescription written by a qualified physician for a specific patient. The state and the f. D. A. Made a joint inspection of the facility in 2004. Sheldon bradshaw was the f. D. A. s chief council. Typically the f. D. A. Would go back in and reinspect. Here it appears that the f. D. A. Simply relied upon new England Compounding Centers word that they had corrected the problems. Reporter in 2006, n. E. C. C. Pledged 20 upgrade its Quality Assurance procedures as part of a legal agreement with the state. We called the n. E. C. C. After todays charges and they responded by saying the state health board had numerous opportunities, including as recently as last summer, to make firsthand observations of the n. E. C. C. s facilities and operations. Its hard to imagine that the board has not been fully apprised of the manner and scale of the companys operations. Pelley john, are they saying the state of massachusetts should have caught them. I think what theyre saying is back in may of 2011 there was an inspection on site and n. E. C. C. Passed the inspection. Scott, one of the problems is there are no routine inspections of compound pharmacies like this in massachusetts basically they wait for a complaint like this. Pelley jon, thanks very much. It was six weeks ago today that terrorists attacked the u. S. Consulate in benghazi, libya. Now weve obtained email alerts that were put out by the state department as the attack unfolded. As you know, four americans were killed, including ambassador christopher stevens. Sharyl attkisson has our story. Reporter the emails contain the earliest descriptions so far of what happened at benghazi the night of the attack. At 4 05 p. M. Eastern time on september 11 an alert from the state Department Operations center was issued to a number of government and intelligence agencies. Including were the white house situation room, the office of the director of National Intelligence and the f. B. I. U. S. Diplomatic mission in benghazi under attack. Approximately 20 armed people fired shots, explosions have been heard as well. Ambassador stevens who is currently in benghazi and four chief of Mission Personnel are in the compound safe haven. At 4 54, less than an hour later, another alert the firing in benghazi has stopped, a Response Team is on site attempting to locate chief of Mission Personnel. Then at 6 07, state sent out another alert saying the embassy in tripoli reported the islamic military group Ansar Alsharia claims responsibility for benghazi attack on facebook and twitter and has called for an attack on embassy tripoli. The emails are just a few in what is likely a large number traded throughout the night and theyre likely to become part of the ongoing political debate over whether the administration attempted to mislead in saying the assault was an outgrowth of a protest rather than a planned attack by terrorists. 14 hours after the attack, president obama sat down with steve kroft of 60 minutes for a previously scheduled interview and said he did not believe it was simply due to mob violence. Youre right that this is not a situation that was exactly the same as what happened in egypt. And my suspicion is that there are folks involved in this who were looking to target americans from the start. Reporter the white house and state department declined comment on the email alerts. The House Oversight committee, scott, told us the information in the emails will be part of their on going investigation into the benghazi attack. Pelley sharyl, thank you. The consulate attack was barely mentioned last night at the Foreign Policy debate between president obama and mitt romney. We asked 500 uncommitted voters whom they believe won. They chose the president 53 to 23 . 24 said it was a tie. With the election just two weeks from today the race moves into its final sprint and we have reports tonight from our campaign 2012 team. First, nancy cordes covering the president. Nancy . Scott, the president signaled his closing arguments today. Hes going to argue for the next two weeks that the most important issue in this campaign isnt Foreign Policy, it isnt even the economy, its trust and that only one candidate has earned it. The person who leads this country, youve got to have some confidence that he or she means what he or she says. Reporter in delray beach, florida, the president argued governor romney has hidden his true positions for political gain. You know what . Thats not leadership that you can trust. And, florida, you know me. cheers and applause you can trust that i say what i mean. Reporter the president has been expressing not just disagreement but disgust with romneys policies, calling them reckless. Every time youve offered an opinion youve been wrong. Reporter in last nights debate, president obama stayed relentlessly on offense, even when romney praised some of his Foreign Policy moves. Governor romney, im glad that you agreed that we have been successful in going after al qaeda, but i have to tell you that your strategy previously has been one that has been all over the map. Reporter but the obama camp has clearly been stung by romneys repeated claim that mr. Obama has no agenda for a second term. Today, the campaign released this 20page plan outlining the president s goals on manufacturing, energy, and education. It will get slipped under the doors of more than three million voters in battleground states. My plan will actually move america forward. Its not just a sales job. Its not a sketchy deal. Its not the okeydoke. Reporter republicans claim that the president s aggressive strategy is a sign that hes nervous about this race two weeks out. But democrats say that they feel very comfortable about their position right now and point out that they are essentially tied or ahead in just about every one of those nine battleground states, scott, thats going decide this election. Pelley of course, nancy, romney is showing strength in a couple of battleground states, particularly florida and north carolina. Jan crawford is with the governor tonight. Reporter romney advisors tell me hes going to keep his message focused on jobs and the economy. That has been the cornerstone of his campaign from the very beginning and its the issue voters say they care about the most. Well cut taxes on the middleclass, well cut taxes for small business. Were going to make it easier for businesses to grow. Reporter today in nevada, romney hammered the issue he will target over the next two weeks as he tries to win over undecided and independent voters. Four more years like the last four years would continue to have a president playing hide and seek trying to find a plan to get the economy going and to create jobs. Reporter with polls showing the race tightening, the Campaign Sees an opening. As mr. Obama goes on the offensive, romney has made a strategic decision to go above the fray, a tactic the campaign believes will resonate with the uncommitted voters. He used that strategy in last nights Foreign Policy debate. And attacking me is not an agenda. And attacking me is not talking about how well deal with the challenges of the middle east and take advantages of the opportunity there and stem the tide of this violence. Reporter again today in nevada. We can handle two more weeks of the attacks coming from barack obama but we can not handle four more years of what hes given us. cheers and applause reporter romney advisors tell me he has a big speech on jobs planned this week, probably thursday in ohio and hes going to argue that voters have a clear choice between his policy proposals and four more years of the same ideas he says havent worked. Jan crawford, cbs news, henderson, nevada. Pelley 53 million americans watched that debate last night moderated by our chief washington correspondent Bob Schieffer who joins us this evening. Bob, wheres all this headed . Well, i tell you, its headed to a very close election, scott. My take away from the debate last night was youve got a clear understanding of where both of these candidates especially governor romney thinks this race is going to be run. Going to be won, and that is, its going to be on the economy. Governor romney used every opportunity every question. We started out asking about libya. Not much was said there. It kept going back to the economy and economic issues. So i think thats where they think this is going to be won and lost. I think the other takeaway is and what to look for down the road theyre going to go all out now and theyre going to have to. This thing is very, very close. It is so close we may wind up seeing one candidate win the popular vote, another win the electoral vote. It could wind up in an electoral vote tie which would be a total can of worms and a nightmare. Whos going to win this thing . I think thats still to be decided. The only thing that i would bet money on right now is this is not going to be a year when any candidate wins in a landslide. Its going to be this close. Pelley bob, thanks, and well done last night. On wall street today stocks were down again. The dow plunged 243 points today to close at 13,102. We asked Anthony Mason why investors are unloading stock. Reporter the selloff started after chemical giant dupont said business was slowing and announced 1,500 layoffs. In recent days i. B. M. , u. P. S. And mcdonalds have also issued disappointing earnings. In fact, nearly twothirds of companies, 63 , have missed analyst expectations. The outlook moving forward seems to be a lot slower than Everyone Wants and where everyone was expecting. Reporter Trader Jonathan Corpina with Meridian Equity Partners says another set of numbers has wall street worried, the polling numbers which show the president ial race still a dead heat. Whos going to be in office . Theres no indication as of this morning where that thats going to be. So that adds to another ingredient in the uncertainty pot. Reporter the recession in europe is cutting into business for Many American companies. How much of an impact is it going to have on the overall economy . Well know more friday when the government reports on the economys growth rate, scott. Pelley anthony, thanks very much. The candidates clashed over military spending at the debate and were going to have a look at their plans. A new hurricane may be forming. How close will it come to the u. S. . And a shark kills a surfer off the coast of california when the cbs evening news continues. [ male announcer ] this is sheldon, whose long dy setting up the news starts with arthritis pain and a choice. Take tylenol or take aleve, the 1 recommended pain reliever by orthopedic doctors. Just two aleve can keep pain away all day. Back to the news. One try can relieve your nightly congestion without the blowing the stacking the steaming. Thats the transformative power of one ingenious little breathe right. Try one free at breatheright. Com and open your nose instantly. Feel the power of air sleep like you mean it and rise to mornings alive with activity. Breathe better, sleep better. One free try is all it takes. Its your right to breathe right one free try is all it takes. Theres the sign to the bullpen. Here he comes. You wouldnt want your doctor doing your job, the pitch whoa so why are you doing his . Only your doctor can determine if your persistent heartburn is actually something more serious like acid reflux disease. Over time, stomach acid can damage the lining of your esophagus. For many, prescription nexium not only provides 24hour heartburn relief, but can also help heal acidrelated erosions in the lining of your esophagus. Talk to your doctor about the risk for osteoporosisrelated bone fractures and low magnesium levels with longterm use of nexium. Possible side effects include headache, diarrhea, and abdominal pain. Other serious stomach conditions may still exist. Let your doctor do his job. And you do yours. Ask if nexium is right for you. If you cant afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. Pelley at last nights debate, one of the sharpest disagreements was over defense spending. Its a huge part of the federal budget and it employs a lot of americans so we asked Wyatt Andrews to tell us about the candidates very different views. Every piece that youre seeing right now is custom made. Reporter george hill is president of advex, a defense contractor in hampton, virginia, a firm now making precision parts of the Aircraft Carrier u. S. S. Gerald ford due for launch in 2015. Do you vote based on defense spending . I vote based on what i think is best for the country. Reporter but is defense spending up there . Sure. Its what i do for a living. Reporter the president has already cut projected Pentagon Spending by 487 billion over ten years and will keep actual spending flat. Thats still enough, he says, to keep the military the strongest on earth. We spend more on our military than the next ten countries combined china, russia, france, united kingdom, you name it, next ten. Reporter but romney proposes a buildup of ground forces, air forces, and the navy. He would build 15 new warships every year compared to the president s nine and increase defense spending by more than 2 trillion over ten years according to independent estimates. So we have to make decisions based upon uncertainty and that means a strong military. I will not cut our military budget. Reporter last night, romneys claim that the navy is too small and the president s response was a clear snapshot of their differences. Our navy is smaller now than any time since 1917. You mentioned the navy, for example and that we have fewer ships than we did in 1916. Well, governor, we also have fewer horses and bayonets because the nature of our military has changed. This is a c c computerized press brake. Reporter but what worries george hill is the more immediate threat of automatic defense cuts scheduled in january unless Congress Reaches a new agreement by the end of the year, spending cuts built into the 2011 budget deal could cost the military 500 billion. Its the livelihood of our people. Reporter george hill says both sides are playing politics with defense. I blame them for not agreeing to agree with each other. Reporter you blame both parties . Yes. Reporter tell me why. Because i think grown people should be able to sit down and work out compromises. Reporter last night, the president dismissed the very idea that these automatic budget cuts will ever happen, but, scott, here in virginia, a swing state where the Defense Budget is itself a major industry, voters inclined to track defense spending have a clear choice. Pelley Wyatt Andrews at the pentagon. Wyatt, thank you very much. Apple made a muchanticipated announcement today and well have it for you just ahead. Pelley Tropical Storm sandy is in the caribbean and its threatening to become a hurricane by tomorrow. The storm is expected to move north toward jamaica where hurricane warnings are up already. The track indicates sandy could approach floridas east coast this week wednesday strong winds and high seas. A shark killed a surfer today off southern california. The 38yearold victim was in the Pacific Ocean off Vandenberg Air force base. He was surfing with a friend who witnessed the attack and pulled him to shore. They tried to save him on the beach but the surfer was pronounced dead at the scene. Theres no word on what kind of shark it was. Its news when apple launches a new product and today it showed off its new ipad mini. Its about a third smaller than the fullsized ipad and its meant to compete with tablets sold by amazon and google but at 329 its more expensive than wall street expected. Apples stock price fell more than 3 today. Music may be saving the lives of children at risk. Well have their story next. Next. Wait you relieve nasal congestion . Tylenol sure. Dont you . Tylenol another bottle hmmm. No. Nyquil stuffy dude anncr vo tylenol cold multisymptom nighttime relieves nasal congestion. Nyquil cold flu doesnt. When we got married. I had three kids. And she became the full time mother of three. It was soccer, and ballet, and cheerleading, and baseball. Those years were crazy. So, as we go into this next phase, you know, a big part of it for us is that there isnt anything on the schedule. Cmon, michael get in the game [ male announcer ] dont have the hops for hoops with your buddies . Lost your appetite for romance . And your mood is on its way down. You might not just be getting older. You might have a treatable condition called low testosterone or low t. Millions of men, fortyfive or older, may have low t. So talk to your doctor about low t. Hey, michael [ male announcer ] and step out of the shadows. Hi how are you . [ male announcer ] learn more at isitlowt. Com. [ laughs ] hey but i still have a runny nose. [ male announcer ] dayquil doesnt treat that. Huh . [ male announcer ] alkaseltzer plus rushes relief to all your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ sighs ] thank you [ male announcer ] youre welcome. Thats the cold truth to take a centrum silver multivitamin every day. I told him, sure. Cant hurt, right . Then i heard this news about a multivitamin study looking at longterm Health Benefits for men over 50. The one they used in that study. Centrum silver. Thats what i take. My doctor he knows his stuff. [ male announcer ] centrum silver. The most recommended. Most preferred. Most studied. Centrum, always your most complete. Those with College Degrees e giving it a try. Next on cb5 we end tonight with the amazing power of music. It can soothe the soul. It can raise the spirit. And as Bill Whittaker shows us, music has the power to lift a life out of poverty. [ music ] i love music. I just feel my heartbeat. Reporter when you look at the hurdles facing 16yearold scotty way, you might see another grim statistic, poor. His mother, cheryl, is on welfare to work from inner city l. A. But dont just look. Listen. [ music ] music is beautiful. Its been here with me through all my troubles. Music is like my homey, my friend. We can just talk. I mean, its like, hell talk and ill listen. Reporter he began his conversation with music at 5, when his mother saw a flyer for free violin lessons. That led them to the harmony project, a program in l. A. s most troubled neighborhoods, that puts instruments in these hands before the rampant gang culture puts a gun in them. Its been difficult for us as a family to can of survive to kind of survive sometimes. Reporter cheryl came to hollywood seeking fame. After seven children and a failed marriage, all she found was hard times. I think weve moved maybe about 28 times. Reporter 28 times. Mmhm. Weve actually slept one time at the office at harmony project. Reporter through all of that, he held on to his music. This was the one constant thing in life. Reporter its not about being a virtuoso. He finds virtue in music. Music is like my meditation. Music has just opened up my eyes. It disciplines me. I just think its been this thread throughout his entire life. Reporter myka miller is director of harmony project and scottys teacher. The charity started with 36 students. Now it has 1500, a waiting list of 900. Almost all these kids go on to college. Music is the vehicle that we use to transform kids to get them through school, to get them to go to college, to teach them to be role models. They become mentors to younger students. Reporter scotty plans to be a teacher or a marine biologist, or an international businessman. I can do it. I know i can do it. Reporter he learned that conversing with music. Bill whitaker, cbs news, los angeles. And thats the cbs evening news for tonight. For all of us at cbs news all around the world, good night. Captions by caption colorado comments captioncolorado. Com your realtime captioner linda Marie Macdonald good evening, im allen martin. Im dana king. Get your orange gear out and your vocal chords ready because the world series gets ready in less than 24 hours. Tonight the San Francisco giants getting ready to host the tigers in game one. Bay area Sports Stores are trying to keep up in demand. Fresh off the printing press, shirts and hats flying off the shelves after the giants storm into the world series. Scutaro the giants have won the pennant. Reporter the players soaked by nature and champagne. Now dried off and gearing up for game 1 against the tigers. They swept the yankees. That tells you how good they are. Reporter giants fever is everywhere. Pride in the bay area and beyond. This is like my country, you know . This is like okay. Get this. The giants and tigers boast a combined total of 9 players from venezuela. Cbs 5 reporter joe vazquez tells us t