politico says the incident in question took place while cain led the national restaurant association in the late '90s. "these incidents include conversations allegedly filled with innuendo or personal questions of a sexually suggestive nature taking place at the hotel during conferences. there were physical gestures that were not overtly sexual but made women who experienced or witnessed them uncomfortable and that they regarded as improper. politico's lead reporter was a guest on cnn's "american morning." >> there are reports of both physical and verbal actions by mr. cain. he made physical gestures, also verbal comments that made these women feel uncomfortable, awkward and angry. and so much so actually that they complained to both colleagues and senior officials at the organization about their treatment and subsequently left the organization with five-yeca payouts and non-disclosure agreements. >> cain publicly addressed this all for the first time 90 minutes ago in an interview on fox. >> i have never sexually harassed that. let's say that. secondly, i've never sexually harassed anyone, and, yes, i was falsely accused while i was at the national restaurant association and i say falsely because it turned out after the investigation to be baseless. the people close -- the people mentioned in that article were the ones who would be aware of any misdoings and they have attested to my integrity an my character. it is totally baseless and totally false. never have i committed any sort of sexual harassment. >> well, when cain starts talking, we'll listen in. in the meantime, joe johns is here to talk more about this. herman cain let these allegations simmer for almost a day. now he's strongly denying them. where does the story go from here? >> you know, actually, if you believe some of the reporting that's out there, this may have simmered for about ten days. as i understand it, the reporting is the first time politico went to the cain campaign and asked them about it was ten days ago an now it is finally just getting public. all right, the first question is was there an investigation and did it information turn out to be baseless. just like he said in sound bite. well, a lot of people are going to continue to ask questions. among the questions, of course, is if it was so baseless, why was there a settlement? well, the quite natural answer will be, either something really happened or the people over the national restaurant association looked it from a dollars and cents point of view and said, look, we can get out of this with "x" amount of dollars or we can go into litigation which is very uncertain and very costly. so you can sort of argue that both ways. the proof in the puddle i think, randi, is this talk of a non-disclosure agreement that somebody signed something that said they weren't going to speak. youically. now with herman cain out there running for president, if there is such a non-disclosure agreement, or agreements, why doesn't everybody just sort of consent to have all of this opened up so the public and the news media can look at it. that would be the next question. and he says he didn't engage in any sexual harassment. so, okay, what are the details? what did happen, if anything? >> right. he is calling this baseless and false. but today's denial, joe, a certainly a far cry from the no-comment that little bit -- let me play for you. >> joe, that's almost painful to watch. the politico reporter asked him about four times, then he turned the question back on him. why not just flatly deny it then instead of waiting until today? >> reporter: well, what you want to know is what's out there already before you respond to it. we keep talking about whether or not there was sexual harassment. if you read between the lines of the politico article, there are very sort of specific assertions there and there are assertions about behavior by the candidate. he did certain things. he made suggestive statements or remarks or gestures or what have you. and now in other words, if you're going to say this person committed sexual harassment, that's one thing. but did this person do certain things, engage in certain conduct. those are the kinds of questions we'd like to get at, and presumably the people who were involved in making these ases s assertions are the ones who would actually talk about it. the press club is one of those situations where they give the candidate or the person speaking a bunch of questions. that person has an opportunity to answer them. not necessarily all of them would be about this one particular topic. more likely he'll get two or three questions about it at tops and then move on to something else. we'll see what he says. >> no doubt it will come up, though, joe. let's listen in for just a moment an see if he addresses it early on. >> -- this club for 44 years and who has some special coincidences with men and my campaign. his name is mr. andrew price. while chatting with mr. price as he was serving us at the head table, he was asked, how many presidents have you served? and he said, about eight. which means that i would be number nine. now some things you might call coincidental. i call it a good sign. about three weeks ago or two weeks ago we started hitting the top tier of those running for the republican nomination. and so for a couple of weeks now, i've gotten used to what it feels like to be near the top. and as a result of today's big news story, i really know what it feels like to be number one. renewing america. we indeed need to renew america because america has become a nation of crises. we have an economic crisis, a national security crisis, we've got an energy crisis, a spending crisis, a foreign policy crisis, a moral crisis, and the biggest crisis we have is a severe deficiency of leadership, in my opinion, in the white house. and this is why i believe we need to renew america, by fixing the stuff that's broken. there's a difference between a typical politician and a businessman. >> and that is herman cain addressing the national press club there in washington. joe johns, i know you're still with me. you heard it at the top, almost making light of the big news story of the day, as you kaeld it, these sexual harassment allegations against him from the '90s saying he knows what it feels like now to be number one, meaning number one at the top of the polling, at the top of the gop candidate list, at this point. what do you make of that. >> reporter: well, he's a very confident candidate and we see him again and again an again able to fine himself in a position and get out of the position which is a real skill for somebody who is in the top tier of those running for the nomination of his party. so he may very well be able to do pretty well with this because as i say, he's not going to get necessarily a whole questions about it. you've heard his denial that he did not engage in sexual harassment. the other point you have to make is not only he says did he not engage in sexual harassment, he also says he wasn't aware of any settlement that may have been entered into by the national restaurant association and he hopes that there wasn't a very big settlement, because, in his view, it was all negligible, it didn't happen anyway. so that's his story and i expect to hear him say the very same thing right there at the national press club today. he's a quality candidate and he's been running a pretty good race even though he has very little organization and he's been able to get himself out of tight spots before, randi. we'll see. >> we certainly will. well, let's leave this for just a moment. we're going to continue to monitor it for you. when the q&a session begins, i'm sure herman cain will be asked about these allegations and we'll bring that to you live. the latest, an october surprise snowstorm. more than 2 million people in at least five states still shivering without power. a live report from one of those hard-hit areas next. but first, it doesn't get much better than this. just in case you missed it, check out rutgers player eric lee grand led on to the field. a year ago eric was paralyzed from the neck down in an injury. today he's made what's been called a remarkable recovery and is even able to stand for 40 minutes inn at a time. for inspiring one team one at a time, eric lee grand, you are today's rock star. ♪ [ jack ] what's for breakfast? 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[ male announcer ] we're not employers or employees. not white collar or blue collar or no collars. we are business in america. and every day we awake to the same challenges. but at prudential we're helping companies everywhere find new solutions to manage risk, capital and employee benefits, so american business can get on with business. ♪ (announcer) gold bond ultimate healing lotion. moisturizers, vitamins, and aloe, hydrate deeper, last longer. gold bond ultimate healing. this stuff really works. welcome back. you never hear anybody dreaming after white halloween and now we know why. a freak october snowstorm dumped at least a foot of snow from west virginia to maine. as we speak, more than 2 million homes and businesses don't have power, and may not have it for days. the storm is blamed for at least eight deaths and states of emergency are in effect for knock, new york, new jersey, massachusetts and connecticut. several towns in massachusetts say it is just too dangerous to trick-or-treat, even for monsters. >> we're postponing it. we here in worcester are still a hearty bunch, battle hardened and seasons to snowstorms. we're kicking this one in the pants, as expected. but public safety always is our priority so we're pushing it off until thursday night for our children and our parents to get out there and trick-or-treating. we don't want them to be competing with snow piles, brush that's down, as well as power out animals. streets are dark, porches aren't lit. all that leads to concerns as to their safety and certainly doesn't take a holiday. these few extra days are going to be critical for us. >> cnn meteorologist chad meyers is in southeastern pennsylvania. chad, looking there behind you, i don't see much snow. what's the situation there? >> reporter: no, we were done yesterday really. we were the first ones to get the snow and the first ones yesterday to get the sunshine to melt it. it was never going to be a very long term event. when it warms up to 50 degrees the snow literally goes away. i want to take you over to a couple trees over here. mother nature's way of trimming. pruning. those limbs were just bending on those power lines yesterday. not well pruned, not well trimmed back by the power company. i noticed that a lot around here. many limbs right now are benning over the power lines. didn't break them off in most spots here. but if you get farther up to the north, millions of power lines literally were being bent over by limbs being held down by the snow. this was very heavy snow. don't get me wrong, this was the heaviest snow we've seen. probably only seven inches of snow compared to one inch of water. typically in a summer where a cold snow, probably ten inches of snow to one inch of water. when you pick this snow up you knew that it had a lot of moisture in it. the leave were bending, leave were bringing down the power lines and they came down left an right here even here in north pennsylvania. farther to the north it was even worse. we got eight inches of snow. i'm seeing some spots say 30 inches of snow across the beshg shirs an up into vermont or new hampshire. yesterday it was the storm of the century. remember that one where -- the perfect storm, it ran on up and the andrea gail sunk? there was a movie brought about by it. this, though not a surprise because we certainly forecast it, you woke up and go, wow, i didn't think this was possible. >> my sister's been trapped in her home with four kids playing monopoly for the past four days. i think she'll be happy to see the snow melt. thank you, chad. what if your hospital can't get the life saving medicine that you need? a serious shortage of nearly 200 crucial drugs and what the president just did to deal with the crisis. quaker oatmeal is a super grain. ♪ it gives me warmth. ♪ [ boy ] it gives me energy to help me be my best. quaker oatmeal has whole grains for heart health. and it has fiber that helps fill me up. ♪ [ male announcer ] great days start with quaker oatmeal. energy. fiber. heart health. quaker oatmeal. a super grain breakfast. energy. fiber. heart health. when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. imagine you go to the hospital for an infection, chemotherapy or surgery and the doctors tell you they'll have to switch your drugs, delay your treatment or worse, they just don't have the drug that you need. that is the reality for some patients right now. in an "undercovered" story that we wanted to bring to your attention, the country is in the midst of a crisis, a serious shortage of important drugs that is, quite frankly, troubling and it is why president obama signed an executive order less than an hour ago that is meant to address the drug shortage and the possibility of price gouging. a white house official says the order directs the food and drug administration to take action. according to the fda, there is a shortage of nearly 200 drugs. we are talking about crucial drugs used to treat childhood leukemia and other types of cancer, antibiotics, medication to treat high blood pressure an anesthetics used by patients undergoing surgery. that's just the start. the fda's commissioner, dr. margaret hamburg joins us from inside the white house there. drk to doctor, this is a complicated issue that could take years to resolve. how much will the president's executive order really help? >> well, the president's executive order really enables us to strengthen and extend the activity that we're involved in that we know make a difference. you mensed that the number of drug shortages has increased in recent years and that is true and very troubling. but the good news is that when we get information early about a possible drug shortage, we can work with the industry, with the companies that are making those drugs, and help to prevent a short animal or lessen the time of shortage. this last year alone we've been able to prevent about 99 drug shortages of critical drugs. so this is an important effort to put a spotlight on why this issue matters for patients, for their families, an for health care system and to give us some of what we need to really make a difference. >> the executive order instructs the fda to do a number of key things. what stance ods out to you? >> one of the things he's asking us to do and we actually did this morning, is to send a letter to all drug manufacturers to remind them of their legal responsibilities to report drugs -- shortages or discontinuations of the manufacture of drugs under learn simted circumstances, but importantly to encourage them to now voluntarily report to us when they have reason to believe that a drug shortage might occur. the earlier that we know, the more closely we can work with them. the sooner we can get involved and we can make a difference, we can prevent short animals from happening when we get that early warning. not in every instance, and ultimately the solution to the problem will involve working closely with industry to get new manufacturing capacity up and going in many instances. but that's going to be key. >> anyone who might be watching who is facing a drug shortage or needs a drug to survive, whatever it is they're dealing with, they're probably wondering realistically how long is this going to take? how quickly can this all be implemented? do you have an answer for them? >> it is important for the public to realize even though this drug shortage problem is very, very important, it does involve a very limited number of drugs. i think at present we know of about 84 active shortages. we're working every day and new drugs come back into availability and other drugs may go on shortage. but it is limited. it is mainly what are called sterile injectable drugs. but i think that for patients an their families, this is obviously a issue of huge concern and for the health care community who want to be able to assure their patients that they can give them what they need. and that's why it is so important that today we are really focusing on the importance of this issue and examining all the factors that can make a difference in what can be done to get us toward our goal in making sure that every american has the drugs that they need when they need them. >> well, as we say, we think this is an "undercovered" issue an we'll continue to watch it and maybe have you back an see what kind of progress has been made. thank you. he is the defense team's key witness but can he drive home conrad murray's nbc when he's up against the prosecution? the latest from the michael jackson death trial. but first, on halloween in 1926, a legendary arary act com an end. harry houdini dies. some claim he was poisoned while others claim he was punched in the stomach. one thing is for sure, houdini died of a ruptured appendix. now that's "this shame in history." when an investment lacks discipline, it's never this obvious. introducing investment discipline etfs from russell. visit russelletfs.com r a prospectus, containing the investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses and other information. read and consider it carefully before investing. as we promised at the top of the show, we've been monitoring the comments by herman cain, the gop presidential candidate, facing allegations of sexual harassment. let's listen to him at the press club. >> we're not going to chase anonymous sources. when there's no basis for the accusation. i would draw your attention to the three people mentioned near the end of the article that were at the restaurant association as past chairman, chairman, and incoming chairman of the board, who would have known about this if it had had turned out in fact to be a charge with some validity. but it was not. and so as a result, i have never sexually harassed anyone, and those accusations are totally false. >> so would it be fair to say that you're asking the restaurant association to help you further shoot this down to the extent that they might have further records, if indeed there was or there weren't -- obviously they can look at their records, it might have affected their insurance, they might have had to book such a payment. will you be getting back to us in the coming days to verify or shoot it down entirely? >> mark, no, there's nothing to shoot down. and secondly, the policies of the restaurant association is not to divulge that information. and so unless they have changed their policies. remember, with i was the chairman of the board so as far as we are concern, enough said about the issue. there's nothing else there to dig up. >> do you think that one of your rivals might have helped to put this out there? >> i told you this bull's-eye on my back has gotten bigger. i have no idea. we have no idea the source of this witch hunt. which is really what it is. we have no idea. we've been busy trying to get my message out. >> well, i would say that perhaps if you work aggressively to affirm or deny in the coming days, can you move on to that. obviously we had to deal with this issue today. we appreciate your willingness to answer the questions here at the podium. another issue that is out there that people have been aski