This Morning's National News - 10/15
By: JR Davis
Updated: October 15, 2012
Pennsylvania, PA
Former Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter died at his Philadelphia home Sunday from complications of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 82-year-old spent 30 years in the senate, the majority of them as a moderate Republican. But he switched parties in 2009, saying he as "increasingly at odds" with the Republican party's philosophy. His senate career then ended when he lost the Democratic primary.
Specter also had a long career as a Philadelphia prosecutor and served on the Warren Commission investigating the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Guantanamo Bay
Hearings are set to begin today at Guantanamo Bay for five men charged with planning or assisting in the September 11th terrorist attacks, and victims' families will be watching from the states.
Relatives who registered in advance can watch the pretrial hearings on closed-circuit television at forts in New Jersey, Massachusetts, Maryland and New York City.
The suspects on trial before a military commission include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-professed mastermind of the attacks.
National
For those of you who requested an extension on filing your taxes, today is the deadline for most of you.
Taxpayers with extensions should file by today, even if they can't pay the full amount due. By doing so, you'll avoid the late-filing penalty, but interest and late-payment penalties will continue to accrue.
Some taxpayers still have more time to file, including members of the military and those serving in Iraq, Afghanistan or other combat zones localities.
New Mexico
A skydiver touches the heavens as he breaks a record over New Mexico.
"Fearless" Felix Baumgartner fell nearly 24 miles to earth from the edge of space Sunday. That's about 128-thousand feet.
On the way down, Baumgartner became the first human to travel faster than the speed of sound without being inside a craft. He reached a top speed of Mach 1.24, just under 834 miles an hour.
Baumgartner opened his parachute at five thousand feet to complete the 10 minute jump.
2012 Presidential Campaign
Tuesday night marks round two of the presidential debates. Many believe Governor Romney, far and away, won the first debate over a struggling President Obama. But the president's advisers say they expect a more aggressive Obama Tuesday night.
