Mark Memmott

A sharp drop in a widely watched gauge of consumer confidence has brought that key economic barometer to a low "last seen during the 2008-2009 recession," Conference Board director of consumer research Lynn Franco says in a report released by the private research group this morning.

The board says its consumer confidence index fell this month to 39.8, from 46.4 in September. Other measures of consumer sentiment, about current conditions and expectations, also declined.

If you need a break from the "real news:"

The Washington Post's Justin Jouvenal is "live-tweeting" from the so-called #no2trial today in Fairfax, Va.

From Alabama and Georgia north to the border with Canada, there are reports from all over the continental U.S. today about a fantastic show last night:

An intense geomagnetic storm that produced some of the best "Northern Lights" in recent memory, reports SpaceWeather.com.

Many folks are posting photos and videos. Here's one that the poster says was taken in Michigan.

Good morning.

Earlier, we posted about:

-- Gadhafi Buried, Location Kept Secret

-- VIDEO: 2-Week Old Girl Rescued From Rubble In Turkey

-- Mundane Mixup Helps Rangers Take 3-2 Lead In World Series

Though the death toll (more than 360) continues to climb and the chances of finding more survivors are dimming, there is this bit of good news about what's happening in eastern Turkey, where a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck on Sunday:

A 2-week-old baby girl, Azra Karaduman, was rescued today from the rubble of an apartment building.

If anyone asks you why the Texas Rangers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-2 last night to take a 3-2 lead in the World Series, tell them it was a missed call.

But it wasn't, as NPR's Mike Pesca said on Morning Edition, a mistake made by an umpire.

The bodies of former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi and his son Muatassim were buried this morning in a secret location, according to officials of the local military council in Misrata, Libya.

The news that President Obama and his team are going to make the case that "we can't wait" any longer for Congress (and in particular, his Republican opponents) to take action on his ideas about how to boost job growth has inspired much discussion on Twitter today.

"#WeCantWait" is, it seems, an almost perfect hashtag no matter which side you're on.

Michele Norris, an All Things Considered co-host since December 2002, is stepping away from that post until after the 2012 presidential campaign because her husband has taken a senior position with President Obama's re-election effort.

She is not leaving NPR's airwaves, however. While she will not be involved in coverage of the 2012 election, Norris will continue to report and produce projects for the organization.

In a message just sent to NPR staff, Norris says:

Saying that "an arbitrary and unlawful financial blockade ... has destroyed 95 percent of our revenue," WikiLeaks has suspended publishing operations and founder Julian Assange says it may have to shut down permanently by year's end.