morning. with that -- >> martin savidge picks it up for us right now. >> hello, christine. good morning, ali. good morning to all of you. she spent nearly four years in an italian prissen and now amanda knox will spend a few hours on a plane and then finally go home. this story spans three countries. matthew chance in italy, sandra in seattle, knox's hometown and zain verjee is in london, the victim, meredith kercher was british. amanda knox, as we say, now on a plane headed back to seattle. a place she has not been in four years. cnn's matthew chance is in perugia, italy, where this story begins. tell us about her last few hours in italy. >> she was released, of course, from custody late last night. she was very happy when you saw those pictures of her in the court. she was crying, in fact, she was so happy. almost hysterical as she was let

out of the court. she could barely walk. afterwards she was reunited with her family and drove away to an undisclosed location, we believe it was a villa somewhere close to rome. since then making her way back home to her hometown of seattle where she can pick up the pieces of her shattered life. she was photographed in rome's airport. we don't what plane she got on, but flying back to seattle via london, that has not been confirmed to us. just agency reports saying that. clearly, she's doing everything she can to get back to the states as soon as possible. martin? >> matthew, despite all the excitement over her departure, it is still possible that prosecutors can appeal this and they have said they plan to do so, right? >> well, not just possible, but it's likely that they'll do that. in fact, they said they will do it. the prosecutors are going to go to the supreme court of italy to get the judges there to review the findings of this appeal court.

what that will mean, theoretically, that means if amanda knox is recalled or found guilty by the supreme court, that means extradition proceedings in the united states in theory, in practice what people are saying here, legal experts and others associated with the cases that that's not likely to happen. but it remains, obviously, a possibility. >> matthew chance in perugia, thank you very much. let's head on to seattle, where they're headed, sandra, what kind of homecoming is planned for her? >> well, marty, the much anticipation arrival of amanda knox is expected to be around 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. pacific time to seattle. she is finally coming home after spending four years in an italian prison. you can see the headlines splashed across seattle times, nightmare is over, knox coming home. now, we're expecting once the plane touches down here in seattle for the family lawyer and her parents to make a

statement to the media. now, whether or not amanda herself addresses reporters and the media, that is a decision we understand she'll be making on the plane ride over here. so, it's unclear as of right now if we'll hear from her, herself. we do understand from family members, though, after this, they really want her to stay out of the spotlight. stay away from the media and really spend time with the family to regroup, reconnect and, also, get her state of mind after being in prison for four years. marty? >> sandra, quickly, the mood of people there that have worked so hard to bring this moment about, are they feeling rejoiced or were they just feeling relieved? >> oh, absolutely. this was a hard-fought battle for four years. when you talk about the legal bills alone, upwards of $1 million. there were fund-raisers held for her in the seattle area to raise funds for her defense. so, clearly, this was a long and exhaustive process for many of her friends, family members and

supporters. so, for four years, they were fighting for her freedom and, really, ultimately, her innocence. >> all right, sandra, well, a big day for you and for all of the folks there in seattle. we'll continue to stay in touch. thank you. while amanda knox's family and friends were overjoyed, there is the other side of this. the fammole of the victim, meredith kercher. they are at a loss. until yesterday they thought that justice had been served to her killers. the kerchers support an appeal and they're waiting for the judge's report on why the murder convictions were overturned. >> were released yesterday were not the guilty parties and we're now left wondering who is the other person or people and really, for us, it feels almost like back to square one and the search goes on, really, to find out what truly happened. >> indeed, the family says that is not open to talking with the knoxes, at least right now.

the interest in the amanda knox case spans at least two continents. zain verjee, what is being said? >> let's go to the headlines look and look at "daily mail" in uk. weeping foxy is freed to make a fortune. it says four agonizing years the family of meredith kercher have had to watch as her murder was picked over, detail by horrific detail and the torment will now continue after last night's dramatic court decision still leaves them wondering how exactly their lovely, lovely girl came to be so horrifically killed. "los angeles times" the amranda knox is nothing if not a good story. there was almost no material evidence linking knox or her boyfriend to the murder and no motive. it became clear that it was, in

fact, but knox. her femaleness, her americanness, her beauty that was driving the case. check out "libero in itqually. "the italian justice system is a worldwide embarrassment. between rushed investigations and the circus of verdict announcements, each case becomes an unsolvable mystery. marty? >> thanks, zain, very much. now to politics. will chris christie jump into the 2012 race for the white house? or won't he? sources tell cnn the new jersey governor wants to make a decision this week, maybe within the next 36 hours. jim acosta is on the phone and, jim, what are you hearing? >> well, martin, i talked to a key iowa contributor yesterday who is backing chris christie right now. this is a contributor who's part of a group of donors who tried to go to trenton earlier this year to persuade chris christie

to jump into the race and they had dinner at the governor's mansion and at that time the governor said, look, i'm just not ready to run. that contributor told me over the phone yesterday that he has been advised by his group to wait until wednesday before jumping to another campaign. this contributor told me that he is ready to support another candidate. that he and his fellow donors have been getting some overtures from the rick perry campaign and they would like to start making some decisions here. but they've been advised to wait. that's new information in all of this that there may be some word coming out of the christie camp to give the governor just a little more time. but time is not really on his side, martin. as you know, the primary schedule has been moved up considerably. we're now talking about the south carolina primary on january 21st, the florida primary on january 28th and that leapfrogging of state primaries has probably forced iowa and new

hampshire to move their early voting dates to basically the beginning of the new year. that gives governor christie about 90 days from now to mobilize a campaign and get operatives out in the field in all these primary states and to get a ground game going. against the clock, as you mentioned. we're expecting a decision some time this week, but as i heard from a close adviser to the governor, last week governor chr christie is going to make this decision on his own terms. he is a politician who doesn't necessarily play by all the rules, martin. >> jim accoosta on the train filling us in on chris christie. we'll have to wait and see. while republicans wait on christie, a new poll out that shows changes with candidates in the race. paul steinhauser has that story and very interesting it is, paul. >> very interesting. the old frontrunner may be the new frontrunner, again. abc news and "washington post"

that came out overnight. among republicans and independents that lean towards the gop. mitt romney back on top, the former frontrunner at 25%. but there the former massachusetts governor who is making a second bid for the white house, this is no surge. kind of where he has been all the time. the big drop is rick perry. perry now down at 16%, the texas governor who jumped in and became the frontrunner and herman cain seems to be riding a wave lately. he's at 16%, martin. so, a real kind of shakeup now and it points to the fact that maybe republicans aren't just so crazy about the current crop of candidates. what about chris christie? should chris christie run? 42% saying yes and 34% saying no and about one in four unsure. but the poll also asks the same question about sarah palin. a resounding no. two out of three republicans asked whether pashin should run said the former alaska governor should not run for the gop

nomination. >> what hank williams jr. said about the president. tell us this story. >> well, if you noticed last night on monday night football for the first time in a long time you did not hear his song, "are you ready for some football." hank williams jr. was on fox news channel yesterday and he was talking about that golf summit. if you remember that earlier this summer between president, vice president biden and house speaker boehner and williams said he thought it was a big mistake to do this. to have this summit. take a listen to what else he said. >> come on, come on. that would be like hitler playing golf with netanyahu. okay. >> well, there you go. little fighting words there and very controversial words from hank williams jr. here's what espn did. they put out a statement almost immediately after that. we are extremely disappointed with his comments and we decided to poll the open from tonight's telecast. now, williams came back a few

hours later and put out his own statement and here's what he said, martin. some of us have strong opinions that are often misunderstood. i was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me and how ludicrous that pairing was. they're polar opposites and it made no sense. now, williams did go on to say later in the day that he has always respected the office of president, but, martin, he pointed out in his words every time the media brings up the tea party, it is painted as racist and extremist no outrage to those comparisons. definitely in a controversy this morning, martin. >> he definitely is. paul steinhauser, thanks. for all the latest political news, go to our website, cnnpolitics.com. and coming up, compelling testimony from the e.r. doctor who declared michael jackson dead. and the information she says that dr. murray failed to tell her. plus, we're about to get a look at apple's newest iphone. we'll talk about it today and the big reveal and also go in

depth on its importance in our very mobile society. i want healthy skin for life.

[ female announcer ] improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula improves skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] only from aveeno.

all right. let's hit the road and check stories across country. in california, a hunger strike by state prisoners is growing. it now includes as many as 12,000 inmates. they are protesting what they call harsh prison conditions, thecluding excessive use of solentary confinement. initial air quality tests

show no threat to the public from chemical fire. nearby areas were evacuated, including an elementary school. i like this story, hawaii becomes the first state to make surfing an official high school sport. next school year students will be able to compete in school-sponsored events. . now to the trial of dr. conrad murray. today jurors will hear from the woman on the phone with murray when he realized that michael jackson was not breathing. cnn's randi kaye has more from the e.r. doctor who testified in the case. in the struggle to save michael jackson, dr. conrad murray thought he felt a pulse but doctors testified they didn't feel a thing. still, they pushed ahead with efforts to revive jackson at murray's urging. >> dr. murray did ask me one thing and he repeated the same

request, that we not give up easily. and try to save mr. michael jackson's life. he asked me -- >> is that what you were trying to do? >> yes. >> reporter: emergency responders were ready to declare jackson dead at home, but murray insisted he be transported to the hospital. >> my assessment when he arrived was that he was clinically dead. the recessitation efforts would be futile. >> reporter: dr. nguyen told the jury murray never mentioned propofol, even though according to the police affidavit, he gave him 25 milligrams of propofol at 10:20 a.m. >> he never mentioned propofol to you? >> absolutely not. >> reporter: even if murray told them about propofol, it would not have changed the outcome because jackson had, "died long before." still, prosecutors want today

make clear to the jury how dangerous the drug is and how rarely it is used outside a hospital. >> it is not anywhere in the hospital, it is designated place with designated personnel and equipment available. by equipment, i mean a crash cart should be available. propofol could cause severe lung collapse, respiratory collapse, breathing collapse and it could cause cardio vascular collapse and propofol does not have an antidote. >> you're prepared for any consequences? >> yes. >> it is a must. >> reporter: dr. nguyen painted a picture for a jury of a flustered conrad murray who couldn't remember what time he called for help. >> i asked him from the time that he pound that the patient was down what was the time that ems or the 911 was called. and he couldn't remember that either. he said he did not have any concept of time. he did not have a watch.

>> reporter: the defense tried its best to show if conrad murray had given jackson only 25 milligrams of propofol that it couldn't have killed him. a key to the defense's theory that jackson must have taken tablets and ingested more propofol without conrad murray knowing. >> i couldn't imagine i would give a dose at 25 milligrams to an otherwise healthy 60 kilogram male and give it over three to five minutes because i would not expect that would produce any level of sedation. >> reporter: employees from two cell phone companies also testified about conrad murray's cell phone records. murray got a call at 11:07 a.m. and placed four calls himself after that. the question is, if murray gave jackson propofol at 10:40 a.m., was he monitoring him and making those calls from inside the room or had he stepped out for longer than his lawyers say he did? those call times are key in determining what conrad murray was doing in the hours before

jackson died. randi kaye, cnn, los angeles. >> and stay with cnn for the latest developments in the trial of dr. conrad murray and for experert coverage throughout th day, be sure to tune to our sister network, hln. a plan to create jobs coming from an unlikely source. we go to new york and the stock exchange for details on how starbucks is planning to help our struggling economy. and then kim jong il one of the most notorious dictators on earth, but he might have something in common with you. a teenager in his family is stirring up some trouble on facebook. (screams) 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. and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us. i know what works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris, to the nose. did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation. side effects may include headache, nose bleed, and sore throat. got allergy symptoms out of my way. now life's a picnic. [ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms?

omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com.

let's get your "showbiz headline" update for you. emotional night on "dancing with the stars" with contestants intoi interpreting stories from their lives. there was not a dry eye after. nancy grace waltzed to "moon

river" telling the emotional story of her pregnancy. rumors are swirling that mu danna will play the super bowl half-time show in february. no confirmation from the nfl or from madonna's people. singer bret michaels is barking up a different tree. he will design for petsmart. his pets rock collection will feature beds, bowls, collars and clothes. how about this story, the teenage grandson of kim jong il is on facebook. rising eyebrows with his posts. cnn's zain verjee is following this story from london and i have to chuckle on this as a parent. >> and as someone who has been to the demilitarized zone between north and south korea. you get it. >> i get it very much. >> yeah, you know that there's

so little information about the secretive regime in north korea. any little bit of information that comes out and everybody just jumps on it. so, what's been going on is that kim jong-il's grandson, we believe he is 16 years old is on facebook. now, he apparently goes to this international boarding school and on the school's facebook page he's put out some posts and he's also gone on youtube and made all these comments. so, here's what he's been doing. he has a couple of pictures with him in a blonde hair do and he also has an image of him with an image with him with a woman at a party. he likes to travel, photography and, marty, he likes going to spas, too. here's something pretty interesting, too. he posted a poll where he asked his friends whether they believe in democracy or in communism and, guess what answer he

picked? the alleged grandson of kim jong-il chose democracy over communism. anyway, so, you can't really get this facebook page any more. it's no longer available and the youtube account has been shut down. but it does give us a little bit of a window into the secretive regime and what is going on behind the scenes. they've done things like this before, but there have been mistakes bout pictures and who they are because we don't know a lot of stuff and what people really look like there. >> a delightfully human story from a regime that is just despicable and notorious. a wonderful little piece of teenage telling. >> i don't think grandpa approves. >> no, i bet grandpa would definitely unlike him. so, thanks very much, zain. >> busy with nuclear facilitief. starbucks, they are at it again talking about how to help the ailing economy. the coffee giant says it has a plan to create jobs.

alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. i have to hear this. what's the plan? >> martin, do you drink coffee? >> oh, yeah. >> at starbucks? >> sure, who doesn't. >> then, you're in this pool. what starbucks is essentially asking everybody who at least drinks coffee is to donate money. that's what starbucks is doing. ceo howard shultz says this is all about americans helping americans. we're not going to wait around for washington any more to create jobs at this point. we're going to take matters into our own hands. here's what starbucks has in mind. it will go ahead and take small donations from customers and employees. $5 or more and what these donations will do will go to a group that lends money out to small businesses and nonprofits. what the goal here to get nemto hire. now, starbucks has been stirring it up, not just the coffee, but the economic conversation lately. you remember last month howard shultz asked other ceo to boycott donating to washington until our elected officials

learn how to get along and play nicely in the sand box. we're not seeing that happen just yet. martin? >> well, it couldn't happen at a better time. let me ask you because yesterday stocks took a pounding, most of it due to worries about greece and their debt problems. are we expecting more of the same today? >> oh, you said it. it is more of the same today. we'll start deep in the red today. the dow could open triple digits lower and here's something we're watching for. we'll watch for the s&p 500 because it's on the verge of falling into bear market territory and what that means is a drop from 20% from the recent highs we reached in april. yesterday it closed off 19.6% from that high. fed chief ben bernanke will talk on capitol hill today. not expecting a lot out of him and don't expect him to push any green into the market today. once again, opening bells, about two minutes away. expect triple digits. a loss on the dow. martin. >> all right, alison, we'll

follow it through you, thanks very much. coming up, it's that time, again. apple unveiling its newest iphone. we'll take an in depth look at its role in our ultramobile society. mary? what are you doing here? it's megan. i'm getting new insurance. marjorie, you've had a policy with us for three years. it's been five years. five years. well, progressive gives megan discounts that you guys didn't. paperless, safe driver, and i get great service. meredith, what's shakin', bacon? they'll figure it out. getting you the discounts you deserve. now, that's progressive. call or click today.

checking top stories. amanda knox took a flight from italy to the u.s. today. prosecutors plan to appeal the

ruling. defense secretary leon panetta meets with egypt's new leaders today after visiting israel. panetta is reaching out to arab leaders hoping to keep it from being more isolated in the region. similar events spreading to other u.s. cities. protesters were upset between the titans of wall street and the regular folks of main street struggling to get by. all week we are going in depth on our mobile connected society and arguably, apple has done more to get us here than any other company. today, coincidentally, very big day at apple headquarters where the newest iphones about to be unveiled and simon is there and the anticipation, i imagine, dan, is already in the air. >> hi, martin. there hasn't been this much buzz for the new iphone since, well, the last iphone. here we are.

apple going to be unveiling what has been unofficially called the iphone 5. we'll know the new name for sure when things get under way, 10:00 a.m. local time, 1:00 eastern. some of the things, maybe a bigger screen and perhaps a bit slimmer and a better camera. also some voice command capability, but the bottom line is, we don't quite know and some of the past versions of the iphone details leaked out in advance and this time things a bit quiet, but we'll know here shortly. marten? >> this phone is being looked at as so important that one new cell phone carrier is actually, what, betting the farm practically on it. >> you know, those are the reports. sprint, apparently, getting into the iphone game. you know, they've been trailing badly behind verizon and at&t in part because sprint doesn't have an iphone. well, we are told that, at least

some of authorities saying that fortunes for sprint, but, again, that's something we won't know for sure until the press conference later today. >> what about steve jobs, is he anticipated to be there? >> you know, there's been some speculation about that. my guess is that he probably won't be here, but he has surprised us in the past. of course, he stepped down back in august because of, you know, serious health concerns. so, whether or not he's here, you know, we'll just see. but tim cook the new ceo is expected to give the presentation today. of course, there will be lots of scrutiny for how he performs. >> sure, his first time really doing that. thanks very much. we'll check back with you. in the meantime, as we know, there is a lot of chatter about what this new iphone will mean for the market, but, we also want to know what does it mean for consumers like you and i. mario armstrong joins us now from houston. thanks very much for being with us this morning. and let's talk about -- let's

talk about this phone. so, what do you think will be its most exciting new aspect? >> you know, as the that's a great question. it's kind of loaded because we're looking at a new phone here that we really haven't seen quite yet. what i think is very interesting this time is actually not the outside of the phone, but what's on the inside. i think what people will really be shocked about, not be shocked about, but excited about, the actual software upgrade that we will see in the new operating system. some are calling it operating system number five. this is not only available on the new phone, but also on previous iphones, as well as ipod touches and ipads. and the new software upgrade is going to enable us to do a lot of things that we haven't really done before and will give us some new features through the phone that we haven't experienced yet. >> how will it be different than what i can get on android and

other phones? >> it looks like some of this is going to be, some of it is actually a page stolen from the android. for example, the notifications now on your existing iphone, when they pop up, you have to fumble through to get through to different notifications and look at different apps. on android, it's smoother than that. one thing that we will see through this new software upgrade is a better notification system menu or system screen. you'll see those updates. you'll also see new things like the icloud service, which is the storage and sinking service. right now they have to sync their phones with a computer with a cable, usb cord and that will go away and become more wireless. any updates i make on my phone should be available on my internet or tablet or any device. >> i guess we'll continue to follow and wait for the big development this afternoon. i think a lot of us are very excited to see what it's going to be.

mario, thanks very much. you'll be back, next hour, i should say, about your unplugged family vacation. >> tech detox. >> wrm i'm interested to see if you could pull that off. >> it's a four-step plan. talk to you then. the racist nickname of rick perry's hunting camp is causing a raucous on the campaign trail and rightfully so. the scandal really isn't worth all the hype. why the black community needs to refocus on real problems. we're america's natural gas and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy...

we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us.

it is shaping up to be another potentially gloomy day on wall street.

for that, we want to check in with alison kosik. we'll do that in a moment. first, paul steinhauser, who has breaking political news. >> i know we were just talking with you and me and jim acosta a few minutes ago. an update on chris christie. his office just put out a statement a few minutes ago that he will have a 1:00 news conference today in trenton, new jersey, in the state capital. so, everybody is wondering, is this where he is going to decide and make a decision on whether he will or won't run for the gop nomination. we don't know. all we know is that he's having a 1:00 news conference. cnn is working to make sure we have live coverage of that event, martin. >> he holds press conferences all the time. anything different about how he announced this? >> it was just announced moments ago. so, this wasn't a previously planned news conference. his schedule yesterday that came out for today did not have it. we're working our sources and

trying to find out what he will bring up at this news conference. >> i bet you are working your sources. paul, thanks very much for the update. we'll be back in touch. let's get to alison kosik the new york stock exchange where the opening bell has already rung and we could be headed for another rough day. >> yeah, it's already starting out to be a very rough day. we're seeing the dow down 142 points. you know what, martin, we always watch the dow and the dow has certainly taken its lumps over the past couple days. the dow losing almost 500 points in just two sessions. so, sure, the dow has really been hit hard, but we're really watching the s&p 500. it has officially hit bear market territory. just a few minutes ago and that means that we watched the s&p 500 drop 20% from its recent highs that were reached in april and we really like to watch the s&p 500 because this is what our 401(k)s track. so, if you're checking out your portfolio today, you might want to take a deep breath. the trend seems to be down and that's what we seen happen with all the major averages, but

especially with the s&p 500 in fair territory for the first time in two years. martin? >> alison, we'll continue to follow this story, as well. thank you. rick perry is fighting criticism about the racist namp of a texas hunting camp that he used to lease. it featured the n word. but cnn contributor l.z. granderson argues in a new opinion piece that the uproar over the name painted on that rock is really just a detraction from the issue truly. l.z., you write the black community is in a crisis. being hit hard from a variety of cultural and socio economic angles and we're talking about rocks. is this just a blip on the radar? >> well, you know, we've been here before. you know, it seems that every so many months there's a person who's white in the media or a public figure who gets connected somehow with the n-word.

we get in an uproar about it and it dies down and they may get suspended or may get fired but, ultimately, what remains unchanged. so, in this piece, what i'm trying to do is say, you know, instead of doing the same thing over and over like groundhog's day, let's take this moment to really talk about what's hurting us and not what happened 20 years ago. >> one thing you point to is pop culture as evidence and entertainers are trying to make money. perry, though, is running for president. shouldn't we have a different standard here? >> well, here's the situation, right. so herman cain is also running for president, but he's dismissed by a lot of black people because he's republican as being a sellout, if you will. my question is, if herman cain is a sellout, then what are the people who are in our own communities selling drugs and

poise roning us for money. are they not two sellouts. if we have people promoting violence and the music people are following for money, are they not as well sellouts? i think there is a connection between what political figures are saying and how they're being interpreted and what we're seeing by ourselves and how that's impacting us. >> herman cain, i believe, also, uses the word brain washed for referring to black people. do you agree with that? >> no, no, absolutely not. i have a lot of political differences with herman cain. but i think lost in that conversation about brain wash is some ounce of truth and that is when the democrats feel that the black vote will always be there for them, there's not much of a motivation to do things for the black community. so, i think there is some piece of truth in there, but the word brain wash is completely unfounded and, frankly, is quite unfair. >> all right, thanks very much. we'll talk to you, again. l.z. granderson. check out l.z.'s opinion piece. rick perry's rock, not our

problem. it's posted now at cnn.com/opinion. coming up, why a healthier diet could cut the risk of birth defects for women thinking about getting pregnant. and you don't see this every day. the pacific ocean goes glow in the dark. we'll explain. so if i didn't know better i'd say you're having some sort of big tire sale. yes we are. yeah. how many tires does ford buy every year? over 3 million. you say you can beat any advertised price on tires?

correct. anywhere? yes. like this price? yes. riously? yes what about this one? i'll beat it. this one? s we will. right, i only have one more question for you...this one? (laughing) yeah. get $100 rebate when you buy four tires. 100 bucks! only at your ford dealer. 3 million tires. 11 major brands, fiona's kind-of-nice. i don't know why you're not here.

checking stories across country. police in san diego warning drivers to be on the lookout for a highway shooter. yesterday a gunman opened fire in three separate incidents on the 805 and 5 freeways.

one person was wounded. the superdome in new orleans is about to get a new name. the staid ydium will soon be ca the mercedes-benz superdome. briana is the first girl to play football for her team in michigan. she was called from the locker room to be called homecoming queen. she kicked a 30 yard field goal to win the game. congratulations to her. in palm beach, florida, a group of college students wants the county to ban leaf blowers. >> you can't even have any type of conversation. you can't even hear your music. you can't hear the birds. it's just very annoying. >> the students say that leaf blowers pose health and environmental concerns. bring back the broom.

eating healthy, of course, makes sense on so many levels and now a simple way for moms to be to batting birth defects. women who eat healthy before, healthy foods before and during pregnancy have kids with fewer birth defects. elizabeth cohen has details. >> reporter: martin, researchers asked 10,000 women in the united states to keep track of what they were eating and then they looked at their babies to see if they had birth defects. what they found is that women who ate a healthy diet were much less likely to have babies with birth defects like spine a bifa and cleft pallet. the women less likely to have babies with birth defects were eating lots of fruits and vegetables, lots of healthy grains and foods high in folate, iron and calcium. fortified breakfast cereals, low-fat dairy, foods like that.

they were limiting the amount of sugars. a pregnant woman can eat a perfect diet and still have a child with a birth defect, doesn't guarantee anything, just lowers the chance that their baby is going to have a birth defect. eating a bad diet increases the risk. martin. >> thanks, elizabeth. something strange happened along the california coast. a red tide is creating a blue glow. we'll explain what's behind that color mix and if there is a danger to humans. that story is next. [ sniffs ] i have a cold. [ sniffs ] i took dayquil but my nose is still runny.

[ male announcer ] truth is, dayquil doesn't treat that. really? [ male announcer ] alka-seltzer plus fights your worst cold symptoms, plus it relieves your runny nose. [ deep breath] awesome. [ male announcer ] yes, it is. that's the cold truth! since ameriprise financial was founded back in 1894, they've been committed to putting clients first. helping generations through tough times. good times. never taking a bailout. there when you need them. helping millions of americans over the centuries. the strength of a global financial leader.

the heart of a one-to-one relationship. together for your future. ♪

a red tide off the california coast could be a great danger for fish, but it's a real attraction for people. take a look at that the red tide casting a blue glow.

here to explain it all for us, rob marciano. what is going on? >> i wish i was out there live. southern california is beautiful enough as it is, but when you see some of these pictures at night, a glowing ocean like that, the surf actually glowing blue and here's what it looks like a little bit more grand scale, we have a shot of a sur he have e surfer making its way through. it's an algae bloom that happens. when a boat goes through, it will kick up the luminescence behind it. you can see the surfer cut through the waves. cool stuff. it's a red tide. this is one of the pieces of plankton and it has this reddish brown type of glow to it during the day. so by day it's red brown, doesn't really look that great. people don't want to swim in it. and by night, it glows blue because the waves shake up that

plankton and they bio lum necessary, a chemical reaction. the algae itself is harmful to shellfi shellfish, but you can swim through it. of course algae is always beneficial to the ocean itself, but we can get these from time to time kind of sin-continue gated by man. and it will be around for a kim more weeks. so a good excuse to go out to southern california. stories making news later today. at 11:30 eastern, a group of republican freshmen in the household a news conference calling on the senate to pass a budget. and apple's new iphone will be revealed at 1:00 and this afternoon, president obama will

speak at a college in mesquite, texas. he will urge congress to pass his jobs act. we're following lots of developments in the next hour of cnn newsroom. let's check in first with matthew chance. >> reporter: well, amanda knox's conviction for the murder of her british flat mate meredith kercher has been overturned and she's heading in perugia, the kr family is expressing their disappointment. >> and i'm paul steinhauser. chris christie will hold a news conference at 1:00 p.m. and he'll announce whether he will or won't run for the white house. details at the top of the hour. and he i'm christine romans in new york. in four minutes, p ben bernanked give his latest diagnosis of the economy and how well the stum husband is working to keep the os again flowing. i'll have that for you at the

top of the hour. >> thank you all. also next hour, unplugging from our mobile society. we go in-depth about mario arm strong's about his vacation experiment. it cuts fuel use. koch: it enhances customer service. it's pretty amazing when people who loan you money also show you how to save it. not just money, knowledge. it's so much information, it's like i'm right there in every van in the entire fleet. good day overall. yeah, i'm good. come on in. let's go. wow, this is fantastic. ge capital. they're not just bankers. we're builders. they helped build our business.

the detroit tigers are one game from knocking the new york young k yankees out of the layoffs.

justin ver lander struck out 11 in a gutty 120 pitch performance. a so he lolo homer in the seven. they can take the division series with a win tonight. texas rangers catcher mike nap poly sends a pitch out of the park. rangers at that time lead in their third game in the playoff series. still in the seventh, josh hamilton smacks a two run single. rangers leads the series 2/-1. blount breaks out for a 35 yard touchdown run against the colts. puts the bucs on top for good. the final tampa bay 24, are indianapolis 17. colts without peyton manning.

cnn has been reporting that chris christie is nearing a division on a white house run. now we're learning the republican governor from new jersey is going before reporters, our deputy political director paul steinhauser has the story. >> here's how it played out. probably a half an hour ago, we got word from the new jersey governor's office, they put out a statement that the governor will be holding a news conference the at 1:00 eastern. john king confirmed two gop sources telling him that, yes, at this news conference, governor christie will announce whether he will or won't run for the gop nomination. there have been calls for christie, the outspoken new jersey governor, who has taken a stuff stance against democrats and budget cuts, calls for him to run all year basically for the gop nomination. those calls accentuated.

he's been saying no, i'm not ready to run, but at a speech at the reagan library last week, he didn't say yes or no. hopefully today at 1:00 we'll finally get an answer on whether he will or won't run not nomination. >> we will anxiously be waiting for that. thanks very much. federal reserve chief ben bernanke is on capitol hill thousand testifying about the country's economic outlook and a flood of bleak forecasts means he doesn't have a lot of good news to build on. questions will likely range from the effectiveness of operation twist, a program designed to push down interest on government bonds, to the sluggish economic recovery. t to u.s. bank exposure to what's going on in europe. christine, what's the big message we'll get from bernanke today? >> the big message is that house holds in this country face a challenging environment. he says between the stock market

and the value of your retirement and the value of financial assets to the value of your home to your security and your job, all of these things are working to make people feel un's eaeasu. households still have too much debt and other households who don't have enough access to credit so they can't grow and that's another problem. these are things that we've seen throughout the recession and what is supposed to be a recovery. and they have not improved. he also said the number one issue facing americans is the poor performance of the job market and he predicts more sluggish jobs growth in the period ahead. now, he points out that it's been three years since the very worst moments of the financial crisis. three years where you've seen the banking system improve considerably, but you don't have the growth of the economy returning to pre-recession levels just kryet. and that is a disappointment. he also said the recovery overall has been more

disappointing than they thought and the recession was steeper and more painful than we thought. this is something that i think most american families already know and certainly agree with. but a deeper recession than we thought and a more painful recovery than previously estimated. and he he says slow economic growth is lead to go slow rates in the increase of jobs and how old incomes. we know all that, so what are they trying to do about it? the fed of course has been stimulating the economy in a variety of different ways. most recent is this operation twist. he talks about that a little bit. but also he says the fed can't do it alone and he lays out sort of four goals for fiscal policy. the fed can do monetary policy. it's congress that does fiscal policy. and he talks about making sure the country is spending more in line with its means, but not cutting back too quickly so-to-slow growth. he points out state and local governments are reeling in their spending and that's hurting

growth. he talks about the design of the tax code, getting our federal spending priorities in order. but also having long term growth at the core of any of our tax and spend proposals and debt debates. and also here is something interesting. he said it's evident that we need a process for making our long term budget decisions that is more predictable and less painful so we don't have the kinds of financial disruptions we've seen over the past months as the republicans and democrats are really at odds over how to fix the direction. overseas, amanda knox's life has made a 180 degree turn in the last 24 hours or so. she is now headed home to seattle after italian justice overturned her murder conviction. there she is at the airport in roam. this is a journey of about 5,000 miles and nearly four years in the making.

this story spans three uncans. cnn of course is in all of them with team coverage. matthew chance is in italy where the story began in 2007. sandra endo in seattle, knox's hometown. and zain verjee is in london. the victim was british. sandra, let start with you. how is the anticipation there? >> reporter: well, certainly the anticipation and the excitement is building. is this the day so many people here in seattle have been waiting for. friends, people members, supporters of amanda knox have been fighting for four years for her freedom. and you can take a look at the front page of the seattle "times." nightmare is over. knox coming home. and that plane is expected to touchdown here in seattle sometime around 3:00 to 6:00 pacific time later today. and after the plane arrives, we're expecting to hear from knox's lawyer and her parents. they're expected to address the media. but it's not clear yet whether amanda knox herself will get in front of the cameras and make a

statement. that decision we're told is going to be made by her while she's on the plane over here. so certainly a big day, a big home coming after four years being imprisoned in italy. >> all right, sandra, we'll wait and watch for that. thanks very much. the interest in the amanda knox case of course is one that is not only felt in the united states, but also in europe. zain verjee is in london and what's being said about this case in other nations? >> reporter: so many countries around the world were totally gripped by this case and the verdict and the ruling that was ultimately handed down. let's go straight to the daily mail here. this is its headline. weeping foxy is freed to make a fortune. it says for four agonizing years, the family of meredith kercher have had to watches as her murder was picked over. and the torment will continue after last night's dramatic court decision leaves them still wondering how exactly their

lovely girl came to be so horrifically killed. the "l.a. times" has this headline, beauty's price, the scapegoating of amanda knox. it says amanda knox is nothing if not a good story. there was almost no material evidence linking knox or her boyfriend to the murder and no motive. it became clear that it wasn't facts but knox, her femaleness, her americanness, her beauty that was drive thing the case p. and in italy, this headline. the italian justice system is a worldwide embarrassment. not mincing words there. it says between rushed investigations and the circus of verdict announcements, quiche case becomes an unsolvable myster mystery. the kercher family saying they won't give up until they know what happened to their daughter. >> it's very interesting the difference in sort of the opinions coming from either the state side newspapersoverseas.

while amanda knoxs family and friends are overjoyed, the family of the victim is very much at a loss. until yesterday, they thought that justice had been served to her killers. the kerchers support an appeal and they are waiting for the judges report on why the murder convictions were overturned. >> the two released yesterday were not the guilty party and we're left wondering who is the the other person or people. and really for us it feels very much almost like back to square one and the search goes on really to find out what actually happened. >> the family says that they are not open to talking with the knoxs at least for right now. our in-depth coverage continues next at an unplugged family vacation. could you disconnect from our mobile society for a few weekses? mario arm strong tried. we'll find out how he did.

. the minimum wage is going up in some states. we'll tell you where and how much. [ male announcer ] for sore muscles use new bengay cold therapy, it's pro-cool technology releases armies of snowmen masseuse who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. [ male announcer ] new bengay cold therapy. the same technology used by physical therapists. go to bengay.com for a $3 coupon. the same technology used by physical therapists. mathis team of guinea pigs to ty boanso to save some y, d inea pig: row...row. they genatectry, wch le me rf t. guinea pig: row...row.took one, 8 months to get the guin: ..row.ow...row. they genatectry, wch le me rf t. lile cbby one to yell row! guineaig: ro's kof strange.

guinig: row...row. such a simple word... row. anncr: t an easierayof strange. save. get online. go to geico.com. get a quote. e u 15% or more on car insurance. with new extra-strength bayer advanced aspirin. it has microparticles, enters the bloodstream faster and rushes relief to the site of pain. it's clinically proven to relieve pain twice as fast. new bayer advanced aspirin. should we order panda blossom, panda moon... how about chinese at home with wanchai ferry?

you can make it in just 14 minutes. mmmh, orange chicken. great. i didn't feel like going out anyway. [ male announcer ] wanchai ferry. restaurant quality chinese in your grocer's freezer. checking stories across the country. in california, a hunger strike includes as many as 12,000 inmates. they are protesting what they call harsh prison conditions including excessive use of solitary confinement. in texts as, initial air quality tests show no threat to the public from that big chemical plant fire. the flames september thick black smoke billowing in to the sky. near by areas were evacuated, including an elementary school. and then there's this. hawaii becomes the first state to make sure offing an official high school sport. next school year students will be able to compete in school

sponsored events. don't look for that in kansas. all week long we're going in-depth on our mobile connected society. and arguably apple has done just about more than any other company. today is a very big day at apple's headquarters. dan simon is there and we've only had to wait 15 months since the last. >> reporter: well, i'll tell you something, in 2007 when the first iphone was released, i remember seteve jobs said apple was reinventing the phone and looking back, he was not exaggerating. you had a lot of businesses start or be launched as a result of the iphone and it's obviously propelled apple's stock price. it's their best selling device. so it's obviously been a game changer in the cell phone industry. so today it's unofficially called the iphone 5, we'll see exactly what it's called. but this new i phone is expected to be a bit slimmer, maybe have a bigger screen, a better

camera, an eight mega pixel camera. and in terms of a signature feature, if you look at the mft for the event a invite, it says let's talk i phone. some people suggesting that's going to be voice recognition. so say you wanted to go to a location and it might just pull up the gps, so you won't have to type anything in, you can just say where you want to go. that's the buzz. we'll know for sure when things get under way here in up a kell hours. >> kind of a personal electronic ballet. what about the chance that steve jobs will make an appearance? >> reporter: there's been a lot of speculation about that. he's surprised us before. in this case i think it seems up likely, but we'll see what happens. we know that tim cook is probably going to be unveiling the phone, the device today. and of course there will be a lot of scrutiny in terms of how

he does because it will be his first time on sort of this grand stage so to speak. >> all right. we will look for that. thanks very much. so all week we've been talking about what it means to be connected. right now, though, we want to talk about disconnecting. taking a vacation from smart phones, tablets and all the other gadgets that have worked hair way in on to our daily lives. and that's what mario arm strong did it ffor two week. he joins us now. how did that go? >> it was very enlightening, very freeing. i said you you won't take a 20th century vacation and be more present in the now, be more present in family activities. and get away from those nonfamily distractions. >> were there withdrawals, did you feel a sense of like electronic jitters?

>> absolutely. at first i thought my phone was booeping when i would hear other noises. i thoughts of vibrating. i would look to feel my pockets. it really wasn't healthy. it was a really scary feeling of anxiety. day intwo, i wanted to start tweeting and i didn't take my phone with me, so i was going cold turkey as they say to really try the experiment out. >> were you in someplace where others around you had all of their electronic devices and were you are feeling device envy? >> i wasn't feeling device envy. yes, i was around other devices. there was a moment when we were on the beach and i saw an ereader and almost threw the thing in the ocean. i just cooperate take seeing another screen anymore. i was out there with cross word puzzles and su did tsudoku. but it was an opportunity to reflect on other behavior. and it was really sad to see how much we're missing out on actually being in the present.

it was really just eye opening that families are not having conversations, they're not having solid communication and many people are looking for a device as an escape. >> you're right. thanks very much for the insights. i see people fixated on their palm rather than the-happening around them. >> i had to create a whole new blog for this, vacation unplugged at my site to give people four easy tips to get life back. >> hopefully it will catch on. thanks again. the s&p 500 entered bear market territory today. so tell us, what does that really mean? >> here comes your lesson. so a bear market actually means the market is in an extended downward trend. so what you're seeing is clearly not just a blip happening here. the common definition of a bear market is that it's down 20%

from recent highs and that's actually the case for the s&p 500 right now. that is the index that your 401(k)s track. it's down more than 20% from the high that it reached in april. what i'm watching to see is if we close here because if we close here in this bear market territory, it would be the first official bear market in two years. but i want you to remember this is just the stock market, but it can be a reflection of the direction that the economy is headed. also remember that the market is cyclical, the bear and bull markets are all normal, that this one that we're having right now is really more of a response to the slowing economy and the debt problems in europe. >> we're also here hearing a lft workers will be getting a boost because of minimum wage which is getting set to rise. what states are talking about this and what about the critics saying this won't help the job market? >> yeah, and if you ask me, this is a bit of bright news on such a gloomy day for the markets.

minimum wage going up in eight states next year. we'll pull up the map. these increases, they range from 28 centses to 37 cents per hour. doesn't sound like much, but it really works out to a pay raise of about 580 bucks to $770 a year. if you're a pull tifull-time wo. and this is happening because minimum wage is pegged to inflation, so the raises are automatic when inflation heats up. and you talked about the critics. they say that this would limit hiring. they say because a higher minimum wage means employers will have to shell out more money. but proponents say this higher wage is exactly what the broader economy needs, that most jobs created this year are low paying, below $15 an hour. so the idea is you get these bigger paychecks, that causes are more spending, and you have to remember spending is one of the biggest drivers of economic activity. so in turn employers may hire because of that rise in demand.

so what you see a back doorway to help the economy by boosting incomes so that in turn boosts spending and helps the overall economy. >> we can only hope. thank you very much. well, his song has been a staple of monday night football for 23 year. but last night, espn yanked hank. hang williams jr., that is. because of a remark me about president obama. we'll give you the details next in showbiz. (screams) 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. so if i didn't know better i'd say you're having some sort of big tire sale. yes we are.

yeah. how many tires does ford buy every year? over 3 million. you say you can beat any advertised price on tires? correct. anywhere? yes. like this price? yes. riously? yes what about this one? i'll beat it. this one? s we will. right, i only have one more question for you...this one? (laughing) yeah. get $100 rebate when you buy four tires. 100 bucks! only at your ford dealer. 3 million tires. 11 major brands, fiona's kind-of-nice. i don't know why you're not here.

if you you tuneded in to monday night football, you may have noticed something was missing.

espn yanked hank williams jr. famous song. a.j., is this a one time deal or is hank history? >> we're not sure yet. we're actually waiting for espn's word on that. the famous are you ready for some football opening was noticeably absent from last night's broadcast. now, that song as you you probably know has been a part of the broadcast for a long time, over 20 years now. the trouble began earlier in the day on monday for williams junior when he appeared on fox news and he made an animalogy comparing president obama to hitler p. espn said it was disappointed and announced it was yanking hig song. williams released a statement saying he's misunderstood and he's always respected the office of the president. espn has not said whether the song will be back next week. so we'll have to wait and see. >> before i let you go, you were

at "dancing with the stars." so tell us about that. >> yeah, i was right there in the audience. which was a fascinating way to see the show as opposed to watching it from the couch at home.you there were tears in the ball room. it was the third round of performances and it challenged celebrities to dance to a song of their choosing which reflected the most mem orable year in his life. he picked last year as he was dealing with alcohol addiction. he dedicated his dance to their daughter and you got to hear what david told me back stage about the roller coaster ride this past year has been. watch this. >> i've dealt with a lot of stuff in that past period of time and not even just sort of alcohol related or anything. just feelings and emotion. this part of it, too. this is a crazy, crazy ride. >> and of course nancy grace was

right there on the floor last might. she picked moon river, the song she walked down the aisle to for her dance. she also said it was the song she used to sing to her twins and nancy opened up to me and the judges about the heart breaking and emotional time in her life just after lucy and john david were born. watch what she told me. >> you know that for so long after i delivered, i was in a wheelchair and the viewers never knew. and it was a very, very long recuperation. and for so long it was really day to day as to whether lucy would make it. >> and perhaps the most emotional story of the night belonged to j.r. martinez, the iraq war vet severely injured during the war. he dedicated his runba to america's men and women in uniform and impressed the judges with a soulful take of tim mcgraw's if you're reading this.

and graeat technique and execution. but for me, the highlight was being back stage getting to shake martinez' happened and ju hand and say thank you. we'll see how they fair tonight. >> i envy you there. thank you very much. want information on everything breaking in the entertainment world, a.j.s that this evening on "showbiz tonight." president obama says he's no shoo-in for re-election. is this a campaign strategy or political buzz panel? we'll weigh in on it next. we're america's natural gas

and here's what we did today: supported nearly 3 million steady jobs across our country... ... scientists, technicians, engineers, machinists... ... adding nearly 400 billion dollars to our economy... we're at work providing power to almost a quarter of our homes and businesses... ... and giving us cleaner rides to work and school... and tomorrow, we could do even more. cleaner, domestic, abundant and creating jobs now. we're america's natural gas. the smarter power, today. learn more at anga.us.

checking top stories. she's leaving on a jet plane. amanda knox took a flight from italy headed to the u.s. that after a jury overturned her murder conviction of her roommate. prosecutors plan to appeal. chris christie has scheduled a news conference for 1:00 p.m. eastern today. two gop sources are telling cnn he'll announce mr. he plans to run for president. and the occupied wall street movement continues in new york with events spreading to other u.s. cities, protesters krup set over the disparity between the titans of wall street and the folks on main street into are simply struggling to get by. this is your rapid fire look at the best political topics of the day. three questions, 30 seconds on the clock. playing today, robert zimmerman, pete dominic and will cain. first question. a pair of sources are telling

john king that chris christie could announce whether or not he's running for the white house at 1:00. if christie jumps into the race, who besides his family suffers? >> i think he pulls from all three's romney, perry and cain. he's not rigid like romney, but he does it without appearing flip-flop pi or slippery. so i think he pulls from romney. stylistically, he looks like a leader. he looks authentic and i think his weight contributes to that pulling from perry. and last he's charming. he can defend his position. he's articulate like herman cain. i think he pulls from all three. >> will, do you agree? >> i agree with myself, yes. >> sorry, robert. >> thank you, martin. ultimately the person who gets hurt the most is chris christie

because as conservative as he is, he'll find out in this republican party of today, he's much too liberal.f the fact that he believes is a science is a valuable piece of knowledge, the fact that he believes climate change is created buyer human beings or supports the assault weapons ban disqualifies him from today's republican party. if the republicans are looking for moderate leadership, they better go to the smithsonian. >> pete, same question. >> well, i don't think chris christie will run. i don't think -- we'll find out today, but i'll guarantee you if chris christie announces that he'll run, tomorrow i will shave will cain's head right here on political buzz. i don't think he's running. who does it hurt the most? probably chris christie. you could argue new jersey. the governor now won't be the governor effectively if he's running for president. and like will said, he'll take from allhe other candidates. but i'm telling you, he's not

running and tomorrow we'll be talking about sarah palin. >> president obama says he sees himself something of a long shot in the 2012 race for the white house. listen to what he told abc. >> are you the underdog you now? >> absolutely. because given the economy, there's no doubt that whatever happens on your watch, you've got -- sglu embraced that pretty quickly. >> i don't mind. i'm used to be an underdog. >> he also says america is not better off than it was four years ago. self deprecation as a campaign strategy. will it work? >> first the president's senior political adviser david axelrod said this re-election was going to be a titanic struggle. now president obama starts describing himself as the underdog. it's starting to sound like a lifetime movie of the week. the reality is a strategy for a challenger is very different than the strategy for an incumbent president. this president is certainly

capable of articulating great vision, has shown great leadership. that's the message that will energize the democratic base. and that's the message that ultimately is going to help propel him politically. >> life time movie of week. will? >> i'm with robert so this. i understand why he's doing it, but i don't think it will work. in '088, obama's election campaign because energized by a base of young people and minority and i'm not sure they'll be enthused to come back out in 2012 without the same magic. on the trip side, the presidency carries a lot of weight. barack obama is essentially up here while his opponents are down here bickering among themselves and he diminishes himself by calling himself the underdog. i think he gives up something important by saying this. >> and pete to you. is low the way to go? >> i think in this case, yes, because he's trying to head off that famous line -- he'll be

going up against mitt romney. he'll be asked are you better off than you were four years ago. the president is already saving you're not. and as will just said, all those voters and minorities and young people that came out the first time around, he needs to scare and excitement at the same time and this is the way to get them to say this is not a lock, so you better come out. but he's also being honest things aren't into. >> he is being honest. all right. 20 seconds each before third question. espn drops hank williams jr. after he said obama was like hitler. does this essentially end his political future or get it kick start 1234d. >> i want to say what political future, but then i remember arnold schwarzenegger and al franken. i like his music, but it doesn't qualify them to give their opinions on anything of any

import. in all deference to pete who has earned respect, these are court jess can chur who got too close to the throne. pete has insight. >> robert. >> look, this is not a partisan issue. not only did hank williams show disrespect to the president, but also great disrespect to our country and our kons dugs. he's using the nazi atrocitieses demonstrates why he's not only not qualified for public office, he's not worth the dirt on my shoes. >> true ignorance of history no doubt. pete. >> to be fair, robert's shoes are very clean. hitler versus netanyahu, first of all, that's an entertaining hypothetical. i think the first swing netanyahu would bludgeon hitler to death. but i'd rather watch that hypothetical than ever listen to a hank williams song. sorry, not a fan. i've seen this guy perform before. it's never ever encouraged me to

seek out any of the rest of hank williams' entire body of work. all i know is he's the football guy. and now an idiot. >> you're not a fear of there's a tear in my beer. >> that's his dad now, guys. >> it was a duet. they sang it together. it's a beautiful duet. >> sorry, martin. >> isn't that the cars? >> we got to go. thanks very much. thanks for playing along. something more serious now. overseas. amanda knox's life has made a 180 degree turn. now she's headed home to seattle after a justice overturns her murder conviction. this is her at the airport in rome. she's expected to land in seattle later today. while family and friends are overjoyed, the family of the victim are at a loss. until yesterday, lyle and stephanie kercher thought justice had been served to hathr sister's killers.

>> we're left looking at this again and thinking how a decision that was so certain two years ago has been so emphatically overturned now. >> waiting another year now to get the truth. >> matthew chance is in perugia. and the family feels that they're back to square one in this case, don't they. >> reporter: they do. they've been very disappointed about the decision by the court here in perugia to overturn the murder convictions. because they said they thought the police investigation initially was very thorough. they were anxious of course to find the cull pretties behind the killing of meredith kercher the sister of lyle and stephanie. and the fact that these people have now been let out, the fact that hair murder convictions have been overturned, has opened all sorts of questions for them. like if there were other people involved in the killing of meredith back in 2007, who are

they. are there still killers out there responsible for this terrible, terrible murder. these are the concerns that the kercher family have. >> and they have said that they're not open to talking with the knoxs is that right? >> reporter: well, there was some speculation that the knoxs and kerchers may reach out to one another and try and sort of reconcile their differences. but the kerchers were saying it's not time for that yet. there will still be a supreme court appeal here in italy to find out whether this appeal here in perugia is satisfactory when it comes to italian law. only after that was it suggested by lyle kercher that might they sort of consider kind of reaching out to the knoxs perhaps or receiving the call from the the knoxs to discuss what they've both been through, these families both devastated by what happened this 2007 when meredith kercher was killed.

>> matthew chance from italy, hang you. american airlines could be headed towards bankruptcy and then fears about the company's money situation are being felt all the way to wall street. plus they're loud and annoying to some, but should leaf blowers be banned? they will be if some college students get their way. coffee doesn't have vitamins... unless you want it to.

new splenda® essentials™ no calorie sweetener with b vitamins, the first and only one to help support a healthy metabolism. three smart new ways to sweeten. same great taste. new splenda® essentials™.

aspercreme breaks the grip, with maximum-strength medicine and no embarrassing odor. break the grip of pain with aspercreme.

if you haven't heard about it, you will. the occupy wall street movement is in its third week and still going strong. other cities are all joining the rally cry. but the agenda is still fuzzy. protesters say they're upset over wall street excess. erin burnett asked one basic question about the wall street bailout. >> so do you know that taxpayers actually made money on the wall street bailout? >> i was unaware of that. >> not on gm, but they did on

the wall street part of the bailout. does that make you feel any differently? >> i would have to do more research about it. >> if i were right, it might. >> oh, sure. >> and the bailout has made about $10 billion for the american taxpayer. that's so far. russell simmons is just one of the celebrities who has stopped by in support of the demonstration. and he is joining us now live on the phone from miami. we just heard from one man who doesn't represent the movement as a whole, but in your experience, do demonstrators really grasp what it is they are fighting about? >> these are some of the most sophisticated -- and i'm an activist, i've been to many marches. they know exactly what they're upset about. they're upset that koorpgs and special interests run this country. you asked about the bailout. it is just the wrong thing to do.

so the idea that these guys have so much influence over the lives of the people and the people have less influence than they should have, that's what the underlying reason that they're at wall street. people say they don't they what they want. they want power back to the people. very simple. they may have a lot of demands as individuals, but all of them agree that special interests and businesses run this country, have too much control and you have to bring back a balance that allows the people to be represented properly by the politicians that they elect to office. >> do they offer a way to make this change come about? >> anybody, john mccain, anybody can write legislation to limit this money in washington. the money controls this country. the roeason i have a tax break,

the rope eason my corporation h tax break. i'm just saying i think it seems the media is a little bit disingenuous when they say they don't understand why these people are upset. many people in the media are. some are just not smart. it seems pretty simple. what they want is the power to the people. and not to the corporations. the corporations have too much power and special interests have too much power and the 1% have too much power. what they would like is for the people to be represented, decent health care, they have decent -- they would have decent education. they would have a government that represented them and not special interests. and the rich would the not be getting so much richer while the poor are suffering. >> are you planning to join or have you already jolralready jo? >> i've there eight times. i live down the block from there. i'm there all the time. i send water and resources.

i'll continue to get more activists and sometimes celebrities to support their effort. i think they have a valid case and i think some politicians will realize they need to get out in front of it and represent the people. >> we thank you very much for joining us via the telephone. >> i'm not angry. i'm just making a point it's simple. they want the money out of washington. s >> thank you. we'll continue following the story. a hospital in alexandria is telling workers don't come to work smelling of smoke. staffers will no longer be able to take cigarette breaks and they cannot come in smelling of smoke. that new policy will begin next

jewel, hopefully giving enough time to adjust or hopefully quit. nasa has released new pictures of the sun and it's not bob. in other words, take big orange ball we've come to know. this a whole different look. [ male announcer ] go beyond the brush with listerine® total care. its multi-action formula works to restore enamel, help prevent cavities, and kill bad breath germs for a whole mouth clean. whooo... [ male announcer ] listerine® total care. the most complete mouthwash. [ 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. ♪ i know what works differently than many other allergy medications. omnaris. omnaris, to the nose.

did you know nasal symptoms like congestion can be caused by allergic inflammation? omnaris relieves your symptoms by fighting inflammation. side effects may include headache, nose bleed, and sore throat. got allergy symptoms out of my way. now life's a picnic. [ man ] omnaris. ask your doctor. battling nasal allergy symptoms? omnaris combats the cause. get omnaris for only $11 at omnaris.com. breaking news from our political desk in washington. paul. here's what we're learning.

john king just spoke to a source in new jersey who confirmed to us that chris christie will announce he will not be running for the gop presidential nomination this afternoon. remember, the new jersey governor has been under a lot of pressure to jump into the race, he announced a 1:00 news conference. we're learning he will announce he is pot going to run for the presidential nomination. >> all right, paul, thanks very much. now let's bring in will king. were you surprise std? >> i think my reaction is a disappointment. i think an opportunity has been missed. i think what we'll see is first the establishment and then the electorate gravitate towards mitt romney. in fact david brooks wrote about it in the "new york times." there's been a reluctance to move over to support romney, there's a perceived lack of trust in his positions. certainly no love for the fact highway created the model for obama care.

but he does seem to be the most competent candidate and the opportunity that's missed now is that in a year when populism played such a strong roll in the republican party, there was a chance a guy like christie or jeb bush or paul ryan could harness that nrpg and bring real ideological positions to make changes in washington. i think they've missed their opportunity, i think mitt romney will be the nominee. so what do they do in 2016? you have a republican incumbent president possibly in 2016. >> and do you think he could be vice presidential material? >> i think about the job of vice president. i'm like is that a good job to aspire to? i mean, chris christie, yeah, he might be vice presidential material. truthfully i think that marco rubio's maim has bename has bee

ticket for quite some time. chris christie carry as lot of positives. but i don't know if he'd want a job either. is that a desirable i don't job to have? he's a strong leader of new jersey and if barack obama wins, he'll be positioned to run in 2016. >> you say you're disappointed. what about the base of the republican party, do you think they're truly disappointed? >> the base, i think when we say the base republican party, we talk a lot about the tea party. i think the tea party's relationship to chris christie was just forming. so there will be shaome disappointment, but chris christie's positions didn't fit a rigid position that fit all the tea party's positions. he was -- there will be some who liked his style and his commitment to fiscal conservative and they'll be disappointed, but i think many of the tea party base will look to rick perry and herman cain.

>> why do you think he chose to say no? is it simply is there's just no time or is there something else going on? >> i don't know. the best i can do is offer you the answer that he's given us over and over, that he has said mf-the one thing we can say, chris christie from the beginning has said i'm not going to run for president. we know did he flirt with it after that, but he's said that over and over and reason is that he doesn't feel it inside himself. he doesn't feel like he is ready. he's only been governor for two years. and i think one of the lessons of barack obama's presidencies regardless of your political persuasion is there's some hesitancy to elect somebody with a lack of experience. that doesn't reflect well for christy, it doesn't reflect well for herman cain. we want to look for people at this point to have some competency. and i think chris christie realized some of that in himself. maybe he needs more experience, maybe he wants to spend time with his family. but from the ibeginning i said don't feel it inside.

>> and he's politically a drunk man, so sti young man, so still time to do that. hangs very much for your insights. he didn't run for president on his foreign policy credentials or tough on terror. but now president obama has rid the world of some of the biggest terrorists. so why aren't we hearing more about that? in the next hour, we will talk about why obama doesn't seem to be getting a lot of attention for his national security successes. [ tires squeal ] an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money to buy a car that's one model-year newer with 15,000 fewer miles on it.

there's no other auto insurance product like it. better car replacement, available only from liberty mutual. it's a better policy that gets you a better car. call... or visit one of our local offices today, and we'll provide the coverage you need at the right price. liberty mutual auto insurance -- responsibility. what's your policy? the world needs more energy. where's it going to come from? ♪ that's why right here, in australia, chevron is building one of the biggest natural gas projects in the world. enough power for a city the size of singapore for 50 years. what's it going to do to the planet? natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪

at 11:30 eastern, a group of republican freshmen calling on

the senate to pass budget. and this afternoon president obama speaks at a community college in mesquite, texas. he will urge congress to pass his jobs act. cnn newsroom continues with joe johns right after this break. u e new fiber one 80 calories... ...with its sweet honey taste, 40% daily value of fiber... ...and 80 calories per serving... ...you may want to tell a few friends. ♪ or all of them. ♪ i'll go get my bowl. [ female announcer ] new fiber one 80 calories. yes, you can actually love breakfast. ♪

is best absorbed in small continuous amounts. only one calcium supplement does that in one daily dose. citracal slow release... continuously releases calcium plus d for the efficient absorption my body needs. citracal.