breakthrough in libya. a sudden turn of events for rebels. six months into the country's exhausting civil war. case dismissed. news that the sexual assault charges against former imf chief may be dropped. and kansas city crash. spectators watch in horror as an air show comes to a tragic and fiery end. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc.

we begin this morning with a fight for freedom. amp months of stops and starts, jubilant rebel fighters made a surprisingly swift advance into tripoli sunday that appeared to be beginning of the end for moammar gadhafi's rule after two of his sons were taken into custody. this morning, heavy clashes, gunfire and explosions have been reported near gadhafi's compound as government forces launched a counterattack. meanwhile, president obama is on vacation with his family on martha's vineyard where he's been kept up to date on the situation in libya as it unfolds. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with the very layest on all of this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. the fate of the gadhafi regime has been all but inevitable.

the question is what comes next? outside the white house and in parcel bration, generations of libyans express joy as moammar gadhafi's regime crumbled half a world away. >> it's a good feeling. the taste of freedom. >> gadhafi is the worst man on this earth. >> he lies. he kills our people and now it's time for him to step down. >> reporter: on vacation in martha's vineyard, president obama was getting regular updates throughout the weekend. >> wait until we have more information. i'll make a statement. >> reporter: in that statement the president said the momentum against the gadhafi regime has reached a tipping point. tripoli is slipping from the grasp of a tyrant. the six-month civil war tookal startling return with rebel troops pushing into the capital of tripoli. this morning they were reported at the doorstep of gadhafi's compound. a government spokesman begged for a break to negotiate a peace.

>> each side actually is terrified of the other side. so let's suspend all military operations, all violence right now. >> reporter: for libya, a turning point. but the fighting isn't over. and president obama is calling on the libyan people to turn a season's conflict into a season of peace. lynn? >> the big question today, where exactly is moammar gadhafi? brian mooar for us in washington. brian, thank you. well, last night as news broke of the rebels advance into tripoli, msnbc's chris jansing asked nbc news military analyst colonel jack jacobs if he's concerned about the stockpiles of gadhafis munitions that have been raided, including anti-aircraft missiles. >> i think it's going to be almost impossible to keep absolutely everything that was in the arsenals of gadhafi under control.

you get a country like pakistan, for example which has a hard time accounting for all of its materiel, a place like libya is not going to be under control of conventional but deadly arms like sa-7 shoulder-fired surface-to-air anti-aircraft missiles. i think it's going to be very difficult to control all that stuff. if you perceive that there is a number of arsenals out in and they get raided by the rebels, the law of large levels says most can be controlled by the rebels but some will get through controled by other people and some of those people are going to be bad guys. i'm very worried about that equipment. >> add gadhafi's regime crumbles, syria's president, assad, said his country will not meet the same fate, bespite a month's long uprising there. assad continued to resist mounting international pressure to step down and warned against any military intervention in that country. in a television interview

yesterday, assad repeated an earlier promise of reforms, saying he expects a parliamentary election would be held next february. assad said he was "not worried about a security threat in his country." this as an estimated 2,000 protesters have been killed in the month's long crackdown by assad's regime. just got word irene has been upgraded to a hurricane as it pounds puerto rico. power has been knocked out across parts of puerto rico after blowing through the u.s. virgin islands earlier. it is going to hit the dominican republic, then head to the bahamas followed by the southeastern u.s. meteorologist bill karins has been tracking this storm and will have an update coming up in a few minutes. but first, here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america today -- a shocking end to one pilot's flight at a missouri air show. the pilot spiraled downward

after attempting a maneuver, unable to pull up, he crashed the aircraft, which burst into flames upon impact. the pilot was killed in the accident. spectators at an air show in michigan also watched as a performer stunt went horribly wrong. home video captured images just before a windwalker fell 200 feet to his death as he attempted to climb from a plane to a helicopter. the performer was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival. and shifteding gears in california, it was a show of might for a good cause. 31 teams competed in a plane pull competition to benefit the special olympics. with the plane weighing in at approximately 200,000 pounds, the competing crews had their work cut out for them. each team attempted to pull the jet 12 feet in the shortest amount of time. and now for a look at your national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. . he has your weather channel

forecast. there you have it, bill. >> yeah. irene looks like the real deal. three years since hurricane ike made landfall. the last u.s. hurricane and one that did a lot of damage. irene looks serious. could be a very big weather story and possibly devastating story for somewhere along the southeastern united states. let me explain everything. first off, puerto rico still getting hit hard. power is out to most of the island. where the center of the storm is, along the north shore of puerto rico. the hope it would head into the mountains. the mountains would significantly weaken the storm. right now the storm is headed more north than expected, on the north fringe of puerto rico. will skirt the north coast of the dominican republic but not disrupt it enough to spare us in the united states. you see where florida is located, bahamas through the southeastern united states. this is where the storm is currently located. the brand new forecast from the hurricane center. things are now worse than we looking at before, because it's not going to have that land

interaction, now it looks like it's going to be a stronger storm. keeping it a hurricane along the coastline the next 48 hour. the dominican republic north of haiti and dealing with a hurricane. then the storm strengthens over the warm waters once it pull it's away the mountainous terrain of cuba. as it approaches florida, a strengthening storm. looks like possibly category 2, maybe even a category 3 hurricane. all of a sudden, getting into the serious categories. talking a lot of wind damage, wave damage, beach erosion, flooding and rains. as we go through thursday night, looks that's had the storm willish about 100 miles per hour along the florida coast. as of now, still all of south florida in the cone of uncertainty. 2 could go more to the east and spare florida. regard lds, as this approaches from the south, hitting from north carolina down to florida. looking less and less likely this will do the big curve and the miss. the forecast keeps it parallel

to the coast of florida here all the way from friday through saturday. we're talking about a storm that would literally rake all of the east coast of florida and then move onshore somewhere in south carolina or georgia. possibly a strong category 2 or category 3 hurricane. our computer model, squiggling lines, staring at these the next few days. a dp deal. unanimous discussion the southeast united states will be threatened by a very strong hurricane going throughout the middle to the end of this week. now's the time to prep. more details coming up. >> going to be busy. bill, thank you. also coming up, investors on edge. verizon workers head back to work, and roomers of a new iphone. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. also, an inside the park home run and plaxico burress soars in his jets' debut. you're waging "first look" on nbc. [ male announcer ] this...is the network --

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welcome back to fl tl "first look." i'm lynn berry. continuing to exchange fire despite a cease-fire agreement that went into effect sunday. a deadly attack on israelis near the country's border with egypt. wnbc for new york is reporting prosecutors will likely dismiss all charges in the dominick straus kahn sexual assault case tomorrow. the accuser, a woman whose credibility has been questioned, is due to meet with prosecutors today with why the case is being dropped. baby boomers are pushing the financially strapped social security system towards the brink of insolvency. new congressional estimates say the fund that support social xurmtly r security will run out of money by 2017. and scientisting claim they

found the oldest notice fossil on earth. geologists discovered fossilized single-cell organisms they say are about 3.4 billion years old, found in a rock formation in australia. it is something that took years to build and millions to fund. later this morning the martin luther king jr. memorial in the nation's capital opens for the very first time. we look at the newest monument. >> i have a dream. >> reporter: in 1963, dr. martin luther king delivered his powerful "i have a dream" speech on washington, d.c.'s national mall. 48 years later the memorial to the civil rights pioneer will be open to the public. >> for the first time we will have a man of color, a man of peace to grace the mall. >> reporter: it will honor and celebrate the life and legacy of dr. king. one of the leading force s and

catalyst for the civil rights movement across the country. >> overwhelming memories. all that we've gone through and still have to go through. >> he's not for african-american history. he's for american history. >> reporter: the martin luther king jr. national memorial spreads across four acres, sprayed with cherry blossom trees. etched along a granite 450-foot wall. a lasting testament to justice, democracy, hope and love. >> his message brought this country back together when we were about to be divided. and that's why this is important to this country. >> reporter: a message and a life that changed the course of history for the nation now on display for others to see and celebrate. nbc news. and now here's a look how wall street kicks off the day. the dow opened at 10,817 after

looting on friday. the s&p fell 17 points the nasdaq dipped 38. overseas trading. in tokyo the nikkei went down 91. the hang seng added 86. shaky u.s. data could make for more market volatility this week as investors await word from the fed. the federal reserve chairman ben bernanke will be in why onyomin omming for the annual jackson hole symposium listening to has he has to say about the struggling economy and what, if anything, the fed plans to do about it. markets will also keep an eye on europe where finance ministers of france and germany meet tomorrow to hammer out a plan to address europe's sovereign debt crisis. elsewhere, crude prices are expected to fall amid developments in libya. back at home, traders tuned into friday's revised reading on this spring's gross domestic product.

the economy is expected to show growth as an anemic 1.3%. updates on the housing market this week will include sales of new homes in july and prices on those homes. the latest on consumer sentiment for august is also ahead along with earnings from retail heavy hitters williams-sonoma, american eagle and upscale jeweler tiffany's. rumors verizon ended their 15-day strike and will be headed back to work this evening as contract negotiations continue. in deal news, skype is buying group messaging start-up groupme, while dollar thrifty set an october deadline for final offers from rival sumter es. and according to an online report, a lot of buzz. an at&t exec. warned employees they'll be really, really busy. spurring speck wlags the new iphone 5 will be out in early

october. coming up, an unconventional win for the washington nationals and a home run robbing catch in anaheim. plus, fresh from prison, plaxico burress shows he hasn't miss add beat. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. plus a full serving of fruit. but it just tastes like fruit. [ male announcer ] get five dollars in money-saving coupons at v8juice.com. my vet thinks my insides are in mint condition. [ female announcer ] vets agree, a healthy checkup starts inside. our breakthrough iams premium protection formula is developed with vets with cutting edge ingredients for the lifelong health of your pet. [ dog ] healthy inside and out. come on, up high! [ female announcer ] iams premium protection. our most advanced iams nutrition. ever. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. ♪ woof.

over a million people have discovered how easy it is to use legalzoom for important legal documents. so start your business, protect your family, launch your dreams. at legalzoom.com we put the law on your side. and this time in your attic has been the best week of my raccoon life. i'm digging, i'm nesting in this fluffy stuff. i've already had like four babies. i'm the smartest raccoon i know. and if you got your home insurance where you got your fifteen-minute car insurance, you could be paying for this yourself. [ laughs ] so get allstate, you could save money and be better protected from mayhem like me. [ dennis ] dollar for dollar nobody protects you from mayhem like allstate agents. welcomes back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. of course a dramatic end to the indian/tigers series. the game coming down to a crucial play at home plate. here's nbc's mario solis.

>> hi there. good morning. the tigers have an astonishing 37-game save streak and chalk up the latest to center fielder jackson. to the home town, a bit of trouble. 2-1, to right of center. the runner goes through and the final out. a streak, dramatic 8-7 win over the indians. phillies, making a huge mistake. johnny gomez, bases loaded. the game-winning run and the nats win 5-4. the yankees, having an mvp-type season. leads new york in home runs but having to kick it into high gear against the twin, he's off to the races. gets the green light to come home. an inside the park home run. 36th of the year. yankees win. football and plaxico

burress, a terpdown in his first game in nearly three year. the jets flying high. he beat the bengals 27-7. it may only be preseason, that didn't stop them from having his helmet ripped off and runs into the end zone. old school football for you. unfortunate ely, new school rules. the play was over once he lost his lid. too bad for the cowboys. they could have used that touchdown. chargers wince 20-7. and torii hunter yeechbltly took the orioles out for dinner and tip on playing outfield. yesterday that advice came back to haunt him. to anaheim, jones traps it and makes a leaping catch at the wall and robs him of a home run. all hunter can do was smile. i have a feeling that was the last time he picks up the tab for dinner. your first look at sports. i'm mario solis. another quick look at the weather, nbc's meteorologist bill karins with the morning weather forecast.

good morning. >> hope you had a nice weekend along with everyone else. if you're just joining us, hurricane irene the big story of week. could be the big weather story of the year around our country. right now the forecast calls for it to be somewhere near florida as a strong category 2 hurricane, could even be a major hurricane, category 3 by there. over or near florida on friday. then this storm unlike a lot of others, this storm isn't just going to be an issue where it lands. up the eastern seaboard. probably not one location that won't see effects of the storm from florida to maine into the upcoming weekend. the time to prepare for the storm, talking about getting in all your plans in place in case there are evacuations. areas of the east coast of florida, georgia, south carolina, north carolina. the hurricane is near or over florida on thursday, and then it looks like a major rain storm will head straight up the

mid-atlantic through new england from thursday all the way through monday. that's of next weekend. as far as the weather is kerped today, not a lot of problems out there. all eyes on everything. >> thanks, bill. what film has it made as it reaches the top spot at the box office. for four newcomers a tough weekend in the theaters. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. you're watching "first look" on msnbc. let's see if we can get one past the defense.

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chest bump. ugh! good job, man. nice! okay, halftime. now, this is my favorite play. oh! i'm wide open. oh, fumble. fumble. don't want to fumble any of these. [ male announcer ] share what you love, with who you love. kellogg's frosted flakes. it's up... and it's good! good?! they're grrreat!

welcomes back to "first look." i'm lynn berry. time now for entertainment news. "the help" cleaned up at the box office despite going up against four new releases.

positive word of mouth helped catapult the 1960s drama into the top spot. $20.5 million at number two, "rise of the planet of the apes" pulled in $16.3 million in its third weekend. as for the rest of the box office, unfortunately the results were pretty grim. debuting in third place, just $12 million. far below the $33 million the last "spy kids" made in its opening. in fourth, despite fabulous hair, conan the barbarian took in only $10 million. just a fraction of the $90 million it reportedly cost to make. and a meager $8.4 million. and the romantic comedy or drama, rather, "one day" starring anne hathaway floundered in ninth place with just $5.2 million.

you know, it's hard to recover from that. >> it wasn't her fault. her co-host wasn't exactly -- >> yeah. a blaze in your mind. >> bottom line if your movie's being released at this point, probably wasn't that good. >> yeah. i'm lynn berry, and this is "first look" on msnbc, but stay tuned, "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. with a major assist from nato forces, libya rebels turned tide in their six-month fight against the government and roll into tripoli chasing moammar gadhafi from power. the question now will be what kind of government and what kind of society will come in its place? meanwhile, conflicting reports this morning about where exactly gadhafi's hiding on the first day after his 42-year rule. the question is will he fight to the death, or does he leave to find asylum somewhere outside the country.