amanda knox arrive back in seattle ending her four year italian prison ordeal. blind spot. as massive arizona dust storm triggers a deadly interstate pileup. and heavy lifting. an english man pays the price after going on a rampage in a stolen forklift. good morning, everyone. i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. we begin this morning with a long a waited home coming. just a short time being a go, amanda knox was locked up for a crime she says she didn't commit. now the young woman is back on u.s. soil with loved ones who have waited for years to be reunited with her. kgw in portland, oregon is in

seattle with more. kyle, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. cheers of welcome home could be heard as amanda knox appeared before the press here at seattle sea-tac airport. her four year ordeal is finally over. she's home, she's free and she's back with her family. a homecoming four years in the making. a tearful amanda knox was greeted with a rousing applause from supporters as she returned home after four long years in an italian prison. >> i'm really overwhelmed right now. i was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything wasn't real. >> reporter: a day after an italian appeals court overturned her conviction, knox thankeded her supporters. >> what's important for me to say is just thank you to everyone who has believed in me, who has defended me. who has supported my family. >> reporter: it's knox's first taste of freedom since the seattle exchange student and two

others were charged in 2007 with the brutal murder of knox's british roommate, meredith kercher. knox's parents have stood by her side since the case began. >> it's been a very long four years, but we couldn't have made it through without all you people out here supporting us. and especially amanda. >> reporter: for years she has maintained her machines and fought for her freedom. on monday, knox broke down when she heard will the verdict. now it's tears of join as the 24-year-old begins per first days of freedom. the knox family has asked for privacy, although amanda knox will almost certainly encounter lucrative offers to tell her story in the pfuture. lynn, back to you. elsewhere, chris christie has finally made it official, he is not running for president in 2012. tracie potts joins us with more from washington. and the very latest of the

president's push to get his jobs bill through congress. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. on the day that a quinnipiac poll found chris christie could beat president obama by three points, he announced he's not running saying it's the right decision, this is not his i'm. and what he really rants to do is run the state of new jersey. christie for now is not endorsing anyone else in the race, but he also says he's not ruling out a presidential run in the future. meantime at a community college near dallas yesterday, president obama said instead of focusing on the election which is 13 months away, lawmakers need to be focusing on his jobs bill and getting people back to work. as he put it, people are hurting now. and he challenged the number two republican in the house eric cantor to explain why he has said they will not pass his jobs bill as an entire package. it's $447 billion. instead, republicans say they will pass portions of it that they like.

senate democrats who were also skeptical about getting it passed now have a new idea. they're pitching a 5% surcharge on millionaires, something that the white house says they're open to. >> tracie potts for us in washington. thank you. and here's your first look at some of the other news going on around america. dramatic video of a killer's rampage has been released by police in grand rapids. dach cam individu dash cam video shows police in a pursuit of someone who killed seven in july. the suspect avoided capture, but later killed himself after holding a family hostage. an arizona dust storm triggered a massive pileup, turning a stretch of interstate 10 into a waste land of car wrecks. the blinding conditions led on three separate collisions, injuring at least 18 people with one confirmed death. officials have yet to release a final tally because rescue and cleanup crew efforts were

delayed due to weather conditions. flat screen color tvs prove to be the perfect cat nip in a sting operation organized by an illinois county sheriff's department. they arrested more than 100 fugitives after mailing bogus letters promising the tvs for showing up at a marketing event. and finally, a couple of really big stray cats get most residents this doors after they decided to relax in one california neighborhood. those are mountain lions and they stuck around for about 15 minutes before police chased them back in to the woods. now for a look at your national weather, we turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has your very nice weather channel forecast. >> let not be biased. there are areas of the country that have bad weather. >> they've had perfect weather for like six weeks. >> it hasn't rained in areas of southern california for like six months.

we've gone four or five hours. finally the east coast and new england will see nice weather and we deserve it. the west coast is where all the bad weather is and they actually need the rain. this is when they begin their wet season. as far as the middle of the country go, you're fine if you're waking up minneapolis to dallas, southeast looks good and the storm system is exiting up in maine maine, so even you'll see a nice afternoon. will this h is high pressure. that means no storms. and that will sit over the appalachians here for probably about four to at least six days. that means dry weather for much of the eastern seaboard for the next five to six days in a row. it's been a long time since we've gone through a stretch of dry weather like this. so let's turn our attention, anyone up with us very early in the middle of the night here on the west coast, this is as stormy takes gets. san francisco it's been pouring for the last six to ten hours. and look at the white stuff.

it is snowing above 6,000 feet and even winter storm warnings in effect. so the first significant snowses for the high elevations here in california. also in new mexico, you've been dodging showers. and you see the little lightning bolts there? these are live light mink strikes. so we even got thunderstorms in the middle of the night in new mexico. so here's a look at your forecast. as lynn was hinting at, absolutely gorgeous weather here. 74 in d.c., 71 in new york. doesn't get much better for fall weather. and it will be day after day, it this should continue right through the upcoming weekend. and temperatures maybe even a little too warm in minneapolis with a high of 86 degrees. chicago, you're warming up nicely. the good thing about this pattern is that there is very little humidity in the air. so very comfortable even know it's warm, it's a comfortable 84 degrees. we can smile and enjoy this. we all deserve it. >> yes, we do. thanks so much. coming up, maybe more

lectureses from bill karins. himself stocks sea saw, the anticlimactic new iphone, and buffett versus murdoch. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, the yankees find their groove, bell tray pounds the rangers and diamondbackss strike gold. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

♪ ♪ ♪ when your chain of supply ♪ goes from here to shanghai, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ chips from here, boards from there ♪ ♪ track it all through the air, that's logistics. ♪ ♪ clearing customs like that ♪ hurry up no time flat that's logistics. ♪ ♪ all new technology ups brings to me, ♪ ♪ that's logistics. ♪ sweet & salty nut bars... they're made from whole roasted nuts and dipped in creamy peanut butter, making your craving for a sweet & salty bar irresistible, by nature valley. and people. and the planes can seem the same. so, it comes down to the people. because: bad weather,

the price of oil those are every airline's reality. and solutions will not come from 500 tons of metal and a paintjob. they'll come from people. delta people. who made us the biggest airline in the world. and then decided that wasn't enough.

welcome back. here are some of the top stories making news this morning. the associated press is recording prosecutors have reopened hundreds of dormant investigations into former nazi death camp guards and workers. they could be charged under a new precedent sent by this year's conviction of retired u.s. auto worker for serving as a maz nazi death camp guard. he was convicted of thousands of counts. a helicopter on a private

tour crashed into new york city's east river yesterday killing one person and injuring four others. the woman who died was visiting from australia to celebrate her 40th birthday. retired archbishop desmond tutu is furious with south africa's government for not granting the dalai lama is visa he claims so as not to aerng china. tutu called the current government worse than the apartheid government for interfering with plans for the dalai lama to take part of celebrations of tutu's 80th birthday. also called off, the rest of the there. ba preseason. yesterday owners and players broke off talks over a collective bargaining agreement that would end the owner's lockout. the first two weeks of the season may also be canceled if there is no deal by monday. and in england, a map who stole a forklift and led police on a wild pursuit was given a 4 1/2 year prison sentence. he barreled through a cemetery

destroying grave stones, the ride came to an end after he blew a tire. after 25 years of serving a life sentence, michael morton is now a free man. that's thanks to forensic evidence as well as the work of the new york based innocence project. yesterday a texts a texas judge released morton. kxan reports on his first steps into a brand new world. >> reporter: everyone in the courtroom was waiting to see a little history. but in the front row, it was a mother and father who had been waiting the longest. then it finally happened. >> i will say this, colors seem real bright to me now. the women are real good looking. >> reporter: wearing a smile 25 years in the making, michael morton hugged his attorneys, looked over last paperwork, and

then the gavel dropped. >> you are released subject to the terms and conditions of the bond. >> reporter: and just like that, no prison guards, no steel bars, the only thing holding michael horton now,s arms of love. >> i would like to say this is one of the happiest days of my life and i thank god for it. >> reporter: it was nearly 25 years ago michael morton walked in to a courtroom where he would be convicted of his wife's murder. now nearly 25 years later, he walked out of one as a free man and says it was a life sentence that saved him. >> thank god this wasn't a capital case, that i only had life. because it gave the saints here at the innocence project time to do this. >> reporter: before he was freed, the judge apologized to morton and said the system isn't perfect, but the best in the world. still michael morton will now be the rallying cry for those trying to change it. >> we need to get to the about the of how he got to this place in the first place. how he lost a quarter sent chur i are of his life. >> reporter: but for now, it's

not what he lost, but what he gained as he jumped into a truck it and finlg eithered with a new gps system. yes, a lot of things have changed since 1987. it's a new world, a new life, and a new chance for michael morton, all very unbelievable. >> this is new to me. so bear with me. now your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 10, 808 after rising 153 points yesterday. the s&p climbed 24, the nasdaq spiked 68. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo, the nikkei fell 73 points while in hong kong, the hang seng plunged 571. a late day surge capped another wild ride on wall street tuesday after spending most of the day 2k50e7 in bear market territory, stocks bounced back at the end of the day on reports european officials will shore up hair banks after bailing out belgium lender dexia. however asian markets fell after

the down grade of italy's credit rating and those worries could linger today. yesterday ben bernanke warned congress the economic recovery is, quote, close to faltering. still, some were relieved to hear the central bank may take more steps to stimulate the economy. apple's much anticipated iphone upgrade, the 4-s model, boastses a better camera, faster processor and voice activated assistant, but still fell short of what many hoped would be a radically redesigned a tentativ four yr deal with the united autoworkerses that promises thousands of new jobs and bonuseses for active workers. new york state is suing bank of morning mellon for $2 billion charging it deprauded thousands of clients in foreign currency exchange actions. and speaking of fraud, the first round of checks are being mailed today to jilted investors of jailed ponzi schemer bernard madoff. after the bell, the pizza hut parent yum brands delivered

earnings that narrowly missed estimates. the "wall street journal" has requested to see warren buffett's tax return. buffett says he'll release his if murdoch does the same. and finally, one grocery store in italy is saying basta, pleading with thieves to stay away and that is because the store has been robbed 23 times. maybe time to upgrade that security system. coming up, the rangers catch the rays, the phillies ground the cardinals and the diamondbacks booitd back. plus curtis granderson has done it all with his bat for years. but last might it was with his glove. your first look at sports is straight ahead. you're watching first look on msnbc. whoa. whoa. how do you top great vacations? whoa. getting twice the points on great vacations. whoa! use chase sapphire preferred and now get

two times the points on travel, and two times the points on dining and no foreign transaction fees. whoa! chase sapphire preferred. a card of a different color. apply now at chasesapphire.com/preferred confidence. available in color. depend for women is now peach. looks and fits like underwear. same great protection. depend. good morning. great day.

prego?! but i've been buying ragu for years. [ thinking ] i wonder what other questionable choices i've made? [ '80s dance music plays ] [ sighs ] [ male announcer ] choose taste. choose prego.

welcome back. in sport, facing elimination last night in detroit, the yankees practice it clear they aren't ready to he said their season just yet. here's fred roggin. good morning. with their backs against the wall, the yankees offense finally woke up. in the third, derek jeter a shot to deep center. posada and martin scored. new york up 2-0. now a rbi single and the yanks took a 3-1 lead. granderson also did it with his

glove. forcing a decisive game five. adrian beltre bet the rays. home run in the second, on that is t opposite field in the fourth, and another home run. rangers move on to their second straight alcs with a 44-3 win. cards and phils scoreless until the seventh. ben francisco a three run shot, his only hit of the playoffs and it was a big one. phillies won it 3-2, they grab a 2-1 series lead. diamondbacks. launched a grand slam homer against the brewers. d'backs staved off elimination with an 8-1 win. apfinally adrian beltre didn't only take down the rays, he also brought a cameraman to his knees. after beltre's first homer, he he rounded third.

focusing so hard on beltre, he lost his footing and hit the turf with a thud. as if everybody didn't see it, beltre then pointed to the poor guy and here's how it looks from the camera. their cameramen will do just about anything to prove it. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. and now another quick look at the weather. >> there's a big ten down here. >> one these days it's going to happen. >> what people don't know is that i actually -- while i'm talking, i have to walk at the same time. >> that's why they pay you the big bucks, bill. >> yes, they do. well, good morning, everyone. let's chat about how nice it will be and quiet this weather pattern. we are watching a storm system exiting today. skies are clearing out, just a cool crisp beautiful fall morning in new england. temperatures are still cool, probably need a light jacket, kids definitely, too. temperatures in the 50s in most

cases just about everywhere. buffalo the chilly spot and 48. later today, with the bright sun, we should get up at least in it to the 60s. some areas in the city should get into the low 70s. d.c., 74 for you. cooler up in new england. in the 60s. and then tomorrow, i don't think there will be hardly any clouds in the sky at all. crystal clear deep blue skies with the low humidity. temperatures very enjoyle. and how is this for washington, d.c., saturday, 73, sunday, 79 and sunny. >> nice. all right, bill, thanks so much. how about johnny depp make money before he started earning the big bucks? plus it's been on for 23 years and still attracts some of tv's toughest viewers. so why are there threats this morning it may be canceled? the first look at entertainment is straight ahead. [ female announcer ] starbucks via® is planted the same... ♪ ...harvested the same... ♪

...and roasted the same as our other premium coffees. ♪ it only makes sense it would taste the same. so, try it for yourself. buy a pack of 100% natural starbucks via® ready brew. we promise you'll love it or we'll send you a bag of starbucks coffee. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. look for it at starbucks stores and where you buy groceries. it's the starbucks via® taste promise. [ dog ] i am my coat? solid gold. my insides? pure platinum. [ female announcer ] a healthy outside starts inside. new iams simple & natural has chicken as its number one ingredient and zero fillers. it works inside for health you can see on the outside. [ dog ] i can't be a rockstar on the outside if i'm not one on the inside. [ female announcer ] new iams naturals. you'll like what's in them and love what's not. [ dog ] i am an iams dog. [ girls ] he's so cute! [ dog ] groupies!

welcome back to "first look." it's time for entertainment news. remember the good old days when the only thing that could knock your favorite show off the air was bad ratings? fox issued a tough statement warning producers it would end the simpsons unless its voice actors take a 45% pay cut. the daily beast reports the cast recently negotiated with producers to take a 30% pay cut in return for a portion of the marketing and cindy gags proceeds without success. fox which reportedly loses more and more on the show every year does not get a share of the billionses in syndication profits. england's dell has been forced to cancer her upcoming

tour due to a vocal chord hemorrhage. she says she has no choice but to stop now or original damaging her voice forever. and johnny depp make $50 million last year, but before he made it big, depp says he attended scientology study groups because they actually would pay people to go and pay him like three bucks a meeting. so he said he just went over and over and over again. i guess that adds up. >> back then, at mcdonald's, that a double cheese burger value meal. >> about you do that enough, you can make it supposedly. >> $3 doesn't go as far today. >> not so much. you'd have to maybe up it, eight bucks maybe. i'm lynn berry is and this is "first look" on msnbc, but stay tuned, "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. president obama calls out congress and house majority leader eric cantor by flame for

sitting on his jobs bill while so many americans kin to search in vein for work. the question is, does the bill in any form have any hope tos pass new the republican house after cantor already declared it doa. meanwhile while the political world has been hanging on chris christie's decision for the last couple weeks, one herman cain was surging into a tie with mitt romney atop a new poll. the question is, how does this field shake out with christie out of the mix. and a.j. burnett makes up for three seasons of erratic pitching in new york with a season saving performance in detroit. the question is, did you see the bases loaded catch by curtis granderson that did a lot of season saving itself? wow. it's way too early for this. good morning, this is "way too early," the show in a floated 2350 foo bucks to solyndra a few