and it has a nuclear yield of 300 kilo tons. yahoo. executive action. president obama announces a plan to help ease the burden of student loans. tables turned, surveillance video captures a store clerk taking matters into his own hands during an attempted robbery. and end of an era. a massive frightening holdover from the cold war is no more. good morning, everyone. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. and we begin this morning with on the offensive. white house officials say

president obama is ready to rollout the next arm of his we can't wait economic initiative in denver today with a plan to ease the burden on students and recent grads loaded down with debt. msnbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that and the president's late aest principle of law ratings. tracy, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. we're about to reach $1 trillion in student loan debt this year. today at the university of colorado, president obama is expected to announce new rules that he calls pay as you earn. they would allow college grads to consolidate old and new loans with a half percent discount on the interest rate, essentially lowering payments and for many students preventing default. one payment instead of two, making it a lot easier for them to get that debt paid down. college still a good deal in as much as unemployment rates for

college grads are half that of the national unemployment rate. so what are all the new initiatives doing for president obama's approval rating? according to the latest "new york times"/cbs poll, it's about even. 46% approve, 46% disaproef. it apeepears he got a bump recently. the same poll that she is talking about found americans are united on one front, their dissatisfaction with congress. a meager 9% of americans polled say they approve of the job congress is doing. a whopping 84% disapprove. that's a 22% jump since republicans took control of the house back in january. when asked which gop presidential conditioned date they prefer, 25% chose businessman herman cain. one time front-runner and former massachusetts governor mitt romney came in with 21% and rick

perry tumbled to just 6%. also weighing in on the gop race, president obama. last night during his second appearance on "the tonight show" with jay leno. take a listen. >> now have you been watching the gop debates? >> i'm going to wait until everybody's voted off the island. >> really? once they narrowed down to one or two, i'll start paying attention. >> how are the girls doing? >> girls are doing wonderfully. you know, they're growing up. they grow up so fast. they're thriving. it's amazing how steady, well mannered, you know, kind they are. they're just good people. and part of this i think is a testimony to michelle, also having my mother-in-law in the house. she doesn't take any mess. >> do they have cell phones?

>> molina has a cell phone but they're not allowed to watch it during the week. just like they're not allowed to watch tv during the weekend. during the weekends, they get their tv time. >> speaking of tv time? >> yes? >> you recently said you didn't like the girls watching certain shows. >> i haven't seen the show. >> you're making a judgment without ever seeing the show. >> i'm probably a little biassed against reality tv because partly because there is this program on c-span called congress that is -- that i -- >> he laughs there. of course, "the tonight show" with jay leno airs week nights at 11:35, 10:35 central time on your local nbc station. elsewhere, a newly released report on income levels in this

country may shed some light as to why more and more frustrated americans are taking to the streets in protest. according to the nonpartisan congressional budget office, the disparity between how much money americans make has risen sharply over the past three decades from 1979 to 2007, income for the wealthiest 1% nearly tripled, far outpacing income growth for all other groups. while the majority of demonstrations sympathizing with occupy wall street across the country have been largely peaceful, that was not the case yesterday in california. riot police in oakland used tear gas and flash bangs to dispersanty wall street protesters camped out in front of city hall for the past two weeks. the crowd had been ordered to disperse earlier in the day but they later regrouped and marched back to city hall. at least 85 people were arrested. now here's your first look at the other news going on around america. a kentucky store clerk turned the tables on a would-be robber

who threatened to kill him. the clerk was able to grab the suspect's gun and shoot him before he could escape. the suspect was arrested when police arrived. and in kansas a tractor-trailer wreck on interstate 70 killed the driver behind the wheel of the semi. the accident took down a hanging sign and shut down traffic in both directions for several hours before emergency crews were able to contain the spillage from the rig's tanker. the cause of the accident has not been determined. florida beach goers stumbled upon a stunt. the question is who's? the 100 pound, 8 foot tall leggo man with the words no real than you are on his front at least appeared to have washed ashore. orlando's leggo land denied responsibility. similar statues have turned up in england and holland. officials believe it may be the work of artist ego leonard whose

name is on the back of the statue. finally, recent video shows one arizona couple who refused to wait for the dust to settle before starting their life together. they exchanged vouz as a massive wall of dust crashed their september wedding. that is quite a wedding crasher. they will be featured on the "today" show later this morning to discuss those memorable nuptials. not the hair! not the hair! now for a look at your national weather, we turn to bill karins. he has the weather channel forecast. >> she is a trooper. he is the one rubbing his eyes. she's like, i'm not blinking for the pictures. >> you have no idea how long it takes to get ready on our wedding day. one of the many reasons that would be horrible. >> the sand facial wasn't on the menu. good morning, everyone. a lot of active weather throughout to talk about. we have the first snowstorm of the season. really throughout much of the country. and also we're watching the

hurricanes. first start off with our travel trouble this is morningment int morning. interstate 80 closed because of the heavy snow. this is a major storm for the first one. it's going to catch a lot of people off guard. the snowfall predictions were for around six inches or so. now we upped them to a foot. we have a winter storm warning that includes colorado springs, denver, cheyenne. denver could end up with a foot of snow by the time this is said and done. the white on the map is where we're looking at snow. the green is the rain. you notice the green is going away. the colder air moves in. now the snow is breaking out south of denver and towards colorado springs. it is really snowing hard at 25 from cheyenne to denver. it wouldn't surprise me if that's now closed, too, or impassable. the areas of pink, 6 to 12 inches. possibly over a foot of snow in some areas that get any bands that set up on top. now let's go into the complete

opposite and talk about a hurricane that could be a major hurricane that's going to do some significant damage possibly to cancun. we're still watching south florida. it's looking better and better for you. even if you have to deal with the storm. it will be significantly weaker than what we're dealing with now. currently a category two hurricane. the computer model with all the squiggly lines, every one takes us to cancun in the next 36 hours. that's where they're doing the last-minute preparations and getting the boards on the windows and shudders closed. after that, our computers vary with where it's going to head. they weaken the storm to a tropical storm about it weekend. we're not sure where it's going to be at that point. so here's the official forecast from the hurricane center. they have it thursday, 2:00 p.m. major category 3 hurricane. that's where most of the damage will occur. after that, the storm significantly weakens. it should be near south florida or western cuba over the weekend. but again, it's a much weaker system by then.

so we're not talking really about any chance of a hurricane hitting south florida. now as far as the other areas of concern, we have others, too, the great lakes from chicago into new england, it's going to be a rainy, chilly day for you. a lot of people are going to watch st. louis tonight. game six of the world series. forecast right now wind chill in the 40s with light rain. not going to be a pretty picture. >> maybe they'll be watching. that is if they play. bill, thanks so much. coming up, doubt about europe? earnings do a u-turn and a woman prepares to take the helm at another american business giant. your first look this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, terrell owens wants back in. and tonight's world series game could be canceled. the postal service is critical to our economy--

delivering mail, medicine and packages. yet they're closing thousands of offices, slashing service, and want to lay off over 100,000 workers. the postal service is recording financial losses, but not for reasons you might think. the problem ? a burden no other agency or company bears. a 2006 law that drains 5 billion a year from post-office revenue while the postal service is forced to overpay billions more into federal accounts. congress created this problem, and congress can fix it. how about the beat of a healthy heart? campbell's healthy request soup is delicious, and earned this heart, for being heart healthy. ♪ feel the beat? it's amazing what soup can do.

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welcome back to "first look." turkish state media is reporting an 18-year-old student has been

pulled alive from the rubble of the collapsed apartment building 61 hours after a 7.2 magnitude quake devastated the region. rescuers have been researching around the clock for survivors. at least 461 have been killed. eight new york city police officers have been brought up on federal charges in an alleged gun smuggling ring. the men are accused of taking part in schemes to illegally transport guns, slot machines, cigarettes, and counterfeit goods across state lines over the past year. five of the men were active duty officers. a former goldman sachs board member is expected to surrender to federal authorities today to face criminal insider related charges. he is accused of providing information that allowed convicted former billionaire hedge fund manager to earn $1 million. former 60 minutes commentator andy rooney has been

hospitalized after developing serious complications from minor surgery. the 92-year-old is said to be in stable condition. and in texas, the last of the most powerful b-53 bombs made by the u.s. in 1962 during the height of the cold war has been dismantled. the 10,000-pound bomb was 600 time more powerful than the one dropped on hiroshima. now here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,706 after tumbling 207 points yesterday. the s&p 500 dropped 25 points. the nasdaq sank 61. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. in tokyo, nikkei was down 13 points. in hong kang, the hang seng added 98. pessimism swept wall street yesterday as doubts about a european debt solution and weak data and corporate earnings send stocks tumbling. for today's european finance summit, officials vowed to

announce a compressive solution for the region's debt crisis. but continued squabbling and tuesday's cancellation of a key meeting of finance ministers fueled fears. euro leaders will once again come up empty. the market also dragged lower by october's consumer confidence. unexpectedly plunging to the lowest level in 2 1/2 years. wall street's so-called fear index spiked 10%. adding to the sudden negativity, in earnings, 3m fell after missing profit expectations blaming europe's debt crisis. u.s. steel sank almost 10% on concern over fourth quarter steel demand. delta slumped 5% after missing expectations and cutting flights this quarter. u.p.s. is showing slowing growth in asia. and netflix plunged 35% after reporting a shocking loss of subscribers. news after the bell. amazon.com sank on weaker than expected results due to heavy

spending and a surprisingly sour outlook for upcoming holiday revenue. elsewhere, big blue is getting a little pink. ibm's global sales chief virginia rometti will take over as ceo in 2012. ford fell 10 spots in consumer reports annual reliability survey. now ranking 20th out of 28 major brands. and finally, a single seat on the first commercial flight of boeing's 787 dream liner was bought for more than $34,000 in a charity sale. clouds loom over the world series. columbus actually wins a game. and t.o. wants another go. plus, the hockey season may be just underway, but the chicago blackhawks looking mid season form. your first look at sports is straight ahead. when you're a sports photographer, things can get out of control pretty quickly. so i like control in the rest of my life... especially my finances. that's why i have slate, with blueprint.

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in sports the st. louis cardinals are back home tonight looking to fend off elimination in the world series, that's if they can get on the field. here's nbc's fred roggin. good morning, tonight's game six of the world series could be a wet one. there's a 50% chance of rain in the st. louis area. if they can't get the game in, rangers and cards will play tomorrow night. nhl blue jackets looking for their first win of the year. they found it against one of the best teams in the league. they beat the red wings 4-1. johansson scored his first goal.

everything went right for columbus. they beat the red wings. the pens won fourth straight. penguins got a two goal lead. they went on to win it 3-0. now patrick cane channelled and did the span and gave it to hossa for the goal. that's worth another look. made the defender dizzy and fired to hossa who scored the fifth of the year. this one went to a shootout and it's cane again. a couple assists and the game winner, not bad at the rink. blackhawks beat the ducks 3-2. off the buffalo saibres had a lead and then the breakaway goal. hurricanes and senators needed a shootout. nothing fancy here. just a shot that went over the head. they extended the shootout. million dollar move and a nickel finish. senators won it 3-2. finally, terrell owens wants to

get back to the nfl. problem is nobody wants him. t.o. hit the field yesterday in what was supposed to be a workout for nfl teams. not a single team showed up. 37-year-old recovered from off-season knew surgery. he said he is ready to go. but right now he has nowhere to go. so he's going nowhere. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. >> now for another look at the weather, here's nbc meteorologist bill karins. he has the weather channel forecast. >> i look just as good with my shirt off, too. >> no comment. >> i don't think you believe me. good morning, everyone. if you're ready for changes. this is the week for it. i mean we're really going from the summer fall weather to fall winter type weather. temperatures are chilly this morning in new england. 40s in most locations. there's a cold chilly rain from buffalo to syracuse to rochester. all the green back to erie is approaching pittsburgh. so it is an umbrella day to day. it's not a lot of heavy rain.

cool, cloudy with periods of light rain. the big changes come thursday. so here's today's forecast. d.c., you're still in that warm air mass. and then on thursday, that cold front stalls. a new storm system forms on it w the cold temperatures in place, i got my eyes on the high country of new york and mountainous areas of pennsylvania and even central new england thursday night. the sun is going to set. the temperatures are going to drop. and there may be just enough cold air out there for snow. my weather computer is telling met border between pennsylvania and new york could see as much as three inches of the heavy wet snow. there are leaves on trees. that would bring down tree limbs. i think we're going to see snow in the birkshires, catskills. i think the high country of southern new hampshire is going to see snow. so not only are we talking snowstorm in colorado today, but we're talking in new england. a lot of people are going to see the first snowflakes of the season thursday night. >> all right, bill. whether they like it or not. thank you so much. >> an aging rocker takes a fall

and your daily lohan headlines. there are a couple of them. plus, for years you could say he led the dead. but now there's a new top earner from beyond. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. 4g-- the next evolution in wireless technology. with advanced power, the verizon 4g lte network makes your business run faster: smartphones, laptops, tablets, mobile hotspots. but not all 4g is created equal. among the major carriers, only verizon's 4g network is 100% lte, the gold standard of wireless technology. and while other carriers may have limited lte coverage, verizon is the largest lte network in america and ever-growing. with verizon 4g lte, you can invent new ways to upgrade your business

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welcome back to "first look." the king of pop is still king when it comes to earners in the after life. michael jackson leads forbes list of deceased celebrity earnings with $170 million over the last 12 months. his friend elizabeth taylor who died last march joins the list. this year in fifth place with

$12 million thanks mostly to her white diamonds perfume. and in paraguay for a rock festival, 63-year-old stephen tyler suffered facial cuts and lost two teeth after falling in the shower. a source told tmz tyler fell because he was suffering from dehydration caused from food poisoning. lindsay lohan is doing a "playboy" photo shoot this week. really, people? really? tmz reports she'll be paid close to $1 million. both lohan and "playboy" would not confirm. michael was arrested again for domestic violence tuesday. police told lohan -- took lohan to a hospital after he complained of chest pains. he tried to actually take off when he thought police had left but was quickly arrested. never a good idea. you know, you're in police custody. just suck it up. >> so lindsey's fault or the parenting effort? >> you know, we really aren't

going to get to the bottom of that, are we? no. i think not. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. willie geist starts right now. omore than 1,000 protesters scatter in oakland, california. police lob tear gas into the crowd. the question, is were the cops justified in their use of the gas? president obama meanwhile was just across the fwha san francisco raising a little re-election cash. a few hours after doing a spot on "the tonight show." the question is, what did the president tell jay about americans' frustration with him and with government in general? and some down right astonishing poll numbers for rick perry who according to the new numbers would not be on the medal stand if the primary was an olympic competition. has herman cain's sugar high worn off or will his campaign keep smoking its way