snow smackdown. millions in the northeast are still without power after this weekend's rare october snowstorm. road hazard. icy weather reeks havoc on commuters in maryland. and ghoulish goal. thousands of the undead gather in southern california to set a new world record. 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 surprise appearance by winter.

parts of the northeast are crippled in darkness this morning after a rare autumn nor'easter dumped a heavy blanket of wet, crashing snow over the weekend. at least 11 deaths have been reported. more than 3 million homes and businesses have lost power. and officials can't say when it will be restored. nbc's francisco has more. >> reporter: it's not what you'd expect to see on the eve of halloween. goblins and ghoul covered in white. this weekend's record-setting snowstorm won't keep kids from getting their treats. >> we're excited, actually. one's an eskimo and the other is a geisha. >> reporter: clean-up began in areas more used to raking leaves than shoveling snow in october. >> i think mother nature played a trick on us. >> reporter: a trick that has left as many as 3 million from virginia to vermont in the dark, as tree limbs fell, crippling power lines and blocking roadways. >> snow hit the tree, hit the leaves. the trees got heavy and a lot of tree damage.

>> reporter: damage that could take a while to repair. >> they're going to have extensive and long-term power outages. >> reporter: snow started falling saturday and smashed records as it moved north, tying up air travel as thousands faced delays and cancellations at newark and yfk. passengers on a jetblue flight diverted to connecticut waited seven hours on the plane before finally being cleared for the airport terminal. and as residents continue to dig out, and the frost starts to melt off the pumpkins -- >> i think we're in for a big, bad winter. i mean, here we are in october and we've got snow. >> reporter: winter is still more than six weeks away. francis coe, nbc news. a storm of controversy is swirling around herman cain. a recent report, which has not been confirmed by nbc news, claims two former female employees accused cain of sexually suggestive behave. cain's camp claims he's the

target of unsubstantiated personal attacks. tracey potts joins us. >> reporter: good morning, everyone. politico is reporting who women who worked with cain when he was head of the national restaurant association back in the '90s accused him of inappropriate behavior that they ended up leaving their jobs with a payout and are prevented, barred, from talking about this at all. cain's spokesperson over the weekend said this was inside the beltway media attacks. they were thinly sourced allegations. he denies them, saying they are unsubstantial personal attacks because opponents have been unable to attack his idea so now they're attacking the candidate himself. again, nbc has not confirmed this report from politico. as for the latest poll, herman cain is on top, the "in

register" poll with the with the. ron paul at 12%. everyone else in single digits. in washington, president obama is expected to sign an executive order, the first part of his we can't wait agenda. lynn? >> thanks so much new here's your first look at some other news going on around america today. like elsewhere on the east coast, winter-like weather conditions reek the havoc on drivers in maryland. icy roads caused one driver to lose control, slamming into a light pole. police were on the scene of a prior accident when this crash occurred. making matters more dangerous, the storm also knocked out traffic signals throughout the state. thousands of zombies strolled through southern california, hoping to devour a again nis world record. seattle holds the record at 4600. those in long beach believe they have the numbers to net a new

world record. representatives were present but are yet to hand down an official decision. a dallas flash mob of zombies frightened folks into the halloween spirit on the eve of the holiday. approximately 50 participants broke out into the dance routine from michael jackson's classic "83 video "thriller." it took the group six weeks to learn the moves. the president and first lady handed out pre-halloween tree start night. families from mail tear families braved the soggy weather to get the goody bags with m&ms, white shaped butter cookies and a mix of dried fruit. a little bit of something for everyone. for a look at your national weather we turn to bill karins with your weather center forecast. glad to see you dressed up. came as a meteorologist. way to get into the spirit. >> unbelievable storm, lynn.

i mean, this was just -- everyone -- nothing else you can say except historic. something i'll always remember and many will remember for the rest of our lives because we won't see anything like it. the snowstorm that came a month and a half early. it was just an incredible event. this is what it looked like on satellite imagery after it bombed off the coast. a classic nor'easter. if this was december or january, we would have had 1 to 2 feet everywhere. the mountains still got 1 to 2 feet but even the coast ended up with the slushy, heavy stuff. so many people still don't have power this morning. you have to feel for them. it's 27 in hartford. if it's 27 in hartford, we're probably in the low 20s in the suburbs in connecticut. hopefully people aren't sitting there in their houses under blankets. hopefully their at friends' houses that do have power. this is definitely time to get help from your friend. everyone is chilly. as far as this afternoon goes, we're still not going to do a lot of melting. still very cold out there where the snow is fallen.

only 45 in hartford. if you had a foot on the ground, i think we only lost an inch or two yesterday, so we'll probably do that again today. it won't be until the end of the week that the ground will probably go bare once again as we get into the upper 50s, even in connecticut. here's the forecast in hartford over the next five days. you notice we do warm it up into the mid to upper 50s by the end of the week. by then, i think -- i think by next weekend all the snow will be gone with the exception being in the mountainous areas. this week we don't are anything really drastic out there. a little rain shower activity with coastal storm today and tonight in the carolinas. we'll have a snowstorm, a minor one in colorado on wednesday. that's about it. just some rain showers in the great lakes and also in south florida. if anyone has a wet trick-or-treating forecast it will be down around miami and south florida, even showers heading up the east coast. as i mentioned, detroit to cleveland, cincinnati and columbus, even our friends in indianapolis definitely bring the umbrella this morning and into work today. just showers. your halloween forecast, mostly a treat for just about everyone.

of course, a lot of people in. i heard they had to cancel halloween in some places. a lot of people without school today. this storm really ruined a lot of people halloweens. >> halloween in november won't have the same kind of ring to it. unfortunately for those kids. bill, thanks so much. coming up, will the fed make a move? will unemployment improve? and don't mess with maple syrup. your first look at this morning's business headlines is straight ahead. coming up, eagles are flying high. tim tebow stumbles. another stunning win in st. louis. you're watching "first look" on msnbc.

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welcome back to "first look," i'm lynn berry. libya's interim prime minister jabril is confirming the presence of stockpile of chemical weapons in the newly liberated country. according to jabril, foreign inspectors are expected to

arrive later this week to deal with the issue. this morning's "new york times" says a plan is in the work to boost u.s. military presence in the gulf following forces from iraq. u.s. forces say it could include a ground combat presence in kuwait as well as increased air and naval patrols. a explosion at a kansas grain elevator claimed the lives of three young men. recovery efts were expected to resume this morning for another worker and two grain inspectors who did not likely survive the blast. a prominent skeptic of global warming who spent the last two years trying to disprove climatologists recent findings has changed his mind. after digging back as far back as rortdz of thomas jefferson, the uc-berkeley physicist confirmed theette's temperature is rising. finally, a tiny treasure of early christianity has been unearthed under an ancient road in jerusalem. the bone box is less than one inch by one inch.

archaeologists believe the token dates back 1400 years. and now here is your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 12,231 after adding 22 points on friday. the s&p was up a fraction but the nasdaq lost a point. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in tokyo the nikkei lost 62 points while in hong kong the hang seng dipped 154. this week investors shift their focus to the fed and economic data. traders will watch the federal reserve's two day policy meeting, which ends wednesday, like a hawk. some think the feds will enact another round of bond purchases to further stimulate the economy and wall street's recent revival. others feel last week's figures showing a third quarter growth spurt makes that less likely. also wednesday chairman ben bernanke discusses the fed's economic outlook at his quarterly news conference. investors will carefully study every word.

friday comes the all-important monthly jobs report. analysts expect 100,000 jobs added in october, leaving the jobless rate stuck where it has been for months, 9.1%. anything less could jolt wall street. october's auto sales will show whether consumers are making big purchases despite recent figures showing a steep drop in confidence. lowe's, kellogg and pfizer reporting earnings. elsewhere, qantas is flying again after an aus trail court ruled against management and labor in a bitter dispute that prompted the airline to ground entire fleet for three days. finally, in vermont, they take their maple syrup very seriously. counterfitting is so wide spret the state's two senators have co-sponsored a bill in congress that would make it a felony to sell fake maple syrup. increasing penalties to five years in prison.

in health news this morning, a new study finds fewer women give birth on halloween than on valentine's day. and it may not be mere coincidence. researchers they'rize consciously or not, a woman's mind may influence her hormonal mechanic nicks so the connotation of halloween may decrease desire to give by the way. more information on this and other health stories, you can check out the health page at msnbc.com. the eagles claw the cowboys. unusual snack for a linebacker. and baseball's cardinals inspire football's rams to play like champions. plus, after an ugly loss to the lions, could the broncos' tim tebow experiment be over? your first look at sports is straight ahead. uh, i'm in a timeout because apparently

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welcome back to qutd first look," i'm lynn berry. in sports they say winning is contagious. that was the case yesterday in slt lose. here's nbc's fred roggin. good morning. you say it's been a good weekend for the city of st. louis would be an understatement. cards won the world series friday night and yesterday the rams pulled off the upset of the week. the champs of the world series trophy. they must have inspired rams. wearing throwback jerseys, jackson running like dickerson, 159 yards on the ground and two score. rams shocked everybody, pick up

their first victory of year, knocking off the saints. dolphins six minutes away from getting their first win the season and then the wheels fell off. manning to cruz. three defenders were there and nobody could make a tackle. giants won it 20-17. eagles and cowboys nfc east showdown more like a letdown. philly scored on the first possession and never looked back. michael vick threw a pair of touchdowns. mccoy has now scored in every game this year. tim tebow is football's version of trick-or-treat. last week he treated denver to a comeback win. last week he tricked the broncos into thinking he could play quarterback. three fumbles and a pick six. lions had their way, 45-10. a couple great quarterbacks in pittsburgh, roethlisberger with brown in second quarter. steelers up seven in the half. pats down six. brady tried to engineer a comeback but polamalu there to swat the ball away after he

fumbled. ended up being a safety. pittsburgh held on to win 25-17. on halloween nothing scarier than ray lewis. picked up some grass and then ate it. the ravens came back from 21 down against the card. billy cundiff nailed the game-winning field goal with no time on the clock. ravens won it 30-27. that's your first look at sports. i'm fred roggin. for another look at the weather, here's meteorologist bill karins with your weather channel forecast. good morning to you, bill. >> good morning. it's always a big forecast day. parents want to know how to dress your kid and everything else. this year, unfortunately, in areas of the east that dealt with that big storm, some people aren't even doing halloween. if you are, it's not going to be easy trej trudging through the snow. we'll have it on the ground through the end of the day. it's a cold morning. what happened, it's so cold in the suburbs of all the big cities that anything that turns to slush yesterday will be a block of ice. that takes longer to melt than just the regular snow on the lawn. it's going to be here for

probably another couple days at least, maybe until the upcoming weekend. it's pretty much a clear morning out there throughout the region that's why it's so cold. as we go throughout the day, the sunshine will feel warm. it will be a decent day. temperatures where there's snow on the ground, only in the 40s. where you don't have the snow on the ground like philadelphia and new york, temperatures there will jump up into the mid-50s. the snow melt will be a slow process this week. no rain on the way no more snow. just a typical fall week. it's a typical halloween day with the exception of the people that don't have power out there. which is still millions of people. as far as the rest of country goes, we have a little rain to deal with for halloween today. fine through the southeast. watch out in northern eastern north carolina and south carolina, you could deal with wet weather later today. gorgeous from alabama, mississippi, up through the middle of the country, no problems at all. denver, you're great today, 65 and sunny. another crazy weeks in denver where you start off the week nice and on went it looks like snow is on the way for colorado once again. that's pretty normal for november.

>> yeah, exactly. >> not like what we dealt with this weekend in the east. >> bill, thanks so much. well, coming up this weekend's biggest money-making movie wasn't in a theater near you. we'll explain. plus, a cocky cat battles a big storm and a big baseball came to come away with the box office crown. your first look at entertainment is straight ahead. for a day. i want healthy skin for life. [ female announcer ] don't just moisturize, improve the health of your skin with aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. the natural oatmeal formula goes beyond 24-hour moisture. it's clinically proven to improve your skin's health in one day, with significant improvement in 2 weeks. for healthy, beautiful skin that lasts. i found a moisturizer for life. [ female announcer ] aveeno daily moisturizing lotion. and for healthy, beautiful hair, try nourish plus haircare. only from aveeno. try nourish plus haircare. -havin g he and we got onesies! sometimes miracles get messy. so we use tide free. no perfumes or dyes for her delicate skin.

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welcome back to "first look." tonight's nbc prime time gets a news attitude with the premiere of "rock center." mark barger has the preview. >> one or two --

>> reporter: brian williams has a simple goal for the news magazine he'll anchor starting tonight. >> i want people to watch "rock center" and say, so that's where everyone good in television news is now working. >> reporter: veteran newsman ted koppel and harry smith are bringing their skills to "rock center" alongside nbc's established core of reporting talent. >> long-form story telling. it's -- they're not a lot of places that's celebrated anymore. this is exciting. >> reporter: smith's first story for "rock center" focuses on a north dakota town that has more jobs than people to fill them. >> there's opportunity here. >> reporter: opportunity is at the heart of corresponding kate snow's story on birth tourism, an industry focused on instant american citizenship. >> as soon as they secure a u.s. by the way certificate and passport, they fly home to ch a china. >> i hope what distinguishes us, it becomes television you feel like you are to watch.

>> reporter: adding to that must see factor is williams' live presence on the broadcast each monday. >> that's the best way to be current, to guarantee that we're right where the news is. >> reporter: but it also mean an extra long day for the man who also anchors "nightly news". >> what else am i going to do with that time? sort my sock drawer? come on, really. >> reporter: williams will be at the helm of the tv's first news launch magazine in 20 years tonight with "rock center." marg barringer, nbc news. >> and "rock center" begin at 10 p.m./9 p.m. following "the singoff" on your local nbc station. friday night's world series game seven and the east coast winter storm put a dent in box office figures this weekend, but there was still a big winner. the 3d animated shrek spinoff "puss and boots" came in at $34 million. the popular character voiced by

antonio banderas. the east's wintry mess hurt justin timberlake's "in time with the "coming in third, audience was down 20% saturday in new york and philadelphia. johnny depp's "the rum diary" disappointed opening with just $5 million in fifth, earning it a longshot to earn back the 50 million it cost to make. the weekend's biggest opening didn't even happen here. the inventions of tin tin, steven spielberg's 3d animated tale of the belgian cartoon character, opened in 19 other countries, taking in almost $56 million. this is sort of like the second big movie johnny depp has had that's kind of bombed. "the tourist" with angelina jolie? they cost so much to make because they pay huge salaries.

>> and dvd sales aren't what they used to be either. >> but it's johnny, i mean, come on. i'm lynn berry and this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned "way too early" with willie geist starts right now. 3 million american without power this morning after an october surprise. snow up and down the northeast over the weekend. the question is, why did a relatively tame snowfall cause such major damage? we'll have a live report. meanwhile, a potentially big story in the 2012 presidential election as a new politico report says two women received cash settlements to leave an organization that was led by herman cain after they accused him of, quote, sexually suggestive behave. the question is, how serious are these allegations and how bad is it for the red hot cain campaign? plus, tom brady and patriots run into trouble in steel city. the question s after a rocky start, are the steelers the class of the afc again this year? it's "way too early"