my handle is alex witt. discuss this with our economic analysts later. >>> and what this means for you. how much should re worry about? more ahead on "msnbc saturday." . perdue perfect portions is great on busy nights. five chicken breasts individually wrapped, so you can use what you want and put the rest in the refrigerator. and the best part is it only takes 10 minutes. it's my go-to meal. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. >>> good morning, everyone. i'm alex witt. here are your top stories at 30 past the hour. a helicopter crash in afghanistan killed as many as 31 americans a

alex witt, nbc news, new york. >>> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian williams will be back here tomorrow. i'm lester holt reporting from new york. i'll see you back in just a few moments with tonight's special "dateline" hour. in the meantime, for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

my handle is @alex witt. that question, we'll be looking for your answer shortly. judgment day in the big easy. a verdict in the case of five new orleans police officers accused of covering up a deadly post katrina shooting on a bridge. >> excessive heat war, today across the southeast with no relief in sight. a live recover the for you and more on the credit downgrade. what impact will it have on you and me? brian shack man joins me short lit to answer that question here on msnbc saturday. i love that my daughter's part fish. but when she got asthma, all i could do was worry ! specialists, lots of doctors, lots of advice... and my hands were full. i couldn't sort through it all. with unitedhealthcare, it's different. we have access to great specialists, and our pediatrician gets all the information. everyone works as a team. and i only need to talk to one person about her care. we're more than 78,000 people looking out for 70 million americans. that's health in numbers. unitedhealthcare. that i put on my children's plate. that's why we use all-white meat, breading

i'm alex witt here at msnbc world headquarters. we're going to get the latest forecast for you on irene's path. it is now hitting north carolina head on. mark potter is live for us in nags head. a good morning to you, what's it like? >> reporter: hi, alex. we're getting some very strong east windows now. it's been blowing all night and it's kicking up at this hour. we're expecting it to get considerably worse as the eye of the storm approaches us. the tide as you can see behind me is coming up. we're just finishing a high tide. that's a factor in this. the good news is i'm not seeing any areas where the tide has breached the sand dunes. they're holding and that's good news. more good news is at least in this area in the upper outer banks area nags head we're not hearing any reports of serious damage. we have two teams out already on the roads. they're not seeing any on instructions on the roads. no washouts. there's a few reports of tree limbs down and things like that. things knocked over in people's yards. but nothing substantial

>> reporte jim cantore, it's alex witt. can you hear me? >> reporter: alex, i can. but i was told to step out of the shot. i'm just going take the bull by the horns and step back into the shot. >> we love that. >> reporter: let's talk about this. yeah. what's going on, behavioral what we've had is exactly what we've been fearing all along. the good news is it's with a very weak category 1 hurricane. rather than a strong category 2 hurricane. with a surge about four feet higher than it is now. a couple of blocks downtown boardwalk of battery park we had a foot of water up there sloshing on the boardwalk which is amazing because after being here several times in my life and a couple of days ago when people were roaming that thing it was a beautiful day it was hard to imagine. for folks that haven't ever been anthony boardwalk, it's all concrete and what we did not have -- with what we typically have with storm surge is wave action. no big waves rolling within that water rise. you're not beating up on anything with just that water rise. all that will happen the water b

i'm thomas roberts, in today for alex witt, and we welcome you to "msnbc sunday." >>> developing for you right now, attacks on the libyan capital of tripoli. rebel forces say they are assaulting moammar gadhafi's stronghold and have at least partly surrounded the city. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engel is in libya with the very latest for us. richard, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. the battle for tripoli has clearly begun. we are now in the city of zawa, and all day we've been seeing rebel fighters moving through here to try and reinforce a front line they've established just about 15 miles on the outskirts of tripoli. we've seen rebels bringing in heavy weapons, antiaircraft guns and rockets. but behind that front line, inside the city of tripoli itself, thomas, there is also fighting pockets of resistance in several neighborhoods in tripoli, including one just about 500 yards from moammar gadhafi's presidential palace. so, we could confirm that there was fighting in tripoli itself, including right on the doorstep of gadhafi's palace. now, gadhafi him

. >>> i'm alex witt. 8:00 a.m. on the east coast. 5:00 a.m. out west. it's a make or break day for the field of presidential hopefuls today as they face the first big test of the presidential campaign. the iowa straw poll will get underway in just a few hours, and the stakes couldn't be higher for michelle bachmann and tim pawlenty, where straw poll success is considered vital for their candidacies. they were busy working the crowds last night. >> we need to make that promise and send a message to washington d.c. so loud that barack obama can't possibly miss the sound that we make tomorrow in ames, iowa, that we are taking our country back. >> the voting is from 10:00 to 4:00. you swing by at any time during the day, and we would love to have you. it would make a big difference to the outcome of that thing tomorrow. >> one of the straw poll four years ago mitt romney is skipping the straw poll this time around. a financial disclosure says he is worth between $190 million and $250 million, and as the straw poll takes place today, romney is spending time

good morning everyone i'm alex witt here in new york city.re starting to see some real damage in this region of the countras

good morning, everyone, i'm alex witt at msnbc world headquarters. we have hurricane irene making landfall along the jersey shore where it crashed ashore near the little egg inlet. at least ten deaths are blamed on irene, four million remain without power this morning. let's look at new video we're getting in from wnbc, there have been a partial roof collapse at an apartment complex in long branch, new jersey. the only good news, no reported injuries thus far. though fire crews in the area have responded to a few fires in the area overnight. fortunately they were able to put them out. let's update the latest watches and warnings from nbc meteorologist jeff ranieri. what do you think people should be on the lookout for as the storm moves north? is it winds, is it rains, is it flooding or all three? a trifecta? >> it is all three, but it depends where you are. if you're in new england, massachusetts, connecticut or interior sections of new york, it is all about the rain. no doubt about that. but for new jersey and long island, we're talking about the w

i'm alex witt. welcome to msnbc sunday. it's 11:00 a.m. here on the east coast. 8:00 a.m. out west. there is new reaction for the deadliest day of u.s. service members in afghanistan since the war started in 2001. 30 u.s. troops were killed yesterday. americans across this country are reacting. >> it brings it hope and makes you more nervous about what is going to go on. >> another good day to you, tia. any word about the official cause? what are you hearing? >> reporter: good morning. nato officials are still being tight lipped. what we do know is that there will be a press conference tomorrow where we will get new information. 30 u.s. service members were killed when their helicopter went down by insurgent fire. a group most recently credited for hunting down and killing osama bin laden. preliminary reports that their ch-47 helicopter was shot down during a night raid in eastern afghanistan district of wardak providence, west of the capital kabul. the compound was a taliban compound. the forces were working side by side when their mission took a deadly turn as their helicopter bec

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i'm in for alex witt today. it's 11:00 here in the east and 8:00 out west. happening right now, breaking news on two americans in prison in iran. josh fattal and shane bauer were sentenced to eight years in prison. they were hike i along the iran-iraqi border. they have 20 days to appeal their sentence. ali? >> reporter: that's right. they have been given a very heavy sentence. everybody in iran thought that they would be given a heavy sentence. nobody thought that these guys would spend two years in an iranian prison and not be charged with anything. the case is dragging out. we thought we would get a verdict a. ruling on their way home. that hasn't happened. this has dragged out. now the big question is whether they find at the end of the month of aramadon. the two americans could be here for the length of the sentence. >> ali arouzi in tehran. thank you for the breaking news? back here in the u.s., the first family is on vacation in cape cod but the administration is insisting that the trip is not all about fun and games for the president. kristen is trav

good morning, i'm alex witt and welcome to msnbc sunday. we are learning new details this morning about the deadly helicopter crash in afghanistan that killed 30 u.s. troops. it's the deadliest since the war began in 2001. >> we lost some great americans in the last day or so. it's a real tragedy and our hearts and minds are with those families. >> these young men are national treasurers. they are irreplaceable. >> let's start in afghanistan. good morning. what's the latest from there? >> good morning, alex. both u.s. and nato officials continue to investigate what went wrong and just how yesterday became the deadliest day for u.s. forces in afghanistan. >> 30 u.s. service members and eight afghans were killed yesterday when the helicopter came crashing down by insurgent fire. most of the mini belongs to the navy s.e.a.l.s team 6, a group most recently credited for hunting down and killing osama bin laden. preliminary reports indicate their c-47 chinook helicopter was shot down by the insurgen i during the night raid of the province. just s

i'm alex witt. welcome to msnbc saturday. it's the first big test of the 2012 presidential campaign. the drama is playing out in iowa with the ames straw poll just hours away. it's a make or day for some republican presidential hopefuls who take their political futures on the vote. it's considered vital for tim pawlenty and michele bachmann who both spent last night in full campaign mode. >> we need to make that promise and send a message to washington, d.c. so loud that barack obama can't possibly miss the sound that we leave tomorrow in ames, iowa. that we are taking our country bac back. >> it's going to have a lot to say about what the candidates are going forward as president of the united states. we need you to come by even for an hour or less. >> well former massachusetts governor mitt romney won the straw poll four years ago but is not actively competing this time around. the romney campaign says he's worth between $190 and $250 million. he spent last night in new hampshire talking to voters there. >> i respect deeply

i'm alex witt. it's 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. out west. new reaction, new details this morning on the single deadliest day for u.s. servicemembers in afghanistan since the war started in 2001. 30 u.s. troops were killed in a helicopter crash early yesterday. americans across this country are reacting. >> my nephew is over there. any time you hear of any mass killings, it just brings it home and makes you more nervous about what's going home. >> we have team coverage this morning for you. thanh truong is live in norfolk, virginia, for reaction there and atiya is in afghanistan. what's the latest you are hearing about the circumstances surrounding the crash? >> reporter: good morning, alex. we are still waiting to hear from u.s. and nato officials who say what went down in the district of wardak province yesterday. the most devastating loss americans have faced in afghanistan in the last ten years of war. the u.s. and nato still fairly tight-lipped. the majority of information we got since yesterday was from washington. many people are scrat

i'm alex witt. it's 8:00 a.m. out west. voting is now officially open at the iowa straw poll. it's a make or break day for the field of republican presidential hopefuls. the stakes could not be higher for michele bachmann and tim pawlenty. those two were busy working the crowds last night. >> we need to make that promise and send a message to washington, d.c. so loud that barack obama can't possibly miss the sound that we leave tomorrow in ames, iowa. that we are taking our country back. >> voting is from 10:00 to 4:00. swing by any time of the day. we would love to have you. it will make a big difference tor the outcome of the thing tomorrow. mark murray, joining me live from ames. good morning to you. >> good morning, alex. >> do you get a buzz or amoan men tum coalescing around one particular candidate? >> michele bachmann has had the buzz. she's had the buzz since she got in the race in the middle of june. the question is whether she has the organization to back up that buzz. the that's what we'll find out in the straw poll results later this afternoon or early this evenin

here is mayor gray who talked with alex witt in our 8:00 hour just thunderstorm. >> i think overall we fared well. the storm could have been a lot worse. the folks who work with the city have done a great job. we have power outages. which our electric company, our power company is starting to work on. we've got between 40 and 50 trees down. >> cnbc's eamon javers is live in washington, d.c. he's running down some issues, but we also know the dedication of the martin luther king memorial postponed, some 250,000 people would have been there marking that moment today. what's astonishing to me here is how quinnly it's changed. we've had drenching rains, really intense winds, and now we have clear blue sky and bright sun. what we need now is a pair of sunglasses. it's turned into a gorgeous day. it's a shame for those who canceled the dedication. they probably could have gone off without a hitch if they had had something later in the afternoon. the real challenge is all the power outages. thousands of people theyout the region, including at my house, who are without power. dismissal local p

i'm alex witt here at msnbc headquarters. you saw and read right just there. it is now tropical storm irene. do not be deceived by the name. taking a look at this radar, you can see it is still a powerful storm as it packs a punch to the inner parts of connecticut, massachusetts, as it makes its way up, specifically new bedford, massachusetts still getting pounded with the rains and the storm surge coming off the mighty atlantic as it's withheld the brund of the storms from now tropical storm irene. this is nothing to let down your guard about, particularly those folks who remain in irene's path. our ron allen will be taking to his camera post in just a moment. here's some snap shots of some of the damage left behind. from the mid-atlantic region of this country, there you saw downed lines, downed branches, rather, and trees earlier, that has been very commonplace, and of course some downed trees took with it some lives tragically, as we also look in the area of new jersey, you have phones trying to get out and about, trying to get rid of all of those downed t

i'm alex witt. welcome to msnbc sunday. we are learning new details about the deadly helicopter crash in afghanistan that killed 30 u.s. special operations troops. it's the single deadliest attack since the war in afghanistan began in 2001. among the u.s. casualties were 22 navy seals. here's the latest from kabul. >> reporter: the american and afghan special forces were working side by side when the operation took a deadly turn. a senior american official says the team was on its way to a mission not far from kabul. a volatile veej known for its strong taliban presence. their target, a taliban compound housing insurgent fighters. soon the ch-47 chinook helicopter came under fire and crashed, killing everyone on board. in operations like this one, helicopters can be vulnerable. >> this helicopter, like any helicopter, can go fast in a straight line but when it is over a target area, when it is inserting itself into a target area, it is slow. it is a very easy target for enemy troops on the ground. >> reporter: the 38 people

i'm thomas roberts if today for alex witt. welcome to "msnbc sunday." it's 9:00 in the east and 6:00 in the west. >>> we start with the attacks on the libyan capital of tripoli. mortar rounds and gun fire were heard in the capital last night. they were attacking in coordination with flight owe air support and if confirmed it would be the first time in the six--month-old uprising that the libyan capital has come under assault. richard edge cengle is in libya the latest. >> reporter: good morning, thomas. the battle for tripoli has begun. we are in the city of zawia and they've been moving through here to establish a front line they've established 15 miles in the outsdikirts of tripoli. behind that front line, inside the city of tripoli itself, thomas, there is also fighting pockets of resistance in several neighborhoods in trip lie including one just about 500 yards from moammar gadhafi's presidential palace. so we can confirm that there is fighting in tripoli itself including right on the doorstep of gadhafi's palace. gadhafi himself gave an audio speec

i'm alex witt.icials now reporting that the 31 americans killed in the crash, as many as 20 were navy s.e.a.l.s. five reportedly on the air crew. and among the afghans killed, seven troops and one civilian interpreter. >>> the united states has lost its aaa credit rating for the first time in history after the long drawn out debt fight in washington. more news later. now back to "the last voyage." >>> now to a mystery in newport beach, california. what happened to a couple who disappeared last month after selling their yacht? >> by the first week of december, with no word from tom or jackie, and nothing to move the case forward, newport beach detectives went public with the story. with the help of ryan hawks. >> dave byington told me he needs some help to get some leads, and if it was as if he gave me a mission and a task and i can help. >> tom hawks' eldest son expects foul play. >> for them not to be in contact for over two weeks, to be completely missing with personal items and various stuff, you

i'm alex witt. new information about that nato helicopter that crashed in afghanistan.nse officials reporting that the 31 americans killed in that crash, as many as 20 were navy s.e.a.l.s. and among the afghans killed, seven troops and one civilian interpreter. the president released a statement saying our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those who lost their lives. >>> in the summer of 2002, former nba star, brian williams, and his girlfriend, serena karlan were sailing the exotic pacific. also on board were brian's brother, kevin, and the captain, bertrand saldo. on july 6th, a call that was made from the boat's satellite upon was the last contact from anyone on board. except for kevin. >> i relive that phone call on a daily basis. and searching for something that i heard in the background, or anything, and nothing's there. >> by mid-august, serena's mother was extremely concerned. >> i started to be really afraid. >> kevin porter made a call to brian williams' bank, and that's when he made a stunning discovery. williams' bank told him that a check for $

i'm thomas roberts in for alex witt. it's nice to see you, and welcome to "msnbc sunday." it's 11:00 in the east, 8:00 out west, and we get straight to what's happening right now. >>> developing are the attacks on the libyan capital of tripoli. mortar rounds and gunfire were heard in the city last night, and this may be the first time in the six-month uprising that the libyan capital has come under assault by rebel forces. nbc's michelle kosinski is in london for us. michelle, bring us up to speed. what's the latest as we understand it with the forces moving into tripoli? >> reporter: yeah, these are some of the most dramatic developments we've seen, and it's seven months since this has devolved into a revolution within libya. the rebel forces now have taken over the city of zawiya, which is the left of the capital, and they've been making their way very slowly closer and closer. now, reportedly, within about 20, 25 miles of the capital from the west. but they've come under heavy fire. there are reports that pro-gadhafi forces have snipers on many of the buildings and they

. >>> hey there everyone, i'm alex witt.is what is happening. >>> deadly violence continues to take a terrifying toll in syria after at least 57 civil yaps have been killed in armored assaults across the country. among them, 38 in the eastern city of deir el-dour. >>> demonstrations in london erupted into a riot thursday. protesters threw moltov cocktails and looted buildings. 26 police officers were injured in the arrest. >>> more on that later. now, back to more "unfinished business" here on msnbc. >>> reporter: the company made garment conveying systems and sold them for millions every year. in the halls of the business office of erie manufacturing, four people, three men and a woman, had been shot dead. florida state detective agent tommy ray thought he could prove that nelson serrano, an ousted business partner, had done it, even though he claimed to be in atlanta that day and a hotel security camera backed that story up. he's got a good alibi, doesn't he? he's 500 miles away. >> he had planned it out well. >> reporter:

i'm alex witt. welcome to msnbc's special live coverage of hurricane irene.kers say the hurricane has made landfall in north carolina about a half an hour ago with the center coming ashore near cape lookout. it is also weakened a bit. evacuation orders are currently in effect for 2.5 million people along the east coast, and 6 amillion people in the storm's projected path. powerful wind gusts, punishing rain as well just slamming the north carolina coast. storm surges of six to 11 feet are expected there. talk about some flooding potential. we've got 63 shelters now open across 22 counties in that state. then at least 160,000 people have lost power in north carolina. hurricane warnings currently affect north carolina to the north into the islands of nantucket and martha's vineyard off the coast of massachusetts. nbc meteorologist jack jones me now with the potential impact of irene. good morning. i know you just got this hurricane center update. >> yeah. even though it has weakened by five miles an hour, still a category one. there has been absolutely no chang

i'm alex witt. just past 9:00 a.m. in the east, 6:00 a.m. out west. let's see what's happening out there, and we begin this hour with the breaking news out of afghanistan where senior administration officials say 31 u.s. special operations forces and seven afghan soldiers have died after a nato helicopter crashed during an overnight operation in the tangi valley just wetz of kabul. we begin now live with atia with the very latest. atia, with another good morning. i know you have been following the story for us. have officials given an explanation, confirmed how this happened? >> good morning, alex. we're still waiting to hear from u.s. and nato officials here in afghanistan. they seem to be very tight lipped at the moment, as they're investigating exactly what happened. the information that we are getting from is from the afghan president hamid karzai. we should also float that the information that president karzai gets is the same information -- practically the same information that nato gets. he says that, in fact, 31 u.s. special forces along with

i'm veronica de la cruz in for alex witt. here's what's happening. >>> when voter frustration growing over unemployment. there is new word on the economy this morning from president obama. in his weekly address the president says there are steps to be taken right now to create jobs. >> people who you elected serve, we need them to put aside their differences to get things done. we can cut payroll taxes again, so families have an extra $1,000 to spend. we can pass a road construction bill so construction crews who are now sitting idle can head back to the work site. >>> meanwhile, on the campaign trail texas governor rick perry is slamming the president's record on unemployment. this was perry speaking yesterday in florence, south carolina. >> this is the president of the united states that has killed more jobs in america than i think any president in the history certainly in my lifetime. i think the only job he cares about is the one he's got. >> the recession in the u.s. and the housing crisis has affected millions of americ

i'm alex witt.pter crash in afghanistan has killed 31 nato troops along with seven afghan soldiers. president hamid karzai is claiming the 31 were u.s. special prayings forces. we'll get that cleared up. we know it is summertime, and it is very hot, but today at least 12 states across the south are seeing record temperatures well above the 100 degree mark. standard & poor's down grades the u.s. drit credit rating from triple-a to aa-plus. it is the first downgrade in history for the u.s. the s&p is saying congress's new deficit reduction plan does not go far enough. zirchl the downgrade means standard & poor's considers canada, france, and the u.k. more credit worthy than the united states, and the united states has the same credit rating at belgium and new zeala zealand. it is just one step above beleaguered spain. john harwood is live at the white house for us with another good morning to you. you know, how embarrassing is this for the white house and for congress? >> very xwaersing. it's never ha

i'm alex witt at msnbc headquarters. we continue with the extended coverage of hurricane irene. that's where she is. she's proceed sisly squarely on top of the coast of north carolina. as we give you a look right now at nags head on the coast, we've watched mark potter and mike seidel really battle it out in nags head. they've been worried about flooding inland, but right there on the coast you can see the crew taking pictures. you can see between these water wave pictures, there aren't a lot of others out on the roads there. there have been mandatory evacuations and many people have heeded those warnings. of course, we should let you know we're monitoring very carefully janet napolitano, homeland security security and craig fugate the head of fema is letting us know what the federal government is doing to help those affected as a result of hurricane irene. we're watching so many things right now for you. we go from there now to jeff frenery who is our msnbc meteorologist. what's the status of irene? still a cat 1 despite the winds and tremendous water surges. >> that's really t

i'm alex witt. it is 9:00 a.m. on the nose. today marks the first major 2012 test for republicans. just hours from now iowa residents will cast ballots in the ames straw poll, and when the results are in, wheel see whose campaign is on fire, and whose message is falling flat. most of the major candidates are on the ballot, and not all of them are courting the iowa voters. nbc news capitol hill distribute kelly o'donnell is live are for us in ames, iowa with a good saturday morning to you, kelly. today's results will not win the nomination for any one condoleezza riced, but they could mean big problems for people who end up at the bottom of the heap, right? >> this is really a perception game, alex, and when you called it a big test, it's kind of like an olympic book test because these campaigns spend big money to bring supporters to ames to cast their ballots. the actual straw poll is a fundraiser for the republican party here, and each ticket is $30. campaigns typically buy those tickets for their supporters to attend. there's food and entertainment. it's sort of a carnival summer

i'm veronica de la cruz in for alex witt. pittsburgh has taken the lives of three people who were unable to escape their vehicle, which was completes submerge and pinned by a tree. the flooding is the result of intense storms that pounded pittsburgh yesterday with several inches of rain. another person is missing and presumed dead. >>> president obama has arrived in martha's vineyard where the first family will be taking a summer holiday, but the white house is going to great lengths to make sure voters know that the president considers this a working vacation. next week the president's top economic advisor will arrive to work on obama's speech on the economy, which will be given after labor day. >>> the u.s. has a critical shortage of medicines for some very serious diseases. so far this year a record 180 drugs have been declared in short supply. these drugs are crucial for treating colon and breast cancer, childhood leukemia, and other diseases. federal officials are creating a national stockpile to try to deal with all of

i'm alex witt. we have you covered from north carolina where hurricane irene officially made landfall about two and a half hours ago now. it's officially a category 1 hurricane. they had a 5-mile-per-hour decrease in winds. this is a huge storm, and there's the potential for a lot of dangerous activity. on the heels of that, let's go to nbc meteorologist jeff frenery. good morning. >> it's hitting quite hard here across the outer banks, and it's a real, you know, excellent example for a lot of folks in new york city and along the atlantic seaboard on why they need to be prepared for this and evacuate if they're asked. the storm moved and made the first landfall near cape lookout in north carolina. those wind speeds have been constantly in the 70 to 80-mile-per-hour range in cape hatteras. right now gusting at 87 miles per hour, and we see quite a bit of wind moving into our inland sections as well this remains a very strong category 1 hurricane approximate in all respects. it's going to move across

good morning, everyone i'm alex witt. welcome back.nks for staying with us through our extended coverage of hurricane irene which is churning right here through new york city. it is still a category 1 hurricane. the national hurricane center saying the storm surge from irene is extremely dangerous. it could raise water levels up to eight feet all the way from virginia to massachusetts. and here in new york more than 70,000 people are without power right now with irene as arrival in manhattan coinciding with high tide. that could have a destructive impact. we have a bit more on this tornado that affected that home there. spawned in delaware damaging this home and 15 others. resident said he never saw it coming. >> the hurricane we expected to have, you know, the hurricane, the tornado is a shock. i don't remember any tornadoes in lewis that i can remember. it happened out of nowhere. no warnings. >> wonder if he had a hurricane as bad as irene as well. if you were anywhere in irene's path it affects all your plans. i want to give you so

i'm alex witt. we'll go straight to north carolina right now where northbound's mark potter is live for us from nags head. it was looking pretty bad there last hour. it looks even worse now. >> yeah. these are the worst winds and the strongest rain bands that we've seen since this storm approached this area. the weather forecasters are telling us it's going to get worse before it gets better. as the eye approaches this area. that's not very comforting. we're told that the sustained winds here have measured at about 60 miles an hour, but i can tell you that we're feeling now gusts over that. the waves are coming in heavy too right now, and they're approaching the dunes that protect the pocketed areas from the ocean. we haven't seen any breaches yet, but i won't be surprised if we see some because the water is coming in very strong now. there's a house over my area where some of the shingles are starting to peel off, and we heard from our photographers out on the road that he is starting to see that i

i'm alex witt as we hit high noon here on the east coast. and the iowa straw poll marks the first time republican voters will weigh in on the gop presidential field. the candidate's speeches begin the next hour, starting with rick santorum. >> lots of people saying they liked what they heard yesterday. so i'm -- i think we have a little bit of the mo here. hopefully we can crack the top five. there's a lot of people ahead of us. if we can crack the top five, that would be a great finish for us. >> and mark murray is live for us in ames. another good day to you, mark. how high are the stakes today? can you put it into perspective? >> the best way to look at this straw poll is a winnowing process. with this ames straw poll does is if you end up following in the back half of this contest, it's going to make it tough to get the buzz, the excitement, the fund-raising needed to sustain in this contest. four years ago, sam brownback, the kansas governor, ended up finishing third. he dropped out two months later. we saw the same thing in 1999 when e