i'm lynn berry today. officials in the bahamass are getting disturbing damage reports from hurricane irene as it batters the islands there and heads towards the u.s. right new irene is a powerful category three storm an it is only expected to get worse. for the very latest on the storm's path we go to meteorologist bill carens. >> reporter: it will be moving away from the bahamass today paralyzing the east coast. large ways will still be felt. rip currents along the beach and south shoreline. the storm should peak in intensity. then it will get cooler. at the same time the storm is going to be accelerating to the north. the winds go from 125 to 115 to somewhere about 110 when it makes landfall in eastern carolina. then it is going to go to the ba bank. it is going up into southern new england and weaken into probably a category 1. it is going to be a big rainstorm and big wind storm. this is almost guaranteed to be a billion dollar disaster. >> thanks so much, bill. >>> as irene picks up route to the u.s.,

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with a perfect storm. that is how hurricane irene is being described as she churns towards the east coast, threatening up to 65 million people from north carolina to new england. irene is now a category two storm and a massive scramble is now underway to try and escape its path. for the very latest on the storm, let's get right to nbc meteorologist bill karins. bill, you've been tracking this. she's huge. >> yeah. we just got the new information from the hurricane center about three minutes ago. we're trying to digest that information it did go from a category three to a category two. it only dropped about five miles per hour. i know it's no longer considered a major hurricane, but the forecast has it going back up to major hurricane before making landfall in eastern north carolina. those temporary fluxes in the storm. the eye roughly 200 miles east of flagler county of florida. it's no

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc.too early" with willie geist starts right now. >>> the dow's wild pendulum swings back into red as the average drops 520 points with asia moving lower this morning as well. the markets concerned about the health of u.s. and european economies. the question is -- what can and should president barack obama and congress do now to stop this slide? >>> meanwhile the united states strikes back against the taliban fighters believed to have downed the american helicopter last weekend. that killed 30 u.s. service members. the question is, a lot of people have it right now -- what were 17 navy s.e.a.l.s doing on that mission to begin with? >>> and debate night in iowa for the republican presidential candidates, two days ahead of the straw poll in that state. th

i'm lynn berry. more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with a fight for freedom. amp months of stops and starts, jubilant rebel fighters made a surprisingly swift advance into tripoli sunday that appeared to be beginning of the end for moammar gadhafi's rule after two of his sons were taken into custody. this morning, heavy clashes, gunfire and explosions have been reported near gadhafi's compound as government forces launched a counterattack. meanwhile, president obama is on vacation with his family on martha's vineyard where he's been kept up to date on the situation in libya as it unfolds. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with the very layest on all of this. brian, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. the fate of the gadhafi regime has been all but inevitable. the question is what comes next? outside the white house and in parcel bration, generations of libyans express joy as moammar gadhafi's regime crumbled half a world away. >> it's a good feeling. the tast

i'm lynn berry.nd here's some of the top stories making news this morning. this august has been the deadliest month ever for u.s. forces in the long war in afghanistan. 66 service members died this month. nearly half of them when insurgents shot down a chinook helicopter. >>> libya's new rebel leadership has given forces loyal to moammar gadhafi a deadline of saturday to surrender the pockets they still control. the ultimatum comes as rebels converge on gadhafi's hometown. >>> a federal judge has blocked key provisions of a controversial new texas law that would require women seeking an abortion to view a sonogram and listen to the heartbeat of their fetus. the law was due to go into effect tomorrow. the judge ruled the measure violates the free speech rights of both doctors and patients. >>> a new brookings institution report finds that over the past decade, minorities accounted for 98% of the population growth in the largest metro areas. hispanics and asians lead the boom. now whites are a minority

i'm lynn berry, this is "first look" on msnbc.arly" starts right now. >>> president obama cruising across the midwest in his presidential campaign bus. begins his public critique of the republican field, while front-runners mitt romney and rick perry go after each other on their economic records. the question is, at the rate we're going already, can you believe the republican nominating convention is still one year and 11 days away? think about that. >>> meanwhile, a somber reopening of the indiana state fair. where five people were killed in a horrifying stage collapse over the weekend. the question is, who were the victims and who are the heroes who helped pull people out of the wreckage? we'll have a report from indianapolis. >>> and big baseball history last night as jim thome joins the super-exclusive group of men who have hit 600 career home runs. the question is, with suspicious names like bonds, sousa and a-rod on the list, how much more impressive is thome's career? it's "way too early" for this. >>> good morning, i'm wil

i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top stories making news this morning. the washington monument will be closed for repairs indefinitely after a half dozen cracks, including a four-footer, were discovered following tuesday's 5.8 magnitude earthquake in virginia. there have been at least five aftershocks, including one today measuring 4.5. >>> angela merkel tops this year's forbes list of most powerful women followed by secretary of state hillary clinton. last year's leader, michelle obama ranks eighth. >>> an unmanned russian rocket carrying three tons of food and fuel to the international space station crashed minutes after takeoff. nasa, however, says the station crew is not in any danger. >>> and citing a weak economy, aaa estimates 31.5 million americans will travel 50 miles or more over labor day weekend, a more than 2% decrease from last year. >>> and now the dow opens at 11,320 after rising 143 points yesterday. the s&p grew 15 points. the nasdaq added 21. taking a look at overseas trading thi

good morning, everyone, i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on more than. >>> we begin with a power struggle. the manhunt for moammar gadhafi continues as libya's rebel forces surround the missing leader's tripoli compound. there is still fierce fighting in the capital. all of this as one of gadhafi's sons thought to have been captured makes a bizarre appearance. nbc's brian mooar has the latest from washington. brian, good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. a spokesman for the rebels says the fight will not be over until they get gadhafi. libyan rebels have overrun gadhafi's seat of power, some with no more than axes, spear guns, and sheer determination. this morning the country and world are looking ahead to a new libya. on vacation in martha's vineyard, president obama saluted the libyan people. >> your vefrlgz your own, and -- revolution is your own, and your sacrifices have been extraordinary. now the libya that you deserve is within your reach. >> reporter: six months after the revolution started, gadhafi's regime is al

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> well, we begin this morning with irene's aftermath. as clean-up from hurricane irene continues all along the east coast this morning, federal officials say severe flooding is the biggest concern in the weak of the storm that left at least 23 people dead. here in new york city it is expected to be a frustrating morning commute as the rails, the roads, and the runways slowly reopen. nbc's jay gray joins us from new york city's times square which yesterday was a virtual ghost town. jay, good morning to you. >> good morning, lynn. you are absolutely right. could be a tough road or a tough route, depending on what mode of transportation you use. look, irene may be gone, but the devastation from the massive storm will linger from here through the outer banks for a long time. >> a flood of people filled times square overnight. want the rain and wind so many had worried about over the weekend. >> it wasn't as bad as

i'm lynn berry. this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. >>> when a fish is called a snake head, better to proceed with caution, but folks in china learned the hard way that when provoked, this slithery creature can be vicious. teasing the snake head fish proves painful for those that tested the water. a restaurant owner who purchased the fish says it's attracted plenty of curious customers, but best to look instead of touch. >>> well, you see a lot of things in a typical newscast. this is probably not one of them. during an interview on britain's channel 4 news, a peculiar thing happened. in the background something flies across the screen. the internet is abuzz of what the flying object is. a bird? a plane? a ufo? we're not going to break any news on that here. we'll let you be the judge. >>> finally, it's never okay to drink and drive, but it's especially bad when you are driving your drinks. one australian man has been charged with drunk driving on a motor

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a gathering storm. as predicted, hurricane irene regained strength overnight growing to a category 2 storm. and high above the earth you can see in this harrowing image that was taken from the international space station just how huge hurricane irene is as it passes over the caribbean. experts say the storm could grow to a category 4 monster by the time it makes landfall this weekend. in fact, some forecasts predict irene could become the most powerful storm to hit the east coast in more than a decade. let's go right now over to meteorologist todd santos. he's tracking irene for us. todd, good morning. this is going to be a big one. >> good morning. yeah, it does appear that way. the picture we saw from nasa is very large with the system but the hurricane winds only extend about 40 miles out from the center. you can see the eye making its way through the bahamas. you are talking about a category 2 storm. right now max sustained winds at 110 miles per hour. one more mile per hour and you are already a ma

i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. today we begin with panic point. standard & poor's historic downgrade of the nation's credit rating triggered a stomach-churning plunge on wall street monday. the roller coaster ride of uncertainty continued overnight as asian stocks clawed back to close above their lowest levels. u.s. market futures have fluctuated between up and down. nbc's steve handelsman reports. >> reporter: in his first reaction since standard & poor's downgraded u.s. bonds late friday, president obama rejected the double-a plus rating. >> no matter what some agency may say, we've always been and always will be a triple-a country. >> reporter: u.s. stock markets dropped sickeningly. the dow losing 5.55%. the s&p 500, 6.66%. the nasdaq off 6.9%, the biggest drop in years. gold was up to an all-time high, $1,700, a sign investors are scared. by last week's debt ceiling deal, not big or bold enough. >> no one touched entitlement spending or

i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone. today we begin with a power struggle. there have been reports of heavy fighting near moammar gadhafi's compound near tripoli this morning. but the libya leader is still nowhere to be found. this as one of gadhafi's sons, thought to have been captured, made a bizarre appearance. nbc's brian mooar has the latest from washington. brian, good morning to you. >> good morning. a spokesman for the rebels says this fight will not be over until they have qadhafi. >> reporter: libyan rebel have overrun moammar gadhafi's seat of power. some of them armed with nothing more than axes, tear guns, and sure determination. this morning this country and the rest of the world are looking ahead to a new libya, on vacation in martha's vineyard, president obama saluted the libyan people. >> your revolution is your own and your sacrifices have been extraordinary. now the libya that you deserve is within your reach. >> reporter: six m

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with market mayhem. stocks took another nauseating nosedive on wednesday as investors worry france could become the latest casualty of europe's debt problems. adding fuel to fears of a global economic crisis. losses were limited overnight in asia, but experts warn the roller coaster ride is not over yet. nbc's kristen dahlgren reports. >> reporter: the celebration short-lived on wall street. >> just another blood bathbath day. that's the only way to put it. >> reporter: the dow erasing tuesday's gains but finishing down 520, another huge point drop. >> this isn't about what the fed did. this is about europe again. this is where the concern is. >> reporter: investors once again worried that italy and spain may be unable to repay their debt and that france could be the next country stripped of its triple-a credit rating. back in washington more calls for congress to return to deal with the deficit. four house democrats sent this letter to speaker boehner urging them to en

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a perfect storm. that is how hurricane irene is being described as she churns towards the east coast, threatening up to 65 million people from north carolina to new england. irene is now a category 2 storm, and a massive scramble is now underway to try and escape its path. for the very latest on the storm, let's turn to bill karins. he has the latest track that irene is taking. >> unfortunately, no good news overnight. in the forecast is still supposed to go across eastern north carolina, then rake the eastern seaboard. we're now getting a good view of the storm on radar. one of the legacies of this storm is that it will be so huge it will affect so many millions of people, not just a small intense storm. it's a very large storm. we've seen more intense storms like katrina and andrew, but as far as size goes, this is about it. it will hit a lot of people. this will show you the cloud tops where all the heavy rain is. this dwarfs the size of florida and florida is a

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with irene's widening wake. she may not have been the damaging hurricane that many had feared, but with the death toll that's risen to at least 40 and record breaking floods not seen in nearly 100 years, irene's impact will surely be remembered for years to come. nbc's jay gray filed this report yesterday. >> reporter: the clean-up continues and so does the water. after ripping a path through the outer banks of north carolina's coast, the legacy of hurricane irene may be historic flooding. >> we have seen record flooding in vermont, record flooding in new york. we still have rivers that have yet to crest, so the extent of impacts we still won't know. >> reporter: rivers hundreds of miles from the coast turned into rapids. roads were washed away. homes turned into islands. rescuers were not immune. firefighters in new jersey spent the day trying to salvage what they could from their flooded fire station. millions remain without power. thousands unable to return to their

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with an unnatural year of natural disasters. new climate data shows irene will rank as the tenth billion dollar disaster of 2011 breaking an annual record set back in 1980. at least 39 people have died across 11 states, including three in vermont where shell-shocked residents are still digging out with many still waiting for help. nbc's jay gray has our report. >> reporter: days after hurricane irene slammed into the eastern seaboard, its presence is still being felt. widespread flooding and damage following the storm with river systems pushed to the brink. perhaps the greatest irony of hurricane irene is that landlocked vermont is suffering the greatest impact from the storm. >> the river started coming from the river toward the house and that's when it was time to get out. >> reporter: dozens of towns in vermont remain cut off. washed out roads and bridges will take months to repair. the national guard is now trucking in supplies where it can while choppers are be

i'm lynn berry. an alaskan woman convicted of punishing her adopted russian son by squirting hot sauce into his mouth and sending a tape of the incident into the dr. phil show was sentenced to three years' probation. she received a jail sentence and fine but both were suspended. prosecutors said the woman did it to get on the show. >>> in china 22 coal miners trapped underground for a week were rescued today. three others were pulled from the mine over the weekend. one miner did not survive. >>> in sicily, mt. etna is at it once again, just over a week after the latest eruption yesterday, etna began spewing up explosions of ash and lava. no reports of injuries. >>> money was falling from the skies in the netherlands after it apparently fell out of the back of a vehicle transporting cash. so naturally people started scooping it up from the roadway, but those who took the money are being asked to return it. >>> now here's your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 11,539

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a historic downgrade. around the world, financial markets are on edge, after the united states' credit rating was knocked down a notch friday. united states' credit rating was knocked down a notch friday. this morning, u.s. futures are already taking a hit, as are asian markets. nbc's brian mooar has the latest. >> reporter: president obama didn't show the heat as he returned from a weekend at camp david, despite the u.s. credit downgrade by standard & poor's. but now his administration has downgrade by standard & poor's. but now his administration has to convince the world that s&p got it wrong, and the united states is still a sound investment. states is still a sound investment. s&p stripped our n rating, dropping us into an investment league with new rating, dropping us into an investment league with new zealand and belgium. >> it's about the difficulty of all sides in finding, you know, a consensus around fiscal policy choices now and in the future. a cons

good morning, everyone, i'm lynn berry, those stories and more just ahead, this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with here we go again. just when wall street seemed to have settled down, a barrage of bad economic news collided with fresh fears about european banks. to trigger a global selloff in stocks that began in asia yesterday and continued this morning. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with details. >> reporter: the white house says fixing the economy and creating jobs is still the president's number one priority, even as he takes a controversial break from his own. mounting concerns the nation is slipping back into recession triggered another triple-digit loss on wall street. >> the market is trading on fear. we have fear of something we don't control. >> reporter: the dow dropped another 400 points and president obama's approval ratings are dipping, too. a mere 26% of americans agree with his handling of the economy, according to the latest gallup poll. in atlanta, a small army of the unemployed showed up for a job fair aimed at african-americans who h

and good morning, welcome to our viewers across the nation, including the pacific time zone, i'm lynn berry and today we begin with striking back. his re-election campaign may not be officially under way yet, but that didn't stop president obama from lashing out at the gop and his potential 2012 rivals on the first day of his so-called economic bus tour. nbc's brian mooar is in washington with details. brian, good morning. >> reporter: the president is counting on a new economic recovery plan to help create jobs and to help save his own. the white house insists president obama's three-day bus tour through the midwest isn't a campaign swing. but it sure looked that way as he rolled into iowa and sent a message to congress. >> if they don't start paying attention, then they're not going to be in office. and we'll have a new congress in there that will start paying attention to what is going on all across america. >> reporter: he promised a new economic plan in september and promised congress will have to answer to voters if it's not passed. >> the choice will be very stark and will be very cl

i'm lynn berry and this is "early today." just your first stop of the day, today, on your nbc station. >>> a record number of people raised their glasses in spain this weekend. over 7,000 people gathered for a massive cider pour. a strange choice, perhaps, but it's become sort of a tradition dating back to the first pour in 1999 when 2,000 people set a world record. the town now tries to up the stakes each year, while enjoying a picnic lunch to go with the drink. why not, right? why not? >>> and it looks like the penguin nicknamed happy feet may get a happy ending. the penguin became an overnight sensation after landing 2500 miles from home on a new zealand beach. since june, officials have been nursing the little guy back to health. he'll spend a few days aboard a research vessel before officials send him off on his own to find his way back to antarctica. >> oh. >> and finally, one man's unusual trait comes in handy. most of the time. hernandez has become quite an attraction in cuba, not just for his tree climbing skills but

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with it's all about the economy. as the president prepares to make the final stomp on his economic bus tour today, his republican rivals are on the road and on the attack over the nation's economic slump. nbc's steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: on his campaign style swing through the midwest. >> you look very trust worthy. >> reporter: president obama was in iowa, the state that put him on the path to the white house in 2008. the path rick perry hopes he's on for 2012. the texas governor was in iowa, targeting barack obama. >> now, mr. president, you tried now for 2 1/2 years of government creating jobs. >> reporter: he brags about his jobs record. texas unemployment is a point lower than the u.s. average. oil companies are profitable, tax revenue has not dropped in texas, and in fact almost all of new texas jobs are government jobs. some call perry reckless. he's standing by this charge against the federal reserve.

see your lexus dealer. >>> welcome back to "first look," i'm lynn berry. time for entertainment news. details have emerged about the 2005 break-up of brad pitt and jennifer aniston. it's all in a new book by the producer of "mr. and mrs. smith." he claims when nicole kidman was replaced on the film by angelina jolie, pitt then returned to the project. apparently pitt was infatuated with jolie from day one he says. he also writes that aniston started asking around the set if pitt was involved with jolie, but no one told her out of loyalty to pitt. pitt finally admitted the affair to aniston on a caribbean vacation with courtney cox and david arquette. aniston then ordered him out of their home. >>> well known for his outbursts, kanye west is at it again. he received some boos in england last weekend when he told a concert audience people look at him like he's insane. like he's hitler. in true kanye fashion, he added quote, one day the light will shine through and one day people will understand everything i ever did. >>> and finally, tmz reports outspoken fi

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with it's all about the economy. as the president prepares to make the final stop on his economic bus tour today, his republican rivals are on the road and on the attack over the nation's economic slump. nbc's steve handelsman has our report. >> reporter: on his campaign style swing through the midwest president obama was in iowa, the state that put him on the path to the white house in 2008. the path rick perry hopes he's on for 2012. the texas governor was in iowa targeting barack obama. >> mr. president, you have tried now for 2 1/2 years of government creating jobs. >> reporter: here he brags about his jobs record. texas unemployment is a point lower than the u.s. average. oil companies are profitable. tax revenue has not dropped in texas. and in fact, almost all of new texas jobs are government jobs. some call perry reckless. he's standing by this charge against the federal reserve. >> printing for money to play politics at this particular time in american history

i'm lynn berry. here's some of the stories making news this morning. republicans held on to control in wisconsin's state senate. with six races at stake, the democrats needed to take at least three of those races to take power, which they failed to do. the political fight grew out of scott walker's successful efforts to adopt legislation, stripping most public workers the right to bargain on labor contracts. >>> in texas, a jury has sentenced warren jeffs to life in prison, plus 20 years, for sexual assaulting two years he claims was his spiritual brides. he will not be eligible for patrol until he is 100 years old. >>> the waves in a snapped a part of an ice shelf in antarctica some 800 miles away. the icebergs broke away from the shelf following the break. >>> and nasa has released video capturing a powerful solar flare that erupted early yesterday. it is the sun's strongest burst in about four years. >>> and now, here's your "first look" at how wall street will kick off the day. the dow opens at 1

i'm lynn berry. time for entertainment news. office wasn't who won but by how much. "rise of the planet of the apes" took in $54 million taking in 15 to $20 million more than analysts expected. the family film "the smurfs" had a strong second weekend taking second place with an impressive $21 million. don't shake your head. that's a classic. the star-packed sci-fi western "cowboys and aliens" fell to third. disappointing with under 16 million. and finally what's going on here. the weekend's big bust, ryan reynolds and jason bateman's r-rated comedy "the change-up" had just $13.5 million. >> ryan reynolds hasn't had a hit. just stick his face in front of the screen. >> maybe his shirt was on for most of the movie. >> it wasn't the whole twilight. they did master that. just don't wear a shirt. i'm lynn berry. this is "first look" on msnbc. stay tuned. "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >>> the white house spent the weekend attacking the credibility of standard & poor's after the united states receives a stunning d

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with a fight for freedom. there has been heavy fighting this morning near the compound of libyan leader moammar gadhafi as government forces wage a counterattack against rebel fighters who advanced into the capital last night. meanwhile, gadhafi's whereabouts are still unknown. nbc's jim maceda is live for us following all the latest developments. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. well, rebels swept into the capital and quickly controlled about 80, even 90% of the city. but as you say, the fighting isn't over yet. the gadhafi tanks are firing, according to some rebels, indiscriminately outside his tripoli port. one rebel fighting saying that -- and i quote him -- there is gunfire everywhere. rebels are trying to move house to house looking for those pro gadhafi snipers who are hitting them with great effect. now there's reports that the son and commander of the brigade in charge of trip ole, that he's moving his force into central tripoli to take on the rebels. while all this heavy resistance is h

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a much needed rebound. it was another roller coaster ride on wall street yesterday, but after being beaten and battered on monday, bargain hunters pushed markets to finish tuesday with impressive gains. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: the stock markets were bouncing back the day after the big drop as federal reserve policymakers met in washington and decided against new intervention. the fed will keep interest rates superlow as a stimulus for two more years and not buy more u.s. bonds. >> the fed is out of bullets. anything additional it can do has marginal consequences. >> reporter: hearing a negative economic prediction, the markets dropped. >> thank you for coming out. >> reporter: in iowa tea party republican michele bachmann blamed president obama for the crisis. >> president obama and the politicians have almost doubled the national debt in five years. that's why they're in trouble. >> reporter: democrats slammed the gop solution. much deeper spending cuts. >> you cannot balance the budg

i'm lynn berry and this is "first look."ned, "way too early with willie geist" starts right now. >>> with the help of nato air strikes, libyan rebels overrun the compound from which moammar gadhafi has run the country for decades. and they loot his personal stuff, fur coats included. even as the dictator sends out one more defiant radio message. the question is, how much longer can gadhafi play this game of hide and seek? >>> meanwhile a magnitude 5.8 earthquake shakes the nation's capital and sends shockwaves up and down the east coast. the question is just h

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. today we begin with ready for a vacation. as president obama wrapped up his campaign-style bus tour and prepared for some time off, he is facing more heated attacks from gop opponent rick perry and obama's lowest approval rating yet. a new gallop poll finds just 26% of americans surveyed approve of the way president obama handled the nation's economy. nbc's brian mooar joins us from washington with more on all this. brian, good morning to you. >> reporter: we're learning the president wants to create jobs by building up infrastructure. he wants help for the long term unemployed, he wants to extend the unemployment tax, but perhaps poboldest of all, he's shooting for $4 trillion in budget cut, far more than the $1.5 trillion that the congressional super committee is shooting for before thanksgiving. but the president also want to the restorm entitform entitleme raise taxes on the rich. rick perry, the republican running to to try to take president obama's job, is on the campaign trail.

. >>> i'm lynn berry and here's what's happention.sian markets opened down amidst concerns about the downgraded u.s. credit rating. >>> timothy geithner says standard and poors showed terrible judgment. despite calls from republicans for him to step down, he says he's not stepping down. >>> riots in london were sparked over a fatal police shooting. now back to "to catch a predator." >>> do you want me to call for him? where is he? come on in! how was the drive? >> good. >> we hired this 18-year-old actress as a decoy. here, pretending to be a 12-year-old alone in our undercover house. the man who is coming to visit her is 29-year-old james cisneros. his screen name is too graphic to say on television. almost right off the bat sisneros asks an apparent 12-year-old online -- >> you like sex? >> who doesn't? >> me, too. >> you want to hang out tonight? if you're not busy. >> she tells him that he can't come over now because her mother is home. >> oh, can you sneak off late tonight and we can get a hotel and i'll drop you off and you snea

♪ ♪ ♪ >>> i'm lynn berry. here is what is happening.future is also in negative territory. that signals a possible sell-off on wall street on what will be the first day of trading since s&p downgraded the u.s. credit rating. >>> an ohio man went on a neighborhood shooting rampage killing seven and wounding one other before he was shot and killed by police. the man's girlfriend was among the shooting victims. now back to "witness to jonestown." >>> having just escaped a knife attack, congressman leo ryan gathers his group and leaves jonestown with 15 defectors from peoples temple. two planes are waiting to take them from this remote airstrip back to georgetown. >> i actually thought we had dodged a bullet. i thought we got out of there. we exposed the peoples temple for what it was, we've saved some people's lives and we got out just in the nick of time. >> all of a sudden this tractor-trailer appeared at the end of the runway. the tractor-trailer started moving down the runway toward the planes and i heard pop, pop, pop, pop. they were c