i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead on msnbc. >>> we ginn begin with the death of a dictator. a new chapter begins for libya now that moammar gadhafi is dead. how was he taken down and what was the united states' role in his killing. steve handelsman has the details. first we want to warn you, some of the video in this report may be disturbing. >> reporter: outside the whus libyans an libyan americans staged a thank you rally. moammar gadhafi is dead after 42 years of murder rouse rule. outside the white house, president obama is pleased, his plan worked. >> there's no doubt we did exactly what we said we were going to do in libya. >> reporter: it was a limited u.s. role when the rebels faced massacre and pushing other nato nations to take over. rebels say he was shot in the head in a cross fire. this is closure to the loved ones of americans remembered at this monument in syracuse, new york, killed when the libyan dictator allegedly had their u.s. jetliner blown up in 1988. >>

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin with coast-to-coast case cro chaos. cities affected by the nationwide movement may have run out of patience with the protests. in new york, occupy wall street protesters were met with police force and barricades after they broke off into groups and held up traffic. at least ten were arrested. they were marching in solidarity with occupiers in oakland where clashes turned violent and jay gray has more. >> reporter: as the thick smoke of tear gas fills the night sky, it's clear that tempers and tension surrounding the national occupy movement are growing. >> all we're trying to say, it's our right, freedom of speech. >> reporter: but after a series of arrests over the last couple of days in oakland, atlanta, albuquerque and other cities, police say the issue isn't freedom of speech. >> the decision to move was based on public health and safety due to defecation, fire hazards, sexual assault incidents,

i'm lynn berry. today we begin a race against time. rescue teams in turkey are frantically searching for signs of life, digging through the aftermath of sunday's 7.2 earthquake. officials say at least 366 were killed and 1300 injured in the quake-prone region. nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: a young man pulled from the rubble more than 30 hours after being buried alive. a toddler freed from a cage of mangled steel and concrete and carried to safety. rare survival stories giving hope to this devastated town. scores of building were simply flattened in an instant. no one knows just how many people might still be alive, trapped in the rubble. rescue workers are racing against the clock to reach survivors in time, clearing debris with heavy equipment, shovels and by hand. the grief here is overwhelming. families have begun making funeral arrangements for loved ones and the full scope of the disaster is not yet known. turkey's prime minister sent troops to the region and came in person to see

i'm lynn berry. those stories are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin with an end to a bizarre story. all the animals that have been released from an exotic animal farm have been accounted for. unfortunately with nearly all having been shot dead by authorities. now that the hunt is over officials can focus on why the owner freed the animals then took his own life. nbc's andy roachen reports. >> reporter: 48 animals were doomed when they were set free. as frantic calls started coming in -- there are. >> there is a lion on mt. perry road. >> they were on the move. they were showing aggressive behavior. >> reporter: the animals includes wolves, bears, monkeys, leopards and what hurt the most for famed zookeeper jack hanna, 18 bengal tigers. >> 18 bengal tigers running around the neighborhoods, you wouldn't want to see what happens. >> reporter: he said there was no way to round them up. >> the sheriff did the right thing. >> reporter: authorities say terry thompson had plenty

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with turning up the heat. president obama is using his campaign-style bus tour to take jabs at republicans standing in the way of his jobs proposals. not surprisingly, the gop is firing back. for more on that we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington for us. good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. some of that criticism is about his jobs plan. some of it is about this campaign-style bus tour. the buses alone cost over $2 million. republicans are questioning whether that's a good use of taxpayer money. president obama visits a community college in north carolina and a virginia high school today. >> pass this bill. we need to pass this bill. >> reporter: he's pitching $35 billion to save nearly 300,000 jobs, teachers, police, firefighters, first responders, part of his bigger jobs bill the senate rejected. >> we're going to break up my jobs bill. maybe they just couldn't underst

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with under pressure. republican presidential candidates are in new hampshire gearing up for tonight's economic-themed debate. the latest polls show former massachusetts governor mitt romney out in front. nbc's tracy potts joins us from washington with more on all of this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. each of these candidates has an agenda going into this debate tonight. mitt romney needs to maintain. herman cain needs to show why he's moving up. rick perry needs to prove he can survive. front runner mitt romney has a 37% lead in new hampshire, where tonight's debate is supposed to focus on the economy. >> government will spend whatever you give them and then some. my view is, hey, guys, let's not talk about taking more of the money of the american people. >> reporter: but questions about romney's mormon faith are likely to surface tonight along with criticism of the health p

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> and we begin this morning with breaking news and a second chance. today there is a possibility amanda knox could gain her freedom after spending four years behind bars in italy for her roommate's murder. knox has addressed the court ahead of it deciding on the appeal of her 26-year prison sentence. a tearful knox said the accusations that she killed her roommate are unfair and groundless. knox and her co-defendant, a boyfriend at the time of the killing, were found guilty of stabbing meredith kercher to death. prosecutors wanted her sentence increased to life in prison. the defense has tried to cast doubt over dna evidence linking the two to the crime. the prosecution contends even without dna, there is overwhelming circumstantial evidence proving knox committed the crime. a verdict is expected later today. >>> and back here at home, the campaign of gop presidential hopeful rick perry is on the defensive ove

i'm lynn berry. today we begin 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, crushing 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. francis has more. >> reporter: it's not what you would expect to see on the eve of halloween, goblins and ghouls covered in white. but this winter stormy won't keep kids from getting their treats. >> we're excited, actually. >> reporter: cleanup began sunday 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 3 million in the dark as crippled limbs fell on roads and power lines. >> a lot of tree damage. >> reporter: damage that can take ahile to repair. >> they're going to have extensive and long-term power outages. >> reporter: snow started

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with turning up the heat. president obama is using his campaign-style bus tour to take jabs at republicans standing in the way of his jobs proposal. not surprisingly, the gop is firing back. for more on that we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington for us. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. the big black buss that the president is traveling in, two of them that cost taxpayers over $2 million. republicans are questioning whether that's a good use of taxpayer money. president obama visits a community college in north carolina and a virginia high school today. >> pass this bill. we need to pass this bill. >> reporter: he's pitching $35 billion to save nearly 300,000 jobs -- teachers, police, firefighters, first responders, part of his bigger jobs bill the senate rejected. >> we're going to break up my jobs bill. maybe they just couldn't understand the whole thing all at once. >> reporter: republicans are livid about this campaign-style tour. >> he'

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with holding their ground. a standoff is brewing this morning with occupy wall street protesters facing potential eviction in lower manhattan. the owner of the park where they've been camping out wants them out so the site can be cleaned. demonstrators fear it's part of a plan to end their protest. nbc's mara schiavocampo reports. >> reporter: almost one month in, the occupy wall street protests are growing in number and intensity. thousands taking to the streets in at least 190 cities nationwide. the latest nbc news/wall street journal poll finds 37% of americans support the protesters, with 40% of wealthy americans backing the movement, more than any other income group. >> what we've witnessed across america over the last several weeks are our citizens taking to the streets, borne out of frustration. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., eight arrested after gathering at the capital. >> why a

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with holding a show down o. protesters are staying right where they are. the demonstrators have been preparing to face possible evex after the owner demanded the site be importaemptied so it co cleaned. okay pi wall street feared it was all a pretext, part of a plan to permanently end their protest. many felt the stage had been set for major confrontation this morning. within the last hour, new york's deputy mayor announced the owners of the park have postponed the cleaning of the park and for the time being have with drawn their request for assistance to empty it. >>> and america's unemployment situation is the key issue behind growing national protests. today it will be on president obama's agenda as he hits the road to promote his plan for getting americans back to work. for more on that, we go to nbc's tracie potts in washington for us. good morning. >> reporter: hi, lynn. good morning. he is hitting the road headed to michigan to take a look at factories where cars

i'm lynn berry. here's some of the top stories making news this morning. reports say the body of ousted libyan leader moammar gadhafi has been buried at an unknown location. this after officials said he would be buried in a secret desert grave. meanwhile, the head of the transitional government reassured western powers the country will be run by moderate muslims. >>> republican presidential candidate rick perry is proposing a tax overhaul that would slash corporate rates and give individuals the option of paying a 20% flat tax on their income. >>> a federal judge in florida is temporarily blocking a new state law requiring welfare recipients to pass a drug test before receiving benefits. the judge says the law may violate the constitution's ban on unreasonable search and seizure. >>> scientists say this year's devastating tsunami in japan has created giant fields of floating debris in the pacific ocean that could hit u.s. shores by 2014. u.s. navy vessels have had to steer around the garbage. >>> eur

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with free to go. amanda knox is expected to leave italy today after a court's stunning decision yesterday to overturn her murder conviction, the murder, of course, of her roommate. although the case is not just closed yet, the ruling gives knox a chance to restart her life after spending four years behind bars. nbc's keith miller reports from italy. >> reporter: an extraordinary end to an ordeal called a nightmare by the knox family. once the judge ruled that she was free to go, the entire family broke down into tears. amanda knox was literally sobbing and had to be helped from the courtroom after the verdict was read. you could see she was absolutely overjoyed but the relief so great on her. she was found guilty of one charge, slander against a character who she fingered in an original interrogation, which she claims was a coerce by the police. nonetheless, that was a three-year sentence, time served already four years. >> they just bust into tears, smiling, hugging ea

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with under pressure. republican presidential ran dates are in new hampshire gearing up for tone's economic-themed debate. the latest polls show mitt romney out in front while herman cain's recent surge in the polls will shine a brighter spotlight on him. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on this. >> reporter: good morning. a new poll this morning shows romney in new hampshire with a 30 point lead. cain has second and rick perry is a distant third meaning he has got to prove he can survive. front runner mitt romney has a 37% lead in new hampshire where tonight's debate is supposed to focus on the economy. >> government will spend whatever you give them and then some. and so my view is, hey, guys, let's not talk about taking more of the money of the american people. let's talk about living within the means. >> reporter: but questions about romney's mormon faith are likely to surface tonight, along with criticism of the health plan he created as gov

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with on the offensive. white house officials say president obama is ready to roll out 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. nbc's tracie potts joins us from washington with more on that and the president's latest approval ratings. good morning to you. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. this year we are expected to hit 1 trillion dollars in student loan debt in this country for the first time outpacing credit cards this year. today in colorado, at the university of colorado, president obama is expected to announce new rules that he calls pay as you earn. the government's already made concessions to lower student loan payments. this will allow students to consolidate old loans and newer loans into one payment, lowering the interest rate by half a percent and prevent a lot of people from going into default. college is still a good deal. the unemployment rate for college graduates still half that of

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today." just your first stop of date today on your nbc station. have a good one.

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with defeated but not necessarily dead. last night's senate lawmakers voted down president obama's $447 billion jobs bill even as the president was on the road trying to drum up support for it. the package of tax cuts and new spending failed in a 50-49 vote, falling short of the 60 needed to keep it alive. two democrats joined all republicans in blocking a vote on the bill. republicans opposed its spending to stimulate the economy and its tax on millionaires. after the vote, the president vowed to continue his fight. white house officials and congressional supporters say the plan will now be broken up into pieces to allow for separate future votes. >>> last night in a bloomberg television/washington post republican presidential debate, the candidates squared off in new hampshire over economic issues. with a surprise endorsement and 9-9-9 grabbing the spotlight. nbc's steve handelsman has more. >> reporter: mitt romney came to the debate far ahead in new hampshire polls

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with a second chance. there is a chance that amanda knox could gain her freedom today. she has addressed the court ahead of deciding the appeal and whether or not they will grant the appeal of her 26 year prison sentence. chapman bell has been following developments in italy. good morning. >> reporter: it has been an emotional day in the courtroom and the final acts we will see before the judge and jury come back with a verdict in the case. amanda knox gave an emotional plea. she had the opportunity to sit down to deliver it. she said she wants to go home. she did not commit this crime. she wants to seek the truth. she seeks the truth and wants to find out what happened to her friend. also giving a declaration to the court today was her co-accused former boyfriend. it is interesting to note that during both of their declarations in the court, the judges and jury were very focused. some jury members having tears in their eyes. also with tears in their eyes are amanda's f

i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today.

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with coast to coast chaos. receipt flare-ups between police and protesters angry over corporate greed hit cities affected by the nationwide movement may have run out of patience with the protests. to new york last night, occupy wall street protesters marching in lower manhattan were met with police force and barricades after they broke off into groups and held up traffic. at least ten people were arrested. the new york protesters say they were marched in solidarity with marchers in oakland where clashes turned violent on wednesday. nbc's jay gray has more. >> reporter: as the thick smoke of tear gas fills the night sky, it's clear tempers and tension surrounding the national occupy movement are growing. >> all we're trying to say, it's our right, freedom of speech. >> reporter: but after a series of arrests over the last couple of days in oakland, atlanta, albuquerque and other cities, police say the issue isn't freedom of speech. >> the decision to move was based on public health and safety due to defecation,

i'm lynn berry. welcome to our viewers across the nation include the pacific time zone. today we begin with tragedy in turkey. rescuers are digging through dust and rubble in eastern turkey this morning after a powerful 7.2 earthquake struck near the country's border with sunday on sunday. at least 270 people are dead. hundreds more injured, and authorities fear that death toll could rise dramatically in the days ahead. emily morgan from our english broadcasting partner itn reports. >> reporter: grimacing and in pain, but alive, this woman was pulled out from under a collapsed building eight hours after the earthquake struck. working by torchlight rescuers have been looking for survivors trapped by concrete. she was searching for relatives here. this was a seven-story building in van, demolished in a split second as locals watched from below, workers continued the painstaking task of looking and listening. the sounds of cutting machines throughout the evening raised hopes that others were being freed

i'm lynn berry. and today we begin with the loss of steve jobs. it was news many people learned on the very devices he will be remembered for that changed the way we communicate. the tech visionary died yesterday at the age of 56, surrounded by his family. apple fans paid tribute to its iconic co-founder outside the company's headquarters in california last night as similar memorials popped up outside apple stores across the country. nbc's george lewis looks back on his life and legacy. >> reporter: he was the father of the iphone, the ipad, the apple mac computer turning gadgets into desire. >> i think you should go after more. >> as he was fond of saying, wait, there's more. >> today apple is going to be reinvent the phone. >> reporter: and people did wait. in long lines for the first iphones in 2007. and then three years later they lined up for the ipad. changing the way people consume media. >> design plus function equals the right lifestyle. and that's what he filled. >> reporter: in 1976 jobs c

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with stealing the lead. a new nbc news/wall street journal poll indicates how volatile the republican race for the white house has become. the data shows there's a new front-runner among presidential hopefuls, unsettling news for some in the republican party. tracie potts is joining us from washington with more on this. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. republicans in this poll are siding more with the candidate who shares their views as opposed to the one who can win. that led herman cain to surge to the top with 27%. a lot of his support coming from tea partiers and those who identify themselves as very conservative. he does very well in those areas. cain says it is because people are starting to take his 999 flat tax plan seriously. the poll indicate that is people like the fact that he's a businessman and not a politician. mitt romney who had been the front-runner still at 23%. he's holding steady. it is not that republicans don't like him, they seem to think

i'm lynn berry.wly implemented state department program to train iraqi police lacks focus, could become a financial bottomless pit and may not even be wanted by iraqis. that's all according to a report by the u.s. special inspector general for iraq reconstruction which also says the department failed to develop a detailed plan for the training. this comes just days after president obama announced the withdrawal of u.s. troops from iraq by year's end. >>> meanwhile, secretary of state hillary clinton warns iran that they should not misread that troop withdrawal decision, saying the u.s. will continue to have a strong presence in the region. >>> a stunning comment from afghan president hamid karzai, who tells pakistani television he would backpa pakistan if it ever went to war with the u.s. karzai's position stands in stark contrast to his visit last week with secretary hillary clinton. >>> argentine president christina fernandez has won a landslide re-election with one of the widest victory margins in

i'm lynn berry. those stories and more are straight ahead. this is "first look" on msnbc. >>> we begin this morning with free to go. amanda knox is expected to leave italy today after a court's stunning decision yesterday to overturn her conviction for the murder of her roommate. although the case is not closed just yet, the ruling gives knox a chance to restart her life after spending four years behind bars. nbc's keith miller reports from italy. >> reporter: an extraordinary end to an or dooelt called a nightmare by the knox family once the judge ruled she was free to go, the entire family broke down into tears. amanda knox was literally sobbing and had to be helped from the courtroom after the verdict was read. you could see she was absolutely overjoyed, but nonetheless, the relief so great on her. she was found guilty of slander against a character who she fingered in an original interrogation which she claims was a coerce by the police. nonetheless, that was a three-year sentence. time served al

i'm lynn berry and today we begin with a long awaited homecoming. just a short time ago amanda knox was locked up in prison for a crime she says she didn't commit. now she is back on u.s. soil. kyle from kgw in portland, oregon, is in seattle with more. kyle, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. cheers of welcome home could be heard as amanda knox arrived here. her four-year ordeal is finally over. she is home, free, and back with her family. a homecoming four years in the making. a tearful amanda knox was greeted with applause as she returned home after four long years in an italian prison. >> i am really overwhelmed right now. i was looking down from the airplane and it seemed like everything one real. >> reporter: a day after her murder conviction was overturned, knox thanked her supporters. >> i just want to say thank you to everyone who believed in me, who defended me, who supported my family. >> reporter: it's her first taste of freedom since the seattle exchange student and two others were charged with the brutal murder of her roommate. k

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with tragedy in turkey. rebels are digging through rubble this morning after a powerful 7.2 earthquake struck with the country's border are iran on tuesday. at least 217 people are dead, hundreds more injured, and authorities fear that death toll could rise dramatically in the days ahead. emily morgan from itn reports. >> reporter: grimacing and in pain, but alive, this woman was pulled out after eight hours under rubble. rescuers have been looking for residents trapped by concrete. this was a seven-story building in vam, demolished in a split second as locals watched from below, workers continued the painstaking task of looking and listening. the sounds of cutting machining throughout the evening raised hopes of just who was being freed while everywhere, poignant reminders of life. this woman says she fled the building when she felt the tremor. she hopes her friend who lives here, too, is alive. the lucky ones staggered free from the carnage over the scramble of the ruins trying to find friends and neighbor

trusted everywhere. >>> welcome back to "first look," i'm lynn berry.il 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 unearth

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with holding their ground. a standoff is brewing this morning with occupy wall street protesters facing potential eviction in lower manhattan. the owner of the park where they've been camping out wants them out so the site can be cleaned. demonstrators feel it's part of a plan to end their protest. >> reporter: almost one month in, the occupy wall street protests are growing in number and intensity. thousands taking to the streets in at least 190 cities nationwide. the latest nbc news/wall street journal pole show 37% support the protesters and 40% of the wealthiest backing them the group. >> what we've witnessed across america over the last several weeks are our citizens taking to the streets, borne out of frustration. >> reporter: in washington, d.c., eight arrested after gathering at the capital. the last few days have seen an escalation in demonstrations and clashes from boston to seattle. police in portland cleared the streets, tearing down tents. >> we'll stay here as long as necessary to ensure the stree

i'm lynn berry. u.s. labor unions have joined thousands of demonstrators in the occupy wall street protest in new york city. police say some protesters were pepper sprayed yesterday for charging at officers. gop presidential candidate herman cain blasted the activists, calling them un-american. >>> researchers in new york say for the very first time, they've used cloning techniques to create human embryos and produce viable stem cells. the breakthrough could be a step toward the long-sought goal of creating stem cells used to treat major diseases because they wouldn't be rejected by patients' immune systems. >>> nasa says its kepler space telescope has found a three-planet system floating around a star similar to our sun. one of the planets is being described as a super earth that's twice the size of our own planet. >>> and one of europe's wealthiest art accurates, spain's 85-year-old duchess of alba married a civil servant 25 years her junior. she had to win her children's approval by dividing her $4.6 b

i'm lynn berry. today we begin with damage control. the campaign of gop presidential hopeful rick perry is on the defensive over a report linking him to a hunting camp that used a racially charged name. the accusations have drawn criticisms from rival herman cain who spent the weekend celebrating a victory. tracie potts joins us with more from washington. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. herman cain has now won his second republican straw poll, the first one in fll florida and now in kansas city at a women's gop convention. he had been considered a minor candidate, this former pizza executive from atlanta, but now he seems to be gaining momentum. we saw him on a couple of the sunday talk shows yesterday criticizing texas governor and candidate rick perry. apparently perry, his father owns a farm where perry often hunts. at this entrance of that farm painted on a rock was a racial slur. the perry family says they bought this farm in the 80s, they removed it, but there were some anon-miss reports that it was still there recently. cain sa

captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello and good morning, i'm lynn berry. today we begin with an end to a very bizarre story. all of the animals released from an exotic animal farm have been accounted for. unfortunately, nearly all shot dead by authorities. now that the hunt is over, officials can focus on why the owner freed the animals and then took his own life. nbc reports. >> reporter: 48 animals were doomed the moment their owner, terry thompson, set them free tuesday night from his farm. as frantic calls to 911 started coming in -- >> there's a lion. >> reporter: deputies knew instantly it was kill or be killed. the animals included wolves, african lions, mountain lions, bears, monkeys, leopards, and what hurt the most for famed zookeeper jack hanna, eight bengal tigers, endangered species, shot dead. >> bengal tigers running around these neighborhoods, you wouldn't have wanted to see what happened. >> reporter: he fully supports the killings. he says there's no way to round up the animals. >> animal rights are going nuts but the sheriffs did the rig