the family of knox's former roommate meredith kercher are also not present for the start of today's newrial. nbc's keith miller is joining us this morning in florence with details. >> reporter: this is the third time that amanda knox will face trial for murder and violent sexual assault, and it may not be the last. italy's highest court ordered the appeal of knox's not guilty verdict in her last trial, describing the ruling as full of deficiencies, contradiction, and illogical conclusions. and it called for a full review of all the evidence. >> the question for me as an attorney is whether that evidence is now after so many years reliable, whether the chain of custody was properly preserved. >> reporter: it was almost six years ago that knox and her former boyfriend were accused of murdering knox's roommate meredith kercher, an exchange student from england. the brutal killing captured worldwide headlines because knox, appearing like the all-american girl, was accused of participating in a drug-fueled sex game gone wrong. she was found not guilty on appeal after serving four years in pr

>> asked to introduce new evidence, evidence related to meredith kercher's cell phone, her computers,a found underneath her body. the judge said no to that. minuscule amounts of d.n.a. on a knife. prosecutors have always said that knife, you see there, is the murder weapon and the d.n.a. on it ties amanda knox to it. a former washington state judge. friend of the knox family, he said even if amanda knox is found guilty in this trial, highly unlikely she would ever be extradited. listen. >> it's my belief that the united states government would not hand her over because she would be protected as an american citizen under our constitution under the double jeopardy provision of our constitution. >> this trial by the way, jon, likely to last until the end of november, jon? >> she is not in court this t it still can't be easy for amanda knox. >> certainly not. the judge knows the family very well. he says this is just terrible that she is being put now through what is in effects a third murder trial. being forced along with her former boyfriend and relive their nightmare listen again to ju

meredith kercher, that family remains coinced that they are indeed guilty. the appeal centered largely on aftersue of dna evidence testimony came from experts who trashed the performance of italian forensic police. they called the collecting of samples very poor. >> pope francis announces two of declaredcessors to be , it is appeared as a move to unite catholics from around the world. for the benefit of our viewers from around the world, tell us more about these former popes. >> hope john xxiii died a long roman 23-- hope john johne -- hope --pope roman 23 died a long time ago, supposedly he had a sense of , bringing the roman catholic church to the modern world. the decision of pope francis with the pope from poland, the great world traveler, bringing him into communism in eastern thepe, representing progressive and the conservative together is unprecedented. do you think of that is what he is doing echo >> absolutely. we are expecting hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to come to rome for this ceremony. what will be interesting of that there will be another

knox was found guilty of killing 21-year-old meredith kercher in 2009, but she won an appeal the 2011nd she was released and she returned to the united states. but the case is being tried again after italy's highest court noted contradictions and interconsistencies in the first trial. knox is not planning to return to florence, but she could be asked to testify via video link. she maintains her innocence in this case. >>> we had a gorgeous sunday >>> we had a gorgeous sunday today, didn't we? today is gonna be an important day for us. you ready? we wanna be our brother's keeper. what's number two we wanna do? bring it up to 90 decatherms. how bout ya, joe? let's go ahead and bring it online. attention on site, attention on site. now starting unit nine. some of the world's cleanest gas turbines are now powering some of america's biggest cities. siemens. answers. >>> heavy rain and strong winds caused severe flooding and power outages in the seattle area today. take a look at this. the heavy rainfall caused flooded streets and road closures. wind gusts also knocked down trees and power

italy, now, the retrial of amanda knox is getting under way for her alleged role in the death of meredith kercherknox is not there. here's a look inside the courtroom. she's home in seattle. two years ago, italy's highest court overturned her murder conviction after she spent nearly 4 years in prison i. she still suffered from panic attacks and post traumatic stress disorder. >> h how kr v you changed? >> my family was expecting the old amanda back. which is the old -- amanda back. i'm not quite as chirpy anymore. >> no new evidence or witnesses are likely in this retrial. but what is possible is that the only person serving a sentence for the crime could take the stand. he admitted to police that he was at the crime scene. >>> deadly bacteria blamed for nine deaths in florida. health officials are warning people not to eat raw or undercooked shell fish. anyone with a wound or broken skin is twoornd stay out of the water. >>> the family of a 24-year-old los angeles dodgers fan killed last week in san francisco is now asking for the public to help out in this case. jonathan denver's family was han

judge agreed to run additional dna tests on the kitchen knife believed to have been used to kill meredith kercher in 2007. the new trial was ordered for knox and her former boyfriend in march. knox is not in court. she's free in the u.s. and has no plans to return to italy. >>> we check on how things are going on wall street coming up. plus, when you hear about new jury line fees it's -- airline fees it's bad news. one rging ] [ daughter ] hi mom. hey honey, the trip's great, very relaxing. are you sure you can't make it? but you come every year! you could be playing bingo right now! woooo! and there's movie night -- you love movies! [ laughs ] sorry honey, can't hear you -- bad connection. love you! [ laughs ] ♪ [ male announcer ] bold flavors for the bold hearted -- progresso heart healthy soup. >>> stocks still remain down as investors worry not only about the looming government shutdown tonight but also a likely standoff of the nation's borrowing limits in a couple of weeks could push the nation to a default. >>> there are reports twitter will make its initial public offering by friday. and h

meanwhile meredith kercher's family remains here in the united kingdom. her brother today submitted a letter to the court saying their parents are too ill to attend the trial. we can only imagine how difficult this must be for them. carol? >> erin mclaughlin, thank you so much, reporting live from london. >>> checking other top stories, ntsb investigators are on the scene of a plane crash at the santa monica airport. no one survived. there's no word how many people were on board but the jet can carry up to nine people. >>> more than a dozen car bombs exploded on crowded streets in baghdad this morning. reuters says the attacks killed at least 54 people. more than 100 others were wounded. the attacks appear to be targeting predominantly she "headline news tonight" muslim neighborhoods. >>> pope john xxiii and john paul ii will be declared saints april 27th. to become a saint a person needs to lead a holy life and perform two miracles. >>> in money news, bank fees have been spiking for 15 straight years, this according to "usa today" and bankrate.com. both

she and her then boyfriend were accused of killing knox's roomate meredith kercher. back in the u.s. knox reenrolled in college, found a new boyfriend, and wrote a book. but then this spring, a crushing blow. the italian supreme court ordering a retrial. knox told diane, it was incredibly painful news. >> i felt like, after crawling through a field of barbed wire and finally reaching what i thought was the end, it just turned out that it was the horizon. >> reporter: knox has always said she's innocent. that she's not the sex-fueled murderess she was made out to be. but she's still refusing to return to italy for her retrial. >> i have plenty to fear because i was already imprisoned wrongrully, i was already convicted wrongfully. >> reporter: if knox is convicted again, italy could ask the us to force her to return. >> what are the changes that italy could seek the extradition? >> extradition is 90 percent politics and ten percent law. >> reporter: knox will now defend herself from the safety of seattle. >> not ever going to accept the idea that anyone can say that i

i'm not quite as chirpy anymore. >> meredith kercher's family is not expected to be at the trial todays early as december. >> how likely is an extra diction of knox? >> it is possible but very unlikely. right now it is not on the table. if amanda is convicted at this trial the case goes to the supreme court f. they uphold the conviction, then italy can begin the extradition process but most legal experts say she will probably never step foot in italy again. >> clear you spent time with her. how is she do something she seems to be okay. >> she lives an isolated life. she is overwhelmed by crowds. she spends most of her time sherks has an apartment in seattle with her boyfriend cooking, writing, studying. and i just spoke to her a few hours ago and she said she is feeling very stressed and anxious to get the trial underway. >> she is living in her own apartment which is interesting. this crowd situation, i don't think we were aware of this situation. that she was surrounded by crowds everywhere she went. >> she has panic attacks so she stays clear of too many people. >> thank you very mu

you know, the theory of the prosecution is she brutally murdered meredith kercher.ells, dna of any sort of amanda knox in the room where meredith kercher was killed or on her person. that in and of itself tells you that this is an absolute impossibility. it's unassailable facts that demonstrate unequivocally that not only is she not guilty but as the appellate court jury previously found she's actually completely innocent. >> so you sound confident. she expressed a level of confidence when talking with matt lauer about the case. she said on a scale of 1 to 10 it was a 9 because you never know exactly what's going to happen. and given the history of four years behind bars, as she says, as an innocent woman. i just want to talk about the hypotheticals. extradition should she lose. would she ever be able to travel out of the country? >> well, as we've said before, everything is focused right now on this case and the profound absence of any evidence of her guilt in any way. she's not required to be there. it's unnecessary for her to be there. but to answer your question

knox and her ex- boyfriend were convicted in 2009 of murdering knox's british roommate, meredith kercher their convictions were overturned in 2011, and knox returned to her home town of seattle, where she's been living ever since. italy's supreme court decided last year to re-try the case. saying the jury did not consider all the evidence. knox has said she's afraid to return to italy. yankees' third baseman alex rodriguez goes before a major league baseball arbitrator today, to argue that his 211- game suspension should be called off. rodriguez was ordered suspended earlier this year for using performance enhancing drugs. but he was allowed to keep playing while he appealed. the arbitrator has set aside the entire week to hear a- rod's case. 13 other players were also suspended, but none is appealing. the second phase of the b-p oil spill trial begins today. the focus this time.. is on what the british oil company did to stop the flow of oil into the gulf of mexico after the 20-10 spill. and just how much oil actually seeped into the ocean. plaintiffs say b-p knew a catastrophic spill w

six years agatha knox and her former boyfriend raffaelle sollecito were accused of murdering meredith kercher, an exchange student from england. knox, appealing like the all american girl was accused of participating in a drug fuelled sex game gone wrong. she was found not guilty on appeal after serving four years in prison. knox is not required to attend court and she told matt last week she can't face more time behind bars. >> i was already imprisoned as an incident person in italy and i can't reconcile the choice to go back with that experience. it's not a possibility. it is -- it was imprisoned as an innocent person and i just can't relive that. >> reporter: the victim's family welcomes the appeal convinced, along with italy's supreme court, that the one man convicted of the crime, did not act alone. this trial could last a year, maybe more and even then the knox saga may not be over. more appeals are possible. leaving the knox case in a sort of legal ping-pong and nobody knowing when it could end -- when it will finally end, savannah. >>> keith miller, thank you. raffaelle sollecito is w

it will be her fourth trial for the murder of knox's british college roommate, meredith kercher, in the italian city in 2007. it's been a tortured legal trail. knox and her then boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, were first found guilty of the murder. knox was sentenced to 26 years. raffaele sollecito to 25. but an appeal court controversially cover turned the verdict, largely on the grounds of bungling by police investigators and the prosecution. the victim had had her throat cut, but the murder weapon was never found and the dna evidence was inconclusive. yet, if anyone thought the ordeal for knox and for the family was finally over, it wasn't. italy's highest court ordered a retrial for what it called deficiencies, contradictions. amanda knox is still professing her injuries. but she says the wheels of justice can grind on slowly without her. she will not go back to italy. >> i just think that it's very sad that that is what it has come to. >> the court could find knox in contempt for not returning for the trial, but than wouldn't increase her sentence if she is found guilty. >>> police

prosecutors say knox was an accessory in the murder of meredith kercher. >> she is in washington state. >> president obama and benjamin netanyahu is talk nothing a high stakes meeting in the united states. he is warning the united states about teheran and the intentions. ambassador john boltop and former un ambassador. how are you? we quick off our program hq1. >> what does benjamin netanyahu say in the meeting? >> he is warning the president that iran are expert at the pea and walnut shell and buying time and moving the program around and making surface concessions and never coming to a deal. we have seen this negotiation pattern for the last ten years or more. and netanyahu is very worried that obama doesn't understand the history and doesn't understand the risks of getting in a protracted negotiation and will try to educate him. >> would the israelis made aware of the phone call that took place on friday before it happen? >> i doubt it seriously. i think the white house was leaking like it a ceive that the white house wanted the handshake. everybody was surprised in the president wh

. >> knox spent four years in an italian prison for the murder of her roommate meredith kercher. >> peopleight say why don't go back if you are innocent and you'd have nothing to fear or nothing to hide, why would you not go back. >> nothing to fear, i have plenty to fear because i was already imprisoned wrongfully. i was already convicted wrongfully. >> knox talked to british broadcasters in seattle. she returned there after being set free and secured a book deal reportedly worth millions of dollars. now she says she can't afford to return to italy and stay for the entire trial. her lawyers will represent her instead. the 26-year-old was asked if she'd take a lie detector test. >> a lie detector test would be just -- i would be fine with that. >> the only person behind bars for kercher's murder is rudy galiti who knew knox and her boyfriend at the time. he is serving a 16 year jail sentence. the retrial was ordered because of inconsistencies in the appeal court's decision to free amanda knox. mary bubala wjz eyewitness news. >> knox's book "waiting to be heard" has not been published in b

amanda knox and her former italian boyfriend raffaele sollecito charged with the murder of meredith kercher. the four spent almost four years in italy, held behind bars before their trial began. they were convicted of murder and sexual assault in 2009 and sentenced to a quarter century in prison. she was freed on appeal in the same court almost two years later. in march the high court overturned the decision and sent the case back to trial. those hearings will take place at this florence courthouse. earlier this month on "today" knox told matt lauer she was not going back. >> i was in prison as an innocent person and i just can't relive that. i'm not -- i don't think i'm going to be put back in prison. i think that we're going to win. >> reporter: even if she comes out on top in this newest battle, it may take a while for knox to truly be free. >> they can get another acquittal. the prosecutor can appeal the acquittal again. it can go back to the supreme court. the sreme court macon firm the acquittal or send it back for another evaluation. this is what you call judicial ping-pong. >> repor

the lawyers for amanda knox asked today for new tests to be allowed on meredith kercher's cell phone,n a computer, on a pillow. the judge said no but did agree to new tests on minuscule amounts of dna found on that night, believed to be the murder weapon in the meantime, meredith which i's family wrote a letter to the judge today. her sister pleading for what he said the dignity of truth for marry kerr -- meredith kurcher. >> stand by. house speaker john boehner discussing the senate's demanded. >> no special treatment for anyone. as the speaker indicated, this administration, this president, has provided special treatment and carveouts and exceptions under obamacare for big business, for special interests, and, yes, it has provided a carveout for members of congress. our position is very clear. no special treatment for anyone. we all live under the laws equally applied. >> very short and simple today. we'll pass a bill that funs government. but the question rests with ari reid two questions. will he treat individual americans the same as he wants to treat big business? and secondly,s

knox, she insists she is innocent of the murder of her former roommate meredith kercher.man from the ivory coast has been convicted of the murder and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. >> still ahead, government gridlock. why neither side seems to be willing to budge as the countdown to a government shutdown continue. >> about 100 people arrested for partying too hard in mountain view. we'll tell you about the police crackdown that led to a big time bust coming up. >> we're watching your weather as we watch the morning commute. look at that. the lights are on. at the toll plaza this morning. we'll check in with mike. >> right now let's look from the south bay, how about that, some sun with the dark clouds, beautiful shot. >>> on the brink of a government shutdown. we are counting down the minutes until tonight's deadline next coming up in a live report from capitol hill. >> plus, aerosol explosion. two local women sent to the hospital. >> the new york stock exchange they are ringing in the day as we see if the numbers will be affected by the pending government shutdown

court also says there's some evidence that could support the prosecution's initial theory that meredith kercherin a twisted sex scheme gone wrong. knox has repeatedly said she never took part in any deviant sexual behavior. she said she will do anything to prove her innocence, including taking a lie detector test. but she won't go back to italy. now, if she's convicted, italy will then order her to come back. if she refuses as she says she will, then italy could request her extradition. but experts say it is highly unlikely the u.s. would comply because in this country being acquitted and retried is, of course, double jeopardy. knox spent four years behind bars. the case was largely overturned because police and prosecutors bungled much of the evidence. her ex-boyfriend, by the way, rafaelly sollecito is also not in italy. he is staying with friends in the dominican republic. we have just learned, by the way, gretchen, court is now done for the day. they will pick up again bright and early tomorrow morning. the case could take several weeks to retry. gretchen? >> wow. thanks so much for that up

she was convicted of murdering her roommate meredith kercher back in 2009.or lack of evidence. italy's supreme court decided last year to retry the case saying that the jury didn't consider all of the evidence. >>> a number of kenya's cabinet members and defense officials were warned about the possibility that the terror group al shabaab was planning an attack on the mall in nairobi. the warnings came a year before this month's deadly attack, according to a police and intelligence set of sources. we also have learned that the attackers tortured some of the hostages. military doctors say that the militants severed hands, cut off knows noses and in some cases hanged those hostages. this is not the first time we have come close to a shutdown. as a matter of fact, nearly 20 years ago, the government did close down. in fact, it did. quick reminder of what happened then and whether it's a harbinger of what's about to happen next. wolf blitzer is coming up. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rat

amanda knox is back on trial today for the 2007 murder of her british roommate, meredith kercher.he 26-year-old after her acquittal in 2011. knox will not be returning to italy for the trial tell cnnen in may she's scared to go back there. let's talk about this in much more, joining me is dr. drew pinsky host of "dr. drew on call." this woman has gone through an extraordinary set of circumstances. >> too much. >> when you think of it, she goes through the death of her roommate, accused of murder, she's in prison, the verdict is overturned, she's out of prison, comes back to the united states and then this, from a doctor's perspective, what is she going through and how do you manage it? >> from doctor's perspective, if i were her i'd want to crawl into ahole. the prospect would trigger so much anxiety, some people wouldn't be able to sleep at night depending on their preexisting risk. everyone is pointing their finger at her, wondering why she doesn't go back, that's ridiculous. think of yourself in that situation. there's no way you would go back to italy. at least you're statesid

facing a retrial for the charges that she murdered her roommate, meredith kercher. knox's attorney rejected the notion that knox wasn't there because she knows he's guilty. she's always maintained her innocence. >> i'm going to keep fighting this. i'm not going to stop fighting this. >> reporter: she's endured a roller coaster ride through the italian justice system. she was accused with her then boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, of stabbing kercher to death. this spring, the italian supreme court rejected the decision to free her and ordered the case be retried. by then, she returned to seatle and returned to school. >> the longer it plays out, the longer it's going to take me to get my life back. and to move on. >> reporter: kercher's family was not in court this morning. their lawyer says he believes knox is guilty. she understands her friend and roommate's family wants to know how their daughter died. even as knox herself viows to prove she's not the person who did it. >> i'm not ever going to accept the idea that anyone can say that i did something that i didn't.

facing a retrial for the charges that she murdered her roommate, meredith kercher. hours ago, the court proceeding got under way without the star defendant. knox's attorney rejected the notion that knox wasn't there because she knows she's guilty. knox has always maintained her innocence, telling abc news this spring, she would fight to clear her name. >> i'm going to keep fighting this. i'm not going to stop fighting this. >> reporter: she's endured a roller coaster ride through the italian justice system. prosecutors won their initial case against the then 20-year-old college student in 2007, accusing knox, and her then boyfriend, raffaele sollecito, of stabbing kercher to death. in a sex-fueled game. both went to prison. four years later, an appeals court overturned that ruling, citing lack of evidence. this spring, the italian supreme court rejected the decision to free her and ordered the case be retried. by then, she returned to seattle and re-enrolled in school. >> the longer it plays out, the longer it's going to take me to get my life back. and to move on.

the original conviction of her housemate, meredith kercher in italy was largely overturned because ofllected sloppily or late in some cases. today's hear something focusing on which evidence to revisit. s sollecito east lawyer is asking no to waste time on evidence already corrupted in court. the defense team wants the crime scene tested for traces of bleach. that theoretically to knock down the continuous accusations on the part of prosecution that knox and sewly cito tried to keep up the crime scene. bill: she is not there. she is home in washington state. what if she is found guilty? >> reporter: she told the italian paper, bill, that she was persistently portrayed in the press as unscrupulous liar and sex fiend and murdereress. she doesn't think it is safe. rafael solecito plans to attend some hearings later this month, and continue ages of the appeal. they could appeal that too if they're convicted again. italy could request extradition. experts are saying it is unlikely the u.s. would hand over amanda knox anyway, bill. bill: thanks, amy kellogg watching the story out of italy a

she and her ex-boyfriend are being retried for the death of o meredith kercher. >>> a man in louisianaduring a bible service and gunning down the pastor, killing him. he's now jailed and charged with second-degree murder. no word on a motive. >>> a big firing today in college football. usc dismissing head coach lane kiffin after the trojans lost 62-41 against arizona state. it was their seventh loss in 11 games. so hard to be a trojan fan. >>> and the torch for next winter's olympic games in sochi, russia, is now burning bright. the torch was lit earlier today in greece during a grand, elaborate ceremony. nbc and msnbc will be your home for the 2014 winter games, which begin february 7th. mark it on your calendar. those are your fast five headlines. >>> up next, "breaking bad." what's in store for the series finale? a writer with ties to the "breaking bad" writing team joins us next. not double-talk. if you have the nerve to believe that in a puzzling financial world, clarity is king. [ man ] if you believe nothing beats a sit-down for knowing where you stand. [ male announcer ] join t

remember back if 2009, knox was found guilty of murdering her british roommate, meredith kercher.me court decided to retry her case, saying the original jury didn't consider all the evidence. knox is not in the courtroom today. she's been in seattle since that first conviction was overturned. >>> and he lost both of his legs and an arm fighting for america in iraq. but yesterday retired army staff sergeant matt lemers honored the people who lost their lives on 9-11. he completed the towers to tunnel run. thousands of people retrace the footsteps of firefighters steven spiller. he ran through the battery tunnel with 75 pounds of gear on his back. he died trying to save others. what an amazing feat to have done that yesterday. >> elisabeth: a moving tribute for sure. thanks. >> brian: pictures all over the paper. coming up straight ahead, ready or not, tomorrow obamacare is open for business. if you are still confused, you are not alone. what if you can not afford it? what's the penalty for ignoring it? gerri willis explains everything after the break. >> elisabeth: one couple gives

after four years in jail, cleared of the 2007 murder of her roommate, meredith kercher inside this apartmentit la. back on american soil, a free woman. >> thank you to everyone who believed in me. >> in her hometown of seattle, she goes back to college and writes a memoir. trying to put the past behind her until a new twist rocks her world again. >> acquittal of amanda knox overturned this morning. >> the italian supreme court orders a new trial forcing knox to face the same murder charges all over again. investigative journalist who spent a year covering the trial says the new hearings may be an attempt to resolve any doubts left in the court of public opinion. >> the majority of the italians believe she's guilty. the supreme court can't be oblivious to that fact. >> knox's family and attorneys remain hopeful her acquittal will stand. >> amanda knox haas was not involved in this horrific murder and she's absolutely unequivocally not guilty. >> as her fate is determined in italy, knox will be watching from home, a half a world away from the courtroom. >> she's with us. her book is called "wa