in mitt romney. then against cain, he's up 11%. 49% to 38%. he's up 12 points to rick perry. good numbers for obama there. it is important to note that in that matchup with mitt romney, you want to see the numbers close to 50 if you're the folks in the white house. >> the interesting thing to note about mitt romney is the inability that he's strog move up nationally from the 23% position. why isn't romney gaining more traction with the average voter? >> that's a great question. in our august survey, he was at 23%. in this survey he's at 23%. when you look inside the numbers, it's not that republican voters don't like romney. they like him fine. but he gets strong support from the republicans. he's maybe their second choice. he's hoping that's the formula for success later on. >> mark murray, great to see you. >> thanks. >> now that he's sitting at the top of the national polls, it's time to find out more about the man who has everyone saying 999 right now. joanne, it's good to see you. most people hear herman cain's name, and they think of godfather's pizza. also that he would be on cruise control. writing books and living his life casually. what inspired him to jump into the race like this? what do you think people are latching on to that they like so much? >> he says in his book that this is herman cain. his inspiration to run for president came after his granddaughter was born. he looked at the country and felt like it was going in the wrong direction. he was also inspired when he asked a question of bill clinton back during the '90s. he felt like he made a difference then. he talks about it building up over the course of many years that he felt that he was the guy that could turn the country around. >> when you talk about this book, after going through it, what did you find interesting? i got a sample of it on my ipad. i'm get sboting it. >> what i found strange is for a man that age, when you look at people in that generation, there are these huge defining events. vietnam, civil rights. all that took place in his formative years. he doesn't even mention that stuff in his book. he glosses through a lot of the painful moments you would think a black man of that age would have dealt with. incidents where as a young man, he drank from the white's only water fountain. breezes through it. he doesn't really seem to express any emotion about that time. he doesn't mention these huge historic events. the death of john f. kennedy. vietnam war. he doesn't mention it. it's really odd. >> so as i read my sample, i'll get back to you as i get through it. so great to see you. you can read joanne's article. nice to see you. thank you. this new spot in the national polls means it's time for the cain campaign to expand. nbc campaign joins me now. are we going to see more cain staffers taking over new hampshire? >> well, they are scrambling to get it together. i spotted staffers saying you're hired. hiring people all across the country. what's interesting about the herman cain campaign, he says he's going to be going in the early states in iowa and new hampshire and expanding staff here. but he also says he's going to run a national campaign. he's in iowa today. tennessee later on. saying he's going to be running against president obama. >> there's more primary news coming out of new hampshire. could we be counting on a primary in early december? >> well, thomas i spoke to bill gardener. he's been setting the primary for a long time. he says he doesn't want to have it in december, but he may be forced to. having it in december in new hampshire would prevent a lot zoorific voters from getting to know candidates in this campaign that's been a late start compared to 2008. we're hoping for a january primary, but we don't know yet. >> all right. fingers are crossed. thank you. breaking news out of france right now. paris prosecutors have dropped their case against dominique strauss-kahn. a french writer claimed that he tried to rape her during an interview in 2003. the ap reporting that the former imf chief reported to sexual aggression. this is the second legal victory for dominique strauss-kahn. we now know the name of the man police say opened fire in a southern california hair salon on wednesday leaving eight people dead. 42-year-old scott evans decraig has been arrested for murder. he surrendered without incident a half mile away from this shooting scene. it really has left the community in shock. kristin dahlgren is live for us with the latest. do we know more about a possible motive for why he would enter and kill all those people in cold blood? >> reporter: good morning. police still won't say what they believe the motive to be. i have been talking to people who knew the victims here at the hair salon. they say that scott's ex-wife worked as a stylist here. they tell me she's among those who were killed. the two were involved in a custody dispute over a 7 or 8-year-old son and they were even in court this week in a routine hearing the day before the shooting. again, police say they are still investigating what a possible motive might be. they have now notified all of the eight victims' family members. we are expecting them to release the names of those victims later on today. the family though of the salon owner says that he is among those killed. i spoke earlier with a woman who had been coming here to have her hair done for 30 years. she told us about some of the shock. >> all right. kristen dahlgren, thank you. tomorrow occupy wall street protesters will have to vacate zuccotti park. that's where they have set up shop for 27 days. demonstrators can return once the park is cleaned up. at least 11 protesters have been arrested after marching in downtown san francisco where several hundred people showed up outside wells fargo headquarters. and 90 colleges and universities across the country will participate in a student walkout. participants are demanding student loan relief. in less than an hour, the house is set to begin debate on an issue so devicive it nearly killed president obama's health care reform bill. the act would prevent women from using tax subsidies provided by the new law to buy health insurance plans that coverage abortions. the rhetoric is very passionate. >> this bill would also impose sweeping refusal provisions that not only undermine women's health care and women's rights, but actually endanger womens' lives. this provision puts the preferences of hospitals above the lives of women. >> nbc's correspondent kelly o'donnell joins us with more. why the push now? >> republicans say that this is one of their promises in their pledge to america, which was their list of to dos, if they were to retake power in the house. they have done that. so this is kind of finding its time to bring this piece, which would undo some in the president's law. it was in the exact issue that derailed it when it was being passed in the first place. so it is one of the social issues being revisited when there's a break in the other action. house republicans can pass this. they have enough votes. it can't go anywhere in the senate. what you heard from gwen moore is some of the democratic opposition. they make the basic argument that federal money, even if it's two or three steps removed, should not be used to pay for abortions. the laws prevent federal money from paying for abortion. this is another way to get at the issue. it's had some support from catholic lobbying groups that wanted catholic hospitals to refuse abortion services. lots of details in the bill that would do things like that. but it will again bring up the social issue at a time when most people are focused on jobs and the economy. >> kelly o'donnell, thank you. we are awaiting a verdict as jurors spend day two deliberating the trial of a second man charged with killing a prominent doctor's wife and two daughters in connecticut. prosecutors say joshua ko var sar jeff ski led that invasion. if convicted, he could join steven hays now on death row for the murders. to bring you a low-priced medicare prescription drug plan. ♪ with the lowest national plan premium... ♪ ...and copays as low as one dollar... ♪ ...saving on medicare prescriptions is easy. ♪ so you're free to focus on the things that really matter. call humana at 1-800-808-4003. or go to walmart.com for details. ♪ [ female announcer ] mini™ meets berries. kellogg's® frosted mini-wheats cereal with a touch of fruit in the middle. helloooooo fruit in the middle. see? 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natural gas is the cleanest conventional fuel there is. we've got to be smart about this. it's a smart way to go. ♪ michelle bachmann just wrapped up her 2012 strategy session here in the big apple with donald trump. bachmann is the latest candidate from a group. including rick perry, mitt romney, and herman cain to discuss her campaign with the donald. and bachmann desperately needs new life in her campaign with only 5% support in our new poll. in other news today, the defense is gearing up for the conrad murray trial. the prosecution now wrapping its case against the former doctor. they called a cardiologist to the stand yesterday who rattled off a list of reasons why murray was negligent and leaving his medicated patient alone. >> it's like leaving a baby that's sleeping on your kitchen countertop, so instead of that huge 20-minute delay, he could have gotten help that he needed within four minutes. >> former prosecutor john kelly joins me to talk about this. it's nice to have you here. as we learn more about the defense strategy, they plan to argue that jackson's pill popping is the cause of his death here. specifically, with the medication in his system of lorazepam. how might that work in his favor? >> the the defense is going to want to show that the propofol wasn't enough to be a lethal dose. that michael jackson taking the lorazepam and dr. murray didn't know about it and that's what caused his death. >> as you bring up the propofol, the big development yesterday about how the defense is dropping the claim that jackson self-administered the propofol. the lethal dose, that is. if that was part of their original argument, why focus now on the pills? especially because the cause of death is sited as propofol. >> the autopsy report shows the presence of the lorazepam. the defense wants to focus on the i.v. injection. because the prosecution cannot produce the tubing that was used for the i.v. drip. they do this out of the presence of the jury. they are focusing on their case to raise reasonable doubt. >> what are people learning as we get the details about jackson himself? the man and basically learning about his habits, especially with his drug habits. >> i don't think a lot. it was one of the shadows of michael jackson, even his public and personal life. he had money problems. the child molestation problems. there was always talk of his narcotics addictions or problems also. >> it will be interesting to see what happens today when court resumes here shortly. john kelly, appreciate your time. thank you. >> always. moving on this morning, we have information leading up to where is baby lisa? they have scoured the landfills, sewers, vacant homes, and wells. but police have no idea what happened to that baby. the search for the 10 month-old continues after detectives did canvas a wooded area. an attorney says they are distraught and now getting more desperate. >> this child was probably kidnapped and opportunities to retrieve her are quickly slipping away. i found them, though, to want so badly to try to assist in finding their daughter to do whatever they could. they are in the most vulnerable position that a parent would ever be in. >> new details about that exclusive video of lisa's mom. it turns out the unidentified man seen with debra is her 20-year-old brother. relatives say he drove debra to the store because she didn't have a driver's license. anyone with information about baby lisa's whereabouts is asked to call police. the number is 816-464-8477. >> there's an a.mber alert out fora 5-year-old from arizona. she reportedly wondered away from siblings at her home and exited out the front door. anyone with information is asked to call the tip line. is this the beginning of the end for the blackberry? the service is buzzing back for millions of customers left without services. does this open the door for other smart phones to fill blackberry's black hole? much more after this we know a place where tossing and turning have given way to sleeping. where sleepless nights yield to restful sleep. and lunesta can help you get there, like it has for so many people before. when taking lunesta, don't drive or operate machinery until you feel fully awake. walking, eating, driving, or engaging in other activities while asleep, without remembering it the next day, have been reported. abnormal behaviors may include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations or confusion. in depressed patients, worsening of depression, including risk of suicide, may occur. alcohol may increase these risks. allergic reactions, such as tongue or throat swelling, occur rarely and may be fatal. side effects may include unpleasant taste, headache, dizziness and morning drowsiness. ask your doctor if lunesta is right for you. then get lunesta for $0 at lunesta.com. there's a land of restful sleep. we can help you go there on the wings of lunesta. i'm a speck of dust alone in the wire jungle. some dusters say i'm unreachable, [ grunting ] but that's how i like it. unattached, free, indep... i've changed my mind. ♪ i believe in miracles [ female announcer ] swiffer attracts dust. new and improved swiffer dusters gets into hard to reach places picking up three times more dust than a feather duster with dust lock adhesive to lock dust away. you're very adventurous! [ female announcer ] swiffer cleans better or your money back. welcome back. for the blackberry users around the world, this has been a week of frustration and headaches. the company behind the mobile device says they are fully back up and running. they are apologizing to all of its user. joe brown is the editor and chief of gismoto. why did this happen? where did the problem start? >> in terms of geographically speaking, the problem started in europe and africa and eastern parts of the european pe ninins and moved its way west towards america hitting the u.s. and canada yesterday. and the root of the problem is still unknown. there was sort of a cryptic explanation that the rim core switch had failed and the backup system had failed as well. it ook out messaging, internet, and blackberry messenger. >> i was telling you on the break that i had an interruption yesterday. that's all i've got. i was luckily at my desk top. i was able to get my e-mails at the same time. but for others, this was a bigger deal. the bbm feature wasn't working. does this hurt the image of blackberry overall? >> they have had a bad year. you can't say it any other way. the phones were met with tepid reception. they are not bringing out their newest products. their new phones have their old operating system on them. you feel like blackberry is not moving forward. they were already down. this is a gut kick while they are already on the floor. >> that means it's good news for competitors out there like iphones and the droid. >> and the windows phone. they are all three going strong. you can see blackberry about to get really lapped by a lot of the new guys. >> now that it's back up and running, we have short attention spans. we are probably going to forget this happened. maybe they can get their footing back? >> i hope so. i got an e-mail saying yesterday 10,000 employees without e-mail. it cost companies millions and millions of dollars. when administrators are looking to reup their contracts and figure out what their corporate network should be using, they are going to think about this. >> absolutely. joe, thank you for being here. the polls may say one thing, but team obama decided mitt romney is the man to beat in 2012. we'll explain. plus herman cain may be rocking the presidential race, but the godfather's ceo is finding out fast not everyone is lining up to kiss his ring. i'm not a number. i'm not a line item on a budget. and i'm definitely not a pushover. but i am a voter. so washington... before you even think about cutting my medicare and social security benefits... here's a number you should remember. 50 million. we are 50 million seniors who earned our benefits... and you will be hearing from us... today and on election day. ♪ i'm thomas roberts. president obama welcomed the president and first lady of south korea to the white house this morning. their visit is marking a trade deal. moments ago, michelle obama and south korea's first lady arrived to a visit to a virginia high school. they will hold a state dinner at the white house for the couple. after a month back on american soil, shane bower will meet with secretary of state hillary clinton later this afternoon. meanwhile, it is no secret that secretary clinton plans to leave her role at the end of this term, but one rumor that follows her is her next post will be vice president. here's what she told savannah guthrie about that one. >> i don't even think it's in the realm of possibility. in large measure, because vice president biden has done a good job. he's taken on the burden of selling the economic plan, traveling the country, answering questions. >> has anyone raised the possibility to you? >> no. i think it's maybe a subject for speculation on google, but it's not a serious issue in the administration. >> stay tuned for more of that interview for "the today show" on monday. >> you can call him the $63 million man. in a series of letters between warren buffett, he revealed he earned $63 million last year. he released his income and tax bill in response to a challenge from a member of congress. buffett gave the letters to the deficit reduction super committee hoping to high ligt the deficit. in a new nonpartisan report, it looks like buffett may be right. one in four millionaires pay a lower tax rate than some in the middle class. herman cain thinks he has the staying power to make a splash in iowa and new hampshire to prove he's not just the latest nominee to have his 15 minutes of fame. >> there's a difference between the flavor of the week and hagen das black walnut. it tastes good all the time. that's what you can call me. >> so karen hunter is an nbc contributor. matt lewis is a contributor. we're going to talk about that. karen, we have seen donald trump, michelle bachmann, rick perry. now herman cain being at the top. do you see anything different in this candidate? our polls are showing him having the strong support. especially among key conservative. >> he's been there through those people. he's risen and risen. all t