grave in north korea. his nephew says, still, the family would like to bring him home. barbara starr, cnn, washington. >> that's it for me. thanks very much for watching. the news continues next. on cnn. tornado fury. twisters down in two straits. leaving a path of wrecked homes behind. s.w.a.t. team rescue. police storm a home, guns blazing, to save a group of firefighters held hostage. dangerous defects. four different automakers recalling millions of cars because something meant to protect passengers could hurt them instead. look at this. a store owner takes a bullet fights off a gunman with a baseball bat. oh, my goodness. >> there's much more of that for you. we'll share it with you.

>> good morning, everyone. welcome to "early start." >> it is thursday, april 11th. 5:00 a.m. in the east. up first, thousands of people are without power after fierce tornados touched down in at least two states. the one first one around 8:00 p.m. in missouri. just outside of st. louis. trees toppled over and 24 homes suffered major damage. missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency. there's 42,000 people in st. louis still without power right now. >> in arkansas, a twister tore a path 30 miles wide through van buren county. that's about 75 miles north of little rock. at least 13 homes, a church and a business were damaged there. three people were injured. luckily, no deaths have been reported in this area, which is mostly rural. but nerves have been rattled. >> that's a mass. and major storms are rumbling through much of the southern and the eastern united states. let's bring in samantha moore.

who is seeing the worst of this morning? >> all the way from corpus chris christi, texas, to detroit, we're seeing strong thunderstorms this hour. a lot of lightning that's kept people up. we have the threat moving into the nashville area, within the next hour. it has been a very loud night in memphis and in paducah, kentucky, as the line of strong thunderstorms moved on through. and in houston, also, a very nasty start to the day. just look at that. i mean, literally thousands of lightning strikes overnight. and that's going to continue throughout the day, unfortunately. we have the frontal system moving into some very moist, warm, unstable air. and everything in place with the cold air sweeping in behind it. and the jet stream position is going to add lift to the atmosphere here. we could end up seeing severe thunderstorms with hail, larger than two inches. those winds gusting up around 70 miles per hour.

and the threat for more tornadoes today. that's what we're seeing all across this region, from new orleans, stretching up into the ohio valley. and into the east coast, as well. we'll be watching for tornadoes today. even though, so far this season, fairly light for the activity. >> isn't that crazy that it's light. and it looks awful. we'll check back in with you. a massive recall involving four automakers and 3.4 million vehicles. the problem, a malfunctioning inflater that could inadvertently deploy the front seat air bags or cause a fire. toyota, honda, nissan and mazda, all hit by the recall since they purchase their air bag systems from the same supplier in japan. most of the cars appear to be from 2001, 2002 and 2003 model years. now, for the latest in the hostage situation involving four

firefighters. this happened in the town 30 miles northeast of atlanta, georgia. all firefighters are out of the hospital this morning. they're in good condition. the man who held them hostage, shot dead by police. martin savage is live with the latest for us. good morning, martin. >> reporter: good morning. it was a fake heart attack, according to authorities, that reportedly brought the first responders to the house behind us here. once they got here, they found the real emergency. as you point out this morning, four firefighters have been freed, one man is dead and a police officer wounded. here's how it all went down. we know that firefighters routinely run toward danger. but not this. >> when they made entry into the home, they were taken hostage by him. >> reporter: firefighters were called to what they thought was a man having a heart attack. this is radio traffic. >> we're in a situation where we

have a -- an armed person. >> reporter: the gunman began making demands. >> he is requesting certain -- certain utilities to be turned back on at his house. and he is armed. and we are in the room with him. >> apparently, he's going through some financial issues. and the power was turned off, along with the cable and cell phone. >> reporter: about 30 minutes into the ordeal, one of the five hostages was released. then, around 7:30 p.m., police moved in. a loud bang, then volleys of gunfire. >> it got to a point where we believed that their lives were in immediate danger. and our s.w.a.t. team made a decision to go in there and neutralize the situation.

>> reporter: neighbors who knew the man didn't expect anything like this. >> he was nice. maybe too nice. he seemed like a normal guy. >> reporter: the gunman was killed. one police officer was injured. and the firefighters suffered only minor injuries. >> just relieved for us, our firefighters are going to go home safe to their families. >> reporter: initially, there were five firefighters that were held hostage. 30 minutes into the ordeal, the gunman let one of them go. the reason, to move the fire truck from out of the street in front of his home. and that was the firefighter that notified authorities as to what was going on. right now, the real issue is trying to determine what triggered all this. what set this man off? he's not being identified so far. but that's the real question for many neighbors, really what happened behind closed doors in that home. >> kind of glimpse is the fact he was trying to get his utilities turned back on and his cell phone. and i read somewhere that his home was in foreclosure.

martin savage, thank you very much. the u.s., tokyo and seoul, all on high alert as north korea keeps the world guessing as to what they're doing this morning. a missile launch from north korea's east coast could still come at any time. defense secretary chuck hagel, warning pyongyang it is taking things too far. >> north korea, has been, with its bellicose rhetoric, with its actions, has been skating close to a dangerous line. our country is fully prepared to deal with any contingency, any action, that north korea may take. >> we are monitoring developments from seoul, south korea. south korean officials say they've seen movement along the north korean coast. at this morning are we seeing

new signs of an impending launch? >> you know, the skies still clear. everybody's been looking whether it's through a radar scope or just staring up into the sky and wondering, when is this launch going to come? we know kim il-sung's birthday is on the 13th. anytime during this window, four or five days, would be a prime time for them to launch. you're right. some intelligence sources here in the asian media saying there was satellite evidence that the north koreans had shifted the musudan missiles that are so interesting to the u.s. and south korea. they've never been publicly tested. they've been moving them around, perhaps to keep people offguard. to keep them aware that the destroyers and platform are out there watching every move that is made. that's all they can do is wait and watch. >> in terms of the new missiles, what's the range?

the farthest range from the missile tests? >> that's an interesting point. we say 4,000. that's what some experts have said. no one really knows. other experts tell me, this depends on what kind of a warhead might be placed atop it. the heavier the warhead, the less the range. there's a lot of questions that are out there. that's what makes this so, so interesting. but right now, that would put japan, that would put guam and the u.s. air and naval bases there, as well as all of south korea, within the range of that missile. so, it is something that they have to watch. john? >> jim clancy in seoul, south korea. monitoring the north, where a launch could come at any moment. thanks, jim. new this morning, the senate set to move on gun control legislation. a procedural vote is expected a little later this morning to determine whether or not to open debate on a gun bill. this comes as two senators, democrat joe manchin of pennsylvania and pat toomey of

pennsylvania, announced a bipartisan deal to expand background checks to include gun shows and internet. but the sister of the newtown victims says more needs to be done. >> that's not enough. it's really not. you know, these kids were brutally murdered. my sister was brutally murdered. and it's not just not enough what they said about the background checks. >> although he has pushed for tighter gun control measures, president obama called the manchin/toomey compromise. and gabby giffords will be in washington next week, to lobby supporters to expand background checks. gifford was shot in the head when greeting constituents in her tucson, arizona, district. she was wounded. six others were killed in that attack. president obama hosting republican senators for dinner at the white house last night. they dined on steaks, salads,

sauteed vegetables. we're told they discussed the budget, immigration reform and gun violence. among the big names, marco rubio, susan collins of maine and lamar alexander. and johnny isakson called the talks productive. the question is, will there be another round? we're going to ask him that when he joins us live on "starting point." back in the united states and headed to court now, what do the parents accused of abducting their kids and sailing them to cuba can expect to face in front of a judge today. we're going to take you to one of the hardest-hit areas of missouri, where tornadoes leveled homes. look at those pictures. tate, where cutting taxes for families and businesses is our business. we've reduced taxes and lowered costs to save businesses more than two billion dollars to grow jobs, cut middle class income taxes to the lowest rate in sixty years, and we're creating tax free zones for business startups.

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welcome back, everyone. the parents accused of kidnapping their own sons and taking them by boat to cuba are scheduled to make their first court appearance in florida this morning. josh and sharon are facing a litany of charges. cuban officials handed them over to u.s. authorities yesterday. the kids are now back with their grandparents. cnn's victor blackwell is live outside the courthouse in tampa. good morning, victor. >> reporter: john, good morning. they have spent their first full day in jail here in hillsboro county. they're isolated from the general population. that's customary with two suspects who are no notorious. they will speak with a judge in this courthouse. but they'll do it through closed-circuit television. joshua and sharon, waking up in a florida jail, facing state charges of kidnapping and child

neglect after a week on the run. their 2-year-old and 4-year-old sons, chase and cole, are back living with their legal guardian, their grandparents, robert and patricia houser. grateful to the authorities who ended their week-long nightmare. >> and thousands of other people who have said their prayers and have gone out to try to help find the grandchildren. we are very appreciative of that. >> reporter: the day after they lost their parental rights, with the father's arrest and erratic behavior, joshua broke into the hausers' home in tampa. 911, what's your emergency? >> i son-in-law just kidnapped my two grandchildren. they've been in my state custody. >> reporter: investigators learned joshua had purchased this boat, "the salty" and they were headed south. >> they were actually in cuba. >> reporter: cnn's patrick

ottoman in havana searched the marine ya. >> a man with a large beard. are you josh? and he says, yes, who are you? and i say i'm from cnn. gets very angry. goes in the boat. >> we set up a team that consisted of local, state and federal agents, that actually departed, the tampa area, and went to cuba. and actually met with the authorities there. >> reporter: the family was taken into custody. the boys and their parents separated on the flight back to florida. expedient and rare cooperation between two countries with an inconsistent history. >> we appreciate the cuban authorities' cooperation to end this quickly. >> reporter: the boys settling into a familiar home. their parents, confined to a new one.

now, this appearance is on state charges. they face about a half-dozen or more each. a federal charge that had been filed has been dropped in the interest of streamlining this process. >> so, given that, victor, if the parents are convicted, what kind of prison sentence might they face? >> reporter: well, they face the charges of child neglect, auto theft, burglar with battery. but the two kidnapping charges could come be a life sentence if convicted of those alone. >> we haven't seen the kids since they arrived back from florida. that could happen today? >> reporter: yeah. we're expecting that to happen today. we're told that the hausers have scheduled an 11:00 eastern news conference on their front line. but the boys will not be speaking. robert hauser, the grandfather, will speak for the family. he'll answer questions. and this will be the only opportunity to get answers to the questions about what happened over the last seven days. >> those kids need time and

space to move on with their lives. victor blackwell, live for us in tampa. thanks, victor. it's 18 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to speed. missouri governor jay nixon detearing a state of emergency. dozens of homes are damaged. let's go to laura. she is live in hazelwood, missouri. there are 24 homes destroyed where you are. how is everyone this morning? >> reporter: yeah. you're right. maybe about half a mile from where i am, a tornado ripped through here last night. maybe around 9:00. so far, the good news in this area, we have not heard of any injuries. but i and my photographer, we've been on the ground all morning, driving through this area. looking for damage. we found one giant tree on a home. we saw several very large trees uprooted. like you said, there's about two dozen homes that trees just fell on. now, we are at the red cross

center that's been set up. right now, there's six people who are staying here overnight. they haven't even had a chance yet to see what their home looks like. i'm sure you can tell around me, it's pitch black out here. and more importantly, power has been out in much of the st. louis area, since about 9:00 last night. we can really imagine as the sun starts to come up, the emotions here in st. louis. they're going to come up, as the people at the red cross shelter see their homes for the first time after this tornado ripped through. back to you guys. >> we're happy, though, that so far you have no injuries that you are reporting. laura, with our affiliate, klmv. we have some amazing video to show you this morning. two chicago shopkeepers. they were fighting back when two men tried to rob their store at gun point. this happened tuesday evening at a souvenir shop. the robbers pull out the gun. they demanded cash. that's when the 62-year-old store owner grabbed the bat.

started swinging. check that out. one of the robbers started firing his gun. he shot his accomplice in the leg. the accomplice limped out of the store. the owner was hit by gunfire in the thigh. he kept on swinging and swinging. you saw, there he is, the gunman coming back for more right there. the swinging apparently not enough. his brother springs into action, throwing a chair, a fire extinguisher. he's back home this morning. she he's got a good swing. there's the fire extinguisher. he's getting that leg treated. the suspects remain at large. i would say probably heavily bruised and at large this morning. >> got him in the head with that bat. wow. that is incredible. i would say, don't do that, right? >> not to him. >> actually, he's got a gun. the guy's got a bat. he kept on going. 21 minutes past the hour. look at your 401(k) and you probably are going to like what

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for us. we love this use. >> every day, just shattering records every day. i want to show you the gains for the year. the dow up 13%. the nasdaq up 9%. the s&p 500 up 11%. how much higher can it go? we asked sam stovall, one of the best in the market, can it go hi higher? >> we probably will advance 3% before stumbling from exhaustion, into a meaningful decline of about 5% or more. but i do not expect a new bear market. >> okay. if we get that 3% gain that he's talking about, before it stumbles like the exhausted marathoner, it would be enough to put the dow above 15,000. stovall, investing in the market, likes whitewater rafting. you can't move the boat very much at all. just follow it.

and he doesn't think a decline in the long run should be painful. speaking of painful, the federal reserve is worried about student debt. i want to show you for the first time. this topic came up at the fed's policy meeting in march. to have the fed concerned about student debt is notable. fiscal restraint and the high level of student debt is mentioned risk to the agate household period. too much debt means less money that households have to spend. americans are holding almost $1 trillion in student loan debt. the average household owes $24,000. >> too much. 27 minutes past the hour. his crime spree legendary. but his alleged identity a mystery until now. a myth from backwoods maine comes to life. coming up. es have led to an increase in clinical depression. drug and alcohol abuse is up. and those dealing with grief don't have access to the professional help they need. when you see these issues, do you want to walk away or step up?

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happening now, a state of emergency in missouri. one of two states that was battered by tornadoes just hours ago. >> ready to act. we're just hours away, finally, on a vote in congress on gun control. catch of the day. on camera. this is for you. a shark surprises a fisherman. >> oh, no. >> in open water. you haven't seen this, huh? that's for you, berman. >> that's not cool at all. >> i'm fishing. there's a shark. welcome back to "early start." happy you're with us this morning. she's scared of sharks. >> i'm john berman. it's thursday, april 11th. two states, two powerful tornadoes and tens of thousands of people still in the dark this morning. take a look at this. the first tornado hit around

8:00 p.m. in hazelwood, missouri, just outside st. louis. this was the scene after the twister tore through town. it ripped the roofs right off of a lot of houses. two dozen homes suffered major damage. missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency there. in arkansas, a powerful twister shredded a path 30 miles wide through 3 towns in van buren county, about 75 miles north of little rock. 33 homes there, a church and a business, were damaged. several vehicles overturned along highway 65. at least three people hurt. we want to go straight, to samantha moore. she's live in the weather center. what's the latest? >> it's moved out of missouri and stretching all the way from south texas in where they've seen thousands of lightning strikes overnight, stretching on up into the tennessee valley, the ohio valley. and cold air with wintry weather moving in through the twin cities. a nasty commute there. and look at the cold air moving

in. temperatures, 35 degrees colder behind this front. 91 in baltimore and d.c. yesterday. that was a record high. those temperatures will be dropping once this front moves in. that's not the only thing that's going to be dropping, as we'll see severe weather likely throughout this afternoon and overnight tonight. slight risk of severe weather. that means hail. some two inches in diameter. winds from thunderstorms could be up around 70 miles per hour. so, tornado season is underway. of course, across the deep south, usually from march to may, although we've been off to a slow start so far, due to all the cold weather and the lengthy winter-type weather we continued to have. >> samantha moore, thank you so much. let's hope it keeps slow, the tornados. thanks so much. >> a slow start doesn't mean it's going to stay that way. >> thank you. 33 minutes past the hour. the world is waiting nervously this morning for north korea to make its next move. seoul, tokyo and washington, all keeping a very close eye on the rogue nation. a ballistic missile test launch

could come at any time and without any warning. jim clancy, tracking the latest developments in seoul this morning. south korean officials say they have seen movement of several missiles along the north korean coast. is there any evidence this morning of an impending launch? >> well, there's no new evidence. and i can tell you that everybody but everybody is watching right now. they've got missile destroyers, with advanced systems on them, watching the suspected launch sites. trying to see a glimpse of what's going on there. it's a waiting game. they said the window would open on the 10th. some of the rockets were fueled. they've moved them around a little bit. at the same time, all we can do is wait and watch to see what the north koreans do next. >> jim, a lot of people thought that kim jong-un would be less hostile to the west. is there political pressure that's driving his actions?

you have to wonder, what is the end game here? >> you do. i mean, it's a really good question to ponder. who is this guy? he was educated in the west. he came back here. he went to university in north korea. he emerged very suddenly. the youngest son of kim jong-il, selected to be the president. somebody that studies it closely is bill richardson, the former u.n. ambassador and of course someone who has worked with the north koreans. listen to what he had to say. >> i thought that the new leader, kim jong-un, would be more -- more diplomatically-orie diplomatically-oriented. more willing to talk to the west. but apparently what happened, when that missile launch failed, kim jong-un had to show his people that he was strong. show his military that he was tough. >> now, that missile launch that -- that missile launch that failed was almost one year ago exactly. but he went on last december with a successful launch of a

rocket, putting a satellite into orbit. it would seem to be that kim jong-un thinks he has something to prove. and he's trying to do just that. >> jim, i know you're watching all of these developments for us. thank you. the senate expected to hold a procedural vote to determine whether or not to open debate on gun control legislation. that happens around 11:00 eastern time this morning. and it comes as two senators, a democrat and a republican, unveiled a bipartisan deal on expanded background checks. president obama called this a significant development. let's get more from white house correspondent briana keillor. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama took the rare step of wading into a policy debate wednesday, describing how she felt when she attended the funeral of teenager hadiya pendleton, who was shot and killed in her hometown of chicago. >> let me tell you, ooh, it is hard to know what to say to a room full of teenagers who are about to bury their best friend.

but i started by telling them that hadiya was clearly on her way to doing something truly worthy with her life. >> reporter: the first lady's comments came on the eve of the senate's first vote on a wate d watereddown gun bill, set to take place this morning. pat toomey and joe manchin, forged a compromise on background checks for gun purchases. manchin touched by newtown families when he met with them on capitol hill. the legislation would require a background check on purchases at gun shows and on the internet. but would exempt private transactions. it would provide records on criminals and the vie leaptly mentally ill to the national background system. can it pass a republican congress? >> many of them are looking carefully at the legislation.

but i don't know in the end how many will support it. >> reporter: many gun owners are not convinced. >> none of the laws will stop crime. the criminals will go on getting their guns like they always have. >> reporter: while the measure is far from the assault weapons ban the president pushed for after the sandy hook shootings. some of the parents of children killed say it's a first step. >> i've seen people working together on both sides to try to do something, to reduce the likelihood of another mother standing in my shoes. >> reporter: briana keillor, cnn, washington. >> our thanks to briana. for nearly 30 years people in maine have heard of the north pond hermit. many thought he was a deepwoods legend. no one had ever seen him. but the tale is true. the mystery man of maine is real. and he is in big trouble with the law. pamela brown is following this story. >> in 51 minutes, he's lugging out hamburger, pepperoni and

cookie dough. >> reporter: this surveillance video showing a burglar stealing from a campsite kitchen, helped authorities nab christopher knight. he was a mystery for more than two decades until now. >> as soon as he stepped outside the door, i turned, game warden, on the ground. show me your hands. and he immediately just dropped right to the ground. >> reporter: a recluse, knight said he lived alone in the woods for more than 27 years. authorities say he told them he's only talked to one other person in all that time. >> he claims he had contact with a human being since the mid-1990s, when he encountered somebody on a trail. and they exchanged a common greeting. >> reporter: officials say he lived at this camouflage campsite in the woods, in the dead of maine's brutal winters. >> it's amazing he can live in a nylon tent. >> reporter: knight targeted vacant campsites, stealing to survive. >> well over 1,000 burglaries.

everything he stole was to survive. food, clothing, shelter. >> reporter: after his arrest, a trooper showed knight a picture of himself, something he hadn't seen in more than 20 years. >> he seen his reflection in the water a few times. and that was all he said. >> reporter: when authorities asked knight why he lived in the woods so long by himself, he had no reason to give. in fact, he said he often asked himself that same question. >> how bizarre? >> that is a little strange. 20 years by yourself. just about five hours, tiger woods hits the tee at augusta. >> you think he's going to do it? he has that look in his eye. >> he has the look in his eye. the world's number one golfer. he's looking for his fifth green jacket at augusta. he hasn't won the masters since 2005. it's been five years since his last major. and everyone will be watching tiger. but also a young phenom from china who many predict could be the next tiger woods.

14-year-old guan taingly. tiger at 10:45 this morning. and phil mickelson, tees off at 1:30 this afternoon. up next, we take you to hard-hit missouri, as storms tear through towns there. is there life after something like this? we're going to hear from anthony weiner, wrestling with that question. can he stage a comeback? in a three-hundred-ton rocket doesn't raise as much as an eyebrow for these veterans of the sky. however, seeing this little beauty over international waters is enough to bring a traveler to tears. we're putting the wonder back into air travel, one innovation at a time. the new american is arriving.

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try post shredded wheat. i don'without goingcisions to angie's list first. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare written by people just like you. with angie's list, i know who to call, and i know the results will be fantastic. angie's list -- reviews you can trust. 44 minutes after the hour. residents in missouri and arkansas are grabbling with the aftermath in a series of storms that spawned at least two tornadoes. trees were topples, homes damaged, cars overturned. three people were injured. let's get a look from the

ground. ryan dean live with us from hazelwood, missouri. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. it's kind of a quiet but busy scene, if that makes sense. lots of emergency crews on-scene here. a state of emergency in place. they are doing their work, trying to right now look through the homes, make sure everybody is okay. let me give you a look at where we are. we're in the worst-hit neighborhood here in hazelwood. probably a three-block radius. we're told about two dozen homes have had severe damage to them. we're told they did a check, a sweep through the area around 11:00. they found all survivors only minor injuries. no major injuries to report. they're going to do another sweep, we're told, once the sun comes up, to check, make sure that they didn't miss anybody the first time around. we do have an apartment complex nearby. we just learned brand-new information, that has a gas leak from this storm. we're not sure where those folks are that live in that apartment complex. we're assuming they have been evacuated. we know that the red cross has

set up a shelter at a local school here in hazelwood. and as far as school today, that's been canceled because some of the buildings have been damaged. >> ryan dean, ksdk in hazelwood, missouri. the pictures looking bad. but no reports of injuries yet. >> that's very good news. he hoped the fish would be biting. but he did not count on a shark crashing the party. imagine this. more on this video coming up. welcome to the new new york state, where cutting taxes for families and businesses is our business. we've reduced taxes and lowered costs to save businesses more than two billion dollars to grow jobs, cut middle class income taxes to the lowest rate in sixty years, and we're creating tax free zones for business startups. the new new york is working creating tens of thousands of new businesses, and we're just getting started. to grow or start your business visit thenewny.com

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welcome back to "early start." it is 49 minutes past the hour. the anthony weiner redemption tour is under way. the former congressman resigned in disgrace after he was caught sending lewd photos of himself to women online. now, he is seeking forgiveness

and the city's top office. here's jason carol. >> are you going to run for mayor? >> reporter: the cameras, once again, following former u.s. congressman from new york, anthony weiner. >> i don't have anything to add than what you read in "the new york times" story. i'll be glad to sit down with you next week. >> reporter: this, after "the new york times" magazine released its profile on him and his wife. in it, wiener admits he might run for new york city. i want people to give me a chance. i want to have a conversation with people whom i let down. this image is what caused him, who at one time, many democrats considered a rising star, to resign in disgrace. and it wasn't just the tweet he sent to a 17-year-old girl, but also his explanation of it. >> someone was pranking me and punk'ing me. >> reporter: a lie he repeated. >> this is a twitter hoax, a prank that was done. >> reporter: when we caught up with him mid-scandal, he was still trying to save his

political career. can you tell us about the communications or any communications that you've had between yourself and, say, the clintons or anyone else who has been advising you with this? >> i've had conversations with people. but i'm not -- look. i made some pretty serious mistakes. i need to redeem myself. and i'm working hard to try to get back to normal and serve the people of my district the best i can. >> reporter: calls for his resignation kept coming. soon, weiner had no choice. >> reporter: he disappeared from the political spotlight until now. the times says he spent $100,000 to gauge voters feels about a mayoral bid. if i ever go back to doing politics again, i don't think i'll be as good at it. either that or i'll be this crazy new kind of politician. could a comeback work? former democratic president,

bill clinton, and recently former republican south carolina governor, mark sanford, both examples of coming back from sex scandals. >> the problem here is what people will visualize in a campaign poster. no normally, they will see a head shot. but not a shot of someone's crotch. >> reporter: an informal poll suggests many would forgive. >> to sk to forgive and you'll be forguinn. >> reporter: but not to forget. >> he would not be appropriate to run at this moment. >> i would never vote for him for mayor. >> reporter: weiner has until july to decide. >> yesterday, jake tapper was on. he was discussing this. he had a famous quote. i didn't know who it was. but there are no second acts in life. apparently there are. >> and f. scott fitzgerald had it wrong when it comes to politics. we've seen it again and again. this is the story you may

want to replay over and over again. this video, oh, my goodness, was taken in a fisherman's kayak off hawaii. keep an eye on the left side of the screen. the fisherman is trying to reel in a tuna. hello. that's a shark that jumps out of the water. the shark misses the tuna the first time. it came back. it bumped the kayak. an expert thinks it was about ten feet long. the fisherman, in a bit of insanity, kept on fishing in the same spot and caught a nice mahi apparently. he is fishing and a shark jumps up. >> it was no big deal to him. i'm not going to let go of my line. i have a fish here. love that. 53 minutes past the hour. that scares you. not that sharks don't scare me. >> you're also tough right now. >> i'm here.

the legendary curse rears its ugly head at chicago's wrigley field. this is disgusting. you want to come back to get the you want to come back to get the gory details. check and make sure that we were on schedule. the first technology of its kind... mom and dad, i have great news. is now providing answers families need. siemens. answers.

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welcome back to "early start," everyone. trending online, this is gross. was it a prank or something more serious in a package with a goat's head, delivered to wrigley field in chicago yesterday. >> you don't think that's gross? >> it's pretty gross. it was addressed to the cubs' owner, tom rickets. >> the curse. >> some are calling it an intimidating package. the reason, they're probably of

the cubs lore, dating back to the 1955 series. when the club owner brought his goat to wrigley field. he was thrown out. that led him to cursing the cubs, saying they would never win a world series game at wrigley field. and they haven't. and the burst of billy the goat lives on. >> mr. rickets never saw the goat's head. it was delivered to a security guard who called police. he never got to see -- >> it's pretty gross. >> it's terrible. everyone's tired of north korea, right? they sure are providing plenty of material for evening comedians. here's late-night laughs. >> starting to get serious. china has warned north korea about starting a war. china told -- woo? really? china told them flatout, do not fire any missiles at the united states. at least until we get our money. they owe us $16 trillion. wait until then. >> missiles are believed to have

a range of about 2,000 miles. no one knows for sure. but they could hit targets in japan to south korea for sure. even possibly hawaii and guam, which is bad. and yet, why do i feel like this whole thing could be solved by sendi sendi sending kim jong-un a disney pass. >> just a week after releasing a plus-sized dress, manatee gray -- [ laughter ] now, they're having to rename a pair of sandals because orina means urine in spanish. well, you should know that target is spanish for fancy walmart. >> "early start" continues, right now. tornado fury. new this morning, twisters touch

down in at least two states, leaving a path of wrecked homes behind. s.w.a.t. team rescue. police storm a home, guns blazing to save a group of firefighters held defect. new overnight. four different automakers recalling millions of cars because something meant to protect passengers could hurt them instead. out guns but definitely not outdone. take a look as a store owner takes a bullet fighting off a gunman with a baseball bat. this is really incredible video. we're going to show you so much more of this. the guy keeps oncoming back. >> it goes on and on. good morning. welcome to "early start." so happy you're with us this morning. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman. it's thursday, april 11th. 6:00 a.m. in the east. up first, thousands of people without power after fierce tornadoes touched down in at least two states. the first one hit around 8:00 p.m. in hazelwood, missouri. we saw debris in the streets, trees toppled over. 24 homes suffering major damage.

missouri's governor has declared a state of emergency. 42,000 people in st. louis are still without power. in arkansas, a twister tore a path through van buren county. 33 homes, a church, and a business were damaged there. these are incredible pictures coming in. three people were injured. luckily no deaths have been reported in the mostly rural area but nerves are rattled there. major storm still rumbling through the south and east u.s. let's bring in samantha mohr. >> we've had a lot of lightning across southeastern texas. check out what's happening here in corpus. we have winds gusting up to 38 miles per hour from some of the thunderstorms there in the corpus christi area. we have heavy rain in jasper, texas. here in northwestern mississippi we have flood warnings. they've had two to three inches of rain in just the past three hours. it's hard to see how deep that area is when it's dark. the wintry weather wrapping

around across much of minnesota and wisconsin. twin cities seeing that snow, freezing rain mix, three to five inches of snow t in the twin cities today. all that cold air is pushing to the east. we have a chance for a severe, once again, across the deep south. interestingly enough, you may think, we haven't had as many trntds this season. you would be right. based on the past six years of data, here's the average, should average around 325 annually and so far we've only had 163. largely because of the very cool season we have had here, john and zoraida. but just because we're off to a slow start doesn't mean it's going to stay slow. things could pick up in any minute. i think today could be one of those days. that means you need to dust off the weather radios and recharge the batteries. make sure they're ready to go. especially overnight. >> this is one of those moments where you don't want to play catch-up. samantha mohr, thank you, four japanese automakers all involved in a massive recall that is

effecting 3.4 million vehicles. the problem is a malfunctioning insenaflater that could deploy airbag. it could cause a fire. toyota, honda, nissan, and mazda impacted by the recall since they all purchased their airbag systems from the same manufacturer in japan. 26 models are impacted. half involving toyota and popular corolla matrix and camry models. get that checked out. following new developments. hostage in su bur ba atlanta down which ended with a gunman dead and a shootout with police. police say the suspect who was having financial issues placed a fake emergency call and when firefighters showed up he demanded they turn his utilities back on. that's when the situation got ugly. cnn's martin savidge is live in suwanee with more. good morning, martin. >> the house behind us here is where that ordeal all played out. it went on, that drama, for about four hours. but it ended in seconds. and when it was done, the gunman

was dead, firefighters were freed, and a police officer wounded. we know that firefighters routinely run toward danger, but not this. >> we maidenry into the home. they were taken hostage by him. >> reporter: it began around 3:40 wednesday afternoon. firefighters near atlanta were called to what they thought was a man having a heart attack. this is radio traffic from one of the five firefighters taken hostage. >> we are in a situation where we have a -- an armed person. >> reporter: the gunman began making demands. >> and he is requesting certain -- certain utilities to be turned back on at his house, and he is armed and we are in the room with him. >> he's going through some

financial issues. and the power is turned off along with the kacable and cellphone. >> reporter: one of the five hostages was released. then around 7:30 p.m., police moved in. a loud bang, then volleys of gunfire. >> it got to a point where we believed their lives were in immediate danger and our s.w.a.t. team made the decision to go in there and neutralize the situation. >> reporter: neighbors who knew the man didn't expect anything like this. >> he was really nice. maybe a little bit too nice. i don't know. he seemed like a normal guy. >> reporter: the gunman was killed, one police officer was injured, and the firefighters suffered only minor injuries. >> relieved for us our firefighters are going to go home safe to their family '. >> reporter: john, listening to those radio transmissions you can really sense and feel the anxiety in that firefighter's voice as he reports they're all being held hostage. and probably as result of this,

you can bet that many first responders, not just here in georgia, but probably across the country are going to be reviewing their practices to see if there is is, well, some new programs that have sto be instituted as a result of this. >> you don't want these first responders nervous when they're rushing to your house to help you. martin savidge in georgia for us. new this hour, we have another warning from north korean television. jim clancy is live with the latest developments. he is in seoul this morning. what are these new developments? >> just coming in right now, i was just watching north korean tv before i stepped into the studio to talk with you a little bit now. this was the announcer coming along in fierce tones saying the media is talking about brinks manship and a propaganda strategy. the south koreans called it a headline strategy where the north koreans every day have something else that grabs the headlines. let us say one thing, you will

live to regret this in the end. war is just a matter of time, it goes on to say. there's no sense in regretting because no one will live to regret. chilling rhetoric, but take note. this is coming -- according to the announcer -- from the committee for the peaceful reunification of the korean peninsula. this is a way for kim jong u.n. or the leadership in north korea to send a message out there but it's not directly attributed to them. they would say, well, that's not directly from us, this is the feelings of this committee. this is their sentiment. so they distance themselves from it. what does it look like? more propaganda. more of that headline strategy. zoraida? >> yeah, it does sound like more propaganda. but what we discussing all of these missiles that supposedly they're getting ready to launch there's one in particular that perhaps has a longer range that hasn't been tested in the past. can you tell us a little bit about that? >> we don't know about the

musudan publicly. it was adapted from a submarine missile to be launched underwater. the north koreans got it. hired it from the russians. they added length to it. so it's believed to have a range of about 4,000 kilometers and believed to have a payload around one ton but nobody really knows. that's why this test could be so important. it has not been publicly tested. that's why there's so much military hardware, monitoring hardware, radar out there trying to read everything they can off this launch that is highly expected in the coming hours or days. zoraida? >> how far are we talking about when we talk about the missile ranges here, do you know? >> 4,000 kilometers, 2,500 miles is the general consensus from the experts. now, that goes all of the way to japan, to guam, and, of course, to korean peninsula which is well within range of a lot of the missiles of north korea. so it's a worrisome development.

if they find out it goes further than that the concerns are elevated. that's why they want to watch very closely, zoraida. >> jim clancy live for us in seoul. thank you very much. the senate may take action on gun control legislation. procedural vote is expected to determine whether or not to open debate on a gun bill. this comes as two senators, manchin and toomey, announced that bipartisan deal to expand background checks include buyers at gun shows and gun on the internet. the sister of one of the newtown shooting victims says much more needs to be done. >> that's not enough. it's really not. you know, these kids were brutally murdered. my sister was brutally murdered. it's just not enough what they said about the background checks. >> although he has pushed for tighter gun control measures in the manchin-toomey proposal, president obama called the compromise a significant step. new this morning, a heartfelt t letter from george

zimmerman's mother written to the american public on the one-year anniversary of her son's arrest for the shooting death of trayvon martin. gladys zimmerman writes, quote, april 11th, 2012, will be forever remembered by the zimmerman family as the day that justice system failed us as americans. an innocent man was arrested for a crime he did not commit solely to placate the masses. it is astounding that despite the vast amount of information and evidence now available that the georgia self-defense claim the majority of the media avoids its publication. that will be met with some controversy. back in the united states and headed to court. the parents accused of abducting their kids and sailing them to cuba face prison time? state emergency in missouri right now. we will take you to one of the hardest hit areas in the state where tornado leveled homes. car is crushed. "early start" back right after the break. a simple question:ople

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this morning. josh and hakken. the boys are now back with their grandparents. victor blackwell have been covering this story from the beginning. he's live outside the courthouse in tampa. victor, what can those parents expect today? >> well, they will be staying inside the jail where they are and they have been the first 24 hours since they've been arrested. they will not physically be in the courtroom. they're going to speak with the judge via closed-circuit television. since they've been arrested they've beens isolated from the general population and we're told that that's customary for two suspects in such a high-profile case. florida jail facing state charges of kidnapping and child neglect after a week on the run. their 2 and 4-year-old sons chase and cole are back living with their legal guardian, their grans parents. grateful to the authorities who

ended their week long nightmare. >> and really the thousands of other people who have said the prayers and went out to try to help find the grandchildren. we are very appreciative of that. >> reporter: the day after the hakkens lost their parental rights in connection with the father's arrest and erratic behavior in 2012 deputies say joshua hakken broke in the home. patricia hauser called for help. >> my son-in-law just kidnapped my two chagrandchildren. >> reporter: investigators learned joshua hakken purchased this boat "the salty" and headed south. >> the state department received information they were actually in cue bap. >> reporter: cnn's patrick in havana went to a marina popular with americans and sure enough, found their boat and the hakken family. >> i see a boy playing on the top deck and then a man with a large beard really kind of a

hulky guy, comes out. i said, hey, are you josh. he says, yes, who are you? i say, i'm from cnn. he gets very angry. goes in the boat. >> we did set up a team that actually departed the tampa area and went to cuba and actually met with the authorities there. >> reporter: the family was taken into custody. the boys and their parents separated on the flight back to florida. expedient and rare cooperation on extradition between two countries with an inconsistent history. >> we do appreciate the cuban authorities' extensive cooperation. >> reporter: the boys now settling into a more familiar home. their parents at least for now, confined to a new one. there was a federal charge of flight to avoid prosecution associated with this case but that's been dropped in the interest of streamlining the process. >> i was reading online that

these two could actually face life in prison because of florida laws? could you explain that to us? >> reporter: yes. and it's specifically the kidnapping charges. they've been charged each with two counts. of course, one for each boy. the kidnapping charge alone, if they're convicted, could send them to prison for life. but again, they are charged with the burglary with battery and child neglect and false imprisonment. a long list, it goes on and on. not including charges in atlanta. joshua hakken went to a foster home with a gun to try to take the kids in july 2012. >> what everybody is worried about are these two little boys. we haven't really seen them. we've seen their pictures constantly. i understand we perhaps could see them today. what do you know about that? >> reporter: we're supposed to -- we're expecting at least to see them at about 11:00 eastern today. the hausers, the grandparents, are hosting a news conference on their front lawn.

the front lawn of the home where they were snatched more than a week ago. we're told the boys will be there. likely will not speak. >> all right. victor blackwell reporting live for us. thank you for that. appreciate it. 17 minutes after the hour. let's bring you up to date. wild weather in the mid section spawning tornadoes, knocking out power to tens of thousands of people in missouri and arkansas. state of emergency is now in effect in missouri. arkansas a twister shredded a path 30 miles wide through three downs in van buren county. nearly three dozen homes were damaged. several vehicles overturned on the highway. three people there were hurt. justin lewis from our affiliate katv is live for us this morning in arkansas. what do things look like right now? bad behind you, huh? >> that's exactly right, john. i'll get out of the way. this is what stands of this sink ch sanctuary of a church in clinton. the county judge tells me at least six homes completely

demolished through severe weather that came through yesterday afternoon. many people displaced. and people are out here in droves yesterday helping clean up to try to get this area sort of back to normal. four people were injured. all those transported to the hospital yesterday. now, i've been told this morning three of those have been released. one remains in the hospital with nonlife threatening injuries. the american red cross was on the ground yesterday trying to, you know, help people pick up the pieces. they will be back this morning trying to help look at things and serve people who have been displaced. we are live in van buren county. >> again, that church behind you simply destroyed. >> surprising there weren't more injuries. >> luckily. they left so luckily no one was hurt inside. 19 minutes past the hour. amazing video to show you. this is just incredible. a pair of chicago shopkeepers refused to back down when two men tried to rob their store at gun point. at one point they're holding

someone, too. it happened earlier this week. this is a souvenir shop. the robbers pulled out a gun and demanded cash. 62-year-old store owner, the one behind the counter there, grabbed the bat and look at him. he started swinging. one of the suspects started firing. it hit his accomplice in the leg. he actually limped out of the store. he also hit in the leg by gunfire but he keeps on swinging. look at this guy. he keeps oncoming. the robber keeps oncoming back for more. the gunman, he's not giving up. so look at that. he gets hit over the head with a baseball bat. his brother-in-law sprung into action as well throwing a chair and a fire extinguisher at that guy. he is recovering at home this morning. police are still searching for those suspects. >> i got to say. i don't know what the right thing to do is there. i don't know if you should take that baseball bat and start swinging but that guy -- >> it worked for him. this man was armed and dangerous.

>> he is brave and took a big swing. that's for sure. >> defending his property. 20 minutes after the hour. more proof we have come a long way since the depths of the recession. the new numbers that have us asking is the foreclosure crisis over? that would be nice.om he new new york state, where cutting taxes for families and businesses is our business. we've reduced taxes and lowered costs to save businesses more than two billion dollars to grow jobs, cut middle class income taxes to the lowest rate in sixty years, and we're creating tax free zones for business startups. the new new york is working creating tens of thousands of new businesses, and we're just getting started. to grow or start your business visit thenewny.com

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we are minding your business this morning. stocks are looking to climb higher into record territory after the dow and s&p 500, they shattered another record yesterday. >> christine romans, the dow 15,000 is right around the corner. >> up a couple of good days and you could see the dow 15,000. futures up higher again this morning. we could see another record day today. we'll be watching hewlett-packard shares. hp shares set to drop at the open because we learned that pc sales plummeted in the first

three months of the year. at hp that meant almost 24% drop in pc shipments from a year ago. taiwan based asus saw a 31% decline. biggest ever in hp, biggest ever says the tech market research firm adc. they're blaming tablets for disrupting the pc market. microsoft windows 8, it says it's getting a weak reception from customers, says idc. as a result, consumers are choosing tablets over new pcs with with windows 8. neither rain nor snow nor saturday will stop the postal service. the post office saying, never mind, on eliminating saturday delivery because it's not allowed. it needs congress to approve the move or give the postal authority the authority to make own decisions about delivery schedule. neither has happened yet. you've got mail on saturday for the foreseeable future. >> congress makes it hard for the post office to do things. what do we need to know? >> the monthly foreclosures is just about where it was before the recession.

banks repossessed the average close to that. way better than the record. 100,000 repossessions we saw back in september 2010. we've still got a lot of people who are behind but fewer than before and repossessions slowing down. >> 100,000. >> i know. it was ugly. september 2010 was a very ugly month for ropos. after all the talk, the finally we're going to get some action in congress on gun control. it will happen today. more on the vote which is just hours away, coming up. i've been going around the country asking people

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go national. go like a pro. happening right now. a state of emergency in missouri. one of the two states battered by tornadoes just hours ago. >> and new this hour. more threats from north korea. the ominous warning just broadcast on state television. also new overnight. the huge auto recall. millions of cars for the safety feature that could prove anything but safe. welcome back to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it is thursday, april 11th. it is 30 minutes past the hour. happening now, two states at least two powerful tornadoes. tens of thousands of people are still in the dark right now. that first tornado hit around 8:00 p.m. in the hazelwood, missouri. this is the scene after the twister tore through town, toppling trees, trashing

neighborhood streets. two dozen homes suffered major damage. missouri's governor declared a state of emergency. arkansas, a powerful twister shredded a path 30 miles wide, through three towns, 75 miles north of little rock. 30 homes and a popular church were damage tld. several cars were overturned and so far what we know is at least three people were hurt. samantha mohr is following all of these storms for us. what's going on? >> well, we've had, as you said, the storm reports from the tornado, six separate tornado reports. and, also, all the wind and the hail reports. so some 261 storm reports from yesterday. we expect to see an active afternoon today. so all of this will most likely be moving to the east as this frontal system pusheses to the east along with a strong surface low bringing the cold weather, the wintry weather into the plains. twin cities getting hit with snow and freezing rain today.

a lot of lightning across south texas. houston, nasty drive time for you. watch for flooded roadways here. we have flood warnings right now in northwestern mississippi and that means you need to be very careful out there. especially when it's dark, because you can't see how deep that flood t water is. here's how it's going to turn out throughout the day. louisiana, mississippi under the gun as will be the tennessee valley. then it moves into birmingham just in time for drive time. moving into atlanta about midnight. get those weather radios handy. get the new batteries in them. you don't want to end up being caught short if there's a power outage. heavy rain in new york city tomorrow, guys. could end up seeing signature can't delays at the airport. >> all right. samantha mohr, thank you. 32 minutes after the hour. if you drive a japanese car, there is a huge recall under way right now. and this could hit you. as many as 3.4 million vehicles made by toyota, honda, nissan, and mazda, all recalled because of an issue with the airbag that could start a fire.

travis is live from washington right now. what are the details. this is big? >> yeah, john, this is big. this is a massive recall. over a problem as you mentioned that could cause injuries. four japanese automakers are recalling some 3.4 million vehicles. the fear, potential airbag defects. now, let's take a look at who is actually recalling what. toyota says it's recalling 1.7 million cars worldwide. among them, cars driven by many of our viewers, corolla, matrix, and camry models. honda is recalling 1.1 million. nissan, 480,000 and mazda, 45,000. we want to note most of the recall cars appear to be from the years 2001, 2002 and 200200. as for the problems in these defeted vehicles, honda specifically says the passenger airbag inflaters could deploy with too much pressure. that could lead to injuries.

obviously a serious concern. honda says, thus far, it is not aware of any injuries or deaths caused by this airbag defect. toyota says it has heard of airbag malfunctions but no injuries. so it looks like the automakers are pretty much recalling these vehicles out of an abundance of caution. let's keep in mind that vehicle recalls are pretty common in the u.s. >> let's talk about toyota because they've worked hard to claw their way back to the top. they had a tough few years. this probably comes at a bad time for them. >> it's just more bad news. vehicle recall news for them, you will will fleb october of last year, they had to recall about 7.5 million vehicles because of a power window problem and, of course, the biggest news, the biggest recall was from 2009 and 2010, you recall, john, where they had to recall about 8 million vehicles because that problem with sticky accelerator pedals. more bad news for toyota.

>> check with your dealers, everyone, out there. shannon travis in washington. thank you. 34 minutes past the hour. a new warning from north korea. this just happened in the last hour. it was just broadcast on state television. and that coupled with all the recent rhetoric has everyone on high alert for a ballistic missile test or launch. we just don't know when. jim clancy is live in seoul. jim, what is north korea saying this morning. when we were on with you earlier it was when they had that address. what are the details? >> you know, zoraida, you and john sometimes think you have to deliver a lot of bad news but this poor woman on north korean television every time i look up and hear her voice, she is on there delivering some of the worst of the worst to not only north koreans but the rest of the world. today she was delivering and very stern tones the message that, well, north korea doesn't like the way the south is described, it is pursuing what's called a headline strategy. with one dramatic attack after another on a daily basis, trying

to grab the headlines. and she reported here that the committee for peaceful reunification is saying, let us just say one thing to you. you are going to regret this in the end. war is just a matter of time. now, this is pretty rough translation, but this is what she was saying. there's no use regretting because no one will live to regret. chilling threat coming from this committee for the peaceful reunification. it's not from kim jong u.n. bjo this is a group that has seen from a cabinet level and also seen in charge of propaganda. how do we take it? i think we have to take it just on its face. it is more of the same in terms of the threats coming from north korea meant to unsettle all of its perceived foes in the region and around the world. >> when you add you are going to regret this and there are missiles being moved all over the place and one in particular

that hasn't been tested in the past, it makes you a little uncomfortable. tell us about that missile and the range it could potentially have. >> well, you know, the musudan missile is an intermediate range missile developed by the russians as a submarine missile to be fired underwater. the north koreans bought it and hired the company that designed it and they refashioned it and made it into a surface-fired missile. and it is believed, according to scientists, to have about a 4,000 kilometer, 2,500-mile range, that takes in not on all of south korea but could go to japan, could go to the guam island where's the u.s. has bases. so it poses that kind of threat. but no one really knows. they haven't tested it in public. we'll have to wait and see. that's why everybody is watching so closely, zoraida. >> we're glad you're watching for us. jim clancy live for us in seoul. thank you. new this morning, gun control on capitol hill shaping up to be a big day. the senate will hold a procedural vote around 11:00 eastern time to determine

whether or not to open debate on new legislation. this of course comes as two senators, democrat and republican, unveil a bipartisan deal on expanded background checks. president obama called this a significant development. let's get the latest now from white house correspondent brianna keilar. >> reporter: first lady michelle obama took the rare step of wading into a policy debate on wednesday describing how she felt when he attended the funeral of teenager hadiya pendleton shot and killed in her hometown of chicago. >> let me tell you, it is hard to know what to say to a room full of teenagers who are about to bury their best friend. but i started by telling them that hadiya was clearly on her way to doing something truly worthy with her life. >> reporter: the first lady's comments came on the eve of the senate's first vote on a watered down gun bill set to take place later this morning.

reason senator pat toomey and joe manchin both of whom have a a rating from the national rifle association forced a compromise on background checks on gun purchases. manchin touched by newtown families when he met with them on capitol hill. the legislation would require a background check on purchases at gun shows and on the internet. but would exempt private transactions. it would also require states and the federal government to provide records on criminals and the violently mentally ill through the national background check system. but can it pass a republican congress? >> many of them are looking carefully at the legislation, but i don't know in the end how many will support it. >> reporter: many gun owners are not convinced. >> none of these laws will stop crime. the criminals will just go on getting their guns like they always have. >> reporter: while the measure is far from the assault weapons ban, the president pushed for after the sandy hook shootings, some of the parents of children killed say it's a first step.

>> what i've seen here is people working together on both sides to try to do something to reduce the likelihood of another mother standing in my shoes. >> reporter: brianna keilar, cnn, washington. 39 minutes past the hour. we've been showing you the video just in this morning of the tornado damage in missouri and in arkansas. we'll get a live look at some of the destruction from the ground. that's coming up. plus, standoff on the highway. police trying to take down a daring suspect.

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christine romans has a look at what's ahead on "starting

point." >> two tornadoes ripped through missouri and arkansas. dozens of homes were destroyed. we're going to bring you that at the top of the hour. and then senators set to debate a new gun control bill. this could go on for weeks now. will democrats get the support they need to vote and pass on that measure? we'll talk with senator joe manchin who helped broker the deal and meet two incredible teenage sisters who found the strength to lift a 3,000 pound tractor off their father. we'll talk to all three of them live about this amazing story. plus, a group of high school friends go fishing and get the catch of their life. they reeled in that great white shark. they're going to join us live on that one, too. >> oh, my goodness. sharks every where for you. >> sharks everywhere. happening right now, tens of thousands of people without power after tornadoes whipped through missouri and arkansas. the governor called for a state of emergency and in arkansas, residents in three towns are waking up to destruction. a ferocious twister tore through

van buren county, north of little rock. several homes were damaged, cars were tossed off the road. a popular church was torn apart. justin lewis from affiliate katv is live in arkansas this morning. good morning again, justin. >> reporter: good morning, john. we're about 75 miles north of little rock here in van buren county. behind me is what remains of a church sanctuary here. this is a foursquare church. i confirmed this morning, at least six homes completely were demolished yesterday from this storm. now, when we got here we saw trees down, debris, things everywhere, people everywhere trying to pick things up. i ran into one young man and asked him how the road was we were heading on. he had a chainsaw in hand and he began to tell me how the storm almost hit his home. he was outside helping out his neighbors trying to clear the road in this rural part of van buren county.

a lot of people have been out here, we're expecting the american red cross as well as many other residents to be out here today to help people gather what they can of many of their demolished homes. four people were injured yesterday. all of them transported to hospital. good news this morning, three were released late last night. one of them remains in the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. but still, a lot of assessment continuing, going on today. i just got off the phone with the county judge. he told me the crews will be out making sure they didn't miss any homes here from my damage and continue to rye to get much of these trees and debris off the roadways so people can get through freely today and it's going to be a lot of clean-up going on today as people just try to, i guess, get back to a normal life here in van buren county. live in van buren county, justin lewis, back to you, john. >> justin lewis, thank you so much. so coming up, the catch of the day on camera. look at this. that's a shark jumping out,

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take a look at this video. police officers subduing a 62 yard man. this right outside of santa barbara. it took seven bean bag shots. seven taser probes to t get that man on the ground. authorities say he was walk to think 101 freeway and pulled a knife on a deputy who went to investigate what was going on.

so that man will be charged with assault when he leaves the hospital. >> something clearly going on there. in a few hours the best golfers in the world tee off in the first major championship of the year. of course we're talking about the masters. tiger woods may be the favored to win but 14-year-old from china that is turning a lot of heads. >> joe carter brian joins us for this bleacher report. 14-year-old? >> eighth grader, guys. guan is his name. he was three years old. earned his spot in the masters this week by winning an amateur championship in asia last year. a few veterans this week have expressed this guy is too young to be in the tournament. don't tell him that. he took on the media like a champ. over the years china hasn't really produced very many great golfers but tiger thinks that's going to change starting with guan. >> they're coming and he's one of them and to see him hit the

ball and -- well, we knew he was going to be good but we didn't think he was going to be in the masters in two years. >> notable tee times bubba watson goes off at 10:34, tiger woods going for fifth green jacket 10:45, guan goes off after noon at 12:24. mickelson 1:30. all of your tee times and predictions, go to bleacherreport.com. cute kid alert. par 3 contest at the masters. that's luke and his daughter. nice shot there. love that. i did it, dad. i did it. this one's so cute. the mini driver. look how little that thing is. short and straight, guys. caddieing for rory mcilroy got a chance to tee it up but the shot went in the water. i'm saying give her a mulligan. one more shot would have been good for her. fans started putting chairs down at 8:00 a.m. to see shots like

this. nick watney carting the ace. here it comes. here it comes. give it some time. you've got to love it. one of the greatest shots in golf, the hole in one. ben crenshaw also hit a hole in one yesterday. now, the most inspiring story of the ncaa tournament kevin ware returned to louisville yesterday with his teammates, coaches, and the championship trophy in hand if school threw a big party for both the men and women's teams. ware afterwards thanking the fans for all the love. >> we found some guys who wouldn't be here. thank you from the bottom of my heart. you guys have been amazing. you really kept me in good spirits. i'm going to try to get back on the court as quickly as upon for you guys. >> obviously that's a long road ahead for him. 12 months before he gets back on the court. weather might be an issue tonight and 20tomorrow morning r the masters. >> thank you. thanks so much. can we take a second to talk

about kobe bryant? this is at the l.a. lakers game. i got to el tell you, 47 points in 48 minutes. 18 for 18 at the free-throw line. this is absolutely fantastic because we thought the lakers were out of it and kobe singlehandedly, look at him. >> they are fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot. i guess he's 34 years old? >> he is. a lot of people were saying his game was kind of done. he's like, uh-uh, not yet, folks. >> he went all 48 minutes. it turns out that kobe bryant is good at basketball. >> really? here's a quote, there's no secret, no magic farm la. i watch what i eat and i train my blank off. i'm the type of condition right now that a lot of my predecessors at this age probably couldn't be in. i wonder who he was digging. >> rhymes with michael jordan. >> love that. >> see what m.j. says about that. 54 minutes after the hour. this is the kind of story where

you really can't blink or you will miss the action. look at this. that's a shark jumping out of the water as that guy is fishing in a kayak off hawaii. let's look at it again right now. this is a fisherman trying to reel in a fish, a tuna, and all of a sudden, boom, there it goes, the shark. the shark missed the tuna the first time, came back and bumped the kayak and got ahold of it. you're look at a ten-foot tiger shark leaping out of the water there. that might scare you off the water, right? not this guy. this fisherman keeps right on fishing in the same spot and we understand later he caught a nice whmahi mahi. >> he stays there and he was whistling a bit. would you do a? >> no. >> never. >> kayak, right? "early start" continues right after this break. and "starting point" has the latest threat broadcast in north korea. this just came out in the past hour. we'll share it with you. where cutting taxes for families and businesses

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that is it for "early start." thanks for being with us. i'm zoraida sambolin. "starting point" up next. good morning. i'm john berman. >> i'm christine romans. first, a string of tornadoes ripped through two states. thousands of people without power. dozens of homes destroyed. where that storm is headed next. that's coming up. more than 3 million cars recalled worldwide over the airbags. we're going to have the makes and models. dramatic rescue of four firefighters held hostage in georgia. we have the pictures and their dramatic call for help. and he is armed and