from capitol hill to the arizona desert, fallout from a shattered saturday morning. >> there's multiple people shot. >> okay. >> oh, my god. >> this morning, new warning signs from the trouble and stories of bravery during those terrifying moments. >> i told her, gabby, you're still with us, just grab my hand. >> this morning, remembering the victims of this tragedy in tucson. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us. it is another solemn day as the nation remembers those killed in the assassination attempt on congresswoman gabrielle giffords. >> hundreds gathered outside the

hospital where she's in critical condition. here's the latest, the congresswoman's husband was by her side. when he asked her to hold up two fingers, she made a peace sign. >> also, president obama has asked for a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. eastern time to remember the victims. >> and the suspect, jared lee loughner, makes his first court appearance this afternoon. >> we do have a number of reports on this monday morning. emily schmidt is live in washington. but we start with diana alvear live there at the university medical center there in tucson. >> reporter: good morning, he has invoked his right to remain silent. but as you mentioned, today is the first day we'll get the look at jared loughner. the suspect the sheer shooter. he's appearing in federal court in phoenix. this is the place where intended for survival here at the hospital. congresswoman gabby giffords remains in a medically induced coma. the long-term prognosis is still unclear. she and 13 others are being

treated at university medical center in tucson. six more victims lost their lives, including 9-year-old christina taylor green. >> comes into the word on 9/11, and at 9 years old, she leaves on this terrible day, yesterday. >> reporter: authorities have filed five counts against the suspected shooter, 22-year-old jared loughner, including attempted assassination of a member of congress. loughner might have killed more, but as he tried to reload a woman grabbed the ammunition clip from him. >> and we've got -- we've got one dead. there's multiple people shot. >> okay. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: a search of a safe at loughner's home revealed a note that said "i planned ahead. my assassination giffords." and a thank you note from giffords after the two met at an event several years ago. >> asked me questions that made absolutely no sense to me. politicians just don't get it. >> reporter: the investigation is painting the picture of a

troubled young man, rejected by the army after high school and minor drug arrests. his downward spirals deepened this fall, he dropped out of community college just before the school kicked him out. loughner had been told he'd need a mental health review before he could return. of course, this is the type of story that's affected the entire nation, but most of all, this community. i want to you take a look at that vigil there with the candles. people continue to come by and lay flowers and pictures and roses and light candles in honor of those victims, it's just a sign of how much this story has resonated with everyone here. vinita, rob. >> it is such a somber sight. diana, what can you tell us about the nationwide moment of silent for these victims? >> reporter: well, president obama said he was going to lead the nation this morning at 11:00. it's become such a significant event that even the supreme court is doing its part.

they're doing opening arguments ten minutes early to allow everyone to participate. so it's clearly something that's going to be very, very important. hopefully, a part of the healing process in this event. >> 11:00 a.m. eastern time today. thank you, diana alvear in tucson this morning. also, a picture is now emerging of suspect jared lee loughner as a troubled loner. >> investigators say they have found evidence that loughner specifically targeted the congresswoman for assassination. david kerley has that part of the story. it is a much clearer picture we're getting of a lone, angry disenfranchised young man. solely responsible for this gruesome shooting. the fbi director was in tucson, the first time in 15 years that the head of the fbi has been on the scene the day after a gruesome crime. >> reporter: agents continue to work the crime scene and the internet to learn more about 22-year-old jared loughner. they have filed five counts against him, including attempted assassination of a member of congress. on the scene, the fbi director suggests this was a lone assassin.

>> there is no information at this time, to suggest any specific threat remains. >> reporter: it turns out that second person of interest was just a cab driver who dropped loughner off. the fbi said it did find in loughner's home safe with a note that said "i planned ahead, my assassination of giffords." also in that safe was a thank you letter from giffords after the two met two years ago at a similar event. a meeting loughner may not have been satisfied with according to one of his friends. >> and he asked me some questions that made absolutely no sense to me. he said, i can't believe it or understand it. politicians just don't get it. okay, whatever, jared and just passed it off. knowing what i know now, that's probably a trigger. >> authorities believe that loughner started to spiral downward in november. he was kicked out of community college and he then bought the gun that was used in the shooting. david kerley, abc news, washington. >> as we said earlier, congresswoman giffords is in

critical condition. the doctors say she is responding repeatedly to commands and that is among encouraging sign. they say a combination of good luck and expert medical care saved giffords' life. we asked dr. besser about the greatest risks giffords is facing. >> the big concern is swelling. if you think of the skull as a bony box, the brain in it, if it swells, the increased pressure would actually cut off the blood flow and she would die. to manage that, they've actually removed the left side of her skull, that way the brain can swell. when the swelling goes down, they can put the skull back on. it's too soon to give a prognosis, but it really isn't too soon to be hopeful. >> doctors say giffords is fortunate that the gunshot did not go through both sides of her brain. >> it would have been far worse if it had not been for the bravery of four people. an intern applied pressure to

a wound, likely saving her life. two men managed to tackle the man to the ground. on top of that, a woman grabbed a magazine from the shooter as he tried to reload. >> he shot the lady next to me. i was waiting to see if i got shot and wondering how the gun wound would feel. he was down on the ground, right next to me. two gentlemen had knocked him down. he was pulling a magazine out of his pants pocket with his left hand, and i was able to grab the magazine. >> that woman insists she is not a hero. saying that praise belongs to the two men who wrestled the shooter to the ground. later in this half hour, we'll have more on the other victims whose names are not so well-known. their families and friends, of course, suffering with huge losses as they grapple with the loss of saturday's shooting. and a powerful winter storm

that's making for a chaotic monday morning across the south. dozens of states from texas to the carolinas are seeing snow, ice and sometimes both. >> all of that is starting to pile up in atlanta where they're expecting over half a foot of snow is there. that is well over the total that usually falls in that city for the entire winter. thousands of flights have now been canceled at atlanta's very busy airport. >> and alabama's governor is telling everyone in his state to stay home today to avoid the treacherous roads. accuweather's ava dinges tells us more. good morning, ava. good morning, rob and vinita. a massive storm system in the southeast bringing at least a foot of snow, across the northern gulf states, anywhere north of atlanta there could be 6 inches, and south of that we are going to see major icing. in fact, parts of i-20 nearly impassible because of the ice. eventually, this is going to play into the northeast as well. we will see two snowstorms come together to bring another disruptive snowstorm to the city up to boston. the last thing they want to hear. now back to you, rob and vinita.

>> the last thing for sure. when we come back, an alarming new finding about autism. could it be linked to birth order. and the shooting in tucson, could have have a profound effect on capitol hill. ththththththththththththth@ñ@ñ@ñ

it is time now for a check of market activity starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei exchange was closed for holiday today. hong kong's hang seng is down in late trading.

in london, the ftse opened lower. wall street gained 97 points last week and the nasdaq index picked up 50. the detroit auto show opens today and electric cars are expecting to play a starring role. ford introduced the electricford focus yesterday. it has no gasoline backup engine. "true grit" shoots to number one at the box office. the coen brothers western and took in $15 million over the weekend. "little fockers" and "season of the witch" were second and third. and when we come back, lives cut short, the victims of the tucson shooting, including the youngest, the 9-year-old little girl with a passion for politics. [ bells jingling ] [ snorting ] [ gasps ]

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and before it's all over, a half a foot of the white stuff may be on the ground there. it's all part of a huge winter storm that's causing a lot of problems from texas up to the carolinas. thousands of flights have already been canceled at the airport there in atlanta. >> that wall of wicked weather is creating chaos on the roadways. in southeast on 20, 40 and parts of i-95. watch out for snow and ice. midwest on 70, 80 and thrive. >> if you're flying today, expect airport delays in denver, kansas city, memphis, charlotte and atlanta. the massacre in tucson is raising new questions about whether members of congress should have more security. >> in fact, at least two lawmakers say they plan to start carrying guns when they're out in public. emily schmidt has details. >> reporter: in washington this morning, political gridlock temporarily dropped along with all of the flags, flying at half-staff, in honor of the arizona shooting victims.

>> an attack on one who serves is an attack on all who serves. >> gabby was doing what she always does, listening to the hopes and concerns of her neighbors. that is the essence of what our democracy is all about. >> reporter: president obama has called for a national moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. eastern time. the supreme court will begin arguments ten minutes so it can observe that moment. and congress has delayed its agenda this week. >> to think she was shot out trying to meet with her constituents points out our vulnerability. >> reporter: so instead of the planned vote to repeal health care reform, the house will convene this week to pass a resolution, honoring gabrielle giffords and other victims. last spring, sarah palin called for defeat in giffords' district and 19 others. >> don't retreat. reload. and that is not a call for

violence. >> -- has the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. when people do that you got to realize there are consequences of that action. >> reporter: members of congress say this is a reminder that words carry weight. >> i think this is a good time for all of us to reflect about the tone, the toxicity of the political climate. >> on wednesday, there will be a bipartisan security briefing on capitol hill as they try to balance how to be accessible to constituents and being safe. >> thank you, emily. the other victims of saturday's shootings are as being remembered today. john roll, the nation's top federal judge, was on his way to mass when he stopped to say hello to giffords. phyllis scheck. and gabe zimmerman was a marathon runner looking forward

to his wedding next year. >> and the young of the victim was christine florida taylor. her parents sat down with george stephanopoulos. >> she's tenacious. that's where she got the interest in politics. she was very good with people, tenacious. i thought that was a good quality. we nicknamed her -- we nicknamed her bobcat. >> bobcat? >> yeah, she'd give kind of a snarl when she wakes up. >> what is the one thing that you hope everybody listening can remember about her and take away from this? >> she had a beautiful soul and heart and she bass so kind and she wanted to help others. shortly before this happened, we had cleaned out her whole room, and she put all of these toys and clothes and shoes in various

bags. and she couldn't wait to give them away to someone who was less fortunate. she also had a kind heart. and she was sweet. >> i hope talking about her helps you all. >> it does. that's really the only reason we're out and about. i'd much rather spend more of the time with my family and friends. but i think people should know more about christine florida. >> and we wanted to honor her this way and appreciate the opportunity because christina taylor was an amazing little girl. the other people obviously were as well. and we hope the best for them. she was an amazing little girl and she got robbed. >> it's really a tragic loss. george will have much more live from tucson later on "good morning america." and tonight on "world news," diane sawyer also reports from the scene of the tragedy. in other news this morning, wednesday marks one year since

that devastating earthquake in haiti. the reconstruction of haiti's capital port-au-prince has even hardly even started. the quake killed more than 300,000 people and left more than 1.5 million homeless. the alaska pipeline was shut down after a leak was discovered at a pump station saturday. the production from the north slope is largely cut off. the news sent skyrocketing oil prices soaring even higher today. in medical news this morning, an intriguing new study on the as you of autism. researchers say having babies close together may put the second child at higher risk of developing the disorder. and as soon as the second child was conceived, the higher the risk. the results held true no matter the age of parents. it's on the rise in the u.s. because women are delaying child birth. taking a look now at the nfl playoff picture. the packers were the last team to qualify for next weekend divisional playoff.

aaron rodgers connected on three touchdown passes in the packs' victory over the eagles. the ravens will visit the steelers. that night, the packers will be in hot atlanta. and then seahawks over the saints. and the jets and the patriots in foxborough. coming up, we'll have the very latest from tucson. stay with us. wait. 2 hours!? [ female announcer ] no time to plan? there's still time to whiten. introducing crest whitestrips 2-hour express. now, in just two hours you can have a noticeably whiter smile that lasts for months. ♪ they must think we're famous! let em. [ female announcer ] whitening without the wait. 3d white whitestrips two hour express, from crest. life opens up when you do. and try 3d white paste and rinse.

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chances are, you could be one of them. stories we'll be watching on this monday. congresswoman gabby giffords remains in a medically induced coma as she recovers from a gunshot wound to the head. meanwhile, the president has asked for a moment of silence nationwide this morning at 11:00 a.m. eastern time to remember the victims. >> mean while, the suspect, 22-year-old jared lee loughner makes his first appearance in court today. it's clear that loughner was targets giffords for assassination. and the states are feeling the wrath of a powerful storm. up to a half foot of snow expected in some areas. thousands of flights have been canceled in atlanta. and several states of emergency have been declared. and auburn takes on oregon, there will be a remembrance of the tucson victims before the game.

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and tender white meat chicken. and now, recapping the latest on our top story today. that tragedy in tucson. the suspect jarod led lee lough

is due in federal court. congresswoman giffords remains in critical condition in a medically induced coma. >> doctors say good luck and good medical work saved her life. and the president is asking for a moment of silence at 11:00 a.m. eastern. >> house of representatives has postponed any official business until next week. house speaker john boehner says it's time for congress to pull together as an institution. >> among those being credited with saving gabby giffords life is an office intern still studying political science. >> 20-year-old daniel hernandez used his hand to apply pressure to the gunshot wound the seconds after the shootings. he described those moments. >> i was 30 or 40 feet away from where the congresswoman was. when i heard the shot being fired. my first instinct was to run towards the congresswoman assuming he was a likely target. i started checking for pulses, i

only got to check two or three people before i noticed the severity of the congresswoman and her wounds. i was kind of holding her up against my chest and applying pressure to her wounds. i had someone from the inside of the store bring in whatever clean linens they had because i was touching with my bare hands to apply pressure. i was afraid even if we were able to get her to the hospital there would be infection. she was conscious and alert. i was telling her, gabby, you're still with us. just grab my hand and hold tight. she grabbed my hand. i told her, if you understand 9 ambulance is coming, please squeeze my hand. i was letting her know it was okay. gabby is an amazing human being. a bullet can't stop her. she's been fighting for her life. >> every tragedy has its heroes. that is what's making news in america this morning. >> we will have much more from