making news in america this morning. >> weather bomb. another megastorm impacting millions this morning. and cancelling thousands of flights nationwide. national healing. the president's message from tucson tonight. plus, the first pictures from inside the icu. and that man with the golden voice, now questioned by police. the harsh life of instant stardom. good morning. and thanks for being with us. the winter storm that crippled parts of the south has now combined with another system to create a monster snowmaker over the northeast. >> this is what it's doing to new york's times square right now. snowplows have been out all night, trying to avoid a repeat

of those snow-clogged roads we saw right after the christmas blizzard. >> up to three inches of snow an hour is falling. and the storm will only get worse as it moves towards boston. >> we have several reports this morning. right now, we start with ines ferre, live here in manhattan. good morning, ines. >> reporter: good morning, rob and vinita. it's snowing steadily right now. not a lot of wind. but the snow is coming down hard. and i want you to look at some of the accumulation on some of these cars. what you see on those cars is the accumulation of this snowfall. now, new york city is supposed to get up to a foot of snow. but east of new york, and all the way up north, into the boston and cape cod area, could see even more. the winter storm started pounding the northeast overnight. plows and sanders hit the streets. some areas braced themselves for up to two feet of snow. parts of massachusetts declared a snow emergency for this morning. in new york city, officials said

they're ready to combat an expected 8 to 12 inches, promising this wouldn't be a repeat of the slow response after last month's blizzard, when many streets went unattended for days and the city came to a halt. >> we do know that we didn't do the job that new yorkers rightly expect of us in the last storm. and we intend to make sure that that does not happen again. >> reporter: officials say the key will be preparation. trucks were ready to roll. and workers were split into different shifts. >> we're on a 12-hour shift. you know, midnight to noon. noon to midnight. we have the men to man the trucks 24/7. so, we'll be here. >> reporter: the pounding in the northeast is a combination of the snow from the midwest and similar recent conditions from the south. the storm there caused chaos, leaving at least ten dead and cars stranded as parts of interstates turned into streets of ice. >> they ain't got nobody that knows what's going on. >> reporter: over 2,000 flights have been canceled, from atlanta to boston. some airlines offered passengers

the option to switch their flights before today's big storm. now, the tough part will come this morning, as people are waking up and trying to figure out how they can get to work, if they're going to work. and local officials across several states are telling people, look. if you don't have to leave the house today, just stay home. vinita? rob? >> all right. ines ferre, live here in manhattan. thanks. and the powerful storm is the third for the northeast in as many weeks. >> ava dinges tells us how much snow will be on the ground by the time this one is all over. good morning, ava. >> good morning, rob and vinita. dealing with yet another blizzard in the northeast. this time, really taking aim on boston. we'll see the heaviest of the snow from new york city, all the way up into maine, where some places could see about 12 inches of snow. boston could be getting 12 to 18. and we'll see major travel concerns. in the northwest, there's some snow pushing in. but temperatures are actually warming up through the next couple of days. and that means plenty more rain. with the snow melt and the rain,

flooding will be a major concern in the northwest. now, back to you, rob and vinita. >> thanks, a lot, ava. we have reporters from atlanta to boston. complete coverage coming up later today on "good morning america." and now, to the morning's other big story, the aftermath of saturday's massacre in tucson, arizona. >> we're getting the first look inside the hospital room of representative gabrielle giffords. that's her husband there, mark kelly, holding her hand. >> president obama is leading a federal delegation to arizona today. for details on his trip and more, we're joined this morning by emily schmidt live in washington. good morning, emily. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning to you. president obama says he has spent a lot of time thinking about what happened in tucson. he's reached out to the victims' families. tonight, he is reaching out to the nation, trying to find the words to describe this tragedy. tonight, president obama goes to tucson, to speak at a memorial service, honoring saturday's 20 shooting victims and the community. >> we don't want to have a

finger-pointing moment in tucson. it's a national healing. he needs to be the healing agent of our nation. >> reporter: these are the first pictures from congresswoman gabrielle giffords' hospital room. her husband holding her hand on sunday. she remains in critical condition. but doctors note improvement. >> she's breathing on her own. as long as we don't backslide and as long as she holds her own, that keeps us hopeful. ♪ alleluia >> reporter: last night, people in tucson gathered for a special mass called the healing of our community. >> questioning, wondering, struggling with how such violence could happen. >> reporter: more than 100 fbi agents are investigating accused gunman jared loughner, now in a federal prison near phoenix. a sheriff's official tells the associated press that saturday, loughner's father saw his son take a black bag out of a car truck. when the son took off running, the father chased him by truck. loughner's family has released a statement, saying, we care very deeply about the victims and

their families. we are so very sorry for their loss. >> not only is he sad for his son, he's devastated over people that was involved. >> reporter: and here in washington, today, members of congress are set to honor the shooting victims with a special resolution. then, they are slated to receive a security briefing about their own safety. vinita? rob? >> all right. emily schmidt, thanks for that report. three of saturday's other victims are listed in serious condition. and two others in fair. one of those suspected to survive is susan hileman, who had brought 9-year-old christina-taylor green to saturday's event. her husband says hileman sometimes wakes up screaming. >> i hear her in her semiconscious ramblings, screaming out, christina. christina. let's get out of here. let's get out of here. and she keeps talking about the holding of hands. and then, the realization that she was on the ground. and the bleeding was profuse. her memory seems to end there.

>> green was the youngest victim of saturday's shooting. her funeral is tomorrow. in other news this morning, vice president biden will not be in tucson with the president. he is in pakistan, as part of a trip overseas. he arrived there this morning from afghanistan. and he's expected to ask for more help in tracking down al qaeda and taliban militants. secretary of defense, robert gates, is wrapping up his visit to china, with a stop at the great wall. gates told reporters that he was given a rare tour inside china's nuclear warfare headquarters. gates' assignment during four days in china was to patch up damaged ties between the two militaries. back here in the u.s., a tv news helicopter became the news in boston. this wcvb chopper made a precautionary landing right on the boston commons last night after warning lights and an alarm came on. the landing was flawless. and no one was hurt. and when we come back this morning, will the iphone function better on verizon compared to at&t? our expert weighs in.

then, we visit port-au-prince, a city preparing to remember quake victims today. and more from the northeast monster storm, which is set to snarl air traffic nationwide all day today.

charles schwab has reached a huge settlement over allegations that it misled investors. the brokerage firm will now pay $119 million to settle federal

regulators civil charges. schwab marketed one of its funds as a conservative investment, even though it held a high-risk investment that lost billions during the financial crisis. the fcc's internal watchdog is investigating allegations the agency gave two citigroup executives a break. the executives avoided civil fraud charges back in july, as part of a $75 million settlement for misleading investors. overseas stocks are higher across the board this morning. tokyo's nikkei average ticked up two points today. hong kong's hang seng rose 1.5%. in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow gained 34 points yesterday. the nasdaq added nine points. general motors wants to change the way it pays unionized workers. the automaker wants their pay to be tied to performance, the same way it is for salaried workers. contract talks begin this summer. well, the wait is almost over for verizon subscribers who

have been holding out for the iphone. the carrier announced tuesday that it will finally begin selling apple's iphone 4 on february 10th. abc tech contributor, becky worley, says there's no guarantee the device will work any better on verizon's network than at&t's. >> i say, wait and see how verizon handles the load. and there are a lot of other issues that may be giving at&t an edge, as we compare the iphones on both networks. >> one thing will be the same for both carriers. and that's the price. the iphone will cost 199 bucks for the 16-gig model. 299 bucks for 32 gigs. >> and there's talk that iphone could be releasing a new phone come summertime. so, one more gadget for all of us to want. >> healthy competition, right? coming up next, he shot to stardom just last week because of his voice. now, ted williams is taken in by police. on top of that, humiliation in the nba.

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pair it with a texas toast half sandwich, like our southwestern blt with applewood smoked bacon. served with fries, it's big flavor for just 6 bucks! weekdays at chili's. recapping our top story. a winter storm is dumping heavy, wet snow on the northeast. you're looking at live pictures from new york's times square where you can see the snowplows are busy at work. the system will bring blizzard conditions to new england today. >> of course, that means treacherous roads from philadelphia all the way up to portland, maine. slick and snow-covered on i-95, and on i-90, from albany to boston. snow also makes it slippery out west, especially on i-5, from portland to seattle. and icy on i-20, across the southeast. >> if you're flying today, expect delays in seattle, boston, new york and philadelphia. and one more amazing snapshot of the winter weather here in the u.s. as of this morning, get this, 49 states have snow on the ground.

even hawaii has snow, on top of the giant volcanos there. only florida, lucky folks, is snow-free. well, it is a somber day in haiti, as the nation marks one year since the devastating earthquake. more than 250,000 people were killed. >> and even though billions of international aid has poured into that country, the need is still great. matt gutman reports now from port-au-prince. >> reporter: this is the hotel montana. it was six stories high. when the earthquake hit one year ago, it crumbled entirely. there were 280 people killed right here. it's now being rebuilt, slowly, and with private funds. no government aid or any money from ngos. and that's the way it's been in haiti. much of the reconstruction you see in the street is being done piecemeal. people trying to fix up their own homes using wheelbarrows, buckets and picks to shovel dirt out. and rubble removal is still the biggest challenge in this country. we also heard from the prime minister that the death toll has been revised upwards.

it was 230,000. it is now 316,000 people, who died either during the earthquake itself or in the days after it. that is 3% of the entire population of haiti. there will be so many memorials all over this city and all over this country. specifically at 4:53 p.m. that's when the earthquake hit. and what they're going to say here during this memorial is something that many haitians say, which is, i'm still here. matt gutman, abc news, port-au-prince, haiti. ted kennedy's widow says thanks but no thanks to a future in politics. vicki kennedy says she's flattered by the push to go after her husband's old senate seat. but she insists she cannot imagine running for that office without him by her side. her decision leaves democrats now looking for a strong candidate to take on senator scott brown. michael jackson's family is now applauding a california judge who ordered the singer's personal doctor to stand trial. the judge also suspended conrad

murray's medical license. murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter for allegedly giving jackson a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol. and trouble in paradise for the internet sensation known as the man with the golden voice. ted williams was questioned by police in los angeles, after getting into a heated argument with his daughter. williams, who of course went from being homeless to a corporate spokesman in just a matter of days, was in california to appear on several shows. his daughter claims he's been drinking. but police will not elaborate on the reasons behind the dispute. the last surviving family member of the popular '50s show, "the adventures of ozzie and harriet" has died. david nelson passed away in california after a battle with colon cancer. he appeared on the show with his parents and brother, rick. and he directed some of the episodes, which took story lines from their own lives. david nelson was 74 years old. time, now, for some sports news.

this time of year, of course, that means lots of basketball. the pros and college highlights from espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. and we start with a record performance by the lakers in l.a. they're taking on the cleveland cavaliers. early in this game, kobe bryant gets the lay-in to go. later on, shannon brown, off th. screen. pulls up for the jumper. and that's good. and so, the lakers absolutely pouring it on offensively. kobe bryant, driving in the lane. pulls up, just shy of the free-throw line. hits the jumper. and the lakers, cruising. they're up 70-27. this is the icing on the cake. shannon brown pulling up. the heave is good from half-court. the lakers win 112-57. it's the fewest ever allowed in franchise history. college hoops, byu taking on utep. time running out.

fredette, it's like he's in the nba. down it goes. byu, up 42-45 at the half. fredette, still not done. byu up by 18. fredette again. slithering in the lane. gets the layup. he had 47 points. byu wins, 104-79. number 16, illinois, taking on penn state. they're in happy valley. second half, talor battle steps back for a three. penn state leads 55-51. 25 seconds remaining. the pass to bill cole. gets the lay-in. we're tied at 55-55. ensuing penn state possession. the dunk is good by andrew jones. take a look. he beats the clock. penn state wins 57-55. that is your espn news update. i'm don bell. now, back to you in new york. and now, to a baby girl in the twin cities who waited for a magic moment to make her appearance.

>> little flora mensa came into the world on 1/11/11. if that's not enough 1s to keep track of, she just happened to be born at 1:11 in the morning. doctors say they didn't do anything special to have the birth occur at just the right time. lucky, little girl. >> a cutie, too. coming up next, making history today in south carolina. and it pummeled the south. and now, the northeast. m.e latest on the monster storm. winter can be beautiful. [ female announcer ] and now, winter skin can be too. discover relief from dry, uncomfortable skin with skin relief moisturizing lotion. only aveeno has an active naturals triple oat and shea butter formula that soothes, nourishes and restores moisture. women saw improvement in all five symptoms of winter skin in just one day. beauty you can see and feel. that's being comfortable in your own skin. aveeno skin relief. and now get dermatologist recommended relief from severely dry skin with eczema therapy. new from aveeno. discover the power of active naturals

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now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this wednesday. travel in the northeast will be treacherous today, as winter storms dumps heavy snow. more than 2,000 flights are expected to be canceled. president obama leads a delegation of federal officials to tucson today. they're attending a memorial service for the victims of saturday's tragedy. in his comments, mr. obama will focus on the lives of those killed and the heroes at the scene. on capitol hill, members of congress are signing a book of condolences for the victims, including their colleague, gabrielle giffords. house speaker john boehner is hosting a bipartisan prayer service today. and all members will receive a security briefing. also, a historic day in south carolina. republican nikki haley will be sworn in this morning as that state's first woman governor. haley, a 38-year-old mother of two, is the second indian-american chief executive to take office. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, "america this morning" continues right after this.

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big story of the day, of course, the weather. the intense winter storm is hitting the new york region. now, making its way to new england. >> our john berman has been driving the snowy streets of

new york all night. and shows us what it is like out there. >> reporter: we've been out all night. and some of the snowplows in new york, we've seen dozens and dozens of them on the street. they had a light on a backhoe clearing out an intersection. they're taking this storm very, very seriously. and they want to have these roads as clean as they possible can. we have just seen the emergency operation center. they've been so far, so good here. the only problem they've seen is some disabled vehicles on the road. they've been able to clear them out fairly quickly. the emergency vehicles have been able to get where they need to go. it is snowing very hard. you can see it. coming down an inch or two an hour. i can't tell if it will accumulate the inches that were predicted. so far, the streets are drivable, passable. i wouldn't recommend it unless you have a four-wheel drive week like this. and a great driver here. >> thanks, john. we'll get more later today on "gma." this storm started in the south, where some cities could

be encased in ice until a warmup this weekend. that created dangerous conditions for workers in jackson, mississippi, tv station. >> they literally had to run for cover, dodging spikes of falling ice the overhead tv antenna, in a race to move their cars out of the parking lot. and this guy could skate from his apartment down the street. despite the inconvenience, many southerners were taking the time-out to enjoy the rare beauty of the ice storm. >> and serious journalists can take a little time-out to enjoy the snow. vinita and i bundled up and ventured out earlier to check out the storm firsthand. >> we made the best of the fresh powder outside of our studio in manhattan. it wasn't frosty. but not bad for amateurs from the south. >> exactly. that's what's making news in america this morning. get much more of the nation's weather later today on "good morning america." >> and if you are snow-bound, have a safe wednesday. >> stay warm, everybody.