making news in america this morning. >> red carpet welcome. the white house pulls out all the stops today. hosting china's president. issues like human rights and north korea loom large. domestic terror. the fbi's full-scale search for whoever placed a bomb at a king day parade. and slippery streets. winter's icy grip. who will have the worst commute today? good morning. and thanks for being with us. it will be a day of ceremony and symbolism at the white house. >> president obama officially welcomes china's president, in a lavish ceremony this morning, followed by a state dinner later tonight. >> as this visit begins, a new

poll shows many americans still don't know what to make of china. 42% have a favorable opinion of the country. china is trying to change that with a new image-boosting ad campaign. showing stars like yao ming and jackie chan. >> can the visit bring the two nations closer? here's karen travers. >> reporter: the obama administration rolled out the red carpet for chinese president, hu jintao. last night, the ceremony was a rare honor for a foreign leader. it starts a two-day visit that includes an oval office meeting and two dinners with mr. obama. beyond the pomp and circumstance, there's substance. and three, key issues on the agenda. first, national security issues, including north korea's nuclear prom. and u.s./chinese military relations. second, human rights and military reform in china. president obama is a nobel peace prize winner. the chinese are keeping a nobel peace prize winner in prison. >> the longer china represses

freedom, the longest it will miss out on opportunities. and the longer nobel prize winners, empty chairs in oslo, will remain a symbol of a nation of unfulfilled promise. >> reporter: and third, trade and economic issues. perhaps the biggest point of contention. mr. obama is once again to push china to stop undervaluing its currency. he's going to push for goods to be sold in chinese markets. china can produce cheaper goods selling them overseas. president obama will host the chinese president at a lavish state dinner at the white house. a clear sign that the importance the administration places on this relationship. karen travers, abc news, washington. president hu reportedly felt slighted when president bush opted for a working lunch instead of a state dinner. the first lady's staff didn't reveal details about the event. but one person not attending, house speaker john boehner.

boehner will welcome president hu to capitol hill tomorrow. but his focus today is on repealing health care reform. a vote is expected to pass in the house later today. but it is a largely symbolic gesture since the appeal is not expected to be approved in the senate. president obama says he is willing to improve the current health care law. long-time senator joe lieberman makes it official today. he is not going to run for a fifth term next year. lieberman was democrat al gore's running mate in 2000. but he angered many democrats by backing republican john mccain in 2008. he was also strongly criticized for supporting the war in iraq. the fbi is calling it a career case of domestic terrorism. a backpack bomb found along a parade route in spokane, washington. the discovery came monday before the annual martin luther king parade was about to steph off. jeff humphrey of our affiliate kxty has details. >> reporter: the unit used a

robot to inspect the backpack's contents. when they saw the wiring, they blew it apart. this is where the explosive disposal team detonated the device. here, we're finding a lot of splintered wood. and the green stuff on the ground smells like chlorine. that's because initially investigators thought the powder inside the bomb, the cloud you see in the video, contained a biological toxin like anthrax. the sprint splinters at the scene came from the wooden box that housed the powerful explosive. >> this device was constructed in a way that was potentially very lethal. and it had the potential to inflict multiple casualties. >> reporter: the peace and justice action league was in the parade. and can't believe that someone would target peaceful events. >> it was pretty clear that was motivated by some sense of racism, given the day. >> reporter: this is the swiss army backpack that contained the device. also inside, two t-shirts. the fbi interested in anyone who

knows something about the swiss army backpack or the shirts. they also want to look at pictures taken by visitors at the section, here at main and washington monday morning. >> the fbi is offering a $20,000 reward for information in the case. two los angeles students are in the hospital this morning after a bizarre school shooting. police say a tenth grader had a gun in his backpack. and it apparently went off by accident when he bumped or dropped the bag. two 15-year-olds, a girl and a boy, were hit by the same bullet. that girl is now in critical condition. and the teen suspect is under arrest. in haiti, it is now up to a judge to decide whether to try former dictator jean-claude devaluier for corruption and embezzlement. devaluier, also known as baby doc, was questioned for hours yesterday, after his he returned to haiti for the first time in a quarter-century. he is accused to having

political enemies tortured and killed. tributes are pouring in following the death of sargent shriver. he was the first director of the peace corps and a leader on the war on poverty. he was the vice president candidate on the mcgovern ticket. president obama called him one of the brightest lights of the greatest generation. shriver died yesterday after a battle with alzheimer's disease at age 95. turning, now, to the weather this morning. a calmer day in the northeast, after all that snow and ice yesterday. >> but it is bitterly cold in the dakotas, where fargo only gets up to 3 degrees today. the windchills will make it feel like 35 below zero tonight. yesterday, actual temperatures dipped to a bone-chilling 17 below. >> couldn't do it. now, for the rest of this morning's weather from around the country. nearly a foot of snow in the northern rockies. to the south and east, a mix of rain and snow changed over to all-snow. dumping up to six inches from denver to kansas city and st. louis. several inches of snow from

cleveland to charleston. and in upstate new york and in new england. >> 38 in boston. 42 here in new york. and 50s in atlanta, new orleans and dallas. a bitter 5 degrees in minneapolis. and 23 in chicago. 40s from seattle to salt lake city. 60 in sacramento. and 72 degrees in phoenix. and when we come back on this morning, the company that created the minivan plans a total makeover. plus, was gabrielle giffords ever afraid for her life? more from our exclusive interview with her husband. and the deadly blast that hit up the sky last night. and it was all caught on video.

well, apple's latest earnings made wall street forget, at least temporarily, that ceo steve jobs is taking another medical leave. shares rose after the company said its profits soared to $6 billion during the holiday quarter. sales hit a record of almost $27 billion. unbelievable. apple actually sold more ipads during the quarter than mac computers. about 7 million, versus 4 million. the government has approved comcast's deal to take control of nbc universal. it's a deal that could reshape the entertainment industry. rig laters prohibited it from withholding its programming from rivals. those blockbuster results from apple are lifting asian markets this morning. tokyo's nikkei average gained almost 0.4% today. hong kong's hang seng rose more than 1%. in london, the ftse opened slightly lower.

on wall street, the dow gained 50 points yesterday, closing at the highest level in 2 1/2 years. the nasdaq rose 10 points. fewer credit card users are having trouble keeping up with their bills. lowest level of 2010. there is evidence they will keep dropping this year. several factors are in play here, including individuals paying down balances and credit card companies tightening standards. chrysler may give the minivan a complete makeover. the automaker ceo says he wants to make them more versatile. that can mean vehicles that carry a lot of folks but don't look like traditional minivans. even if you leave your wallet at home, you will be able to pay for starbucks as long as you have your phone. the coffee chain is announcing it will accept payments by cell phone in all company-owned stars and target locations. you do have to get an app on your phone. but the good news here, the app is free. >> it's out for the iphone, the

blackberry and coming soon for the android. get your caffeine. >> coffee in a hurry. coming up on this wednesday, slip-sliding around. a dangerous commute for many. and then, our exclusive interview with mark kelly. he talks about his wife's miraculous recovery so far. i'm that guy that doesn't take directions. i had a heart problem. i was told to begin y aspirin regimen. i just didn't listen until i awoke withpains in my chest. i almost lost my life. my doctor's again ordered me to take aspirin. and i do. i make sure that h does it. [ male announcer ] aspirin is ot appropriate for everyone, so be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. [ mike ] i encourage everyone !to listen to the doctor. and take it seriously. [ male announcer ] learn more p about protecting your heart at iamproheart.com.

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heck, try 'em all. [ breathes deeply, wind blows ] something wrong with your squeegee, kid? uh, i'm a little sick. sick?! you gonna let a sore throat beat you? you're fearless! ahhhhhhhhh! atta boy! [ male announcer ] halls. a pep talk in every drop. it was a slippery morning ride for the drivers in the northeast. news cameras captured cars spinning and sliding out of control, after freezing rain left roads covered with a thick coating of ice early yesterday. this hilly street in pittsburgh was especially slick, as unsuspecting drivers slammed into other cars, poles. and as you see there, everything in their path. overall, more than 140 people ended up in emergency rooms around the city. >> unbelievable. not nearly as messy this morning thankfully. but still slick on i-90, from ice and snow from philly to

maine. icy on i-90, from boston to cleveland. and on i-25, from billings to cheyenne and colorado springs. >> if you are flying today, expect airport delays in denver, kansas city, chicago, boston, new york and philadelphia. and now, we turn to the latest in the aftermath of the tucson shootings. >> we got a rare glimpse yesterday of the parents of accused gunman jared loughner. both wearing sunglasses. they were seen outside their tucson home. >> randy loughner was also seen getting into his car and then driving away. the loughners had not made any statements since calling the shootings, quote, heinous. >> and there's new information about the surveillance tapes that are said to clearly show the shootings. >> for details, now, we're joined by emily schmidt in washington. >> reporter: vinita and rob, good morning to you. the shootings happened just outside of the supermarket. right out in the open. that public location put more people at risk. but it's also yielding investigators important, new clues. the 911 calls placed seconds

after the tucson shooting showed the chaos of the moment. >> a guy had a semiautomatic pistol. he went in. he just started firing. and then, he ran. >> reporter: now, investigators are reviewing video, not yet released to the public, that shows what led up to that moment. it's clear that surveillance store video from the safeway, where just outside, congresswoman gabrielle giffords was meeting with constituents. >> it happened at a congressman on your corner. my wife, giving the people she serves, the opportunity to speak to her. >> had you been worried for her safety? >> absolutely. yes. and she was. she was really, really concerned. but she thought this was the right thing to do. >> reporter: giffords husband, mark kelly, told diane sawyer in an exclusive interview, that he had seen the picture of accused gunman, jared loughner, and had seen enough. but the fbi is using surveillance videos to see more

about loughner's actions and demeanor. a tape says that loughner talked to a store clerk moments before unloading 30 rounds of ammunition. two shooting victims remain in the hospital, including congresswoman giffords, who doctors say continues to improve. >> the progress she has made with this injury has been nothing short of a miracle. >> reporter: and since the shooting, congresswoman gifford's colleagues on capitol hill have introduced gun control measures, include one that would ban high-capacity ammunition clips, like the one used in tucson. rob and vinita? >> thanks, emily. a fatal gas line blast has rocked a philadelphia neighborhood. it happened last night as crews were working to get at a gas and water main break. at least one person, believed to be a gas company worker was killed and five injured. dozens of residents were forced to evacuate. along the oregon coast, the

problem is sand. strong winds have blown around tons of it. most of the dunes, which usually protect the vacation homes, have completely engulfed some of them. the sand has even gone inside a number of homes. and that's never good. cleanup could take weeks. two men have been arrested and charged with stealing e-mail addresses from more than 100,000 ipad users. prosecutors say the men swiped the information from at&t's servers as a way of impressing fellow hackers. there's no evidence that any of that information was actually used for criminal activity. the victims include former white house aide, rahm emanuel, new york mayor, michael bloomberg, and abc's diane sawyer. the security weak spot has been fixed. researchers are out today about battling heart disease. a study of 300,000 people found that those who ate 8 portions of veggies had a 22% less risk of dying from heart disease. in sports, lance armstrong

is brushing aside some new allegations about doping. they are being published in "sports illustrated" today. as for last night's basketball highlights, here's sara walsh, over at espn news. >> good morning. miami heat's big three, down one. chris bosh is out. but they're getting this guy back. lebron james, returning after he missed two games with an ankle injury. fourth quarter, hawks down sixth. josh smith, over josh anthony. six seconds to play. tied at 77-77. james misses the long three at the end of regulation. so, we're going to overtime. with under a minute to go in o.t., heat down three. james, knocking down the three. that ties it at 89-89. the ensuing hawks possession, the left-handed layup to go up two. 12 seconds to play. heat, down two. james, taking the last shot. it is no good. atlanta holds on to win, 93-89.

james had 34 points, 10 rebounds. college basketball, tony jones, replacing bruce karl. tennessee at georgia. second half, uga, down at the half. leslie gets the rebound and the dunk. a little more of a minute to go. pulling up for three. bulldogs tie it. 57-57. ten seconds to play. tobias harris. the shot, for the win. no good. how about brian williams? the rebound. and he would beat the buzzer there with the game-winner. just as time is expiring. tennessee wins it, 59-57. georgia has been 8-0 at home. back to you in new york. coming up next, the stories we'll be following today, including a shakeup in the u.s. senate. stay with us. ♪

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someone left a backpack bomb along the route of a martin luther king day parade. the house is expected to repeal the president's health care law later today. the vote, though, is largely symbolic, since the repeal has no future in the democratically-controlled senate. senator joe lieberman makes his retirement announcement today. the connecticut independent, who usually votes with the democrats, has decided not to seek a fifth term. and "american idol" debuts its tenth season tonight, with new judges. instead of simon cowell, everyone's favorite. the wannabe stars will face jennifer lopez, steven tyler from aerosmith and randy jackson. >> there's so much buzz about the show. they say steven tyler is the new paula. and j. lo is the new simon. >> we'll see if j. lo fills those shoes or not. coming up on "good morning america," as the chinese visits washington, we

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and finally from us this morning, another television mainstay is stepping down. >> regis philbin is going the way of larry king and oprah

winfrey, giving up his spot on his popular, long-running show. >> he broke the news yesterday on "live with regis and kelly." here's more, now, from jeremy hubbard. >> i have one of those announcements to make today. >> reporter: for a guy pushing 80, the big news shouldn't really shock. >> this will be my last year on the show. i know. it's been a long time. >> reporter: but it still does. perhaps because if you look at the numbers, regis and television are one in the same. 16,343. that's the number of hours he clocked on tv as of september 2009. a guinness world record for the most time spent in front of a television camera. that math adds up, when you calculate the talk shows. >> here are regis philbin and kelly ripa. >> reporter: game shows. >> let's play "who wants to be a millionaire." >> reporter: sitcom guest spots. >> i have dreams about this. beautiful, haunting dreams.

>> reporter: and late-night chats. he never seems to turn down a gig. 50 years is how long regis has been coming into our living rooms. it all started back in the 1960s. he became famous as joey bishop's sidekick. >> that's his thing. >> wow. i'm glad he finally got one. >> reporter: if the jacket didn't suit him. his co-hosts for the last 28 years certainly did. two, verbose companions. >> i took this viagra. put it right here. >> that's not where you're supposed to put it. >> together, we make almost normal person. >> reporter: the truth is,crunce you crunch the numbers on regis, much remains incalculable. like the number of regis impressions out there. >> one, two, three. >> i'm out of control. >> reporter: and the impression he left on us, after a