making news in america this morning. >> the blizzard of 2011 is here. stranding drivers for hours, coating trees and power lines in ice. the latest from overnight. and where it is headed next. not enough. in egypt, the president's promise to step down in a few months has not calmed the crowds. we'll get a live update from cairo. and brain booster. can coffee really make you smarter? good morning, everyone. thanks so much for being with us. if you're in one of those spots where it will be warm and sunny today, trust us. we envy you. >> three-quarters of the country is being battered by a colossal winter storm. you're looking live at chicago, where we've watched snow pile up

throughout the night. and you can see it's still coming down. >> and the snow totals are staggering out there. owasso, oklahoma, 21 inches have fallen so far. in chicago, 17 inches. tulsa is coping with a record 14 inches. kansas city, so far, has nine inches. >> in this image from nasa, you see the enormous reach of the storm from the southwest, all the way up to new england. karen travers begins our coverage. >> reporter: this winter wallop of ice and snow stretched for over 2,000 miles. and could be one for the history books. >> it's rare you see something this big over so many states with these conditions simultaneously. >> reporter: more than 100 million americans were in the path of this massive storm. national guard units were mobilized in six states. in the midwest, arctic temperatures created heavy snow, up to two feet in some areas. today is a rare snow day for chicago students. the school system is closed for the first time in over a decade.

more than 400 snowplows are on chicago's streets, clearing roads for emergency workers. but just in case that's not enough, the city's fire department has 50 snowmobiles ready to go. >> it seems super important when it's like this because sometimes we can't get to people at all. if it's a narrow street. the rigs will never be able to get there. >> reporter: whiteout conditions in oklahoma and missouri, forced officials to close highways. this week, dallas will be teeming with tourists for sunday's super bowl. yesterday, a coating of ice shut down the airport and left interstates deserted. as the storm moves on, the next major concern is power outages. air travel will be at a standstill today. the storm has already forced more than 10,000 flight cancellations. and travelers should be prepared for more of the same. karen travers, abc news. and chicago is at a virtual standstill today. and the storm is still on the

move. >> accuweather's ava dinges is joining us now with more on the forecast. good morning, ava. >> good morning, rob and vinita. travel will be an absolute mess across the northeast, as we head to the morning commute. first off, we see the blick to detroit, whe back to detroit, where some areas will see 12 to 24 inches of snow, just throughout the duration of this. and with the winds, that's what's creating low visibility from chicago. the icing from indianapolis to new york, will create pretty treacherous roadways. and the power outages, a concern with the accumulating ice. and behind the storm, it's bitter cold. 24 below zero in bismarck to start off the day. back to you, rob and vinita. >> it's a rough one out there. thanks, ava. we'll get another update from accuweather later in the half hour. also, later on "good morning america," complete storm coverage with live reports across the country. now, to our other manger story, the crisis in egypt. president hosni mubarak's vow to step down in seven months has done nothing to end the street

protests. demonstrators want him to step down immediately, rather than at the end of his term. >> now, president obama is urging mubarak to step aside sooner rather than later. but this morning, there's been some demonstrations in favor of mubarak. >> abc's alex marquardt joins us by phone in cairo. so, alex, what's the latest reaction to mubarak's announcement? >> reporter: i was at the square shortly after he made his comments. it was a unanimous rejection of his promise not to run again. they don't care. they want to see him gone now. and many told me that they will not stop protesting until he does step down. i have to tell you, it was more than just anger we've seen in the last few days. it was seething fury, as if i cannot believe he had the audacity to think this would be enough to get us to stop protesting. it appeared they will stop at nothing short of seeing him leave immediately. >> we also heard that yemen's president is promising to step down. any reaction to that unexpected

bombshell? >> reporter: we've heard rumblings out of yemen. we've seen thousands take to the street to protest against president saleh. he is in a similar position as mubarak here. president saleh has put his son in the line of succession. and this is further proof of the tunisia effect. arabs across the middle east, seeing, we, too, can rise up against our president who has been in power for decades. this is another one of the dominos to fall. now, we look around the rest of the region and see who is next? is it jordan? is it libya? is it syria? so, it's a sweeping change across the region. >> the world waiting to see if there's a domino effect. we look at all these images of protesters, alex, everyone is smiling. there's a certain mood in the crowd. and it's pretty evident. are they going to continue to gather? >> reporter: i believe so. as you mentioned in your introduction, they're out on tahrir square again today. smaller numbers than yesterday.

it is early. it's only 11:00 in the morning. we will continue to see that. what you also mentioned is important. we are seeing some pro-mubarak protests out there. there was a small one yesterday. i actually saw some pro-mubarak supporters get into a fight with anti-government demonstrators. so, there is that potential for small clashes. you have to remember that the pro-mubarak supporters are in far, far smaller numbers than the protests we've seen over the last week. >> alex marquardt, reporting live from cairo, this morning where history is in the making. thanks, alex. australia is bracing for a monster storm. a massive category 5 cyclone is coming across, packing winds of 186 miles per hour. they are calling it australia's katrina. the worst storm since 1918. and worse yet, it's hitting the same province that's been drenched by epic

flooding. a new government report says most of the border between the u.s. and canada is mostly unwatched. it says less than 1% of the 4,000-mile border is considered under the operational control of u.s. border officials. homeland security considers the terror threat higher along our northern border because of those vast expanses with such limited law enforcement. well, election 2012 is taking shape. the democrats have announced that charlotte, north carolina, will host their national convention in september of that year. the obama/biden re-election campaign, will officially kick off there. they nearly won north carolina in 2008. and it remains a crucial swing state. >> political season yet again. more coverage on the big storm out there. plus, changes to the see-through security scanners, being tested at an airport near you. and "dallas" fans can celebrate. j.r. and bobby are coming back to tv. [ female announcer ] why watch regular tv when you can experience

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the dow jones industrial average is starting the day above 12,000 for the first time since june of 2008. it gained 148 points yesterday, pushing it up to 12,040. the nasdaq gained 51 points. overseas markets are following wall street's lead. tokyo's nikkei average gained 182 points today. hong kong's hang seng is up in late trading. in london, the ftse opened higher. there is concern that the crisis in egypt could affect gasoline prices which are already at a two-year high. oil prices are rising worldwide. crude topped $100 a barrel this

week, its highest point since 2008. much of the middle east oil is shipped through egypt. the pay on wall street, well, it's gone up. "the wall street journal" reports that wall street banks and securities firms paid a record $135 billion in compensation last year. that's up almost 6% from 2009. larry hagman is returning to southfort for a remake of the soap "dallas." hagman, who played j.r. ewing, was the bad guy oil baron. also signed for the series pilot are two "dallas" veterans, linda gray and patrick duffy. the story is around the offspring clashing over the future dynasty. there's no word on when the pilot will air. it was on the air for 13 years. and tnt is apparently the one resurrecting it. >> everyone remembers who shot j.r. that legendary cliff-hanger, right? when we come back on this wednesday morning, another cruise ship runs aground. plus, looking live at downtown chicago, snow still coming down.

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>> it is being called the worst snowstorm in more than 40 years. and it is bringing cities across the nation's midsection to its knees. air travelers are going nowhere fast. with more than 4,000 flights canceled today alone. the first time ever, interstate 70 has been closed across the entire state of new york. and schoolchildren in chicago are getting their first snow day in 12 years. >> unbelievable. as the storm moves east, new england is bracing for more ice and snow, adding to the pileup already on the ground. >> our reporters are in the thick of it all, covering the 2,000-mile-stretch of all of the

nasty weather. the storm hit first in texas and oklahoma. smashing the all-time report for snowfall in oklahoma city. ryan owens is there. >> reporter: here in oklahoma city, winds have gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour. creating near-whiteout conditions and a miserable windchill of 30 degrees below zero. >> ice that can weigh down power lines in indiana, as barbara pinto found. >> reporter: here in indiana, the storm is in full swing. you can hear the sleet coming down. and the streets are covered in something more treacherous. this is a layer of ice. >> reporter: snow began falling in the northeast overnight, a problem for boston, as linsey davis shows us. >> there's so much snow in the boston area, they're literally running out of space for all of this. they continue to bring snow to this snow farm, where they're stacking it five stories high. at logan airport, they've gotten permission to and may resort to blowing some of the snow into the boston harbor.

>> just a small sample there of the storm that literally has stretched from new mexico all the way up to maine. let's get a live update from accuweather meteorologist, mark mankiw sew. what's the storm done through the course of the night? >> it's made a mess of the west. we saw a lot of reports of icing. and the heavy snow has continued. and it's really coming down from chicago to milwaukee, and then extending eastward across lower michigan. detroit, we had bursts of heavier snows here. from chicago up to milwaukee, that's where it is really snowing heavily. we're getting reports that all these roads out here, the rurals areas, they're just impassable. and we get reports of thousands of cars being stranded in these areas. it's blowing like crazy. winds gusting 50 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour. overnight, northern illinois, and wisconsin, higher gusts here into eastern iowa. that's led to the drifts, anywhere from three to five

feet. and the plows are having a hard time keeping up with it. it's been a mobilizing blizzard overnight. now, the heavier snow and ice is spreading into the northeast. we had about four inches of snow across upstate new york. it's been sleet and freezing rain in the south. that makes it icy here across pennsylvania and new jersey. philadelphia, an icy morning. also icy around the city. a wintry mix to the north in the hudson valley. and the boston area will see snow changing to some ice. lucky us here in the northeast, another miserable day of winter storm. >> i hate hearing the word miserable and weather. everyone thinks this winter is the worst. you've been doing this for a while. has the this particular winter surprised you? >> well, you know, looking back over the years, each winter has its own surprises. if you recall last year, we had all of the snow around d.c. and baltimore and philadelphia. we're getting crushed. this year, it seems like everything has shifted north to

new york city. and in the boston area, as well. each year, it's a little bit different. but this one, it's kind of bad here in the northeast, with the heavy amounts of snow. one thing that's sticking out, too, this year, is really the cold. it's been so cold for so long. and looks like it's going to hang on for another week or two. >> all right. accuweather's mark mankiw sew. a ship in antarctica has run into some trouble. the inner hull was not breeched app and the ship did not take on water. 80 tourists, including americans and 35 degree, are onboard "the polar star." the cruise is set to end in argentina on sunday. officials have come up with a modest approach to the intrusive full-body scanners. not new machines. but software that doesn't show the contours of a person's body. it shows an outline with a red box that highlights anything

suspicious. it is now being tested in las vegas, washington, d.c., and atlanta. it appears that coffee can either be a big help or hindrance. it depends on who is drinking it. british researchers say caffeinated coffee gives women a big boost in brainpower in stressful situations. but it has the opposite effect on men. they say coffee scrambles a man's thinking and impairs his memory. women who had a few cups completed puzzles much faster. >> that story swings a lot on this shift. now, for highlights from the college hardcourt, here's sara walsh at espn news. >> good morning. the upsets continue in college basketball. and tuesday night was no different. bo ryan, hosting number ten, purdue. two minutes to go. wisconsin up one. lost behind by ryan smyth. ryan wants a foul. purdue has the ball. d.j. byrd, laying it in. wisconsin's ensuing possession.

ryan evans. the short jumper. 60-59, wisconsin. 30 seconds to play. trouble down the stretch for purdue. e'twaun moore, denied by evans. jump ball goes wisconsin's way. wisconsin up five, moore misses the three. evans, all alone to steal it. wisconsin wins, 66-59. all four of his shots in the final 51 seconds. meanwhile, terence jones, and number 11 kentucky, facing off against ole miss. second half, mississippi up three. buckner, the steal. taken to the other end for the dunk. later, mississippi, up 51-55. knight, driving in by buckner. it's down to the lane. mississippi up nine after the made free throws. three minutes to go. kentucky down four. knocking down thethree. wildcats back in it. seven seconds to go.

mississippi down one. chris warren drains the three. he had 23 points. his team is up two. 2.9 seconds to go. kentucky with the ball. the three at the buzzer. it's not going to go. mississippi wins it, 71-69. the wildcats lose for the third time in four s.e.c. road games this season. back to you in the studio. coming up next, the stories we'll be dpol lowing today. stay with us. ® helps control moderate or severe plaque psoriasis with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses. in a medical study, 7 out of 10 stelara® patients saw at least 75% clearer skin at 12 weeks. and 6 out of 10 patients had their plaque psoriasis rated as cleared or minimal at 12 weeks. stelara® may lower your ability to fight infections and increase your risk of infections. some serious infections require hospitalization. before starting stelara®, your doctor should test for tuberculosis. stelara® may increase your risk of cancer. always tell your doctor if you have any sign of infection, or have had cancer.

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stories we'll be watching on this wednesday. the blizzard battered chicago and detroit this morning. while snow and damaging icy rain reach the northeast. a huge stretch of the country will be shivering this morning. pressure is mounting on egypt president hosni mubarak to step down immediately. the government releases new figures on the teen birthrate. we're expecting to hear that the number of teens having babies dropped steadily in recent years to the lowest level in decades. today is the final day of the epa's bedbug summit. officials are gathering in washington hoping to come up with a plan to battle the bedbug epidemic. and we're going to find out if we're in for six more weeks of winter. it's groundhog day. the groundhog in milwaukee is staying put. the weather is so bad, that event has been canceled.

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well, if you are one of the millions of people who have suffered repeated bowls of winter weather or who are coping with the latest storm, you

probably have a few, choice words to say about it. >> you're certainly not alone. jeremy hubbard found pretty strong feelings being shared online. >> i don't know if you guys see [ bleep ]. [ bleep ]. >> reporter: admit it, he's saying what you're thinking. >> [ bleep ] snow. >> reporter: okay. his words may not be the most eloquent. >> i hate new england. >> reporter: but this youtube user's sentiment sums it up on this snow day. and on this snow day, so many of us use social media to vent. or to show off. we grabbed a camera, dropped or inhibitions, and in some cases, our shirts. and finally flipped out over all this bed weather. maybe a semi-naked head dive into a four-foot snowdrift is the best way to cope. if this snow has you burning mad like these guys, why not just burn it? if you throw down matches, add

friction from the shovel, you have flames. and snow-mg. brought out the hash tags on twitter. in oklahoma, fear of the snow gave birth to the nickname smoke oklahoma phobia, 2011. in kansas, someone called it the blizzard of oz. others are calling it tie ran nas snow rex. but our favorite came from jetblue airlines. they were leaning calling it snostradamus. it had to hurt. dealing with all of the bad weather. but perhaps by sharing our misery, our boredom, our creativity, online with the rest of the country, we can all help each other deal with the snowmageddon or the snowpocalypse or whatever name you've come up with for this storm. i'm jeremy hubbard, in new york.