making news on this wednesday morning. >> cairo's crowds are reenergized, falling to record levels today. but is the government ready to crack down? driver error. throwing the brakes on what had been suspected of the deadly toyota crashes. even nasa engineers weigh in. and actress lindsay lohan facing prison time as she heads to court today. it is february 9th. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us on this wednesday. the crisis in egypt appears, now, headed towards a showdown. >> new marches are underway today, as yesterday saw the biggest anti-government crowd so far in cairo's freedom square. but a top leader is warning those protests will no longer be

tolerated and that the police may soon be called in. >> emily schmidt begins our reporting now. >> reporter: good morning to you. protesters are gathering, marching again, right now, in cairo. they're hoping that they found new momentum, even as they may face new obstacles. today, egyptian protesters enter a third week of demonstrating with what's become a familiar call. >> we need freedom. freedom. freedom. >> reporter: the message is the same, day after day. but despite the repetition, the crowds are growing, going for the first time yesterday to the country's parliament. google executive wael ghonim was an organizer for the first protest. then, spent ten days in government detention. now, released, he told the crowds yesterday, they won't abandon calls for the end of the regime. egypt's ambassador to the united nations, said that change >> how long will that p not be immediate. >> this is beginning of a

process that's going to take place. >> how long will that process >> the >> the sooner the better. as soon as it takes. >> reporter: president hosni mubarak is still appearing in photo opes, while the vice president warns the country can't bear continued protests. joe biden called his egyptian counterpart yesterday, urging a resolution that's prompt, meaningful and legitimate. >> what we need to see now is continued progress by the egyptian government to make these important, real changes, to demonstrate progress for the people. >> reporter: the administration insists, however, it won't determine who leads egypt and when they lead. there are warnings from egypt this morning that police are releasing inmates from jail, potentially to intimidate some of the protesters who continue to gather. the protesters say they will not leave until their president does. vinita and rob? >> an interesting development,

to say the least. emily schmidt, thank you. let's got reaction from cairo. aaron katersky is there. you're out on the streets. what's going on? >> reporter: right now, vinita, there's a protest that's moved beyond tahrir square. and they've taken to parliament, bringing their grievances to the gates of power. no longer is the crowd satisfied with president mubarak to step down. they want the government to go, as well. the protests starting much earlier than usual. mostly young men. but also women, older people, families, even children have come waving flags, chanting right at the gates of parliament. >> we heard emily say a second ago. talk about reports that police are letting convicts out there to intimidate some of the protesters. >> reporter: well, rob, it's not clear there's any active hunting down of the protesters. but that's certainly the fear

and why many of them have refused to give up and leave tahrir square. the military has been providing them a degree of security. they feel safe there. but they're also convinced there will be retribution once they leave. so, they have hunkered down in tents. some of which made from long sheets of plastic or plastic bags. they don't want to leave the square because they fear violence will come to them. but now, it seems, on day 16, hay may care less about that. they're willing to escalate the protests and the pressure, until they get what they want. >> a fascinating scene there, two weeks into this. aaron katersky, live in cairo for us. thanks, aaron. congress has more work to do if some parts of the patriot act are going to be extended. republican leaders thought they had support. but they found up being seven votes short. surveillance provisions in question must be extended or they will expire at the end of the month. lawmakers in south carolina

are now one step closer to a new crackdown on illegal immigrants. under the measure, police officers would check the immigration status of those they suspect are in the state illegally. it's similar to the controversial bill passed in arizona last year. key parts of that law are now on hold, ending some challenges in court. vice president biden has announced a $53 billion plan to fund a high-speed rail system. he says the u.s. simply can't compromise when it comes to spending on infrastructure on those superfast trains that are already common in places like china and france. it was a tragic end to a high school outing in northern mississippi. a school bus was side-swiped by a semitruck, before that truck collided head-on with another bus. the truck driver and two school employees were killed in the accident. around a dozen students who had been at a career day on a college campus were also injured. and near houston, a fiery

scene at a petroleum plant. one worker is still missing after a liquid gas line exploded. the smoke and flames were visible in houston 30 miles away. plant managers say they were aware of some kind of problem. and a shutdown was under way just before the blast. heavy snow dumped by those recent monster storms is still bringing down roofs across the country. the roof of this company near hartford, connecticut, collapsed without warning. workers heard a loud bang and made it out of the building just in time. and a few miles away from that, a snow-covered canopy came crashing down on a truck. the driver was behind the wheel but thankfully was not hurt. now, for our weather around the country. another round of snow hits the plains and the south. the oklahoma city area could see 6 to 12 inches of snow. expect a few inches also in dallas, little rock, shreveport and memphis. snow around the great lakes, from michigan to buffalo and erie, pennsylvania. windy and mild in the southwest.

>> 62 degrees in sacramento. 64 in phoenix. and 41 in boise. a blast of arctic air from the canadian border to texas. 5 in minneapolis. and 22 in dallas. it's 29 here in new york. 47 in atlanta. and 76 degrees in miami. and when we come back this morning, mystery solved. the answer for toyota drivers who say their car simply sped out of control. and will lindsay lohan go back to jail for stealing something she could easily afford? her latest troubles ahead. and on top of that, the all-new ipad, now in production. its top-secret feechers revealed.

shares of toyota jumped in japan this morning, as investors breathe a big sigh of relief over a new report on its acceleration problems. the u.s. government found electronics were not at fault and actually said driver error was to blame for most of those incidents. the investigation by transportation officials and nasa engineers also blame sticky gas pedals, as well as floor mats that trapped the pedals. despite evidence the economy is healing, companies are listing fewer jobs. in december, businesses advertised nearly 3.1 million openings. that is down about 140,000 from november and the second-straight monthly decline. general motors workers are set to profit from the company's rapid turnaround. published reports say hourly workers will each get profit-sharing checks worth

at least $3,000, the largest amount in gm's history. china's move to hike interest rates is weighing on overseas markets this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.2% today. hong kong's hang seng fell nearly 1.4%. and in london, the ftse opened slightly lower. on wall street, the dow climbed 71 points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq added 13 points. apple appears to be gearing up to release a new version of the ipad. "the wall street journal" reports the company has started manufacturing the tablets. the ipad 2 is set to be thinner and lighter than the first model and features at least one camera. it is expected to debut in the next couple months. and ibm says it's designing what will be the world's fastest computer. when the computer called mirra is done it will perform 10 quadrillino calculations per second. that's four-times faster than the fastest computer right now. mirra will be ready in a year. and ten years from now, they want to develop another computer that will be 100-times faster than mirra. >> i can't imagine.

incredible. coming up next on this wednesday morning, a huge change in breast cancer treatment. a painful surgery that might no longer be necessary. plus, has the president finally kicked his smoking habit? and one state's number one high school basketball team, disqualified over a paperwork glitch. [ female announcer ] imagine the possibilities with stelara®.

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and on i-94, across michigan. >> if you are flying today, expect airport delays in los angeles, kansas city, memphis and dallas. after three stints in jail in the past three years, actress lindsay lohan could soon end up back behind bars again. >> lohan heads to court in los angeles today for charges of stealing a pricey necklace. she's already under probation for a dui case that's landed her in jail five times. kabc's rob hayes has more on lohan's legal fight. >> reporter: here's the back story. investigators say lohan tried on a $2,500 necklace at kamofie & company on january 22nd. after she left, workers noticed the necklace was missing and called lapd. detectives obtained a court order to search lohan's home on tuesday. but that warrant was cancethe nen associate dropped the necklace at the pacific station. that wasn't enough to get lohan off the hook. the district attorney's office

announced it will charge the 24-year-old actress with one count of felony grand theft. she's already on probation for a 2007 dui case. if convicted, she could face up to five years in a california state prison. >> in a separate case, prosecutors are also considering a battery charge against lohan, stemming from an altercation with a rehab worker at the betty ford clinic. police say the tampa mom accused of killing her teenage son and daughter wrote a note before those shootings, in which she referred to her plan as a massacre. the teenage victims were remembered yesterday during a memorial service in texas. among those who spoke was the children's father who said, quote, i know my children were loved. they knew they were loved. in medical news, there is a major, new approach in the treatment of certain breast cancers. and it means that thousands of women will not need painful surgery to remove their lymph nodes. a new study found the chance of remaining cancer-free is just as good if patients skip that surgery. that operation often leaves

women with lasting arm swelling, stiffness and pain. president obama has fought a long battle with cigarettes. and apparently, he's winning. the first lady says mr. obama has not smoked in nearly a year. but there's still no word on when that first anniversary is. mrs. obama said the president wants to be able to tell his daughters that he is not a smoker. one of the army's most high-profile soldiers is calling it quits. medal of honor recipient, sal giunta, is leaving the military to attend college in colorado. giunta is the first living service service member from the wars in afghanistan or iraq, to receive the nation's highest military honor. well, as unlikely as it sounds, an immigration paperwork issue may be what ends the season of one of florida's best high school basketball teams. the team from miami's michael krop senior high was forced to forfeit all the games in which 19-year-old bryan delancy

played. the problem, is that delancy came to the school three years ago from the bahamas. and the school never filed the right eligibility paperwork for him to play. an appeal is their last hope. as for other hoops teams did in florida last night, here is espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. and we start with one of the hottest teams in the nba. lebron james and the heat, taking on the pacers. first quarter, heat down by one. dwyane wade misses. but there's lebron james, with the putback jam. ten seconds to go, now, in the second. lebron, driving the basket. fouls on the play. one more time for your mind. take a look. no-look layup for lebron. he had that kind of game. heat still down 66-62. fourth quarter, 20 seconds remaining. heat up by one. lebron, the clutch jumper goes down. he had 41 points, 13 boards, 8 assists. heat up by three. 8.9 remaining. pacers down by three. dahntay jones can't inbound the ball. they're called for a five-second violation.

the heat win, 117-112. blake griffin and the clippers taking on the magic. two of the best dunkers in the business in this game. first quarter, blake gets he had 10 points he had 10 points and 12 boards. clippers down by three. first quarter still. jason richardson misses the shot. but there is dwight howard rebounding. gets the layup high off the glass. howard had 20 rebounds. later on in the first, magic down by six, jameer nelson. look at dwight howard throw it down. magic down by four. but howard, making a weekend highlight for us. fourth quarter now. magic up by two. gilbert arenas, finding howard. the magic win 101-85. that's all for your espn news update. i'm don bell. now, back to you in the studio. well, you have to hand it to the green bay packers and their fans. when the super bowl champs brought their trophy into lambeau field yesterday, there were more than 50,000 cheering fans inside.

>> that's despite temperatures hovering around 5 degrees. the big celebration included comments from super bowl mvp, quarterback aaron rogers. and predictions of another packers party at the same time next year. coming up next, the president hosts republican leaders, today, at the white house. while the first lady marks an important anniversary. stay with us. [ female announcer ] now, transform dry, damaged hair... and give it a whole new life! with the aveeno nourish plus moisturize collection. the only hair care with active naturals wheat formulas, that target even the weakest parts of hair with hydrating proteins to help repair damage in just 3 washes. for softer, stronger... ... hair with life. [ female announcer ] aveeno nourish plus. and for a luxuriously nourishing shower experience, add positively nourishing body washes. visit aveeno.com to save, and discover the power of active naturals. [ male announcer ] it's morning... and quaker loves morning.

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welcome back, everybody. now, to a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching this wednesday. crowds in cairo got an early start this morning, marching for the second day to the egyptian parliament. the country's vice president, though, is warning now that the protests will not be tolerated much longer. president obama welcomes speaker john boehner and other top republicans to a lunch at the white house. we're all issues, foreign and domestic, are up for discussion. the economy and spending will be at the top of the agenda. other news on this wednesday morning. federal reserve chairman ben bernanke will be on capitol hill. he'll be giving his latest assessment on the still-struggling u.s. economy. bernanke will probably be grilled by republican lawmakers about the fed's ongoing efforts to stimulate economic growth. the first lady marks the one-year anniversary of her let's move campaign with an appearance on "regis & kelly." the goal of let's move is to end childhood obesity through

exercise and better food choices. big news for all the cell phone users out there. verizon begins taking online orders for its new iphone. orders placed today will be shipped to customers. the phone goes on sale in stores starting tomorrow morning. and an arraignment is set today in los angeles for troubled actress lindsay lohan. the 24-year-old actress is accused of stealing a $2,500 necklace from an upscale jewelry store, most of it caught on surveillance. a conviction could bring her significant jail time. exactly what she does not need. coming up later on "good morning america," on this wednesday morning, cases of the flu. they've suddenly spiked across the country. and because of that, our doctor, richard besser is here for the reasons behind the latest surge. and advice for a lot of folks like me that have procrastinated. is it too late to get your flu shot? >> that's right. important questions. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, the

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finally this morning, curses, foiled again. but this time, but the most unlikely superhero of them all. >> a bunch of brazen british

crooks did not stand a chance against a little, old lady with a secret weapon, her handbag. as nick watt tells us, this feisty granny is actually part of a growing trend. >> reporter: broad daylight. six knuckleheads are smashing a jewelry store window. that guy just walked past like nothing's happening. hang on. an old lady, out of nowhere, running like a spring chicken. look at her. she has groceries in that bag. she is ann timson. she's in her 70s. and now, she's supergran. superhero. i feel very uncomfortable with all the press, she told her local paper. let's watch it again, maybe with some effects and music this time. ♪ i just kept hitting, she told the paper. and shouting and shouting for

others to help. why did she wade in, swinging her handbag in the air like she just don't care? she's an unlikely hero. >> far and away heroes are more likely to be men, first of all. and more likely to be blue-collar men, who work in hard, physical jobs. >> reporter: so, not a an old lady in a red coat. or this virginia wham getting nasty. but there's a lot of this stuff on youtube that doesn't make much sense. like this grandma, whacking a robber with a price scanner. why do people take a stand? my mother's instinct kicked in, supergran told police. she thought a kid was getting beat up. it was a robbery, but she kept on swinging. in the cold light of day, said supergran, i know i put myself in danger. we salute you, supergran. four of those knuckle heads are now behind bars. i'm nick watt, in london. >> go supergran. that's what's making news in america this morning.