making news in america this morning. >> winter-weary states buried again. drifts up to six feet high. now, bearing down on cities not used to so much snow. a congressman's shirtless scandal. his abrupt resignation because of what he was doing online. and first words. gabrielle giffords milestone, another miracle. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us today. the storm that delivered yet another brutal blow to oklahoma and arkansas is now zeroing in on the southeast. >> after blanketing towns still recovering from last week's blizzard, snow is coming down today in atlanta. and even the outer banks of north carolina.

>> and if the snow is not enough to deal with, windchill warnings are now posted in more than a dozen states. road crews spent all night prepping for today's commute. millions across the south, in for snow or ice or even both. >> that's where you will see the accumulating snow. possibility of one-plus inches. we'll see one to three inches around nashville. same case in raleigh. and heavier snow building in across east carolina. >> reporter: traffic on i-40, backed up as far as anyone could see. downtown memphis, like living in a snow globe. even the king, covered in white. the storm is slamming 23 states in all, turning highways into demolition derbies. in springfield, missouri, a young mother was killed when she flipped her car on an icy road. and near tulsa, even the snowplow couldn't stay upright. that city just broke the record for its snowiest winter ever. a

cold. >> with that weather, comes in the cold. 40s and 50s in the southeast. and 30s in the northern tier, back into arkansas. temperatures, fortunately, will be warming up friday, even into saturday. >> so, milder temps are on the way. sam champion will have the latest track of today's storm, though, later today on "good morning america." and now, to our other big story, egypt. and what seems to be spreading unrest against the government. >> the latest evidence of that, widespread labor strikes that are posing a new threat to the egyptian economy. our aaron katersky has the very latest and is joining us on the phone, live from cairo. good morning, aaron. >> reporter: rob, good morning. the civil unrest does appear to be gathering steam here. demonstrators own tahrir square. they have camped in front of parliament. and they forced the prime minister's office to relocate. and the revolt started by young professionals is adding the clout of the working class at transportation centers, at hospitals. even the government's main

newspaper are boosting the protest, now in their 17th day here in egypt. president hosni mubarak is still defiant. his government has failed to meet what the united states has called the minimum of the protesters' expectations. although, egypt's foreign minister told the u.s. to back off. and after telling them that the u.s. is trying to impose its will on egypt, he was reminded, not only by the united states, but by the people here, that it's the people's will. they are fighting for their right to political expression. vinita? rob? >> all right. aaron katersky reporting, live from cairo. thanks, aaron. janet napolitano is issuing a new terror warning. she told lawmakers on capitol hill that the u.s. is at its most heightened state since 9/1137 the top threat remains al qaeda. but we have to deal with homegrown terrorists in the u.s. and al qaeda-inspired groups

around the world. despite some hard budget choices ahead, president obama and house spoker john boehner say they can work together. boehner and two other top house republicans had lunch with mr. obama yesterday at the white house. both sides claim the meeting was constructive, particularly when it came to the economy, jobs and spending. >> we're able to find enough common ground. >> the economy so desperately needs us to work together for jobs. >> to jobs to cutting cutting spending. >> as for the spending cuts, republicans will propose $100 billion in cuts over the next seventh months for the fiscal year that will end october 1st. the reason for that, pressure from tea party conservatives, particularly that freshman class. lawyers for tom delay, the former majority leader of the house, are asking for a new trial. they claimed the jurors in the case had made up their minds even before deliberations. or that they failed to follow

the judge's instructions. delay was convicted of illegally funneling campaign contributions. a terrible family tragedy has been unfolding overnight in the atlanta area. two, little boys were killed. and their father and brother are in the hospital after an attack. police say the four family members were either stabbed or shot in their basement apartment. the boys' mother was not at home at the time. police say they have a suspect. but no one is in custody. in allentown, pennsylvania, firefighters worked into this morning to control a fire that destroyed eight houses. it started when one home blew up last night. the two people that live there are still unaccounted for. the cause, unknown. but the gas from a ruptured line was feeding the flame. now, for this morning's weather from around the country. some light snow around raleigh, and atlanta. several inches of lake-effect snow in michigan, pennsylvania and western new york. snowshowers across north dakota. much colder than normal across

the south. >> 34 in dallas. 40s from new orleans to atlanta. the northeast covers around the 30-degree mark. single digits in fargo and minneapolis. and just 14 in chicago. almost 50 in seattle. 62 in sacramento. and 65 degrees in phoenix. and still to come this morning, a congressman's career undone, just hours after shirtless photos of him popped up online. we'll have a report from washington. and millions of us must have it. but does diet soda raise the risk of serious health problems? new research just out. e$e$e$e$e$

welcome back. prices at the supermarket are about to go up. corn futures surged wednesday, after a government report predicted supplies this year will fall to the lowest levels in 15 years. it usually takes about three months before it's felt at the grocery store. but it will likely affect everything, from cereal, to soft drinks, to meat. overseas stocks are mostly lower this morning. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.1%. hong kong's hang seng tumbled 2%. and in london, the ftse opened lower. the dow inched up seven points yesterday. the nasdaq slipped eight points. the most recognizable symbol of wall street could be controlled by a german company. the company that owns the new york stock exchange is now in owner of the frankfurt stock exchange. that deal would create the

world's largest financial exchange. twitter is still working on turning a profit. but that doesn't seem to be diminishing its value. the company is now worth $8 billion and $10 billion. "the wall street journal" says that number has come up in talks with potential buyers, including facebook and google. verizon customers can finally get their hands on the iphone today. the device goes on sale instore. stores this morning. but there are reports it has the same antenna glitch as at&t's version. that problem is easily fixed with a cover or case. well, if you feel like the walls are closing in around you at work, they ma be because they are. a new report finds that our work space is actually shrinking. back in 1996, we had 90 square feet. last year, it was down to 75 feet. part of that is due to the economy. but it's also due to technology, as mobile gadgets change the workplace. executive space, though, has gone up in that same amount of time. >> looks like more and morewante companies want open-space

seating. that's what they call it. they say it builds a team feeling in the workplace. >> we need a bigger desk. coming up on this thursday, why are younger americans suffering from strokes? plus, what was this congressman doing online that's forced him to leave his post. and what an arm. could this college quarterback be the next internet superstar? - oh, we miss you, honey. - i'll be home soon. until then, i have my wingman helping me out. tommy? - i helped dad pick it out. - it's beautiful. - behind every open heart is a story. tell yours with my open heart collection at kay jewelers, the number one jewelry store in america. there are millions of reasons to give one, but the message is always the same: keep your heart open, and love will always find its way in. - i love you. - i love you too. activia has delicious news fordessert lovers. often, the best part of a meal is the dessert.

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i was breathing and sleeping better! [ female announcer ] exercise your right to breathe right... get two free strips at breatheright.com. hey, it's your right to breathe right! let's raise a glass to cookies just out of the oven. to the morning bowl of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. parts of the deep south are digging out from its second blizzard since last week. this latest storm dumped more than two feet of snow in parts of arkansas. and roads were downright treacherous in little rock, where 6 1/2 inches of snow shattered its city's daily record. >> looks like the northeast. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. snow and ice on i-20, from georgia to the coastal carolinas. and i-85, from atlanta to charlotte and raleigh.

95 to miami. slippery around erie, pennsylvania, buffalo and syracuse, new york. >> and if you're flying today, you can expect airport delays across the southeast, in charlotte, atlanta and miami. a republican lawmaker from western new york has resigned, after being caught up in a sexting scandal. people say they can't believe that chris lee would be involved in something like this. emily schmidt joins us from washington. >> reporter: good morning to you. it happened in a matter of hours. chris lee was just beginning to make a name for himself on capitol hill. but this morning, he is known more for a picture. an alleged internet ad abruptly ended his career. chris lee lost his job in a digital photo flash. yesterday, website gawker published this photo that the married congressman sent to a

woman on craigslist. >> i hereby give notice of my resignation from the house of representatives. >> reporter: lee steps down just one month after his wife, young son, and family attended a swearing in to his second term. he had just zwroind powerful house ways and means committee. >> i'm shocked. absolutely shocked. i know chris lee. shocked may be an understatement. i can't believe what's occurred here. >> reporter: gawker says the woman who received the e-mailed picture didn't believe it, either. the website said the unnamed worker was a divorced lobbyist. after a few e-mails, she did some checking. and found he was a married lawmaker. lee's lost words on the house floor, turned out to be a january speech about health care. his last statement, this website apology. i regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff, and my constituents. i have made profound mistakes.

new york is now going to have to hold a special election in chris lee's heavily-republican district to fill this newly-vacant seat. until then, congress will operate with 434 members. vinita and rob? >> emily schmidt live in washington this morning. thank you, emily. gabby giffords ront continues to make remarka pr progress, one month after being shot. she has started to speak. she asked for a piece of toast recently. doctors say it is significant. she was shot in the left side of her brain, the side that controls language. lindsay lohan is a free woman this morning, at least for now. the actress leased onreleased o $40,000 bail after pleading not guilty to grand theft. she is charged with stealing a $2,500 necklace from a jewelry store in southern california. yesterday, the judge in the case gave her a stern warning. >> you're no different than anyone else. so, please, don't push your

luck. do you understand what i'm telling you? >> yes, sir. >> lohan is already on probation for drunk driving. and this latest charge could lead to significant time behind bars. santa clarita, california, a supreme court guard was struck and killed outside the set of the hit cbs show quality ncis." police say a van that hit him had just dropped off passengers. the driver apparently blacked out and lost control of the van. some alarming numbers this morning about strokes. a new nationwide study shows they are rising dramatically on young and middle-aged americans, while dropping among seniors. the sharpest increase of younger victims, a 51% on men ages 15 to 34. another study is raising concerns about diet soda. researchers found that people who drink the soda every day, had a 48% higher risk of stroke

or heart attack. since most of the participants were african-american or hispanic, the study may be too limited to apply to the general population. and now, some sports news this morning. the cleveland cavaliers have now lost 26-straight games. they went down last night against detroit. and that loss ties them with the tampa bay buccaneers for the longest-ever losing streak by a pro sports team. as for college hoops, highlights, now, from espn news. >> good morning. i'm steve weissman with your espn news update. it's a rivalry unlike any other. duke/north carolina. pick it up in the first half. north carolina up 11. harrison barnes, the freshman from ames, iowa. carolina up 146 at the break. back come the blue devils. curry for three. then, another jumper. he had seven points in just over a minute. curry, a season-high 22. we're all-tied at 54-54.

later in the second half, duke down one. how about nolan smith, to ryan kelly. and more from the senior. smith, a career-high 34 points. duke, taking over first place in the acc. they won 33-straight. meanwhile, in the big east, villanova, visiting rutgers. 11 seconds left. rutgers down five. james beatty. his father played with michael jordan in high school. he learned something. rutgers down two. beatty buries the three, plus the foul. take another look. cory fisher, making contact with mitchell. tied at 76-76. mitchell at the line, for the lead. it's good. so, rutgers up one. the chance, the inbound and it goes too deep. rutgers upsetting nova, 77-76. it's pandemonium in piscataway.

that's your espn news updates. for all scores and highlights watch "the highlight express," on espn news, airing until noon eastern today. back to you in new york. we're well aware that college football season ended about a month ago. we had to show you this guy. check out university of connecticut backup quarterback, johnny mcaty, doing pretty cool stuff with the pig skin. >> he's a third string. he doesn't get a lot of game time. that doesn't mean he hasn't been practicing accuracy. >> maybe he's trying to impress uconn's new coaching staff. this thing is on youtube and it's viral. currently, the top-three of google's most-searched-for videos. >> even if it took 1,000 attempts to make the video, i don't think most of us could do it. >> not me. coming up, the stories we'll be following today, including the president's plan for nationwide wi-fi. and a new honor for ronald

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fantastic device. touch the future of reading at barnes and noble. nookcolor. now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this thursday. the snowstorm that swept across the plains is hitting the southeast this morning. it's bringing a rare blanket of snow to the outer banks of north carolina. atlanta, charlotte and raleigh are also bracing for more inches.

the momentum of the protests is growing in egypt this morning. they are having large-scale labor strikes across the country. president obama is heading to michigan's upper peninsula today to push his national wireless initiative to make sure small towns and rural areas get wireless access. the u.s. postal service, today, unveils its new stamp, honoring former president ronald reagan. it comes just days after what would have been reagan's 100th birthday. and fashion week kicks off here in new york today. but celebrities were already on the catwalk last night, as part of a national campaign to draw attention to women and heart disease. and coming up later on "good morning america" on this thursday morning, is there danger actually lurking in that bouquet of valentine's day roses? invasive insects, even drugs, have been found among the beautiful buds. our consumer correspondent shows you how to protect yourself and your loved ones, as well. >> could be an excuse a lot of men are using. for some of you, your local news is next.

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and finally from us this morning, going well beyond the limits of sitting, fetching and playing dead. this actually may be the smartest dog you've ever seen.

>> that is because she has quite a vocabulary and an mazing memory. kneel degrass tyson, explains. >> reporter: meet chaser. the border collie of john pilley. he has caught her to chase a hurd of 1,000 toys. and she knows the name of every one of these? >> i hope. >> reporter: i found this hard to believe. so, i test chaser's memory with a random sampling. chaser, find inky. she got one right. in fact, she got all nine right. but what about a new toy she's never seen or heard the name of. she hasn't seen darwin. hasn't ever heard the name darwin. we're going to see if she picks out darwin by inference. find darwin.

i have to ask her again. okay, chaser. chaser? chaser? chaser? find darwin. darwin. she's got darwin. she did it. chaser's never seen that doll before. yet, she settled on the one toy she didn't know, by deduction. besides us, chimps and are the animal's top linguists, apible of understanding sign language. >> my dog wants me to be around. whereas, they're not interested in making me happy. >> reporter: since dogs do like to please us, humans need to find a way to tap the potential in all of our dogs. okay. put it in the tub. and dogs like chaser are just waiting for us to discover all that they can do. smart dog.