>> reporter: to avoid addressing the state's $3.6 billion budget deficit. >> the people of this state pay us as elected officials to do our job. to represent them. you can't do that if you're hiding out in some other state. >> reporter: he wants state workers to pay more for pensions and health care, while eliminating union bargaining. with no agreement, he says, 10,000 public employees could be laid off. 44 states and the district of columbia, project budget shortfalls equaling $125 billion. >> i'm prepared for serious cuts. >> reporter: california is trimming cell phones and state cars. new york city's mayor proposed cutting 6,000 teachers. new jersey's governor proposes a higher retirement age and smaller pension plans. now, the white house is weighing in. >> it's easy to paint public employees as faceless bureaucrats. but we're talking about teachers and nurses and firemen. >> reporter: president obama said yesterday that the wisconsin budget seems like an assault on unions. house speaker john boehner

quickly countered saying a president shouldn't attack a governor for tackling the tough, budget problems. vinita and rob? >> emily schmidt, in washington. thanks, emily. arabs are out in force today, despite a government ban on public gatherings in bahrain. protesters are defiant, saying they will bring down the 200-year-old monarchy. >> the white house is chastising the government's violent crackdown on protesters. and urging some restraint. the obama administration is also reaching out to support democracy in egypt, redirecting funds once meant for hosni mubarak's government. >> marches are planned across that country today, to celebrate one week since the end of the mubarak regime. lama hasan joins us, now live, from cairo, by phone, with more. good morning, lama. >> reporter: good morning. tens of thousands have massed in tahrir square, liberation square, for what they're calling a victory march, celebrating hosni mubarak stepping down exactly a week ago today. and the idea is also just to put pressure on the army.

the army is now in control. and reminding the generals of their other demands, such as removing the emergency law in place for 13 years, which gave the government sweeping power to detain people for a long period of time. they also want the release of political detainees. and they'll be issuing a statement on the protesters that were arrested and are still missing. there's also a counterprotest by pro-mubarak supporters, as well. but we are expecting today's march to be big. organizers predicting a million people will be turning out for a demonstration, to, quote, protect the revolution. we expect it to be a huge celebration. friday prayers will be conducted there, in what could be the biggest open-air prayer ever in egypt. rob and vinita? >> i think the question everyone's asking right now, is there a chance the protesters outside egypt may succeed in overthrowing their governments? >> reporter: that's the question everybody's asking.

it's still early to tell whether they will fall. we do know that the people living in this region, and their demands for more reforms and freedoms have become louder. now, largely in part because of what's happened to the leaders in tunisia and here in egypt. people have been inspired and emboldened by what's happened recently. that's why we're seeing the demonstrations sweeping the region. and as one political science professor told me, the arabs are finally waking up. >> lama hasan, in cairo this morning. thank you, lama. the u.s. government is asking banks to be on the lookout for hosni mubarak's money. the former egyptian president is believed to have amassed billions of dollars during his 30-year rule. and now, the government financial crimes agency wants banks to review accounts linked to mubarak, for assets that may have been illegally obtained. president obama will be focusing on high-tech job growth once again today. he met with facebook founder mark zuckerberg and other top

silicon valley executives last night. we're told their discussions centered on innovation and making it easier for companies to hire more people. today, mr. obama visits the world's most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility. meanwhile, sarah palin was hammering the president on everything from job growth to how he handled the crisis in egypt. she admitted to a business group outside new york city, that she's thought about running for president. and she criticized some of her supporters who continue to claim mr. obama wasn't born in the u.s. she called them, quote, annoying. and chicago's mayoral candidates face off in one last debate before next tuesday's election. front-runner, rahm emanuel, took most of the criticism, particularly on immigration issues. if the former obama chief of staff doesn't get 50% of the vote, there will be a runoff come april. new census numbers show the population in texas grew by more than any other state over the last decade. the population across texas,

vinita's home state, increased by more than 20% since 2000. hispanics account for most of that growth, that also earned the state four more seats in congress. japan's whaling fleet has canceled the rest of its hunting season because of pressure from u.s. activists. the sea shepherd society, profiled on the reality show "whale wars," has been hounding ships for seven years. this is the first time the whalers have stopped their season early. and now, for this morning's weather from around the nation. stormy out west, with high surf and drenching rain from l.a. to san francisco. showers arnold seattle and portland. one to two feet of snow in the sierras, cascades and rockies. cooling down in the midwest. warmer along the east coast. and summer-like in the south. >> highs near 80 from dallas to miami. 71 in baltimore. and 62 in new york. man, that sounds good. just 10 in fargo. 29 in the twin cities. 48 in chicago. 40s from seattle to salt lake city. 50 in sacramento. 68 out in phoenix. >> we're getting there. it's warming up. >> yes. when we come back, good news for travelers. which airfares are going back down.

and spectacular images from space, causing communications problems right here on earth. and the first family of reality tv, celebrating a huge payday. $65 million. c@c@

federal regulators may have questions for apple over its new magazine and newspaper subscription service. published reports say the justice department and ftc are

looking at whether the restrictions apple imposed on publishers stifle competition. the review is in its preliminary stage and might develop into a formal investigation. the major airlines have quickly backtracked on hiking fares popular with business travelers. the price increases as of as much as $120, started rolling out on monday. but on thursday, the carriers rolled increases back again. continental airlines is adding more legroom to its seats in coach. it's adopting united economy plus seats which adds as much as five inches to several rows of seats. asian markets are closing the week higher. tokyo's nikkei average inched up less than 0.1% today. hong kong's hang seng climbed 1.3%. in london, the ftse opened slightly higher. on wall street, the dow gained 30 points yesterday. the nasdaq added six points. in today's "usa today" tech review, a new way to figure out exactly what you're watching on tv. into now, is a new iphone app,

that works sort of like shazam, that can identify any song that's playing. but "usa today's" ed baig says it does much more than that. >> the real mission here is social. the idea that you can connect with people, make new friends, over the shows that both of you enjoy. so, you can see what other people are watching. and they can see what you're watching. >> and you can read ed's full review on usatoday.com. well, it's getting harder and harder to keep up with the kardashians, as the famous for being fame outs family rakes in a reported $65 million. "the hollywood reporter" says that's how much the family made last year alone. it's from the reality show, blogs, twitter ads and fashion lines and other ventures. kim kardashian commands $100,000 for each and every personal appearance. and get this. every time she mentions a brand name on twitter, $25,000, just for typing the name. >> wow. unbelievable money. i'd like to talk with her about

that in person. we'll see. next on this friday morning, she appeared to have a stroke on live tv. now, this reporter talks for the first time about what she thought was happening to her. and the champion wrestler who sat out instead of wrestling a girl. ♪ come and cuddle by the fire in the evening ♪ ♪ we'll forget about the snow and rain ♪ ♪ while the skies are storming ♪ your arms will warm me ♪ it's so thrilling when it's chilly in the winter ♪ ♪ and the frost is on the window pane ♪ ♪ hear the sleigh bells ringing ♪ ♪ my heart is singing [ female announcer ] t you just love february? why not get away and book a royal caribbean cruise at royalcaribbean.com today? if you want to build a healthy heart, it's about being active and it's about putting the right fuel in your body. it's that simple. and here's the good news -- it's never too late to start.

quaker oatmeal is proven to help lower cholesterol. it's a staple in my diet. in fact, it's the only cereal i eat. it powers you up and it makes you feel great. are you eating quaker for breakfast? ♪ until the combination of three good probiotics in phillips' colon health defended against the bad gas, diarrhea and constipation. ...and? it helped balance her colon. oh, now that's the best part.

i love your work. [ female announcer ] phillips' colon health. so whiten your teeth. no coffee. [ female announcer ] crest 3d white toothpaste removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks. hi. [ female announcer ] for a noticeably whiter smile. crest 3d white toothpaste. you're looking at what nasa calls the biggest solar flare to blast off the sun in more than four years. that flare, which is basically a solar storm, took place tuesday. it caused some radio disruptions, mostly in china. and has also created some pretty cool northern lights in the northern reaches of both canada and norway. now, for a look at your morning road conditions. wet on i-5, from seattle to southern california, with flooding arnold l.a. and san diego. snow and ice on i-80, from salt lake city to sacramento. and slick on i-80 and 90 in pennsylvania and western new york. >> and if you're flying today,

you can expect some airport delays in seattle, san francisco, l.a., salt lake city, vegas, phoenix and memphis. we have an update, now, on that los angeles tv reporter who suddenly started spewing gibberish during a live report just after sunday's grammy awards. here's what happened. >> well, a very, very heavy -- tonight -- we had a very -- >> the speculation is that serene branson there may have suffered a stroke. >> it turns out, she was hit by a particular type of migraine that can mimic symptoms of a stroke. branson watched the tape. she said it gave her chills. >> as soon as i opened my mouth, i knew something was wrong. having trouble remembering the word for grammy. i knew what i wanted to say. but i didn't have the words to say it. to be honest with you, i started crying right away because i was scared.

i was embarrassed. i was terrified and confused. confused what had just happened. i think it's clear from watching it, that i was not drunk or on drugs, as i heard that was reported out there. that's clear. it's clear i'm having a medical condition. i think what resonated for most people was the human crisis of it. you know, the human element that, oh, my gosh. is she okay? >> branson says she is fine. but she's not quite ready to go back to work just yet. we're getting word of a dispute during the emergency response to last month's shooting rampage in tucson. according to internal city memos, a veteran firefighter refused to respond to the attack that nearly killed congresswoman gabrielle giffords. mark elstrom allegedly said he did not want to be part of it because he had different political views than his colleagues. he went home sick and retired

two days later, before supervisors could discipline him. an iowa high school wrestler, who many thought had a shot of a state title, didn't get past his first match. but he wasn't pinned, either. joel northrup last his first-round match because he refused to wrestle a girl. that means that cassy herkelman got northrup said his religious beliefs don't allow him to compete in the match. herkelman's win was the first by a female in an iowa state tournament match. the best and brightest are gathering in los angeles for the all-star weekend. highlights of the last game before the break, now, from anish shroff, at espn news. >> good morning. the bulls and spurs, going into. first, they faced off against each other. chicago, 2 1/2 games, behind boston and miami in the east, to play san antonio, hosting the nba's best record. how about derrick rose? 33, the first time these two played back in november. nice finish by rose for three.

the spurs, this was the final game of their nine-game rodeo trip. tony parker, he had 26. more from rose, though. he's in the nba skills competition. now, you see why. rose, 11 points in the first quarter, after this bucket. the bulls, up by ten. some people are mac people. some people p.c. people. rose, p.c., he likes windows. rose, by six. rose, by the way, chicago's first all-star game starter since michael jordan. he had 21 points in the first half. we see more of derrick rose. little visine, with the teardrop. bulls by eight. lowell luol deng making a cameo. spurs came in with just nine losses on the season. rose was serenaded by chants of mvp, mvp. he was 18 of 28 from the field. rose, finishing with a career-high 42 points. it was his first career 40-point game. he was the last chicago player

to drop 40 against san antonio since michael jordan.lls win it. bulls win it 109-99. rose, 42 points. a career-high, leading chicago to victory. that does it for this espn news update. now, back to you in new york. people in los angeles have found a new way to knock stress out of their lives by simply reaching back to childhood. >> all adult teens are now suiting up for a little dodgeball. the players who range in age from 21 to 45, from come up with catchy names, like, the good, the bad and the ballsy. they say the playground game is both therapeutic and all in good fun. >> and they're smart, too. they are using balls that don't sting like they used to when we were little. >> that's the fun of it, though. >> i didn't find that fun. >> oh, okay. sorry. coming up next, are we headed for a federal government shutdown? plus, nfl talks resume today, trying to prevent a possible walkout by players. radiating pain everywhere...d,

and i wondered what it was. i found out that connected to our muscles are nerves that send messages through the body. my doctor diagnosed it as fibromyalgia, thought to be the result of overactive nerves that cause chronic, widespread pain. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i learned lyrica can provide significant relief from fibromyalgia pain. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. [ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. and less pain means i can do more with the ones i love. serious allergic reactions or suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worsening depression, or unusual changes in mood or behavior or any swelling or affected breathing, or skin, or changes in eyesight, including blurry vision or muscle pain with fever or tired feeling. common side effects are dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain and swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. i found answers about fibromyalgia. then i found lyrica. ask your doctor about lyrica today.

tough being the only girl. aw, there's the man of the house. who's this ? this is rufus. hey, rufus. he's actually pretty talented. you wanna see him do a trick ? ok. hey rufus. who do we love ? we love our bank. we love our bank. we love our bank. we love our bank. yes, yes. you really love your bank don't you. ally bank customers love our 24/7 customer care that allows you to talk to a real person anytime. ally. do you love your bank ?

time to face the pollen that used to make me sneeze... my eyes water. but now zyrtec®, the fastest 24-hour allergy relief, comes in a liquid gel. zyrtec® liquid gels work fast, so i can love the air®. now, a look ahead to the stories we will be watching on this busy friday. anti-government activists will be marching in cities across egypt today, to celebrate one week of living free out from under ousted president hosni mubarak's lengthy regime. republican lawmakers in wisconsin are hoping to force passage of a budget bill today that would strip public workers

of their right to unionize. but senate democrats who skipped town to prevent debate on that bill, say it will be at least saturday before they come back to town. president obama continues his high-tech tcoast today, with coast today, with a visit to the intel corporation. while visiting the world's most advanced semiconductor manufacturing facility, he will talk about the need for high-tech jobs. the big budget ax is swinging on capitol hill, as house lawmakers struggle to work out a spending plan. more than $500 million in federal cuts have already been approved. and a final vote could be held later today. in an attempt to avoid a lockout of the players in two weeks, the nfl and its players union begin talks today, with the assistance of a federal mediator. the sides are far apart on several issues. and the current collective bargains agreement expires march 3rd. also this morning, the minimal effects to blast off a saler flare on the sun will be felt today.

so far, it has only caused some minor radio disruptions, mostly in china. also, there's been some enhanced northern lights in the remote areas of canada and norway. >> something beautiful about that solar flare, as well. >> rare, too. but kind of cool. for some of you, your local news is coming up next on this friday morning. for everyone else, our favorite way to end every week. a look back at the comedy we've all laughed at. hi, i'm chanelle pickens. i was tired of living in my apartment and decided hey, let's go buy a house! i could go to quickenloans.com and sign all of the paper work i needed to take care of. it was nice to being able to call them whenever i needed to answer questions. quicken loans made everything super convenient and easy. was just wonderful. that's why i love quicken loans! [ male announcer ] and you'll be glad to know j.d. power and associates ranks quicken loans "highest in customer satisfaction." to learn more call 800-quicken or visit us online at quickenloans.com.

feeling fresh enough to last through my parent's cocktail party? that's where we're going? ♪ [ female announcer ] feel fresh up to five times longer with scope outlast. still feeling fresh? oh yeah. [ female announcer ] what will you outlast? if you skip this latte and opt for the smaller low-fat one, you'll cut about 12 grams of fat. then take alli with it to help boost your weight loss. so for every 2 pounds you work to lose, alli can help you lose 1 more. alli. how healthy works. imagine a day free of worry,

a day when we can eat what we want, drink what we want, and sleep soundly through the night. finally that day has arrived with prevacid®24hr. just one pill helps keep you heartburn-free for a full 24 hours. prevent the acid that causes frequent heartburn all day, all night. now we are free. happy. with prevacid®24hr, happiness is a day without heartburn.

finally from us this morning, the week in review, is told by the funny faces on late-night tv. >> and the comics had plenty of topics to choose from, including the budget, bankruptcy, and one of the biggest names at the grammys. >> i say, you know, how about that lady gaga? she was one day wearing a meat dress. then, at the grammys, she arrives in an egg. and today, her doctor told her to get a lower cholesterol wardrobe. lady gaga, of course, she arrived at the grammys in a giant egg. charlie sheen was there. he arrived in a keg opinion.

>> justin bieber also criticized the american health care system and compared it unfavorably to what they have in canada. if you want health care to be more affordable here, maybe you should stop promoting so many baby, baby, babies all the time. >> borders books has filed for bankruptcy and will close all of its superstars. when sarah palin heard that, she said, finally, we're closing the borders. i've been fighting for this. i've been fighting for this. >> the budget calls for 3$.7 trillion in spending which is, i know, a difficult number to wrap your head around. perhaps this "abc world news" demonstration will clear things up for you. >> we bought $100 in pennies and stacked them them. until we got the $3.7 trillion budget. each one of the stacks of five pennies represents $2 billion.

>> let me give you an impression of a reporter at abc. i have a degree from columbia university. now, i'm stacking pennies to make a pie chart. are you kidding me? a quick announcement. a bittersweet one for us at "america this morning." >> after 2 1/2 years of waking up with you, this is my last morning. in terms of what is next in the future, not waking up this early. >> enjoy the extra sleep. ♪ i'm terry mcsweeney live at san francisco international airport where president obama will be taking off in a few hours headed for a hi-tech meeting in portland, oregon. i gotta tell you, folks, it's not gonna compare to the one he had in the bay area last night. i'll show you in a live report. >> a good morning to you. we've made it to friday and made

it to another round of rain. i'll show you where it is. live doppler 7 hd, where it's going to go for the afternoon and how it's going to linger in the saturday forecast. >> now it's dry at the bay bridge toll plaza, however, still a wind advisory for the bay bridge. pretty quiet elsewhere. show you on live cameras coming up. >> also this morning pg&e says it's underestimated how much the san bruno pipeline explosion will cost. customers may end up paying for some of that cost. >> bart's newest station gets a christening this morning. the west dublin station is expected to serve about 4300 passengers a day. good morning, everyone. >> 4:31 in stereo. we've made it to friday indeed. i'm kristen sze. >> i'm eric thomas and we both hope you didn't put the umbrella away after yesterday as rain. >> who's gonna need it and where? >> i've show you live doppler 7.