making news this morning -- >> pain at the pump. gas prices reach their highest march price ever. and already, desperate measures, reports of gas thefts. rising rivers across the northeast. flooding homes and businesses, with more rain on the way. and pink slip. the latest chapter in charlie sheen's saga. fired from his hit show. but he is not going quietly. good morning, everyone. well, gas prices have hit a new monthly high, up nearly 40 cents per gallon since violence erupted in libya. >> and here in the u.s., drivers

are already making big changes. and in rare cases, some are having their gas stolen. >> can you imagine? emily schmidt is in washington, now, with more on the stolen gas. good morning, emily. >> reporter: peggy and rob, good morning to you. the rising gas prices mean you are getting less for your money. the amount to fill up your car this time last year, would leave you nearly a quarter-tank short at today's prices. another day, another record. with gas at a nationwide average of $3.52 a gallon, it's the highest ever for march. >> the profit is being taken away from us pretty much, with the fuel going up. it is kind of frustrating. >> reporter: this houston taxi driver is making less money each day. across the country, prices rose 14 cents in one week. they're up 39 cents, since protests began in libya. >> we're reacting on rumors. we're reacting to what's happening in libya. this is a total over react on some people's parts. let's see where this is taking us. >> reporter: there are no gas shortages yet.

that doesn't mean consumers finding the d to lowest of the high prices. >> some stations have raised their prices. and some stations are slower to raise their price. it can pay off very much so. >> reporter: in the meantime, higher gas prices carry some unexpected costs. >> i got out and checked. maybe there was a gas leak or something. and it was open. the gas tank was open. >> reporter: this georgia woman was hit by gas thieves. and with fuel 77 cents higher today than this time last year, she says she will have to wait to fill up again. the white house says that tapping into the strategic oil reserve remains an option. however, it says, only if there's a major disruption in supply. the white house is not going so far as to say exactly what price could trigger that move. rob and peggy? >> very interesting. emily schmidt, live from washington, this morning. thank you. we're following a developing story in pakistan. a car bomb has gone off in the third-largest city. killing at least 20 people and

injuring 100. it's the hometown to the christian minister in the pakistani government who was gunned down last week. today's deadly bombing underscores fears about al qaeda and the taliban. and in libya, opposition forces have been suffering from attacks by moammar gadhafi's air force. the rebels say they don't need help on the ground. but they are continuing to call for a no-fly zone to be established. that's a move beginning at the u.n. but it does face some significant hurdles. in his latest interview, gadhafi accuses foreign media to distorting facts about the violence. military trials at the guantanamo bay prison camp will resume as president obama has reversed an earlier decision. he vowed to close the prison, until he ran into strong opposition in congress. a handful of republicans have converged in iowa. it was the first time that five, possible contenders have shared the stage ahead of the critical caucuses in iowa this year. those attending, newt gingrich, tim pawlenty, rick santorum,

buddy roemer, and herman cain. donald trump was a no-show. sarah palin was back home in alaska watching her husband in a snowmobile race. palin tells a bbc reporter, she is still mulling the future. >> money is certainly going to be a consideration. and then, just the idea of, will the american electorate be ready for something unconventional for a candidate? someone who calls it as they see it. and not be holding special interests of a political machine. just doing it right for the voters. >> palin's parents say they are worried about a presidential run by their daughter because of safety concerns. her family says they have all faced death threats since palin became a national figure. well, another u.s. senate seat is now up for grabs. this one in nevada. republican john ensign says he will not run again. ensign faced tough challenges after admitting to an

extramarital affair. now, ensign is the eighth senator to decide against a reelection run. gary locke is also due for a change. president obama plans to nominate locke as the next ambassador to china. locke is held in high esteem in china. his nomination would have to be approved by the senate. rivers are still rising in the northeast this morning after a deluge swamped neighborhoods from new jersey to new england. waters rose rivers in connecticut, sweeping away cars, tvs and everything else in the way. farther north, the rain turned a massachusetts town into a muddy mess. mudslides forced evacuations after trapping cars and surrounding homes in four feet of mud. and in northern vermont, they are digging out from one of the state's biggest snowstorms ever. nearly two feet of snow shut down a major highway. the state government was shutdown. schools across the state were closed. and nearly all flights were grounded.

>> wow. amazing snow there.incredible. now, for this morning's weather from all around the country. stormy from the plains to the gulf coast. gusty winds, downpours and the threat of tornadoes, in little rock, new orleans and memphis. heavy rain in kansas city and st. louis. and up to six inches of snow from omaha to minneapolis. snow in the northern rockies and cascades. and rain in the pacific northwest. >> meanwhile, it is 50 in seattle. 34 in billings. 54 in albuquerque. 22 in fargo. and 40 in detroit. mostly 40s in the northeast. miami, still a hot spot, 81. new orleans, 72. and dallas, 77. >> you can't talk about it enough. >> i'm smiling. the big day. today is fat tuesday. that means mardi gras is in full celebration swing, in your adopted home of new orleans. >> i have 11 mardi gras under my belt. there's the crowd on bourbon street. deep in the french quarter, as mardi gras concludes today. they'll be doing it all over

again for several hours. it the partying does ends at midnight, which marks the beginning of lent. >> a lot of the folks have gone home. take a look at that. >> yes. >> this is a live look at st. charles' avenue. right in front of fat harry's bar, which, apparently you are familiar with. >> i was one of the best customers. i know it well. >> it will be packed later on for parades. it will be a popular spot later. >> i actually know those guys out front will never remember. coming up next, everybody, charlie sheen, fired. what he's planning on next. and what it means for one of tv's hottest shows. plus, move over mcdonald's. another restaurant chain has now become the largest on earth.

overseas stock markets are rising this morning. tokyo's nikkei average gained 0.2% today. hong kong's hang seng climbed 1.7%. and in london, the ftse opened higher. on wall street, the dow fell nearly 80 points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq dropped 39 points. and as we mentioned earlier, gas prices are now the highest they've ever been in march. prices at the pump averaged $3.52 a gallon. that's up 14 cents in just a week. that has more car buyers focusing on fuel efficiency again. sales of toyota's prius jumped 70% last month, compared to just a year ago. and rising fuel prices are forcing recently merged united and continental airlines to

scrap growth plans for the year. the carrier is cutting unprofitable routes. also may remove less fuel-efficient planes from their fleets. fuel has become the largest expense for most airlines. and instead of flying less, southwest is offsetting its higher fuel bill by just charging more. it's joining other airlines in hiking round-trip fares by $10. jetblue and other low-cost carriers also raised their prices. well, move over big mac. the foot-long sub is now the sing of fast food chains. subway has surpassed mcdonald's as the world's biggest restaurant chain. it has 34,000 restaurants worldwide. compared to just under 33,000 for mcdonald's. but mcdonald's is still the leader in sales. and the funny thing here is that subway surpassed mcdonald's in the number of restaurants nine years ago. it's now official. a lot of foot-longs. >> you see them all over the place. mcdonald's, every, single corner, it seems. coming up this morning, charlie sheen's response to being fired. >> interesting response, as you can imagine.

plus, on top of that, the man suspected of being the east coast rapist. what he ominously told police when he was arrested. and a california cat burglar, forced to return his stolen loot. you see him in action. don't miss that. most americans aren't eating enough whole grains. that's what's incredible about quaker oatmeal squares. a single serving has 46 grams of whole grains. are you kidding me? they fuel you up to start your day right... and they taste great. ♪ amazing mornings start with quaker oatmeal squares. so come on, get up and get going. ♪ i mean they're rewards, right? right? right. with the bankamericard cash rewards™ credit card... i get 1% cash back on every purchase. 1% cash back on groceries. highlights. frog leg green.

1% cash back on... whatever that is? and there is no limit to the amount of cash back you can earn. no expiration on rewards. no hoops to jump through. -simple. -i love this card. looove it. [ male announcer ] the refreshingly simple bankamericard cash rewards credit card. apply online or at a bank of america near you. for adults, stelara® 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. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems including headaches, seizures, confusion and vision problems.

these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. serious allergic reactions can occur. tell your doctor if you or anyone in your house needs or has recently received a vaccine. with 4 doses a year, after 2 starter doses, it's stelara®. the spectacular nature show is still playing on the island of hawaii. glowing, red orange lava continues to shoot from the kilauea volcano, after a new vent opened over the weekend. we'll have more coming up later today on "good morning america." spectacular video. >> just beautiful. taking a look now, at your morning road conditions. wet and flooded on i-20, from dallas to jackson, mississippi. i-40, from oklahoma city to memphis. and snow and ice, on i-80, from des moines to omaha. on i-84, in the rockies. >> if you're flying today, you can expect some airport delays

in seattle, denver, kansas city, chicago, memphis, dallas, houston and new orleans. >> wherever. sounds good. this morning, it is official. charlie sheen is out of a job. the same job that made him the highest-paid actor on tv. >> we're talking about nine days into a multimedia barrage, beginning with his bosses. they fired him finally yesterday. but that certainly didn't stop him from talking. charlie sheen's bosses have responded to his tweets, texts and countless interviews. firing the "two and a half men" star. warner brothers tells his lawyer, your client has been engaged in dangerously self-destructive comments. his high jinks, including cocaine binges and trashes his plaza hotel suite last fall. before being fired, sheen talked to an l.a. radio station, saying his behavior was not a violation of his contract.

>> there's no morals clause. i came back super, uber prepared. like nobody was surprised. duh. >> would you sign a morals clause in the new contract? would you? >> hell, no. they should. they have no morality. >> reporter: after being fired, tmz cameras showed him on the roof of a beverly hills office building, carrying a machete. when he came down, he had three words. >> free at last. >> reporter: when asked by text if hi plans to sue, he had one answer, big. >> they began to think that he was fascinating. >> reporter: "tv guide's" steven ba tag bataglio, says sheen's return is certain. after shows and pair dis, his next job may be to take a backseat. up next for sheen, serious legal issues.

like the child custody battle he has with his estranged wife, brooke mueller. let's not forget about the kids involved here. the custody battle might be settled outside of a courtroom. as the future of "two and a half men," no decision has been made. police say the eeblgt rapist lived a jekyll and hyde-style life. he was arr arrested while livin with his girlfriend and 5-year-old son. prosecutors say he asked police why he wasn't picked up sooner. the world is getting a new bird's-eye view of the september 11th attacks. the newly-released video was shot from a police rescue chopper hovering near the towers. the officers were hoping to public survivors from the rooftops baa found no one there. the 17 minutes of footage also captured the reaction of stunned officers as the buildings collapse. you can see more of this video at abcnews.com.

in michigan, they remembered a fallen teammate. and honored him by winning a basketball game. it was fennville's high school's first game after the death of wes leonard. they did win again last night. they play in the next round of the state tournament tomorrow night. as for college hoops, a couple more teams bunched their ticket to the ncaa tournament last night. more details with espn news. >> with the madness of march gripping the nation, we're headed to richmond. vcu and old dominion. nixon misses the lay-in. he slips on the baseline. officials wiped down the there there was the culprit. the mascot throwing powder in the air. second half, up 14. fastbreak dunk.

big game for the junior. later in the second, rams on a comeback. down four. burgess. knocking down the four. gets the lane to fall. like john legend doing it again. odu, were winners. gonzaga, taking on st. mary's. zags down a pair. ray, a big cut over his head. he went to the bench. he would get tended to. and he would get back in the mix. later, st. mary's up a pair. mcconnell, offbalance. under five to go in the first half. marquis carter, ooh, hitting the floater. and gonzaga, they went into the break with a five-point

advantage. john stockton, loving it. gonzaga wins. 75-63. that will do it for your espn news update. i'm cole wright. have a fantastic day. to your favorite story. >> i love this story. >> the notorious neighborhood cat burglar is giving his hot goods back to the rightful owners. >> this cat is talented. this is dusty. dusty has stolen hundreds of items from his neighborhoods near san francisco. there he is in action in the middle of night. his family decided to have a rummage sale of sorts to return the stuff he took. >> favors, came to claim their belongings. everything. in spite of the give wak, dusty has not given up his old ways. >> a nighttime job. >> a vicious cat. coming up next, why certain breakfast cereals are preferred by kids. and it has nothing to do with taste. and rivers are still rising

across the northeast this morning. we'll have an update on where. stay with us. while a body in motion tends to stn motion. staying active can actually ease arthritis symptoms. but if you have arths, staying active can be difficult. prescription celebrex can help relieve arthritis pain so your body can stay in motion. because just one 200mg celebrex a day can provide our relief for many with arthritis pain and inflammation. plus, in clinical studies, celebrex is proven to improve daily physical function so moving is er. and celebrex is not a narcotic. when it comes to relieving your arthritis pain, you and your doctor need to balance the benefits with the risks. all prescription nsaids, including celebrex, may increase the chance of heart attack or stroke, which can lead to death. this chance increases if you heart disease or risk factors such as high blood pressure or when nsaids are taken for long perio nsaids, including celebrex, increase the chance of serious skin or allergic reactions or stomach and intestine problems,

such as bleeding ann occur w. patients also taking aspirin and the elderly are at increasesk for stomach bleeding and ulcers. do not take celebrex if you' had an asthma attack, hives, or other allergies to aspirin, nsaids or sulfonamides. get help right away if you have swelling of the face or throat, or trouble breathing. tell your doctor about your medical history and find an arthritis treatment that works for you. ask your doctor about celebrex. and, go to celebrex.com to learn more about how you can move toward relief. celebrex. for a body in motion.

and now, a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this tuesday. swollen rivers are still inundating neighborhoods in the northeast this morning. heavy downpours triggered major flooding and mudslides in new jersey, connecticut and massachusetts. and some rivers are not expected to fall below flood stage until the weekend. >> unbelievable. also, in libya, government

air forces are pounding rebel fighters, forcing them to stop their advance on the capital tripoli. nato surveillance planes are monitoring the violence 24 hours a day. this, in an effort to create a no-fly zone is under way at the u.n. president obama visits a technology-driven high school in nevada today. to tout the philanthropy that keeps the school running. hillary clinton and mrs. obama, salutes the international women's day today. young kids rate these cereals higher, saying they even taste better than other cereals. we'll get the details later today. and it is fat tuesday. or mardi gras. they will be partying hard in new orleans, as rob knows all-too well. as the carnival season comes to an end. it's all over at midnight, when lent begins. >> that's a very cool scene there. the police come through at the stroke of midnight and pushes the crowds off of bourbon

street. >> that's right. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, a political odd couple, including ben affleck, set to appear on capitol hill today. [ engine shuts off ] [ birds chirping ] [ truck door closes, engine turns over ] [ truck departs ] [ birds chirping ] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] share your breakfast with us

and we'll share breakfast with a child who needs it. join the effort at shareyourbreakfast.com. and we'll share breakfast with a child who needs it. it's time to get real about what happens in the bathroom. and start talking about what you really want from your toilet paper. it's time to talk about clean. quilted northern soft & strong is now 50% stronger than the leading ripple brand. quilted northern soft & strong. now 50% stronger for a confident clean. i can't breathe... so i can't sleep... and the next day i pay for it. i tried decongestants... i tossed & turned... i even vaporized! and then i fought back: with drug-free breathe right advanced. these nasal strips instantly opened my nose, like a breath of fresh air. 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! and finally from us this morning, strange bedfellows.

a hollywood a-lister is putting politic ace side, to form a dynamic duo. >> ben affleck is teaming up with the wife of a well-known republican, all for a good cause. jake tapper explains. >> reporter: earlier this year, cindy mccain, the wife of presidential nominee, john mccain, got a phone call from ben affleck. >> it is an odd couple relationship. i had other people say that to me. and i don't know whether i'm oscar or felix in this. >> reporter: affleck, the democratic actor, who campaigned for barack obama and john kerry. the star of films like "the town," "armageddon," and "daredevil." >> i can't think it was him. >> a prank call. >> i did. >> reporter: affleck was calling because he was seeking her help in a part of the world largely ignored by the u.s., the congo. affleck's work in the congo is something of a mission. >> you look at a place where 3 million people died over the last 15 years.

it is a humanitarian catastrophe. >> reporter: he took her to the eastern congo, where he skepticism vanished. there, they visited the organization that gets funding from the organization that affleck set up last year. one of the most moving stories they heard, that of christine, whom they met at heal africa, a hospital that gets grants from affleck's group. kidnapped by a militia at 14, christine was raped, part of the congo's epidemic of sexual violence. she got pregnant. he'll africa took her in. and seven surgeries later, she's back in school and helping other young girls whp she wants to be a lawyer. with fragile gains made in the country in recent years, the two argue that policymakers cannot allow congo to explode into yet another crisis. >> people are dying. really dying. i don't know if i can make anymore argument about why you should pay attention to this. >> reporter: jake tapper, abc news, the white house. >> opposite sides of the aisle