making news in america this morning -- >> bracing for more rain. where canoes are more useful than cars. a new storm adds to flooding misery. olive branch. wisconsin's governor offers a compromise to end a three-week showdown. and marine mystery. a marina fills up with millions of dead fish. now, biologists think they know why. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us today. the deluge leaving parts of the northeast under water is not letting up. >> just unbelievable. several rivers remain above flood stage this morning. and it's not over yet. beginning tonight, the system in

the southeast will bring more flooding to saturated neighborhoods from new jersey all the way to new england. >> emily schmidt shows us the damage so far. >> reporter: it is a double-hit. winter rains, after winter snow. it.tired of it. >> reporter: forcing people out, as the water moves in. >> we have about a foot and a half of water inside the house. the entire living space is completely trashed. we can't -- we have nowhere to live right now. >> reporter: there are flood watches or warnings in more than half of the nation's states. in wayne, new jersey, three inches of rain caused some of the worst flooding in 60 years. it transformed riverside drive into a boat-only thoroughfare. >> i think the problem is the rain, the snow melt, the dam upriver and the lakes. it never used to get this bad. >> reporter: flash flooding in connecticut gave this small stream enough power to wash away the ground and collapse the road above it. >> i'm amazed, though. there's a lot of work to be done. >> reporter: firefighters had to use boats to rescue stranded

residents from the rising waters. while another set of storms threatened an area stretching from oklahoma to louisiana. in north texas, that meant baseball-sized hail. and reports of a tornado that touched down in lamar county, northeast of dallas. sparing injury, but creating plenty of damage to clean up today. and in the northeast, there are fears the worst is yet to come. >> right now, it's supposed to crest at 9 feet, 9'4'. should be okay. thursday is another problem. >> reporter: and here is why he is concerned. a new round of rain is set to begin a little later today, just after the rivers crest from the last storm. rob? >> emily schmidt, on a rough next few days. thanks, emily. but the weather is expected to cooperate this morning for a historymaking shuttle landing. it will be about 74 degrees and partly-cloudy when "discovery" touches down in florida for the final time, just before noon. if all goes as planned, "discovery" will have spent 365 days in space over its 27-year career.

>> unbelievable. well, overseas, now, to libya, where moammar gadhafi has made a surprise tv appearance around 5:00 a.m. local time. he again claimed that rebels fighting against him are agents of america. pro-gadhafi forces claim to have the upper hand. president obama's security team meets today at the white house, to find ways to pressure gadhafi out. in pakistan, the taliban is believed to be a responsible for a suicide bomb blast this morning that killed at least 36. the victims were attending a funeral for the wife of an anti-taliban militiaman when the blast struck. another blast yesterday killed 20. parts of japan were shaken by a powerful earthquake, which struck the northeast coast this morning. buildings in tokyo some 200 miles away swayed for about 30 seconds while the quake hit. it triggered a small tsunami. but there were no reports of damage or injury. in wisconsin, union leaders

say they are not impressed by the governor's new budget compromise. the governor has offered to keep certain collective bargaining rights in for workers. it's in an attempt to end a three-week stalemate there. they've been holed up across the border in illinois to avoid a vote on that issue. the u.s. marshal service is mourning the loss of one of its own. the agent died hours after a gun battle erupted during a raid in st. louis. 48-year-old john perry passed away. he suffered a gunshot wound to the head, while attempting to arrest a suspect. two agents were wounded. the suspect was killed. and white house drug czar gil kerlikowske is in a boston hospital this morning. he fainted twice yesterday. he was alert and speaking with doctors after being admitted to the hospital. a national public radio executive is now on administrative leave after being caught on tape saying the wrong things. ron schiller heads npr's fund-raising arm. he met with two men who said they were part of a muslim

organization and who offered npr $5 million. in reality, it was a sting being pulled off by activists who target groups they claim are opposed to conservatives. take a listen. >> the current republican party, particularly the tea party, is fanatically involved in people's personal lives. and very fundamental christian. they're seriously racist people. >> now, npr says it is appalled by schiller's comments. and it refused the money that was offered. it also says schiller is leaving the organization, but not because of this current flap. now, a look at your morning weather around the country. some gusty winds, hail and a chance of tornados from new orleans to montgomery and tallahassee. some rain moving later to the tennessee and ohio valley, the carolinas and the mid-atlantic. some downpours in chicago and detroit. up to a half-foot of snow, in green bay, des moines and the northern rockies. some showers, meanwhile, from seattle to portland. >> and 50s in the pacific northwest.

to 66 in sacramento. 80 in phoenix. mostly 30s from fargo to omaha. 44 degrees here in new york. 65 in atlanta. and a wet 76 degrees in new orleans. and a looming tornado watch was not enough to keep the revelers off the streets of new orleans. of course, it wasn't. thousands of people crammed into the french quarter to celebrate mardi gras. >> looks like fun. as always, bourbon street was the place to be, as they wrap up the carnival season, with eating, drinking. bead-throwing. all that good stuff. partygoers were cleared out at midnight to usher in ash wednesday, the first day of lent. >> folks ready for a break. >> all of the good stuff. >> two weeks of partying is done. coming up next, the gas price forecast. when we're expected to see it go above $4 a gallon. >> can you imagine? and bill gates, losing his place as the world's richest man. an good cause. and those images from california. why millions of fish -- wow, look at that -- died at once.

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well, if you think gas prices are high right now, just wait until summer. the government is now predicting that prices could spike above $4 during the peak driving season. the report forecast pump prices will average $3.70 by spring. and could jump because of une uncertainty in the middle east. americans who owe more than their mortgage than their home is worth rose at the end of last falling year.

falling prices put more than 11 million homeowners under water, about 300 million more than september. about 200 million more households are nearing that point. overseas markets are mixed this morning. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.6% today. hong kong's hang seng gained 0.4%. and in london, the ftse opened lower. on wall street, the dow jumped 124 points yesterday. meanwhile, the nasdaq added 20 points. there's more evidence that hiring is picking up, if only just a little bit. a new survey from staffing firm, man power, finds 16% of companies plan to add workers between april to june. 14% of companies surveyed in the first quarter, though, expected to hire. bill gates has lost his grip on the title of world's richest man. gates will be number two on the "forbes'" annual list for the second-straight year. he is bemind mexican tycoon

carlos slim. and a new ipad app launching today lets users create a personalized digital magazine. it searches the web for articles that match your interest and gets more accurate the more you use it. it's available for a free download. there's a new delay for broadway's most expensive show ever. today's "new york times" says "spider-man-turn off the dark" will be overhauled. the show's been plagued by high-profile problems, injured actors and tough reviews. crowds don't seem to mind. preview performances have actually been sold-out. >> i'd like to see it. >> it looks good. coming up next on this wednesday, the ceo of a major clothing chain, accused of keeping a worker as a sex slave. and then, the california fish kill that even experts are calling quite unusual. and one retired football star making a return to the nfl.

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a dangerous scene around the country's tallest building. huge chunks of ice crashed to the streets of chicago. this, after breaking off from the old sears tower, which is called the willis tower, of course. surrounding streets were closed. nobody there was hurt. but take a look at that. and now, we'll take a look at your morning road conditions. wet and flooded on i-10 and 20, from louisiana to jacksonville. slick on i-70, from st. louis to pittsburgh. ice and snow on i-94, from fargo to milwaukee. and i-90 and 84 in the northern rockies. wet on i-5, from seattle to portland. >> and if you're heading to the airport, possible right? delays in minneapolis, chicago, detroit, memphis, charlotte, atlanta and new orleans. in southern california, a marine mystery has been solved. >> experts say it was nature, not pollution or poisoning, which led to a massive dieoff of

millions of fish. mike von fremd reports from redondo beach. >> reporter: at sunrise, people couldn't believe their eyes. millions of sardines floating dead in the water. >> i never seen anything like it. i mean, the water is silver from the fish. >> reporter: emergency calls went out. the fear was that this was some sort of chemical spill. the fish and water immediately tested. >> there are no signs of oil or chemicals or anything else in the water that shouldn't be. >> reporter: here's what happened. according to marine biologists, predator fish, likely a shark or whale, chased just a few sardines in the wrong direction. those few seemed to have led millions to their doom. >> you know, they like to follow each other. so, it only takes a few to come in and the whole school will come in. >> reporter: so, after the first sardines swam into king harbor, the entire school followed, overwhelming the 1,400 boats docked here in shallow water. after being chased into a harbor, a spokesman says that gale-force santa ana winds kept them trapped.

the oxygen was depleted. and as a result, millions of sardines suffocated. there were simply too many fish in such shallow water to survive. >> we're confident that it is a naturally occurring but unusual event. >> reporter: what's bad for the sardines has become a feast for the seals and pelicans. mike von fremd, abc news, redondo beach, california. >> and we'll have more from mike later today on "good morning america." well, the ceo of a popular clothing company, american apparel, has been slapped with a sex suit. a former store manager says dov charney forced her to be his sex slave, three years ago, when she was 18 years old. reports say charney forced her to perform sexual acts at an apartment. american apparel says the employee filed no complaints and resigned with a letter of gratitude. nearly two dozen priests in philadelphia are now suspended, after they were identified as child sex suspects. cardinal justin regalley says

the priests have been removed from ministry while the cases are being reviewed. the suspects were named in a scathing grand jury report into priest abuse. well, we have a follow-up to a story that made international headlines. 20-year-old mariscal garcia took on the job of police chief in her mexican border town. at the time, she found it as an opportunity to teach values to her town. now, garcia is in the u.s., asking for asylum after receiving death threats. and mike starr, the former basist for the grunge band, alice in chains has died. starr appeared on the reality show, "celebrity rehab" in 2009. last month, he was arrested for allegedly possessing medications without the priored prescriptions. jim trestle has been suspended by his school for two games. tressel has been fined $250,000

for not immediately reporting that some of his players were being investigated for selling football memorabilia. an ncaa investigation will continue. and more penalties could be imposed. and from the professional ranks, former giants running back, tiki barber says he wants to get back in the nfl. he retired in the '06 season. since then, he's been on tv. a report out last year said barber was broke. well, most of the major conference tournaments in men's college basketball are now under way. highlights from last night's action, now, from mike yam at espn news. >> good morning. we start with some first-round action in the big east tournament. villanova, having some struggles down the stretch. they last four-straight. matching up against south florida. 25 second stos play. that's dan heath on his knees. wanted something. anything to happen. there's that something. anthony crater on the stolen pass. 16 seconds to go.

malik wayne, driving for villanova. gets fouled on his way to the rim. he hit both free throws. wildcats up by one. he had 24. the ensuing bulls possession, are you kidding me? crider again, getting it done. five seconds to play. wayne's bringing the ball back up the floor. one last chance for villanova. no good. first loss ever to the bulls for villanova. south florida, 7:00 eastern time, on espn wednesday. sun belt championship game. taking on north texas. a spot in the ncaa tournament on the line. north texas up by one. check it. make it four. josh white, the triple. he had 17. next possession for the trojans, matt mosey, he's got the wild ball. little rock, within one. they haven't made the tournament since 1990. bozeman, that was clutch. 20 points for the sun belt player of the year.

arkansas-little rock takes a one-point lead with 1.5 to play. north texas, last chance for them. green, not going to get it done. trojans end on a three-game losing streak. they win four games in four dice advance. that will do it for this sports update. for more highlights, don't miss the highlight express. coming up next, the stories set to make news today. and then, 24 hours after this shocking internet rant, charlie sheen, you may have heard of this guy. he issues a new message overnight. we'll be right back.

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and now, a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching this wednesday. the northeast is bracing for more rain later today and tomorrow. >> and two years after pushing the reset button, so to speak, on relations with russia. vice president biden returns to moscow to see if any fine-tuning is needed. the accused gunman in the tucson shooting rampage will be back in court today. jared laugher in is facing murder charges for all six

people killed in the attack, that nearly claimed the life of congresswoman gabrielle giffords. >> this is the beginning of the season of lent in christian churches. lent is marked by fasting and repentance, and ends on easter when the resurrection of jesus is celebrated. and around noon today, people in central florida will here "discovery's" sonic boom. it will mark the end of "discovery's" final mission. the next stop will be the smithsonian museum. >> isn't that incredible. you said if you had a chance to go up, you wouldn't do it. i wouldn't, either. >> ladies first. coming up later on "good morning america," the road warriors that call themselves the hypermilers. they get every drop out of that gallon of gas. can their tips help you save, as well. we put them to the test. that's coming up on "gma." >> very interesting. on these days of 4 bucks a gallon, i get it.

>> they say drive slower. keep that in mind. for some of you, your local news is coming up next. >> everybody else, we'll be back with charlie sheen, his first fired.e since being fired. no coffee, no espresso. mm-hmm. ♪ [ female announcer ] crest 3d white toothpaste. the remarkable toothpaste that removes up to 80% of surface stains in just two weeks... hi. i'm paul. [ female announcer ] for a noticeably whiter smile in just two weeks crest 3d white toothpaste. also try crest 3d white rinse. ♪ [ male announcer ] build your better breakfast with all the flavors you choose. try an irresistible steak, egg & cheese, with toasty tomato or chipotle southwest sauce

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well, charlie sheen's bosses are trying to figure out how

"two and a half men" will go on without him. >> too much money. sheen was at it again overnight. hitting the internet with a fresh barrage of insults. details from kabc's leslie miller. >> what occurred yesterday, was entirely illegal. unconscionable. >> reporter: in his latest rant, charlie sheen lashes out against warner brothers brass. reading from prepared remarks, sheen attacked by his unwanted guest list, using profane renditions of their name. he started with cbs president les moonves. >> part scoundrel. >> reporter: as part of his diatribe, he praised warner brothers tv president, peter roth. >> that your heart was always rooted in fairness and good

tidings. >> reporter: sheen saved his most savage criticism for "two and a half men" producer, chuck lorre. >> hi ya, chuck. where are you hiding, silly clown? >> reporter: the self-proclaimed winner, took this shot at lorre, as he reveled in the ratings. >> how was last night's 2.8 in the demo field? how about last night's two sips to follow it? should have gone up. but instead, it went down. sizzle. losing. bye. >> reporter: sheen appeared more focused than he did during last night's installment. where at one point, he inhaled a cigarette through his nose. whether he's unplugged or unhinged, charlie shows no sign of slowing down his highly-public shenanigans. >> i'm amused by it. i can see why his publicist quit. his publicist was not winning. >> whether it's good publicity or bad publicity, moreeo