making news in america this morning. >> crunch time in washington. the battle to reach a budget agreement before a total government shutdown. and toxic tuna? as radiation floods the pacific, the fish we eat are about to begin their yearly swim from japan, straight to the u.s. and great white fright. jaws goes surfing just feet from where kids were playing on shore. good morning, everyone. i'm mike marusarz, in for rob nelson. >> and i'm peggy bunker. less than 70 hours and counting until a threatened government shutdown, which could delay some tax returns. >> the president will likely ono summon lawmakers back to the white house today. working towards an agreement before the witching hour, which comes friday at midnight.

and emily schmidt is now tracking each development from washington. good morning, emily. >> reporter: peggy and mike, good morning to you. president obama says he will summon the key budget negotiators back to the white house today and tomorrow, if that's what it takes to reach a budget deal. but after yesterday's meeting at the white house, democrat harry reid says he is not optimistic about reaching an agreement. though this year's budget still doesn't have a bottom line, president obama says it soon could. >> we are now closer than we have ever been to reaching an agreement. >> reporter: but if two sides are closer to preventing a government shutdown, they still sound far apart. >> we're not going to allow the senate, nor the white house, to put us in a box. >> this $73 billion was the republicans' original proposal. so, i guess they were for it before they were against it. but now, they're moving the goal post again. >> reporter: democrats and republicans use different numbers to describe the stumbling blocks.

but put simply, republicans want $61 billion in spending cuts. democrats and president obama are pushing for $33 billion. >> what they are now saying is, well, we're not sure that every, single one of the cuts that you've made are ones that we agree to. we'd rather have these cuts, rather than that cut. that's not the basis for shutting down the government. >> reporter: congress passed stopgap measures to keep the government open twice before. this time, republicans propose another one-week extension, with a $12 billion cut, while talks continue. mr. obama says extensions are no way to run a government. but that leaves just three days until government funding runs out. the white house says that, as the week goes on, the country's budget office will share details about a potential shutdown and how many people it could affect. mike and peggy? >> emily, what happens if the

shutdown goes into effect at midnight on friday? >> reporter: the white house says it doesn't have the numbers yet as to how many federal employees simply wouldn't be able to go to work. but the extent of this goes far beyond federal employees. you're looking at federal national parks being closed, passport applications not processed. your income tax return could be delayed. and even, there's some questions about whether u.s. troops would get their paychecks. the pentagon said yesterday, it simply doesn't have answers yet to send along to the troops in iraq and afghanistan. mike and peggy? >> unbelievable ripple effects there. okay. emily schmidt this morning. thank you so much. there's been a major development at the japanese nuclear plant. workers have finally been able to stop the flood of radioactive water, which had been pouring into the pacific. now, the workers face potential problems, including the possibility of more explosions inside the unit. they plan to pump nitrogen gas into one of the reactors today, trying to head off such a possibility. we will have more on the concerns about the safety of the seafood coming up later in the

half hour. rebel leaders in libya are asking for more help from the international community, as anti-government forces battle for control in the east. the top military commander says nato isn't doing enough to protect civilians. he complained that all of the red tape means that nato strikes come sometimes hours after the rebels communicate targets. a congresswoman from south florida has been chosen by president obama to head the democratic national committee. debbie wasserman schultz would be the first woman elected to chair the dnc. she is expected to play a key role in the president's re-election campaign. and another woman is moving to the forefront of leadership in las vegas. carolyn goodman won the 65% of vote in the primary. she is running to replace her husband, oscar, who held that job for three terms. mrs. goodman faces an election against the number two candidate. that comes up in june. a west virginia mining community is coming together, 1

year after an explosion killed 29 miners. family, friends and elected officials gathered in a school gymnasium last night. in front of the stage, 29 hardhats and photos of the miners rested on white crosses. other memorials were held during the day. a line of violent storms that hammered 18 states may be the worst severe weather outbreak on record. at least nine people were killed, including a georgia man and his 3-year-old son, found huddled together after a tree fell on their house. fierce winds and as many as 38 tornadoes swept in from texas to florida and up to the ohio valley. tens of thousands of people were left without power. and taking a look, now, at this morning's weather from around the nation. much calmer and drier in the east today. showers around chicago, detroit, cleveland and pittsburgh. also, out west, more heavy downpours, from seattle to portland. and up to two feet of snow buries the cascades. 6 to 12 inches in the central and northern rockies. >> 54 in boise. 77 in albuquerque. and near 90 in phoenix. mostly 50s from fargo to

detroit. kansas city hits 70. dallas, 81. 74 in new orleans. 68 in atlanta. and 57 here in new york. well, it is the most famous painting in the world. and also, the most mysterious. now, italian art historians think they may have unlocked the secrets about the woman behind the mona lisa. >> they say it may be a portrait of the wealthy silk merchant's wife. they're looking, now, in a florence convent for her remains. when they find them, they plan to use modern, csi-like technology to see if her face matches the painting. >> very cool. love that picture. very famous one. coming up, a great white seen just feet from shore. plus, business news. the nation's biggest city ready to ban toys from unhealthy kids meals. also, there's one less dancing star after a stiff week of competition on the dance floor. who is it? .

welcome back. time for a check of the morning's market activity, starting overseas. tokyo's nikkei average fell 0.3% today. hong kong's hang seng rose 0.4%. heading over to london, where the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow slipped six points yesterday. the nasdaq inches up two points. the federal reserve is the most optimistic about the economy it's been since the recession. but inflation fears are now beginning to emerge. several members are now worried a jump in energy prices could weaken the economy and unleash inflation. it raises the possibility of

hiking interest rates later this year in order to keep prices down. and the u.s. and colombia are expected to announce a free trade deal today. that agreement could increase exports to colombia by $1 billion a year. that would create jobs here. it could even pave a waycongreso congress to approve an even bigger trade deal with south korea. thousands of baby-boomers reach retirement age every day. but many of them don't have enough financial security to stop working. in fact, in a new poll, 44% say they don't think they'll have enough money when their careers end. only 11% are strongly convinced they will be able to live in comfort. kids in new york city may soon get a surprise in their happy meals, no toy. a local politician now introducing a bill today that would ban giveaways in meals that don't meet certain nutritional guidelines. the bill was inspired by a similar one introduced in san francisco last year. and corporate executives at the center of last year's gulf oil spill are now giving away their bonuses.

it is a goodwill gesture, after a huge outcry, since transocean declared last year's safety record was one of the best ever. executives at transocean are donating their so-called safety bonuses to a fund for victims' families. when we come back, another network anchor ready to step down. >> that's right. plus, the lucrative life of being bristol palin. and her $250,000 payday. first, toxic fish tuna, swimming in radioactive waste off of japan, bound for the u.s. like our texas cheese fries. then choose two freshly prepared entrees from 14 chili's favorites. like our honey chipotle chicken crispers or our famous baby back ribs. slow-smoked till they're fall-off-the-bone tender. or grilled all-white-meat chicken fajitas served over a bed of sizzling peppers and onions. the $20 dinner for two.

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[ female announcer ] lyrica is not for everyone. lyrica may cause 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. take a look at this close encounter. two, little boys are playing in the sand, completely unaware that there is a great white shark just yards away. the couple who took this picture at a popular beach in australia said the six-foot-long man eater

swam in the shallow water for an hour, at one point joined by a second shark. wow. >> just out looking for a little lunch. and now, for a look at morning road conditions. wet on i-80 and 90, from cleveland to chicago. also, around buffalo and pittsburgh. snow and ice on i-15, from montana to utah. also, icy on i-84 and 90 in the northern rockies and cascades. wet on i-5 from seattle to portland and northern california. >> and if you are flying, airport delays are possible in chicago, detroit and salt lake city. and we did mention earlier that workers at the japanese nuclear plant have now stopped that massive dump of radioactive water into the pacific. >> officials say there's been no harm to seafood from the contaminated water. but fishermen and shoppers are worried. neal karlinsky reports from kashima. >> reporter: japan's nuclear crisis is an ocean away. unless you're an albacore tuna, the kind that ends up in cans of tuna fish across the united states. every spring, the torpedo-shaped tuna leave the waters off japan,

swimming at speeds of 50 miles per hour, to the watters of oregon and washington, arriving late summer. before it gets there, it may well have spent time in some of the most radioactive water on earth. >> some of these fish that are feeding there, may be picking up some radiation. and we don't want to be harvesting them here in the united states if they do. >> reporter: in seattle, dr. vidar wespestad is part of a group of concerned fishermen, now urging the government to test the fish when they arrive. already, these tiny fish were caught in japan with unsafe levels of iodine-131 and cesium-137, in waters south of the nuclear plant. scientists who study the effects of radiation on fish says the cesium accumulates in muscle tissue. different sized fish are affected differently. >> there is a potential for genetic damage to the tunas, for instance. as well as impacts on their reproductive abilities.

>> reporter: japanese officials say the radiation will dissipate in the vast ocean, while albacore tuna are already getting ready to migrate and prove whether they really are canaries in an underwater coal mine. neal karlinsky, abc news, kashima, japan. that san francisco giants fan beaten outside dodgers stadium is still in a coma. doctors say it's likely brian stowe has brain damage. the paramedic sent his wife a text message saying he was scared. something that was not typical of him, saying his family. the men who beat him after the game were apparently wearing dodgers clothing. they think that 100 people witnessed that attack. and most of us function best on at least eight hours of sleep. but an elite few can actually thrive on half of that or even less. researchers tell "the wall street journal" 3% of the population are so-called supersleepers. they're wired to run on little sleep. and they tend to be naturally optimistic, ambitious, energetic and outgoing.

researchers are dismissing fears that eating soy may cause breast cancer patients more harm than good. after studying more than 16,000 breast cancer survivors, they now say that soy food does not increase the risk of cancer or recurrence of cancer or even death. but they do stress that the findings apply only to soy foods, not soy supplements. the matchup sounded like a college football bowl game. texas a&m and notre dame. but this is basketball. and despite a rare appearance in the finals, these women looked right at home. highlight, now, from espn news. >> good morning. i'm max bretos. time for your espn news update. for the only second time in the women's championship tournament history, no number one seeds in the championship game. that's because notre dame and texas a&m knocked them all out. second half, four to play. skylar diggins ties it at 66-66. then, tyra white for three. aggies up five.

20 seconds to go. last chance cafe for the irish. diggins loses it. danielle adams who adams who sc points, recovers it. a&m wins their first national championship, 76-70. heading off to baseball. the red sox, 0-3. looking to get their first win, handing the ball to josh beckett, in cleveland to face the tribe. bottom of the fourth. game tied at 1-1. two on, two out. jack hannahan off the middle. cabrera scores. indians up 2-1. top of the ninth. last chance for the sox. pedro ortiz lines out to left. the indians win their second-straight, 3-1. red sox are 0-4. phillies, 3-0, with that incredible rotation. cole hamels on the mound. david wright at the plate. one of four hits for wright. mets up 2-0. chris young and jose reyes score. later in the inning, man on first and second. young, the pitcher, gets his second hit in the inning, scoring ike davis. hamels gave up six earned runs. mets win it, 7-1. this has been your espn news

update. for all of the latest, tune into "the highlight express" on espn from 11:00 p.m. eastern throughout the morning. all right, peggy. we have some people in the news this morning. >> hot off the presses? >> that's right. hot off the presses. another celebrity bounced from the ballroom. talk show host, wendy williams. >> now, who saw that coming? >> a lot of people who watched the show. she had two left feet, it seemed like. right? >> everybody loved her. but she couldn't dance. fans tried to save her by giving her 15 points for her fox trot the night before. williams said if her personality were part of the competition, she would have won. she said the problems, however, is that her feet were not there. >> she was on jimmy kimmel. and i think she burned her dancing shoes. she's retired from that. >> she has other talents. she doesn't have to worry. >> she'll be back on tv, chatting about that. "today" show anchor, meredith vieira may be leaving tv in the morning. that's according to a report. she is now reported to be leaving the show when her contract expires in september.

vieira's father -- not father. her husband is suffering from poor health apparently. this is her fifth year as host of the "today" show. so, that could be a reasonshe m. her husband might need someone to take care of him. >> interesting to see if that happens. also, tax documents show, get this, bristol palin earned more than $250,000. $252,000 in 2009, promoting abstinence. she had an abstinence campaign she was the face of. you may remember, she had her baby son when she was 18 years old and was not married at the time. but bristol probably did better in 2010. that's when she appeared on "dancing with the stars." >> that's right. >> so, some people say maybe she shouldn't have been promoting abstinence since she had a son. but she said learn from me. >> she was fun on the show. >> that's for sure. coming up next, we're going to update our top story. the battle to avoid a federal government shutdown. plus, it's a big day in a quest to keep nfl players on the field next season. ♪

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♪ ♪ ♪ [ female announcer ] introducing purina one beyond, a new food for your cat or dog. and now, a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching this wednesday. president obama says he'll be calling congressional leaders back to the white house today to try to avert a government shutdown. but the president himself is scheduled to spend much of the day traveling. >> yeah. his first stop will be in the philadelphia area, where he will meet with employees of a company that makes giant turbines that generate electric from wind. then, he'll head over to new york where he will speak at

the reverend al sharpton's civil rights group about education. and the sex trial of the italian leader silvio berlusconi started in milan. george clooney could be called as a witness. the nfl lockout is heading to court today. the players are asking for a federal judge to rule for an injunction. they say the lockout is, quote, causing irreputable harm to their careers. and golf's greatest are in augusta. the masters kicks off tomorrow. today, the athletes compete in a popular par 3 contest, which you can see on espn. >> very interesting. coming up later on "good morning america," imagine that you're behind the wheel when this huge stake flies through your windshield. accidents caused by flying debris happen a lot more often than you think. we're going to show you why and how to avoid becoming a victim. >> good stuff. for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everybody else, a british

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next. higher prices, new plan for balancing the budget and will you take a stand? barry bonds's attorney will have all eyes on the federal courthouse today and a fire that injured 20 people. meteorologist lisa argen has our forecast. >> skies are clear. sun will be out but the billionaire adventurer richard branson has flown balloons, above the ocean and all sorts of boats across it.

>> now, he plans to go under the ocean, venturing to the deepest waters in his solo submarine.>>i >> reporter: billionaire richard branson is not content to just pose atop his submarine. he will join fellow explorer, chris welsh, taking it to the deepest depths of the ocean. >> with space reached by man and special space flight tantalizingly close, the last great challenge for humans is to reach and explore the depths of our own planet's oceans. >> reporter: in this animation from virgin.com, branson's solo sub is shown diving past known creatures, like whales, to the bottom of the sea. the first descent is planned later this year. it will go to the marianna trench in the pacific ocean. it's deeper than mt. everest is high. that was a trip for branson's close friend and fellow adventures, steve fossett, who died in 2007. welsh will make the trip.

branson will then explore the puerto rico trench. over the next two years, the sub will explore the deepest part of all five oceans, breaking guinness records along the way. >> we'll discover a whole, new world of undiscovered species. and for those who dream, a world of spanish galleons full of gold. >> reporter: virgin oceanic will have a scientific mission, as well. and the dives will be uploaded to google earth. those of us who are happy on terra firma can follow along on their computer. it's an adventure fit for a billionaire, costing branson $17 million for the sub. and this special catamaran that will launch it. and like branson's ongoing plans for tourism in space, he plans a larger submarine for the brave, who would like to go beyond jules byrne in his 20,000 leagues under the sea. that's wha