making news in america this morning -- >> tornado alley trouble. severe weather strikes overnight with deadly results. and it's not over yet. will the president help relieve america's pain at the pump? he talks gas prices and donald trump in an abc news exclusive. and would you know the real lady liberty if you saw it? the new stamp with a surprise. good morning. i'm peggy bunker.sarz, in for>>r rob nelson. we've been following a developing story throughout the night. severe storms in oklahoma have killed at least two people. >> in fact, more than two dozen people are hurt, injured as a large tornado tore through the

town of tushka, oklahoma. it hit after dark, leaving a jumble of downed power lines and trees. also making a dangerous search for anymore victims. >> the same system dumped softball-sized hail on other towns. today, the dangerous system will stretch from the ohio valley to the gulf coast. we'll have a complete update coming up on "good morning america." now, to the political storm brewing in washington. president obama and the republicans are now gearing up for what looks to be an epic budget battle. also, a brutal 2012 election. yesterday, the president went on record with his side of the story and then hit the campaign trial. emily schmidt joins us now with the details. good morning, emily. >> reporter: peggy and mike, good morning to you. president obama is finally getting the 2011 budget from congress. but in many ways, it already feels like 2012.

we had obama talking about what he's done as president. and he is working to keep the job. >> hello, chicago. >> reporter: president obama warmed up his campaign rhetoric last night, raising $2 million for his re-election effort. >> this is not my campaign. this is your campaign. >> reporter: illinois launched the president's political career. but in an exclusive abc news interview with george stephanopoulos, mr. obama admitted he made a mistake as a senator, when he voted against extending the debt limit. >> so, that was just an example of a new senator, you know, making what is a political vote, as opposed to doing what was important for the country. and i'm the first one to acknowledge it. >> reporter: this week, mr. obama laid out how he would reduce the budget deficit. republican paul ryan, who has proposed his own plan, said the president was exceedingly partisan. >> it was not so much a critique of what the house republicans proposed, as it was a description of what they proposed. >> reporter: and the top e-mailed viewer concern, gas prices. the president says he is not ready to release oil reserves. >> what we don't want to do is

catch ourselves in a situation, particularly when things are uncertain in the middle east, where we're using it now and it turns out we need more later. >> reporter: when president obama returns here to washington a little bit later today, one of the things that will be on his plate is approving the new budget that congress approved yesterday. it has $38 billion in cuts. you will remember, this was the budget that prevented a government shutdown one week ago. peggy and mike? >> all right, emily, live for us from washington this morning. thank you. another topic covered in george's interview with the president, that persistent rumor that he was not born in the united states and therefore isn't eligible to be president. several potential republican challengers are not shy about using the birther conspiracy, as it's called, as a political issue. >> all of us have been struck by donald trump rising to the top of the republican field by feeding fantasies about your background. >> nobody ever comes forward. nobody knows who he is until later in his life. it's very strange. the whole thing is very strange.

>> what do you make of that? >> i think that over the last 2 1/2 years, there's been a -- an effort to go at me in a way that is politically expedient in the short-term for republicans. but creates, i think, a problem for them, when they want to actually run in a general election, where most people feel pretty confident. the president was born where he says he was, in hawaii. we're not really worrying about conspiracy theorys or birth certificates. >> just last night, the arizona legislature approved a proposal that requires presidential candidates to prove they are citizens in order to appear on the ballot there. 13 other states have considered doing the same. george will have more of his interview with the president coming up on "good morning america." president obama has issued a joint statement with the leaders of france and the united kingdom, vowing to remain united

in efforts to remove moammar gadhafi from power. gadhafi drove through the streets of tripoli just hours after a new round of nato air strikes. libyan tv showed him waving through supporters out of the sunroof of a car. his only daughter led a rally at a family compound that was struck by u.s. bombers 25 years ago today. and abc news has learned there's a new video from al qaeda al qaeda's number two, ayman al zawahiri. he applaused the uprisings in tunisia and egypt. he called on libyan armies to moammar gadhafi to head off the west. the nato attack did happen. the advocacy group, human rights watch, says they have enough evidence to prosecute former haitian dictator, baby doc duvalier. duvalier returned to haiti in january of a 20-year exile. a haitian judge launched an investigation into his brutal regime. but so far, nothing has come of it. the man in charge of the

nation's air traffic control system is out after a series of incidents where controllers were caught sleeping. it's another move in what the head of the faa promises will be a sweeping review of the entire system. the agency has already added a second controller on midnight shifts at more than two dozen airports. and taking a look at the country's weather this morning, more severe storms in the central portion of the u.s. also, in the upper plains states. rain and snow in the pacific northwest. warm and dry in the southwest. and partially sunny and a little cool in the northeast. >> the 50s in the pacific northwest and upper plains. 51 in minneapolis and detroit. 54 in chicago. and 55 in kansas city. around 60 in the mid-atlantic states. but just 43 in boston. 72 in sacramento. 75 in atlanta. 88 in phoenix. and in the mid-80s along the gulf coast. and coming up, the frantic search for a missing woman, the cousin of a country star. and she was last seen being

dragged into the tennessee woods. and not quite the genuine article. is there an imposter on the new lady liberty stamp?

time for a check of market activities, starting overseas. asian stocks were mixed, after china reported that inflation climbed again. tokyo's nikkei average lost 62 points today. hong kong's hang seng was up slightly. and in london, the ftse opened higher. wall street starts the day with

the dow jones industrials a little higher after a late rally yesterday. the nasdaq index was barely changed. ford is expanding the recall for its popular f-150 pickup trucks. the vehicles may have defective air bags. an electrical short could cause them to inflate without a crash, injuring the drivers. ford recalled 150,000 f-150s in february. but under pressure from the government, ford is now increasing that recall to 1.2 million. and mortgage rates are climbing again. but they're still not all that high. the average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is less than 5%. however, it's the fourth week in a row that rates have gone up. although today's april 15th, it's not the deadline to file your taxes. you have until monday. and that's because it's a local holiday in washington, emancipation day. a couple extra days to file those taxes. >> no excuse. in "usa today's" tech review, the playbook, a new

tablet from the makers of the blackberry. ed baig praises its seven-inch screen and ability to multitask. but he cautions that some may find the device lacking. >> there is no native e-mail program or calendar or some other things on the playbook. you can bring those to the playbook, again, through this blackberry bridge, through your smartphone. but if you don't have a blackberry smartphone, some people are going to miss the lack of a calendar and e-mail program that is native to the playbook tablet. >> the playbook hits stores on tuesday. and you can read more of ed's review at usatoday.com. and the postal service has a little egg on its face. take a look at this. this is actually not a picture of the statue of liberty in new york harbor. this is a new stamp that is already in circulation. it shows the replica of the statue, the one in las vegas. a stamp collector spotted this mistake. and now, the post office is going with it. an official there said they love the design and would have selected that photo anyway. lady liberty looks pretty good,

no matter where she is. >> lady luck. lady liberty. it can happen. >> there you go. coming up next this friday morning, the big change coming to daytime tv. two long-running soap operas, canceled. >> no more erica kane? >> i know. and the bizarre missing persons case in tennessee, where a young woman was seen dragged from her home. [ female announcer ] can you define radiant skin? glowing. -smooth. -flawless. [ female announcer ] it's more than just one thing. now aveeno brings all five factors of radiance together

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and try skin brightening daily scrub, only from aveeno. so say hello to ocean spray 100% juice. and goodbye to added sugar. i thought we weren't adding any sugar. oh. okay, nobody use these cranberries over here. colorado is cleaning up this morning from a little late-season snow. it didn't stop residents from going out on their morning bike rides and walks. but it did slow down the morning commute. not much of the snow stuck. and today starts partly-sunny with highs in the 50s. >> used to see that fox all the time. major highways in colorado, today, will be in better shape. but to the north, interstate 94 will be slippery. as will i-90, 84 and the in the pacific northwest. the interstates through midwest will be wet and windy.

highways will be dry in the northeast and southwest. >> if you are flying, possible delays in seattle, memphis, chicago, kansas city, atlanta and san francisco. in western tennessee today, heavy rain and threat of tornadoes could hamper the search for a 20-year-old nursing student. >> holly bobo went missing. her mother called 911 to say he saw a man dressed in camouflage, dragging her from the family carport into the woods. hundreds of people have come out to look for her on foot and horseback and on atvs. her parents are heartbroken. >> i want her back. >> i want to tell her i love her. for her to call us, please, in any way she can get in touch with us, whatsoever. >> well, holly bobo's cousin is country singer, whitney duncan. she recently tweeted, lord, have mercy. i feel like i'm walking in a nightmare, a sentiment their whole town now shares. we have a sad update to the story of the mom who drove her minivan full of kids into the hudson river.

the community of newburgh, new york, gathered last night for a vigil. as police revealed that lashanda armstrong apparently tried to reverse the strategy. the van was found in reverse gear. her fourth child, a 10-year-old son escaped through a window. his mother kept saying, it was a mistake but it was too late. she and three other children drowned. the diet pill alli is under fire this morning. the consumer watchdog group public citizen is calling for it to be pulled off the shelves. they say the pills can cause pancreatitis and liver damage. alli is the only fda-approved weight loss drug sold over the counter. don't kill the messenger, but it is the end of an era in daytime television. peggy, i know. sad. abc is cancelling "all my children" and "one life to live," after generations on the air. "all my children" will air its last episode in september." one life to live" will end in

january. the shows will be replaced by lifestyle and cooking programs. both shows had increasingly older audiences. and many of the stay-at-home moms and wives who are big fans just aren't home anymore. they're at work. >> what will happen to erica kane? all right. in sports, the nba playoffs get under way this weekend. as for last night's highlights, here's adnan virk at espn news. >> good morning. johnny damon has certainly had a well-traveled career in baseball. so far, with the tampa bay rays it has been an inauspicious start. however, damon and the rays taking things happen. taking on the minnesota twins. bottom of the tenth. a man on for johnny damon. johnny drama. i'm walking here. a walkoff home run off of matt capps. as the rays win it, 4-3, improving to a modest 4-8. other baseball action, the cardinals and dodgers opening up a four-game series at dodgers stadium. top of the fifth, cardinals up 4-3. albert pujols, crushing his second home run of the year.

it took him one game to have two homers last year. took him 13 this year. adding to their lead. matt holliday, doubles to the gap in center. rasmus and pujols would score. cardinals offense providing plenty, as they knock off l.a., 9-5, on the road. to hockey we go. the flyers taking the ice, as they host the buffalo sabers in game one. early in the first period, timo timonen, flipping the puck harmlessly at ryan miller. but mike weber and mike richardson, what? have you got something for me. both teams collapse in a fight. weber and richards sent to the box for roughing. second period, still no score. claude giroux, finding james van riemsdyk. the wraparound to ryan miller as he holds for the task. the game is deadlocked. a stop by bobrovsky, and patrick kaleta is there for the goal. that's all the buffalo sabres would need. a goaltending duel is solved by kaleta.

ryan miller made 35 saves. buffalo picks up a huge game one victory. for all of your highlights, join us on "the highlight express" here on espn news. a high school baseball player is the talk of tupelo, mississippi, this morning for this play. it was the bottom of the sixth. caleb walker was waved home. he's rounding third base. he slides and jumps over the catcher and is safe. his teammates actually thought that he was out. he must be watching jackie chan movies for inspiration. look at this. >> i love it. that's great. good play-by-play, too. that was good. >> they ended up winning the game, too, by the way, 7-6. >> very justified. very well-played. the britons' royal wedding is two weeks away. and kate middleton is very busy, as you might imagine. answering the phones at the bicycle shop she works. but this woman is not about to become british royalty. she's from kentucky. and she is tired of the mixup. >> i found some articles where

they had extrapolated information from an interview from me in louisville and put it into an article about the woman dating prince william, as if i was her. i don't put my cards out here at the shop anymore. i don't want to go through the whole thing, oh, you're kate middleton? when is the wedding? shouldn't you be doing your princess duties? >> that would get really old. that's right. this kate middleton says that prince william is not her type. but she does wish the royal couple all the best. >> wow. you think that maybe she would milk it. get nice tables at restaurants. >> she sounds really over it. two more weeks. hang in there. up next, the stories we'll be following later today, including the latest towns to brace for flooding in the midwest. and also, the new sign of recovery in the quake zone. mickey mouse returns to tokyo. [ giggles ] hey, max. [ announcer ] you can help significantly extend your dog's healthy years. a groundbreaking 14-year study by purina...

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at ally, you'll love our raise your rate cd that offers a one-time rate increase if our current rates go up. ally. do you love your bank ? and now, a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching this friday. the cleanup is under way after severe overnight storms in tornado alley. hardest hit was southeastern oklahoma, where two people died. today, this system stretches from the ohio valley to the gulf coast. some rivers across the upper midwest are expected to crest today. others are receding. but there's still a danger of new flooding in north dakota and minnesota. and president obama wakes up in his hometown of chicago this morning, after an unofficial kickoff of his re-election campaign. he spoke at several fund-raising events last night, where he

outlined the themes he will use in his race against an as of yet unnamed republican challenger. sarah palin heads to wisconsin, where she headlines a tax day tea party rally at the capitol tomorrow. that's the scene of the huge protests over legislation that stripped public workers of their union rights. some of the same protesters plan to protest palin's visit. the supreme court today considers whether to hear a challenge to the obama administration's health care law, brought by the attorney general of virginia. he wants the court to skip the intermediate steps and decide now whether that law is constitutional. 14 and it's a happy day in tokyo, at least for fans of mickey mouse. disneyland tokyo is open again for the first time since that march 11th earthquake. the theme park was damaged in the quake and had lost power. disney also owns abc. >> a little bit of cheer there. coming up later on "good morning america," the video lighting up the internet, showing soccer star, david beckham, doing the near-impossible. is it real? or is it fake?

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>> next on "abc 7 news," get ready to pay more. pg&e gets a green light for a rate hike but it comes with a catch. and a new warning about two dangerous dogs in the biggest city. the attack only, that has animal control on hunt. mike will have the forecast. >> couple chances of sprinkles for the weekend. mainly dry today and we'll talk about how well, we'd like to help you

start your friday with a laugh, with some help of some of the late-night comics. >> this week, they had plenty to say, from sleep, to the vice president, to the nation's control towers. >> have you heard about all of the air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job. i don't know if it's happening more or we're hearing about it more. the faa is investigating two cases this week. one in reno. one in seattle. if only seattle had any coffee shops to help keep these guys awake. >> if you wanted to buy time on the last "oprah winfrey show," last 30-second commercial, $1 million. this is going to go a long way to help her get back on her feet. >> obama laid out his plan to reduce the $14 trillion national debt. for asha and malia, it involves selling a lot of girl scout cookies. i have to say and i'm not on

expert on this sort of thing. far from it. but i don't know about this plan. >> today, i am proposing a more balanced approach, to achieve $4 trillion in deficit reduction over 12 years. [ laughter ] on the $1 trillion debt reduction proposed in my 2012 budget. >> how many watches does this guy think he's going to sell? >> the show biden means business during obama's speech, the chaperon was on-hand, taking in every detail of the president's speech. oh. no. [ laughter ] hey, rip van biden. for god sakes, you're the vice president. have the