making news in america this morning -- >> sticker shock. costly fill-ups taking a toll. more drivers literally running out of gas. plus, what's really launching prices into the stratosphere? no holding back. donald trump's solutions for gas prices and america's costly wars in a new "gma" interview. and extreme style. raising the art of grooming, to a whole, new level. good morning. those sky-high gas prices are beginning to have harsh side-effects. one of them, more drivers are actually running out of gas. >> drivers, of course, trying to stretch every gallon. here's why. today, we are paying nearly $1 more per gallon than last april

19th. the average price of a gallon of regular, now, is $3.84, compared to just $2.86, a year ago. >> stop. stop. stop. >> reporter: in california, where the average price is above $4, drivers are running out of gas in record numbers. >> taking a toll on my funds right now. you know? taking almost $50 to fill up. you know, i'm not a six-figure person. >> reporter: aaa says calls for emergency gas service are up 13%, as drivers try to stretch their gas tanks a little further. >> we try to calm them down. and let them know we know it's tough times. you know, everybody runs out of gas nowadays. >> reporter: it's not a shortage that is causing the high prices. opec said monday, there is a glut on the market. estimates are it could produce another 200 million barrels a day if needed. and u.s. oil refineries are only

operating at 80% capacity. oil companies are raking in huge profits. analysts predict first-quarter profits are expected to go up 41%. >> it's an outrage. an outrage. >> reporter: but many are blaming the sharp rise in prices on the commodity futures markets. two washington senators say there's not enough policing, and blames federal regulators for missing a deadline to implement new rules on excessive oil speculation. speculators in the oil futures market bid prices up, betting that things are going to get worse in the middle east. >> they assess the risk. and you pay a premium based upon the risk. >> reporter: that risk or fear premium is costing drivers about 35 cents extra a gallon. and it's going into the pockets of the speculators. breaking all of that down, we are paying for the oil crisis today that may never happen. and those climbing gas prices are one of the reasons that the president's approval rating is taking a hit. in a brand-new abc news poll released overnight, 47% said they do approve of the job he's doing. that's down seven points from january.

but the president is still preferred over his possible republican challengers. in a head-to-head matchup, president obama takes mitt romney, 49% to 45%. that lead increases against mike huckabee, 50% to 44%. and in a matchup against donald trump, the president would win by 12 points, 52% to 40%. not bad. >> not bad. and the donald is drawing on concern over gas prices to help fuel his possible run for the white house. trump tells our george stephanopoulos that he would look opec ministers in the eye and tell them to produce more oil or else, the u.s. would take what is owed. >> let me explain something to you. we go into we have spent thus far $1.5 trillion. we could have rebuilt half of t. the united states. $1.5 trillion. and we're going to then leave. so, in the old days, when you had a war, to the victor go the spoils. you go in, you win a war and you take it. >> we steal an oil field? >> you're not stealing. excuse me. you're not stealing anything.

we're taking -- reimbursing ourselves, at least at a minimum, and i say more. we're taking back $1.5 trillion to reimburse ourselves. >> well, we will hear more from george's interview with trump, coming up on "good morning america." he talks about his potential candidacy, also his challenge over president obama's birthplace. and questions over his own finances. arizona will not become the first state to require presidential candidates to prove that they are u.s. citizens. state lawmakers had approved the bill. but governor jan brewer vetoed it late yesterday. the proposed bill was clearly aimed at president obama, since so-called birthers believe he was not really born in the u.s. in other news, more than a dozen states are bracing for pretty severe weather today. twisters, large hail and thunderstorms are expected from texas to pennsylvania. and the worst of it is forecast to strike around st. louis, louisville and indianapolis. it all follows that historic tornado outbreak that left 45 people dead across the south.

emily schmidt is in raleigh, now, with the latest. emily? >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning. it is quiet here in this raleigh, north carolina, neighborhood. one of the only sounds is a smoke detector that has been beeping since the tornado went through on saturday. police aren't allowing nonresidents into this neighborhood. and many of the people who do live here cannot now safely stay in their homes. >> all of a sudden, i started hearing -- crack, crack. that's when i said, time to go. >> reporter: governor perdue says the spirit of the state is coming out. one example was at the lowe's in sanford. 100 people huddled together in the store. and all survived. here in raleigh, the city's public works director says he estimates there will be 200,000 cubic yards of debris that has to be cleared. if you do the math, it's about 6,600 of the largest dumpsters available. and across the state, officials say they have no idea how much this tornado will actually cost. rob and peggy? >> emily, thank you.

more weather news this morning. in northern new jersey, residents there are begging for relief from flooding. rivers there are still high from the weekend deluge. all of it weeks after more historic flooding. homes are damaged and roads are closed in the city of wayne. the same area was flooded back in march. hundreds of people were evacuated then. and many homeowners are simply ready to call it quits. and there's even more rain in the forecast today. also this morning, a daring rescue north of washington, d.c. after the rain-swollen potomac river proved too much for a kayaker. the 31-year-old woman tried to land first on the virginia side. then, tried for the maryland side. but before she got there, her boat overturned. she grabbed a tree branch and hung on for 30 minutes before police could pull her out of the water. >> lucky woman there. pretty dangerous. taking a look at this morning's weather from all around the nation. north and west of today's severe storms, look for up to six inches of snow from the dakotas to the upper peninsula of michigan. the northern rockies get up to a foot of snow, from colorado to

montana. showers for upstate new york and the boston area. light rain in florida, from daytona beach to miami. >> dallas heats up to 93. 80s from new orleans to atlanta. near 60 here in new york. 40s from detroit to fargo. just 47 in billings. 57 in salt lake city. and 89 in phoenix. and coming up, finally, an answer. is it really meat in taco bell tacos? >> let's find out. and on top of that, babies being served booze. a new case, believe it or not, at a major chain restaurant. >> isn't that incredible? plus, the volkswagen gives the beetle a brand-new look. we'll show you what it looks like, coming up after this. clcld u

a new warning about the nation's growing debt problem this morning. the ratings agency, standard & poor's has lowered its outlook on the united states to negative for the first time.concern ab concern about the deficit and washington's ability to quickly fix the problem. that warning is sending stocks lower in asia this morning, after a down day on wall street. tokyo's nikkei average fell 1.2% today. hong kong's hang seng dropped 1.3%. in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow fell 140 points yesterday. the nasdaq dropped nearly 30. it is a very big day for mcdonald's. the fast food chain is looking to fill 50,000 jobs nationwide, as part of its first national hiring day. some restaurants are holding interviews.

and you can also apply online. mcdonald's is hiring because business is improving. and more restaurants are open 24 hours. a lawsuit claiming that taco bell's meat isn't really beef has now been dropped. taco bell says the suit was voluntarily withdrawn. and that it's not changing any of its products or advertising. the alabama law firm that filed the suit says it is happy with changes taco bell made to its marketing. well, for the first time, more than 101 million people have filed their tax returns electronically. it doesn't appear, however, that president obama is one of them. his paper return shows he made about $1.7 million last year. most of it from book sales. he and his wife paid more than $453,000 in federal taxes. and donated about half that amount to charity. the iconic volkswagen beetle has been redesigned. the second, major overhaul in the vehicle's 73-year history was unveiled in new york on

monday. it has a flatter roof, a sleeker design and no flower vase in the dashboard anymore. you liked that, didn't you? >> i loved it. >> it will go on sale in the fall. bmw also took the wraps off its all-electric coupe. it has a range of about 100 miles. and about 700 of them are already on u.s. roads. good-looking car. and save some money, too. >> i want one of those. >> with gas prices, you better. coming up next on this tuesday, another air traffic controller suspended. what he was doing inside the tower. >> you won't believe that. plus, supermodels of the canine world. grooming gone to extremes. we'll be right back. pooches and puppies, we are fed up with being fed on. we demand k9 advantix ii. it not only kills fleas and ticks, it repels most ticks before they can attach and snack on us. frontline plus kills but doesn't repel. any tick that isn't repelled or killed may attach and make a meal of us. so let's put our paws down in protest.

no fetching, no friendship till we all get k9 advantix ii. join us at poochprotest.com. [ male announcer ] ask your veterinarian about k9 advantix ii. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor about pristiq -- a prescription medicine proven to treat depression. pristiq is thought to work by affecting the levels of two chemicals in the brain -- serotonin and norepinephrine. tell your doctor right away if your depression worsens or you have unusual changes in mood, behavior, or thoughts of suicide. anti-depressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens, and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18. do not take pristiq with maois. taking pristiq with nset pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. tell your doctor about all your medications, including those for migraine, to avoid a potentially life threatening condition. pristiq may cause or worsen high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or glaucoma. tell your doctor if you have heart disease,

or before you reduce or stop taking pristiq. side-effects may include nausea, dizziness and sweating. for me, pristiq is a key in helping me treat my depression. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? try acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus for exceptional comfort. it feels like it disappeared on my eye! [ male announcer ] discover why it's the brand eye doctors trust most for comfort. acuvue® oasys brand. ♪ good morning [ male announcer ] there are sixteen fresh-picked oranges squeezed into each carton of tropicana pure premium and absolutely no space for added sugar, water or preservatives. tropicana -- we put the good in morning. some dramatic images from iowa. federal investigators are trying to determine the cause of this deadly train collision. two crew members on a coal train were killed sunday, when they

rear-ended another train filled with maintenance equipment. one track has been cleared. and rail traffic is now moving again. and now, taking a look at morning road conditions. wet with spots of flooding on i-70 from kansas city to pittsburgh. also, i-80 from des moines to cleveland. rain soaks i-40, from little rock to nashville. ice on i-90 from the northern rockies to madison, wisconsin. >> if you're flying today you can expect some airport delays chicago, dallas and memphis. first, it was a margarita served to a 15-month-old. then, wine to a toddler. now, another case. chili's is disputing claims that it served an alcohol drink to a child. the mother says her daughter ordered a milkshake, but got a mudslide made with rum, instead. the girl took four sips before feeling ill. >> she was saying, her stomach hurt. her head hurt. i want to lay down, mommy. she would close her eyes for a

bit. and open her eyes. like you do when you're intoxicated. >> chili's officials say they are investigating the incident. but that the child was not served a mudslide. there will be much more coming up on "gma." another air traffic controller is in trouble. this time, for watching a movie on the job. the controller was supposed to be manning a regional radar center near cleveland. what makes matters worse, his mic was accidentally turned on. and the movie he was watching was broadcast to all the planes in that air space for three minutes. all this happened on sunday. that's the same day the faa issued some new rules aimed at keeping controllers from sleeping on the job. >> tough to believe. hundreds of volunteers are expected to search the tennessee woods again today, in search of a missing nursing student. holly bobo disappeared from her parents' home six days ago. officials say they have not ruled out any suspects in connection with the case. they're also offering a $75,000 reward for any information.

for the first time in 27 years, doctors are getting new guidelines designed to detect alzheimer's disease in its early stages. the updated diagnostic guidelines by the institute on aging are designed to catch the disease before dementia symptoms appear.ege a massachusetts college student is in the hospital, after an accident that happened while he was watching the boston marathon. police say the 22-year-old fell through this skylight and fell five stories. he remained conscious. and a college spokesman says as froment should be released from the hospital this morning. cincinnati reds pitcher, mike leake, is facing shoplifting charges. store employees claim the 2-0 right-hander took about six t-shirts worth about $60 hours before last night's game. leake is not commenting, other than to apologize for the distraction. time for sports news, now, on your tuesday morning. here's espn news. >> good morning. cole wright with your espn news update.

the nba playoffs have reached full-tilt. how about the miami heat? hosting the sixers for game two of their series. pick it up in the first quarter. heat up five. dwyane wade, ripping and rolling. finishing with a monster jam. miami was up by seven after that. second quarter, heat lead, stretched out to six. the king, lebron james, brings it up the court. gets together with chris bosh. that's friends helping friends. with the free throw, miami led by nine. bosh had 21 points on monday. third quarter now, miami still in control. the king drives, pulls up. hits the "j" and gets fouled. miami wins this one, 94-73. behind lbj's 29 big ones. derrick rose and the bulls, playing host to the pacers at madison united center. we jump ahead to the fourth quarter. bulls down a pair. rose drives, draws the foul, hits the shot. and the foul shot was good. bulls up a dash. later in the fourth, bulls up by three. rose again, stepback "j." bottom of the knots. bulls up by a comfortable five points.

just over a minute to play, chicago with a two-point cushion. joakim noah to kyle korver. he was stroking. bulls, they win this one 96-99. hockey time. marc-andre fleury and the pens taking on the lightning. game three. first period. ben lovejoy behind steve downie. he gets the puck along the boards. max talbott takes it up. crossing the blue line. and he scores. let's look at that hit. downie launching himself into lovejoy. but lovejoy has the presence of mind to get away. 20 seconds later, brooks orpik, his shot from the point. stopped. tyler kennedy, very presidential there. pens win. they take a 2-1 lead in the series. that will do it for our espn news update. don't forget, for the latest on the sports scene, check out "the highlight express," every night. some dolled-up doggies are sporting very stylish new dos this morning. this has to be pure humiliation for these dogs.

experts groomers for extreme makeovers. >> they worked their magic in a three-day trade show in new jersey, transforming their beloved pets into works of art. sculpted and painted to perfection. if you want to see more of the prize-winning poodles, stay with us for "good morning america," coming up later today. >> those are tortured dogs there. coming up next, new developments in the looming cancellation of the nfl season. will it happen? and on top of that, what charlie sheen is expected to ask a judge later today. [ male announcer ] if you've been to the hospital with heart-related chest pain or a heart attack known as acs, you may not want to face the fact that you're at greater risk of a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps protect people with acs against heart attack or stroke: people like you. it's one of the most researched prescription medicines. goes beyond what they do alone by helping to keep blood platelets from sticking

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and crunchy multigrain flakes. you gotta try new honey bunches of oats raisin medley. and now, for a look ahead at the stories we'll be watching this tuesday. as the south cleans up from that deadly weekend tornado outbreak, more severe storms are on the way. this time, twisters, hail and heavy thunderstorms are zeroing in on more than a dozen states, from texas to pennsylvania. president obama tackles immigration reform today with a bipartisan group at the white house. the participants will include former california governor, arnold schwarzenegger, big-city mayors, police officials and business and religious leaders, too. federal officials are announcing new efforts, aimed at fighting prescription drug abuse. in florida alone, seven people every day die from prescription drug abuse. there are 28,000 such deaths

every year nationwide. residents in idaho work to find a minor trapped since friday. they have dislodged boulders and cleared away debris. the search continues. charlie sheen has cases in two california courtrooms today. first, he is expected to make a personal plea to the judge for custody of his twin sons. now that his exhas entered rehab again, he will have to take care of them. the other is sheen's suit against his former bosses at "two and a half men." and the national football league will unveil its regular season schedule, with one of the october games scheduled for london. that's if the dispute with the players association is resolved by august 1st. otherwise, the game will be played in tampa. and coming up later on "good morning america," this video of a father urging his son to fight another teen has gone viral. now, the dad has been charged with child abuse. but is that the whole story? we'll find out when we speak exclusively with the father, coming up on "gma."

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up next on abc7 news at 4:30 -- caltrain riders may not face massive service cuts overall. the transit agency has a new plan to keep running despite a big budget deficit. we'll have a live report. mike will have a look at the forecast. >> tracking drizzle for the morning commute. that's the warmer weather coming in for the afternoon. i'll tell you and finally from us this morning, after lots of hard work, a happy ending for a bride with a dream. we told you about her last month. >> had a wedding this weekend. as the bride approached the

altar, there wasn't a dry eye in the house. diane sawyer has her story. >> reporter: two years ago, jennifer had a horrible spinal cord injury, after a car accident trapped her in the van. her boyfriend at the time, could have walked away. but instead, he drove three hours three times a week, just to be with her in rehab. and then, no matter her future, he wanted it to be as his wife. and from that time on, she willed her body to move. even practicing in a borrowed wedding dress. >> i will be walking down that aisle. it's not an if or a maybe. it is absolutely going to happen. >> reporter: and then, last saturday afternoon, the crowd turned toward the door. and there she was. the music, edwin mcclain's "walk with you." leg braces under her gown, arm in arm with her father and

brother. and at the end of the walk, jennifer and michael became husband and wife. and then, he carried her into their new life. and with all eyes on them, they started to dance. ♪ as their wedding song said, "don't let the beauty of this life pass by. i'll take the slow, sweet walk, with you." >> oh, man. beautiful bride. >> gives you tears. before we go, a pair of happy feet is marching across youtube. and more than 500,000 people are taking notice. >> cookie the penguin is the mascot at the cincinnati zoo's birdhouse. and he shows that birds are ticklish, too. all it takes is the right touch from his handler. and he lets out a giggle. >> that's cookie. he's ticklish. >> that's what's making news in america this morning. >> have a great tuesday.