making news in america this morning -- >> slammed again. and areas still cleaning up from destructive tornados. more severe storms overnight. too close for comfort. the latest air scare. this one involving the first lady. and unhappy days for cast members of that hit show. a multimillion-dollar lawsuit to get, what they believe, is their fair share. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us today. we have been following a developing story overnight. more violent storms now bearing down on a big chunk of the country. >> and this time the wild weather is barreling through the deep south all the way up to the northeast, with 75-mile-per-hour winds, heavy rain and hail as big as golf balls.

>> there's also a chance of more tornadoes like this one, that ripped through carlinville, illinois. just 1 of nearly 30 twisters reported since yesterday. we'll check today's complete forecast in just a second. moving on, now, to the other big story on this wednesday morning. the latest high-profile error by an air traffic controller. >> now, this made even more glaring because it involved a plane like this. take a look. it's a military jet with the first lady onboard. this is the latest embarrassment for the faa, as the agency tries to reassure the public that it's safe to fly. >> emily schmidt is joining us, now, with the very latest. hi, emily. >> reporter: hi, rob and peggy. good morning to you. over the past couple weeks, we have heard a lot about air traffic controller mistakes. this isn't the first.t lady, it only raising more concerns about who is guiding the planes in the air. first lady michelle obama spent monday in new york, making appearances, including one on abc's "the view." but the part of the trip that would most make news was the

part no one expected. >> executive one foxtrot. >> reporter: that's the code name for the first lady's boeing 737, on its way back from washington, when air traffic controllers at an approach to d.c. apparently made a mistake. mrs. obama's plane got within three miles of a giant c-17 military cargo plane. required separation is five miles. >> it can be dangerous. this is not just some trivial mistake. >> reporter: giant planes can create turbulence. so, military controllers asked the first lady's pilot to execute "s" turns to slow the approach. but even as the cargo plane landed, they worried it wouldn't clear the runway fast enough. so, they ordered the first lady's plane to circle until it could land safely. it's another headline in a continuing air safety story. >> can't seem to get ahold of the tower here. i think i'm going to try and give another call. >> reporter: this year, at least seven air traffic controllers have been found to be sleeping on the job. this week, an air traffic

controller in cleveland was suspended for watching a movie on duty. >> you would think, with the number of controller errors that we've seen in the past few weeks and months, that controllers would be much more in tune with not making mistakes. and they would be much more up on their game. >> reporter: one government source says no one on the first lady's plane was even aware of the delay. the faa says neither of the two planes was ever in danger. rob and peggy? >> all right. emily schmidt, for us, live, in washington. thank you. now, from the safety of air traffic to the cost of it. today, the department of transportation announces new rights for airline passengers. among the new rules, airlines must now refund more money if passengers are bumped from a flight. airlines must also refund those checked bag fees if the bags are delayed, damaged or lost. and there will also be charges to airline websites to make fees more clear to passengers. we'll get more details on these fees coming up on "good morning america." in political news this morning, president obama is on the road in northern california today, to push his plan to

reduce federal red ink. he's making a tough sell, according to an abc news poll released overnight. only 39% of americans approve of the way he's handling the deficit. republicans, though, they fared worse. they got only 33% on the same issue. most americans, 72%, did approve on raising taxes on the wealthy, as a way to cut the deficit. meanwhile, 65% rejected another republican idea, a voucher plan for medicare. even more reject cuts to medicaid. and also, president obama is insisting that washington can come together to slash the deficit, despite vast differences with republicans. karen travers reports, now, from washington. >> reporter: president obama put on his salesman hat, trying to push his plan for reducing the nation's staggering deficit. >> if we keep on spending more than we take in, it's going to cause serious damage to our economy. >> reporter: with gas and food prices continuing to rise, americans are placing their frustrations squarely on the white house.

a new abc news/"washington post" poll found that a whopping 57% of americans disapprove of the president's handling of the economy. the treasury secretary tim geithner says he does not need to reassure overseas buyers. >> there's a lot of confidence in the capacity of this economy to grow, to make sure that we can meet our commitments or obligations. >> reporter: but a house democratic insider told abc news that this just throws gasoline on the bitter debate over raising the nation's debt ceiling. if congress doesn't take action by mid-may, the united states could potentially default on its debts. karen travers, abc news, washington. fidel castro is all but retired. he appeared at yesterday's communist party congress. but for the first time since the revolution half a century ago, the 84-year-old castro does not have an official position in the government or the communist party. and the army private at the center of the wikileaks controversy is being moved to a new prison. bradley manning had been held in quantico, virginia.

he'll now be housed at a medium-security prison at ft. leavenworth, kansas. the pentagon denies that the international criticism over manning's treatment at quantico prompted the change. the cia is spilling secrets about obsolete cloak and dagger techniques, even invisible ink used in world war i. the spy agency has declassified six of the oldest secret documents in government archives. they also tell how spies 100 years ago could open letters without leaving a trace. interesting stuff. >> that's for sure. now, for this morning's weather from all around the country. as we mentioned earlier, we're still seeing severe storms from west texas to atlanta. d.c. and also philadelphia. drenching downpours in new york and new england. showers from orlando to miami. also, a few feet of -- a few inches, rather. >> don't say feet. >> a few inches of snow across northern michigan, wisconsin and minnesota. also, in the northern rockies. showers from northern california to portland. >> a dry 56 in seattle. 66 in sacramento. and 91 in phoenix.

40s in fargo, chicago and the twin cities. 72 in new york. that sounds nice. 82 in atlanta. 86 in the big easy. >> we may get a little rain. but as long as it's warm, we'll take it. coming up next, today's anniversary of the disaster in the gulf. how much oil is still out there? and it turns out, "happy days" aren't so happy. some cast members launch a major lawsuit against cbs. and protective measures for one gun-toting texas grandma.

overseas stocks are surging this morning after strong earnings from several u.s. companies. tokyo's nikkei average jumped 1.8% today. hong kong's hang seng climbed 1.3%. in london, the ftse opened sharply higher. on wall street, the dow gained 65 points yesterday. and the nasdaq added nearly ten. there's fresh evidence this morning that companies are, indeed, hiring yet again. now companies show that the unemployment rate fell in 34 states last month, the most since june. hiring in the midwest has been particularly strong over the past three months, helped by a rebound in manufacturing. tens of thousands of people across the country turned out for mcdonald's first national hiring day, which was held tuesday. the burger chain was looking to fill 50,000 positions. many industry experts say the event was as much about public relations as filling jobs. but for an out-of-work father of four, any job is welcome.

even one that pays 8 bucks an hour. >> it's kind of hard to, you know, to make it with a mcdonald's salary. but at the same time, i wasn't making anything. i'm not too proud for it. >> a sign of the times there, for sure. mcdonald's says 30% of its executives actually started by flipping burgers and doing other jobs in the restaurant. >> how about that? well, toyota says it will not cut jobs even though it is cutting production yet again. the automaker is extending cuts into early june because of parts shortages. the cutbacks increase the chances that dealerships will have widespread model shortages this summer. ford is introducing a revamped taurus at the auto show in new york today. ford is also replacing knobs and buttons on the dashboard with a touch-screen system. it goes on sale next spring. it parks it for you. it is not "happy days" for

former cast members of the classic sitcom. several of them are now suing cbs, alleging they were cheated out of millions of dollars from the sale of merchandise featuring their images. they say they're owed money from the sale of dvds, lunchboxes and even more. but two of the show's big stars, henry winkler and ron howard, are not part of the suit. fonzie's too cool for that. coming up, the condition of the gulf one year later. and we go along as kevin costner returns to the region. and another star gets sent home from the dancefloor. with the rising price of fuel, guess which way shipping costs are going? the u.s postal service has no fuel surcharges. combine that with low online pricing...

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and worry wrinkles will fade in just 4 weeks. -crows feet... -belong on birds. [ female announcer ] roc multi-correxion. correct what ages you. -aging... -bring it on. 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. people in the upper midwest are waking up to, believe this, another day of wintry weather. yesterday's snowfall set a number of daily records and sent cars and trucks sliding off of roads. forecasters are calling for several more inches of snow

today from michigan to minnesota. >> man. that is enough, thank you very much. >> spring. that snow makes for an icy raid on i-95 the twin cities to chicago. wet and flooded on i-95, to the carolinas. and i-40, from nashville to knoxville. icy on i-15, in the northern rockies. and wet on i-5, from portland to redding, california. >> if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in boston, new york, philadelphia, d.c., charlotte, atlanta, memphis and dallas. >> a lot of cities. >> yeah. today does mark one year since a deadly explosion triggered that massive oil spill in the gulf. >> despite months of cleaning up now, there are new concerns now of the safety of the water but also the seafood that's making its way back to your dinner table. >> makes you wonder. matt gutman covered this story from the very beginning. he has more, now, from the louisiana coast. >> reporter: one thing we know for sure, is it spewed 200

million gallons of oil in the gulf of mexico, there is tremendous uncertainty still. the health of the workers that worked out on the water. the epa says it tested offshore. but our investigation found it only began testing a month after the spill. seafood safety. noaa opened all the gulf for fishing. but there are fishermen that say some of their produce, the oysters, the crab, are not safe to eat. and the animals. we saw so much about these pelicans, oiled and killed. the dolphins that were stranded. the turtles. hundreds of dolphins have washed up in the past weeks and months. turtles are turning up in an alarming rate. five-times the number for this time of year. but bp, the coast guard and other federal agencies say, as far as they can tell, the gulf of mexico is oil-free. we've gone to a number of places in louisiana. when you step down into the marsh, oil comes bubbling up. and officials, wildlife

officials here in louisiana, tell me there's plenty of oil out there. matt gutman, abc news, empire, louisiana. actor, kevin costner, agrees that the oil there is not close to being cleaned up. he's been in the region over the past few days, trying to gain support for new cleanup machines invented by him and his brother. he wants officials to hire a fleet of barges armed with the equipment. the idea is to have them on constant standby in case of another spill. charlie sheen has lost a battle to get custody of his estranged suns. sheen took a rolls-royce to the airport for a flight to washington, d.c. and his latest stop on his violent torpedo of truth tour. among the cheering from the crowd, you won't believe this, white house party crashers, tariq and mikhail salahi. houston officials want to know where a kindergarten student got a gun and why he brought it to school. the boy was one of three

students that were slightly ininjured when the gun fell out of his pocket at lunch. he could be sent to an alternative school as punishment. and punishment for anyone breaking into the home of a texas grandmother will be a little more severe.audia hollinr a shotgun and two handguns after a home invasion last week. and then, put up this warning sign in her yard. the 71-year-old pistol-packing grandma keeps one of the guns in her walker. time for the latest nba highlights. here's cole wright at espn news. >> good morning. cole wright here with your espn news update. boston and new york go together like oil and water. there it is. celtics and knicks. game two of the playoffs. a few left to play. game tied at 88-88. melo, offbalance and made it happen. paul pierce to k.g. they're on the same page.

celtics up by one. knicks down a dash. jared jeffries, drive to the rack. surprising himself. knicks up by one. under 20 seconds left in this game. k.g., back to jeffries. hook shot, count it. celtics would roll to victory. a close one, 96-93, your final count from the t.d. garden. to the diamond. mark teixeira and the yankees taking on the jays tuesday. north of the border. top of the sixth. mark teixeira saw one he liked. not coming back. yankees take a 4-2 lead on big texas. it's mariano rivera. and john mcdonald with a safety squeeze. jose bautista scores. game tied at 5-5. one out, corey patterson, with a chopper to third. chavez steps on and gets the double-play. game tied at 5-5. mariano flustered.

travis snyder in the right center gap. and jayce take this one, 6-5. that would be it. that will do it for your espn news update. for the latest on the sports scene, check out "the highlight express" on espn news. then there were seven. another celebrity exits the ballroom. she was good. >> petra nemcova was voted off "dancing with the stars" last night. she called her experience a life-saving journey. kirstie alley, ralph macchio, and five others are vying for the mirrorball trophy. coming up, we've got an update overnight on the missing miner in idaho. there is new hope, now, for his survival. on top of that, today's major announcement about the government's new terror alert system. color color, don't go away.

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sending out alerts via twitter and facebook. we'll get full details this morning on "good morning america." as we mark the first anniversary of the worst oil spill in u.s. history, federal officials are presenting some updated information today about the safety of the seafood from the gulf. there's new hope this morning for an idaho miner trapped since friday. rescue workers late last night discovered there's an open space near where he was working. but they've not heard from that miner since friday's rock fall. president obama visits facebook's headquarters in california today. he'll participate in a live town meeting, taking questions from the site's hundreds of millions of members. mr. obama will discuss his plan for bringing down the deficit and creating jobs. and jury selection begins today in chicago for the retrial of rod blagojevich. the former illinois governor faces 20 charges, including bribery and fraud. the jury, last year, found him guilty on just one count. for some of you, now, your local news is coming up next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with the story of a young mom and also the nation's first recipient of a hand transplant.

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. antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children, teens and young adults. pristiq is not approved for children under 18.

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up next on abc7 news at 4:30 -- san jose takes aim at pot club in the city. councilmembers vote to close the doors on more than 100 pot dispensaries. we have the latest. president obama comes to palo alto for town hall meeting on facebook. how you can take part without leaving home. mike has a look at the forecast. >> it's quiet now. we have rain on way. not only today but maybe a sprinkle over the weekend. i have the updated fo and finally, a heartwarming new embrace for a young mom, thanks to a historymaking operation. >> her life has been forever changed after becoming the first recipient of the first hand

transplant ever in the u.s. kabc's denise fedor has more. >> reporter: a one-handed hug is all emily fennell's 6-year-old daughter has known. >> i had my accident when she was only 14 months old. she's never known me with two hands. >> reporter: as the 26-year-old mother tells her story along with the ucla hand transplant team, her slight finger movements seem completely natural. >> i won't have sensation for close to a year. but right now, it almost seems like surreal that i didn't have a hand for those five years. >> reporter: in june 2006, she was a passenger in a rollover car accident. her dominant right hand went through a sunroof and was severed. she was taken to ucla, where surgeons had to amputate. five years later, she's here for a different kind of surgery. the 14-hour transplant operation began at midnight on march 4th. the gift came from a deceased donor in san diego. >> one team surgically exposed our patient's amputated limb. while a few feet away, dr. azari and the remainder of his team

performed a mirror operation on the donor hand. >> reporter: then, a multidisciplinary team connected bones, veins, arteries, nerves, tendons and skin. >> the hand transplant surgeons put the hand on. the transplant medicine doctors keep it on. >> so far, i can wiggle the fingers. and after i'm in hand therapy for a few hours a day, i'm able to pick small objects up with my hand. >> reporter: emily will be on immunosuppressant drugs for the rest of her life. the biggest concern is infection. but so far, she's had no signs of problems. and her progress has been well ahead of schedule. this is denise fedor reporting. >> that's amazing, the technology they're able to do that. >> modern medicine. she's not out of the woods yet. she has to undergo occupational therapy to go. remarkable progress even still. >> pretty amazing. that is what is making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." thanks for watching, everybody. have a great wednesday.