making news in america this morning -- >> texas infernos. monster-sized wildfires, burning across 70% of the state. now, firefighters are helping turning the tide. a developing story overnight. a person who left a bomb at a denver mall, found just before it exploded. and a 4-year-old blood alcohol beyond legal limits because of hand sanitizer. and good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us today. weary firefighters in texas are heading back to the front lines this morning to battle fires burning across that state. more than 1 million acres have been scorched so far. >> two volunteer firefighters

have been killed. and more than 150 homes have been destroyed. now, federal crews are being brought in to help. alex stone reports. >> reporter: west texas has been a raging inferno for weeks now. parts of 36 counties are on fire, burning with such intensity that teams from half a dozen agencies have been brought in to help on the ground and in the air. for the second time, crews from the national park service, the forest service, and the bureau of land management joined local crews fighting the fires that have burned more than 1 million acres across west texas. s a possum kingdom lake, has burned 150,000 acres and destroyed around 100 homes. >> this is my house up in here. >> it doesn't look like anything's left here. >> i didn't get anything out of there. >> 40 years of marriage, of our personal stuff. >> reporter: as the fire spread to neighboring counties, hundreds of people there and inmates at the county jail were evacuated. the wildfires have claimed two lives this month.

a firefighter died wednesday, 11 days after he was critically injured, battling a fire near amarillo. sadly, his death came on the same day a funeral was held for another firefighter who died friday. higher humidity, cooler temperatures and lower winds contained the flames. alex stone, abc news. >> so much devastation there. now, fire crews are hoping today's wetter and cooler weather will give them a leg up in battling the flames. in other news this morning, the president is on the road in california today, where he will attend a fund-raiser in san francisco. while mr. obama is trying to sell his plan to cut federal red ink, he's also looking to raise big bucks for next year's election. emily schmidt is joining us from washington. hi, emily. >> reporter: good morning to you. president obama went to california, the land of the start-up. and said, not too long ago, he was a start-up, as well. but running for re-election, he

has to rev up his base. bringing supporters into the re-election fold. >> we've got to finish what we started. >> reporter: that means, traditional political networking. tickets for the fund raidsers ranged from 35 $25 to more than $35,000 apiece. for this campaign, it also means social networking. >> i've got 19 million friends. which only puts me 500,000 friends behind spongebob squarepants. >> reporter: social media is no laughing matter. at this town hall meeting with facebook ceo, mark zuckerberg, the president talked policy, including $1 trillion in tax reform. >> that allows people like me, and you, mark, paying a little more in taxes. i know you're okay with that. >> reporter: supporters say it's a good way to reach voters.

>> the majority of the people on facebook are now 50 and above. you get both parts of the demographics. >> reporter: president obama heads to reno and los angeles to continue fund-raisers today. he told supporters, this race could be rougher than the last. and as an example of that, just yesterday, the republican national committee chairman went to mr. obama's hometown of chicago and predicted a democratic loss in 2012. he says mr. obama can talk about hope. but added, hope isn't hiring in america. rob? >> emily schmidt, thanks for that report. two western photo journalists have been killed in libya. the two died in misratah. hetherington had an oscar nomination for his documentary on u.s. soldiers serving in afghanistan. he first reported on the story for abc's "nightline." >> for him, working wasn't just

about collecting images. it really was a way of existing in the world. a way of understanding the world. and maybe improving it. >> hetherington and younger's work won the grand jury prize at the sundance film festival. photos by chris hondros was in magazines around the world. last week, he told colleagues in libya he had recently gotten engaged because, quote, he didn't want to be a really old dad. and two other photographers were wounded in the same battle in misratah. moammar gadhafi's forces are lobbing shells in the civilian areas of that city. france is stepping up its air strikes against government positions. the new abc news/"washington post" poll showed that one-third of those surveyed di the the president's handling of libya last month. japanese officials are

restricting access to a 12-mile area around the damaged nuclear power plant. residents who rushed to evacuate last month have been slipping back into to check on their homes to pick up personal items. officials say they want to prevent looting, as well as exposure to radioactivity. two more air traffic controllers have been fired for sleeping on the job. the faa says the controllers work at radar facilities at miami and knoxville, tennessee. these firings are the latest in a series of such, as the faa works to ensure passengers that flying is safe. a bird strike caused a few nervous moments aboard a 767 heading towards london. the plane was forced to return to the orlando airport just moments after takeoff. that's when a bird was sucked into an engine. no one was hurt. and the passengers, now, are taking a different plane to england later on today. but big scare there. as you can imagine. >> rough few weeks for the airline industry, that's for sure. all right. let's take a look at your weather around the country on this thursday morning. more strong storms today. this time, hitting oklahoma city, kansas city, and western

missouri, with hail, high winds and some heavy downpours. rain and thunderstorms from dallas to memphis and atlanta. up to a half-foot of mountain snow in the rockies and cascades. meanwhile, some showers in the pacific northwest. >> that's right. 52 degrees in seattle. 68 in sacramento. 91 in phoenix. mostly 50s from fargo to indianapolis. and 63 in baltimore. 80s from atlanta to miami and dallas. and coming up next, after the break, smartphone secrets. one popular model keeps a file of everywhere you go. >> like an involuntary gps there. plus, the fbi working all night after finding a bomb in a mall just not too far from columbine high school, on the anniversary of the massacre there. and it's the talk of baseball. the league takes over one team because of the club's behind-the-scenes soap opera.

exactly one year after the worst offshore oil spill in u.s. history, bp has now filed several lawsuits. the oil giant is suing the rig owner for at least $40 billion, accusing it of causing the disaster in the gulf of mexico. bp is also suing the maker of the device that failed to stop that huge blowout. a federal trial is now set for next year. overseas stocks are rising this morning, after a big rally on wall street. investors are encouraged by strong earnings from technology companies. tokyo's nikkei average rose 0.8% today.

hong kong's hang seng is higher. in london, the ftse opened higher. and on wall street, the dow surged nearly 187 points yesterday. the nasdaq jumped up 57. apple could give wall street a big lift today, after reporting blowout earnings. record iphone sales helped its profit double from a year ago. the one weak spot was the ipad. that's because apple can't make enough of them. more americans are cutting the cord on land lines of a way of saving money. almost 27% of homes have only a wireless phone as of last june. nearly twice as many as three years earlier. poor households are more likely to be wireless only. if you own an iphone or an ipad, it definitely knows where you've been. two researchers have discovered a secret file on the gadgets that track gps data, as well as time. that means information could be available to anyone who can access those ere's no evidence there's no evidence that the information is being shared. and so far, apple is not commenting.

but it's sort of a gps system, involuntary one, on your phone or your ipad, as you're cruising around. >> i think that's going to freak some people out. >> for sure. >> where do you go? >> look out. coming up next on your thursday morning, you may have heard her song. an internet sensation that's now facing death threats. also, the 4-year-old sound drunk because of hand sanitizer, coming up. 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.

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i-70, from kansas city to louisville. icy on i-84 and 90 in the northern rockies. and wet on i-5 seattle to portland. >> and if you are flying, airport delays are possible in salt lake city, kansas city, memphis, dallas, atlanta and charlotte. we are following a developing story in colorado this morning, where the fbi's investigating a possible bomb plot at a denver area mall. >> investigators released these surveillance photos of a man wanted in connection with the case. now, the bombs did not go off. but they were discovered after a small fire broke out. >> the sheriffs say they are not ruling anything or anyone out. >> we don't want to limit it to one. we don't know who this person is. he happens to be in the area where some of these things occurred. i think that we want to keep our -- you know, all options open that there may be other people involved, as well. >> depending on if this went off and actively combusted as it was set to do, it could have been more serious than what it was. >> investigators are exploring a possible connection between the

incident and the 12th anniversary of the columbine massacre. the high school is located just a few miles from that mall. we'll have a live update on all of this, coming up later today on "good morning america." homeland security has unveiled a new terror alert system, aimed at informing the public about creditable threats. gone is the color-coded chart. it's been replaced by a simple advisory system with two levels. imminent and elevated. the new alerts will clearly reveal the threat and who is being targeted. they'll also be issued for a specific time period. a new jersey college student is facing more serious charges this morning in connection with a case that prompted a national dialogue about bullying. dharun ravi is now being prosecuted for a hate crime. the roommate, tyler clementi, killed himself shortly afterward. if you're child-proofing your home, remember that kids

may drink something because it smells good. a 4-year-old tennessee girl was rushed to the hospital this week with a blood alcohol level of 0.14. and get this. it wasn't booze. it was actually hand sanitizer. those things are 60% alcohol. her mother says she never thought of hand sanitizers as dangerous. >> incredible, that story. new trouble this morning for one of baseball's most fabled teams. major league baseball is making a rare move, taking over the l.a. dodgers, as a divorce drama involving the team's multimillionaire owners threatens to tear the team apart. knbc's rob hayes has the story. >> reporter: things have not been going well for the mccourts lately. season ticket sales have plummeted over the past several years. and the dodgers have been struggling to make payroll. and then, there was the violent beating opening night, that left a san francisco giants fan in a coma. add all that up, and fans are not too shocked by the takeover. >> the way things have been going recently, it's not a real

surprise, no. >> reporter: baseball commissioner, bud selig says he's taking control of the dodgers to protect, what he calls, quote, one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports. fans we spoke to said it's probably a good idea for major league baseball to step in. >> it's good. he's not doing much. he's not getting good players. i guess it's going to be good. >> reporter: not all fans are down on the mccourt's. some adistribute the recent problems to the divorce. saying the owners have done a good job putting talented teams in dodgers stadium. >> he's done a good job. he's got them out on the field. >> they're going to be okay. but with major league baseball there, it's good to have backup. >> reporter: in los angeles, rob hayes, reporting for abc news. now, despite the team drama, the dodgers beat atlanta last night, 6-1. as for now another l.a. team is doing, here's espn news. >> i'm anish shroff with this espn news update. the lakers, looking to pull even

with the hornets. new orleans, one game, of 33 points for chris paul. to the end of the first half, paul beating the buzzer with a three. new orleans, down by six at the break. and then, right before the third quarter ended, paul, again, with a buzzer-beater. he had 20 points. 63-56, going into the fourth. kobe bryant, just 11 points on 3 of 10. he and pau gasol, two best players on the team, a combined 5 of 20, with just 19 total points. other guys stepping up for l.a., included ron artest. 15 for captain ron. l.a. wins. they send the series to new orleans even at 1-1. and bruce boudreau had choice words for madison square garden. his capitals, taking on the rangers. game four of the city. caps with a 2-1 series lead. marcus johansson pulls washington within one. then, johannses, another goal. his second of the game.

we're tied at 3-3. alex ovechkin on the break-away. denied. so, we would head to a second overtime.in overtime in overtime number two, jason chimera, a rebound. and a score. the caps win it, 4-3. they take a 3-1 series lead. with this espn news update, i'm anish shroff. well, a youtube sensation from california is now facing an ugly downside of her new-found game. >> this got a lot of attention. we're talking about 13-year-old singer, rebecca black. she's received two death threats. they warn that she will be killed if her song, "friday, is not pulled from the internet. police in anaheim say they are taking these threats seriously. >> man. >> shoots the video. and tons of hits on youtube. she's a youtube celebrity. >> more than 100 million hits. coming up next, the stories we'll be following later today,

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died. and at least 150 homes have been destroyed. president obama is in san francisco this morning, where he will attend a fund-raiser. one of six money-raising events on the west coast. later on, he travels to reno and then to los angeles. pastor terry jones will be in a dearborn, michigan, courtroom today. he wants to hold a good friday demonstration against radical islam. the burning of the koran at his church sparked violent protests in the middle east. a fight over the wildly popular bratz doll line. mattel filed a suit against mga entertainment, claiming the designer created the dolls while he was working for mattel. but he says he came up with the line during a break from mattel. happy birthday to queen elizabeth, who turns 85 years old today. she will be giving away coins to 85 female british retirees and 85 male retirees. and the tribeca film festival is under way. it takes away blocks from ground

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next on abc7 news another 4:30 -- your iphone is carrying a secret. the hidden technology that has been keeping tabs on you. and the president prepares for another day of campaign fundraising in the bay area. we're live with the president's san francisco breakfast plan that could impact the morning commute. mike is tracking the morning rain. >> it could impact your commute, too. i'll talk about where it's going for the afternoon and update on well, it is said that a dog, of course, is man's best friend. 60% of us own one. they're the most popular pet in all of america. >> some of us own two.

that's right. what if you could improve e, little thing about your dog? maybe two or three things? if you could, would you? and should you? well, jeremy hubbard takes a look. >> reporter: hard to admit, but sometimes our dogs aren't perfect. the smells, the slobbers. if you could change just one little thing about your dog, what would it be? >> this dog, not shedding would be good. >> she can be stubborn at times. >> reporter: maybe creating the perfect canine is possible. in the last 20 years, the american canine hybrid club has registered 671 new hybrid dog combinations. mix together an inquisitive yorkie and a non-shedding shih-tzu, you get a shorkie. combine a long-living dachshund with a polite maltese, and you've created a dachtese. these are real hybrid dogs. >> not only do you have the choice of all the pure breeds. now, you have the choice of 1,000 other mixes that you can tailor-make to your own particular preferences. >> reporter: some combos we've heard of, like golden doodles, mixing the pleasant disposition

of a golden retriever with a nonshedding poodle. puggles? beagles out the breathing problems of pugs. we even made up our own brilliant breed. what if you mixed an easy-going great dane with a non-barking scottish deerhound? you'd have a great scott. call them whatever you want. but when cross-breeds like this cost up to $700 each, there's just one thing their owners don't want them referred to as. mutts. jeremy hubbard, abc news, new york. >> they're all cute. coming up later on "good morning america," sticker shock at the prom. how much are parents willing to spend on this special night for their son or daughter? would you believe close to $1,000? >> whoa. >> my parents did not help me it in that fashion. >> here's a $20. make the most of it, kid. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morning america." and have a great thursday, everyone. we'll see you again tomorrow.