making news in america this morning -- >> breaking news. double-dose. a second-straight night of violent weather. more deaths from tornados. and more homes evacuated as the flood threat worsens. and more breaking news in the middle east. a vital pipeline bombed. the investigation now under way. and while you were sleeping, the royal rehearsal on the streets of london. complete with carriage and horses. the main event, less than 48 hours away. good morning, everyone. thanks for being with us again today. the forces of nature are once again zeroing in on a big section of the country, unleashing tornados, drenching downpours and hail as big as baseballs. >> cleanup is under way in towns ripped apart by two days of

violent twisters, like the one that killed four people near little rock. also floodwaters blamed for six deaths are still posing a major threat this morning. >> the newest wave of wild weather is tearing through the south, ohio valley and the northeast. emily schmidt now has the latest. >> reporter: this tornado moved in southwest of dallas tuesday night. an incredible sight. but lately, not a rare one. >> tornado's right up there, dude. look at it. >> reporter: there's been nearly 300 tornadoes nationwide in april, a pace that's toppled records. and in vilonia, arkansas, toppled buildings in a three-mile-wide path. at least ten people died in the state in storms. >> amazed that we haven't had more loss of life looking at the damage. >> reporter: in oklahoma, flooding swept away roads and normalcy. >> i wish we could close our eyes and it would be over with. >> i don't want to leave. >> reporter: the ohio river in illinois, is 15 feet above flood stage.

string for hundreds of thousands of sandbags is sold out. but the water keeps coming. >> there's some places, they're not going to help. the water is going to take the property. >> reporter: sandbagging isn't an option in poplar bluff, missouri. the levee has started to give way. 1,000 homes are evacuated. >> we're under water in our house. >> reporter: poplar bluff has seen 15 inches of rain in 4 days. and forecasters say more rain could hit some of the same areas again. >> it was a little inconvenient. flood two has gotten to be more of a major inconvenience. and we hope there's not a flood three. as for today's forecast, there's still a threat of powerful storms. taking a look now at the accuweather forecast map. the most extreme stretch is through tennessee and kentucky, through southern ohio. megatornadoes, ef-2, or even stronger, are possible today and into tonight. and of course, abc news crews have been out all night covering

the weather and the flooding. and will show us the latest damage in just a little while, coming up later today on "good morning america." the man accused of leaving a homemade bomb inside a colorado mall last week is due in court today. earl albert moore was arrested without incident yesterday, about 30 miles away. the explosives never detonated. they were planted, though, near columbine high school, on the anniversary of the shootings there. turning overseas, now. the obama administration is demanding that syria stop its brutal crackdown on government protesters. more than 400 people have been killed by government forces in just the past 5 weeks. but unlike libya, the u.s. is stopping short of calling on syria's president to resign. officials say that syria still has a chance to make changes. the u.s. plans to make changes in afghanistan. sources tell abc news that president obama will name ryan crocker as our ambassador there. he's a career diplomat who served as ambassador to iraq late in the bush administration, where he worked with general david petraeus. petraeus, of course, is now the

u.s. commander in afghanistan. so, if confirmed, this would reunite that team. this morning, the president is urging oil-rich nations to boost production, hoping that could bring down fuel prices. but that's not all. he also has his eye on repealing a tax break to big oil companies. republicans rejected that idea, saying it would raise taxes and also push gas prices even higher. john hendren has more on the debate. >> reporter: president obama says americans are paying oil companies twice. at the pump and in their taxes. he wants congress to eliminate $4 billion in subsidies for oil companies, as he told abc's detroit affiliate, wxyz. >> right now, we give about $4 billion in subsidies to oil companies through the tax code. well, that makes no sense, either. >> reporter: before the president said that, house speaker john boehner sounded like he was open to the idea. >> we're at a time when the federal government is short on revenues. we need to control spending. but we need revenues to keep the government moving. they ought to be paying their

fair share. >> reporter: but after the president called for an end to the subsidies, a boehner spokesman rejected that option, saying it would simply raise taxes and increase the price at the pump. that, as gas prices hit another record high for april last week. with a national average now at $3.88 a gallon, up 4 cents in the past week, 28 cents in the past month, oil companies are hardly hurting. analysts expect the big five oil companies to report their earnings up between 20% and 45%. angering empty-pocketed motorists. >> somebody's making money. it ain't me. >> reporter: a new abc news/"washington post" poll says six out of ten americans are cutting back on driving. attorney general eric holder says he's formed a price gouging working group. and it's unearthed some disturbing information. but he won't say what that is. john hendren, abc news, washington. well, if extra terrestrials ever try to contact us, they might find that the number has been disconnected. the dozens of radio dishes listening for communications from other planets has been turned off. california's alien telescope

array, as it's called, has run out of cash, the victims of cutbacks in government spending. now, operating the dishes costs about $1.5 million per year. but no more. i don't know what happened. >> e.t. can't afford to call home. >> all right. taking a look at this morning's weather from around the nation. those severe storms we mentioned earlier are now hitting birmingham, nashville, louisville, cleveland and pittsburgh. the heaviest downpours move in from tennessee to indiana. showers across the upper midwest and light snow in minneapolis. and up to a foot and a half of snow in the cascades and northern rockies. rain in the pacific northwest. >> meanwhile, 53 in seattle. 73 in sacramento. and 88 in phoenix. 56 in kansas city. and 66 in detroit. 74 here in new york. 83 in atlanta. and miami heats up to 90. well, coming up after the break, a man drives off the edge of the grand canyon and lives to tell about it. >> an incredible story. plus, the major hack attack on a popular video gaming system.

you'll want to know if you are affected. and pomp and ceremony on display in london overnight, rehearsing for the big day. we'll have a live report, when we come right back. icclclclclcld u

the federal reserve makes history today. in an effort to be more transparent, fed chairman ben bernanke will hold his first-ever news conference this afternoon. bernanke will take reporters' questions for about 45 minutes, hours after the central bank

announces its latest interest rate decision. overseas markets are mixed this morning, a day after stocks on wall street hit their highest levels in nearly three years. tokyo's nikkei average jumped 1.4% today. hong kong's hang seng fell 0.6%. in london, the ftse opened lower. and on wall street, the dow climbed 115 points yesterday. the nasdaq added 21. home prices are now at bargain levels for many buyers out there. foreclosures pushed prices down in 19 of the nation's 20 biggest metro areas in february. that has many people buying again, helping to reduce the glut of homes for sale. all that an important step for the nation's housing recovery. also, chrysler is reportedly close to a refinancing deal that will help it repay its $5 billion u.s. government loan. that loan helped chrysler survive bankruptcy. but it now costs the automaker millions a day in interest. millions of playstation owners may have had personal information stolen.

sony says hackers took names, addresses, passwords and more from its online network. credit card data may also have been stolen. but there's no evidence yet of that. if you think some people have their faces buried in their smartphones all the time, you're right. a xhigts by google founds 39% of smartphone users admit to using theirs in the bathroom. >> eww. >> reporter: and 20% of those surveyed said they would give up cable tv to keep their smartphone. >> use my phone. >> no. huh-uh. coming up next on this wednesday, it's been a very busy morning in london. >> good morning. wedding fever is in full effect. and we've got the royal swag to prove it. i'm diana alvear in london. i'll have the latest, coming up. plus, on top of that, a southwest jet skids off the runway. what happened? and what are they saying about the pilot this morning?

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woohoo. ...to find out more. investigators are trying to figure out what exactly caused this southwest jet to skid off the runway at chicago's midway airport. thankfully, though, none of the 139 people onboard was hurt in the accident. passengers gave the pilot credit for steering away from an embankment at the end of that runway. close call. >> very scary there. taking a look now at your morning road conditions, wet with stretches of flooding on i-20, from jackson, mississippi, to atlanta. i-40, from little rock to nashville. slippery on i-94, from the twin cities to chicago. snow on i-90 and 84 in the cascades. icy on i-15, in the rockies. >> and if you're flying today, airport delays are possible in chicago, minneapolis, memphis, detroit, new orleans and atlanta. well, with just two days until the big royal wedding, organizers are now putting the final touches on westminster

abbey. hard-core royal watchers have staked out their places along the route. they are sleeping out. waiting in line. they want to be there. >> they are loyal. hundreds of troops had a test run ahead of the big day. our reporter, diana alvear, who can barely contain her wedding fever, joins us from outside of the abbey. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and peggy, good morning. my cup tastes better coming out of my official royal mug. you know what's more exciting than that? tons of royal swag. more exciting than that? the dress rehearsal for the big day. it seemed like the real thing. streets were closed and guards stood at attention, as members of the cavalry made their way to westminster abbey, followed by a coach. it was all part of a dress rehearsal, practice to ensure a perfect performance on friday. the pair at the center of it all, were rumored to do a run through on wednesday, as well. today kate heads back to london,

at the goring hotel. that's where she will stay until her wedding day. the finishing touches are also taking place. trees were taken into the abbey where they will line the aisle. and the first of estimated 30,000 flowers are on their way. >> we began cutting early yesterday morning. and then, it was full-on for several hours. we have a system well in place. they give us support. and we think that the flowers arrived as fresh as they possibly could at westminster abbey. >> reporter: amid the pomp and circumstance, the pair are keeping the guest list to family, friends and colleagues, including the man who taught the prince to fly. >> like willy wonka with the golden ticket. but my wife and i, really, really excited and looking forward to the big day. >> reporter: and westminster abbey is now closed to the public for all the rehearsals and things going on. and early this morning when we were on our way over here, we noticed roads are starting to close, as well. very exciting, all of this run-up to the big day.

rob and peggy? >> looks nice there, too, diana. also, we're hearing controversy about the morning-after breakfast. also rumors of disco balls in the palace. what's going on there? >> reporter: scandal. we're hearing that pippa, kate's little sister. she's in charge of the parties. the big plan is to throw a post-wedding disco breakfast party. and part of the plan includes the so-called glitter ball hanging from the ceiling. causing an uproar at buckingham palace. you know the crazy kids. >> i love it. i love how they're called glitter balls. >> reporter: i want a ticket. >> i like disco balls in the palace. i like it. go for it. diana alvear, our wedding watcher in full force, in london. thanks, diana. of course, we are continuing to count down from london. "good morning america" is there. we'll have live reports coming up later this morning. and you can see the big event right here on abc friday morning. all the live coverage kicks off at 4:00 a.m. eastern.

all right. back to the news now. a man is claiming he drove off the rim of the grand canyon and lived to tell about it. he says he pulled himself from the car, which was found monday about 200 feet below the rim. there's no word on how that accident happened. a homeless connecticut mother is due in court today on charges that she sent her son to school. the school district says that because she and her son are not legal residents, she stole almost $16,000 worth of educational services. instead, the 5-year-old should have gone to another, poorer district. she said she just wanted her son to have a future and also attend a better school. speculation about katie couric's future has ramped up, now that she has officially announced her deparcher from the cbs evening news. couric tells "people" magazine that she wants to do, quote, more dimensional story telling. some say that couric has been shopping around her own talk show. cbs is expected to name scott pelley as the next evening news anchor. in the nba playoffs, a

sprained ankle could not stop kobe bryant. we get highlights from espn news. >> good morning. i'm don bell with your espn news update. we start with the nba playoffs. kobe bryant playing in game five against new orleans. and there was some concern about his ankle injury for kobe. not anymore. you don't have to go to the spa to get a facial. just ask emeka okafor. lakers trailed by two at that point. kobe again, using the left-hand. he had 19 points. lakers win, 106-90. they lead 3-2 games in the series. pacers and bulls. this is game five. chicago looking to eliminate indiana from the postseason, as derrick rose was battling his own injuries. slippery in the lane. bulls up by 11 after the free throw. fourth quarter now, rose showing the range. sticks the long ball. bulls win and advance to the second round of the playoffs. to the ice we go. the top-seeded canucks, look to avoid elimination, as they take

on the eighth seeded blackhawks. under two minutes left in the game. marian hossa isn't connect. but jonathan toews can. that's a shorthanded goal. game seven heads to o.t. in the extra session, alex burrows with the steal. he goes the other way and makes it happen. the reigning champs eliminated. canucks win 2-1, in o.t. flyers and sabers. they're facing off in game seven. second period. flyers lead by one. mike richards takes the shot off the face-off. blocked. but then, there's danny briere. he gets it to go. flyers lead 2-0. third period, danny carcillo. he's lighting the lamp. flyers win 5-2, in game seven. i'm don bell. that is your espn news update. now, to the ballroom smackdown for pro wrestler chris jericho. >> jericho and cheryl burke were voted off "dancing with the stars" last night, after getting pinned in last place for their tango. it was described by the judges,

as cold, uneventful and lumpy. jericho maintained his humor. saying it was a good thing because he had to fly to england for the royal wedding. coming up next, where the storm threat is later today. and is he serious about running? the donald visits an important election state today. and breaking news overnight. an explosion at a vital and breaking news overnight. an explosion at a vital pipeline. wo till all the books are read... man: and all the pens are put down... woman: and everything there is to learn is learned. man: till the heroes retire and the monsters return to their dens... woman: and all the plots are wrapped up. man: till that day... boy: by hook or by crook... girl: by book or by nook... woman: i will read. i feel like i have to wind myself up to deal with the sadness, the loss of interest, the lack of energy.

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this wednesday. another day of violent storms. this time the gulf coast all the way to the northeast. more tornadoes are expected along with torrential rain, targeting towns that are dealing with damaging floods. people in missouri are keeping an eye on a strained levee on the brink of cheap collapse. egyptian officials are not sure whether an explosion at a natural gas terminal was an accident or sabotage. but it is the second incident at n the past month at the facility, on the border with israel. president obama travels to chicago where he and the first lady will tape an appearance on "the oprah winfrey show." that appearance will air next week. later, the president attends fund-raisers in new york. a possible republican candidate is on the move today. donald trump goes to new hampshire, to meet with officials, including the state's gop. he will decide by june whether to run for the white house. >> is it all for show? or does he really mean it? for some of you, your local news is next. >> for everyone else, behind the

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>> next on abc 7 news, an old idea gets a new look. why a transit agency could expand late-night service. >> controversial officer is appointed new police chief and the decision that san jose said will insure crimes will not get investigated in the future. >> looks like mild sunshine and a cooling trend is on the way. join us and finally, we're holding down the fort here at abc news, while many of our colleagues, of course, are in london, covering the big wedding.

>> so exciting. the abc crew is being joined by thousands of journalists from around the world. the bbc's mick nick heim reports. >> reporter: the names on television presenters' lips around the world. [ speaking foreign language ] >> reporter: as royal wedding fever builds, viewers have been treated on stories on everything, from hats to horse. in london, they've been preparing for an invasion by an estimated 12,000 journalists. opposite buckingham palace, they built a stack of studios. news organizations can rent them for 60,000 pounds a time. >> having talked, you have a wedding. prince william's mother was diana, princess of piles. people describe it as a fairy tale. >> reporter: photographers are

paying 900 pounds a time to be here. but for some broadcasters, these positions aren't good enough. they built temporary studios, perched precariously on the roofs of buildings. for prince william, there's huge interest, even though the monarchy is a controversial issue. >> this is a celebrity event also. so, you have this enormous focus on a very attractive couple. and the republican issue is something separate. you can be a republican and still watch this and say, isn't that lovely? >> reporter: and in taiwan, the whole thing's a subject for satire. look carefully at the subtitles. >> reporter: nick heim, bbc. >> quite a spectacle. everybody's there. everybody wants to see it. that's what's making news in america this morning. >> stay with us for "good morng