wowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowowo i making news in america this morning. >> the world's most powerful banker and the possible next president of france arrested in new york. plucked from a plane moments before takeoff, hauled in on attempted rape charges. in cajun country, they're watching the water that is slowly covering everything in sight. and dawn launch. gabrielle giffords is there to watch her commander husband. we're live at cape cana good morning. one of the world's top financial leaders will appear in a new york courtroom in just a few hours, charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. police say a maid picked

dominique strauss-kahn out of a lineup. overnight, police shuttled him from the airport to a hospital. he was examined for dna and other evidence. dominiqu dominique strauss-kahn, the world's most powerful banker was supposed to be in brussels this morning working to save the economyies of a couple of european nations. instead, dsk, as he's known, is scheduled to appear in court on several charges. >> rape, a criminal sex act, and unlawful imprisonment. >> reporter: his troubles started saturday night. he was plucked from his plane seconds before departure. the head of the international monetary fund was staying in a posh, $3,000 a night hotel. when a housekeeper came to clean his room. police say strauss-kahn emerged make theed from the bathroom and attacked her. she struggled, only the be dragged to the bathroom and attacked again.

she broke free and called police. before this incident he was expected to leave his imf job and seek a higher office, the president of france. now, the man widely known as the seducer is at the center of a sex scandal. despite his nickname, he's married. thiz third wife is a prominent tv downlist in france. she says she has no doubt about his innocence. it is major news in france. he was leading in the polls in france as a potential challenger to the current president, nicolas sarkozy. news of the arrest is met with shock and embarrassment. even some of his supporters say his career is over. why is the international monetary fund so important? nearly every nation on earth is a member. the groel is to maintain stability and avoid financial

crises. right now, it's playing a key role in efforts to control the european debt crisis. and the other major story on the monday morning, homeowners across cajun country are piling up sandbags and packing up. as flood waters threaten 3,000 square miles. >> water is creeping into tiny louisiana towns after the morganza spillway was opened this weekend. sparing bigger cities from catastrophic flooding. yunji de nies is there in butte la rose. >> reporter: farmland transformed from a dry field to a lake. houses and roads submerged. even wildlife swept up in the current of rising water. opening the spillway diverted massive amounts of water away from the more heavily pop lated cities of baton rouge and new orleans. >> they're going to do that to save millions of people there that devastation. i don't care if it's one person, 25,000, or 1 million, when somebody gets affected by something like this, to me, it tears my heart apart. >> reporter: people in the path of the water are urged to

evacuate. many have left. some have moved valuables. others are waiting it out. >> i'm going watch it daily. if i see it coming up you know if i feel threatened, i'm going. >> reporter: others are fortifying their homes as best they can. >> i put some v-screen to block the water. and i came back to put some sand to hold it back. >> reporter: one man built his own levee. there is no doubt the water is coming. the uncertainty is how high it will get. and how bad it will be. when the river crests, the worst won't be over. the crest itself is supposed to last for ten days. once the homes flood, they could stay wet for weeks. yunji de nies, abc news, butte la rose, louisiana. >> and that river where yunji was standing and areas downstream will not crest until next week. high water levels could stick around well into the summer. three men in miami are accused of sending thousands of dollars to the pakistani taliban.

the 76-year-old imam of a mosque and his two sons are set to go to court today. to face charges of aiding a terrorist organization. the imam is from northwest pakistan. a hot bed for taliban support. but the family says he's too eld lir to take part in any plot. the field for presidential candidates is now shaken up. now that mike huckabee has decided not to run. the popular former governor announced his decision saturday night. saying, all the factors say go, but my heart says no. reverend billy graham is back home this morning after being in the hospital for five days. doctors say the 92-year-old evangelist responded well to treatment for knewpneumonia. his recovery will be gradual. if the new graduates of spellman college wanted inspiration, they got it in the right place. mrs. obama spoke there. the school was founded in the

1880s for black women, when students would literally walk for miles just to learn to read. >> she looks great in a graduation gown there. taking a look at this morning's weather from around the nation. showers and thunderstorms from new york to washington, d.c. and the carolinas. drenching downpours in new england. cool in the nation's midsection with morning frost advisories in ten states. here we are in may. up to a foot of snow in the cascades. >> 64 in sacramento. 87 in phoenix. mostly 60s from the twin cities to kansas city. 70 here in new york. 65 in atlanta. 76 in new orleans. coming up major figure in pro sports says he's coming out of the closet. and business news. will it be a rosy summer hiring season. and a close call at a weekend party.

whipping winds lift a bouncy castle right off the ground. you hear these stories all the time. m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m

m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m

m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m m the federal government will run out of credit today. the u.s. will hit the $14.3 trillion limit set by congress. there's an impasse right now on raising the debt ceiling with republicans insisting on spending cuts with any deal. the treasury can move some money around. analysts don't think we'll see an immediate impact for awhile. this morning, overseas

investors are worried about greece's debt crisis and falling commodity places. tokyo's nikkei ainch was down about 1%. in london, the ftse opened lower. dow was off 0.3% last week. the nasdaq was practically unchanged. though gasoline prices are falling, they're still hovering around $4 a gallon. over the weekend, the president directed the government to boost production by extending offshore drilling reeses and offering new once. analysts agree, there is no quick way to lower to prices at the pump. the playstation network is back, after almost a month offline. sony is restoring access to its video game network. they said on twitter this morning that a high volume of pass word reset requests is slowing down the system. it's shaping up to be a bad summer for students looking for

job this is year. a study now predicts only 1 in 4 looking for a job this summer will actually find one. that's the worst youth employment rate since world war ii. many adults are going after the same jobs. and "thor" hammered the competition again this weekend. it was the second weekend for the 33-d superhero film. it was helped by the strong word of mouth. that brought in about $34.5 million this weekend. followed by the new film "bridesmaids." and "fast five" came in third. >> i keep hearing great things about "bridesmaids." >> it's supposed to be very funny. coming up next, nasa makes history. >> i'm john hendren at the kennedy space center in florida, where space shuttle "endeavour" is preparing to make its final launch. i'll have more on that coming up.

"endeavor" is set to make its final launch. i'll have more on that coming up. lp fight muscle loss with exercise and ensure muscle health. i've got revigor. what's revigor? it's the amino acid metabolite hmb to help rebuild muscle and strength naturally lost over time. [ female announcer ] ensure muscle health has revigor and protein to help protect, preserve and promote muscle health. keeps you from getting soft. [ major nutrition ] ensure. nutrition in charge! i'm phil mickelson, pro golfer. if you have painful swollen joints i've been in your shoes. one day i'm on p of the world... the next i'm saying... i have this thing called psoriatic arthritis. i had some intense pain. it progressively got worse. my rheumatologist told me about enbrel. i'm surprised how quickly my symptoms have been managed. [ male announcer ] because enbrel suppresses your immune system it may lower your ability to fight infections. serious sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis lymphoma, other cancers and nervous system and blood disorders have occurred.

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a fifth grade graduation party turns terrifying for kids and adults in tucson. take a look at this. powerful winds kicked up throwing a jumping castle into a lamp post. luckily, the parents got the kids out before the casting took off. it's the third jumping castle picked up by winds lately. look now at the morning road conditions. it will be wet on i-95 from maine to the carolinas. wet on i-5 from seattle to l.a. you can expect snow on parts of i-80 in the sierra nevadas. if you're flying, expect airport bedays possible from charlotte to boston. atlanta, and san francisco, as well. the space shuttle "endeavour" is set to take

flight this morning for the final time, making history. >> this was two weeks late. wounded senator gabrielle giffords is there to see her husband take off. john hendren has a preview. of today's events. good morning, john. >> reporter: good morning, peggy, good morning, rob. "endeavour" is now fully fueled. the pilot tweeted a few minutes ago, the crew is fired up for the mission. the countdown is on for one last mission before the space shuttle soors to its final frontier -- retirement. thousands of people are there to watch, including gabrielle giffords to watch her husband, mark kelly, command. >> she's been working very hard to make sure her doctors would permit her to come. >> reporter: they come from as far away as los angeles. >> i want to watch her launch and land, and i'll follow her back to california. >> it will shake the ground. >> it's a once in a lifetime experience. >> reporter: they scrubbed a launch two weeks ago over an electrical problem.

now rekofled nasa officials say. >> everything is in really great shape. really no issues at all. >> reporter: this is the second time giffords has made the journey from houston, where she's recovering after being shot in the head in january. >> it seems that she understands everything, if not everything, almost everything. she's really there. she follows directions laughs at jokes, recognizes friends. >> reporter: on its 16-day mission, they will deliver a cosmic ray detecter to the space center. they're hoping that will give a glimpse into the very first moments of the universe, right after the big bang. on board, the astronauts are all wearing the blue bracelets celebrating giffords' life. the liftoff marx the beginning of the end of an era. it's the next to last shuttle launch. when "atlantis" takes off later this summer, that is the end of a 30-year shuttle mission. >> i can imagine the

anticipation is really exciting. describe scene for us. >> reporter: it's actually amazing. at this hour of night, all along the road, you see people lined up. they have fires. many of them are still awake, talking. they're all waiting for this. we're expecting half a million people. if you want to know it's a nasty traffic problem. the last launch, it took six hours to get everybody off the road afterwards. peggy? >> a special moment later today. thanks for that report, john hendren, line in florida. thanks. this morning, fans are still reeling from the death of 28-year-old hockey star derek boogard. he was a new york pranger, known as the league's most indim dating player. he was found dead in his minneapolis apartment on friday. a concussion sidelined him through much of the season. there's speculation that a brain injury tributecontributed to his death. the nba commissioner is

supporting steve welks, who is just revealing he's gay. he says pro sports is one of the few industries where talking about being gay is still taboo. for more on the playoffs, we turn to espn news. good morning. there have been five game sevens in the nhl playoffs. the first one of the nba playoffs took place on sunday afternoon. grizzlies and the thunder for all the marbles. second quarter. thunder up by five. russell westbrook finding kevin durant. the open three. durantula drills it. setting up durant. oak city up by six. in the fourth quarter, they really started to run away with it. up by 13, it will be westbrook, 14 points, 14 assists, 10 rebounds, that's a triple-double. with under 4:00 to go the dynamic duo yet again. the thunder win easily, 105-90. they advance to the western conference finals.

derrick rose and the bulls take on the heat game one of the eastern conference finals. watson to gibson. making a poster out of dwyane wade. tied at 25-25. that is the look of rage. third quarter, rose hits the runner. he had 28 points and 6 assists. under 1:00 to go off the watson miss, welcome to the house of taj. massive, one-hand putback. another picture-worthy dunk. rose loved it from the bench. the bulls humiliate the heat. 103-82. roberto luongo in goal. what the -- horrendous puck handling. thornton will make him pay. gorgeous setup. no mistake for the second. heatley in the box. the famous green men taunting him. sedin gets the last laugh. beating niemi with the backhand. the canucks win, 3-2.

you're up to date for now. for all your highlights, join us on espn news' highlight express. i like this story here. a connecticut high school senior is going to the prom after all. we told you last week about james tate who was suspended for posting a prom invitation on a school wall in 12-inch letters. school officials said it was a safety risk. >> you can't squash that romantic effort from a guy. they've announced james can attend. the international notoriety on this case definitely had an effect on the decision. they say, let the guy go to prom. >> it seemed like the right thing. a little overreaction. but it all worked out. coming up next, the stories we're following later today. including a new era for chicago politics, beginning later today. we'll be right back. stay with us. stay with us. losing weight clicked for me when i lost weight right away. that weight tracker continued to go down and down and down. weight watchers online has

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of cereal. and to lactaid® milk. easy to digest and with all the calcium and vitamin d of regular milk. [ female announcer ] lactaid®. the original lactose-free milk. now a look ahead to the stories we'll be watching on this monday. the head of the international monetary fund is expected to plead not guilty this morning. in a new york courtroom. dominique strauss-kahn is charged with sexually assaulting a hotel maid. until this he was a leading candidate to run for president in france. a suspect in a terrorist attack is set to go to court today.

a witness says a chicago businessman aided him. a witness says that the man got help from pakistani intelligence. they deny it. senator john kerry is in pakistan this morning, trying to ease tensions in the country after the u.s. raid that killed osama bin laden. the soldiers have intense feelings about the secret raid. president obama travels to tennessee today to give a commencement address at a local high school, which was the first in memphis to educate black students. he will meet with victims of last week's flooding in that city. and former white house chief of staff rahm emanuel becomes the mayor of chicago today. there's a lot of talk in the windy city about the new mayor's glamorous friends and cultural interests. he says anytime he thinks he's hip, he just talks to his son. coming up later on "good morning america," a dangerous new craze that parents should know about. it's called planking. it's made its way to the u.s. from australia. where at least one death has been reported. >> it's bizarre. tons of footage of it. for some of you, your local news is up next.

>> for everyone else america this morning continues right after this. tacy. who runs circles around asthma. and dan. he never lets high cholesterol get him too low. and amy with her arthritis well in hand. they go to walgreens... where their pharmacist not only refills prescriptions but gives advice... immunizations... and health tests. staying on top of your health starts right in your neighborhood. walgreens. there's a way to stay well. [ nurse ] i'm a hospice nurse. britta olsen is my patient. i spend long hours with her checking her heart rate administering her medication, and just making her comfortable. one night britta told me about a tradition in denmark, "when a person dies," she said, "someone must open the window so the soul can depart." i smiled and squeezed her hand. "not tonight, britta. not tonight." ♪ ♪

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on. >> next at 4:30. heading home the special flight this morning that is expected to bring a severely injured giants fan back to the hospital and a countdown to history. nasa is making final preparations for the shuttle's last flight an hour and a half from now. >> another chance of record cold high temperatures is the big story. rain is on the way. i'll tell you when it gets here. and finally from us this morning, a heart warming graduation march fueled by determination, hard work, and cutting-edge technology. >> really is an incredible

story. seven amazing steps for a college student that had not walked in nearly four years. >> reporter: austin whitney had just graduated from high school, a straight-a student. when he was behind the wheel of his car, he crashed. he had been drinking. he survived. a severed spinal cord meant he would never walk again. he was devastated. not only for himself but for the parents he said he let down. >> i was so consumed by hatred for myself, i had put my family and everyone i knew through so much pain. all for nothing. i said austin you have to findis accident. some meaning in this accident. >> reporter: within days of leaving the hospital, he was off to college, transferring to the university of california at berkeley, and it was there he learned of a research team developing what is called an exoskeleton, meant to help american factory workers looking to carry a heavier load. >> it really happened. i'm not in a wheelchair.

>> reporter: his goal was to finish college on time in four years, to make his parents proud. this weekend, that moment arrived. in front of 15,000 people, austin stood up. took that first step. [ cheers ] then another. and another. his mother couldn't believe what she was seeing. seven steps across that stage. [ cheers ] mom waiting right beside that diploma. >> austin whitney. >> reporter: and from austin himself, perhaps his biggest lesson of all. >> it makes me reluctant to use that word impossible, ever, ever again. >> reporter: david muir, abc news, new york. >> sure not a dry eye in the house. such a feat. a great accomplishment. congratulations.